I’m here to warn you about 5 fat loss myths that most people fall for. This might come across as a soapbox rant, and for that I apologize, but trust me when I say that this is a message that needs to be spread.

Your fat loss depends on it.

Don’t waste your time on these:

This is a Myth: Diet pills will help you lose fat.

It’s so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don’t fall for it. The ‘magic pill’ has yet to be discovered (it has been discovered – exercise. It’s just not in pill form…). Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your pocketbook than to slim you down.

Don’t pop a pill—instead burn calories with exercise.

This is a Myth: You should starve yourself to lose fat.

Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it’s also dangerous. It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you’ll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.

Don’t starve yourself—instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.

This is a Myth: Lots of crunches will flatten your abs.

We all want our midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren’t the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you’ll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.

Don’t obsess about crunches—instead focus on fat burning.

This is a Myth: Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.

It is amazing to see the kinds of foods that are packaged as ‘diet’ or ‘weight loss’ aids. More often than not these products are packed with refined sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn’t need.

Don’t eat packaged diet foods—instead stick with nutritious whole foods.

This is a Myth: You have to avoid carbs to lose fat.

Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.

Don’t swear off all carbohydrates—instead stick with wholesome carbs.

Now that you know what not to do in order to look great this summer, it’s time to go over your beach ready game plan.

Here’s what you need to know in 3 simple steps:

DO THIS FIRST: Cut out the junk.

The best way to do this is to start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed and fat-filled foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don’t buy any more of it. Remember that your beach ready abs depend on what you eat – don’t eat junk!

DO THIS SECOND: Focus on whole foods.

Replace the junk food in your life with plenty of the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and low fat dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.

DO THIS THIRD: Come train with me.

This is the most obvious step. You’re ready to get into great shape and I’m in a unique position to make that happen for you.

Want more guidance as you take your body from flab to fab? I’d love to help you! Give me a call or shoot me an email and let’s get you on track to shed some major fat before summer!

Let’s do this together.

It happens with most of us.

You have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day… and at the end of it you turn to food.

There’s a reason that it’s called comfort food. While you’re eating it you feel better.

And when you’re done eating it you feel worse.

Keep this in mind next time you are tempted to turn to food for comfort:

Emotional eating temporarily relieves distress and then makes it impossible to attain what you really want.

Breakfast is the most influential meal of the day. If you start your day with sugary pastries or a greasy breakfast sandwich, the rest of your food choices will follow suit.

However, when you start your morning with a wholesome and nutritious meal you’ll be more likely to continue with good choices throughout the day. Enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin & Zucchini Muffin is a nutritious start to your day.

Don’t let the rich flavor and mouthwatering moistness of these muffins fool you. You’ll have a hard time convincing anyone, but this recipe was modified to include less fat and sugar than the original.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

What you need
Servings: 40

3 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup raw honey
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup coconut oil, melted
7 oz applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a mini muffin pan with paper baking cups, or use non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl combine eggs and honey. Add pumpkin, melted coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in the zucchini.

4. Pour into muffin tins, sprinkle the tops with chopped walnuts. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until you can poke a toothpick in a muffin and it comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutrition
One mini muffin equals: 92 calories, 3g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 1.5g fiber, and 2g protein.