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Vitamin (Ph)D: Evidence-Based Performance Nutrition

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Recent Posts

Budget-Friendly Fitness Finds June 23, 2018
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Two More Weeks, Two More Things! (Installment #2: Hacking Your Brain) June 21, 2017
Two More Weeks, Two More Things! (Installment #1: Maintaining Change) June 15, 2017
10 Weeks, 10 Pounds, 10 Things May 31, 2017

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CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: MAINTENANCE I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Today I have another fantastic client spotlight: Alicia D., Champion Maintainer! While the definition of successful #weightloss isn't concrete, researchers associated with the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) consider it to be the maintenance of at least 10% body weight loss for at least one year. They estimate that about 20% of individuals can be considered successful, and after maintaining this new weight for 2-5 years, the likelihood of long-term maintenance increases. According to the NWCR, 42% of their members stated that *maintaining* their weight loss was more difficult than losing the weight. Only 59% of their sample were able to maintain their weight loss for a year following the loss. Most individuals who successfully maintained their weight loss for at least one year tended to maintain it for up to 10 years according to one study! While weight loss is a huge achievement that is deserving of the great press it receives, weight maintenance is truly the underdog that deserves much more credit! Keep reading below! 👇

You guys picked a busy day to grace me with your follows and questions! 😄 Gotta take good care of my #clients first and then I'll post up some factoids on high-fat #diets and #guthealth . Nothing is definitive but there is certainly a consensus on some aspects. The best diet for #weightmanagement is one you can adhere to, but nutrient content does affect which #bacteria thrive! @rpdrmike @rpstrength @revivestronger @jared_feather @gainzbydrj #rpstrengthdiet #rpcoach #rpfam #rpstrong #cissn #issn #sportnutrition #nutrition #microbiome #certifiedhealthcoach2b #rd2b

MOTIVATION: There's more to it than you might think! Most people have heard of extrinsic (external) and intrinsic (internal) motivation. It's actually a much more nuanced concept, and understanding the different types of motivation can help you gain more control over behaviors that you might wish to modify. Some people really enjoy exercise, and to other people it may look like they don't need motivation to do it. On the contrary, they actually are extremely motivated to exercise, but this is intrinsic, or internal motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a strong and positive driving force that compels us to do things that we enjoy. Not so many people really enjoy dieting. It's not meant to be a lifestyle (thank goodness!) but we do need to keep it up long enough to see results. Because many of us aren't intrinsically motivated to diet, we need to rely on more external types of motivation to maintain our drive to keep dieting for 2-3 months at a time. Extrinsic motivation drives us to do something not necessarily because it's enjoyable, but because it leads to a desired outcome. Continued below...! 👇

EXCUSES OR OBSTACLES? Today I have a Client Spotlight Double Feature, because two of my amazing clients provided some awesome insight on a common--but damaging--theme in the dieting mindset. In a recent check-in, my client Meredith S. mentioned that she had been traveling recently and was, "...the opposite of disciplined." She followed up by saying that those were, "...terrible excuses." I've heard many clients express the same sentiment, and it's commonly accompanied by guilt and disappointment in their perceived lack of discipline or self-control. I've mentioned before that guilt due to 'breaking rules' decreases motivation, and this is no different. So, I recommended that she view these as obstacles rather than excuses. Not only does this remove the aspects of guilt and failure, but it presents an opportunity for success. We can plan to overcome obstacles ahead of time, and reflect on why we may not have been successful previously. I'm happy to report that she enthusiastically shifted her way of thinking to plan for the upcoming obstacles in a subsequent trip, and successfully stayed on track the entire time! Coincidentally, another client, Melanie F., wrote to me that she had been identifying 'stress points' and 'hunger points'. She took time to examine all of the factors present when she was feeling hungry or stressed, as well as times that she experienced a reduced appetite. She noted that she often felt less hungry when she was enjoying time with good company. She also was able to anticipate oncoming stress and hunger points to plan for those. Importantly, both of these clients approach dieting as a *choice.* They realize that they have options, and are not victims of circumstance. Owning your obstacles--your stress and hunger points--creates opportunities for daily success, which increases your motivation to keep working toward the larger goal. It's these small, daily habits that accumulate over time. Exercising your mind with new thoughts--like shifting from excuses to obstacles--is just as important as exercising your body! Remember, the problem isn't a lack of compliance. The problem is a lifestyle that isn't conducive to compliance.

🎆Happy 4th of July! 😄🎆 Celebrate with @rpstrength buy taking advantage of their holiday sale and investing in your #health! I have had great success with the #femalephysique templates for #strength, #hypertrophy, and #powerlifting #performance. So have many of my clients! The templates are highly modifiable and reusable, with multiple mesocycles built in. Check out @rp_transformations to see these amazing success stories! 💪 @usapowerlifting @usaplga #rpcoach #rpstrengthdiet #rpfam #rpstrong #rptemplate #bodybuilding #strongwomen #womenwhopowerlift #cissn #sportnutrition #healthcoach #fitfam #fitlife #fitnessmotivation #fitness #workout #exercise

"Just eat more veggies." "Stop snacking at night." "Start walking a couple times per week." Sound familiar? At the surface, these seem like prudent suggestions. I think few would argue that any of these are 'bad advice.' Any one of these recommendations could lead to weight loss by creating or enhancing an energy deficit. So, what's wrong here? These are *outcome goals*. There's no *process* here. And, who came up with these goals: the coach or the client? An effective goal must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Saying "Just eat less and walk more," to a person trying to lose weight is like saying, "Just spend less money and make more money," to a person trying to save money. Let's take a look at the veggies example: How many more cups of veggies? How will we measure the intake? Is the client already eating 10 cups a day? Does the client feel that it's helpful or important to eat more veggies? How quickly do we need to increase veggie intake? Also, there's another important aspect missing: What behaviors need to change in order to increase veggie intake? What behavioral excess or deficit has the client identified, and how would increased veggies help? Perhaps the person is struggling with time-management to meal prep, or they don't know how to prepare the veggies, or they haven't found a veggie they like. Okay, NOW we have something to work with. We can brainstorm *together* to figure out what behaviors, knowledge, or attitude might be adjusted to bring us to the goal of eating more veggies. The problem isn't a lack of compliance. The problem is a lifestyle that isn't conducive to compliance. A coach's purpose isn't to simply prescribe fitness or nutrition rules, but to help the client develop realistic goals and create an environment that supports the behaviors needed to reach those goals. 💪

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