Hours in the gym and not seeing results?

So you are spending hours in the gym each week and you are not seeing the change in your waistline?  This is because you are missing the most important piece of the puzzle, changing your nutrition to optimize your body's ability to melt that fat! The only hormone in your body that tells your body to store fat is insulin. The key to turning your body into a fat burning machine is keeping your insulin levels low as much a possible. The number one thing that spikes your body's insulin is carbohydrates and sugar. Here are some tips for getting those insulin levels down so you can shed that spare tire! 

#1:  TRACK YOUR FOOD: The biggest mistake people make is not tracking what they are consuming every day. Research shows that people greatly underestimate their calorie consumption if they are "just winging it".  There are a ton of apps you can download to your phone and easily and quickly track what you consume on a daily basis. The app should give you a range of suggested daily calorie consumption based on your goals. As a trainer, I suggest that you also track your macros (percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and keep your daily carbohydrate percentage under 30%. This will keep your insulin levels lower, thus sending the signal to your body to burn fat for energy. 

#2:  READ LABELS:  In this day and age of information, I am still astounded by the fact that people don't bother to look at the nutrition facts on their food before they choose to eat it. It doesn't take but 30 seconds to turn a package over and read. What are you looking for? Check out the ingredients. If one of the 1st three ingredients in the food is sugar (or another word for sugar), you should not be consuming it. When in the grocery store, see if there is a healthier alternative to what you are used to choosing. There is most likely a healthier alternative. 

#3:  STOP DRINKING YOUR CALORIES:  You love those craft beers huh? Guess where those beers are going? Straight to your waistline!  I tell clients that I am working with all the time that if they only make one change in their nutrition, this should be it. Just stop drinking calories. Save the beer for special occasions (no more than twice a month). Better yet, when you drink, just drink a liquor on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. This is a lot less carbohydrate and calorie-heavy than those heavy craft beers. Switch out sugary and carbohydrate packed drinks (like juice, soda, and sweet tea) with water and zero calorie alternatives like flavored sparkling water, unsweetened tea and coffee with unsweetened creamers. 

If you are not willing to change your nutrition along with putting in the time at the gym, then you are severely limiting your ability to get results. Like they say...an athlete is made in the kitchen, not the gym. 

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