Some people exercise with the hopes that their workouts will make up for their poor food choices. (I’m sure none of the people from our weight loss class are thinking that.)

Many of those people will say, “I just don’t understand why I can’t lose weight.” Really?

Bad news for those of you trying to get away with this approach. 80% of your body fat composition will be determined by your diet.

Yes, exercise is also important to health and to speed up fat burning and muscle building, but most of your results will come from how you eat.

If you truly desire maximum results you must get real about your daily diet. Time to give up a few of those large white mochas from you-know-where.

Local television broadcaster, Channel 6, posted an article on their website regarding American’s out-of-control consumption of sugar.

According to the AMA, we average 22 tsp of sugar too much every day, most of which comes from soda.

In our Slimdown weight loss class, we advocate the importance of keeping it simple and nutrient dense!

Eating a diet rich in natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables - the most simple, nutrient dense foods on earth - is the easiest way to avoid overdoing the sugar calories.

I often tell my class that if you’ve been religiously consuming in excess of 3,000 calories a day and you switch to eating 1,500 calories of Twinkies, you will lose weight by simply creating a caloric deficit.  However, you will get none of the nutrients necessary for your healty and satiety.

So, toss the sugar-laden Twinkie by the wayside and grab a banana!  Your health and waistline will thank you for it!

~ Kara

Can you imagine telling this 400lb man that he would be ready to do a triathlon in less than a year?

Matt Hudson at 400+ pounds

Recently, this man experienced a great accomplishment, finishing the Sugar Creek Swim Club Sprint Triathlon in Crawfordsville. Well, it wasn’t quite the same man.

I’m proud of my brother. I can’t say it enough.  Matt and his wife, Paula, started last October to change their lives by getting fit. In less than a year’s time they have lost over 300lbs between them. Matt is now 20lbs away from his goal of losing 200lbs in one year.

In my career, I have had one or two people that have lost 100 pounds, but never three at the same time. (Bill Bean has lost 100lbs during this same time.)

How does Matt do it?

He exercises almost every day of the week and has been doing bootcamp classes a couple of times a week.  He keeps a food log and stays under 2,000 calories a day.

It’s that simple. Simple, but not easy.

Paula has been a strong support for Matt. Having a few cheerleaders (and butt kickers) is always helpful for anyone trying to make such huge life changes. Given Paula’s incredible success, it’s clear they have both been good for each other.

Below is a recent picture of Matt. The change in his appearance is remarkable but the changes can’t all be appreciated in a photo.

Matt Hudson August 2009

I would love to find a way to get more people like Matt and Paula motivated to change their life. Unfortunately, that’s something they have to do before I can help them. Perhaps their story will be motivating for someone.

If you have someone in your life, a friend or family member, who is obese and unhealthy, let them know they don’t have to stay that way and that it’s possible to radically change their life.

Yeah! Indiana came in 16th.

Why is that good?

Five years ago we were the 4th fattest state in the nation. Last year we were 11th. We’ve now improved to 16th place. Well, it’s not really an improvement. The reason we moved down on the list is because the obesity rates increased in other states. Our percentage (27.4%) is basically the same as it was for last year.

Congratulations to Mississippi who topped the chart for the 5th  year in a row. Their adult obesity rate is 32.5%.  Maybe it’s time Biggest Loser did a state competition.

According to this 2009 report on obesity, a whopping 34% of Indiana baby boomers in the 55-64 age bracket are obese. But especially disturbing is that almost 30% of our kids are classified as either overweight or obese. When are we going to do something about this?

“DESPITE STEADY PROGRESS OVER MOST OF THE PAST CENTURY TOWARD ENSURING THE HEALTH OF OUR COUNTRY’S CHILDREN, WE BEGIN THE 21ST CENTURY WITH A STARTLING SETBACK — AN EPIDEMIC OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY. THIS EPIDEMIC IS OCCURRING IN BOYS AND GIRLS IN ALL 50 STATES, IN YOUNGER CHILDREN AS WELL AS ADOLESCENTS, ACROSS ALL SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA, AND AMONG ALL ETHNIC GROUPS… ” — Institute of Medicine’s Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health In The Balance

This is heartbreaking!

Read this plan for combating the obesity epidemic in our country then get off the couch and start doing something about it.

A few days ago I said it takes exercise and proper nutrition to get real results. I’m going to bang that drum again.

To lose fat and see real body transformation you must regulate your calorie intake. This has to be done on a daily basis over a long period of time. That’s not to say you have to be perfect. It doesn’t require perfection but it does take real consistency.

Do you know how many calories you take in over a day? Do you know how many you should be taking in? Are you writing down what you eat?

You need accurate information. 3500 excess calories become 1lb of body fat. It’s not that hard to get 500 extra calories a day. In the same way, it won’t be that hard to make 300-500 calories worth of adjustment…if you know where to adjust. Writing it all down provides the information needed to know where to make the adjustments.

I came across a great video from Longevity Health Club in Florida. Bonnie, one of the owners, makes some great points about the importance of diet and nutrition. I highly recommend watching it.

If you are working out but aren’t seeing changes in your weight or your measurements then it’s time to give some attention to your nutrition.