Beat Fat With Breakfast
By Holly Rigsby, CPT
Breakfast is easily the most overlooked solution when it comes to effective fat burning tips. Studies consistently show that people, who regularly eat breakfast, eat fewer calories throughout the day, have better nutritional habits, and weigh less than those who choose to skip breakfast.
When it comes to your fat loss, your goal is to make your body burn more calories. Your metabolism is like a burning fire, how can you make the fire burn stronger without putting something on it to burn? Our bodies are burning fat and calories 24 hours a day, however, calories are burned at the slowest rate while we are sleeping. Without something to jump-start it in the morning, your metabolism may remain in slow motion throughout the day and any extra calories – no matter how healthy – will be stored as fat. 
The act of eating and digesting supportive foods frequently, increases your metabolism so you can burn more fat and calories all day long.
How to do it: Eat a supportive meal within an hour of waking. Feel like your always running late? No time to eat? The secret – get up 10-20 minutes earlier and keep it simple. Not only can you increase time spent with your family at the kitchen table, but making time to start your day off with a high protein, high fiber breakfast will boost your metabolism, your energy and your mood. Because breakfast provides you with the energy you need to get through your day, the more energy you have, the more active you’ll be and the more active you are, the more calories you burn.
If you are not hungry first thing in the morning, try starting your day with a big glass of water or freshly brewed green tea. Proceed with your morning routine and plan to allow yourself about 10-15 minutes before you walk out the door to eat your breakfast.
If you like to exercise first thing in the morning, eat 30 to 45 minutes before your workout.
Try one of the following options:
1. Eat a light snack – yogurt or a piece of fruit. Eat your regular breakfast 30-45 minutes after your workout.
2. Eat half of your regular breakfast before the workout and the other half about 30-45 minutes after your workout.
3. Drink a meal replacement shake – quick and easy to make and for your body too digest.
Watch out for “Protein/Breakfast Bars”. Many of these items seem appealing for they are quick and easy; however the majority of these bars are loaded with sugar and fat. Check the nutrition facts.
Here are some breakfast fat loss favorites: Cereal is a MUST. It’s convenient, easy to prepare, easy to eat and full of nutrients – No…”Whole Grain Lucky Charm” does not fall into this category. Be sure to choose your cereals based on the information on the food label.
The top choices should have:
• 5 grams of Fiber or more
• 8 grams of Sugar or LESS
• Sugar not listed among the first 3 ingredients.
For all other breakfast options, be sure to include a protein, complex carbohydrate, and fresh or frozen fruit. These are some of my favorites:
• Oatmeal with natural peanut butter, cinnamon and a side of fresh berries.
• Kashi Go Lean Crunch with skim milk and a banana.
• Scrambled egg whites topped with salsa and shredded cheese wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.
• Meal Replacement Shake with a piece of fruit.
So if you’re interested in fat loss, make sure you don’t forget – breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy – Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to Fit Yummy Mummy to get your FREE copy of her special report: “The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism.”
Two Flat Stomach Secrets For Women
By Holly Rigsby, CPT
Have you tried everything under the sun to get a flat stomach, only to come up disappointed? Have you fallen prey to all the gimmicks, fad diets and shameless infomercials promising you that elusive flat stomach that you desire?
Well fret no more, I’m going to let you in on the two ‘secrets’ that will help you shed unwanted fat and reveal your toned, flat stomach once and for all.
The first secret for a flat stomach is eating supportively. While this doesn’t seem like a secret at all, most women get this wrong in spite of their best – but misguided – efforts. Women have fallen prey to low-fat, low-carb, Hollywood, grapefruit, South Beach and every other over hyped diet that marketers can dream up, all in hopes of shedding those unwanted pounds. But eating supportively is isn’t about dieting or deprivation; it’s about moderation and balance. While cutting carbs or fats out of your nutrition plan might give you a temporary loss of a couple of pounds, it’s typically followed by a drop in metabolism and a weight gain of more than you lost in the first place once you go back to your old eating habits.
So what is eating supportively? Eating supportively is having protein and carbohydrates at every meal. It’s grazing on 4-6 meals or snack each day instead of missing meals and then gorging yourself. It’s enjoying a healthy breakfast and not drinking your calories. But most of all, eating supportively is enjoying the foods you love in moderation instead of in excess.
If eating supportively is the first secret to a flat stomach, then what’s the second? The second flat stomach secret is resistance training. Unfortunately, just as fad diets have stood in the path of women achieving the flat stomachs they so desired, so have the myths of spot reduction and cardio being the best method for fat loss. Late night infomercials have long promoted gadgets that promised to spot reduce those trouble spots that women struggle with and sucked us in with testimonials from fitness models that undoubtedly picked up a nifty paycheck for endorsing their wares. But spot reduction is a myth. Think about it – have you ever met someone with a flat stomach and fat arms? Didn’t think so. If spot reduction was possible then undoubtedly one of these happy customers would have toned and tightened their stomach, yet kept their flabby arms.
The other myth that has led women astray is the belief that cardio is the best solution for fat loss. Treadmill manufacturers have sold the virtues of the ‘fat burning zone’ and led us to believe that we could plod along on a treadmill watching Oprah and before long a flat stomach would be ours. These two myths have diverted us from the path of what really does work – resistance training. Resistance training is a flat stomach’s best friend because not only does an effective resistance training session burn plenty of calories while you’re doing it, but it keeps you’re metabolism revved long after you’re done. One recent study showed that you’re metabolism would stay elevated for over 36 hours after a resistance training session.
Try to get that out of an aerobics class.
And there’s another benefit of resistance training when it comes to getting a flat stomach. The lean muscle that you gain will raise you’re resting metabolic rate and help you burn more fat all day long, each and every day.
There you have it, two ‘secrets’ that are guaranteed to boost your metabolism and give you that flat stomach you’ve been longing for. So ditch the diet books and the aerobics classes and start eating supportively and resistance training. Before long that flat stomach will finally be yours.
About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy – Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to Fit Yummy Mummy to get your FREE copy of her special report: “The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism.”
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