5 Portland Boot Camp Tricks To Accelerate Fat Loss
1. Give Yourself A Break
Sometimes you just have to have those chips, or maybe drink a beer… the truth is we all are a little naughty with food now and again. Yes, even me.
But here’s the thing, the occasional foray into uncharted food territory is not going to blow your entire plan. It’s just a little left turn.
So chin up, and get back on the wagon the next morning. Remember it takes about 3500 calories to gain a pound… so if you think you gained a pound from that one meal, you haven’t. Just don’t do it often, OK?
2. ZZZZZZZZZZ….
Get your sleep cycle under control. If you find yourself staying up late and getting up early, especially for a 530 boot camp, your hormones are going to be WHACKED OUT.
The next thing you know, you are reaching for a Venti coffee just to keep your eyelids off the floor.
Sleep is so vital that without proper rest you will eventually come to a grinding halt and lose your happiness, energy, and overall well being. Not only that, but a tired mind will not have the will power to navigate proper eating at all.
3. Cheat.
Yes. I said it. Cheat. Plan to eat a fun, tasty, yum yum meal once a week.
By planning to have a naughty meal once a week you can stay focused on eating the good stuff all the rest of your meals for your week… and look forward to the debauchery.
Plus, if it is a higher carb meal you’ll have stored glycogen (energy) for light years after. OK, at least for the next boot camp.
4. Out of Sight, Out of Mouth
I wish I could say out of sight out of mind. But when it comes to food, I crave stuff I can’t access all the time. The key phrase here is: STUFF I CAN”T ACCESS.
So… boot camp friends….clean out your kitchen of all the foods you KNOW are your weakness and then you can’t get to them.
What are you waiting for? Go get it out of the house now. Oh wait… do it after trick number 5 OK? Because I have just one more…
5. Read the Menu
No! Not the one at the restaurant… the one you created for yourself.
You DID write out what you are going to eat for the week right?
Hey, this only applies if you want to lose body fat.
But that’s not you is it?
It is? Well then, stick to your plan. Plan your cheat meal. Clean out your cabinets and fridge of junk. Get your sleep, and hey, if you mess up, give yourself a break and start again.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
17 Comments
Foam Roll!!! it’s a chance to be with your self (hopefully uninterrupted) and to get your stretches in
Ah, yes. Absolutely. There is a rarely mentioned “mental side” to foam rolling. I do it right before bed, it helps me unwind and helps me not toss and turn due to bodily tension. The physical tension release also eases the mind because mind and bod are connected. Good one, Samar.
Re: sleep – we pick a “lights out” bedtime (say 10 pm), then try to stop doing any tasky things at least 60 min before that (9 pm) and tell ourselves we want to be in bed reading at least 30 min before designated lights out (start reading at 9:30). In most cases, I’m tired and ready to turn the lights out before 10 pm. Without transition time, it is too easy for me to stay ramped up.
Creating a bedtime ritual is where it’s at. Exactly. Reading is good. I like that. Some people watch tv, but it mimics sunlight so it makes it harder to sleep well. TV watchers may fall asleep at the tv but find themselves waking up in the night. Good post, Mary. Sounds like you guys have it worked out!
For me writing down what I ate for the day is a great visual and keeps me accountable. Whether it’s a journal, scratch piece of paper or the computer, if you consumed it, log it! I know this works. Then when you combine all the other great tips such as lots of water, no alcohol and intense exercise it’s a winning combination. When I don’t do this, I don’t see results. Period.
Writing it down puts it right in your face. A journal works best because it’s there, its in your face. The alcohol… the liquid calories are a problem yes… but really it’s that it puts the BRAKES on fat loss. It crushes you hormonally.
Good one, Tam. Totally agreed.
“Enjoy the promise of NOW.” I spent years saying “when I get into that dress size….I would hang the dress or pants that were 3 sizes smaller than me up on my closet door…and wait for the weight to disappear. I have recently made a mental shft that has allowed me to move forward in a positive mode. Each day I look for a small victory…drink the water, walked to the MAX, went to Bootcamp at 5:30a.m., ate the menu…rejected the alcohol….and low and behold…I don’t have to see the dress on the closet anymore…it is on ME. The promise of NOW has resulted in weight loss and physical and mental strength.
Yes. For NOW is all you ever really have. We can plan for the future… but then what are we doing about it right NOW? I think the tendency is to look toward that Someday which is always on the horizon. Once we have concrete goals we can work backwards to the NOW and get to it. Nice post, ROCKSTAR!
The biggest trick I have up my sleeve is knowing and acknowledging what leads me to make poor food choices. For example, I am able to say no to dessert with no problem, except when I’ve had a glass of wine. Also, I’m not good at having just one bite of something sweet – it normally leads to another bite and then another and just one more, especially if I’ve had that glass of wine…
Also, when I don’t exercise regularly it leads to poor food choices. For this reason, I’m so excited to get back to boot camp. As you point out though, Daniel, it is ok to take a break.
Finally, when I’m going to a social occasion where I plan to indulge, I ride my bike, if possible. Last night, my husband and I had a fundraiser to attend for our children’s school and I knew I’d drink a glass of wine and possibly even eat some dessert. So, while I had wine and a few bites of dessert (we shared), I rode my bike 12 miles round trip.
That’s called self-awareness. Really great, Andrea. It’s taking total self-responsibility for what ingresses (and egresses!) from one’s mouth. If you know you lack self-control with a particular food or food stuff, then know how to say no. If you know what triggers a problem, avoid the trigger.
But if you choose to take a break and cut loose a little… plan ahead for how you can rationally fit it in.
Good one, Andrea.
One of the best tricks I learned was to forgo alcohol. This doesn’t mean giving up the awesome social situations and friend-time that is usually associated with drinking. We all have weddings, showers, parties, BBQ’s, etc. where alcohol can be a main component. I like to drink diet tonic with lime or lemon added. It is the perfect light drink and keeps the “Why aren’t you drinking?”, “Are you pregnant?!?!” and “Come ON – one drink won’t kill you” comments at bay. Most of the time, no one can tell that it is even non-acoholic! This way, I am able to enjoy myself, participate in a great social activity, stick to my goals, and feel great about myself!
Right on, Lauren. That’s a really good one. Funny how people can’t stand it if you don’t drink with them. When I do have beer I always think to myself: oh man this means I have to run a mile to burn this off. 3 beers is about 3 miles. 5 beers= one full day of boot camp.
Diet tonic with lime or lemon=no extra mileage.
Good one. THANKS!
3 beers = 3 miles.. wow that’s amazing. with this information my beer ‘six pack’ may just turn into a real one.
Hey that sounds like my trick but I’ll get a pint of half cran/tonic with a lime.
One time when I was visiting DC i was at a bar with a bunch of people who were drinking pretty hard and I wasn’t, people kept buying me drinks at my protest and I would leave them around the bar, then I got smart and asked for a water with lemon & lime then this women who had just passed the BAR examine and was pretty drunk picked up my drink of water with lemon-lime drank it and said man I must be pretty drunk that taste like water, he he he…..
It’s a good one. That is so funny… I can’t imagine being so drunk that I can’t tell the difference. Wow. I see no issue with a little drink now and again, but what’s the point of self-ravaging? That cran juice you mention is good for ya. Nice on Kristine.
Water, water everywhere…when I don’t drink gajillions of gallons, I lose neither weight nor inches it seems…Well, not as fast as I’d like to, anyway!
Cheers, D., can’t wait to be back in camp!
Hey, Jessica!
YES. Water is the ultimate fat loss drink. And you are right. Without it, your body fat will have a very hard time leaving the body. Every single reaction in the body depends on water. If there isn’t enough in your system to go around to all the functions, only the most important ones get the water. Drink enough and you not only feel great… but there go the inches and pounds. (provided you are eating the right number of calories, right?)
VERY good tip. Thanks!