Posts tagged as:

Nutrition

Post image for Blog 2: Week Two and 3 Pounds Down!!!

Blog 2: Week Two and 3 Pounds Down!!!

by Rob on July 28, 2009

The first week is in the books. How do I feel? What did I learn? Did my body change? So many questions!! It’s hard for me to say, I feel like a lot of things. First off, I do feel great and am excited for more. I worked out 3 days with Rob as well as 3 other days of cardio at his request. Friday was my day off. We worked outside in the morning at this beautiful park on 6th between Fairfax and LaBrea. I like the morning cause it’s not to hot yet but you still get a good sweat on.

Of the 3 days with Rob, the first was the toughest. Not because it was any harder than the other 2 days but because it was the first and my body was shocked to say the least. After Tuesday’s cardio, I was ready for workouts number two and three and by the end of the week I felt soar but really good! Friday was a much needed day off. I went away on business over the weekend but kept up with my cardio by running on the hotels treadmill. I’m actually a big fan of the treadmill, I can put on an action film and run forever. And when I say forever, I mean about 5 miles. I’m a work in progress. I say action film cause I’m an emotional guy and let me tell you running and crying is tough, same goes with laughing.

Something else I liked that Rob does is an active warmup. Instead of “stretching” we actively warmed the body up. Sit ups, squats, Jumping Jacks, etc. Really gets the body ready for what’s ahead. Their is also a set of long stairs at the park and without giving his workout away…he uses the stairs.
Skaters

So, I’m really pumped. I think I can do this. My main goal is to stay focused and consistent. Try not to miss a day with Rob and stick to the plan Christy and I have worked out with food.

As for the food, what a week! I’m no longer eating red meat, cut down my cookie intake, portion controlling and not eating past 8pm. You would think that’s a lot of change but it really doesn’t fell like it. They’re simple steps. Christy refuses to call it a diet. Instead she says were just adding foods into my daily routine. I like that. Doesn’t make me feel like I’m giving up to much, just enjoying healthier foods. PS- cutting out red meat was my choice. Read the book Skinny Bastard or Fast Food Nation and you’ll see why I stopped.

For my complete food blog go to www.howtochow.com

{ 0 comments }

Post image for Jeff Meacham: Sky Fit Challenger 1

Jeff Meacham: Sky Fit Challenger 1

by Jeff on July 21, 2009

Jeff Headshot 5Hi. My name is Jeff Meacham and I’ll be taking the Sky Fit Challenge for the next 3 months and want to share my journey with you. Basically, it goes like this. I’m in decent shape, I work out, play sports but I also eat a lot and don’t stay consistent with my workout. So, that means the love handles don’t go away and that layer of fat doesn’t leave. So, what happens when I take my buddy the personal trainer (Rob Dionne) and my wife the Holistic Health Counselor (Christy Meyers) and have them put me on a 3 month plan? Listen, I’m not one to go crazy like Arnold in the 70′s and eat a full cow & protein shakes all day. I also don’t want to work out so hard that I throw up after the workout and can’t lift the cell phone to my ear for 3 hours. So what does it take? Portion control? No late night eating? Making sure I don’t cheat my workouts? etc, etc. Maybe? Or maybe it’s more than that. I don’t know, so that’s what I’m going to learn from these two pretty people and then share it with you.

Okay, so that’s my intro to what is going to happen. Here is more about me. I’m from the east coast but have lived in LA for 2 1/2 years. I, like so many in LA, am an actor and hoping to make it big. I’ve been married to a wicked awesome lady for 1 year but we have been together since 2002. I grew up in Connecticut and Florida, splitting time between my parents. School in FL, summers ad vacations in New England. I love movies, sports, my crazy family and having to shave my chest hair down cause I have Irish blood that gives you a hairy body and a thinning head. I went to college at SUNY Purchase and have a BFA in Acting. I just turned 30, enough said.

Day one was Monday July 20th. I started the day at 8am (waking up early is also a problem of mine) had a piece of Organic Spelt bread w/ hummus from the Hollywood Farmers Market and sliced cucumber. At 10am I did my first workout with Rob that consisted of Chest & Back workouts with abs & legs being a constant through the next 3 months. Rob works outside using bands, balls, stairs and a super cool homemade pull up bar. It was warm out but growing up on the humid east coast I did okay. By the end of the hour, my abs were soar, I was sweating up a storm and ready for more food and a cold shower. At 11:45 I made myself a post workout shake using RiceDay One BodyDream’s Chocolate Rice Drink, one scoop of Whey Protein Power (Biochem Raw Foods & Whey Vanilla flavor), berries and Vitality SuperGreen. For more info on that green drink or foods I’m eating go to Christy’s website www.howtochow.com. But no worries, as we go along, I’ll have more info for you on these products. Lunch was at 2:45. Salad with Chicken (the Chicken came from the Chicken guy at the Hollywood Farmers Mkt. It is unbelievable!). Dinner was at 7pm, we had Fish (on sale at Whole Foods) with roasted Sweet Potatoes and broccoli. Day one in the books. Feeling good, little soar.

Couple more things for you to know about me and this whole experiment. I love cookies, those are my nemesis and I will not give them up. So, I will help you and me by finding the best cookies in town that are not filled with sugar and processed junk. I know a lot of people work during the week and don’t have time for cooking all day. No worries, I’m going to search for all the best lunch & dinner places in LA with good , healthy, organic food cause Christy wont have it any other way. I’m not a wealthy person (at least not yet) so I will help you and me buy finding what is good for you but wont break the bank. As for the workouts, I have so much to learn from Rob and will share my new knowledge with you. As the weeks move along I will give you pics of my bodies progress and tell you what worked for me and what didn’t. Join in, read along and hopefully I can be proof that a little more effort and guidance from 2 people who have already changed so many lives can really make a difference for me.

{ 0 comments }

Post image for Calories and Losing Weight!!!

Calories and Losing Weight!!!

by Rob on June 7, 2009

grilled-chicken-08

Healthy Grilled Chicken Meal

There are a million and one fads out there right now to help you loss weight:  pills, cleanses, fasting, crazy exercise machines, cabbage soup diets, lemon and cayenne pepper drinks etc. the list goes on and on.   Why do people do all these kooky diets and buy all these crazy machines?  Because they are just the like the rest of us, they want instant results.  And that is what all of these products promise.  But do they deliver?  No.  At least not when it comes to longevity.

So, how do you loss weight and keep it off?  The secret is calories.  Our bodies burn a certain amount of calories per day to function.   Here’s an example:  My body burns 2500 calories a day.  If I consume 2500 calories on a regular basis I will maintain my existing weight.  If I consume 3000 calories a day I will gain weight. And, yep you guessed it, if I consume 2000 calories a day I will loss weight.

I know this may seem elementary to some of you, but that’s how it works.

The best way to get started is to keep Food Journal.  Keep track of everything you are putting in your body.

Here’s a link to a website that will help you figure out how many calories you should be taking in for your body.

Calorie Calculator

{ 0 comments }

Post image for Post-Workout Supplements

Post-Workout Supplements

by Rob on February 3, 2009

stockvault_1211_20070301I have to admit that I don’t normally recommend supplements to my clients.  It seems like the trend here in Los Angeles is to keep it natural.  At least when it comes to food that is.  Alas, one of my clients recently asked me about drinking a shake after his workout.  The reason being, it takes him 45 minutes to an hour to get home from the gym after work and he’s starving.

[click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

stretchIn the last post I already covered how the concept of calorie counting works in regards to losing weight. Now lets say for example, you have just figured out that your body burns 2500 calories a day to maintain your weight and you’ve decided to consume 2000 calories a day to shed a couple pounds.

If you incorporate some form of 20 minute cardio or circuit type training into your daily routine, you could burn an extra 200 to 500 calories. Which will leave you with two options: 1. Loss weight even quicker or 2. Eat 200 to 500 calories extra a day. Either way you’re still losing weight.

The one thing all people who have lost weight and kept it off have in common is consistency. You must be consistent with diet as well as your exercise regiment. It’s a lifestyle change. You have to be dedicated to your new way of life or things will never change. And the amazing thing is, things will change.

I had a client once who for the first two months of training didn’t lose a pound. We were circuit training 3 times a week and he was doing cardio on his own 2-3 times a week. And still holding the same weight. We had discussed diet and calorie intake and he had assured me that he was eating properly. Nothing but chicken and veggies. Fruits and nuts as snacks. But still the weight was staying on. I told him he was not in control of his diet somehow and that he should finally consider keeping a food journal. With skepticism he agreed. I was excited to see what the result would be. Was he sneaking food and not telling me about it? I’d soon find out. A week went by and he had tallied his weekly intake. To my surprise he was eating exactly what he said he’d been eating, BUT twice as much as he should have. He had been consuming over 3000 calories a day. The only reason he wasn’t gaining weight was because of our workouts. No joke, the following week he lost ten pounds. He dropped his daily caloric intake to 2000 calories consistently for the next 9 months and lost a total of 60 pounds. Sometimes things just are that simple.

If carrying a food journal is not your thing, there are some free websites that allow you to type in your meals and it will calculate you caloric intake. They will as well factor in calories burned during work outs. Try this Food Journal Website. This is just one site. There are many other free sites to choose from. You should search around and find which one you are most compatible with. If you own the iphone this one is a free application.

{ 0 comments }