Meal Mentor

Why I Didn't Lose Weight Training for a Marathon (and I'm Not Alone)

A meal plan user emailed:

"I'm training for a few half marathons this Spring and summer. I still want to lose weight following your 1200 calorie plans but know I need to add some extra fuel for those workouts, especially as I increase mileage. How should I add calories and at what interval? I am just starting out on my 12 week plan this week. I'm concerned about once I start getting to my long run weeks, 5-6 weeks from now. Thank you!"

Don't kill the messenger but, you probably won't lose it while you're training for a half marathon. I never lost weight running marathons (much to my unhappiness--- and I was eating so well!) and found that was common among most of the people in my running group. (I was always surprised to see people at marathons who weren't.... Olympian fit.)

Exercise complicates things and often makes it harder to lose fat, especially when you don't have a lot left to still lose. There are just so many ways it can go wrong. Exercise creates all these crazy variables. I ran into this all the time with my clients when I was a personal trainer. It got to the point where I wouldn't work with them (weights, etc) until they achieved their desired weight-loss through diet alone (or diet + walking or light yoga).

Of course, you want to eat well so you can train, prevent soreness, and do your best PR! That should be your focus. After the spring, work on weight-loss through diet.

The scale is also going to make you crazy if you look at it hoping to see losses while exercising -- particularly marathon training. You will put on muscle during training, and you'll be frustrated the scale goes up, not down. Or it stays the same. Without fail I always (ALWAYS) gained 5-7lbs before a marathon. The scale is a liar, though, because your body comp is changing. You're not getting "fatter."

See these posts for more info:

What Weighs More: A Pound of Fat or Pound of Muscle? (& Why the Scale is a Frenemy!)

Why you can't lose weight from exercise combined with caloric restriction

That said, with the meal plans, you want to follow them, but then plan to add other foods, especially high carb foods like potatoes or grains, to give you the extra cals you need to sustain training. If you feel weak or tired, you haven't eaten enough. Don't let yourself go hungry. Eat as needed. I found kale 3x a day also meant I never had soreness.

Good luck!

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20 Creative Oatmeal Toppings!

You know how much I love oatmeal on the meal plans!

Some fan faves are the double chocolate oatmeal, apple pie oatmeal, and pumpkin oatmeal (mmm... mmm...)

Here are a few other delicious (but deceptively healthy!) ideas for your oats!

Pineapple (chunks, juice, and some coconut flakes if you're into coconut)

Pomegranate seeds

Figs

Shredded carrots (with raisins and walnuts! Think "carrot cake"!)

Ginger (esp. with pears!)

Mint

Peanut butter & jelly

Lemon

Flavored jams!

Want more ideas? Here are my Top 12 BEST Low Calorie Oatmeal Toppings!

And check out this "oatmeal toppings bar" idea from Engine 2!

(Plus at least ONE, if not TWO new ways to eat oatmeal every week on the meal plans! Nom!)

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6 Foods To Buy On A Budget

Everyone loves saving money on groceries, that's what's so great about the included shopping list on the 7-day meal plans. You buy only what you need for the week!

But if you're on a really strict budget, there are items you can buy to ensure your pantry is stocked and you'll always have a nutritious meal.

The Daily Finance recently released a list of 7 Foods to Buy When You're Broke, and surprisingly a majority of the items were plant-based.

Beans & Rice You'll get a lot of bang for your buck when you buy dried beans in bulk. Twos cups can easily expand to 4-5 cups when cooked. Brown rice is also inexpensive, and when you pair them together you have yourself an easy, tasty and cheap meal!

Green Vegetables Stock up on your greens! Broccoli, spinach and kale are nutrient-rich and are great additions to any meal. If you're looking for a low-fat and inexpensive way to dress up your salads, try balsamic vinegar or my favorite, lemon juice.

Frozen Vegetables Fresh vegetables are great, but if you're on a budget, frozen veggies are a good alternative!

Potatoes It's amazing what you can do with a potato! A baked potato with a little bit of salsa makes a fantastic side. Eat it with a side of greens or veggies and you have an awesome meal.

Peanut Butter I usually advise to eat peanut butter sparingly (or skip it completely for a lower fat option). But if you're on a budget, I'd much rather someone eat a peanut butter sandwich than something incredibly unhealthy from a fast food chain!

For more ways to shrink your grocery bill read 10 Ways To Shrink Your Grocery Bill.

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Why Exercise Doesn't Help With Weight Loss

One of the most common questions I get asked from clients is why they aren't losing weight from exercise.

Here's the simple answer: diet (or WHAT you're eating) is far more important than exercising!

While I believe exercise is important for overall health, it's not required for weight loss and can often get in the way of your efforts.

Why?

Exercise requires more of a juggling act and guesswork than if you try to lose based on diet alone.

For starters, exercising creates a lot of additional variables within your body. You have to make sure you're eating enough calories to combat exercise and you also have to be careful not to deplete your glycogen, which can happen pretty easily if you're exercising and restricting your calories.

Add in the factors that most workout machines and fitness apps aren't accurate (even the expensive ones), and that we humans are generally bad guessers, especially when it comes to estimating how many calories we've burned... and it becomes a big guessing game.

Exercise is also a rather ineffective as a weight-loss tool. It's much easier to just not eat a bag of chips than to spend one hour or longer on an eliptical to burn those same calories). No matter how hard I used to try, I never quite could run off that jelly doughnut. Controlling what goes in the mouth is a much easier and effective approach to weight-loss.

There's also our mindset -- the biggest monkey wrentch of all.

I was just reading a study where they divided two groups of people (the subjects did not know they were being monitored or studied). Group A was told they were going on a nature walk before lunch, and they were given a guide who pointed out different flowers and birds for a mile, before leading the group into the cafeteria.

The other group, Group B, was told they were going on an exercise walk before lunch, and they were given a trainer who peridically noted how far they walked, how many calories they burned, etc.

Group A and Group B walked the exact same path at the exact same rate, but B group served themselves a lot more food, particularly with the free pudding. There was a control group who didn't go on a walk at all, and group A served themselves the same or less than that group.

The researchers found this interesting and repeated the study and similar ones over and over and over, finding that people "reward" themselves, even if they don't think they are--say, it's not a conscious thought a la "I worked out! Imma treat myself!". It was subconscious with most people. They just served themselves more.

For me personally, I know exercise makes ME overeat, subconsciously and consciously. Any time I'm active or I "work out," I eat more, and way more calories than whatever I actually burned for that activity. This study helped me understand why.

That's not to say I don't exercise, I love doing yoga and going for long walks with my dogs... I just don't think of either activity as exercise. Plus it's important to remember that exercise is not only something that happens in Nikes or at the gym. Cleaning your house, washing your car, playing with your kids--that's all exercise... It's the gym "workout" mindset that causes the compensation.

Just something to think about! Literally!

If you want to lose weight, follow the meal plans and reconsider your "workouts".

The 7-day meal plans take out all the guess work and I'm thrilled to have so many success stories.

For those looking to lose weight, stick to the meal plan as close as possible and choose the lower fat options!

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14 Healthy Valentine's Day Treats You'll Love!

Valentine's Day is just a week away! Rather than indulging in unhealthy sweets, here are some fun and healthy treats that everyone will love!

Who needs a bouquet of roses when you can eat these delicious strawberry roses? (Source)

Instead of handing out candy, why not give your Valentines fruit with a cute (and funny) tag? (Source)

Make heart-shaped Happy Herbivore cinnamon buns for breakfast! (Source)

Or get a little creative with vegan pancakes.

Use a marble to give your cupcakes a heart shape. (Source)

If roses aren't your thing, try making a veggie bouquet. (Source)

Oranges slices make a cute arrow through a watermelon heart. (Source)

These strawberry and grape skewers are super easy (and tasty!) (Source)

Who doesn't heart tomatoes?

Show your love for apples! (Source)

Oranges make the perfect "basket" to hold all the fruit you love. (Source)

Eat your heart out with a heart-shaped burger. (Try the Quick Burgers!)

And serve them with little heart-shaped potatoes! (Remember to ditch the oil!) (Source)

You can also make heart-shaped brown rice veggie sushi! (Source)

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Hit a Plateau? This Tiny Tweak Makes a Huge Difference

In response to my post, Why you can't lose weight from exercise combined with caloric restriction, Vangie sent in the following email:

"loved this post! I too stayed without change for an extended period, and was encouraged that the body also has a "memory" of weight, especially if you held that weight for a long time. My son (who is a runner) had suggested brisk walking.

Previously I biked, and stationary biked 4 or more times a week. I began walking 2 miles 4-5 times a week and within a month inches just began to drop! I have been in exercise and weight training for over 30 years, having used every form of fitness to stay fit, and I discovered a simple change to my routine, made a huge difference! Thanks for all your meal plans, helpful tips, and suggestions, I've been tapping into them!"

When I was a personal trainer, many of my clients came to me after they too had reached a plateau, despite being active, working out regularly, and eating right.

There are a few issues in play with plateaus. For one, calorie restriction for weight-loss only works when you eat right. I saw that time and time again with my clients. WHAT you're eating often matters more than how many calories. (This is why I love the meal plans so much. It takes the guess work out of eating right. AND the calories are already counted and balanced for you!)

Second, you can't do the same exercises indefinitely. You have to keep changing your workout strategy for weight-loss and improvement, though I generally tell my clients not to exercise until they have reached their weight goals.

Point is, you can get in a rut with your exercise regimen, just as you can get in a rut with your diet. Change it up. Try new forms of exercise. Take a new class. Explore. Get outside of your comfort zone but most importantly: eat right!

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