Learn the 10 Steps Towards A Successful Body Transformation

Click on the Blog Talk Radio Logo to Hear the 10 Steps Towards a Successful Body Transformation

Stephen Adele

Editor-In-Chief

RealSolutions Magazine
www.realsolutionsmag.com
CEO - iSatori Technologies

I know we’ve all seen the ads in the magazines. The “Before” and “After” pictures of someone who has transformed their body. True, most of the people in the ads are professional body builders or fitness/figure competitors whose “before” photos are taken in what is known as the “off-season” when they purposely put on weight and the “after” picture is taken just prior to their competition. Well, what about those of us “real” people? You know, the person you see every day who wants to lose weight, look better and feel better?

Once upon a time ago, I was that person and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be a real life transformation success story, let alone someone whose story was featured in magazines. My before and after pictures are me and they are real. There’s no air brushing, photo shopping, etc. to my pictures.

To talk about the subject of How to Achieve a Successful Body Transformation, I interviewed
Stephen Adele, Editor in Chief of Real Solutions Magazine and co-author of the Lean System Success Plan and Maximum Growth, Volume II, and is also the CEO of the prestigious supplement manufacturer, iSatori Technologies. Stephen been helping individuals from all walks of life create measurable results in their physiques and performance over the last 15 years and has rapidly become a respected authority. He has published numerous articles for magazines around the world, been quoted in several trade publications, appeared on radio shows, conducted seminars around the globe.

Stephen shared all the secrets you need to know about how YOU can be a real life transformation success story and CREATE your best body. Stephen revealed his 10-step plan for surefire success that literally ANYONE can follow, whether you're young, older or 10 or 100 lbs out of shape! His principles overcome the roadblocks that can prevent you from reaching your goals.

I can tell you first hand that building a body that is fit, healthy, and tone takes commitment and doesn’t happen over night. Many people are in a constant battle of the bulge and too often they will start and stop a program and not achieve results. No one said it was an easy process, but one that anyone can achieve with the right tools. I would also like to take this opportunity to say that you are never too old to do this and I am a true believer and living example that living a fit and healthy lifestyle, and I stress the word LIFESTYLE, where you are consistent with eating healthy meals and incorporating strength training in your exercise program truly is the fountain of youth.

Stephen presented the 10 most common mistakes people make when to achieve to a successful physical body transformation and how to avoid or overcome them.

According to Stephen, 85% of Americans are displeased with the aesthetics of their physique, 50-60% are on some kind of diet, 90% of these people will not succeed. This leaves us with a small group who will succeed who do want to do this the right way and make this a long term lifestyle change.

10 Steps Towards a Transformation

Stephen suggests that you start by rating yourself, like a report card.

A - Read a book, specific goal, reasons, committed, eating 5/6 meals a day, weights 3/week, cardio 3/week; attracted help and support, and I am tracking progress.

B - Loosely defined goal, reasons, committed, eating 3/4 meals a day, weights 1/2 week, cardio 1/2 week, attracted help but not tracking progress.

C - Goal in mind, but not written out, no reasons, semi-committed, eat whenever I can find time, weights & cardio about once a week.

D - No goal, no reasons, not very committed, not paying attention to eating, nor am I working out.

In order to achieve a successful transformation, you need to overcome some obstacles. Stephen lists the 10 most common obstacles people encounter and how to overcome them.

#1 Using the scale to judge your progress.

The scale lies. Body composition is where it’s at. Lean Body Mass vs. Body Fat. Take pictures of yourself every 4 weeks and take visual ques from your clothes.


#2 Comparing yourself to others.

- Competition is between you and your past habits
- Every body is unique!
- Slow start, faster finish; versus fast start, slower finish
- Depends on how much fat you began with
- 2 to 4 lbs of fat per week is a good, safe goal


#3 How Do I Eat 5-6 Meals a Day?

- Carelessness, when it comes to eating,is the #1 obstacle to building a healthy, strong body
- Plan and prepare meals in advance; weekly
- Use MRP/protein shakes (and limited nutrition bars)
- Important to feed your body consistently in order to rev up metabolism to burn more fat!

I think that this hits home with most people. I think the one area most people get “stuck” is with their diet, but with anything else, if you are proactive about your diet as well as your workouts, meaning, you have a “game plan” every day knowing what your meals are for the day and walking into the gym with a plan, it takes away a lot of the guess work and frustration. I have a routine that I go through every single week where I pre-cook my meals for the week no matter what is happening. This has been one of my biggest keys to success. It really isn’t that big a deal and not as hard and as complicated as people think.

#4 How do I put a healthy meal together?

- Start with protein (Remember to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight. E.g.,
180 person would eat 180 grams protein / 6 meals a day = 30 grams each meal)
- Keep portion sizes to the palm of your hand
- Take the guesswork out of it --Use a Meal replacement shake
- Eating out –order what you want, how you want it!
- Fast food –pick your food apart

If you have the ingredients on hand and most of your items pre-cooked, putting together a healthy meal is a snap! A lot of people ask how I am able to throw those meals together on a daily basis throughout the day and it’s all because I’ve planned ahead.

#5 If I work out more, will I get better results?

- Yes, and No. More is not always better…
- Higher chances of:
Overtraining
“Burn-out”
Injury
- Stick to your Plan!
- Resistance training with weights –3 /week
- Cardio exercise –3 /week
- Free workout planner: p. 69 in Lean System; Or visit RealSolutionsMag.com. Click on the free stuff icon

Working out too much was one of the mistakes I was making in the beginning. Not only was I over training, but I wasn’t consuming ENOUGH calories or the RIGHT calories.

#6 My schedule doesn’t allow me to work out.

- Is it important to you?
- What is your specific S.M.A.R.T. goal?

S.M.A.R.T. Goal:“I am in the process of losing 10 lbs of bodyfat, and gaining 5 lbs of muscle, by March 30, 2006, by eating six nutritious, balanced meals a day and working out at least three times per week.”
- What will that feel and look like when you achieve it?
- What are your reasons?
- Create time; schedule an appointment with yourself EVERY day!

If I had a dollar every time someone said that to me…. The simple truth is that you make time for the things you want to make time for and that are important to you. That goes back to a topic I have spoken about several times in past shows “resistance”. You make all the “why not” excuses. If you go back to what I said about walking into the gym with a game plan, and stay focused on doing your workouts, you will find that you can be in and out in about an hour. Surely you can set aside an hour of your time at day.

#7 Do I need to take Supplements?

No. But…Supplements can used as an excellent “tool”to help you achieve your results easier and faster

1. Convenience(e.g., Meal replacement)
2. Results(e.g., Lean System 7 for Burning more fat; CE-XL for Building muscle)
3. Health Insurance(e.g., a multi-vitamin)

A few of my clients have used or are currently using some of your products which has made a difference in their workouts. I know with me, personally, my physique would not have taken the shape it has without your products and I know this will surprise a lot of people but yes, I do use the muscle building supplements that are marketed to men and no, I am by no means big and bulky. At the age of 45, I honestly feel that these products will help keep me shapely, lean and tone as I age and I also feel that the muscle building products will help me preserve bone density as muscle does help build and preserve bone density.

#8 How Do I Workout Considering My Injuries?

- Do what you can
- Exercise “around” the injury
- Don’t do exercises that cause sharp or nagging pains
- Read/ask Dr. Sanchez in Real SOLUTIONS
- Visit your primary physician –check it out!

# 9 If I Slip Up, should I just throw it all away?

- Absolutely Not! We all mess up.
- Quickly assess how the slip-up happened (hint: it’s usually eating poorly or lack of planning)
- Pick up right where you left off
- Don’t let mistakes, obstacles or slip-ups get in the way of your dreams

With the “slip up”, think of it as having had your cheat meal. You know you had gone off the plan, treat it like a cheat meal, and be determined to not allow it to deter you. We all have our “moments”. Even the pros. You put it behind you and move forward. As long as you remain consistent with your diet and workouts, and keep the slip ups to a minimum, they won’t be as damaging. Sometimes, a slip up can actually re-ignite your metabolism. Keep a positive mindset.

#10 What is YOUR Roadblock?

Are you ready to make a transformation and lead a healthy, physically fit lifestyle?
- Make a Decision
- Plan & Prepare
- Tell Others Around You
- Track Your Progress
- Celebrate Your Accomplishment!


There are so many resources out there to help get you past your roadblocks. The message board at RealSolutions Magazine is a great resource for support. I have had discussions on this topic with previous guests. Hiring a coach to help you be accountable is another way.
For further information on iSatori Products such as Eat Smart, H+Blocker, MORPH, and Real Solutions magazine, click on the banner below:

Throughout the interview, Stephen had made reference to this book by Harley Pasternak:

Your Burning Nutrition Questions.....ANSWERED!!!

Your Burning Nutrition Questions.....ANSWERED!!!

click on the blog talk radio logo to hear my interview with Marie Spano

Marie Spano
Sports Nutritionist
http://www.mariespano.com/

The ONE topic most people have questions about is nutrition. Yes, it is VERY confusing. How do you know what’s good for you, what’s not good for you, how much is too much, or not enough? There’s always some new diet craze going on and which one should you choose? Low Carb diets, low fat, no fat, etc. There are foods that are advertised as being healthy but really aren’t.

I interviewed Marie Spano and asked her to answer the most commonly asked nutrition questions. Marie Spano, is an M.S., RD, FISSN, who holds a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and an M.S. in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Georgia. She is also the current VP of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Protein/Meal Replacement Bars
The one topic that garners the most questions is nutrition. It can be such a minefield of conflicting information and makes it hard for someone to separate fact from fiction. Take for instance, protein bars/meal replacement bars. They are everywhere. I don’t advise my clients not to make a habit of eating them. On the rare occasion I have one, I feel bloated and horrible for hours on end after eating one. Marie had recently made a comment in one of her articles about IBD in which she referred to The South Beach Living Bar. “One South Beach Living bar full of sugar alcohols and I'd qualify for IBS if I could even make it out of the house to see the physician.” Here’s a great example of something that is marketed as being good and healthy for you and really isn’t. A lot of those bars are full of sugar alcohols which can be worse than sugar. I asked Marie to give me the low down on sugar alcholos.

Sugar Alcohols are in a lot of “Low Carb” foods. They are a type of carbohydrate that is not fully digested in the gastro intestinal track. According to Marie, the healthy bacteria that lives in the stomach feeds off sugar alcohol and this is where the gas, bloating and stomach distention comes in. When buying bars, check the ingredients for sugar alcohols or make sure there’s only a few grams in them. You want to find a bar that is high in protein and contains no more than 5 grams or no sugar alcohols. Marie recommends VPX Bars.

VPX Zero Impact Bars, Box Of 12, Chocolate Peanut Butter

Products that are labeled low carb will be higher in other ingredients to help make it more palatable such as sodium, hidden fats or sugar alcohols. It’s always best to read the labels but your best rule of thumb is to stick to whole real grains such as 100% whole wheat tortilla wraps, breads, pasta, etc. rather than purchasing the low carb version.

Caloric Intake
A common mistake people make is that they tend to not eat the RIGHT calories let alone ENOUGH calories. People are afraid to eat, i.e, we were programmed that if you want to lose weight, keep your mouth shut, or people get so busy that they forget to eat. What happens is that your body stores fat instead of burning fat and you wind up reaching for the wrong foods. How does a person know how many calories they should be eating to make sure they are consuming enough calories throughout the day? Marie recommends the Harris Benedict Equation. My simple recommendation is to take your body weight x 12 divided by 6 for progressive fat loss. This formula will tell you approximately how many calories per day you should be consuming and how many calories per meal (6 meals per day). There are also several nutritional sites which can help you track your meals and caloric intake. Marie has The Daily Plate as a recommended site http://www.thedailyplate.com/.

Children and Nutrition
With regard to children, a lot of them are diagnosed with ADD and other “behavioral” type problems. The American diet is pitiful and children are exposed to way too much sugar in their diet with soft drinks, fruit juices, sugary snacks, sugary breakfasts such as Pop Tarts and Fruit Loops Cereal and the list goes on and on. Knowing what these foods do to the insulin levels of adults, imagine what they do to children. I asked Marie if what a lot of what children are being fed is causing behavioral problems and what food alternatives do you suggest a parent can shop for that their children will like and is quick, easy and convenient? There are studies showing that some foods can increase behavioral problems in some children. Some great grab and go snacks that parents can buy for kids are string cheese, whole grain crackers (provided they are sugar free and contain no trans fats), baby carrots, fruit (seedless grapes are great!) bottled water, and now, products such as Silk Soy Milk and other milk products come in small shelf stable packaging which is a great alternative so the sugary juice boxes.

Nutrition over 40
As we age, our metabolism slows down, our digestive systems become more sensitive, our bones become more brittle and we lose bone density. Another part of the aging process is that we lose muscle mass and there tends to be a decrease in fitness activities. For those over the age of 40, what adjustments, if any, should be made to diet? Are there more foods we should be eating and less of other types of food? Marie and I both recommend that you should be engaging in an exercise program that does include strength training/weight bearing exercises to protect your lean muscle and bone density. You diet should contain lean protein sources such as egg whites, fatty fish high in Omega 3 or Fish Oil Supplements, chicken, whey or soy protein and foods rich in Calcium and Vitamin D.

Snacks before bed
It’s OK to have a snack before bed, however, you don’t want to eat a full meal and then go to bed an hour later. Recommended night time snacks would be a whey or soy protein shake, low fat/low sugar yogurt, low fat cottage cheese or cereal that contains no or low sugar and partially hydrogenated oils.


If you would like more information on this topic, Marie and I recommend the following books: