To Sara of Fit by Sara: “Do I need to cut out all sweets in order to keep off the weight I’ve lost?  I just love chocolate, but I know it’s not good for me.  Do you eat any sweets?”

From Fit by Sara: “You don’t need to cut out everything you enjoy in order to lose weight and or maintain a healthy weight.  Yes, I eat sweets and LOVE chocolate.  In fact I incorporate chocolate into one of my snacks- a handful almonds and dark chocolate chips.  Dark chocolate is an antioxidant and in moderation has health benefits. The key is MODERATION. You can eat sweets even daily as long as the portion is small.  The best way to keep weight off is to continue to eat healthy and avoid depriving yourself of the things you love to eat.” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “I’ve lost the baby weight but feel so weak and flabby on my upper body.  What exercise do you recommend to tone my chest and shoulders?”

From Fit by Sara: “Congrats on losing the baby weight. One of the best exercises you can do to tone the chest and shoulders is the old school push-up. You can modify the push up by doing it on your knees. Just be sure your bottom is down so your body makes a  diagonal line from your shoulders down to your knees. Work up to 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps. As you get stronger add pulses. Eventually come off your knees and come onto the balls of your feet for a full push up.”- Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

*Got a question for me? Leave a comment here or email me at info@fitbysara.com.

Did you know that if you eat when you are hungry versus by the number on the clock that you will lose weight quicker than if you dieted?  Most of us wait until a certain time to eat even if we are hungry before that time.  For example you may be hungry at 10 a.m., but wait to eat till noon. When you wait to eat you will be more likely to overeat or eat junk food to curb your hunger. This leads to consuming food which is full of unwanted calories and fat.  Instead, listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry.  When you eat when you are hungry you’ll eat more often but the portions you eat will be smaller and healthier.  This will lead to healthy weight loss without dieting.

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “I’m finally making progress on my weight loss goals, but I’m about to leave on vacation.  I’m so afraid I’m going to sabatoge my progress.  Any tips to stay on track?”

From Fit by Sara: “It’s not hard to stay on track as long as you are conscious about your eating habits.  When you go to restaurants ask how the dishes are prepared.  Opt for marinara sauces and or olive oil sauces versus cream sauces.  Choose dishes that are baked vs. fried, and look for lean meat or fish.  If your meal comes with fries or potatoes, ask if you can substitute a side salad or fruit. You can also ask about their portion sizes.  If they say the portions are large ask that they box 1/4 or 1/2 of the meal even before it comes to you. 

In addition to being aware of what and how much you are eating while away, stay as active as possible.  Explore the city on foot–walk whenever you can. If you stay at a hotel,  most hotels have cardio and weight training equipment.  You can also bring your favorite DVD and workout in the privacy of your room.  Most of all stay on track with your weight loss goals and allow yourself to have fun too!” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “One area that’s bothered me as long as I can remember is my inner thighs.  What is the best way to tone my inner thigh so I don’t feel them rubbing together?”

From Fit by Sara: “For most women when we put on weight, we gain it in the hips, thighs and buttocks. So first off I would ask if you are satisfied with your weight. Since I can’t talk to you, I will assume that you’re dissatisfied with the body fat on your inner thighs.  You can do lots of exercises to tone the muscle underneath the body fat, but will likely need to change your eating habits and intensity of your exercise routine in order to lose the body fat. For example, if you like to walk you could add 5 to 10 minute intervals of hills or 3 to 5 minutes of stairs.  Adding hills will work the large muscle groups of the thighs and will increase your heart rate so you burn more calories and body fat. Also look at the types of foods you’re eating and make sure you’re eating healthy food and moderate portions.  You may need to cut back on junk food such as chips and cookies.  Once you lose body fat you will notice muscle tone in multiple areas on your body.  Here is a simple inner thigh exercise you can do at home to increase muscle tone:

*Begin laying on your back with your hands at your sides
*Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together so your knees open apart
*Bring your your knees back together
*Repeate opening and closing your knees
*After 10 to 15 reps, add 15 pulses
*Then repeat 10 to 15 slow
*Work up to 3 sets of 15 slow, 15 pulse, 15 slow
*Enjoy the burn!

From Fit by Sara: “I know it can be frustrating to not see physical progress when you are trying so hard to do things right. One big tip is to avoid dieting and instead learn to listen to your body and eat when you are hungry. If you eat when you are hungry you’ll eat more often but your portions will be smaller and healthier. Plus you’ll be less likely to have cravings for salty and sweet foods because you’ll be keeping your metabolism going.  What typically happens is we are hungry, but we wait to eat until a certain time. When the time finally rolls around we’re really hungry and are more likely to eat too much.

I really recommend bringing healthy snacks with you. A few snacks suggestions: I love Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal in a baggie, nuts, carrot sticks, banana with peanut butter, and apple w/ mozerella cheese. Stop depriving and start fueling your body and you will be surprised how much easier it is to lose weight…and you’ll feel good while you’re doing it! ” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “I just read your previous post and I’m a little confused.  Should I eat less food in order to see weight loss on the scale, or should I just focus on losing measurements to assess whether I’m losing weight?”

From Fit by Sara: “You should judge your weight loss progress mostly by your measurements and the way your clothes fit.  The point of my last post is you will lose weight when you eat right and exercise consistently but the number on the scale will not typically drop dramatically. Typical weight loss is one to three pounds per week. So if you have changed your eating habits to healthier ones and feel you are making progress (meaning your clothes are loser), then stop focusing on the number on the scale and continue what you are doing.  However if you feel you are not making progress you will need to cut back on your portion size and or boost your cardio to see a greater drop in weight.” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “I’ve been working out regulary and eating healthy.  I noticed that my clothes are loose and friends are complimenting me on losing weight, but the number on the scale has barely gone down.  Am I REALLY making progress?”

From Fit by Sara: “YES you are making progress! I always tell my clients that the best way to gage weight loss is by measurements versus the number on the scale.  The reason why I do not recommend the scale is it can be discouraging for clients to not see a big drop in their weight.  The reason why the number doesn’t drop much is as we put on muscle tone, we lose body fat, but not necessarily a lot of weight.  This is do to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. 

If you’re eating healthy and exercising consistently progress is happening, it just may not show on the scale as quickly as you like too. Typical healthy weight loss is one to three pounds of weight loss per week. One pound equals 3,500 calories! So that means you have to either burn 3,500 calories through exercise or by changing the way you eat…or both. Also our weight can fluctuate depending on how much fluid is in our bodies when we weigh ourselves. 

I recommend taking measurements of your right upper arm, bust, above the belly button, below the belly button, around your hips, and the right upper thigh every 3 to 4 weeks to see your progress.  Most of all notice the difference in how your clothes fit, acknowledge the compliments (they are real!), and notice the energy you feel from your healthy lifestyle changes!” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “Ever since having my first child I’ve had flabby upper arms that jiggle with the slightest movement.  I really hate it! Is there any exercises I can do to get rid of the flab?”

From Fit by Sara: “There many exercises you can do to firm the muscles of the upper arms, however one key element is to recognize that you won’t see the firming of muscles until body fat is lost.  Losing body fat is accomplished with consistent exercise, moderate portion sizes, and eating healthy. A simple exercise you can do at home to firm the muscles of the upper arms is tricep dips.”
 To do Tricep Dips:
1. Sit on the edge of your chair with your back straight and your feet on the floor
2. Bring your bottom slightly away from the edge of your chair
3. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your bottom towards the floor
4. When you feel your muscles of the upper arms working or contracting straighten your arms so you come back up towards the original seated position, but do not sit down
5. Repeat lowering your body and pressing back up
6. Repeat 10-15 reps.  Work up to 2-3 sets.

To Sara of Fit by Sara: “After having my 3rd child I feel stuck with “love handles”, which I DO NOT love! Is there anyway to get rid of the extra flab?”

From Fit by Sara: “After three children it’s common to have “love handles”.  The key is to focus on the quality of the food you are eating.  Typically we moms are so busy that we often don’t have the time to prepare nutritious meals.  Make sure that you are chosing whole grains vs. processed flours, lean meats vs. processed meats, and dark green or colorful veggies vs. canned veggies.  Small changes in what we chose to eat can make a signifcant difference in your body fat.  Also be sure to take healthy snacks with you such as nuts, carrot sticks, or baggies of whole grain cereal.  When you have healthy snacks you’ll be less likely to get to the point where you are starving so you won’t overeat. Finally be sure to fit in exercise into your busy schedule.  Go for walks with your kids, do a postnatal exercise dvd in the comfort of your home, or join an exercise group for moms. Just remember it IS possible to lose the love handles with simple changes in what you eat along with consistent exercise.” -Sara Holliday MFT, CPT