lost a combined weight over 30kgs, a feat made

that much easier with the help and support of

Steve and the Gold’s team.

Gold’s is a great environment to meet new

people too- and training with a friend, family

member or partner is an excellent way to stay

motivated, learn about exercise and nutrition and

push yourself that much harder to achieve your

goals.

You love going out for nights on the town, partying with friends and being a social butterfly with a packed calendar. You are also trying to lose weight, get in shape and improve your health.

Are the two desires mutually exclusive? While your trainer will want you to watch yourself as you dine and even avoid wine, you don’t have to become a shut in as you work on a program. There are simple tips and tricks that can help you stick to your guns and still have the time of your life.

If you want to lose weight and still paint the town red, consider:

• Seeking support before you go out – Talk to your trainer, your spouse or the friends you intend to go out with and let them know you want to have a great time without suffering a weight loss setback. Your trainer can motivate you before you head out and your spouse or friends can provide you with the support you need to say no in the heat of the moment.
• Not skipping meals before going out – Many people believe if they skip meals throughout the day, they can eat whatever they want while they are out on the town. While this sounds good in theory, it doesn’t work. Starve yourself until the evening and you’ll be more likely to splurge on anything that is available immediately upon arrival. Plus, you can slow down your metabolism, which is not good for weight loss. Instead of fasting and then binging, eat small, calorie-controlled meals and snacks leading up to a big event so you can enjoy a normal meal and even a treat while you are out.
• Avoid the nibblers – If you’re at a dinner party, try to avoid the appetizers, especially if they are high in calories and fat. It is all too easy to let a bite of this and a bite of that add up to a whole lot of empty calories! Wait for the salad and the main course instead.
• Order wisely – If you’re eating out in a restaurant, take time to really consider the menu options. Go for an entrée that fits in best with the nutritional program you are following. Most restaurants have very healthy and very tasty alternatives to calorie-laden entrees.
• Be the designated driver – One of the worst things you can do while trying to lose weight or tone the body is to overdo on alcohol. If this is too much of a temptation, give yourself extra motivation to behave. Volunteer to be the designated driver and you’ll have two very good reasons to say no.

Going out on the town can be very difficult when you are trying to drop pounds and get into shape. Restaurants and parties present a lot of temptations. You can stay strong if you plan ahead and formulate a game plan. Ask your trainer or health club pro for additional advice on staying strong in the face of adversity.

If you think beneficial aerobic activity is limited to hours at a gym working out on a treadmill, think again! Exercises that produce excellent cardiovascular results abound and they don’t all call for equipment or even a trip to the gym.

While regular gym trips to work with a trainer are always smart, there are some fun things you can work into your routine on off days, when you are away from home or just don’t have time to make the trip. Chances are if you talk to the pros at your fitness center, you’ll even find your club has lots of options to offer that you might not have even considered.

To vary your routine and increase your enjoyment level, consider mixing up your aerobic exercise lineup with such things as:

• Cycling – Get a bicycle, a helmet and hit the open road. Stationary bikes do produce results, but the scenery can get boring fast! If you want to work cycling into your routine, it’s a great exercise that can even benefit your entire family. On off weather days, by all means, use the gym equipment. When the sun is shining, hit the open road for more enjoyment.
• Swimming – This is one of the best holistic cardiovascular activities going. Swimming works the heart and lungs while also toning the muscles. If you don’t have access to a pool at home or in your neighborhood, take advantage of your health club’s if one is available.
• Skiing – This is a great cardiovascular activity that can be a ton of fun, too. Cross country is the way to go to build up endurance and boost muscle tone and calorie-burning efforts. If it’s not possible to take the activity outdoors, cross country training machines are fun to mix into an overall cardio program. Check with your trainer for advice on getting started.
• Sports – There are many sports that can serve very well in place of more structured cardiovascular exercises. Tennis, basketball, football, boxing and even baseball are fun to play and they can most certainly add diversity to your workout routine.
• Dancing – Just get up and dance if you want to work your cardiovascular system and have some serious fun, too. Thirty or so minutes of moving to the beats of your favorite songs can really get your heart pumping and assist in cardiovascular conditioning.
• Taking a class – Aerobic classes, dance classes, Zumba and other organized activities can increase the fun of cardio exercise and even add to the camaraderie level. Check with your trainer to see what classes are offered at your club or keep your eyes open for fun activities offered at neighborhood recreation centers.

While exercise machines will get the job done, a successful exercise program is one that offers room for flexibility and fun. If you want to increase the variety in your program, talk to your trainer for other fun ideas to mix things up a bit.

“When you make scrambled eggs or omelets, instead of two eggs, use one whole egg and one or two egg whites. I can hardly tell the difference between a two-egg omelet and a 1 1/2-egg one. The only downside was the dog started to get fat from all the yolks!”

2. Carrot Trick

“I buy the bags of shredded carrots from the produce aisle and put them in just about everything I cook for dinner: soups, casseroles, green salads, pasta salad, Chinese food, Indian food, Thai food, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce…. They don’t have a strong carrot flavor, so they blend right in to whatever I’m cooking.”

3. Be a Mixologist

“I hate soda pop due to its extremely high corn syrup taste, but I make my own fun fizzy drink by mixing fruit juice with soda water.”

 4. Mashup

“When making mashed potatoes, mix them with mashed cauliflower to reduce the quantity of carbohydrates. On the plate it almost looks as though it’s all potato. “Bread chicken breasts, veal or pork escalopes and fish with a mixture of half oat bran and half ground almond meal instead of bread crumbs. It makes a lovely, crispy, healthy coating.”

5. Add a Course

“I have found that serving a first course with dinner helps us eat more reasonably. We have a bowl of soup or a salad, after which I put the last-minute touches on our main meal. During the time it takes me to quickly saute some veggies or carve meat, transfer dishes to the table, etc., the first course ‘sinks in’ and we aren’t so hungry that we eat more than we should before we realize how much we’ve eaten.”

6. Better Baking

“I reduce the sugar in baking by a quarter to a half, depending on the item. I add ground almonds and oat or barley flour to my chocolate chip cookies.”

7. Almond Joy

“Instead of peanut butter, we use almond butter with no sugar added and add in a tiny bit of honey for sweetness. It’s less processed sugar and still tasty and filling. For one English muffin, I use two teaspoons almond butter and one to two teaspoons honey, depending on how sweet I want it.

“Sometimes I find the low-fat salad dressings don’t have much flavor, so I often add a little full fat (just a drizzle) to otherwise fat-free salad dressing. Alternatively, I add a little balsamic vinegar for flavor—it depends on my mood.

“I pre-portion light Chex mix or Wheat Thins into my own 100-calorie snack packs and never eat out of the box—this way I always know what I am eating.”

In the Raw

“My trick is to eat as much raw food as I can. I limit my cooked food to things I really like.”

Ingredients

4 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced 2 stalks celery, finely diced 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely diced 3 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced 2 tablespoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground chicken (at least 90% lean) 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup bottled Chinese plum sauce 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon hot chili paste, such as sriracha (or to taste) 1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews, chopped 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish (optional)

 1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce .

directions

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) head romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into very thin strips, washed, and dried (about 6 cups) 1 cup drained and rinsed canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 1 cup pitted whole Niçoise or Kalamata olives or sliced canned black olives 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch dice 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound Genoa salami, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil (Love Note 2) 1/4 cup Mother’s Greek/Italian Dressing (see link in recipe below) Kosher salt

 Freshly ground black pepper 

directions

The 12 week challenge was both satisfying and harrowingly hard.

My personal battle has been both physically and mentally challenging, but thanks to Steve and his training crew, I really enjoyed my 12 week journey.

Best wishes to all others who were on the challenge, I was honoured to meet and workout alongside you.

I would really like to thank our trainers, Tania,Oksana & Kat for doing such a wonderful job, there encouragement and professionalism was fantastic..

I am proud of my efforts, I did the best I could and there is still alot of work to reach my goals.

It has never been in my spirit to give up ever.

So God bless you all and thanks again.

Losing weight and losing fat are similar, but they do have some distinctions. When you’re shooting for the latter, toning up and building muscle is one of the most helpful things to do. Learning how to build muscle, however, is not exactly as easy as it sounds. Most trainers will tell you an approach that involves both diet and exercise is the best.

Muscle mass is extremely useful for fat loss for a very good reason. Lean muscles demand more calories per day to maintain. This means they can increase the amount of calories burned by a person. The more muscle mass, the greater the body’s natural consumption of energy. When the right diet and exercise program is put into place, muscle mass can help with fat burning and weight maintenance.

Building muscle and toning up the entire body for a better look and increased calorie burning can be helped along by following these tips:

• Work with a trainer to create a good overall program – When you are trying to tone up and lose fat at the same time, you want to use a multifaceted approach to exercise. A program that contains both cardiovascular and strength training exercises is often best. If drawn-out cardio sessions do not appeal, interval training might be in order. On the strength training end, it is especially important to consult fitness professionals at your health club to make sure a safe, targeted approach is taken. Overdoing or proceeding without proper form can be dangerous.
• Vary the exercise program – If you tend to get bored easily with exercise programs, let your trainer know this. Seek out alternatives and options that can work your cardio system and your muscle groups. The more variety built into a plan, the more likely it is you will stick with it.
• Consume a proper diet – When the goal is to tone up and gain muscle, diet is especially important. Even if fat loss is a part of the plan, starving the body of enough calories and proper nutrition can actually hamper efforts. A portion controlled diet that is well-rounded and includes fruits, vegetables and lean protein can help with muscle building efforts.
• Drink plenty of water – Water is essential for hydrating the body – and the muscles. Make sure to keep the body well hydrated while trying to build muscle and lose fat. Avoid sugary drinks with empty calories as they can undermine positive efforts.
• Get plenty of sleep – Rest is important for good overall health. Make sure to get at least the minimum seven to eight hours to prime your body for each full day ahead.

Toning up and gaining muscle mass can supercharge the fat loss process. Make sure to consult a fitness professional to create a program that works for you and takes healthy and safety into consideration.