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Old Navy Thigh Gap Reach – Thin Shaming Police Strike Again!

old-navy-thigh-gap-photoshopOh, brother! Just when you thought it was safe –

Here we go again! The thin shaming police are really working over time now and seriously reaching with the latest accusations of Old Navy photoshopping a thigh gap on to a ‘plus sized’ mannequin.

For those of you who have googled your way on to this blog – and journalists – please note that a true thigh gap is when someone is standing with their feet together, legs straight and there is a gap or space, ranging from small to large, in between the thighs. I mean, do these bloggers even do any research? They can start with my website or book to educate themselves before blindly throwing terms around to get a reaction.

CLEARLY, if you look at the picture in question from Old Navy’s website, the model has one knee bent and the picture is also taken from an angle. Many women would naturally have a small space between their thighs with the combination of these two things; bent knee and posing at an angle.

Also, is it possible that since we are talking about a mannequin here that the mannequin was actually fashioned in this way.

Finally, I’ve said it a billion times before, and I’ll say it again – there are overweight women and women with what would be considered BIG THIGHS with thigh gaps. This is because of the shape of their hip bones. If these women were to lose fat, they would be the ones with the really large thigh gaps.

On the other hand, there are women with smaller hips who have to work a little harder to get a thigh gap and if they were to lose a lot of fat and follow the other tips in my book to get lean and contour their thighs. They would have a smaller thigh gap.

This mannequin is representing someone’s (in fact, thousands of someones) body out there! It is not unrealistic nor is this picture magically water dunking women into trying to look like the picture. No one is forcing anyone’s hand here – we all have free will and minds to think and rationalize for ourselves! Since when does one model, or one mannequin for that matter, have such a stronghold over us?

n51e3578cd1fe8FACE THE FACTS: Many women and men find thigh gaps sexy, feminine and appealing all on their own. And just look at this picture and you’ll see why.

In the immortal words of Robin Thicke, “You know you want it!” ;D


5 Ways to Slim Down Big, Bulky or Muscular Calves

Screen Shot 2014-03-16 at 2.22.55 PM 1.05.38 AMI got the following message on my Facebook wall the other day regarding how to slim down muscular, over-toned calves

This is a common problem amongst many women, who find their calves are so big that it plays a huge role on their self esteem and makes them extremely self conscious. Not mention, buying jeans, boots and wearing high heels or clothes that show off the calves wind up being a complete disaster.

So, what do you do?

Well, I have never personally felt like my calves were too muscular, as I did with my thighs, however I did notice that when I lose weight doing the techniques outlined in my book, The Thigh Gap Hack, my entire legs slimmed down drastically… including my calves.

The calves are not so different than the thighs – they can both get too bulky and muscular for our taste, so I’ve decided to do a video response to this often asked question outlining 5 things you can start doing today to slim down your calves.

If you’ve ever dealt with this problem before, or found something that worked for you please share in the comments section. Watch the video after the jump!

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NOT FAIR! 10 Celebrity Guys with Thigh Gaps (Man Gaps? Guy Gaps?)

BiU96-OCYAAXUUMI can remember when I first told my boyfriend about the thigh gap and subsequently put him through the thigh gap test. My bemused beau obliged and to our surprise, he was indeed sporting a pretty sizable thigh gap!

You may be able to relate as you stretch, tone and do copious amounts of cardio in an attempt to winnow down those legs or keep your gap from closing and then catch a glimpse of your boyfriend of guy friend scarfing down pizza while his gap remains firmly in tact.

By the way, what should we call it? Man Gaps? Guy Gaps? Let me know your preferred or most creative terminology in the comments section.

As I cover in my book, it’s easier for some people to get thigh gaps than others (although anyone who is determined can get one in a healthy way). Men included possess thigh gaps if their hips are wider and legs are on the skinnier side. They also tend to hold their weight in their stomachs as opposed to their legs, which as it turns out is more dangerous for your health but easier to lose.

I’ve also had a lot of male customers who have used my protocols successfully (Hey, guys like skinny jeans too).

Here are a list of well known guys whose stems you can totally be envious of.

# 1 Adam Levine –

The Maroon 5 singer and The Voice Judge has a pretty lean frame and as can be seen here in slim fitting jeans, is sporting a thigh gap.


BgGC_pbIIAEBKcW# 2 Harry Styles – Member of the popular all boy band ‘One Direction’, Harry Styles, is seen here in a before picture with no thigh and after with slender legs.

His hips don’t look particularly wide to me! If he can do it, so can you!

jared-leto-gold-and-black-suit-oscars-nominees-luncheon-beverly-hills__oPt3. Jared leto –

Fresh off of his Oscar win, Jared Leto has always been a pretty slender guy. Here’s gorgeous, rich and successful – and yup, has a thigh gap to boot. Some guys get all the luck!


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In Defense of Target – Should Target Have Apologized?

Target-bikini_Photoshop_fail_bottomsIn this week’s roundup of thigh gap news:

TARGET PHOTOSHOP DEBACLE – WHY THEY DON’T NEED TO APOLOGIZE OR EXPLAIN:

As you all know by now Target has come under fire for photoshopping a thigh gap, as well as a narrower hip, arms and torso on a model for its bikini-wear. Ok, so we can all agree that it was a pretty bad photoshop job (and not just some technical glitch as Target claims). It was an oversight that made its way on to their website or a big publicity stunt to get people talking about target, or forgetting about their data breach which was recently in the news.

Of course, you have the hang-wringing, body policing, opportunistic journalists who have taken to their blogs and websites to publicly flog Target for setting ‘unrealistic body goals’ and standards for those girls who saw the ad. “They can’t un-see the ad and the feeling that they got when they looked down at their thighs and wondered why a huge chunk of their private wasn’t missing!”

THIGH GAPS EXIST IN REAL LIFE

Ok, that wasn’t a direct quote, but that’s the gist of their argument. If we dissect their argument we know that first, a girl with a thigh gap is not an unrealistic body goal because there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of women (and men) out there with natural thigh gaps – ergo: very realistic body type.

Of course, there are also plenty of women out there with narrow hips (like my clients and myself) who have gotten slender enough to see some light between their thighs – ergo: very realistic!

target-photoshop-521x336THIS IS STANDARD ADVERTISING PRACTICE

The other aspect of the uproar is that Target would DARE put a thigh gap on a young model who is already pretty slender. “Why would they even do this?!” These overly sensitive, outraged and offended people want to know.

Here’s the thing, every single company does this. So, if you want to be outraged at Target, you should be outraged at everyone – but it’s not healthy to go around raising your blood pressure for silly things such as this.

Companies make advertisements and marketing campaigns that appeal to their target market / demographic. In this case, target wants to TARGET teen girls, who as we all know (along with plenty of adult women) want slimmer thighs and thigh gaps. They find this look to be attractive and desirable.

Target, knowing this, wants the model in its ads to appeal to those young girls who ALREADY want thigh gaps. If Target were to put an obese girl in its pictures on its websites you can be sure that people who don’t find obese women attractive or see themselves reflected in the model won’t be interested in the product regardless of how cut the piece is.

MODELS APPEAL TO WHAT WE LIKE OR ASPIRE TO LOOK LIKE

If they can’t relate to the model or find the model inspirational, they won’t be compelled to want to wear, much less buy, the outfit that she is wearing. This is why the most popular models are beautiful and skinny. Most women want to be skinny and beautiful and look like the models do in the ads. We in turn buy those clothes to look like them!

Come on, we all know this to be true, so to rake Target over the coals for being business savvy, and in fact following common advertising practices is quite silly.

Yes, it was a botched photoshop job, but the only person who should be apologizing is the graphic artist/intern who was clearly either drunk on the job or on his last day. Let’s stop appeasing these extreme people who want to place the blame on everyone but themselves when it comes to their daughter’s/childrens self image.


Health at every size? Are you Lying to Yourself?

I have heard a lot of people who want to feel better about being overweight or obese claim how ‘healthy’ they are despite their size, and I’m sure I’m not alone. You hear it all the time: “You can be overweight and healthy” or some other “fat acceptance” propaganda meant for us to not criticize or make assumptions about the way a person looks as it relates to their health despite the high likelihood that a heavy person is not going to be the model of health.

In fact, there’s even a “health at every size” campaign trying to convince people that those who are severely obese are actually “healthy” and have a good relationship with food!

Now, I am by no means saying that just because you’re skinny or slim that you are healthy! We all know this, we’re focusing on an entirely different matter so let’s dismiss this strawman argument off the bat.

Here’s a clip from the Dr. Drew show with Meme Roth addressing the issue and making some very valid points:

:Sigh: When are people going to stop lying to themselves?

Thank God for people like Meme Roth, and the many readers who send me notes daily reminding me that I’m not in another galaxy, who point out the obvious without mincing words. You’d think people who recognize the truth are in the minority because many of the loudest people on the internet are a part of the obese/overweight crew, and in fact the overwhelming majority of Americans are overweight (over 2 in 3 adult Americans are overweight).

These folks collectively push their DANGEROUS fat acceptance agenda/speech to feel better about the lies they tell themselves.

Yes, fat acceptance is dangerous as explained beautifully by Meme in this quote:

“Yes, my entire family is obese and I have to tell you when you grow up with the people that you love and respect the most and you see the hardship, the damage to their bodies and spirit due to obesity it breaks your heart.

My grandmother just passed away this February and she lay in a bed for four years, not even getting up to go to the bathroom because she got so heavy she had to be put in a home. It’s just beyond tragic and I think calling what gets people to that point beautiful is dangerous and really cruel. I think it comes from a good place wanting people to feel good…”

Just as we discourage anorexia and bulimia, we should discourage the other side of the coin. Our bodies were meant to be lean – not lugging around a bunch of excess weight (as evidenced by the many diseases associated with being fat and obese).

So, the question I want to ask you if you’ve arrived here from the Cosmopolitan article after taking offense that someone could dare be helping women achieve a body size/aesthetic that THEY find attractive is, “Are you lying to yourself?”

Are you are lying to yourself when you claim you love your ‘fat’, ‘overweight’, or ‘curvy’ body, throw up your first for being a BBW, and jump for joy in public over having thick, thunder thighs? Do you secretly pine on the inside to be slim and fit, wish you could get your disordered compulsive eating habits under control, and feel beautiful without a doubt? Then let me help you!

My book is called ‘The Thigh Gap Hack” but it’s not ONLY about getting a thigh gap. If you want a thigh gap, I’m all for it – because it’s your body and you’re entitled to make it look the way you want it to.

I’ll help you get slimmer, feminine legs in a HEALTHY manner, but my book WILL ALSO teach you how to get lean and slim down all over by using unconventional fitness tips that will increase your metabolism, reset your hunger, burn your STORED fat, and keep the weight off forever.


NEW! Cardio Dance Workout |Talk Dirty to me – Jason Derulo & 2 Chainz

Screen Shot 2014-03-09 at 9.15.08 AMAllow me to talk dirty to you for a second –

Get your @$s up and do my  ridiculously fun, fat blasting cardio dance choreographed workout video, NOW!

That’s right, the latest and greatest calorie burning thigh gap workout is up on my channel http://www.youtube.com/thighgaphack

It’s a brand spanking new, low impact – HIGH intensity, cardio dance workout set to Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz’s crazy popular song, Talk Dirty to Me! #noexcuses

Click read more to watch the actual video after the jump

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Pinterest Infuriates Women Everywhere – Thigh Gap Warning

I’ve gotten a ton of notes today from readers regarding pinterest’s new warning that pops up when you search for ‘thigh gap’ on their website. Here’s a screenshot:

pinterestUGH. Can you say insulting? How about infuriating?

Earth to pinterest – you don’t have to have a mental disorder to have or want a thigh gap or find them attractive. There are millions of women in the world with natural thigh gaps due to their bone structure. There are others who are able to get a thigh gap with narrow hips by using healthy dieting and exercising tactics as displayed in my book. There are millions of men who find thigh gaps attractive and sexy!

When did society come to this? It’s now abnormal to want to have a slender and slim frame! Women who actually care about their bodies and what they put in it get accused of having anorexia or bulimia or being ‘obsessed’ for not wanting to eat pizza/cake with the rest of the overweight/obese population. And why would you when the evidence of what’s to come if you do indulge is staring you right in the face.

We’re told, ‘You can have one cookie – it won’t kill you! You can stand to gain some weight?” Are we supposed to trust the opinions and standards of those who are killing themselves with food and would probably give their left arm to be instantly thin (your size or desired size) or if a genie popped up and granted them one wish would change their bodies?

Yeah, pinterest – sorry, but this is not a good look or move on your part! Sure, there are those who might have eating disorders that want thigh gaps, but there are also those who might have eating disorders that want flat stomachs, slim arms, long hair, designer jeans and a billion other things that get searched for on pinterest daily.

Where are the steroid disclaimers / warnings about drug use and hotline numbers for guys searching for six packs and biceps?

Until you put that disclaimer for every single search term, you are offending a huge portion of your users!

 

What do you think?  Do you agree with me – if so let pinterest know!

 


10 Weight Loss Tips That Work If Diets Don’t Help Anymore

According to the results of studies by scientists from big U.S. Universities, only 1 out of 5 people managed to lose the extra weight that was at least 10% of their body mass. One of the reasons that makes losing weight such a hard task is the plateau effect. This is a phenomenon where the weight stops decreasing despite all efforts.

Of course, when there is no progress, people get disappointed and tend to stop leading a healthy lifestyle. However, it is possible to fight the plateau effect.

Bright Side has found scientifically proven ways to make the weight decrease even if you are in the plateau phase.

1. Do weight training.

Doing weight training is less effective for losing weight than cardio workouts but they help to keep the level of metabolism which is important when you are on a long-term diet. Weight training makes the metabolism much faster and doesn’t let the body switch to the low energy consumption mode. To improve weight lifting results buy sarms online

But don’t forget to eat some protein after a workout: the muscles will get stronger and you won’t have any extra fat.

2. Change the caloric value during the week.

When we are on a diet, our smart bodies adapt to smaller amounts of food, cutting down the energy consumption. In other words, the body adapts to the new living conditions, still conserving the extra pounds — in case there will be no food at all. And when you start eating fewer calories, the body understands that its decision was right.

In order to trick the body, you can use the caloric cycles. 2 days a week, you should eat about 1,000 or 1,200 kcal with almost no carbs, and the rest of the days, eat 1,500 kcal. This trick won’t let the metabolism slow down and will create the necessary caloric deficit.

3. Tell the difference between a real plateau and an imaginary one.

During the first days of the diet, extra fluids leave our bodies which makes the number on the scale drop quickly. But in order to lose just 1 lb, you need to have a 3,500-calorie deficit. It doesn’t matter how you achieve it, but the progress won’t be fast.

Many people think that losing weight slowly is a plateau, so they lose interest and drop the diet. Be patient and don’t step on the scale more than once a week: this way, the progress will seem bigger.

4. Eat more protein and vegetables.

Low-carbohydrate diets are believed to the be the best strategy for losing weight. Protein and fiber make us full and increase the metabolism. Carbohydrates make the insulin level rise making us hungry. So if you are trying to lose weight, it’s better to eat a piece of low-fat meat rather than a sweet fruit.

5. Change the exercises you do.

Thousands of years of fighting for survival taught our bodies one simple thing: resources should be saved by any means possible. After some time, the human body adapts to the exercises you do. So, after several weeks of similar workouts, the progress will definitely slow down.

There is only one solution: once every 1-1.5 months, you should change your workout program. There are a lot of different options: change out yoga for pilates, do new exercises, train new muscles that you haven’t before, and change the weights that you use.

6. Eat tasty food.

The ability to resist the urge to eat depends on the right function of the brain. However, if a person hasn’t eaten anything tasty for a long time, their brain starts to tell them that a piece of chocolate or a biscuit will give them much more joy that these foods really can.

This is why nutrition experts recommend including small portions of “prohibited” foods. If you let yourself relax from time to time, you have a smaller chance of losing control at some point and interrupting the diet.

7. Recalculate the caloric value of the food you eat.

The number of calories necessary for losing weight depends not only on physical activity but also on the body mass. If an overweight person eats only 2,000 kcal a day, they will lose weight, and if a small woman does the same, she will gain weight.

Don’t forget to recalculate the caloric value of your food after every 10 pounds you lose.

8. Keep a strict sleeping schedule.

As scientists found out, it’s impossible to have bad sleep and lose weight in a healthy way. There are a lot of reasons why, but in short: if you don’t sleep enough, your body is stressed. Stress leads to feeling hungry and a change in metabolism. So be sure to sleep enough no matter what.

9. Count calories.

Scientists proved that people who lose weight without any supervision stop tracking what and how much they eat within several weeks. Of course, the progress stops and you can’t lose weight. So, you should always know how many calories you eat.

10. Take body characteristics into account.

Everyone knows that right before the beginning of the menstrual cycle, women’s bodies retain much more water, just like when people drink too much water (especially before sleep), eat salty foods, drink alcohol and eat dairy products. You should take into account the individual reaction to different foods in different people. So, analyze what you eat and how it influences your body.

For example, the author of the article couldn’t lose weight because of eating too many tomatoes. Yes, they are vegetables and they don’t have any extra calories, but for some reason, in this woman’s case, they didn’t let water leave her body.

After you stop eating some foods, the swelling will disappear within the next 2 days. So don’t let several extra pounds make you panic and desperate. Forget about the scale and use a tape measure ribbon: it will easily prove that you are making progress.

Have you ever had the plateau effect when you tried to lose weight? How did you deal with it? Share your experience in the comment section below.


5 Ways Celebrities who Procrastinate Slim Down for the Oscars

Screen Shot 2014-03-02 at 12.28.57 PMMany celebrities have been prepping for months for their close up and full body shots at the Oscars! Others, have been bitten by the procrastination bug and had a bit of catching up to do to be in tip top form.

You can bet, for the past week some of the most famous faces have been turning to tried and true diet tips to slim down their waist, hips and overall figure. Since it’s harder to drop a lot of weight in a short time, they’ve opted to lose what’s known as ‘water weight’.

Our bodies are comprised of mainly water, and when you lose the water weight you can drop anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds enabling you to zip up that super glamorous designer dress for the cameras.

After the jump, I reveal 6 of the industry tips/secrets for losing water weight fast! (Watch the video and don’t forget to subscribe)

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THE TRUTH: Anyone can get a thigh gap! Dr. Oz confirms my findings

1and2

#1 and #2! Thank you for forming your own educated opinions!

This post will be short and to the point because ultimately people will still believe what they want to believe as an excuse to be lazy and not try to do anything about changing their bodies.

It’s far easier to say I will always have fat/big/thick thighs the way I used to lament being stuck with my ‘grandmother’s legs’ (I don’t have granny’s legs anymore, by the way). That way, you don’t have to make an effort and then you don’t feel so bad about having the body you actually really dislike or are uncomfortable with.

Dr. Oz confirmed everything that I wrote about in my book about anyone being able to get a thigh gap. In fact, I thought he broke it down beautifully – those with wider hips will have an easier time achieving a thigh gap due to their bone structure. My hacks will teach you how to get leaner faster and smarter. (e.g. – to lose fat you need a calorie deficit.
** Hunger training(™) enables you to stop the uphill battle of ALWAYS being hungry and makes it much easier for you to create the deficit you need to burn the fat.
** Intermittent fasting (which Dr. Oz extols on his own show) allows you burn more calories for example, by delaying breakfast. Not eating 12 – 16 hours could mean not eating from 8pm to 10am. Should you eat because it’s 7am and you’ve just rolled out of bed? I don’t think so.
** I also have loads of other methods in my book that you are free to pick and choose from. You don’t have to do them all!

He also showed those with narrow hips (like me) will need to lose overdeveloped / bulky muscle in order to get a thigh gap. Now, I will admit he didn’t recommend you do so – because he’s a conventional doctor who has to appeal to a large group of women who need an excuse to remain comfortable and fat.These women don’t like the thought of the thigh gap because they’re against anyone being slim/thin as it makes them look bad. I get it.

However, unlike Dr. Oz alluded to – losing a little bit of muscle on your thighs is not going to bring your metabolism to a screeching halt. In fact, all of us lose muscle from our entire body all the time! 

To also say that having narrow hips precludes you from joining the thigh gap club with me sitting right there is disingenuous. I mean, I did it and so have countless of my clients/readers!

My book teaches you how to lose and tone down the overdeveloped bulky / muscle that prevent women from having a thigh gap in, again, a smart and healthy way. No starving required. You do this by training strategically: I tell you which exercises to NEVER do and what types of training to do instead, how long to do it, when to do it, etc..

I also reveal how to eat to avoid feeding the muscles you’re trying to get rid of (you should NOT be drinking protein shakes after your workout like body builders do. Realize your body goals are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum).

And that is all. So, while they edited me in order to cast my book as being a potential scapegoat for people who suffer from a true mental illness, which I don’t think every woman is easily susceptible to, I’m still very thankful for the exposure and opportunity to get my message out there to the thousands of people I have since the show has aired, and re-aired. And I’ll be happy when it re-airs again because I’m confident there are a lot more women out there with this problem who are independent thinkers!

If you believe in taking advice from an expert who has actually accomplished what you hope to do rather than accept advice from experts who’ve read textbooks, resist anything foreign/new, and in many cases taken the bare minimum on nutrition/exercise, get my book today!


Watch Me on The Dr. Oz Show! + NEW DVD

drozstillstage Yes, to all of you who are asking – that’s me you’re seeing in the previews for the Dr. Oz Show airing tomorrow, February 25th. I was invited to be on the show as an expert on the subject of ‘how to get a thigh gap’ and to defend the rights of countless women around the globe who seek a thigh gap because they find it attractive (just like men find six pack abs and huge biceps attractive and train to achieve those ‘body goals’).

show

Behind the Scenes at the Dr. Oz Show

Luckily, I already had a ton of experience with ‘thin shaming’ and the claim that women SHOULD try to look “strong” “muscular” and “powerful” instead of the way they want to look (feminine, slender, slim) – when Facebook shut down my page because they erroneously thought that the mere mention of the word thigh gap was associated with an eating disorder. Thanks to my lovely readers we set them straight and got the page reinstated! (Like the Page here) You see, I give women way more credit than the other ‘experts’ do. Yes, I’m an expert because I’ve written a 260 page book on the sole subject of how to lose fat from your thighs. I also am an expert and know it’s possible to get a thigh gap without an eating disorder, because I’ve done just that and have helped women around the world do the same. The whole point of my book is to help women learn there is another way! Tune in at 4pm EST to see what I had to say on the matter to America’s favorite Doctor, Doctor Oz – and see if I changed his mind… DO YOU THINK I DID? Also, I’m releasing a workout video called “BYE-BYE THUNDER THIGHS”. DESCRIPTION:

From the Best-selling author of the book, “The Thigh Gap Hack” comes her debut workout dvd, “Bye-Bye Thunder Thighs”. This 70 minute workout is broken down into a 10 minute warm up and cool down, and three 20 minute segments, which includes:
  • 10 minutes of stretching/lengthening and toning lower body exercises meant to release the fat from the cells
  • 10 minutes of cardio and upper body strength training meant to burn the fat you’ve just released and maintain upper body muscles that will keep your metabolism revving
  • 15 – Day Sample meal-plan

YOU’LL LOVE THE WORKOUT & THE RESULTS, GUARANTEED!

Pre-order the DVD below (DVD’s will be shipped out in March 2014)






Fat Burning Cardio Dance Workout – WATCH ONLINE FREE!

dubstep-cardio

Who says cardio needs to be boring and brutal?

The latest fat burning cardio dance workout with yours truly is up. This weeks choreographed workout routine is to David Guetta and Akon’s ‘Sexy Bitch’ or ‘Sexy Chick’… and it’s a little different because it’s a dub step version of the song.

The objective with these videos is to make cardio fun. When the music is pumping and it’s fun the time flies, you’re more likely to get your cardio in more frequently, and that means you’ll burn calorie/fat and see the results you seek.

Now, since I choreograph each workout to a specific pop song, they tend to be around 4 to 7 minutes long. Obvious-town, that’s not going to cut it when it comes to burning fat. You need at least 30 minutes of sustained physical activity that gets your heart rate up.

This means you’ll need to do this specific routine a few times over or combine a few of my videos together. I’ll take care of getting your heart rate up with every single one! Make sure you leave a comment on the youtube page or right here letting me know what you think of the workout and how many times you were able to do it through.

Leave song requests as well! NOW LET’S GET TO WORK!

Watch the video after the jump

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Help! What to do when You’ve Lost your Thigh Gap

1Bc2jlt2wyS2YirIf you can relate to the picture, you’re not alone. Nobody is perfect and sometimes in life our diets are not as great as they can be, or we slack off with our exercise regimens.

As a result, our bodies change – and for those hip centric (pear shaped women) out there, the first change they will see is the loss of their thigh gap.

I know, it might suck that a thigh gap can seemingly arrive overnight and pull a similar disappearing act just as quickly. The truth is depending on how long it’s been since you’ve fallen off the wagon, it’s very possible that you can get your thigh gap back in no time.

For example, if it hasn’t been too long (e.g. – one week) and you’ve just been eating a lot more sodium than normal, stopped drinking water, what you may be seeing is the result of water retention. Your body will hold on to the water, and some will be in your thighs, thus making them swollen and closing the gap.

It’s highly unlikely that you’ve been able to put on more than 1 to 2 pounds in the course of a week, so don’t freak out and think you’ve gotten too fat. Remember, it takes about 3500 excess calories to gain one pound of fat.

Bare in mind, if you eat a huge steak and weight yourself right after the scale will say you’re one pound heavier, but as I discuss in the book, that’s not sticking. You’ll get rid of that weight with waste, etc.

Now, if it’s been a few months and your diet has gone downhill (you’re eating fast food, sweets, etc.) and you’re not exercising it’s more likely that you have put on some fat – the sticking kind – and you’ll have to lose it all over again to reveal your thigh gap.

Don’t be discouraged! If you had a thigh gap, or slimmer thighs, in the past you can certainly do it again. It just means that you will have to buckle down and make some changes. I would highly recommend my hunger training hack (I describe it in great detail in the book – GET YOUR COPY HERE), which will allow you to recalibrate your hunger system so you’re not facing an uphill battle with getting your caloric deficit.


How to Spend Your calories Wisely

Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 8.21.34 PMThe folks over at wise geek put up an eye opening post regarding what 200 calories look like for different foods ranging from coca cola, to peanut butter, to carrots.

It’s such a great post because it visually demonstrates why you need to spend the allotted calories you have each day wisely. You see, if you are trying to lose weight there’s no getting around the fact that you need to create a calorie deficit. That means, you need to expend more energy than you consume.

However, the food that we have available to us is typically so calorie dense that one can feel deprived or as though they are starving, making it quite difficult to adhere to their caloric deficit.

The pictures from Wisegeek puts it all into perspective. When you see that you can have a full plate of broccoli OR eight hershey’s kisses for the same amount of calories, you start to understand the importance of learning how to spend your calories just as you would your money, carefully!

Check out the post at wise geek here


5 Common Calorie Counting Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Are you working out and eating right, but still not losing weight?

The amount of calories you consume play a huge role in whether or not you will lose, maintain or gain fat/weight.

Being 100% accurate when logging calories is darn near impossible, but the goal is to get as close to the true number as humanly possible.

Consider the following common calorie counting mistakes unexpectedly being made by many frustrated individuals who may be pondering what they’re doing wrong.

Logging Calories for Raw vs. Cooked – Some foods expand or shrink when cooked and thus logging calories for that particular food without taking into consideration how the food was prepared will lead to inaccurate figures.

For example, four ounces of chicken raw will not be the same amount of calories for four ounces of cooked chicken. When chicken cooks it will get lighter. It’s best to work with the raw weight of a food, as this is what most nutritional labels will represent.

Using Measuring Cups/Spoons instead of a Scale – Measuring cups mislead easily, as it’s possible to compact food into them (resulting in additional calories) and too easy to use “heaping” portions – that’s common when measuring high calorie items such as sugar, flour and peanut butter, but pile the food sky high above the rim of the cup or spoon. Using measuring cups and spoons, while better than eyeballing and visually estimating, can yield up to a quarter more food than using a food scale.

Size Shortcuts – Log into myfitnesspal or two other free calorie database meant to give you a size shortcut for a specific food (e.g. – the calorie content for one serving of something like a  piece of chicken or one corn). You might notice the number will vary. Depend on that number, referred to as a size shortcut meant to make your life a little easier and accommodate those without a scale, and you’d be making a grave mistake. The amount of calories listed for a piece of corn can vary greatly depending on the size of the actual corn.

Not Counting the Oil – When most people prepare their food and log calories, for some odd reason they forget to add in one little thing, that is really a big thing: oil. One tablespoon of cooking oil is usually around 120 calories and as discussed in my previous article, depending on measuring spoons and actual silver spoons will yield stunningly different results. Besides that fact, most people simply aren’t measuring their oil but eyeballing it when they throw it into the pan. That oil gets absorbed into the food and you are indeed consuming it, so remember – measure and log those oil calories!

Trusting Restaurant Menus – A mushroom veggie burger at Shake Shack is listed as 490 calories so you log that into your food diary because it must be true, right? Wrong. The calorie amounts (and calorie ranges) you see listed on menu boards at huge chains and restaurant represents the standard or ideal end product. Each chef or cook is so busy making food that they hardly have time to make sure all the variables are precisely the same, and an extra spoonful of butter, oil, sugar, cheese, etc. can change the caloric amount of the ‘meal’ drastically.

Here’s another interesting tidbit of information – It’s totally legal for companies to be off by a huge percentage (25%) when making their projections for the caloric content of their food product. The FDA completely approves and there aren’t many organizations going around and fact checking these foods. This is why I advocate preparing unprocessed whole foods at home as much as possible.


Beyonce’s Thigh Gap at the Grammys (2014) *I was Right*

Remember when I wrote a post a little while back about how Beyonce didn’t have a thigh gap but she probably wanted one?

I was raked over the coals for saying so. You see, everyone was going around saying you don’t need a thigh gap because Beyonce didn’t have one and she was being held up as the hottest woman on the planet.

Well, then the 2014 grammy’s happened and lo and behold, Bey came out sporting much thinner legs and something like a thigh gap. *Gasp*

Does this now mean that you DO need a thigh gap, because well, Beyonce felt like she needed one?

To answer my own question, of course not – but as we can clearly see even Beyonce is of the opinion that being thin/slim is desirable… apparently more desirable than having ‘thick’ or ‘full’ thighs or she wouldn’t have touched hers. Can you deny that Beyonce doesn’t look her absolute best (better than she has ever looked even) with a straight face?

And before the trolls come in here and say most men would prefer Beyonce when she was ‘curvier’, please stop deluding yourself. No straight man would throw the svelte version of Beyonce out of their bed because she looks smoking hot with a thigh gap!

Now, let me get to the question you all want to know…

How did Beyonce get her thigh gap?

Well, there could be a few reasons and no one but Beyonce can say for sure.

* Wider Hips after Childbirth – Many women have been known to have wider hips after giving birth to their children. As you know by now if you’ve read any of my other articles on how to get a thigh gap, wider hips will make it easier for you to achieve the thigh gap.

* Liposuction / plastic surgery – Ok, it’s pretty darn obvious to everyone but diehard stans in denial, that Beyonce has had a lot of work done over the years. Professional surgeons have speculated that she’s had a nose job, boob job, work done to her face (fillers,etc) and I am in agreement, she recommended Dr. K Roxanne Grawe, Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon located near Columbus in Powell, Ohio –  If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be too far fetched to consider that Beyonce may have gotten liposuction or body contouring to her inner and outer thighs to achieve her grammy night thigh gap.

* Diet – Some people are saying that Beyonce’s 22 day Vegan challenge is responsible for her thigh gap. I’ll have a post coming on whether begin vegan will guarantee you will lose weight, but it could be that Beyonce’s altered diet caused her to lose enough fat/body weight to reveal the thigh gap that was hidden under her extra pounds.

* Exercise – Beyonce has been on tour for the past year and dances/works out for about 3 hours for every performance. We can all probably agree that she goes hard and burns a ton of calories every night she’s on stage. Additionally, her workout involves a ton of cardio, and as described in my book cardio is great for fat burning – particularly, cardio that lasts at least 45 minutes.

Any one or a combination of these reasons could be the secret beyond Beyonce’s thigh gap during her ‘Drunk in Love’ 2014 grammy’s performance. Which do you think is the most plausible reason?

 


Back from Vacation – 30 Day Cooking Challenge

Hello lovelies! In case you were wondering, I’ve been on a 3 week road trip across Ireland and just got back to New York City today.

For the record, I love Ireland and Irish people. I love going on vacation because I walk more then ever when I’m traveling. In New York City, I’m always in my car driving from one destination to the next.

One of the good/bad things about traveling is that you tend to eat out a heck of a lot more and loosen your normal clean/low calorie diet to include treats. Of course, when you eat out you can’t control what goes into the food and you can’t be precise with how many calories you are consuming, and treats tend to contain lots of sugar and be very high calorie.

The great thing about Ireland is that something like 80% of the population are celiacs, so there are tons of gluten free options. 

Generally, I try to stick to the basics (e.g. I got grilled chicken and ate it with a salad at a 7-11 type equivalent called Tesco or Centra or bought soup from the supermarket and heated it up), choose the healthiest/vegetarian meals available on the menu (e.g. in Galway I got the yummiest olive/lentil burger with broccoli/cauliflower and a spicy tomato sauce… and I modified the full irish breakfast by getting egg whites and skipping the sausage/bacon), or cook (a few mornings I made egg white omelets with spinach).

For treats, yes I did indulge a little bit, but I tried to hone it in by opting for aero puddings (so that I would know how many calories I was consuming) and shared desserts with my boyfriend instead of eating the entire thing.

Yes, eating healthy and not gaining tons of weight while on vacation can be tricky to navigate and I was actually thinking about writing my next book about how to do just that. Do you think it’s a good idea? I’d love your feedback on that so leave a comment below.

But back to the main point of this article –

I am going to be doing a cooking challenge where I prepare all of my meals at home for the month of February and I’d like to invite you to join me. You’d be surprised at how much less calories you can consume and how full you can get when you make your own meals. Of course, you’d be entirely shocked at how much fat/weight you lose.

It’s no wonder, as you would never guess how much salt (leading to water retention) and sugar that is unnecessarily added to meals.

I’ll be doing some videos (cardio dance workout as well as some related to the challenge) so look out for that!

If you would like to commit to the challenge with me, pledge your dedication below!

 


New ‘Bikini Bridge Gap’ Cardio Dance Workout – Choreography

bikini-bridge-gap-workoutIt’s your favorite time of the week – the moment when I post a killer cario dance workout for you to sweat and have fun to.

This week, I’ve chosen to do the cardio dance workout choreography to Katy Perry and Juicy J’s song, ‘Dark Horse’ from Katy’s album PRISM.

The song is pretty short (approximately 4 minutes), however you will hate me at the end of this.

I mean, I think I even went a bit overboard. Your heart rate is going to be elevated THE ENTIRE TIME, and your body will have no choice but to burn through the stored body fat from all of those end of the year/new year parties you’ve been attending.

SIDE BAR: I’ve been to 3 birthday parties already for the new year. If you celebrated your birthday, consider this my present to you!

Also, have you been sticking to your new year’s goals so far? Tell me your top three goals for the year in the comments section below and I’ll pick one lucky commenter to give a surprise free gift to.

The entire workout video is after the jump, so click the read more button to watch it

Read More


What is ‘The Bikini Bridge’ (the new Thigh Gap) And How to Get it

how-to-get-a-bikini-bridge-gap

A new question is circulating the internet. Everywhere, older people completely out of touch with the desires of young men are asking, ‘Is the bikini bridge gap the new thigh gap?”

Now, some of you may be wondering – WHAT IS THE BIKINI BRIDGE GAP?

The definition of a bikini bridge gap is when your hip bones jut forward and your stomach is flat enough so that your bikini bottom band stretches across and is forced to have a gap (hence, it’s comparison to the thigh gap) when lying down (or when standing up).

The gap is between your lower abdomen and the cloth/band of your bikini bottom. Basically, it’s having a flat stomach (gasp*)

The bikini bridge was a prank, a hoax/satirical article that was posted on buzz feed that all the media blogs picked up on and ran with. Yep, all of these journalists totally fell for it hook, line and sinker. I suppose it is sort of like the thigh gap in that the ‘experts’ are already foaming at the mouth and calling it dangerous for girls to want a bikini bridge (basically a really toned and flat stomach).

Of course, now that this word ‘the bikini bridge gap’ is out there – more and more people are becoming aware of the idea and want to know “how to get a bikini bridge gap”, for real!

Uh-oh, look what the media has gone and done. Spread something that totally wasn’t a thing by bringing awareness to it with faux outrage of it being unhealthy because it could lead to an eating disorder. Exactly why is it unhealthy and dangerous to not look 3 months pregnant when you’re not? Beats me. The way the experts tell it, everyone should be striving towards tummy rolls, because real women are should look like the pillsbury dough boy have curves, or something like that.

Are we going to try to convince people that getting a flat tummy is something totally genetic, requires some special kind of bone structure, and virtually impossible, like they do the thigh gap?

No, because that would be just plain silly. Your genes have absolutely nothing to do with your ability to get a flat stomach. EVERY single person can get a bikini bridge gap, just like everyone can get a thigh gap. Does that mean it’s a walk in the park or a piece of cake? Most definitely no to the later, and uh-uh to the former, as well sadly.

You will need to rid your diet of the offenders: sugar, carbs, sodium, and exercise beyond a snail’s pace of walking and ultra low steady state cardio. Everything has to be strategic.

It takes some discipline, and knowledge of how to tweak your diet and exercise regimen to boost your metabolism, burn more fat instead of carbs, train your hunger. The good news is all of that is covered in my book, ‘The Thigh Gap Hack”. Since the thigh gap hack allows you to get skinny and sculpt a feminine physique, the natural byproduct of doing my program is developing a flat stomach, small waist, and subsequently a bikini bridge (YAY!)