Category Archives: Diet

Intermittent Fasting Can Jump Start Fat Loss

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I’ve been reading a lot lately about intermittent fasting as a way to jump start fat loss. In my own fat loss quest, I’ve started to hit a plateau around 200 lbs. I feel like that might also be because I’m starting to add on a lot of muscle, but I can’t be sure. I’m by no means demotivated by my progress, because I am doing much better than I was six months ago.

I actually had the pleasure of seeing some pictures of myself from St. Patrick’s day and I was amazed at how much healthier I look. I’ve lost a lot of weight in my face and neck. There is no better motivator than going back in time and seeing some pictures of how you used to look.

To break through this wall I’m hitting, I’ve decided to try fasting to see how it affects my energy and weight. I’m worried about potentially losing the muscle I’ve gained, but I also know I can put that back on once I lose the fat. I’m more concerned about what kind of hit I will take to my overall energy. Last Saturday I ate dinner around 6:30 PM and promised myself I wouldn’t eat again until 6:30 PM the following evening.

When you really break it down and think about it, a 24 hour fast isn’t really a big deal, because you’re only cutting out two meals: breakfast and lunch, the following day. I had no trouble at all making the journey and was able to eat a sensible dinner on Sunday evening. My overall energy wasn’t affected and I felt great about the whole endeavor.

I’ve read that doing two fasts a week can produce great results and I’ve decided to try that. I’m already allowing two cheat meals a week and have seen good progress doing that, so I’ll continue to do two cheat meals a week along with the fasting. From what I understand, the cheat meals are actually a good practice when fasting, because it helps return your leptin hormone levels to normal.

Leptin is the hormone that puts your body into “starvation mode” and causes you to store fat. When you fast those leptin levels drop and you start to store fat, but when you cheat, they rise to above-normal levels and you store less fat. The one-two combo of cheating and fasting is supposed to accelerate weight loss in theory.

I will try fasting for 30 days and see if it affects my overall energy and weight loss. If it works, I may continue. Either way, I will report the results here and let you know how it goes.

For people looking for more information on intermittent fasting, please check out some of the resources that immediately come to mind, like: ExtremeHumanPerformance.com, FitJerk.com, and TryingFitness.com.

Have you ever tried to do a fast? If you did, how long did you go, and how did it make you feel? Please share your results and we’ll compare them to what I find out.

The Diet Solution: Start Burning Fat Now

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I’ve been trying out a new program for dieting recently to really push my weight loss. They have a video to start things out that gives you a ton of information. Basically they promise typical results of 3-10 pounds in your first week. I’ve definitely done that since starting. They also say that if you change your lifestyle to follow the whole program, you can keep the weight off for the long run.

They explain sugars, carbs, fats, and other chemicals that affect your ability to lose fat. I have been working out on top of all of that too. The biggest pull-away I have from the whole thing is to watch the ingredients on the food you’re buying. They have some pretty great recipes too. The other big take-away from the program is that if you make positive changes to your life, those are positive changes and constantly striving to eat better will help you lose fat.

They have a ton of free resources, which include articles and videos. I was totally blown away when I actually got into the actual program. The great thing about actually being a part of the program is the motivational aspects of working directly with Isabel and have someone actually driving your success.

What’s really cool is they’ll give you your money back if it doesn’t work. Go give it a look. I implore you to at least watch the first video and check out the free resources, because those are extremely insightful in themselves.

Portion Control and Some Examples

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The single biggest thing you can do to improve your diet is get your portion control in check. The biggest problem with the average American’s diet right now is the amount they eat. When you go to a restaurant, you can order a 20 oz. steak with food on the side, when the most steak you should be eating is probably around 6 oz. Many meals people eat are well over 1500 calories, which is just insane.

As a rule of thumb a portion should fit in the palm of your hand or be about the size of a baseball. Meats should be about the size of a deck of cards, and red meats like beef should be even less. Dried fruits and items with a lot of sugar shouldn’t be more than the size of a golf ball. It’s the same with cheeses and fatty foods.

Visual Examples

Making the Change

Some people look at examples like that and fear that they might starve to death. Those portions are what you should be eating, and like exercise you can train your body to eat that way over time. Of course the portion sizes would vary between body types. For instance, a 6 foot tall man would obviously eat more than a 5’6″ woman that might naturally weigh half as much. Remember though, that the palms of their hands are probably different sizes too.

Eating foods that are high in fiber, like celery or broccoli will help stave of hunger, because high fiber foods make you feel full longer. That’s why it’s good to eat whole wheat and whole grain foods. Those grains have much higher fiber content than, say, Wonder Bread. This is just another reason why vegetables are so good for you as well.

If you’re not sure, ask.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how much of something you should eat or have a good example of some portion measuring techniques, please leave a comment below. If you liked this article, please subscribe.

How to Eat on the Run

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We all know what it’s like to eat on the run.  It’s a horrible situation to be in, especially if you’re trying to eat healthy.  Let’s face it: most places to get food on the road are concentrating on convenience, not health.

The best thing you can do is take time out of your day to cook yourself a meal and eat right. There are a few things you can do to keep your diet under control while you’re running about though.

Be Prepared

Keeping easy, healthy foods in your car and at your home is the single best thing you can do. It’s cheaper than eating out or getting gas station food as well. There are some great foods like granola bars and bags of sunflower seeds that don’t spoil very easily. You can also keep fresh fruit and vegetables where you can access them quickly and easily.

The idea is to keep foods that transport easily and/or can be stored for a long period of time handy for when you don’t have time to eat a real meal.  Of course, don’t store fruit in your car on hot days or for long periods of time. The biggest benefit is that you have 100% control over what you eat. You’re not at the whim of the menu.

Healthy Dining

If you’re on the road and don’t have any of your own food with you, but do have time to order something and wait for it to be prepared, you can dine out. This isn’t nearly as good as being prepared, because you may not have control over where you can eat or what’s on their menu.

Start by trying to find the healthiest restaurant you can find.  It helps if you’ve been to them before.  I prefer bakeries that also server sandwiches. As a general rule, the more local a restaurant they healthier their selection will be.  That’s doesn’t mean that the chicken wings at Bob’s Fried Delights are good for you. Use some common sense. Even if you’re only given of McDonald’s, you have the option of a fruit salad or a grilled chicken salad.

Gas Station Food

This is probably the single worst thing you can do for food. There are almost no good meat or protein sources except local, preservative beef jerky, maybe. Some gas stations might have fresh fruit, but in my experience, that’s a rarity. Usually, you can find sunflower seeds or peanuts, which are good sources of protein and carbs. They’ll definitely fill you up and give you energy. You can also usually find organic or healthy granola bars. Don’t reach for that pizza or hot dog. Pay attention to the nutrition facts to make your decision.

Watch out for foods that seem healthy but really aren’t.  Most carb based foods and chips are horrible for you.  Always look at the nutrition facts for the food that you buy. Pay attention to the serving size and servings per container when you’re reading them. ‘Healthy’ advertising can be quite deceptive.

For drinks, stay away from sodas and other manufactured drinks when selecting a drink. Usually water, coffee, and tea are fine for you. If you get coffee or tea, use skim milk and attempt to hold the sugar – or at least minimize it.

Be Smart

Overall, you need to be intelligent about your eating decisions. Make your own portable food whenever possible.  Eat at healthy restaurants, and if you absolutely have to eat food from a gas station, pay attention to the nutrition facts. Have any food-on-the-go advice. Hook it up in the comments.

11 Simple Tips to be More Fit

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Looking back at what’s been done so far, I thought I’d give you ten easy tips that will help you be more fit:

  1. Be in the right mindset. Getting your mental game together will go a long way in improving your physical performance.  If you’re not where you need to be, identify the problem and neutralize it.  You mind can be the biggest hurdle in making yourself better.
  2. Drink enough water. Water is the thing that gives all things life.  It cleanses your system of toxins and allows you to extract energy from your food.  If you’re dehydrated, you’ll feel horrible and perform even worse.
  3. Work out. Really? Exercise is the basis of being fit coupled with a good diet. Get into a routine of working out at least three times a week for at least a half hour.  That’s a minimum.  If you can do more, do it. If you don’t exercise, you’ll never gain muscle and always be low on energy.  Don’t just exercise your body either.  Make sure you exercise your mind daily.
  4. Only eat carbs for energy and don’t over-do it. Having too many carbs will promote fat growth, but having too little will leave you starved for energy during your workouts.  You need carbs to build muscle.
  5. Use biofeedback to get the most out of your workout. Listening to your body is the best way to increase gains when you’re working out. Do range of motion tests before each exercise in your workout and you’ll get maximum results.
  6. Pick a diet that works for you. I’m talking about vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets here. That whole South Beach, Atkins, Peanuts Only thing is just a gimmick.  Pick the one that fits your lifestyle and is the easiest for you.  I’m an omnivore myself.
  7. Eat high protein foods before and after you work out to build muscle. Get those proteins three hours before you work out and three to four hours afterward.  You’ll get maximum synthesis then and see excellent gains in muscle growth.  Of course only do it if that’s what you’re going for.
  8. Vary your workout to give tired muscles time to rest. If you give tired muscle groups that time to rest you can keep your heart rate up and give them some R&R at the same time. That will maximize your time to gain ratio.
  9. Don’t just worry about weight loss. Keep your mind on fitness, not weight loss.  Unhealthy weight loss can cause health problems later. Don’t sweat it out or starve it out.  Earn it.
  10. Cut out the alcohol. This is the single easiest way to lose weight and feel better. Alcohol dehydrates you and adds a ton of extra carbs and calories to you body that you don’t need.
  11. Strive for perfection and perpetual progress. This is the most important point.  Striving for daily perfection is what will keep you going forever. This will keep you from slipping back into your old habits. When applied to other facets of your life, you’ll only see positive things.

If you exercise (hah, see what I did there) those ten tips every day you will be well on your way to becoming more fit.  What tips do you have?

Synthesizing Protein Builds Muscle

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Consuming foods high in protein before and after you exercise promotes the growth of muscle.  Protein isn’t the only factor in muscle growth though, although it plays a big part in it.  Be sure that you’re consuming enough carbohydrates and calories too.

Diet

I try to eat low-fat, high protein meats, such as shrimp and fish and poultry before and after each workout.  I’ll eat something like a chicken sandwich or some steamed shrimp and crackers approximately 3 hours before a workout to give my body the protein it needs to repair my muscles.  The added carbohydrates from the grains provide additional energy to increase performance.

I’ll also eat a protein only meal within three or four hours of the exercise.  Some people will drink protein shakes of some sort as well, but I prefer to keep my diet natural.  Your body naturally converts the foods in your stomach before stored nutrients, so it’s important to make sure you give your metabolism the path of least resistance when it’s supporting your body.  This will lead to optimum gains.

High Protein Foods

Some of the following are great high protein, low-fat foods:

  • Lean Steak or Hamburger – be careful with red meat and pork, because they often contain excess fat.  Make sure your meat is lean.
  • Shrimp and Fish – Most seafood is the leanest of meat and also contains Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are good for you.
  • Chicken, Turkey, or other Poultry – This is a great alternative to seafood if you don’t like the taste of fish.  It is probably to most common high protein, low fat meat.
  • Milk and Eggs – This is a great alternative to meats, especially if you’re vegetarian.
  • Cheeses – As a rule of thumb, the harder a cheese is, the higher it’s protein content.
  • Tempeh and Tofu - Great vegan sources of protein.  There is little to know saturated fat in most vegan options as well.
  • Beans, Nuts, and Seeds – Per calorie, these have much lower protein content that the foods above, but are great alternatives for vegans.

Most high-protein food, in moderation, are quite good for you.  They’re great supplements to salads and sandwiches, but be careful about your choices, because many high protein foods can also be high in saturated fats.  Red meat, I’m looking at you.

Try to stay away from processed meats like peperoni and sausage, because they’re usually augmented with excess fat and carbohydrates, which convert to hydrated body fat quite easily.  You don’t want hydrated body fat, by the way.

Watch Out

There are many diets that focus on completely replacing most other foods with high protein, no carb food.  Those diets promote weight loss, but at the cost of your overall fitness.  Be careful about the luster of such diets.  We all want to look great, but you should feel great too.

Like all changes in behavior, give this a try for a few weeks and see what kind of muscle gains you get. I suspect that if you’re true to the change you will see some great improvements in your muscle building efforts.

Pros and Cons of Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivorous Diets

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The Vegan Diet

A vegan diet consists entirely of vegetables and grains.  Vegans do not consume animal products or animal byproducts.  This means the don’t consume foods like steak, eggs, or milk in any form.

Pros

Vegans tend to be much thinner, have lower blood pressure, lower amounts of body fat, and have lower cholesterol.  A byproduct of those benefits is that they tend to have a lower risk of heart or cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  This can all be explained by their diets being rich in fiber, magnesium, potassium, and  anti-oxidants.

Cons

A vegan diet makes it hard to consume calcium, vitamin D, and protein leading to other health issues, like weak bones and muscles.  Because they also don’t consume red meat, their bodies tend to be low in iron.  All of these vitamins can be obtained from plants, but require strict monitoring to prevent health issues.

The largest concern for vegans is a deficiency of vitamin B12, which can only be consumed via meat, eggs, milk, large quantities of rice or soy, and supplements.  Insufficient B12 can lead to a cacophony of health issues including: dementia, forgetfulness, and loss of balance.

In a predominantly omnivorous society, it can be very hard to make or find vegan meals, especially when dining out.  Baking is very hard as well when you consider that most recipes require eggs, yeast, or milk.

The Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet consists of all foods included in the vegan diet, but also include animal byproducts, such as milk and eggs.  This also includes yogurts and cheeses.

Pros

Vegetarians have the convenience of being able to easily find and make meals.  Almost all restaurants have a vegetarian option, and making food at home can be much simpler.  It’s much easier to bake with milk and eggs too.

All of the added benefits of being vegan tend to be true for being vegetarian as well.  They tend to be thinner with less body fat, have lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure – beit not as low as a vegan. The vitamin B12 issue is also not as much of a problem, since vegetarians can consume eggs and milk, great sources of the vitamin.

Cons

Vegetarians still must work for their iron, as milk and eggs contain very little of it.  They also tend to have larger amounts of fat on their bodies than vegans as a result of consuming high fat dairy products.

The Omnivorous Diet

This diet includes every food: meat, grain, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruit, and everything in between.  By definition omnivores can eat everything.  With great choice comes great responsibility.

Pros

Omnivores have the whole spectrum foods available to them, giving them more options.  This gives them access to all of the vitamins they need and allows them to target specific foods when they need are in need of specific vitamins.  Consuming meats gives them an added layer of variation to provide them with a full choice of nutrient sources ranging from fish for Omega 3 Fatty Acids to Beef products high in calcium and everything in between.

With great care, an omnivore can easily get every vitamin and mineral they need with relative ease.  If you’re short on iron for the day, just have some red meat.  It’s not hard or inconvenient to be able to eat just about anything, but eating right can be a challenge.

Cons

Omnivores tend to have diets extremely high in saturated fats, and as a general rule, the average person doesn’t do a very good job of regulating this diet.  Omnivores tend to be over weight, have high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.  This leads to diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

With such a wide variety of choices, people tend to eat fatty, greasy food like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, which don’t really have any health benefits, but do contribute quite nicely to the spare tire around their waist.  These foods also have the added benefit of making people feel fat and lazy, preventing them from exercising.

Conclusion

In my opinion the best diets are vegetarian and omnivorous.  If you don’t feel like you can control yourself, use a crutch like being vegetarian.  If you think you can control your diet and be responsible, you should stay omnivorous.

You won’t find what’s right until you try each one, so experiment.  Try a month with one diet and then switch.  Use which ever one makes you feel the best and stick to it.  Track your results and know what you’re gaining.  For me, being vegan is way to inconvenient, and I feel I’m responsible enough to eat meat in moderation.  I do go on vegetarian kicks every once and a while.  For instance I might have a vegetarian week just to challenge myself.

What are you? Vegan? Vegetarian? Omnivorous?  Tell me in the comments.

Ups and Downs of Carbohydrates

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There are a lot of theories about how carbohydrates affect your fitness.  Basically they are complex sugars and usually occur in baked products, but also occur naturally in fruits and vegetables like potatoes and bananas.  This doesn’t mean you should shy away fruits and veggies, because there are different types of carbs.

There are simple carbs and complex carbs, and the complex ones are the ones you want to watch out for, because they’re converted to fat the easiest.  Fruit and vegetables tend to contain simple carbs, while baked goods like pizza and bread tend to be made of complex carbs.  Stepping back your complex carb intake can drastically affect the amount of hydrated fat on your body.

Cons

There are various diets out there, like the South Beach Diet, which prohibit the intake of carbs to lose weight.  The Atkins diet is another take on that same theory.  The basic idea is that if you don’t take in complex carbs they can’t be converted to body fat.  If your food can’t be converted to body fat, you won’t gain weight.  That’s not entirely true, but it kind of works.  I’m not saying it’s healthy though.

Alcohol is probably the most common carb out there and is the biggest culprit for gaining weight.  There is a reason they call it a “beer gut”.  As you drink beverages with higher and higher alcohol content the carb ratio goes down, but it never goes away.  Also remember the alcoholic drinks are very high in calories.  Some shots of liquor can have upwards of 150 calories!

Pros

Carbs and sugars also provide you directly with energy.  That’s why you see people who run marathons taking in a large amount of calories, most of which are carbs.  If your body is using the energy, they are the easiest form of food to convert.

When you’re going to the gym, if you eat a carb heavy diet about three hours before you go, you’ll feel more energized and probably perform better while you’re there.  It’s good to eat a larger amount of them in the morning and cut back on them at night.  This way you’ll have the energy for your day, but not convert them to fats while you’re sleeping.

The Take Away

Basically you need to remember that carbs aren’t as bad as some diets make them out to be, but they can be bad if you don’t moderate them.  Remember that they are in most foods and beverages – especially alcohol.  The easiest way to lose weight is to cut alcohol from your diet.  For some people it’s also the hardest thing to give up.

There really is a lot of science that goes into figuring out how many to eat and when you should eat them.  When you combine something complex like the science of consuming carbs with the science of drinking water or other consumption habits, it’s easy to get confused.  We’ll try to break down those barriers for you and make it simple.

Need more help figuring out all of this?  Just hit us up with your questions.

The Value of Water

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Water is one of the most valuable things you consume and it can be free.  It really does make or break your mood and your performance, not only in the gym, but in life.  If you’re dehydrated, you’ll perform under-par or even feel ill.  It also has cleansing effects on the body and flushes a great deal of toxins from your system.

It seems like such a simple system, but it keeps your body functioning well and boosts your metabolism.  With a high metabolism, you’ll burn more fat and have more energy.  With more energy, you’ll drive yourself hard and be successful at achieving your goals.

Day and Night

You should also have a few glasses of water during the day.  I don’t know what the recommended number of ounces or glasses is (I just hopped out and Googled it, and it seems to be around 64 ounces), but I like to have a glass with breakfast, two with lunch, and always keep one on my desk while I’m working.

Water bottles work great.  You can get some pretty rugged ones with clips and such, so you can carry them around with you.  You basically want to always have it accessible, and your body will tell you when you want to drink from it.  I keep a 20 ounce bottle with me at all times – now I just have to worry about whether it’s cold or not.

I have two large glasses of water before I go to bed every night, so that while I’m sleeping my body can work to flush any unwanted substances from itself.  I also have the added benefit of having a natural alarm to wake me up in the morning when I need to go to the bathroom.  Cleansing your body daily really makes you feel better the next day.

At the Gym

When I’m working out I’ll usually burn through about 60 ounces of water in a single session.  When you’re sweating a great deal, make sure you’re supplementing with additional fluid.  Getting your sweat on is also another great way to push unwanted toxins out, so that they can be replaced by clean new water.  Think of it as a daily oil change.

Spruce it Up

Some people don’t like plain water, but it doesn’t have to be plain.  Try putting a slice of lemon or lime in it.  I also like it a lot more when it’s freezing cold.  I think ice tastes better.  I’m not sure how to explain that scientifically, but that’s not what I’m about here.

If that still isn’t you’re cup of tea and you like soda, try seltzer water.  Polar makes some great seltzer water that comes in a bunch of flavors like raspberry, lemon, lime, and plain.  Don’t get seltzer water mixed up with tonic water either.  They are definitely not the same thing.

Conclusion

Remember too – anything that is better than what you were doing is progress.  If you’re drink 64 ounces of coke or diet coke right now, try trading out just one with a glass of water.  Have at least one glass before bed as an experiment and see how it makes you feel the next day.  I think I’m on to something big here.