How do I eat?
Have you ever gotten frustrated with your
inability to lose weight? Do you go to the gym for
hours a day without making any progress?
There’s a reason for that.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, build
muscle, or do both at the same time, what you
eat plays a huge role in helping or hindering your
progress. In fact, its plays the biggest role of all.
The Macronutrients:
Macronutrients are the main sources of nutrition that
our bodies use to function. These are carbohydrates,
fat, and protein
Its important to realize that none of the
macronutrients are “bad.” Both carbs and fats often
get a bad rap, but the truth is, we need them!
The difference between good nutrition and bad is
choosing the right kinds of fats and carbs, and eating
them at the right time, and in moderation
Carbohydrates:
Carbs are the body’s
energy source. If the body
has too much energy,
carbs are turned into fat
and stored for later.
Does this mean carbs are
bad? Nope! Your body
needs them to function,
but just like anything else,
The important thing is to
pick the RIGHT carb
sources, such as fruit,
vegetables and whole
grains over sugary,
processed foods.
A good general rule is to avoid
“white” carbs. Things like white rice,
white sugar, white potatoes, and
white bread trigger cravings. So the
more you eat, the more you want to
eat! Stick to brown and whole
wheat varieties if you can. There
are some exceptions, which we’ll
talk about a little later.
“Will eating fat make me fat?”
Depends on what type. Fat in
general will not make you fat,
but eating too much of the
wrong kind will.
Bad fats: saturated fats and
trans fats (hydrogenated).
These fats are converted into
body fat, because your body
has no use for them
Good fats: Monounsaturated,
polyunsaturated (omega-3).
These fats are helpful to your
body, and in some cases, even
help you to burn off body fat
Protein
Without a diet rich in the
essential amino acids (the
nutrients found in protein), we
cease to function
A good general rule is to eat 1
gram of protein for every pound
of body weight.
Protein is important for all of our
functions. It helps build and
maintain our muscles, keeps our
organs running smoothly, and helps
improve our performance.
Adequate amounts of protein will
help improve body composition,
help our bodies fight sickness
(immune function), and make you
feel fuller longer.
Protein can be found in meat, fish,
eggs, and low fat dairy.
Even though there is some
controversy on the subject, a diet
high in protein is not harmful or
unhealthy. In other words, you can’t
overdose on protein.
Moderation!
The key to a healthy life is to moderate yourself. Have you ever eaten so much
you made your stomach hurt? This is not only uncomfortable but its very bad
for your body.
When you stuff yourself full, your body cant deal with the excess, so it just
stores everything for later. Which means it gets stored as fat.
Check the serving size on labels, make sure you know how much is in a
serving. A bag of chips may seem good with only 150 calories, but closer
examination may show that there are 150 calories in only 4 chips! So pay
attention to serving sizes.
If you keep your food intake in check, nothing should be completely off limits
to you! As long as you don’t go overboard, you can eat the foods you like.
Bottom line? When you’re full, stop eating. Simple as that.
Water and the importance
of hydration
Water’s job:
Protects body organs and
tissues
carries nutrients to cells
regulates temperature
helps flush out toxins
acts as a lubricant
Fun Facts:
Even just drinking 2 cups of cold
water can make you burn about
20% more calories during the day
Feeling thirsty means you’re
already dehydrated. So drink
water even when you don’t feel
thirsty!
Drinking water before meals can
make you feel fuller, and therefore
eat less than you would otherwise
Eat your Veggies!
Everyone knows you’re
supposed to eat your
vegetables. But why?
Vegetables have nutrients in
them that your body needs,
but can’t make on its own.
Eating enough veggies (as
much as ten servings a day)
can help prevent certain
diseases and cancers
Another great thing about
veggies? They’re full of fiber,
which means that not only are
they helping your digestive
system, but you feel fuller
longer after you eat them. So
you’re more likely to eat less
throughout the day.
Some veggies, like broccoli
and soy beans, also contain
chemicals that punch up your
fat burning abilities!
What to look for on a
nutrition label
The good
Fiber makes you feel full as
well as helps with digestive
health; look for a high fiber
content
Protein, monounsaturated
fats and polyunsaturated
fats are all beneficial. Nonsugar carbohydrates are
also important to overall
health.
The bad
Check the ingredients list.
Avoid anything with the words
hydrogenated, high fructose
corn syrup, maltodextrin,
aspartame, corn syrup, or
hydrolyzed.
Avoid added sugars, and
anything with trans fats;
check that the sugar content
is less than half the total
carbs
Frequently asked
questions
So now you have the
basic break down of
nutrients, but how do you
apply that to your every
day life?
Here are some questions
many of you may have:
What should I eat
before a workout?
To get through your workout, you
need good, quality fuel. That means
eating slow digesting, low-glycemic
carbs.
What are those? Things like whole
rolled oats, whole wheat bread, and
sweet potatoes. Try to eat these
about an hour before your workout.
In a rush? Munch on an apple or an
orange right before working out for
a surge of good, muscle-building
energy
What should I eat after a
workout?
Right after exercise is when your body handles
carbohydrates the best, so this is a good time to get
your “Other” carbs in.
Things such as white bread and rice, pasta and other
sugary carbs. Since you just worked out, your body
will take this extra energy straight to your muscles,
rather than storing it as fat.
This is also a good incentive to workout! If you
exercise, you get to eat your carbs, if not, too bad.
Earn your sugar!
No way! One of the worst
things you can do is to skip
meals or starve yourself.
If weight loss
is all about
limiting
calories, isn’t
it better to
skip meals?
Skipping meals makes your
body think that its starving, so
it slows everything down.
After you skip a meal you burn
much less calories, are more
likely to store fat, and are
more likely to binge at your
next meal.
What should I eat before
bed?
Because carbs are used for energy, if you eat
them before you go to sleep, your body has no
use for them. Therefore they get converted to fat
and stored for later.
Try to wait two hours between bed and your last
meal. If you have to eat before bed, stick to high
protein meals, such as lean meats, low fat
cottage cheese, or eggs.
What does alcohol do to
my diet?
A little alcohol isn’t as bad as
you may think. In moderation,
some kinds of alcohol may
even offer certain health
benefits.
However, too much alcohol
can lead to excessive weight
gain
The bottom line? You don’t
have to cut it out all together,
just keep it to a minimum
Condiments and
seasoning
Is it bad to season my
food?
Nope! As long as you
select the right kinds of
seasoning.
Avoid: anything with added
sugar, hydrogenated oils, and
trans fats. If you can’t live
without them, again, just
remember to keep them in
moderation
Seasonings such as cayenne,
garlic and ginger not only
help food taste good, but also
punch up your fat burning
capabilities, so pile on as
much as you want!
Basic Five
Habits to follow:
Apply your new knowledge
to your everyday life!
Following these basic
habits will naturally lead to
improvement in health,
energy, and body
composition:
Habit 1:
Eat every 2 to
4 hours
Eating multiple, smaller meals
stimulates metabolism,
balances blood sugar, and
helps maintain lean mass while
giving your body a good reason
to burn off extra fat mass.
This can be 5-6 moderately
sized meals, or 3 large meals
broken up with two or three
small snacks in between
This also makes it easier to get
in all the servings of veggies
and protein that you need. Ten
servings of veggies over three
meals seems like a lot, but ten
servings over 5 or six meals is
much more manageable.
Habit 2:
Eat complete,
lean protein
with every
meal
The only way to get the
nutrients (called amino acids)
from protein is to actually eat
protein. Our bodies don’t make
all these essential aminos, so
its crucial to get them from
dietary sources.
A serving size of protein is
about the size of your palm
Men should get about 2
servings, women should get
one per meal.
Examples of complete, lean
protein include: Poultry, ground
beef, eggs, fish, low fat dairy,
tofu, and milk protein
supplements.
Habit 3:
Eat
vegetables
with each
meal
Like we learned earlier, veggies
play a big role in keeping our
bodies healthy. The same goes
for fruit, though you want to eat
less fruit than vegetables.
Try to get 2 servings of
vegetables or fruit with each
meal.
A serving is I cup leafy
vegetables, I medium sized
fruit, or ½ cup chopped fruit or
vegetables
Vegetables can help prevent
certain cancers and diseases,
as well as help preserve bone
strength and muscle mass.
Habit 4:
For fat loss,
eat “other
carbs” only
after exercise
Sugary carbs don’t have to be
totally removed from your
diet, the best time to eat them
is immediately after exercise.
There are some exceptions,
but for the most part, keep the
consumption of processed
carbs to right after workouts,
which is when your body can
use them, instead of just
storing them as fat.
Don’t be afraid of fat! Almost
30% of our diets should come
from it
Habit 5:
Eat healthy
fats daily
Healthy fats can be found in
foods such as avocados,
peanut butter, nuts, fish and
some vegetable oils.
Again, the important thing is
to choose the right kinds!
Avoid anything hydrogenated,
or items containing trans and
saturated fats.
Healthy fats are good for your
cholesterol, metabolism, and
blood vessels.
Summary!
None of the
macronutrients, carbs,
fat, or protein, are bad
for you in and of
themselves.
You have to eat to lose
weight! Starving yourself
only makes your body
hang onto fat stores even
harder.
The difference between a
healthy and unhealthy
diet is knowing how to
choose the right kinds of
carbs and fat
But do it in moderation.
You can have too much
of a good thing.
Overeating can damage
your insides and lead to
fat gain.