Healthy Eating For Fat Loss and Muscle Building

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Let this be a simple reminder to make the right choice.

Your own mind is your greatest ally. You can have all the information, know exactly what to eat and how to train but without motivation and a firm committment to changing your bad habits you will not achieve your fat loss goals.

To develop the body you want and to achieve  health and wellness takes determination in breaking old habits.

" Today's Action Becomes Tomorrows Habit"

With the right information (Training and Nutrition) we then need to learn how to put it all together. Start with a basic knowledge of nutrition then we will show you how to put it together and give you some Muscle Building and Fat Loss Recipes.

 Carbohydrates come in two forms: Simple  and complex.

Complex carbs are present in most grain products, vegetables and potatoes. Complex carbs are digested at a much slower rate. Which enables your body to have a longer supply of energy. 

Simple carbs such as table sugar or that baby ruth bar you love enter the blood stream quickly which is where you get the sugar high from. The problem is that high leaves as fast as it came leaving your body craving more. Simple carbs should be kept to a bare minimum.

 You should always try to eat the bulk of your carbs early in the day. This will keep your energy levels up throughout your day and keep you feeling full (less snacking). Also take in some carbs after your workouts.

1 gram of Carbs=4 calories

Depending on your activity level your nutrition should be 45-60% carbs

Although the body uses both the sugars and starches for energy, a high-performance diet emphasizes complex carbohydrates. Foods high in complex carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, rice, beans, pasta, and vegetables also supply other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Some sweet foods that are high in sugar (e.g. candy bars, cookies, and donuts) supply carbohydrates but also contain a high amount of fat and only insignificant amounts of vitamins and minerals. Fruit contains the sweetest of all simple sugars - fructose. Since fruit is mostly water, its sugar and calorie content are relatively low. Like starchy foods, most fruits are rich in nutrients and virtually fat-free.

Diet Myth

"Low Carb diets are the fastest way to lose weight"

The Truth:

Low Carb diets never work long term and they make you feel miserable in the process. You suffer from headaches, muscle aches and horrible constipation. Worst of all, as soon as you put anything that even resembles a carb back into your body, you blow up like a balloon.

"Not only did I lose weight on the Diet Solution Program, I gained an incredible amount of energy. I love the changes I see in my body and, of course, love the reactions I get from my friends and family when they see me. No other weight loss plan has given my body more definition and curves, losing weight from all the right places. These meal plans were so realistic for me and easy for me to follow. Thank you Isabel for giving me the tools to feel so great!"

Diet Solution Program

Carbohydrates should never be shunned. There is a lot of confusion about carbohydrates.

Besides protein, carbohydrates play an important part in the best diet for building muscle. Carbohydrates are where you get your energy from, and where you can sustain your stamina when working out. If you lose your energy quickly and grow fatigued, you will never be able to break through during your workouts.

Protein

Protein is the main component of muscles, organs, and glands. Every living cell and all body fluids, except bile and urine, contain protein. The cells of muscles, tendons, and ligaments are maintained with protein. Children and adolescents require protein for growth and development.

Proteins are described as essential and nonessential proteins or amino acids. The human body requires approximately 20 amino acids for the synthesis of its proteins.

The body can make only 13 of the amino acids -- these are known as the nonessential amino acids. They are called non-essential because the body can make them and does not need to get them from the diet. There are 9 essential amino acids that are obtained only from food, and not made in the body.

If the protein in a food supplies enough of the essential amino acids, it is called a complete protein. If the protein of a food does not supply all the essential amino acids, it is called an incomplete protein.

All meat and other animal products are sources of complete proteins. These include beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, and milk products.

Protein in foods (such as grains, fruits, and vegetables) are either low, incomplete protein or lack one of the essential amino acids. These food sources are considered incomplete proteins.

Plant proteins can be combined to include all of the essential amino acids and form a complete protein. Examples of combined, complete plant proteins are rice and beans, milk and wheat cereal, and corn and beans.Your a aaproximate protein intake (for the physically active person should be in the one and a half to 2 grams per pound of body weight.

The idea here is to get the protein over five to six smaller meals per day. Take your body weight and divide it by five or six. This will give the number of grams of protein to take in for each meal.

1 gram of Protein=4 Calories

You must choose wisely lean cuts of beef, non fat milk easy on the pork and cheese.

Protein is the building block of muscle. And even if you don't want to build more muscle, you definitely want to preserve the muscle you have for as long as you can. This helps to keep your metabolism revving, improve your fat loss profile, and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. And that's why I encourage you to eat a lean, complete protein source with each gourmet meal.

Fats

Fats are necessary for proper digestive tract function, brain function, vitamin and mineral assimilation and for healthy cells, skin and hair.

Artery-clogging fats that increase blood cholesterol include saturated fat and trans fat.
Trans fats must be avoided.
Saturated fat mainly comes from animal sources like meat and dairy products. Trans fat comes from hydrogenated vegetable oils, like margarine and vegetable shortening.

A more heart healthy fat is unsaturated fat, generally found in vegetables. This type of fat includes both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fat is found in olive, canola and peanut oils.

This type of fat is considered the healthiest for your heart and body. Avocados and nuts also contain monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is found in soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower oils

1 gram of Fat= 9 Calories

You need to be eating EFA's or essential fatty acids. Omegas 3-6-9.

The best sources of Omega 3s are fish especially salmon and herring,seeds and nuts walnuts and raw almonds are best.

Nutrition Bites
By: Dr. Chris Mohr

The average American eats around 3 servings of fruit and vegetables each day. The recommendation is 5-13 servings and research shows those who eat more have lower body weights, decreased risk for Heart Disease, Stroke, Alzheimers, and Cancer. Add 1 more each day to start and you're doing your body a favor.

Eat more protein. Replacing refined carbohydrates with lean protein will not only help satiate you, but will also increase your metabolism, through something called the thermic effect of food.

Water -This just may be the most effective fat loss substance anywhere.  The body is comprised of 80% water. Water makes up nearly 85 percent of your brain, about 80 percent of your blood and about 70 percent of your lean muscle.

Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Water can suppress the appetite naturally and increases the body's ability to metabolize stored fat.

Calories

To maintain your weight, you must consume the same number of calories you burn. To gain weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn.

A calorie is a unit of energy. We tend to associate calories with food, but they apply to anything containing energy.

An accumulation of 3,500 extra calories is stored by your body as 1 pound of fat -- fat is the body's way of saving energy for a rainy day. If, on the other hand, you burn 3,500 more calories than you eat, whether by exercising more or eating less, your body converts 1 pound of its stored fat into energy to make up for the deficit.

A protein calorie is no different from a fat calorie -- they are simply units of energy. As long as you burn what you eat, you will maintain your weight; and as long as you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight.

Will Brink is the author of Bodybuilding Revealed and Fat Loss Revealed. In his article Brinks Unified Theory of Nutrition(read below at our article links) Will says: "Total calories dictate how much you lose or gain and macronutrient types (protein, carbs and fats) dictate what you lose or gain"

But if we're talking nutrition, it definitely matters where those calories originate. Carbohydrates and proteins are healthier sources of calories than fats. Although our bodies do need a certain amount of fat to function properly -- an adequate supply of fat allows your body to absorb the vitamins you ingest -- an excess of fat can have serious health consequences.

Beef as we all know tends to be higher in dietary fats.But don't avoid it completely people who are lacking in Iron can benefit from regular helping's of red meat.

Limit beef to 2 to 3 times a week with relatively small portions about 3 ounces. Remember Beef is a great source of Iron as well as vitamins B6, B12, zinc, phosphorus and selenium.

Go with the leanest cuts round, rump and sirloin make sure to trim away as much of the fat as possible. Stay away from ground beef ( go with ground Turkey).

Metabolism

Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories to sustain life.

 Muscle is a metabolically active tissue.It requires a certain number of calories each day to maintain itself. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you're just sitting around.

    Keeping your metabolism active is the key to losing fat and gaining muscle. This is accomplished by eating 5-6 meals a day and strength training.

One thing about exercise is that it raises your metabolic rate not only while you're huffing and puffing doing your interval or strength training. Your metabolism takes a while to return to its normal pace. It continues to function at a higher level; your body burns an increased number of calories for about two hours after you've stopped exercising.

I have set up a lens about Strip That Fat but it is only basic information click the link from my lens to the Strip That Fat site for a full rundown.

They are offering a $100 Strip That Fat Fat Loss Challenge that is interesting.

Check it out and see what you think

Supplements

I want to tell you something about supplements I will not reccommend any supplements to anyone I think that should be a decision you make for yourself. I will point you in the direction to get all the info you need but it is up to you to decide.

Everybody wants the magic pill or supplement for faster fat loss and muscle gains. The truth is there isn't one. Supplements do have thier place but they should be the icing on the cake.

Let me ask you a question. With all the latest and greatest secrets, fad diets, the newest supplement you have to take Why then are we as Americans FATTER than ever? Yet we spend billions of dollars a year on supplements and the newest diets and pills?

The answer is that for the most part its money making garbage plain and simple. Save your money for buying quality natural food products.

The only supplements I would advise would be a good Whey Protein and Flax Seed Oil. I do use a whey protein shake as a meal replacement when I'm at work or on the go and don't have time to eat.

I also take a multi-vitamin everyday and as a snack in between meals will use protien bars.

Flax seeds offer a lot of nutritional benefits in a small package. Flax seeds have vitamins, minerals and healthy poly-unsaturated fatty acids. A large amount of the essential fatty acids found in flax seed oil are omega 3 essential fatty acids which have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular risk. Flax seeds also provide fiber for healthy digestion and freshly ground flax seed is an excellent source of lignans. Lignans from flax seed can help restore hormonal balance.

Its combination of healthy fat and high fiber content make it a great food for weight loss and maintenance - many dieters have found that flax seed has been a key to keeping them feeling satisfied

Now some people will disagree with me that's fine but I believe for the average person whole foods can get you to your fat loss goals. Yes someone looking to really pack on some serious muscle can benefit more.

The bottom line is supplements are an add on. If you have a lousy nutrition plan supplements won't make up for it

If you are interested in finding out more about supplements clck on the image below.

Hi I'm back for this week's quick Tip!

Let's talk about Fiber.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), fiber helps lower cholesterol and is important for the health of our digestive system. Both the AHA and the National Cancer Institute recommend that we consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily.

The truth is most of us only consume about half the amount of Fiber we should.

Dietary fiber is a transparent solid complex carbohydrate that is the main part of the cell walls of plants. It has two forms:

1) Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber may help lower blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke

2) Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber provides the bulk needed for proper functioning of the stomach and intestines. It promotes healthy intestinal action and prevents constipation by moving bodily waste through the digestive tract faster, so harmful substances don't have as much contact with the intestinal walls.

Eating a high-fiber diet can significantly lower our risk of heart attack, stroke and colon cancer.

Whole beans, soybeans and other legumes are excellent sources of fiber

Here are some foods high in Fiber you should add to your diet.

1 cup cooked dry beans
(navy, pinto, red, pink, black, garbanzo, etc.) 9-19 grams of fiber
1 cup cooked lima beans 13 grams of fiber
1 cup cooked peas 9 grams of fiber
1 cup raisin bran cereal 8 grams of fiber
1/2 cup soy tempeh 7 grams of fiber
1 cup canned pumpkin 7 grams of fiber
1 cup cooked spinach 7 grams of fiber
1/2 cup whole wheat flour 7 grams of fiber

You should know that all foods are not created equal. But did you know that often times what are supposed to be low fat varieties are not neccessarily.

So that's this weeks dietary tip get healthy not only on the outside but help your insides by adding some fiber to your diet.

Talk to you next week jag252

Peanut Butter as an example. Low fat versions often contain the same number of calories as regular version's.

The tradeoff is for everyfat calorie removed a sugar calorie is added not a great tradeoff.

So even if it's advertised as low fat Read the labels to be sure.

That's it for now check back often I will be adding new tips at least weekly.

Talk to you soon Jag252

Researchers have found that the Mediterranean region has the lowest mortality rate due to their mono-unsaturated rich diets compared to the U.S. and other countries. Diets rich in olive oil certainly reduces chances of cardiovascular disease.

A drizzle of olive oil in our recipes goes a long way. Instead of cooking in saturated fats, olive oil is a smart way to reduce bad cholesterol.

Olive oil lowers "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and leaves "good" (HDL) cholesterol in the system by preventing heart disease. It does this process by protecting the arteries from plaque that leads to hardening of the arteries

Fresh is better than frozen. With an increasing number of products being marketed as "organic" and "fresh" as part of the current health food trend, it can be easy to assume that fresh foods are naturally better for you than frozen ones.

However, we forget that in order for the so-called "fresh" food to get to the stores, it often has to travel a long distance from its place of origin.

During the journey, fresh fruits and vegetables can lose some of their nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables that have been flash frozen (or even canned!) immediately after harvest maintain their nutritional value until they are consumed.

As a bonus, frozen and canned goods can be much less expensive to buy when they are out of season, helping you to stay healthier year-round.

If you are able to buy locally grown produce, you should.

Garden-grown foods do have the best flavor, and if they're grown locally, you can be sure that the time between picking and eating is reduced.

Precision Nutrition is the nutrition system used by Dr. John Berardi's personal clients and athletes to build lean, muscular, high-performance physiques in record time.

Simply put, Precision Nutrition is a no-nonsense approach to getting results, based on the latest research and Dr. Berardi's years of experience in the field.

It's a complete system, built for one purpose only: to give you precise control over your body through nutrition. There is nothing else like it.

Let me warn you: if you're looking for a casual read, a celebrity diet, a tip here and there, or something to sit on the coffee table, I strongly recommend you look elsewhere.

But if you've finally decided it's time to get serious about building the body you've always wanted, you're in the right place.

Whether you want to gain muscle, lose fat, or just live healthy, the limiting factor is almost always nutrition.

Precision Nutrition Get Your Healthy Eating Advantage

I hate to give you the bad news, because I wish there was an
effective fat loss supplement as much as the next person. A real
"fat burner" just doesn't exist.

BUT, there are ways to boost your metabolism without supplements...

1) Strength training - aiming for 8 reps per set.

2) Interval and Tabata training - rather than long, slow boring cardio.

3) Extra bodyweight circuits - done either in the AM or PM.

4) A whole, natural foods diet, rich in high-fiber fruits and
vegetables, healthy fats, and high-protein foods.

5) Eating 5-6 meals a day

Now we have the basics of what to eat lets put it together. You know that the best way to accomplish our goals is to spred your meals out to 5-6 a day.

Each meal should contain a complex carb (whole grain cereals, brown rice, sweet potatoes etc) and a high protein source (chicken breast, egg whites, fish, lean beef).

The rules are simple. All you have to do is commit to them, and
follow them consistently, and you'll boost your metabolism.

 

Over at Nutrition 102 we will dig deeper into nutrition giving you recipes and nutrition info on different food groups.

It's still a work in progress so keep checking back.

You Fit And Healthy

Weight Training Workouts

Interval Training

Nutrition 101

Guaranteed Weight Loss In 30 Days

Kettlebell Training

Eat breakfast. A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who ate breakfast are more successful with long-term weight maintenance. Other research has shown the same for weight loss. Grab a yogurt, a piece of fruit, or make a smoothie. It doesn't have to be fancy.

I'd like to start a little discussion today about carbohydrates... and in particular, "white foods" as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some even say such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".

Ok, now while I certainly agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies, I definately don't agree with avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates". Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus on colors and stay away from white.

It's true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere.

Let's look at a few examples...

Onions & Garlic

What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet... such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Cauliflower
Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And a little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to combat other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat. So eat up on that cauliflower!

Mushrooms
Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.

Potatoes
Now that also leads us to another example - white potatoes (which by the way, can also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. First of all, if you've read my Truth about Six Pack Abs book, then you understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.

While a generalization can be made that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it's cracked up to be. There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.

For example, using glycemic load as an example... it is known that watermelon has a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic load of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that it is just non-sensical.

Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There's just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. My point is... candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts make you fat... NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes.
Also, as mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. Again, I talk in detail about this entire topic in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book

Alright, so back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form... with the entire skin, and please don't ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.
Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.

On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don't remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks.
At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I'd venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you'd be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.

Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein.

On that note, I have one of my favorite recipes for you, using potatoes.

Geary's Lean-Body Potato Side Dish

Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store... it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 or 2 onions

a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.
I hope you've enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my killer potato recipe idea!

Thanks again to Mike Geary Truth about Six Pack Abs