FOLLOW THE SIMPLE 8 AND LOSE WEIGHT!

Many of you have been asking nutritional questions in relation to your training. Most of us are training at a high intensity level every day whether it's for competition, recreational or vanity (hey we all want to look good). We put sweat, blood, and tears into every workout, but some can’t seem to get the weight off, so what's going on? Well, how you look is largely influenced by what you eat. Lack of muscle, high body fat, lack of energy, bad skin, digestive problems, and hormonal imbalances can all be caused by unhealthy nutrition. Since there is a lot of confusion on what to eat and why, we have provided below 8 simple rules that will help build muscle, lose fat, get you stronger and leaner. Follow these simple rules for guaranteed success!

THE RULES:

1. Eat Breakfast. You get energy from the first hour and you'll be less hungry for the rest of the day. It also sets the trend: you'll tend to eat healthier if your day starts with a strong & healthy breakfast.

2. Eat Every 3-4 Hours. Benefits of eating frequently: Less hungry and fewer cravings. Eating frequent small meals vs. a few large meals will decrease your stomach size and you will feel full faster. Not eating for long periods usually causes overeating at the next meal or you end up making poor food choices. Eat at fixed times every day and your body will get hungry at those fixed times. Example: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm.

3. Eat Protein with Each Meal. You need protein to build and maintain muscle. Proteins also help fat loss since they have the highest thermogenic effect on the body, proteins make you full longer than carbs. How much protein should you eat daily? About 1g per pound of body-weight. That's 200g/day if you weigh 200lbs. The easiest way to get this amount is to eat a whole protein source with each meal. Some include lean beef, Chicken, turkey, Tuna, buffalo, salmon, eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whey (not necessary but great for easy and quick snacks).

4. Eat Fruits & Veggies with Each Meal. Most of them are low calorie: you can eat your stomach full without gaining fat or weight. Fruits & veggies are also full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber which helps digestion. Some of my favorite fruits & veggies are apples, berries, pineapple, oranges, bananas, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and eggplant.

5. Eat Carbs Early On. While you need carbs for energy, most people eat more than they need. Limit your carb intake to your earlier meals and post workout only. Try and completely eliminate carbs later in the day. Avoid white starchy carbs at all costs and stick to healthy whole grain or gluten-free options instead.

6. Eat Healthy Fats. Healthy fats improve fat loss and health. They also satiate (keep you full), digest slowly and are cheap. Eat healthy fats with every meal and avoid artificial trans-fats & margarine. Make sure you balance your fat intake and watch your portion sizes because even healthy fats carry a lot of calories per serving. Monounsaturated Fats protect against heart diseases and cancers examples include extra virgin olive oil, olives, raw mixed nuts. Polyunsaturated Fats increase testosterone levels, promote fat loss, decrease inflammation, examples include fish oil, ground flax seeds, avocado, mixed nuts.

7. Drink Water. Strength training causes water loss through sweating which can impair muscle recovery. Drinking water prevents dehydration but also prevents hunger since an empty stomach can make you think you're hungry. You should be drinking 1 Gallon Water/Day. Drink 1 cup of water first thing on waking up, 2 cups with each meal and drink water during your workouts. Try also green tea & water with squeezed lemon. Without proper hydration nothing in the body will function correctly...it's one of the biggest changes you can make!!

8. Eat Organic Whole Foods 90% of The Time. Ninety percent of your food intake should consist of whole organic foods. Whole Organic foods are unprocessed and unrefined with no preservatives or chemicals. Eating organic whole foods will help keep your hormones balanced and increase overall wellness.

EXAMPLE DIET

Don’t forget about portion size and calories. Only eat until you are full don’t feel like you have to finish everything on your plate. You won't get fat eating healthy foods, especially not if you exercise and eat all the vegetables and fruit. Example diet using the above 8 nutrition rules:

Breakfast: Eggs with veggies, 1/2 cup gluten-free oatmeal, blueberries, green tea/black coffee

Snack: Low fat organic greek yogurt with strawberries, raw sunflower seeds

Lunch: Organic grilled chicken, spinach salad w/fresh cut vegetables, olive oil/Vinegar

Snack: Protein shake with 1 tbs. organic almond butter

Dinner: Salmon, cooked fresh vegetables

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