R...real food
E...exercise
S...spiritual stuff first and the other stuff second
U...ultimately, you and you alone are responsible for your results!
L... long term success requires long term committment
T... thanks for everything. Be grateful
S...seek out the best in yourself and others
The following guidelines will help you with the most difficult and confusing part of a fitness program: the diet stuff. I am using the word, diet, to mean life style eating program. Also, I am focusing on producing world class results where you experience vibrant health and explosive energy on a regular basis all day long. Why would you settle for less?
Meal Frequency
For optimum results you need to eat real food and lots of it on a consistent basis. Your body is naturally designed to use food as fuel and needs to be refueled. Most people need to add fuel to the body every three or four hours. If you go without eating longer than this the brain gives the body a series of signals: insufficient fuel coming in so prepare for fat storage as protection against starvation. The longer the body goes without fuel the more intense these signals will be. The signals include hunger, cravings, irritability, etc.
If you sleep 8 hours per night, then you are awake for 16 hours. Using my outline formula from above then you would need to eat 4-5 times per day. If you sleep only 6 hours nightly then you will be awake for 18 hours and need 5-6 meals per day. The longer you are awake the more you need to eat.
Meal Composition
These meals should be balanced in terms of macronutrients: protein, fats and carbohydrates. The exact amount and ratio will be determined by how active and fit you are and/or want to become.
There are so many different diet approaches that it is overwhelming to go to a bookstore and browse the diet book section. All the authors claim to be experts and that their diet will work wonders for you. The most common theme is that these books contradict each other!
This article is my solution to this dietary confusion. We need protein. Good sources include fish, chicken, turkey, lean red meats, egg whites, tofu, etc. Minimize the fat in your protein intake. We need carbohydrates. Good sources include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, etc. Minimize the cakes, cookies, candies and other processed carbs. Although processed carbs like pasta, rice and bread are better than junk carbs they are still inferior to fruits/veg's. We need fat. No, this is not a typo. We need certain types of fat in our diet for maximum health as they help stabilize our blood sugar levels which are related to appetite and cravings. Good sources of these types of fats [unsaturated] include seeds/nuts and their oils, avocados, olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc.
The Top Ten Review
1. Eat 4-6 smaller meals daily depending on how long you are awake. A balanced meal would include ratios from the above list: protein, fats, and carbs. The exact ratios will be determined by your current fitness level and the results you seek. For example a competition athlete will eat differently from a desk/coach potato.
2. Protein sources should be lean. [egg whites, fish, turkey, chicken, lean red meat, etc]
3. Minimize and/or avoid the junk like saturated fatty foods in general: butter, lard, margarine, french fries, chips, cookies, etc.
4. Increase your intake of unsaturated fats instead. Eat the good fats: olive oil, seeds/nuts, avocados, flaxseed oils, etc.
5. Minimize processed carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, etc.
6. Eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, in place of # 5.
7. Drink water more than other beverages.
8. Stop the booze. Alcohol is sugar, it raises your insulin levels which interferes with effective fat metabolism. Not to mention other dangers associated with it.
9. Remember: diets are counter productive in a large variety of ways and perhaps even dangerous. At the very least, diets make you fat so avoid them.
10. Balanced meals consisting of real food spaced out through out your day will stop hunger cravings, improve your energy levels, accelerate fat loss and produce better health all around.
Notice this is not a diet in the deprive yourself sort of way that is popular with professional yo-yo dieters. Nor is it the stupid fad diet crap that is going around. This is how competition athletes eat preparing for a world record or gold medal. It produces world class results. On this outline you will not be hungry or crave junk foods. You will have increased energy and stamina levels within 10-12 meals. You will lose excess fat at a very s-l-o-w rate...1-2 pounds per week is max. Faster weight loss than this may be dangerous and represents a decrease in muscle mass, bone density and water loss complete with electrolyte depletion. Did you know that regular diets also atrophy heart muscles as well as wreak havoc on everything else?
At the level of decision making strategies your food choices need to be in terms of results. What do you want? What foods will make you feel better over time. NOT what would taste good for lunch: pizza or donuts or both. Food choices made on short term taste criteria will almost always be fats/sweets.
I'm assuming that you know what your purpose/mission in life is and that you are pursuing this with a zeal and passion that borders on fanatacism and produces for you magical states like joy, satisfaction, peace of mind, fulfillment on a regular basis...several times per hour throughout the day at a minimum.
If not. Why not? What are you doing? What are you thinking about? What do you want? What takes your breath away just thinking about it? That's what you should be doing on a full-time basis. If you knew you could not fail, what one great thing would you dare to dream? The answer to this question is your mission in life. Go for it. Do great things!
It doesn't make much sense to lose weight, get fit and have nothing to do but the same stuff you've been doing that you are fed up with now does it?
You want RESULTS? I'll give you RESULTS!
Michael Dimas is a performance consultant, workshop leader, motivational speaker, personal coach, health & fitness mentor. He teaches a variety of programs designed to empower your body, mind & spirit. He is known for his high energy presentations, irreverant attitude and deeply caring for others seeking to make changes in their lives. He is online at http://www.selfchangetechnologies.com and can be emailed at http://www.selfchangetechnologies.com
elite cleaning services Des Plaines ..Of all the possible exercises there are to help you... Read More
When approaching your goals for a better you, every game... Read More
Are you overweight?Most people are afraid to admit they are.It... Read More
Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the... Read More
Women on diets need more calcium than normal to avoid... Read More
If you have ever been snow skiing you know that... Read More
From the book Spider's Big CatchLike many people, I've decided... Read More
What does it take to lose weight?When it comes to... Read More
Many people want to lose a few of those annoying... Read More
AND SAVE MONEY IN THE PROCESS. The secret is simple... Read More
Believe it or not, losing a little or a lot... Read More
The right diet pill should be carefully considered when deciding... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
There are a lot of "crash" diets out there that... Read More
So your neighbor, office mate, best friend, whoever just lost... Read More
There are those that walk amongst us who have followed... Read More
Dieting will continue to fail most dieters, unless personalized weight... Read More
In life, various factors contribute to weight gain. Be it... Read More
Causes of ObesityJust like there is no weight loss pill... Read More
Like millions of men and women, I started resolving to... Read More
The Secrets have been in our family recipes, some even... Read More
Put simply, your resting metabolic rate is the minimum number... Read More
Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
Dieters have long searched for secret paths to easy weight... Read More
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..Two basic approaches to losing weight; one approach is correct... Read More
A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored... Read More
If only we could solve this question, the world (for... Read More
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More
Atkins diet was unknown 35 years ago. Though it seems... Read More
"I've put on 40 pounds in one year!" "It doesn't... Read More
Visualizing and Declarations are today's topics.Visualize what you want as... Read More
My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not... Read More
Are you one of the many people who feel frustrated... Read More
Have you ever wondered with all the weight loss programs... Read More
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
New Years Resolutions do not work because you are really... Read More
For many years, the experts, including our government have been... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
Weight loss is a hot topic among people today, especially... Read More
Well we're at it again, trying to honor our promise... Read More
Unfortunately, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, with over 60% of... Read More
So you ask, "How do I determine if I am... Read More
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More
Can You Lose Weight Where You Want?If you have excess... Read More
The Atkins diet can be boring because of the limited... Read More
Obesity, especially in children, is a matter of rapidly growing... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
Weight Loss |