{a diet fit for...YOU}

Creating a diet fit for YOU is important if you want to reach your goals. I always say that changing everything you love (even though it has gotten you where you are today) is the quickest way to reach failure. You must design goals that are attainable, yet motivating. You must make small changes that fit into your lifestyle and a diet plan that compliments your taste.


As mentioned in my SNACK ME post, eating every 2-4 hours is the best thing you can do for your metabolism. But there are rules.  Each time you eat, you have the opportunity to make your body better or worse.  Research has proven that eating well chosen, properly sized meals every few hours will...

STIMULATE YOUR METABOLISM BALANCE BLOOD SUGAR HELP MAINTAIN YOUR LEAN MASS BURN OFF EXTRA FAT MASS ...just to name a few!

PROTEIN...not an option...an ABSOLUTE MUST!
With each eating opportunity, include lean protein.  My body changed drastically when I started to focus on the amount of protein I was consuming. Prior to changing my eating habits, I would eat protein in maybe 2 meals a day and when I did eat it...it was in such small amounts.

Women should eat 20-30 g of protein per meal and Men 40-60g. Protein will stimulate your metabolism, improve muscle mass & recovery and will undoubtedly reduce body fat. To sum it up...you want to burn more fat, eat more protein and build more muscle. I promise you you'll see a difference!

Recently read this great article on the protein and weight-loss...you should definitely check it out!


Mother was right...EAT YOUR VEGGIES!


I didn't bold and highlight that header in green by happenstance. Not only do you need to incorporate protein with every meal, you need to include 2-3 servings of veggies and/or fruit.  For optimal benefits, raw/fresh/organic forms are best. However, I know that is not ideal with every lifestyle. Drinks, supplements, pills...any way you can get your veggies and the benefits that come from them, I'll take!

Our food today is so depleted of the proper micro nutrients we need to fight off free radicals and sustain optimal health, that we need supplementation as well as a complete knowledge of why eating our veggies is important.

So here you go!  Veggies are loaded with vitamins and minerals as we all know. But they also supply an alkaline load to the blood. Why is this important? I just told you to incorporate protein with every meal.  Protein (and grains) present acid loads to your blood, so it is very important to balance that acid with the alkaline found in vegetables. Why is acid bad?  Acid will result in loss of bone and muscle mass...the opposite of what we want.  Moral of the story: Eat. Your. Vegetables.

VEGETABLES =

CANCER FIGHTING  FREE RADICAL DESTROYING   ACID NEUTRALIZING   MICRO-NUTRIENT RICH   NO BRAINER, NO EXCEPTIONS

Now that you know you should eat veggies and fruit with every meal, I am positive you are asking yourself when other carbs are acceptable...right? Some carbs, such as Oatmeal and Sweet Pots are welcomed with open arms to every meal (except dinner).

For those of you wondering, those "other carbs" are bread, pasta, rice, sugary foods...if you want them, fine, but remember these three rules:

1. Moderation: watch your portion sizes!
2. Whole grain options ONLY
3. Only eat them 1-2 hours AFTER Exercise. You want change...then you have to EARN those carbs!

Body composition change requires carbs. Carbs fuel your muscles and gives you energy.  However, timing and strategy when consuming carbs is super important.  If you want to kick-start fat loss in those stubborn and hard-to-remove body fat stores...follow the rules!

It's My Fit Life...and I'm sharing it with you!

{gut check}

Someone says, “I’d love to lose weight. “ The response they get from the person they are soliciting advice from is, “Eat less, work out more, drink more water....”  Their immediate response before the advice giver finishes their sentence is, “I know!” 

Oh, do you?... 

                                     ...Then why are you asking for advice and why aren't you doing it?

It boils down to this. Do they really know or do they think they know? The truth is, you don’t really know until you’ve done something successfully then repeated it.  Sometimes it takes doing it, repeating it, then teaching it to others before you really know it!!

 

Goals vs Behaviors

So now that we have determined, you don’t know...yet...let’s talk about sizing up your goals to your behaviors.  Setting a goal is the best way to achieve greatness in whatever area of life you are trying to improve. If leading a healthy lifestyle inclusive of being fit is your goal, then let’s be sure your behaviors are on point to reach your goals. If you say you want to lose 20 lbs and 4% body fat in the next month, however, you work out 3 times per week and are only semi-following your diet plan...GUT CHECK...you are not going to reach your goal. You’ll be lucky to reach it in 6 months. Sometimes drastic times require drastic measures...grab a partner and determine if your actions are measuring up!

Now you are saying, “but that’s the problem, being so hard core...all the time...is what makes me give up!”  You must understand that there will be peaks and valleys. I recommend setting an Ultimate Goal..then several smaller goals to get you there. For example, for the next 4 weeks you will follow an accelerated diet, nutrition and workout plan for jump starting your fat loss. The next 2 weeks you will follow a more moderate/maintenance plan, then for the next 4 you will step it up.  Everyone has their comfort zones and cadence. Find yours and appreciate those valleys, as they are the resting periods for the times you are trying to reach the top of the mountain!

Now that you know that you don’t really know, I hope you can take some of this advice to start thinking about your Ultimate Goals and how you can reach them. We’ll talk about setting goals in another post...and until then...

It's My Fit Life...and I'm sharing it with you!