When dealing with new clients the topic of diet always comes up. I am astonished time after time at how off base many people in the public are when it comes to diet. Fads and gimmick diets have everyone looking for the next big thing to melt off pounds. Well let me tell you....WEIGHT LOSS TAKES WORK. There are no magic pills. You pay your dues with sweat and tears and sacrifice and you come out better on the other side for it. In honor of all those shitty diets out there I am going to give you my rules to help make your lifestyle change in diet go as smoothly as possible. By the way, notice I didn't just say diet? I said a lifestyle change. If you are truly ready to lose the weight that is how you need to think of this. It isn't a diet. Diet to me are synonymous with temporary. This type of change needs to be permanent.
1.
EAT 4-6 TIMES PER DAY.
This will help to boost your metabolism so you will be burning calories
throughout the day as well as keeping your blood sugar stable. Make sure to eat
within one hour upon waking up and every 2-3 hours thereafter.
2. COMBINE
CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEINS WITH EVERY MEAL. This combination in the right
proportion (60/40) will not be as easily stored as fat and will be easier for
your body to digest. Keeping your carbohydrate levels up is important to make
sure you have the energy to get through the day.
3. DO NOT AVOID
FATS.
Fats are a vital part of good health. Avoid consuming too much fat in one
sitting as it is hard for the body to process and may lead to some stomach
discomfort. Keep fats listed to good sources such as avocado, nuts, olive oil,
and reduced fat dairy. Avoid full fat
dairy products and heavy creams and sauces.
4. EXERCISE
PORTION CONTROL.
I cannot stress this one enough. Our portions in the US are out of control! Get into the habit of actually looking at the
label and see what the calories are per serving and also what a serving
actually is.
5. BE
ACCOUNTABLE AND LOG WHAT YOU EAT. Knowing what you are putting into your
body is an easy way to start reducing caloric intake. You can’t cut your
calories if you don’t know how many you are consuming in the first place.
6. HYDRATE
PROPERLY.
A total of 6-8 cups per day. An additional 8 oz for every 15 minutes of
exercise. More in hotter weather or if wearing heavier clothes.
7. PLAN MEALS IN
ADVANCE.
This will make it much easier to stick to the 4-6 meal rule. Cooking meals in
bulk and dividing them into single serve Tupperware makes it easy to grab and
go before you leave the house for the day. Also remember to plan snacks. Nuts,
fruit, and protein bars can be a quick and easy way to squeeze in a meal.
8. KEEP YOUR
GOALS IN MIND. The
exercise is always the easier of the two, yet diets account for 65-80% of
failures in life changes. Every time you want to cheat on your diet or
skip a workout remember why you decided to make this change. If you are not
happy with yourself or your look then do something about it and stick to your
goals!
