Rules for consumption...
1. Sugars have to go. Even If it looks like a snack alternative (for example a gluten free quinoa cookie), I can’t condone that stuff. Fruits can stay but only certain ones and only 2 a day to start. I will give you a list of fruits that are acceptable.
2. Front loading and planning your meals. 3 meals a day with 2 snacks. Its a winning format! Do not skip or add meals. Know what the eating is going to look like (where/when/how) for the day. The idea with your meals is you eat more in the mornings and then taper caloric intake towards the end of the day. This is called front loading.
There are two types of days, days that you work out, and days you dont. For obvious reasons you will eat less overall, on the days you dont work out. If you HAVE to have sugar or something not on the list of acceptable foods, do so (preferably) before or after a workout. This A) utilizes the sugar and doesn’t let it go to fat stores, and B) is a rule that gets you to work out so you can at least be going towards a "net positive".
3. Know your food! Take a look at ingredient labels. if you dont know what the ingredient is, dont eat it. If you are out to eat or see something in the isle that you want, and aren’t sure what its made of, dont eat it without understanding what kind of fuel it is. For example, SMUCKERS natural peanut butter’s ingredients are peanuts and salt. Pretty familiar. By comparison JIFF has things in it like, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and mono and diglycerides. Both are edible but one doesn’t leave you guessing. Manufacturers use weird ingredients and restaurants dont advertise all the nasty things they cook with (butters/oil even in vegetable dishes) Make the effort to avoid strange supermarket concoctions and ask or demand the healthy version of the sautéed veggetables at restaurants.
4. Good fats, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. Those are your friends. You will get to know, from my list of ingredients what is what.
For good fats, you can also reference this. http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm
For lean proteins and complex carbs reference this : http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/lean-protein-good-carbs-5154.html
5. Balance, balance, balance! Carbohydrates, fats, and protein all has a role in the body and are all your friend. Carbs fuel the brain and muscles most easily. Fats lubricate joints, as well as support brain and blood function. Protein rebuilds muscles, plays a huge function in other cells and organ systems, and helps in satiety. They need to be in harmony with each other. Dont get sucked into NO or SUPER LOW carbohydrate mentality. I will show you what balance looks like.
6. Do NOT let yourself get hungry! When people get hungry they either overeat or make poor food choices as a result. If you feel yourself getting hungry when you shouldn’t be, you need to have a light snack to curb your appetite. This is why you have snacks build into the meal plan. If you get hungry after your snack but way before your next meal and know you won’t make it without being very hungry, then eat a small acceptable amount of a something to get you through.
7. "Emergency healthy food", in house and on the go. Things don’t always go to plan. Dinners get pushed back, you get stuck in traffic, or you wake up super hungry for some reason or get hungry not when you are supposed to. Take some emergency food with you. I always like a piece of fruit and some almonds. Carrots are other great one. These emergency foods are usually just snacks that you plan on not eating but have available just in case. Another good one in house at night is already cooked chicken breast. Or if you dont have that ,a scrambled egg or two you can easily make on the stovetop early evening.
8. Tapper your food consumption through the day. Breakfast is the biggest meal and the meals will decrease in size as the day goes on. If you know you are going to a wedding later and the practical thing is that you will be eating more, later than you wanted, try to adjust by eating less for other meals. This is the only time where this principle get turned on its head, so to speak.
9. If it tempts you, get rid of it. Out of sight out of mind. If you love potato chips dont buy them. Surround yourself with healthy options.
10. Pay attention to the process. If you are having a hard time with the meal plan or if during a certain time of the day you dont feel good or like you can stick to this plan, take note and advise me. This is why I am here. Again, I want you to learn how to consume food. Thats different than being on diet!
This is the WHAT…
This is what you stack your pantry, refrigerator and freezer with. Freezer is a great place to stash some chicken or frozen vegetables for that emergency backup. You can take whatever you like from these lists and use them to make your dishes. I have outlined below how I would like you to make your dishes.
Lean Proteins
Skinless chicken, breast preferred but thighs ok sometimes.
Skinless turkey
95% ground beef (once a week)
Fish - any, even fatty fish
Lean Pork Chop
Egg whites
Good fats
Olive oil - preferably off the heat
Avocado
Nuts (all)
Nut butters
Coconut oil
Whole eggs (in moderation, one a day or two a day but then never the next day)
Complex Carbohydrates, starches versus vegetables (all vegetables are carbohydrates)
Starches
Quinoa
Brown rice
Chickpeas or chickpeas made into Hummus with moderate tahini and olive oil. great for dipping carrots into for a snack or as an emergency “healthy food”
Whole pressed Oats, not pre-boiled, non sweetened
Vegetables - THESE ARE YOUR WEAPONS! Plan to eat much veg in your meals and make it available as a snack
Most all vegetables are acceptable save for corn, peppers in moderation. The more raw the vegetable the better, preserves the nutrients and maintains the substantial, filling aspect of the food.
Cheese
Cheese is one of my favorite foods and while its technically not the best food for you, in my opinion, a little cheese on a salad gets you to eat the salad. Its a net positive. The key here is using it in low quantities and understanding that its a fat and not to eat more fat than you are due for that meal.
Fruits 2 a day for snacks
Apple
Orange
Grapefruit
Pear
Cooking method
Steam or boil. Roast occasionally (lightly oiled)…never FRY!
Tips
Make or buy a jar of quality hummus and have it around and dip veg in it
Almonds are the best nut to have handy
Green tea (nothing added) is supposedly good for you in that is suppressed appetite (I agree)
Chinese Purr-eh tea is similar in this effect
Grapefruit supposedly has the same benefit for lowing appetite
Drink plenty of water throughout the day, carry a water bottle, thirst can be mistaken for hunger and being hydrated is essential to so many things
Carrots are an amazing snack, cheap and easy to have in the veg bin
Peanut butter is also a good thing to have on hand, however its calorically dense. Good to dip some carrots or celery into as a snack but say goodbye after 5 of those guys.
Adding olive oil to a dish *off the heat* is the best way to preserve the beneficial qualities of the fats int he oil, and taste of the product.
Meals
I hate to say it, but its almost this easy once you know the principles, strategies, and list of acceptable foods to eat. You want Version B
The plate is a pretty good representation of a pie chart and that is how you need to think! In terms of your plate its 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, 1/2 vegetable (also a carb, but oh so much more). In fact you can even have more vegetables than that, and including the same portion of starch (a salad is a good example of this). Also, find a way to get some fats into these dishes. That may mean adding some avocado, olive oil, or nuts to parts of the dish, for example.
if you make these changes, you will see changes, its that simple.
Snacks - 2 per day
1 fruit
1-2 servings of nuts
OR
Dipped vegetable in hummus (10 dips)
Dipped vegetable in peanut butter (5 dips)
***No doubt you are going to have a bunch of questions. Do not hesitate to email, text or call!!! I am here as your resource, coach, mentor. ***
Lets start from here and build on this!!
Mike