I'm back with Nutrition Tip of the Week #12

Well, it happens to all of us - life is running along smoothly, we have our healthy habits in place, we're fully committed to participating in our fat burning activities that get us closer to our goals, and !BAM! life throws you a few curve balls and next thing you know you've fallen "off the wagon" and it's dragging you behind it!

These last few months that happened to me. I'm not too proud to admit that I've eaten things that make me blush to even confess them, and I've gone two+ weeks at a time without working out. I even forgot about my blog! I've ended up further from where I'd like to be in my "bye bye body fat" lifestyle. BUT, that's just it - it's a LIFE style. It's life and things like this happen. I just need to refocus, recommit myself and get a handle on my plan and what works best for me. That means Turbulence Training three to four times a week and clean eating with Precision Nutrition.

To get things started off right I did Workout A of the Turbulence Training 2K6 workout yesterday, then carefully planned my food for the week. Below is Nutrition Tip of the Week #12, which gives us a very appropriate reminder about "cheat meals" and keeping them under control!

I like to allow myself what I prefer to call a "reward" during the week - which may or may not be a meal. I think it's great to give myself something special for a job well done, but know those extra calories can easily undo all of my hard work! Remember to be sensible. If you didn't hit the gym as much as you had planned during the week, limit your reward to something smaller like that indulgent drink you've given up at Starbucks - just fore go the whip and Venti size! If you've earned a whole meal, have a slice or two of your favorite pizza, but stop there. This isn't license to eat the whole pie! Still hungry? I like to supplement the rest of my meal with a large greens salad with fat-free dressing and then reach for my favorite filler - a fresh apple with the skin.

Best,
~Laura

Tip #12
Skip the Cheat Meal!
by Dr. John Berardi

Cheat meal frequency should be minimized when you're over 15-20% body fat. Basically, the fatter you are, the more likely that any excess food will be shuttled toward body-fat storage rather than muscle mass. So skip the cheat meal unless you're lean. And even then, think of it as an alternative food meal - not a cheat. Cheat meals are usually glorified forms of dietary debauchery. Alternative food meals allow for something a little different from the norm without the trough.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

Nutrition Tip of the Week # 11

Just a quick word on oatmeal from me.

First of all, I hope we all know by now that the flavored instant oatmeal packets are a big no-no when you're trying to lose body fat. Just because is says oatmeal on the package doesn't automatically qualify it as health food! They're full of sugars and artificial ingredients that can wreak havoc on your dieting efforts.

As a rule of thumb, I try to stay away from anything that has more than 5-6g sugar, unless those sugars are naturally occurring. For example, there are 13g of sugar in an apple. OK because that sugar is just part of the fruit - wasn't added. Now, looking at a Maple and Brown Sugar variety of instant oatmeal nutrition label I see the same 13g sugar. Then taking a look at the ingredients list: 1st ingredient is whole grain rolled oats and 2nd is SUGAR. It was added.

And, don't be fooled by labels saying "lower sugar" or "weight control". They're making up for the lack of sugar with artificial ingredients and sodium to enhance the taste. That still is not the smart, clean choice. Your best bet is plain old fashioned instant rolled oats. If that seems a little bland, you can add ingredients like Dr. Berardi suggests below. My favorite is a little vanilla whey powder or stevia, cinnamon and chopped apple. Yum!

Best,
~Laura

Tip #11
Why Choose Oats
by Dr. John Berardi

If you're looking to gain mass and have a good carbohydrate tolerance, place a bowl of fiber-rich, low-GI rolled oats along with ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries, pineapple and a small quantity of mixed nuts right next to your omelet. This is a muscle building breakfast that's hard to beat. I place this bowl right next to my omelet for a breakfast that's hard to beat.

However, if you tend to hold a lot of body fat, just stick with protein, good fats, and veggies for breakfast. Save the non-fruit and veggie carbs till after exercise only - yes, even oatmeal.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

Nutrition Tip of the Week #10

If you have trouble catching your Zzzzz's check out Dr. Berardi's tip #10 (and some background info below the tip from moi!)

~Laura

Tip #10
ZMA for Deep Sleep
by Dr. John Berardi

ZMA is useful for improving the quality of your sleep. For me, ZMA tends not to induce sleep as much as deepen it. Expect your dreams to be extremely vivid! My athletes, when traveling, or when under heavy training loads, usually included 2-3 ZMA capsules before bed.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

Background info...

Well, I for one had heard of ZMA before, but really wasn't sure exactly what it was, so I had to look it up. While according to Wikipedia, it is recommended for "body builders", I know I have heard it recommended for anyone putting stress on their bodies with exercise - and if you're trying to say bye-bye to your body fat, odds are this means you!

Wikipedia says...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMA_(supplement)

ZMA (Zinc monomethionine aspartate and Magnesium Aspartate) is a supplement used by bodybuilders and athletes. It...is a combination of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6.

ZMA is a combination of two minerals, zinc and magnesium, and Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine All three of these compounds are important in biological processes, and while studies have shown that most Americans get enough zinc and Vitamin B6, more than 50% are deficient in magnesium.

An increase in exercise can lead to the loss of vitamins and minerals making it particularly important for bodybuilding due to the blood sugar level rises and urination increases, increasing the loss of magnesium, zinc, B12, B6, folic acid, and many other nutrients. Although drinking water re-hydrates an athlete, fruit juice, sports drinks or foods high in water such as vegetables are needed to replenish water-soluble nutrients.

You've Got to See This

Right on the heels of my long post yesterday about becoming aware of your food intake, I had to post this video created by fitness and nutrition expert Leigh Peele of www.fatlosstroubleshooter.com

The soundtrack leaves something to be desired, but her message is loud and clear.
~Laura

Nutrition Tip of the Week #9

Hi everyone! Sorry your tip is coming in a few days behind schedule this week. Better late than never!

In the tip at the bottom of this post, using the old car analogy Dr. Berardi reminds us that our body needs fuel to function, whether you "feel" like eating or not. Simply eating based on mood could easily lead us to under or over-eat. Many people don't realize that what's keeping them from losing weight is UNDER eating, which makes for a sluggish metabolism. And of course this also works in reverse: eating more fuel than your body needs will cause weight gain.

For example, I don't always feel like eating breakfast, but I know that's the best way to get my metabolism up and running for the day. And, I can't tell you how many times I'm "in the mood" for sweets or for extra servings, but I've done my homework and know that's not going to get me closer to my fat loss goals.

SO WHAT'S THE TRICK?
The trick is to manipulate energy intake (food) and energy output (daily movement/exercise) to meet your goals. Eating based on feeling and mood won't take you as far as a few calculations and some good planning.

• Want to lose weight? Create a negative energy balance: intake < output.
  
• Want to maintain your weight? Achieve an equal balance: intake = output.
• Want to gain weight? Create a positive energy balance: intake > output.

This may all sound like common sense, but so many people are unaware of their own intake and output. They just follow what Dr. Berardi calls "mood eating" - which is fine, IF it's getting you closer to your goals. If eating based on feeling doesn't work for you (it doesn't for me most of the time), you can take control today by becoming aware of your intake and outputs and make adjustments based on the formulas above.

A great starting place is to figure out what your daily caloric needs are to maintain your weight, then adjust up or down based on your goal. Here is a link to a great website Ideal Calorie Intake Calculator that will factor in your age, height, sex, weight, and activity level, then tells you your maintenance, fat lost and "extreme fat loss" calorie or intake needs. For fun, you can play with the activity levels and see what adding a few extra days of exercise with a program like my favorite, Turbulence Training, will do for you.

The recommendation it gives for fat loss seems pretty sensible, but the "extreme fat loss" is NOT a good idea. Severe starvation diets don't stick. That is the quickest way to lose the weight and then put it back on and then some. And who wants that??? An approach like Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition program is the best. It educates you about how to properly manage your intake and output by teaching you how to eat the right foods, in the right amounts at the right times. That is what will get you lasting results.

For more ways to kick-start your fat loss, check out these previous posts:
Nutrition: My New Perspective from 4/30/2008
Every Day Nutrition from 5/3/2008

~Laura

Tip #9
Mood Eating
by Dr. John Berardi

Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don't eat based on what their bodies need. Think of it this way: you're about to take a long drive on a stretch of highway with no gas station. Do you fail to stop for gas before you hit the road because you're 'not in the mood?' Of course not. Think of eating in the same way. Eating fuels your metabolic engine. So it's time to start feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you're scrawny.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

GET UP AND MOVE!

If you want to burn fat, research is showing you need to MOVE! The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri-Colombia has found that prolonged periods of sitting reduces lipase, an enzyme in your body that is essential in the process of burning stubborn body fat.

See below for details of the study and how you make sure your body is burning fat all day! THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WITH A DESK JOB - EVEN IF YOU EXERCISE REGULARLY!

~Laura


Source: www.naturalnews.com
Excerpt from: Prolonged Sitting Turns Off Fat-Burning Enzyme
Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 by: David Gutierrez

Researchers injected rats and pigs with a small amount of radioactive fat, then traced where that fat went in their bodies. Among animals that were kept stationary, the fat was removed from the blood vessels in the muscles and instead stored in adipose tissue in places such as the kidneys. Unlike fat in the blood vessels of muscles, fat in adipose tissue is not easily burned.

The researchers also found that after animals were kept stationary for several hours, an enzyme called lipase "was suppressed down to 10 percent of normal," according to lead researcher Marc Hamilton. "It's just virtually shut off."

Lipase is critical to the body's ability to split apart and break down fat.

The researchers then followed up with a study on human participants. They found that when humans were sitting, activity of lipase was suppressed. This led to raised levels of HDL ("bad") cholesterol, reduction in metabolism and increased retention of fat.

According to the researchers, the new findings suggest that merely exercising more is not enough to lose weight among people who spend most of their day seated, such as in an office. Nor does using the arms at a computer or video game console provide enough activity to keep lipase active. According to Hamilton, it is essential to actually stand up and move around.

Nutrition Tip of the Week #8

Fabulous Fiber:

• curbs appetite by making you feel fuller, longer
  
• helps lower cholesterol
• reduces risk of chronic diseases
• can control blood sugar levels
  
• contributes to colon and digestive health
  

Dr. Berardi tells you how much fiber you need and how easy it is to get in Tip #8!

~Laura

Tip #8
Fiber Facts
by Dr. John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you'll be getting 41g of fiber. Also, a small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!