Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition Weight Loss Tips

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There are a lot of weight loss tips available online. Unfortunately, not all of them are effective and some of them aren’t even safe. Proper nutrition is essential when trying to lose weight, as it not only provides your body with the energy it needs to keep going but also ensures that your body has the building blocks it requires to achieve its optimum condition. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin your weight loss journey to make sure that your body gets the nutrition it needs.

Balancing Your Diet
There are a lot of different food options out there, but not all of them are going to help your diet. You need to develop a nutrient-rich diet that’s light on carbs, sugars, and saturated fats. This means cutting back on wheat, pasta and breads, increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, and kicking most sweets and deep-fried goodies to the curb. Not only will this help you to eat good, healthy foods to keep your body in top condition but it will also make cutting calories out of your diet much easier. If you have difficulty coming up with a balanced mix of foods, try talking to a nutritionist who will help you develop a healthy and nutritious diet plan.
Watch Out for Hidden Calories
There are some foods that sound great at first but pack a lot more calories than you might expect. Muffins, coffee, salad dressing, and even some “light” snack options can have more calories than you think. Even portions that are larger than the recommended portion size can pack extra calories when you think you’re eating smart. One of the most easily forgotten weight loss tips is to not only watch WHAT you eat, but also HOW MUCH of it you have at a time.
Avoid Empty Calories
The food that you eat provides you with both energy and nutrition. Unfortunately, some foods provide very little in the way of nutrition and contain too many calories for your body to effectively use them all for energy. Hopefully you’ll be curbing your soda intake and staying away from calorie-heavy beer, but these aren’t the only sources of empty calories. Watch out for any foods that feature a lot of carbs or sugars and not much else in the way of nutritional value, and opt for lower-calorie and nutrient-rich alternatives instead. And no, that doesn’t mean to simply look for the “diet” version instead.
Don’t Cut Too Much
Cutting calories from your diet is the fastest way to create a calorie deficit to fuel weight loss, but it’s important not to go overboard. Cutting too much out of your diet can leave you with nutritional deficiencies and may even put your health at risk if you drop your calorie intake too far. Don’t forget that you can still use exercise to burn additional calories, and that a mix of cardio and strength training, in addition to your dietary changes, will help you to ensure that the weight you lose doesn’t come creeping back a few weeks later.

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Shakeology: Do NOT Pay Full Price!

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Are you paying too much for your Shakeology? Are you missing out on the huge monthly discount that everyone else seems to know about? If you are paying more than $97.46 for a month supply, then you are.

What’s The Discount?
Shakeology is everywhere now days, and there is a good reason…It works.

Where else can you find a food that is CHEMICAL FREE and contains more than 70 natural ingredients derived from rich, nutrient-dense whole-food sources from around the world? Where else can you find a food that curbs your cravings for sugar and junk food, promotes weight loss, increases energy, improves digestion, and increases your immune system?

You can’t! If you’re here, you probably already know about the endless list of benefits. Heck, you are probably already a fan and can’t live without your daily dose of dense nutrition.

However, what you may not know is that you are probably paying too much for Shakeology through Amazon, ebay and a variety of other sources. This means you are missing out on a Shakeology Discount that others are receiving. The fact is, you can get a big Shakeology Discount and receive Shakeology straight from Beachbody to include their Bottom of the Bag Guarantee, for only $97.46 a month, and with only $2.00 shipping if you are on the Home Direct program (local taxes still apply).

That’s 25% less than anywhere else. Cheap, affordable Shakeology right to your door.

So What Do I Have To Do?
To get the Shakeology Discount, you simply need to become a Beachbody Coach.

WHAT? GASP? NO? I CAN’T BE A COACH! I’m just starting my journey! I don’t have time! I’m not a trainer! I’m not a nutritionist! I can’t give advice! I just wanted to try Shakeology!

Here’s the thing. NONE OF THAT MATTERS! If you want a Shakeology Discount, you can get one as a Coach AND that is it. You don’t have to do anything else. Our team has a bunch of “discount Coaches” that are simply Shakeology superfans and want to take advantage of the 25% discount. WHY NOT? For all of you coupon clippers and promo code hunters, this is a the equivalent Shakeology coupon code.

With a Coach account, you are billed at $15.95/month (see below) but that entitles you to a HEFTY 25% discount on ALL Beachbody products. Think of that…25% discount on P90X3, Focus T25, 21 Day Fix, TurboFire, Body Beast, ChaLEAN Extreme, Insanity and more. And, of course, this includes all of their nutritional products, equipment and Shakeology!

In addition to the $32.49 discount, you are saving approximately $14.00 in shipping too. Even when you throw the cost of the monthly Coach fee, you are still saving an estimated $30.45 per month on Shakeology alone.

Shakeology Coach Cost

Now that’s a pretty good discount, right?

That’s $30.54 of real money…money that stays in YOUR POCKET!

You have to start paying the $15.95 monthly Coach fee starting your second month (no fees for active duty military or their spouse). Take that Shakeology Discount over a whole year and that comes to $366.48 A YEAR! ($557.88 for active duty military).

I Can Just GET the Shakeology Discount?? No Strings Attached?
Yes! I became a Coach for this sole reason! I had been searching and trying different shake options for a long time. I was tired, drained and dragging and I needed an easy win for a meal. I learned I could get a discount as a Coach! DONE! AND…I could even send it all back after drinking the entire bag for a refund if I wasn’t satisfied! SIGN ME UP!

How do you become a Coach? You can signup for FREE with the purchase of a Challenge Pack (Shakeology plus a workout of your choice at a discounted price) OR there’s a one time $40 setup fee. Simply fill out the form on this page and select “I would like…to get the Shakeology Discount.”

While I started as a Coach simply for the discount, I ended up talking about how Shakeology dramatically accelerated my workout results to anybody that would listen. With Shakeology taking on the brunt of the nutrition side of the equation it helped make a huge impact in my life. So today, I encourage you to NOT pay full price for your Shakeology. You won’t be disappointed!

 

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Proximity Matters

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Ahh yes. Girl scout cookies are here and they are one of my weaknesses. Who can resist those little smiling faces when they ask, “Do you want some cookies?” It also doesn’t hurt that they’re yummy cookies.
So, how do you balance your weakness with a healthy lifestyle? The answer is simple. Proximity. As you may have realized, we don’t like effort. We are much more likely to limit our intake if we don’t have to exert ourselves to get more. For example, if you take two cookies out and then put the box away, you are more likely to limit yourself. But, if that box is sitting right next to you while you sit on the sofa . . . well … you know what happens.
However, most people forget that the same process will work in your favor when you want to develop good habits. For example, do you want to go to the gym? If your gym is on your way home, you are much more likely to go. But, if you have to travel across town, then you’ll likely find that excuse. Better yet, if you have your fitness gear at home, you just have to go downstairs. Still not working? Set a routine. If you work out first thing in the morning, have your clothes next to the bed, and your gym is in your house, you have eliminated virtually all of the “effort and proximity” issues.  Your brain has less reason to resist. Then, if you are able to do this for 21 days, you have developed a habit. Your brain will then push you to continue; since we are “creatures of habit.”

So, simply put, proximity matters. If you have bad habits you want to eliminate, put more distance and effort between you and the behavior. If you want to want to develop those good habits, eliminate the effort and distance required. Put the TV remote up and take out the batteries. Put the book next to your favorite chair. Place the icon for your new language program on the center of your desktop.
Simple but it works.

Its About Time -Part II, Nutrition Timing

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Does Nutrition Timing Matter?

We have all heard about the importance of proper nutrition in meeting our fitness goals. But, does timing matter? In other words, does meeting our nutrition “macros” mean that we will achieve optimal results? Obviously, by the context of the question, nutrition timing matters.

The ratio matters if you want to maximize your body’s ability to build muscle and burn fat. As pointed out in the book, “Nutrient Timing” by John Ivy, PhD, the use of carbohydrates following exercise allows the body to stimulate insulin and blunt cortisol. This helps drive protein synthesis and decrease muscle degradation. So, several studies looked at this effect to determine the amount and timing of the carbohydrate replenishment. They found carbohydrates exceeding 0.5 grams per pound of body weight per hour lead to a plateaued result.

Does that mean we just need to drink our Gatorade after we workout and that’s it?  No.  Obviously we need to look at the effect of protein as well.  Researchers discovered that the addition of protein, to the carbohydrates, helped maximize the body’s ability to restore muscle glycogen. Why is that important? Researchers from the North Texas State University School of Medicine and the University of Texas looked at the two groups. The first group consumed the carbohydrate / protein drink and the second consumed a simple carbohydrate drink within 45 minutes of exercise completion. Then they had them exercise to exhaustion. The first group was able to outperform the second by 55%. But since we don’t all exercise to exhaustion, we need to know if this translates into other benefits.  Therefore, groups from Vanderbelt, The University of Texas, and University of Maastrich in The Netherlands found that this same ratio advantage translates into a protein synthesis advantage. Comparing the carbohydrate / protein group to a protein group alone, they still outperformed them in protein synthesis by 38%. So, if you are simply drinking your Gatorade or simply drinking your protein drink, after you workout, you are missing out!

So, how can we take this information and translate it into an applicable advantage? Lets break down the post activity period into two phases by the body’s ability to respond to insulin and thus repair. The first phase is the Anabolic Phase. This is the short, post activity, period following exercise when the body is primed to rebuild since the natural insulin : cortisol levels are favorable. However, if this is not stimulated, the window closes quickly as the ratio reverses. The second phase is the Growth Phase. This is the time when the body can take full advantage of the primed anabolic phase. Now the body rebuilds muscle and burns fat. Looking in more detail:

Nutrition timing

How appropriate nutrition timing can modulate post-exercise insulin levels

Anabolic Phase

Since your body is primed for the anabolic effects of insulin during the initial post exercise phase, we need to take advantage and optimize this window. Therefore, we have to maintain a high carbohydrate to protein ratio. In looking at the studies, Dr Ivy states that the optimal ratio is about 4 grams of carbohydrates for each 1 gram of protein. The carbohydrates should be high glycemic such as glucose, sucrose and maltodextrin. Finally, but most importantly, this should be consumed within 45 minutes of exercise completion, otherwise, you lose the optimal window as your natural insulin levels decrease and cortisol levels increase.

Growth Phase

Rapid Phase

If you have taken advantage of this initial anabolic phase by consuming the proper carbohydrate to protein ratio, your body is now primed to build muscle and burn fat. However, like any car, simply turning on the ignition is not enough. During this second phase, your body needs fuel to take advantage and maintain the anabolic machine. Since, maintaining a high carbohydrate load and stimulating insulin could lead to fat deposition, we now change our ratio to a higher protein and lower carbohydrate ratio. One gram of carbohydrate to 5-8 grams of protein is ideal.

Sustained Phase

This is the long period of recovery lasting from about 4 hours after exercise to the next day. So, we continue the 1:6 carbohydrate to protein ratio as discussed before. The only difference is that you start to shift away from pure whey protein, which has rapid absorption to a casein based protein before bed. The longer absorption of Casein, allows your body to stay fueled during your overnight fast.

 

Take Home Points:

While most of this seems geared to the weightlifting population, it is actually applicable to everyone who wants to get fit. Priming your body doesn’t simply mean that you will gain nondiscriminatory weight. If you adopt this fitness model, your will find that your body will react and your fitness goals can be achieved more quickly. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. In other words, you will not succeed to your optimal level if you don’t pay attention to both.

In a practical sense, I use shakes to meet this nutrition goal. It is extremely difficult to plan your daily meal plans, fuel your body, achieve your caloric intake and still maintain your day job. So, when I looked back at the options, I found that BeachBody’s Results and Recovery meets the Anabolic Phase goals with the ideal ratio. The Growth Phase can also be met easily met but requires a bit more attention to the protein to carbohydrate ratios.

After applying this to my current program, I can see a marked improvement.  Although, its been repeatedly stated, its worth repeating: Food Is Fuel.  It’s up to you to decide how well your body runs.

Nutrition Timing Summary

Nutrition Timing Summary