Have you ever wondered why you lose or gain 3 pounds within 3 days and dont know what you really changed in your diet or exercise, but the scale is saying differently? When you buy a fitness program, especially a BeachBody workout program, the goal is not to see the scale go down, but to increase the ratio of lean muscle to stored fat. This does not mean "losing weight" - it means you are trimming that fat and increasing your muscle mass for a toned and lean look. Muscle definitely weighs more than fat, so as your ration of lean mass to fat changes, you will shrink and lose inches, but at the same weight. Diets that promise a quick weightloss tend to promote dehydration...so sure you might lose a lot of water weight - but once you rehydrate the scale with show a weight gain. Also, when you start reducing your calorie intake drastically, your body wants to go into starvation mode. Your body needs fuel for a healthy metabolism, so if you start "starving" yourself your body will store and get its fuel from your fat...NOT GOOD and its the complete opposite from what you want to do. So here are some tips to help you have a healthy diet, dont go on a diet - have a diet!
Here are 6 steps to help transform your body:
- CONTROL YOUR PORTIONS
- Dont eat until you are stuffed, eat until you are not hungry!
In general eat half of what you are prepared in a restaurant. An adequate portion is about 3 ounces of protein (about the size of your palm). And dont overload on salad dressing - use just enough to taste! On a large salad 1 or 2 tablespoons is enough.
- PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING YOU EAT
Keep a food journal!!! I started using
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and I have an APP on my iPhone as well as an account on my laptop. Every calorie counts! What you eat has a direct effect on everything you do, from the way your body works to your mood to the amount of fat your body burns or stores.
No matter how much you are working out, if you are not making wise food choices, you will NOT see that layer of padding around your waist or thighs disappear! Here are some rules for choosing food:
-Use fresh veggies to replace processed foods
-Skinless white meat is generally a better choice, rather than red meat
-Egg whites has less fat than whole eggs
-When looking at a plate of food you think is high in fat (like pizza) or carbs (like pasta), eat half the helping you would normally eat. Do not overeat.
-Choose low-density, high-fiber foods whenever possible
- BE CONSISTANT
- Have a 5x-a-day eating schedule
To succeed, it's very important to follow a consistant eating schedule. Consistency will actually give you a profound sense of control over your world, and it will also assure 2 things:
- You wont get over-hungry - which keeps you from overeating the next meal and
- You will encourage an increase in your metabolism (thats what you want to happen!!)
This doesnt mean eat 24 hours a day all day long! - HAHA...this eating schedule means you
DO need to eat breakfast and you
DO need to stop eating 3 hours prior to bedtime. If you are hungry right before bedtime, drink ice cold water and enjoy the fact while you are sleeping you will have 8 full hours of solid fat burning! Get your body on a schedule, going to bed feeling hungry will put you on a schedule and you will wake up ready for your morning shakeology or whatever breakfast you eat.
- HYDRATE AND CLEANSE
- Drink water - at least 2 liters a day or 8 glasses of water.
Most people dont do this, but it is very important and works in conjunction with supplements, improved food intake, and exercise - water is the catalyst to flushing out the bad stuff and keeping your body healthy! Balancing your eating schedule with lots of water is a very manageable routine. Also, it is said that drinking icey cold water burns more calories because your body has to warm it up! Just a thought! :)
- FORTIFY YOUR DIET WITH A MULTIVITAMIN
When you diet and exercise hard your body can easily suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Most nutritionists believe that multivitamins are absolutely essential, especially for active individuals because its difficult to get enough nutrients from your diet alone. ActiVit multivitamins is an awesome daily vitamin - but another source is SHAKEOLOGY...there are over 70 ingredients and have all the nutrients and vitamins you need daily. Plus you can drink more than one of those YUMMY shakes a day! Shakeology improves stamina, energy, metabolism and promotes healthy weightloss and digestive systems.
- REFRAIN FROM EATING AT ALL THE WRONG TIMES
Don't eat right before you workout or go to bed!! Your body needs to be in "fat-burning" mode when it looks for energy. Avoiding energy bars and sports drinks right before your workout is a good idea because they can encourage your body's "carb-burning" mode instead! Your insulin levels do not be too high while working out, you want your body in "semi-fasting" state, meaning you are working out with little food in your digestive system. For hydration use water instead of sports drinks. So if you limit your carbs before exercise and before sleep, your body has more time to function as an effective fat-burning machine!
If you have questions about finding a meal plan that is right for you and an effective workout schedule, feel free to email me at
turbokrys@beachbodycoach.com
