But for you now, I will try to break it all down so you know what to eat from here on out.
Nutrition is a very major part of the fitness equation. I'd say probably 50-60% of it. It would be wonderful if we could all just put in our time training hard and then eat whatever we wanted. Some people can sort of do this (they'll never, ever reach their fitness potential this way), but the majority can't afford to skip the food part. If your goal is to lose weight, reach your peak physical potential, or just be healthy, every single thing you put in your mouth must be accounted for.
So here are the basics of nutrition that I've adopted from Dr. John Berardi, the brilliant mind behind Precision Nutrition. This is simple, scientific, and successful...this really works. The only way it doesn't is if you don't follow the rules. This is how are bodies were designed to eat. It's not a diet. Beware of diets that emphasize one or two things, have a time frame, or claim to "detox". What happens when that diet is over? You go back to your old ways and end up in the same position. Eat like this and you'll never need another "tune-up".
- Rule #1: Eat every 2-3 hours. Your goal should always be to maintain a high metabolism to efficiently burn calories throughout the day. Eating small meals every 2-3 hours does this.
- Rule #2: Eat complete, lean protein with each of these meals. Make sure you eat something that was an animal or comes from an animal. Muscle is crucial for the body you want, and lean protein is crucial for building and maintaining it.
- Rule #3: Eat veggies every time you eat. I know, I know...just do it. It works.
- Rule #4: Eat certain carbs only when you deserve them. Starchy carbs (breads, grains, rices) need to wait until right after a workout, when your body can best tolerate and use them. Fruits and veggies are another source of carbs, but there's no limit on these.
- Rule #5: Learn to love healthy fats. All fat is not bad. It's not good to go on a "no-fat" diet, just be choosy with the kinds you eat and balance the amount. Look for fats like mixed nuts, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and fish oil. Just don't eat a whole bowl of nuts!!
- Rule #6: Don't get any of your calories from beverages. This includes fruit juice. It's way harder for you to keep track of how much you're ingesting when some of it is in liquid form. You'd probably be surprised by how much sugar and calories you consume just from beverages.
- Rule #7: Focus on whole foods. Try to eat as few processed foods as possible. Yes, green beans in a can are better than ice cream, but fresh green beans are even better. And let's not even talk about Lean Cuisines.
- Rule #8: Give yourself a little break. The rules above seem very daunting, I know. But give yourself some cheat meals about 10% of the time. But be careful and do the math. If you eat 6 meals a day, 7 days a week--that's 42 meals. 10% would be about 4 meals where the above rules don't apply.
- Rule #9: Develop good food prep strategies. You may want to be gung-ho about the above rules, but if the meals are not readily available it won't happen. Set yourself up for success by figuring out how to cook this way, choose this way at restaurants, and snack this way throughout the day.
- Rule #10: Variety is the key. All these rules will last only about a week if you're eating the same thing day in and day out.
Ok, kind of a big list, I know. But trust me when I say it works. Are you serious about weight loss? Do you really want to find your physical potential? Do you really want a lean, ripped body? Read through the rules above again and put it into practice now. Go through your kitchen and throw out everything that doesn't apply. Just get rid of the temptation.
Start eating "clean" like this and watch it instantly ramp up all of your training efforts. Go to www.precisionnutrition.com for more information and inspiration.
