Helpful Diet Tips

PROTHINSPO

MORE INFORMATION TO KEEP YOU FOCUSED ON
YOUR GOALS...

If you're at a plateau, you can't expect to lose more unless a change is made: i.e.
working out differently (or start to if you don't at all) or eating different types of foods
at the right time of the day (protein, carbs, healthy fats)

In order for weight to stay off, expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week normally.....this is just
the way it is.
Pray for patience instead of weight to drop off dangerously.... With patience good diet
and exercise, it will.

Green Tea and just plain WATER have many more health benefits than Diet Coke,
Coffee and Diet Energy Drinks, or coffee.

You shouldn't just watch calories...fat, carbs, and protein all have calories. What if
you are only getting your cals from fat and never protein? Maybe that's your problem.

Sugar is a HUGE trigger for hunger. Are you paying correct attention to that?

Do a light cardio workout for at least 12 minutes then...Do some light weight training
(no one said you have to be a bodybuilder, just light weight, more reps)
THEN Cardio after will help you to speed up metabolism and burn calories for much
longer after and during your workout than if you did only Cardio first.

You should take a multivitamin. Everyone should no matter how old you are.

Don't drink alcohol if you're serious about weight loss and health. It is the first fuel to
burn in your body so your body WILL NOT be burning anything besides the alcohol
when you are drinking. Who would choose to stop burning fat for that many hours? It
also contributes to greater fat storage...ick.

Eat SOMETHING in the morning to get your metabolism started...again, who wants to
wait till noon or later to start burning fat for the day?

Keep a schedule and eat every 2-4 hours during the day. Keep your metabolism
buzzing all day for full fat weight loss effects.
This something could be 10 almonds one hour, then a half cup of cottage cheese in 2
hrs, then salad and veggie in another 2 hrs...still make good food choices obviously.

You should be getting a small amount of Protein at least twice a day. It will help it
metabolize better and carbs, fats and protein all work together. You can't cut one
completely out of your diet and expect miracles. You're just doing damage.

Eat a fruit or veggie with each meal... fill up on those types of foods. Eat the fruit or
veggies first before any other thing ... like proteins or starchs this way you will keep
yourself full from the veggies and fruit which of course has less calories and fat than
the others.
Try to eat as many Natural foods as possible....meaning food found in nature: healthy
lean meats/fish if you're not a vegetarian, nuts, fruit, veggies, etc. Not stuff from a box.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds will help you rebuild your
immune system, which will in turn help you to stay healthy.

Do not live a sedentary lifestyle, if you don't like to exercise, then at least go for walks
or walk up and down stairs, or clean the house on your feet all day...whatever you do,
just don't sit all day at work in a chair, come home and sit on the couch all night. You
won't lose weight.

Prepare you're own meals to stay away from Fast Food. Fast food is loaded with
trans fats. Sick. You are what you eat. Imagine all that nasty fat in that burger and
fries. Do you really want to eat it now? Gross.

The main features of a sound fat loss program are:
1. Sound diet plan
2. Sound cardiovascular program
3. Sound weight training regimen

Macronutrients
When aiming to reduce body fat levels, the management of macronutrients is crucial.
The macronutrients are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Below is a brief description of
each macronutrient and its respective function within the body.
Macronutrient Physiological Function Types / Sources
Protein* Muscular Repair
Boosting Immune System Functioning
Prevent Catabolism
4.5 calories p/gm
Fat Burning Whey
Caesin
Egg
Animal
Soy [Plant]
Fat Energy Source
Boosting Immune System Functioning
9 calories p/gm Good [Mono]
Bad [Poly]
Carbohydrates Energy Source
Preventing Catabolism
Insulin Regulation
4.5 calories p/gm Simple Sugars

Complex Starches
As may be seen from the chart, each macronutrient performs different functions within
the body. Understanding the differing functions of each macronutrient will allow for the
construction of a sensible goal-oriented diet plan that will increase the desired
outcome.

To construct a diet plan several variables need to be mathematically determined.
These variables are:
Body mass
Current age
Basal metabolic rate
Caloric and macronutrient intake
Current body fat percentage
I shall now briefly discuss each.

Body Mass

Many fat loss programs are geared toward "lean mass" or your body mass minus the
total mass of fat you have. This plan is geared toward your total body mass. The best
time to determine your body mass is first thing in the morning upon rising when,
presumably, your stomach is devoid of its contents. For purposes of the example
scenario later in the article, your total body mass is 233 pounds.

Age And Basal Metabolic Rate

The rate of your metabolism is directly correlated to your age. With every passing
decade the metabolism slows by 10%. This translates into a 1% decrease in
metabolic rate per year. Therefore, as people age and fail to change eating habits,
they often gain unwanted body fat. Somehow it never occurs to people that as their
metabolism slows, so should their eating decrease by a proportionate amount.

Calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will allow you to determine with precision
the amount of calories your body requires to maintain its current mass.
The key, then, after determining your BMR is to construct your fat loss program so
that through a gradual reduction in calories over time, you end up consuming fewer
calories than you burn. For purposes of the example scenario later in the article, your
age is 21 and your basal metabolic rate is 2700 calories.

Caloric And Macronutrient Intake
As mentioned, the goal of a fat loss program is to be consuming fewer calories over
time than is burned by the body. However, because the body is extremely adaptable
and prefers homeostasis, TIME, CALORIES and MACRONUTRIENTS are the
independent variables that must be manipulated so that the dependant variable [fat
loss] can occur.

Due to the bodies preference for homeostasis, but the requirement that caloric intake
remains steady for specific time periods during the 71 day fat loss program,
macronutrients must be cycled on a daily basis. This will prevent the body from
adapting. Meal frequency is vitally important to losing unwanted fat, and it is
recommended that eating occur every two hours. Eating clean whole foods is
recommended over processed manufactured goods.

Bodyfat Percentage
Measuring ones ratio of adipose tissue to lean muscle mass is crucial and is a
general measurement of health. With a measurement of adipose to muscle, one can
determine if mass lost during a fat loss program is muscle or fat. If it is determined
that muscle was lost, macronutrient percentages may be adjusted to compensate. For
purposes of the example scenario later in the article your BF is 13%.

Weight Training Regimen

A weight-training regimen is very important in the quest to reduce overall mass
attributable to adipose tissue. A high intensity program [no longer than 45 minutes] is
recommended. A high intensity weight program will lead to increased oxygen use and
more watts being used as the work is done over a decreasing time period. This will
raise body temperature and therefore burn more calories.

Cardiovascular Regimen

Cardiovascular exercise when used in conjunction with dietary modification will
optimize fat loss. Cardiovascular work should have an intensity factor that will burn fat
but preserve lean muscle tissue. The frequency of cardiovascular exercise performed
increases over time, although the intensity level varies marginally over the same
period.

Here is a full example of the math, using the subject profile of a male weighing 233 lbs
(plug in your numbers)

If:

M = Mass
LM= Lean Mass
BF = Body Fat Percentage
FM = Fat Mass [x]

Then:

M(BF) = FM
233(.13) = FM
30.29 = FM

Then:

M - FM = LM
233-30.29 = 202.71

NOTE: To determine daily caloric intake, multiply body mass by 15.

EXERCISE:
To determine intensity percentage you must calculate your maximum heart rate. To
do this the use the following calculation:

If:
A = Age
MHR = Maximum Heart Rate

Then:

220 - A = MHR
220 - 21 = 199

MORE FACTS:

Get your meat skinless and grilled if possible. White meat is preferred, but dark will do
in a pinch. No processed deli type meat.

Condiments allowed: Salsa, hot sauce, Soy or teriyaki sauce, Mustard, Fat free salad
dressings, Fruit jams, Herbs and spices, Sweetener substitutes

Proteins

White meat Chicken, Turkey
Ostrich
Beefalo
Canned Tuna
Fish
Shellfish
Eggs
Tofu
Soy

Complex Carbohydrates

Oatmeal
Potatoes
Yams, Sweet potatoes, Acorn squash
Rice
Legumes
Corn

Vegetables

All water based types.
Lettuce, Cabbage, Spinach
Asparagus
Bok Choy, Leeks
Tomatoes
Celery
Onions
Green Beans
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Radish
Zucchini Squash
Mushrooms
Carrots
Peas

Fruit

1 Apple
1 Orange
1/2 Grapefruit
3 Small Apricots
1 Banana
1/4 Melon
1-Cup Berries, Grapes
1 mango, small papaya

Dairy

1 yogurt
1-Cup low fat cottage cheese
1-Cup non-fat milk (I use vanilla soy milk instead!)
1/2 Cup non or low fat cheese

Wheat Products

2 slices WW Bread
1 bagel
2-Cups pasta

Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day (8oz.)

Get enough rest. A body that is sleep deprived is not running efficiently. Your
metabolism also depends on this so hit the sack!

Avoid too much salt. We normally get way more sodium than needed and retain water.

Keep a food and activity journal and track everything that you do on your program.

Beware of the three demons, which are: Fat, Salt, and Sugar. They are the fat
builders!

HOW FOOD BECOMES BODY FAT:

The Food Enters Your Mouth:
Saliva contains enzymes that break any starch in the food down to sugar.
This, along with any fat and water in the food, travel to the stomach, which churns
them up.
Pepsin (an enzyme that digests protein) and hydrochloric acid further break down the
food, turning it into a substance called chyme.
The mixture enters the duodenum, (the place where the gall bladder secretes its bile).
This bile dissolves the fat in water, thinning it out and making it easier to absorb.
Enzymes from the pancreas enter the duodenum and further break down the sugar,
fat and protein. Now everything is dissolved and is in fluid form, so it is absorbed
through the lining of the small bowel. Fat, sugar and protein wave good-bye to each
other and go their separate ways.
What Happens To The Sugar: It also goes directly into the blood stream, and several
different organs take the sugar they need as it passes by.
Some is stored in the liver as glycogen.
Whatever is left is converted to fat and stored in fat cells with the excess fat above.
What Happens To The Fat: First, it goes into the blood stream and travels to the liver
The liver burns some of the fat, converts some to other substances (one is
cholesterol) and sends the rest to fat cells, where they wait until they are needed.
What Happens To The Protein:It is broken down into building blocks known as
peptides.
Then, it is further broken down and it becomes amino acids.
The amino acids are absorbed through the small intestine's lining and enter the blood
stream.
From here, some of the amino acids build the body's protein stores.
Excess amino acids are excreted, and any protein that it built in excess is stored as
body fat.
This is such a simple concept, but many people still believe that consuming lots and
lots of protein will put muscle on their bones. Don't be fooled by this notion! Even
excess protein turns to fat. Here is a picturesque illustration of the real cause of
weight gain. Eating too much food! Dietary fat is obviously the substance most often
stored as fat in the ends, but no matter what you eat, your body takes whatever it
can't use and sends it to fat cells.

If you don't burn it off, it hangs around in your fat cells. It's that simple. If you want to
lose weight, don't eat too much of any ONE group of food -- and do exercise regularly.

HOW TO RECOVER FROM A BINGE-EATING EPISODE:
HERE IS AN ARTICLE I FOUND: THIS IS NOT MY WORDS, SO WHEN IT SAYS "I" I
AM NOT TALKING ABOUT ME. :) FYI.

Being a binge-eater, is like being an alcoholic, except it involves food instead of
alcohol. It is an addiction which affects people of all levels of fitness.

A lot of focus has been placed on anorexia-nervosa, and bulimia-nervosa, but it
seems that compulsive overeating gets ignored, and/or lost in the shuffle. A common
misconception is that binge eating occurs only with obese individuals.

I can tell you first hand however, that I know more binge-eaters that are actually in
shape, than out of shape. The major reason for my writing this article is because I
myself have personally suffered from the disorder, and have found it extremely
detrimental to my fitness and overall well-being.

While the strategies presented in this article are in no way a cure to the disease (the
actual cravings begin in one's own MIND), they may be a helpful step toward curbing
one's desires, and substituting other actions in place of excessive eating.

Out Of Whack Hormones:

Usually when one engages in an episodic binge, he or she has starved him or herself
throughout the course of the entire day. When night time comes, the person's
hormones are out of whack, which will often lead to a sugar-craving (or salt/fat
craving).

Since the binge-eating follows a regular pattern of "eat a bunch," and then "starve
yourself the following day due to guilt", the cycle will continue, and will eventually
prove to be very detrimental to one's well-being, digestive system, and overall level of
fitness.

Personally, when I speak of "recovering from a binge," I am explaining how to make it
so that if a binge does occur, you can reduce the guilt you feel, by acting in a proper
manner the following day to reduce the harsh effects on your body.

Recovery:
When excessive eating of carbohydrates occurs, the carbohydrates are converted to
a form called glycogen, and stored in the muscles, and liver.

If the liver and muscles are filled to their maximum capacity with glycogen, then any
excess carbohydrates which are consumed, will be stored as fat. In order to keep
your weight in check, you should completely avoid binge-eating altogether. But, if it
does occur, here is a good way to recover:

If you overeat (particularly with carbohydrates), eliminate carbohydrates from your
breakfast the following morning. You have to burn off some of that stored glycogen
before you start to overflow your body with excess carbohydrates. You CAN eat the
next morning, just make sure you eat the RIGHT food!

If your stomach is filled with a surplus of food from the day before, try to exercise in
the morning before you eat anything, and go to the bathroom to unload some of the
food in your digestive system before you start overloading your body with excess
calories to be stored as fat.

If you eat anything at all, have some salad, fiber, or a small amount of protein
(chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites, fish, etc) instead of carbohydrates. Burn
up some of that stored glycogen before you ingest unnecessary carbs.

NIGHT EATING SYNDROME:

While binge-eating may occur at any time, I have found the majority of cases to take
place late at night, after dinner, often with intermittent periods of waking up and
eating throughout the night. Recently, there has been a name associated with this
particular case of binge-eating.

Scientists have coined the term "Night Eating Syndrome," and have found that
individuals suffering from the disease are actually affected on a hormonal level,
rather than just on the surface.

In a study done by the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and the University
Hospital in Tromso, Norway, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, a combination of two related studies based upon behavioral and
neuro-endorcine data was performed.

The behavioral study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
attempts to define behavioral characteristics of the disorder by recording the eating
times during the course of an episode, and the mood level throughout the waking
hours as well as the frequency of night-time awakenings.

The neuro-endocrine study conducted at the University Hospital in Tromso, Norway,
attempts to characterize the syndrome in terms of circadian profiles (occurring
approximately every 24 hours) of plasma melatonin, leptin & cortisol-the hormones
linked to sleep & appetite that are found in lower levels in people with night-eating
syndrome.

Through their study, they found the following facts to be true for most individuals:

The person has little or no appetite for breakfast. He or she delays the first meal for
several hours after waking up. The individual is not hungry or is upset about how
much was eaten the night before.

The individual eats more food after dinner than during that meal.

The person eats more than half of daily food intake after dinner but before breakfast,
and may leave the bed to snack at night.

This pattern has persisted for at least two months.

The person feels tense, anxious, upset, or guilty while eating.

Night-Eating Syndrome is thought to be stress related and is often accompanied by
depression. Especially at night the person may be moody, tense, anxious, nervous,
agitated, etc.

The person has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Wakes frequently and then
often eats.

Foods ingested are often carbohydrates: sugary and starch.

The behavior is not like binge eating which is done in relatively short episodes.
Night-Eating Syndrome involves continual eating throughout evening hours.

This eating produces guilt and shame, not enjoyment.

STEPS TO COMPLETE RECOVERY:

As with any addiction, the first step toward recovery is to acknowledge the existence
of a problem. Once one realizes that, he or she can outline the specific times the
disorder affects him or her, and take the appropriate steps toward recovery.

The final goal is to stop binge-eating altogether, and be able to choose small
amounts of food in moderation. But in order to do this, one has to understand and
pinpoint the EXACT point and time that the thought of binge-eating pops into his or
her head, and develop a strategy to overcome it.

Personally, I have found that since I will only binge eat late at night, it is much better
for me to force myself to go to sleep at a certain time, so that I do not overeat. If I am
up past 11 or so during the week, the thought of eating bad food will enter my head. I
will either force myself to go to sleep, or do what I call a "substitution" exercise.

The Substitution Exercise:

When a bad thought enters one's head, he or she may "substitute" another thought
in its place. For example, if I am thinking about binge-eating with a certain food, I
might force myself to go downstairs and do a half hour of cardio instead.

Or I might do some pushups or crunches. Or it might be something as simple as
keeping a notebook nearby around 10 or 11pm when I normally get my cravings.
Once the craving hits me, I will pick up a pen and start writing in my book "I am not
going to give in to overeating." I will write it over and over again until I have
conquered the thought, and can get it out of my head.

Normal Eating:
Eating A Normal Amount Of Food, & NOT Feeling Guilty About It.

Another step I have found to be completely helpful, is to take that notebook and write
"I will eat a normal sized amount of food, and feel fine." I will then get a small portion
of healthy food if I am hungry, and eat it.

Something like tuna and a salad, an egg white omelet with peppers and onions, or
plain air popped popcorn will satiate me, and I will give my brain time to realize it is
satisfied, before I overeat. The trick is to realize that your brain is giving off thoughts
that might lead to a binge, and then exercise complete and total control over your
own mind.

Late Night Foods:
Get Foods That You Can Eat Late At Night Without Feeling Guilty, But Do NOT Binge
On Them!

Foods such as sugar free jello and sugar free popsicles will have less of an effect on
blood sugar levels than their higher carbohydrate counterparts. The main concern
here is to NOT binge on these foods! The goal is to STOP binge-eating, not to find a
food that you can stuff your face with and not feel guilty about!

Just because a certain food doesn't hurt your physique, should you binge on it and
overeat to the point where you can't move. That is not a cure for the disorder, it is
masking the problem, and often times will make it worse when you get sick of these
foods and then switch back over to something unhealthy.