On Nutrition

Ok, I haven't posted in a million years, and sorry about that.  Life gets in the way.  I always have all these grandiose ideas, and then they just don't play out b/c I can't fit it all in the way I want to!  Perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand; if you can't do it perfectly, you don't want to do it at all, so you put it off.  Better never than half-assed!  But I digress.

As usual, I'm getting a lot of the same questions from people and it's time that I put them in writing to share for all to see.

So this week's top question is about nutrition.  People don't want to just know the basic facts about what to eat (calories, number/frequency of meals, carb/protein/fat ratio, etc.), people want to know what *I* ate to lose all that weight.  After all, if it worked for me, it has to work, right?

Yeeessssss...ish.  See, folks, what works is the healthy diet you will STICK with.  What I am about to present you worked for me because 1: it's food I like, 2: it's food that's fast to make and can be prepared in large quantities at once so I can cook once/eat all week, 3. it's easily interchangeable but follows a simple formula, so I get some variation without having to THINK.  These are things that are important to ME.  Some of you may prefer more elaborate meals with more variety and LESS grab-and-go availability.  That's something you have to work on yourself; all diets really can do for you is give you the outline, the backbone.  You need to fill in the details.  So keep that in mind, ok?  I'll try to provide some basic exchanges and ideas for you herein, but use your imaginations.  It's ok to experiment, just keep an eye on your macronurtrient ratios and your calories!

So part of what determines when you eat is, of course, when you wake up!  I eat six meals per day during the workweek, because I have a LONG day.  I am awake by 5 a.m., at work by 6:30 a.m., off of work at 5 p.m., and not usually in bed until 10 p.m.  That allows for my dead minimum of 7 hours of sleep, and I mean DEAD minimum.  If you haven't read my post about good sleep habits, go read it now.

So my first meal is scheduled in at 7:30 a.m.  I generally recommend that people eat within half an hour of waking, but if I did that, my last meal would be FIVE hours before I went to bed at night, and let me tell you, unless I had an epically huge meal (read: bad for your blood sugar and insulin), I can't go five hours without eating.  No way.  I'll be raiding the cabinets with utter abandon.  So figure out your day and break it down how it works for you.  Don't wait too long to eat breakfast, though, or nothing will satisfy you and you'll be running for the donuts.  I generally have a cup of coffee on my way in to work to help get the blood and metabolism flowing and get something in my stomach.  Then I eat my meals every 3 hours all day long.  Here's the schedule:

6:30 a.m. - 1 cup (8oz) coffee with artificial sweetener and 1Tbsp (I measure it!) Coffee Mate Sugar-Free Hazelnut Creamer.

7:30 a.m. - 1/4 cup (dry) Bob's Red Mill 9-Grain Cereal with Stevia or other artificial sweetener.

10:30 a.m. - 2 slices Sarah Lee or similar brand 100% Whole Wheat Light Bread, sprayed with Parkay Butter Spray (fat free, zero calories).  3 slices Oscar Mayer Low Sodium Turkey Bacon, 2 egg whites, "fried" in nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.

1:30 p.m. - 3 oz broiled Tilapia with Lemon and Herb seasoning (McCormick) and 2 cups steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sugar snap peas and water chestnuts).

4:30 p.m. - 1 very small apple, 1 Sargento reduced-fat colby jack cheese stick, 1 Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt (6 oz, sugar free, lowfat).

6:30 p.m. - 3 oz lean meat (fish, chicken, pork, turkey, etc.), 3 cups steamed or roasted vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots-sparingly, onions, salad, etc.).  If I eat salad, I use 2 Tbsp Newman's Own LIGHT Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, OR LESS.  No croutons, no cheese, just VEGGIES.  I occasionally will also have 1/2-1 cup of wild, long-grain or brown rice or a small (100-150grams) white potato, skin on, baked, with the same Parkay butter spray, fat free sour cream, and sometimes a tablespoon of meatless imitation bacon bits.

8:30 p.m. - 1 mini bag 94% fat free popcorn or kettle corn (110 calories per bag), 1 small apple, 2 cups (8oz each) coffee with artificial sweetener and 1Tbsp each Coffee Mate Sugar Free Hazelnut Creamer.

Notice that my last two meals are actually TWO hours apart.  This is so that I'm not eating too late ate night, and also because my workout generally starts between 2:30 and 3 p.m.  It revs up my metabolism for the afternoon and I am hungry more frequently, so I need to eat a little more frequently to stay satiated.

Also, I take vitamins.  I take Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids 3x/day, 1000 Iu's of Vitamin E 2x/day, and 1 multivitamin per day.  I also strongly recommend taking a CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) supplement.  The diet I've shown you above is *very* low fat, and is between 1200 and 1300 calories for the whole day, *including* 45 calories worth of Omega fatty acid supplements.  You need to supplement your healthy fats to keep your lipid balance and support your weight loss and immune system (caloric deficits over time can erode your immune system if you aren't supporting your vitamin, mineral and lipid intake.  lipids=fats).

So you'll notice that all of my grains are whole grains (the cereal, bread, rice and even popcorn) and all of my fruits and vegetables are raw or steamed or roasted, all of my meats are broiled, etc.  This is to optimize the amount of fiber and nutrients preserved in the food through the preparation process.  You'll also notice that the only processed foods I eat are the bread, the turkey bacon, the popcorn (only cuz it's microwaveable) and then the condiments.  I try to keep processed foods to a bare minimum, and so should you.  Those foods make up 90% of my sodium intake for the day!

I also don't include any beverages here besides coffee.  If you don't know that it's because you should be imbibing water all day, then here it is.  Drink.  Water.  NO FUCKING CAFFEINATED SODA!  I don't care if it IS diet, it has a diuretic affect on your body (it flushes water).  Even though you build up a tolerance to it if you're a habitual user, it makes you sluggish as hell.  Limit your caffeine intake to 2 cups per day, keep them before noon, and rely on good blood sugar levels from healthy eating and healthy meal intervals for your energy.  You need water, and you'll feel (and look!) much better if you stay properly hydrated.  Try to drink a glass with every meal.

Ok, so now, modifying for a shorter day (like a weekend day) where maybe you sleep in late, etc.  Cut back to five meals, or eat every 2 hours.  If you cut out a meal in the day, plump up your other 5 meals by 40 calories each (1/4 cup of cooked beans, a cup and a half of cruciferous vegetables, 1/2 cup of fruit, another ounce of lean meat, etc.).  This will keep your caloric balance in check so you don't wind up making too much of a deficit for the day.

That's the long and skinny of it, friends.  Stay tuned for the next post, where I'll shoot you some of my latest workout circuits to get your creative juices flowing!  Don't Think...Just GO!