Lean and mean - on your weigh to wait loss.

The title of this week's post is obviously a play on words, but everyone is asking the same question:  "How do I lose weight quickly"?  Despite the claims of the "Gee Whiz" weight loss pill companies and infomercials that bombard us daily, there is no magic solution.  There are however, essential guidelines that need to be followed as you seek to find your ideal racing weight.

The following rules are broken down into two categories:  Eating and Exercise.  This week, we'll discuss eating.

Rule #1:  Eat well


Most people simply don't eat well!  Too many processed foods (you know- potato chips, soda, fast food...), too many carbohydrates, and too much fat.

There are many diets on the market that work in the short term, but the only diet that has revolutionized the way I see food is the P90X Diet Guide.  This diet teaches you HOW to use carbohydrates to fuel your body.  It teaches you WHAT sources are ideal for lean proteins.  It teaches you WHY you should stay away from sugary, processed foods.  It would obviously take too much time to discuss their methods, but suffice to say - they truly work!  Follow this guide religiously and I guarantee you will not only see a reduction in your body fat and body weight, your moods will also change and you will better understand the "what's", "why's", and "how's" of a successful eating plan.

Eating well is not a short-term fix.  A successful eating plan must be realistic and enjoyable to be effective, and this one is.  The picture above is one of the P90X dishes called "Island Pork Tenderloin Salad".  Delicious!

Rule of thumb, you ask?  Stay away from the "center store" merchandise from a grocery store (potato chips, processed foods, etc.).  Buy fresh meats and vegetables.  Ask yourself:  "Would this item exist in nature"?  If you can't answer "yes", you shouldn't be eating it.  I have never seen a field full of potato chips or a river that floweth with soda pop!

Rule #2:  Fuel for Activity
A simple way to visualize how the body works is to think of it as an engine, just like the engine in your car.  If all you do with your car is park it, it obviously doesn't use any fuel. However, if you go for a two hour drive, you have obviously used quite a bit of gasoline and might even need to fill up the car's fuel tank.

Your body works exactly the same way.  However, your engine is always running, even when you're sleeping, watching Oprah, or running a 26.2 mile marathon.  As you can see, the rates at which you're using energy is higher as you exercise, so your body demands more fuel.  Pretty basic, no?  You'd be surprised how many people don't understand this concept.  Most people are fueling for a marathon, when they're actually letting their "car" sit in the driveway.  This is a great way to gain weight.

There are a lot of online calorie calculators to help you compute your caloric needs, but this one is my favorite:  Calorie Calculator

Rule #3:  "To Carb, or Not to Carb, that is the question"
Simply put, carbohydrates are fuel.  Proteins and fats can also be used by the body as fuel, but not as easily as carbohydrates.  You NEED carbs to function well, but most people not only eat too many, but eat the wrong kind.

As mentioned in Rule #2, you need to fuel for the activity you are planning.  If you are running 12 miles, you need to have the proper nutrition to fuel you throughout the exercise.  Not enough carbs and you'll bonk (slang terminology for "feel awful").  Too many carbs and you'll store them as fat.  The wrong kind of carbs and your blood sugar will spike, you'll get a large release of insulin, your blood sugar will crash, and you'll store fat very easily.  This is beginning to sound complicated, but really it's not that bad.

Try to eat whole grains and proteins before exercise.  The P90X Diet Guide has a great pre-workout breakfast, but something along the lines of a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter, sliced banana (or two), greek yogurt with raspberries and granola would fuel you for several hours.  However, if you're sitting around the house recovering from injury, you would store the carbs you don't use as fat (again, refer to rule #2).


Summary
Follow these simple rules and you will begin to see a difference in your performance, personality, energy levels, body fat, and body weight.  In case you've skipped directly to the summary and didn't read the 3 rules, buy the P90X Diet Guide and follow it.  You'll be glad you did!

Feel free to write to NiceTri! with any questions regarding diet and exercise.  We're more than happy to share our experiences and tips with you!