Archive for the 'healthy eating' Category
A Low-Carb Primer
My friend and LA-based nutrition expert & trainer, Joey Emont, recently posted on his facebook page something he titled, “A Low Carb Primer”. My clients hear me talk about eating low carb all the time but why exactly does it work? Mark Mcdonald, who founded Venice Nutrition, and Gary Taubes, author of “Why We Get Fat” both have helped thousands of people see the light by stating that regulating insulin – stabilizing your blood sugar – is the best and quickest way to lower body fat.
Joey’s short but concise reasoning is a great addition to anyone wanting to know exactly how to start eating low-carb and doing it correctly. With his permission, here is Joey’s “Low Carb Primer” in it’s entirety. Be sure to check out Joey’s Facebook page and let him know what you think!
A Low Carb Primer:
Seems like everyone these days are running to jump on the low carb bandwagon. You must know that for most individuals this WILL be the fastest and easiest way for people to lose body fat. In fact this approach works longterm for about 75% of the general population just based upon genetics, and food commonly available to the masses. Our “crap food” nation has really done a number on our ability to be sensitive to insulin, a hormone that gets elevated by carbohydrates. A travesty that unfortunately forces most of us to swing the pendulum back the other direction in order for there to be balance.
Granted your metabolism is relatively healthy (and I use relatively extremely loosely) ,you are not too toxic, and you have adequate digestive capacity;
Low carb works.
First off there is a 300-500 calorie metabolic (as yet unexplained) advantage in the literature that shows when individuals eat an excess of 300-500 cals over RMR, they still manage to loose bodyfat.
It also trains and forces your body to utilize the fats stored on your body for fuel.
That being said, these nutrition plans still have to be approached in the right way.
1. A low carb diet CANNOT be low fat as well if you want it to be sustainable moderate fat is fine but make sure not to eliminate all of it. Choose healthy fats from this family
2. Carbohydrates in the form of fibrous vegetables dont really count as calories and should be consumed in unlimited amounts.
3. Depending on how low carbohydrate you choose to go will determine how high or low your protein is. the lower the carbohydrate the higher the protein should be set at since carbs are protein sparing, you need the extra protein during this time. Set protein around 1-2g protein per lbs Lean body mass
One thing that will tend to happen on a low carb diet is you will have down regulation of many of the hormones that kept your metabolism humming along quite nicely all along.
For instance, after a while active form thyroid hormone T3 goes down lowering metabolic rate (some argue this isnt a problem because it’s just a sign your body is becoming more efficient). IGF-1 can also down regulate as well as Leptin (the mother hormone) which is the master governor of your metabolism.
This is why high carb “refeeds” must be included every so often. this “every so often” will be very different based upon your genetics, enzyme function, hormonal status, current bodyfat percentage, muscle mass etc… but a good general rule of thumb is this: if you are very lean you could have a refeed day every 5 days but for someone who is very obese a refeed day may not be necessary for a month or 6 weeks. everyone else will be somewhere in the middle (every 2 weeks etc…)
On your carb refeed day: choose to lower fats as much as possible, lower protein by 25% of normal and use starchy carbohydrates in the form of “gluten free” oats or sweet potato (other sources can be chosen as well but for the sake of simplicity…) at the level of 1.5-2g/lbs of bodyweight for the day. so for a 200 lbs male this number would be around 300-400 grams of carbohydrates for the day. for extremely active individuals this number could be even higher, or for heavier individuals this number may have to be a bit lower, experimentation is key.
This will restore metabolic balance and make the rest of your low carb days (which continue immediately the day after) work that much better, and keep your metabolism humming along.
this much controversial way of eating must be done right. but I guarantee you if you put some of these practices into play and really stick to it, you will find that fat loss comes quite easily.
Lithuania Blog Post #3
We have 3 days left of camp. The guys have been so open to this new style of training and have worked so hard they are already seeing results. They all walked to lunch yesterday with their shirts off. Yes, it’s warmer this week but I took that as a sign of confidence that they are feeling bigger & stronger. Klemensas made the comment as well that they all look bigger to him. The coach who was here had to leave yesterday as well and since Klemensas went with our one guy to the tryout it’s just me for these final three days. So I’ll be doing the weight room and basketball workouts. I did the basketball workout last night and it was fun to do that again. As much as I love my job I also miss coaching basketball. And since we lost some players as well (we are down to 9 players from 20 at the highest point) it will be a bit easier to manage by myself.
I just finished my breakfast. I had an omelette with ham, fresh veggies on the side and a (European) latte. It cost me about $4. Ya’ gotta love exchange rates.
I spent last weekend in Klaipeda with my friends Laimas, Mantas & Valdas. Moose (Mustafah), the pro player from France came with me and Bonnie arrived in town on Saturday. Some other of Laimas’ friends joined us and we picked some other friends up over the weekend. All in all it was a great time. We went out each night and both mornings I taught them what a mimosa was. Yes, I am responsible for brining the mimosa to Lithuania. We didn’t take many pictures but here’s one:
You can check out my facebook page for more pictures from the weekend….including Mantas with his shirt off and Lenus in his boxers!
Weekend In Klaipeda Pics
We will be 1RM strength testing the players today and tomorrow to see the results of our training program. Saturday morning will be our last practice and we will be heading to Vilnius that afternoon. I will train the 3 French players there as well as maybe 1 or 2 more players next week. Me & Bonnie will also be able to do some sightseeing.
It’s totally different here than coaching my clients in Orange County for general fitness. I will be with them very soon and will be excited to train with them again. But I will miss these guys. They have all been special to work with and have seen such tremendous gains. I have also had the chance to share my personal story with them which has been a great opportunity as well.
Thanks for reading. I’ll check back in in a few days.
Get Enough Sleep To Get LEAN!
Summer is here and many of you want to get lean bodies that look amazing in your swimsuit. Here is a tip I learned from a Charles Poliquin blog post: Get eight hours of sleep and try to go to bed at the same time every night.
This will regulate your hormones and neurotransmitters influencing fat storage and energy usage in your body! Oh and of course, everyone loves getting more sleep. So get to bed early people!!!
Here is the first paragraph:
Get enough sleep to lose weight for summer—you’ll improve cardiovascular health too! Getting adequate rest every night is one of the simplest and most dramatic ways to improve body composition quickly. If you make one change to get lean for summer, make it a habit to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night by establishing a consistent sleep schedule. I guarantee that with adequate rest you will improve body composition and just feel all around better.
To check out the full article click here…
Until next time, it’s more than personal training, it’s NewportFit4Life.com
What is the role of the government in educating its citizens about an unhealthy diet?
The government and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created the Healthy People 2010, which is “a broad collaborative effort that includes scientific expertise from the government, academia, and the private sector” creating a set of disease prevention and health promotion objectives for America. This is a great step by the government to educate the citizens and set guidelines for getting the American population on a healthy path.
On the Center for Individual Freedom website, in a hearing in the House Government Reform Committee a report was given about the “Supersizing of America.” In this hearing, some liberal interest groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest were mentioned for supporting the use of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase federal regulation on our food choices. This is based on the belief that Americans cannot make responsible choices about what to eat and drink. The same interest groups have been pushing for legislation for a new federal tax on junk foods, sodas, and snacks calling it the “Twinkie Tax.” The government has already been regulating foods in schools. For example, the types of foods in the vending machines have changed over the past few years, from candy and soda to crackers and juice.
I’m not sure if anyone noticed but if you walk into a chain restaurant in California these days and look at the menu, you will see the calorie amounts for the items listed. Calories and other nutritional information have been out in some form, like brochures, but as of January of this year, many restaurants are required to display calories alongside items on the menu.Listing calories on menus is intended to help consumers make more informed and healthier food choices when they dine out. But recent studies show that may not be the case. A yearlong study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found customers’ orders were unaffected by menu labeling.
What kind of food choices are you making?? What kind of example are you setting for your kids??
www.cfif.org/htdocs/legislative_issues/state_issues/supersizing_america.htm
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/menus-list-calories-californians-may-not-be-counting-8360
Healthy Fat loss – The Scientific Way
The Challenge…
A Quick Thought About Drinking Water
The magic potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you! If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can’t get rid of a little paunch here and there, you’re probably just not drinking enough water. Most people do not drink enough water and most people are carrying around a few more pounds than they would if they drank enough water throughout the day.
One recent finding that caffeine increases the body’s fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate the body. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn’t doing your heart any favors, either. It’s already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It’s a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system. Not to mention it affects cortisol levels which, when elevated, can lead to excess belly fat!
Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?! It really isn’t that much. I personally challenged myself to carry around a water bottle to class, to work, etc, and it was not difficult to drink 5 12-ounce water bottles in the day. This is okay if you’re 120lbs. Why?? Because as a general rule of thumb you NEED TO drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water per day.
Yes, that much.
So if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking 75oz per day. 200lbs – 100 oz. You get the idea. You also need to increase your intake if you live in a hot climate and/or on days you exercise.
When you drink enough water throughout the day, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite. If you are serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must.
And don’t drink out of plastic. I know I know, It’s easy to grab a bottle and go…but DON’T DO IT! Invest in a metal or glass water bottle to keep at your desk, with you in the car, or wherever you spend your time during the day.
How Are Your Lifestyle & Dietary Habits??
Hello all! For this post I am pleased to have a “guest blogger”. Dr. John DeWitt is a licensed chiropractor, golf injury certified through Titliest Performance Institute, is a specialist in advanced sports nutrition and practices AWESOMENESS on a daily basis!!
(That last part was added for effect, although it’s true!)
He is a former professional football player and runs his chiropractic services out of Next Level Wellness in Irvine, California. If you would like to reach him further, you can call him there at 949-263-9003.
We will hear from John on several occasions in the coming months. For his first blog, John has something for everyone. All of us can (and should) take away at least one of these lifestyle changes. So without any further ado, Dr. John DeWitt…
10 Lifestyle and Dietary Changes Necessary for
OPTIMAL HEALTH
By Dr. John DeWitt DC
Golf Injury Certified, Advanced Sports Nutrition Specialist
Diet and exercise are two words that often cause people to roll their eyes or look the other way. The following are a few tips that can help you reach optimal health without starving or spending all your time at the gym.
- Take your lunch to work. This allows you to have some control over how much fat you are eating. You can also throw in some fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Don’t eat out so much. This not only adds up financially, but the cooking techniques often used in restaurants utilize the wrong types of fats.
- Exercise for life. Try walking for 20 to 30 minutes three or four days a week. At the very least, park further away from the grocery store or mall so that you have to walk more.
- Limit the amount of alcohol you consume and stop smoking. Moderation is the rule and it definitely applies in this case. Abuse of either of these interferes with your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your food.
- Go Organic. Organic foods have lower levels of toxic materials such as lead and pesticides.
- Try raw foods. Cooking or canning destroys much of the nutrients in foods. Eating it like nature intended is almost always better for you. The only exception is canned tomatoes due to their high levels of lycopene which helps prevent prostate cancer.
- Hydrate! The common caffeinated beverages such as coffee, soft drinks and “energy drinks” dehydrate the body which hinders all body processes. Eight to ten 8oz glasses of water should be consumed daily at the very least. One study found that drinking a single cup of coffee required 22 glasses of water to neutralize the acid!
- Write down your goals and read them daily. This helps you stay on track with where you want to be. Use these goals to assist in deciding what you want to eat. Will the doughnut or the oatmeal help you reach your goals faster?
- Give yourself quiet time. Having a moment, even it’s only 5 minutes to just breathe deeply and center yourself can help you reach optimal health.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep is the time for your brain to relax and regroup. Don’t drink any sugary or caffeinated drinks after 2PM. This will allow your body to find its natural sleep pattern.
