Get in the best shape of your life.

Kyle’s post on dieting inspired me to share some of my thoughts on the subject too. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of diets.  A diet is, by definition, a restrictive practice that you do for a limited time.  The implication is that you will stop dieting at some point and resume your normal eating behavior.  When you do that you’ll just return to how you were and all that work will be for nothing.

The solution is to change the way you eat.  You don’t want to diet and count calories for the rest of your life.  You want to adopt a healthy lifestyle that lets you enjoy your food and enjoy life. The problem is that it’s hard to know where to get started.

The truth is, this is something I learn about every day. It’s something I’ve been learning about for the last decade – and every day I learn something new. Of all the things you are committed to in your life, your body should be at the top of that list. Make a commitment to yourself to learn how to live a healthy life.

The best book I have EVER read on this subject is called “How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy” by Paul Chek.  It’s about $16 on Amazon.  I highly recommend it.  More than any other piece of literature it’s deeply affected the way I think about food and health. Paul Chek is a really interesting guy too. Check out this interview he did recently.

[ photo: flickr ]

(Warning: You need to read this post in its entirety and not simply adhere to the rules it suggests without support and supervision. Do not take this post as Gospel and something to live by. Do much research before journeying down this path or attempt to reach me in order to further explain details – Kyle)

In our search for fitness and a healthy lifestyle we have all done some things that have contributed to our successes and failures. Some of us have had numerous workout regimens, some of us enjoy the newest technological play toys, and some of us have tried numerous diets. While a workout regimen is a key integral to desired fitness and new technology is fun, none of it compares to the importance of a proper diet.

The majority of people trying to reach their fitness goals find maintaining a proper diet to be the hardest part of their day. I know, for me, this is true. Ask me to go on a 5 mile hike with a 50 pound weight vest and I’m there, however, if you ask me to give up pizza I may start looking for a new friend. What most people don’t realize is that dieting can be easy because one of the most effective and documented diets out there consists of consuming simply what you crave. This is predicated that you crave certain foods because your all-knowing body is attempting to tell you it desires something on a basic level from that food. There are many holes in this theory, obviously, however, when done correctly you can discover a whole new depth to your being that you can get in touch with.

The first thing you must understand before getting into this diet is to understand why you are craving what you are craving (don’t confuse a craving with something you simply want to eat because you saw the new Subway commercial). On occasion you will feel cravings for things that are, quite simply put, unhealthy for you. Why do you crave the cheese burger? What about the cheese burger do you really crave? When beginning this diet it is prudent to record these cravings and to explore these questions. The longer you continue down this path you will discover 2 things happening to you: You will notice that your cravings become more basic (you no longer desire a cheese burger, but cheese, and then eventually dairy instead of cheese) and that your body is running at a ridiculous efficiency. Continuing with this dieting regimen will provide an open doorway for you to truly get in touch with your body.

Now, there is one major concern that has kept me from writing this article for some time. The greatest downfall to this concept on dieting is portion control. I understand that portions keep getting bigger throughout the US, however, eating what you crave in excess will result in EXTREME weight gain. There is a very subtle trick to putting down the fork once satisfaction is reached. You have to eat slowly and get in touch with the portion of your brain that will let you know you no longer crave something. For instance, I have chocolate ice-cream sitting in my freezer in case I crave sugar, chocolate, or any combination thereof. I can tell you with certainty that, for me, I have reached my limit in 2 to 3 tablespoons. The majority of your cravings will occur in such a fashion, however, you will notice that you do not become full. That’s when you eat proper portions of your health food (not until you are full, but until you are no longer hungry).

Now, I realize this is a lot to digest (pun certainly intended), however, if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask any and all questions. This routine is normally helped by continually recording your cravings and how much it takes to stop those cravings. I do not wish for anyone to do this themselves as that can be very dangerous. I am here to help you, so use me.

[ photo: Vegetarian Organic Blog ]

We all have flaws that, in a funny way, make us human. In the long alphabetical list that are my own, sandwiched between “Sweats too much” and “Swollen lymph nodes” is “Sweet tooth”. Before 2007 I never paid much mind to nutrition. I generally ate well but I would go on extended sugar binges. I like my sugar best wrapped in dough, like in a fine pastry, a doughnut, or my favorite, a cookie. Sometimes I would go through an entire pack of store bought cookies in one night. Of course, thanks to an otherworldly metabolism, I never gained a pound. But a stable weight is not equitable to health and I was doing myself a disservice by eating all those empty calories.

It’s taken a lot of time and refinement, but my love of sweets and health can finally coexist in one delicious super cookie. The recipe is actually quite normal; it’s not much different than what you would find on the back of a box of baking soda or a bag of chocolate chips. I just swapped out some of the less healthy ingredients that contained an excess of calories or saturated fats with things that are more nutrient dense.

Ingredients

2 and ¼ cups Whole Wheat Flour
1tbs Baking soda
1tbs Salt
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Applesauce
1tsp Vanilla
1 cup chopped Walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries

These cookies are made just like the standard batch. Combine your flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix your peanut butter and sugar together. Mix in the applesauce and vanilla, and then add the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Once your cookie dough is finished, stir in your walnuts and cranberries. The batter is fine to eat raw if you want, otherwise, throw about a tablespoon each onto a pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes. It’s ok if they’re doughy but make sure they don’t burn.

Now look at what you’ve made here, walnuts and cranberries instead of chocolate chips, applesauce instead of eggs, peanut butter instead of butter, and whole wheat flour in the place of white. Instead of a bunch of empty calories you get about 170 calories per cookie, about 12.5 grams fat and only 1.5 grams saturated fat, 6 grams of protein, Vitamin C, your B vitamins-including Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin and B6-Vitamin E, and Vitamin D if you drink whole milk with your cookies. There’s even a good amount of Iron in there. Since I don’t have the willpower to give up refined sugar; I think this is the best way to take it in. Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite post workout meals.  It’s really easy to make, full of high quality protein and fiber, and tastes awesome.  You can make this in under twenty minutes and take the left overs to work or eat them over a few days.  I like the salad both hot and cold.

Easy Pasta Salad

6 oz Barilla whole grain rotini (about half the box)
7 oz chunk light tuna
2 medium sized tomatos, diced
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Half a big red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespood olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Once it’s boiling, add a dash of olive oil and salt to the water, then add the rotini.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until desired hardness is reached.

While the water is boiling, chop up the tomatos, garlic, and red onion and put it all in a large mixing bowl.

When the pasta is ready, throw it in the mixing bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix it all up.  You’re done.  ENJOY!

Over the years I’ve come to realize that the most important meals of the day are breakfast, what you eat just before your workout, what you eat right after your workout, and what you eat just before bed.  I’ll cover the breakfast and just before bed meals in another post.

The most important thing to remember about pre-workout nutrition is that you want to eat something that’s going to give you lots of energy for the workout.  After a workout you want something that’s going to quickly replenish your energy and help your muscle’s recover fast.  If you’re trying to lose weight, these are the wrong meals to cut calories from.

If you cut calories from your pre-workout meal you’ll be reducing the energy you have for your workout – you’ll be getting less out of it.  Furthermore you’re putting your body into a catabolic state (a severe caloric deficit), which promotes muscle degeneration.  That’s right, you’re actually making your body weaker, destroying muscle, and as a result, further slowing your metabolism.  All things you want avoid.

A good guideline is to take 0.25g of protein and 0.25g of carbs per pound of your target body weight (the body weight you want to achieve) 30 – 60 minutes before a workout and again right after your workout.  So if you want to weigh 200 lbs, you would eat 50g of protein and 50g of carbohydrates before and after a workout.

Don’t be afraid to consume sugar after a workout.  Right after working out you want food that your body can digest quickly to satisfy your body’s nutritional needs. Sugar causes your blood glucose levels to rise, causing insulin to be released.  After a workout is the only time you actually want to spike your insulin to encourage muscle recovery. That insulin helps drive nutrients into your muscle tissues quicker, which enables your muscles to grow and recover faster.

Personally I like to eat a banana or an apple and a protein shake before a workout.  Other pre-workout meals that I eat are a light sandwich with whole wheat bread and turkey slices or fruit and boiled eggs.

Post workout I drink a protein shake with high sugar content – these are usually called weight gainers.  I do this even when I’m cutting.  Remember – cutting calories after a workout is the last thing you want to do.  My favorite is EAS Mass Factor.  It’s got just under 600 calories per serving with 52g of protein and 84g of carbohydrates.  I’ll usually follow that up with a solid meal an hour later with chicken breast and whole wheat pasta or brown rice.

If you don’t feel comfortable taking consuming a high calorie protein shake after a work out, drink a regular protein shake and eat some fruit.  Just make sure that you consume some sort of simple sugars and, ideally, liquid protein.  The last thing you want is for you workout to cause you to actually lose muscle instead of gaining it.  If you want to get really deep into the subject of pre and post workout meals, check out this forum thread on bodybuilding.com.

• In the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar enters in to your body, which is 100% of your daily-recommended intake.  Instead of vomiting, phosphoric acid helps keep the sugar in your system.
• After about 20 minutes, your blood sugar hits the roof and your body cannot produce enough insulin to bring your blood sugar down so your liver has to help out and responds by changing the sugar into fat.
• After about 40 min you feel awake and amazing! This is when the caffeine has kicked in and your body has by now produced a lot of dopamine, which is the “happy hormone” and gives us the same satisfactory feeling as heroine or other drugs.
• 60 min later you feel like you have to pee and then after that comes the crash – you feel tired and want even more sugar to get back on top.  It’s a vicious downward cycle.

Source: Better Health News, Vol 1, No 1, August 2007

[ photo: flickr / powi ]

Here’s one of my favorite recipes that can be made in well under 30 minutes.  A lot of people aren’t too familiar with quinoa.  It’s an ancient South American pseudo grain.  It looks like a grain but is actually more closely related to leafy plants like beets and spinach.  The Incas revered it as the “mother grain” for it’s highly nutritious nature.  It’s very healthy for you, high in fiber and protein, and can be found in stores like Whole Foods.

Quinoa Mediterranean Delight

1 cup quinoa
1 cup canned sweet corn
1 cup chopped black olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 table spoon olive oil
1 table spoon ground pepper
1 table spoon ground salt

Directions:

Combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups of cold water in pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  Simmer until most of the water is evaporated – about 15 minutes.

Combine the quinoa, corn, black olives, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a glass bowl and mix everything together with your hands.  Be sure to really squish the feta with the grain to give it a particularly tasty texture.  Eat it warm or cold.  This makes about 5 servings.  Enjoy!