Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a diet junkie. I try a million diets, most recently low carb and juice detox. But at the end of the day, we all know the secrets to successful and healthy weight loss: Nutrition, Exercise and the right state of mind.
Nutrition:
1. Dietary Fiber. This is so crucial to the success of any change to a healthy lifestyle. I'll get into the nitty gritty later, just try to get 25+ grams per day.
2. Vegetables in a multitude of colors. 7-9 servings is ideal. Everyday try to eat 2+ colors of vegetables, tomatoes and radishes alongside some leafy greens.
3. 5 meals a day spread out 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should include a protein and a vegetable. My current favorite is asparagus and bell pepper strips with a soft boiled egg.
4. Caloric deficit of at least 500 per day. This is sometimes considered the max you should go and to make up the rest with exercise. Depending on your goals, your plateaus, etc. this number can be adjusted. More on that later.
5. 8 glass of water. It may be easier to know that 8 glasses of water is actually a little under a 2 liter bottle of water.
My meal plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast (9am): 5 asparagus Asparagus, 1 bell pepper in slices, soft boiled egg. (2 servings of vegetables - 120 calories)
Snack (11am): 1 cup Radishes, 1 oz low fat cheese, 2 turkey bacon slices. (1 serving of vegetables - 107 calories)
Lunch (1pm): 2 cups of lettuce, 2 grilled chicken tenderloins, 1 tablespoon of dressing. (2 servings of vegetables - 185 calories)
Snack (4pm): 2 celery stalks, 1/2 a cup of tuna salad (1 serving of vegetables - 205 calories)
Dinner (7pm): 1 artichoke, 1 cup sauteed green beans, 2 cups of lettuce, 1 tablespoon of dressing, 3 oz of NY strip steak. (5 servings of vegetables - 282 calories)
Total: 995 calories (on the low side to leave room for a glass of wine if I'd like to have one), 11 servings of vegetables, 26 grams of dietary fiber.
Exercise:
1. Weight training. This is crucial, do at least 30 minutes of it everyday. 30 minutes on average burns 100 calories.
2. Cardio. This is the way you will burn the most calories. On the elliptical for about 60 minutes means a caloric burn of on average 600 calories.
3. Pilates. Stretches and strengthens your muscles while whittling down your core. 20 minutes a day will only burn on average 80 calories, but it for the shaping more than the caloric burn.
My goal is to burn 750 calories from exercise on a daily basis so I'm typically looking at doing at least 60 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of weight training and 20 minutes of pilates in the morning to hit my 750 goal.
State of Mind:
1. Post a picture of yourself at your absolute worst on the refrigerator next to a picture of your physical ideal. Post a copy of this person's diet on your fridge. I have Mariah Carey and Hayden Panettiere. Will post later.
2. Install at least one full length mirror in your home in a place you have to see at least twice a day. I have one on a door in my bathroom so I have to see myself when I get in the shower. It's truly sobering.
3. Make a mantra. Define who you are. Everyday we define ourselves by the work we do and get up and go do that work. Part of who we define ourselves as should be Healthy, Fit, Active, and we should get up everyday and be those things. When you think about not going to hit the gym or think about eating that mile high chocolate cake, remember who you are and what you pride yourself on.
4. Log your food. Get accountable. Publish your intake.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Water the Wonder
My best friend, the biggest health nut I know aside from my personal trainer Anthony, once told me that she hated the taste of water. But realizing the importance of this wonder fluid made her search out alternatives to water that would give her the same hydration benefits like sparkling water beverages that come with a slight flavoring and no calories. I think she also dabbled with some Crystal Light a few times. Now, though hydration is an important part of the whole health picture, there's something important about just pure water untouched by the likes of sugar substitutes and artificial flavorings. Aside from the fact that studies show that drinking sugar free beverages might actually contribute to obesity, it just doesn't have the purifying ability that water does.
Here are the basics:
1. Water flushes out the toxins in your body including your liver.
2. Water helps your liver run more efficiently resulting in a better metabolism of fat.
Drink at least 8 cups of water a day, more if you're active, to keep your body running at optimum efficiency. I have 3 half bottles of 1.5 fl. oz. water sitting around my desk. I'm going to drink them all before I begin my day.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Food Relationships
Have you ever thought about your relationship with food? Personally, I grew up in a household where food was how mothers and grandmothers showed their love. Where multiple meals, multi course dinners and delicious specialty snacks were expected to be eaten with appreciation for the person who provided it all. Anything less than voracious consumption of these culinary creations was considered offensive to dear Mommy and PoPo (Cantonese for Maternal Grandmother.)
As I got older I was taught that food is part of the pleasures of living. My mom made sure that I tried everything that passed m plate, no matter how disgusting my adolescent palate thought it would be. The experience of trying it, tasting it, would prevent a lifetime of not knowing what I was missing, according to my mother.
And so I learned to travel the "world" through food. Understanding the intricacies of culture, geography, weather and history that led certain countries to develop certain cuisines. The heat of Indian and Thai food to create a sweat that would cool down it's people in the face of the heat and humidity that the lands are so well known for. The saltiness of food and pervasive use of preserved meats in Hawaii because of war impacts. Even now, as I travel difference places domestically I try to get in a taste of the local fare each city is known for to get a better understanding of it's locals.
But this food association with love and experience comes with an unfortunate result: food as joy and comfort. Eating as a way to quench the boredom of hotel living while traveling, or to connect with friends and family. My food relationship has resulted in 15 lbs of unhealthy weight and an additionally undesirable 15 lbs after that making this a love/hate relationship.
Because now I hate food, or certain foods, whatever diet I embark upon for whatever reason next. First it's meat because vegetarianism is the way to go. Then it's carbs because they prevent the efficient metabolism of fat. Then it's certain vegetables because of salmonella. And everyday becomes a thought about what I should and should not be eating. What I wan't to eat and can't have. How much I love what I can eat. How much I hate all the things I can or can't eat. The idea that I have to eat what I'm supposed to eat now so that I won't lose control with hunger that I'll eat something that I shouldn't eat later.
Enough. Here's a message to myself and food. I know I can never break up with you entirely but I think it's time we take a break so I can focus on my other priorities. I'm going to eat to live, not live to eat.
As I got older I was taught that food is part of the pleasures of living. My mom made sure that I tried everything that passed m plate, no matter how disgusting my adolescent palate thought it would be. The experience of trying it, tasting it, would prevent a lifetime of not knowing what I was missing, according to my mother.
And so I learned to travel the "world" through food. Understanding the intricacies of culture, geography, weather and history that led certain countries to develop certain cuisines. The heat of Indian and Thai food to create a sweat that would cool down it's people in the face of the heat and humidity that the lands are so well known for. The saltiness of food and pervasive use of preserved meats in Hawaii because of war impacts. Even now, as I travel difference places domestically I try to get in a taste of the local fare each city is known for to get a better understanding of it's locals.
But this food association with love and experience comes with an unfortunate result: food as joy and comfort. Eating as a way to quench the boredom of hotel living while traveling, or to connect with friends and family. My food relationship has resulted in 15 lbs of unhealthy weight and an additionally undesirable 15 lbs after that making this a love/hate relationship.
Because now I hate food, or certain foods, whatever diet I embark upon for whatever reason next. First it's meat because vegetarianism is the way to go. Then it's carbs because they prevent the efficient metabolism of fat. Then it's certain vegetables because of salmonella. And everyday becomes a thought about what I should and should not be eating. What I wan't to eat and can't have. How much I love what I can eat. How much I hate all the things I can or can't eat. The idea that I have to eat what I'm supposed to eat now so that I won't lose control with hunger that I'll eat something that I shouldn't eat later.
Enough. Here's a message to myself and food. I know I can never break up with you entirely but I think it's time we take a break so I can focus on my other priorities. I'm going to eat to live, not live to eat.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Low Carb: Why Does It Work? Part 2
I'm on Day 3 of my low carb adventure. I assume that eventually, after the first 30 days it'll be a lifestyle choice instead of an adventure per se. I'm starting to feel the dizzy carb withdrawls which I can only assume are occurring because my body has no more glucose to burn, no more glycogen to tap into for energy and as a result, thinks I am starving. After I go to the gym for a couple of hours tonight I'm going to assume my body will start burning fat.
Back to the low carb logic. Insulin is the hormone that basically stops the use of fat for energy. It is responsible for pulling glucose from the blood stream and converting into the glycogen for energy use. The body will only store about a day's worth of glycogen for energy use. Anything beyond what the body can convert and store as glycogen is converted to fat.
Insulin is released whenever glucose is released into the blood stream. Glucose is apparently something our bodies want regulated in the blood so insulin is something of a blood stream hero. There's some nitty gritty science going on about glucose release but we'll skip it. For low carb purposes, know that the consumption of carbohydrates results in the introduction of glucose into the blood stream which results in the release of insulin.
So how do you avoid the release of insulin in the blood stream if you need to get at least 7 servings of vegetables in per day and vegetables naturally have carbohydrates in them?
The key is minimize the amount of glucose released in the blood stream resulting in the smallest amount of insulin released into the blood stream. The less glucose, the less insulin required to regulate the glucose levels.
So what vegetables should you eat to reduce the amount of insulin released and continue to burn fat? For that answer we turn to the Glycemic Index (GI).
This is another topic that most mainstream diets fail on. Being low on the GI is not purely enough to say that you can eat as much of it as you want. The GI measures the glucose effect on blood when a particular food is eaten. That measurement is based on a specific serving size. Consumption beyond that serving size can increase the glucose load.
Most foods that have a high fiber to calorie ratio, low in glucose and fructose as well as high in fat tend to have a much lower GI rating than foods than the average food.
Particularly easy to eat, find and enjoy low GI foods include:
(Chart courtesy of southbeach-diet-plan.com)
Back to the low carb logic. Insulin is the hormone that basically stops the use of fat for energy. It is responsible for pulling glucose from the blood stream and converting into the glycogen for energy use. The body will only store about a day's worth of glycogen for energy use. Anything beyond what the body can convert and store as glycogen is converted to fat.
Insulin is released whenever glucose is released into the blood stream. Glucose is apparently something our bodies want regulated in the blood so insulin is something of a blood stream hero. There's some nitty gritty science going on about glucose release but we'll skip it. For low carb purposes, know that the consumption of carbohydrates results in the introduction of glucose into the blood stream which results in the release of insulin.
So how do you avoid the release of insulin in the blood stream if you need to get at least 7 servings of vegetables in per day and vegetables naturally have carbohydrates in them?
The key is minimize the amount of glucose released in the blood stream resulting in the smallest amount of insulin released into the blood stream. The less glucose, the less insulin required to regulate the glucose levels.
So what vegetables should you eat to reduce the amount of insulin released and continue to burn fat? For that answer we turn to the Glycemic Index (GI).
This is another topic that most mainstream diets fail on. Being low on the GI is not purely enough to say that you can eat as much of it as you want. The GI measures the glucose effect on blood when a particular food is eaten. That measurement is based on a specific serving size. Consumption beyond that serving size can increase the glucose load.
Most foods that have a high fiber to calorie ratio, low in glucose and fructose as well as high in fat tend to have a much lower GI rating than foods than the average food.
Particularly easy to eat, find and enjoy low GI foods include:(Chart courtesy of southbeach-diet-plan.com)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Low Carb: Why does it work? Part 1
I got a bit of a tongue lashing from my personal trainer for juicing. At first, he didn't say much about it then later reminded me of my weight loss goal for the wedding. It's fine to mess around with different nutrition ideas, apparently, but when you're 13 lbs overweight and looking to lose 30 lbs in time for a wedding ceremony so you can look like a supermodel in pictures, this just isn't going to cut it.
He reminded me that I should be consuming no more than 1300 calories per day, most of which should be veggies and protein and I should be laying low on the carbs. And by low he means not intaking 100% of my calories from fruit and veggie juice. Hmm...
Alright Mr. Munoz, I'll play your game after some research. Not that I don't trust you, my dear good friend, I just need to know where the logic comes from so that I might improvise in low carbing when certain scenarios are undefined.
Apparently, the body uses glycogen as the source for energy primarily which is found in carbohydrates. Only when the glycogen is depleted does the body move onto lipolysis, basically burning fat for energy. Low carb diets remove carbohydrates from the equation resulting in the body being forced into using fat for energy.
Now, I had a friend who told me that the low carb thing didn't work for her. That eventually, she just ended up gaining weight while on the diet. There's a caveat that most main stream low carb diets only touch upon. It's that the body will use the fat consumed in the day for energy before going after the fat in the body. Low carb is not Carte Blanche to eat high fatty foods.
But we all know that you can't avoid carbs entirely, in fact a diet that is high is vegetables will inevitably be relatively high carbs and some vegetables have such a high sugar content, they might was well be a candy (yes, I'm talking about you corn.)
Well... enter insulin's important role in the low carb diet.
(Image courtesy of 1001herbs.com)
He reminded me that I should be consuming no more than 1300 calories per day, most of which should be veggies and protein and I should be laying low on the carbs. And by low he means not intaking 100% of my calories from fruit and veggie juice. Hmm...
Alright Mr. Munoz, I'll play your game after some research. Not that I don't trust you, my dear good friend, I just need to know where the logic comes from so that I might improvise in low carbing when certain scenarios are undefined.
Apparently, the body uses glycogen as the source for energy primarily which is found in carbohydrates. Only when the glycogen is depleted does the body move onto lipolysis, basically burning fat for energy. Low carb diets remove carbohydrates from the equation resulting in the body being forced into using fat for energy.
Now, I had a friend who told me that the low carb thing didn't work for her. That eventually, she just ended up gaining weight while on the diet. There's a caveat that most main stream low carb diets only touch upon. It's that the body will use the fat consumed in the day for energy before going after the fat in the body. Low carb is not Carte Blanche to eat high fatty foods.
But we all know that you can't avoid carbs entirely, in fact a diet that is high is vegetables will inevitably be relatively high carbs and some vegetables have such a high sugar content, they might was well be a candy (yes, I'm talking about you corn.)
Well... enter insulin's important role in the low carb diet.
(Image courtesy of 1001herbs.com)
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