Eating To Lose Weight
Guest post by Z. Jolley
Diet is 70% of your weight loss efforts. Yes it's true; this may be the MOST important article you EVER read if you are struggling to lose weight. I've helped several friends drop as much as 90lbs just by this alone.
I want to share something that a lot of people have a misconception about. Plain and simple, it's all about food. Most people are led to believe that if you lower the amount of food you eat, you will lose weight. In reality, you will do nothing but put your body into what is called "starvation mode". It works like this: you limit the amount of food you are eating and therefore, program your body to store the food you DO eat as fat. We have built in survival mechanisms that are designed to preserve us. When you limit food intake, you send the wrong signals to the body and your metabolism slows down, then you start storing fat. Whoever came up with the idea that 3 meals a day was adequate must have no idea how our ancestors ate. They were what are known as "grazers". They ate when they were hungry and when there was food available; not just three times a day. Sure, things have changed as far as our busy lifestyle, but our bodies still have the same genetic programming.
How do we fix this problem? Simple. Set yourself on a schedule to eat 6-9 times a day. Whoa! Did I just say 6-9 times a day? Yes I did. No misprint here. No, this does NOT mean run out to McDonalds or Dominoes Pizza 6-9 times a day (you can save this for the FREE DAY that I'll talk about) I'm talking good, healthy, lean and nutritious foods. In fact this is exactly how I managed to finally lose the weight I was packing around. Now I am going to set an example here, but feel free to mix things up a little bit. The foods mentioned here are just what I was using. I lost 114lbs in less than 10 months doing this and exercising at the right times. Grab a pen and paper or feel free to bookmark this page for future reference. Let’s get started with a simple example of a daily diet.
Oh! and before I jump into the food part, I want to tell you something very important. The MOST important time to exercise is in the morning right after you wake up. 20 minutes of brisk walking, jogging, or running with some quick sprints is the BEST exercise if you are overweight. I don't want to get into this here too much because it doesn't fit the focus of this article, but I did want to mention it.
After you come back from your morning run, you're going to wait at least 30 minutes before eating anything at all. Here is why this was one of the most important things in my weight loss routine. When you wake up, it will have been (hopefully) at least 8 hours until you have eaten last. Your body needs energy and has no fuel to burn. So where does it go? Fat stored in your body. So you are burning 200% MORE fat at this point in the morning. Then 30 minutes after your exercise, you need time to cool down and not only that, studies have shown that after working out, your body will continue to burn fat stores at a higher rate than normal...30-45 minutes AFTER your workout. Think of it as taking a hot potato out of the oven, its so hot inside that it continues to cook 15-30 minutes after. Makes sense right?
One more thing before we get to the food part. Close your fist. This is a PORTION of food for you. Make sure that you do not go over this amount. It's very important. If you are feeling hungry, just drink more water and don't forget, you will be eating 6-9 times a day and your body will stop the roller coaster craving of having to eat MORE at one sitting. I promise you, your body will adjust to this change, and your "internal hunger clock" won't be going crazy anymore, unless you miss a meal. Try to NEVER do this. You need to feed your body, and you need to feed it right.
8-9AM: Now my normal breakfast would be something like this. An apple or a banana, a cup of oatmeal unsweetened with a handful or raisins, a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. You can also add a few tablespoons of raw walnuts, sunflower seeds, or almonds to your cereal to give the body some great protein and fiber. Do not worry about the fats that are found in nuts. A big myth is that eating nuts will make you fat. But the fiber content in nuts is so high, that after a couple handfuls, you'll start to feel pretty full fast.
10:00AM Let's move on to mid morning. I love yogurt and cottage cheese; low fat or no fat is fine. Studies have shown that dairy products, especially yogurt, are harder for the body to digest, so therefore it's got to kick up your internal furnace a bit more. This is good. So have a yogurt, mixed with some cottage cheese, or a fruit, and top it off with a bottle of water. Still hungry? Drink another bottle of water. Remember, you are going to be eating again in three hours, so there's no need to overdo it. Your body needs time to adjust to this. So at the beginning you might find yourself really hungry. Just remember, that you must stick to a set schedule. Program your body to KNOW it's going to be eating every 3-4 hours and that it's holding on to that fat for nothing. This is the KEY.
12:30PM It is time for lunch. Now before I go on, I'd like to share another great time/money saving trick with you. For my week of lunches, I would buy a bag of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. I would buy these neat grill seasonings (Grill Mates) and put the chicken on a baking sheet, and sprinkle the seasonings on them. No oil, no fat, no breading, just nice baked chicken with a little seasoning on the top. I would split the done chicken in halves. I'd buy a bag of frozen broccoli and steam this and presto, lunches for a week. I know you are thinking how boring. But wait till I mix it up a little here.
My lunch would be half a chicken breast, a cup of broccoli, a cup of cottage cheese, a fruit of my choice, and bottled water. Sometimes I'd buy soft tortillas and wrap the chicken in them with a tiny touch of BBQ sauce. Find something that's 0 fat sauce and stay away from anything that has high fructose corn syrup. Mix up anything as far as a veggie, a baked potato, or my favorite, yams. Try to stay with either fish, or chicken, or any other LEAN and skinless meats. A steak is fine as long as its THIN and super high grade with NO fat, and also baked, not fried.
3PM Hey, we've already eaten three times and it's not even dinnertime yet!
At this point I'd eat another yogurt or a cup of cottage cheese, an apple, or any other fruit of your choice, and bottled water. Folks, I can't say how important it is to keep your body hydrated while doing this type of lifestyle change. Your body is going to go through some changes and you need a way to flush out the junk and the fat. Water is that vessel.
6PM Dinner: At this point you can be really creative. I like cabbage coleslaw with carrots, cucumbers, canned corn, and a dash of white vinegar. You can add a little fat free ranch to this if you like. Just watch your dressings and keep them VERY easy. You don't need a lot if the food is prepared and mixed together with other stuff. You'd be surprised how good my coleslaw is without mayo or junk on it. Add a half of chicken breast, some yams, or a half potato, some broccoli and don't forget the all important ice water or bottled water.
9PM Yes, I know you are thinking it's too late to eat anything else. You are wrong. There are a lot of lies and myths on eating, but I am breaking those now. I'm walking proof it works. Eat a cup of cottage cheese, with a fruit, and yes, go for another half a chicken breast if you feel hungry. Don't worry that in a couple hours you’re going to bed. Your body is going through some changes and your throwing fuel on your internal fire. You will burn even while you are sleeping.
So we've eaten 6 times this day and there will be some days where you feel like you need something in between these. Go for a fruit or a fruit/yogurt together. Or my favorite, cottage cheese, and a fruit mixed, or even yogurt and cottage cheese and yeah, a bottle of water.
If you follow this and make a list, and make the time to eat at the SAME TIME on a daily basis, you will notice your body will start to change and you WILL lose weight.
Oh and I saved the very BEST for last. You don't need to do this every single day! No, one day I'd like you to eat whatever you like. That's right. If you want to eat a burger and fries, then go for it. A pizza with extra cheese? Enjoy. Want to know why this is good for you? Because you will shock your body into an even higher state of metabolism by feeding it good, healthy and low fat food for 6 days, then eating whatever you like on your "off-day". Reward yourself for doing a great job and changing your lifestyle. But don't forget to go back the next day, and don't stray. Before you know it, you will achieve a new you!
Don't forget to check out Mike Geary's Truth About Abs for more nutritional steps, and his well laid out exercise routine; it will save you loads of time and frustration!
Please feel free to leave comments and ask me for help if you need it. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
For more tips, great exercises, and all the right foods to eat, check out Truth About Abs. It's NOT just for abs, it's for your entire body. It's how I learned to eat this well, and still lose weight!
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