We want to create a simple nutrition program for you to help accelerate the gains you achieve with your workouts. The eating plan has to be simple enough to easily implement AND not be so drastic as to cause a major disruption of your normal eating patterns. We want everything possible to be in our favor to get the most efficient possible results, so I’ll offer some suggestions for you to work into your daily life over the course of several months.
Drastic or fad diets do not produce long-term results. Worse yet, yo-yo dieting, with your weight constantly fluctuating up-and-down, has been found to have a host of negative health consequences. It is terrible for you heart, among other things. We want to make lifestyle changes to your nutrition habits that will change your weight, appearance, and self-esteem for the rest of your life, not just lose ten pounds in 2 weeks only to have it reappear in another month’s time because the diet was impossible.
The first topic we will address is the number of times you are eating per day. Breakfast is an imperative. It gets your metabolism jump-started and helps you keep burning calories throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be anything complex. Oatmeal, nutrition bars, or meal replacement shakes are all good and fast alternatives if time as at a premium. The important part is getting something in your stomach to get your body up and burning calories as soon as possible each day.
You will want to have five to six smaller meals each day, quite different from the “Three Square Meals” idea most of us were raised to believe was best. The smaller meals can consist of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. The idea goes back to keeping your metabolism burning calories all day long. Once you are accustomed to eating this way, it quickly becomes a way-of-life. Your hunger pains between meals are gone and you actually eat less throughout the day. This style of nutrition is perfect for someone on an exercise program designed to shed pounds and, most importantly, keep them off for a lifetime.
Recent guidelines suggest a proper eating program should include 10-20% fat, 10-15% protein, and 60-85% complex carbohydrates. A healthy diet should contain few, if any, refined carbohydrates. Also, people on hi-intensity workout programs may require a slight adjustment upward in their protein intake to help muscle recovery. To get a specific and comprehensive meal program, visit a registered dietician. Also, before starting any new eating program it is a good idea to consult your physician.
A visit to a registered dietician to design an individual meal program is beyond the scope of most of my clients’ time or interest. They do not want to be that regimented in their dietary habits. I typically do not mention specific products or programs in my writing but a number of my clients have found Weight Watchers to be a simple and livable program and have achieved fantastic results. Weight Watchers can be done locally or online, depending on your schedule and needs. They provide multiple alternatives to solving your nutrition program and it’s easy to implement. Pay a visit to their website and see what you think. Did you notice the title of this article mentioned the K.I.S.S. principle but not the one most people are familiar with? Positive results are what we seek and we are not going to degrade anyone for trying to make constructive changes to their eating patterns or lifestyle. Your perception is your reality. Let’s make your life a place where the results and methods of achievement are encouraging and optimistic. You need to be your own biggest cheerleader!
