Eating quick fix foods and ready processed meals ultimately costs you time you tried to save by choosing the convenience food option…
So I was having one of my many thoughts today around nutrition and the mind set around what it takes to be successful.
My clients and the results they get……
I have in depth conversations with some of them one of them today was with a client who has lost 4 dress sizes (you might have seen me talk about the magazine she wrote), we were talking about ‘losing the last 10 lbs’ …amongst other topics today with other clients actually included heart rate zone and intervals making training efficient and reducing the fear of being judged and how that leads to us getting more done.
When it comes to losing body fat I am a strong supporter of a statement made by Einstein.
“Make things as simple as possible but not simpler”
This is actually very challenging in nutrition and training.
You need to know what to eat, how to train, what lifestyle habits can optimise results…..….so for me the job is almost a translator.
Take complex topics, understand them and then relay them in a way that doesn’t send you to sleep, but actually helps you take action!
So lets talk about this issue of “lack of time to eat well”.
Its an excuse we hear often……
Excuse……
“ah I haven’t got time to eat the right stuff at breakfast” ….. or lunch or whenever.
Fact……..
Too many carbs for ‘most people’ will cause metabolic syndromes and diabetes.
Sure…..not for everyone, its more individualised than that, however, you will know if you are in tune with your body if you can tolerate carbohydrates.
Personally, I know that for me a protein and carbohydrate combo at breakfast works well…..but you can only find this out by trying and monitoring the response. Namely body fat storage, performance and sustained energy levels.
You see, if you store fat around the middle, you can have a profound effect by reducing sugar intake by optimising your bodies insulin (fat storage) response and sensitivity. For the record….liquid sugar is a NIGHTMARE here!
So back to the original point…….To say that we don’t have time to eat well and then to go and choose refined, processed, high GI, low fibre options makes no sense.
We then end up with the following issues:
- It doesn’t save time because you have to eat more often due to high sugar contents and insulin response
- Hungry all the time because of a lack of fibre due and fast digestive transit times.
- Then try to beat it with restriction of 1200 or lower calories per day starvation type diets that seem to be fashionable with “low fat” products. Good fats not only nourish the nervous system, but also provide a satiating effect. Yet a low fat option seems to be fashionable.
- This causes a dis regulation of hormones and a loss of resting metabolic rate. That’s what happens to people when they crash diet, losing lots initially but then putting it all back on, because the resting metabolic rate falls through the floor and they down regulate all of the hormones responsible for maintaining muscle mass.
- All of the above added to the fact that the exercise class/programme you do wont be using the fat you want to burn because the sugary foods are much easier to use than the fats.
So here’s what to do if you want to get a handle on your body fat round the middle. Please note that these guidelines are not specific to any one person or anyone who is tackling a performance based goal.
- Choose your protein first (aiming for 1g-1.5g per Kg of bodyweight per day) from lean sources.
- Aim for less than 50g of carbs per day
- Use fats for the rest of your diet to feel full.
- Try to not eat too near training (more than 1.5-2 hours) so that the free fatty acids are used as fuel, not glycogen from the sugary foods.
- Start the day with a breakfast of something green or a berry variety and a protein. E.g. spinach, garlic and poached eggs or a berry pancake.
- Train in the mornings in a fasted state once you have a handle on your blood sugar levels. That’s why I teach my clients to eat well first before adding in the use of fasted training for fat loss.
Hope that’s useful,
Matt 🙂
Matt
Owner of Functionally Aware Fitness Personal Training
Voted The UK’s Most Innovative Fitness Entrepreneur 2012
International Best Selling Author of The Fad Free Fitness Formula
Author of The Hot to Trot Cook Book and The Equestrian Athlete Plan
Email: Info@fa-fitness.co.uk / Phone: 07841 136302
