Posted on

Friday, 17th August

Once you make the big change to eating well, and more natural food, the common question is how long it will take to get used to a big change in diet.

Scientific studies show us that it generally takes around 12 weeks to get used to this change, and more importantly for your taste buds to change completely.

This means that foods that you used to be tempted to eat will soon become foods that you find sickly, you especially when eaten to excess.

The great thing about this situation is that you won’t feel like going to the bad old days once you make this change, as long as you follow it through and remain committed in getting used to it.

Making the first step is the hardest part and sometimes the thought about eating healthy for the rest of your life can be overpowering.

Most of us would love to stay in our comfort zone and it would be so much easier to eat in the chip shop every night, drink alcohol as often as we liked, and hit the bakery every morning for some lovely snacks full of sugar.

The downside to all of this behaviour if done over a longer period unfortunately would likely to be weight gain, shortness of breath, joint trouble, heart disease and elevated risk of many serious diseases.

So if you look at the big picture, which scenario is more appealing?

Would it be a lifetime habit of eating foods very low in quality nutrients and super-high in saturated fat and calories, that in general makes you feel sluggish, desperately low in energy, overweight and plain unhealthy?

Or do you put up with a few weeks of all that sugar, salt and saturated fat leaving your body and then your body having a much more sustainable diet for the rest of your life, giving you huge amounts of energy, healthy body fat levels, much more joint strength, more endurance and higher strength levels?

Not much of a choice there but it’s a free country so at the end of the day, it’s YOUR choice!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, August 16th

Fat in your diet has always been the ultimate sin for many people, “avoid at all costs” is often shouted from the rooftops when it comes to losing body fat. Unfortunately, this statement is only partially true.

Saturated fat is the true baddie, with the potential to clog up your arteries and cause all sorts of health problems, and in particular raise your chances of having a heart attack markedly.

Saturated far can raise chances of contracting any serious disease, so it’s a great idea for you to eat red meat for instance, just once a week. Anything in moderation is okay, and common sense must be used with the foods that can cause you problems if consumed too often.

The “good fats” often termed essential fats, and plenty of them do exist, should play a major role in your diet.

If fish isn’t a major part of your diet, then you need to ask yourself why not, as it contains lots of important fats that your body needs to function properly in all areas.

If you don’t include nuts in their natural form in your diet, then you’re missing out again on a great source of essentials fats for your body, not only that but your immune system too.

So we have established fats are important for your diet and wellbeing, but this won’t mean so much UNLESS you get refined sugars out of your diet.

Putting sugar on top of your cereal or adding to your tea/coffee is something you need to eliminate straight away, the effect on your physical appearance will be dramatic given time, and will take that sweet tooth away for good.

If that sweet tooth is always there, then you’re always liable to come totally off your eating programme, because the temptation for excess sugar will always be there.

Taking saturated fat AND refined sugar out of your diet will have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the way you look and feel.

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 9th August

So if we are looking at 1% improvement in everything we do, then we need to examine what areas we need to look at, both to increase our performance and health in general.

First thing is quality of food.

Are you eating healthy at least 80% of the time?

Are you eating breakfast every day?

Do you have mid-morning snacks and mid-afternoon snacks?

Do you have a good nutrient-packed lunch each day?

Do you have a variety of vegetables with your lean proteins and good carbs in the evening?

Do you drink enough water throughout the day?

Do you sleep enough to recover both from your training and get up for the next day’s training?

Do you keep your portion sizes sensible to make sure you’re not overeating?

So after your weigh all of these things up and you have answered of all these questions honestly, how much in percentage terms do you think that you can improve in all of these areas, or at least most of them?

I will bet that most of you can improve hugely in percentage terms in most of them.

So imagine after i have made that statement, how much does it all add up for you? I will definitely bet with any of you that it adds up to MUCH MORE than 1%, that’s for sure!!!

There should be 10, 20, 30 or even 50% improvements in there if you really put your mind to it!!!

So when we set the original 1% goal, it must amaze you how much you’re not really doing at the moment to maximise your potential!!! It’s all a matter now of really putting your mind to it and executing a good game plan, designed to fully support your nutritional needs that a demanding training programme will absolutely need!!

This should be a daily and weekly list and a great reminder for you on how to eat well, and gear you up for putting in consistent performances and add huge percentages to your overall progress!!!

Twitt
Posted on

Tuesday, 31st July

The most depressing thing for people who really train their socks off is not getting anywhere near the shape they want to be in!

I see it all the time.

Some of the hardest exercises are often questioned why they are not in better shape, and they often question themselves that!

The problem is failure to admit that they are not eating anywhere like they could be eating. Plain chicken breast often becomes fried chicken with all the skin, plain potatoes becomes potatoes smothered in olive oil or even oven chips!

One night of alcohol consumption a week can become a small couple most nights, this is when body fat gains can come thick and fast!

Our “versions” of eating well and “clean” can be quite varied, depending on who you speak to of course.

A chicken salad for most people is around 500 calories absolute maximum.

For a lot of other people though, it can be a lot different.

By the time you add in coleslaw, mayo, salad cream and other forms of dressing, this healthy choice can soon add up to over 100 calories. So if someone tells you they live on these type of so called healthy eating choices, then all may not what it seems and this is why they continue never to be in shape, despite having impressive capabilities in pure exercise terms!

The minute they realise all of this, they have a choice on how they really want to look and how much they really want to get there!

Eating food a little plainer without all the junk dressing we have discussed, can make an enormous difference to you reaching your goals, for you to be able to perform at a much higher level and for people to finally give you some huge compliments on the way you look!

Eating right is at least 50% of the equation, AT LEAST THAT MUCH! Make the choice right now on how you want to look and feel!

Twitt
Posted on

Thursday, 19th July

If you are continuing to struggle to get into good structures with your eating, then you need to stop over-complicating things and simplify things.

If you’re not eating breakfast for instance, you will pay for it in some way later in the day.

Not eating breakfast DOES NOT help you lose weight, and WILL encourage binge eating usually much later in the day.

START eating breakfast right now if you are interested in losing body fat straight away and maintaining healthy levels for the rest of your life.

Don’t be afraid to snack! If you don’t snack, your hunger levels will go up and down leading to bingeing again later in the day. Snacking healthily is always a successful strategy when it comes to fat loss, maintaining healthy lean muscle tissue, and feeling energised throughout the day.

Don’t skip lunch or you will pay for it later in the day. You need the satisfying feeling of a good lunch or you know what’s going to happen?!!! Those hunger pangs you get by missing lunch will lead to yet another bingeing opportunity later in the day, I hear this time and time again, so lets get it sorted right now and make your eating plan simple!

If you get the breakfast, the mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snacks sorted, then you should be feeling great when it comes to evening meal.

Due to the fact that you have fed your body throughout the day, you shouldn’t be absolutely starving when it comes to evening time. Your energy levels will be much more constant and you shouldn’t feel the sudden urge to slam in a cheese sandwich whilst waiting for your main meal.

Those people who try to make the process of getting lean and healthy sound like rocket science are the same ones trying to rip you off on some kind of “wonder diet” that comes around all the time. Nearly all of those diets don’t work, and once you accept all you need to do is keep a good structure to be successful, you will never fall for those dodgy sales people ever again!!!

Bottom line is to eat often but in smaller portions, the number one way to lose body fat AND STAY FULL and end your wild bingeing on food days forever!!!

Twitt