You'd like your eating plan to work for you - to
get you the results that you want without lots of complicated steps. The good
news is that lean eating does not mean complicated eating...it just means
eating smart.
Read on for the NEW rules of lean eating that
will make fat loss second nature. And don't worry, lean eating can still be
very delicious. In fact, you'll find many of your new, lean meals to be better
in flavor and more satisfying than your old, fattening eats.
1. Eat the RIGHT Type of Carbs
There is a hierarchy for which carbs have a place
in a lean diet and which carbs will only fatten you up. The success of your
eating plan rests squarely on which of these carbs you regularly include in
your diet.
1
Green Vegetables
2
Non-Green Vegetables
3
Fruit
4
Whole Grains and Starches
5
Refined Grains
6
Foods with Added Sugar
The top 3 ranked carbs are where 90% of the carbs
in your diet should be coming from...in order to get that lean physique that
you want. Immediately cut out the bottom 2 (refined grains and foods with added
sugar) and on occasion include a limited amount of Whole Grains and Starches.
2. Track What You Eat
The only way to improve upon your diet is to
actually know what you're currently eating. Keep a food journal, or download a
free food tracker app, and input all of the calories that you consume over the
course of a week. This will give you a broad look at where your low quality
calories are coming from (high sugar, empty calories).
Your first step will be to eliminate these
fattening calories and to start replacing empty calories with nutrient-filled
whole foods.
3. Space Meals Apart
Much has been said over the past decades about
the importance of eating small frequent meals throughout the day. This is old,
outdated science. New research has proven that there's more harm than good to
eating more frequently than every 4 hours.
Stick with 3 meals each day, and fill in a
protein-based snack if your meals are going to be more than 4 hours apart.
4. Never Restrict Calories to the Extreme
There's a certain allure in the idea of
temporarily restricting calories to the extreme. The idea that one can drop down
a size or two in just as many weeks is quite tempting. I hate to be the one to
burst your overambitious bubble, but extreme calorie restriction NEVER WORKS.
It's terrible for your body and it is not something that is sustainable (namely
because you'd starve to death) so the pendulum inevitably swings in the other
direction, resulting in binges.
The key to being lean for life is to eat in a way
that you can sustain forever. Eat whole foods. Eat a moderate amount of the RIGHT
calories. Every day, ongoing, forever.
5. Eat Veggies First
This may go against all of your instincts, but
hear this one out. When you sit down to a meal first eat all of the veggies and
salad, before moving on to the main dish. This simple strategy helps to fill
you up with lower calorie foods first, before moving on to the higher calorie
items.
By making this a habit you'll naturally and
effortlessly consume fewer calories at each meal, which will add up in a big
way.
6. Include Protein at Every Meal
Each of your meals should be built around a
healthy serving of protein. This protein could be meat (chicken breast, fish
fillet, roasted turkey, braised beef etc) eggs, or protein powder.
Having protein as the focal point of your meal is
important for two reasons: 1) You're fueling up in a way that builds muscles
rather than stores fat and 2) By default, you're avoiding high calorie main
dishes, which are what really cause most weight gain.
7. Ban Liquid Calories
Liquid calories have no place in a lean eating
plan. No place at all. Anytime that you are drinking calories, it's safe to
assume that you're adding inches to your waistline. Put down the beer, just say
no to the blended coffee drink, and forget about fully loaded soda pop.
Filtered water and unsweetened tea are both
wonderful alternatives to calorie-laden beverages.
8. Avoid Prepackaged Foods
Prepackaged foods and snacks have no place in a
lean eating plan. These processed foods contain numerous fattening ingredients
such as refined sugar, sodium, grains, fillers and other artificial
ingredients.
If you are currently eating packaged foods on a
daily basis, then cutting these items out will quickly translate into pounds
lost.
9. Swim Upstream
As a society we are overweight. We are riddled
with obesity related ailments. We are uncomfortable in our own skin. We are
craving weight loss.
So...it's safe to say that whatever you see the
masses around you do, when it comes to food and exercise, you should aim to do
the opposite.
See a line wrapped around that fast food joint's
drive thru? Do not enter. Instead, eat a simple meal made with vegetables and
lean protein.
See all 5 people ahead of you in line at the
coffee shop order a sweet drink? Do not follow suit. Instead, order an
unsweetened drink.
See the movie theatre parking lot packed to the
brim, and the gym parking lot empty? Skip the movie and hit the gym.
Swim upstream, be different than the masses by
living in a desirable, healthy, lean body.
Call or email us today to get started on a fat
loss program that really works.
The Truth About Emotional Eating
It happens with most of us.
You have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad
day... and at the end of it you turn to food.
There's a reason that it's called comfort food.
While you're eating it you feel better.
And when you're done eating it you feel worse.
Keep this in mind next time you are tempted to
turn to food for comfort:
Emotional eating temporarily relieves distress
and then makes it impossible to attain what you really want.
Tropical Salad with Teriyaki Chicken
This salad is fun and full of flavor, made with
nutrient-packed microgreens, sweet mango, tender teriyaki chicken and
guilt-free onion rings. Eat this and give your body the protein it needs as
well as a healthy serving of fiber. Servings: 6
Here's what you need...
•
4 organic, free-range chicken breasts
•
1/4 cup Organicville Island Teriyaki Sauce
•
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
•
1 cup almond meal
•
dash of salt
•
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•
1 cup coconut milk, full fat
•
1 omega-3 egg
•
4 cups organic micro greens or mixed greens
•
1 fresh, ripe organic mango, sliced
•
4 Tablespoons organic goat cheese, crumbled
1
Rinse the chicken breasts. Place in a large
ziplock bag with the teriyaki sauce, mix until all the chicken is coated. Place
in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (Do it overnight for even better
flavor!)
2
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a
baking sheet with coconut oil.
3
In a shallow bowl combine the almond meal, salt
and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl whisk the coconut milk and egg.
4
Dip each onion ring in the milk mixture and then
coat with the almond meal mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip each
onion ring, then return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.
6
Heat a grill pan and lightly coat with coconut
oil. Place the chicken breasts on the grill pan, and cook 4 minutes each side,
until there is no longer any pink in the middle.
7
Remove chicken from heat and slice.
8
Prepare each plate with a pile of micro greens,
sliced mango, goat cheese crumbles, a few onion rings and then top with
teriyaki chicken.
Nutritional Analysis: One
serving equals: 366 calories, 2g fat, 268mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate, 4g fiber,
and 40g protein
Call today for a consultation and assessment!
Phone: 219-548-3480
Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com
