Feeling flat lately… completely devoid of energy like a balloon without any air in it? Do you lack that sense of urgency? Do you resort to highly caffeinated supplements like Red Bull or double espresso shots just to give you wings? If you’ve answered “yes” then more than likely you are experiencing the body blues.
So, with all the items on the list you wish to resolve in the upcoming weeks… how are you going to attack it when you feel like you’re running on empty? After all, what we set out to do at the beginning of the year has much to do with our success, wouldn’t you agree?
As we wait to ring in the New Year, work slows to a crawl and I’m finally in the tail end of my offseason, making slight adjustments to my own sugar induced holiday splurge-THANK GOODNESS!. Yes, I’m right there with you. After twelve months of serious dieting, I took the liberty to indulge my sweet tooth just like you. Fair enough. However, after weeks of living “rock star” large on anything and everything peppermint bark, I know that I have MORE than satisfied my need for sugar.
The feel good serotonin rush will be all but a memory and nothing in comparison to the crash and crappy feelings of addiction, withdrawal, and cravings we’re left to deal with. Let’s not mention the bouts of emotional and physical stress associated with carrying around that extra added weight, not much fun either, is it?
“You are what you eat”
Sure, getting people to do what they don’t want to do can be difficult. And more often than not, the urge to splurge goes deep into the New Year which can then lead you right into spring… summer, and then you’re back full circle in a feverish vicious cycle. Nothing that you don’t already know.
However, I personally know that I have officially started to feel the ill effects of my carb addiction… believe it or not; carrying excess pounds of weight can make a big difference when it comes to moving the body even on a small frame. When I find myself out of breath at the start of a workout, I’m no longer functioning properly.
So, if the sugar overload is robbing you from the ability to live life–perform your day to day activities or if the few jolts of espresso no longer keep you from wanting to take a nose dive, wouldn’t it be reason enough to say… “Enough”?
Isn’t it time to face the uphill battle of shedding those ‘drag you down’ pounds? Not easy you say? Never said it was. If it was we wouldn’t be living in a fat world- yes, obesity is global. However, for me it’s enough to go cold turkey. I know I like to feel alive-POWERFUL! disciplined- in control. I like to wake up ready to charge. I like to feel like I can meet the demands of the day – that means I need to be alert and awake and ready for anything that comes my way.
Act as if you are the person you want to be.
Simple, we face it or go off the cliff. We put on those pounds knowing full well the damage it would wreak upon us… I face it; time to wo-man up! Needless to say, it’s not going to be easy, probably somewhat painful, but as long we remain patient we will overcome with triumph. Thankfully, by slightly adjusting our caloric intake and most important, staying physically active– that means getting back into the gym (or your playground of choice) regularly, those extra holiday pounds will fall off in no time.
If you’ve haven’t learned anything with your current or past experiences, learn this: don’t procrastinate and put this off! Procrastination is the biggest killer. As you may know, procrastination is “putting off today, what we think we’ll eventually get to tomorrow” tomorrow is NOW!
Are you ready to start feeling alive?
If you find yourself in a rut try seeking the help of an expert. One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make IS TO TRY TO LOSE FAT WITHOUT PROPER INSTRUCTION!
Not enough time… not enough money…If you think about it, people spend all kinds of time and money on things in life that really don’t help their wellbeing… such as junk food, alcohol, cigarettes even drugs, all which tear down health rather than build it up. Unfortunately, people spend more money and time on these things rather than their livelihoods. Some people spend money on supplements, which is good; however without the proper program supplementation can’t do much! Useless.
Support goes a long way. A few sessions with a professional can get you going in the right direction. What harm would it do to get some correct instruction every so often? Imagine having someone to call anytime to answer any questions you have? Someone to hold you accountable? Think of how much time and effort you can save. Having someone show you exactly what to do to lose weight is exactly what you need. Yes, you can try to enlist the help of a friend but nine times out of ten that’s sure to leave you back where you started.
By reading this post, you’ve already taken your first steps towards evolving. So let’s stop hiding behind excuses. Take charge!! I’m going to shed those pounds and so will you. This is what we like to call “putting skin in the game!” Let’s get on it and get moving!
Foods that help peel off the fat
Let’s start off with the most important aspect of any fat burning routine – your diet! Here is my personal “A-list” of fat burning carb foods that are sure to satisfy the most ravenous of cravings. Although the mix-and-match combinations of foods are endless, these are the staple foods that make up a carbohydrate template of any healthy program. You can’t go wrong with any of these choices plus they are tasty enough to keep you coming back to time after time.
Oatmeal
Truly, the breakfast of champs – this is, far and away, my #1 “anytime” food choice for a complex-starchy carbohydrate in a fat loss program. Initially, not love at first bite, but after a few sit-downs, you’ll be loving it in no time!
Now that I have to take charge of the driver’s seat, I use oatmeal as the one carb that quench all my sweet tooth cravings. It is the one complex carb that I rely on to keep my sanity as well as get me back on track for my pre-con season.
I can only speak on behalf of figure athletes, but it’s safe to say that oatmeal is a staple in most every athlete’s diet. What makes it so great? Well, it’s a starchy carbohydrate that has a perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein and “good fat” – yes, there is such a thing!
A half cup of oatmeal contains 1 gram of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams worth of protein. This balanced composition of protein and fat makes for a very slow released carb – precisely what a person, who strives to get lean and mean, should look for in a food. Make sure you opt for the real stuff too. Choose the all natural oats, whether it be the crushed, cut, or rolled variety. Anything from old-fashioned oats (Quaker works too) or, preferably, the quick multi-grain oats to steel cut oats are ideal.
Stay away from the sugar sweetened and or flavored oatmeal packets. There are several ways to spice up a bowl of oatmeal and make it tasty enough to be considered a treat. If you really need that flavoring, try adding stevia with a bit of cinnamon for a sweeter taste. After it has been cooked, you can also stir in a scoop of your favorite protein powder to add flavor and complete your meal.
If you’re looking for consistency in your porridge, then I suggest adding some crushed walnuts and or flaxseeds to your oats. Not only are they delicious and crunchy, but they also provide you with those desirable “good fats” I mentioned earlier.
Head over to your local health food store and pick up some barley, wheat, rye, oat bran and or flax cereals. There are even multi-grain combinations of the aforementioned available for purchase as well. After a month or so of substituting this staple into my diet as my carb supplement, I quickly found it to be my favorite food. Oatmeal ably satisfied any and all of my carb cravings especially during my tense pre-contest schedule. It will leave you energized and satisfied.
Yams | Sweet potatoes
Next to oatmeal, yams and sweet potatoes are a close second on my list of favorite carb foods. Yams and sweet potatoes are a complete package. They’re sweet, full of flavor, all-natural, low in calories and chalked full of nutrients and antioxidants like beta-carotene. It’s really no wonder why they’re one of the most popular carbs consumed in the world. Nothing compares with a yam.
Although the glycemic index is a secondary factor when making carb choices on the M2 Fat Loss program, it should be given more weight in your choices if you are carb sensitive or if you are on a very strict diet (similar to a contest diet).
Yams are, without a doubt, the best. Sweet potatoes are not exactly the same as yams as they are slightly higher on the glycemic index. Otherwise, sweet potatoes are still excellent choices for fat burning diets because they excel at slowing down the rate in which glucose is released and absorbed into your bloodstream thereby sustaining your energy levels longer and helping you dodge the fatigue slump.
Combine a yam with a green veggie, chicken breast, lean red meat or fish and you’ve got yourself a perfect fat-burning, muscle building, metabolism boosting meal. Bonus!
Oh! And ladies, these taters will fill you up without filling in those waistlines! Added bonus!
“Potatoes”
Whether they are russet, white or red, I try to avoid implementing potatoes into my fat loss programs. The reason being is that they are more susceptible to being accentuated with butters, creams and other condiments, which all make for super rich, calorie dense meals. However, and there always is one, potatoes do meet every criteria set for a great carbohydrate. Potatoes are all-natural complex carbs rich in vitamins as well as a good source of fiber and minerals. They also happen to be quite filling and low in calories. Eat it dry or top it with your favorite salsa and you definitely can’t go wrong.
Another reason fat loss programs tend to omit the potato has to do with its lofty ranking on the glycemic index. This ranking entails that potatoes have a high tendency of being absorbed as blood sugars in a rapid manner. This is what gives you that sudden burst of energy, but also results in a hard crash as that energy leaves you just as fast.
It should be noted; however, when you eat your potato as a whole meal with your choice of lean protein, the glycemic index of the entire meal is much lower. Also keep in mind that some white potatoes are higher on the index than others. Russet or “baking” potatoes are higher in amylose, a slow releasing starch, so the glycemic index is lower. If you happen to be extremely carb sensitive or hypoglycemic, then you might want to opt for yams or sweet potatoes.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is another solid whole grain staple food for both in-season and off-season regimens. This is another ancient food falling within our 3,000 year timeline. Why brown? The conversion from brown to white destroys most of its nutritional value thereby stripping a considerable amount of vitamins, all of the dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids, which results in a highly processed and refined grain.
For those of you on healthy meal plans, you may want to avoid any style of rice dish you might find served in Asian restaurants. These are usually loaded with sugar enriched ingredients. You can also substitute your sushi rolls with homemade protein rolls and brown rice. My best picks of the many choices of rice would be the slow-cooked brown or basmati. I always prefer to boil and simmer. If you absolutely must, the instant pre-cooked rice comes in handy when you’re in a time crunch. They make for quick eats and even quicker digestion.
100% whole wheat and whole grain products
The M2 Fat Loss program uses these bread products as part of the “baseline diet” on one condition – they must be made from 100% whole grains. Somewhere on the labeling, it should read, “100% whole wheat” or “100% whole grain” as the first ingredient.
White bread and anything made out of white flour is highly refined and therefore not allowed in any quantity on a fat loss program except for the occasional planned “cheat meal”. If you are particularly carb-sensitive, bread, of any variety, is one of the first things to go from your daily diet. A small handful of people will have an extreme sensitivity to the gluten in wheat. Gluten is a protein found in wheat products. Similar to the effects of lactose intolerance from dairy products, gluten intolerance can cause digestive difficulties and bloating in certain individuals.
On very strict fat loss diets, wheat and bread products are usually eliminated completely. Generally speaking, however, 100% whole wheat and other whole grains are perfectly acceptable additions to a healthy diet for long term body composition control. It just depends on how “strict” you want or need to be with your nutrition.
Greens
Fibrous carbs are your number one choice for fat burning carbohydrates and green vegetables the most popular of the group. Because green vegetables have a low caloric density, it is virtually impossible to over-eat. You can eat as much of them as you want, any time you want…well, at least later on in the day. A diet of green vegetables combined with lean proteins is one of the best methods of getting lean as quickly as possible.
Fresh Fruit
Whole fruits are great. These tend to my “limited” sweets on season. Granted, a diet of mostly complex carbohydrates will give you better results than a diet of predominantly simple carbohydrates. Do not take this to mean that fruit is “fattening”. In actuality, most fruits are low in calories, high in fiber and low in carbohydrate grams, at least when compared to starches.
Raisins are a particular fruit terse with calories and best avoided when you’re on a strict fat loss program or your calorie allotment is small. Fruits like apples, peaches, grapefruits, and oranges are a great addition to almost any nutritional plan. Just make sure the majority of your carbohydrates are of the complex type. Keep in mind, an all-fruit or mostly fruit diet won’t be nearly as effective for fat loss.
“What we buy is not simply some “thing”, but some idea that is embodied by that thing”