You may have heard some variation of this statement before: Your commitment to improved nutrition has to be a total, sustainable lifestyle change. WRONG!!!!

When people say this, they’re often doing it with the best of intentions. They’re trying to make eating better seem easier and more approachable. But what comes across is often the opposite. After all, there are an infinite number of nutrition-related variables you could change, and they would all impact your enjoyment, progress, and willingness to continue.

So let’s break it down and focus on doing fewer things better. Here are four techniques you can use to make real progress without getting overwhelmed.

1 DON’T MICROMANAGE YOUR MACROS

Repeat after me: protein, vegetables, water. If you forget everything else after reading this article, at least remember these three words. They’re the nutritional foundation of fat loss.

Don’t get me wrong—fat has its place, and it’s an important one. But if your goal is to lose weight, eating more protein and vegetables and drinking more water are the priorities. Focus on getting more of all three, and you can solve a lot of problems.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT, EATING MORE PROTEIN AND VEGETABLES AND DRINKING MORE WATER ARE THE PRIORITIES. FOCUS ON GETTING MORE OF ALL THREE, AND YOU CAN SOLVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

Why u might ask Dear Watson? Let me break it down to you one at a time.

Protein: Aside from its ability to help you add muscle—which, in turn, helps to burn more fat—protein has several other benefits. It is slow to digest, which can help keep you feeling full throughout the day. It also has a high thermic effect, which means your body actually has to burn energy to digest and absorb protein. Yes, you understood that correctly: Protein can help keep you feeling fuller while eating less. To keep calories in check and encourage muscle-building at its highest, I recommend using lean animal proteins a majority of the time.

Veggies: After you’re finished pummeling your protein, it’s time to feast on veggies! Aside from the nutrient density and abundant antioxidants most vegetables have to offer, they also help to promote fullness due to their high water content. Fresh, frozen, or canned, each offers few calories per serving, which leads to larger portions and more fullness without the caloric overload or guilt trip.

Water: With all of the hoopla around macronutrients, it’s easy to forget that water is an essential nutrient, too. After all, we’re at least 70 percent water, which means we’re more water than protein! Aside from the cognitive and performance benefits associated with proper hydration, it’s crucial to drink water consistently throughout the day to further promote fullness, prevent dehydration, and boost recovery from exercise. Of course, this calorie-free fluid also takes up ample space in your stomach, preventing you from trying to fill it with candy and cookies.

These priorities can even extend to the order in which you eat things on your plate. Try filling up on proteins and veggies first, with ample sips of water throughout the meal. If you still have room afterward, that’s when to eat your carbs and fats.

2 FIX ONE MEAL AT A TIME

Look at some fitness-related Instagram feeds, and you might get the impression that you have to prep every meal every day to get results. You don’t.

Identify the one meal that is the most troublesome for you each day. Maybe you often skip lunch because you’re overloaded with meetings and projects all day, or you frequent the fast-food drive-thru for dinner on the reg. Maybe you still eat the breakfast of an overactive 6-year-old, and your wavering energy level throughout the day shows it. Tackle whatever meal gives you the most difficulty in consistently making sound nutritional choices.

First, make a plan. Plot out what you will eat for that specific meal each day of the week. Not just today, or tomorrow—every day of the week. If it’s lunch or dinner, iron out your lean protein and vegetables (and carbohydrates, depending on the meal,) and decide which ones you will include in that meal. Maybe it’s salmon and broccoli tomorrow, and grilled chicken with green beans the next.

Once you’ve got your foods picked, make the meal happen! Carve out the time to cook, portion, and pack the ingredients for this meal for the next few days. I’m not asking you to pack a week’s worth of food, or even a day’s worth—just one single meal per day.

ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR FOODS PICKED, MAKE THE MEAL HAPPEN! CARVE OUT THE TIME TO COOK, PORTION, AND PACK THE INGREDIENTS FOR THIS MEAL FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
If you can replace a few fast-food or vending-machine meals each week with some quality protein, vegetables, and water, that’s a big step. You’ll eliminate plenty of excess calories, improve your overall nutrition, and start building the habits that will lead to long-term progress.

3 LOOK FOR SIMPLE SWAPS

Steps 1 and 2 can be game-changers on their own, so by all means start there. Then, turn to the other caloric black holes that might be hiding in your life.

These don’t always have to be attacked with the wholesale “replace a meal with a different meal” approach. Often, a simple ingredient swap can boost your intake of healthful nutrients while slashing fat and calories in half. You’d be surprised how effortlessly you can cut calories throughout your day. Here are a few places to start:

USUAL FOOD CHOICE SIMPLE SWAP POSITIVE CHANGE IN NUTRITION
1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -160 calories, +10 grams protein
1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -395 calories, +10 grams protein
Soda Diet soda -200-300 calories
Coffee creamer Low-fat milk -35 calories, +4 grams protein
Sugar Artificial sweetener -50 calories
Regular Potato Chips Baked Potato Chips -7 grams of fat

4 DON’T START TOO FAST

The biggest diet mistake is cutting calories too rapidly. This is because your metabolism is dynamic. It adapts to your current level of food intake and exercise, and it will respond to dramatic changes by trying to slow them down.

If you begin including regular exercise as well as reducing caloric intake by 1,000 or more calories per day, you will place your body in a rather large negative caloric balance. You’re undoubtedly going to lose weight, and lose it fast. Initially, you may lose 2-5 pounds per week. However, this won’t last.

YOU’RE UNDOUBTEDLY GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT, AND LOSE IT FAST. INITIALLY, YOU MAY LOSE 2-5 POUNDS PER WEEK. HOWEVER, THIS WON’T LAST.
Soon, your weight will plateau, and the next logical step is to further increase your treadmill time or to further reduce calories. But do this, and you’ll only end up losing muscle and messing with your hunger-related hormones, both of which will do more harm than good to your results in the long term. It can also set you up for rapid weight gain when—not if—the hunger wins and you engage in an epic caloric splurge.

Losing 50 pounds isn’t going to happen overnight, or in the next week, or even the next couple of months, and that’s a good thing. That rate of loss wouldn’t be sustainable, nor would it likely be healthy.

Here’s what is healthy and sustainable: 1-2 pounds a week. Some weeks it will be more, some less. It probably won’t be linear. But it’s the rate to aim for, and it’s how lasting change is achieved.

But all of this is just advise. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Keep punching and growing stronger,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

REFERENCES
Casa, D.J., Armstrong, L.E., Hillman, S.K., Montain, S.J., Reiff, R.V., Rich, B.S.E., Roberts, W.O. & Stone, J.A. (2000). National Athletic Trainer’s Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes. Journal for Athletic Training, 35(2), 212-224.
Casa, D.J. & Clarkson, P.M. (2005). American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable on Hydration and Physical Activity: Consensus Statements. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 4, 115-127.

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You see it on Flex Magazine, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Shape Magazine. Beautiful Women, Amazing Abs, Glutes from the Gods. But you wonder Why don’t I look like her? Well in today’s blog we will provide you the information to get the best body you need.

1.CRAZY WITH CARDIO

There’s no question that getting sufficient cardio is key to looking great and burning fat, but it’s important to be mindful of how you perform cardio in terms of type and duration. Grinding on the treadmill for 30 minutes is going to have limited effectiveness in the long term. Yes, it burns calories during the session, but the aftereffect is quite minimal, and it can get stale fast.

“It’s important to mix it up in the gym and make sure you have a well-rounded fitness regimen,”I often sees women doing too much steady-state cardio, spending hours on the StepMill to no avail. “Being a cardio-machine bunny can jeopardize your muscle gains and burn you out.”

Instead, Latona recommends a healthy mix of 1-3 steady-state sessions per week alongside two high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions. Not only is HIIT more efficient, allowing you to get in a heart-racing, sweat-pouring training session in a mere 15 minutes, but it also burns more calories post-workout and lessens the chance of tapping into your hard-earned muscle along with fat.

Just make sure to wind down after your intense cardio sessions by walking and stretching. I suggest you attend a yoga class to help your muscles relax and your body unwind. Remember, recovery is a two-way street. “Taking care of your body will allow it to work hard for you which, in turn, will help keep you motivated,” she says.

2 NOT BUILDING A MUSCLE BASE
A focus on weight loss rather than muscle gain could also be the reason your progress has stalled. “The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest.”

But this doesn’t mean you have to skip cardio for weights. “If time constraints have you feeling stuck to choose between cardio and lifting, try combining them both!” “An intense HIIT session that incorporates a lot of muscle power can burn fat and build muscle like you’ve never known before.”

Some great exercises are pushing a weighted sled and sweating it out with the battle ropes. Looking to cut down on time even further? Take notes from this fitness pro. “Try adding your cardio between weight lifting sets,” “Jump squats, jumping rope, and plyometric training are prefect for that.”

If you’re going to try this technique, just make sure you swap your rest periods for bodyweight exercises that don’t task the same muscle groups with which you’re lifting. For example, throwing jump squats between sets of heavy squats may fatigue your legs too quickly, so try push-ups or something less lower-body intensive on days you train legs.

3. FEARING FATS
Protein’s not the only macronutrient that can leave you feeling fuller longer. Incorporating the proper types of fat into your diet can play a role in keeping you satiated, as well. “Foods such as meat and dairy have saturated fat that you may only want to eat in moderation, but olive oil and avocados provide healthy unsaturated fats that you want to take in”

4. EATING TOO MUCH PROCESSED FOOD
In addition to your total calories and macronutrient breakdown, you should also pay attention to food quality. “Try and stay away from processed foods if you want optimal results.”

Practice shopping just the perimeters of the grocery store instead of going up and down the aisles.” “That’s where you’ll find the whole foods—think vegetables, meats, whole grains, and more—that your body will thank you for. Remember, filling your cart with healthier items means prepping yourself for quality gains!

Then, when you do have a cheat meal, make sure that it doesn’t replace that day’s healthy eats entirely. “If you eat food high in sugar or simple carbs, make sure to pair it with a food high in fiber,”. “You’ll do less damage that way.”

5. SLATHERING EVERYTHING IN SAUCE
One of the biggest problems pro fitness model Amanda Latona sees people making is neglecting to track the add-ons they use when preparing their meals. Long story short, condiments count!

“Dressings and sauces are full of hidden sugars and fats, so be sure to check them carefully,” she says. “You may have the best of intentions eating that salad and chicken breast, but if you slather it in a heaping of heavy dressing, it changes the nutritional value of the meal entirely.”

Amanda recommends that you always ask for the sauces or dressing on the side and pick a lighter or sugar-free version whenever possible. “Try mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, or dry spices for added flavor without the calories,” she says.

6. UNDEREATING
Cutting calories isn’t always equivalent to cutting fat, especially if you cut too drastically from the very beginning. While you need to expend more calories than you consume in order to lose weight, if you go too far, dieting can work against you. You may begin to lose muscle, and your metabolism may eventually adapt to your new low levels of caloric intake.

“Not eating enough can cause the body to store or hold on to more fat,” “Plus, the fatigue and bad mood associated with crash dieting will undoubtedly make it much harder to work out and stay positive about your goals and progress.”

7. MISSING KEY MICRONUTRIENTS

If you don’t cut smart, a reduced-calorie diet could leave you short on the vitamins and minerals your body needs. “Being in a caloric deficit may mean you aren’t getting enough of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed to keep your body running at an optimal level,” Latona Says.

In order to make sure you’re fueling your body to optimal levels, she recommends you supplement with an omega-3 product, a multivitamin, and branched chain amino acids.

In Summary Understanding your body and the science behind it is a beautiful thing. Love yourself regardless of what you do right or wrong in and out of the gym. We are here to help you with Nutrition and Fitness forums that give great advice. A chiseled body is not built in a day. It takes years of blood, sweat and tears. But all of this is just advice. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Keep Lifting and Staying Strong,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie NY

References:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/amanda-latona-fitness-360-training.html
http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/3-things-sabotaging-your-weight-loss
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/amanda-latona-fitness-360-nutrition.html

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