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Avoiding Temptation: Healthy Snacking

It’s most common to be tempted to cheat on our diets when we get hungry between meals.  Many dieters eliminate between-meal snacks from their diets in an effort to cut calories consumed throughout the day, but this can result in a frustrating 4 o’clock feeling because it’s been a while since lunch but dinner is still a few hours away.  If this sounds like you, you have the right idea but you’re making it harder on yourself than it has to be.  Spreading your calories throughout the day by eating a variety of healthful snacks can help ward off cravings and will keep your metabolism running strong all day.

Eat Every 3 Hours

3 hours is a guideline, not a law, but going for long periods of time without food may actually be detrimental to your diet plan.  This is especially true if you’re on a low calorie diet because your metabolism will be more inclined to slow down during the day because it isn’t getting as much food as it’s used to.  Eating every 3 hours or so will force your metabolism to continue to burn calories throughout the entire day and will provide your body with the steady supply of nutrients you need to perform at your best and avoid temptations.

Try this: Eat a hearty breakfast around 8, lunch at 12, an afternoon snack at about 3:30, dinner around 7 and a high protein snack before bed around 10.

Have Healthy Snacks with You

If you work a 9-5, make sure to pack at least one healthful snack every day and have a back-up stash somewhere in your desk.  Same idea goes if you’re attending school – those vending machine temptations won’t be very forgiving to your waistline or wallet.  It’s also important to have snacks with you on vacations so you have something to hold you over until you find a restaurant with healthy options.  I would recommend always having an emergency stash somewhere in your car so you’re not tempted to hit a lot of fast food joints when you’re on the road.

Choose Balanced Snacks

A balanced snack will have complex carbohydrates (found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables), protein, and fat.

For example, try these healthy options:

Nuts (great for stashing in your car or desk)

Low-fat string cheese with whole wheat crackers

Low-sugar Greek yogurt (add dried fruit and nuts for more flavor)

Peanut butter on whole wheat bread

Apples, grapes, bananas and other fresh fruit

Vegetables (carrots and broccoli travel well)

Dark chocolate with a glass of reduced-fat milk

These and other options that are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats will help you stay full throughout the day and ward off temptations as you pass the local donut shop.  Remember, spreading your calories out throughout the day is always better than eating them all in a few sittings.

Get a Total Body Workout in 15 Minutes

We all know there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything we want to, but if you truly feel like you just don't have enough time to exercise, try to rethink how you exercise. Hitting the gym doesn't always have to be a 2 hour ordeal; in fact sometimes you can stay home (which eliminates commuting time) and get a great workout in as little as 15 minutes! To pull off an effective workout in such a short amount of time, efficiency is important. You'll want to work multiple muscle groups at the same time with compound exercises and you can eliminate time between exercises by performing circuit training.

Compound Exercises

Some exercises are intended to only target a very specific muscle group, while compound exercises engage multiple muscle groups at the same time. Although exercises that target specific muscles can be effective and should be a part of your regular weight lifting routine, when you're strapped for time, rely on compound exercises to get a total body workout quickly.

Push-Ups

The push-up is one of my favorite exercises. It engages basically your entire upper-body: your chest, biceps, triceps, core, and even deltoids. For a standard push-up your arms should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. To focus on your triceps, move your hands closer together. To really challenge your pectorals, move your hands further apart.

Squats

Squats are able to engage the two largest muscles in your body: your quads and glutes. Working larger muscles requires more energy, which means you'll burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. Speed squats or jump squats will really make your heart rate jump, helping you reap some of the benefits of cardiovascular exercise in a short amount of time.

Chin-Ups

A chin-up bar that goes over your door is a fairly inexpensive home gym accessory, but you can also see if a nearby park has chin-up bars or even monkey bars. To target your biceps, grip the bar underhanded. To target your triceps, grip the bar overhanded.

Lunges

Lunges are another great lower body workout that will engage your quads, glutes and inner-thighs. Increase the difficulty by starting in an ordinary lunge position and jumping up and switching legs in the air.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is easiest to explain with an example: 24 jump squats followed immediately by 20 push-ups followed by 24 alternating leg lunges followed up by 10 chin-ups or 20 wide push-ups. Rest for 1 minute and repeat the sequence until you've reached the 15 minute mark.

The squats work your lower body so these muscles need rest before being used again. However, instead of wasting time while resting, you work completely different muscles with the push-ups. Then, while the muscles you work by doing push-ups are resting, you return to working your leg muscles. This intense sequence will get your heart racing just as if you were doing cardiovascular exercise, you'll save time by eliminating down time between exercises, and you can work out at home! Continue to challenge your body by mixing in different compound exercises from time to time and enjoy the benefits of long gym workouts in only a few minutes!

The Importance of Sleep

Did you know that sleep can actually help you lose weight and gain muscle mass?  When your body gets enough sleep, it partially suppresses the hormone ghrelin, which regulates your metabolism and appetite.  However, when you're deprived of sleep, this hormone goes through the roof, taking your appetite with it.

Speaking of hormones, your body releases its largest amount of growth hormone while you're asleep, which is essential for repairing the damage you did to your muscle tissue while you were working out.  If you're not getting enough sleep, your body won't be able to repair its muscles and it will take you longer to gain lean muscle mass.

Aim for between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night.  Your weight loss and muscle building goals will thank you.

Surviving McDonald's and Fast Food Restaurants

I don't think there will ever come a time when nutrition authors will be able to give you the complete go-ahead on fast food chains, but these chains may get a slightly worse reputation than they actually deserve. McDonald's especially has made a recent push towards offering healthier options, so if you're picky and follow these rules, the occasional fast food visit won't throw you off your diet.

No Meals

If you're planning on ordering a burger or sandwich, buy it à la carte. Ordering a medium drink and filling it up with Coke will add 150 junk calories and 40 grams of sugar that will cause your blood sugar to spike and leave you feeling hungry in an hour. The medium fries that come with your meal will add nearly 400 calories, 19 grams of fat, and more than 10% of your daily value of sodium. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Hold the Mayonnaise

Did you know that the mayonnaise at Burger King adds 160 calories to your meal with its whopping 17 grams of fat? That's more calories and fat than the cheese adds! As a general rule, opt for darker colored condiments, like Ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Be Careful of Salads

Salad is not necessarily code for healthy - you have to be picky here too. Does the Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken really sound healthy? It has more than 20 grams of fat and 450 calories, and that's if you don't add any dressing. With numbers like those you might as well go for a big juicy burger! Plus remember what I was saying about choosing dark-colored condiments? That means light-colored salad dressings are probably high in fat. If you're going to get a salad, opt for grilled chicken (McDonald's offers that same Southwest salad with grilled chicken) and dip each bite into a little bit of dressing instead of drenching your entire salad with it - you'll be able to taste the dressing without consuming more than you need.

Order from the Under 400 Calories Menu

The number of calories a meal has is by no means the only factor you should consider when picking what to eat (the medium fries managed to sneak onto this list after all), but this section of the menu is a good place to start searching for selections. You can request a further breakdown of nutritional information, look it up online, or use your best judgment. It's not always easy at a lot of fast food joints, but try to get the highest percentage of your calories from protein or at least choose options that move in that direction. Remember, protein is essential for weight loss and muscle gain, so you should make it a priority even when you're eating out.

A Beginner's Guide to the Gym: 5 Things You Must Know

When I was new to going to the gym I thought it was a pretty intimidating place. I didn't know what some of the machines did, I always felt lost, and it took me a while to figure out some of the vocabulary. Now that I've learned the ins and outs, I've compiled this list of information every new gym-goer should know.

1. No One is Paying Attention to You

The people at the gym are there to do the same thing you are: to get a good workout. That's what they're focused on, not the people around them. So if you're a little confused or a little lost, you're the only one who knows it - the people around you are completely oblivious to what you're doing.

2. No One Is Judging You

This is the same concept - people at the gym are focused on what they're doing, not what you're doing. If you're not lifting very much weight or if you had to slow down on the treadmill, no one else cares. In fact, I've always respected people who obviously aren't in great shape just for getting to the gym - we all started somewhere.

3. The Gym Staff is There to Help

You know those people who just kind of stand around at the front of the weight room and don't really do anything? Don't be afraid to ask them for help if you have a question, they're there for a reason. Besides, if you were confused at the airport wouldn't you ask a worker for help? It's the same concept.

4. The Labels are Useful

I know that we are all a little averse to reading directions, but those stickers on the weight lifting machines can be really useful if you're new to the gym. They'll show you how to do the exercise, which muscle groups you'll be using and how to set up the machine based on your height.

5. Know This Gym Vocabulary

How many sets do you have left?

This is the polite way of asking if you're almost done with a particular machine. Do not rush your workout just because someone is waiting, but don't dilly-dally around on your phone either.

Can I work in with you?

This is the common follow-up question if the answer to the previous question is more than one set - you're basically being asked if they can do a set while you're resting, and then you'll do your next set when they're resting. Unless you're doing some kind of timed circuit training, always say yes. And of course, you can always ask to work in too, just make sure they're resting when you ask and try to avoid messing with the height adjustments too much.

Can you spot me?

You're basically being asked to help someone do an exercise at a weight they're not sure they can do. It's unlikely you'll get asked this if you're not really fit yet, but if you do, make sure you know exactly what the person wants you to do. If it sounds manageable, you could make a friend. If it doesn't, tell them so. They're looking to prevent an injury when they ask for a spot, so if you don't think you can help them, they'll want to know.

Reveal Your Abs: 6 Things to Know About That Elusive Six-Pack

Striving for that perfectly chiseled six-pack you see on magazines?  Besides some friendly lighting, airbrushing and photo-shopping, there are some things you need to know about revealing your abs that can help you achieve that beach body you’ve always wanted.

Everyone Has Six-Pack Muscles

They’re just hidden – under fat – which means that to truly begin revealing your six-pack, you need to cut body fat.  This is the unfortunate reality of this article because cutting body fat is a slow process.  Deep down I’m sure you knew this was true though, so you can expect to start seeing your abs when you’re at a healthy body fat percentage.

You Cannot Spot Burn Fat

End of story.  You can’t only lose fat in your stomach area while remaining chubby elsewhere.  It can’t be done.  Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

Crunches Won’t Reveal Your Abs

Abdominal crunches have got to be the most over-hyped exercise around.  Our core is made up of a combination of very small muscles that help to keep us upright and allow us to rotate our torsos.  They are a complex network that stretch from the front of your abs (the six-pack area), around to your obliques and even into your back.  Crunches will only work a very small percentage of these muscles, so any muscle definition you gain from sit-ups is likely to be minimal.  Also, because your ab muscles are so small, working them in isolation will burn only a negligible number of calories, which will not help to remove that layer of fat between your abs and your skin.

Focus on Big Muscles and Cardio

If you ever need some extra motivation to stay on the cardio machine for those last 5 minutes or to do your final set of squats, think of it as an indirect ab workout.  We all know that cardiovascular exercise is important to weight loss, and working large muscles, such as your quads and glutes, burns far more calories per repetition than working your much smaller abdominal muscles (in fact, squats burn more calories per rep than any other exercise).

The Best Ab Exercises

The most effective ab exercises involve more of your core than just the front part.  Stabilization exercises, such as planks, engage both the front and back areas of your core.  Try doing them on your sides with your elbow on the ground to engage your obliques.  Also, exercises that focus on trunk rotation will engage the front, sides and even back of your core.

Sit Up Straight

Even if you were to somehow do an hour of ab work every single day, your abs are still resting for the other 23 hours of the day.  One of the most basic functions of your abs is to keep you upright, so make them do their job!  If you’re working your abs basically whenever you’re awake by sitting up straight, you’ll be a lot more pleased with the results in a lot less time.

A Weight-Lifting Must

It can be very tempting to hold our breath while we struggle to get through the last few reps of our exercise and then pant when we finally finish it, but your muscles need a steady supply of oxygen to perform at their peak.  It's much better to establish a steady breathing rhythm while we lift: exhale when you're straining your muscles and inhale again when they're relaxing.  Still having trouble remembering to breathe?  Try whispering the count out loud each time you perform a repetition.

The Truth about Health Food Buzzwords

Marketers have responded to the recent pushes to eat better and lead healthier lives with buzzwords that make their products sound healthy.  Words and phrases like “all natural,” “organic,” “made with real fruit juice,” and “made with whole grain” dominate the packages in the aisles of your local grocery store.  Be careful though, these words may not mean what you think they do and they certainly aren’t the only factor you should consider when you’re filling your pantry.

All Natural

This one is probably the most misleading health food buzzword out there because “natural” likely doesn’t mean what you think it means.  In fact, according to the FDA, it doesn’t mean anything at all – the FDA does not define or regulate the term on food products.  The USDA loosely defines what natural means for meat products as not having artificial preservatives (which doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any preservatives – salt is found naturally in the earth after all), coloring ingredients, and it should be minimally processed.  Here’s the problem: meat from animals treated with strange hormones while they were alive can still technically be considered natural.  Also, the enforcement of companies who make “all natural” claims isn’t very stringent, so it’s largely up to the producer to define what natural is.  My recommendation: ignore any advertisement that says “all natural” and investigate the product on your own by taking a look at the ingredients list.

Organic

Food labeled as organic is much more stringently regulated than food labeled as all natural; and the “Certified USDA Organic” seal can only be used after a company undergoes an approval process and frequent inspections by USDA inspectors.  There’s a lot to the definition of what is and is not organic, but basically produce cannot be grown with synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, etc. and the pest control process cannot use certain chemicals.  Meat must be fed with organic feed, have access to the great outdoors, and they cannot be given growth hormones or antibiotics.  Again, that’s a very brief definition, but organic food is more what you think of when you think of food being made naturally.  If this is important to you, then you should spend the extra money on organic foods and visit Farmer’s Markets, but realize that organic is not synonymous with healthy.  You can make organic cookies or other organic foods that we would usually consider to be “junk food,” and although it may have been made naturally, it is not necessarily good for you.

Made with Real Fruit Juice

This one actually means what it sounds like, but it’s usually not as healthy as it sounds.  I have yet to find a label that says “made with real fruit juice” without having added sugar on the ingredients list.  Here’s the other problem with this label: when you’re only getting the fruit juice, you tend to lose all the other nutritional benefits of fruit.  Take an apple as an example.  An apple with the peel has about 5 grams of fiber (depending on the size of the apple), but if you only have a little apple fruit juice, you’re not getting any fiber.  You’re better off with real fruit, not real fruit juice.

Made with Whole Grain

I’m a big proponent of eating whole grains, but that doesn’t mean everything with whole grains is healthy.  Look for labels that say 100% whole grain – you should still check for sugar, fat and sodium content, but 100% whole grain is a good start.  If the label doesn’t say anything about what percentage of the product is whole grain, check to see how many grams of whole grain the label says a product is made with (which should be posted) and compare that to the number of grams of carbohydrates on the nutritional label.  Finally, you can check the ingredients list to see if the first ingredient listed says something about whole grains (note: an ingredient’s list is always listed from the most abundant ingredient to the least abundant ingredient).

The Bottom Line

Always check the nutritional label and ingredient’s list.  Marketers can’t try to deceive you here – they’re required by law to post this information and that is well regulated.

Simple Substitution #5: Almonds

Almonds are loaded in healthy omega-3 fats that will keep you full for hours.  It also packs a good dose of protein and Vitamin E, which is essential for protein absorption.  I especially like to take my protein shake with almond milk, which has nearly your entire daily value's worth of Vitamin E in just one serving, to make sure my muscles absorb as much as possible and for a thicker texture than water (discover if a protein supplement is right for you).  Carry around a package of almonds with you wherever you go for a natural snack full of nutritional benefits.

The Ugly Reality of Counting Calories

I’ve never really been a fan of counting calories for a number of reasons.  First, it’s kind of tedious and it’s honestly hard to tell how much milk you just poured into your bowl of cereal, so your results are often inaccurate.  Second, and most importantly, it oversimplifies the concepts behind eating well.  For example, even if you’re only eating 1200 calories a day (which is less than I’d recommend) of nothing but sugar, you’re not doing your health or your waistline any favors.

What is a calorie?

There are a number of ways to define a calorie, but when we’re talking about diet and exercise, think of calories as energy.  Your body needs a certain number of calories (energy) to keep your organs and bodily functions operating correctly, though this number varies greatly depending on age, size, muscle mass, activity level and more.  When you eat, you are consuming calories, which provides your body with energy; and when you exercise, you are burning calories because your body is using its available energy.

A Breakdown of Calories

There are 3 basic sources from which our body gets energy: fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

For each 1 gram of fat you eat, you are consuming 9 calories.

For each 1 gram of carbohydrates you eat, you are consuming 4 calories.

For each 1 gram of protein you eat, you are consuming 4 calories.

The Problem with Only Counting Calories

Counting calories may be a decent place to start, but the weight loss formula is far more complex than calories alone.  To stay healthy, feeling full, and energized, your body needs a combination of fat, carbs and protein.  If you’re only counting calories, you may not be getting a good balance of these macronutrients and your body will essentially be starving.  When your body doesn’t have the nutrients it needs, it will respond by letting your brain know that you’re hungry, making it more difficult to stick to your diet even if you’re eating a safe number of calories.

The Solution

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to explain what you should and should not eat, and you’ll need to do more research than just reading this section to effectively control your diet.  However, there are a few simple principles to follow that I’ll touch on briefly.

First, fat is not bad for you.  Limit saturated fat when possible and always avoid anything that has trans-fat, but monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are very good for you and can actually help your weight loss routine gain momentum.  These healthy fats are readily found in nuts and fish.

Second, you do need to eat a lot of carbohydrates (somewhere in the ballpark of 300 grams) daily to stay energized.  When you eat carbs, opt for whole grain options like whole wheat bread or crackers.  Also, fruits and vegetables are considered complex carbohydrates, meaning they break down slowly to provide you with sustained energy.  These are always good options.

Third, high quality protein is absolutely essential for weight loss.  Unlike carbs or fats, your body can’t store protein for later, so you need to eat it every single day.  Aim for at least 75 grams of protein daily, more if you’re exercising frequently. 

5 Keys to Muscle Building

There’s more to muscle building than just getting to the gym and lifting weights.  Your body can only respond to the intense pressure you’re putting on your muscles if you treat it right, which means doing a lot of things right outside of the gym.  Follow these tips and watch your muscle building efforts finally achieve the results you've been looking for.

1. Eat Protein…Lots of Protein

This one is obvious but still worth mentioning.  To gain serious muscle mass, you should be eating as many grams of protein daily as your target body weight in pounds, so someone looking to weigh 150 pounds should be eating 150 grams of protein (check out The Truth about Protein to make sure you're getting the highest quality protein out there).

2. Eat Protein before Bed

A lot of the biological processes that contribute to muscle gain occur while you’re asleep.  Therefore, it is absolutely vital that your body has some protein to work with throughout the night.  A casein protein supplement would work well because this high quality protein can stay in your bloodstream for up to 8 hours (learn more about protein supplements).  Drinking a glass of milk is also a good option because 80% of milk protein is casein.  Personally, I opt for a low fat cheese stick right before bed, which packs about 7 grams of casein protein.

3. Implement Rest Days

When I first started lifting weights, I would hit the gym 7 days a week.  Little did I know, this was actually sabotaging my muscle building efforts.  When you lift weights, the stress you put on your muscles creates extremely small micro-tears that your body needs to repair through protein synthesis.  If you work those muscles again before your body has had the chance to completely repair them, you’re only going to do more damage and it won’t help you build muscle.  Have at least one full rest day a week – I actually recommend two.  No cardio, no weight lifting, no crazy yoga, no abs, nothing.  Just rest.

4. Get Back to Basics

Sometimes weight lifters get so caught up in doing exercises that only work one specific muscle at a time that they forget what got them there.  Fundamental exercises like push-ups, chin-ups, and squats work a lot of muscles at the same time and shouldn't be abandoned.  They’re great exercises to warm up with and should continue to be a staple for your muscle building routine.

5. Mix it Up

It’s important to challenge your muscles in new ways, even if you’re doing it with the same exercises (learn how to torch off calories with interval training).  One week, decrease your weight and increase your reps; another week increase your weight and decrease your reps.  Implement a different challenge at least one week a month so your muscles don’t get stuck in the same old routine.

The Truth About Sports Drinks

There’s a huge market for hydration beverages like Gatorade and Powerade, but do you know what you’re actually getting when you chug one down?  Be careful when you drink a sports beverage – if you’re not doing it right it may be contributing to weight gain!

Are sports drinks healthy?

The Good

Sports rehydration beverages do have their advantages.  There is some truth to the commercials that say something along the lines of, “he/she has lost a lot, and water won’t put it back.”  Sports drinks have electrolytes, which are basically salts, specifically ions.  When you sweat, you sweat out both water and these ions, which is why it burns to have sweat in your eyes and it tastes terrible.  Drinking water alone will not put this salt back into your body, so sports drinks can effectively rehydrate you.

The Gatorade label I’m looking at also shows that there is some potassium in the bottle, which is good for preventing muscle cramps.

The Bad

The bad is pretty simple: there’s a ton of sugar in these little drinks.  The 12oz bottle I’m looking at has 21 grams of sugar and 80 calories, which won’t be particularly friendly on your waistline.  Plus this bottle is smaller than average – frequently a full bottle will be 1.5-2 servings, but really, who saves the rest for later?

Should you drink rehydration beverages?

This depends entirely on what you’re using them for.  If you’re just looking for a sweet alternative to water, you’ll be much better off with a 100% fruit juice.  However, there are times and places for sports drinks.

Before Exercise

If you’re doing a long endurance activity, something that will take you more than an hour to complete, you may benefit both from the electrolytes, potassium and sugar in a sports drink.  Just don’t drink too much – it may upset your stomach.

During Exercise

Again, if you’re performing an endurance activity and you’re sweating a lot, a sports drink may be your best option (Looking for an intense workout? Try interval training).  In fact, if you’re running a marathon or performing in a triathlon, your body will need some kind of fuel, whether it comes from Gatorade, gels, or something else.

After Exercise

Immediately after exercise is one of the only times I would recommend fast absorbing sugars (for all those other times, learn about a smart-carb diet).  When you put your muscles under stress, they will need energy to recover, so you actually have a short “window” through which to consume sugary snacks or beverages that your body will be able to use.

Do you need a sports beverage?

Usually, you don’t need a sports drink.  You can very easily get salt through the foods you eat and milk actually has a good dose of electrolytes (plus you’ll benefit from the high quality protein found in milk).  Unfortunately, you can’t exactly run a 3 hour marathon while carrying milk around, so during endurance activities make sure that you’re either getting a sports drink or some other snack to rehydrate and refuel your body.

The Best Way to Use Sports Drink

Gatorade or Powerade are not replacements for water, so make sure you’re drinking both (learn how water can help you burn calories).  Some people water down their Gatorade, though I’ve never much liked how that tastes.  Instead, take a sip of Gatorade or Powerade followed by two sips of water.

Eat Out Without Straying From Your Diet

Most of us know that dining out perhaps isn’t the healthiest option around, but let’s face it – sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy to cook, dinner dates are fun, and you can’t exactly say no when your boss asks if you want to go out for lunch.  For those situations, follow these simple tricks to make sure you’re not straying too far from your diet when you eat out.

Check the Nutritional Info

I’ve noticed a promising trend lately – more and more restaurants are publishing calorie totals for each dish on their regular menus and many menus have whole sections devoted to options that have less than a certain number of calories.  This is a good place to start, but it would be even better to see a complete breakdown of where those calories are coming from.  Almost every major chain will have their nutritional information posted online, so choosing an option before you even get to the restaurant is a good way to ensure you’re not loading up on junk.  Restaurants are also required by law to have nutritional information available, so don’t feel weird asking the server.

 Ask for “It” on the Side

“It” includes a lot of things: salad dressing, butter for your potato, any “secret sauces” which are usually pretty high in fat, etc.  By default, restaurants will usually put a ton of any of these sauces or dressings on for you, but if you ask for them on the side, you can control the portion sizes and cut back on unnecessary calories.

Substitute the Fries

French fries are a favorite side dish for a variety of entrées, even at some higher class restaurants.  Unfortunately, they pack a bunch of extra calories and fat that can really throw off your weight loss plans (Still want something crunchy? Try this simple substitution).  Almost every restaurant will let you substitute the fries out for a different side (some may charge a small fee but it’s worth it when you think about how many calories you’ll save), so try a baked potato or cooked broccoli instead.

Bring Home Leftovers

Portion control is key to weight loss.  Don’t feel pressured to eat the whole meal – restaurants have to-go boxes for a reason!  You can even ask for a to-go box before you start to feel full so when you are full, you’re not tempted to keep eating. You’ll also save some money if you can make your meal last for two meals.

Order Water

Not only do you ultimately consume a bunch of sugar from ordering a soda or lemonade, but water is cheaper (usually free) and it will help you feel fuller faster to prevent you from over eating (learn how water helps you burn calories).  During your meal, make a conscious effort to sip water every so often – it’ll help your food digest and prevent overeating.

Surviving Starbucks and Coffee Shops

Although I do certainly enjoy an occasional Starbucks visit, I'm not one of their regulars that every worker knows by name as soon as they see me.  However, I'm sure a lot of you are known by your local Starbucks crew, so it's important that you know how to successfully navigate the menu here and at other coffee shops to avoid consuming 500+ calories every morning.

Skip the Whipped Cream

Did you know that the whipped cream on a Tall Starbucks Frappuccino adds 8 grams of fat and about 80 calories?  And that’s the small size - on a Grande it adds 12 grams of fat, coming to about 120 calories.  Considering there's really no difference between whipped cream among various coffee shops, you can assume those numbers will be approximately the same wherever you go.  In my experience, the whipped cream always melts into the drink to the point where it isn't noticeable anyway, so ask for your drink without the whipped cream and you'll save a handful of pointless calories and fat.

Skip the Sugar and Cream

Or at least cut back.  This one seems obvious, but if you truly don't think you can drink your favorite coffee beverage without sugar and/or cream, do your best to limit it.  Remember, even if you only cut a little bit, that small difference will contribute to your weight loss over a long period of time.

Order "Light" or "Skinny"

Starbucks actually makes it very easy for you to order a lower calorie option of your favorite drink. By ordering your drink "light," the workers will know to automatically hold the whipped cream and they'll use skim milk if applicable.  If you're at another coffee shop, simply ask if they can substitute skim or reduced fat milk for whole milk and you'll cut another 60-120 calories or so.  Your drink may lose some of its original thickness, but I've never had a problem with taste.

Be Careful of Tea

A lot of people have tried drinking green tea for its caffeine as a healthy alternative to coffee.  Green tea does have a host of amazing health benefits, including a good dose of Vitamin C.  If you can drink straight green tea, go for it.  However, most coffee houses, Starbucks included, will add a lot of sugar to their green tea beverages to make it taste better, and it’s difficult to tell what they’re sweetening it with and just how much sugar they’re adding.  My recommendation: drink green tea at home and sweeten with organic honey for a healthy alternative to coffee, but skip it at the coffee shops.

Practice Portion Control

This is true regardless of where you’re eating out: don’t ever get the biggest size of anything.  Trust me, you don’t need it and it won’t be friendly on your waistline.  Ideally, always order the smallest size or at a maximum the medium size – you’ll save money and pounds in the long run.

Do Your Homework

This is also true of any dining out experience.  Almost every restaurant has their nutritional information posted online, so you can check just how many calories and sugar you’ll be getting before you hit your favorite coffee house (you can always pull it up on your smartphone too if you forget).  Also, by law, restaurants are required to have nutritional information in the restaurant, so don’t be hesitant to ask if you’re not sure which option will be best for your diet.

Burn Calories Fast with Interval Training

Interval training is quickly becoming one of the most popular exercise techniques to burn fat. This is because performing intervals generally takes less time than more traditional cardiovascular exercise and it helps you to burn calories both while you are exercising and for hours after you have left the gym.

What is interval training?

Instead of exercising on a stationary bike, elliptical, treadmill, etc. at a relatively steady pace for a long period of time to get your heart rate somewhere between 60%-80% of your maximum (generally speaking), interval training requires you to exert enough physical energy to bring your heart rate between 80% and 90% of your maximum heart rate for a short period of time (this is your interval). The intervals are then followed by a period of significantly lower intensity exercise to bring your heart rate back down to around 60% of your maximum.

How does interval training affect your body?

During your short burst of intense activity, your body will need to pull on its energy sources: sugar in your bloodstream. This isn't the most scientific explanation available, but picture this: your body has a finite amount of sugar in your bloodstream at any given time. When you partake in intense physical activity like you do during interval training, your body will quickly use up all of the available energy in your bloodstream. Fortunately, this doesn't mean your body is just going to collapse in heap of energy-less skin and bones (though if you every feel light headed while exercising, stop) because your body has a back-up plan: fat. Think of fat as a bunch of stored energy, so when your body is starting to run low on energy, it'll pull from your reserves to supply your muscles with the energy they need. Thus, you're burning fat at a more accelerated rate than you would if you're only performing moderate physical activity.

Because of the intense nature of intervals and the toll it can take on your muscles, post-workout recovery will also take your body more energy (meaning you'll burn even more calories) than usual to repair and rebuild your muscles to a stronger, leaner state.

How should I do interval training?

This largely depends on your current cardiovascular shape. If you do some kind of moderate cardiovascular activity for at least 30 minutes 3 or more times a week, I'd say you're ready to implement intervals into your workout routine (If you're not at this point yet, either try to work your way up to it before doing an interval program or use gentle intervals to help you achieve your goals. For example, try alternating walking with a light jog.). Because it may result in muscle soreness, you should only replace one regular cardiovascular workout per week with interval training when you’re starting out. Always, regardless of your fitness level, begin with a 5 minute warm-up of light to moderate intensity and end with a 5 minute cool down going from moderate to light intensity. After your 5 minute warm-up, kick the intensity up for 30 seconds, and then bring the intensity back down for a minute and a half before beginning your next interval. Do 5 your first time, and build your way up from there. If you have a heart rate monitor, this is the easiest way to determine if your intensity level is appropriate. If not, they're not very expensive or you can try using the heart rate monitors installed on most cardio equipment (I find they're usually within 5bpm which is close enough). As you get better at interval training, gradually reduce your rest time until it is equal with the amount of time you spend doing your interval. You can also increase the amount of time that you are doing intense activity for and you can start doing intervals more than once a week if you so desire.

Interval training is also especially good for runners or bikers looking to increase their speed, and it can help you to prevent boredom from doing the same thing every time you go to the gym. Remember to start slow to prevent injuries and let me know how it goes!

How to Prevent a Binge: The 80/20 Rule

Even after reaching my target body weight through eating well and exercising often, I still have cravings for foods I know I shouldn't eat - and this is after I've seen first hand just how important watching my diet is! I especially tend to eat poorly when I visit family and friends - afterall, who could say no when someone places a huge piece of warm apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream in front of you? Here's the truth of the matter: no matter what your weight or how far along you are in your weight loss program, it's actually okay to occasionally eat foods that are high in fat and even sugar, so long as you're doing it in moderation.

The Problem

Unfortunately, there's one problem that we need to address before I completely turn you loose and tell you it's okay to cheat a little bit. When you deprave yourself of junk food for a long period of time, you actually get very good at no longer craving it. However, once you start to bite into that brownie that you've denied yourself for so long, it can be extremely difficult to tear yourself away and only eat one brownie instead of the entire pan. From personal experience, I've also noticed that once I eat that one piece of junk food, I tend to go for other foods that are high in fat and sugar a lot more than I usually would. Why does this happen? It's the basic idea behind a binge: once we start, it's extremely hard to stop.

About the 80/20 Rule

So what can you do? Preventing binges is where the 80/20 rule comes in. According to this rule, you should try to eat great 80% of the time, but you can live a little and eat what you want the other 20% of the time. I can't stress enough how important it is to still implement portion control when you're enjoying your 20% part of the equation, but I'm sure you'll find portion control to be a lot easier when you are deliberately and systematically planning when you are going to eat junk food. My recommendation: before you start eating, determine how much you're going to eat, put the rest away and take that amount of food somewhere other than the kitchen to eat it. Don't just keep reaching into a bag of chips or cookies - you'll quickly lose track of how much you've had and then you've defeated the purpose of the 80/20 rule.

Why it Works

There are several benefits to this rule. First, as I've mentioned, when you're systematically eating small amounts of junk food, you'll be less likely to binge because your body won't have been deprived for a long period of time and you'll be more used to eating in moderation. Also, occasionally eating high calorie meals can actually cause your metabolism to run a little faster (this is especially true if you're on a strict low calorie diet that may cause your metabolism to slow down). Finally, the 80/20 rule makes it a lot easier to stick to your diet because you don't have to completely give up the foods you love, you just learn to eat them in moderation.

Simple Substitution #4: Whole Wheat Crackers

Looking to fulfill your craving for something salty and crunchy while staying on track with your diet?  Try opting for whole wheat crackers like Wheat Thins or Triscuits (both have a variety of interesting flavors) instead of potato chips.  They're significantly lower in fat, and you'll even get some good wholesome fiber (learn about a smart-carb diet).  Try them with your favorite dip sometime and let me know how it goes!

Note: You can also try baked potato chips to eliminate a lot of the fat from regular potato chips, though you likely won't get very much fiber from those.

Simple Substitution #3: Greek Yogurt

Both Greek and regular yogurt are fat free (or extremely close), and if you're doing it right the sugar content shouldn't be too high (as a general rule, look for less than 10 grams of sugar per serving - add dried fruit and nuts for more flavor if need be).  The biggest difference is protein content - Greek yogurt has 2X the amount of protein as regular yogurt, making it a great addition to your breakfast or a good option for a quick snack.  To save money, try the store brand Greek yogurt - I've always thought it tastes just as good as the name brand stuff.

Simple Substitution #2: Dark Chocolate

Did you know a little bit of chocolate every day is actually good for you?  Dark chocolate especially has a host of antioxidants and will increase blood flow to your muscles and brain (especially good if you're working out).  Studies also show that dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure, controls blood sugar levels, and even prevents cavities by hardening tooth enamel.  So next time you're craving chocolate, opt for dark chocolate instead and you won't even be cheating on your diet!  Also try substituting it into your recipes this holiday season.

Simple Substitution #1: Lean Meat

High quality protein is essential to any weight loss or muscle building routine (Learn the truth about protein).  Although animal protein does almost always have the complete amino acid combination your body needs, you should be careful of the fat content.  Chicken breasts are always a good option, but just because you're on a diet doesn't mean you need to give up burgers.  Just opt for something that is at least 90% lean to cut fat and calories.  Grilling can also cook a lot of the fat out of meats.

The Easiest Way to Burn Calories

Drink water!  You can burn up to about 50 calories every day just by drinking enough water.  I know that may not sound like much, but picture this: you need to burn about 3500 calories to lose a pound.  If you burn 50 calories a day just by drinking more water, you'll burn 350 calories in a week, which is close to the number of calories you'll burn during a 30 minute cardio workout.  If you burn 50 calories a day for 10 weeks, you'll lose a pound.  If you do that for a whole year, you'll lose about 5 pounds with hardly any extra work on your part.  Remember, the small things add up.

Water can also help you feel fuller, it'll help your immune system keep you healthy, it'll help keep your muscles energized to prevent cramps, your skin will look better, and your even your kidneys will thank you.  The bottom line: drink more water!

Lift Weights to Lose Fat

Weight loss is a fairly simple formula to understand: a healthy diet + exercise = weight loss. For the scope of this article, let's break down the exercise half of the equation a little more to make sure we're maximizing our time at the gym. It's a common misconception that to burn calories and lose weight you should only hit the cardio machines and to gain muscle mass you should only be hitting the weights. In reality, people seeking to lose weight should be more dynamic with their workouts by utilizing both the benefits of sustained cardiovascular exercise and the benefits of weight lifting.

Metabolic Benefits

Lifting weights has some very beneficial effects on metabolic activity for people looking to drop some fat. When you lift weights, you're putting your muscles under stress, causing extremely small micro-tears which may result in muscle soreness for a day or two. By using protein in a process called protein synthesis, your body repairs these micro-tears, which makes your muscles ever so slightly bigger and stronger (it's like the common idea that after you break a bone it grows back stronger than before). Protein synthesis takes energy, which means that your body continues to burn calories even after you are finished exercising. In fact, protein synthesis occurs for up to 48 hours after lifting weights, which means that you're burning calories for a full two days after working out, even if you're idle during those days.

Another benefit to lifting weights as part of your weight loss routine is that when you build muscles, your metabolism actually works faster during all times of the day, even when you're not moving at all! This is especially true of your larger muscles because they simply take more energy to maintain.

How to Burn Calories with Weights

Weight lifting can torch off calories both during and after exercise just as well if not better than cardiovascular exercise, especially if you're doing it right. When you perform weight-bearing exercises, your biggest muscles require the most energy (makes sense, right?). The two largest muscles in your body are your glutes (your butt) and your quads (if you don't know, this is the area on each leg that you would sit on if someone told you to sit on their lap). Although it is advisable for you to work all of your muscles, if your goal is weight loss, you should spend the most time on your largest muscles, found mostly in your legs. In fact, the squat, which engages both your glutes and your quads, burns more calories per repetition than any other exercise - you'll know you're burning calories because your heart will be racing!

Spice it Up!

Finally, adding weight lifting as part of your regular gym routine may help to ward off the boredom people commonly suffer from spending long periods of time on cardio equipment. If fact, you might find that weight lifting can sometimes be a fun alternative to cardio (though you should continue to do both), and finding your motivation to go the gym regularly will be easier.

Demystifying Protein Supplements

Big tubs of protein supplements are becoming increasingly more prevalent - they're almost impossible to miss if you're at the gym, they're in all kinds of nutrition stores, and regular grocery stores are even starting to carry them. However, protein supplements are not for everyone, and even if they are for you, some supplements are better for reaching certain goals than others.

Some people, especially from older generations, are leery of protein powders because they don't look like regular food and, let's face it, GNC stores can be intimidating. The first thing you should know is that straight protein supplements that don't have creatine or other performance enhancers (check the label and ingredient list) are food. This has two implications: First, they aren't dangerous, they won't lead to strange growths, and they're not like force feeding chickens on a farm (Yes, I've heard this analogy). Second, because a protein powder is simply food, no one NEEDS a protein supplement because other more recognizable foods are also high in protein. However, protein supplements may still be beneficial depending on your health and fitness goals.

Gaining Muscle Mass

If your goal is to gain muscle mass, you should be consuming about as many grams of protein as your target body weight daily, so if I want to weigh 150 pounds, I should get about 150 grams of protein every day. Sound like a lot? It is. That's why people who are looking to put on muscle will be the most benefited by a protein supplement. Again, having a protein powder isn't an absolute necessity, but it is a quick, easy way to get the amount of protein you need to gain serious muscle mass.

Weight Loss

Eating lean, high quality protein is essential to any weight loss program. Unlike carbohydrates, fats or starches, your body doesn't store excess protein; so if you eat more than you need, it won't weigh you down. Even if you're counting calories, you should be aiming for at least 75-100 grams of protein every day (which is only 300-400 calories). Protein supplements are a good, convenient way to get lean protein, but lean protein can also be found in chicken breasts, ham, lean beef, low fat dairy products and more. If you think you can get enough protein without a supplement, go for it. If not, try adding a supplement to smoothies or even some baking recipes if you don't like it with water or milk.

Weight Maintenance/General Health

Even if you're perfectly happy with your body type, you should still be getting 75-125 grams of protein daily depending on your size. Try using nutritional labels to figure out how much protein you eat in a day (a rough estimate should be fine). If you're within this range without altering your regular eating habits, you can skip a protein supplement. However, if you're finding it difficult to reach that amount because you don't like eating a lot of meat, high quality sources of protein are expensive and difficult to store (this is especially true for me as a college student who lived in a dorm last year), or you're a carboholic, supplementing your diet with a protein shake may be beneficial. Remember, if you're just short of your goal, you don't necessarily have to use their recommended serving size - a half scoop is fine and will make the powder last longer.

What kind of supplement should I get?

There are three basic kinds of protein that almost every single protein powder will have one or a combination of: whey, casein, and soy. I'll explain each type, how they're made, what they're best for, and why you should avoid a soy protein supplement.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is the most popular kind of protein on the market today. It is derived from the protein found in milk after the casein protein has already been removed, usually to make cheese (about 20% of the protein found in milk is whey and the other 80% is casein protein). Whey protein is absorbed by the body very quickly, making it a favorite among weightlifters who take it both before and after lifting. In fact, traces of whey protein can be found in the bloodstream in as little as 20 minutes, though it generally doesn't last for much more than an hour. Because of its fast absorbing nature, I would recommend taking a whey protein supplement immediately before and/or after exercising to give you an energy boost during your workout and to give your muscles some much needed relief after a strenuous workout. However, whey protein may not be your best choice is you're looking for sustained energy or a supplement to your diet.

Casein Protein

Where whey protein may fail, casein protein picks up the slack. Casein protein, like was mentioned, is also derived from milk, but it differs from whey in that it can last in your bloodstream for up to 8 hours, providing your body with a sustained source of protein that is good for supplementing a low protein diet and warding off hunger. Some weightlifters also like casein protein, though taking it right after lifting like you would with whey protein won't yield stellar results. Instead, try taking it right before you go to bed. Remember, casein protein will stay in your bloodstream for up to 8 hours, so if you want your muscles to build all night long, a casein supplement before bed might be your answer.

Soy Protein

Soy protein, unlike whey or casein, is plant based. Without getting overly scientific, soy protein is generally considered a lower quality protein because it does not have a complete amino acid structure like whey, casein, or almost every animal based protein does. Some protein supplements still feature soy protein, though they're fading in number due to recent research that shows soy may mimic the hormone estrogen in the body. Men should take special note of this because males have less estrogen to begin with, so an increase could be more significant. My advice: stay away from any soy protein supplement - soy will be most dangerous if you're getting a lot of it on a consistent basis.

However, there really isn't a need to swear off all plant based proteins as some people might suggest. Beans and nuts, both of which have plant based protein, reap a number of nutritional benefits and it would really be a shame to scare people away from them. It's really only the soy based supplements that can have any significant negative impact on your body, so don't worry about the plant based protein you find naturally in foods.

Are all whey or casein protein supplements the same?

The short answer is no. When you're shopping for a protein supplement, take a look at the ingredients list. If it says something like "whey protein concentrate" or "caseinate" you might save some money, but know that this type of protein contains higher amounts of carbohydrates and fats and it's more difficult to mix by hand. However, it does the trick. The other most common one you'll see is "whey protein isolate." Isolates have less carbohydrates and fat than do concentrates and they're a little easier to mix by hand. You may also see something that says "hydroslate," which means it will be absorbed into your bloodstream even faster than usual. Only opt for this kind of protein if you plan on using your supplement right after working out. "Micellar casein" is the highest quality casein protein you can find because of how easily it will mix - you'll pay a little extra for it though. Finally, "milk protein" or anything with egg protein means they've simply added an ingredient that acts like milk or eggs in your body. Both are good.

Some Final Notes

If you're still unsure about which type of protein supplement to get, you can always try a blend of whey and casein protein. That way, you don't need to worry so much about when you take your supplement because you'll be getting the best of both worlds. Optimum Nutrition's Nitrocore24 and BSN's Syntha-6 are two good options. Also, consider buying your protein powder on Amazon or another online retailer. This will help you save money and choose the best product by reading through some online reviews. Just know that when it ships, the scoop will probably be buried and you may have to get creative to find it.

Build the Perfect Meal Plan with Snacks

Research suggests that having snacks throughout the day will keep your metabolism going stronger between meals and will help you to prevent binging during mealtime.  You should aim to eat about every three hours or so - so if you eat breakfast at 6 before work, eat a snack at 9, lunch at 12, another snack at 3, dinner at 6, and a high protein snack around 9 before bed.  It sounds like a lot, but ideally all of these eating times will have around the same low number of calories.  By breaking your calories up throughout the day, you stay full  without getting bloated, your metabolism continues to work at a fast rate, and you prevent binges.  Aim for somewhere between 300-600 calories for each meal/snack, depending on your size, activity level and fitness goals.  If you don't think you can realistically break up all of your calories evenly throughout the day, it's okay to eat more at meal times and cut your snacks down to 150-200 calories, but I would still recommend trying to eat about every 3 hours.

As always, you should look to have a balance of high quality protein, carbs and fat (learn about a Smart-Carb Diet).  A delicious snack might include an apple, which has up to 5 grams of fiber with the peel with peanut butter.  If you like the convenience of granola bars but are tired of the high price tags and strange ingredients you'll never be able to pronounce, try this recipe (you don't even have to bake them!):

In a large mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients:

• 2 cups of oatmeal (Quaker has whole grain oats available for pretty cheap)
• 1 cup of protein powder (I use chocolate but definitely feel free to experiment!)
• 1/3 cup of dried fruit (raisins, prunes, cranberries all work great - just make sure there's no sugar added on the ingredient list and you may want to cut the pieces smaller)
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds (any nut would work but I would definitely recommend getting them sliced)
• 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon

Now, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of honey (if you buy this locally at a Farmer's Market it may help with allergies)
• 1/4 cup of almond milk (you can use normal milk if you want, but if you're going to have them out of the fridge for a while, almond milk might be safer)
• 1/4 cup of apple sauce (get the stuff with no sugar added - it will probably be specially marked but you can always check out the ingredient list)
• 1/4 cup of dark chocolate (experiment with this - I recently got a holiday mix of mint chips and dark chocolate chips and it's been a HUGE upgrade)
• 1 tsp of vanilla (optional - this is a kind of expensive ingredient)

Microwave the wet ingredients for 30-35 seconds.  Then stir until it's a dark brown color and the texture is consistent.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed and the texture is consistent throughout.  Pour the mix into some kind of pan (I use a baking pan with decently high sides) and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the mix harden a little.  Since there aren't any raw eggs or anything, feel free to lick the bowl clean - it tastes great!  You can cut out as many bars as you like; I usually make 6.  Keep them refrigerated throughout the week until you pack them to go somewhere - I've never had any problems but I would try to eat it within 12 hours of taking it out of the fridge.  As always, feel free to comment if you have any questions or something to add!

The Truth about Protein

Understanding Amino Acids

Without making this post overly scientific, there are a few things you should know about the amino acid structure in proteins.  There are 20 different amino acids found in proteins, and the human body can only make 10 of those amino acids on its own - the other 10 must be attained through the food we eat.  Unlike fats or starch, the human body cannot store protein, so it's important that we get high quality protein in every meal.  Otherwise, we may face muscle degradation, which could ruin all the hard work we've gone through to get fitter.

Types of Protein

Most animal based protein, found of course in meat, eggs, and dairy products, is considered high quality protein.  In fact, the protein found in eggs is considered some of the best protein we can get because of its amino acid structure and the body's ability to digest it.  There is also plant based protein, found in things like beans and nuts.  This plant based protein does not have a complete amino acid sequence (there are a few exceptions like hemp seeds), and are better if they are used as a supplement to your already high protein diet instead of the flagship.

Protein supplements usually contain one of three types of protein: whey, casein, or soy protein.  Whey protein is derived from the high quality protein found in milk and is absorbed into your body quickly. Because it is absorbed in as little as 30 minutes, whey protein is a favorite among weightlifters as a pre or post workout supplement.  Casein protein is also derived from milk (if you just drink a class of milk, about 80% of the protein will be casein protein and the other 20% will be whey) but if differs from whey protein in that it is very slow absorbing.  In fact, casein protein can stay in your bloodstream for up to 8 hours, making it a good choice between meals or right before you go to bed so your body has a steady supply of protein all night long.  Soy protein is the last kind of protein you'll sometimes find in supplements, though it's become a lot less popular lately because of research findings that it may mimic the hormone estrogen in the body.  Men should take special note of this because males have less estrogen to begin with, so an increase could be more significant.  Soy protein also, because it's plant based, does not have a complete amino acid structure so it will be less effective than whey or casein protein.  I would avoid soy protein if you're looking for a protein supplement, and be careful of a lot of protein bars and cereals that feature soy protein because it's cheaper.  If you don't know what kind of protein these foods are using, take a look at the ingredient list, and steer clear if it says something like "soy protein isolate."

Is Soy Protein Always Bad?

As a final note, some people have become leery of all plant based proteins because of the findings about soy protein.  Soy protein only has the potential to be dangerous if you're consistently ingesting A LOT of it, like through a shake or soy protein bars.  I would be no means suggest that you stop eating beans or nuts as a supplement to your high protein diet.  In addition to the protein, beans have a lot of filling fiber, and nuts have omega-3 fatty acids.  Some nuts, particularly almonds, also have a good dose of Vitamin E, which is essential to protein absorption in your body.  As always, please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions or something to add!  

Build the Perfect Breakfast

Why eat breakfast?

Regardless of your health and fitness goals, eating breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up should be part of your plan.  When you eat breakfast, you are literally breaking the fast your body has endured for the past 8 hours or so while you were asleep.  Our bodies are extremely good at not allowing us to starve, so when it's depraved of food for a long period of time, like when you were sleeping, your metabolism slows down to conserve the food you still have.  If you skip breakfast, your metabolism will continue to slow until your next meal, which means you've lost hours of metabolic activity that can help you control your weight without any extra effort on your part!  People who eat breakfast also tend to feel less hungry during the day, so if you're counting calories, research shows that eating some of your calories at breakfast may help you save up to 250 throughout the day - that's a whole pound in two weeks!  Eating breakfast also helps you feel more energized, it can help your body fight off colds and other infections, and it significantly improves cognitive functioning.

What to eat?

It varies a little depending on what stage you're at in your health and fitness goals, but there are a few basic principles that are true for everyone.  You should try to get some high quality protein, complex carbohydrates (learn about a smart carb diet), high quality fats, and vitamins.

Protein

The amount of protein you need depends on your goals (learn The Truth about Protein).  If you're looking to gain significant muscle mass, your target amount will probably be in the 30-40 gram range, but even if you're just looking for a flatter stomach, protein should be part of your regular diet.  Try and avoid soy protein that's sometimes added to cereals because it has an incomplete amino acid blend (meaning your body can't use it very effectively) and it may mimic estrogen in your system.  Instead, go for a couple eggs, which are considered one of the best protein sources around (and they're cheap!).  If you're worried about the cholesterol and fat in eggs, you can always opt for egg whites - just know that this cuts the amount of protein approximately in half so you'll have to eat more.  You can also try Greek Yogurt, which packs anywhere from 12-18 grams of high quality protein.  Just watch the sugar content - you can try getting plain Greek Yogurt and adding dried fruit and/or honey to sweeten it, or you can opt for the "lite" versions that usually have less than 10 grams of sugar.  You can also get a good dose of protein from turkey bacon or sausage, a glass of milk, nuts, and any meats (try mixing some ham into an omelet for 25-30g of protein!)

Carbohydrates

You can get complex carbohydrates from eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  For example, try spreading some peanut butter on a slice whole grain toast, eat an apple, and drink some 100% fruit juice to give you the carbs your body needs for energy, the fiber your stomach needs to stay feeling full, and the vitamins your immune system and other critical functions need to keep you healthy.

Fat

Eating eggs and peanut butter (or any nut) will give you some good omega-3 fats.  You can also get your fats from the turkey sausage or adding some cheese to your omelet.  Remember, fat isn't bad for you - in fact you need fat in your diet.

If you're new to breakfast, it's okay to start small.  Some breakfast is always better than nothing.  As always, feel free to leave comments!

Smart-Carb Diet

Most diets that promise to help you lose weight fast rely on some variation of a low-carbohydrate or even no-carbohydrate diet.  Unfortunately, low-carb diets are actually counter-productive because they're extremely difficult to stick to and tend to end in binges, they can be really unsafe because your body relies on carbs for energy, and carbs are important for exercise.  So, instead of a no or even a low-carb diet, I'll propose a smart-carb diet.

Photo Credit: Nathaniel Drake

First, start small and make simple substitutions (like this one).  If you eat cereal every morning, check the ingredients list to see if "whole grain" is the first ingredient (also, learn how to Build the Perfect Breakfast!).  If it's not, make your first smart-carb substitution and try a new cereal that is made with whole grain - they're easy to find nowadays and a lot of them taste great (same goes for oatmeal or bagels).  If you're completely new to trying to eat right, you can stop there for now with the breakfast substitution and skip to the next paragraph.  If you're looking to do a little more or if your cereal is already whole grain, there are a few other things to look for the next time you choose a cereal.  Perhaps the most important is sugar content (sugar is a carb).  I'm not suggesting that you can possibly eliminate sugar from cereal altogether, but there are a few things you can try that are smarter than the high fructose corn syrup a lot of cereals rely on for taste.  For example, if you find that a lower sugar cereal or oatmeal is lacking flavor, try adding in some dried fruit (make sure it doesn't have any added sugar on the ingredients list).  Stirring in raisins, for example, can help to naturally sweeten the milk and they'll even add a little bit of fiber. (Do you crave coffee every morning? Learn how to survive Starbucks)

Next, think about what you generally eat for lunch.  For me, I usually pack a sandwich, a big source of carbs (Eating out for lunch? Make sure you follow these rules).  Make sure the bread you get (or hamburger buns, wraps, tortillas, etc.) are 100% whole grain.  Eating white bread is a completely missed opportunity to get some filling fiber into your body.  Plus, your digestive system will be able to better process whole grains.  Eat a few pieces of fruit with your lunch to add some more smart-carbs that will keep you full and energized.  As with breakfast, try to avoid anything that's super sugary (don't worry about the sugars in fruit), or at least eat it in moderation.

Snack time? Skipping snacks because you're on a diet could be counter-productive as research shows that eating about every 3 hours can help keep your metabolism running strong (learn how to Build the Perfect Meal Plan with Snacks).  So what to eat?  Trail mix is always a good option - you'll get some good omega 3 fats from the nuts, a little bit of protein, some smart-carbs and fiber from the raisins, and some sweets from the M&M's (for a lower calorie option, get trail mix without the chocolate).  I'm not the biggest fan of granola bars when we're talking about health, but if you're going to go for the convenience, at least get one that is made with whole grain and generally speaking, avoid the ones with soy protein (read The Truth about Protein).  Wheat Thins or Triscuits are also good whole grain options when it comes to snack time.

Your dinner frequently has a lot of carbs packed into it, and if you're not smart about them, they won't be very friendly to your waistline.  Try cooking with whole wheat pasta (warning - it may take a little longer to cook so make sure to read the box) and try brown rice instead of white.  If you're making a pizza, see if your family notices the difference if you use a whole wheat crust.

I've also discovered a few whole grain options for desserts that are actually really delicious.  Try Kashi's whole grain dark chocolate chip cookies sometime and see for yourself (Craving chocolate? Try this substitution)!  Of course we know that cookies aren't really great on our waistline regardless, but if you're going to be eating cookies anyway, eating whole grain cookies may, overtime, help us keep more weight off than if we were to eat regular cookies.

This obviously isn't a comprehensive list of every single thing you can know about carbohydrates, and there's quite a bit more than just carbohydrates that goes into weight loss, but I hope this post will help you to start thinking about some of the simple substitutions you can make to upgrade the healthfulness of all of your meals.  I'll always be posting more articles about different aspects of health and fitness, but in the meantime, before you try some crazy crash low-carb diet, try making some smart-carb substitutions first and let me know how it goes in the comments!

About Safe Health and Fitness

I started this Blog in an effort to combat all of the ridiculous diet plans, pills, and products that have been hitting the market in recent years.  As someone who has been heavier than I wanted to be, I know the temptation to go for some "get thin quick" product, but before you do, I encourage you to read a few of my posts, try some of the things I suggest, and let me know how it goes in the comments section.  All of my posts will be geared at providing you with safe, realistic suggestions to help you lose weight, gain lean muscle, and lead a healthy lifestyle regardless of your age.  I firmly believe that leading a healthy lifestyle isn't always about making the healthiest choice, it's about making the healthier choice.  That's what I really want you to get from this blog - an ability to make a lifetime of healthier choices to make a healthier you!

Nutrition:
Smart-Carb Diet
Build the Perfect Breakfast
The Truth about Protein
Build the Perfect Meal Plan with Snacks
Demystifying Protein Supplements
The Easiest Way to Burn Calories
How to Prevent a Binge: The 80/20 Rule
Surviving Starbucks and Coffee Shops
Eat Out Without Straying From Your Diet
The Truth About Sports Drinks
The Ugly Reality of Counting Calories

Fitness:
Lift Weights to Lose Fat
Burn Calories Fast with Interval Training
5 Keys to Muscle Building

Simple Substitutions:
Simple Substitution #1: Lean Beef
Simple Substitution #2: Dark Chocolate
Simple Substitution #3: Greek Yogurt
Simple Substitution #4: Whole Wheat Crackers
Simple Substitution #5: Almonds