What Can You Learn From A Wedding?

As many of you know, our oldest son Tim is getting married on April 3rd. This got me thinking about a few things (besides the fact that I’m way too young to have married kids), but primarily about how having a deadline can be a crucial part of reaching your fitness goals. We have had a few “brides to be” come to bootcamp to get ready for the big day, and I want to warn you – don’t get in her way! It’s amazing what happens when you have an absolute deadline in reaching a milestone – and brides are a perfect example of that – they will do whatever it takes to get into that dream dress and look fabulous on that special day.

But here’s where all this applies to you, even if you are not walking down the aisle anytime soon. You still need a blueprint to get the job done. And when it comes to fat loss, nutrition is the name of the game. These guidelines have and continue to produce body and life-changing results, and when applied consistently can get rid of that ugly, unwanted fat. Remember – the focus is on improving overall health, body composition and performance – don’t zone in on the scale only!

In honor of Tim and Deb, I am going to call this outline the “Fit Couple Mentality”.

EAT to Elevate Metabolism and Lose Fat (NOT Weight)

Tip#1- Stay Hydrated:

• Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. A dehydrated organism cannot effectively lose body fat!
• Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity to maintain optimal performance and to prevent dehydration during your workouts.
• Consume at least 3 servings of antioxidant-rich green tea per day to boost your immune system and accelerate recovery from exercise.

Tip#2- Eat Early and Eat Often:

• Eat immediately upon waking and then again every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 5-6 feedings per day. This is a staple for any solid fat loss nutrition plan because it allows your body to starve the fat and feed the muscle, optimizes performance, and prevents your body’s starvation signals from going off- signals that will slow fat loss to a snail’s pace.
• The dietary breakdown is 3 total meals per day consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, 3 total snacks/day consumed between meals and before bed, and workout nutrition in the form of a protein or amino acid supplement consumed around your training sessions.

Tip#3- Focus on the Essentials:

• Consume a wide range of organic lean proteins of animal origin at each feeding. A great rule of thumbs is to consume at least a fist-sized worth of anything that had a face or a mother and ran, fly, or swam at some point (sorry, doesn’t sound as appetizing this way, but it’s one way to remember!).  Protein is not only the only macronutrient responsible for building and repairing that lean muscle tone but it also allows your body to best starve its ugly, unwanted fat stores. In addition, the sheer consumption of protein elevates metabolism and burns calories because the thermic effect of feeding since protein is more than twice as energy costly for your body to digest than fat or carbs.
• Consume a wide range natural fats at each feeding (olive oil, coconut oil, beef, salmon, whole eggs, avocado, mixed nuts, flax, full-fat cheese, etc.). Sufficient dietary fat intake is critical to beneficial hormone production, which allows for optimal fat loss. Furthermore, your body cannot optimally burn stored body fat without a sufficient amount of healthy dietary fat.
• Consume a wide range of fruits and veggies at each feeding (with a special emphasis on green veggies). A great rule of thumb when it comes to produce is to consume at least one green item AND as many other colors as possible at each and every meal to get the most health benefits.

Sample One-Day Menu

Breakfast- 6am
Scrambled Omega-3 Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon

Mid-Morning Snack- 9 am
Mixed Raw Nuts and Fruit/Veggies of Choice

Lunch- Noon
Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack- 3 pm
Full-Fat Cheese and Fruit/Veggies of Choice

Dinner- 6 pm
Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash

Pre-Bed Snack- 8 pm
Wonder Bowl:
Mix of Full-Fat Cottage Cheese, Protein Powder, Flax Meal, and Raw Nut Butter

Tip#4- You NEED These 2 Supplements:

• Take a daily whole food based multi-vitamin for your gender. Ensuring adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for your body to function optimally, especially for people who struggles to get at least 8-12 servings of fruits and veggies per day.
• Take a high quality essential fatty acid (EFA) or fish oil supplement. Omega-3 fats found in fish oil are scientifically proven to increase metabolism and generate increased fat burning, besides having a host of other benefits like preventing cancer, reducing inflammation and joint pain, enhancing skin and hair quality, etc.

Tip#5- Think Fiber First When It Comes To Carbs:

• It is critical to focus on carbohydrate quality first AND then quantity second. In terms of quality, all carbohydrates (outside of dairy) that you eat should contain AT LEAST 3 g of fiber per serving and offer LESS THAN 10 g of sugar per serving. In terms of quantity, we have found most females achieve the best fat-burning effects by limiting their total daily carb intake to 50 g or less, NOT including their unlimited daily fibrous carb intake from green veggies (fruit can be used in moderation) nor the trace carbs from protein and fat foods.
• Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step-by-step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your quest to get into that dress:

Step#1– Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars found in food choices with ONE ingredient (e.g. fruit, honey, etc.). This will results in much more stable blood sugar levels, the key to maintaining high energy levels and burning fat.

Step#2– Limit all 100% whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast. Your body best handles these types of carbs at these times without excessive risk of this energy being stored as fat.

Step#3– Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are the most nutrient dense carbs loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and stomach-filling fiber, making them the staple of any good fat loss meal plan.

Step#4– Replace all fruits with green veggies (or any other veggies BESIDES corn, peas, carrots, and potatoes) to weed out any remaining dietary sugar (fructose- fruit sugar) that will prevent your body from maximally using stored body fat for fuel. Green veggies like broccoli, spinach, dark leafy lettuce, green beans, asparagus, etc. have the most figure-friendly benefits of any carbohydrate out there and can be consumed in an unlimited amount throughout the day to keep you full and satisfied.

Step#5– Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to next level (my clients and I have had great success with this but it is beyond the scope of this article).

So there you go – Wedding day, class reunion, family gathering, whatever drives you to look and feel great – sticking to this plan will make sure you show up looking and feeling great!

Congratulations Tim and Debra – May your marriage be a blessed one full of joy and happiness in life and with each other.

Love, Dad