Archive for the ‘diet plan’ Category

Need a diet plan?

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

There are four essential elements that are needed to transform your body. One is exercise, two is commitment and dedication, three is knowledge(knowing what you’re doing) and the most overlooked, and often most important, is diet. Too many people fail to realize that what we put in our system has more of an effect on our bodies than any form of exercise that we do. You can workout like a madman but if you ruin your gains with a horrible diet then all your work is for naught. You need to understand what you’re putting in your system, and you need to know what you should and should not eat. We recommend enlisting the help of a Fittron professional to help put you on the right path.

You might be familiar with the cliché “abs aren’t made in the gym, they’re made in the kitchen.” Indeed this catchy slogan, so often circulated, and it’s true; entirely true. How many times have you found yourself doing hundreds of sit ups a week, or trying every new ab fad on the market in hopes of obtaining that elusive six pack. You’ve seen the commercials; 8 minute abs, the perfect sit up, the flat-tummy machine; you’ve done them all. So what gives?

First, let’s just let it be known that there is nothing wrong with any of the above mentioned products. Indeed they all have their merits and each can help you trim that waistline; so long as you follow up with a proper diet. Exercise alone isn’t going to do it. There is no miracle machine, no miracle exercise; your body is going to be sculpted by the fuel you put into it.

Since we’ve established just how important diet is we now need to discuss how you go about gaining the necessary knowledge on what you should and should not eat. Just think of the diet fads over your lifetime. Growing up we were all taught that carbohydrates should form the base of our “food triangle pyramid”(remember that?) and we should be consuming 5-6 servings of bread and wheat a day. Now carbs are the enemy, shunned like a leper. New diet fads sweep the nation on what seems like a monthly basis and names like Nutrisystem, the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, flood our televisions and supermarket aisles. It’s a jungle out there. You need someone to help you find your way.

Finding a nutritionist isn’t exactly the easiest task. Your local gym won’t usually employ one, and asking them for a blind referral probably isn’t the best way to go either. Nutritionists are highly skilled, specialized professionals. Make sure you get one who has a RD(Registered Dietician) and has gone to school to acquire the necessary knowledge needed to “prescribe” food to you. They might not be giving you a prescription, but in telling you what to put in your body, when, how much, and why, they are in effect giving you medical advice(hence the RD). Make sure you discuss your goals with your nutritionist, tell them what you’re looking to weigh, how often your exercises, and what food you generally have access to.

Diet is an integral part of health and wellness. You can’t eat a bag of potato chips just because you did 20 minutes on the treadmill. And how much pasta should you eat? What about red meat? To get the answers to these questions you need to talk to a professional. At Fittron our directory is stacked with RDs and nutritionists to help you learn about how to change your eating habits. Just look at some of the meal plans and recipes posted on our Pro Page. Our professionals are eager to share their knowledge with you. Come visit our site and find that nutritionist that you’ve needed for so long.

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Simple Tips To Shed Fat

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

TIPS TO GETTING THE FAT OFF!

1: No fast food. To combat the urges, I eat every 2-3 hours.

2: Eat the majority of meals at home. When I stopped eating out, I started losing fat.

3: Eat more vegetables. If I get hungry between meals, I either grab a plate of raw veggies with fat-free dressing or have a protein shake if I need the protein or want a special treat.

4: Cook fat-free (cooking sprays or fat-free spray butter).

5: Reduced calorie condiments. My new favorite is I cant believe its not butter spray. It has all of the taste of butter, with only five calories per serving. Also, the new syrup made with Splenda is excellent on sweet potatoes.

6: Drink loads of water and stick to diet drinks (Diet Mountain Dew is my favorite). No fruit juices, only real fruit. The exception is protein shakes.

 

Fittron professional Danielle Hollenshade has more fitness advice to help you reach your goals. Contact her through Fittron.com and see what she can do for you.

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http://fittron.com/danielle_hollenshade

Healthy Eating to Support Strength Training

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

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I promised a simple menu for a client that continues to work hard taking two steps forward at training but falls back three steps – thru her eating habits – and finds no gain is accomplished.

In fact, most of us struggle with the same issue. I encourage people to make a selection and commit to a nutritional support program that you can live with – daily – for at least two months and then stand back and see the results of your work. For example, my website provides a link to eDiets which provides an array of diet and nutrition choices. Pick one, sign up and work with it.

Alternatively, you can use my simple menu below. Simple, because it is void of a lot of choices; easy to remember and very basic.

Weigh yourself and mark the calendar. Follow this menu every day for two months. Email me and let me know how many pounds you lost as a result by sticking to the plan. If you incorporate a strength training and cardio/interval circuit workout, I will guarantee you will see a change in your body weight, a gain of muscle tone and loss of body fat.

Remember! This is an EVERY DAY Plan

Morning Meal -Small Bowl of Oatmeal - use cinnamon, cloves, raisins, etc to spice it up and keep it interesting. Do not use the instant pre-sweetened, sugary packets. Make it yourself from scratch! Coffee, Tea or Juice or your choice.

Yes, its a carb. Yes, you need the energy. Yes, it has fiber and will help keep your body regular and remove the cholesterol. My favorite is Quaker Oats 1-Minute Quick Oats with 4-5 slices of Turkey Bacon and a large cup of coffee.

Mid-Morning Meal – Egg Whites - whether scrambled, an omelet or boiled. Plan to eat 3-4 egg whites before 10am every morning. Whole wheat or grain toast or muffin is great. Make it interesting with peppers, onions, spinach, broccoli, feta cheese, whatever will help you to eat the clean protein. If you miss the oatmeal you better not miss this one. I eat some sort of Egg White Omelet every morning. An alternative would be an egg white smoothie! Yeech you say? Ok, then use a Ready-to-Drink Meal like, Muscle Milk Ready-to-Drink Meals (11 ounces = 220 caloriesp; 9g carb, 11g fat, 21g protein packed) . These can be found at TheVitaminShoppe.

Lunch – Healthy Protein (fish, chicken or beef) grilled or broiled (never fried) with colorful vegetables (green, orange, yellow, red, purple, get the picture, salad, broccoli, yams, carrots, corn, beets, squash, eggplant, etc.) No pasta, no rice, no potatoe, no bread. Have the veggies cooked, steamed, broiled or raw. Just eat them with the protein before 1:00pm.

Mid-Afternoon Meal – Protein Snack – No not a candy bar or cake or a cookie. Celery with Peanut Butter, Tuna with Celery, Apple with Peanut Butter, a Muscle Milk RTD, handful of nuts with a piece of fruit. Combine a Complex Carb with a protein and fat for a small snack. Because I am on the go, I tend to use the Muscle Milk drink or I grab an apple with a couple of spoons of peanut butter. Try it for 2 months and watch what happens. Let me hear from you!

Dinner – Healthy Protein with colorful vegetables. Same as lunch, just pick something different. No wine, no beer and no soda. Try Crystal Light or Green Tea flavored water. Dinner is best if it can happen between 5-7:00pm.

Evening Snack – Protein Snack – You guessed it, and RTD or a smoothie, a piece of cheese and a pear or apple. Keep it light and simple. You do not want a lot on your stomach while you are trying to let the body rest and recover for the evening. This shouldn’t be any later than 10:00pm.

Then get up in the morning and start all over again!

Come visit Gina at Fittron.com and enlist her services to help you on your journey towards a healthier and happier lifestyle.

http://fittron.com/gina_jackson_personal_fitness