Phase 1 Nutrition pg 2

Nutrition pg. 3
*** 90% of your ability to lose weight and keep it off will center on what you eat. ***

Macronutrients:
Yes, understanding macronutrients can seem like too much information to handle. However, if you understand these principals, you will be able to make much better food choices and greatly improve your ability to lose weight.

Nutrients are substances living organisms need in order to survive. Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories of energy for survival.

Our food is made up of three macronutrients. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat. We need each of these in our diets for the following:

Protein: Protein is extremely important for the body to build and maintain our muscles. It can also be used as energy when there are not enough carbohydrates readily available. That is one reason why on a poor diet you lose muscle.

It is very important that each meal in your diet contains protein. Your body can only process a limited amount of protein per hour, so spreading your protein intake out though the day is important.

Sources rich in protein can be found in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Other foods such as nuts, beans (legumes) and starchy vegetables contain protein in lower quantities. Keep in mind, whenever eating these protein sources to normally select sources as low in fat as possible. Protein also takes longer for your body to digest than other types of nutrients. Eating meat will keep you full longer. More info below under saturated fats.

Fat: We need fat for our bodies to absorb vitamins, help our skin stay healthy and to help curb appetite. Good fats also help protect us from heart attack and stroke. There are good fats our bodies need and other fats that are bad for us. It is important to know the good sources from the bad.

Unsaturated fats: (good for you - two types)
* Polyunsaturated fats - Fish, corn oil, soy oil, vegetable oil
* Monounsaturated fats - Olive oil, nuts, avocados

Saturated Fats (avoid as much as possible):
* Saturated - fatty cuts of meat, lard, dairy cream, cheese, coconut and palm oil. This is why when you select meat you should normally use the leanest cuts of meat with the excess fat removed. But on those special occasions, the extra fat in a sirloin or New York Strip tastes great.

* Trans-fat (Hydrogenated fat or oil) - completely man-made by the addition of hydrogen in oil to thicken it and keep it fresh longer. This is a very bad type of fat. Found in many processed foods, fried foods, margarine, snack foods. Avoid as much as possible.

Carbohydrates (carbs): We need carbs to provide balance in the body for intestinal health (in the form of fiber that the body cannot break down), to the muscles for proper function and hydration. Carbs are the body’s main source of energy. The body uses carbs to provide glucose (sugar) for energy.

Carbohydrates are especially useful after intense workouts. Without carbohydrates, the body turns to protein and fat as an energy source. And if the food intake does not readily contain enough calories in fat and protein for energy, the body will turn to stored sources. It will use stored body fat but it will also break down muscle for protein. The bad part is this leaves nothing for muscle repair or growth. Keeping the carbs will allow the body to use the protein for muscle repair and building. If your nutrient levels are high enough, you can have a moderate calorie deficit and lose fat while building muscle with exercise. Remember: Too few calories = body breakdown. Too many calories = weight gain.

Refined and Unrefined Carbs: When the outer parts of grains are stripped off and processed into white bread, white flower, white pasta, most breakfast cereal, you lose all the fiber, a lot of the nutrients, and the calories become denser. In other words, everything nutritious is removed and you only have condensed empty calories.

Because refined carbs become sugar (glucose) in the body rapidly and are calorie dense, they are great for gaining weight; not good for losing weight. The quick conversion of refined carbs to glucose in the blood spikes your insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that removes sugar from the blood. It then stores it in fat cells. Refined carbs are easily stored as fat. Therefore any extra calories you eat while your insulin levels are high will become fat easier. For unrefined carbs, look for whole grains in breads, cereals, pastas and rice which are unrefined cabs. They are much better for you and often have better taste.

There are three types of carbs:
- Simple - These are carbs that the body can easily turn into sugar. Typically these should be avoided except when they are in natural items like fruit. Fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose) are different types of simple sugars and they have other substances in them the prevent glucose from entering the blood stream too quickly.

- Starchy Complex - These are carbs which exist in long chains. They take longer for our bodies to break down, thus providing longer term energy and reducing the insulin spike. Found in Oatmeal, legumes (all types of beans), potatoes, whole grain rice, whole grain breads, sweet corn, lentils, black-eyed peas, yams. Note: boiling potatoes helps turn the starch into simple sugar, thus making them more likely to raise insulin levels. Eat potatoes in moderation.

- Fibrous Complex - Fibrous carbs are the best for you. They are packed with vitamins, fiber, and other quality nutrients. They are also ultra-low in calories. These include green beans, carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, all types of lettuce (spinach, kale, romaine, iceberg, etc.), cucumbers, mushrooms, peppers, Okra, Zucchini.

Eating these will help you rapidly shed pounds and keep it off. You can eat all you want and never need to worry about gaining weight.

-Fiber - as stated, fiber is a carbohydrate your body cannot break down and absorb. You need foods rich in fiber to help with proper bowel movements. Many overweight people have soft paste like stools due to the lack of fiber in their diet. It helps relieve constipation and keeps your bowel movements regular. Fiber also helps prevent cancer of the intestines, lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol. Good sources of fiber can be found in fibrous complex vegetables, beans, nuts, apples, and whole grains.

Low carb diets:
Many people believe low or no carb diets help you lose weight. However, it is not a question or the type of calories we intake that makes us lose weight, but rather the number of calories that ultimately decides if you gain or lose weight (see energy balance). Yes, limiting refined carbs can be beneficial in losing weight because it helps reduce your overall calorie intake. It can also help prevent insulin spikes so excess calories will not be turned into fat as readily. But cutting out some starchy complex carbs and grains can be a serious mistake that leads to muscle loss.

It should also be noted that carbs help your body retain proper hydration. Going on a low car diet makes you lose water weight. The loss of muscle and water weight is one of the factors that make a low carb diet appear to work so well. Yet after the diet, water weight is quickly gained and part of your weight loss may well be in muscle. A moderate carb diet comprised mainly of fibrous and starchy carbs will help you retain muscle, proper hydration levels, and lose fat.

Next: Nutrition pg4