StrengthLab Nutrition and Strategy!
Let me start by stating that weight-loss diets absolutely do not work and that’s a proven fact, nor do weight-loss supplements! If you cannot stick with an eating program for the rest of your life then don’t start the program in the first place, because you’re wasting your time. If you happen to be so lucky as to lose any weight at all while on a “weight-loss” diet, it will simply come back when you abruptly stop the diet and return to your normal eating behavior.
With that said, weight-loss is earned through dedication to a lifestyle change involving natural whole foods, where overall calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat consumption are all minimized, while following a carefully constructed fitness program that allows the participant enough time to recover physically and mentally. Therefore, it’s important to carefully control the type, intensity, duration and frequency of the activities introduced and executed, so as to remain exercising for a lifetime. Be patient, consistent and determined!
Your food selections should contain natural ingredients – No Artificial Ingredients such as colors, flavors or preservatives (your goal here is to minimize all artificial ingredients, it’s nearly impossible to avoid them all). Trans Fats a.k.a Hydrogenated Oils, Animal and Vegetable Shortening, as well as Margarine should be severely minimized or NOT consumed at all. And lastly, Artificial Sweeteners such as Saccharine a.k.a Sweet’n Low, Aspartame a.k.a NutraSweet and Sucralose a.k.a Splenda should be minimized or avoided as well. Artificial sweeteners do not aid in weight-loss; there’s no health benefits associated with artificial sweeteners and they’re hotly debated as health risks as well. If you consume diet soda restrict it to one 12oz serving per day.
You must take charge of your health through consistent physical activity and solid nutrition and never let others convince you that it’s not important… because it is to you. Social activities are a major failure point in building a healthy eating program and lifestyle. Do not give in and join the sedentary and overweight crowd. If you must, order simple and specific food (e.g., grilled chicken breast, a side salad, fat free dressing on the side and a coffee or tea) when eating out and let your company, not the food, be your enjoyment. In addition, you must take time to exercise consistently, do not let others stand in the way of moving your body in a purposeful and productive way, that will help medicate your self-esteem with natural good feeling chemicals and improve your overall health physiologically the natural way. There’re a lot of obstacles to good health and you must fight the good fight everyday, every week, every month and every year!
A few more tips to live by… prepare your own food; restaurant dining will be a huge pitfall in your success if you do not prepare your food and plan ahead. Beverages should be non-caloric the majority of the time. Fried food… do I have to say anything at all? Consume no more than 10%-15% of your calories from fat per individual serving (10% of calories should come from fat if you’re trying to lose weight) and consuming less is even more desirable – the labels tell the story here. For example, if there are 100 calories in your food item and 10 calories are from fat that’s 10% of fat from calories (so read your labels). Get plenty of sleep and keep your stress down; this is best achieved by planning ahead and being organized; fly by the seat of your pants and you’ll get what you get, which isn’t necessarily what you want! I recommend a good multi-vitamin/mineral product (recommended dose on the bottle) and a calcium/magnesium product as well (500-1000mg of each). Damage to your cells is cumulative, so eat as well as you can, as often as you can, while making exceptions and being flexible only when necessary. Don’t take unnecessary risks with your health. Up to 90% of disease and premature death are lifestyle related conditions; you can control your situation and make it positive. Don’t smoke and don’t drink more than 1 serving of alcohol each day. Wear your seatbelt and drive carefully. You need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk! Be positive and keep an optimistic attitude.
Remember, the following are helpful recommendations only. You must be proactive in your decision making and carefully read all your labels. You need to educate yourself and stay motivated to make sound decisions; don’t let others choose for you. You need to work on consuming whole fruits and whole (cooked or raw) veggies and they need to be at arm’s length when needed. Lean sources of protein such as sliced deli turkey or chicken, pre-cooked cold fish, turkey or beef jerky without artificial ingredients, low-fat yogurts, fat free milk, hard boiled eggs (without the yolk), egg beaters and/or egg whites need to be ready to eat when required. Fitness, weight-loss or “ergogenic” supplements are not necessary and a waste of money. Furthermore, be ready to eat before you’re deeply hungry. Salads have to have fat free (low-fat is not good enough) dressing (used sparingly) with light cheese and better yet, no cheese, and lots of veggies!
You must plan ahead to succeed! And you must be dedicated to stay with it!
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