In today’s society, it seems everyone is looking for a pick me up. I can’t help but notice all of the pills, drinks, and even foods at every checkout line in the grocery store that offer “5 hours of energy” or more.

With most of the the products containing nothing more than sugar, a high dose of B vitamins and caffeine, I can only imagine how horrible they can be over the long haul (many energy drinks are worse than soda!). Yet, energy drinks continue to fly off the shelves (especially to kids that have no business drinking them). Today, I’m going to share with you a few simple tips that will not only give you more energy but also aid in fat loss while improving your overall well being.

You Need More Protein. Be sure to keep protein shakes, raw nuts and seeds, mozzarella cheese sticks, all-natural peanut butter or nut butters, and nut mixes on hand. Hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, or nonfat plain Greek yogurt (with some Truvia) are also great protein sources for snacks throughout the day. Trash those energy shots and spend your money on something much healthier. Try this tasty nut mixture for a quick and easy snack:

Underground Fitness Revolution Power Mix
3 cups Almonds (or Macadamia nuts)
1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (60% or higher)
1 cup Dried Blueberries or Cranberries
Serving = 1/4 cup

This mix makes about a half gallon that should be split up into 1/4 cup serving sizes. Split these up into snack baggies and throw them in the fridge for an easy-to-grab on the go snack all week long.

 

You Don’t Need Starbucks!
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup Almond milk (original or unsweetened vanilla)
1 tsp. instant coffee
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a blender along with 5-6 ice cubes for the “iced coffee” effect.

You want protein to be your dominant food source (in addition to plenty of veggies) because it stabilizes your blood sugar levels which in turn helps your body stay awake. A good jolt of protein also releases dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter that keeps you alert.

You want to lower your intake of carbs, sugar and processed food whenever possible. So reduce or eliminate fruit juice, soda (yes, even diet!), crackers, cookies, bagels, chips, other processed foods, and white flour products from your daily diet. They do nothing to give you energy and, in fact, make you tired. They also spike your insulin levels causing fat gain and a host of health problems.

Did you know for every 100 calories of protein ingested, it requires 20 calories to burn and process it? Protein boosts your metabolism because it takes more energy to digest it. See, it’s a win-win situation! Eat food that causes your body to work the right way.

 

Water! Water! Water! I know, I know. You’ve heard it over and over again. Maybe with all the preaching about H2O, you should give it a try! Poor hydration slows everything down on a circular level. You should be consuming at least half your body weight in fluid ounces of water every day.

If you want to pack a more powerful punch, drink 16 ounces of ice cold water with a squeeze of fresh lemon as soon as you wake up. German researchers found that 16 ounces (lesser amounts didn’t work) of ice cold water first thing in the morning boosts metabolism by 24% for up to 90 minutes afterward! Exposing your body to cold temperatures activates fat burning. Your body has to work to heat up the fluids causing you to burn calories along the way.

In addition, water is needed for nearly every process in the body. If you don’t drink enough water, your body holds on to to water. This makes it hard to lose weight or for your organs to function properly. In addition, just 2 percent dehydration affects performance levels during a workout.

Do Something! Sometimes you just need to get the blood flowing again. Try a minute of body-weight exercises or movement of some sort at work or throughout the day. Try running in place, push-ups, body-weight squats or lunges, sprinting the stairs, or even just a few plank holds. Find something that works for you and your schedule and do it. For the most effective and efficient training, try a high-intensity total-body metabolic workout like what we do at Underground Fitness Revolution!

Get moving, yo!

Jessica

Each day, I have friends asking me for meal ideas and what they should eat for the best fat loss results. So today when I found this article by Isabel De Los Rios, I thought it was best to share it with you all. It has the exact same guidelines that we give our clients (“protein, produce and water”) and the same plan that my family follows on a daily basis. This is also how the Meal Movement program we offer is set up and why it works so well. I hope this helps you!

- Jessica

The meal plans and nutrition principles that follow are a culmination of many years of research and study into exactly what works to achieve a lean body. Many of the principles and suggested meals were learned from Isabel De Los Rios, a nutritionist and the author of The Diet Solution Program.

According to Isabel, none of the principles and strategies in this 7-Day Transformation System are extreme or unhealthy. Isabel has used these nutrition guidelines in her own jump start program. On the contrary, they are the best principles you can incorporate to not only get your weight loss jump started on your way to fat loss success but to also help you achieve a level of health and well being that you may never have thought possible for you.

These meal plans are NOT a crash diet or a short-term plan. You can stay lean all year long by following these principles and eating very similar meal plans to the ones I have outlined below. You won’t deprive yourself and you won’t be miserable “on a diet.” It’s quite the opposite, actually. You’ll feel great, get and remain lean, and will be energized all day.

The rules are simple and the meal plans are easy to follow. I can promise that if you stick to the plan, it’s guaranteed to work. All you need to do is add the commitment and motivation to see it through.

Don’t just do it “half-way.” Go 100% and see your body transform in ways you may have never seen before.

Believe in yourself!

Simple Nutrition Principles

I like to keep things simple: no counting calories or measuring foods. It’s actually pretty much common sense when it comes to clean eating. Follow these simple nutrition principles and you’ll be able to see some incredible results in very little time.

1) Eat Real, Whole, Natural Foods (Single-Ingredient Foods as Much as Possible)

If you want to live a long, healthy life with a lean body and flat stomach, you should be consuming a diet with whole, natural foods focusing on fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources and raw nuts. If you choose to eat meats and grains, focus on the highest quality possible (grass-fed beef and bison, free-range chicken, sweet potatoes, quinoa, spelt/millet, barley, oatmeal and other high-quality food).

2) Eliminate or Minimize Food From a Bag or a Box

Foods like breakfast cereals, bagels, pre-packaged processed foods, pastries, candy, cookies, biscuits and snack foods should be removed from your diet. They contain excess sugar, trans fats, and too many chemicals and calories.

3) Keep Daily Sugar Intake to 15 Grams or Less (Including Fruits).

When you eliminate sugar from your diet, you will see fast fat loss results. Make sure you are aware of other names for sugar such as organic cane juice, molasses, dextrose, sugar in the raw, brown sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, etc. If it ends in “ose,” it’s a form of sugar!

4) Eliminate Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are made up of chemicals and are highly dangerous to your health. Natural plant-based sweeteners like Truvia (stevia), are fine in moderation.

5) Minimize or Completely Eliminate Alcohol Intake

Sorry, but alcohol stops fat loss in its tracks and can lead to fat gain. Remember this rule of thumb: each drink (one shot, one glass of wine or one 12-ounce beer) stops fat loss for one hour. If you eat during that time, you’re gaining fat!

6) Drink At Least Half Your Body-Weight in Fluid Ounces of Water Daily

If you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water daily – minimum. Most people should aim for a gallon of water each day. Remember, our bodies are made up of nearly 70% water. If you deprive your body of water, you prevent it from functioning properly and also cause your body to hold on to water which prevents weight loss. Consuming half your body-weight in fluid ounces of water is a good guideline to help prevent dehydration (which triggers “hunger” – so you eat when you really need to drink) and allow your body to function properly, eliminate waste, clear up your skin and much, much more!

Meal Plans

If you experience hunger at any time, increase the protein or vegetable serving in 1 or 2 of your meals by one serving. For example, if lunch calls for 3 ounces of a protein, increase it to 4 ounces or even 5 ounces if necessary. Please do not be afraid to add more healthy food to your plan to nourish your body sufficiently. Eating one or two more ounces of a healthy protein or vegetable will not affect your results. Eating foods that are not on your list (breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, processed food, sweets) will deter you from seeing the results you’re looking for.

Food Sources:

Protein Sources

• Grass-Fed Beef or Bison, Lamb, Pork (lean), Venison

• Free-Range (preferably organic) Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Cornish Hen, Quail (this includes white and dark meat)

• Whole Organic Eggs

• Wild Fish (all varieties,like wild Salmon – except for Tuna which should be consumed 1 time per week maximum)

• Cottage Cheese (preferably raw and organic)

• Raw Nuts (not including peanuts or cashews) **Nuts will also be included under healthy fat sources.

• Raw Nut Butters (except for Peanut Butter and Cashew butter)

Fat Sources

• Organic, extra virgin olive oil

• Fish Oil (liquid or capsules)

• Cod Liver Oil (liquid or capsules)

• Flaxseed Oil

• Organic, Raw Butter

• Avocado

• Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

• Raw Nuts (not including peanuts or cashews) **Nuts are also included under healthy protein sources.

Fibrous Carbohydrate Sources

• All vegetables

• All fruits (in their natural state —> NO fruit juices or dried fruits). But remember to keep sugar at 15 grams or less daily, including fruit.

7-Day Meal Plan

Breakfast (7-8 am)

Sample Protein Choices: Choose One

1 whole organic egg + 3 egg whites

2 whole organic eggs

3 slices Applegate Farms turkey bacon

3 Applegate Farms breakfast sausages

2 oz of leftover meat from the night before

Sample Vegetable Choices: Choose One

1 cup cooked broccoli

1 cup cooked cauliflower

1 cup sauteed spinach

1 cup steamed asparagus

Sample Fruit Choices: Choose One

1 cup raspberries

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 medium banana

Note:

1 cup raspberries = 5.4 grams sugar

1 cup whole strawberries = 6.7 grams sugar

1 cup blueberries = 14.7 grams sugar

1 cup blackberries = 7 grams sugar

1 medium peach = 8.2 grams sugar

1 medium orange = 12.2 grams sugar

1 medium banana (7” to 7 ⅞”) = 14.4 grams sugar

Example Breakfasts:

Breakfast 1:

1 egg + 3 whites

1 cup steamed cauliflower

1/2 cup raspberries

Breakfast 2:

3 slices turkey bacon

1 cup spinach

1/2 medium banana

Breakfast 3:

2 oz leftover turkey

1 cup cooked broccoli

1/2 cup blueberries

OR, Try this smoothie recipe for your breakfast:

Berry Berry Green Smoothie

1-Cup of Ice

1-Cup of Water

1-Scoop of Prograde Vanilla Protein

1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries

1 Handful of Spinach

Mix in a Blender and enjoy!

Snack #1 (10-11am) and Snack #2 (3-4 pm)

Sample Protein Choices: Choose One

2 TBSP Natural, Raw Almond Butter

1 oz Raw Almonds

1 oz Raw Walnuts

2 hard boiled eggs

2 oz sliced turkey breast or chicken breast

Sample Vegetable Choices: Choose One

Celery Sticks

6-7 Baby Carrots

1/2 sliced red, yellow, or green pepper

1 cup broccoli or cauliflower

Example Snacks:

Snack 1:

2 Tbsp Almond Butter

Celery Sticks

Snack 2:

2 hard boiled eggs

1/2 yellow pepper

Snack 3:

1 ounce raw walnuts

6 baby carrots

Lunch (1-2pm) and Dinner (6-7pm)

Sample Protein Choices: Choose One

3 ounces chicken (dark or white meat)

3 ounces turkey (dark or white meat)

3 ounces fish (tuna only 1 time per week)

2 ounces beef (lean varieties)

Over a large salad that is made up of any of the following: All lettuce except for Iceberg (It has little nutritional value) Celery, Peppers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes

Sample Vegetable Choices: Choose One

1 cup cooked broccoli

1 cup cooked cauliflower

1 cup sauteed spinach

1 cup steamed asparagus

Dressing: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Flax Seed Oil

Spices (Celtic Sea Salt, pepper, Italian Seasonings, to taste)

Example Lunches and Dinners:

Lunch/Dinner 1:

3 oz grilled chicken (white or dark)

Over a large salad made up of Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and celery

1 cup asparagus added to the salad or on the side

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Tbsp flaxseed oil as dressing

Lunch/Dinner 2:

3 oz beef burger Over sauteed spinach

Salad on the side with Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Notes:

Turkey Bacon – Applegate Farms makes the best turkey bacon. Each slice has about 6 grams of protein. If you can’t find this brand, find a brand that has 5-7 g of protein per slice and contains NO nitrites and nitrates.

Turkey Sausage – Also Applegate Farms. Each link has about 6 grams of protein. If you can’t find this brand, find a brand with NO nitrites and nitrates.

Eggs should be organic! I would love for all of the food you eat to be organic but if nothing else, eggs are a priority!

All almonds, walnuts and almond butter must be raw. They can not be roasted and salted. Roasting nuts takes a good food and turns it into a bad food!

Olive Oil must be Extra Virgin and preferably organic.

Flaxseed oil must go in the refrigerator.

Typical Day Meals And Times:

7am – Breakfast

10am – Snack #1

1pm – Lunch

3pm – Snack #2

6pm – Dinner

Please make an effort not to eat any later than 7pm. This will help to prevent the mindless snacking that we sometimes tend to do late at night in front of the TV.

Water Intake – Half (1/2) of your body-weight in fluid ounces of water. Example: If you weigh 150lbs, you would have to drink a minimum of 75 ounces of water.

I encourage you to replace any salt in your home (Kosher, iodized, or other salt) with sea salt. I assure you that salt is not bad. It is just the type of salt that is either good or bad.

We are also going to incorporate a high-quality Omega 3 supplement. The benefits of Omega 3’s are endless. Not only do they assist in weight loss, but they alleviate joint pains, improve digestion and elimination, and keep the arteries of the heart nice and clean.

The brand I recommend and use myself is Prograde Krill Oil.

You are going to take two soft gels with dinner.

If there was only one supplement that I could have all of my clients on, it would be a high-quality Omega-3 supplement. It really does wonders for the body.

Remember…

Do the very best you can with whichever foods are available to you. You may not be able to find every single food I have listed, but that is okay! I have never had a client not lose weight because they had to make 1 or 2 adjustments. More importantly, make the majority of your food choices “all natural” and follow the recommended portion sizes and food combinations. I know from personal experience with hundreds of clients that even following the above plans at 90% proves amazing results.

“Our food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food.” – Hippocrates

Whenever I post to my facebook page about a new healthy recipe I’ve found or cooked, at least one person has had something negative to say about why they can’t eat it for some reason (essentially they are creating an excuse for not eating healthful food). This drives me crazy!

If you choose to improve your health and make better eating habits for yourself and your family, you need to first understand something before you ever get started. Consuming “clean” and healthful food does NOT mean you may continue eating the greasy, sugary or processed food that you may have been used to eating beforehand. If you truly want to change the way you eat, you’ll need to eliminate those foods or find healthier versions of the food you love so you will lose weight and feel better. You will have to give every new recipe or healthy food time for your taste buds to adjust as you’re basically retraining your palate.

In the process of putting together my own healthy eating cookbook, I have been using our Underground Fitness Revolution members as my taste testers. They are all here to change their lives and get in better shape. They must learn new eating habits to achieve their goals and come to appreciate all of the new meals, snacks and recipes to support their healthy lifestyle.

We want to educate our clients and others that eating healthy does NOT mean you are limited to eating salads, plain veggies and grilled or boiled chicken breasts. We eat a large variety of food in our home and rarely eat the same thing within a week. (Unless, of course, we’re talking about my favorite Vanilla Almond Cinnamon Mocha Protein shake!)

Last week, I baked a protein-packed bread made without flour. I have been on a mission to bake a bread that I could eat whenever I wanted and not worry about the disastrous side effects of white or wheat flour, gluten or having it interfere with my weight loss. I made two different recipes and am proud to say after these trial runs that it’s now perfected!

When people hear the word “bread,” they immediately think of the fluffy, crumbly goodness that comes with it. For me, after eating clean for several months, even a bite of something with flour causes excruciating pain (as I learned over the holidays when I ate one of my step dad’s famous gingerbread cookies!).

If you have not tried a healthy protein-packed recipe in place of a regular recipe that contains sugar and flour, you may not realize that the texture of the protein-packed recipe will be different. When you replace flour with protein powder or replace whole eggs with egg whites, the texture changes.

This is where you have to make a decision:

Continue eating the foods that make you sick, unhealthy and fat or replace those foods with healthier versions that don’t have the negative side effects and help you achieve your fat loss goals.

The texture may be different, and it may take some time to get used to it, but now you have a bread where you could sit down and eat the whole loaf in one sitting and not load up on all the flour and carbs – whereas before you couldn’t have any type of bread without it causing negative side effects including G.I. distress, bloat, fatigue and weight gain.

As an example, most of the “whole wheat” bread on the shelf in your local grocery store isn’t as healthy as you think. Labels are deceiving. My rule of thumb is if something contains more than 4-6 ingredients or has words you can’t pronounce, then it’s safe to say it’s not a good choice. If the bread is truly 100% whole wheat or all-natural, it will have few ingredients and its shelf life will be drastically reduced and will require refrigeration or immediate consumption as it will spoil within a few days or a week. I learned this after buying bread for my daughter’s sandwiches. It will last 4-5 days on the counter but a week or two in the fridge.

I am a Southern girl so I know what meat and potatoes are all about! As well as how yummy it can be to soak up all the extra gravy with grandma’s yummy biscuits. I also now know just how deadly those types of food can be within the body and how they stop fat loss in its tracks. But being the Southern girl I am and after eating that way for 26 years, I knew I had to make my new way of eating just as delicious in order to not fail or “cheat.”

I am happy to say with a little bit of dedication and education I have found hundreds of new ways to prepare food that I love in a way that I can consume them now and not wreak havock on my body. Below is my new Greek Yogurt Protein Pancake recipe. I promise that even if you don’t like Greek yogurt you’ll love these pancakes! You won’t be able to tell there is Greek yogurt in them. They are loaded with protein and nutrients and my favorite part is that they taste and look a lot like the flap jacks my father used to make when I was a child. Put some sugar-free syrup on them and BAM! You’ll have a yummy healthy breakfast to get your day started right!

 

Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

2 cups Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt

1 scoop of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1 1/2 cups Ground Flaxseed Meal

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

2 Whole Eggs

2 Tbsp. of Truvia (6 packs)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend well. The ingredients will make a very thick consistency. Pour small patties (about 2 inches) as they will expand to 4-5 inches. Cook in a nonstick pan like you would any pancake. Do not flip until the bottom is fully cooked. You will see bubbles on top. Top with some real butter, sugar-free syrup, a small amount of real maple syrup or local, raw unpasteurized honey and serve. DE-LISH!

Jessica & Nate

I recently received a message from a facebook user wanting to clarify something she read. Here’s her question followed by my answer.

Q.) I have a question, is this true?

Too Much Protein
“So think twice when you consider sacrificing the carbohydrates for a protein-dominant diet, Butterfield says. Drastically cutting carbohydrates from your diet may force your body to fight back.

She says that’s because a diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.

That water loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss. But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.”

A.) Although there are some truths to that, it’s really an oversimplification and very misleading.

Let me try to clear it up for you.

There is no research showing that consuming more than 30% of your daily diet in protein causes problems to the kidneys or the body in healthy individuals unless following a ketogenic diet or looking at studies that used patients that already had kidney malfunctions in the first place!

In fact, recent research shows that consuming 30% or more of your calories from protein helps the body burn fat, boost metabolism and build and maintain muscle mass even when overeating up to 1,000 calories more than what you need to maintain your weight – read the story and research HERE.

In fact, the Meal Movement program we recommend has you consuming up to 60% of your daily diet in protein. But you’re also consuming veggies with all those meals. It works and it keeps you healthy! It also follows our “protein, produce and water” guidelines (more on that below).

When cutting carbohydrates from your diet, you should eliminate all starchy and processed carbs (bread, pasta, rice, crackers, cookies, cereal, bagels, baked goods, etc.).

This means you should still consume veggies with all meals and snacks as well as some fruit (1-3 servings/day). A diet where meals and snacks consist of veggies and/or fruits will provide all the carbohydrates your body needs to fuel itself as well as protect your body from becoming too acidic. Veggies also help keep your body’s pH levels where they should be.

If you remove all carbohydrates from your diet including veggies/fruit, then you will go into ketosis and also make your body very acidic which does put stress on the kidneys and causes your body to become sick due to an imbalance with your pH levels – and this invites disease as well.

If you eliminate all carbs (including veggies/fruits), you will lose a lot of water weight initially. However, as long as your protein intake is high (30% or higher), you should still maintain muscle mass as the recent study I posted showed.

With that said, I DO NOT recommend a ketogenic diet (like the original Atkins program and some of the other fad diets out there).

I do recommend “protein, produce and water” and Meal Movement because it eliminates the processed and starchy carbs from your diet while keeping you healthy and maintaining muscle mass. This keeps you from ever getting into ketosis or suffering the side effects of weakness, dizziness or bad breath and health problems.

Our “protein, produce and water” guidelines mean the following:

- Consume high-quality protein with every meal and snack (chicken, beef, fish, pork, wild game meat, whole eggs, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and high-quality whey protein).

- Consume veggies with ALL meals (they provide fiber, many nutrients and help balance the body’s pH levels)

- Consume fruit in the morning or post-workout only. Fruit is good for you, but too much can still overfill your sugar stores. Also, remember to EAT YOUR FRUIT, DO NOT DRINK THE JUICE. Fruit juice is nothing but pure sugar – even if it says no sugar added. Eat a whole piece of fruit and always skip the juice.

- Consume beans/legumes within moderation (black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, etc.). They provide fiber and help fill you up. Avoid baked beans – they are loaded with sugar.

- Consume healthy fats from grass-fed beef, wild salmon, whole eggs, raw nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, macadamia nut oil, coconut oil, omega-3 fish oil, etc.

- Consume at least half your body-weight in fluid ounces of water each day. If you weigh 150lbs, you should consume at least 75 ounces of water each day. Your urine should be clear.

- DO NOT drink your calories. Drink water, green tea or flavored water (in moderation). Remove the milk, soda, fruit juice and other calorie-containing drinks from your diet. The average person consumes 450 calories per day through calorie-containing drinks!

- Consume high-quality starchy carbs (and fruit) for breakfast or within 1 hour of an intense total-body metabolic workout only. High-quality starchy carbs include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, spelt, millet, millet and flax, flaxseed bread, Lavish, Ezekiel bread and other sprouted breads/pasta.

You MUST “earn” your carbs. There are two times of the day when you “earn” your carbs. You earn them first thing in the morning and immediately post-workout. If you don’t train hard, you don’t earn starchy carbs that day. That means you should only have 1-2 servings of high-quality starchy carbs each day. If you eat carbs with all meals and snacks (as most people do), your body cannot process and use all the carbs. The body breaks carbs down into sugar in the body. If you’re eating carbs all the time, it will not be able to use the carbs as energy because the body’s glycogen stores are already overfilled. It then stores these carbs as FAT in the body.

It also makes you more insulin resistant. And if you are overweight, you are already more insulin resistant and this causes your body to automatically store more food as fat rather than as glycogen or muscle. This is why processed and starchy carbs need to be restricted in the diet especially the more overweight you are.

A typical meal means that HALF or more of your plate is veggies, approximately 1/3 is protein and the rest includes healthy fats (notice that there are NO starchy carbs). This is how your meals outside of the post-workout window should look like each day. Snacks should contain protein/healthy fats – think raw almonds or a couple cheese sticks or a protein shake or Greek yogurt with walnuts or cottage cheese with walnuts. The meal within an hour after your intense total-body metabolic workout should consist of 1/2 veggies/fruit, 1/4 starchy carbs, and about 1/4 protein.

For more about how to divide your plate, see this wonderful article by Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition and the “My Plate” recommendations. These are the guidelines we recommend for best results. Download and print the Precision Nutrition “My Plate” graphics of the “Anytime Meal” and “Post-Workout Meal” and post them on your fridge.

If you do the above, you will lose weight, stay healthy, feel great and not have all the problems of a ketogenic diet or any other fad diet.

Remember, the Greek word for “diet” means “a way of living.” It’s not something you do for a short time to lose weight, it’s a lifestyle!

Crank it!

Nate & Jessica

Many of you who have been following me via facebook might have noticed that every night last week I posted some sort of delicious late night snack. I received a few emails about recipes and wanting to know how we could get away with eating “sweet” stuff so late. So today I thought I would provide a little insight and let you in on my “secret.”

I am sure you all have heard the rule a million times that you should never eat after 7pm (or 6pm, or 8pm or whatever time someone decides to make it).

When rules don’t make sense to me, I simply choose not to follow them (unless, of course, those “rules” are “laws”…not really into the whole illegal activity thing).

But as far as the whole “no eating after 7pm” nonsense goes, I break that one just about every day.

And so should you.

Here’s why:

Most general rules of thumb in the fitness world are oversimplifications and the whole “Don’t eat after X o’clock” is no exception.

The recommendation is based on the idea that metabolism slows in the evening hours as you prepare for bed, and eating during this time should be avoided so as not to have those calories stored as fat.

Makes sense, but again, oversimplified.

What we really want to avoid in the evening are foods that cause insulin to rise, specifically sugar and carbohydrates.

First, when blood insulin levels rise, fat burning takes a dive and a “storage” environment is created within the body. This is a good thing after exercise or after an overnight fast to allow the body to “refuel,” but not so good when metabolism is falling off in the evening hours.

Second, something called insulin sensitivity drops drastically in the evening, which simply means that your body is not as responsive to insulin at night as it is during the day. When insulin sensitivity is low, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.

So with that being said, we can see why eating carbohydrates late at night isn’t a smart move, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t eat anything.

What should you eat to curb late-night cravings and support muscle tissue maintenance as you sleep? Simple: a small meal consisting of mostly slow-digesting protein and fibrous green veggies within a couple hours of bed works best.

Animal protein (chicken, fish, beef, etc.) are great choices for a late night meal, as is something like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. Both digest slowly over time, providing a mild, but steady influx of nutrients to muscle throughout the night, all while not interfering with your insulin levels.

In addition to slower digesting protein, whey protein is also a good choice for evening snacks. Although it digests at a faster rate, it is still great for muscle repair and keeps you from eating sugar and carbohydrates (cereal, ice cream, Twinkies, cookies, etc.).

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite late night snacks. It’s protein packed and will leave you full, and satisfy that sweet tooth.

Protein Pumpkin Pie Shake

Ingredients:
1 scoop Vanilla Prograde Protein Powder
½ cup canned pumpkin
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. walnuts
1 tsp. (1 pack) Truvia
¾ cup original almond milk
4-5 ice cubes

Instructions:
Blend, Pour into a glass, and enjoy a (seemingly) sinful taste of dessert!

Nutritional Information:
Protein:  25g
Calories:  265
Carbs: 25g
Sugar: 13g

 

Eat Healthy! Get Fit! Be Fabulous!

Jessica & Nate