Being successful with your diet.

Here we go!  It's that time of year again.  Everyone is starting the latest and greatest diet in one way or another, but do they know what they're doing?


Most likely the answer to that is "somewhat".  Most people know in order to lose weight you have to eat less food.  Where it goes wrong is what they are eating less of, eating too little, and not planning.  Being successful with your diet is going to take some planning, and that is what I will help you with.


So, I am going to start with a grocery list for you. A lot of people will take a look at the list and say "How can you afford to get healthy like that?"  Well, how can you afford take out a few days a week?  It is true that healthier food is more expensive than processed food but is your life worth it?  I thought so.  Plus, it's cheaper than going out to eat.


First things first with the grocery list- the only reason you go into the aisles is to get Tunafish, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Olive Oil, Pam Cooking Spray, and a few more things.  No more boxes in your pantry or jars in your Lazy Susan. The majority of the items you buy will need to be eaten within a week, and that doesn't include Fall out Shelter Soup- so don't buy it. Do you understand the big picture here?  The only place you need to walk in the grocery store is... the perimeter.


As soon as you walk into the store you see the produce section- everything there is awesome.  Buy whatever you want.
Some examples of diet stables are:
Apples
Bananas
Strawberries
Oranges
Romaine Lettuce
Blueberries
Raspberries
Avocado
Fresh Spices
Broccoli
Spinach
Grapefruit


Regardless of how many meals you want to eat per day you should have a serving of vegetables or fruit with each meal.  It doesn't matter what it is.


Now after you stroll through the produce section you do not wander into the bakery.  Skip that place and go to the seafood section. Seafood is high in protein and should be the centerpiece of a meal.
Tuna
Shrimp
Flounder
Catfish
Tilapia
Scallops


After you get whatever seafood you fancy you will come upon the meat section.  In my opinion this is the most important section and should have red carpets leading to it.  Now some people swear by organic meat and if you do that is awesome.  Find a local farm and buy the same as I list below.


Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast- Buy in BULK and save money.  You won't waste it.
Lean Beef 93/7- Going to 90/10 or even 85/15 isn't a horrible thing.  Fat is important for production of hormones and saturated fat will not kill you.  
Buffalo
Venison
Pork- Steak or Tenderloin
Ostrich
Turkey


Again do not be afraid of the fat in fresh food.  Fats are important!! I'm going to keep saying this until your media brainwashed minds finally understand how healthy and important fat is.


Now in between these sections while you traveled into the marketing abyss you should have bought some:
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Olive Oil
Spices
Peanuts, Almonds, Legumes, and Beans
All Natural Peanut Butter
Paper products/Toiletries
Coffee/Tea
Whole Wheat Bread


Once you make your way quickly in and out of those aisles you come to the dairy section.
Milk
Greek Yogurt
Eggs- A centerpiece of a meal.  Fats..remember, they are important and the protein in an egg is unbeatable.
Cheese
Cottage Cheese


That's it.  Get your Club Card and get out of the store.  You think this list is boring?  Try throwing a bunch of fresh spices together onto a big juicy piece of Pork Tenderloin and tell me it's boring. This list isn't the end all be all of food lists.  You can definitely add in other food if you want. You can certainly buy pasta and wheat products or white rice if you're trying to add muscle.  But if you are serious about losing weight and changing the way your body looks, stick to the basics.  Stick to the food you know is healthy.  90 percent.  Stick with the foods I listed and/or similar foods I missed 90 percent of the time (a week) and you will make awesome progress.  So, if you eat 5 times a day, 35 times a week, there are only 3 and a half meals a week where you can afford to eat something else. It comes down to how bad you want success. 


It doesn't end there. You have to now take the foods from the above list and create your meal plan.  Grab your training journal you created when you started working out and look through it.  Figure out when you eat, what times are the best, and how many meals you have.  Make this as easy as possible for you.  You will not die if you miss a meal, you will not crash half way through the day if you do not eat breakfast, and your body will not hate you if you decide to only eat one meal per day (It will actually love you).  Almost everything you have ever heard about meals per day, meal timing, metabolism boosting, best diets, and breakfast is the best is full of lies, sales tactics and straight up bullshit.  The food you put in your body is the most important piece of the puzzle. A protein source is ALWAYS your centerpiece.  Always eat your protein source first, veggies second, fruit third, and then your Carb source. This way if you start getting full, you're getting full on the best sources first.


Here is an example (4 times per day)


Meal 1
Protein Source
Veggie
Fruit
Carb


Repeat however often you feel needed.  Some people may eat 2 times a day and eat a lot more per sitting.  I recommend getting about 2 grams per pound of body weight of protein per day.  Most science and fad diets you read about say 1 gram, but that is for normal everyday people to function at proper levels.  You'll be embarking on an intense strength training routine (right?) and working out at least 4 days a week.  Your body needs protein and it needs a lot of it.  Do you want to be a strong member of society with the energy to workout and kick ass?  Do you want to wake up in less pain you normally do after an intense workout?  Eat more protein.  


So now you're ready. Get your food, make your plan, and workout hard.  Find out how many calories your body needs per day and how much it'll take for you to lose weight and stick with it consistently. www.Freedieting.com has a ton of useful calculators that can give you some estimations.  Do not be a victim of the scale. 
 <-----The scale lies, see?  Check out www.fitday.com as a place to track the foods you eat.  You can put in your weight, your goal weight, and their system will tally the food you eat so you can understand how many calories are in a serving and what the protein, fat, and carb content is.  WEIGH your food.  Go to Wal Mart and buy a scale and weigh your food for at least a week to get an understanding of portion size.  Use measuring cups also and READ THE LABELS.  Get everything lined up and put your plan into action and I guarantee you will kick ass in the mirror.