“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.”
William James (1842-1910), Author

Q: I am back in the gym after a two-year layoff and I have a whole lot of weight to lose (mostly belly fat). A nutritionist told me that the best way to lose the fat and ensure progress in the gym is to eat healthy, and that the best way to do that is by following the government’s food pyramid. A T.T.N. trainer that works at our gym was not a big fan of the new “My Pyramid” and recommended avoiding most breads and limiting some grains that are shown on the pyramid. I haven’t seen the new food pyramid version but what is so wrong with it and how can it be adjusted for the better. My main goal (and struggle) at this point evolves around fat loss and I find it difficult to completely avoid the desserts. What would you suggest to help speed up the fat loss process?

A: Unfortunately, the original food pyramid left out a lot of important information. For starters, it suggests that all fats are bad and all complex carbs are acceptable and it didn’t distinguish between protein sources, suggesting that protein, regardless of it’s source, offered the same nutrition.

Concerning the “new” food pyramid, I don’t think it’s a whole lot better, and you won’t have to worry about finding it. It will be finding you, as over 2000+ will be heavily promoting it (and the mass food manufacturers will gladly be paying the bill for this upcoming campaign). Why would they be paying for the campaign? Because it directly serves their interests, but I don’t believe that it serves yours ­ especially not when fat loss is your goal.

What are some of the problems with the food pyramid? For starters, consuming an excess of carbs, especially high glycemic carbs, while reducing protein and trying to eliminate fats, regardless of their source, is a recipe for fat storage, not fat loss. The formula for priming the body to burn fat is: 1) high protein, 2) moderate levels of “low glycemic” carbohydrates, 3) the “right” kind of fats, and 4) short intense workouts with weights and H.I.T. interval aerobics performed on alternate days.

If you want to lose weight, it’s especially important that you take a closer look at the carbs you’re consuming. Unfortunately, the U.S.D.A. “My Pyramid” doesn’t distinguish between low-glycemic and high-glycemic carbs, it just recommends lots of them. The fact is that there is a huge difference between carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates that rapidly break down after consuming them have the highest glycemic index. When refined carbohydrates including breads and baked goods along with starchy foods such as pasta and white rice are eaten they are converted into simple sugars, or glucose. Insulin then gets secreted by the pancreas, which in turn allows the glucose to be used by the cells for energy. The more refined carbs consumed, the more insulin is required and as we looked at in past issues, insulin release equals stored body fat. Since only limited amounts of this “carb energy” can be stored in the body, any excess will be converted into fat. The key point to be aware of is that insulin is a fat producer and is directly connected to body fat storage. These carbs are a direct cause of obesity in children and adults alike. Avoid these carbs as much as possible.

Ideally, you want to get the bulk of your carbs from vegetables. The top ones for optimal health would include spinach, broccoli, kale, collard, Swiss chard, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. These specific vegetables top the list of low-calorie, low-glycemic, antioxidant-rich fat fighters.

Now, what about fats? It’s important to realize that not all fats are created equal. Avoid saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, especially corn oil. And watch out for the so-called health foods that tout omega-6 fatty acids ­ they’re important, but you probably get too many of them in your diet already. Keep your eye peeled for “omega-3 fatty acids” ­ that’s the one you need. The best thing is to get your fats from the foods you eat. When it comes to main dishes, the oils in red meat from grass-fed animals are high in omega-3, as are the oils you get from eating omega-3 rich eggs and wild-caught fish. The natural oils in avocado and nuts should also be a dietary staple, along with virgin cold-pressed olive and flax oils.

As for breads, the T.T.N. trainer you spoke with was correct in his assessment. You’ll want to limit bread until you reach your desired weight. The biggest problem with many so called, “healthy breads” is that they contain only 51% whole grains, but the rest of the product is often filled with starchy, refined grains and bleached flour causing a spike in blood sugar that causes you too store more body fat. Many of the whole wheat breads on the market today have a glycemic score of between 75 and 80. Many chocolate bars score in the mid to high 60s! What’s more, consuming high levels of grains daily can trigger inflammation and arthritis due to the lectins in grains.

For optimal health and fat loss, try to limit your grains to a select few like brown rice, buckwheat cereal, oatmeal, wheat germ, oat bran as well as quinoa. These foods will help to fill you up faster while at the same time they offer protection against a wide range of chronic diseases. Also, choose low glycemic fruits like cherries, (glycemic index 22), grapefruit (25), peaches (28), pears (38), plums (39), as well as antioxidant rich berries and apples. The one exception to this would be for a cheat or free meal, which for my clients is once a week.

If you are not currently building in a defined cheat meal, it’s well worth considering. The way it works is that in each seven-day block you can incorporate ONE “splurge” meal in which you can eat whatever you want. Some athletes and bodybuilders like to set Saturday dinner or Sunday brunch for this. The actual day and time is not important but building in a once-a-week splurge you won’t feel guilty about will help ensure that you stick with your healthy nutrition programme over the long term.

At this ONE meal a week, you can eat what ever your heart desires…muffins, pizza, pancakes, puddings, ice cream…it’s all fair game and absolutely permissible and there is also a physiological reason as to why it is included. By filling in on your Food Tracker sheet, or in your mind, what your favourite “reward” meal and dessert of the week will be, then as the days of the week go by, when someone comes by and offers you a muffin, donut or an ice cream or whatever, you have leverage. Let me explain: once you make clear in your mind that you get ONE reward cheat meal a week, you start to mentally use it as currency, and you don’t want to spend it unwisely. That’s ONE reward meal, and when the office staff show up with cinnamon buns for everyone, the trick is to view it in your mind as a simple trade off. One in which you consciously choose to pass up on at the present time for that unbelievable, all-time favourite food and dessert that is coming up this Saturday or Sunday. By mentally negotiating it in this way, you become more able to pass up that brief, small, gratification in trade for the meal and dessert that really makes your heart sing!

The way most T.T.N. diets are laid out, it’s ok to have one cheat meal a week, especially at the beginning when the desire for certain foods can be the strongest, provided that the food eaten is not excessive. For the rest of the week, the key is to train your mind to support you in not spending that one cheat meal or splurge frivolously. In a Food Tracker, you might find it helpful to write down as early in the week as possible the special cheat meal (a.k.a. reward meal) and what it will consist of. Maybe it will be aligned with a special night out on the town with friends you haven’t seen in a while. Maybe it’s a family birthday party and you know that your favourite foods and dessert will be served. Whatever it is, make it a celebration meal for staying on course for the whole week! This strategy builds the mental “discipline” muscle, which grows stronger every week that you stay on track and slowly becomes a part of your lifestyle.

Of course, you can always change your mind partway through the week if you like. Maybe you planned on dinner with friends on Wednesday night, but then that doesn’t work out, so you switch your plan to dinner on Saturday. No problem! But write it down in your tracker, so it’s a solid plan. And when Saturday comes, don’t slight yourself in the least. Your job is to enjoy that “cheat meal” to the fullest. Let the weekly “cheat meal” become a habit. When you do, it will reinforce your ability to stay on track with your physique-transformation eating plan the rest of the week, and you’ll have fun losing that weight.

If you’re like some clients, you might say, “Ya, but what about the effects of the ‘cheat meal’? Won’t those high-glycemic carbs and fat-laden foods cause my body to store fat, putting the weight I’ve been losing right back on?” Well, that would depend on a variety of factors including how fast your metabolism is. For some people however, it definitely could set them back unless they take some extra steps to stop the adverse effects dead in their tracks. I am going to clue you in, right now, to one of the most amazing secrets that allow my clients to splurge once a week without backsliding.

With what you are about to learn, you are going to be better armed than most people out there. You are going to know exactly what to do before consuming your cheat meals to truly minimize the fat storing affects and to help you to more quickly get to that lean waist, and then maintain it. How does it work?

First off, when I know I’m going to be consuming a high-glycemic-carb/high-fat cheat meal or dessert, the first thing I do is I take two Fats Out Rx and two Carbs Out Rx before eating commences. Doing so will safely help blunt the fat storing affects of this kind of a meal and reduce the absorption of calories in a natural way. But taking these two products before eating is only part of the T.T.N. splurge meal secret. The other part has to do with the order in which you eat the things you put on your plate. If you start right in on that baked potato, or if you give in and have a couple of slices of that fresh-baked bread so often plunked down onto your table when you eat out, you’re not doing yourself any favours. Instead, I recommend you start your meal with some eggs before the toast, or salmon before the potatoes, or an appetizer containing meat. In other words, avoid eating too many carbohydrates first, especially if they are the high glycemic kind.

Why does it matter what you eat first? The reason it matters is that you need to slow down the digestive process and keep your blood sugar from soaring too quickly. Since fats and proteins digest more slowly than carbs, even just a few bites of an egg omelette or some meat before you dig into the high-glycemic carbohydrate elements of your splurge meal will help to reduce the speed in which the overall meal digests which in turn will also help control blood sugar levels.

By implementing these two steps, you will actually reduce the level or degree of the insulin spike of the meal and thus minimize the insulin and fat storing impact. Remember, insulin release is directly associated with stored body fat!

The Fats Out Rx and Carbs Out Rx just mentioned are great tools one can utilize to help keep excess body fat to a minimum. Many people use this all-natural, dietary supplement prior to their biggest meal of the day, every day. Most of my clients, however, use them only once a week with their reward meal and for the occasional special birthday, anniversary or holiday meal.

Something else that can truly help speed up the fat loss process is to use as your beverage of choice an amazing thermogenic tea called “Dieters Trim Fuel Tea”. As I tell my clients, you are going to be consuming beverages, so why not choose one that truly supports your fat loss goal. This tea is a proprietary blend with components that burn two-and-a-half times more calories than green tea alone. It also reduces the fattening effects of carbs and reduces saturated fat absorption. It has also been shown to clarify skin and give it a healthier glow. Ingredients in the diet tea, which include added all-natural nutraceuticals, have been shown in 37 scientific studies published in the last year to help burn away fat, enhance energy and performance, and improve skin complexion. Research is also supporting its other properties including how it enhances mind-body wellness, strengthens the immune system, promotes strong healthy teeth and reverses the signs of aging and when taken over several weeks can trigger a reduction of free radicals by up to 50%! This is a great health-enhancing tool that can help further support your fat loss results.

These are just some of the secrets as to how several models who are clients of mine keep their body fat levels to a minimum year round, while still partaking in the weekly cheat meal or dessert.

So, if you want to speed up the fat loss process, stick with these tips rather than the Food Pyramid, and use Trim Fuel Tea with your breakfast and midday meal. As for Fats Out Rx and Carbs Out Rx, they are available from Venice Beach in the UK on 0845 6066 126, and one small bottle will last a long time. You will only be using it for your once a week planned cheat meal or for any of those very special occasions where fat storing foods are going to be served. My clients always keep a bottle handy, as it can make all the difference.

Again, exercise is also an important element. If you do short intense workouts with weights three days a week and add M.E.T interval aerobics on alternate days you’ll be setting yourself up to win. The M.E.T. 30-minute workouts shown on www.bodyfitness-uk.com (see the M.E.T. icon), combined with the tips mentioned above work for me and they will work for you too. In fact, a great number of people, including elite athletes, stick with these basics to ensure progress and success.

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Mary Pickford (1893-1979), Actress and Producer