Flexible Eating and Macro Nutrient Based Nutrition

Over the past few months I have been very busy researching and experimenting with the Flexible Eating nutrition philosophy.  Flexible eating or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) is not a brand new concept, it has been around for many years but recently it has gain a lot of traction in the bodybuilding space.  I am always sceptical when it comes to these fad diets and nutrition regimens which promise unrealistic results with unsustainable practices.  Refreshingly I have come to understand more about the Flexible Eating concept and it speaks to what we have already known for years about how the human body works and how we metabolize and digest our food.  So it is really not a new breakthrough science discovery but more so a methodology and philosophical approach to eating healthy but being flexible and still allowing us to reach our goals.

Flexible eating is not an excuse to eat a bunch of junk, but it does allow you to choose your foods and work the choices you make into your diet.  This approach to eating takes a lot of work so if you are looking for an easy way out this is not for you.  You must look up and record the macro nutrient make up of everything you eat and drink.  If you are unable to do this you will not be successful with Flexible eating, I will go even further to say if you can't do that you will not be successful long term with ANY individual goal based diet.

Flexible eating goes a little further than just tracking calories you must record your intake of proteins, carbs/fiber, and fats(Macro Nutrients).  All calories are not created equal and your individual goal based Macro Nutrient numbers will reflect the nutrients in the specific quantities that will get you to your goal safely, efficiently and effectively.

As I learn more and begin applying this approach to my current and new clients I will post more information. This is will be an ongoing topic for discussion at Screen Fitness so if you want more information on how you can get on a Flexible eating plan please contact me derik@screenfitness.com. You can always get more information from www.IIFYM.com

Read More

Losing weight starts with 3 questions

So you have decided you want to lose weight?

You do a quick Google search on weight loss and immediately you are inundated with advertisements for magic supplements, DVD guided workout programs, Trendy diet books, and Celebrity fitness trainers.

So where do you start?

First take a few seconds to answer these three questions:

1.) Why do you want to lose weight? (** Reason)
2.) How did you become (** Reason)? (**Cause)
3.) How can you positively affect (** Cause)? (**Goal)

The answer to these three questions are paramount to having a successful weight loss journey. Most people should already know the answer to the first question.

“I want to lose 15 lbs to be in a wedding.”
“My doctor says I need to lose weight to improve blood pressure.”

The purpose in these goals alone is not enough to sustain your commitment and motivation when the journey gets hard. Please believe the journey will not be easy. You must dig deeper into your reason.  Answer each question with brutal honesty
to uncover the true goal at hand.  Then you can create an action plan.  Only then can a true long term extreme weight loss transformation occur.  Keep Pushing!

Read More

Daily Brown Rice Protein Benefits

Like any other protein supplement, before including brown rice protein powder in your diet, you should always consult a doctor. Once the doctor gives a go ahead, you can make it a part of your diet and enjoy the numerous benefits.

Brown Rice Protein Benefits

Source of Protein
Everyone knows that proteins are a very important part of our daily diet. Meats are the best source of proteins, however, people who do not eat non-vegetarian food, often have to look out for other sources of replenishing their diet with proteins. This is where brown rice protein powder comes in. It is a plant-based source of protein, which can be added to any food and consumed for a healthy living. A single scoop of this vegan protein powder contains approximately twenty to twenty four grams of proteins.

Read More

Break Your Fat by Eating a Balanced Breakfast

Break Your Fat by Eating a Balanced Breakfast

Do you eat breakfast on a consistent basis? 
Your body needs breakfast to function properly throughout the day. It is the energy which your body uses to function throughout the day. So when you feel tired and sleepy at work it is probably not because you went to bed too late or didn't get enough sleep. Your body is using other inefficient sources for fuel creating an energy deficiency in your body.

Have you ever noticed when you do eat breakfast sometimes you are hungry for lunch sooner than normal?? 

This seems strange like a strange and backwards phenomena at first, if you eat breakfast you should not be hungry until later right? Well not exactly, your digestive system is made to break down foods and use the nutrients and calories for your bodies functions. So when you do not have any food to use for energy the body starts using the most readily available energy fat stores. Don't get the wrong idea if you want to lose weight starving yourself is not an option because your bodies natural adaptation to starvation is to store fat for later use so you would really be counter productive if you simply starved yourself in order to lose weight. It will back fire!!

Don't leave home without it

Starting your day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast can be the start of you and your body agreeing to help each other out. You provide quality calories for daily activity like thinking... and your body will award you with more energy throughout the day and a routine eating schedule that will decrease the need for unhealthy urges.

You have probably heard it many times before that when you eat breakfast you Break the fast, referencing the fast which occurred for the 6-8 hours you were sleeping and all the while burning calories. If you are the morning workout person try to consume something small like a cup of yogurt or a banana before you rush out to hit the early workout. Just be sure that when you get home you eat again, some fruit, a bagel or eggs and wheat toast with jam or a bowl of cereal would do the trick. Don't underestimate the power of eating a quality breakfast if you don't believe me try it everyday for 2 weeks and see the difference that it makes.

Derik Screen CSCS, MBA
www.screenfitness.com
www.EQPDI.com

Read More

You can't avoid the Drive-Thru window!!

Let's face it whether it's Mickey D's or Apple Bees the service these restaurants provide is not soley responsible for making the US overweight.  It's up to you as an individual and as a parent to make an educated decision on what to eat, how much to eat, and how often you eat it.

 
Fast Food Chain Calorie List

Click to check out the nutritional info for any fast food chain you can think of.

 

In today’s society it is the general consensus that fast food is bad and everyone should stay away from it. So if this is true why are the drive-thrus still packed?? Well we all know why, going to get food from a fast food restaurant is simple, quick, and convenient. Basically they are a food trap, but here are a few ways to avoid that trap and if unavoidable a few tips to getting through it.

 

AVOIDING FAST FOOD:

1.   Try to take a different route for your daily commute or errands so that you do not get the temptation. All restaurants spend millions of dollars to make signs that unconsciously signal your brain to want food and to make you feel hungry.

2.   Keep healthy snacks (like fruits or nuts) with you so that if hunger strikes you have something to tide you over until you can get something healthy to eat.

3.   PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! Never leave home empty handed, always pack meals and snacks so that you do not leave yourself in a bind where you are forced to grab something unhealthy to eat.

Making Healthier Choices when fast food is unavoidable:

1.   Pay attention to food descriptions. Avoid anything that says crispy, fried, breaded, creamy, or basted.

              2.   Choose grilled items and once with vegetables (ex. Grilled chicken salad is excellent!)

3.   Sip water or unsweetened tea with your meal (A large soda can have over 425 calories packed into it! Not to mention all the sugars..)

4.   Stay away from sauces or fat-packed dressings. Order sandwiches without mayo and stick with fat-free dressing options. You can always ask for ketchup or mustard on the side so that you can control how much you use.

5.   NEVER SUPERSIZE, supersized meals provide much more than anyone person should consume in one meal and they often include fries and a soda which you know are very unhealthy and provide no nutritional value.

6.   Try to pick healthier sides such as fruit, a baked potato, or yogurt so that you stay away from the fries.

For some healthy fast food options check out the link below:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1193

Read More

Lemon cream pie for dessert helps build muscle!!

Well not actually... that was just to get your attention.  Sorry for being a little deceptive, but since I now have you undivided attention I can tell you that I fell in love with an extremely delicious protein powder on today.  I don't usually like trying new protein powders because very few live up to my discerning taste expectations.   I could go on and on about the many other brands which I have tried but not many are noteworthy.  This particular post is not to go into the scientific background of protein although I will do so at a later time.  Just to get to the point because I'm short on time, a brotha has to get his sleep well I picked up a Lemon Cream Pie flavored micellar casein protein powder by Xtreme Formulations today and I had very low expectations.  I really didn't recognize the brand and I typically go for a whey protein isolate for a pre workout shake.  I tried it and I was blown away by the taste first and foremost it tasted exactly like lemon cream pie, it had great mixability, a smooth mouth feel, and absolutely no after taste.

I understand that not every one of my very few readers will understand the different types of protein and their different usages as it relates to their goals but I promise to follow up with more posts breaking this down for you later. If you don't know the difference between the different types of protein and just can't wait Click here and complete my evaluation and I will set up some time to explain it to you.

Read More

More sleep = More Testosterone!

Didn’t sleep well this morning I woke up at 4:00 and couldn’t get back to sleep. It reminded me of an article that I read not long ago that stated that researchers from China collected blood from 531 Asian men between the ages of 29 to 70. The researchers found that the less men slept, the lower their serum testosterone levels would be. In this study there was a direct correlation between sleep and testosterone levels and was independent of age, exercise intensity and total body fat.


Sleep helps balance testosterone levels

 

In an earlier study, it was reported that men who slept between 4 and 6 hours had lower testosterone levels than men who slept more than 8 hours. In a more resent study, the relationship between sleep loss and testosterone levels was lower in men who slept between
4 and 6 hours, compared to men who slept more than 6 hours. This helps prove that men who sleep less than 6 hours a night have lower testosterone levels compared to those who slept more than 6 hours each night.

I’ve had clients ask me if they should wake up in the middle of each night to take their “branch chain amino acids”. And of course the answer was and always will be NO! Not if it’s going to interrupt your sleep pattern for that night. So men, nothing will ever be as important in keeping the testosterone up (no matter what the age) than sleep and good old fashion weight training----and as you know--- they have supplements for that also!

 

References:
Goh VHH, Tong TYY, Mok HPP, Said B., Interactions among age, adiposity, bodyweight, lifestyle factors and sex steroid hormones in healthy Asian men. Asian J. Androl 2007 9:611-621

Harrison Y. , Home JA. Should we be getting more Sleep? 1995 18(10) 901-907

Read More