Well when you want to change the shape of your physique you need to think of the five fold synergy system.  In order to really make over your body you have to have the right amount of nutrition, exercise, sleep, hormones, and stress (or lack of)…and not necessarily in that order.

People often think that since you work out and do cardio that you can eat what ever you want and improve on your physique. WRONG!  If you want to improve on your physique you have to eat properly for your goals; which I believe is the hardest component to changing your lifestyle and physique.  So here are some tips on improving and taking control of your nutrition.

First thing is that you need to do is calculate your calorie intake for one day.  You do this by multiplying your body weight by 10 which equals your total daily calories.  But wait, what is a calorie? ” It is the word that is commonly used to quantify amount of energy stored in the food. A calorie also represents how much energy is stored as body fat or adipose tissue and glycogen (stored carbohydrates). Calories are burned and used like a fuel by your body every time you need to do some activity. They are used as the energy source for your various muscle movements. (C, Nick)”

Example: 125 x 10= 1250 kcal/day

Then you break the 1200 calories into how much protein, carbohydrates, and fats you will need by a common split called the 40/40/20 split. Meaning you will have 40 % of your calories as a protein source, 40 % of your calories as a carbohydrate source, and 20 % of your calories as a good fat source.  I would recommend that if you are starting a set dietary plan t lose weight that you begin with this.  If you are planning on competing or gaining muscle then there are different splits to use.

• 40 percent Protein / 1250 = 500 calories
• 40 percent Carbohydrates/ 1250 = 500 calories
• 20 percent FATS / 1250 = 250 calories

Well, you see the calories but how do you break that into grams so it is easier to understand?  With your different foods sources, meaning protein, carbohydrates and fats, they contain different calorie per gram of food.  Protein contains 4 calories per gram, carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram.  So your calculation would look like this:

• Protein 500 kcal / 4 = 125g
• Carbohydrates 500 kcal / 4 = 125g
• Fats 250 kcal / 9 = 28g (or < 28g)

To prepare your portions correctly remember to look at the nutrition facts on the back of the foods you buy and exercise portion control.  I would recommend splitting your meals up into 5 meals per day that way your body absorbs all of the nutrients that it needs without over load of one or more food sources which in turn will store as fat if over load happens.  You will keep your metabolism burning effortlessly throughout the day and this prevents your body from switching into “starvation” mode which is very important for fat loss.

Some more tid bits about diet are that you should try to stop drinking all sodas or sugary drinks and replace that with water!  Water helps expel toxins from the body and keeps you hydrated. Sugar stores as fat and soft drinks rot your digestive system.  They sabotage your ability to burn fat if drank in excess.  I use Stevia as a sugar substitute in tea and coffee, as well as in my oatmeal or anything I would add sugar too. It is all natural and is healthy for your body.  Focus on whole foods (foods as close to natural state as possible) to get all the range of nutrients your body needs. Stay away from empty calories.  What are empty calories you ask?  Empty calories are defined as high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, typically from processed carbohydrates or fats.  In other words they are fully processed foods in which all of the nutrients have been taken out and a select handful of synthetic nutrients are added back in, if you are lucky.

Whole Foods are things like fruits, vegetables, natural chicken, turkey, fish, almonds, and flax seed.

Empty Calories are things like sodas, white bread, white pasta, candy, margarine, alcohol, white rice, chips, most snack foods, and fast food in general.

This may sound boring but as you play with flavors and different combinations you find what works for you and what your taste buds enjoy! Your body will surely thank you for it and as you see the results your confidence will soar! And remember that you can always have a cheat meal once a week to give your mind a break and give your body something extra to burn but remember have everything in moderation!

1. Eliminate junk food. Most fast food restaurants, along with most pastries and processed foods, contain high amounts of fat, sodium and sugar (usually simple sugars). The consumption of these foods will do little for your energy, except promote a high then a low in your blood sugar levels. In addition they offer high levels of fat, usually of the saturated type. And they quite often contain large amounts of water-retaining sodium. None of these qualities are beneficial to any type of athlete or individual.
2. Drink eight to ten glasses of water each day, or more (I personally drink a LOT more – over 3 gallons per day). This will ensure you are replacing fluids lost during exercise. You need not wait until you are thirsty. By then, you are in a depleted state. Drink these glasses of water throughout a day’s time, not all at once.
3. Determine your daily protein requirements. Proteins that include the essential amino acids (those that your body does not manufacture) are of utmost importance. Protein powder provides a great means to obtaining additional quality protein. And remember, proteins are best assimilated when accompanied by some carbohydrates. Where do you start? Try 1 gram per pound of body weight.
4. Consume high fiber foods. Not only does high fiber in your diet help in the reduction of cholesterol, it also makes fats less likely to be absorbed into your body.
5. Exercise to increase your lean body weight. The more lean weight you have, the more efficient your body moves and the higher your metabolism, even at rest. By increasing your lean body weight, your bones become more dense and your muscles, tendons and ligaments become stronger. The great side effect of all this is that it’s easier to avoid getting fat. Remember, bigger muscles burn more calories than little ones. You DO NOT want to lose lean body mass!

If you aren’t already, whether your goal is to lose fat or gain muscle, you should be eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours! Eating at regular increments:

• Increases metabolism
• Gives your body a constant supply of nutrients
• Keeps your blood sugar stable and alleviates the post-meal “crashes” (ever feel lethargic after lunch?) since you’re not spiking your insulin
• Keeps you relatively saturated and stops you from eating a huge amount at one time, which is an easy way to cause your body to store fat
• Gives encouragement! When you get hungry, you know that you’re going to be eating again in a very short time! No more waiting 6-7 hours between meals!

You should always eat at least five meals a day. Two or three meals simply isn’t often enough. If your muscles don’t get the calories they need, how are they going to keep going? By CANNIBALIZING (eating) muscle tissue! That’s the same muscle tissue you spent hours training to get.

On the other hand, overeating even one meal a day keeps the fat-building enzymes in your body more numerous to turn the excess food into body fat. Always ask yourself, “What will I be doing over the next 3 hours?” and eat based around your activities. If you’re going to be busting your tail in the gym, you’d eat more than you would if you were going to sleep.

Remember, when you overeat at a meal, the excess calories get stored as fat. So, if you skip a meal, do not eat to make up for it, eat for what you are going to be doing.

Good luck and hang in there! If you “fall off the wagon,” you have 11 more months ahead of you to reach your fitness goals. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Unfortunately, not all multivitamins are created equal.  In fact, they are constructed in five different ways:  Natural, meaning the nutrients are obtained from vegetable, mineral, or animal sources with limited to no processing.  Natural source, meaning they are like the above but the good is processed.  Natural identical, meaning the nutrients are lab manufactured and identical in molecular structure and absorb similarly to natural nutrients.  Synthetic, meaning the nutrients are lab manufactured but are not identical, and are usually the multivitamins that are inexpensive and found in grocery stores.  Last but not at all least is whole food, meaning that these multivitamins are formed with raw materials and are extremely usable and available to the body.

The multivitamins to avoid are the synthetically made, which try to imitate natural nutrients but do not succeed because the body is not designed to process artificial and unnatural ingredients such as synthetic vitamins.  Now, the next question is how do you figure out if the multivitamin you are taking is made of synthetic nutrients? First of all, you need to be aware of the label on the back of bottle.  Read the fine print and ingredients first.  If any where it says natural and artificial flavors, sucralose (splenda), coloring, or anything starting with dl, it is synthetic.  The prefix dl (dl-alpha tocopheryl) means that the nutrient is a synthetic version of vitamin E instead of the natural vitamin E.  The natural nutrient in its scientific name starts with a d.  Also, if the label lists vitamins in its chemical name, it is synthetic.

The dirty little secret that most individuals do not know is that synthetic vitamins are 50 to 70 percent less likely to absorb in the body as opposed to natural vitamins which absorb at almost 95 percent.  Why throw away money on multivitamins that don’t even absorb…to have fluorescent urine?  You can pay a bit more for whole food vitamins and get the results you strive for; whether that is increased energy, to support an already good diet, or prevent disease, or shell out cash for vitamins that don’t work.

Consuming a high-quality, whole food multivitamin can help contribute to muscle growth, proper fat burning, and overall good health.  Think about it this way.  If you are exercising and taking a synthetic multivitamin or none at all, you are ultimately harming your body more because as you work out your body needs certain nutrients to maintain your metabolism, feed muscles, maintain naturally occurring processes, and the list goes on.  This can contribute to people wondering why their bodies have taken so long to transform into what they are striving for; and more often that not, they do not have the correct nutrition to support their activity.

So now the question is what are some names of whole food multivitamins and where can you find them?  Well, here in San Antonio there are several options of stores to purchase whole food vitamins such as Whole Foods, Sun Harvest, and Cost Plus.  In all honesty, Cost Plus is the place to go.  They sell products at whole sale; so there is no tax included and they have a very, very knowledgeable staff that works there.  That being said you should still be able to find, at all three stores, Garden of Life products which are all whole food goods and are very affordable.  If that does not fit your budget or you want something different, just ask the staff and remember the rules above.  There are also online stores that sell whole food products and supplements such as Clayton Naturals.

Remember vitamins do not replace all natural fruits and vegetables which the body loves and needs; however if you do not get the recommended daily servings, multivitamins are a necessity.  Above all, always remember to do your own research to find what works best for you and fits your life style. 

Resources: Body For Life by Bill Phillips