Category Archives: Diet
Top 10 ways to quickly and easily improve your diet
This amused me but my sense of humor is questionable.
- Don’t drink your calories. Most people aren’t usually very aware of just how many calories they are consuming each day through liquids. AKA stop drinking sodas and fruit juices. Both are loaded with sugar and really aren’t good for you. Fruit juices also aren’t the same as eating a piece of fruit – they don’t have near the nutritional value of actual fruit. I also find that I feel way more satisfied when I’ve chewed my calories instead of drinking them.
- Cut out gluten. So this is obviously my Primal bias, but if you cut out gluten you will be amazed by the changes in your body. You will lose fat ESPECIALLY stubborn belly fat. Plus if you cut out gluten, you can add in way more nutritionally dense calories like fruits and veggies. Gluten has also been linked to inflammation, which causes a whole host of health problems!
- Eat more veggies. Uhm hello!?! More vitamins and minerals AND few calories? They are just screaming out, “EAT ME!”
- Drink more water. I’m not saying you have to get exactly 8 glasses of water a day. I’m just saying that you should make sure you get enough water to stay well hydrated. Sometimes you can think you are hungry when you are actually thirsty. I also find that most of my clients munch when they are bored. Having a bottle of water there keeps them from munching but still gives them something to do.
- Keep a food journal. Most people really aren’t fully aware of what they are consuming. Keeping a food journal can help you realize when and where you are struggling with your diet. It can also help you make sure you are taking in enough (but not too many) calories as well as sufficient vitamins and minerals!
- Plan out your meals. I find that most people get into trouble when they don’t know what they are going to eat and let themselves get super hungry before they decide. When you are super hungry, you usually have less self-control and are more likely to eat something you’ll regret later. So plan out your meals. If I know I’m going to a restaurant but don’t want to cheat, I even look at the menu before I go so that I know what my options are. Planning makes committing to the diet so much easier!
- Don’t wait till you’re starving to go searching for food. I rarely get to the point any more where I’m starving and can’t control myself (mostly thanks to IF), but when I do reach that point, I’m going to grab the first thing that looks good, which usually isn’t good for me. I’m also way more tempted by simple carbs when I’m starving. Most people make poor decisions when they are starving so plan ahead. Bring small healthy snacks just in case. Celery, carrots…veggies in general are a great snack option!
- Enforce the 80/20 rule. If I don’t allow myself little treats, I find that I eventually lose all self-control. Knowing that each week I get a little “Primal cheat” helps me be good 80% of the time. Perfection is very hard to reach, but being good 80% of the time is totally manageable! Plus if you are “perfect” one week, you can be proud of yourself instead of feeling like you ruined a week if you had one little cheat during it!
- Plan to cheat. If there is a food you love, don’t just indefinitely deny yourself of it. Planning in cheats can help you stay more committed because you KNOW there is a time when you will get the cheat foods you enjoy!
- Eat more fat! Fat makes you feel full. It is also SUPER GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH! Having a good omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is essential to optimal health and reducing inflammation. Take fish oils. Eat grass-fed butter. Avoid processed vegetable oils! Your energy level will be great AND so will your health!
Self-control – Keeping the tank full
Your self-control is like a tank of gas.
You start with a full tank, but each and every time you use your self-control, the tank goes down.
And you know when you hit empty – it’s the day when no matter how hard you try, you just can’t stop yourself from stuffing your face with everything in the cabinet.
So how do you keep yourself from getting so low on self-control that you lose all control?
You give yourself days to recharge where you don’t have to use your self-control!
We take days off from working out to rest our bodies. We take days off from work to recharge for the next week.
So why wouldn’t you need to take a day off from eating a perfectly clean diet?
80/20 remember!?!
This recharge each week isn’t an all out cheat, which can be good to do every once in a while if you enjoy non-healthy foods like I do.
But instead this recharge day, unlike the other 6 days of the week when you try to not eat past being satiated, you can eat till you are absolutely and completely stuffed full of all the Primal foods you enjoy!
For me this day is Saturday, each and every week. Yep even during my very strict two months, I had a day to recharge.
Each and every Saturday, I would indulge in all of the Primal foods I loved until I was so stuffed full I didn’t want to eat anything else. Depending on the week, I could have anything from potatoes fried in duck fat to full-fat cheese, dark chocolate, nuts and fruit.
All still whole, natural foods, but I didn’t worry about the quantity in which I ate them. If I wanted a huge hunk of cheese, I ate it. If I was craving something sweet? I would eat dark chocolate macadamia nut bark, or fruit or my primal “sorbet” (frozen berries, heavy cream and dark chocolate pieces all mashed together).
Not only did this day help me refill my self-control tank so that I could make it through another week of meat and veggies, but I also truly believe that this high calorie day really helped me get as lean as I did in two months.
All of the diets that I’ve found to be successful and fairly easy to maintain, are diets that have give you one “cheat day” each and every week. I mean just take a look at Lean Gains or Tim Ferriss of the 4 Hour Body.
And these diets incorporate cheat days because cheat days promote fat loss because they:
- Increased thyroid hormone output. When in a caloric deficit, underfed individuals produce less T3 and T4—both important thyroid hormones that play roles in the regulation of metabolic rate. A cheat day or strategic overfeed is used in part to increase these hormones.
- Increased 24-Hour Energy Expenditure. A caloric surplus from a cheat day causes the body to upregulate basal metabolic rate (BMR). Some studies have shown an increase of 9% above baseline, and it’s hypothesized that more is possible.
- Increased serum Leptin levels. The big one that most harp on. Leptin levels drop while in a caloric deficit (lasting as little as 72 hours), and a periodic bump in leptin coming from a cheat day has several benefits including increased thyroid output, increased energy expenditure and BMR, and overall increased thermogenesis.
Of course, there’s the psychological benefit of being able to take a day off from your diet; eat whatever you like and be comfortable in the knowledge that you’ll still get lean. It’s hard to quantify how much that actually helps, but the majority of folks who opt to use cheating protocols cite this as one of the most significant benefits. (RFS)
So if you “cheat” once a week not only can you recharge your self-control, but you also make your diet more conducive to fat loss (and more enjoyable)!
WTF- Meat is the new tobacco!?! Continued…
So yesterday I just couldn’t stop thinking about that article claiming that meat is as bad, if not worse, than tobacco for you.
I came up with a bazillion more reasons why that article is just plain old wrong, but there was one reason in particular that I felt the need to post about today because her claim really pissed me off since it was inaccurate.
In the article, the author claims that the meat industry is powerful because there is as much money in it as in big tobacco.
EH WRONG!
Actually, a VEGETARIAN advocacy group is closer to having the same power as big tobacco. There are actually no meat-eaters advocacy groups with near the power that the vegetarian group CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) has.
Masquerading as a group that is supposed to be the “organized voice of the American public on nutrition, food safety, health and other issues,” CSPI is actually pushing their own agenda…And it’s a vegetarian one. They are actually even part of the reason why the American public fears saturated fat so much!
The Center for Science in the Public Interest(CSPI) ran with the lipid hypothesis and deemed the term “artery-clogging” fat. The CSPI has been advocating a plant-based diet since they were formed in 1971…One of the founders, Michael Jacobson who is also the executive director is a vegetarian and sits on the national board of the animal-rights oriented “Great American Meatout.” On the CSPI website they have a section called Eating Green, which advocates consuming more plant-based foods and less meat and dairy to extend you health. All though the CSPI considers themselves to provide useful, objective information on food, alcohol and health I feel their main goal is to spread their vegetarian agenda. (Healing through Nutrition)
And guess what one of the “healthy” changes CSPI has caused is….
In 1989, they got major hamburger chains to stop using animal fats for frying french fries. Guess what these restaurant chains then started using?
Trans-fats!!!
Uhm aren’t trans-fats bad for you? YEP!
CSPI later changes its stance and fights to eliminate trans-fats from restaurants and asks the FDA to label all foods that contain cholesterol-raising trans-fats.
Great job CSPI!
So next time you try to claim that the meat industry has SOOOO much influence, check your facts. CSPI has way more influence and it looks like it’s definitely using it to make us healthier.
NOT!
WTF – Meat is the new tobacco!?!
I swear I uttered just about every curse word I know while reading an article that Ryan sent me called, “Meat is the New Tobacco.”
I try not to rip on vegetarians too often as I do firmly believe that different diets work for different people. Also, eating WHOLE FOODS is what is really important…(Of course most of the vegetarians I know eat more processed crap than most meat eaters I know…but that is a rant for a different day…)
But seriously…comparing meat to tobacco!?! How did someone even allow such a RIDICULOUS article to be published?
This article is ridiculously biased AND the research Kathy Freston cites has been criticized and torn apart.
Her first ridiculous, unfounded statement:
Animal products kill a lot more Americans than tobacco does.
The West’s three biggest killers — heart disease, cancer, and stroke — are linked to excessive animal product (this was linked to the China Study) consumption, and vegetarians have much lower risks of all three. Vegetarians also have a fraction of the obesity and diabetes rates of the general population — of course, both diseases are at epidemic levels and are only getting worse.
Do you know when the obesity and diabetes rates started shooting up?
They started increasing in the 1980’s when the consumption of RED meat started to go down. And guess what we started consuming more of in the 1980’s?
Carbohydrates in the form of refined grains and starchy vegetables and processed vegetable oils. Yep when we REPLACED animal products (butter and lard) with vegetable and seed oils (such as canola oil), we started to see an obesity and diabetes epidemic.
As a post on Fatty Lane states:
1950- 33% of Americans overweight. 10% Obese
1970- 47% of Americans overweight. 15% Obese
Today– 65% of Americans overweight. 30% Obese
Those are some pretty big changes over 60 years. Health “experts” say we’re getting fatter because of too much fat in our diets and not enough heart healthy “whole grains.” Let’s break it down. (See every year here)
So our meat, egg and nut consumption has increased 4.1% since 1970
Our fruit consumption has increased 22%
Our dairy consumption has decreased 3.7%
Our vegetable consumption has decreased 2.4 percent
Our added sugar consumption has increased 14%
Our added fat consumption has increased 56.3%
Our grain consumption has increased 44.6%
So is it really meat? Or might it be the grains, sugars and processed oils?
Now onto Kathy’s obsession with Dr. T Colin Campbell and his China Study, which she claims proves the link between heart disease, cancer and stroke and consumption of animal products.
His China Study is full of holes. I found numerous articles and a WHOLE SITE dedicated to providing studies refuting the China Study.
First off, the first part of the China Study was an epidemiological study in which a questionnaire was mailed to the Chinese people asking what they ate. Off of this Dr. Campbell claims that the people who ate more meat were at higher risk for disease.
BUT he doesn’t take into consideration what else the meat eaters consumed. He also didn’t take into account what their lifestyle.
Oh and by the way….his data doesn’t actually prove what he claims it does!!
People that have analyzed the study have shown that:
Significant differences in the diet of rural Chinese populations studied suggest that wheat consumption may promote higher insulin, higher triacylglycerol, and lower SHBG values. Such a profile is consistent with that commonly associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. On the other hand, the intake of rice, fish, and possibly green vegetables may elevate SHBG concentrations independent of weight or smoking habits. (From Raw Food SOS)
There are more quotes I could pull and studies I can cite, but I gave you a link to a ton so I’ll let them speak for themselves.
Only one more point about the China Study, which has to do with the second part of the study.
The other part of the China study was a rat study in which rats were either given powdered casein or gluten. The rats that consumed casein got cancer while the rats that ate gluten didn’t.
There are two problems with this. One, powdered casein isn’t a whole food and doesn’t accurately represent milk and meat! For example:milk contains vitamins A, D, E, and CLA & omega 3, which are anti-cancerous, which I’m sure the casein powder didn’t have! Secondly, the rats that ate casein, lived longer!! As with any population that lives longer, there is going to be a higher incident of disease! Any reasonable study considers mortality to be the most important factor…but not Dr. Campbell’s….
And now on to my last point…since I’m giving myself just three or I would literally write a ten page rant about this.
Going back to the initial comment that ticked me off: “Animal products kill a lot more Americans than tobacco does.”
Uhm seriously?
I would beg to differ:
According to pure vegetarian ideologists, people consuming vegetarian diet have better health and live longer than nonvegetarians, because persons consuming milk, dairy products, meat, eggs and fish are at health risk. In fact the most healthy people in Europe are inhabitants of Iceland, Switzerland and Scandinavia, consuming great amounts of food of animal origin.
So the healthiest people consume the most animal products…..Hmmm doesn’t sound like animal products are killing more people than tobacco…
Maybe we should be consuming more meat and not less…Maybe processed CRAP like grains and vegetable oils are really the reason we have such a high incidence of heart disease, cancer and stroke…
Ok…now I’m ready for all you vegetarians out there to try to refute me…bring it on!
Diets around the world – Is the U.S. behind?
We have a fat-phobia here in the U.S. We are so afraid of fat that we would rather eat processed crap food than whole foods with saturated fat. And we think our low-fat diet is healthiest even though we are the most obese country.
So what are other countries doing that we aren’t? How are other nations staying lean?
Yahoo.com had an article about what we could learn from other countries’ diets called “The Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Women.” And while I don’t agree with all of what they wrote, I do think they bring up a great topic for discussion.
And I think the most important thing we can learn from studying other countries, is that eating whole, natural foods is key and that fat…really doesn’t make you fat.
In the article, the author states that French women stay thin because of portion control. And while yes they do use portion control to stay slim while eating butter and cream, I think something more important is being overlooked. It isn’t the small portion that keeps them slim…it is actually the fatty rich foods that do! Butter and cream are minimally processed and low in carbs (check out this article by Mark Sisson about why grass-fed butter is good for you)! And with the full-fat cheese, cream and butter, they consume fresh foods and antioxidant rich wine! Even the baked goods they consume are FRESH…made from FRESH, minimally processed ingredients. And on top of that, they burn the carbs they eat unlike 90% of Americans out there. They walk everywhere!
The article then mentions that “Scandinavians eat farm to table.” This is definitely something we, Americans, don’t do. It is also more proof of how important it is to eat organic, free-range, grass-fed livestock and produce. So shouldn’t we be eating any and all whole foods instead of buying processed low-fat crap? Isn’t a grass-fed steak with some saturated fat better than whole wheat bread which is PROCESSED!?!
Anyway, moving on…The article then highlights the Japanese diet. It states they are so healthy because “they practice hara hachi bu, or eating until 80% full.” And people think I’m crazy when I fast? How is fasting any different from calorie restriction by eating till only 80% full? UHM…IT ISN’T!! Also, again what are these people eating? WHOLE, NATURAL FOODS! They are getting a great ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s unlike 90% of Americans. And yes, they are eating carbs…but NO GLUTEN! AND they have “the highest concentration of centenarians (people aged 100 or older) in the world.”
So now onto the section that both makes me happy and a tad bit angry…the Mediterranean diet.
The article states:
The much-heralded Mediterranean diet has been linked to a longer life and a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. As we’ve heard before, this diet includes good fats (olive oil, nuts, fish), lean proteins, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, and a moderate amount of wine.
What people interpret this as…”I can eat chicken and fish ONLY.” EH! WRONG! Grass-fed, naturally raised beef is LEAN! It is way leaner than its grain-fed counterpart. So if you buy naturally raised animals, you will be eating LEAN meat…so you CAN eat steak!!!
Anyway, this is definitely food for thought (pun!). I also actually do like the article’s 7 tips at the bottom – especially “learn to love the foods that love you back.”
What do you think? Are Americans behind in their dietary beliefs? Do we have a lot to learn from other countries?
The hard work just isn’t paying off
There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a person that kills themself day in and day out at the gym, but doesn’t get results.
And the sad part is, I see people like this all the time.
I see women that spend 30 grueling minutes on the treadmill followed by some 2 hour Barbie weight training program whose bodies never change – no muscles gained, no weight lost.
And they are working super hard.
And they keep working hard – Repeating the same grueling workout at least 5 times a week and eating the same foods that they’ve always eaten. And they believe they are being super healthy yet nothing changes.
Sometimes I want to walk up to those people, shake them and say, “How’s that working out for you? Seriously, how is that workout and “healthy” lifestyle really working for you!?!”
I want to shake them because they are wasting their time doing something that obviously isn’t working.
And if they do decide something isn’t working, they usually blame the workout. They may then even hire a trainer who writes up a new and wonderful routine for them.
And they work hard every time they meet with the trainer and even go to the gym on their own.
But they still aren’t seeing results.
And why aren’t they seeing results? Well they will most likely blame the trainer and the workout routine. When in reality, diet (and potentially even overtraining) is what is leading to their lack of results.
When people want to lose weight or fat, they turn to exercise. They can depend so much on exercise in fact that they start training so much that they actually hurt their progress.
But exercise is really only 20% of the weight loss/body composition battle. The other 80% is diet.
So if you aren’t getting results stop doing the same old thing and killing yourself day in at day out at the gym. If you are working hard in the gym, maybe your diet is to blame.
Here is one recipe from the Recipe Box to help you kick-start a new healthy eating program that will help you get the results you deserve for all of your hard work!
The Meat House Country Scramble
Ok so this doesn't look beautiful but it tasted delicious!
Ingredients:
2 potatoes
1/2lbs of The Meat House Country Sausage
2 oz Wild Boar Salami (courtesy of The Meat House)
3 strips of bacon
1/2 onion
1 tsp cumin
Salt, chili powder and pepper to taste
4 eggs
In a pan, heat bacon and onions. When onions are translucent, add in chopped potatoes. When potatoes start to brown a bit, add in the country sausage. Season with cumin, salt and pepper and add in wild boar salami.
Once sausage is cooked and potatoes are golden brown and crispy, divide hash onto plates. Cook eggs in the same pan till over easy. Serve over the hash with a sprinkle of chili powder.
If you are looking to make this low carb, but equally delicious, cut out the potatoes.
P.S. We use salami from The Meat House because it is nitrite free. AND all of their sausages are made in-house and have all-natural ingredients while being gluten-free!! Please don’t substitute in any sausage or salami as it will deduct from the nutritional benefit of the dish!
I told you so….
See the Man Bicep has been important all along!
- See Ellen agrees! “Best Who Cares About the Dress, Look at Her Arms Dress: Viola Davis“
- So if a gluten-free diet alleviates autism symptoms, how can you not think it is healthy?
- LIFT CHALLENGING WEIGHTS! Here is more proof that you should!
- Ok so not exactly how I would word it…But this article proves my point! Exercise does help you lose weight but it can’t make up for poor food choices. Of course, I don’t think you should really eat anything it recommends, but hey, you can’t win them all!
- Research showing grass-fed beef is better. Need more? Here. Oh and here is more.
- Older article by Gary Taubes, but great evidence that FAT is GOOD.
YEP!
And, I’m glad to see the enthusiasm for the Man Bicep diet! Here is one of the “Show Me Yours” photos I received! Thank you Amanda! Keep sending them Man Bicepers!
A lifter and a Paleo/Primal eater, Amanda will be trying the Man Bicep diet and workout program!
“Abs are made in the kitchen.”
A lot of my clients want to lose weight.
And what I tell those clients is that working out will help them build muscle. It will help make them healthier. It will make the weight loss process easier.
But I also tell them the honest, hard truth – that if they don’t eat well, they won’t reach their weight loss goals.
I would LOVE to tell them that all they need to do is workout with me because that would make me a ton more money.
But it isn’t the truth.
Working out may help you build a six-pack, but if you don’t eat well, you will never be able to see it!
And I want my clients to be able to see all of their hard work paying off! Actually I want every body everywhere to be able to see their hard work paying off just like I saw mine pay off.
So until the end of March, I’m offering a complimentary PERSONALIZED 2 month Man Bicep diet to anyone who subscribes to Man Bicep AND sends me a “Show Me Yours” photo.
If you’ve already subscribed, just email me with a photo saying that you are interested and I’ll develop a 2 month Man Bicep diet program for you.
These first two introductory months of the Man Bicep diet are meant to really kick-start your weight loss or even help you cut that last little bit of fat that just seems to not want to come off. After the first two months, you can shift into more of a maintenance phase, which will allow a bit more freedom.
So subscribe and show me those Man Biceps!!
Nike has all those ads about loving other body parts...why not one about the bicep!?!
The Man Bicep Diet – 2 month update
I’m not a fan of taking photos. I don’t usually like how I look in photos and I avoid being in as many photos as possible.
BUT photos are really the best way to prove that your diet is working. Therefore, I spent a few hours this morning taking some fitness photos to show the results I got from the first 2 months of the Man Bicep diet. I’m a bit nervous to show them but I know this is key to proving just how right I am! 😉
I started this diet on January 1st with the intention of cutting off that last little bit of fat and being able to keep it off while still being able to get stronger!
So far I’m very happy with the results! The first two months were meant to really kick-start my fat lose.
The next phase of my diet starts on March 1st and it is more of a maintenance phase than the first one; however, during the next couple of months I will continue to lose fat while gaining strength and muscle until I reach the exact body composition I want!
And if my photos inspired you, here are more recipes from the Man Bicep Recipe Box to help you reach your goals!
Pull ups...they do a body good!
We can't just look good...we also have to kick some butt!
Eat Whole Foods!
Man Biceper Francine shared this article “BPA’s Obesity and Diabetes Link Strengthened by New Study” with me today with the comment, “Another reason to go Primal, people. Or at least organic/grass-fed/all natural stuffs.”
And she is totally right.
This is just more proof that all of the processed crap that we feed ourselves isn’t good for us…no matter how low-fat or fat-free it is.
Nothing can replace eating whole, natural foods raised in humane, ethical and NATURAL ways.
I mean can you really argue that a fatty steak from a grass-fed, free range cow is worse for you than some processed food with chemicals even if that process food has less saturated fat?
I think I’ll take my chances on the yummy steak and avoid all foods that are processed like grains and vegetable oils.
Man Bicep 