“Yeah….but I eat pretty well. I just can’t understand why I’m not losing weight.”

Really?

Let’s define ‘eating well’.

Part of the challenge we all face in creating the body we want is the amount of misinformation, specifically fad diets, we are exposed to.

The other issue is that damn human nature part of us  that wants everything, wants it now and doesn’t really want to do the work necessary for it.

If you have ever found yourself trying or entertaining the idea of trying Atkins, South Beach, Bernstein’s, or the plethora of ‘options’ out there, you need to read the following.

The 10 Principles below are by Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition. I have followed his work for years (before he was Doctor John) and find his work to be a great blend of physique transformation and health/longevity.

The bottom line for your bottom is this….

If you are doing this (or very close to it) and combine it with the right type of exercise,  you either have or will achieve the body you want.

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1) Eat every 2-3 hours – no matter what.

Are you doing this – no matter what? Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.

2) Ingest complete, lean protein each time you eat.

Are you eating something that is an animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.

3) Ingest vegetables every time you eat.

That’s right, every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right), in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables. You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies.

4) If want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like things rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised.

Although these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are North American medical staples – there’s a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.

5) A good percentage of your diet must come from fat. Just be sure it’s the right kind.

There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health and even help you lose fat.

Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

6) Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).

In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your absolute best choices are water and green tea.

7) Focus on whole foods.

Most of your dietary intake should come from whole foods. There are a few times where supplement drinks and shakes are useful. But most of the time, you’ll do best with whole, largely unprocessed foods.

8). Have 10% foods.

I know you cringed at a few of the rules above – perhaps #6 in particular. But here’s a bit of a reprieve. 10% foods are foods that don’t necessarily follow the rules above – but food’s you’re still allowed to eat (or drink) 10% of the time.

100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible.

Just make sure you do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” 4 meals each week.

9) Develop food preparation strategies.

The hardest part about eating well is making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently. And this is where preparation comes in. You might know what to eat, but if isn’t available, you’ll blow it when it’s time for a meal.

10) Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.

Let’s face it; during the week –when you’re busy – you’re not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet meals. During these times you’re going to need a set of tasty, easy to make foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few times a week – you need to eat something different – something unique.

So, what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I’ve covered in many other articles on my own web site and elsewhere? The short answer is that if you aren’t already practicing the above-mentioned rules, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless.

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So there you have it. If you have ever said to your trainer (or thought to yourself), ‘yeah but…I eat pretty well’. Or ‘yeah, but what do I eat?’…. well, now you know.

How you apply the info to your own life is an individual thing. But one thing I can guarantee you is that you can’t reach goals by accident. If you are trying to reach physique goals and have not addressed the above 10, there’s no time like the present.

If you do need help with individualizing it and are looking for personal guidance, or personal training in Vancouver, Langley, Burnaby, Surrey or the Lower Mainland, check out www.PeakFitnessManagement.ca

We’d be happy to help.

Yours in health,

Cord