1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a post-workout drink).

Get rid of all the juices, the sodas, and the sports drinks. Liquid sugar is the last thing you need when you are trying to lose fat.

You must also limit your alcohol intake - especially if you are adding mix to drinks…that is a double calorie bomb! A single margarita can be over 600 calories.

2) No fast food.

Do not eat at fast food restaurants. Even if you choose what you think is healthy, remember this:

Fast food restaurants are all about profit.

And in order to profit while giving you cheap, quick, and easy to prepare foods, the quality of the food ingredients will be poor - especially the protein.

Now you might have read that you can still make healthy choices at fast food restaurants. But you know what, that’s just politically-correct opinion. If it’s fast food, it’s poor food.

Walking into a burger joint and grabbing a chicken breast on a white bread bun with a piece of old lettuce and a half-green, half-pink tomato is “barely” healthy eating.

The politically-incorrect truth is that it’s going to take time and effort to eat properly. You will have to plan, shop, and prepare healthy meals. You will have to spend time cleaning, cutting, and cooking your food. That’s the truth.

But believe me, it will taste so much better than fast food, and healthy eating will make you more alert. Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will make you want to have an afternoon nap at your desk.

Make one small improvement to your nutrition everyday for the rest of your life.

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables.

If you are eating 2 servings per day, then go up to 4 servings per day by the end of the week. And even if you think you are doing great by having 5 servings per day, you still need to double that (take 2-3 weeks to work your way up to 10 servings per day).

Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables - organic if possible.

4) Eat 1oz of almonds or walnuts per day (1/2 oz in the AM, and the other half in the afternoon).

Most nuts are roasted in oils (possible source of trans fats), so stick to natural or dry-roasted nuts.

Don’t panic…this small amount of nuts won’t make you fat, but will fill you up and help you lose weight.

5) Be consistent with your workouts.

And make sure the workouts are efficient and effective. To make it easy for you to follow, stick with the Turbulence Training fat burning workout system.

It doesn’t matter if you train in the morning before or after breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or at 1pm on days when the moon is in line with Saturn…don’t worry about the details, just train consistently.

Green tea is great for its numerous health benefits: it’s been linked to burning fat, raising metabolism, lowering cholesterol, as well as improving the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, preventing cancer, and preventing neurogenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Researchers have also claimed that drinking 5 cups of green tea a day helps the body burn an extra 70-80 calories per day. Green tea has about a quarter of the caffeine content of coffee, so dangers of the so called “caffeine overdose” that I have heard in criticism of green tea diets are just plain not there.

Green tea has so many health benefits because green tea contains the anti-oxidant EGCG. EGCG not only inhibits the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Green tea even contains more antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables. Additionally, green tea can help prevent heart disease because it contains polyphenols, which lower cholesterol levels. This is one of the reasons why the rate of heart disease in Japanese men is quite low despite 75% being smokers.

I like the traditional breakfast: omelets, pancakes, and French toast.  If your not into fruits or oatmeal, but love breakfast, you can have 3 absolutely delicious, healthy breakfasts that are high in protein, and have good, slow-digesting carbs by just making a few adjustments to the recipe:

1.) FRENCH TOAST — Instead of quick-digesting white bread, opt for 2 slices of whole wheat toast.  Batter in 1 egg mixed with cinnamon.  Serve with sugar-free or low-sugar syrup.

2.) OMELET — You could use 2 eggs, but if you’re striving for a low-fat diet, you can use egg whites.  Add vegetables (I would go with peppers and onions) and low-fat ham, or potatoes, with 2% milk cheese (cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, or whatever you prefer).

3.) PANCAKES — With protein powder pancakes, you can make pancakes with oatmeal, cottage cheese, and eggs.  It’s loaded with protein and still delicious: just add cinnamon and vanilla extract.  Serve with sugar-free or low-sugar syrup.

There was an interesting article in Men’s Fitness a while back on 5 ways that you can shed 5 pounds in 30 days.  It ranges from switching beers, having more sex, and hitting the batting cages.  See how a few simple adjustments can show up on the scale.

1.) Ditch regular beer and switch to Guinness.  Guiness suprisingly has few calories than most beers (including light beers) with only 89 calories per 12-ounce beer, brilliant!  Calories saved by drinking Guinness all month: 816.

5.) Ride your bike.  If you ride your bike 5 hours this month at 20 miles per hour you’ll burn 4,571 calories.

Fish should be a staple of your diet, and today we are going to focus on salmon.  Salmon is commonly known as one of the best foods to eat for your health, but not many people know why.  Here is a list of reasons why you should include more salmon in your diet:

1.) Salmon is loaded with protein and muscle-building amino acids.

2.) Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which help your body make anti-inflammatory coumpounds that soothe body aches and pains, as well as support fat-loss.  Omega-3’s also help skin recover from skin damage from UV rays.

3.) Salmon is high in Vitamin D, which supports strong bones and can help ward off colan caner.

4.) Salmon is high in Selenium, which can help lower your risk of prostate cancer.

I love pizza.  When I say that I love pizza I mean I love it a lot.  I was one of the kids who in 5th grade when they would ask “what is your favorite food”  “Pizza!”  The problem with pizza is that its kind of devilish in its unhealthyness…

After all, it does contain the four major food groups (finally, the food pyramid comes in handy!). You know — the cheese comes from the dairy group; the crust comes from the bread and grains group; the pepperoni comes from the meat group; and the tomato comes from the fruits and vegetables group. Sounds healthy to me. Pizza’s calorically humble beginning was as a garnished flat bread sold by street vendors in 18th century Naples. Then, in 1889, Naples’ most famous pizza chef, Raffaele Esposito, created a pie for Queen Margherita topped with tomato, basil and cheese to resemble the Italian flag. But it wasn’t until 1905 that the pizza craze really began — when the first American pizza parlor opened its doors in New York City. Today, we eat close to 3 billion pizza pies per year — which is certainly not helping our country’s weight problem

But pizza is not the problem; it’s the way we consume it. “With all the different toppings available, and the ‘don’t stop ’till you’re stuffed’ approach to eating it, pizza can really hinder a weight loss program,” says New York City nutritionist Carey Clifford, MS, RD. “In fact, the average person eats 2 or more slices, or roughly 9 ounces of pizza, in one sitting. That’s about 540 calories and 8 grams of fat — and that’s before the toppings,” which can be an additional 50 to 150 calories and 5 to 15 grams of fat.

Wondering how to keep your pizza healthy without adding to your waistline?

Forget the cheese

When you’re ordering your pizza, one of the easiest ways to save on calories and fat is simply to go cheese-less (or maybe half the cheese — you can hardly taste the difference). Also, you can order a pizza with some healthy toppings like grilled chicken or vegetables, and sprinkle your cheese-less pizza with some Parmesan for extra flavor.

Cut the crust

If you can’t imagine a pizza without cheese, at least steer yourself away from extra cheese, deep dish, and stuffed crust pizzas — all of which pack on calories and fat. For example, 2 slices of Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust Pizza Supreme contain 820 calories and a whopping 40 grams of fat — that’s approximately two thirds of the daily fat allowance!

Veggie-tales

Ask for plenty of veggies on top — like broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, or even artichoke hearts. All these selections are low in calories and high in fiber and nutrients — which means you feel fuller with less calories. Watch out for the extra cheese that many pizzerias pile on when you order vegetable toppings, and make sure the vegetables aren’t drenched in oil or butter.

Watch Your Sides

It’s not only the pizza that you have to look out for. Most pizzerias serve garlic bread, bread sticks, Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks and more — all of which are high in calories and fat. For example, Domino’s serves ‘Cinna Sticks with Icing,’ which have 122 calories and 6 grams of fat per stick, plus an additional 30 calories per serving of the icing. With 8 sticks per order, you might as well help yourself to an entire pizza!

Get rid of the oil

This might be seen as a bit unsanitary or poor manners, but you can use a napkin to blot off extra oil from your slice of pizza (I actually had a girlfriend in college that did this). Each tablespoon of oil contains 14 grams of fat and 120 calories, so any savings on oil will translate into big savings in your total calories and fat for the day.

Why do we eat? We all know why we should be eating: to supply our bodies with plenty of energy to get through the day; to get nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals which help us to stay healthy and free of disease; and to get useful carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—all of which contribute to running our bodies properly and maintaining good health.

But sometimes we can all be guilty of eating for other reasons. We love food! And that’s great! Eating should be pleasurable, not just nutritious. Food is everywhere: books are devoted to cooking and recipes, we find ourselves daydreaming and even talking about the newest restaurant or our favorite foods.

Many times we eat to celebrate—holidays, job promotions, graduations, weddings…we’ll find just about any achievement (”I raked the yard!”, “We sold our house!”, “My favorite team won!”) to be celebration-worthy, and we’ll eat to commemorate it.

Other times, we let our emotions take over. When we’re stressed out, sad, angry, or lonely, we oftentimes turn to food to comfort us. Even starting (and staying on) a new diet can be stressful, especially when emotions creep in.

In our food-obsessed culture with out-of-control portions always lurking within our grasps, how can we not overeat? It’s hard to break habits and go against the lessons we have always been taught, like cleaning our plates, not being wasteful, or getting the best deal—which usually means ordering up and getting a lot more food for the money.

There are many ways to stop overeating. While some may seem silly…silly just may work for you. From the following list, find a few that work best for you, and try several. For example, if you find yourself eating out a lot, experiment with the dining out options more. After finding the strategies that work, stick with them. Over time, you’ll break the habits of overeating and form new habits. Pretty soon, you won’t even need the strategies at all, and you’ll be on your way to a permanent lifestyle change!

Skills for Any Setting
Whether you’re cooking your own meal, eating at work, or snacking at a football game, here are the strategies you can take anywhere:

* Know your portion sizes. Make your own “portion pack” to take with you or keep the following common items in mind when preparing and eating meals.
o A golf ball is the size of a serving of nuts (including peanut butter) or cheese.
o A deck of playing cards is equivalent to 3 ounces of any meat.
o Use a die to estimate a proper serving of oils and fats.
o For fruit and veggie servings, use a tennis ball.
o One serving of cooked grains or potatoes is about the size of a computer mouse.
* Divide your plate. When cooking at home, looking at pictures on menus, or shopping ala carte at the work cafeteria, your plate should look like this:
o Half (or more) of the plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables.
o Protein-rich foods (meat or legumes) and starches (grains, potatoes, bread) should take up one quarter of the plate each.
o Fill your “divided plate” only once. If you’re still hungry, have another half-plate of vegetables. It’s that simple.
o Portion-controlled plates are available to buy as well…although they’re much more expensive than drawing an imaginary line. Try the Diet Plate.
* Quench your hunger with water. Instead of high-calorie, low-nutrient drinks like soda, alcohol, or other sugary drinks, choose water. It’s free wherever you go, and most people don’t meet their 8-10 cups-a-day requirement. Drink water before, during, and after a meal to slow yourself down while eating and curb hunger.
* Fill up on Fiber. The healthiest and most filling foods are high in fiber—think fruits and veggies, and whole, unprocessed grains. Adding fiber to your diet will aid in weight loss, and keep you feeling fuller longer, so you may eat less.
* Supportive groups are crucial. Surround yourself with positive people who motivate you to reach your goals, not those who want to sabotage your efforts. When you feel tempted, emotional, or if you have already gotten off-track, turn to your support group. Call a friend, email a family member, or get online to the SparkPeople support boards. Sometimes all you need is a short word of advice from a friendly voice.

Tips at Home
Cooking at home may be the easiest way to control your portions during a meal, but it also presents us with fully-stocked cupboards and refrigerators that can be tempting:

* Bring home healthy fast food. Try precut, frozen, canned or microwave-in-the-bag vegetables. Automatic portion control.
* Stop the Taste-Testing Habit. If you’re the cook in the family, you may be eating a lot of calories when you taste your foods as you cook. To stop this natural habit, try chewing gum while you prepare you meals. Each time you are tempted to sneak a bite, you’ll have to take the gum out of your mouth. This will make you more conscious of what you’re doing.
* Make fruit your dessert. It’s a great way to get more produce into your diet, and it satisfies the sweet craving many people have after a meal. Experiment with new and exotic fruits. And, when it comes to fruit, eating a little extra isn’t a bad thing.
* Keep your hands busy. Many people want to eat when bored or just out of habit while watching TV. Keep your hands occupied with something else, and you won’t want to eat. Try knitting, painting your nails, shuffling cards, petting your cat—anything that keeps your hands moving will do the trick. Or, keep your whole body busy by doing crunches, squats, lunges or other body exercises while you watch.
* Feeling hungry? Try this first. Try drinking a glass or two of water. Many people mistake what is actually dehydration for hunger.
* When you feel the urge to snack or keep eating, take an exercise break. Walk around the block for 5 or 10 minutes, run up and down the stairs, or distract yourself with anything for about 10 minutes. You’ll probably find that you weren’t really hungry, but bored instead.
* Buy snack-size portions. Don’t buy more of your unhealthy snacks just to save a buck or two. If you have trouble controlling yourself—if you eat the whole bag of chips before you realize what you’ve done—then buy snack size items. You can find chips, pretzels, cookies, snack cakes, soda, juice, ice cream, and even cereal in single serving sizes.
* Make a rule that works for you and your family. No eating in front of the TV, in the car, or at your desk. This will help you avoid mindless eating when you’re not hungry.

Tricks for Dining Out
It’s difficult to control your portions—not to mention ingredients and cooking method—when you are at a restaurant. Despite this, there are several things you can control:

* Inquire about portion sizes. If it sounds huge, and it probably is, ask the server to split your entrée in half. Tell them to box up half ahead of time (and maybe even keep it in the kitchen until you’re ready to leave). Or, split the dish with a friend.
* Order ala carte. Many, if not all restaurants are notorious for their enormous portions. When you feel like you can’t win on size, or if even half of an entrée is still way too big, order side items. Most restaurants do offer staples like baked potatoes, steamed fresh veggies, and rice dishes. Or, even if it’s dinnertime, ask for the lunch portion. You may have to pay the dinner price, but you’ll save yourself from eating way too much, and you’ll be much happier about that.
* Decide ahead of time what you’ll order. That way, you won’t be tempted by the less-healthy fare when you look at the menu. If you’re familiar with the menu, don’t even look at it—simply order what you already had in mind.
* Don’t be afraid to make substitutions in ingredients and cooking methods. Many people don’t like to be picky at restaurants, but think of it this way. They’re there to meet your needs and serve you. If they don’t have something you want, ask! Vegetarians and vegans know this scenario all-too-well, because they have to modify almost every dish on the menu to be able to eat it. Waiters and waitresses will want to comply and help out (because it means tips for them), and chefs can easily make modifications. Some things to try:
+ Different cooking methods. If your dish is fried or high in oil, ask for steamed or stir-fry options.
+ Take something out. Ask for less or complete removal of cheese, sour cream, gravy, special sauces, mayonnaise, etc.
+ Add something new. Ask for extra veggies in your salad, or to add vegetables to a dish (like pizza or pasta) that doesn’t normally contain them.
* Substitute. Get the plain baked potato instead of the mammoth french fries; Ask for grilled chicken on your salad instead of breaded.
* Tell your server you don’t want the free bread, chips, etc. when you first arrive. Or, if you do eat it, let them know that you don’t need another round.
* Ask for dressings, sauces, and condiments on the side. Use just enough to taste. Many “sides” of salad dressings are still 2-5 times as big as the recommended 2-tablespoon servings.
* Don’t pick at the food left on your plate. Put your utensils on your plate so the handles get dirty. You won’t want to pick them up again, and you won’t mindlessly eat more while chatting over dinner. Or, try laying your napkin over top of the remaining food. Out of sight, out of mind.

What is Glutamine?
Glutamine is considered a “conditionally essential amino acid”. It makes up roughly 61% of the amino acid pool in skeletal muscle.

What does Glutamine do?
-
- It is an acid/base balancer
- It is a nitrogen carrier
- It is a precursor to macromolecules (proteins & nucleic acids)
- Interestingly glutamine is the most used fuel for rapidly dividing cells, such as intestinal cells and lymphocytes (immune system cells).
- It is a cell volumizer
- It aids in recovery
- It boosts the immune system

How much should I take & when?
Although glutamine is a popular supplement, this question pops up quite often. The amount of glutamine you should take depends on your bodyweight. Dosages at .57g/kg bodyweight have been shown to be safe in short term use. The body needs a minimum of .2g/kg to have a positive effect on nitrogen balance. Here is a chart of daily dosages by body weight (at .2g/kg):
140lbs - 12.7g
150lbs - 13.6g
160lbs - 14.5g
170lbs - 15.4g
180lbs - 16.3g
190lbs - 17.2g
200lbs - 18.1g
210lbs - 19.1g
220lbs - 20g
230lbs - 20.9g
240lbs - 21.9g
250lbs - 22.7g
260lbs - 23.6g
270lbs - 24.5g

Although you could probably take your full daily dosage at once, it may not be the most comfortable thing to do so. Glutamine should not be taken with food, as it will drastically decrease the amount of glutamine that is absorbed. It is best taken post-workout with carbs & protein, or before bed, since Glutamine is believed to cause an increase in growth hormone (and this is an ideal time for this). A good time to take it is in the morning on an empty stomach.

Glutamine is easily one of the top 5 OTC supplements that anyone lifting weights should use. In fact, it could be #1 or maybe a close #2 (behind Creatine). It is currently more expensive than creatine, but the price has drastically dropped over the past 18 months. Hope this helps!

There is nothing more irritating to me than having people tell me they cannot get in better shape for one reason or another. Then there are some other more subtle myths that if you are following you are actually HURTING your fitness efforts. See #1, #3, and #4 specifically. Now here are 5 in no particular order:

1) You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer at a Lower Intensity
More of the calories will directly be coming from fat but in the end fat loss is a function of calories in being less than calories out. Higher intensity = more calories out.

2) If you’re not working out every day, you are wasting your time
This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people from even starting an exercise program. Research continues to show that any exercise is better than none. Even walking one hour a week has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

3) Exercise alone will allow you to reach all of your goals
As with all responses to exercise, weight gain or loss is impacted by many factors, with another main one being diet. What you eat accounts for at least half of fat loss. “A six pack is made in the kitchen..” has a lot of truth to it.

4) For losing weight, stay away from lifting weights because you will bulk up
Most exercise experts believe that cardiovascular exercise and strength training are both valuable for maintaining a healthy weight. Strength training helps maintain muscle mass and decrease body fat percentage. It is VERY difficult to get bulky, in fact you have to be actively trying to bulk up and eating thousands of extra calories to gain significant muscle weight.

5) I can’t do it, I just don’t have the genetics
Yes you can. Everyone can at least be healthy. Studies show that obese people who participate in regular exercise programs have a lower risk of all-cause mortality than sedentary individuals, regardless of weight. Both men and women of all sizes and fitness levels can improve their health with modest increases in activity. And both men and women CAN slim down to whatever fitness level they would like to be at with hard work, exercise, and a proper diet.

Creatine…everyone has heard of it, few really understand exactly what it is or how it works. Lets get started with the basics.

What is creatine?
The chemical name is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Creatine was identified in 1832 when Michel Eugène Chevreul discovered it as a component of skeletal muscle, which he later named creatine after the Greek word for flesh, Kreas. It is made up of three amino acids - Arginine, Glycine and Methionine - and is produced primarily by the body’s liver or is introduced in food, generally red meat, or taken as a supplement (which we will cover in a bit). Most (98%) of creatine in your body is stored in your muscle tissues.

So how much is that?
The everyday human has 1.59 to 1.81 grams per lb. of muscle

What does creatine do?

-When you are using your muscles such as lifting a weight, sprinting etc your body needs a quick supply of energy. This comes from something called ATP when it is converted into another molecule called ADP. We have a limited supply of ATP so what creatine does is converts ADP back into ATP…end result: more energy.

-When you exercise for a long period of time you might notice your muscles getting tired and have that burning sensation. This is a buildup of lactic acid in the muscle. What creatine does is slow down the process where lactic acide builds up…end result: you can keep going for longer.

-Creatine pulls extra water into muscle cells, expanding them and possibly increasing strength.

-Creatine may increase protein synthesis

Is creatine dangerous?
No, it is a naturally occurring substance in your body. Supplementing it is akin to supplementing vitamins and minerals.

I play sports in high school/college/etc can I take creatine?
Yes, unless there is a specific rule by a governing body that says you cannot.

I am female, will I benefit by taking creatine?
Yes, though be aware it does cause water weight gain.

What happens to excess creatine in the body?
Excess creatine will be flushed out of the body in the form of creatinine.

Is creatine a steroid or illegal substance?
No, it is perfectly legal and it is not a steroid.

Do I need to take creatine to add muscle?
No, creatine will simply assist in adding muscle. It is a “supplement” meaning it is just a helper.

As a supplement, what form is creatine available?
As a supplement, creatine is available in powder, tablet, supplement bar, or (new) liquid form.

Which form is the best?
I highly recommend staying with the powder form. The other forms have been less studied and are less mature in their development.

How will you see creatine listed on ingredient labels of supplements?
-creatine Monohydrate, creatine anhydrous, creatine malate, creatine citrate, creatine phosphate, creatine titrate, creatine pyruvate, monocreatine, micronised creatine, CM2, CEM3 (BSN), CEE(BSN), CEM, CR100, CM2, CHMB, and other forms. If you aren’t sure, google it, or shoot me an email and I would be happy to help you.

What is the most common form?
Creatine monohydrate.

I bought a bottle of creatinine. Is this creatine?
No, this is another form and will not be helpful.

What is average does of creatine?
5 Grams (creatine monohydrate)

I am a firm believer in using natural advantages given to you. The people that detract from creatine are usually the same people that detract from protein powder. There is no science behind that, only fear and ignorance. I find most people interested in it are young men looking to gain size…and they can, with a solid diet, protein and creatine supplementation. For everyone else creatine can also benefit you greatly, from muscle gain to fat loss, to energy supplementation. Now get out there and exercise!