Planning Diets Natural Nutrition |

Ray,
>
>How critical is the percentages of macronutrients for each of the 4-5 meals? If I get the daily percentages close would that be ok too?
>
>JimHey Jim!,
Yes it would. I would even go as far to say that if you measured out some portions once or twice and saw what it looked like compared to your clenched fist, that you could use that most of the time.

After a while you know what your 20-30 grams of protein or 40-50 grams of carbs looks like and you can just wing it. The precise measurments are really only needed when you have no idea how much you should be eating or if you are getting ready for a competition.

Ray Burton
President Buildingbodies Inc
http://www.buildingbodies.ca

http://www.FatToFitProgram.com

To: “ray burton”
Subject: Re: fitness questions
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:07:04 -0700

I’ve only been restricting calories for about a week or so. I usually eat really well, unfortunately, and it has caught up with me.

In the recent past, I’ve been running and going to the gym three times a week. Since july, when I really kicked up my activity level, I’ve started gaining weight. I think I’ve gained 7 - 8 lbs since I’ve been more active. Really scary.

I used to work out regularly and had a really good program going but I”m really discouraged with this recent rapid weight gain. I’m also really discouraged with my family member, the trainer, telling me how large my butt is and how I look like I’ve gained 20 lbs… not seeing too much of that person at the mo. I am going for testing for thyroid/adrenal function to see if any of this is age-related.

I think I need a workout buddy, though. If you know anyone who’s looking for either an early evenig or mid-day partner, I might be interested. I’m 45, female and live in the central southwest area. I have a membership at spa lady and use it a lot (cheap and tons of weights/machines/classes/treadmills, etc).

Thanks.
On 12/30/06, ray burton wrote:
Everything I see in your question scares me. 500 calories a day? That is way below even starvation levels. Your body is rebelling and holding onto fat for survivals sake. You should never go below 1100 calories a day.

You should also be resistance training. I would suggest you get a base level knowledge on cardio, eating and resistance training and you will start to see the results you want.

If you do decide to look for a resource like I mentioned, please check out my program here: http://www.fattofitprogram.com
Keep me updated about the doctor visit. Something must be up because weight gain doesnt just “happen”, it always has a cause. If its not something you are directly doing, you should see the doctor.

As far as the training partner, you gave me an idea. I started a “Training Partner Search” over in the support forum. List your info there and maybe someone will be interested! Here is the link:

http://www.sixpackabdominals.com/howto/viewforum.php?f=15

Just start a new topic and put in your info if you want.
Ray Burton
President Buildingbodies Inc
http://www.buildingbodies.ca

http://www.FatToFitProgram.com

Bored?  Listen to me answer some questions and watch
me do some cool exercises.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/362332/ray_burton_bodyweight_exercises_for_conditioning

SHORT DESCRIPTION: There seems to have been a rash of unexplained, dramatic weight losses in Hollywoodland as of late, and some are suspecting that there is more than just a strict diet and punishing exercise routines at work. A drug called Clenbuterol is suspected to be behind some of the Hollywood dramatic size reductions these days.

BODY OF ARTICLE: There seems to have been a rash of unexplained, dramatic weight losses in Hollywoodland as of late, and some are suspecting that there is more than just a strict diet and punishing exercise routines at work.

We all know that “normal” women are under a lot of pressure to be thin and look a certain way to fit a barbie doll image of sexiness and desirability, but women in Hollywood experience this same pressure tenfold, and they may be succumbing to the use of dangerous drugs to achieve this effect.

A drug called Clenbuterol is suspected to be behind some of the Hollywood dramatic size reductions these days, and it seems it is being used with no regard to the fact that the drug is not even approved for human consumption, and may have potentially life threatening effects.

Not only that, long time users may soon find that Clenbuterol can actually have the opposite effect desired, it may actually make them gain more weight in the long run, even if they eat very little.

What is Clenbuterol, and Why is This “fat loss” Pill Potentially Dangerous?

Clenbuterol, or “Clen” as it is referred to sometimes, is actually a veterinary drug, approved mostly for use on horses with breathing problems.  It is known as a bronchodilator ths is essentially steroidal, but it’s side effects are as a long time thermogen, or fat burner, because it elevates resting heart rate and increases internal body temperature.

This is why it is known to quickly make people drop weight and burn off fat, because it increases the heart rate and the rate at which calories are burned, even when a person is not being physically active.

This is also why it is potentially life threatening.  Lab tests is rats had actually shown that the drug has a hardening effect on the walls of the heart, which can lead to any number of heart problems and potentially even heart failure or irregular heart beats.

Clenbuterol is only legal for veterinary use in horses to treat breathing problems, and is not approved for human consumption (for a reason), yet people are buying this stuff over the internet with relative ease.

Logic would tell us that a drug powerful enough to treat a horse cannot be healthy for a much smaller human to consume, and yet it seems thin-obsessed women are still putting their lives at risk in the name of being unnaturally thin.

It gained notoriety within “inner circles” when bodybuilders began using it to help them up their muscle mass while simultaneously reducing their body fat.  In an unnatural amount of time, body builders were gaining significant amounts of muscle while reducing their body fat.

To put muscle on this quickly while also reducing body fat cannot be good for the heart, as it may put undue strain on it to keep up with the unnaturally high muscle content.  Muscles notoriously burn more calories than fat, and this puts the body into overdrive, forcing it to constantly burn it’s energy reserves (hence, the fast fat loss and size reduction).

The Long Term Effects of Clenbuterol : Not So Appealing to the Body Conscious

As with anything else that seems like it’s a “magic fix” in one area, Clenbuterol can has some extremely negative consequences to overall health and well being, and the side effects have not been studied on humans yet, so there is almost definitely more that we don’t even know about.

One side of this drug that may not be so appealing to the people who are taking it expressly to look rail thin is that those effects the drug was initially taken for may actually come back to bite you in the skinny rear end.

Apparently long term “Clen” users have experienced an unexplained ballooning of weight, presumably because the drug’s effect has worn off and the user’s body has become immune to it, and is trying to gain back the much needed fat that we are all genetically programmed to have (especially women).

Even if these long term users eat virtually nothing, or what would be considered a fairly restrictive diet, they have reported experiencing an uncontrollable surge in their weight.  So, clenbuterol is no magic bullet by any means it seems, and it can even be the snake that comes back to bite you in the end.

RESOURCE BOX: Danna Schneider is the founder of http://www.dailydietblog.com where dieting and nutrition news as well as product reviews can be found, and also http://www.dietingmagazine.com

SHORT DESCRIPTION: The importance of home-cooked food, whether or not you are on a diet or a weight loss program, can never be overemphasized…

BODY OF ARTICLE: The importance of home-cooked food, whether or not you are on a diet or a weight loss program, can never be overemphasized.

For one, home-cooked food is definitely more nutritious and healthy than outside food as it is not produced on a mass scale, and more importantly, it is prepared by your family members, which further goes on to ensure 100% hygiene and wholesomeness. Moreover, home-cooked food is fresh, unlike restaurant food, where there are chances that you may be served food that has been sitting in a warmer a good part of the day.

Therefore, it is easy to deduce that if you are weight training or if you are on a diet, then home-cooked food has no parallel ? it ensures you stay on a healthy diet.

diet and Restaurant Food

Eating at a restaurant while you are on a diet can play havoc with your weight-training program, rip your diet plans to shreds and reverse your weight loss process. Here’s how:

1. Restaurants offer a whole lot of fatty accompaniments such as toppings, sauces, gravies and overly refined foods that can actually make you overweight instead of helping your diet cause.

2. By and large, the raw food in any restaurant may have been frozen and it is likely that some preservatives would be added to such food. Preservatives, and for that matter restaurant foods contain a lot of sodium and, as you know, excess sodium leads to water retention and, hence, weight gain.

3. Restaurants are around because they make tasty food. And tasty food needs quite a bit of fat (especially, saturated fat) to give it the taste. The bottom line is: Most restaurant foods are not in tune with your weight loss diet plan.

4. Since you pay good money to restaurants, you’ll be tempted to bite off more than you can chew and in the process, increase your intake of unnecessary calories that your body does not require.

If you’re binging on restaurant food while on a diet plan, you’re most likely reversing all the benefits you’ve gotten so far. So you’ll be better off eating home-cooked food.

Still, if there’s no escape from eating out while you’re on a weight loss program, here’s a list of foods you must avoid: sauces, gravy, red meat, fat from broiled meat, creamy desserts, meat in salads, creamy salad dressings, wontons, sweet and sour choices, anything that tastes sweet and oily. Period.

If you eat home-cooked food while on a diet, stick to your diet plan and exercise regularly, you will find that your weight loss program will work wonders for you.

RESOURCE BOX: You can get  the FREE Special Report about “weight loss Tips” at:
http://www.theweightlossguide.info/

SHORT DESCRIPTION: With the holiday season here, people can have a good time, yet still maintain their weight. This article shows how to indulge with the holiday foods, yet not get fat or lose your figure.

BODY OF ARTICLE: Here it is the beginning of December and everyone is starting to think of gifts, holiday parties, and all the wonderful food that can be eaten this holiday season.  Really, this 4-5 week euphoric glutton usually begins on Thanksgiving.  The following days after, the question that always is asked is “did you eat a lot.”  This theme continues on throughout the holidays and stops around New Year’s.  At that time, the individual remembers all the times they took a bite out of another cookie saying, “I’ll start my diet back up again after New Years.”  I’m here to tell you that if you can stay focused during these 4 weeks, you can enjoy the holiday treats plus, if you so desire, still lose a little weight.

Now most people reading this are saying, “Yeah right.”  I’ll have to be honest though, I should have wrote this article in October so that if you haven’t been exercising you could have started then so by December your body would have been totally adjusted to the routine.  I will make a mental note for next year, but for now let’s make due with the time we have.

The first thing I want to say is that if you are currently not exercising then this will be a lot tougher for you.  If you still adhere to the majority of the principles that I stress, you probably won’t lose weight, but you won’t gain much either.  I would definitely view that as positive.  If you have been working out, then the first thing that I urge would be to still maintain your workouts throughout these four weeks.  It is easy to get caught up in the holidays, taking time off from work, visiting relatives, etc.  If you can maintain your workouts, you will be able to maintain your body’s ability to burn fat efficiently.

This next point I’m going to tell you is the big credo to remember this holiday season.  One day of eating holiday foods (i.e. cookies, eggnog, and other fun stuff) will not make you fat.  Eating several days, even many days of holiday foods, yes might do something to your health, but one day here or there is not going to ruin the many days you HAVE been exercising and eating right.

So with that in mind, here is what I suggest.  Ideally, I would love for my clients to eat 6 days properly and have one day be a cheat day.  If you know of a day coming up, which we always do, that you are having a party that you just want to let loose at, then plan that as your cheat day.  If there are several parties throughout the week (which would mean you are Mr./Mrs. Popular), then try to eat healthy the meals prior to the time of your party, but by all means have a good time at that party.  If you are eating right and continue to exercise, your body will still be able to do its job and quite possibly, help you lose weight, if that is what your goal is.

With that being said, the same credo can apply to exercising.  The days that you know you can get your workouts in, then do.  If you are planning on partying one night and anticipating not feeling the greatest the next day, then take the day off.  Your body isn’t going to flab up for missing one day of exercising.  In fact, it might enjoy the break to rejuvenate you for the next workout.  Fitting in 2-4 workouts throughout the week, will definitely help keep your body where it is and counter the affects of any holiday cheer you might experience.

The holidays are a fun time and you should thoroughly enjoy them.  If you do a little planning though, it doesn’t have to be the train wreck you might be anticipating.  Continue to exercise when you can and eat appropriately when you can (you aren’t going to parties 24/7 are you?) and you will be in great shape for the New Year to roll around and kick in those resolutions.

RESOURCE BOX: Adam Kessler is President of Fitness Planning Consultants, Inc. located in Gahanna, Ohio.  His free reports on weight loss and health rejuvenation can be found at his website at
http://fitnessplanning.com .

SHORT DESCRIPTION: You are sure to have read somewhere or have heard from someone that eating four times a day, moderately, and spreading out the mealtimes evenly is the correct way to eat, irrespective of the fact you are on a diet or on a weight loss program.

BODY OF ARTICLE: You are sure to have read somewhere or have heard from someone that eating four times a day, moderately, and spreading out the mealtimes evenly is the correct way to eat, irrespective of the fact you are on a diet or on a weight loss program.

Well, there is a science behind eating four moderate meals a day rather than two or three heavy meals and it is important that you know how this kind of timely eating can help you in your diet plans or in your weight training program.

To understand this theory, you must understand metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories and you will be surprised to know that your body burns calories throughout the day, while you are at work or even at rest ? even when you are sleeping!

It is this metabolism that is the principle behind having those four moderate meals everyday, evenly spaced out. If you try to eat heavy meals at one time, say at breakfast, thinking that you can compensate by skipping lunch, you are wrong.  What you eat in the morning will get digested in 2.5 to 3 hours and all the excess calories will end up getting stored as body fat ? they will not be kept aside for your calorie requirement in the afternoon.

Now, contrast this scenario with the one where you take four moderate meals every two-and-a-half hours or so. In this case, you are consuming just sufficient calories to keep you going for that much time, not extra. As a result, whatever you have consumed would be burned before your next meal and there would be no storage of excess calories as body fat.

Therefore, if you want your diet plans or your weight training program to succeed or even if you want to control your overweight condition, it is important to consume only the amount of food that yields calories just sufficient for 2.5 hours or so. Do not try to eat your lunch along with breakfast.

Of course, before declaring your diet plan to be an unqualified success, keep in mind that your metabolism/metabolic rate depends on several factors such as your genes, your diet and your eating habits and your physical activity level.

Having said that, the benefits of such a diet are many if coupled with the right kind of exercise ? you will find that this kind of diet keeps you light and refreshed. Your metabolism will burn up your calories faster, leading to weight loss and, above all, you will stay fit and healthy both in mind and body.

RESOURCE BOX: You can get  the FREE Special Report about “weight loss Tips” at:
http://www.theweightlossguide.info/