The Right Nutrition

The body is built to survive.  It will respond appropriately to whatever circumstances it finds itself in.  If it is not receiving enough “fuel” (in other words, food!), it will make the necessary changes to make sure that the fuel it does receive will help the body survive.  It will cool down its furnaces so the fuel is not burned as quickly and it will store as much of the fuel as it can so that it has reserves to tap into when the right amount of fuel is not available.  In other words, if you are not eating enough, your metabolism actually slows down and your body packs away as much energy as it can . . . in the form of fat.  Fat is really stored fuel for your body.  We all need some stored fuel, but the unnecessary hoarding of excessive amounts is what we want to avoid!

A regular injection of fuel is also important. If we allow the fire to burn down too far, the body cools the furnace again to conserve energy.  When we only eat 1 or 2 times each day, the body is confused and doesn’t know that it will be getting enough fuel to survive, so it slows the metabolism again and stores as much energy as it can (fat) because it doesn’t know when the next meal is coming!

The right fuel at the right time is critical.  In order to have your body believe that it will have the fuel it needs to survive, you need to eat 5 or 6 times each day.  And those meals need to contain the right balance of nutrients each time.  The macro nutrients that we need are protein, carbohydrates and fats.  Each time you eat, try to include something from each category.  Obviously, if we overfill the tank 5 or 6 times a day (eat too much at every meal), the body will be forced to store what it doesn’t need.  The right amount each meal depends on who you are and your activity level.  Listen to your body and eat just enough to be satisfied until you eat again 3 to 3 ½ hours later. 

Don’t forget that the fuel you put into your body needs to be good quality fuel.  Your car engine knows when it has inferior fuel and it doesn’t run as smoothly as possible.  Your body is smarter than your car!  The protein that you eat needs to be lean protein:  turkey, chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.  The carbohydrates need to be from vegetables and complex sources such as whole grains.  The fats need to be quality as well:  olive oil, avocados, flax seed oil, nuts, etc.  Try to avoid saturated fats which typically come from animal sources and definitely avoid trans-fats which are the man-made hydrogenated oils.

Sugar is a subject all to itself.  Sugar provides quick energy.  It tastes great!  It also inhibits the use of our stored fat as an energy source.  Why should the body convert fat to energy when it has the easy source of sugar?  So, if one of your goals is to get leaner, you really need to reduce sugar consumption.  The important thing to remember here is that sugar is in a lot of things (not just candy bars!):  ready-made cereals, bread, soda pop, energy drinks, fruit and fruit juice, and alcohol.  Try to limit your intake of these things if you are serious about losing excess fat.  And yes, that means limiting fruit.  Think of fruit as a dessert, because that is its true identity.