I get asked often "What should I be eating?" Or, "What diet is the best?" The simple answer to the second is, the one you'll stick to, forever. Not just for a few weeks or months, but one you can make into a lifestyle. As for what should you be eating? Well, here is my recommendation after 10 years of tinkering to find what's simple and effective. I call it The PaleoFlexZone.
The Paleo Diet
This is arguably...ok no argument, this is THE best tool for teaching you what foods to eat. The Paleo Diet is restricted to eating veggies, meats, nuts and seeds and fruits. That's it. No grains. No beans (that means peanuts too). No dairy (milk products). No artificial (or "natural" labeled) anything. This is, without question, the best way to teach your body to eat whole, real food basically all the time. If you find yourself constantly eating from boxes and bags, start here for a while. It'll learn ya real fast. It isn't easy, but it is simple and effective. The draw back here is the totalitarian restrictiveness of this method. It becomes excessively difficult to stay on point as you try and eat with and around other people.
The Flex Diet (a.k.a. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM))
The advantage of the Flex Diet is that it leverages the fact that humans are omnivores and can make energy out of anything we eat. It tells us that as long as your are hitting your calorie count via making it to your macro-nutrient goals you can control your...wait for it...GAAIIINNNZZZZ! (I just threw up in my mouth a little). Meaning your can control your fat loss, muscle growth, and overall performance buy setting specific goals in grams per day of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and hitting them exact (or as near as possible with out going over) each day. I hate how bro-sciencey it sounds, but it's backed by actual science and it works without question. The draw back is that the only restriction it has is caloric. Although Flex Diet "recommends" eating a clean, healthy diet, many folks who eat this way eat poor quality food because it fits their macros.
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet has been around since the 1970's. The whole premise is balance. Many diets are so carbohydrate biased that getting all of the essential macro and micro nutrients is difficult. The Zone hands us a macro-nutrient balance of 40-30-30. 40% of your calories come from carbs, 30% from proteins, and 30% from fats. This is very effective and makes it more possible to get all or most of your carbohydrate calories from vegetables. This also makes it a great partner for the Paleo diet. The problem with this diet is the way Dr. Sears set up the "blocks". Blocks are used to get people to eat good and correct amounts of each macro-nutrient, but the calculations are flawed and out of date. It also has odd restrictions on it's recommendations of "good" carbs and "bad" carbs.
The PaleoFlexZone
I am a proponent of balance. Ebbs and flows that allow life to happen well and leave us feeling better than we did the day before. The combination of these 3 diets gives us, in my estimation, the best balance for how to eat. Start with the Paleo diet, learn quality foods. Move to the Zone and learn how to portion those foods. Add the Flex Diet in to zero in on the absolute numbers to be in real control over the calories going into your body. The Flex Diet usually sets calories off of 50-55% of calories from carbohydrates on active days, and drops them on inactive days. The PaleoFlex Zone is this: 1) The bulk of your diet should be as strict Paleo as you can tolerate. 2) Use the 40-30-30 Zone balance with total daily calories based off of .7-1.0 grams of protein per pound you weigh. 3) Use the Flex Diet to track those numbers as a whole, as well as allowing yourself to eat not-paleo when it is difficult to do so or when you're in a social setting (see my blog from August 24th about this). This means looking at an egg as fats and proteins, not just proteins or milk as carbs, proteins, and fats or oatmeal as carbs and proteins, or...well you get the picture. It also means allowing yourself to have a meal or snack here or there that is totally not paleo, but you're ok with that. MyFitnessPal (no affiliation here, it's just what I use to help me, they are not paying me... although, I wish they would) is a great mobile app to help you set your calories and macro balance and then track it very closely.
Doing this takes discipline. This is simple, but it is not easy at first. You will struggle with willpower. You will want to quit. You will want to skip logging that fun size snickers you just ate, or that handful of skittles, or that "Sugar-Free/Low-Calorie" mocha-choca-bull-crap you just drank. Tough. Do it. Make yourself aware of where your calories are coming from. Buy a food scale. Weigh and measure everything that goes in your mouth.
If you want to make a change you have to be willing to do something you have never done before. You want to lose weight? Guess what? You gotta track your food intake (a.k.a. diet) and get your butt off the couch. You want to learn to play guitar (a personal goal of mine)? Guess what? You have to buy a guitar and start learning and practicing. None of this stuff is easy, but it works and it's worth it.
You should do it because you're worth it. You are worth more than the handbag you couldn't afford in the first place. You are worth more than the 8 hour Netflix binge in which you just indulged. You are worth more than you think. Are you willing to stop treating your body like a dumpster and more like the high performance machine that it was designed to be on the first place? Time to dust off the work ethic and get going.
Need help? Head to www.crossfitcrossroads.com (link is to our coaches page) and contact one of our coaches to get started on a PaleoFlexZone Plan and begin learning how valuable your health really is.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Some simple but painful Truth about Diet
Diet. THE four letter word. It doesn't matter if you're in the fitness industry, the medical field, food industry, or just a normal everyday Joe or Jane trying to live life. It seems that diet has become the thing that will make or break your fitness goals and your long term heath. What's worse is there are so many "diets" out there and there is no real definitive answer on what you should put in your face on a daily basis. How do you know which one is right for you? Is there one that is better than another? Is there a "best" diet out there? I'm going to give you my 2 cents. Some of you will like it. Many of you won't. I don't really care, I just want people to know the truth...well, a few truths anyway. Here'goes.
#1 - There is NO "best" diet. I am a Paleo Diet advocate but I am not a strict paleo follower. Vegetarians think they have it. So do Vegans. None of us are right. Neither is Atkins, SlimGenics, or the Zone. For every example you give of why this diet is the best I can give a counter argument that totally deflates your theory. Do you know why? Humans are omnivores. We can eat just about anything and convert it into usable energy (i.e. Cheetos...although calling it food is a stretch). Some systems are adapted for eating mostly meat, others mostly plants, still others mostly grains. Overall though, humans NEED a balance of all of it. "But Brandon, I read this thing once in this magazine that is totally true." Are you sure about that? Or are you accepting it as truth because you read it in PaleoVeganGenetics Magazine and it's a "totally legit mag." Nope sorry folks. None of us are right. But all of us are. The human body is meant to preform, eat so that you perform well, whatever that means for you and stop judging people who don't eat the same as you.
#2 - Moderation is the key, and a trick. We've all heard the refrain; "everything in moderation." There is some truth to that. Your should intake calories in moderation. You should workout in moderation. Anything you do to an extreme level can be detrimental to your overall well being. One of my favorite quotes that helps this idea make sense is "When good things become ultimate things, ultimately good things become destructive things." (Scott Nickle, Teaching Pastor at Flatirons Church). There in lies the problem. Even moderation can be a bad thing. Food is social for humans. Going out for drinks with friends every once in a while is ok and even healthy for your overall well being and stress levels. Drinking every night is a bad idea. But what about cocaine? Is cocaine in moderation a good thing? (If you didn't answer that with a resounding "NO!" then we need to have a chat about your decision making privileges). Yet, this is what marketing folks would have you believe about products that are not good things. This is what soda companies spend millions of dollars on each year. Lobbying the government to stay at bay all while convincing the public that the poison they peddle is safe...in moderation. What they don't tell you is that their product is in intentionally highly addictive so your idea of moderation is always expanding. Moderation is a good thing. But it is not an ultimate thing or it can easily be a destructive thing. You still have to use your decision making abilities to decide if this thing should be a part of your diet (or life for that matter) or not.
#3 - There are things all fitness professionals (for the most part) agree on. Veggies are good for you. Fruit is good for you. Nuts and seeds are good for you. Lean meat is good for you. Basically the idea here is to eat food. Real food. Not "food". "Food" is anything that was once actual food and then processed and boxed to make it convenient, portable, and taste "good". There it is again. What do you mean "good"? Real food tastes good on it's own. It does not need chemical enhancers, artificial or natural flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives to "enhance" (ok, I'll really try and stop that) the flavor. It's all marketing gimmicks to get you to buy their stuff that cost them 20 cents to make so they can sell it to you at $1.50 and you think you're getting a good deal. Eat food. Real food. Not "food".
#4 - "Cheat Days" are bull crap. There, I said it. The idea that if you eat really, really strict you can take an entire day and eat whatever you want as a reward. I have a few issues with this. First, food is fuel. Eat food that fuels your body well and it will reward you for it. Second, food is social. Eat really well all the time, even when you're in a social situation. Use good judgement and indulge in treats and drinks on occasion (no, not every occasion is a special occasion to indulge). If you can't have one drink with your friend because they just got married/had a baby/got a big promotion all because it's not your cheat day, you're not disciplined, you're a jerk. Part of having a healthy life is having healthy relationships. Being a jerk is detrimental to healthy relationships. Third, you are not a pet, quit rewarding yourself with food for doing a good job. Food is fuel. Eat well all the time, celebrate with friends and family when the occasion calls for it and then return to eating well right away. As in have 1 beer, not 6. Have 1 piece of cake not 3 and a 4 scoops of ice cream. Have 1, then step right back to fueling your body.
#5 - This is how I do it. I eat lean meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. I try to keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. I do this as well as I can. I am busy. I am married, I have 2 kids and a 3rd on the way. I run a gym full time and I am a Youth Pastor for Crossroads Church in Northglenn. I get up early enough to make breakfast. I bring snacks with me. If I can't bring them I stop at a grocery store and buy food not "food". It's usually the same cost or cheaper in the long run and I feel and function better. I eat a good mid-day meal. I eat a hearty dinner. We cannot afford to eat out so we buy groceries and eat them. Once you do the math, it is cheaper per meal by about half when you buy and cook your own food. How? Well for example you don't need an 11 once steak with fries and a salad (which will run you about $20 at a steakhouse). For a family of 4 I can buy steak, do baked potatoes, and a salad for $20-$25. You spent $20/person. I spent $6/person. What about fast food? When we head to Goodtimes (our favorite place when we eat on the go, yes it does happen) it costs about $27 for the 4 of us to eat because my kids are young. For that same $27 I can go to a grocery store and buy veggies, fruit, nuts, and some pre-cooked chicken and probably have food for snack later. It just means I have to get out of the car. You waited in line for 10 minutes, it took me 11 in the store and I got out and walked AND I got fresher, healthier food.
Ok, I went on a bit of a tirade there. I'll wrap it up. Maybe for the next blog I'll actually show you what it costs to eat well, the time involved, and do a comparo. Guess you'll have to tune in to find out.
#1 - There is NO "best" diet. I am a Paleo Diet advocate but I am not a strict paleo follower. Vegetarians think they have it. So do Vegans. None of us are right. Neither is Atkins, SlimGenics, or the Zone. For every example you give of why this diet is the best I can give a counter argument that totally deflates your theory. Do you know why? Humans are omnivores. We can eat just about anything and convert it into usable energy (i.e. Cheetos...although calling it food is a stretch). Some systems are adapted for eating mostly meat, others mostly plants, still others mostly grains. Overall though, humans NEED a balance of all of it. "But Brandon, I read this thing once in this magazine that is totally true." Are you sure about that? Or are you accepting it as truth because you read it in PaleoVeganGenetics Magazine and it's a "totally legit mag." Nope sorry folks. None of us are right. But all of us are. The human body is meant to preform, eat so that you perform well, whatever that means for you and stop judging people who don't eat the same as you.
#2 - Moderation is the key, and a trick. We've all heard the refrain; "everything in moderation." There is some truth to that. Your should intake calories in moderation. You should workout in moderation. Anything you do to an extreme level can be detrimental to your overall well being. One of my favorite quotes that helps this idea make sense is "When good things become ultimate things, ultimately good things become destructive things." (Scott Nickle, Teaching Pastor at Flatirons Church). There in lies the problem. Even moderation can be a bad thing. Food is social for humans. Going out for drinks with friends every once in a while is ok and even healthy for your overall well being and stress levels. Drinking every night is a bad idea. But what about cocaine? Is cocaine in moderation a good thing? (If you didn't answer that with a resounding "NO!" then we need to have a chat about your decision making privileges). Yet, this is what marketing folks would have you believe about products that are not good things. This is what soda companies spend millions of dollars on each year. Lobbying the government to stay at bay all while convincing the public that the poison they peddle is safe...in moderation. What they don't tell you is that their product is in intentionally highly addictive so your idea of moderation is always expanding. Moderation is a good thing. But it is not an ultimate thing or it can easily be a destructive thing. You still have to use your decision making abilities to decide if this thing should be a part of your diet (or life for that matter) or not.
#3 - There are things all fitness professionals (for the most part) agree on. Veggies are good for you. Fruit is good for you. Nuts and seeds are good for you. Lean meat is good for you. Basically the idea here is to eat food. Real food. Not "food". "Food" is anything that was once actual food and then processed and boxed to make it convenient, portable, and taste "good". There it is again. What do you mean "good"? Real food tastes good on it's own. It does not need chemical enhancers, artificial or natural flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives to "enhance" (ok, I'll really try and stop that) the flavor. It's all marketing gimmicks to get you to buy their stuff that cost them 20 cents to make so they can sell it to you at $1.50 and you think you're getting a good deal. Eat food. Real food. Not "food".
#4 - "Cheat Days" are bull crap. There, I said it. The idea that if you eat really, really strict you can take an entire day and eat whatever you want as a reward. I have a few issues with this. First, food is fuel. Eat food that fuels your body well and it will reward you for it. Second, food is social. Eat really well all the time, even when you're in a social situation. Use good judgement and indulge in treats and drinks on occasion (no, not every occasion is a special occasion to indulge). If you can't have one drink with your friend because they just got married/had a baby/got a big promotion all because it's not your cheat day, you're not disciplined, you're a jerk. Part of having a healthy life is having healthy relationships. Being a jerk is detrimental to healthy relationships. Third, you are not a pet, quit rewarding yourself with food for doing a good job. Food is fuel. Eat well all the time, celebrate with friends and family when the occasion calls for it and then return to eating well right away. As in have 1 beer, not 6. Have 1 piece of cake not 3 and a 4 scoops of ice cream. Have 1, then step right back to fueling your body.
#5 - This is how I do it. I eat lean meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. I try to keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. I do this as well as I can. I am busy. I am married, I have 2 kids and a 3rd on the way. I run a gym full time and I am a Youth Pastor for Crossroads Church in Northglenn. I get up early enough to make breakfast. I bring snacks with me. If I can't bring them I stop at a grocery store and buy food not "food". It's usually the same cost or cheaper in the long run and I feel and function better. I eat a good mid-day meal. I eat a hearty dinner. We cannot afford to eat out so we buy groceries and eat them. Once you do the math, it is cheaper per meal by about half when you buy and cook your own food. How? Well for example you don't need an 11 once steak with fries and a salad (which will run you about $20 at a steakhouse). For a family of 4 I can buy steak, do baked potatoes, and a salad for $20-$25. You spent $20/person. I spent $6/person. What about fast food? When we head to Goodtimes (our favorite place when we eat on the go, yes it does happen) it costs about $27 for the 4 of us to eat because my kids are young. For that same $27 I can go to a grocery store and buy veggies, fruit, nuts, and some pre-cooked chicken and probably have food for snack later. It just means I have to get out of the car. You waited in line for 10 minutes, it took me 11 in the store and I got out and walked AND I got fresher, healthier food.
Ok, I went on a bit of a tirade there. I'll wrap it up. Maybe for the next blog I'll actually show you what it costs to eat well, the time involved, and do a comparo. Guess you'll have to tune in to find out.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Yesterday you said tomorrow (how to set goals and get going)
"I'll start tomorrow." Ahhh, the oft heard refrain of the serial procrastinator. Don't get me wrong, I do it to all sorts of things. "I'll mow the lawn tomorrow." "I'll send that email tomorrow." My goodness, tomorrow is the magic land of productivity where all things are done and the world is perfect.
The unfortunate part of this approach is that almost none of the tomorrowland things are actually accomplished and instead end up collecting dust in the basement (hello $400 treadmill from 10 years ago) or cost us big when we don't actually complete them. There are so many things we need to and want to accomplish, how do we stay focused on actually getting them done? Now, I'm talking about real things. Not "I want to watch all 9 seasons of How I met Your Mother in a binge session on Netflix" things, but things that will actually make use of your time not just waste it. Don't get me wrong, the marathon show binge or game conquest can be therapeutic in a way that helps us rest and interact with society, but really it mostly gives an excuse to be la, wait for it, zy. LAZY (see what I did there).
That's right, I called us lazy. We have the ability to do so much more with the time we have been given, we just have choose to do use it. There it is again. Choices. So without any further ado...the 3 things you can do to set goals and keep them.
1) Set your goal and the break it down into specific skills
2) Break those skill down into daily practices
3) Avoid your couch like the plague and stay focused.
#3 is pretty self explanatory, but here is a little infographic that I thought I would share from a group called Precision Nutrition.
The unfortunate part of this approach is that almost none of the tomorrowland things are actually accomplished and instead end up collecting dust in the basement (hello $400 treadmill from 10 years ago) or cost us big when we don't actually complete them. There are so many things we need to and want to accomplish, how do we stay focused on actually getting them done? Now, I'm talking about real things. Not "I want to watch all 9 seasons of How I met Your Mother in a binge session on Netflix" things, but things that will actually make use of your time not just waste it. Don't get me wrong, the marathon show binge or game conquest can be therapeutic in a way that helps us rest and interact with society, but really it mostly gives an excuse to be la, wait for it, zy. LAZY (see what I did there).
That's right, I called us lazy. We have the ability to do so much more with the time we have been given, we just have choose to do use it. There it is again. Choices. So without any further ado...the 3 things you can do to set goals and keep them.
1) Set your goal and the break it down into specific skills
2) Break those skill down into daily practices
3) Avoid your couch like the plague and stay focused.
#3 is pretty self explanatory, but here is a little infographic that I thought I would share from a group called Precision Nutrition.
Good support is all about being surrounded by people who want to see you succeed and will give the encouragement and accountability you need to keep going. Good Support also comes from degreed and certified professionals who are respected in the field and can help you identify potential obstacles, even when you don't want to hear it.
Now, go set some goals, get off your butt and get moving! By the way, if you are interested in fitness or nutrition coaching, mention this blog and get a free 1 on 1 session with one of our degreed and certified coaches to get you started. Go to www.crossfitcrossroads.com to get started. We believe that life is about choices. Make sure you choose the best.
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