[FITNESS] Curb you hunger with filling foods
Source: South Beach Diet
The key to sticking to any healthy eating plan and keeping hunger at bay is to eat nutritious, filling foods. That’s why, on the South Beach Diet, we stress eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods (such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans and other legumes), as well as good fats and lean protein.
It’s also why we tell you to avoid the highly processed (essentially fiberless) carbohydrates found in baked goods, many breads, snack foods, and other convenient favorites, which can have the opposite effect on satiety. High-fiber foods, good fats, and lean protein (as well as acidic foods) all help to slow the digestion of the sugars in carbs. When you include a variety of these foods in your diet, your body produces less insulin, and less insulin means fewer swings in blood-sugar levels. It is these swings that are the cause of cravings and constant hunger in the first place. Once your blood sugar is under control, you’ll find that your cravings and hunger greatly diminish and that you’ll feel more satisfied after a meal. Read more about curbing hunger with foods that are filling:
Fiber. Fiber’s major role in digestion is to slow the absorption of sugar. The greater the fiber content of a food, the greater its effect. That’s why highly processed oatmeal, for example, isn’t as good for you (or for your weight loss) as the steel-cut variety. The latter has all its fiber still intact, the former has essentially none. Therefore, before the stomach can digest the sugars in the steel-cut oatmeal, it has to separate them from the fiber. Once isolated, the fiber passes undigested through your system, slowing down digestion. In other words, fiber is an obstacle to digestion, and a good one, because it promotes satiety.
Fat. Fat, too, slows the speed at which your small intestine accesses the sugars you’ve eaten. When you eat a piece of white bread, for example (which we hope you will do only occasionally), try to have it with a little monounsaturated olive oil or some reduced-fat cheese rather than eating the bread alone or with highly saturated butter or full-fat cheese. (Just as all carbohydrates are not the same, all fats are not the same. You need to avoid saturated fats and trans fats.) Likewise, having an occasional baked potato topped with reduced-fat sour cream is better than eating it plain. The calorie count might be higher, but the fat contained in the sour cream will slow down the digestive process, thereby lessening the amount of insulin that the potato prompts your body to make. Good fats also make food taste better, helping you to feel more satisfied.
Protein. Because protein foods are digested slowly, they too do not produce the spikes in blood sugar that stimulate hunger and overeating. On the South Beach Diet, you can eat lean cuts of beef, lamb, and pork; skinless white-meat chicken, turkey, and duck breast; game meats; fish and shellfish; soy products; beans and other legumes; eggs; nuts and seeds in moderation; and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.
Acidic foods. Interestingly, acidic foods, such as lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegar, also slow the digestion of carbs and the rate at which your stomach empties. You can dress salads or vegetables with them and enjoy the additional benefit.
[FITNESS] 4 effective changes I made to my diet that WORKED!
Ever since I started working out, from all the research I’ve done to trail and error, there’s one fact that you cannot escape: Nutrition is the most important part of fitness. Unless your body is in constant motion throughout a seven-day week (and even IF), if you don’t eat right, you won’t see the results you want. I can be a little stubborn though, so I experimented and kept in mind what I ate and what I didn’t.
In July, I ate the same way I usually did, and saw minimal results. I don’t eat horrible by any stretch, but I knew for my body type, I could do better. In August, I made a commitment to change a few things around, and I started to finally make more than a one week swing in positive weight loss, and since July, I’ve lost 1.5 inches off my waist! Now, I’m far from a nutritionist or a fitness experts, but these 5 dietary changes helped to push me in the right direction:
Cook my own dinner more often
After a long day of work and working out, I hate having to prepare food. It’s so time-consuming and arduous, or so I thought. I had to force myself to just buy the groceries and make it happen. Not only did I save a lot of money, but preparing the food was quicker than I thought. The other advantage is that I see what’s going into my food, and I can make dishes that directly impact my diet/weight loss goals. For the last few weeks the majority of my dinners have consisted of a protein (chicken/fish/steak) and vegetables, with a glass of water. I even dusted off my Foreman Grill again to give variety (and brevity of preparation) to my meals. A definite A+!
Cut out juice/sweets/alcohol
One of these days I’ll make a post dedicated to all my nutritional vices. Juices and sweets are right at the top. I.Love.SNACKS!! Yes, I’m a fat, greedy kid at heart. Juice is tastier than water (unless you drink some real nasty water with a taste). Who doesn’t like cookies, candy, and ice cream! As a kid, I killed these things, but ever since I started working out and watching what I eat, I’ve cut back tremendously. I’ll have a snack once in a while, but I cut out juice & sweets 90%. As for alcohol, this was easier for me because I only drink at social functions, and even then I’ll have 1-2 drinks (unless they’re free, then I’ll… ahem…indulge). I just choose to cut back on it, and avoid mixed drinks, drinking the alcohol straight. I don’t drink beer like that either, but that has a lot of empty calories which can give you the “beer belly”. You should cut out alcohol 100% to get maximum results, but for those who can’t quit cold turkey, or just need a drink here and there, smart drinking is better than gorging. MODERATION! It was hard at first, but all you have to think about is the final product in order to motivate you.
Make proper substitutions for when I do eat out
You don’t have to get the fattest, unhealthiest things when you go out to eat. Most restaurants have health conscious options to some of your favorite food, which includes smaller portions, and smart substitutions. Get salad/veggies instead of fries. Get the sauces on the side. Grilled instead of fried. You’d be surprised at how many calories you save by making smart food decisions.
Eat sensibly on weekends
I tell everyone my #1 rule about nutrition: The battles are won on weekdays. The war is won on the weekends! It’s easy to keep a Monday-Friday routine going, but once you hit the weekend, you’ll go into “Eff it” mode and pig out. That was me, all the time. Now? I follow the same regimen as on the weekdays. The weekend is when I’ll have my cheat meal or 2 (One Sat. One Sun.). I’ll also work out, stay active, and make sure that my healthy meals are the norm and not the anomaly. When you work out hard during the week, you don’t want to see it go up in smoke in two days, so concentrate and make it happen.
These common tips worked for me. You’ll also see fitness trainers and other publication say similar stuff. It works. It worked for me. I’ll continue to do it until it stop working and I have to get more stringent or try something else, but I don’t see that happening. These basic steps will help improve your eating habits on some level. Practice how you want to play!
If you have any other nutrition tips, share them here! I’m eager to learn!
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[FITNESS] Understanding the Glycemic Index
The following is an excerpt from an article on Beachbody.com. You can find the rest HERE
Everything You Need to Know about the Glycemic Index
By Steve Edwards
Those of you who pay attention to your diet probably hear a lot about something called the glycemic index (GI) these days. It’s become another in a growing list of misunderstood buzzwords in the nutrition world. Today, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about the GI, which is going to take a lot less of your time than reading through an entire GI diet book.
That’s not to ding these books, by the way. If you’re bored, you’ll probably learn something by reading any one of them. But in my experience, the GI isn’t the be-all and end-all of your diet concerns. So I take the opposite approach and say that if you learn to eat properly you can strike the phrase from your vocabulary entirely.
Simply put, the GI is a way to measure how carbohydrates react in your blood. It’s measured on a scale from 1 to 100+, where products with a GI of 55 or under are classified as low GI, those with a GI between 56 and 69 are classified as medium GI, while those with GI of 70 and above are classified as high GI. A high GI number means that a food is quickly converted to glucose in the blood (in layman’s terms, a “sugar rush”). The lower the number, the slower the food is converted to glucose. The scale was invented for people with diabetes, but the advent of processed foods becoming a cornerstone of the American diet and the rise of type 2 diabetes have given the average person a good reason to pay attention to the GI index of foods.
So the very simple rule is to make sure your diet consists mainly of whole, natural foods and you will no longer have to pay attention to the GI index. There are some variables worth mentioning, especially since eating nothing but natural foods can be challenging in today’s hectic world. Here are 10 quick tips to help you understand the GI index:
- Desserts. These tend to be mainly sugar and/or fat, and as such, they generally don’t try to fool anyone with health claims. If we could keep our desserts small and make them a once-a-day indulgence, we’d have no problems. My tip is to do just that: with desserts, keep a close eye on portion size and frequency. Also, fatty desserts lower the GI influence of the sugar, meaning that, especially if you’re insulin sensitive, a richer, fattier dessert might actually be preferable to a “no fat” dessert that’s all sugar. But either way, unless you’re diabetic or borderline, if indulging in desserts is the only way you stray from your diet, it’s not going to cause much harm in the big picture.
- Sports. When you’re active, and especially when you’re operating at your physical limit, your body burns up its stored carbohydrates (known as blood sugar) very rapidly. During and after hard or long bouts of exercise, sugar isn’t bad for you—in fact, it’s actually good for you. This is the only time this is true. Unfortunately, we often like to eat sugary stuff at the opposite times, like when we’re watching TV, and no Wii Fit® game has yet been designed that’ll burn off blood sugar, unless you do it all day long. When you’re not active, you should severely limit your sugar intake.
- Sports drinks are for sports. This may seem redundant, but Gator/Power/Acceler-ades, et al., are only good when you’re playing sports that make you sweat. This is also true for things like P90X® Results and Recovery Formula™. These aren’t your standard foods. They’re formulated for when you’re playing sports vigorously. The difference between the “-ades” and Results and Recovery Formula is that the former only give you sugar and a small amount of electrolytes, which you lose when you sweat, whereas the latter uses its sugar (which gets absorbed rapidly when you’re out of blood sugar) to transport all sorts of other nutrients to help repair your body after exercise. Oh, and also that the “-ades” market themselves as things you might want to drink all day long, exercising or not.
- Salads are your friends. Not only are they loaded with fiber, but many of the things we tend to put on salads, including vinegar, lemon juice, and lime juice, as well as pickled vegetables, etc., tend to have acids that lower the GI index of other foods.
- Add protein to all your meals. Like fats, proteins slow absorption rates of high GI foods.
- Use semolina or whole wheat pastas. These have a much lower GI number (around 30 to 55) than pasta made from refined, enriched white flour.
- Use long-grain or brown rice. All rice is fairly high in the GI index, but long-grain rice can be fairly low (50 to 60), whereas white short-grain rice can be as high as 130.
- Eat crisp fruit. Fruit isn’t a real concern unless your diet has an inordinate amount of it. If so, the mushier—and sweeter—a fruit becomes, the higher its GI number. But even the sweetest fruits, like ripe papaya, are only around 60.
- Beware of fluff. Fluffy and puffy foods tend to have a high GI number. Cereals are a good example. When a cereal is chewy, that generally means it has more fiber and is less processed, as opposed to soft, fluffy cereals that have been excessively processed and injected with air (and sugar). Potatoes, especially white, fluffy ones, can have extremely high GIs, often in the 90s. Fortunately, we tend not to eat potatoes plain, and, as stated above, adding meats, fats, and acidic ingredients will bring the number way down. Oddly enough, sweet potatoes, despite the deceptive name, have a very low GI number. Yams, too.
- Some sugar can be OK. If you see a trend here, it’s that sugar speeds itself into your system, and if this is your primary mode of eating, it’s bad. However, sugars can also speed other nutrients into your system, so you’ll sometimes see sugar as an ingredient alongside a lot of healthy nutrients to serve this purpose. A good example is Beachbody’s Shakeology® meal replacement shake. It has around 10 grams of sugar (40 calories) in a serving that also contains a lot of protein and 70 other healthy ingredients. In lab tests, Shakeology scored a 24* on the GI, as low as a lot of vegetables. So while sugar is generally the GI villain, you need to look at the entire profile of the foods you’re eating before you pass judgment.
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[TRAILERS] NBA 2K11
Get focused. This will officially be my first foray into the 2K world. Always stayed away from the sports games (played on occasion) but this year I’m all in!!
[FITNESS] Workout Log V3N4: Insanity and the Week of Hell
Workout
I just started my second week of Insanity month 2. This workout is no joke. I find myself cursing Shaun T, life, working out, the recession, my sneakers, and anything else that comes to mind. What I can tell you is that it works. I feel stronger and faster. I feel like cardiovascular wise, I’m healthier and I have more wind than before. I feel like doing month 1 of Insanity would be a breeze, but I’d probably push myself harder and get just as exhausted. We’ll see when I start the P90X-Insanity hybrid workout in a few weeks.
The moves in the program are good and I’m learning them, so now I have to perfect them so I can go all out. I still take breaks (as everyone including the people in the video need to do), but I’m getting better though. This week I’m going to do the exercises all in the AM before my work commute. High Intensity Interval Training done in the AM first thing is a great asset to fat burning and you get that afterburn throughout the day. I also use the results and recovery formula during my exercises. Helps me to hydrate and get some type of energy for the long haul.
Nutrition
Kept the nutrition good this week. Ate well for the most part. Friday was the “worst day” as I ate a slice (or 2) of Cheese Pizza for lunch and went out to dinner that evening. I kept the dinner fairly healthy, using those “Eat This Not That” tips. Saturday I had my Popeye’s date, and it was spectacular! I also went to a BBQ later that evening, but kept it cool with a couple of chicken breasts. Liquor was involved but I’ve switched that up too. I drink liquor straight now and avoid the sodas/juices with it. I’m not a heavy drinker to begin with, so that helps as well. Not too much into beer, but if you follow me on twitter, you know I will cry #ChrisBrownTearsofJoy for Ciroc, Henny,etc. Consumption in moderation is key! The Shakeology experiment is going well. It tastes good and is a great addition to home made smoothies. Protein + Veggies for dinner makes a world of difference!
Results
As of now I weigh in at 199.0lbs. A 1.6 lb decrease from last week! Kinda dissapointed I didn’t meet my goal of 2lbs per week, but I’ll continue to go hard at the workouts and nutrition, make my tweaks, and see if I can drop more weight. I’m also estatic that I’m below 200 as I’m now 3lbs from a 10 lbs weight loss since July, and 9lbs away from my goal of 190lbs. Time to keep pushin!!
I record all my progress on my TeamBeachBody page also, so if you’re on there friend me and check out the workouts and my daily progress.
So my bro Antaun passed me a link to a P90X-Insanity hybrid workout. Yes, a combination of 2 crazy exercise programs! Jason from BetterBody90 put this together. As someone who’s completed 1 3/4ths of P90x and is on Month 2 of Insanity, I can tell you that this workout looks killer, but it intriegues me to no end. I actually was going to do this after month 2 of insanity (mix the 2 programs to get the ultimate workout), but Jason does it well and makes smart concessions and substitutions. Yoga is still there (ugh) but I realize it’s a necessary evil. I’ll try this after Month 2 of Insanity. Check it out and let me know what you think.
[TRAVEL] Globetrotter Confessions Ch 11: Paper Planes
Guess who’s back!
Well.. the site’s been back as of a week ago (full force), but I thought it was time to bring back my GlobeTrotter Confession series. For those who don’t know, this series chronicles my travel around the world, and the crazy sh*t that I encounter. I pride myself on being the modern-day Carmen San Diego, minus the grand larceny and infinite travel budget. SO without further adieu, let’s dive into it shall we? [||]
I took a business trip last week to the farming capital of the northeast Upstate NY. Trust me, it’s as glamourous as you can imagine. Anyway I had to book two separate flights on two different airlines due to time constraints. Going there I flew US Airways. As I enter the travel gate, I see the attendants cleaning a plane, which couldn’t be any bigger than an average tour bus. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I didn’t have to deal with that… until they tell us to go through the tunnel and we have to walk ON THE TARMAC and up THREE STEPS to the plane! To give you an idea, here is the plane we took:
This plane has propellers. iQuit!
The plane had about 40 total seats in it. It had a backseat. I’m going to let that marinate for a sec…
I’m always nervous before takeoff. I think landing is the best part of flying because you know it’s going to be over. I hate turbulence with a passion and on a plane this small, you feel every bump, every movement. It’s the closest you get to flying a car, I swear! I was unnaturally calm for this flight though. I think I still couldn’t believe that I was on a plane this small. I felt a rush of adrenaline flying as well, well, but I can’t call it. This plane was so small it reminded me of the classic Street Fighter II biplane:
I made it in the end. Unless I’m on a Caribbean island or somewhere overseas, I don’t think I want to fly in a small plane again. I’ve never flew in a helicopter though and I want to badly.
How do you get over fear fo flying? If you have it how severe is it? Have you flown in a chopper before? Let me know
-Streetz
[FITNESS] The Hidden Fat Content in Your Diet
The Hidden Fat Content in Your Diet
Do you nitpick over every last calorie and crumb, but let fat content go by the wayside? Fat grams are just as important to consider as calories, and you may be surprised at which foods have a shockingly high fat content.
It’s probably no surprise that greasy cheeseburgers, French fries, and pizza are loaded with fat. But did you know that even certain vegetables and healthy fish can have a high fat content? Keep in mind that fat is an important part of a healthy diet and while not all fat is bad, the fat content of a given meal should be evaluated just as closely as its calories.
Fat Content in Your Diet: How Much Fat Is Okay?
It’s important to pay attention to how many fat grams you eat each day to make sure you’re getting just the right amount of fat in your diet and no more.
The recommendation is that no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat, says Anne Wolf, RD, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Based on the average daily total intake of 2,000 calories, this means we should eat less than 65 grams of fat each day. “Typically we’re eating well over what we need,” notes Wolf.
There are two kinds of fats, commonly considered “good” and “bad” fats. Saturated and trans fats are bad, as they are linked to a number of health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unsaturated fats — the good ones — can actually protect your body from some of these conditions. Still, that doesn’t mean you can eat them without limit because too much of any fat, or of any food for that matter, can lead to weight gain.
When tracking the fat content of your meals, make sure that most of your fat intake is in the form of unsaturated fats, that less than 20 grams are coming from saturated fats, and that hardly any are from trans fat.
Fat Content in Your Diet: Fat in Everyday Foods
Think of the foods that frequently make up your daily meals. Have you ever considered their fat content? Here are some commonly eaten foods and where they weigh in on fat (typically the bad kinds):
- Average fast-food hamburger: 36 grams
- Average fast-food fish sandwich: 24 grams
- 10 French fries: 8 grams
- One ounce of potato chips: 10 grams
- One slice of cheese pizza: 8 grams
- Two ounces of bologna: 16 grams
- One hot dog: 14 grams
- Three slices of cooked bacon: 10 grams
- One ounce cheddar cheese: 8 grams
- One cup whole milk: 7 grams
- Two tablespoons of peanut butter: 14 grams
- One teaspoon of butter or margarine: 4 grams
- One serving of most breads, bagels, and cereals: about 1 gram
If some of those numbers don’t look that bad to you, pay attention to the amounts and serving sizes of each of them. When was the last time you ate only one ounce of potato chips, just 10 fries, or a single slice of pizza? So think about fat content before you indulge in a burger and fries for lunch followed by pizza for dinner.
Fat Content in Your Diet: Surprisingly High-Fat Foods
While the high fat content of certain foods is no surprise, you may not realize that many other foods are loaded with hidden fat:
- Movie theater popcorn (because of the way it’s processed)
- Packaged meals with added sauces, butter, or oil
- Highly marbled red meats, including some cuts of beef and lamb — that white marbling is fat
- Chicken and other poultry if the skin is eaten
- Salad dressings
Perhaps the biggest hidden sources of fats to watch out for are prepackaged snack foods and meals. They often contain dangerous trans fats — frequently listed as partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the ingredients — because they give these foods a longer shelf life. Trans fats are particularly unhealthy for your heart and cholesterol levels and should be avoided as much as possible.
While you might know that olive and vegetable oils are high in fat, so are nuts, olives, avocados, and certain fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines. These foods contain the good, unsaturated fats — just monitor how much you eat to control your weight.
Given the high fat content of so many foods, if you’re not careful, you could exceed your entire daily fat allowance by lunchtime! Keep an eye on your fat intake, and opt for unsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats. Your health, your heart, and your waistline will thank you.
Source: EverydayHealth
