I’ve been doing this wrong. Nutrition analysis and a new meal plan.
Met with my trainer to get my body comp/measurements done. The last time I did this was four months ago, just a month after I started training there.
My first measurements in January had me at 143 pounds and 24.1 percent body fat; the moderate range is between 23.1-29.0 percent so it definitely needed to be reduced. In February, it was down about 3 percent but I still weighed exactly the same. And today? Body fat is down to 20.3%. Score! Officially in the optimal range of 18.1 to 23.0. There were some other small decreases in my legs and forearms, but no weight change despite all the extra physical activity. What’s the deal?
I’ve been eating all wrong, says my trainer, and consuming far too much sugar in the form of fruit and starches through grains and pasta.
“Eating for health and eating to lose weight are different,” Anthony said, assuring me that though I did eat “heathy” foods and cutting down on calories, the combinations and time at which I was eating them made the body store sugar as fat — even if it was through natural things like fruit.
So he recommended these changes:
- Cut down on sugar.
- Eat the day’s carbs in the morning, so you have time to burn it off; don’t eat sugar/carbs in the evening.
- Don’t go for more than a few hours without eating something (eating six small meals/snacks a day)
Breakfast: continue eating the flax seed oatmeal (Nature’s Path has a great one), or introduce some whole grain cereal or bread in the morning. Carbs are important at this period in the day.
Morning snack: raw fruit or raw nuts (not trail mix or roasted nuts, as that detracts from the quality)
Lunch: the salads I’ve been packing are OK, but should have more dark lettuces, fresh vegetables, raw nuts and/or a drizzle of olive oil, and can incorporate 1/2 cup of pasta or rice. Alternatively, lunch can be a wrap sandwich with chicken or tuna.
Afternoon snack: raw nuts, not fruit
Dinner: for now, dinner should be only protein and vegetables, with some addition of oils like olive oil or flax seed oil (not to cook with, just as a finisher). No starches, no rice or pasta.
After dinner: “If you’re still hungry after eating all of that, try some raw nuts, an egg white omelet or sugar-free Jell-o”
