Late Night Eating--DO It, but do it Wisely

The “Don’t eat after X o’clock” recommendation is based on the idea that metabolism slows in the evening hours as you prepare for bed, and eating during this time should be avoided so as not to have those calories stored as fat.

A good premise, but oversimplified.

What we really want to avoid in the evening are foods that give rise to insulin, specifically carbohydrates, and for several reasons.

First, when blood insulin levels rise, fat burning takes a dive and a “storage” environment is created within the body. This is a good thing after exercise or after an overnight fast to allow the body to “refuel”, but not so good when metabolism is falling off in the evening hours.

Secondly, something called insulin sensitivity drops drastically in the evening, which simply means that your body is not as responsive to insulin at night as it is during the day. When insulin sensitivity is low, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.

Needless to say, we can see why eating carbohydrates late at night isn’t a smart move, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t eat anything.

So, what should you eat to curb late-night cravings and support muscle tissue maintenance as you sleep? Simple: a small meal consisting of mostly slow digesting protein and fibrous green veggies within a couple hours of bed works best.

Animal protein (chicken, fish, beef, etc) are great choices for a late night meal, as is something like cottage cheese. Both digest slowly over time, providing a mild, but steady influx of nutrients to muscle throughout the night, all while not interfering with your insulin levels.

Eat More Fruits and Veggies!

Most people realize when they eat junk food that it's not exactly going to help their physique.

But what they don't realize is the true extent of the damage being done.

You see, your body literally CRAVES wholesome nutrients.

It desperately needs quality sources of nutrition.

Yes, it's true that you are what you eat.

Have you ever noticed how quickly you get hungry again after eating something like fast food or a doughnut?

Well, ONE of the reasons is because you haven't fueled your body with those nutrients it craves. The right nutrients!

Chances are you merely choked down fat, chemicals and sugar.

So in it's frantic search for good nutrition your body tells you you're hungry again and your blood sugars are all out of whack.

It needs more food. It needs more of the right calories.

And you know darn well it would LOVE some fruits or veggies to help it get what it needs so badly.

So get your fruits and veggies on!!

Nutrition Nutrition!

As I’ve said many times, nutrition is more important than exercise. No matter how hard or how often you work out, you simply cannot OUT-TRAIN a bad diet. This leads to one very simple fat loss formula; calories in must be LESS than calories out.

Nutritional Plan:

If your current nutritional plan is preventing you from losing fat, then it’s time for you to start working on building better eating habits.

This can be as simple as committing to one small nutritional improvement per day (such as replacing your lunchtime soda with water) and one large change per week (such as setting aside time on a Sunday to shop and prepare for your weekly meals).

Once you have established good nutrition habits, you’ll find yourself making BETTER CHOICES on a daily basis.

But you have to work on consistent improvement, and if you mess up, don’t worry about it, just get right back to eating right. Even if you start making only one change per day you will start to see improvements.

Make this a GOAL that you will start today: to choose one healthier food option per day that will get you one step closer to your lean body. You need to have a plan to make this work, just like you need a plan for your workouts.

Contact me if you are interested in finding out how many calories you should be consuming a day to help you with fat loss. Let me help you get on the right track!

Training Performance & Recovery: Carbohydrates in the Spotlight

Carbohydrates seem to be a very misunderstood macronutrient these days. There are some who believe consuming any carbohydrates will make you fat and unhealthy, while there are others who consume absolutely enormous amounts of carbohydrates, believing them to be the key to health. In reality the truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle.

While carbohydrates are neither evil nor perfect, they can be an excellent choice to help you train harder and longer, and recover faster. Consuming some carbohydrates before and after your training can have some incredibly powerful benefits which will help to maximize the results of your efforts.

Carbohydrates Before You Train

Purposeful consumption of carbohydrates 30-90 minutes before you exercise has two main benefits: to fuel your training as well as to preserve your muscle and liver glycogen, the latter of which is an important and underappreciated factor in the recovery process. So if you don't eat a meal within 1-1.5 hours of your strength workout it might be a good idea to consume a protein/carbohydrate shake prior to your workout.

If you have recently eaten a meal within 1-1.5 hours of working out then all you would need is a good protein only shake to provide the necessary protein and branched chain amino acids for your workout.

There is also another misconception that carbohydrate consumption is only beneficial for endurance activity that exceeds two hours in duration. Challenging that idea is an appreciable amount of research that shows carbohydrate consumption enhances high intensity training lasting only an hour.

Consuming carbohydrates before training also stimulates the release of insulin, which in this case is a good thing. Insulin stimulates protein synthesis and prevents protein breakdown (in the presence of amino acids in the bloodstream).

Simply consuming 30-60 grams carbohydrates within 30-90 minutes before training will help you train hard, maintain your glycogen levels, and stimulate insulin to help maximize protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown.

Carbohydrates After You Train

While it is clear that consuming carbohydrates before you train will improve training performance and recovery, how about consumption after you train? Well carbohydrate consumption after exercise will replenish the glycogen that was used up, as well keeping insulin elevated to maximize protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown (as long as adequate protein is also consumed--remember that we always combine a carb with a protein).

Research has very clearly shown that consuming carbohydrates of any type after training will rapidly replenish glycogen, stimulate insulin and improve performance in repeat tests. In fact delaying intake for two hours after training can delay glycogen resynthesis, so it is best to consume within an hour of training completion.

Aim to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates within 60 minutes after you complete your training session to maximize your results. The amounts needed depend on the size and needs of the individual, as well as the duration and intensity of the training.

In the end make sure you are fueling yourself properly before and after a workout to reap the greatest rewards from your efforts. This will help to fuel your session, spare and replenish glycogen levels, and stimulate insulin to maximize muscle protein synthesis and inhibit muscle protein breakdown.

Myths Debunked

MYTH: Low carb diets are the only way to lose weight.

A low fat diet with a balance of carbs and protein is the only diet that has stood the test of time for successful weight loss. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to consume less calories then you expend.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 20 to 35% of dietary calories come from fat, 10-35% from protein, and 45 to 65% from Carbohydrates. All of these macronutrients, as well as micronutrients (vitamins and Minerals) are essential in the proper amounts for optimal health. From a heart health perspective, the healthiest over all meal plan is a Mediterranean diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, and low in saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.

A diet void of carbs will do you more harm then good and will set you up long term failure. If you are going to cut carbs, cut out the overly processed carbs that are full of sugar and white flour and eat whole grains, fruits, and veggies.

MYTH: Not eating is the best way to lose weight.

Not eating unhealthy high calorie foods is the best way to lose weight, period. If you do not get enough calories, your body will out smart you and store fat because it knows it is not going to get what it needs. Your body could go into starvation mode and your metabolism will slow to a crawl in an effort to conserve its energy stores. This is why people who cut their calories too low may hit a plateau and not lose weight.

MYTH: Eating late at night will cause you to gain weight

Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories then you expend, whether that occurs in the middle of the day, morning, or at night. Eating late at night will not cause you to gain weight. However, people who eat a lot of food late at night tend to mindlessly consume more calorie dense foods through unhealthy snacking. Balance your calories throughout the day and if you choose to eat late at night account for it in your daily balance.

Kill Mode

Here’s a little-publicized fact:

Effective fat burning workouts are uncomfortable by nature.

Let me ask you this…

When is the last time you felt “uncomfortable” during a workout? I’m talking about “hands-on-your-knees, sucking-wind, sweat-dripping-on-the-ground” uncomfortable? For most people it ain't recently, but I'm hoping for most of you boot campers it is.

It’s absolutely necessary.

Why? Because it’s not about how many calories you burn during a workout – it’s about how many calories you burn after.

A dramatic “afterburn” is directly related to the intensity of the workout, and more specifically to a concept of “kill mode”.

What is kill mode? Well, allow me to define it for you, straight from Results Dictionary:

Kill Mode (‘kil · mōd) noun – a mental shift that occurs approximately half way through a work set in which fatigue is ignored, adrenaline prevails, and all-out max effort fat loss domination begins

Boom!

A practical example:

Let’s say you’re doing a timed set of jump squats for one minute. The first 30 seconds is auto-pilot. The final 30 seconds is when you enter kill mode – you forget about how you’re feeling, you allow adrenaline to take over, and you give it your all. You push. You go harder. You dominate.

That’s kill mode, and it works — bigtime.

Is it uncomfortable? YES. Is it HARD? Absolutely. Does it require mental toughness? You better believe it.

But as I stated at the very beginning of this post, you’re NEVER going to get the results you’re after without truly, genuinely working HARD.

Think about it – are you truly pushing yourself during your workouts? Does each set end with a “kill mode” moment? If not, you’re barely scratching the surface of your fat loss potential!

Dissecting the Food Label

Here are a few tips to help you dissect the food label before your next visit to the supermarket:

SERVING SIZE MATTERS

Just because the food label lists a certain number of calories per serving does NOT mean that's how much YOU eat. In fact, almost everyone I know consumes much more than the serving size listed on the Nutrition Facts panel. Many times the amounts are just not realistic, and most people -- rather than counting out 15 chips or measuring a three-ounce serving -- either fool themselves into thinking they're eating the "right amount" or ignore it altogether. And because the ENTIRE Nutrition Facts panel is based on the "serving size," it's very important to get it right or all the information will be inaccurate.

So, what should you do? I'm not suggesting you sit there with a measuring cup or a scale every single time you eat, but try to get an accurate measurement once in a while. At the very least, measure how much food your bowls, glassware, and plates can hold. Learn a few quick "eyeball" estimators -- for instance, you can use the size of your fist as a guideline for measuring a half cup of cooked pasta.

Comparing calories from food to food is also confusing because food densities differ, so a volume-to-volume approach doesn't always work. It would be simpler to comparison-shop if there was a "calories per gram" standard on the panel -- similar to the way supermarkets have "unit" pricing.

CALORIES ARE KEY

The reality is that calories are a good thing -- they're a source of energy. The problem arises when we eat too many of them. Females typically need 1,800 calories or fewer per day, while males need about 2,200. A quick rule of thumb to calculate your calorie needs is 10 calories per pound of your current weight for weight loss or 14 calories per pound for weight maintenance.

If you still have trouble understanding the value of a calorie, keep this in mind: for every extra 100 calories you eat each day, you would have to walk for an additional 25 minutes to burn it off. At least you'll have something to relate to the next time you reach for that second bite of cake.

Oh, and about those "Calories from Fat" on the Nutrition Facts panel -- as a general rule, a low-fat food should have no more than 20 percent of the total calories from fat. So if you have a food with 200 calories, and 100 calories are from fat, do the math -- fifty percent of its calories from fat, far from 20 percent, so it's not a low-fat food.

DEMYSTIFYING FATS

We've come a long way since the days when all fats were taboo. We need fat in our diets -- it's recommended that about 25 to 30 percent of our daily food intake should come from fat, with limited "bad" fats and an emphasis on "good" fats.

The Bad Fats

Saturated: These fats, which are listed on the label, are found primarily in animal products like meat, whole-milk dairy products, poultry skin, and egg yolks. Consuming too many of these fats can raise your "bad" cholesterol levels; therefore, less than 10 percent of your total calories should be from saturated fat.

Trans: This fat was created to increase food shelf life. Manufacturers take healthy polyunsaturated oils and blast them with hydrogen gas to solidify them, and, in the process, make them incredibly unhealthy. The problem is that trans fat won't be listed on the label until 2006, so you need to look for trans fat clues. Know "suspect" foods, such as margarines (unless they say "no trans fat" on the label), shortenings, deep-fried foods, fast foods, and many commercial baked goods such as pies, cookies, cakes, crackers, and doughnuts. Check the ingredients list, and be on the lookout for partially hydrogenated oil -- if it's there, you have trans fat. Also, many products now promote that they are "trans fat free" -- look for this on the front of the packaging.

The Good Fats

Unsaturated fats are found in products derived from plant sources, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. There are two main categories:

Monounsaturated: These fats are found in high concentrations in canola, peanut, and olive oils, as well as olives, peanuts and peanut butter, and avocados. Studies have found that monounsaturated fat helps lower LDL (the "bad") cholesterol and raise HDL (the "good") cholesterol levels in your body.

Polyunsaturated: These fats are prevalent in sunflower, corn, safflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils, nuts, and fish (omega-3). They've been found to help lower total cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease (particularly the omega-3s).

Unfortunately, neither type of "good" fat is required to be listed on the food label, but some companies do provide this information. You can also subtract the saturated fat from the total, and check the ingredient list for trans fat clues -- anything left over is probably "good" fat. You'll only get a vague idea, but hey, it's better than nothing!

LIGHT ON THE CHOLESTEROL AND SODIUM

The idea is to keep cholesterol as low as possible. If the product has cholesterol, check the Percent Daily Value, and make sure it isn't high. For most healthy people, the recommendation is to keep cholesterol intake at no more than 300 mg per day.

As for sodium (or salt), your daily intake should be moderate -- the recommendation is less than 1,500 mg, which is pretty tight if you eat a lot of frozen meals, canned foods, broths and soup mixes, or condiments. Look for low sodium or "no salt added" products to give you a little leeway.

CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT ALL BAD

Carbs are taking a big hit these days, even though they are an important nutrient and necessary for survival. Foods that contain carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, starches, beans, nuts, milk, and yogurt. Carbohydrates are also found in any food that contains sugar such as cookies, cakes, soft drinks, syrups, and, of course, table sugar.

Are there different types of carbohydrates? Absolutely. While most carbs -- sugar is the best example -- are digested and turned into blood sugar, other carbs behave differently. In fact, if you are looking at the Nutrition Facts panel, you will see carbohydrates broken down into two categories: dietary fiber and sugar.

What exactly is dietary fiber? Simply put, it's the indigestible parts of plant cells. Although it is a carbohydrate, fiber does not convert to glucose and thus does not raise your blood sugar the way other carbohydrates typically do, and it makes you feel full longer -- a good thing.

The "sugars" section includes those that are present naturally in the food (such as lactose in milk and fructose in fruit), as well as sugars added to the food during processing. In most cases, your body can't distinguish between the two. If you're interested in finding out whether a sweetener has been added, check the ingredients list for terms such as "sugar (sucrose)," "fructose," "maltose," "lactose," "honey," "syrup," "corn syrup," "high-fructose corn syrup," "molasses," and "fruit juice concentrate."

A FEW CLUES

A Percent Daily Value (%DV) is listed for each nutrient. These percentages are helpful for determining a food's nutritional value, or lack thereof. They tell you whether one serving of food contributes a lot or a little to your total nutrient intake for the day (based on an average 2000-calorie diet).