TOP 6 NUTRITION SERIES

TOP 6 UNDERCOVER BAD FOODS.

BY FITNESS GODFATHER

Hi guys welcome to the first instalment of Fitness Godfather’s “Top 6” Series! In today’s top 6 article I will be outlining the TOP 6 foods people eat which seem harmless but sabotage results!! Without further ado here is the list:

NO.1: BOOZING WHILE YOUR LOOSING!

If you are trying to loose fat or weight in general drinking alcohol is a no-no. The reasons: alcohol is high in calories, when consumed it is normally consumed at night (worst time for carbs) and lastly when alcohol is consumed by the body it is absorbed first and transported to the liver for processing leaving the carbohydrates (glucose) to be turned into body fat. It may seem obvious that beer can gain weight but even a vodka with diet coke can sabotage your results!

NO.2: "DIET FOODS"

It really makes me laugh when people think it is okay to drink diet sodas when they are dieting or even that it can help them loose weight. The reasons: these "diet" drinks taste good right? There is a reason for this they contain sweeteners which can raise blood sugar levels and also trigger appetite - not what we want when we are dieting and already craving "cheat foods". 

Alternatives: sugar free flavoured water - although these waters have a small amount of sweeteners they do not have the chemical in diet drinks making them a better option.  Stick with water and if you must try flavoured water.

NO.3 DIETS MUST HAVE FRUIT.

This is a huge mistake people make when dieting all the time. The reason whyfruit is bad is that it contains sugars and even though they are natural they will spike your insulin levels which will make your body go into fat storing mode. 

Alternatives: If you are worried about minerals and vitamins eat more vegetables and consider a multi-vitamin (consult your doctor before doing so as there can be adverse side effects).

NO.4: A SPLASH OF SAUCE IS OK.

Too many people think it is okay to have sauce with their meals for example - pasta, Chinese, curry, Indian jar sauces etc. These are full of calories and more often than not the calories are from the worst sources. The worst part is that they do not even count the calories in the sauce as part of their diet leading to weight gain not weight loss. Stay away from this mistake to keep your diet on track.

Alternatives: season your meals with salt and pepper, spices and herbs - healthier and flavoursome!

NO.5: SQUIRREL FOODS.

By this I simply mean having tiny snacks and thinking it will not affect your results. Do not "Nibble" on 5 potato chips or have one or two squares of chocolate and expect your results to stay the same. The reasons: these foods are still bad even in small portions as they are high in sugar or fat which can spike insulin levels and lead to fat storage and affect your appetite. Even healthy snacks count as calories so if you do have healthier snacks: nuts, seeds, certain beans are high in protein and healthy fats.

NO.6: INDULGING IN DAIRY. 

The final food which people consume which sabotages their weight loss results is consuming dairy products. The reasons: dairy products are high in bad fats in most cases especially cheese! There are exceptions to the rule which are cottage cheese and whey protein so make these your dairy choices and if you must have milk buy skimmed milk.

Monday, 11 July 2011

TOP 6 SERIES. 

TOP 6 WAYS TO GET A 6 PACK!

BY FITNESS GODFATHER.

NO. 1 - THE 24/7 DIET.

Having a strict diet Monday to Friday is great but the results from eating right and exercising will be sabotaged, even ruined, when you take the weekend off. You must diet consistently with an exception to 1 or 2 planned cheat meals throughout the week - but don’t use a cheat meal as an excuse to have a cheat day. Make dieting part of your lifestyle - this is challenging for everyone but by doing so you will improve your self-discipline. Another important point is that the dieting phase will not last forever, eating in this way will produce good results if followed strictly and once you have lost the desired amount fat you will only have to maintain your physique not improve it - so the better you stick to the diet phase the quicker you will be able to enjoy the maintenance phase.


NO. 2 - GET YOUR PROTIEN IN

Many diet plans do not incorporate enough protein or perhaps suggest taking too much. The macro-ratio which has worked best is broken down into 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent fats. I think this is a good rule of thumb to follow when dieting and remember to cut back on your calorie intake. Try to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and choose lean sources of protein such as fish, chicken breast, whey isolate protein powders and before bed I like to eat cottage cheese, the reason for this is because it contains casein protein which is a fancy name for slow releasing protein which means when you sleep your body will not be in a catabolic (muscle burning instead of fat burning) state. As well as eating enough protein eat most of your carbohydrates earlier in the day and after 7pm eat only fibrous carbohydrates with lean proteins.


NO. 3 - SKIPPING MEALS TO SKIP CALORIES?

Meal Frequency is an important part of dieting as it keeps your metabolism high which of course burns more calories. People skip meals because they are not hungry, this is a mistake, you must calculate how many calories your need to lose weight and stick to those calories each day and eat at the same time each day, if you do not your metabolism will slow down and you can burn less fat. The most important meals in the day are breakfast, pre-workout, post-workout and before bed. Try to have at least 6 meals a day and eat every 2-3 hours. An interesting study in the University of Massachusetts showed people who skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to have excess body fat than those who don’t so make sure you have a good nutritious breakfast everyday and eat 4-5 other small meals spread throughout the day to keep that metabolism burning fat not muscle!


NO. 4 - CHOOSE THE RIGHT EXERCISES

A lot of people focus on crunches when trying to get a 6 pack which is a huge mistake! You cannot build muscle when you are calorie deficient such as when you are dieting so your abs will not get much bigger if at all! Therefore focus on eating less calories, performing cardio and exercises that burn more fat like compound exercises, for example, SQUAT, DEADLIFT and BENCH PRESS which also strengthen your abs.

In terms of building bigger abdominal muscles lower abs are harder than upper abs so focus on exercises like hanging leg raises or captains chair or if you do not have the equipment reverse crunches. Finish off your workout with some crunches to stimulate your upper abs. But these abdominal exercises will not give the results cardio and a good diet provide.

NO. 5 - CARDIO TIMING AND INTENSITY!

The key to a 6 pack is really acquiring some muscle mass through a bulking phase where we eat more calories than our bodies need followed by what is known as a “cutting” phase, most people just call this dieting, where we create a calorie deficit which will burn fat. A good calorie deficit is around 500 calories less than your body uses throughout the day or we can eat maintenance level calories and perform cardio. The best time to do cardio is in the morning as it burns more calories than night time, training intensely for 10-15 minutes is shown to be more productive than low intensity for fat loss. However, if you are already eating 500 calories less than your body needs and performing too much cardio your body will use muscle not fat as an energy source (muscle catabolism). Therefore, it is best to slowly loose “weight” (by about 1lbs to 3lbs per week) otherwise the weight you will lose will be both muscle and fat instead of exclusively loosing fat which is how to show off your abdominal muscles.


NO. 6 - FLUIDS!

An often underestimated part of trying to achieve the “6 pack” is water consumption. Here are the rules I follow concerning liquids when dieting:

1) Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day (do not overdo it or you will be at the toilet constantly)

2) Only drink water or green tea – no sodas.

3) Beware of drinks which have “no added sugar” as they can contain natural sugars.

4) If you drink diet sodas or fruit juice consume before 6 pm and if you consume milk make sure it is skimmed.

Thursday, 14 July 2011

TOP 6 SERIES.

TOP 6 FOODS TO INCINERATE FAT!

BY FITNESS GODFATHER.

NO. 1 - LEAN MEATS.

Chicken and fish are both high in protein low in fat and carbs perfect for losing fat. Venison is the best red meat to eat in my opinion and is fine when dieting, so too is very lean steak earlier in the day.

Godfather tip – season your meats with cayenne pepper and chilli powder to increase metabolism and serve with spicy peppers for extra burn.

NO. 2 - EGGS.

Eggs – simply because they are high in protein and good fats essential for a breakfast which helps burn fat.

Godfather tip – drink some green tea with your breakfast, lunch and dinner as it promotes fat loss!

NO. 3 - WHEY.

Whey protein isolate – highest solubility of protein sources I recommend zero or low carb shakes they are convenient in between meals to ensure your body gets protein every 3 hours and great at night time when carbs are your enemy and protein is your best friend for losing fat.

Godfather tip - throw some oats in your whey for a cost effective meal replacement.

NO. 4 - GRAINS.

Whole grains – despite carbs getting a negative reputation from many diet plans they are essential for energy and in my opinion losing quality weight which is fat not muscle. Whole grains are great they fill you up and give you energy for exercise. However, breads, pasta, rice which are white or made from enriched corn flour as well as simple sugars should be avoided at all costs except for 30-40 grams after your workout with a protein shake.  This will spike your insulin – good after your workout because you are going to build more muscle – bad any other time of the day because you are going to gain fat.

NO. 5 - GREENS.

Leafy green vegetables – my favourite include broccoli, brussel sprouts, leeks and celery. All of these leafy greens are thermogenic which means they will blast the fat off you when you eat them with lean proteins mentioned above. I would also include grapefruit – lowers insulin and high in fibre like green vegetables which is why I have placed this fruit in the same category.

NO. 6 - COTTAGE CHEESE.

Cottage Cheese – this dairy product is perfect before bed because it supplies your body with casein protein (slow release) which will stop your body burning muscle during the night and has the added benefit of being low in carbs and very low in fat!

Godfather tip - blend some cottage cheese with skim milk, water and vanilla or peanut butter whey for a tasty protein packed milkshake.

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

TOP 6 NUTRTIONAL SERIES

TOP 6 SUPPLEMENTS TO GET LEAN!

BY FITNESS GODFATHER.

Before I start this list I would like to mention supplements will only help you lose weight or get in shape by adding them into a good nutritional plan along with exercise. 

Here is the list:

No. 1 – WHEY PROTEIN. 

Protein is essential for losing fat in my opinion as too much consumption of bad carbs and fats even good carbs and fats can hinder your progress. Whey protein is ideal after a workout because it digests quicker than other protein sources and can be a welcome change from eating another meal when you are in a rush. Whey isolate is the best protein in my opinion as it is higher quality and usually these products have less filler ingredients. 
Godfather tip - Take whey protein isolate with a 20-30 grams of simple carbs after lifting weights or just whey protein after cardio and try mixing one scoop of whey into oatmeal for breakfast.

No. 2 – ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS. 

Believe it or not consuming the right amount of healthy fats can aid weight loss especially if combined with a lower intake of bad fats. 
Godfather tip - have 1 omega 3-6-9 gels or tablets or liquid three times daily during meals to keep your hormones balanced.

No. 3 – GREEN TEA. 

Out of all the expensive fat burners you can buy on the market with worthless ingredients and ridiculous claims the funny fact is most of them have green tea extract as a main ingredient – such a cheap ingredient as well. The other ingredients apart from caffeine either have side-effects such as bitter-orange peel which is “Synephrine” or ehphedra or mao-haung have bad side effects. Similarly yohimbehas been linked to serious side effects such as nervous system and cardiovascular problems – stay away from all of these products or products which have these as ingredients. 
Godfather tip - keep your metabolism high whilst training by taking 1-2 green tea extract tablets 30-40 minutes before working out or with high carb meals to help burn fat.

No. 4 – CAFFEINE. 

(Warning) – this product is very powerful – so underrated in the supplement industry. Most pre-workouts contain caffeine but supplement makers claim other substances, which can give them more profit,  are more effective which is wrong. Caffeine can make you more focused – lift more intensely and give you lots of energy. 
Godfather tip - do not take too much caffeine – take 1 -2 pills before working out during they day or one pill if you train later in the day.

No. 5 – GLUTAMINE.

I do not take glutamine as it is already in my whey protein shake. Simple reason as to why it helps weight loss – it prevents your body from breaking down muscle as fast which means your body can use your body fat for an energy source. Godfather tip - take 5 grams of glutamine when you wake, before and after you exercise and last thing at night to avoid muscle catabolism when calorie deficient. 

No. 6 – PRE-WORKOUT FORMULAS.  

I recommend these only to those who are very serious about getting lean. Again consult your doctor there are definitely side effects and should not be abused or taken without permission of doctor. Good pre-workout products have caffeine and a good creatine product. I have only tried a few – I got side effects from no-xplode and super-pump 250 I liked the least.  
Godfather tip - try jack-3d before training with weights to stay focused, lift heavier, train harder and burn more calories. Stop taking the product if you notice side-effects.

In conclusion, I think all of these supplements are the best for fat loss – but if you choose a good whey protein isolate power, essential fatty acids and maybe green tea and combine these supplements with a very good nutritional plan you will see good results! Remember to consult a doctor before using them!