Step Two: Pay Attention To What You Eat

Week Two of Slim in 6 – so far so good. I got in Ramp It Up this morning and burned 434 calories. I’m feeling strong and good about my progress so far.

Last week I gave you Step 1 of the Six Steps To Transform Your Body. This week, Step Two: Pay Attention To Everything You Eat. Here is what the Beachbody Nutrition Guide says:

“What you eat has a direct effect on everything from the way your body works to your mood to the amount of fat your body burns or stores. For long-term weight management (and health), we suggest that you pay attention to everything you eat and use the eyeball method (knowing how much you should eat by looking at it and having a basic tool for knowing how much is enough) of controlling portion size. Balancing the type of foods you’re eating and always making sure you’re getting enough protein are also important.

We recommend using Michi’s Ladder to guide your food choices throughout the day. (Michi’s Ladder is available on the Team Beachbody website once you have joined the free Community). The closer you are to the top, the better results you will get. It’s a direct relationship that cannot be overemphasized. No matter how much you work out, if you don’t make smarter food choices, you will not see that layer of padding around your waist or thighs go away. On the other hand, if you give yourself three solid weeks of eating at the top of Michi’s Ladder, the results will startle you.

Every meal should be conservative in portion size and have a fairly even ratio of calories from carbs, proteins, and fats. Shoot for 40% of your calories to come from carbs, and 30% from protein, and 30% from fat.

• Use fresh vegetables to replace processed foods and you will lose weight.
• Skinless white meat is generally a better choice than red meat.
• Egg whites have less fat than whole eggs.
  When looking at a plate of food you suspect is high in fat (like pizza) or carbohydrates (like pasta), eat half the helping you would normally eat. Do not overeat.
• Choose low-density, high-fiber foods whenever possible.

Proteins:

• Choose lean meats (turkey, chicken) vs. fatty red meats.
• The portion of meat for a meal should be no larger than the palm of your hand (around 3-4 ounces.
• Broil, grill, or bake – never fry!
• Avoid cream sauces and gravies.
• If you don’t eat meat, substitute tempeh, tofu, low-fat dairy products, and legumes

Vegetables:

• A large salad is great, but try ot limit the dressing to one or two tablespoons of low-fat or nonfat dressing like vinaigrette instead of a coating of creamy dressing, which can blow the whole reason for eating salad anyway.
• A side portion of vegies should be steamed or raw. Prepared this way, veggies have so few calories tha tyou can pretty much eat them til you’re full. A plateful of raw veggies has about 100 calories. Indulge!
• Avoid butter or cream-based sauces on veggies. Lemon juice, soy sauce, and mustard are good ways to add flavor without adding fat calories.

Breads, Pastas, Rice, and Fruits:

• Be sure to eat whole grains and brown rice instead of refined grains and white rice. The fiber will slow sugar absorption so your body can better handle the sugars and not just store them as fat.
• Always choose whole fruits instead of juice.
• Foods in this caregory are calorie dense, so limit yourself to three small servings per day.

Fats:

• Avoid saturated and trans fats in red meats, full-fat dairy foods, and processed foods. Learn to read labels.
• Avocados, raw nuts, flaxseeds, and olive oil are great sources of essential fatty acids – just keep portions very small. Fat is extremely dense and has more than twice the calories per gram as protein and carbs.

Beverages:

• A glass of water 30 minutes before a meal will curb your hunger.
• Try not to have a drink with your meals. If you must, limit it to juice, milk, or your best choice, water.
• Avoid soda and alcohol, as they are very calorie dense. Limit diet sodas to one per day, as too much can affect your body’s pH levels. (Susan’s note: It’s best to sign off sodas completely!).
• Coffee and tea (better) are fine in moderation, just don’t add cream or sugar.

Dessert:

When you’re confronted with the dessert tray, remember the goal: you want to chisel your body as quickly as possible. Now, slowly step away from the chocolate cake. Please – step away from the chocolate cake. (Did it work?)

If you MUST have dessert, on your birthday or at a social gathering where it’s irresistible, then be smart – a cup of fruit is the best way to go to satisfy a sweet tooth. But if you still can’t avoid it, give yourself the leeway to enjoy it, and take about a third of what you would normally reach for. That means if you’re going to have a piece of pumpkin pie, have a “sliver of a sliver,” not a “slice.”

Note: Be prepared for people to make comments about the small portion size of your dessert so they can justify the embarrassing mound they’re about to consume. Your defense when this happens is your commitment to the goal. When you reach it, you’ll be walking around feeling great about yourself and your health, and your clothes will be fitting perfectly – if not a little loosely. Soon you will see these same people who gave you a hard time, and they’ll be asking for your advice about how to lose their soft belly. It’s then that you’ve won! But don’t rub it in. Turn them on to Team Beachbody and you’ve got a friend for life (in them and in us!).”