Topic 2 of the 3 part series. Part one covered the topic of psychology. Being in the right mind set is absolutely critical before you can begin making nutritional changes in your transformation process.
A great transformation is a process. It is never just a few meal plans and a quick mark up of a training program and see how you go. Everything in your daily living habits has to be factored in if you want to achieve the highest quality results.
When it comes to nutrition it's always very confusing with all the media attention about which diet strategy is the best approach for fat loss or muscle gain. How do you know which one will work best for you?
One of the best questions you must ask yourself is, has this program you are considering produced results time and time again with various people of different ages and body types? Always seek social proof that it actually works - evidence of results (pictures) and testimonials.
To achieve outstanding results your nutrition program needs to be very specific for you personally. General guidelines will only ever produce general results. At Vision you will recieve a specific set of macro nutrient targets which are set for you to achieve your specific result desired.
I always coach clients at the start of their programs to get into the habit of weighing their foods to help understand exactly what they are eating, and how much of it. Many people have very poor understanding about food and quantities, so it is important to give very clear instructions all the way through a body transformation. Keeping in mind your result is typically 70% nutrition.
It's not possible to give all the nutrition information required in a full transformation program in one article, so I have put together my best transformation tips to share with you:
1. Lower carb intake on non - training days.
Simply put, if you are not planning on exercising on any particular day, ensure your nutrition program reflects that by choosing a lower carb intake. At Vision we call this day the accelerator day (Carbs less than 20g for the day). On this day your only intake of carbs should come from vegetables. You are replacing lost calories from carbohydrates with extra energy from healthy fats (avocado, nuts, fish oils, coconut oil, red meat, eggs etc). Protein intake remains the same as a training day. This heavily promotes the bodies ability to utilise fat stores for energy.
2. Eat big servings of vegetables daily.
Spinach, capsicum, zucchini, asparagus, broccolini, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, egg plant, rocket, kale, the list goes on. Always observe your chosen meal and note; do I have 2-3 serves of vegetables on my plate? Green vegetables have low carb content and are packed with anti oxidant nutrients so are a great way to satisfy hunger. By having a high vegetable intake you are far less likely to want to binge on processed high calorie low nutrient dense foods.
3. Always ensure protein intake is optimal.
Some days you have low carb days and higher fat days (accelerator days). You may also have days with higher carbs to fuel big workouts, but it is really important that you remain constant with your protein intake. Do not allow yourself to under eat protein as you massively reduce the effectiveness of your metabolism and are more likely to over eat carbs if protein intake is low.
4. Drink fluids frequently for good hydration.
Optimal fluid intake is so important for fat loss, yet it is the one thing most people I work with do not do well enough. The vast majority of the population require between 2-3L of water daily. Good hydration is required to help the body burn fat for energy and also help de-toxify the body by flushing out the toxins found in the stored fat cells. Try setting yourself a reminder every 2 hours for a few days to drink a glass of water, or as long as it takes to create the habit to drink fluids consistently throughout the day.
Hope some of these tips help and you can use them on your own body transformation journey.
Best of luck!
James Clare BSc Nutrition
Vision Mona Vale Manager
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
