Since I make my living through fitness, you might think I have this nutrition and weight maintenance thing permanently under control. I wish that were the case, but, I always have five pounds, more or less, to take off after the holidays. I have to take care of this quickly, because I can’t expect my clients to believe in me unless I walk the talk, right? So, I’ve developed a three-week clean eating program for myself that I’ve used for several years. Now, I have my clients join me in this three-week detox/jumpstart, so we can all get back on track after the excess.
There are several reasons this works. First, we’re all in this together! When you’re feeling deprived, you can think about everyone else doing this with you. We’ll keep each other on track.
Second, it’s very effective to jumpstart fat loss by losing all the excess water/salt weight. You really don’t know where you’re at, weight-wise, until you get through at least a week without excess sugar, salt, simple carbohydrates, and alcohol. That’s probably five pounds right there!
Finally, losing those first few pounds will get us going on some real fat loss. There’s nothing quite as motivating as success, is there?
The first step to prepare for this program is to get comfortable tracking your nutrition. Register on a food tracking website. My favorite, which I mentioned in another blog, is http://www.sparkpeople.com. Many of my clients use http://www.myfitnesspal.com. Either is fine, and both of them are free to use online. If you’re not used to one or the other, you should check both for added features before you commit. For instance, myfitnesspal.com works with Withing’s body composition scales, and sparkpeople.com works with FitBit.
The next step is to stock up on clean food, and getting rid of anything that is going to push you off the wagon. Throw out that leftover eggnog. Get rid of that peppermint bark!
The guidelines:
No added sugar
No wheat products – pasta, bread, etc.
No alcohol
No coffee
Avoid artificial sweetener
Choose whole, healthy foods and snacks
Plan all meals and snacks
Stay within my calorie range, and maintain a good protein/carb/fat ratio daily
I promise that if you follow these broadly stroked guidelines, you will feel a difference in your body in three weeks. We’re going to re-up every three weeks. More details to follow tomorrow!
Get The Body 