Saturday, December 29, 2018

How Much You Really Need To Eat For Steady Fat Loss (The Truth About Calories and Macronutrients)

For starters, you should know this...
NO matter what anyone, especially any health expert or media personality or Facebook/Twitter superstar tells you...

If you're overweight now and you want to be skinny, fit, and healthy for life, find out how many calories you need per day to maintain weight, and then methodically subtract from that number.

It is the one and only scientifically proven, zero-nonsense method of knowing how much YOUR specific body needs to function at its highest level, day in and day out.
We start by calculating your BMR or your Basal Metabolic Rate.

This is the amount of calories that you burn by just sitting on your butt all day. If you're new to this, you may be shocked but this number is pretty darn high!

And you may think, well my body burns so much in one day...and I'm eating so little, so why am I not losing weight??

Introducing...

5 unusual reasons why 90% of people on a diet fail within the first 90 days (avoid these diet traps and you'll be laughing all the way to a beach-ready body)

1. You're not eating less calories, CONSISTENTLY enough to lose weight.
a. Weight loss is a process. It's not a one-and-done thing.
b. You need to stick to your calories day after day after day to see results. And if you
half-ass it by not tracking intake, you don't realize that you're actually eating
more than you need to for weight loss.
c. Personal admission: I'm guilty of this myself. I thought I "had it" during a recent
program and decided to not count my intake (aka "half-assing" it). In my head, I
was convinced my foods added up to 2,200 calories a day, which would help me
lose about . pound per week while retaining muscle. But on Day 4 I decided to
track my intake, and lo and behold, I was eating 2,750 calories. It's that easy to
get off schedule, while somehow convincing yourself you're doing OK.

2. You haven't made a concentrated effort to reduce inflammation, insulin resistance, and liver clogging
a. This will ruin your efforts to lose weight.
b. Simply put, if your body is dealing with the deluge of inflammation and insulin
problems, on top of the excess strain placed on an already clogged liver...the last
thing your body is going to do is pay attention to your expanding fat stores.
c. Make sure you use a smart diet and exercise plan, like the one in this book, to
address these issues and take a natural herbal supplement, like InvigorateNOW,
for added protection.

3. You think you're eating a lot less than you actually are (this has been reproduced in
countless studies).
a. The truth is we're simply terrible at estimating calorie intake. And this goes both
ways.
b. Overweight people think they're eating much less than they are, and skinny people trying to gain weight and/or muscle think they're eating much more than
they actually are. And they both fail.

4. You actually are eating less than you're burning every day, and you ARE losing some
weight, but your protein/carb/fat ratios are poorly calculated or non-existent
a. As a result, you're losing so much muscle that you still look like you have the same amount of fat on your body as before. (This is "skinny-fat" syndrome.)

5. (This one is the best scenario, and surprisingly common) You're actually losing weight, with lots of it being fat (as opposed to muscle), but you're not tracking your results and so you don't realize that you started at 180 for example and that you're now 173....all you see is someone who isn't "super hot" and "fit" yet, and you say "screw it, this isn't working". And then you fall into the trap that a large % of people do.

The truth is there are few people who enjoy counting their calories and macronutrients, but there's no smart way to lose weight and build a lean physique without it.

Luckily, there are some great web sites that help a lot with this (Fitday is probably the best on the Internet and several apps for smartphones and tablets that can lend a helping hand, as well.)

Anyway, let's get to the basics.
A pound of fat has 3500 calories. If you're a regular Joe or Jane, you burn between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day on basic functions like keeping your blood flowing, your body temperature regulated, and your brain pumping out thoughts. If you're a regular Joe or Jane, you also typically eat a few hundred calories (about 300 based on research) more than you need to maintain your weight.

The good news is you don't actually have to make too drastic of a change to start getting the results that you want. The bad news is, even non-drastic changes can be really hard to make - your body is desperate to hold on to its fat and keep homeostasis at all times, so you've got your work cut out for you when you're trying to lose weight. However, by knowing your optimal calorie and macronutrient intake every day (and keeping a food journal) you'll take out most of the hard work and put yourself on the path to success.

Interested in losing weight? Then click below to see the exact steps I took to lose weight and keep it off for good...


Moving forward, there are several other articles/topics I'll share so you can lose weight even faster, and feel great doing it.

Below is a list of these topics and you can use this Table of Contents to jump to the part that interests you the most.


Learn more by visiting our website here: invigoratenow.com
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Friday, December 28, 2018

A Nutrition Crash Course To Build A Healthy Body and Happy Mind

Now that we've covered the basics of the diet and the "philosophy" surrounding healthy living, here's a bit of a nutrition "crash course".

Introducing...Real Food 101.
To build the best possible body and mind, you need a variety of proteins, carbs, healthy fats, veggies, and fruit.

Protein, carbs, and fat are the three macronutrients that sustain our body and its hundreds of millions of processes, so let's discuss them more in depth.

Part 1: Protein

At its core, dietary protein is put to use and metabolized for energy.
This is accomplished via the all important nitrogen balance in protein. Basically, nitrogen
balance means any loss of protein in the body is matched by an equal intake of dietary protein, so that the quantity in the body is unchanged. And any excess dietary intake above this "nitrogen balance" level is broken down and used to fuel the body.

By these means, protein helps build strength and maintain muscle (once we eat at or above our nitrogen balance level). This is especially important for anyone trying to build a lean, fit physique, but also very important for those who are middle-aged and older. 

For example, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, after the age of 35, we lose .5-1 percent of muscle annually, unless we resistance train and eat adequate protein.

Protein is also known to be the most satiating of nutrients. It can keep us full and help us "weather the storm", especially in a strict diet situation, when fat and carbs would have temporary satiating effects at best. This relates well to the idea of "protein hunger" - in other words, the idea that our bodies have a craving/need for a certain amount of protein, and without that amount, we literally can't function.

This "protein hunger" and associated need for protein is even more telling when we look at case of protein deficiency. Essentially, too little protein intake (as often observed in fasting conditions) causes losses of up to 40 percent of proteins in the liver, kidneys and gut. This drastically impairs their function and can have disastrous effects on internal health, immune system, and risk of mortality.

Looking at it front another perspective, as Sally Fallon explains in her outstanding book,
Nourishing Traditions, studies of various traditional cultures show that a moderate protein/moderate-to-high fat diet offers the best bone health, muscle development, and "flawless teeth". Teeth are especially important, since oral health (especially gum health) is a strong predictor of heart disease and overall disease risk.

A study of over 1,000 dentists and their spouses, for example, shows that those with high protein diets had the least health problems and diseases (as measured by the Cornell Medical Index).

And lastly, a nice side benefit of eating protein is its thermic effect, which is higher than
carbs/fat. Estimates show that about 30% of protein calories are immediately burned off during digestion. Combine that with the fact protein will fill you up and help to cut out cravings and hunger, and you have a recipe for drastic improvements fat loss.

Part 2: Fats

I know many of you might jump back when you hear this.
But as I've mentioned many times already, eating fat actually helps fat loss and longevity, contrary to popular belief.

Most people don't know this, but fats are the building blocks of cell membranes. Cell
membranes are the fat (and protein) based structures that surround all cells from the "outside world" (i.e. the rest of the body). And over 50% of cell membranes are made entirely of saturated fat.

Fats are also vital for mineral absorption, various bodily processes, and are carriers of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. From another perspective, fats are also necessary to properly absorb and utilize various herbs/plant extracts including Turmeric (one of nature's most protective, powerful herbs). This is why I recommend taking Turmeric-based InvigorateNOW capsules with some fats, (such as in the "Nature Blast" shake). Essentially, without fats entering our body, cell membranes cannot function properly.

Additionally, the "panic mode" that results from insufficient fat intake (or "bad fat" intake)
signals the body to hold onto as much fat as possible.

This is similar to the phenomenon experienced when well-meaning dieters eat too few calories for too long. In this case, the body goes into semi-starvation mode. Believing that it will continue to be deprived of calories, the body calls it quits and holds onto as much fat as possible.

On the same token, this fat deprivation (and nutrient deprivation, as result) makes it that much easier to eat even one "trigger food" (think cupcakes or cookies or chips) and end up ruining your diet through a massive multi-day binge.

Part 3: Carbs

Carbs are the preferred source of "fuel" for the body.
It's important to maintain a decent amount of these in your diet, and to NOT go below roughly 50-75 grams per day, which will put you into a state called "ketosis".

Ketosis is praised by the non-informed low-carb communities, and it's thought to be the holy grail of quick fat loss. And in certain cases it is.

With one glaring "truth" behind it all.

No matter what people will tell you about being "fat-adapted" or "using ketones for energy" or any other non-proven theory, ketosis works so well because reducing carbs makes you eat tons of fat and protein all day.

And eating tons of fat (and especially protein) all day keeps you very full and satisfied.
Additionally, from a psychological standpoint, you feel like you're "eating so much", especially since many of us have been taught that meaty proteins and fat "make you fat".

So as a result of feeling full the whole day and thinking we are eating so much delicious, fatty food, we unconsciously eat much less in total calories than we would otherwise. And we almost always end up in a calorie deficit...meaning we lose weight.

Time and time again, we'll come back to this: Besides eating sufficient protein, which helps remove fat in favor of lean muscle, the MAIN thing to focus on for weight loss is a calorie deficit. Whether you reduce carbs or reduce fat, the deficit has to come either way.

And back to the low-carb community's holy grail of ketosis: reducing carbs so low is
TERRIBLE for your body, and may have detrimental effects on your adrenal glands, hormones, and longevity in general. While ketogenic diets can be therapeutic for neurological disorders and the like, it really isn't necessary for the vast majority of us.

And going further, these very low carb diets (known as "VLC diets") miss one very crucial concept that can cause many internal problems.


Interested in losing weight? Then click below to see the exact steps I took to lose weight and keep it off for good...


Moving forward, there are several other articles/topics I'll share so you can lose weight even faster, and feel great doing it.

Below is a list of these topics and you can use this Table of Contents to jump to the part that interests you the most.


Learn more by visiting our website here: invigoratenow.com
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Thursday, December 27, 2018

Why That New Miracle Diet Isn't So Much of a Miracle After All (And Why You're Guaranteed To Hate Yourself On It Sooner or Later)

Diet Trap #1: A low fat, high refined carb diet

a. Deprives the body and brain of healthy fats which it NEEDS to thrive.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids, as most people knows, are CRUCIAL to optimal heart
(and brain) health.
2. A lesser known need is MCT (medium chain triglycerides) which is found in
Coconut Oil. These MCT fats are easily broken down by the body, and immediately converted and used as energy. They are also a good form of relatively "tasteless" calories that can be used to suppress appetite.

b. Causes major chronic insulin resistance and inflammation, which are the leading
causal factors of most major disease
1. This is in large part due to high blood glucose spikes that the body cannot
handle, and that are not mitigated from adequate amounts of fat (which would
be present on a smart nutrition plan)

c. Is taken too far to the extreme. Fat is likened to the devil in the minds of many
people. They avoid it at all costs, and are then surprised when they just don't feel
right, their brain is foggy, and their skin, hair and nails look "off". ("Off" as in
decaying and/or dead...)
1. The "avoid fat" advice also leads to people justifying high amounts of refined
carbs under the rationalization that "it's low fat so it's good for me".
2. Sure if you're eating natural, toxin-free carbs like fruit, rice, potatoes, and
quinoa you'll be fine. But eating pretzels, bread (usually made with 20+ ingredients), genetically modified corn and wheat, low-fat snacks made with industrial oils, and other junk just because they're "low fat" is not healthy.

Diet Trap #2: A very low carb, or zero carb, ketogenic diet

a. Can pollute the body with millions of chemicals and toxins if food quality is not
addressed.

1. Eating factory-farmed meats, cheeses, and more at mass quantity is NOT
healthy.

b. Deprives the body of crucial vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and more.

1. Smart, temporary low-carb diets DO include intake of numerous veggies and
low-glycemic fruits, but people conveniently forget to eat these. When the
prospect of beef, bacon and cheese all day comes into play, making a salad on
the side isn't all that appealing.

c. Doesn't address metabolic stress factors.

1. In most cases, only general strength training (max of 6-8 reps per set) and
occasional sprints can be sustained well by a low-carb and high-protein diet.
2. BUT, intense, metabolically demanding exercises such as Cross Fit workouts,
dumbbell and barbell complexes, and circuits are often too stressing on the
body. They are glycogen-depleting activities which need glucose (preferably
from carbs) to properly recover.
3. Similarly, moderate to intense cardio depletes glycogen and needs glucose
(preferably from carbs).
i. Glucose can be produced from protein via gluconeogenesis but it is not
always efficient, and is far from being the preferred source of energy for the body and brain. (i.e. instead of forcing the body to convert protein to glucose, why not give it glucose from the start?)
4. The body is in a stress-induced, catabolic state following a hard workout, and
adequate post-workout nutrition (with carbohydrates for most people) is
needed.
i. Without proper post-workout nutrition, it is possible that these no/low carbers are simply prolonging the catabolism/muscle breakdown which occurs via extended cortisol output (cortisol is created as a response to stress, in this case, exercise stress)

d. The body gets "used" to eating low/no carbs when done for too long. So when you
end up eating higher carb foods, the body doesn't know how to process it efficiently
and some it turns into fat.

1. This prolonged/no-carb stage similarly causes insulin resistance because the
body literally "forgets" how to properly intake glucose and the insulin it
creates.
2. Note: This is a SHOCKER to even the most devout low-carbers. The body is
adaptive, and it changes its internal workings when it notices a prolonged shift
– in this case, it starts resisting insulin, thinking the body will no longer need to digest it. This was probably great in evolutionary times, when a food source might simply drop off the map and the body would have to adapt...but that's not the same as going on a hardcore diet to lose weight, and then eating carbs a year down the road (only to have a damaged insulin response mechanism).
i. This is one BIG reason why you'll notice some chronic low-carb dieters never quite get "there" in terms of body composition and overall leanness. Insulin resistance down the road may promote increased fat storage when carbs come back into the game (and just
ask hundreds of long-living cultures...carbs should definitely come back into the game).

Diet Trap #3: A very low calorie diet, especially with little regard to food quality

a. Possibly the WORST of all diets. Don't get me wrong here -- decreasing calories is
crucial for weight loss.

1. But people think low calorie means "eat next to nothing and exercise like a
maniac". (this is a recipe for disaster)
2. People think it also means "eat anything as long as it's under X amount of
calories". (this is terrible for your internal health, blood lipids, etc.)
3. And people think it means "well I'll just eat this few calories for a few weeks
and then it's all over!" (Bad, bad idea. Hello uncontrollable binges and
uncontrollable fat gain once you try to eat "normal" again.)

b. With the advent of 100 calorie packs, 250 calorie frozen dinners, and more, our
society is conditioned to think they just have to eat these foods and the pounds will
just disappear (well played, big business)

1. The truth is, while these foods may be low in calories, many of them are very tasty and very rewarding, as artificial as they may be. Which means once we have it, it can very easily trigger cravings for other foods (this is the "food reward hypothesis").
2. These foods are also very low on the micronutrient scale. This essentially means the foods lack the crucial vitamins and minerals that would otherwise appear in a whole foods diet. Your body and brain crave these vitamins and minerals, and until you have them, you will continue to crave more and more food.
3. And assuming you continue to eat processed, nutrient-poor foods, the cravings
are bound to continue until you have far exceeded your calories for the day.
4. Also, these foods are full of blood sugar spiking refined carbs (white flour and even wheat flour break down to sugar very quickly), and are packed with industrial seed/vegetable oils (high in toxic Omega 6, which our body needs very, very little of) and partially/fully-hydrogenated oils (the dreaded trans fat that clogs our arteries and cause inflammation, fat gain and disease)

So we've "tore down" all the fad/nonsense diets, and we know that weight loss is all about eating whole foods at a calorie deficit, frequent movement, and natural herbs/ plant extracts to cut out the inflammation/insulin resistance issue...is that all there is longevity and living well??

I'm glad you asked!
Here's where I think most "experts" go wrong.
They say, "eat right, move, take some supplements, and you'll live a happy, long life."

I don't agree.

I believe eating right, moving, and using natural compounds is a huge part of living a happy, long life, and without it, you're definitely putting yourself in danger...but it's not everything.



Interested in losing weight? Then click below to see the exact steps I took to lose weight and keep it off for good...


Moving forward, there are several other articles/topics I'll share so you can lose weight even faster, and feel great doing it.

Below is a list of these topics and you can use this Table of Contents to jump to the part that interests you the most.


Learn more by visiting our website here: invigoratenow.com
at No comments:
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