nutrition

 by David De La Peña

4 Signs Your Nutrition Plan Is Working.. Or Not!

The "Fat Pincher 4000"!

The “Fat Pincher 4000”!

Sometimes changes in health and body aren’t so easy to recognize. DNA’s nutrition program was developed with the intention of being a long-term lifestyle modifier, focused on sustainability. For most of us this means being patient and waiting for changes to occur from the inside-out, and sometimes those changes could take longer than we’d like them to.

A huge problem we create for ourselves is that most of us only focus on certain “problem” body parts, such as belly fat, while the parts we neglect to pay attention to, might be ones that make impressive changes but fail to get noticed. But, it’s those stubborn problem areas that are usually the last to change. That’s why it’s important to get measured once monthly, or at least take some pictures for comparison.

If you are on a fat loss plan, the most difficult time that EVERYONE goes through is “The Ugly Stage”. The Ugly Stage is a point during fat-loss, when fat starts to get soft and saggy, resulting in fat that looks unusually flabby. The good news is soft & squishy fat is an indicator that you are in fact, burning fat! Unfortunately because of this temporary saggy fat, many people think they look worse and lose heart, when in reality holding out for just a little longer would have resulted in a “Whoosh”.

Whooshes seem to happen over night;  when after an extended time (sometimes several weeks) of seemingly zero progress, a big drop in fat/weight occurs, as if out of nowhere. The reality is, sometimes cells have already burned the fat off, leaving behind a water filled cell (water is heavy). As long as one remains diligent, eventually the body signals many of these cells to purge this stored water, and the whoosh results in huge drops!

Becoming a scale-junkie is another common problem. Constantly getting on the scale is not a great motivator. Especially for the beginner to a strength and conditioning program. Lean mass consisting of muscle and bone are good and heavy. Realize that if you’re a beginner, your body probably needs to add some of this good “machinery” to get stronger and healthier. The exchanges of fat and muscle result in less movement on the scale. Step away from the scale! Get rid of it!

To know if your current plan is working, answer these 4 questions:

  1. Are You Seeing Increases In Performance?
    • If you’re consistently getting stronger, moving faster, and are generally getting better in your training, those are all signs that you’re eating an adequate amount of nutrients.
    • If you aren’t sure whether you’re seeing progress, then you obviously haven’t been using your log book!
    • If lately your training sessions haven’t been what they used to be, or you feel sluggish and/or unmotivated to train, this could be a sign of nutritional inadequacies. This often happens to those that have trained for more 6 months or more, as their energy expenditure begins to exceed their energy intake, creating a large caloric deficit. As you become capable of doing more, you should also be adjusting your intake to get more fuel too!
  2. Are You Regularly Feeling Good/Better?
    • From the moment you wake up, do you feel like all is good? Do you have energy throughout the entire day, and usually sleeping well?
    • Junk food will make you groggy, gassy, bloated and interrupt sleep.
  3. Are You Looking Good/Better?
    • The answer is a yes if:
      • Your body fat % is getting better (we test this anytime before class, just ask us).
      • You’re receiving compliments from people who haven’t seen you in a while, or even better, getting compliments from people you regularly see!
      • Your clothes are fitting looser.
  4. Is Your Blood Panel Good/Better?
    • Not everyone has regular access to their blood work so the general rule of thumb here is; if your answers were “Yes” to the rest of these questions, then this one could probably be a yes too.

If you answered “No” to more than one of these questions, then you might consider joining the DNA Nutrition Challenge, or at least re-evaluate your nutritional situation.

More than two “No” answers could be a sign of too many stresses, ill-health factors or worse. We’d  recommend you to seek help to remedy these issues. The potential for more serious health problems could result from prolonged stresses, and might be caused by adrenal fatigue. Sarah Cotten, one of our instructors, is an Adrenal Fatigue Expert, and DNA is also partners with Quality Of Life Medical Research Center. Together, we can help you figure it out and/or refer you to the right people.

If you answered “YES” to at least 3 of these questions then you’re doing something right. Keep on keeping on, and you’ll reach those goals as elusive as they sometimes seem.

 

in Lifestyle / Phase 4 Nutrition / Tips 1 comments
 by David De La Peña

The Best Nutrition Advice Ever!

The world of nutrition is literally filled with garbage. Too many people misunderstand how the human body uses nutrients, and because of that common ignorance fall victim to the sales pitches of every online nutrition “expert”. Quick-fix diet plans don’t work because those diets focus on selling some type of product, or offer a sketchy plan that is not sustainable. Fortunately…eating healthy doesn’t have to be a mystery. It is important that we focus on changing the long-term plan… your lifestyle. Apply these 4 simple rules to everyday life, and your health and physique will begin changing for the better.

  1. Eat Real Food! Real food is generally defined as food that is found naturally. If it could be Hunted or Grown, and is naturally occurring, and it fits the rest of these rules, then it is probably good for you. If humans were responsible for its existence, don’t eat it! Mix up your real food in as much variety as you can handle. Don’t be fooled by “food fakes”–> If it has weird ingredients that are difficult to pronounce – be wary.
  2. Eat meat! “Things that you could hunt” (including eggs), should be your main course at every meal. Notice I said MEAT and not Protein? Eating beans because they have protein isn’t the same as eating meat, which is high in all the amino acids our body needs. Also beware of processed meats, and mystery meats…they are JUNK FOOD don’t do it
  3. Eat Plants! Prioritize meat, then add fresh plant food as side dishes. Variety!
    • If it’s sweet it’s a treat, not a meal. example: fruits such as bananas, apples, mangos, and oranges should all be used as a dessert.
    • If it’s a plant that must be processed  to be consumed, you should not over eat it. Especially if you’re trying to lose weight and/or get healthy.
  4. Eat Junk Food! What would life be like without the occasional cheesecake, or Pizza? We invented these foods because they’re delicious. OK, OK, after all that DON’T EAT JUNK FOOD stuff earlier… let’s keep this rule sensible. Limit non-natural and refined foods (Junk Food) to ONE MEAL every:
    • Month if you’re very overweight and need to lose FAT. Yes, ONCE A MONTH!
    • 2-3 weeks if you still need to lose a bit of weight, but otherwise healthy
    • Week if you are happy with your current weight,  health and fitness level

The following chart is a helpful guide in identifying foods that are good for you. It’s not the holy-nutrition-bible, obviously nutrition can get much more complicated, but when in doubt it’s a good tool!

**Interactive Version**

**Printable Version** 

DNA's Real Food Nutrition Guide

in DNA / Tips 1 comments
 by delapena1978

Just Plan It.

The number one barrier to making a real change in your nutrition tends to be…life getting in the way. You see your schedule as a major barrier to clean eating, which takes time for shopping, cooking, and cleaning up, not to mention actually sitting down to eat. When your week is crammed full of work, soccer practices, volunteer activities, dance, karate, book club, and anything else you do in the evening, the thought of adding a REAL meal may be daunting.

However, no other change is more important to your health than fitting clean eating into your life, and you are probably missing only one key step that can bust the schedule barrier for you.

It’s called PLANNING!

Compare these two scenarios:

1. Couple comes home from long day at work, crashes on the couch, turns on the news, gets hungry, and decides to amble off to the kitchen to see what’s there. In the fridge, we find a hunk of three-week-old cheddar cheese, some bacon, half a head of lettuce, an army of condiments, and perhaps a few chicken breasts. Hm. Now what? Chicken takes too long to cook and we are hungry NOW…get the door, it’s Domino’s.

2. Couple comes home from long day at work, checks the recipe board, checks the fridge, and spends the next 10 minutes chopping veggies from the fridge, adding spices to the chicken, and preheating the oven. Once the chicken is safely in the oven, couple crashes on the couch, turns on the news, and waits for the oven to beep 20 minutes later. Yum.

In the second case, the couple had planned and shopped for their meals in advance. Spending 15 minutes each week planning and maybe another hour shopping for ingredients is the best way to enable clean eating. It’s pretty simple, and the internet is there to help with automated meal planning sites – my favorite is Relish! (www.relishrelish.com), which lets you pick from a selection of meals, and spits out a shopping list and recipes. I modify the recipes to remove unwanted sugars or grains, add whatever vegetables happen to be in season, and cook accordingly. Without going into too much detail, I have a schedule that would make most master multitaskers shiver, so I don’t see time as an excuse.

Convenience is a little trickier. If you need to feed the beasts between school and soccer, meals need to be edible on the go and often at high speed. Again, planning will help, but be sure to pick entrees that go. Pre-chop cooked meat for easier eating, avoid red sauces if kids are going to eat in the car, and add plenty of crunchy finger veggies.

Don’t forget to plan your breakfast and lunch selections as well as dinner. The easiest lunch solution is to add a bunch of leafy greens to the shopping list, and cook extra meat at dinner. Chop the leftover meat, add to some greens in a portable container, sprinkle with chopped veggies, nuts, etc. as desired, sprinkle with a little oil and vinegar, and take it to go!

You CAN eat real food with a packed schedule; just devote some time for planning and shopping time each week. We can help you figure it out. You’re worth it!

in Lifestyle 0 comments
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