STARVATION DIETS
A RACE CAR
A LIMOUSINE
A RARE VINTAGE CAR
A JEEP
EACH ONE REQUIRES A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF FUEL AT DIFFERENT STAGES IN THEIR JOURNEY
TO TRANSFORM, YOU MUST EAT
In fact many people don’t see the results they want and never reach their ideal body because they are in a chronic caloric deficit, or are simply unsure of what type of nutrition works best for their body and goals.
The foods you put in your body serve as the building blocks of your physique, your muscle composition, the quality of how your body functions, performs, recovers and how resilient it is.
If you’re building a home, proteins are your brick, the fats are what binds the bricks and the carbohydrates are the energy it takes to build the home. Not only do you need these tools to build, but you also want to have quality materials: plastic or brick – processed foods or whole rich nutrient dense food.
The truth is there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to nutrition. While many things (vegan, vegetarian, all meat, low-carb, etc.) can work, they can also leave you feeling caged, calorie crazed, limited, or exhausted.
Nutrition should make you feel good. It should never feel like you are on a diet, because diets are unmanageable and unsustainable.
Every program in KBBody comes with a complete nutrition program. KBbody will teach you to eat in a way that prioritizes building a strong body, strong mind and body and ward-off disease.
You should NEVER be cutting out nutrient density, you should be cutting out poor quality processed foods.
CUTTING CALORIES WITHOUT CUTTING OUT NUTRIENTS
DRINKS
You can kick nearly 400 calories per day just by reconsidering what you drink. Yes, that includes juices, soda, alcoholic mixed cocktails, or sugary iced coffee drinks. But it also includes your sports drinks, “healthy smoothies,” and fresh juices. Even healthy beverages can jack up your calorie count and make you pack on extra pounds. Pressed vegetable and fruit juice can mount up to 440 calories for 16 ounces. Coconut water can get up to 90 calories for 16 ounces. Sports drinks? 200-400 calories a bottle! Does this mean you shouldn’t drink healthy fruit smoothies or all natural organic vegetable juices? Of course you should! The biggest mistake most people make is drinking these as a 24 snack or with their lunches or dinners. The truth is, a fruit and vegetable smoothie or juice should be looked at as a meal. Yes– the next time you drink a healthy juice, treat that as your lunch or breakfast.
Sports drinks? Unless you are an endurance or professional athlete, or participating in an outdoor activity that will last over 60 minutes – kick the sports drinks! The calories and sugars outweigh the so called “benefits.” Think of it this way: sports drinks are made for “special events” like marathons. Otherwise, keep it simple with water.
Alcohol: Mixed drinks can have as much as 300 calories per serving, depending on what type of drink you are having. The best way to cut calories, but still enjoy a drink, is to cut all of the juice and soda out of your mixed drinks. Tonic is high in calories too. So next time you are having a drink – stick with wine, ultra-light beer, or alcohol mixed with ice and soda water. Garnish with fresh lemon or lime and enjoy!
For a fun mojito and other such great low calorie recipe, see the blog on our website.
Milk: Does a body good, yes, but by drinking a glass here and adding it to cereals and coffee, the calories add up quickly. Milk, and even skim milk, contains lots of calories and is also high in sugars and carbohydrates. When cutting your calories, portion your milk to one glass and account that into your daily calories. You can also try all natural almond milk as a low-sugar alternative.
PROCESSED FOODS
Dumping processed foods like soda, baked goods, fruit drinks, frozen pizzas, fast-food takeout, and flavored yogurt cuts about 325 empty calories every day.
The rules for processed food are simple: only 25% of your food should come out of a package. Examples include cereal, frozen foods, microwavables, and canned foods. Of course there are healthy cereals like no-sugar-added whole grain puffs and frozen vegetable steamers. However, as a rule, canned soda, packaged muffins and breads, and ready-to-make meals are typically processed, so avoid them, or cut a good portion out of your diet.
Confused about food shopping? Don’t be – your food should mainly come from the produce aisle. Included in that should be vegetables, fruits, meats, chicken, fish, and eggs.
SALADS
Unfortunately, the modern salad has too often become a “calorie food trap.” Just because it has a hint of greens inside and is termed a “salad,” does not mean it is not hiding an excess of 300-400 calories. These are calories your salad can do without. Calories that can significantly make a difference in your waistline. Calories that have little to no nutritional value.
Croutons, bread, an overabundance of nuts, a variety of deli meats, cheeses, dried fruits, and especially dressings can significantly add on unexpected and often undetected calories. Did you know that on average half a cup of dried fruits can have 166 added calories? Salad dressing – 150 to 300 extra calories per serving!
Dressing your salad should be simple. Try lemon juice instead of store bought balsamic vinaigrette and you will cut nearly 77 calories per ounce. Ideal dressings: oil and vinegar (not vinaigrette), oil and lemon, or non-fat Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Honey mustard and lemon is another great clean eating dressing trick.
SUGAR
Cutting sugar alone can rid your daily diet of an extra 300-800 calories! It doesn’t mean you can never enjoy cheesecake or your favorite cupcake again. It isn’t about an occasional indulgence;
it’s your daily sugar intake that matters most. Oddly enough, you probably don’t even notice or particularly enjoy the daily sugar crave as much as that apple pie you look forward to on Thanksgiving. It’s not about never eating good food you love. It’s about cutting the daily sugar you don’t even notice anymore.
Did you know that food manufacturers commonly place sugars in foods you wouldn’t associate with a sweet tooth like pita bread, soy sauce, and dressing? This is another reason to read your labels, and avoid anything with sugars higher than 8 grams, unless it’s an all- natural pressed vegetable juice, which contains sugars you can have daily.
The worst part? Sugar can become addictive. You know that daily 3 p.m. candy or sugary iced coffee urge? It’s so hard to fight because
it’s not just a craving – it’s an addiction! Studies have shown that sugar stimulates receptors that activate the same pathways that are excited directly by drugs such as heroin or morphine. By constantly eating sugar, you also force your pancreas to work overtime. As you eat more, it pumps out massive amounts of insulin; and eventually your body may become less sensitive to sugar.
Now, not all sugar is created equal. Natural fructose like the ones you get in your fruits don’t trigger more cravings, and fruits are full of fiber and nutrients.
Here are a few tips to help you cut the sugar. Think you can’t? How about Step 1, it only takes 5 days to cleanse your system of sugar cravings…
Step 1. Like any addict, you need to detox before you can fully recover. According to studies, it takes 5 days to overcome your cravings for sugar, and you’ll feel bad for about three of them. After that you will realize the difference, and you won’t crave your daily sugar anymore. So, ideally you would aim to take out all unnatural sugars from your diet for 5 days. Fruits, vegetables, and red wine are fine. So is Greek yogurt and other natural foods.
Step 2. Studies show that about 90% percent of sugar addicts skip breakfast. When you eat breakfast, you prevent the drop in blood sugar that makes you crave sugar later in the day. Step 2 is putting breakfast back into your diet. Try green juice, Greek yogurt, berries, eggs, and vegetables as your daily starter.
Step 3. Satisfy your sweet tooth with apples and berries, which contain natural fruit sugar and are also loaded with fiber and antioxidants;
not dried fruits or juices! Enjoy fresh fruits and keep them in portion control with the daily caloric intake we came up with in the Energy In vs. Energy Out plan.
Step 4. IF you absolutely MUST have ice cream or cake, make it your meal! That’s right, the 400 calories you just ingested from that green tea vanilla bean ice cream is now your lunch. Also, don’t make a habit of it. This should happen on rare occasion, but when it does, it’s okay!
Step 5. When you simply must have a cupcake or a candy bar, stick to 100-to-150-calorie portions and 16 grams of sugar or less.
Step 6. Just Kick It: Get rid of candy, sugary iced coffee drinks, ice cream, and soft drinks in your daily diet. If you drink soda, or your favorite icy treat every day, try having one every other day, then once a week, then not at all. Try to replace that mid-day treat with a lower sugar option, or a different reward like downloading a new song and building your workout playlist! Redirection is key. Put the money you uneven kettlebells. Repeat full 60-day program at least once a year.