A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now available. In this interview Eian interviews Sean Madigan from the podcast Dudes of Kung Fu. They talk about Martial Arts and health and how Sean lost 100 pounds. Enjoy.
Category Archives: Low Carb Meals
This is Why You Are Overeating Pt. 2 (Written)
In the last blog, we began to talk about why we overeat. In that article, we addressed one major reason why, namely we do not let our stomach regulate our intake of food. In this article, we will address three more reason why we overeat.
Toxins That Interfere With Our Appetite
One reason we overeat has to do with the fact that we consume “foods” that interfere with the hormones that regulate our appetite. These are toxins like MSG and Aspartame. Most processed snack food has MSG. And most diet drinks have Aspartame. This is why its easy to eat a whole bag of Doritos and a diet Coke and still be hungry for a meal.
Contrast this with the the effects of real food. I may be able to eat a whole can of Pringles and still want to eat more. However, if I ate the same amount of potatoes that it takes to make a whole can of Pringles, I would probably not want much else.
Drinking Sugar
Still another problem in over consumption is what we drink. This is particularly true regarding soda and fruit juice. This stuff is bad for your health for many reason. Also, it is just not filling. Someone can easily drink a days worth of calories in soda or fruit juice and still eat a days worth of calories in solid food.
The other problem is smoothies. It is important to keep in mind that not all smoothies are created equal. Some are almost identical to soda or fruit juice in their content. But even the best of smoothies can pose a problem if you are trying to lose weight. A smoothie can be a great way to get your vitamins and minerals. In many diets, it is used as a meal replacement. But because a smoothie can be healthy people see it as a “free” food. Meaning that you can have them whenever you want. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people eat their meal and have a smoothie to drink. People think they are doing something healthy, but In reality they are just having two meals.
Should be Sleeping
The last problem, at least for this blog, is that people eat when they should be sleeping. When you do not get sleep, your body craves energy. And even though you may not actually need food, your body will trick you into thinking that you are hungry.
The sad news is not only will you be falsely hungry, you will be hungry for all the wrong food. You body is saying, “We need energy quick. Grab the closest high-carb item.” The good news is there is a simple answer to this problem–sleep!
Conclusion
We overeat as a culture. But you do not have to be part of that. Let your stomach regulate your intake of food. Avoid foods that suppress the hormones that tell you you are full. Don’t drink your meals. And don’t eat when you should be sleeping. Follow these guidelines and it is nearly impossible to overeat.
Avoiding And Recovering From Injuries (Audio)
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is up. On this episode, we talk about how to avoid and recover from injuries. Enjoy.
This is Why You Are Over Eating Part 1 (Written)
First off, I want to say that this is not a blog vindicating the calorie myth. That said, the truth is we in western culture simply consume too much food. This over consumption is resulting in weight gain. It is awesome to be on a low-carb diet and not have to starve in order to lose weight. However, this does not mean that every meal should be a carb-free version of thanks giving.
What I want to talk about over the next two blog posts is why we overeat. In this blog, I will talk about one of the major reasons. What is that reason? Simply put, we let other things other than our stomach regulate when we are done eating.
So if we are not letting our stomach regulate our consumption of food, then what do we let regulate it?
What’s Left on The Plate
Often we let the plate tell us whether or not we are finished eating. Or to put it another way, when our plate is empty, we are done eating.
Paul McKenna has done experiments where he takes people out to breakfast. At breakfast he lets them order what ever they want and eat as much as they want. Most of the time the participants finish their plates. Then he takes the same subjects out on a different day and has them repeat the experience with one major edition–he blindfolds them.
The result is that most of the subjects only finish half of their food. Why? They are forced to listen to their stomach instead of their eyes in order to determine if they are full. The lesson here is to consciously check in with your stomach to see if you are actually full. If you are, stop eating.
Eating Too Fast
Another way we do not listen to our stomach is that we eat too fast. To my shame, I have gone to an all you can eat buffet and finished two plates in under 10 min. While I was working on my third plate, I discovered that I was not only that I was full but stuffed.
It takes a while for satiety signal from our food to set it. If we eat too fast we can over ride this signal.
Eating At Meal Times
There is also eating because it is meal time. That is to say we do not eat because we are hungry but we eat because it is “time” to eat. Most often this happens in the morning or at lunch.
In the morning, we are told that we should eat because we are suppose to eat breakfast even if we are not hungry. And personally speaking, I am not that hungry in the morning.
Then there is lunch. We are at work and the lunch break begins and we are suppose to eat even if we are not hungry. I cannot tell you how many times I have eaten lunch because it was “lunch time” even though I really did not want to eat.
Even though this happens mostly at breakfast and lunch, dinner can play into this too. If you have had a late or a substantial lunch, you may not be hungry at dinner time. But we eat anyway because it’s dinner time.
But why do we do this? There is no law that says you have to eat at meal times. You should eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
Other Distractions
Finally, there are other distractions. People can be distracted by conversation, TV, Internet, children…. Before you know it you are eating more than you should.
There is nothing inherently wrong with doing these things while you eat. However, check in with yourself to find out whether or not you are full. You may be surprised to find out that you are no longer hungry sooner than you think.
Final Thoughts
In closing, the only thing that should really dictate whether or not you should eat is your stomach. If truly listen to your stomach and eat only when you are hungry and stop when you full you will find that you will eat much less.
10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight Even Though Your Are Dieting and Exercising (Audio)
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now Available. In this episode, we talk about why it can be difficult to lose weight even though we are doing all the right things. Hope you enjoy.
This is Why You Are Over Eating (Audio)
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now up. This episode is all about why we overeat and how to stop. Enjoy!
Seven Things to Expect When Carb-Cycling With Dirty Carbs (Written)
Carb-cycling is generally thought of as a healthy part of your low-carb lifestyle. This means that as part of your eating protocol it is OK and even beneficial to eat a large amount carbs once every week or two. However, this brings us to an important question: What kind of carbs should you eat on your heavy carb-days? For example, should one carb up with a bunch of bananas or a pizza? Does it matter?
The truth is different experts have different opinions on this topic. Some recommend a cheat meal where no food is prohibited. Some (a very few) recommend that you should only carb-up with things like pizza and ice. Others recommend that you should only use fruit and starchy vegetables on your high-carb day.
This article is not intended to sift though all this information and tell you what is the right protocol for you. Nor am I your moral judge who is going to think less of you if you eat a pizza on your carb-day instead of a sweet potato. The truth is, I have had carbed up using both. However, if you do chose to eat “dirty” carbs for your high-carb meals, here is what you can expect:
Cravings
What I have noticed is that if I carb-up on “clean” carbs, I do not have strong cravings for bad food the next day. However, if I eat, for example, Chinese food, I really want more high-carb food the next day. In fact, I have noticed that it takes a day or two for my cravings to go away.
Over Eating
Another problem is overeating. Many dirty carbs have MSG and other excito-toxins that stimulate appetite. This is why, personally speaking, I can open up a bag of Doritos and eat the whole thing, but if I open a bag of organic, non-GMO corn chips, I cannot eat the whole bag. I’m sure many of the readers could identify.
Weight Gain
Weight gain happens any time you carbo-load. This is mostly water and has to do with glycogyn and processes I’m not going to go into here. But, in my own personal experience, I gain much more when I carb up with dirty carbs.
In addition, I have noticed that it takes much longer to lose this weight. For example, if I carb up with clean carbs I’m normally back down to my regular weight by the end of the next day. But with dirty carbs, it takes at least two and sometimes three days to lose those extra pounds.
Headache
Headache is another phenomenon. This has to do with inflammation. Carbs in general can cause inflammation on their own. However, inflammation is heightened with dirty carbs because of all the added toxins found in these carb sources.
Brain Fog
Brain fog happens for the same reason as headache. Toxins in your food will have an affect on your ability to think clearly.
Sluggishness
It’s not only your brain that suffers. Your body suffers too. Toxins just make you feel lazy like every movement takes extra effort.
Diarrhea
Finally there is disaster pants. This happens because the body is just trying its best to get those dirty carbs out of your system. Why? because if you eat low-carb and clean all week long, you body gets use to those types of foods. It is not use to not high-carb, refined food. When it hits your system your body just wants to get rid of it.
Should You Cheat With Dirty Carbs
Given all the above data, some might wonder if they should eat dirty carbs or not. Like I said above, I am not your moral judge. If you decide to carb-cycle with pizza instead of bananas, that is up to you. In fact, I have chosen the dirty carb over the clean one more often than I would like to admit. In fact, what I have noticed for myself is that when I first started to carb-cycle, I pretty much used all dirty carbs. This was due to the fact that those were the foods I was craving. So when I would have my free meal, I would go nuts. But the longer I have been healthy, the less I want those foods even on a free day/meal. So if you want to eat a dirty carb, that is your decision. You just need to be aware of the results and take them into consideration when you make that choice.
What to Expect When Carb-Cycling With Dirty Carbs
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now available. In this episode, we talk about the seven things you can expect when you use dirty carbs for your cheat meal. Also, what makes a carb dirty as opposed to clean.
Re-introducing Carbs Back Into Your Diet?
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now available. In this episode we will talk about why I have been experimenting with re-introducing carbs back into my diet and what the results have been. Enjoy!
Take Your Gym Bag With You
It can be difficult at times to stay dedicated to your workout plan. There are many things that can get in the way. However, here is one thing you can do in order to make your commitment to your workout a little easier–take your gym bag with you.
Now, I understand that many people who are dedicated to working out do so at home or in the morning. This will not apply to you.
However, if you are one of those people who go to the gym after work, this will help. Why? You can imagine why for yourself. You leave work with every intention of going home, changing, and going to the gym. But when you get home personal business gets in the way. The phone rings, you need to pick up something for dinner…. The list could go on. Or you get home and you want to sit down for just a second and once you do you realize that you are too tired to make it to the gym.
Has this happened to you? My post-work workout has been derailed more than I’d like to admit because of things like this. The way to avoid this is by simply bringing your gym bag with you. You will avoid going home and getting tangled up in everyday life.
Of course I’m not saying that bringing you gym bag with you will magically solve all the obstacles that could get in the way of your post-work gym session, but it is one easy thing you can do in order to stack the deck in your favor. So, if you are going to go to the gym after work, take your gym bag with you!
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