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.
Tag Archives: dieting
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.
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!
Intermittent Fasting Wars PT. 4
This is the final installment in this short series of articles on intermittent fasting (IF). In this article, I will explain what IF protocol I used and why. Also, I will give you some tips on choosing an intermittent fasting protocol for yourself.
Which IF I Used
I chose the Warrior Diet because it was, in my opinion, the easiest to follow. Why? First off it is a daily plan. I did not have to remember whether this was a day I was eating or not. I just did the same thing every day.
Also, on the Warrior Diet I got to eat every day which made it easier to stick to my low-carb lifestyle. This did not always happen as I will explain later, but being able to eat every day made low-carb a more viable option. On the other hand, when I experimented with alternate day fasting and Eat Stop Eat one of the biggest problems I had with these diets is that after 24 hours of fasting, I wanted to eat everything in sight. On these diets you are allowed to eat normally which I have described in previous posts. But after a 24 hour fast I wanted to eat like it was Thanksgiving.
Like I said above, I did not always eat low-carb when I was on the Warrior Diet. And the truth is that you do not have to. But I did eat low-carb most of the time. However, the ability to eat whatever I wanted during my eating window allowed me to be more flexible while eating with my friends and family.
Which IF Plan Should You Do?
First off, do not be afraid to experiment. And do not be afraid to switch to another plan if one is not working out. But you must be able to chose a plan that you will stick to and that will fit into your life. If you live alone and do not mind skipping a day of eating, you might do better on alternate day fasting or Eat Stop Eat. If you have a family and you eat with them every night, you might do better on the Warrior Diet. Just remember the best plan is the one you will actually do.
Final Observation
One more thing I noticed about IF that I wanted to mention has to do with the fact that a lot of these plans allow you to have carbs during your eating window. However, what I noticed is that the the longer your eating window is the more low-carb you need to go in order to see results. For example, if you are going to break your fast between 14-18 hours and give yourself a longer eating window, you need to really be cautious of the carbs you are eating. Basically you need to stick to a low-carb diet. On the other hand if you fast for 20 plus hours you have a greater tolerance for carbs. This means that if you only eat for say two hours, you can eat more carbs and still lose weight.
Advanced Weight Loss Resources 