I certainly am. I'm into week 4 of my Elimination Diet and going well. No alcohol, caffeine, processed food or sugar for 30 days. If you want more information on this diet then check out my free fat loss report "9 Powerful Secrets to Losing Bodyfat!"
Anyway, that's not why I'm messaging you. I sometimes write about health & fat loss for my local magazine and, having thumbed through a recent edition, I realised I hadn't uploaded the article here so I just wanted to share with you my 5-step success plan. These are just some of the steps that I use successfully on both myself and with my private clients. I hope you are too.
1. Focus On Whole Natural Foods And Short Burst Workouts
Eat organically whenever you can and avoid anything that's been tinned, canned or packaged. Instead of long steady "cardio" activity focus on short burst workouts like circuit training and intervals to help burn off more bodyfat. These workouts have been research-proven to burn more calories long after the workout finishes.
2. Write Down What You're Eating.
Research shows that those that use a food diary are more likely to achieve fat loss success than those who don't. You can download yours for free over at my website.
3. Stop Beating Yourself Up!
If you fall off the wagon with your diet, then don't beat yourself up,just forget about it, move on and think that tomorrow will be a much better day. Try to get as much control over your health and fitness as you can by shopping, planning and preparing.Know what you're going to have to eat tomorrow, and the next and the next and STICK TO IT!
4. Surround Yourself With People Who Have The Same Goals As You.
The truth of the matter is that most people will hold you down and don't want to see you succeed. Hang around with others who share the same fitness/fat loss/health goals as you so you can benfit from shared knowledge, commitment, support and success.
Surround yourself with positive people and ditch the "energy drainers" from your life.
5) Create Some "Me-Time" For Yourself
Trying to please everybody is a recipe for failure. You need to find time you can label as your own, not your kids, your partner or your friends - YOURS!!! Because until you put yourself first, just occasionally, you will NEVER find the time to do what you want to do.
And there you have them, my 5-step fat loss success plan. Follow those steps and I'm sure you'll see some success.
This month I'm giving up wheat, dairy processed food and alcohol for a full 30 days.
I figured over the summer hols I have been a bit lapse with my diet. Various foods that I'd given up at the start of the year have slowly crept back in to my diet. I've also been feeling a little sluggish of late so I've decided for the month of September to clean my diet up.
For the next 30 days, I'll be completely giving up:
1)All forms of wheat (so that's bread, pasta,cakes,various cereals)
I get alot of questions about my nutritonal philosophy I use both on myself and with my clients.
"Do you ALWAYS eat organic?"
"What do you eat every day?"
"What metabolic type are you?"
"What supplements do you take?"
The answers are:
"No, I don't ALWAYS eat organic, although I do whenever I can and when I'm following my 60 day detox plan then I will eat organic foods. Period.
"My metabolic type is mixed, meaning my meal proportions should be around 50% carbs, 40% protein and 10% oils fats. They're not always like this, but generally speaking I'll try to keep this in mind without getting too scientific.
The last thing I want to do is start measuring and weighing each meal." I'm way too busy for this."
"The only supplement I take is creatine. I used to take lot's before I discovered that many of the supplements out there are just a complete waste of money and leave you know better off than before."
And what do I eat every day? Well "a wide variety of food"(and that's my first diet secret). Instead of sticking to the same food choices, day in day out I like to switch it up.
So let's take a look at what I typically eat on a regular basis
6:00am Breakfast - I teach my Bootcamp at 6:45am so I like to have some breakfast before I head off to the park.
Either:
Organic Muesli Bluberries Crushed Walnuts, Pecans & Brazil Nuts Half a chopped banana 1 cup of Almond Milk
or:
Organic Porridge Raisons Almonds, Hazelnuts & Pumpkin Seeds 1 cup of Milk/Water
Along with either of those recipes I'll have either a pear or an apple and recently I've been having green tea aswell.
11am Brunch - Usually after a busy morning of teaching Bootcamp and training clients I will grab a mid morning snack to keep me going until Lunch.I'll typically take the snack to work with me.
This can vary from day to day but usually will consist of either
Natural peanut butter on celery sticks, Organic Hummus with celery or carrots. 2 boiled eggs with garden salad
I've also tried peanut butter spread onto an apple and it was really good. Try that combo sometime.
I'm always trying a new fruit or vegetable(that's secret #2).
A few years ago, I wouldn't say I was a fussy eater but I was sooo regimented with my eating habits. I always used to have a set meal plan and this would hardly ever vary throughout the week.
I am now more open minded about what I eat and am willing to try a new fruit or vegetable out whenever possible.
Anyone can learn to eat better over time.
Heck, if I can do it then so can you!
Workout then Lunch 12-1pm
In between clients I'll workout around noon (give or take half an hour)for around 45 minutes.
I used to glug down a protein shake religeously after each workout whereas now I'll tend to go for a regular chocolate milkshake that you can buy in the supermarket as research shows clearly that there's no real difference between the two (apart from saving yourself a ton of money of course).
I sometimes have nuts an berries aswell. It depends on where I am and what I feel like having really. If I know I'm going to be out of the house for more than 4 hours then I'll prepare my food before I leave so that I'm not left not knowing what to eat during the day.
As a general rule I'll always try to eat natural, wholesome foods and steer clear of anything tinned, canned or packaged wherever possible(Secret #3).
Lunch will always vary. Here are a 3 things that I'll typically have:
I don't often have bread but when I do I go for spelt or rye as regular bread (with wheat in) tends to bloats me out.
After lunch I'm real busy. I have more private clients then Bootcamp class at 6:30pm. Sometimes I have clients all the way through until 8pm so my dinner time can vary from 6 through to 8 although generally speaking I won't eat anything after 9pm.
This isn't set in stone, I just find I sleep better if I don't eat too near bedtime.
Here are a few recipes that I'll have for dinner:
Chicken Breast With Garden Salad
Organic Steak with Spinach and Mushrooms
Smoked Mackerel with green beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms & spinach
So as you can see from this meal plan that when I go shopping, I'll fill my shopping bags with nothing other than meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables (Secret #4).
Check the video out below =>
Ok, so that's what I eat. It's certainly better than the average western world diet. I sometimes like to have a dessert (if I'm eating out) and I do have a beer every now and then but generally speaking I'll follow this.
Personally, I think staying away from foods that are high in carbohydrate and trans-fats (like pizza, chips, cakes, pastries or anything fried) is a good idea.
If you can do that, and follow a diet that is rich with raw nuts, fruit and vegetables than you'll lose bodyfat without going hungry.
If you have any nutrition questions then let me know here.
Here's to your fatloss success,
Sam Winkworth
PS - Please post your nutrition questions and comments below!
Hi, sorry to hit your inbox over the weekend, but I just HAD to let you know about something that came through my letterbox only yesterday!
You know last week I was telling you how we need to eat organically to help beat the credit crunch and I gave you a few ideas on how to get hold of organic fruit and vegetables quickly and easily?
Well through my letter box yesterday came a leaflet advertising an organic company that delivers fruit boxes, veg boxes, even meat boxes right to your door! It seems that I’m not the only one trying to get the organic message out there!
The company is called Riverford and it looks as though they deliver to your door for free and you don’t even have to be in to receive your order. If you’re anything like me I’m so busy travelling from one clients house to another that I barely have time to go shopping!
Oh yeah, I best give you the link that was on the leaflet:
And I’m in no way affiliated with them whatsoever. I genuinely had no idea these guys existed until yesterday but there’s no doubt that I’ll be using them more now and I’ll be telling my paying clients about them.
Its www.riverford.co.uk I’ve already ordered my first veg box with them!
Ok, I’ll leave you in peace now I promise!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’ll catch yah later,
Sam : ) Your Fatloss Coach www.evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com
I won’t keep you for too long today, I know you’re very busy.
Is it me or is anyone else getting fed up with all this talk of recession and ‘credit crunch’ at the moment? I only have to pick a newspaper up or flick on the TV to find some coverage on the " Global financial meltdown."
OK, we ALL know our economy has seen better days, we’ve established that now, we don’t need it forced down our throat but rather than whinge about it and use it as an excuse to wallow in self-pity, why not take this situation and use it to your advantage to kickstart your fatloss goals?
I’m here to say that you CAN beat the credit crunch by following my "six of the best" shopping tips. Not only will you save money dramatically on your next shopping budget during these hard times ahead but you’ll also be eating healthier and smarter than you’ve perhaps ever done before!
Ok, enough waffling, lets save some money and lose some fat!!
Tip 1: Shop Online:
Food Shopping online will help you stick to your shopping list that you’ve made and you won’t be tempted by food you can’t see. Also, you’ll save some money on petrol as you won’t be driving to the supermarket.
Tip 2: Shop Smarter:
I’m always telling my clients to eat organic and I stick by this 100%. Support your local farmers, butchers and fishmongers. Not only will the food be more nutritious but it will also help save on the cost.
Many companies these days deliver organic produce to your door offering varying quantities and price. You simply decide how much you want to spend and how often and the truck will turn up at the appointed time and place. How easy is that?
And incase you’re thinking that this is all sounding really expensive, then think again! A client of mine used to spend £200 a week feeding a family of 5 in a regular supermarket, yet I cut their bill to £137 by shopping this way. There you go. Living proof that you can live healthily without breaking the bank!
Tip 3: Steer clear of packaged food
Any food that has been tinned, canned or packaged is more expensive and, incidentally is VERY processed and not as good for you than the same food that is found loose in supermarkets. Fill your shopping trolley with nothing other than fish, poultry, wholegrain, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables and see the pounds knock off your final price as well as a change in your body shape too!
Tip 4: Hunt down those special offers
Hunt down all those special offers and BOGOF (buy one get one free offers) that you can find. Track down the shelf with all the end-of-day marked-down goods on it. Look out for cheap fruit and vegetables at the end of the day, if it’s not bought they’ll only chuck it out, so if you plan on eating them over the next couple of days, then this is a fantastic way of saving even more money on your shopping bill.
Tip 5: Don’t shop when you’re hungry!
We’ve all done it! This can lead to buying unnecessary, impulsive things. Our supermarkets are getting better and fresher all the time, so when we walk in, we are bombarded with great colours, tastes and smells. Eat first, shop later! Don’t get sucked in by all the great smells!
Tip 6: Make a shopping list and stick to it
This will help you avoid all those impulse buys that see your shopping bill shoot up
Bonus tip
I know I said I’d give you six but I thought I’d give you one more tip:
Apply cost-effective cooking techniques.
This is so simple yet is often so overlooked by most people I talk to when it comes to cutting their food bill. Preparing Stews, casseroles and broths is not only a great way of making food last long after you’ve cooked it (provided its only for a few days after) but they’re a great way of getting all your protein vitamins and minerals all in one hit.
This is what our ancestors used to do years ago during the war. Not that I was around during the last world war but talking to my grandad, in his household, a big stew would be left on the stove and would last his family for days and my grandad had 3 brothers and 2 sisters!
I don’t know about you but the last time I looked through his family album I didn’t see anyone overweight, why don’t you check your grandads family album? I guarantee you won’t find any one of your great great grandads or grandmas overweight.
Why? Because they ate sensibly that’s why. Ok, admittedly there wasn’t so much choice around back then and there was a war on so they all had to rationalise however the principle is there.
We need to eat like this! Eat how your ancestors ate!
Try this simple technique, you’ll be amazed at how many pennies you’ll save!
There you go, try my "6 of the best" the next time you go food shopping and let me know how much money you save and how much fat you lose from following them…
Talk to you soon, and please, no more talk of recession!!!!
Sam Winkworth Your Fatloss Coach
PS - If you’d like more information on how you can cut your food bill whilst losing body fat the fast and healthy way then it might be worth giving us a call.
Go to http://www.evolutionfitnessandnutrition.com/3_easy_steps_to_reducing_body_fat.html to find out more information or alternatively give us a call on 07817403398 and we’ll talk you through the procedure.
