My "diet secrets"

This post is specifically for those who have hit me on Facebook, emails and/or text messages asking me for advice.

I figured, I'd write it all down here for you for your viewing convenience. But before I begin, I must say...I am NOT an expert and I am NOT telling you this is what you should do. To be successful at any lifestyle change, you have to do what works for you which might differ from what I enjoy.

I consider myself an aspiring Paleo eater which I'm 80% there but I still have the nuts and bolts to figure out (i.e. cutting grains, less dairy..etc).

Anyhow....here are the two biggies.

My Diet

The majority of my diet is clean, unprocessed foods. I eat vegetables, fruits, eggs and meats mainly. My diet is basically high fat (yes fat will NOT make you fat), moderate protein and lower carb. It took one year of playing around with my numbers to figure this out. I felt the best on this breakdown...so I'm sticking with it.

As for the fat thing, contrary to popular belief...fat is good for you. Healthy fats which you can get from oils, nuts (and their butters), butter,eggs and meat. Fats keep full for a long time, not to mention fatty food is just delicious. Just absolutely NO TRANS FATS OR HYDROGENATED OILS!!!!

Protein is especially important when you begin an exercise program. In the beginning of a program you generally lose weight pretty quickly. But this weight is mostly water weight and your muscle mass depleting (especially if you are doing chronic cardio). By packing on the protein you can help retain the muscle mass that you already have. You will not get bigger by any means (it's impossible to build muscle in a calorie deficit which I'm assuming you already know the drill about calories). The more muscle mass you have the leaner you look and the healthier you are. However, this doesn't mean you will be the 120 pounds you are striving for. It doesn't work that way. You could look lean and mean at 140 pounds or 110 pounds. I'm not the biggest fan of setting specific weight goals for this reason, I focus on performance goals (i.e. doing a set of 10 pushups). Do whatever goals work for you, just don't get overly boggled down about a scale.

Calories in and calories out is only half of the equation. If it were simple math, I don't think America would have the obesity problem like we do. The quality of the calories matters a great deal. Yes, you could lose weight eating 1200 calories of Snickers but chances are you'd feel like shit and look like it too. But if you replace those calories with whole foods like veggies, fruit and meats you will see and feel the differences that extend far beyond the scale.

Don't tell yourself you CAN'T have anything either (just soda, it's gross). Learn to eat the bad foods in moderation. I aim to be good 80% of the time. I'd go insane if I couldn't eat pasta or have a piece of pizza now and then.

Oh, and don't touch any supplements until you REALLY got a handle on your diet.

My Exercise Program

My exercise regime consists mainly of lifting...and lifting heavy (which is relative) to the point of leaving the gym with an elevated heart rate and a sweaty mess. If you are a woman reading this, don't panic. As I said, you cannot build muscle eating a deficit since muscles require a considerable amount of energy.

I aim to do exercises that are the most "natural" like squatting and I do lots of compound movements (working two or more muscles at the same time) and exercises using my own body weight like push ups for example.

Don't work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. Either do a split body routine or a full body workout with a day of rest in between.

For cardio, I've added running into the mix (Couch to 5K program, look it up if you are interested) and I do High Interval Intensity Training. HIIT you can do anywhere and it takes 10-15 minutes.

With HIIT you work at a medium intensity for a minute and do an all out effort for 30 seconds for running. If I'm doing a low impact cardio like the elliptical machine my sprints are a bit longer.

But to note: this is how I structure mine. HIIT you can structure anyway you want and with any cardio form of choice. You can do it with your own body weight if you wanted to.

I'm currently working on revamping my routine because quite frankly, I'm bored with it...

But those are the two biggies. The reason for strength training and HIIT is that it leaves an after burn. You continue to burn calories from your session long after you left the gym.

Also to add...quality exercise>quantity. I can assure you that I get a better workout with my 10-15 minute HIIT sessions 2 or 3 times a week vs the chick who spends 20 hours a week on a treadmill. Make it intense, not necessarily long!

Generally, I do a steady state cardio once a week...maybe a walk on the path or something. I even consider household chores and studying/going to class cardio. Life to me is cardio, if that makes sense lol.


As for wisdom I have to offer...I have a few things.


1. Take one step at a time. You cannot overhaul your entire life in one day. I've been at this for a year and I still have things to work on. It's great to set big goals, but also set small goals that will ultimately get you to that big goal. It can be anything from parking farther away, quitting soda or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The more small goals you reach, the closer you are to the big goal and you'll be amazed to how much your confidence improves.

2. Stop making excuses. Everyone has time to workout, eating healthy isn't expensive (you just have to be creative) and I don't give a shit how much your feet hurt from your long day at work. Don't try, just fucking get it done. We all have hectic lifestyles full of road blocks. But please, don't add anymore SELF CREATED road blocks.. Anything worth having is life takes hard work and self discipline...you just have to ask yourself "How bad do I want this?"

3. Be aware of where you are getting your information from. It's best to stick with 2 or 3 people that really know their shit (and of course practice what they preach) and stick with that. Don't ask 50 people for health advice, chances are they will all say something different which will ultimately make you confused and discouraged.

4. Always recognize your accomplishments no matter how small they maybe. Own your accomplishment and be proud of them. I don't care if it's losing the first 10 pounds, doing a chin up or making it a point to walk your dog...or even opting for a piece of fruit instead of a crappy bagel.

5. Don't compare yourself to others. You can workout until your blue in the face, count every single calorie and ensure you are eating the cleanest of the clean. But if you don't get a grip on whatever insecurities that linger within you, they can and will creep up on you and bite you in the ass. As far as I'm concerned, comparison is the route of unhappiness.


I think that's all I have for now.

If you are looking for quick fixes, I won't be able to help you. Realize this takes patience and persistence and should go beyond vanity purposes.

This should be about changing your lifestyle so you can live a long, happy and healthy life both physically and mentally.

If I left anything out, or any other questions feel free to ask!