There is an unbelievable amount of nutritional information out there, and an overwhelming number of diets. Which ones work and which ones don’t? What’s best for me? What should I eat? When should I eat? Etc. etc. etc.

Ask no more! We’re here to break it down for you and provide what you need to achieve your goals.

Diets and nutritional information has been changing left and right for the last few years. Diets range from cabbage soup to high fat and low carbs, all designed to help you build muscle and loose weight -- right? These fad diets come and go, each promising a new body usually within a few weeks.That stops right here and right now. This isn’t a fad diet plan.

Nutrition is a tool . We will teach you how to use this tool to help achieve your fitness goals. Before you effectively use the tool, you must first understand what it’s going to do for you, and how to operate it.

Let’s start with some simple nutritional principles.

Your weight doesn’t mean much in this discussion. Throw those scales into the closet for now. The most important measuring device is your tape measure. A basket ball filled with air weighs a lot less than a basket ball filled with water, but when filled, they both look the same. For this discussion, we're not going to worry about your weight. For now let’s concentrate on how you look.

There are other times when we'll need to look at your weight to effectively calculate your body fat content and to track your progress, so don’t throw the scales in the trash just yet.

Too many of us get discouraged when we look at the scale and see that we haven’t lost any weight, or perhaps have even gained weight. We have all heard that muscle weighs more than fat, and it is true, muscle has a greater density than fat, but we always seem to associate that with a huge bodybuilder. It applies to every one of us with our various shapes and sizes. You’ll be surprised to know how much even the leanest athlete actually weighs. Just a small amount of muscle can soon outweigh all the fat, which your body gets rid of. That’s why the truth lies in the tape.

An average person’s goal is to loose excess fat from their body, and perhaps gain muscle mass. Some woman may only be interested in better muscle tone. We tend to confuse these goals with just “loosing weight”. Unless you’re a jockey, long distance runner, or someone else that requires a lighter weight, you shouldn’t care about just “loosing weight”, you should concern yourself with wanting to loose the fat.

We enjoy doing the things that helps keep our species thrive. We like to procreate keeping mankind abundant. We like to eat, keeping the abundant mankind healthy. Because food is sometimes scarce, we were programmed to REALLY enjoy eating food. If we didn’t like it so much, when it became scarce we might not put forth such an effort to find it, and slowly mankind would starve. Thank goodness we didn’t, but here now lies the problem. Food has become more abundant, but we haven’t cut back our desire to get it.

Because food was scarce at times, our body devised a way to store energy in the form of fat, which could later be used when there was no food to be found. So how did your body know when to save the excess food as fat, or burn it off? Easy, when we ate frequently, the body knew that there was lots of food to be had. It didn’t worry about saving too much of the energy as fat, because it knew that there was more on the way. However, when the food stopped coming, our bodies thought the worst and began to save for the future, and that’s why it is so very important to eat frequent meals as opposed to only eating one large meal a day. Eating only once or twice a day will bring your metabolism to a screeching halt. You’ll become a fat storing factory.

If we take a look at the animal world out there, and all of those species that don't  have people-jobs or other time consuming activities, we find the majority of their time is spent doing in one of the following activities:

• Eating or searching for something to eat.
• Sleeping or relaxing.
• Procreating.
• Playing or physically challenging each other.

These animals all live happy and health lives and stay relatively fit, minus the missing leg here and there from encounters with the larger, hungrier animals.

So what can we learn from our furry friends. Sleep, procreate, play hard, and most importantly, keep a steady flow of food coming into your body.

Eat frequently. Some say that the ideal diet plan would consist of no meals, and that food would be consumed as an all day snack. Like the range animals that spend their days grazing. This, however, is just not practical. Unfortunately, many of us have to go to work so we can afford to purchase our food.

You should, however, aim for about six meals a day; or eat every two to three hours. You don’t want your body to think that the food source is running out. The key is not to let your body get hungry, and to keep your meals small. One way to think of this is to just divide your breakfast lunch and dinner in half and eat the other half two to three hours later.

One big problem that we have to overcome is skipping meals. When you go too long without eating, your body will begin to cannibalize itself and you get very hungry which drops your willpower. When this happens, you make a bad food choice, and usually overeat. If need be, you have to plan and prepare your meals ahead of time. You should plan what and when you’re going to eat the day prior. Whether you’re in the office, at home or on the go, have the food with you and ready to eat.

This may sound like a pain in the ass, but there are many short cuts, which can make it easier. With the vast amounts of meal replacement bars, protein shakes, Tupperware and portable coolers, you’ll find that with a little practice, it’s easier than you think.

Whose house is this? This is my house and I decide who comes in and who stays out! Don’t eat junk!

Why do we eat? We humans need to eat to provide our bodies with the nutrients it needs to survive and stay healthy. That’s the only reason you NEED to eat. Unfortunately many of us whether we know it or not, eat for a variety of reasons, stress, emotional problems lack of willpower, etc.

Well, grow up. You’re not a child who has an involuntary reaction to put things in his or her mouth. You’re an adult who has control over your body and what you put in it! If you have a problem with too much fat, then stop eating for any other reason than to provide your body with the essential nutrients that it needs.

Remember, Nutrition is a Tool!

End of story, no excuses, no nothing, just do it. You’re in control and can blame no one else but yourself.

This goes for many of the harmful things that we do to our bodies. The answer is simple, DON’T DO IT!!!

I can’t help it, my husband smokes and I can’t quit as long as he still smokes… How can I eat right when my wife and kids eat like pigs and make so much food... I’m addicted to it and I can’t stop… The urge is just too strong and I can’t fight it…. I NEED a cigarette…. I NEED a beer…. Whine whine whine...

I‘ve heard them all and have thought up a few myself. What do they all have in common? It’s all BS!!!

I know there are a lot of drugs out there that are physically addictive, including tobacco. If you have a physical addiction, go get help from your doctor and come back when you’re better.

As for the rest of you, quit. End of story, you have the ability. This isn’t just a pep talk! I mean it literally, you actually have the ability to control what you put into your body.

• STOP smoking.
• Moderate your alcohol intake.
• Eat foods, which provide you with the nutrients that you need to stay healthy and physically fit.

This is going to be hard at first, and no one is going to do it for you. You have to do this yourself. Don’t rely on the support of others to get you through this. If you have it great, if you don’t, so what. What others do around you, or what they say to you doesn’t change the fact that you’re still in control of your own body and what you put into it.

Diets, diets and more diets. There are tons out there, and many work, others don’t. There are a few basic principles about dieting that the majority of these diets fall into: High Carbs, Low Fat, Calorie Reduction, High Protein/Low Carbs, etc…

None of these will pertain to you. When you’ve lost the weight and someone asks you if you were dieting, or what diet worked best for you. You can tell them that it wasn’t a particular diet plan or diet, but that you finally figured what food and eating were all about. You can tell them that you finally read the instruction manual and figured out how to use the nutrition tool.

We’re going to show you what to eat, when to eat and how to moderate what you eat to achieve the desired effects.

Don’t eat junk!

We all have a good idea on what constitutes healthy and unhealthy food. You know that when you have a skinless baked chicken breast, broccoli, and a salad that it is a good example of a healthy meal. I’m sure that you also know that a king size double burger with cheese and bacon, large fries, and a chocolate shake is a poor choice for a healthy meal. This isn’t rocket science, and this isn’t new news. So why do you still eat the king size double burger? Really, I don’t know. Ask yourself that question.

None of this means that you have to stop enjoying food, or give up great taste. The great taste is still there, you just need to learn to appreciate and respect food for what it is, fuel for your body.

Learn the basics:

(This is written with the absolute beginner in mind, someone who knows very little about nutrition. For further more advanced nutritional information, refer to the 2^nd and 3^rd step nutritional guides.)

The basic groups:

Carbohydrates (Carbs) provide your body with energy, not strength, energy.

Protein provides the building blocks for your muscles to grow.

Fat provides the essential oils needed for your machine to effectively operate.

Vegetables and roughage provide fiber and essential vitamins and minerals to your body.

There are thousands of articles and theories on all of these, but we want to keep this simple and tell you only what you need to know to manage your food effectively.

Carbohydrates can be divided in to two separate groups. Carbohydrates with a high glycemic index number and those with a low glycemic index.

They both raise your blood sugar level, giving you energy. The ones with a high glycemic index do this fast but for only a short period of time. The ones with a low index, do this much slower but for a longer more sustained period.

You want to eat the carbohydrates with a LOW glycemic index, and here is why. You want to keep your blood sugar level smooth and steady. If you eat something with a high index your level will spike and then after a short period drop back down. When the dropping back down comes, you feel as though you’re drained and will soon begin to crave another boost of high glycemic carbs. You don’t want the blood sugar roller coaster while your eating healthy. Keep your blood sugar level smooth and steady and you’ll loose the cravings.

See the Glycemic Index Chart at the Virtual Fitness Center, the lower the number the better the carb.

Protein. Can’t seem to get enough. You need from 0.8 to 1 gram of protein a day per every pound of lean muscle mass. (How much your body would weigh without fat. Go to the Body Fat Calculator at www.virtualfitnesscenter.com. After you calculate your body fat percentage, subtract this percentage from your current body weight. The outcome will provide you with an estimate of your lean muscle mass.)

Your protein sources should vary so you get a variety of proteins. Not all proteins are the same. You want to eat a lot of protein rich foods, like fish, poultry, and lean red meat. In addition, you should supplement your diet with a whey protein drink and/or protein bar. These will actually constitute one of your six meals. For example, if you eat breakfast at 7:00am, your second meal could be a meal replacement protein shake at 10:00am.

As you advance, we will discuss more about the use of proteins in your diet, but for now this is all you need to know about protein.

Fat. Simply put, if the fat retains its solid shape at room temperature (like butter) don’t eat it. Don’t eat products that contain trains- fatty acids either.

Fat that comes from fish like salmon, olive and vegetable oil, and certain seed oils are all good sources of fat. Just don’t over do it.

So trim the fat from your red meat, and peal the skin from your chicken, but don’t get too carried away counting every fat gram you ingest.

Vegetables and fruits provide fiber, which helps keep the system clean, and are filled with vitamins and minerals, which your body needs to stay healthy. Can’t get enough of those fruits and vegetables. But be careful with the fruits though, consuming too many will push you daily carbohydrate percentage through the roof and those excess carbs will be stored as fat. As for the vegatables’s, as long as they’re fibrous, like broccoli, green beans, lettuce, celery, you can eat about as much as you want. Certain vegetables are a bit higher in carbs, like carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and avocados, so go easy on them.

When to eat what?

You need to keep the proteins coming in all day long. Every meal should contain protein rich foods.

Fat. At this point it isn’t necessary for you to take in additional sources of fat. That comes later when your body fat content drops into the single digits. For now you’re probably receiving enough natural fats from the foods you eat.

Carbohydrates should be eaten early in the day to give you sustained energy throughout the day. Stop eating carbohydrates after your fourth meal, or around 3:00pm. Too much too late in the day won’t get burned up in your sleep, and will be stored as fat, and we don’t want that.

Now, your body NEEDS the calories from these foods as energy. To maintain your current weight with your current activity level, you may need to consume 2,000 calories a day (This all depends on many factors, which can be determined on the Virtual Fitness Center’s “Individual Calorie Requirements” page.). If you consume more than this, and your activity level is the same, your body may store these extra calories as fat. If you consume less than what your body needs, your body will begin to look for food elsewhere, from your fat cells and muscles putting your body into a catabolic state.

Another rough way to estimate your caloric needs, is to multiply your body weight by 13 if you have a fast metabolism, 12 for moderate or 11 for slow. This will give you an estimate of about how many calories you need to take in daily.

There’s a careful balance you need to achieve. You must take in enough calories to provide your body with energy and enough proteins for your muscles to grow. But not too much which can be stored as fat.

This sounds harder than it really is. We will break it down in percentages for you to make it easier. 20% of your calories should be from fat, 40% should be from carbs and the other 40% from protein. This you may or may notice is different from the FDA’s recommendation. (The chart with the food triangle on it.) That chart wasn’t developed with the weight lifter in mind.

MALE, 200 LBS.

*On non-training days, eliminate the high-glycemic post workout drinks and the sweet potato. Add a salad with low-calorie dressing to your evening meal or double the vegetable content of your evening meal.

FEMALE, 130 LBS.

*On non-training days, eliminate post workout drinks and the brown rice. Add a salad witnon trainingie dressing to yopost workoutmeal or double the vegetable content of your evening meal.

A Quick Word about Water...

You should be drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Don’t let yourself get dehydrated. Drink at least a gallon a day regardless of the temperature and whether or not you’re thirsty. Drink-up! A good way to guage your daily intake is to be aware of the color of your urine - yep that’s right! The ideal color is very light yellow to clear, if it’s dark yellow, you know that you need to increase your water intake.

Final Thoughts...

Your body will tell you when it needs food. Your goal is to eat enough so that your body doesn’t remind you. If you follow these basic guidelines, eat frequently and eat good quality foods, you won’t get hungry. You’ll feel better about yourself, have more energy throughout the day, and lose the unwanted excess fat.

Remember, nutrition is a tool. Use it to help achieve your fitness and health goals. I could go on and on, but it’s time to eat. See you back at the VFC.

We have the combination to unlock your potential.