The 70% Percent

With my recent success in weight loss and coaching through Team Beachbody, I have had a lot of people ask me what the secret to my success is. Many people out there are looking for the magic pill, diet, cleanse or surgery that will give them the body they've always wanted, but the cold hard truth of the matter is that it's the good old fashioned diet and exercise that make the difference. 

Often, people accustom themselves to being more active and incorporating exercise into their daily life which can be the biggest push to success. However, if you truly want to become healthy and loss weight, you have to follow the mindset that results come from 70% diet, 30% exercise. While exercise makes you feel amazing, and has excellent health benefits of it's own, if you aren't eating clean, you won't see lasting results. I'm going to dive in to the idea of eating clean, and explain a little about how I personally made the transition over from my regular-20 something- crappy-college-poor kid-diet. 

SO What is eating CLEAN? 

No, you're not ingesting chemicals, or juicing the toxins out of your body with cranberry juice. Eating clean is the process of eating whole natural foods. (http://eatingcleanworks.com/what-is-eating-clean.html) You focus on making all your food FUEL for your body, which means no processed junk. A good way to think about it is how it effects your body's performance? What is the food doing for your body? Fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, legumes and carbohydrates all help the body function and contribute to FUELING your body for activity, so they are considered the clean nutrition. 

What DONT you eat on a clean diet? 

• Anything with refined sugar
• Processed foods
• Significantly reduce alcohol consumption

It can sound a little overwhelming at first, when you are trying to cross over into the realms of eating clean, but it is truly the best way to get great results for the hard work you've been putting in with exercise. Even if you aren't trying to lose weight, eating clean is essential to keeping the body pure of toxins and chemicals that don't belong there. 

How does it feel to eat clean?

When I first started eating clean, it was a struggle. I craved the most unhealthy of foods all the time and didn't feel satisfied with what I was getting. Why? Because my body was ADDICTED to JUNK! When you feed yourself processed foods, your body becomes accustomed to it and craves it, when it naturally doesn't even need it at all! After a month or so of adjustment, and with the incorporation of shakeology (find out more about shakeology at myshakeology.com/mjfitness11) I found I was not craving bad food after a while, in fact, my cravings switched to APPLES and carrots! Once you rid your body of the urges from processed food, you can focus on feeding the body for fuel. When I got to that point, i started to feel lighter, less jiggly and uncomfortable, and NEVER have stomach pains or digestion issues. 

How can you start eating clean and getting results?

There are a lot of different ways to approach a clean diet, some people may be able to cross over immediately into a pure clean diet, others might need more weaning off the processed foods, depending how how bad they have depended on it in the past. I have found certain strategies are helpful for introducing clean food into the diet: 

• Think about WHAT you crave and why. Is it cheesy stuff? Bread? Thing about what you think will be the hardest to miss and incorporate it in your diet in a clean way by making substitutions. Love taco night? Swap ground beef for ground turkey! Hamburgers your weakness? Test out a turkey or veggie burger. When you're starting out, it's all about the little changes that bring BIG results. Eventually, as time goes along, you can aim for cleaner and cleaner nutrition as you go. Gradual change brings the best success for many people.
• Watch portions. Even with healthy, cleaner foods, calories still add up! Peanut butter is a GREAT monounsaturated fat, but a serving is 2 table spoons. Keeping track of portions makes a big difference in your results.
• If you are on the go, prepare your clean snacks so you don't have to struggle to find a place that meets your needs. I always take almonds, carrots, apples or other varieties with me in my bag so I have NO excuse to buy anything. Plus, saves you money! 
• If you are eating with friends and you are sharing a meal, don't be afraid to suggest a healthier option or incorporation, such as swapping paste for whole grain pasta. You may even inspire them to make better choices, so you should never feel bad or embarrassed that you're making a fuss. You're doing what's right for YOUR body, and that's honorable. 
• Join a support group like the one I offer on facebook. (fired up for fitness groupies represent!) Having other people to talk to about your new lifestyle, answer questions and set the example can make all the difference in your success. You don't have to do it alone! (If you're interested in joining my group on facebook, shoot me a friend request, comment or message!) 
• Find a few veggies and fruits you really enjoy and incorporate them daily. I have a newfound love for bell peppers and just throw them in my eggs, quesadillas, pasta, or anything! The veggies make whatever I'm cooking more filling, add flavor and get in my daily veggie quota easy! 
• Cross over to the DARK side: Switch to MULTI-GRAIN or 100% Whole Wheat made with Whole grain. Bread, pasta, rice, everything. There are far more nutrients, they have more flavor and they are better for your body! Watch out for trickster grocery stores that have "whole wheat" without the stamp of approval, whenever possible choose the "whole grain" option unless the whole wheat product ensures that it's made 100% whole wheat. Many companies DYE the bread and call it whole wheat. 
• Always always always read the ingredients lists. The shorter the list, the less processed it is and cleaner for your diet.
• Consider quinoa! A curious little grain that can be substituted for rice and has AMAZING health benefits. Seriously, check it out. :)
• Count calories alongside the portions. There are plenty of great apps out there now, that also work online. I personally use myfitnesspal and love it because of the product scanner and group support aspect. Add me if you want, i'm:  Fired4Turbo07!

Most importantly: Be PATIENT with yourself. Changing your lifestyle is a process and probably wont happen overnight. Allow yourself a cheat meal a week, if you feel you need it. I know I take one, because it cuts that urge to have something bad all the time if I just have a little treat each week. No one is perfect, and sometimes you do deserve to indulge. Dealing with friends and family CAN be a challenge when they are not supportive of your healthy lifestyle or don't eat the same way. Remember: don't be the food police, but make accommodation for yourself whenever possible.Don't be to hard on yourself, you have already decided to make this amazing change for your health and your body WILL thank you.  

Feel free to comment or throw any questions my way, and thanks for reading!