Teaching a nutrition philosophy to my clients

When I first started doing nutrition counseling I noticed that most, if not all, of my clients had followed some "diet" at one time or another. They also had varying degrees of success which inevitably was followed by an inability to "stick" with the diet. This led to an increase in their initial weight, feelings of depression and/or failure and finally they went back to the way they were eating before starting their diet.
Before putting together my nutrition plan, I give my clients a handout which outlines my philosophy. You will notice that this plan talks about 5 key points that affect someones ability to lose and maintain their weight.
Instead of focusing on just a meal plan, I want my clients to understand what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Once they start to follow this philosophy then it becomes more of a lifestyle change instead of a diet.
5 FUNDAMENTALS OF THE BODY FOR YOU PROGRAM


THERE ARE 5 FUNDAMENTALS OF THE BODY FOR YOU NUTRITION LIFESTYLE AND EACH ONE MUST BE MET IN ORDER TO GET THE ABSOLUTE BEST RESULTS WITH THE PROGRAM.

1. RMR

THIS STANDS FOR RESTING METABOLIC RATE. IMAGINE LYING IN BED FOR A PERIOD OF 24 HOURS. EVEN THOUGH WE ARE NOT PHYSICALLY “ACTIVE” OUR BODY CONTINUES TO KEEP US ALIVE AND THIS REQUIRES A UNIQUE AMOUNT OF CALORIES (ENERGY). BASED ON YOUR AGE, SEX, WEIGHT AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE I WILL DETERMINE WHAT THIS NUMBER IS FOR YOU. IF YOU CURRENTLY ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH CALORIES TO SUPPORT JUST YOUR RMR, I WILL NEED TO INCREASE YOUR CALORIES. WHEN YOU DON’T EAT ENOUGH CALORIES TO MEET YOUR RMR YOU ARE BASICALLY TELLING YOUR BODY TO CONSERVE FAT AND USE YOUR MUSCLE TISSUES FOR ENERGY.



2. THE PEAK/CRASH/CRAVE SYNDROME
TRADITIONALLY MOST PEOPLE EAT THEIR 3 “SQUARE” MEALS PER DAY. UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF OUR MEALS HAVE CONSISTED OF REFINED SUGARS OR SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES (THINK OF ANYTHING WHITE SUCH AS PASTA, RICE, BREAD, CEREALS). THIS CAUSES A RAPID INCREASE IN BLOOD SUGAR (GLUCOSE). IN RESPONSE THE BODY TRIES TO COMPENSATE BY PRODUCING INSULIN. HOWEVER, WHEN INSULIN CANNOT DO IT’S JOB PROPERLY (BECAUSE THE BLOOD SUGAR IS SO HIGH) THE BODY WILL STORE ANY EXCESS BLOOD SUGAR AS BODY FAT. IN ORDER TO AVOID THIS YOU WILL HAVE TO EAT AT LEAST 5 SMALL MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

3. TYPE OF CARBOHYDRATES
NOT ALL CARBOHYDRATES ARE CREATED EQUAL. WHENEVER WE EAT CARBOHYDRATES (RICE, POTATOES, PASTA, AND CEREAL ETC.) THE BODY WILL CONVERT THIS INTO GLUCOSE (BLOOD SUGAR). BASICALLY YOU WANT THE BODY TO TAKE ITS’ TIME TO CONVERT OUR CARBOHYDRATES INTO GLUCOSE AS THIS WILL NOT CAUSE A RAPID INCREASE IN BLOOD SUGAR.

LOOK AROUND YOUR KITCHEN THIS EVENING. LOOK AT THE NUTRITION BREAKDOWN (PROTEIN, FAT, CARBOHYDRATES PER SERVING).
FOR EXAMPLE: ITEM “A” HAS 20 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES PER SERVING. DOES THIS TELL YOU ANYTHING?
NO! IT DOESN’T TELL YOU THE “TYPE” OF CARBOHYDRATE. UNDER THE WORD CARBOHYDRATE YOU SHOULD SEE THE WORD “SUGAR.” IF ITEM “A” HAS 10 GRAMS OF SUGAR THEN YOU KNOW THAT OF THE 20 TOTAL GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATE, 10 OF THEM OR 50% IS MADE UP OF PURE SUGAR. REMEMBER THAT SUGAR IS THE SIMPLEST FORM OF CARBOHYDRATE AND THIS WILL CAUSE A RAPID RISE IN BLOOD SUGAR (SOMETHING WE ARE TRYING TO AVOID).
IF YOU DON’T SEE SUGAR LISTED UNDER CARBOHYDRATES THEN LOOK FOR THE INGREDIENT LIST WHICH IS USUALLY FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PACKAGE. INGREDIENTS ARE LISTED FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST SO IF YOU SEE SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, GLUCOSE ETC. AS THE 2ND INGREDIENT THEN YOU KNOW THAT THE PRODUCT WILL BE RATHER HIGH IN SUGAR.


4. PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL

PROTEINS (EGG WHITES, CHICKEN, SOME CHEESE, FISH, ETC.) WILL NOT CAUSE A RISE IN BLOOD SUGAR AND IN FACT CAN HELP LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR. YOU NEED TO EAT A LITTLE BIT OF PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL. BECAUSE OF THIS, I RECOMMEND BUYING A GOOD QUALITY PROTEIN POWDER AS THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO FOLLOW THE PROGRAM. WHEY GOURMET BY PVL IS THE PROTEIN POWDER WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. PROTEIN POWDER, SINCE IT IS PRE-DIGESTED (YOUR BODY WON’T HAVE TO BREAK THIS DOWN) ENTERS THE BLOOD STREAM QUICKLY AND IT CAN HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON LOWERING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS.

5. THE LAW OF DIMINISHING CARBOHYDRATES

YOU WILL BE PRACTICING THE LAW OF DIMINISHING CARBOHYDRATES WHICH MEANS THE MAJORITY OF YOUR CARBOHYDRATES (ESPECIALLY FRUITS) WILL BE CONSUMED EARLIER IN THE DAY AND WILL DECREASE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS PHILOSOPHY IS LISTED BELOW:
Meal 1. Protein Shake with milk

Meal 2. 1 apple with 1 oz. of low fat cheese

Meal 3. 3 oz. of chicken, 1/2 cup of brown
rice, salad with light dressing

Meal 4. Rice Cake with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter

Meal 5. Vegetables with 3 oz. of fish/chicken