When
I start working with clients, I have everyone enter their food intake
on a nutrition tracking website to allow both of us to evaluate their
nutrition. Some of the common problems that I see are:

1.
Too many treats per day. As one client said, ''I still have one treat
per day such as chips, a chocolate bar, a donut, or a rib sub each day,
and sometimes I skip breakfast. But other than that, I think it is
pretty good.''

If that’s the case, and
you are trying to lose fat, then you will have a difficult time. You
just can't eat that many treats (read: garbage) and expect to get lean
(unless you are 16 years old).

2. Skipping breakfast.

3. Not eating enough fiber.

4. Not eating enough lean protein and low-glycemic, low-fat carbohydrate sources.

5. Not eating much during the day and then eating a huge dinner.

Solutions:

1.
Set the tone with the first meal of the day by consuming a lean protein
source and high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrates. Fiber at this meal
will help control blood sugar over the morning and can help modify
appetite at subsequent meals.

2. Consume mini-meals to prevent starvation-induced meal binges and energy slumps.

3. Choose snacks that contain protein and fiber, such as almonds.

4. Keep your dinner moderate, and avoid high-calorie feasts.

5. Consume calorie-free beverages, preferably Green Tea or water.

6.
Consume at least the recommended amount of fiber through vegetables,
fruits, almonds, etc. But start adding fiber to your diet slowly and
drink more water.

7. Try to improve your
nutrition each day. This will help get you into healthy eating habits.
Be consistent with your training and nutrition, and you'll get results.

So
here is your challenge. Start with one day and eliminate all of the
processed foods from your nutrition plan. I want you to go one full day
without foods containing added sugar, hydrogenated oils, or
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

If you
do this, you'll feel amazing and energized. You will probably have your
best workout of the year and you'll probably get more done at work as
well.

Replace the junk with lean protein
sources, fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains (such as oat-based
products), water, and green tea. Make sure to log your food intake on
fitday.com and compare it to your regular eating. You'll notice that it
is very hard to overeat when you eat only healthy foods. And then next
week, try going two days without processed foods.

Keep
focusing on one improvement each day and soon you'll have better
nutrition habits and fast fat loss to go along with it...not to mention
a new body!

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training