Nutrition

Let's talk about nutrition. I have already had several people ask me about my diet. It's pretty simple...I eat CLEAN. Basically, if it didn't come out of the ground or if it doesn't have a mama...then I don't eat it. My diet mainly consists of lean animal protein, fruit, veggies, nuts (healthy fats), whole grains, and TONS of water. I stay away from processed foods and I really watch my sodium intake. All you women out there that think you are "being good" by packing a Lean Cuisine for lunch..think again. Have you ever checked the sodium on the back of the box? There ain't nothing "lean" about those meals. If you do decide to buy processed foods such as frozen dinners, try and pick ones that have less that 20% of the daily value for sodium (products with less than 5% of the Daily Value of sodium are even better).

I know there are several fad diets out there and choosing what works best for you can be very confusing. When I meet my clients one of the first things I go over is nutrition. I ask them if they have tried any diets or weight loss programs and if so, what has or has not worked for them. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy diets I've heard about. Now, if the adkins diet or the "cabbage soup" diet REALLY worked...do you think these clients would even be coming to me? I'm not saying you can't lose weight on these programs, but I believe that to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF you have to change your LIFESTYLE. You can't eat like a rabbit for a month and lose 15 pounds and then just go back to eating the way you did before, because GUESS WHAT...You will gain the weight right back! Also, starving yourself is DEFINITELY not the way to go. Your body needs AT LEAST 1200 calories a day. Eat less that 1200 calories per day and your body goes into "starvation reaction" and your metabolism slows. Take it from me, you can do some major damage to your metabolism by starving yourself.

If you really want to "rev-up" your metabolism you need to eat small, frequest meals. Start with a good breakfast in the morning. Eat within an hour of waking up and choose a healthy balanced breakfast like oatmeal, almonds and an apple. If you're not big on breakfast, try a protein shake. I highly recommend visalus shakes (http://www.brittanyhorton.bodybyvi.com/)! :) If you only take one tip from me, take this one...DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST.

Now, you may be wondering how many calories you need to consume a day to lose weight. Everyone is different. The formula below will help you calculate what is right for you and your metabolism...

655 + (4.35 x your weight) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age)= the number of calories you should consume to lose weight.

I have only scratched the surface talking about nutrition. I could literally go on for days, but I will continue to add posts and some healthy recipes for you to follow. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Yours in Health,
Brittany