ANGEL BRIAN

I have been asked repeatedly to write a blog or two about nutrition and body composition change. There are so many different aspects and angles to cover when it comes to this topic. I'm a firm believer in the acronym K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple Stupid. Keeping things as simple as possible makes it easier to sustain. The majority of humans try to over complicate absolutely everything!! I've learned a few things about my clients over the years when it comes to nutrition. 1. They don't always understand what foods are healthy and what foods are not. 2. Clients repeatedly lie to me about their diet. LOL Yes, I said it. "Brian, do you eat healthy all of the time?" No, I do not. I'm probably more like 80% healthy and 20% not. Today, I'm going to try and cover the main questions I get asked when it comes to diet and body composition. I will mainly cover losing body fat. 

    I love the cliches that you hear in the fitness world. ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN! YOU CAN'T OUTWORK A BAD DIET! FOOD IS FUEL! IF IT HASN'T DIED OR CANT DIE DON'T EAT IT! The truth of the matter is these are all basically true statements. We just hear them so much we don't take them very seriously. Let's get to some of the basic questions I want to answer today. 

Question #1: How much do I need to exercise to lose body fat?

 Research has shown 5-7 hours a week of exercise is optimal for body composition change. I recommend 4 hours of resistance training and 2-3 hours of cardio. What type of cardio? Interval training. Message me and I will tailor a specific cardio program for you. 

Question #2: How many calories should I eat each day?

 Before I cover this let me be straight forward. I have never counted calories. I want my clients to learn how to eat healthy without being O.C.D. about eating. We want to have a healthy relationship with food. That being said I do understand knowing the importance of how many calories we are actually putting into our body. That's right... that ONE double stuffed oreo you're about to eat while reading this is 70 calories. And who has just one OREO??? NOT ME. You eat 5 and that just canceled your 1 hour workout. If you want to lose weight and body fat, the rule of thumb is Body Weight x 10-12= Calories per day. So if you are 170 pounds, your daily calorie count would be between 1,700- 2,040. I would recommend starting higher and slowly reducing dictated on results. 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% dietary fat. Contact me if you want specific numbers for your goals. 

Question #3: What's more important: how much I eat or what kind of foods I eat? 

It's a tough question. As Americans we eat WAY TOO MUCH FOOD at one sitting. So I would lean towards small portion control. But... that doesn't negate that eating nutrient packed foods isn't extremely important for performance and overall health. 

Question # 4: What kind of foods should I eat? 

Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and some whole grains should make up the majority of what you eat. While chicken and broccoli might get a little old it's extremely effective. Eating tons of veggies isn't only good for you, but they fill you up and are packed with nutrients and low on calories. Finding good lean protein sources is also extremely important. 

Question #5: What about cheat days? 

Have them. For my beginning clients I suggest meal prepping and eating healthy Monday through Friday and then Saturday and Sunday, you can have meals that aren't as healthy. This advice can be argued with but I believe that if you are too strict and deprive yourself of foods that you enjoy over a long period of time you set yourself up for a big binge or stopping healthy eating altogether. On these cheat days I still want you to watch your portions: 2 pieces of pizza, not a whole pizza... Makes sense? 

    Now let's live in an imaginary world and pretend that there is an angel Brian running around and living on his clients' shoulders. Ask yourself this... Would Brian approve of what I'm about to put in my mouth? Be honest with yourself about your diet and make an effort to follow these principles, and I know you will get closer to reaching your goals. 

I love you all and please contact me with any questions or help with getting in a healthy eating mindset. Please share if you found this helpful. 

Brian Cox 

TUCSON FITNESS LIFESTYLE AND COACHING