Here is our second posting from Lacey Arbaugh! If you're new to the Buckaroo Barbie Body Challenge, don't worry just jump in with both feet! :) What Lacey's talking about here with diet means SO MUCH to me personally, because my life has drastically changed for the better BECAUSE of eating clean. Please take her words to heart, this is your life and you only get one body to live that life in. It's pretty important!
Week 2:
Goals are set, just got your new starting stats, and a big journal full of scribbles - you are now ready to take on this new challenge!
Let’s take a step into my kitchen. If you open up my fridge, you are going to see staples such as: eggs, Greek yogurt, almond milk, fresh greens, chicken, LOTS of hot sauce, dog treats (for my beagle), and water. I stick to a very clean diet as much as I possibly can. I notice that when I tend to buy a treat here or there, I will literally eat it all in two seconds, so my discipline is simply don’t buy it.
Nutrition is about 80% of any goal you are trying achieve. You can do as much cardio and lift as heavy as you can in the gym, but if you do not have your diet clean, you will not reach your goals. Our body needs calories and nutrients for energy to function properly, and the only way to get this is to consume it through food.
As a trainer, I take in all of your stats and figure out roughly how many calories you burn on a daily basis. I then construct a meal plan that will keep you in a deficit of eating less than you burn, so you are guaranteed to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Remember anymore than that will be water, and you definitely do not want to be dehydrated. I also construct my plans to have the perfect ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the essential nutrients our bodies need, while keeping your metabolism at an all time high.
The biggest confusion I see with my clients is telling the difference between the macronutrients carbs, proteins, and fats. They also don’t understand what these different nutrients do for our bodies. Social media has taken hold of these words and put misconceptions into our brains to make us all confused.
Carbohydrates are our number one source of energy! Your digestive system converts the carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which is then used for energy in your cells, tissues, and organs. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbs are found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and milk products. Complex carbs are whole grain breads, pastas, legumes, and potatoes.
Proteins are in every cell of our body, skin, muscles, organs, and glands. It is important we consume protein to help repair and rebuild our cells and to help with our growth and development. When we digest proteins, amino acids are left, and they help break down our food we consume all day. Proteins are found in meats, milk, fish, and eggs, but it does not have to be consumed through animal products.
Fats are also a primary source of energy for our body, and they also help us absorb vitamins. Good fats help with our growth and development and help control our cholesterol levels. Good and healthy fats include olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, flax, and almond oil, which I like to include in my diet.
Foods that you absolutely need to avoid in order to ensure you are hitting your goal each week are processed food. I cannot stress enough the importance of this new change to your diet. Processed foods include white breads, lunch meats, candy, soda, artificial sweeteners, etc. These foods are packed full of artificial sugar, preservatives, food dyes, bleach, toxins, thickeners, and chemicals that can negatively affect your overall health and lifespan. Consuming these processed foods are putting you at high risk for cancer, high blood pressure, increased triglyceride levels (fat in blood), diabetes, and obesity.
Now I am sure you are wondering about the journal?! This is where I highly recommend investing in a diet plan designed specifically for you. The journal will give you the discipline you need to stay on track daily with the new diet. It keeps my meals on track and it keeps me disciplined when I feel like cheating on my diet with a cookie. Write down how many calories you are consuming with each meal and start to pay attention to how many grams of each macronutrient you are consuming. You want to be eating about every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism at its highest to burn all those calories. Track your feelings and moods and you will start to notice how different foods and different ranges of calories will affect the way you feel.
I hope all this information helped to get an idea on how your diet is a huge impact on how you are going to achieve your goals. Invest in a diet plan that is going to specifically for you. Make sure you are eating a well balanced diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. Stay as far away from processed foods as possible and start tracking your meals to stay on track. This will be the biggest change of your life!
xo xo Liz, Adrian and Lacey
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