8 Habits, 8 Weeks, 8% Body Fat Part 2

Begin the Journey to Health Before the New Year
Part 2 of 8

Read Part 1/8 (click here)

Welcome back! Hopefully Thanksgiving week didn’t set you back too far. Remember, the goal is NOT to be perfect. The goal is to be consistent with the basics about 70-80% of the time. If you do that…you’re pretty much there. However, remember that if you had a rough Thanksgiving week, the second most important part of the moving forward and progressing in this area of your life (and in most areas) is to get back on track as soon as possible. The longer we’re off track, the harder it gets to refocus.

That being said, I gave you one extra week to focus on the Week 1 Habit. So hopefully you’ve got that thing dialed in.

As a quick disclaimer, if this is the first article you’ve read and are thinking of jumping into this program on Week 2…don’t. Go back up above, click on the link to get you started on Week 1 and make sure to read that thing. I can’t tell you how important it is that you understand not only the appropriate progression of this program, but also why in the world I present it this way and what you should expect. If you’re looking for quick weight loss…don’t do this program. It won’t work for you and you’re going to give up.

Now, for those of you that are ready for Week 2, here we go!

Quick FYI, if you haven't taken any measurements yet...do it. If you have access to a Body Fat measuring device (i.e. skinfold calipers, the BodPod, etc.), that's the best choice. Otherwise, be sure to do some girth measurements (with a tape measure) at key locations:
Neck
Chest (at the largest point)
Arms (at the top of the bicep)
Abs (at the belly botton)
Hips (at the largest point)
Thigh (midway between the knee cap and where the thigh bends at the hip)
Calf (at the largets point)
**If you need a more specific guide, take a look at this website for help.

More accurate measurements help give us a better understanding of the outcomes, so don't overlook accuracy!!!

First, how’d it go during week one? The hope is that toward the end of the week your body began adjusting to the new type and quantity of fluid intake and perhaps you even began to intake more water. NOW…if you have been right on par with that water intake and you are still runnin’ like a track star to the restroom every 30 minutes, it’s time to make some adjustments! Everybody is different. So, if the Bodyweight/2 = Oz. H2O/day is too much for you…decrease it! The goal is to find that fluid consumption that will help maximize your metabolism. So if you need less, back off 5-10 ounces for a week and see what happens. On the flipside, if you sweat a lot you may need to add 5-10 ounces to your overall intake.

Food Habit #2: Eat 5-6 Meals/Day

This will essentially mean that you are eating approximately every 2-3 hours all day long. Ideally, not before 2 hours and not after 3 hours. It also means that in order for you to make this happen you need to start the process with breakfast (what a novel idea, I know) within 60 minutes of your waking up.

Why? It’s pretty simple, really:
-You’ll burn more calories
-You’ll eat less
-You’ll make better decisions

Your body works like a car (sort of). If you run your fuel tank on empty all the time, your body is going to do its best to conserve fuel…just like you do when your on the “E” and your red gas light is flashing at you in your car. You coast, you try to make the green lights, you don’t speed up too quick, etc. It’s the same deal in your body. As my old auto shop teacher used to say, we’ve got “dumby gauge” in us just like our cars do. That red light on your car that flashes at you when you’re low on fuel is a one of them. God put them in our bodies too. If we don’t eat and keep trying to go, our body’s dumby gauge kicks in and conserves fuel so we can keep moving. Seems basic, and it really is. No fuel…you keep asking your body to put out energy…dumby gauge says, “Nope” and turns off the fuel. Since it has no idea when you’re giving it fuel again, it’s got to conserve.

Essentially, you’ve put your body into a hormonal and metabolic fat storing phase. Oops.

This is essentially the concept that all the magazines are selling you when they say, “Eat more, Lose Weight!” Although the idea is fundamentally sound, there is obviously a point when this breaks down. You can’t simply eat more and still lose. Why not?...keep reading.

Now, most of you are probably familiar with the idea that basic weight loss (or gain) comes from an imbalance of calories in and calories out.

Weight Loss = Calories Out > Calories In
Weight Gain = Calories Out < maintenance =" Calories">

There’s a little room for play in there where you can be above or below and have your body maintain, but not a lot (and everybody’s metabolic window of error is different). Also, it’s important to realize that weight gain and weight loss can come from negative sources if you don’t do it well (weight gain from fat; weight loss from muscle or water).

Now, here’s the kicker, if you don’t follow Food Habit #2, the Calories In vs. Calories Out Theory WILL NOT WORK.

Here’s what the research tells us:
Person 1 needs 2,100 calories/day to maintain weight
This person eats all 2,100 calories in one meal
Weight gain occurs
Person 2 needs 2,100 calories/day to maintain weight
This person eats 6 meals of 350 calories each spread out by 2-3 hours
Weight is maintained

Why? Same needs. Same caloric intake. What’s the deal?

Dumby gauge kicked in. Person 1 gradually encouraged his body to store those 2,100 calories and slow down his metabolism because his body began adapting to the one meal/day. As such, the metabolism slowed down and stored more fuel since it knew there was no more coming for another 23 hours. It’s simply a preservation issue (by the way, this is how sumo wrestlers gain weight: don’t eat for about 10 hours, have a couple small meals, and then binge in the evening).

If fuel is introduced to the body every 2-3 hours, the metabolism is stoked and the caloric fire keeps burning. What’s further, if you eat on a more regular basis your body will consistently have more energy. More energy equates to better thinking. Better thinking means better food decisions. So, you’ve got that workin’ for you, too.

Common response I get:
“I don’t want to eat breakfast because I get hungry sooner.”

Gee, really? Of course you do. It’s because you’re burning more calories so your body wants more. In the long run this works better (as I mentioned above). What most don’t realize is that if they go the other route and wait as long as possible to eat—fueling their bodies on Super Grande Café Lattés—is that by the time they get to lunch, their bodies are so painfully hungry that they end up making poor decisions giving their bodies food that is high in sugar and energy (fat) to try to regain some balance. The outcome? They ate more in that one binging meal than they would have in 2 or 3 small meals if they did it the other way.

How?
-Start off with breakfast within 60 minutes upon waking.
-Plan ahead (you have to think a bit at the beginning). Where will you be? Do you need to bring food or snacks with you?
-Eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day.
-Try to make some health choices, but focus more on the timing than anything.

Supplement Habit #2: Add MNS Appetite Control, Max Energy, or MNS Max 3
Why? One of the common reasons for weight gain is lack of appropriate nutrients or even lack of helpful nutrients that keep metabolism up and fill in the gaps.

Which one is best for me?
MNS Appetite Control: great for keeping cravings down and providing a little bit of energy (usually favored over Max Energy for women).

MNS Max Energy: gives more energy and provides a little bit of appetite control.

MNS Max 3: an in-between product that also provides a more complete nutrition profile to aid in weight management (usually favored over Max Energy for most women).


How? Click on the links below to get your 2-week supply (1 container lasts 2 weeks).

Your Task: Focus on Eating Every 2-3 hours, continuing Water consumption and adding an MNS product (you may continue with Spark/V-16/SLAM and Meal Replacement Shake).

Example Day/Week 2
Slam/MNS Packet 30 min. before breakfast
7am Real Food Breakfast or Meal Replacment Shake w/MNS Packets
9am Snack
MNS Packets 30 min. before lunch
12pm Real Food Lunch or Meal Replacment Shake (only if not used for Bfast)
2pm Real Food Snack
5pm Real Food Dinner
8pm Real Food Snack
Water Throughout!

*For those that would like to save between 20-40% on my nutrition products, I have the following offers available (put your order together and then sign up for your membership upon checkout):

1. 20% off all products for life with a membership
2. 25% off a $500+ order (and receive 25% off all future orders) (click here to begin)
3. 30% off a $1500+ order (and receive 30% off all future orders) (click here to begin)
4. 30% off a $3000+ order (and receive 40% off all future orders) BEST VALUE (click here to begin)


References:
Donelly, Jenny. “Commit 2 Fit.” 2006.