Posts Tagged ‘food’

The Truth About “Fast Carbs” Vs. “Slow Carbs”

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

What are the best carbs to help you build muscle or lose fat?
Lean man and woman
More than often, you’ll get this response: “Stay away from simple carbs and focus on complex carbohydrates, since they digest slowly and provide your body with a constant stream of energy”.

I can’t tell you how many “fitness-experts” give this response to their clients on a regular basis. Of course it seems to make sense, but there is actually some science suggesting otherwise.

Many people believe that as long as a carbohydrate digests slowly, it should keep your blood sugar stable and make it less likely for you to gain fat.

But the truth of the matter is that structuring your nutrition program around “slow-digesting carbohydrates” is actually not an effective way to get the nutrition you need.

There are actually 4 primary reasons why this is the case. Let’s go ahead and take a closer look…

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Losing those last few pounds of belly fat

Monday, May 13th, 2013

How to drop those last pounds

Hot Chick on Scale

Anyone who goes to the gym knows the work that needs to be put into sculpting a fit body. Building muscle and cutting fat are the main goals of working out for many people, and one may be more difficult than the other. Gaining muscle mass is easy for some people, but often, there is a layer of fat obscuring the muscle that is much harder to lose than the muscle was to gain. Weight loss is a complex process, but there are many options available.

What are my options to lose fat?

It can be frustrating to lose fat. Cardio training, dieting, and other lifestyle changes are difficult to stick to, and can be slow to take hold. When exercising, it is ideal to maintain an optimal heart rate for 20 minutes to an hour at a time, and it may be impossible to see fat loss for weeks or months after beginning a solid exercise routine. In addition, eating with a mind to burning fat can be complicated and time consuming; maintaining good eating habits is difficult, especially with temptation at restaurants and parties.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Maintaining Proper Meal Times Can Promote Weight Loss

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

Schedule Your Meals for Speedier Weight Loss

Meal Times Girl
For those who get awesome results from Intermittent Fasting, don’t bother reading the following article. This is for people, for whom fasting either doesn’t work, or doesn’t agree with their schedule. However, if you follow a regular 3-5 meals a day diet, pay attention to the following piece.

How do Meal Times Affect Weight Loss?

New research is being done that indicates that there is more to healthy eating than many originally thought: not only does what you eat play a role in overall health, but when you eat may play a significant role as well. Researchers working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital collaborated with Tufts University and the University of Murcia have released results of a study that has shown that when you eat throughout the day might have an impact on weight loss.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Understanding the Pros and Cons of Weight Loss Surgery

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

Weight Loss SurgeryWeight loss surgery is becoming increasingly popular all over the world, and for a very good reason. It offers a solution to a problem that plagues millions of people worldwide. However, determining whether weight loss surgery is right for you can be difficult. There are many benefits to these surgical procedures, but there are downsides as well. It’s important to understand this issue from both sides to decide what’s right for you.

Pro: Guaranteed Weight Loss

If you’re like many people in the world today, you’ve had a hard time trying to lose your excess weight. Some people try everything under the sun in an effort to shed pounds, yet they still find themselves unable to achieve their weight loss goals. Surgical procedures like gastric bypass and gastric banding offer guaranteed results. Liposuction can get rid of excess fat instantly. Those who seek a guaranteed solution to their weight loss problems can find that solution with weight loss surgery.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

How to Fight Your Cravings for Midnight Munchies

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Midnight MunchiesWhether you’re bulking, cutting, or straight-up losing weight, you have no doubt developed a targeted diet meant to enhance your exercise regimen in order to help you meet your goals.

Restrictive or specific diets can leave you feeling unsatisfied or craving your favorite foods, and if you’re not smart about how you get your daily caloric intake you can find your tummy grumbling before you go to bed, or even waking you up in the middle of the night, just begging for a midnight snack that is definitely not diet-approved.

However, there are plenty of ways that you can keep yourself satisfied and full on nearly any diet plan so that you can stave off cravings for midnight munchies.

Here are just a few tactics you may want to try.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

5 Great Foods for Burning Fat and Building Muscle

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Health FoodIf you are weight training to build muscle, your biggest goal is to keep your body mass index in check. Body builders around the world will tell you that having the perfect, sculpted body is also about staying lean and keeping your body fat at a minimum.

To be pure muscle and no fat you have to find creative ways to exercise, but you also have to eat the right food. In order to sculpt your muscles, you need food with enough protein to keep you energized, but also food that helps burn fat – you also want to suppress those unwanted cravings.

Here are 5 great foods for burning fat and building muscle.

  1. Oatmeal.

    Oatmeal is the secret weapon for a lot of body builders that want to sculpt the perfect body. Eating oatmeal 1 to 2 hours before an exercise or weight lifting session will give you an adequate amount of sustained energy, which will allow you to work out longer. Oatmeal is also great at regulating your blood sugar levels, which can stave off cravings. It is also a great source of fiber, which can prevent your body from storing excess fat.

    (more…)

Share the Swole!

5 MORE Ways to Burn MORE Belly Fat During Exercise

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

No Belly Fat ChickOne of the first places the average adult body stores spare fat is around the belly, and this can be a real nightmare for anyone trying to trim down their midsection.

You might think that you’re doing everything right when it comes to your diet and exercise regimen, and yet, for some reason you just can seem to shed the unsightly padding around your abdominals.

If this is the case, you could find that doing everything right is actually all wrong. Your lifestyle might be sabotaging everything.

Here are just a few tips and tricks that could help you to finally melt away the belly fat that’s been plaguing you for years. Sure, they say diet is responsible for 75% of your progress, but if you are doing everything else wrong, your lifestyle could derail 90% of your progress.

Here are 5 more tips to help you lose belly fat:

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Gaining Lean Muscle with Complex Carbohydrates

Saturday, February 23rd, 2013

Fit Cable ChickGaining weight and gaining lean muscle are two entirely different things. While increasing the amount you eat will almost certainly lead to you putting on weight, it will not automatically ensure that you gain lean, aesthetically pleasing muscle mass.

In order to effectively build muscle, you need to combine the right physical exercise with the right fuel for that physical exercise. It is, therefore, vitally important to pay attention to the nutrients you put into your body and to understand the role that carbohydrates play in the muscle building process.

Physical Activity and the Role of Carbohydrates

In order to build the lean muscle you desire, you need to engage in resistance training which specifically targets the major muscle groups in the body. Examples of these types of exercises include barbell curls, bench presses and squats. It is best to avoid working the same muscle groups in consecutive days and working out three to four times a week is ideal.

In order to perform efficiently, you also need to provide your body with the right kind of energy. Although proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals all combine to provide different things, carbohydrates in particular play a large role in muscle building.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

To optimize fat loss rather than weight loss, use the Project Shred diet plan for only 3 weeks, then scale back to a less restrictive meal plan. Be sure to use a workout routine like Fat Loss for Men or Fat Loss for Women, in order to maintain muscle mass during your weight loss phase.

Share the Swole!

Coconut Chai Energy Elixir

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Energy Chick
You want to have enough energy to do dumbbell handstand push ups? Try this frosty shake on for size.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 raw blanched almonds
  • 3-4 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds or flax seeds
  • 1-2 cup filtered water
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1-2 square inches fresh coconut
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3-5 pitted dates or 1/2 banana

(more…)

Share the Swole!

How to Transform Your Body After Age 50

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Exercise is Recommended at Any Age

Fitness Woman
For some reason, people seem to harbor the misconception that turning fifty means you’re old. In truth, it wasn’t really so long ago that the average life expectancy was about fifty-five, but thanks to modern medicine and advancing technology, many people now live to be far older than that. A growing awareness about the role diet and exercise play in human longevity hasn’t hurt, either.

What’s truly astonishing is how many people still believe that there is ever a time in life when it’s too late to start paying attention to your relative state of health and making changes that can benefit you for the rest of your life.

While you might not be surprised to see those in the 50+ category changing their diets to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, it’s likely that you’ll register wonder that your contemporaries are starting a workout routine.

The honest truth is that exercise at any age has the power to transform you if you go about it in the proper way. So here are a few tips to help you get the physique you seek, even if you’re starting to get letters from AARP.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

The Ultimate Guide to Healthy Nuts

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Healthy NutsNo, I’m not talking about you. Yeah you probably are a health nut if you are anything like most Project Swole readers, but today I want to talk about healthy nuts, as in peanuts, almonds, cashew, walnuts, etc…

I was afraid I scared everyone away with last week’s post about Peanut Butter of Death, so this week I’m here to tell you that as long as your peanut butter isn’t contaminated, you can be sure that eating nuts is just as healthy a snack as it ever was.

Without further ado, I give you:

The Ultimate Guide to Healthy Nuts

Healthy Nuts

Share the Swole!

BBQ and Picnic Foods to Avoid at All Costs

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

CookoutWhen it comes to supporting your fitness routine with a suitable diet, it can be rather difficult to stick to the program, especially when you’re confronted by the delicious foods commonly found at social gatherings like BBQs and picnics. Not only are these traditional recipes fragrant and delicious, but it can be very difficult to deny yourself when everyone else is digging in with obvious relish.

In truth, most people have a much harder time sticking to a diet than an exercise regimen, likely because of the vast abundance of food options available to modern man, as well as a culture that urges us towards excess and instant gratification (often at the expense of long-term goals).

So the next time you go to a picnic or BBQ, you should prepare yourself to avoid certain foods that are sure to tank any type of diet (even when you’re bulking you’re likely to have some guidelines for appropriate foods).

Here are some foods you’ll want to steer clear of and how you can compensate for continued success.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

The Best Weight Lifting Foods to Help You Build Muscle

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Diet = 75% of Progress

Healthy Muscle

Regardless of your fitness goals, your diet plays an important role in achieving the levels of physical strength, muscle tone, and overall health and fitness you desire. And since most of us have specific results in mind, it’s a good idea to spend just as much time and effort working out a targeted diet as working out at the gym.

For example, the dietary needs of a bodybuilder are very different than those of a person running a marathon. So if you’re looking to build muscle and your exercise regimen doesn’t seem to be delivered to your satisfaction, perhaps it’s time to do a little research and discover which foods will ensure optimum results in concert with your weight lifting efforts. In addition to food, you can use several testosterone products to build muscle faster too.

For today we will focus on nutrition. Here are a few foods that are sure to help you pack on the right kind of pounds.

You might think that any high-calorie foods will be sufficient when it comes to bulking up, but this is not true. Some will add fat as well as muscle, or only fat, and that’s definitely not what you’re looking for.

What you really need are foods that will repair and build your muscles as you add greater amounts of weight to your lifting routine, and your best bet is to use a combination of foods that make a complete and balanced diet that is nonetheless high in certain nutrients. You’ll need plenty of protein to build and maintain muscle, as well as carbs to replace all the calories you’re burning, but you’ll also need fruits, vegetables, and fats (yes, fats) to keep your body healthy and functioning properly.

(more…)

Share the Swole!

Healthy Breakfast Dos and Don’ts for College and Beyond

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

Set the Tone for a Healthy Lifestyle During and After College

College Breakfast
When it comes to health and fitness, many college students are too wrapped up in the demands of their academic pursuits to pay much attention. Even those that have been athletic in the past or are currently members of sports teams on campus might neglect their nutrition when they’re in a rush to get to class or they’re cramming for a test.

In case you hadn’t heard, unless you are practicing Intermittent Fasting, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reason for this is that it sets the tone for your metabolism, your satiety, and your level of energy throughout the rest of the day.

What you eat (and how you go about eating it) could have a major impact on your overall health and vitality. Keep in mind on test day, that your brain operates on carbs. Having some fruit and oatmeal before a big exam is scientifically the best way to exam prep.

As you can see from the picture of the girl on the right, breakfast does a college body good.

Here are just a few breakfast dos and don’ts to observe in college if you want to optimize health and fitness during your time on campus. Practice these tips now, and you will be more likely to carry them through the rest of your life.

(more…)

Share the Swole!






Peanut Butter of Death

Sunday, January 20th, 2013

Apparently peanut butter all over the US has been contaminated by salmonella. Here is the story of the tainted processed legume product.

Peanut Butter Contamination

Image credit: Sparta Systems

Share the Swole!






How to Avoid Late-Night Eating

Friday, January 11th, 2013

No Rest for the Wicked or for the Wicked Busy

Late Night SnackingWhether you’re burning the midnight oil to cram for a test, you’re enjoying your precious moments of freedom with friends by partying until dawn, or you’re one of those 24 hour-a-day computer programmers (yeah, we don’t sleep) you may find yourself wolfing down high-calorie snacks that give you the fuel needed to power through your fatigue. Unfortunately, this can have a slew of unfortunate side effects, from simple digestive discomfort and heartburn to weight gain and all of the problems associated with it.

If you’ve gotten in the habit of staying up late, eating into the wee hours of the morning may have become routine. However, you can get back on a normal schedule where your diet is concerned and avoid late-night binges without too much trouble so long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

(more…)

Share the Swole!






Post Exercise Nutrition for Runners

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

Hot Chicks RunningThough proper nutrition is vital for high energy levels and performance, the right nutrition is also vital for proper recovery.

What you ingest right after a workout determines, for the most part, how you’re going to feel the next day and your enjoyment and performance levels during your upcoming workout.

Proper post workout nutrition helps you replenish energy tanks and rebuild muscle tissue damage. On the other hand, skipping on recovery nutrition will leave you more susceptible to infections, low energy levels, high frequency of aches and pains and a loss of motivation for the training itself.

Therefore, here are some of the best nutrition guidelines that can help you recover faster and become a better athlete as a result.

(more…)

Share the Swole!






For Extreme Fat Loss Check out Intermittent Fasting

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

I have always been a big supporter of eating breakfast and eating frequent, small meals all day long. Both for fat loss and for muscle gain. That is, until a year ago when I started investigating Intermittent Fasting and Martin Berkhan’s Leangains protocol, Jon Pearlstone’s EET, and the ‘Eat. Stop. Eat.’ plan.

Since I started believing in the Intermittent Fasting hype, I have learned so much more about the benefits of IF, and I use the strategy pretty much every day. It is unusual for me to eat before noon or 1pm, and my most productive time of day is pre-meal.

Aside from IF and sporadic gym training, I’m not actively trying to lose weight, yet I’ve lost about 15 pounds in the last year while keeping my strength level. I haven’t decided whether or not IF is best for muscle gain, but you can’t beat it for fat loss.

Here are some links you can check out for more info about Intermittent Fasting:

4 Reasons Why You Should Start Skipping Breakfast
Eating the ‘Most Important Meal of the Day’ Will Make You Fat
Leangains
EET Fit

Share the Swole!






Meals to Maximize Performance

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Meals That Maximize Your Performance

Performance Meals

Willpower is not enough. Food is what fuels your training and performance. Athletes make eating meals a conscious process, and they put knowledge of nutrition and planning into it.

I have found that performance outcomes can differ by seconds, which means the right muscle didn’t get the right fuel. Every bite that you eat counts. In working with athletes and their nutrition needs, I’ve found a few simple rules that help you keep food as fuel at the forefront of your mind and help ensure that you get the proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals and fluids.

Here we go:

(more…)

Share the Swole!