Let’s talk supplements. It takes a lot of convincing me to take supplements, I have to really do my research and then I read up on mountains of reviews for the brands that are available.

Currently I am taking whey protein, the brand I currently use is Optimum Nutrition. Whey protein is a by product of cheese production.  Why do I take it? I take it because it is digested very quickly; and this is what assists my post-workout recovery.  I take my whey protein within 5 min after my workout, along with some carbs, normally a banana.

I also take Cod Liver and Omega 3 oils in capsule forms. The reason for the cod liver is for joint health, in the hope that this will keep my doggie hip as healthy and strong as possible.

I will be adding Creatine and a specifically designed sports recovery supplement to my list.

The creatine that I will be using is from Gold’s Gym. Creatine is an organic acid that occurs naturally in the body and it helps to supply energy to the muscles.  So I am hoping by adding this it will improve my strength and assist my muscle gains.  I will mix this with a whey protein shake (made with water) and take it as a pre-workout drink.

I will be replacing my current post workout shake with Gold’s Gym Sports Recovery.  This supplement is designed for recovery after training and contains a blend of carbohydrate, whey protein, creatine and amino acids. This balance will be better than my current whey shake and banana.

As this is the first time that I’ll be using Gold’s Gym so I will be reviewing these so check this space!

One of the things that can really cause your weight loss results to crash is the portion problem.  Now when I started this disciplined journey to a fitter, healthier life my problem was that I wasn’t eating enough, my body wasn’t getting the proper nutrients to be healthy, function well and assist me in losing the bulge.

I went from eating twice a day (usually lunch and dinner) to eating six times a day; three main meals and three snacks.  I found this so difficult, I was feeling bloated all the time as I was eating almost every two hours.

A proper, healthy nutritional program is not about starving yourself, it’s about balancing out all your bodies nutritional needs so that your body gets what it needs to function and help you lose weight.

MY FIRST STEPS

Remember the fitness lifestyle is something that you grow into, it is something that you should let slowly and consistently evolve in your life.  Replacing bad habits with good habits.

I first started by adding breakfast into my diet.  I found this rather difficult, my body was not use to eating in the mornings and for a while I forced myself despite feeling nauseous and vomiting on a few occasions.  I would say after a month this became normal.  Maybe you can connect with this, remember it takes time, but the important thing is that you focus yourself and keep going to change.

I have had some friends who have been inspired by my weight loss and they have been trying to change. One friend in particular was finding it difficult to drink water, it made him feel like getting sick, he was use to sugar loaded tea, coffee and soft drinks.

Once I could eat my three main meals then it was time to get my portions under control and one way I was able to do this was by adding my 3 snacks, this is what my day looks like;

• 6:30 am = Breakfast

• 9:00 am = Snack 1

• 12:00 pm = Lunch

• 2:00 pm = Snack 2

• 4:30 pm = Dinner

• 6:30 pm = Snack 2

By adding my snacks I found it easy to reduce the sizes of my main meals, following this diagram;

I was coming to the dinner table ready to eat but I wasn’t so hungry that I would scoff down too much.  This takes time, remember; slow AND consistent changes!

MAKING IT A HABIT

A good nutritional program needs to become a habit, so the best way is to have it focused and set you self small goals that help you progress to the bigger goal of living the fitness lifestyle.

THE IMPORTANT CHEAT!

To be able to succeed in becoming healthier or if you are like me and have a cow and a half to lose then you need to be realistic about how much of the time you stick to your nutritional program. On Saturday OR Sunday (not both!) I have a cheat meal.  This is whatever I want, WHATEVER!  For me sometimes this can be just adding white rice, but it can also be McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, beer! Whooah! I’ll have this cheat meal once a week, it gives me something to look forward too and this keeps me from binging, which happens if you are too strict on your self.

You also have to take into consideration the special days that come along that you (in order to enjoy life) need to give yourself permission to let lose (but don’t get lost); birthdays, weddings, Christmas, etc. You can enjoy these days more and the people in your life will enjoy them too when you are enjoying nice things with them in stead of bringing your little survival lunch box of apples and carrots.

If you have been developing good eating habits then you’ll know that after this event (yes, you might gain some weight) that when you get back into your NOW normal healthy eating habits that weight will come back off again.

So to be a success in your weight loss goals think SMALL portions that are balanced nutritionally (fats, complex carbohydrates, proteins & fiber).

And thing LONG; it takes time, your evolving into the fitness lifestyle, there are no shortcuts or fast tracks that will bring permanent results.

Hi folks, sorry that I haven’t been that active lately, but thing are rather busy with getting ready for our big move to Scotland.

But one thing that I want to review is my new nutrition program that I have been implementing over the last month or so.

Here it is in a nutshell;

• 3 snacks in between meals, these are protein or fiber based.
• 3 main meals, these are portion controlled and balanced with; complex carbohydrates, proteins, fiber and good fats.

My biggest apprehension with this program was the adding of a lot more carbohydrates than I usually eat in a day.

So the biggest challenge that I faced was getting by my own and felling relaxed about eating more carbs.

The complex carbs that I have added are; brown rice, yams, sweet potatoes , whole meal bread and uncooked oatmeal.

Here is my first day’s food log on the program;

• Breakfast: oatmeal, low-fat milk and one tablespoonful of natural honey.
• Snack 1: 2 poached eggs & a handful of roasted peanuts
• Lunch: Brown rice, mixed raw vegetable salad (all green), one medium boiled chicken breast, two tablespoons of olive oil and a squeeze of a slice of lemon
• Snack 2: Whey protein shake & an apple
• Dinner: Grilled tiger prawns, broccoli, bean shoots and a medium sized sweet potato (boiled).
• Snack 3: A handful of peanuts and a slice of Edam cheese

So after my first day I was completely STUFFED!!!! I used a portion control plate (it has three compartments) for my lunch and dinner and a small bowl was used for my breakfast (about a cup and a half).

But that night workout was awesome, I had ENERGY!!! yep, I powered my way through my workout and it felt gooooooood

I think that it took me about a week and a half to get use to eating like this, so two weeks the bloated feeling was gone.  Now I wasn’t Christmas dinner bloated but I did feel rather full.

I am putting this down to the increase of complex carbohydrates.

So what are COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES? To keep it simple I look at them as UNPROCESSED carbohydrates, then there are SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES that are processed; they are no longer in their natural form.

Another thing that I would like to mention is that after two weeks I have postponed my trial (and eventual review of) Biotest’s SURGE Workout Fuel, my reason for this is that I want to focus in fat loss (limiting calories) and then when I am lean I will be focusing more on building muscle and then I will continue my SURGE Workout trial and review, I figure if it works then it would be more beneficial to use while bulking up.