5. Drink plenty of water.
keeping your body hydrated and refreshed is very important, and water is the purest curse of hydration you have. Water can also help suppress your appetite. If you never seem to get filled up when eating your meals, drinking more water will make you feel full faster.
6. Choose low fat foods.
Though there are scores of low-fat versions of many different kinds of packaged foods available today, many are still calorie-dense and full of artificial ingredients. Try to seek out foods that are naturally low in fa.
7. Avoid sugary soft drinks and to much fruit juice.
Choose water and diet drinks instead. Believe it or not, this can make a big difference in your progress. For example, the average regular soda contains 39 grams of sugar! This gets transferred into fat very quickly in the body. Water, however, contains no sugar and no calories.
8. Take a good multi-vitamin along with extra Vitamin E and Vitamin C.
Women should take extra calcium. There are a number of good wholesome vitamin brands on the market.
The Meal Plan at a Glance
Here's a sample breakdown of your meals............
Breakfast 7:00am
4-6 egg whites, 1 bowl high fiber/no sugar cereal or oatmeal, 1 pice of fruit, skin milk or coffee, or Lean Body Breakfast Meal Replacement shake, 2 slices of light toast (100% whole wheat, multi grain bread), low sugar jam.
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Mid-Morning 10:00am
Lean Body Meal Replacement shake (either blended or Ready to Drink), fresh fruit (Remember, it should be a fist sized amount try an apple)
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Lunch 12:30pm
Palm-sized portion of chicken, fist-sized complex carb, and veggies or Sandwich (tuna, chicken, turkey) on 100% whole wheat bread, 1 piece of fruit
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Mid-Afternoon 300pm
Lean Body Meal Replacement Bar or 1 Cup low fat cottage cheese, fist sized serving of fruit
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Dinner 6:00pm
Palm-sized portion of chicken or fish, fist-sized complex carb, fist-sized (or more) veggies and salad with fat free dressing
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Late Snack (Optional)
It is realistic that you will want to snack. Here are some snack ideas for when your body is craving something (but be careful not to overdo ti-moderation is the key): rice cakes, fat-free cheese, fat-free yogurt, air-popped popcorn, and Lean Body shakes and protein bars
Studies Show that people who eat breakfast have a higher level of energy in the mid to late afternoon and avoid the "energy crash" or feeling of sluggishness that is common for those who skip breakfast. Eating Breakfast also helps to stimulate and maintain your metabolism.
A word about sodium: Aboid luncheon and deli meats and red meat, especially pork, because deli meats are extremely high in sodium. For example: two ounces of look lunchmeat 2400 milligrams. If you're going to have pork, opt for the pork tenderloin instead.
Watch out for Saturated Fats....
Minimize and avoid the following whenever possible: cheese (use low for or non fat dressings (use fat-free Italian dressing or lemon Juice instead), fries (try the fat-free baked fries), potato chips (try low fat, baked or fat free instead), ice cream (try nonfat ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet instead), mayonnaise (try fat free mayo), peanut butter, chocolate, desserts, and keep junk foods to occasional use.
How to Read Nutrition Labels:
Watch for hidden fats in packaged foods. Read the labels! Here is an easy formula to figure the percentage of fat in a labeled food: For every 100 calories per serving and divide by the total calories per serving. Avoid foods that are higher than 20% fat by calories.
Here are some "Lean Body Challenge success tips" for you:
1. Cook and store.
Once a week, cook enough chicken breasts, vegetables and complex carbohydrates ( rice, potatoes, yams, etc.) to last you throughout the week. Bag the the individual portions in small baggies and refrigerate or freeze them. This makes it very easy for you to select your daily meals from the refrigerator and throw them into your cooker, so you can conveniently eat them during the day. I find that having a cooler with me keeps me on schedule and makes it very convenient for me to eat quickly and efficiently, especially when I don't have a lot of time. It only takes 10-15 minutes to eat. Everyone has a lunch break and a coffee break. With proper planning, this should punch a hole in your excuse of "I don't have time to eat!" Another simple solution is to cook enough dinner to have leftovers.
2. Plan Ahead.
This is essential if you're going to succeed. Take a few minutes the night before to determine what foods you will consume through the next day. If you're just starting out and don't have some of the food items that I recommend, don't panic. Just make yourself a short grocery list and pick up these items at your first available convenience. Your daily checklist can be a useful tool in planning the weekly grocery list for obvious reasons. Once you have carefully thought out the following day's food plan, lay out the necessary food items, so you can easily pack them in a cooler the following day.
3. Pack a Cooler.
Always pack a cooler with food and carry it with you to work. I store my lunch in a six-pack sized Igloo cooler. I always bring plenty of snacks to work-things that are oatmeal, broiled chicken breasts, low-fat cottage cheese and fresh and frozen vegetables.
4. When eating out, plan ahead.
Familiarize yourself with means from various restaurants, and try to pick restaurants that serve menu items compatible with the Lean Body Challenge program. This minimizes your risk of getting stuck making a bad food choice. If you have your meal planned out before you arrive, the rest of the menu won't be as tempting. Also, ask to have your meat cooked without any butter or oil, say "no thanks" to the chips or bread while you wait, and when ordering salad, ask for low-fat dressing and for it to come on the side.
Success Factor One: The Right Information
You need to increase your metabolism before you can become a fat-burning machine, and stimulating muscle is the key. Muscle is very metabolically active tissue, which means that it burns a lot of calories even while you are at rest. Protein supports and builds muscle; therefore, consuming sufficient protein every day is extremely important.
Start with a protein source at every single meal.
Here are examples of protein sources your 'Lean Body Challenge Proteins, Challenge Proteins':
Scrambled egg whites or egg substitutes, chicken breast, turkey breast, lean ground turkey breast, fish, and fat free cottage cheese. You can also easily substitute Lean Body Replacement shakes or protein bars for your "mini" meals. They are a great source of high quality protein.
Q: How much protein do I need at Each meal?
A: A portion the size of the palm of your hand.
One easy way to roughly measure out your protein serving size is to select a portion that is the size of your pal. Picture your hand without your fingers and thumb. It's that easy.
Next, we address your carbohydrate needs.
Include complex carbohydrates with every meal. Most of your energy calories will come from "carbs." Contrary to popular belief, carbs are not your enemy. But, sugar can be detrimental to your success.
Here examples of carbohydrate sources your 'Lean Body-Challenge Carbs':
Oatmeal (avoid instant or sweetened oatmeals), cream of wheat, brown rice, wild rice, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes (yams), beans, corn, peas, lentils, lima beans, barley, 100% whole grain breads and cereals, grits and corn tortillas.
Q: What should my carbohydrate intake be?
A: Eat a portion the size of your fist.
A good rule is to have a serving of carbs that is approximately the size of your fist with each meal. For example, a baked yam the size of your closed fist would be adequate for a meal.
Carbohydrate calories should not come from refined foods that are high in sugars. This is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. Foods that should be avoided are processed foods such as cake, pie, ice cream, and other sugar-laden foods. Now, carbs have gotten a bad reputation recently, bit I would like to point out that carbs are good for you. They are necessary. Can that be? Absolutely, but there is a distinct difference between "good" complex carbs and "bad" simple carbs. Simple carbs raise blood sugar levels quickly, converting to fat much more easily. As such, they should only be eaten sparingly. This chart highlights the difference:
Good Carbs (Complex)
Yams Brown
Corn Baked Potato
Oatmeal Lentils
100% Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals
Bad Carbs (Simple)
Pasta Chips and Crackers
French Fries White Bread
Refined Cereal Sugar/Candy
Flour Tortillas Pastries/Baked Goods
