MODULE 3 - NUTRITION
Module 3:1 - Watch Video & Print Checklist
Module 3:2 - Pantry Makeover
This step is extremely important. To change your life, have weight-loss and improve health you will need to change what's in your pantry. Set yourself up to win and clean out your pantry!
Module 3:3 - Go Grocery Shopping!
Get your groceries! Remember to print out your shopping list before you go, or you can open it and view it on your smart phone.
Module 3:4 - Determine Your Macronutrients
Follow these simple instructions to determine your nutritional needs while following the Fit & Ageless Course. This is the most important part of this module. Finding out your nutritional needs and laying out your nutrition will keep you accountable and help give your body what it needs to be strong, fit and healthy and also give you that sculpted look. Nutrition is 90% of your success!
understanding Macronutrients
CARBOHYDRATES: Carbohydrates provide energy and fuel for the body. Energy and fuel is needed for brain function, physical activity and proper function of your organs. Carbs also play an important role in waste elimination and intestinal health. Your body uses carbs to make glucose, your body’s prime energy source. After calculating your protein and fat calories, the rest of your calories will be allocated to carbohydrates. This will be outlined below. Carbs are a prime source of energy, but here’s the catch! Carbs, like fats, are of two main types: simple and complex carbs. Simple carbs; the kind of you get from white flour products, pastries, candies and sweets, spike your insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that shunts all the extra sugar into fat. Complex carbs are the kind you get from starchy foods. These carbs don’t increase blood glucose rapidly and don’t cause an abnormal increase in insulin or fat gain.
FIBER: Fiber is vital in maintaining a healthy digestive system and functional bowel movements. It lowers cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar and aids in healthy weight management. Your body can’t digest or absorb fiber; instead it passes through your stomach, small intestine, and colon as roughage, which helps with weight loss by making you feel full. This feeling is known as satiety. Women should get between 25 and 30 grams of fiber per day.
PROTEIN: Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues such as hair and nails. It is an important building block for muscles, bones, skin, cartilage and blood. Protein also helps with sculpting the body for a leaner and slender look. It plays an important role in transporting nutrients from organs to your cells. In order to build and sculpt a healthier and slender body, women should get between 1 – 1.5 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
FATS: Your body needs a certain amount of fat to function. Lipids, also known as fats, play important roles in your body, such as absorbing food properly, providing energy and producing hormones. Fat also protects your vital organs and keeps the body warm. Lipids are necessary to transport fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K, from your intestines to your blood stream. Your cells use these vitamins to maintain the health of your vision, skin, bones, teeth and blood, according The National Institutes of Health. A good starting point for fat calories would be 25%. Fats are almost always misunderstood and portrayed as the enemies for your health. That’s not totally true. Generally, fats fall into one of two types: saturated (unhealthy) and unsaturated (healthy) fats. Research shows that shifting your fat source from saturated to unsaturated not only protects your heart but also aids in weight loss.
Are you eating enough?
Too much?
First things first and most important you will want to calculate your macros (protein, fat & carbs). This is a great macro calculator to help you figure that out: Macro Calculator. Some of you may be surprised by what the calculator put your calories and macronutrients at. It might be a lot higher than the amount of calories you are currently taking in? If so, you have been on restricted calories. It’s time to start giving yourself the calories that your body needs to function and thrive. If you have been on restricted calories for a long period of time with no results, it’s time to change that, however, you don’t want to jump from very low calories to super high calories. These kinds of rebounds are dangerous to your health. Remember, slow and steady wins the race!
Examples of being on extreme low calories are:
• You are tired by 4:00pm in the afternoon.
• You have low energy and feel like you need a nap
• You feel fatigued throughout the day
• You can’t seem to focus on anything
• You don’t have enough energy to get through a workout
• Your blood sugar drops and you will eat anything in sight
You may find that eating more is actually what your body needs to lose weight and give you energy for training and keep you energized throughout the day. Follow the suggestions below for whichever scenario you fall into at this time:
• The calories the calculator put out for you are close to your current levels.
That’s great!! Congratulations! Go ahead and use those calories to start.
• The calories the calculator put out for you are close your current levels, however you want to tone up and lose some weight.
My advice would be to drop the calories by about 300 to begin with.
• You have been on extremely restricted calories and the calculator calculated way above your current levels.
If this is the case please follow the: Ignite Your Metabolism Ebook and learn steps for Reverse Dieting. This will help fix an impaired metabolism.
Module 3:5 - Track Your Macros
Determine the best way for you to Track Your Macros. There are several programs that can track your macros.
"Lose it" (phone app)
“MyMacros+” (phone app)
My favorite is "mymacros+" phone app (it costs only $2.99). It’s my favorite because the macros you enter are always at the top of your daily meal plan, and if you are traveling or eating out, the MyMacros+ app is your best friend. The problem I found with My Fitness Pal is that the macronutrients are only tracked by percentages unless you upgrade, it’s important to know your macros if you want to body sculpt.
Module 3:6 - Planning Ahead
You must be organized and plan ahead to make any program work. Mark your calendar with the days you will cook and prep your meals.
Sundays work great for planning your whole week. Make sure you have your macros planned out for the next day before going to bed.
Putting your macros in your app as the day progresses is a sure way to sabotage yourself and miss your targets.
With our busy lifestyles of work, kids, cleaning, cooking and whatever else you have on your plate the only way to make this work is to be organized.
Planning which days or nights you will cook, measuring, and putting your food in containers takes some planning. But it gets easier just like anything else you learn how to do.
Mark it on your calendar, for example: Cook on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.
Module 3:7 - Choose a Meal Plan
I've designed an initial meal plan so you can get started as soon as possible. However, it's important you learn how to count your macros for long-term success. I promise you will understand how to maintain your weight if you concur and learn this part. If you need additional support in this area use your Free private Skype call that came with this course so I can assist you. Email me at sandy@bodybysandy.com to schedule your Skype call.
In addition to the initial nutrition plan you can start with any of these sample nutrition plans starting at 1500 calories to 2800 calories. These will give you ideas and plans you can use throughout the course of the next 90 day. They're delicious, nutritious, and are set up to quickly melt away stubborn fat.
Module 3:8 - Additional Nutritional Tips and Resources
Do you have questions? Don't forget to ask them inside the Private Facebook Group, so everyone can benefit!