Hey Everybody!
Since most of Beachbody is in the midst of the 90-Day Challenge I’ve been getting a lot of questions that are age-old to the Message Board community. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. It’s exactly the opposite in that these were asked so often back in the day that they became FAQs. Since most people on the list weren’t around when we started the boards, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to revisit some of them. There’s a lot of reading to do this week, so let’s get straight to it.
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I keep hearing about a six-week transition diet on the boards. What is it and where do I find it?
Jill, Michigan
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This is a diet that I’ve used with clients forever. We brought it to Beachbody way back in the early days. It’s great for people who don’t have time to think a lot about their diet. It’s pretty simple, so I can paste the whole thing here:
The Easy Six Week Diet Transition
In some ways, changing your diet is similar to making a successful resolution in that it's conceptual at first. Your long-range goal should just be to eat well. As your healthy eating behavior becomes a habit, you will find the other intangibles (such as weight loss, energy gained, etc.) falling into place. The easiest way to accomplish this is a gradual transition from food choices that don't help to food choices that do. By making this transition gradually over six weeks, we've found it to be the easiest diet program ever recommended.
Working in a 6-week cycle, you can train (or trick, if you will) your body into craving more nutritious foods. This cycle is easier if you're exercising because your body will crave the proper nutrients to re-build its broken down tissue.
Week 1
Eliminate the junk from your diet. That's it, just junk; no potato chips, candy, ice cream, etc. Other than this you may eat whatever you like... and here's the kicker: you may cheat on this twice, and that means for TWO WHOLE DAYS YOU CAN EAT WHATEVER YOU LIKE AND STILL SUCCEED!
Week 2
No eating for 3-hours before you go to bed. That way your body can go to sleep in fat-burning mode, rather than in calorie-storing mode. Plus each week carries over, so you still cannot have junk, except for the 2 days when you may cheat and eat whenever and whatever you like.
Week 3
Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. If you make yourself do this, the size will control itself because you won't ever get ravenously hungry. Try to keep each meal balanced as close to 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat as you can - and try and eat for what you will be doing for the next three hours (If you're working out, eat more, sitting at a desk, eat less)... Still no junk food, and still no eating three hours before bedtime. You may cheat on two days.
Week 4
Eliminate fast food and alcohol. This can be hard for many of us because we now have to plan our meals, but hey, it's only for a couple weeks. People tend to forget that alcohol has calories, and it also slows your metabolism. Cheat ONLY ONE DAY this week.
Week 5
Eat whole foods. This means that you eliminate any processed foods from your diet, such as bread, most salad dressings, almost all cereal, luncheon meats, cheese, anything with preservatives, and most everything served in restaurants. What you can eat are whole foods such as fruit, raw or steamed vegetables, meat (sans any type of sauce), natural grain rice, poached eggs, etc. It shouldn't be terribly hard since your eating habits have been slowly changing. Still, it's a hard week because it will feel like dieting. Try not to cheat, but you may if you find yourself getting ravenous - just keep your blowout to a minimum.
Week 6
Eat healthy. Eat whatever you want, following the general rules we've followed for the last five weeks. You may be surprised to find yourself craving something healthy instead of a candy bar or pint of Ben & Jerry's. You should now be better at listening to your body because it will tell you what it needs to eat, as opposed to what you're used to eating - especially if you're working out. Keep a couple of cheating days, allowing yourself to give in to occasional indulgences. Just try not to overdo it.
Now take some time off and don't think about dieting. Have your eating habits changed? Most likely they have. You may find that your body feels transformed and that you've shed some fat! More importantly, because you have gradually changed your lifestyle, your body is likely to maintain this change, without a lot of effort on your part.
You should now know enough about yourself to tweak the next 6-week plan to suit you. However, keep the cheating days. They are important, and not just because they allow you to have fun. Whenever you are restricting your caloric intake, your metabolism wants to slow down because it thinks that you are starving. By "cheating" a couple of days a week, you actually trick your metabolism to stay higher, so you lose more fat.
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I have just begun the Power 90 program (day 7), and so far I am quite pleased. I wish to began taking the Creatine supplement, as well. But, I am also trying to limit my carb intake. Perhaps you could explain the body chemistry that requires taking the Creatine with High Carb Juice. I apologize if this is a FAQ. I did look through the forums a bit.
Thanks, Kerbee
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Sugar causes an insulin response that speeds up absorption of nutrients. While this is not what you want at all times it does help with creatine absorption efficiency, which is paramount to its effectiveness. Creatine will still be effective without any sugar (juice, etc) for absorption, its effects will just be diminished somewhat. With supplements, it's always a matter of degrees. Bodybuilders, who are usually the most regimented about these sorts of things (for obvious reasons), will often take this to extremes, adding base substances to buffer stomach acid and further enhance absorption. I've heard of some taking supps with sugar and Alka-selter to maximize the process, but we thought this vile-sounding processes would be a bit much for us lay folk.
Anyway, some sugar, especially post exercise to replenish glycogen stores, is vital for maximal performance.
Actually, since creatine is for improved performance during anaerobic activity, and nothing else, I'm not sure I would recommend it if you were on a true low-carb diet because you won't get enough performance in the anaerobic pathways to warrant its use. However, if you are just trying to minimize excessive carb intake, then I would consider post exercise one of the times that you need it. Just reduce the amount somewhat. Instead of, say, a full glass of juice try half juice/half water. I wouldn't even count this 20-30 grams of carbs towards your daily intake because taken right after hard exercise it will most likely all get used right up anyway.
I heard that recovery drinks are only to get you ready for further activity. Does that mean I only take it if I’m working out twice in a day?
Rob
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The carbs in RF are not to get your ready for further activity. They are to speed replenish glycogen stores quickly in order for muscle resynthesis to occur. Often times we need to look at what the body does with nutrients more than just the nutrients themselves. A simple view would be to say that you need protein to rebuild muscles but that is not how it works. Depending on your workout, RF might be a better option than a normal meal or protein shake even if you exercise late at night.
Here's a simple explanation.
All exercise burns glycogen (blood sugar) in its initial moments. After some time, the intensity of the exercise dictates whether you burn stored fat for fuel or glycogen. The higher the intensity the more glycogen is used because its the preferred (more efficient) source of fuel. A difficult one-hour workout, like 90x, will leave you void of blood sugar.
When the body runs out of glycogen it cannot repair breakdown to muscle tissue. The quicker glycogen is replenished the faster the body can recover. The "one hour window" is not exact, but is a period of time where quick glycogen refueling can greatly accelerate your recovery ability. During this time--WHEN GLYCOGEN STORES ARE EXHAUSTED--carbs can improve your body's ability to recovery 4 times (400%) better than proteins or fats.
This has been known for a long time, which is why you see things like Coke being given to athletes after games, events and such. During the 90s, experiments were done on athletes adding various other nutrients to the sugar (not all carbs are sugar but since speed is of the essence high glycemic index sugars work better than more complex carbs during this window. It's the opposite of all your other meals in that you WANT an insulin spike.) It was found that adding some protein and certain nutrients to "piggy back" the sugar can improve recovery by approximately 25%. This is when "recovery" drinks began appearing on the market. It was probably the biggest nutritional breakthrough of the last few decades when it came to improving sports performance.
After any workout, RF is preferable to all of nutrient sources. However, if didn't workout hard than you haven't earned a full serving. After a easy aerobic workout you may only benefit from a very small amount that will replace the glycogen you burned at the beginning of your workout. In these instances I often recommend skipping the RF, especially if weight loss is on the agenda because the positive effects could be outweighed by the extra calories. However, if you're going to consume some post-workout calories RF is generally the best choice.
If you're eating dinner soon after your workout you might opt to skip the RF. If you do this, it's good to wait at least 30 minutes. There is a natural growth hormone spike post exercise that nutrients could interfere with.
Also, if your drinking some RF and then eating, wait at least 30 minutes (an hour is better) after taking RF to eat because the protein and fat from your meal will interfere with the nutrient absorption process.
Hope that clears this up a bit.
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What specifically is in the 2 day fast that makes it any different from the protein shake or meal replacement. The ingredients look very similar and nothing in the 2 day fast strikes me as special. How does it cleanse the body other than have restricted calories.
Thanks,
Sharon
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There are many different levels of fasting. Our 2-day fast was designed to be the entry--or easiest--level.
The problem most people have with fasting is lack of energy and the habitual loss of eating. For our purposes, a fast was only good if people will actually do it. For this reason, taste was a primarily concern. Also, that the carbohydrate count was relatively high because most first-time fasters who begin in a deconditioned state will sugar crash. Therefore, FS formula was designed to feel and taste like a meal, with glycogen replenishment as its primary function. Beyond this, it's got the nutritional profile of a recovery formula, designed for those who've not done such intensive exercise.
So, that's the story with that.
It is comparable to both meal replacement (closer) and whey protein. Neither have as many carbs and are slightly less effective for the bonked state the first time faster may find themselves in. However, nutritionally those latter formulas are just fine in comparison. The main difference is that your fast will be a bit harder.
It's also a consideration that this isn't a true fast, but a severely-restricted diet. Since your body isn't in true fast mode, it tends to just think it's being underfed, which leads to the flushing action which includes wringing any possible nutritional value out of previously consumed calories, hence the flushing effect.
Other options include juice and veggie fasts, which can both be effective, have similar angles, but tend to be a bit harder for most people. Mainly this is due to fiber, which is great from a health perspective but rather uncomfortable for your digestive system. We prefer coming off the fast with a lower carb/higher veggie and fruit diet in order to regulate your digestive system, insulin response, and get your body primed for more performance-enhancing calories.
The next level of fast would be something like The Master Cleanse. It follows the anti-bonk principle but lack enough nutrients to sustain muscle tissue. It comes more from a spirituality idiom, rather than nutritional. It's nearly impossible to exercise on and, while its cleansing effects our outstanding, it's not a body transformation diet.
The final type of fast is water only. This type of fast is usually only done in order of civil protest and it has little nutritional literature in its favor other than to see what type of limits your body can endure. And, of course, there is a place for this sorta thing too.
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What does 40/30/30 mean?
Mary, Las Vegas
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You hear 40/30/30 tossed around here a lot and it simply is a term for a diet that is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fat, which is a nutrient ratio made popular by the Zone diet a while back.
A low-carb diet will have less carbs, depending on its phase, with some extreme examples being as low as 20% carbohydrates.
Conversely, athletic diets can run as high as 65% carbohydrates.
The reason for this variation, in general, is that carbs are for energy and cannot be stored in body tissue, only in the blood and liver in small amounts. Simply put, the more exercise you do the more carbs you need to eat. If you don't have ample carbs in your system you will run out of "glycogen" or blood sugar and you will also run out of energy--an term called "bonking".
We tend to steer people trying to lose weight towards a clean (no or little junk food) diet that is 40/30/30. We've found it to be effective for weight loss and also for those with a somewhat sedentary lifestyle. Active people need more carbs, a percentage that changes directly in response to how much exercise they do.
We occasionally recommend low-carb diets, generally as a short-term "kick start" type of diet for people who need to lose some weight. Done right, these can be effective over the short term. A healthy person will transition to more well-rounded dietary needs any time between a few days and a few months. We consider a 30/40/30 diet, with 40 being protein intake, about as high in protein as a low-carb diet should go. Beyond this you are putting your body under too much stress.
As for low-fat, it's important to note the dietary fat is essential for well being and eating a diet of 30% fat does not mean that your body composition will be 30% fat. Fat consumption should never fall under 20% of your daily caloric requirements, most of which should come from unsaturated fat. You need very little saturated fat and no trans fat.
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That’s it for today. You can keep up on my challenge on my blog at:
http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/and you can find all of the Mailbag Archives here:
http://forums.teambeachbody.co...s/a/frm/f/8082987037Until next time, don’t just train hard, train smart,
Steve
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