Gluten is a group of proteins found in starches. It is a natural binding agent that leaves the final product after cooking a doughy texture. It is found naturally in soy and wheat products. Foods consisting of foods include (but are not limited to): breads, pasta, pastries, cereals, cakes, donuts, oats, just to name a few.
We all know somebody who is on a "gluten free" diet. These diets attempt to eliminate all the aforementioned foods that contain the gluten germ. But why do so many people suddenly want to cut gluten from their diet? Has it always been this way and it's just now coming to light?
There are several reasons why people eliminate gluten from their diet. The first is a complete fallacy given to us by the talking heads on television (I call it the Dr. Oz syndrome). Eliminating gluten will help you lose weight..... Who has heard this? Ok lets dissect this. As we know, gluten is found in wheat and grain products. Wheat and grain products are mainly comprised of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram. So the person who eliminates gluten from their diet, and doesn't replace the calories taken away when eliminating the carbohydrates, is losing weight due to a caloric deficit, NOT the gluten.
Gluten Sensitivity
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's talk the real issue here. Gluten sensitivity IS a real thing. It's just not as prominent as credited. Gluten is a protein sticky in nature, and is difficult for the digestive system to break down. Think of it like chewing gum. The body's response if it cannot break down the gluten is to inflame which can leads to signs including
-Bloating
-Water retention
-Frequent bathroom trips
-"Not Going"
-Redness in the skin
-Abdomen swelling
just to name a few.
In short, gluten is not "bad for you" unless your body has a sensitivity or intolerance. Gluten does NOT make you gain body fat. Gluten CAN make you retain fluids IF a sensitivity is in place. So what do you do? If you can tolerate gluten without any adverse affects, then by golly you eat up! But if you swell up like a blowfish, have digestion problems, or break out after a gluten encounter, simply stay away or eat in low moderation.
]]>When asking the question above, what many people want to know, is not necessarily when to weigh their meat, but rather, “What is the nutritional information found on a package of meat based on, it’s raw (uncooked) weight, or it’s cooked weight?”
For most products, the nutrition facts label is going to be based upon the products raw/uncooked weight. So when you pick-up a package of meat, for example ground beef, and the label says it contains “x” grams of protein, “x” grams of fat, and “x” amount of calories per 4 oz., these are the nutritional facts for the product when it is uncooked. This means if you are trying to get “x” grams of protein per meal, you would calculate this based off of the products raw, uncooked weight.
It’s a common misconception, that meat’s nutrition facts labels, are based upon the product’s cooked weight. People will cook the food, and THEN weigh-out the portion size they want, for example 4 oz. However, because meat on average typically loses about 25% of it’s weight during the cooking process, if you weigh your meat after you cook it, instead of consuming the protein, fat and calorie amounts listed for 4 oz., you are actually consuming quite a bit more than this, equal to that of around 5 or 5.5 oz. (more or less depending on the type of meat, and the method you used to cook it). If you do this every meal, by the end of the day, week, month, you may end up consuming significantly more calories than you thought you were, which can absolutely affect your ability to lose weight (I know what some of you are thinking at this point, and don’t worry, we will get there, I promise. Just give me a few more lines).
With all of that said…
Although most labels are based on the products raw/uncooked weight, there are some instances when these facts are based on the products cooked weight (I know confusing, right?). However, this is much less common, and when this is the case, they must indicate it, as well as which method of cooking these nutrition facts are based upon (baking, grilling, etc.). But for the most part, the nutrition facts label is based on the products uncooked weight.
Now to go Full Circle with all of this…
At the beginning, the answer to our question about when we should weigh our meat, before or after cooking it, was either. The answer is either, because when we weigh our meat isn’t the issue. The real question is:
“How do we accurately track our intake, so that the macro-nutrient/calorie amounts we record, actually match-up with what we ate?”
There are a few ways you can go about this:
1) Look at the meats nutrition facts label, and unless otherwise specified, assume the info provided is for the products raw weight. Therefore, the first method is simply to weigh the meat raw, before cooking it, and then record the appropriate values (based on the nutrition facts label) for that amount you are about to cook. Simple enough.
2) If you don’t feel like weighing-out each individual portion one at a time, raw, and then cooking these individual portions carefully spaced apart, so that they don’t get mixed together (can you tell I’ve done this before?). Weigh the meat when it’s uncooked, or look at the total amount contained in the package. After it’s cooked, re-weigh it, and then divide this new weight by the number of servings you wanted, based upon it’s raw weight. Then just portion it out.
For example: Let’s say the package of raw meat you are about to cook weighs 1 lb. If you want to make two, 8 oz. portions, knowing that this package weights 16 oz., you can cook it, weigh it after, then just divide that by two. Remember, that after cooking it, it may only weigh 12 oz., making each of the portions now only 6 oz. However, the nutrition facts for each of these meals will be equal to that of an 8 oz. portion of raw meat.
What if you don’t want to mess with weighing meat when it’s raw at all? Or you don’t know what the meat’s raw weight was, what can you do?
3) Be consistent with your cooking method. As long as you cook the meat the same way every time (baking, grilling, whatever), for the same length of time each time, this should give you pretty consistent, accurate values. Just look up the type of meat you are cooking, and the cooking method you are using to prepare it, then go by those nutrition facts (not the uncooked facts indicated on the package you bought), and cook it consistently the same way every time.
As we can see, there are a number of different ways we can go about tracking and recording our meat consumption. And that when we weigh our meat doesn’t really matter, so long as whatever method we use, allows us to accurately track it’s nutritional information
]]>What is Keto?
Keto is a diet that puts your body into Ketosis. Ketosis is a method of energy burning, that uses ketones, rather than glucose for energy. To achieve ketosis, a very high percentage of your macros will be from dietary fat, moderate protein and minimum carbohydrate. It can take minimum of 2 weeks to reach Ketosis!
Fast Results
The one thing people notice when they begin their keto journey, is a rapid weight loss.
Notice, weight loss, not fat loss. Let’s distinguish the difference.
When carbohydrates are removed from the diet, the body begins to expel water as carbohydrates bind with water in the body and stored as glycogen, which adds body weight. Remove carbs, remove water weight, the scale goes down. BUT it’s not all fat.
Sustainability
The biggest issue in being on a keto diet is the ability to sustain ketosis long term. We have cravings, we have events, dinners, and many places don’t offer keto friendly options. So either break ketosis, or dont eat, which neither sound optimal.
Calories matter
The only way to sustain a fat loss diet, is through a calorie deficit via diet, or energy expenditure. If you are on a keto diet, but you are eating more calories than you are burning, the results you have will not be those you desired unfortunately.
Is keto for me?
As with every diet, It depends. The best diet is the one you can stick to long term, not for 4-12 weeks. A diet should be able to fit into your lifestyle. Whether it’s keto, carnivore, high carb, high fat, low carb, low fat, if you can stick to It, and eat in a caloric deficit, you’ll achieve results. There’s no magic in keto, just like there’s no magic in IIFYM or any other diet. Long term sustainability should be the goal!
]]>Set 1 Long Term Goal
The problem why people fall off every year isn't that people aren't disciplined or can't do what needs to be done. It's they are trying to juggle too much, and they can't balance it all. Even the best jugglers in the world have to stop at a certain number of balls. By setting 1 goal, a long term goal, you have created a vision of where you want to go. Your goal should be tangible, it should be something that is a big goal, but attainable through consistent work and effort.
Examples: Lose 6 inches off my waistline, run a 5k in July, fit into that pair of jeans or dress.
Make a list
This is where the effort and consistency comes in, as well as self accountability. You have set your goal, now what do you do to achieve that goal? Make a list to complete EVERY DAY. This list is going to be 5 tasks that will help move you toward your goal. Only 5. Not 10, not 20. If your goal is to lose 6 inches off your waistline, your list would look something like this;
1.) Eat X amount of calories
2.) Do 20 minutes of cardio
3.) Research new food recipes
4.) Read 15 pages per day (The body goes where the mind follows)
5.) Get 7 hours of sleep per night
Each of those 5 items in that list are controlled by you, are tangible, and can be completed every day! If you get all 5 items on the list completed, you won the day. If you only got 3 or 4, you didn't win. Pretty simple right?
Repeat
This is where is gets boring, and people lose interest. The list above, is to be completed every day, 7 days a week, until those items on the list, become habits. When an item becomes habit, you take that off the list, and add a new task to take its place. You do these day in every day, and I promise you will not fail. Win the day, then win 6 more, and you won your week, win 4 weeks, guess what, you've won the month. And you are creating habits to develop yourself into a goal destruction machine!
2019 can be your year! Effort, consistency, work, and patience will be the driving factors. Make a list, and start today. You have 5 days until new years. Let's make them count!
-Jordan Adams
Zilla Meals
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But 3-4 weeks in, things start to slow down. The excitement you had dwindles. Your results aren’t coming as fast. So you think it’s not working anymore and you either A.) Change the plan completely or B.) Quit.
When in reality, what you are witnessing is a plateau. You may have stalled, but that doesn’t mean it’s not working. It means you’re not being patient.
We see It all the time through the people we coach, to the people who order. 2-3-4 weeks going solid, then..... drop off. When all you have to do is be patient and trust the process.
Are you working out? Yes
Are you tracking your food? Yes
Are you increasing energy expenditure? Yes
if those 3 are checked yes, all you have to do is check the 4th box which is
Are you being patient?
Check yes on that, and you WILL see results.
]]>First let’s evaluate the term diet. We often associate it with weight loss. But diet is more than that. Diet is the food consumed on a daily basis. Whether you are in a surplus, maintenance, or deficit, your diet is the food consumed.
Now that we have established what a diet is, how do we determine what the perfect one is? We’ve all seen, known, or even been that person who goes on a “fad” diet. It works for a few weeks, and then when it’s over you go back to what you were eating and gain all your weight back, and then some. Right?
So you try again, another diet, and the cycle repeats. What’s the missing factor? You did everything the diet said, but when it was over you went back to where you were.
Thats the problem. The diet was over. The fad diet of 12-15 weeks left you in a place without any knowledge of how to continue.
THE BEST DIET, IS THE DIET YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF DOING FOR YEARS, THE REST OR YOUR LIFE!!
Consistency is the most important part of any diet. The diet you choose should be a lifestyle change. Not a quick 12 weeks fix that leaves you more broken.
The diet should be able to be adjustable, and accommodate for more than a caloric deficit or fat loss phase. Let your diet, be your lifestyle. If you can’t see yourself eating a certain way long term THAT IS NOT THE PERFECT DIET.
The main factors to consider for your diet; Do you enjoy It? Are you seeing success? Can you manage this long term? Can you eat foods you enjoy?
If the answer is yes, that is the perfect diet
-Jordan
]]>What is “low” carb
This is a relative term that will not apply to everyone equally. For example, someone who is used to eating 400 carbohydrates per day, 100 grams would be low. But if someone is used to eating 150g then 100 wouldn’t be considered “low”.
Low carbohydrates would be anything less than 50% of your normal carb intake. So if you’re accustomed to eating 100g per day, less than 50 would be low for you.
Why go low carb?
If you’ve ever been on a low carb diet, you have surely seen the drastic drop in weight in the first few weeks and then a plateau after that. Why does this happen?
When carbohydrates are consumed they get stored in the liver and in the muscle cells, binded with water, and sodium to form glycogen, a form of stored energy for the body. When you cut out carbs, glycogen is burned and not replenished, leading to a decrease in the scale from loss of fluid.
Do you burn more body fat on low carb?
When the body consumes calories, 2 things happen. 1.) The body uses the calories for energy
2.) The body stores the calories for later use
The stored calories get stored as adipose tissue, aka body fat. When you break down each macronutrient, protein= 4 calories per gram
carbs= 4 calories per gram
fat= 9 calories per gram
Each macronutrient plays a different role in the body, from tissue repair, to hormone regulation, to energy balance. No, you do not burn more body fat by going low carb only. All macronutrients should be accounted for and you should be in a caloric deficit to achieve fat loss.
So should I go on a low carb diet?
The best diet, is the one you can see yourself doing long term. Not for 6 weeks. Not for 24 weeks. But for years. So if you can see yourself sustaining a low carb approach for years to come, then absolutely! If not, there are numerous other sustainable approaches!
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Not that that’s anyone’s fault, sometimes life gets ahead of us. I mean we live in a very fast paced world and it’s so easy to let something’s get overlooked!
Zilla Meals was created to prevent these instances! Now with a few clicks, you no longer have to let life get ahead. You have fresh, ready to eat meals in your fridge. Microwave for a few minutes and boom! On track!!
Its essential to be prepared. To be ready for anything that can deter you from your goals. And we are here to help you everyday with your preparation!
]]>According to latest scientific data, anywhere between .82-1.04g per pound of LEAN body mass is acceptable for maintaining lean body mass. But who actually has time to math that!
Typically males will need more protein than females, typically. A typical male, if in a fat loss phase will want to go between 1-1.2g per pound of lean body weight. Where as a female will want to go .8-1g per pound of lean body weight.
A good round number to shoot for would be 1g per pound of body weight, regardless of male or female.
]]>Proteins are all similar in that they are made up of chains of amino acids; these basic building blocks of proteins are linked together by unique chemical bonds called peptide bonds. So you could take a lock of your hair and a pile of scrambled eggs, and even though they look very different, at their molecular core, they are both simply chains of the amino acids bonded together.
Now, we talked about amino acids being the building blocks of proteins, but we could also say that proteins themselves are building blocks of the body.
And this brings us to the first important function of protein, which is to provide structure. Structural proteins make up integral parts of your body. For example, keratin is a type of protein found in your hair, nails and skin that helps give these structures strength. Inside your body, protein provides structure to every cell. Collagen, which is a structural protein found in various connective tissues, provides the framework for the ligaments that hold your bones together and the tendons that attach muscles to those bones.
Proteins also regulate body processes. For example, enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body. Without them, basic activities like breaking down the foods you eat would happen too slowly to support your life. You can think of enzymes as proteins that shift your body processes into high gear, much like your morning coffee gets your day moving along.
Body processes are also influenced by hormones, which are proteins that regulate the activity of cells or organs. Hormones are like chemical messengers that carry an order from one part of your body to another, much like Paul Revere carried the message that the British were coming to the people in his colony. For example, insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar by carrying a message to your body cells about how much sugar is present in your blood.
Protein is essential for the athlete as It repairs broken down and wasted tissue during training. An influx of protein prevents catabolism, and ensures healthy skeletal muscle is maintained on the body!
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