Men’s Health Advise On Nutrition (General Fitness)

The Nutritional Plan

  • The way this nutritional plan works is simple: Cutting back on carbs reduces your calorie intake, causing weight loss. But it also triggers your body to use it fat stores-instead of sugar-as its primary source of energy. Research shows this helps people better control blood sugar, hunger, and cravings. So you’ll eat less without feeling deprived. The end result is that you’ll fat faster and more easily than ever before.
  • What to Eat:
  • Eat any combination of the food from the three categories listed in the chart below, until you feel satisfied but not stuffed. It’s likely that this simple approach will regulate your appetite. The upshot: You’ll automatically eat less and lose fat-without having to count calories.
  • The Guidelines:
  • Consume high-quality protein at every meal. Eating protein ensures that your body always has raw material to build and maintain muscle, even while you lose fat. It also helps you feel fuller, faster.
  • Go ahead, eat fat. Dietary fat is a crucial factor in helping you control the total number of calories your body craves. That’s because it’s very effective at keeping you feeling satisfied after you have eaten. So know this: As long as you’re losing fat, you’re not eating too much of it. Monitor your intake of saturated fat.
  • The Guidelines (Con’t):
  • Indulge in vegetables. When researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City polled more than 2,000 low-carbohydrate dieters, they found that, on average, those who were most successful consumed at least four servings of low-starch vegetables each day.
  • Avoid foods that contain sugar and starch. These are the foods that are high in carbohydrates. The list includes bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, candy, regular soda, and baked goods-as well any other foods that contain grains, flour, or sugar. An easy way to gauge: Read the ingredients label. If a food contains more than 5 grams of carbohydrate per serving, skip it. And don’t obsess either. When ordering food at a restaurant, just worry about the main component of the meal. Sure, there could be hidden sugar or starch in a dish, but if the recommended foods are the major players, you will be fine. Just use your best judgment.
  • Limit your fruit and milk intake. In the study, participants were told to avoid these two foods as well, in order to keep their total carbohydrate intake below 50 to 75 grams a day without to having count carbs. However, you can consume milk as well as low-calorie fruits, particularly berries and melon. If you don’t overdo it and you monitor your overall carb consumption. As a general rule, limit yourself two total servings of fruit and milk combined. A serving of fruit is ½ cup; a serving of milk is 1 cup (8 ounces). Each contains about 10 grams of carbohydrate. So in a day, you might have ½ cup berries and a cup of milk, or just 1 cup of berries.

High Quality Protein Low-Vegetables* Natural Fats

BeefArtichokesMushroomAvocados

CheeseAsparagusOnionsButter

EggsBroccoliPeppersCoconut

FishBrussels sproutsSpinachCream

PorkCauliflowerTomatoes Nuts and Seeds**

PoultryCeleryTurnipsOlives, Olive and

canola oils

Whey and CucumbersZucchini Full-fat sour cream

and salad dressing

*These are just a few common examples of low-starch vegetables, but you may considered any vegetables besides potatoes, peas, and corn to be fair game.*

**Limit yourself to two servings a day (a serving is about a handful).**

  • A Meal-by-Meal Guide:
  • Don’t complicate your eating plan. Just think of it as a meat-and-vegetables diet. Here’s a sampling of what you might eat throughout the day.
  • Breakfast:
  • Any types of eggs, whether scrambled, fried, boiled, poached, or made into an omelet (with all the fixings). You can add cheese, of course, and serve with any type of meat-even bacon and sausage.
  • Snacks:
  • Just about any type of cheese makes a great snack, as do nuts, and seeds-almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are ideal. So are fresh vegetables dipped in ranch dressing. And, of course, a protein shake works at any time of the day.
  • Lunch:
  • A great choice is a big salad that includes chicken, turkey or tuna-for example, a chicken caesar or a Cobb salad. But you could also eat a burger without a bun. Or you could have leftovers from the previous night dinner.
  • Dinner:
  • This should be your easiest meal of the day. Just pair any meat with any approved vegetable and you’re sticking to the plan. A great meal might be a sirloin with a Caprese salad of tomatoes and mozzarella, or roast chicken with steamed broccoli.
  • What to Drink:
  • You can consume any beverage that has 5 or fewer calories per servings. What’s on the list? Water: of course. But also unsweetened coffee or tea (you can use cream), and no calorie beverages such as diet soda and Crystal Light.
  • As for alcohol. It’s fine in moderation. Limit yourself to two drinks per day of wine, light beer, or hard liquor. Just make sure any liquor you down isn’t combined with a mixer that contains calories such as juice or regular soda.
  • My choice, don’t drink while you are on this plan.
  • Workout Nutrition:
  • Use these guidelines, as study participants did, anytime you perform the workout. Here’s what to do: Consume at least 20 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbohydrate anywhere from 1 hour before to 30 minutes after your workout. A protein shake is ideal at this time. Use a product that’s mostly protein, with only small amounts of carbs and fat. For instant, At Large Nutrition Nitrean ( is an excellent choice. One serving has 24 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fat. So use that for comparison shopping. You can also eat regular food, of course. Here are some easy options:
  • A small can (3.5 ounces) of tuna
  • 3 to 4 ounces (three to four slices) of deli meat, such as turkey or chicken.
  • A serving of any kind of lean meat that’s about the size of a deck of cards.
  • 3 eggs: hard-boiled, scrambled, fried
  • Trouble Shooting:
  • If you’re not achieving the results you want, monitor your calorie intake. Simply multiply your target body weight by 10 or 12. The total number is the number of daily calories you should shoot for.
  • Don’t be surprised if you’re irritable or tired for the first 3 to 4 days. Your body typically needs a few days to adjust. If its been 5 days or more days and you still feel tired, make sure you’re getting adequate salt and drinking enough water. Let me know as well and we will make the appropriate changes to your diet. A good rule of thumb: Consume 8 to 12 ounces if water every 2 hours that you’re awake. And don’t avoid fat. This diet will increase your body’s use of fat for energy, so you absolutely need to eat fat.
  • If you’re having GI discomfort, try taking a fiber supplement-such as Metamucil or Benefiber-once a day.

Coach Altaf Rahamatulla