My diet is better than yours...

The internet, TV and magazines are all full of thousands of different DIEts. Which DIEt is best? If one of them were better than the other, then why isn't everyone on the same meal plan? With all this overwhelming information, how do you know you will make the right choice? Or do you just give up and not choose at all, decide to stay the same and hope that one day your body will finally transform on it's own?

As a trainer, I've seen, heard and have done it all (well, mostly). I've heard of DIEts from "planned deviation" to "listen to your body" to "blood type" to "body shape". All of these, of course, are a new-age problem to your solution!

How should you eat, really?

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The first three letters...

The first thing all of these diets get incorrect, is the first three letters of the word - DIE. When we tell ourselves that we are going on a diet our brain thinks we are going through a deprivation period, which usually causes a chain reaction and shortly ends that diet.

What you can do instead, is understand you are choosing to follow a meal plan. On any meal plan, you have control of what you do and do not eat. On a diet, you have to deprive yourself which leads to binge eating and weight gain (not good). Meal plans allow you to enjoy the foods you love while being mindful of what you are feeding you body.

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Shift your way of thinking

Food is amazing, and with so much of it, the hardest part of controlling your choices, is just that, control. For so long, everyone has been living to eat...but what if we transition that thought to eating to live?

Our bodies are amazing, mostly self-reliant machines. The main point of calorie consumption is to provide the body with essential nutrition, it cannot provide itself. So where movement and food connect is if you are breaking down muscle at the gym, the body needs your help in providing protein to rebuild those muscles. Same thing with water consumption, the body relies heavily on your ability to provide enough water throughout the day. When you don't - you get a headache, the back of the neck gets achy, your energy levels are scorched. This is the bodies way of trying to communicate and say, "hey, listen, we need more water in here".

At rest - most of us burn about 1400 calories a day. These calories are what the body will consume to fuel everyday processes - blinking, swallowing, breathing, slouching, digesting, etc. Some diets will say to eat below 1400 calories a day - please don't listen to that. AT MOST we should eat 1500 calories a day, even more depending on level of daily activity.

Determine your daily calories here: http://www.bmrcalculator.org/

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Check out macronutrient information here: http://www.beyondfitsystems.com/articles/4-reasons-you-arent-skinny-strong

7 years in fitness

When I was in college, I was overweight and unsure of how to eat properly. I would work out on the elliptical for hours at a time, thinking the 800 calories I burned off where real and I could then eat whatever I desired. After months of doing just that, I learned no matter what I did at the gym, I could not out-exercise my poor eating habits.

So I started to educate myself on proper eating habits and how to get the physique I have today. It took me about 5 years to get this down! Sorting through and experimenting with - all the misinformation provided all over the media.

As a true scientist at heart, I have merged information and meal plans that have all worked for my body. My clients have followed my methods for years and have all experience spectacular results. Not to say my plan will work for everyone, but it has worked for most. A lot of my clients are starving themselves, crushing their workouts and end up feeling exhausted and worn out - that is until they eat according to my plan. All of these clients have told me how full they feel, how they never thought they could eat so much AND lose weight.

These are all mere suggestions, as I am not a registered dietician, so if you are going to try the meal plan or any new dietary habits, please consult your physician.

The  success meal plan

Carbs - we all love them! The only type of carb we have to look out for are those made in factories - bread, pasta, tasty cakes, some oatmeal, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, pastries, sodas, alcohol (except wine!), juice - foods with unpronounceable ingredients.

At first you will regret your every decision to eat whole, natural foods because the food industry has us addicted to their food. All these artificial sweetened, enriched foods have tapped into the part of our brain linked to addiction. (you should check out http://www.hungryforchange.tv/). After the first week, the body and mind adapt to your new eating habits - you start to see the scale move in your favor! 3 months in and you're starting to see your arms, butt and thighs tighten - AND you're not even hungry.

Don't misunderstand - the meal plan includes carbohydrates. You are not "cutting" carbohydrates, at all. You are simply adding more fruits and vegetables to your choices, in addition to timing your starchy carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, oats, rice, quinoa, etc.). Timing carbs? Yes! The science behind the meal plan is to fuel movement, carbs are essential to the recovery process. When timed properly, carbs are stored in the right locations and you spend less time recovering between workouts.

Less time between workouts = more training time = more progress = FAST RESULTS.

Alright - here it is, the meal plan that will send you on your way to success. The plan is a glance at one day, there are three different choices for the day, depending on when you exercise. Follow this plan 6 out of 7 days of the week, cheat 1 meal per week only!

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one more thing

A recent change to my diet has been the addition of supplements, all of which are 100% natural and nutritionally balanced for any goal; weight loss, performance, energy and healthy aging. All of which are bundled up in nice, convenient packages! Easy for my long, busy days.

When these products found me, I had zero energy and was dipping back into the sugar cravings. I was getting "soft", meaning my definition was slow slipping away from me. My nutrition was COMPLETELY off and I didn't have the energy to get back on track.

So if you're like me - and you need easy, convenient, done-for-you meals click this link to my product home page: http://tammymccarthy.isagenix.com/?sc_lang=en-US. 

The page has listed the top 3 product packages I support and would recommend to my clients, my mom and my grandma. Please reach out if you need help selecting the right package for your needs.

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