Proper nutrition is still the missing piece for most people and why they are not seeing great results after working out consistently every week. Whether you’re looking to just firm up, lose 50 pounds of fat, or build more lean tissue having proper supportive nutrition is a MUST. Over the next six weeks I will be focusing on the top 6 nutritional mistakes people make outside the workout.
1) Mistake: Focusing only on calories and not the ingredients
Over the last 12 years I have talked to and worked with thousands of people on their nutrition and eating habits. Even after so many years of nutrition coaching I still have people coming in asking the same questions and making the same mistakes nutritionally. There seems to be a new diet book or program out every month. Yet almost all diets focus on calories first and ingredients second or not all.
This is a problem and I will explain why:
A calorie is a unit of heat or energy. Every time you move you conduct heat and energy therefore your body actually needs calories to function and yes to burn more calories. Most people when I say the word “calorie” associate this with something negative. Many are wired to believe just by watching how many calories they eat alone is a successful weight loss plan. This is flawed because one would assume and are taught a calorie is a calorie. This is not true. Maybe, a calorie is a calorie outside the body but as soon as it’s put in your mouth and swallowed/digested it changes.
For example a 270 calorie Snickers candy bar compared to a 270 calorie 7 ounce grilled skinless chicken breast are equal in calories but do you think they are digested the same? Do you think they affect your metabolism and blood sugar levels the same? NO!
A candy bar will have a big ingredient list (many unnatural) and it will most likely contain a lot of fat (some trans fat –hydrogenated oils -the number one cause for heart disease) and lots of sugar, this sugar will spike your blood sugar levels and then it will crash it leaving you feeling like you want to take a nap about 15-30 minutes after eating it. After your blood sugar crashes you will eventually crave more sugar or fat to bring blood sugar back to normal…unfortunately blood sugar will never stabilize from this food. The candy bar contains fat and sugar and comes with very little natural ingredients so this will have little or no effect on your metabolism. (0-.5% increase on metabolism during digestion)
Snickers ingredients are: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skimmed milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, artificial flavor), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, skimmed milk, butter, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, lactose (a milk product), salt, egg whites and artificial flavor.
So let’s now take a look at that 270 calorie 7 ounce grilled chicken breast. The chicken breast will contain mostly lean protein; it has only one ingredient CHICKEN. It has little fat and contains almost all protein (the most thermic macro nutrient)so this would literally have a very positive leveling effect on your blood sugar give you stable energy and increase your metabolism by up to 20-40% during digestion. The chicken breast will also fill up you longer than any candy bar would.
Still think a calorie is just a calorie? If your goal is long term fat loss the ingredients are much more important than the just calories. Most fail to realize how many calories they actually need to burn fat it’s probably a lot more than your 800-1200 calorie diet plan, and if this all you are all eating good luck losing fat and keeping it off for the rest of your life.
If you’re buying 100 snack packs of cookies thinking this is a good way to lose fat (not just weight) and keep it off you are severely misinformed. One hundred calorie pack of cookies or a 200 calories serving of natural hummus and carrots which is better for weight loss? The hummus of course! Look at the ingredients first not just the calories!
Avoid anything with a long list of unnatural ingredients no matter what the calories are and what it says about being healthy on the front of the package. You should be looking for and eating real whole natural foods and ingredients.
Look for Mistake #2 next week!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Nutrition by on Jul 31st, 2011. Comment. 
Last night my date and I went out to dinner. We had a nice meal at the Winter Inn in Greenville, MI. This was our first time there. It was an interesting atmosphere keeping in mind the place was built in 1902.
Not to mention in my opinion it could be haunted. 
After our dinner was done we are talking and I was expecting our waitress to bring us the check. But instead our waitress comes out to greet us with not a check but a dessert plate with 4 types of desserts. She doesn’t come out and ask “are you guys interested in dessert?” Or after asking us if we wanted dessert and we said yes then she could have brought out the plate. She just comes out and shoves it in our face like “here do guys like temptation?” Was I tempted? Never… dessert has never been my thing and I had a nice sweet potato and chicken breast for dinner and was perfectly satisifed.
Did I buy my date want dessert? Thats really not important is it? What is important is that unhealthy food is being pushed on us everyday and the person doing it doesn’t think twice.
It could be a waitress who has no concern maybe someone at the table is trying to eat healthy and make better choices. She just wants a bigger tip….(she didn’t get one).
It doesnt matter if its a owner of a fast food chain who doesn’t care that he/she is tempting people through advertisment and serving unheathly food to billions of people worldwide.
Watching the Texas and Oklahoma football game and seeing that 98% of the food available to buy at the stadium is deep fried and has no nutritional value.
Yes, I agree no one is making us eat this food, junk food doesn’t tempt me. But I know for billions of others it does..and ITS EVERYWHERE! Sometimes its the only choice!
I predict soon obesity will be the #1 death in the United States.
Does this bother you?
It should……..
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach
~David Modderman
Filed under Lifestyle, Nutrition, weight loss by on Oct 14th, 2008. Comment.
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2 in 5 of every meal in America is a FAST FOOD meal!
Do you know how sad that is? I am willing to bet that it’s greater than 2 in 5 in Michigan. Fast food is full of transfat, high fructose corn syrup, and enriched flour. Even if you think your getting the healthiest food there you still are most likely getting a lot things you do not know you are getting.
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In the beginning of the 20th century Americans cooked and ate most of their meals at home.
That means back in the day we planned ahead. Back then our health was more of a priority to all of us. What has happened? More junk food being produced everyday and our schedules are not getting any lighter. My advice you need to control your schedule not let your schedule control you.
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By the year 2000 Americans eat more than half their meals outside their home or brought home processed foods they did not prepare or cook.
It’s easy to do this, so easy… but your health is going to suffer severly from it!
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Our country is being pushed towards obesity and not towards health.
Ever turn on the tv and not see a fast food or junk food commercial every 5 minutes? Can you drive more than 5 blocks without seeing a fast food restauraunt? They are controling us everyone! They are controling our kids as well! Ever see a healthy food at the store with a cartoon character on it? No! Only junk processed food!
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EVENTUALLY OBESITY WILL BE THE #1 CAUSE OF ALL DEATHS IN THE USA!!!
As hard is it is to say I can see this happening. Until we start taking control…. the fast food, and the unhealthy food market will thrive. Do you think the FDA cares? Take a Supermarket Tour with me and I will show you that they do not!
As bad is these facts are….there is one good thing out there than can help change it all for you. You have a choice! You have a choice to not eat this stuff and take back your life and make the right food choices.
So I challenge you to educate yourself what foods are good and what foods are bad. I also challenge you to plan ahead and make your own food or have someone prepare it for you.
If thats something you want to do and you need help. I’m always here.
Filed under Nutrition, Uncategorized by on Jun 30th, 2008. Comment.
