The No More Excuses Diet (45 page)

There are a lot of misconceptions about what is healthy for you, but here are two guidelines I live by.

1. DIETING IS ABOUT PROGRESSION.
Dieting is a progression, just like exercise. You don’t go to the gym expecting to run
a 7-minute mile! You practice every day, and you improve every week. For many (including myself), a 7-minute mile is extreme. It will probably take me a good year of hard training to be able to do that, but this type of perspective is what you need when you want to follow an extreme diet.

Dieting is the same way. When people talk about trying to lose weight, I tell them to
slowly
reduce their caloric intake. Going from eating 2,500-plus calories a day to eating just 1,200 is unhealthy and will be a major shock to your system. Not only is it unrealistic long term, but also your body will plateau and your weight-loss results stop because your metabolism will have shifted into starvation mode. Your system recalibrates and hoards your calories by metabolizing them at a slower rate. Also, I never recommend eating fewer than 1,200 calories a day. You need that many calories for energy and regular organ function!

2. EVERYTHING BOILS DOWN TO
PORTION SIZE.
The portion sizes in restaurants are
huge.
If you look at the caloric intake, even the salads could range from 600 to 1,000 calories! A cheeseburger twenty years ago was only 350 calories, but today the average is more than 550 calories for a fast-food cheeseburger. So, I often say the first step in your No More Excuses journey is to cut your portion sizes. Don’t stop eating pizza if that’s what you’re used to eating. Just cut your portion size in half. When you reach a plateau, start substituting lower-calorie ingredients or make your own pizza.

Making small changes leads to bigger changes. Decreasing your portion size can mean dividing one meal into two! Sometimes I purchase a burrito and eat half for lunch and half for a snack. Often, I buy individually packed nuts because it’s so easy to overeat them. Most of the time, I share whatever I’m consuming with my children. Sharing is caring, and cutting your portions will help with your bottom line!

Macronutrients are the chemical compounds in the foods you consume. Each macronutrient provides calories to your body and serves different bodily functions. Get comfortable knowing the macronutrient profile of your favorite foods.

You need protein. Don’t get me wrong; protein is essential to building and sustaining muscle. But protein is overrated.

When I say protein is overrated, I mean that there is often too much emphasis on a protein-based diet. You should most definitely eat protein, but you don’t need to eat massive amounts of protein, especially in the form of animal products alone. Protein can also be found in dairy, nuts, and vegetables.

HOW TO
PORTION:
There are many ways to consume protein outside of animal protein. Instead of pork, chicken, or beef, consider choosing fish, beans, tofu, eggs, or nuts. Incorporating protein requires you to have a good idea of what 25 to 30 grams of protein looks like. For example, most servings at restaurants provide 4 ounces of chicken breast or 25 grams of protein (approximately the size of your palm) in their meals. If you are highly active and eating an 1,800-calorie/day diet, then a minimum of 540 of your calories should be from protein, which is approximately 135 grams. You can achieve 135 grams of protein by consuming 35 grams at each primary meal and 15 grams at every snack time. Here are examples of common protein sources:

Carbohydrates are used for energy. They are good for you! You need them to function. The problem with carbohydrates is that it’s easy to consume too many, and sometimes they are from sources that are not so healthy. People don’t realize that carbohydrates are everywhere, from the milk in a latte to the fruit in a smoothie to the beans in a burrito (and the tortilla and rice in the burrito, too)!

You should mainly be eating carbohydrates that are
complex in nature. Carbohydrates are classified as either complex or simple
and are divided by chemical structure and how quickly they digest and are absorbed in your body. Complex carbohydrates include high-fiber vegetables and whole grains and take longer to break down.
Simple carbohydrates break down faster in your body and come in the form of fruits, honey, sugarcane, and syrups. While fruits and honey provide a lot of vitamins and minerals, refined sugar found in most processed foods not only offers little nutritional value but also promotes fat storage. Normally, refined sugar is just 20 percent of my total carbohydrate intake.

According to the Institute of Medicine, children and adults should consume at least 130 grams of carbohydrates per day. Determine your daily allowance by calculating 30 to 40 percent of your total caloric intake, and dividing it by 4. For example, if you eat a 2,000-calorie/day diet, shoot for 600 to 800 calories of carbohydrates or 150 to 200 grams of carbohydrates per day; and if you eat 2,500 calories a day, aim for 750 to 1,000 calories from carbohydrates or 188 to 250 grams of carbohydrates.

HOW TO PORTION:
Carbohydrates are the easiest and most accessible macronutrient to consume. You can choose from whole wheat pasta, bread, crackers, cereal, oatmeal, or fruits. Depending on your overall goal, most people will eat a fistful of carbohydrates at each meal. Some of my favorites are:

Fat has gotten such a bad rap. When I was younger, I was on a low-fat diet, purchasing mainly fat-free labeled foods. I avoided whole milk and nuts and instead ate fat-free saltine crackers and Skittles (because they had no fat) all the time! What I didn’t realize then is that fat is good for you, especially the essential
fats found in foods like salmon, olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Unsaturated fats are good for your brain, energy, and overall body function. You want the kind of fat that doesn’t harden at room temperature. Paired with a balance of complex carbs and lean protein, you’ve got a winning diet!

The American Heart Association recommends eating between 25 and 35 percent of your total daily calories as fats, including fats in oils and fats in foods. Determine the number of grams of fat you need each day by calculating 30 percent of your total caloric intake, and dividing it by 9. For example, if you eat a 2,000-calorie/day diet, shoot for 600 calories of fats or 67 grams of fats per day; and if you eat 2,500 calories a day, aim for 750 calories from fats or 83 grams of fats.

HOW TO
PORTION:
Compared with protein and carbohydrates, fats are more than double the calories gram for gram. Since fats are very dense in calories, consume a thumb-size serving at each meal. Another technique for fats found in nuts is to consume just a handful. Here are examples of portion sizes from my favorite unsaturated fats:

Since your activity expenditure, caloric needs, and physical goals fluctuate, you will need to be
flexible about your eating plan. That’s why I want you to customize the last 10 percent of your diet based on your level of activity. If you are very active, utilize that last 10 percent for additional carbohydrates for energy. If you are inactive, utilize the last 10 percent for additional protein for muscle, bones, and tissue repair. If you ate “perfectly” throughout the day but included a handful of jelly beans you grabbed at your coworker’s desk or goldfish you ate with your child at the park, then call that your 10 percent and pat yourself on the back!

The last 10 percent is what makes the No More Excuses program flexible for your lifestyle. Remember, we are going for the long haul—it’s the “this is it” eating plan that allows you to be imperfect while still losing weight. As long as you stay within your caloric intake, you will make progress and improve your health.