WELCOME Thank you for joining the 2017 kickstart program. This guide contains all the information you will need to help with you succeed over the next 30 days. Therefore please take some time to read through all the information in here so you can make the necessary changes so that you can see the results you want to achieve. It may seem like a lot to take in but don t worry it s really not the complicated, just get started. Get ready, this is where it all begins! 1
NUTRITION FOUNDATION As you know when it comes to changing your body, training is not enough to obtain best results, your nutrition habits also need to change. But before you get caught up on exactly what to eat and how much to eat it s important to have a good foundation knowledge and understanding of what you need to do to improve your health and kick start your journey. Just by taking on board by following guidelines and sticking to them you will be in a better position than most people to get into great shape. 1. DRINK UP Drink as much water as you like but aim for around 2.5-4 litres of water a day. It s different for everyone but a good indication of whether you drinking enough is your urine, if it s clear, perfect, if it s not then drink up. By being even mildly dehydrated your body s metabolism can slow down by 30%. 2. EAT REAL FOOD Make sure majority of the food you eat is not processed. It s better to get more bang for your buck, what I mean by that is whole foods that have not been pre-packed and pre-pared will usually have fewer calories than processed sources of food, therefore you can eat more of them. For example a single slice of bread has roughly 20 grams of carbs whereas a medium sized sweet potato also has 20 grams of carbs, with the potato you are getting more food on the plate but roughly the same amount of calories. So simply switching 80% of the food you eat to unprocessed sources will help you to reduce your calories drastically while still making sure you have plenty of food available to eat throughout the day. Note it says 80% which leaves a little room for you to enjoy foods that you fancy, just be sure to account for them using your portion sizes and calories (this comes later). 3. EAT YOUR VEGGIES If you are lacking in a variety of vegetables in your diet, there could be a chance you are deficient in a many vitamins and minerals, so make vegetables the base of your diet. At every main meal half the plate should be covered in green fibrous vegetables (100-250g or 2 large fistfuls). Try to eat green & cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach or kale with every meal; it will help you to also meet your daily fibre needs. 4. START THE DAY WELL Start the day with breakfast when you can and try to include protein in this meal. Eating a well balanced meal that contains protein is the perfect way to wake you up, keep you alert and supply quality nutrients to your muscles first thing in the morning. It is understandable that everyone s lifestyle and taste buds are different, so do what works for you re here. If you have time and prefer a larger breakfast go for it, if you don t have that luxury of time or simply don t enjoy eating much in the morning then try something smaller like a piece of fruit and yogurt with a scoop of protein. 2
5. PROTEIN IN EVERY MEAL Protein is essential for muscle repair and fat loss. It s best to eat lean high quality protein with every meal and snacks, including breakfast, this constant supply of protein will keep you fuller for longer and help eliminate cravings. Use The Calorie & Macronutrient Calculator to work exactly how much of it you should be eating. Try to eat food containing protein regularly throughout the day but don t worry if your lifestyle doesn t allow you to do this, it s more important to meet your total daily needs than to worry about meal timings. Good protein sources are things like lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy such as cottage cheese and greek yogurt, beans*, peas*, legumes/lentils*, tofu, tempeh and protein supplements.*these also count as carbohydrate sources so control the portion sizes. 6. ADD GOOD FATS Including healthy fats from a wide variety of sources is key in a well-balanced diet. Fats play an important role in your body, form regulating hormones to the building of cell walls. For normal body function hormones play an important role so going extremely low fat is a big no no. However fats are also the most calorific type of food (1g of fat = 9calories whereas 1g of protein or carbs only = 4 calories) which is why they get a bad rap, therefore make sure you eat them according to your daily serving sizes calculated using The Calorie & Macronutrient Calculator. 7. CARBS FOR ENERGY Carbohydrates are needed for energy, especially as you will be training hard. So don t fear eating them, we don t do low carb diets. It is true that going low on carbs can help you lose weight quickly; but a lot of that weight can be water and muscle, which is not good. Eating carbohydrates will help you prevent that and hold on to that muscle tissue, so you stay strong, looked toned and build a healthy metabolism. Also have you ever tried a low carb diet for a long period of time? You ll feel rubbish, have lots of cravings and you ll have no energy. So getting the balance right between too much and too little is important, use the calculator again to see how much you should be eating based on your body. The majority of the carbs you eat should come from good fibrous, single ingredient sources such as oats, wild rice, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, quinoa, lentils, pulses and vegetables. Fruits are another great source of carbohydrates, vitamins and fibre so try to include two portions a day. Berries are great as they are lower in calories meaning you can eat more of them. 3
TYPES OF FOOD So we ve talked about protein, carbohydrates and fats but exactly what foods contain each type of macronutrient. (Macronutrients are nutrients your body needs in larger amounts, the three types are protein, carbohydrates and fats). Here are examples of foods that belong to each macronutrient group, just remember that all foods include more than one type of macronutrient: Protein: Lean and red meat such as chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, venison. Fish such as salmon, tuna, cod, mackerel, sardines, trout, herring. Eggs (omega-3 and free range). Plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or coconut milk yogurt. Protein supplements (whey, milk or plant protein sources). Beans*, lentils*, legumes*, peas* (*all also carb sources). Tofu, tempeh. Carbohydrates: Whole-food non starchy - Rice / wild rice (preferably whole grain, unprocessed), Sweet Potatoes, Oats (preferably whole oats), Quinoa. Beans, Lentils, Legumes. Vegetables Spinach, Carrots, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower etc. Fruits Mixed Berries, Apples, Oranges etc. Fats: Eggs, dairy, fish oil, beef, avocado, Chicken Skin. Nuts & seeds - almonds, cashews, pistachios, tahini, sunflower seeds, olives, chia seeds, brazil nuts, macadamias, pecans, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, flax seeds, walnuts, pistachio. Oils Grass fed butters, algae oils, safflower oil, virgin coconut oil, flaxseed, oil macadamia nut oil. 4
HOW MUCH SHOULD I EAT? You know the main principles and what types of food to eat but knowing how much to eat is the big key to fat loss. Even if the sources of food you are consuming are healthy for you there is still a need to practice some form of portion control to stop yourself from over eating at meal times. This is where The Calorie & Macronutrient Calculator comes in. So please open it up and fill out all the fields before you continue reading. After inputting the information about yourself in the calculator that applies to you (there are different sheets for women and men who eat meat and women and men who are vegetarian), you will be given some information and here is what it all means: Information Calories needed each day Protein needed each day Carbs needed each day Fats needed each day Fibre needed each day Estimated fat loss Amount of each macronutrient (protein, fat, and carbs) in percentage. Portion of each food type Amount of each macronutrient (protein, fat, and carbs) in grams. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) Active metabolic rate What it means to you? This is the estimated amount of calories you need to consume each day to achieve your goal. This is the estimated amount of protein you need to consume each day to achieve your goal. The amount is given to you in grams, as a percentage of your daily intake and as hand serving sizes. This is the estimated amount of carbohydrate you need to consume each day to achieve your goal. The amount is given to you in grams, as a percentage of your daily intake and as hand serving sizes. This is the estimated amount of fat you need to consume each day to achieve your goal. The amount is given to you in grams, as a percentage of your daily intake and as hand serving sizes. This is the estimated amount of fibre you need to consume each day to achieve your goal. The amount is given to you in grams. This gives you the amount of fat you are predicted to lose each week and month in pounds and kilograms. This is the percentage of what each macronutrient makes up your total daily calories. The estimated amount of food you need to eat if you are using your hand portion sizes (shown on the next page). This is the amount you need to eat of each macronutrient in grams; this is not to be mistaken for the amount each food. For example by eating 50g of oats you will use up 4.2grams of your daily fat intake, 30grams of your daily carb intake and 5.5grams of your daily protein intake. This is the estimated amount your body burns each day without taking into your daily activity levels into account. This is the estimated amount your body burns each day when you take your daily activity levels into consideration. 5
WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION? The main things you need will be your total daily calorie needs and the amount of each macronutrient you need to achieve your goal: Calories (kcal) Amount (g) Percentage Calories Protein 0 Carbs 0 Fats 0 Fibre Please put them into this table. Serving size of each food type There are two ways you could put all this information to use: The accurate way So if you want the best results you need to be quite accurate with recording your food intake to ensure you are meeting your daily needs, here s what you will need: Food scales An app/website called MyFitnessPal Planning & time On the MyFitnessPal (MFP) website or app you can customise your settings and use the values above rather than theirs. On MFP you will need to record what you eat each day, it s easier than it sounds, however to do this accurately you will need to weigh majority of the food you make and put it into MFP. It s very easy to put food into the program all you need to do is either scan the barcode of the app or search for it, from there you select how much you ate of the food. You can then see how much you have eaten in calories and if you are meeting your daily needs of protein, fats, carbohydrates and fibre. It s recommended to do this for at least 30 days to get an idea of how much you should be eating each day. It will also give you a better understanding of how much calories are in different types of food. 6
The less accurate but still effective way However it s understandable that this may not be easy for you to do, especially if you have a lifestyle that simply does not allow for you to track your entire food intake. So how do you still make sure you are eating the right amount? The easiest way to do this without using any scales is your hands! This is where the serving information is useful, here is how it works: Your palm determines your protein portions. Men 2 palm sizes = 1 serving Women 1 palm size = 1 serving Your fist determines your veggie portions. Men 2 fist sizes = 1 serving Women 1 fist size = 1 serving 7
Your cupped hand determines your carb portions. Men 2 cupped hand sizes = 1 serving Women 1 cupped hand size = 1 serving Your thumb determines your fat portions. Men 2 thumb sizes = 1 serving Women 1 thumb size = 1 serving Although this method is easy to use, very helpful and for the most part pretty accurate and will give you excellent results, please use it as a rough guide and not as an absolute measure. The hand portion sizes are just a guideline to give you the estimated amount of food you need. Go by how you feel, if you feel your body is not changing then either reduce or increase your portion sizes based on your goal. Also vary your sources of protein, vegetable, carbohydrate & fat and note that portion sizes should also vary with different sources of food as some foods will be more calorie or nutrient dense than others. 8