I was part of a trainer to trainer dinner conversation this week at our bi-annual end of filming VI (Virtual Instructor) dinner, and the topic was, of course infrared training, but as it related to “diet”. The nutritional discourse between myself, Jeremy Harwell (original HOTWORX general manager and current franchise business coach) and HOTWORX Virtual Instructor Ashlee Buchert, inspired me to write this blog.
Our talk began with the fact that there are so many “diets” out there. I would say, though, the prevailing diet for our discussion was the Paleo. Paleo is a very effective approach to fat loss, but is certainly not the most popular diet in the mainstream. Keeping to my Paleoish loyalty, I ordered the redfish over vegetables, which was delicious there at Katie’s Restaurant in Mid-City New Orleans.
Prior to my dinner conversation I ran across a U.S. News & World Report article online regarding healthy eating and the ranking of best diets for 2021. The article, entitled “Best Diets 2021” ranked more than 40 diets. Yes, you read that right, over forty. Wow…
Why so many? I can tell you from my years of fitness training and diet planning for athletics, general fitness, and for aesthetics, different nutrition works for different people and different dieting works at different moments in the preparation timeline for athletic performance, or in preparation to look good at the beach or in that favorite outfit. Much more than a destination, though, let’s remember that diet is a journey, and nutrition needs vary as we progress through life in pursuit of vitality and longevity.
Let’s go back to my dinner conversation. As fitness experts, all three of us at the table agreed, the name of a particular diet represents merely a category, and that category can be morphed to fit the nutritional needs of the moment for any fitness program. For example, while most of us perceive a Paleo diet to mean “eating like a caveman” with high protein and large amounts of red meat, it may mean eating nuts, veggies and fish to another person, such as myself. I have recently cut way back on red meat, opting for more fish as a protein source. Chicken (of the baked variety) has always been a protein go to for me.
Out of the 40+ ranked diets in that U.S. News article (1), I have selected 7 that matter the most in my opinion as a trainer. At the end of the day, after a category has been discovered by the client to work for them, it boils down to planning for two things: 1-daily caloric intake (and burn off), and 2-percentages of food intake based on grams of proteins, fats, and carbs.
Let’s call these the “Burn Off Diet” recommended seven:
1-Paleo
2-Vegetarian
3-Semi-vegetarian
4-Mediterranean
5-DASH
6-Low Carb (Atkins)
7-Mind (Dash+Mediterranean)
Do your research on at least these seven diets, and once you have found, or chosen your diet, you can then begin to discover your personal nutritional pathway. Next, begin to focus on what your daily calories and gram percentages should be.
You will need to determine, based on your BMR, what your total maximum caloric intake can be for a day. This should be about 90-95% of your BMR to allow for a caloric daily deficit if your goal is to tone up and lose some weight. Then, with your chosen diet category, plan your percentage of proteins, fats, and carbs that you will stay within each day. Next step is to track this data daily until you can do it in your sleep. Learn it like you learned your math tables in grade school!
Also, know that infrared training can play a huge role in the success of your healthy eating plan by helping your body to become more efficient by ridding itself of toxic substances and torching the calories on a consistent basis.
With a clean eating and a revved up metabolism your fitness program will blaze the trail for your body and mind as a lean, mean infrared Burn Off Diet machine.
