Before and After Workout Eating

In the past year since my Wife and I began learning how to live our healthy lifestyle, we learned volumes about nutrition and how our bodies utilize the different compounds.

Now that we are working out regularly and I am hitting the weights more often we wanted to make sure that we were fueling our bodies to be able to work out. Yes, the goal is to burn calories that are stored as fat, but you need more to go on to get the fire going to get the fat burning.

So I did some checking and many people have the same opinion on eating prior and after a workout.

Energy Drinks

Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and 5 hour energy just to name just a few, all advertise that they give an energy boost that some people need to get them through the day or to finish a tough task. But do you really need them?

The added sugar and carbohydrates in most "energy drinks" should make your list of things to not put in your body for the potential weight gain alone. That and a recent dental study on how bad these drinks erode the enamel on your teeth should be enough to get you to stop drinking them.

If you are exercising regularly and eating right you should have plenty of energy to get you through the day. If not then a cup of coffee with Stevia instead of sugar will give you the lift you need without all the extra baggage.

Also take a look at the amount of protein in your snacks and meals. If you aren't getting 7 to 10 grams of protein per snack then change what you are eating, your body will work to burn the extra protein and keep you alert and focused.

Herbalife has a product called N-R-G, a raw guarana tablet that gives that energy boost and focus without the sugars and carbs. I've been taking one tablet a day in the morning and I stay focused and alert all day.

And I get to keep the enamel on my teeth.

To Buy Organic Or Not

Organic fruits, vegetables and meats. Are they any better for us than their normally grown counterparts? It depends on your perspective and concerns. Recently it has been determined that organically grown fruits and vegetables have no more or less nutritional value than normally grown fruits or vegetables.

While normally grown fruits and veggies had more pesticide residue than the organic ones, all levels were below the government recommended levels. While they offer no extra nutrition, the theory is that the extra pesticides can build up in our bodies and possibly cause health issues. If you are worried about that, simply wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them. You should do this with all fruits and vegetables as being organic does not prevent other health risks like e Coli.

Protein

Protein is the main staple of your nutrition plan and you need it to rebuild all your cells and to build strong, lean muscle. Eating a protein rich diet will help maintain your muscle mass while you eat to lose fat, and will help build more muscle while you workout to tone up and increase your muscle mass.

Much has been written about how much protein you should have daily and at one time. This will vary with each person and their individual goals. Most people will need 80 to 110 grams of protein per day.

Fats and Oils

Fats and oils of a variety of types can be found in many processed foods, in healthy foods and in their basic usable forms. So whats good and whats bad? You may have heard terms like polyunsaturated or Omega 3, but how does that relate to your daily diet and cooking?

Our bodies need some fats, at least 20 to 30% of our daily calorie intake should come from healthy or "good" fats, and most peoples diets contain fats and oils with too many omega 6 fatty acids and not enough omega 3s, knowing the differences of these 2 acids and what foods contain them will help you make the right food choices.

There are three types of fats and oils so lets run down the list.

Beer Marinade for Ribs

OK! You're gonna love this one. Mix this beer marinade for your pork or beef ribs and they will be the best ever! If they are a full rack of pork ribs, make sure you peel the thin layer off the back of the ribs first, this will allow all the marinade into the meat and it doesn't need to be eaten anyway.

The type and brand of beer is your personal choice, I use Sam Adams Boston Lager, but you can use what ever you like.

How Many Calories Do I Eat?

Its a simple question, "How many calories do I eat to lose weight?" The answer will differ depending on your height, weight, sex and age. The simple measurement to know how many calories you should eat is based on your resting basal metabolism and a simple calculator is all you need to measure this. Click Here for a Basal Metabolism calculator.

Once you input the given info into the calculator, you get the amount of calories your body burns while awake and at rest for the day. So if you are a 46 year old male that is 5' 9" and weighs 190 lbs, and you do nothing all day but sit, you will burn 1820 calories. Now if you sit and eat a 2500 calorie diet every day, guess what?  You Gain Weight!

Good Snack Choices to Boost Metabolism

The key to losing weight is to raise your metabolism to a higher level and keep it up there all day. This is done by eating small meals throughout the day, not just breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Think of your metabolism as a fire. When you eat your fire burns, when the fire starts to burn down fuel is needed to keep the fire burning. The type of fuel is key to a long burning fire. Paper and cardboard will burn hot and fast but not for long. Oak logs burn slow, hot and for a long time. Think of carbohydrates and sugars as paper and cardboard and protein as the oak logs.

If you start the day with a bagel with cream cheese, your metabolism spikes and then starts to drop quickly. Lunch comes and its a fast food lunch and you spike up again, only to drop back down until dinner where it will spike again until bed time. If you start your fire with paper and cardboard it wont burn long enough to do anything and once it burns out, its that much harder to start the fire burning again. You want to eat small meals throughout the day, adding protein fuel to your metabolism fire and keep it burning high, hot and all day long.

Awesome Dry Rub

This is my "Go To" rub when ever I am grilling anything. Hamburgers, Pork Chops, Country Style Ribs, Chicken, you name it, I've used this rub on it.

After a few mixes and trial runs over the years I came up with this mixture. I suggest using fresh spices for the best flavor. If its been in your pantry for over a year, throw it out and go shopping.

• 1 tbl granulated sugar
• 1 tbl brown sugar
• 1 tbl garlic powder
• 1 tbl black pepper
• 1 tbl cumin
• 2 tbl chili powder
• 2 tbl cayenne pepper
• 2 tbl paprika
• 2 tbl curry powder
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Mix everything completely and pour into a shaker bottle. You can use one of those empty glass spice containers that you just emptied from your pantry. Just shake it liberally on your favorite grilling meat, rub it into the meat, let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and then grill it to perfection.

Shake a little more on as you cook for a little more flavor.

Apple Wood Smoked Bison Burgers

Served on hearty onion rolls with onions and peppers, feta cheese and fresh spinach.

I start cooking the burgers raw on the foil until they are firm, then sear them over the coals. This keeps them from cooking too fast and burning as Bison has a very low fat content.

Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Here is my take on a popular alternative to a hamburger. Marinated Portabello mushrooms with Bison Burger grilled to perfection! There are two ways to serve this recipe, with or without the Bison burger, depending on your guests. I prefer it with the Bison so that's how we will proceed!

First things first, the grocery list after the jump.

Alcohol Consumption & Metabolism

Alcohol Consumption and knowing how your body reacts to it will help you lose weight and keep your weight in check once you hit your goal weight.  

In a nutshell, your body has a priority list of what it metabolizes first. Protein, carbohydrates and fat are what we are trying to get through our bodies and they all take a back seat to alcohol. The body will start to burn through any alcohol in the body before it tries to burn anything else. Only when all those beers or glasses of wine are completely out of your system can your body get back to using the protein it needs and burning the fat you are trying to get rid of.

In Summary, Alcohol = ZERO calorie burning of anything but alcohol until the alcohol is gone.

If you are going to have a drink, then just a few suggestions. First, know the calories that come in your favorite cocktail or beer. just like the rest of your nutrition plan, these calories need to be counted daily. Second, have your beverage in the evening after your daily routine and when your body is winding down anyway.

Third, alcohol should always be enjoyed in moderation. If you drink a case of bud light don't expect to lose weight anytime soon. One or two drinks in the evening two to three times a week is conservative estimate to maintain you weight and one drink one time per week if you are on a weight loss program.

For a more in-depth explanation read the article www.medicinenet.com/alcohol and nutrition and learn much more on the subject.

Steak Marinade

The next time you go to grill some steak, cook a roast or even if you make your own beef jerky, give this marinade a try.

• 3 tbl brown sugar
• 3 tbl soy sauce
• 5 tbl white vinegar
• 5 tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic chopped fine

Mix everything up and let it sit for an hour. Pour over your steaks or roast and let sit at least 4 hours. Grill to perfection.

1 tablespoon of this marinade equals approx.the following nutrition per serving: 35 calories, 3g fat, 3g carbohydrates, .5g protein

BBQ For Real

One of my favorite foods is BBQ. BBQ anything. Beef, pork ribs, chicken, turkey, whatever. The smoky slow cooked flavor of food cooked over an open flame just tastes good. I have a charcoal grill I use for everyday grilling, the picture to the left is my home built smoker. This is the "plan your weekend a week in advance" kind of dinner prep.

Depending what is being cooked depends on the time. A 13 pound rotisserie turkey takes 6 hours or more. A pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches gets started before the sun comes up so its ready for dinner. The time to brine or marinade your choice is done a full 24 hours before that.

Why do i do it? Well if you have ever had good BBQ then you know the answer to that. And believe me 4 ounces of smoked pulled pork goes a long way on a bulky roll with a slice of onion, 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce and some homemade coleslaw on the side.

You can buy your own smoker almost anywhere and start small. A rack of ribs, a chicken or two, even smoked meatloaf! Whatever you want, just plan ahead and make sure you have a good thermometer to make sure your food is cooked all the way through. The only limitation I have found in smoking is turkey and chicken. Due to the long cooking time chose a bird under 14 pounds so food poisoning does not set in during the long cooking process.

Try this next Thanksgiving or Christmas. Smoke your turkey the weekend before, Separate the meat into foils pans and freeze it. Thaw, warm in the oven and serve.