calorie cycling

during the first time that i did Body for Life, about 5 years ago, i learned a very good method of calorie cycling which really worked for me. i would take a look at my 7 day calorie goal and then play around with the calories during the seven days, making sure that no two days had the same amount of calories.

i've read a lot about this system of *tricking* your metabolism and avoind hitting the wall too often. many, many people that are doing Body for Life 12 week programs use this system of cycling and it works for them too.

now all i have to do is figure out how many calories i need per week to get a deficte that will produce a one-half kilo loss per week (approx. 1lb). after i figure that number out, i will then make a weekly food chart which will indicate my daily 4 mini-meals and the total of calories for these 4 meals. then i will cycle the calorie total so that one day i have lower calories and one day higher calories, etc....

with Body for Life you are on the nutritional program for six day a week, taking a free day to eat whatever you want. however i found that to be too tempting to really go over-board and i gave up the free day after just a few weeks. i stuck with the 7 day cycle and maybe, once in a great while, i would give myself a fun treat.

i found that my sugar craving completely went away with this method of eating. it was incredible! i also started taking a very good complete supplement of vitamins and minerals, which also helps in general when on a weight-loss program.

this time around i'm going to go one step further and add some other supplements, like protein powder which i can use to make good smoothies. a few tablespoons of protein power, 1 cup of skim milk and a few fruits will make a great mini-meal when i'm just not so hungry, but i have to keep my energies up.

pay attention to the section on nutrition to see how i do it and how the whole program goes for me.

onward and upward !!

food plans

i figure it's about time i start thinking 40/40/20 (percentages of lean protein / unrefined carbs / good fat , according to Body for Life). it works very well for me on different levels: #1) i get in enough protein to keep any sweet cravings away, #2) i stay with un-refined cards which are much better for anyone and #3) i know exactly when, where and why to stick in the natural good fats that are needed as part of one's nutritional intake.

i have four mini-meals during the day and each one has the 40/40/20 breakdown that i need. most of these meals take only minutes to prepare.

here are some examples of the meals that i will be eating:

** 1 cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal, 6oz lite cottage cheese, 15 almonds, 4 dates

** 4oz grilled chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, garden vegetable salad with 1 teaspoon olive oil

** 5 egg-whites + 1 whole egg omelet, 2 slices lite whole wheat bread, 15 almonds, 1 banana

** 4oz tuna fish with water completely drained, 2 slices lite whole wheat bread, garden vegetable salad

** 2 cups chicken/vegetable soup, 1 cup couscous, 1 fruit that is in the house

** stir fry which includes sweet red bell peppers. onions, broccolli, green cabbage, 2-3oz lean chicken breast, one cup brown rice

** 4oz roasted chicken, 1 sweet potatoe, 1 fruit that is in the house

** 4oz grilled salmon, 1 sweet potatoe, garden vegetable salad

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i will be updating this list when i think of more good meal combinations. i know i have a whole lot more on file in my brain, but i just can't remember them right now.

one step at a time and i'm going onward and upward !!