Weight loss diets

You’re running late for work and first thing on the agenda is a big meeting. You meant to grab a banana and a yogurt on the way out the door but you were in such a rush, they are still sitting on your kitchen counter as you sit in traffic. You finally get to work and plop down in your chair, ready for the meeting, when your tummy starts to grumble.

“Look, everyone, ” one of your coworker says. “I brought doughnuts!

Normally, you’d politely say no thank you and opt for a healthier choice, but there’s no other food in sight for the next few hours and your tummy will not shut up. So, should you eat the doughnut, or go hungry?

Quality over quantity? Not with flexible dieting.

Also referred to as IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), flexible dieting is a nutrition plan originally followed by bodybuilders and fitness competitors that allows you to eat whatever you want and not have it effect your body composition or performance, as long as it fits into your daily calorie and macro needs. Example: Can I eat this slice of pizza? Sure, if it fits your macros (get it?)

Let us explain: IIFYM is based on the principle of “calories in, calories out” combined with the idea that eating the exact ratio of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) for your body, regardless of their source, will not cause you to gain weight or body fat. As long as you don’t exceed your total caloric and macronutrient ranges for the day, you can eat virtually whatever you want.

Flexible dieting is essentially the opposite of, which emphasizes eating healthy, quality foods over the quantity of them. Flexible dieting, on the other hand, puts strict parameters on how much you can eat, but what you eat is up to you. Those who struggle with strict diets think flexible dieting is a miracle, while strict dieters feel it’s simply a way to justify eating junk food, which serves nothing in terms of health.

To quickly answer your question: flexible dieting works. Some of the most shredded physiques follow the IIFYM way of eating and they are doing photoshoots and taking home trophies year round. However, it’s important to remember a low body fat percentage does not equal a healthy body. Eating a diet high in junk food and low in nutrient dense foods will have negative effects on your health, even if it doesn’t effect your waistline.

February 18th is National Drink Wine Day, and you may be surprised to hear us say, let’s celebrate!

While those looking to eat healthy and lose weight usually are told to avoid alcohol like the plague, wine is in a different class, and can fit into any healthy diet. While often considered a carbohydrate, alcohol is technically in a nutrient class all of its own. Aside from the typical macronutrients carbohydrates, proteins, and fats the only other substance that provides our bodies with calories is alcohol: 7 per gram compared to carbs’ and protein’s 4 calories and fat’s 9 calories per gram. Alcohol, however, should not be considered a macronutrient because we do not need it for survival.

While many would then write alcohol off as empty calories, wine, which is made from fermented grapes as opposed to barley and yeast, has unique redeeming nutritional properties and is widely accepted as a healthy option when enjoyed in moderation.

Many studies indicate that lowers the risk of heart disease and may raise high density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, when consumed in moderation. Moderation is defined as one 4 ounce glass of wine per day for women and two for men. Diets from around the world that encourage drinking red wine in moderation daily, like, have consistently shown lower rates of heart disease in their populations. The can be attributed to flavonoids and, which is found in grape skins and seeds and work to help increase good cholesterol and prevent blood clots and plaque from building up on artery walls.

While red wine and white wine are comparable in calories and carbs (120 calories and 3.8g of carbs per serving) white wine has more sugar, while red wine offers more potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Because it has so many more minerals and less sugar per serving, always opt for a robust red over a sweet white.