10 Tips To Help You Shred Off Blubber

Instead of the classic article/feature style I usually bestow upon you I figured that since 99% of my readers are probably inflicted with ADD it’s perhaps best if I switch to a bullet point format every now and then so your feeble minds can keep up.

Today I’ll be dishing out 10 tips for the average fitness rookie in terms of nutrition that can help you actively be on your way to torch off your body’s stored fat reserves. Keep in mind this is all supplemented by an active lifestyle which includes regular physical training at least three times a week for no less than 30 minutes per session. Here goes…

1. Organic Vs. Factory Produce

Yes they maybe a bit heavier on your wallet but not all foods are created equal. Mass produced meat, dairy and even veggies/fruits often undergo processes which aim to cut down on the time it takes for them to reach levels at which they’re ready for sale. This usually means cutting corners as well as the liberal tampering with genetics in order to produce more faster. Organic foods often contain substantially higher amounts of healthy micronutrients, more vitamins, and more goodness. Organic meat means that the bovines from which it was produced were probably grass-fed, had space to walk around and exercise their muscles - resulting in better meat that actually contains up to 70% more Omega-3 fatty acids. As long as you can pay the rent, feed the cat and still have enough change to go to the movies on weekends, your switch to organic bought food won’t be as financially detrimental as you think. Sources for organic foods in Cairo include Gourmet, Makar Farms and interestingly enough, Army outlets (they produce veggies/fruits/dairy/meats all of which is organically grown!)

2. Go For the Complex Carbs

I’ve discussed before the benefit of complex carbs over simple ones. Simple carbs trigger a spike in your insulin hormone, which is the main hormone responsible for regulating fat storage in the body. Get your insulin levels peaking beyond a certain point, and BAM, all those lovely carbs you’re gorging on were just instructed by your body to be transformed into fat for storage. Complex carbs on the other hand are excellent pre-workout food choices due to their ability to deliver energy in a sustainable manner throughout your workout and not leading to a spike in insulin and in so, avoiding the crash! Complex Carbs include sweet potatoes, potatoes, whole grains (bread/rice/pasta), legumes, oatmeals and a wide variety of vegetables. Drop the croissant and munch on that sweet potato buddy!

3. Egg it Up

Various research studies have proven that the consumption of eggs in your breakfast meal lowers your overall caloric intake throughout the day. And they’re goddamn right at it too! Eggs are one of the most complete-protein foods out there, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids required by the body for the building of muscle tissue as well as promoting satiation and curbing hunger. You can have it boiled, scrambled, sunny side up or benedit - just skip the butter!

4. Gorge On Blubber (the good kind!)

It may seem counterproductive at first, but it’s vital for you to understand that not all fat is created equal. There is good fat and bad fat just like there are good carbs and bad carbs. Good fats are usually monounsaturated and are commonly not stored in the body but used for energy instead. Those can be found in damn near every fish in the sea (think salmon!), avocados, extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter and nuts among other sources. So long as you keep your overall fat intake under 30% of your overall caloric intake (unless you’re a powerlifter), ingesting good fats as an integral part of your diet can actually help you burn off stored fat.

5. The Only Way to Go is Pro

Pro for Protein. As discussed up there with the eggs bit, protein is one macronutrient that promotes satiation, meaning that it curbs hunger and makes you - and your filthy brain - feeling fuller for longer. Ingesting a high protein diet (think 40% of overall intake) puts your body in a hypertrophy mode (muscle building) which in turns burns fat for energy. The increased consumption of protein has been directly linked with the increase in specific hormones that actively control hunger levels. Just make sure you’re ingesting quality protein from varied sources which include poultry, beef (although not as often), fish, legumes, nuts and dairy. Avoid the canned stuff, it’s low quality over-salted mass produced shit. And no, hot dogs are not proper protein. Neither are nuggets. 

6. Green Doesn’t Always Stand for the Environment

Vegetables ought to be a much bigger part of your life. You know how many ingredients go into my average salad? 17. That doesn’t even count the protein or spices/condiments I add on there. There is certainly no shortage of diversity of vegetables in Egypt. We’re blessed with the fact that in 2014, street vendors are still ferrying off the produce from local farms as opposed to trucks unloading it into supermarkets from mass production plantations. Make sure a large percentage of your carbohydrate intake comes from vegetables to reap the benefit of complex carbs, fibers, minerals and vitamins. A salad ought to resemble a painting, an explosion of color and a celebration of life, and then drizzle some balsamic vinegar on that bitch!

7. Going Nuts Doesn’t Always Mean You’re Going Crazy

Nuts are notable high in fat. But it’s good fat! That being said, that doesn’t mean you’re free to consume a kilogram of almonds undeterred. They’re still quite high in calories but they do make exceptionally good snacks/meal additives and can help curb off hunger just as much as protein can. Think a handful (dozen) mixed nuts with a side of fruit/dairy as a midday snack between meals or a dozen nuts sprinkled atop your salad for some added protein. Try and go for the raw unsalted variety which you can purchase at nuts stores (I buy mine from مقلة صلاح الدين  on Merghani st. next to Seif Pharmacy for instance and they carry raw unsalted almonds, raw unsalted cashews, unsalted roasted peanuts and unsalted roast walnuts among other things)

8. Drop The Sweets

Seems like the obvious thing to do but don’t be thinking generic candy here. Your fancy ass latte from Starbucks which you slam against your face before work can be easily adding 200-400 calories to your day and you’re not even aware of it. For some reason, most of us don’t consider liquids as containing calories, perhaps because we drink water - which has zero calories - so we assume that applies to anything else that’s not a solid. On that note, milk is not a goddamn beverage it’s a fucking meal item. Easy on that shit son.

9. Turn Your Insides Into a Swimming Pool

I ain’t talking about that eight cups of water a day shit. I’m talking three to five liters of water every day. Despite you feeling otherwise, you’re mostly water. Water that can walk and talk. So sort of like a reverse thing from what Jesus did, except not at all the same, but I digress. My point being, you ought to be drinking water every hour on the hour as long as you’re awake. Yes, that will mean a trip to the little girls’ room every 30 minutes or so, but your kidneys, brain, digestion, immunity and muscle repair functions will be eternally grateful. Consuming water 30 minutes before your meals can also facilitate digestion and lessen your overall caloric intake. Always leave your home with a nice 1.5 liters bottle at hand and whenever you’re out, skip the Pepsi and go for some H2O.

10. Spice! Spice baby!

Spice your damn food! Don’t be a flavorless fool! Look ma’ I made rhymes! I’m not talking about your pathetic salt and pepper shakers either. I’m talking chili powder, ginger powder, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, thyme, black seeds, crushed mint, mustard seeds, mixed spices and anything else you want to thrown on there. Spices that actively regulate your hormones, help increase your body’s ability to blast belly fat as well as make something as inedible as tuna become delicious!

Bonus Tip: An Apple A Day...

The old adage didn’t come out of thin air you know, apples are really a superfood, as they contain chemicals known as polyphenols which have been found to boost muscle strength, endurance, and even fat loss, especially around the abdominal region. But apples alone can get a bit boring, fruits ought to be as much a part of your diet as vegetables and protein are. Grapefruit, banana, strawberries, pears, grapes, cantaloupe, kiwis, dates and many more (although not all at once you bad boy you!) can provide your body with a steady stream of fibers, minerals, vitamins and a healthy sugar rush!

I hope this has been somewhat helpful for you, if anything to give you some basic pointers about what you should be doing and what you should be avoiding. Bonne chance!

Recipe of the day: Baked Oatmeal In a Mug

We’ve all been there. Your alarm was being a pissy little bitch and it didn’t ring loud enough, didn’t ring hard enough or just flat out didn’t ring at all. You’re now late for whatever the shit it was you were waking up for. Alas, you don’t have time for the spruce goose of a breakfast you usually make before you head out but you’ll be damned to Satan’s butthole before you leave your home on an empty stomach (that’s just like a fitness 101 no no)

So now you have to figure out a way to make a healthy and nutritious breakfast that doesn’t actually need a lot of prepping with its ingredients basically lying in front of you on the kitchen counters while you scurry to brush your teeth, scrub your balls and put on your pants simultaneously.

What do you do? What do you do? You make yourself some oatmeal-in-a-mug!

What you’ll need:

• ½ cup oat flakes
• ½ of an apple, chopped (preferably red)
• ½ of a banana, mashed
• 1 tbsp ground flax/chia seed
• 1 whole egg
• ½ cup skimmed milk OR ½ cup Rayeb
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 medium sized microwave safe mug

What you’re going to have to do:

• Add the oats, milk, seeds and egg [for fuck’s sake not with the shell] to the mug
• Whisk all ingredients in the mug using a fork until they’ve all blended
• Add the banana mash, honey and ground cinnamon powder
• Whisk again until all ingredients are well blended
• Place in microwave on high power for 2-3 minutes
• Fluff it out using the fork
• Garnish with a handful of diced strawberries/blueberries/almonds
• Enjoy your on-the-go breakfast!

That ought to hit your system with a good dose of proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins and fiber to really get your day kicking off to a good start; missing your appointment aside.

Hope you like it!

Carbs are NOT the Enemy: Learn to Pick Your Friends

Quick show of hands (it’s a popular gimmick on this blog to ask for this you may have noticed) who here once went on a “No Carbs” diet? You? The lady in the back hugging a box of croissants? Sir, with the bread crumbs on his lips? Anyone else? Dandy.

We’ve all been there. At some point in time we stumbled across some TV report or online article that basically told us carbohydrates were the spawn of Satan and the reason why this world is the big clusterfuck it is today. It’s those motherfuckin’ carbs, man! You were sick of it, sick of how everything in your life was hindered by the presence of those delicious yet fattening bad boys. So you quit. You quit hard. You went cold turkey on their ass.

And you, more than likely; crashed.

There are many flawed reports and skewed infomercials you may have come across that promoted some new fad diet (think Atkins, Jenny Craig, etc.) which had you omitting entire food groups from your nutrition plan. All of those things are fucking ridiculous. The human body has evolved over the past few million years to consume proteins, carbohydrates and fats - all of which are basic building blocks to sustain life and provide energy in the feeble human body. It’s biology 101 really.

Carbohydrates are the body’s #1 source for quick energy as they are the fastest and easiest to breakdown for energy unlike fats or proteins which require more time and expended energy to breakdown into usable energy. That being said, not all carbs are created equal, there is such a thing as a “good” source of carbs and a “bad” one. The difference my dear readers, is in the hormonal effect it triggers.

It’s important to note that not everyone responds to carbs in the same manner. Some people’s bodies are very adept at utilizing carbs for energy efficiently while others aren’t so lucky, but believe it or not that may have more to do with the kind of carb they’re ingesting.

There are two main types of carbohydrates, simple and complex.

Simple carbs trigger a spike in your insulin hormone, which is the main hormone responsible for regulating fat storage in the body. Get your insulin levels peaking beyond a certain point, and BAM, all those lovely carbs you’re gorging on were just instructed by your body to be transformed into fat for storage.

Those bad boys are the reason you need new pants on a regular basis

Most people would assume that consuming simple carbs before your workout would be a smart thing to do since it delivers energy much faster and therefore can contribute to your energy during your workout. But that’s why you don’t carry medical degrees. If anything, simple carbs adhere to the very basic rule of “What rises must fall back down”. Simple carbs often lead to your body crashing after getting a literal “sugar high”.

Simple carbs are the ones you typically find in foods that are processed or refined such as sodas (soft drinks), white flour, corn/sugar syrups, processed candy of all kinds, and even fruit juice! Now that doesn’t mean you should avoid fruit, it just means you should eat it rather than drink it as blending fruits into juice crushes a lot of the fiber content which can help make the digestion of the fruit in question slower.

Complex carbs on the other hand do not cause a spike in the insulin as their energy content is slowly and gradually released rather than flushed at once like simple carbs. This means that complex carbs promote a stable level of insulin production which keeps it under control and doesn’t make your body go apeshit and have it trying to save fat in storage like it’s back in fashion.

Complex carbs on the other hand are excellent pre-workout food choices due to their ability to deliver energy in a sustainable manner throughout your workout and not leading to a spike in insulin and in so, avoiding the crash!

Complex carbs are formed of more natural and less processed types of foods which can include whole wheat/grains products, oatmeal, legumes, sweet potato (starchy foods), a wide variety of vegetables, raw nuts and so on.

I think you may be seeing a pattern here already in regards to what constitutes as simple and what constitutes as complex, that being how natural Vs. how processed it is. Fruits as the good Lord created them are natural, they do have some simple sugars but their fiber content prevents them from contributing to spiked insulin, fruit juices on the other hand (and let’s not get at the four tablespoons of white sugar you’re throwing into the blender along with them) have moved on from being natural into the realm of processed.

Many people think their options are limited when it comes to eating “healthy” but that could not be further from the truth. It’s about reading up on information, a little bit of research and making smarter choices.

What constitutes as complex carbs on my weekly diet?

• Sweet potato
• Rye bread (from TBS)
• Almonds
• Fava beans
• Oatmeal flakes
• Potato
• Mixed vegetables

If I were you I’d avoid the multi-grain/whole-grain Rich bake bread variety we have littered in our grocery stores, it’s more likely than not it’s just plain old white bread that’s been blended with a natural brown dye to give it the appearance of a healthier bread. It certainly doesn’t taste anything like any “real” whole wheat/grain breads I’ve had abroad or from select sources in Egypt. Although more on the pricey side, TBS and Paul are quite decent sources of whole grain loaves of bread and if you dice it up the right way you can easily go on with one loaf for an entire week.

I don’t even need to tell you that the last bullet point literally holds hundreds of options underneath its wings, so don’t come at me with that “Ugh I don’t know what to eat I’m eating the same stuff everyday I’m so sick of it!” bullshit. You’re not trying to diversify your menu son, and that’s your fault and your fault alone.

P.S. Just a passing thought. Anything, and I do mean anything, when consumed in excess will make you gain weight. It’s about being smart with your meal portions, sizes and frequencies and balancing your carbs with your proteins and fats to give your body what it really needs.

I guess that sums up today’s post. Remember, it’s about choices and it’s about how you use the right foods to help us reach our goals.

Oatmeal for Dummies

Easily one of the most misunderstood foods in any kitchen is perhaps none other than oatmeal. This grain is packed full of fibers, anti-oxidants, vitamins and complex carbohydrates which deliver a steady stream of energy to your body. That being said, 9 out 10 will vote it as inedible "diet" food that tastes bland and is something they are forced to wolf down with their eyes shut as though it was cough syrup (not the orange flavored kind)

To you I say, shut the fuck up and listen. Oatmeal - benefits aside - is a wonderful breakfast or mid-day snack item that - much like all other foods - depends on how you make it.

First of, the selection of your oatmeal can mean the difference between a bland squishy bowl of hamster food and a tasty breakfast delight. I personally prefer oatmeal flakes for their size, texture and taste over your average instant cooking Quaker oats. My brand of choice in Egypt and can be easily found in most supermarkets and stores in the cereal section is Emco's "Flacons D'Avoine". They're sold in 500 gram packets and can easily last you 10 days if you're consuming 50 grams every morning.

Now that we've picked out our oats, it's time to get cracking. I shall bestow upon you my favorite oatmeal recipe which I achieved through a wide variety of trial and error with a number of ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 50 grams of oatmeal flakes
• 100 ml of skimmed milk
• one teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• one whole banana
• two squares of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)
• one teaspoon of flax/Chia seeds (if available)
• one teaspoon of peanut/almond/cashew butter

Process:

• Add 50 grams of oat flakes to a deep microwave-safe bowl
• Sprinkle the ground cinnamon evenly so it covers the flakes and blend using a spoon.
• Add the 100 ml of skimmed milk
• Place into microwave for 40 seconds under High power
• Break your dark chocolate squares into smaller pieces using a sharp knife and sprinkle evenly within the mixture
• Add the nut butter and seeds
• Slice the banana
• Enjoy

Obviously the above mentioned ingredients can be subject to change according to taste especially in regards to the fruit of choice, frozen grapes, strawberries, sliced kiwi (with skin), and apples are just a handful of possible combinations and additions one could use to spice up their breakfast meal. 

You can also forgo the nut butter by throwing in a dozen almonds, cashews, hazelnuts or a combination of mixed nuts into the oatmeal after it's been put through the microwave. Some even opt for a tablespoon of honey to really hit that sweet tooth but I find that the above ingredients do more than a fair job of just that. I have the above combo roughly three to four times a week as part of my pre-workout meal regiment and it's never failed to both satisfy my sweet tooth and give me enough energy to bust out one hell of a workout, I hope it will do the same to you!

Bonne appétit!