I feel that my job is to simplify things down for you, dilute them to their simplest form, and provide you with the tools to be successful in your weight loss and body transformation journey.
You see, most times when I meet someone who has previously struggled with losing weight or sticking to a “diet” it’s because they have created WAY too much deprivation.
What you need to understand about your body and your metabolism is that it needs FUEL to FUNCTION.
If you continuously starve yourself while attempting to lose weight you might burn off a few pounds but, within a week or so your body will switch over to “SURVIVAL MODE”.
This means it is no longer burning food to provide energy, instead your body is choosing to store your food to protect itself from potentially starving.
So how do you lose weight consistently, boost your energy and burn more fat?
The answer is to treat your metabolism like a fire. Since in essence, that is EXACTLY what it is.
The definition of metabolism is the rate in which your body breaks down food, to create energy, in order to sustain life.
So how do you start a fire?
FUEL (sticks, paper, lighter fluid) aka Carbohydrates
In order to start a fire you cannot take a lighter (or blowtorch) to a log and expect it to ignite on fire. Instead you need small sticks, paper and kindling to build up heat that will then encompass the log and initiate ‘the burn’.
This is just like carbohydrates.
Carbs give you energy, they make you happy but, they also burn out quickly. So eat them before activity to ensure you have the energy but also burn off the excess.
If you eat your carbohydrates when you are inactive and sedentary, they will NOT burn.
But if you eat them before activity they will give you energy, stoke the fire and set your body up to burn more wood (fat) 🙂
HEAT/POWER (dry, clean logs) aka Protein
Once your fire starts to build, you need to immediately and frequently add new dry logs to keep it burning and burning hot.
This is just like protein.
Only protein burns hot, not carbs and fats. The more frequently you add protein to your fire the longer and hotter it will burn.
It is long lasting, efficient and your most important macro nutrient.
You see, when you eat carbs and fats your body has to work harder to burn them through activity and exercise. But when you eat protein, your body heats up to burn them without activity. It sustains life without any additional fuel source!
Without enough protein your body will have spikes and crashes of energy and becomes a very inefficient fire.
WET LOG (more smoke, burns longer) aka Fat
That leaves us with fats which I relate to a wet log. That log that is still smoldering the next morning when you wake up hours and hours later.
This is just like fats.
Fats burn slow, they are a less efficient energy source than carbs and protein, but they are very long lasting.
When it comes to nutrition and fat burning this is extremely important to delay hunger, maintain a slow release of energy and to avoid an energy crash. Unlike carbs that burn hot quickly then fizzle out, your fat sources will remain in your system for hours to keep the fire burning and energy maintained.
So that means fats are perfect in between meals as snacks, after activity during sedentary times of the day and late night to avoid hunger/sugar cravings.
How to BURN the perfect FIRE (metabolism burning more fat)
Breakfast: Carbohydrates and Protein
Ex. protein smoothie or eggs and oats
Snack 1: Protein and Fat
Ex. greek yogurt and almonds
Lunch: Carbs, Proteins and Fats
Ex. chicken/beef with rice/potato
Snack 2: Carbohydrates and Fats (to get through the dreaded 2:30pm energy crash)
Ex. apple with peanut butter
Dinner: Proteins, Vegetables, Beans/Fiber (free foods) and Fats
Ex. chicken, fajita vegetables, refried beans
Dessert: Fats and Protein
Ex. peanut butter and chocolate protein balls (recipe below)
Quick Meal Ideas
Breakfast-
- Protein shake with fruit
- Egg, cheese and Canadian bacon breakfast sandwich on Ezekiel toast
- Greek yogurt and fruit
Lunch-
- Chicken with beans and rice with a side of vegetables
- Steak with small potato and salad
- Chicken rollup on either romaine lettuce or fiber wrap
- Chili with rice or potato
Dinner-
- Steak strips with fajita vegetables
- Chicken stir fry
- Crock pot recipes- Fiesta chicken, Chicken tortilla soup, Chili, Shredded chicken tacos, Pulled pork, Sloppy Joe’s
Snacks-
- Almonds, nuts, seeds
- Greek yogurt
- Quest protein bar
- Protein shake or smoothie recipe
- Vegetables with Greek yogurt dip
- Fruit
- Rice cakes and peanut butter
- Peanut butter balls
ASK FOR HELP!
Don’t try and do this alone. Use the experience and resources I’ve created for you over the last 14 years to help YOU!
If you need help identifying your goals, breaking them down into steps or setting up your plan to overcome your obstacles I’m happy to help. Just email [email protected] or text me (727)810-4005 and we’ll get you on track!
Committed to your fitness success,
Derek Kuryliw, CSN, CPT
Have a question for me? I’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the form below and I’ll reply back as quickly as possible!
