I have worked with a lot of people and one of the most important components in getting my clients the best results around is by piggybacking on some sort of deadline. There is no better example of this than with a new bride to be. It's amazing what happens to women as soon as they set a wedding date- they are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get in their dream dress and inspire awe in all those who attend the most important day of their life.
But a bride still needs a dietary blueprint in order to get the job done. After all nutrition is 80-90+% of building a leaner, sexier physique. The following dietary guidelines have produced both body and life-changing results for our many clients around the world. Typical results are losses of 2-3 pounds of ugly, unwanted body fat per week and a reduction in at least 1 clothing size per month. Remember- the focus must be on improving overall health, body composition, and performance, NOT weight loss!
The Fit Bride Mentality:
EAT to Elevate Metabolism and Lose Fat (NOT Weight)
Tip#1- Stay Hydrated:
-Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. A dehydrated organism cannot effectively lose body fat!
-Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity to maintain optimal performance and to prevent dehydration during your workouts.
-Consume at least 3 servings of antioxidant-rich green tea per day to boost your immune system and accelerate recovery from exercise.
Tip#2- Eat Early and Eat Often:
- Eat immediately upon waking and then again every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day. This is a staple for any solid fat loss nutrition plan because it allows your body to starve the fat and feed the muscle, optimizes performance, and prevents your body's starvation signals from going off- signals that will slow fat loss to a snail's pace.
- The dietary breakdown is 3 total meals per day consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, 3 total snacks/day consumed between meals and before bed, and workout nutrition in the form of a protein or amino acid supplement consumed around your training sessions. Snacks are typically half the caloric value of meals.
Tip#3- Focus on the Essentials:
-Consume a wide range of organic lean proteins of animal origin at each feeding. A great rule of thumbs is to consume at least a fist-sized worth of anything that had a face or a mother and ran, fly, or swam at some point (sorry, doesn't sound as appetizing this way, ha). Protein is not only the only macronutrient responsible for building and repairing that lean, sexy muscle tone but it also allows your body to best starve its ugly, unwanted fat stores. In addition, the sheer consumption of protein elevates metabolism and burns calories through the thermic effect of feeding since protein is more than twice as energy costly for your body to digest than fat or carbs.
-Consume a wide range natural fats at each feeding (olive oil, coconut oil, beef, salmon, whole eggs, avocado, mixed nuts, flax, full-fat cheese, etc.). Sufficient dietary fat intake is critical to beneficial hormone production, which allows for optimal fat loss. Furthermore, your body cannot optimally burn stored body fat without a sufficient amount of healthy dietary fat.
-Consume a wide range of fruits and veggies at each feeding (with a special emphasis on green veggies). A great rule of thumb when it comes to produce is to consume at least one green item AND as many other colors as possible at each and every meal to get the most health benefits.
Sample One-Day Menu
Breakfast (6am) : Omega 3 Eggs Scrambled, Greens, Fruit
Mid-Morning (9am): Mixed Raw Nuts and Fruit/Veggies of Choice
Lunch (12pm): Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad(dressing on side)
Mid-Day Snack (3pm): Cottage Cheese w/ Fruit or Veggie of Choice
Dinner (6pm): Turkey or Lean Beef Meatballs w/ Spaghetti Squash
Pre-Bed Snack (8pm): Wonder Mix- Cottage Cheese, Protein Powder, Flax Meal, Raw Nut Butter
Tip#4- You NEED These 2 Supplements:
-Take a daily whole food based multi-vitamin for your gender. Ensuring adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for your body to function optimally, especially for people who struggles to get at least 8-12 servings of fruits and veggies per day.
-Take a high quality essential fatty acid (EFA) or fish oil supplement. Omega-3 fats found in fish oil are scientifically proven to increase metabolism and generate increased fat burning, besides having a host of other benefits like preventing cancer, reducing inflammation and joint pain, enhancing skin and hair quality, etc.
Tip#5- Think Fiber First When It Comes To Carbs:
-It is critical to focus on carbohydrate quality first AND then quantity second. In terms of quality, all carbohydrates (outside of dairy) that you eat should contain AT LEAST 3 g of fiber per serving and offer LESS THAN 10 g of sugar per serving. In terms of quantity, we have found most females achieve the best fat-burning effects by limiting their total daily carb intake to 50 g or less, NOT including their unlimited daily fibrous carb intake from green veggies (fruit can be used in moderation) nor the trace carbs from protein and fat foods.
-Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step-by-step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your quest to get into that dress:
Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars found in food choices with ONE ingredient (e.g. fruit, honey, etc.). This will results in much more stable blood sugar levels, the key to maintaining high energy levels and burning fat.
Step#2- Limit all 100% whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast. Your body best handles these types of carbs at these times without excessive risk of this energy being stored as fat.
Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are the most nutrient dense carbs loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and stomach-filling fiber, making them the staple of any good fat loss meal plan.
Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies (or any other veggies BESIDES corn, peas, carrots, and potatoes) to weed out any remaining dietary sugar (fructose- fruit sugar) that will prevent your body from maximally using stored body fat for fuel. Green veggies like broccoli, spinach, dark leafy lettuce, green beans, asparagus, etc. have the most figure-friendly benefits of any carbohydrate out there and can be consumed in an unlimited amount throughout the day to keep you full and satisfied.
Step#5- Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to next level (my clients and I have had great success with this but it is beyond the scope of this article).
Well, those are my top 5 diet tips to help you look your best on the biggest day of your life. When it comes to nutrition, keep it simple and stay the course. And remember, it's not about weight loss- it's about being as visually stunning as possible via losing inches in all the right places.
Mike Hanley is the President of Hanley Strength Systems, LLC and the Owner of The Training Studio in Morganville, New Jersey. Mike has made a name for himself as one of the premier trainers in the country, helping clients and athletes from all walks of life achieve their physique and sports performance goals. Mike is a well respected and established Certified Olympic Lifting Coach and Russian Kettlebell Instructor. With over 10 years active in the fitness industry, he is a wealth of knowledge and experience in the health field. His training methods include a mixture of powerliting, Olympic weightlifting, kettlebell training as well as many other methods to produce significant strength & performance gains. His specialty is his versatility to provide the highest quality training for every ability level from the young athlete to fitness enthusiasts to professional fighters. Mike has also worked closely with autistic teenagers as well as senior citizens both in the rehabilitative & fitness arena. In addition to his work in the strength & conditioning field, Mike Hanley is also a competitive athlete. Dedicated to leading by example, he competes in natural bodybuilding, powerlifting and Olympic lifting. Mike has also been seen modeling in various fitness publications.
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