Newsletter by Tony Horton
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GiGi76
Posts: 876 Member
Just thought i would share this!!!! I cant do without my wine and coffee but i can cut back!!! :drinker:
5 Things to Cut Out of Your Diet
By Tony Horton, creator of P90X
When I begin training new clients, the first thing I do is ask them about their diets. Because if you want to get major results, you have to cut out what I call "food porn"—food that's doing nothing to fuel your body, and in some cases is actually doing more harm than good. To keep things simple, I tell them there are 5 things that they absolutely, positively, MUST stop eating and drinking if they want to achieve their fitness goals:
1. Processed sugars. I'm talking about white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or pretty much any kind of sugar that came from a factory instead of a piece of fruit. Processed sugar negatively affects your metabolism, your insulin response, even your mood—and all for totally empty calories. Cutting sugar out of your diet means you're going to have to read some labels, because it is by far the most common food additive in the U.S.
2. Alcohol. Calories that are as empty as sugar, and at 7 calories a gram, booze can really pack it on. Alcohol also dehydrates your body, which compromises muscle growth. Plus it slows your metabolism, so you burn fewer calories. In short, drinking gives you less muscle and more fat—you're just undoing everything you're trying to achieve with your workout.
3. Caffeine. I know there are a lot of people out there who say caffeine can give your workout a little extra "oomph." Obviously, it can give you some extra energy to make you push harder, but the cost is that it increases cortisol levels in your body, which inhibits lean muscle growth. Plus, it can negatively affect your sleep patterns, and you're better off working out when you're rested than when you're juiced.
4. Anything with a face. It used to be that you could find some decent lean meat sources, but in the last few decades, the hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals that have been used to process meat and fish make them pretty worthless as a source of protein. There are plenty of excellent vegetarian protein sources, like beans, tofu, and nuts, so you can eat clean while you get lean.
5. Gluten. Gluten is a grain-derived protein found in lots of different foods, mostly wheat, rye, and barley products. The name comes from the Latin word for "glue." You don't need to eat glue. Even if you're not one of the millions who are sensitive or allergic to gluten, you'll be operating a much cleaner machine if you cut it out of your diet. There are plenty of other healthier gluten-free alternatives, like millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats.
By eliminating these empty or harmful "foods" from your diet, you can start turning your body into the well-oiled machine nature intended it to be. By eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you can give yourself the premium fuel to get into the best shape of your life.
Peace,
Tony
5 Things to Cut Out of Your Diet
By Tony Horton, creator of P90X
When I begin training new clients, the first thing I do is ask them about their diets. Because if you want to get major results, you have to cut out what I call "food porn"—food that's doing nothing to fuel your body, and in some cases is actually doing more harm than good. To keep things simple, I tell them there are 5 things that they absolutely, positively, MUST stop eating and drinking if they want to achieve their fitness goals:
1. Processed sugars. I'm talking about white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or pretty much any kind of sugar that came from a factory instead of a piece of fruit. Processed sugar negatively affects your metabolism, your insulin response, even your mood—and all for totally empty calories. Cutting sugar out of your diet means you're going to have to read some labels, because it is by far the most common food additive in the U.S.
2. Alcohol. Calories that are as empty as sugar, and at 7 calories a gram, booze can really pack it on. Alcohol also dehydrates your body, which compromises muscle growth. Plus it slows your metabolism, so you burn fewer calories. In short, drinking gives you less muscle and more fat—you're just undoing everything you're trying to achieve with your workout.
3. Caffeine. I know there are a lot of people out there who say caffeine can give your workout a little extra "oomph." Obviously, it can give you some extra energy to make you push harder, but the cost is that it increases cortisol levels in your body, which inhibits lean muscle growth. Plus, it can negatively affect your sleep patterns, and you're better off working out when you're rested than when you're juiced.
4. Anything with a face. It used to be that you could find some decent lean meat sources, but in the last few decades, the hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals that have been used to process meat and fish make them pretty worthless as a source of protein. There are plenty of excellent vegetarian protein sources, like beans, tofu, and nuts, so you can eat clean while you get lean.
5. Gluten. Gluten is a grain-derived protein found in lots of different foods, mostly wheat, rye, and barley products. The name comes from the Latin word for "glue." You don't need to eat glue. Even if you're not one of the millions who are sensitive or allergic to gluten, you'll be operating a much cleaner machine if you cut it out of your diet. There are plenty of other healthier gluten-free alternatives, like millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats.
By eliminating these empty or harmful "foods" from your diet, you can start turning your body into the well-oiled machine nature intended it to be. By eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you can give yourself the premium fuel to get into the best shape of your life.
Peace,
Tony
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Replies
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A good message and Tony certainly knows his stuff but there are a few statements that I disagree with -- the first regarding hormones in "anything with a face" -- did you know it is illegal for poultry and swine producers to use homrones? So when you are paying extra for the hormone free chicken... I hate to tell you this but all chicken is hormone free. With respect to free range chicken -- the law only requires a farmer to give the chicken an opportunity to go outside. There are no time requirements for a chicken to be outside ... and the chicken may never go outside... if the farmer opens the door for five minutes and the chickens don't go out... they are still considered free range. Your best bet in buying chicken is to buy certified organic chickens. The same goes for beef... if you buy certified organice grass range beef you are getting a good source of protein -- regarding fish... only buy wild caught. Stay away from farm raised. With that said, the extra cost of the quality proteins may encourage you to be a vegetarian more than once a week!
Gluten-Free diets are necessary for people with celiacs and certainly use of optional whole grains is an excellent choice for your diet -- but many gluten free products have excess sugar and fat in them (especially the ready made) -- I think its helpful to go gluten free for 30 days to clean your system -- but there is nothing wrong with a piece of whole wheat or rye bread in moderation. The food marketing associations are going crazy with these concepts and through celebrity endorsements the average joe says hey, I should go gluten free too.... thereby spending unnecessary money on unnecessary products.
Refined sugars and flour... I agree 100% cut it out of your diet all together. Caffeine and booze, I am sure -- well, I know they do more harm than good but I am with you... I am not going to give them up completely. Moderation is key. I like a glass of wine or a beer or two... sure, it may slow my process a little but I am OK with that... I find it enjoyable and life is meant to be enjoyed.0 -
"Anything with a face." <- Love that wording!
I agree with you, I may not be able to do without, but I CAN cut back!
Great post!0 -
When I tell people a vegetarian and they just don't seem to grasp it ("But you eat chicken and fish, right?" :P), I say "Nothing with a face." I'm glad Mr. Horton and I are on the same page. haha
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I love the quotes at the bottom of your page..
"Exercise is not negotiable." ~Bob Greene
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
"Unless you faint, puke, or die...KEEP GOING!!!" - Jillian Michaels0 -
bump0
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I love the quotes at the bottom of your page..
"Exercise is not negotiable." ~Bob Greene
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
"Unless you faint, puke, or die...KEEP GOING!!!" - Jillian Michaels
Thanks ;-)0 -
How did I miss this one Gigi, thanks for posting.0
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4. Anything with a face. It used to be that you could find some decent lean meat sources, but in the last few decades, the hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals that have been used to process meat and fish make them pretty worthless as a source of protein. There are plenty of excellent vegetarian protein sources, like beans, tofu, and nuts, so you can eat clean while you get lean.
Spoken like a true vegetarian.
But the truth is, meat eaters like myself can very easily get lean, and do it everyday. I love Tony's workout programs, but hate it when vegetarians try to tell me that my "food with a face" is a bad thing. I wonder what he thinks of all the meaty recipes in his own P90X nutrition guide? Hmmm. :noway:0 -
This may sound overly simplistic butI believe you can eat anything you want the key is moderatio. As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight!
for example recently read an article about a Twinkie diet all the person ate was twinkies and yes he lost weight!
the key is how many twinkies he ate each day dont recall the number.
As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight.
My mantra has been this is a new way of life and I have changed what goes in my mouth and I have begun a exercise regime and the weight is coming off slow and steady wins the race.
Sorry for being long winded.0 -
Coffee? HECK NO!! I only drink 1 cup a day anyway, but I love my coffee early in the morning when my toddler is running around 0
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This may sound overly simplistic butI believe you can eat anything you want the key is moderatio. As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight!
for example recently read an article about a Twinkie diet all the person ate was twinkies and yes he lost weight!
the key is how many twinkies he ate each day dont recall the number.
As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight.
My mantra has been this is a new way of life and I have changed what goes in my mouth and I have begun a exercise regime and the weight is coming off slow and steady wins the race.
Sorry for being long winded.
I agree. I've been doing this. I eat mainly healthy, but eating a 100 cal bag of chips or cookies isn't going to knock me off the bandwagon or kill me. The twinkie diet wasn't there to promote people to go on that diet, but it was to show people how much calories do matter how that they are the most important thing to look at when on a diet or lifestyle change. Also, it shows that, if you have a dang Little Debbie snack, it won't ruin your diet! Eat in moderation and portion control and I am sure everyone will be fine.0 -
I think his emphasis was to be on achieving a super-muscle-fitness body. So, his guidelines might be good for that, but I think his logic is a little skewed. I eat/drink everything on his list, in moderation, and I have lost a lot of weight. I don't look like a body builder, but that's not my goal. I just like being slim.
And ditto on the post earlier about hormones, antibiotics in things with a face. You have to pay a little more, but can still shop it smart, and get unadulterated meat, chicken and fish. Even at Kroger!0 -
I disagree with #4 100%. It's funny that he mentions tofu because soy has WAY more estrogen than meat. But guess what?! Everything has hormones in it that we eat! Living things have hormones! Even lettuce (again, more than meat). EVEN if the cows are given hormones, 90% of them are denatured in your stomach. The other 10% won't affect a human's hormone levels unless you eat more than humanly possible. Additionally, many of the hormones won't affect humans because they are specific to that animal. As for antibiotics - the animals get tested for them and can't have any in their system before they go for human consumption. Chemicals? I'm assuming he's talking about preservatives - well you just have to go for the fresh meat - not lunch meat or canned.
The rest of them, I'll say definitely worth cutting back, especially the sugar. I don't think 1-2 cups of coffee a few days per week is going to hurt me. I haven't had much alcohol recently for the reason that it makes me crave other bad foods.0 -
I think the meat thing is crap, too. I like Tony, but the article isn't that great.
We're made to eat meat. The only meat I CHOOSE to eat is turkey and chicken.0 -
This may sound overly simplistic butI believe you can eat anything you want the key is moderatio. As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight!
for example recently read an article about a Twinkie diet all the person ate was twinkies and yes he lost weight!
the key is how many twinkies he ate each day dont recall the number.
As long as you are under your calorie goal you will lose weight.
My mantra has been this is a new way of life and I have changed what goes in my mouth and I have begun a exercise regime and the weight is coming off slow and steady wins the race.
Sorry for being long winded.
You may want to read this about the twinkie diet: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/chewing-on-the-twinkie-di_b_782678.html
About a week after the news stories about the twinkie diet there was a report from a potato association guy who only ate potatoes for a month - he too lost weight and seemed to have good work. At least potatoes are whole foods not creations like twinkies.0 -
There are plenty of lean bodybuilders out there that eat lot's of "faces", so don't give me that crap Tony and push your veggy ways elsewhere. Like a lot of bible thumpers, alot of vegetarians like to push their ways in others faces thinking it's superior, when in fact it's not. Unless you buy real organic veggies, there's plenty of chemicals in those also. :explode:0
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Also isn't shakeology made from whey protein?! Whey = cow's milk = face. Hmmm...0
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Wow.... this wasnt meant to get anyone upset!!! It was just a newsletter that i thought was interesting and wanted to share... i dont follow it 100% but i do try to cut back!!! As far as the meat thing, i think its a "to each their own" thing... ive started reading up on eating for your blood type and there seems to be some science behind it that explains why some people do better eating meat while others do better without it!!! Again i wasnt trying to force anything on anyone, i try not to eat much meat but only because i seem to feel better when i dont... do whats best for you!!! ;-)0
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i dont think anyone was upset.. does he think that eggs are okay? Im sorry I love animals but I would trade a ripped body for some occasional meat. I would rather be 5 lbs heavier than my goal than to have to give up my love of meat. Also my tight budget doesnt allow me to buy organic and I don't even know what quinoa, millet, or that other word are......I thought I was doing really well eating whole grain bread (glue) instead of wonderbread. I agree with the sugar thing 100 percent....I eat way too much.0
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