THE PRINCIPLES

There's 4 main rules that are part of a nutritious, great tasting, personalized meal plan.  All these rules will Guarantee that you feel better, look better, have greater energy, and get results!

PRINCIPLE #1:    Calorie Intake

The foundation of your success is understanding calories and how many you should be consuming.

Human Beings need energy to survive - to sleep, move, breathe, etc.  We acquire this energy from food --its the source of our fuel.  Calories are what we measure by how much energy each food contains.  A gram of protein has 4 calories, a gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, and a gram of fat has 9 calories.

In order to get a lean a trim body you need to consume the right amount of calories.

How many calories do our cells need to function well? The number is different for every person. There are three main factors involved in calculating how many calories your body needs per day:

• Basal metabolic rate
• Physical activity
• Thermic effect of food
  
  

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy your body needs to function at rest. 
Height, gender, weight, age and activity level all determine your BMR. This accounts for about 60 to 70 percent of calories burned in a day and includes all basic bodily functions.

Physical Activity is very important element as well.  Watching TV all day does little to burn calories, where as a good exercise program will burn extra calories and promote muscle growth.  Which in turn will increase your metabolism further burn fat.

The thermic effect of food is the final component to the number of calories your body burns. This is the amount of energy your body takes to break the food down so your body can absorb and digest it.

The total number of calories a body needs in a day is the sum of these three calculations.  The FREE Metabolic Calculator included will determine this Automatically.

This leads to the next question:  Does it matter where we get the calories from?

Well, if you want to get rid of your belly then you need quality balanced nutrients... 

 

PRINCIPLE #2:    Food Types

The best foods are “nutrient rich and calorie compact.” That is the opposite of “empty calories”, which means they contain calories but little nutrition.  Foods like cake, pastry, biscuits, chocolate to name a few contain lots of "empty" calories.

The major sources of health foods consist of: 

• Carbohydrates
  
• Proteins
• Essential Fats
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Water
  
  Here's a basic understanding of the essential nutrients:
  
  

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel.  They are important for regular energy throughout the day, and especially for regular exercise sessions.

All carbohydrates are made up from sugars. There are a number of different types of sugars but in the body all carbohydrates metabolism converts sugar to glucose, our body's preferred energy source. Glucose is the main sugar present in many foods but some contain different sugars, such as fructose in fruit, lactose in milk, galactose as well as others. Carbohydrates also cause the release of insulin, a powerful hormone needed to help amino acids enter cells.

Its important to remember that most fast food restaurants serve the wrong type of carbohydrates, and in excess amounts, therefore not good for you.  When carbohydrates are consumed with other fattening foods or consumed in quantities more than the body could withstand, then the body would convert extra into fat. The Trophy Nutrition meail plans give you the best carbohydrates that your body craves. 

Protein

Protein plays a very important role in the body.  Protein is required by the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of all cells.

Protein is a major component of all muscles, tissues and organs and is vital for practically every process that occurs within the body such as metabolism, digestion and the transportation of nutrients and oxygen in the blood.

It is also necessary for the production of antibodies, which fight against infection and illness, and is the main nutrient that keeps our hair shiny and healthy, our nails strong, our skin fresh and glowing and our bones strong and healthy.

Proteins are a chain of 22 different amino acids. 

Of those 22 amino acids, your body can make 13 of them without you ever thinking about it (therefore they're called non-essential). Your body can't make the other nine amino acids and must get them through your diet (therefore they're called essential amino acids).

Essential Fats

Yes, there are indeed essential fats!  Contrary to what the media makes us believe, our body needs some essential fats to function properly. 

The good fats (called essential fatty acids) are important in many metabolic processes.  Since the body cannot produce them, they must be consumed in the diet to optimize health.

The bad fats are the partially hydrogenated oils found in snack foods. These types of fats (found in most processed foods) are converted to trans-fatty acids when heated.  This type of fat is another leading cause of the extra bodyfat you might have.  Its also the type of fat that increases cholesterol in your arteries.

The key is knowing which fats are essential versus which fats are bad for the body.  With the Trophy Nutrition plans you don't have to think about this.  Its all done for you! 

 

Vitamins and Minerals

Your body is a very powerful and capable machine, however one of the things its unable to do is make vitamins.  Vitamins and minerals are know as Micronutrients because they're needed in a very small amount, where as the proteins, carbohydrates, and essential fats are macronutrients, because they're needed in large amounts.

Vitamins are very important because they support different chemical reactions.  Our digestion, our thinking capabilities, nervous system and other bodily functions all require vitamins and minerals.  The lack of vitamins can have a great impact on the body, as well as proper fat burning and metabolic processes.

Water

Water is equivalent to what gasoline and oil is to vehicles - besides air its the second most important element to our survival!  With over 2/3 or bodies made of water, most of us consume far too less water. 

By the time we are thirsty we're already dehydrated!

In fact, mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration.  Low levels of water are also a cause of excess body fat, poor muscle tone & size, decreased digestive efficiency & organ function, and increased toxicity.

Water also plays a primary role in weight loss and muscle tone.  Since it contains no calories it can serve as an appetite suppresent AND it is also great for metabolizing stored fat!

PRINCIPLE #3    Food Proportions

The next important building block towards a trim and toned body is controlling portions.  First we understand the importance of calories, then what the major food types, its now time to understand food proportions.

Most of the fast food restaurants over serve with carbohydrates because its cheaper then protein.  The reality is that we should be having protein (ie chicken), carbohydrates (ie potato), and vegetables (atleast 2 times daily) with all our meals.

Having the right macronutrients (proteins, carbs, essential fats) are important but so are the size of those servings.  In America, things have gotten way out of control, with options such as 'super size'.  Its far better to eat more smaller meals spread out through the day (Trophy Nutrition meal plans do this for you without thinking about it), more on that in principle #4:

PRINCIPLE #4:    Meal Frequency

Now that you know about your calorie intake, the different food types and proportions, its now time to understand the Meal Frequency.

Have you ever heard that you should eat 6 meals a day?

Well to answer this question, lets examine a little closer 3 main reasons why our body stores calories as fat....

1.  The first is consuming a large meal.  When this happens are body is tricked into thinking this may be our last meal for a long time, therefore it stores as many calories as possible as bodyfat - in order to fend off starvation.

2.  Similarly, the next trigger to storing extra bodyfat is when we wait too long to eat between meals.  The same starvation survival effect is started and calories are stored as bodyfat.

3.  Lastly, is a huge drop and limitation in calorie consumption.  Starvation mode is once again on alert and saves as much as possible as bodyfat.

What do most people do when going on a diet?  They severly limit the calories and grind the eating to a halt!  Sure they see the mega drop in weight initially, but what soon happens next is the complete opposite.  Your body starts saving as much as it can as bodyfat.

Whats even worse is when physical activity or a weight training program is not combined with such a huge drastic change in diet.  What they actually start losing is muscle and NOT fat!  Therefore their metabolism slows even more!

The same effect is when your body goes to long between meals.  The body notices that its not getting constant calories, carbohydrates, proteins, etc (energy requirements) and it begins to break down muscle! This again slows down your metabolism.

So what happens when you severly drop calories and go a long time between meals?  You end up doing what most 'dieters' do....you binge.  This in effect eventually puts the fat back on, and more!  Because your body is preparing itself for starvation mode!

You avoid this pitfall by eating smaller, more frequent meals.  Combining the Trophy Nutrition meal plans with weight training you will build muscle - thus increasing metabolism and burning fat capabilities.