A successful exercise program relies on three-pillars: resistance training, cardiovascular training, and diet.

Typically (or at least my limited understanding of) dieting consists of calories in versus calories out. And, to a certain extent, that’s true. But then there are other issues such as hunger, proper nutrition, adequate protein intake, proper fat intake etc. I will address these issues.

Part 1: Calculating Your Caloric Requirements

• Google what your daily maintenance caloric intake should be. You’ll have to provide parameters such as age, height, activity levels, etc.
• Subtract about 500 calories from this number and divide by the number of meals you plan on having (aim for 5-6 meals a day)
• This number will be the calories you will aim for in each meal.

So for myself, let’s say my maintenance caloric intake is 2600 calories. Subtracting 500 calories, results in 2100/6 meals day = 350 calories

These numbers are approximate. Within the first month of starting the abs program, your body will adjust to eating so frequently, and of fewer calories. You are free to increase or decrease the calories as you see fit (eg. you don’t want to be starving, or don’t want to pass out during a workout) – this is only used as a guide.

Part 2: Avoiding Hunger, Fatigue and Understanding the Glycemic Index

So how do we avoid issues such as hunger, low energy levels? How do we ensure that our body is still getting all the nutrients it needs?

Back in the day, people would tell me not to eat junk food like candy, potato chips and soda. The rationale was that the quick spike in blood sugar levels provides temporary energy the body requires, but as quickly as blood sugar levels rose, it crashes just as fast resulting in a tired, hungry me.

What I wasn’t told, however, is that these spikes in blood sugar levels actually do physiological harm to your body. You see, when you eat foods that spike your blood sugar levels, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is a hormone that tells your muscles and existing fat cells to take up glucose from the blood.

The more sugar you have in your blood, the more insulin is produced to clear your blood stream of all that glucose. If all you eat are foods that spike your blood sugar, your body is going to produce more insulin. Now think of all the years of eating these types of foods, and how often per day we’d eat them. Soda, bread, cake, chips, rice, etc – each time we eat it, our blood sugar spikes, and insulin is produced.

Our muscle and fat cells, over time, get used to the spikes in insulin. In fact, the muscle cells eventually become desensitized to it, that they don’t respond to the insulin anymore!

As a result, the muscles cells can't absorb glucose. So what happens to all the excess glucose in your blood stream? It’s turned into fat! And not just any fat but “visceral fat”, also known as the fat that is concentrated in your belly. This also explains why some of you are relatively skinny in your arms and legs, but you still manage to have a belly (that goes for both ladies and gents).

In order to minimize this effect, we have to see foods differently – we have to see how the foods we eat will affect our blood sugar levels.

It is not just calories in vs. calories out.

Some of you may be familiar with the glycemic index. This is a measure of how much a food will elevate blood sugar levels. When you see it from this perspective, it’s quite an eye opener! What’s worse: white bread, brown bread, an orange, or table sugar?

In terms of the glycemic index, white bread and brown bread are equally as bad for you! They both spike your blood sugar levels the highest. In fact, more so that table sugar! An orange, although sweet, scores much lower on the glycemic index.

Here’s an example of a glycemic index chart.

So be sure to pick foods that score lower on the glycemic index.

Stick to whole grain carbohydrates, unprocessed foods, nuts, fruits and veggies and lean proteins!

Also note that foods that may have fats in them score low on the glycemic index (eg. avocado).

Fats are good for you! At least, the healthy fats like omega-3s, for example, or those found in almonds. Fats actually minimize the spike in blood sugar as well. Avoiding fat is very 80’s. That’s 30 years ago.

Bottom Line: For weight loss without feeling tired or hungry, you want to eat about 500 calories less than your maintenance caloric intake. Spread it around 5-6 meals/day and stick to unprocessed foods that don’t spike your blood sugar levels, such as lean proteins, whole grain breads, fresh fruits and veggies.

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