The BEST diet for fat loss is....

The one that works for you.

See there is research backing up the fat loss benefits of many different diets. But here are some key points that have been recommended:

• Eat more protein
• Eat more greens/vegetables
• Eat more fruit
• Take more fish oil 
• Eat more frequently
• Drink more water
• Eat more natural foods
• Eat more beans and nuts

So you see, diets don't have to be about eat less, eat less, eat less. And in fact if you "eat less" in order to keep your calorie deficit going, eventually your metabolism AND fat loss will stall. So instead of focusing on eating less, follow the points above and EAT MORE. 

More protein, more oils, more water, more beans and nuts, more salad. It's pretty easy. Don't over think it.

By the way, do you see the one thing that you SHOULDN'T be eating more of?

Now the biggest question of all that most people have is, how much should I eat? Well that is something very specific to you. Every body is a little different and will have different caloric needs. Basically you can simply follow this link

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-burned.php

and type in your information. Now this isn't an exact number, but a pretty accurate estimate (if that isn't an oxymoron I don't know what is) of how many calories you use on a day to day. Then divide that number by 5 or 6 meals per day and this will give you the total calories you need per day to maintain your weight. 

If you really want some accuracy, you can use the weight of your lean body mass. To get this number multiply your body weight by (1-body fat %). Then plug that number in. For example. I am 203 pounds at 15% body fat. So this comes out to 203 x .85 = 172 lbs. Give it a shot and see what you get. 

Again if you're at all interested in really dialing in your nutrition, contact Diane Campbell, RD at diane@therealrd.com. She'd love to hear from you!

A new take on a "bad" salad.

Salads have always been the "go-to" meal for anybody and everybody on a fat-loss program. And quite possibly the most deceiving salad out there has to be the Taco Salad. But most often the Taco salad is a calorie bomb that crushes fat-loss goals like car rolling over a soda can.


But let's refer to everybody's new favorite cookbook, "Gourmet Nutrition" for their version of the "Taco Salad."


Step 1 - Preparing the chicken. 

• Because each meal needs a protein component, we are going to add chicken to our taco salad. 
• So defrost the chicken, season it with 2 pinches of salt, 1 pinch of peper and 1 pinch of paprika
• Saute the chicken until it is lightly browned all over and cooked completely through.

Step 2 - Making the mix

• Set the chicken aside to cool and then lightly respray the pan with olive oil and add 1/4 cup of thinly sliced onion to the pan and cook until they are slightly browned 
• add 1/2 a cup of diced tomato and 1/4 cup of frozen or canned corn
• Cook for an additional minute and then remove the heat and cool

 Step 3 - Making the Salad

• In a large bowl add the chicken (chop it first), the corn-onion-tomato mix
• Also add 3 cups of fresh spinach leaves, 1.3-cup of crushed whole wheat tortilla chips and 1/2-cup of grated cheddar cheese.

You can also add a "Mexi-Mix" dressing by combining 1 cup of salsa, 1 cup of plain non-fat yogurt and 1/4 cup of flax seed oil.


This makes 1 large or 2 small servings. 


A small serving has 263 calories, 10.5g of fat, 13 g of carbohydrates and 29.4 -g of protein. For a large serving, simply double these numbers.


This is a meal you can have anytime as it is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. There it is - a guilt free Taco Salad!! 

You can purchase "Gourmet Nutrition" by clicking on the link to the left or on any of the highlighted links.