This has been my go-to breakfast as of late: 4oz lean ground beef and broccoli cooked in 1tsp coconut oil with 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites on the side. Everything was cooked in a sautee pan sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with Trader Joe's Pink Himalayan Salt. Macros are 34g protein, 0g carbs* (minimal carbs from broccoli that I count as free), 13g fat for 253 calories.

Breakdown of the breakfast:

• Protein:

                 -Lean ground beef for some saturated fats , extra creatine, and slower protein digestibility 
                 -Egg whites for faster protein digestibility 

• Carbs:

                  -NONE

• Fats:

                 -Coconut oil for fat and MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) that are used readily by the body for fuel
                 -Egg yolk for saturated fats (you NEED saturated fat and cholesterol for hormone regulation) and                          micronutrients 

• Vegetables:

                  -Broccoli for micronutrients and fiber

But wait, why no carbs!?

After sleeping, your body is in a carb depleted state. Your body has been using glycogen (carb stores) all night to keep your body functioning. Wouldn't it be smart to have carbs in the morning and replenish your glycogen stores? Yes and no.

You could have carbs and refill your glycogen stores to fill back up your muscles BUT this will turn off the fat-burning cascade that could go on without it. If you don't have carbs, your body will be forced to use up the rest of your glycogen stores and turn to fat stores instead for fuel (which is what we want!)

Having a protein and fats breakfast will also keep your body in a hormonal environment that encourages fat-burning. Your blood sugar is low along with your insulin levels upon rising which facilitates more fat-utilization for energy. Without carbs, your blood sugar and insulin shouldn't spike which blunts this process.

Also, without that blood sugar spike, your energy levels should stay maintained throughout the day. You won't get that jolt you get from having a high sugar meal BUT you also won't feel that crash that's also associated with it.

Honestly, I have been having a protein and fats breakfast for awhile now and I feel amazing. My energy is consistent throughout the day and I don't have that mid-morning or early afternoon crash.

I definitely recommend giving this a try for 7 days and let me know what you think!

Since I have been posting about my post-workout "junk" meals lately, I wanted to clarify and show you all what a majority of my meals look like on a daily basis before or after the post-workout "treat".

I truly believe that flexible dieting is a great way to be able to enjoy the foods you love while reaching your goals. Yes, flexible dieting allows you to eat whatever you'd like and doesn't restrict any foods from your diet. But, this doesn't mean you should only choose junk food as your main sources of carbs and fats. It's extremely important to eat a majority of healthier foods to get their micronutrient and fiber benefits. It's encouraged to have those treats you in moderation but it's just as important to fuel your body with the things that will keep you living longer as well!

Flexible dieting fits perfectly into the 80/20 moderation rule. The 80/20 guideline states that you should consume 80% of your calories/food from nutrient dense and healthy foods while the 20% is left over for whatever you please. Let's take my post-workout meal of cereal, low-fat ice cream and fat-free brownies, or chocolate chip pancakes for example. Not counting the protein shake blended with ice and water, the macros come out to 15g protein, 100g carbs, and 6g of fat = 514 calories. Since my calories are at 2687 right now, my post-workout meal is roughly 17-18% of my daily intake of calories which fits directly into the 80/20 rule. I didn't plan on this to happen, my lifestyle choices helped dictate it.

So I hit the 80/20 rule, I must have a perfect diet then, right? Not necessarily. It's important to make sure you are still reaching your micronutrient and fiber requirements to help keep your body functioning at its highest potential. To do this, I make sure I eat a variety of foods. Below is a list of the other foods that make up the rest of my macros:

• Protein- Eggs (yolks and whites), grilled chicken, lean ground beef, salmon, low-fat cottage cheese, fat-free light vanilla greek yogurt, deli turkey, protein powder
• Carbs- Oatmeal, apples, bananas, brown rice, jasmine rice, sweet potatoes
• Fats- Almonds, peanut/almond butter, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, avocado
• Vegetables- UNLIMITED (vegetables do contain calories but a majority of them are fiber)

I try to have 1 apple and 1 banana a day, in addition to 3 cups of spinach and 4 cups of broccoli. To make sure I'm hitting my fiber intake, I'll talk an additional fiber supplement (psyllium husk). To make sure I'm hitting my micronutrients, I'll take a multivitamin as well. For overall health, I also take digestive enzymes and fish oil.

Flexible dieting is all about moderation and allowing you to eat what you love while still reaching your goals. Eating healthy and still having your treats here and there will set you up for success in the long run. Diets work best if you can transition them into a lifestyle change!

"By: Dr. Layne Norton, Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences

There are many myths that people cling to so strongly that they are accepted as fact – even though there may be little or no scientific evidence supporting them. Protein might have more ill-founded myths surrounding it than any other subject, probably because it plays such a large role in any nutrition program focused on building muscle. Here are three common myths that you’ve probably heard before – but shouldn’t believe.

MYTH #1: You can only absorb ‘X’ grams of protein in one mealNot only is this myth not rooted in any kind of fact, it is actually a misnomer in and of itself. Absorption refers to the amount of a certain substance that makes it into circulation (plasma) from the digestive tract. The body will absorb a good portion of the protein you eat, regardless of the amount of protein in the meal. In fact, if you didn’t “absorb” over a certain amount of protein, whenever you surpassed this amount, you would have massive diarrhea! The human body is extremely effective at absorbing nutrients, and protein is no exception. In most cases, you will absorb darn near all the protein you consume. What people actually really want to ask in most cases is, “What is the dose of protein that maximizes the anabolic response?” Now that’s a good question!

Although there is no definitive answer as to the maximum amount of protein that is beneficial at a meal, there is some research out there that is mildly helpful. Leucine is the sole amino acid responsible for triggering the anabolic response, and protein sources have been shown to elicit anabolic responses in proportion to the amount of leucine they contain.1 It appears that consuming approximately 0.02 grams of leucine per pound of bodyweight at a meal will maximize your anabolic response to that protein source.2So for a 200-pound athlete, you would be shooting for around 4 grams of leucine at a meal.

The Real Deal: For a high-leucine protein source like whey (about 12 percent leucine), that would require about 30-35 grams of protein from whey to max-out anabolism. For a source of protein like casein, which has a lower concentration of leucine (8 percent), you’d be looking at closer to 50 grams of protein. The threshold may actually be lower than this, but we know for sure that this level of intake will definitely max-out the anabolic response to a meal. So make sure you pay attention to the leucine content of your protein sources.

MYTH #2: Don’t count incomplete protein sources toward your total protein intake.An incomplete protein source is defined as a food that is lacking one or more amino acid. I believe this myth came about in response to research that concluded that when certain amino acids are deficient in the diet, skeletal muscle protein synthesis can be inhibited.3,4 This is very unlikely to be a problem for the typical athlete, as the condition would only manifest itself if he or she ate a diet that was predominantly based upon a certain food that was deficient in an amino acid over a few days, not meal to meal. Additionally, most athletes consume a complete source of protein at almost every meal because any animal product will contain the complete spectrum of amino acids.

The Real Deal: Even if one consumed an incomplete protein source at a meal, there is no way a decrease in protein synthesis would occur, so long as a complete protein source was consumed with this meal. One should therefore absolutely count incomplete protein sources toward their total protein intake, since they are consuming the full spectrum of amino acids over the range of their entire diet.

MYTH #3: High-protein diets are hard on the kidneysQuite a few medical professionals have theorized that a high-protein diet may be hard on the kidneys, since a high-protein diet increases the body’s production of ammonia – which must be excreted by the kidneys as urea. As a result, low-protein diets have typically been recommended to people who suffer from renal disorders. However, the notion that a high-protein diet is hard on the kidneys in a healthy person is a very big stretch.

The Real Deal: Researchers who recently conducted a review of the available scientific literature on the subject concluded that “no significant evidence exists for a detrimental effect of high-protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons.”5 Additionally, a study examining athletes with protein intakes of 2.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight versus well-trained athletes with moderate protein intakes revealed no significant differences in kidney function between the groups.6 It is therefore reasonable to conclude that a high-protein diet is NOT hard on the kidneys.

References:

1. J Nutr, 2009 Jun;139(6):1103-9.
2. Agro Food Ind, High-Tech, 2009 Mar/Apr;20(2):54-57.
3. J Nutr, 1995 Oct;125(10):2623-30
4. J Nutr, 2005 Mar;135(3):469-78.
5. Nutr Metab (Lond), 2005 Sep 20;2:25.
6. Int J Sports Nutr, 2000;10:28-38.

- See more at: http://fitnessrxformen.com/nutrition/tips/the-3-biggest-protein-myths/#sthash.vrJrz5Zi.dpuf"

+What is it?
-A refeed can come in the form of a meal or whole day where you eat more calories than your body is used to (most likely in the form of extra carbs). Refeeds are used in periods when you are in a restricted-calorie state in times when you diet.

+Why do you need refeeds?
-You need refeeds because they are fun, just kidding but seriously. You are allowed to eat your favorite high carb foods without guilt and it helps give you a psychological break from dieting. Most importantly, dieting for long periods of time can lower important hormone concentrations in your body that help keep your metabolism running high (most specifically leptin which also reacts to changes in carbohydrate intake). Your body wasn't built to cut bodyfat, it wants to store as much as possible for warmth and survival. Over time your body will get used to your calorie intake and slow your metabolism to try and save that bodyfat. Refeeds help break that cycle and keep your metabolism running as highly as possible. They also help refill your muscle glycogen stores which help with muscular energy during training.

+Who needs refeeds?
-Anyone in a calorie-restricted diet should incorporate refeeds, whether it is a day, meal, or treat meal. But, the number of refeeds over a period of time differs per person depending on bodyfat levels. The more bodyfat a person has, the less effect a diet has on leptin. This means that a person with more bodyfat should be refeeding less than a person who is very lean. A person with more bodyfat should refeed every 10-15 days while a person who is very lean should be refeeding every 5-10 days.

+How do I refeed?
-On days where you are "refeeding", I would drop protein and fat intake down while increasing carbs by 50-100% (due to carb's effect on leptin). Dropping protein and fat helps decrease overall calories for the day allowing you to intake more carbs. On these days, you should surpass your normal calorie intake, going into maintenance or even into a surplus. Remember that this is only 1 day out of the 7 for the week so you will still be in a deficit for the week.

+My example refeed from today.

-Normal macros- 240g protein, 320g carbs, 70g fat = 2860 calories

-Refeed macros- 165g protein, 695g carbs, 27g fat = 3665 calories (+805 calories)
                 [Post-workout meal pictured- 4 cereals, 1 fat-free crumpet with 1/2 jelly and 1/2 honey, protein milk
                  made with 1/2 scoop protein and 16oz water for 35g protein, 234g carbs, 9g fat]

YES, YOU WILL WEIGH MORE THE NEXT DAY. It's okay, don't panic. The extra weight is coming from the extra water that carbs bring with them when they are broken down and stored in the body. In 1-3 days you will be at your same weight or most likely even lower because of the increase in your metabolism. Your muscles may even be fuller with the extra carb stores.