If you missed Part 1, please click here http://www.ultra-fitmagazine.co.uk/?p=3877

So you have just completed 21-28 days of the green faces diet. You have eaten more greens in the past month than you did in the past year, your protein sources were lean and of good quality and you exercised/took part in activity for 3-5 hours per week (well, I hope you did?)

 

 

I’m guessing right now:

1)     You generally feel a lot better

2)     You look more energized and awake

3)     You have lost a significant amount of bodyweight/fat

4)     Your friends and workmates still look, feel and act the same

The main focus for the next 3-4 weeks is avoiding any “carb rebound”. Any person who has been in the health and fitness industry long enough knows that a carb reduced diet is great so long as you stay on it. The danger for dieters is that an immediate re-introduction of certain foods (starchy carbohydrates), certain volumes at certain times can lead to gain some of the weight/fat you have worked hard to lose. I will share with you my 4 week approach to re-introducing ‘normal’ foods back into your diet while limiting ‘carb rebound’.

Phase 2: 4 week plan to reintroduce carbs

Week 1: Bringing back the colours

There is no real need to change the pattern you have just set over the past 3-4 weeks, re-introducing colour into your diet will produce an almost perfect menu for continued fat loss and optimal health.

Choose some of the colours of the rainbow:

• Red – Tomatoes, red onion, strawberries
• Yellow – bananas, peppers
• Orange – carrots, oranges
• Blue – blueberries
• Pink – grapefruit

Yes, in this next week you can bring back the fruit. However, if you still wish to lose more weight/fat it is best to keep to no more than 2/3 pieces (preferably in the first half of the day). Some nutrition experts suggest that the glucose in fruit may be less than optimal for weight control but seriously, did anyone ever get over-fat by eating too much fruit? I seriously doubt it!

Week 2: Strategic carb timing (post workout)

By now, you should have a great, long term diet plan with enough variety to keep your taste-buds happy… but for some of you this is not enough. You crave carbs. No problem, in this next week you can introduce a carb window ONLY after demanding training sessions.

 

 

The next step is to choose a quality carbohydrate source to use during this window period. Im not going to go into the benefits of High and Low GI in this article, but my personal recommendation would be to choose a low-medium GI food such as Brown rice, Oats or better still Quinoa. A large handful of these foods would usually be around 30-50g Carbs which is ideal for post workout replenishment.

Some post-workout ideas:

•  Meal replacement drink – Lean body (Labrada) and Myoplex (EAS) are pretty good but you can easily make your own
• Quinoa with chicken and mixed vegetables
• Oats, banana and Honey
• Peanut butter/banana on brown toast
• Peanut Butter… Why not include a genuine super food to your post-training meal?

 Week 3: Optimise your breakfast

 Before I go any further I will share with you my own personal philosophy regarding breakfast carb intake:

 “Office workers do not (physically) deserve large starchy carbohydrates for breakfast”

Or for that matter, anyone who is not thinking about doing some physical activity. If you sit down at work for 8+ hours a day, you need to follow a low carb strategy during that time to achieve the best fat loss results.

If you are still feeling like you want/need to introduce more into your eating plan, the next weekly addition is simple – eat more at breakfast. It has been studied and proven that those who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to crave food/snacks later in the day. If you are often feeling ‘starved’ late at night then lack of a decent breakfast may be the culprit. Add some quality carbs to your first daily feeding like rye bread, fruit or extra protein like nuts, seeds and natural yoghurt.

If you don’t feel hungry first thing in the morning, make a super shake and sip on it for the first 20-30 minutes of your day, it takes 2 minutes to make – there really are no excuses when it comes to eating a good breakfast.

My favourite super shake is called ‘Manama Banana’ named after my current city:

1. 5 ice cubes
2. 30g vanilla protein powder
3. 1 frozen banana
4. 1 spoon of peanut butter
5. Small handful of flaked almonds
6. Optional dry oats if you feel you need a few extra low GI carbs

Mix with water and/or organic almond milk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 4: Peri-workout nutrition

You should have a pretty solid eating plan right now. You eat a decent breakfast that should include quality carbs and protein. You eat a minimum of 3/4 protein based snacks/meals in the day. You have worked out what is your favourite post-training meal/snack/drink. The only way to add extra nutrition and safeguard your waistline from any weight gain now would be to look again at the ‘training window’.

The term peri-workout nutrition (peri meaning around) has not been around that long although I’m guessing that it has been utilized by top athletes for at least a few decades. The principle is simple – training breaks down your muscles so why wait to replenish glycogen stores when you can start during your session?

This is known as the 3^rd law of muscle: “To guarantee the greatest gains from training, consume the precise compounds required to fully fuel, protect, and reload muscle — which can only be done immediately prior to, during, and immediately after training” (Testosterone Nation)

I would suggest using a supplement or snack which has a carb:protein ratio of 3:1 for best results. If you want to simplify things, use a standard meal replacement with an easy to carry fruit (banana). This addition can be used by anyone who feels they need more calories during the day. I would advise this for athletes, workers with a high energy demanding occupation (labourer, personal trainer) or those who train intensely 4-6 times per week.

Pizza is probably not the best idea for peri-workout nutrition

Sample daily menu (post 4 weeks GF diet)

1. Mixed vegetable omelet with rye bread/peanut butter OR Super shake

 2. Almonds and green tea (snack)

 3. Large Chicken and spinach salad with olive oil, apple, green tea

 4. (Peri-workout) -  Meal replacement + Banana

5. (Post workout) -  Protein + carb shake

 6. Salmon, brown rice and asparagus

 7. Sliced turkey with pumpkin seeds, herbal tea

 3 cups of herbal/green tea and 3L water to be drunk throughout the day

So there you have it – a very simple kick start followed by a maintenance program to preserve your new leanness and avoid the almost inevitable “fat rebound” experienced by dieters the world over. Consider this – if your current approach to nutrition is not working and you aren’t losing the fat you are trying hard to shed…maybe it’s not that you are eating too much but you are eating the wrong things. The Green Face Diet is designed to break your addiction to sugary foods and limit insulin production – both of with are cornerstones of weight management and good health.

For more from Nathan go to

www.nathanwilliamstraining.blogspot.com

www.youtube.com/user/Nathanbahrain11