1. Have a clear goal that anyone in the world can measure and understand.
2. Drink tea. Research suggests that those who drink tea (black, green, or white, as long as it’s from real tea vs. herbal tea) have lower BMI’s and have less body fat. 
3. Eat cayenne pepper.  A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that when compared to placebo, capsaicin (the active ingredient in cayenne) increased fat burning. 
4. Decrease/eliminate simple carbs.  They do nothing for you outside of creating a favorable environment for gaining fat.
5. Eat more veggies. They fill you up, without providing many calories.  Just avoid the high fat/high calorie dressings.
6. Eat more fruits: No one ever gained weight from eating more fruit even the so called "high sugar" fruits, like bananas, melons and others.
7. Lift weights.  Heavy weights.  Build more muscle, burn more calories.
8. Cut down rest time between sets.  This will keep your heart rate elevated causing an increase in calories burned.
9. Do intervals.  No more strolls through the park.  Study after study after study continues to show intervals are more effective (and in less time).  And physically just look at the body of a sprinter vs. the body of a marathoner. 
10. Eat more protein.  Replacing refined carbohydrates with lean protein will not only help satiate you, but will also increase your metabolism, through something called the thermic effect of food.
11. Eat protein more frequently.  Piggy backing on #10, it’s important to also time your intake so you’re eating protein regularly throughout the day … not just in one lump sum, like most do at dinner.  Every meal and snack should include some protein. 
12. Supplement with fish oil.  A study published in Lipids fed mice diets enhanced EPA and DHA (fish oil).  The researchers learned that the mice fed diets higher in omega-3 fats had significantly less accumulation of body fat.  Other studies have shown similar results.
13. Do full body exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, pullups,chinups, pushups, etc.  You’ll get more bang for your buck out of each workout.
14. Cycle carbs depending on workout routine.  Sure, carbs are important, but you surely don’t need as many if you’re not working out or if you workout just 30 minutes per day and then are sitting most of the other 23.5 hours.  
15. Start meals with a salad.  Salad will provide some bulk to help fill you up, so you eat less calories overall.
16. Include low-fat water based soups as snacks.  include this with a salad and the two of them will fill you up before getting to the calorie laden meal.
17. Don’t forget the fiber.  Think of fiber like a sponge; it absorbs water and makes you feel full. Focus on fiber, not carbs.
18. Drink water.  Professor Dr. Brenda Davy and her Team from VA Tech found that giving people 2 cups of water before each meal resulted in greater weight loss after 12 weeks.  The reason?  It helps fill you up.
19. Add beans to your salads.  It’s a nice way to add some additional fiber, protein, and healthy carbs. 
20. Replace one meal/day with a large salad and lean protein.
21. Self monitor.  Keep a journal.  There’s no better way to track what you’re putting in your mouth. 
22. Watch your portions.  Avoid the buffet line and never super size a thing; instead make sure you’re following what the nutrition label recommends for a serving.
23. Weigh and measure foods.  You won’t know how much you’re eating unless you pull out the food scale, measuring cups and spoons. 
24. Switch to calorie free drinks.  All calories count, whether they’re liquid or solid, so unless it’s low fat milk, opt for tea or water.  Or something I was introduced to in the Netherlands – large bunches of mint, lemon and hot water. 
25. Weigh yourself.  Studies show daily weights help enhance weight loss efforts.  Don’t live and die by the number.  And of course a scale doesn’t decipher between fat and lean body mass, but it can still be of benefit to keep things "in check."
26. Eat whole eggs.  Daily.  A study published a couple years ago showed that those who ate whole eggs vs. a bagel for breakfast ate less at the next meal.  A similar study showed eating whole eggs increases HDL (good) cholesterol. 
27. Eat breakfast (which is convenient with #26 above).  A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who ate breakfast are more successful with long-term weight maintenance.  Other research has shown the same for weight loss.  Grab hardboiled eggs, scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt, a piece of fruit and handful of nuts, or make a smoothie.  It doesn’t have to be fancy.
28. Eat the bulk of you meals in the AM and eat progressively less throughout the day.  A study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that eating the bulk of your calories earlier in the day positive influences weight changes.
29. Stay upright-you burn more calories.  This means not sitting in front of a computer, TV, phone, etc all day.  Stand and you’ll burn more and be more productive.
30. Ask your waiter to doggy bag ½ your meal before serving it to you.  If you wait and tell yourself you’ll just eat half.  You won’t.  So don’t even have it put in front of you.
31. Use the stairs, skip the escalator and elevator.  These won’t make or break success, but every little bit helps, so get in all the movement you can.
32. Eat low energy dense foods.  These are foods that are high in water and lower in calories, such as fruit, veggies, soups, salads, etc.  Studies at Penn State University have showed that the inclusion of these foods helps individuals eat less total calories overall.
33. Don’t grocery shop hungry.  Rather than stick to your list, you’ll buy everything in the aisle; foods that are sure to sabotage your goals of getting lean.
34. Replace side dishes with steamed veggies.  Restaurants will often allow you to switch the fries or chips with steamed veggies; all you have to do is ask.
35. Bake, don’t fry
36. Switch to smaller silverware; it forces you to take smaller bites.
37. Use a grill
38. Order dressing on the side, dip the fork in dressing, and then in the salad.  This saves a ton more dressing than if one was to order it on the side, then poor the entire cup on the salad anyhow.  Less calories equals less weight. 
39. In the airport?  Carry your luggage, don’t roll it.  Again, not a deal breaker in terms of success…just another way to increase energy expenditure.
40. Skip the “Venti lattes” and opt for plain coffee or, better yet, tea.  Those extra large “designer” coffees can pack a wholloping 500 or more calories per serving!
41. Got oats?  Plain rolled oats will help fill you up more than the high sugar breakfast counterparts.  Moreover, 1 serving provides a lot less calories than the sugar coated alternatives.
42. Fidget. A study published in the journal Science showed that those who fidgeted more often, changed posture frequently, etc weighed less than those who did not.  This extra movement was termed NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).
43. Laugh often.  A study presented at the European Congress on Obesity found those who laughed hard for approximately 10-15 minutes each day burned an additional 10-40 calories/day.  Multiply that by 365 and those calories can add up! 
44. Don’t use email within your office—get up and walk to a co-workers desk.
45. Switch to water first thing in the morning vs. juice; you’ll save 100+ calories.
46. Steam your veggies—don’t sautée oil
47. Leave something on your plate at the end of the meal-every little bit counts.
48. When out to eat, split a meal.  The portions are usually big enough to feed a family.
49. Skip dessert
50. Don’t socialize around the food tables at parties; you’re more likely to pick, even though you may not be hungry.
51. Don’t eat your kids leftovers; every little bit of food adds up, including these "BLTs" (bites, licks and tastes)
52. Keep chips, dips, and other high fat snack foods out of the house—it’s not about willpower, it’s about being realistic.
53. If you have a dog, take it for a walk—don’t just let it out in the back.
54. If you don’t have a pet, offer to walk a neighbors dog.
55. Use smaller plates and bowls, there will be less room for you to fill up and it makes less food seems like more.
56. Skip buffets.  You will feel you like you have to get your moneys worth and overeat.
57. Slow down.  It takes approximately 15-20 minutes for the stomach to sense it’s full.  If you woof down your food like a starving dog, you’ll likely out eat your hunger.
58. Decrease your food intake by 100 calories per day; theoretically this translates to nearly 1 pound per month (1 lb = 3500 calories).
59. Buy a pedometer and accumulate at least 10,000 steps each day.
60. When possible, walk or bike to do your errands. 
61. Don’t buy in bulk, unless you’re buying toiletries or feeding an army.  The more that is there, the more that you’ll eat.
62. Stay away from the alcohol—I don’t care if it’s low-carb anything, alcohol provides 7 calories/gram, which means a lot of empty calories and just 1 drink lowers your inhibition so you overeat other calories too
63. Plan ahead.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
64. Pack your meals for the week on Sunday; you never want to be without options.
65. Keep some healthy snacks — like nuts — in your glove compartment so you’re prepared at all times.
66. Take before pictures and write down your goals.
67. Get new friends.  If your friends prefer pizza, wings, nachos and beer on a regular basis, find one’s who are like minded and want to be healthy.  Research has suggested that friends enhance (or can hurt) success.
68. Put yourself first.  Many people (women in particular) put everyone else ahead of themselves and let their health fall by the side. 
69. Be honest with yourself—you’re not fooling anyone by “sneaking” different foods.
70. It’s not all or nothing; if you fall off the bandwagon, jump right back.  Don’t let yourself continue to fall until all progress has been lost.
71. Wake up early to exercise; you’re more likely to get it done if you don’t wait until after work. 

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It doesn’t matter where I am in the world … if I’m talking nutrition, people always ask how much protein they should be eating.

And it happened again.  I’m in Singapore teaching and I was once again asked how much protein a person should be eating daily. 

I’ve been guilty as the next guy to get boxed into an answer to that question.  But, to be honest, it’s almost an impossible question to answer and you’ll never box me in again!

Because there are so many variables.

Here are my questions back to you.

What is your total calorie intake?

How about your carb intake? 

Are you training?  How often?  What type of training.  Are you new to training or have you been at it for awhile. 

What type of protein are you eating?

And the list can go on.

But you know what single factor, in my opinion, is more important than any of these questions above?

How frequently are you eating protein?  Protein timing completely trumps total protein intake.

Let’s say, for example, my answer for “how much protein per day” was 100 grams for simple math.  Considering research suggests most people eat 80% of their protein at dinner, with just 10% at breakfast and 10% at lunch, that means 80 grams of that example are coming at night, yet very little throughout the day.

We can’t store protein, though, like we can carbs and fat.  We store carbs in our muscles and liver.  We store fat, well, unfortunately everywhere.  But protein isn’t stored.  So when it’s eaten in a bolus at dinner like it is with most people, it can’t be used as effectively as we’d all like.  Instead, protein is  broken down into individual amino acids and then we use those amino acids as we need them and excrete the excess.

While there’s no ‘set’ number of grams that can be digested each meal, most research suggests we should instead eat a fairly equal amount of protein each meal and snack.

Back to the 100 grams example above, what if instead that was distributed over 3 meals — 25 grams at breakfast, lunch and dinner and 10 or 15 grams for snacks?

Your muscles would appreciate the consistent doses of amino acids…

Your energy levels would appreciate it since protein helps slow digestion of food …

And so would your afternoon hunger pangs because you’d be more full than if you simply loaded up with carbs.

The question then turns from how much protein should I eat to “what should I eat if trying to get protein throughout the day?  It’s easy at night, but harder for earlier meals.”

It’s a mindset shift for a lot of people. 

Ready?

Your plain bagel for breakfast is gone.  Your bag of chips or piece of fruit for a snack is too.  And that frozen meal for lunch that’s basically all carbs, little protein?  Yup, toss that one as well. 

Instead, replace breakfast with some hardboiled eggs and fruit.  According to research at the University of Connecticut, swapping a bagel with eggs for breakfast helps you eat less later in the day.  Remember, protein helps fill you.

Snacks?  Try a SOYJOY bar that provides a combination of protein and carbohydrates.  Maybe have that with a little cottage cheese and fruit.  Carbs, protein, fiber among that trio of snacks … voila!  Or try a Greek yogurt.  Higher protein.  Half the sugar of normal yogurt.  Top it with berries and some nuts.  Perfecto.

For lunch try some canned salmon or a packet of salmon if it’s not convenient to open and drain a can.  Add this to a salad, mix it with some avocado to make “salmon salad” and have that on a sprouted grain wrap, or maybe if you’re in a pinch, make your own smoothie with a scoop of whey protein, some fruit, even a handful of spinach for added veggies!

The key to consistency and eating protein throughout the day vs. a protein bomb all at once is planning ahead.  Plan some of the meals I talked about.  Pack them the night before. 

And you can then eat a high quality, consistent dose of protein throughout the day vs. waiting to eat it all at once in the evening.

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Gluten is certainly all the rage.

From the ever so popular Paleo Diets, to Miley Cyrus who recently tweeted how going gluten free was her secret to weight loss success. 

The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck has also touted the benefits (through a couple books) of eliminating gluten from her diet.

The list can go on … from fitness pros to celebrities, diet docs to soccer moms.  In fact, it’s so popular we saw a "Gluten Free" stand when we went to the KY Derby the other day!  Yes, amidst the horses, bourbon, mint juleps and a sea full of hats … a gluten free stand inside Churchill Downs.

So what is gluten anyhow? Why does it get such a bad wrap? And is it deserved or hyped up "diet secret" of the stars?

As an aside, I’m knawing on a free sample bag of a gluten free cereal that came in the mail (a perk of doing what we do — lots of free samples).  Unfortunately, this one tastes like stale cardboard.

I digress.

Gluten is a protein found in many carbohydrates, such as wheat, barley, and rye, among others.  Basically, most cereals, pastas, breads, and the like contain gluten.  Of course there are some gluten free alternatives to these products as well.

Let’s take a step back for a minute.  There is a specific autoimmune disorder where people don’t digest gluten — this is called Celiac disease — and it affects 5-10% of the population. 

I used to work at a diabetes summer camp for kids and it was somewhat common there; celiac disease and diabetes often go hand in hand.

But outside of those with Celiac, gluten still gets a bad wrap.  Here are some of the reasons people have told me or cite for eliminating gluten:

1. It’s not digested properly
2. It bloats them
3. It causes weight gain
4. It hurts recovery from training
5. It causes joint pain
6. Our ancestors didn’t eat grains, so why should they?

Outside of the last one, 1-5 are all symptoms of a person who may have  celiac.  So the first thing a person should do is to get tested to see if they truly have gluten sensitivity. Even if the test does come back negative, however, there is still a possibility of non celiac gluten sensitivity. 

Having worked with people who have celiac in the past, when I worked at the diabetes camp, I know how challenging a true gluten insensitivity can be.  There are cases where you have you use different cooking utensils as the tiny bit of cross contamination from one pot to another or toaster to another, for example, could cause a reaction.

But those who try to eliminate gluten — without a true diagnosis or sensitivity — surely wouldn’t have that same concern.

What I often tell people when it comes to gluten is that foods with gluten are not inherently "bad."  On the flip side, the foods that often do contain gluten may not be the best.

Eating loads of refined carbohydrates — bread, cereal, pasta, muffins, pastries, etc — certainly isn’t great.  Please do drastically reduce these in the diet.  It’s not a knock on gluten itself, but the sugar, food colorings, and other junky ingredients that are added to these (Froot Loops anyone?).

Also, what people often don’t think about, is just how many foods may actually have some form of gluten in them … from soy sauce to hot dogs, ketchup, beer and deli meats.  I can remember walking the aisles of a grocery store with one kid with Celiac looking or a particular brand of hot dogs that was gluten free for our cookout at summer camp.  We found them, but it was a challenge.

And beer … who wants to give up beer?  Interestingly, I’ve had many beers with many people who say they are not eating gluten, yet beer often has gluten (because of the barley/malt).

At the end of the day, here’s our take:

1. Gluten itself is not bad (or you don’t need to give it up) — unless you have a true gluten sensitivity (like celiac). 
2. Many of the common foods that have gluten are junky — processed, overly sugared garbage — so toss those
3. Gluten free doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.  I’ve seen and eaten gluten free cookies, hot dogs and many other similar foods.
4. If you think you are sensitive, focus on naturally occurring gluten free grains.  These are high in fiber and loaded with great nutrients.  Here’s a short list of some solid choices:
   • Amaranth
   • Buckwheat
   • Nut flours (like almond flour)
   • Coconut flour
   • Chickpea flour
   • Quinoa

Don’t necessarily throw gluten under the bus.  It’s currently "trendy" to do so, but simply make smarter choices, focus on high fiber grains vs. refined junky carbs, and you’ll be doing a great job in terms of making strides to reach your physical goals.

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Most "diets" tell you everything you shouldn’t eat.

We think that’s useless.

Who wants to think of deprivation?  Starvation?  Your goal isn’t to just burn belly fat, but it’s to burn belly fat FOREVER!

Who wants a quick fix diet that doesn’t last forever?

At Mohr Results, we focus on everything you SHOULD eat and include when trying to lose belly fat … and even when just trying to be the BEST physically and mentally.

So today we’re talking about 3 nutrients you’re not eating enough of and just how you can eat more, through real foods, since no one thinks in terms of "eating nutrients."

Vitamin D

I recently talked with one of the leading vitamin D experts in the entire world…and it solidified my belief in vitamin D more than ever!!!

Why all the recent "noise" about this vitamin?  It’s been shown to help:

    * muscle strength
    * improve bone health
    * potentially play a role in reducing type 1 and 2 diabetes
    * slash fat loss
    * cancer prevention
    * Alzheimer’s
    * arthritis
    * decreasing falls with elderly
    * decrease inflammatory issues
    * And much, much more.

Our bodies make vitamin D from sunlight, but most people don’t get out enough … or when we do, we slather our bodies in suntan lotion so sun has no chance to hit our skin (I’m not saying don’t use sunblock, by the way).  
 
Believe it or not, Vitamin D deficiency is starting to resurface.  This expert I spoke with, Dr. Robert Heaney, said his data suggest 60-98% of teenage girls are deficient…

The problem is it is difficult to get from foods — milk is fortified, canned and wild salmon are good options, sardines, anchovies, egg yolks, liver, and only a few other foods provide decent quantities.  Unfortunately you’re probably not licking your lips thinking of sardines, washed down with a nice glass of milk, are you?  Me neither.

So what should we do?  

First, next time you go to your doctor, have them measure blood levels of Vitamin D — experts seem to suggest that levels should be at least 40 ng/dL for optimal health.  At Mohr Results, our goal is not to simply eat enough to prevent malnutrition, but rather aim to optimize health.
 
And this is one nutrient it might be wise to add as a supplement (1000 IU’s/day, unless your health care provider tells you differently).  Of course do try to include some of those foods, too, because you get other powerful nutrients in addition to D when eating whole foods.  A favorite product of ours is Nordic Naturals Ultimate-Omega with D (high concentration of omega-3′s + 1000 IU’s of vitamin D).  A true win win.  Of course this is in conjunction with a great variety of foods that provide loads of other nutrients too.

Omega-3 Fats

This one probably won’t surprise you.  It all started when scientists realized Eskimo’s had an incredibly low rate of heart disease, yet ate a diet that was about 70% fat.  When they realized where the fat came from (primarily seal, which are high in omega 3′s), the wheels started turning.

Now, over 15,000 scientific studies later, voila!  We’ve got a winner on our hands!

The American Heart Association suggests eating at 12 oz of fatty fish per week (such as salmon, tuna, sea bass, etc).  Fish is the best source of omega-3 fats, but without getting into technical details, you can also get omega-3′s from other foods, such as walnuts, almonds, and flax seed/oil.  They’re not exactly the same, even though they’re all under the "omega-3 umbrella."  But all are a healthy part of the diet and you should be eating more of them!  If you’re allergic, well, then stick with vegetarian sources of omega-3′s. 

Why should you care?

Some of the benefits of omega-3′s are similar to those listed above for Vitamin D.

    * potentially burn belly fat
    * improves skin
    * cancer risk reduction
    * reduce the risk or progression of Alzheimer’s
    * slow progression of arthritis
    * decrease inflammatory issues
    * Decrease the risk of heart disease

Now if all those benefits above don’t impress you, nothing will.

Eat more vitamin D.  Eat more omega-3′s.  Notice salmon is a good source of both.  So are sardines and anchovies, but I bet you’re more likely to eat the salmon.  

Fiber

Most American’s eat an average of 10 grams of fiber each day.

It’s recommended that we get 20-35 grams.

There’s obviously a disconnect.

Here’s how to do it.

Replace all junk carbs — you know, the ones that increase belly fat FAST — with fiber filled carbs.  Fruits.  Veggies.  Grains.  If a carbohdyrate DOESN’T have 3 or more grams of fiber PER SERVING — toss it.  If it has more than 10 grams of sugar.  Toss it.  Deal?  In an ideal world, you’d get MOST of your carb intake from fruits and veggies, each day.  Trust me, you’ll feel like a new person. 

And why should you care?

    * keeps blood sugar stable — this helps with energy and storage of body fat
    * Controls appetite
    * Keeps you regular

All those sound good to me!  Just as an aside, add fiber slowly … otherwise your spouse, co workers, and friends may no longer want you around.

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We recently wrote a blog called the 10 Commandments of Fat Loss — and it got a lot of attention …

It was reposted to the millions of Livestrong.com newsletter subscribers, posted on MensHealth.com and a writer from a popular fitness magazine emailed to ask if they could use that in an upcoming issue.

And I wondered — why?  I’m honored that such a simple, yet important post can get that much attention.  But I asked one of the editors.  Why THIS post in particular?

His answer?  "When most people, including our magazine, talk about fat loss — it’s always about deprivation.  Your blog post was actually 10 things you SHOULD do, though, when trying to change your body."

Interesting.

Almost like the placebo effect, when you give someone something (even if there’s zero active ingredients) they get better.  It’s all in the mind.  Amazingly, there are even data where people go under the knife … yet the surgeons do NOTHING outside of a faux surgery, yet the people report being better after the fact and one study I’m thinking about had people with arthritis hopping around and not feeling a bit of pain 2 years after their "faux" surgery. 

In their mind, a positive change happened and they got better.  Apply that to nutrition now.  Positive changes in the diet — or even the idea of being told to ADD things to the diet vs. decrease — will have a positive result on the final outcome. 

That being said, incorporate some or most of these 51 foods more consistently and you’ll be better off.  Even better, for every great food you add from this list, replace a junky alternative. 

51 Foods You SHOULD Be Eating

1. Spinach
2. Wild salmon (fresh and/or canned)
3. Blueberries
4. Raspberries
5. Swiss chard
6. Quinoa
7. Rolled oats
8. Pistachios
9. Barramundi (often called "the sustainable sea bass") can be found in the frozen section of Whole Foods & has half the calories, yet equal omega 3′s to coho salmon)
10. Plain Greek yogurt
11. Apples
12. Red bell peppers
13. Yellow bell peppers
14. Orange bell peppers
15. Lean red meat (we prefer grass fed beef)
16. Whole eggs
17. Blackberries
18. Almonds
19. Sardines
20. Carrots
21. Black tea
22. Green tea
23. Pink grapefruit
24. Turmeric
25. Kale
26. Cauliflower
27. Red grapes
28. Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc)
29. Coconut (either fresh, where you crack the shell or unsweetened, shredded)
30. Strawberries
31. Avocados
32. Tomatoes (raw and cooked as both have unique benefits)
33. Pumpkin (we often add canned, unsweetened 100% pure pumpkin to our smoothies)
34. Unsweetened, raw cocoa powder or cocoa nibs (we also often add to smoothies or Greek yogurt)
35. Pineapple
36. Sweet potatoes or yams (technically not the same, yet they’re often used interchangeably)
37. Beans (black, kidney, chick peas, red beans, etc)
38. Lentils
39. Garlic
40. Broccoli
41. Red and green cabbage
42. Onions
43. Dark Cherries
44. Cinnamon
45. Oat bran
46. Beets
47. Barley
48. Mushrooms (all types)
49. Canola and olive oils (replace other less healthy fats with these, don’t simply add these to the diet)
50. Farro (a whole grain that’s super high in fiber)
51. Coffee (without sugar, cream and everything else)

Wow, there you have it – 51 of our favorite foods (and beverages).  Is this comprehensive of every single food that’s amazing for you?  Of course not.  But it is a pretty solid list of fantastic foods.  Variety is the key and quality is the key.  Aim for 1 ingredients foods when you eat (vs. processed options with many ingredients you can’t pronounce) and you’ll be much better off.

Did we forget any of your favorites?

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