Trying to get into the best shape of your life, you cannot forget about nutrient timing! One of the key concepts you need to understand is nutrient timing and the role this plays in shedding the most amount of fat as possible. Some people call it carbohydrate tapering which is the method of eating carbs at specific times during the day to maximize your “windows of opportunity”, i.e. first thing in the a.m. and pre/post workout and tapering off carbs as teh day continues, to gain lean muscle and shed body fat. To help us with our goals and carb tapering, it is important to get a handle on why we snack so much and what we can do about this problem which reeks havoc on your physique.
Snacking boils down to two main things, comfort and boredom. When you snuggle into the couch at night and pull the covers over you with a big bag of your favorite snack food, a warm sense of comfort rolls over you. A little r&r and flavorful snack, sounds like a great way to end the night right… NO!
Something to remember is that not only is insulin released and effected with food but serotonin, the feel good hormone, also has a powerful effect on why we crave carbohydrates at night. Eating carbs raises serotonin levels, just like insulin. You feel amazing when Serotonin is increased! Then a little later, your serotonin levels drop and your brain tells you to eat more carbs and sugar to spike your serotonin levels back up!
The other factor is simple boredom. Most people are just plain bored at night and there is really nothing else to do other than continuously snacking on junk food. If you feel yourself slipping into a boredom scenario, the first thing to do is understand what is happening and then get up off the couch and get moving. Go out for a quick walk, take a bath, read a book, listen to music, write in your journal or simply spend time with loved ones. Recognition is the first step to stopping these snacking habits.
Next, it simply comes down to overall mental toughness, Mind over matter!! Its called discipline and it’s the #1 factor which will separate you from all the others out there that want a lean physique. The truth is that it takes a lot of hard work and mental discipline to obtain the look you are striving for. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, remember that! The reality is hard and most people don’t want to hear about the amount of work it takes to really succeed. The question you have to ask yourself is how bad you really want it? You need to know what you want and more importantly, what it takes to get it. You have to have the mental toughness to stick to a program!
Now what about Tapering off carbs…
One of the issues with eating carbs at night has to do with insulin. As the day progresses, your insulin levels are less sensitive which means you have an easier time converting carbohydrates into fat stores. Later at night, your body is winding down from a long day and you usually spend time relaxing. Your body is not moving all too much and not much energy is being used. Add this insulin response to snacky foods and that is the first thing that is going to slowdown your success!
Now, let’s talk about what snacks are Gina Approved and acceptable… If you absolutely cannot pass up a snack later at night, the first thing you want to do is ask yourself, are you really hungry or is your mind playing games with you? If you are truly physically hungry, Here are some great high protein, low carb snack choices for late night:
LEAN PROTEIN SNACKS
* Low or Non Fat Cottage Cheese
* Grilled Chicken Breast or Lean Protein
* Egg Whites
* Fibrous Veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, romaine lettuce, etc.)
* Protein Shake (ideally casein protein since it’s a slower acting protein) OR remember Whey with a serving of Natural Fat (almonds, nut butter, flax, chia) to slow down absorption
*Carb Free pancake or muffins
*Protein Pudding
*VEGGIES! 🙂
BOTTOM LINE, IF YOU HAVE TO SNACK AT NIGHT, STICK TO LEAN PROTEIN SOURCES, VEGGIES OR A SMALL SINGLE SERVING OF HEALTHY FATS! 🙂
Happy and Healthy Snacking…. 🙂