Monday 27 September 2010

The Green Faces 7 day challenge (re-launch 6th - 12th February 2012)

Hello all,

It is now February 2012 and i am re-introducing the GFD 7 day challenge to anyone who wants to be involved.
Why leave all that Xmas weight hang around for a month too long? get rid of it in a week... get involved with us starting Monday Februay 6th. If you haven't read the original blog below, read it and check out what is required, any questions you have, please leave on the comments below.

I think i wrote a while back that i would never write about the GFD again, but just when i thought i was out, it sucked me back in! The truth is, its just so powerful a tool to get quick results - why wouldn't you want to drop 2-5kg in a week if you needed too? Its insane. Why wouldnt you want everyone to look at your clients and go "Wow, what the f*ck are they doing?" - because thats whats gonna happen next week. Another  reason is that I NEED THIS. My own training/diet has been stalling and i need a boost, i need some rules as the diet has been 'so so' over the past few weeks. Its been more 80% than 90% - which is no mans land for my training goals of being super lean by March 22.

2 of my guys have already been through:

JB - 4.5kg in 7 days
MM - 2kg in 7 days (62 years old and going for 21 day GFD) Massive respect please!

MM has transformed over the past 6 months from an injured, immobile person who used to spend $250 a week on taxis into pain-free, self mobile, 3/week PT client who "loves' the Jacobs ladder!!!! :)

The new toy at the gym is awesome

So onto the original blog...
This picture was in the original blog and deserves to stay!

Over the next week i am issuing a dieting challenge to my clients, facebook friends and colleagues, called the Green Faces Diet. All i have asked is that at the end of the challenge they tell my their compliance rate (%), im not asking 100% from anyone. Just a real effort from those who want to make a change in the next 7 days. I know some of my guys are crazy pumped for this!

"I will rest when im in heaven" PS

"I dont mind poison chalices, i drink from them" JD

These were actual quotes from my crazy clients this week!

There has been plenty written about the topic by numerous fitness professionals over the past few years or so and the blog below is Part 1 of an article i wrote for Ultra-Fit.co.uk this month. One thing i need to mention right now, THIS IS NOT THE ATKINS DIET. Tell your friends, this is an elimination diet where you take all the crap out of your body and watch the magic happen.

Also, if you're wondering:

"Wont i put all the weight back on?"
Firstly, i hate that excuse/question. Lose weight then find out if your disciplined enough to keep it off. Secondly, yes you will if you return to the shitty way you used to eat - simple as that. The whole 'i dont want to lose the weight because i will put it back on' bullsh*t is old and really lame. I challenge you to lose the weight then find out rather than make excuses about weight rebound.


The Green Faces Diet
The world of dieting can be a confusing place… Macronutrient %, low carb, high protein, zero fat… the list goes on and on. I’ve always known and advised my clients to follow a simple, clean diet consisting of whole foods for the best body composition results. Eating clean will always be my go-to strategy when attempting to cut some bodyfat, get lean and stay healthy. This diet plan is not rocket science, just a simple, no BS approach to sound nutrition for optimal fat loss and health. I give you the ‘Green Faces’ (GF) diet.

What is the ‘Green Faces’ diet?

The foods allowed on this diet are ‘anything that is green and once had/would have had a face’. It has been recently introduced and made famous by world-renown fitness expert Alwyn Cosgrove and possibly adapted from a similar dieting strategy made famous by Strength training legend Charles Poliquin called ‘Run, Fly, Swim’.
                                      All green vegetables are permitted on the diet

Common questions

Can I eat yellow and red peppers or carrots? There is nothing wrong with these foods, but NO they are not green so therefore not allowed.

Can I eat green jelly, soda drinks and sweets? Seriously? What do you think? NO.

What do you mean by having a face? Any animal meat including their eggs.

Can I eat nuts and dairy products? If you are a vegetarian and want to do the diet, then YES. Otherwise NO dairy products.

Can i eat salt and pepper? Sea salt i am fine with, also (cayenne) pepper for taste will not ruin your results.

                         Vegetarians may need to add dairy products to get adequate protein

Who, when and how should you use the diet?

Everyone can use the diet to get into better shape. I find that it works best as a short term challenge, say 7, 14, 21 or 28 days. This should be followed by a re-introduction diet plan of around 4 weeks which gradually brings other foods back into the diet without regaining any of the weight/fat lost. It is totally down to the user how many times you wish to eat. My personal recommendation would be 4 meal combinations with 1 protein shake, but anything from 3-5 feedings through the day would be ideal.

What to expect?

This is a type of ‘elimination diet’ – which means that it is likely your body will not have to deal with foods it is not designed to process during 21-28 day period. Eliminating ingredients like dairy and wheat for this time will almost always result in ‘accidental’ weight loss, reduction in bloating and removal of body system stressors (lowering cortisol). Think detox with benefits.

Constipation - this may happen to you, it happens to me when i go GFD. My only advice to you is to consume enough water, exercise daily, eat a high volume and fibrous veggies (broccoli) and supplement with Psyllium husk from the beginning of the week. In my opinion and experience its the sheer lack of volume of food that causes this so be generous on your greens.

The eating options (choose one from each list to create a meal)

Protein

Bacon
Chicken
Whole eggs
Beef (any kind)
Pork/Ham
Salmon
Scallop
Tuna
Turkey
Mackerel (any fish)
Lamb
Duck 
Shellfish
Whey Protein Powder

Greens

Asparagus
Brocolli
Brussels sprouts
Celery
Cucumber
Green Beans
Green peas
Broad beans
Green Peppers
Lettuce
Cabbage
Spinach
Kale

Add any fat below to each P+G combination

Fats

Olive oil
Sesame oil
Peanut oil
Coconut oil
Walnut oil
Flax oil
Almond oil
Fish oil (Capsules)

Drinks

Water (2-3L per day minimum) Green tea

Vegetarian Protein options

Eggs (any kind)
Baked beans
Sesame seeds
Cheese (any kind)
Pumpkin seeds
Greek Yoghurt
Sunflower seeds
Tofu
Flax seeds
Chickpeas
Soya milk
Lentils
Soya mince
Nuts
Tempeh
Quinoa


My daily menu

Based on a strength training clients' needs
1. Large omelette (with broccoli and green peppers)
2. Tuna with celery
3. Large salad with smoke salmon and spinach with olive oil
4. Post workout protein shake
5. Steak and aubergine/asparagus
6. Sliced ham with green beans

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

                                            You have to love a diet plan that allows this?

REMEMBER… This is a short term strategy to clean up your nutrition and get your body to burn some unwanted fat. You can start to slowly re-introduce different foods after the initial GF diet period is done.

We are starting on 6th January and in NO WAY has this been planned for me to look good on the beach in Koh Samui in March! (cough...cough March 22!). Use the next few days to get into the groove with the eating, then start with focus on the 6th..
VERY IMPORTANT

Ok guys, everyone keeps telling me how great the blog is, blah, blah, blah but i never get any comments? seriously - what keeps me writing is that people read and enjoy this stuff. So im asking you all to comment/post your name and target for the week (if your doing it) - i want atleast 30 people to do this from email, blog, Facebook - lets set a goal of 2.5kg per person?

PLEASE PLEASE Post a comment/question... let me know if you are going to do this? How much do you want to lose?

As always, share to Facebook friends below if you like this, Thanks

See you all next week with the results blog :)))

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Flip-flop... you don't stop!

Hello all,

Im back from my travels and ready to start back writing. I had some exciting news (well, for me) that i was given the chance to write for Ultra-Fit.co.uk and they published an article. Pretty cool stuff and they also want me to do more with the long term goal of contributing to the magazine, nice. Also i have been in contact with Mens Fitness UAE about the same thing... so im happy that im finally getting noticed and introduced to a larger audience, just need to keep up the good work.

Onto todays blog.... Flip-flop... you dont stop!


Everyone's Favourite... The Thong sandal

Over the last month i have been noticing a worrying trend amongst people. It seems a large number of the population wear flip-flops for everyday use and i believe this is bad news. I have had a suspicion for a number of years that flip-flops or thong sandals (as they are known to annoying w*nkers) are not great for the ankle and knee joints. I remember my knees aching really badly after walking about 5 miles in Budapest a in a pair of FFs and my ankles were swollen up badly.

Why are they so bad?

Well, after much analysing of holiday-makers in Barcelona, Cannes, Nice and Genoa (Yes, I am boasting about my summer vacation) i noticed that those wearing flip-flops had a weak heel strike... some even looked like they were walking on tip toes! Their steps seemed shorter too? As if trying to continually control themselves from falling over. I thought about this and came up with a theory.

When you raise your foot wearing flip-flops, the sole actually moves away from foot, creating (if you like) a "false" heel strike.

Almost like wearing high heels?

This will then encourage the wearer to land his/her foot more to the front or flat. Kind of the same reason in-the-know fitness professionals will give you for using treadmills excessively or on a flat setting.

This often results in a flat foot strike

What does this mean?

As you may or may not know, in all leg exercises it is important to push through the heels to activate the major muscles groups of the posterior chain (Glutes And Hamstrings). This is no different. Walking in flip-flops will recruit quads and possibly calves. If we estimate that 90% of all knee pain is linked to tight quads, it wouldn't take a genius to work out that flip-flops may not be the best choice to enjoy a leisurely stroll...

Hang on! Everyone who goes on holiday makes sure they:

1. Packed their flip-flops (or will immediately buy some when they get there)
2. Plan to walk around and not just drink by the pool eating a 'Glasgow salad'.. or as we call them, chips
3. Buy sunscreen 6-8 factors too low for their skin, hoping it wont burn them (like last year)

Walking and flip-flops seem to go hand in hand, i'm suggesting that you should buy suitable shoes for holiday walking and leave the flip-flops for poolside and beach days.

Sock style trainers are ideal for long holiday walks



The beauty of the Internet

The internet never ceases to amaze me... what would we do without it? just as i finish up this blog thinking i have a pretty good blog which should interest some people into ditching their flip-flops, i decided to type into google "flip flop wear good or bad". There were various articles confirming my beliefs (cue victory dance) and right underneath there was an article from the LA Times Health section claiming Flip-flops may eliviate knee-pain!!??


There is an important lesson to be had here. I believe i am right, 100%. It just makes total sense to me. However, someone somewhere has found in a study that flip-flops actually help knee pain (maybe the author was Mr. Flip-flop?). Things to consider when reading online:

1) Who is the author and what is their reason for writing their article? Sales, Hatred, etc.
2) Anybody can publish an article on the net, even crazy people.
3) Most things you read on the net are linked to a product/service - thus influencing the message.

Next blog will be all about my new product... Flip-flops that you make you run faster and jump higher!

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