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One of the several "4 letter words" that makes the hair stand up on our back is DIET. Diet has received its bad wrap due the constant lecturing of "you can't have", or "DON'T eat this" or "reduce that" or "stay away from", WELL ALL THAT'S CHANGED.

FOOD is GOOD and many people simply need to be educated that PORTION control is the way to bridge healthy eating and a realistic lifestyle. The main thing to know about fat loss and weight reduction is that you MUST EAT. The body runs on fuel. You can give it high octane (NUTRIENT DENSE) foods or lower octane (less nutrient dense) foods. It will run on both but if it DOES NOT HAVE ANY fuel, (starving or eating 1-2 meals per day - low calories) then it will not perform well or even at all.

When we do not eat, the body senses starvation and shifts into preservation mode, therefore, if we eat too less calories and too less nutrient dense foods the body simply SLOWS DOWN its ability to BURN FAT. Eating small frequent meals not only support higher energy levels it supports OPTIMAL INSULIN balance (blood glucose levels). If you can balance Insulin levels with proper nutrients and daily caloric intake you will have energy all day long and you CANT STORE BODY FAT.

Insulin is a hormone released in the body to STORE NUTRIENTS. If we eat foods or calories that cause a drastic increase in insulin response, we increase the risk of storing excess body fat. NOW, if we balance this response, we greatly reduce any chance of storing body fat and better yet we build lean muscle mass that make our metabolism race like a thoroughbred.

We have all heard that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", yeah yeah yeah. Has anyone told us WHY it is? Well, breakfast get our body's hormones working so that we can function throughout the day. It provides nutrients our brain and muscles need to work and exercise on a daily basis. You may have experienced a scenario like this before; you wake up and do NOT eat breakfast. You realize you can go all the way until 1 or 2 PM then the headache comes on, the eyes blink rapidly and slight nausea sets in….you have reached HYPOGLYCEMIA (low blood sugar).

The only way to get these feelings to go away is to eat, yet the problem is the brain is telling you to eat SUGAR because it needs it. We now find ourselves eating anything and everything (mainly simple carbohydrates) and portion control goes out the door. This excessive calorie consumption now causes a drastic insulin spike storing all these nutrients and causing another HYPOGLYCEMIC reaction (yes that 3-4:00 PM CRASH). This could and can be avoided COMPLETELY simply by eating a well balanced breakfast (whether quick or made at home) and 3-4 more balanced meals throughout the day.

This idea of "Must Eat' is what can be tricky for many people looking to lose fat and reduce weight. Many people just follow 1000 calories or 1200 or 1500 but they follow this EVERYDAY. One thing people do not realize is that the body ADAPTS very quickly, therefore it needs to see varying calories daily NOT THE SAME CALORIES DAY IN AND DAY OUT. One way to SHOCK the body and keep it guessing is to provide it calories for WO days and then different calories for NON WO days. This way the body gets the nutrients it needs (even though low cal for weight reduction) on intense workout days and then good nutrients on NON WO days as well.

What about my Hectic Lifestyle? Many times our lifestyles dictate what and when we eat. That does not mean we can't choose healthy foods or even proper portions to meet out body fat/appearance goals. The problem here is LACK OF EDUCATION. For instance, if we know that our daily intake should be 1350 calories to lose body fat and reduce weight, and then balanced over 4 meals we know we need ~330-340 calories per meal. Therefore, if we are on the run we were educated that quick fast food place provided a meal for 300-350 calories; we then would know we could get that meal and be perfectly fine for that day in relation to our goals. We could even know that a meal we really liked was 780 calories; all we do then is eat little under half that meal to achieve our cals for that meal, save the rest for another meal and go about our day. There are NO excuses when you are educated.

Chuck Rudolph MEd, RD has a nutrition program that not only educates you about healthy eating, good foods and portion control, it incorporates ALL FOODS, no matter what the lifestyle. The program involves UNLIMITED CONTACT for any questions you may have at any time. Lets say you are going out of town for the weekend for business and you know several restaurants' in the area, the nutrition program will tell you exactly what to eat and the proper portion so you can be at the meeting and not "brown bagging" it, saying "Oh I am on a diet". Your favorite restaurants, NO PROBLEM, if the program does not have the information it will call the restaurant and ask as many questions to get as much info as possible so you can be educated and enjoy your night out. By the way not only is FOOD GOOD, so is WINE and its highly acceptable, the plan shows you how.

We all strive to live a healthy and happy life; there is no reason that FOOD cannot be a part of both. Education is the key, with a little determination; we can all be healthy, fit and happy.

Chuck Rudolph MEd, RD
Registered Dietitian
Chuckierd@aol.com
949-303-9068
Hours at the Pacific Club
Tuesday 5-7 PM
Thursday 5-7 AM or 9-11 AM
Or by request
Registered Dietitian - Member of the American Dietetic Association
Graduate California State University Long Beach
Masters degree in Nutrition Education with concentration in Biochemistry
Graduate of University of Cincinnati
Bachelor's degree of Science
Xavier University

A Registered Dietitian is the expert on healthy eating, food and nutrition. A Registered Dietitian has a university degree in nutrition and dietetics, has completed an internship in a hospital and is a member of the provincial dietetic association or college. The title "dietitian" is protected and can only be used by people who meet the high educational standards, whereas the term "nutritionist" is not protected.

Chuck Rudolph's expertise is directed at weight reduction, body fat loss and enhancing sports performance through simple, yet superior nutrition planning and education. He has developed successful meal plans for top level business men/women, stay at home moms that want to be in shape as well as various professional, college and high school athletes. Chuck has authored and co-authored various published scientific articles that are written for health care practitioners and consumers. Currently, his personal interests involve educating balanced nutrition to coincide with each person's busy and hectic lifestyle.

Through his efforts, Chuck Rudolph MEd, RD has acquired an excellent reputation for his ability to assess and implement nutritional excellence. His years of practical and clinical experience have given him a unique ability in connecting together the disparity between nutrition science and its application for optimal physical wellness and performance.