Changing any habit is hard. But eating habits are especially tough.

But the good news is that many people have been where you are before, and emerged on the other side leaner, healthier, and feeling amazing. Just take a look at some of our V Shred customer transformations for proof!

Here’s how to navigate the initial learning curve of nutrition and start eating better today!

Draw a line around your house.

You can’t keep the world from being full of junk food, but you can choose to not bring it into your house.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “If you hang around the barbershop long enough, eventually you’re going to get a haircut.” Well, this applies to cravings, too. If you let your weakness into your home, it’s got a much better chance of finding you.

“But I can just have a little bit…” Or can you? Maybe, but maybe not… yet.

When you’re just starting out, we suggest not buying any high-calorie “trigger” foods, and getting rid of the ones that are in your house. Keep them out until you have some time behind you and are certain you can trust yourself to resist or can enjoy one serving (accounted for if you are tracking macros) and move on. For some people, this could be months down the road. or years.

In the mean time, stock up on veggies to snack on and even some Sculpt Nation Protein. You can shake it up with just water, add some fruit for a delicious smoothie, or create protein-filled treats like protein pancakes!

If you have a sweet tooth, many of our clients say they curb those cravings with our Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies. You can have up to three 20-calorie servings a day, and they taste like candy! Plus, they can help give you quick “pick-me-up energy” and provide digestion and metabolism support.

Drink Up

It’s really common to think you’re hungry, when you’re actually just thirsty or even a little dehydrated.

If you’re feeling desperately hungry, have a glass of water or another no-calorie beverage like some Sculpt Nation BCAAs, wait 20 minutes, and see how you feel.

If you need some other suggestions of beverages you can enjoy while dieting, check out the article What Should I Drink Beside Water?

And if you are wondering if it’s okay to drink things like coffee or alcohol, we’ve got you covered there too! You can read our tips for consuming these beverages and staying on track in the article Can I Drink Alcohol or Coffee?

Do some targeted meal prep

Meal prep is a popular way to try to gain control over nutrition, but not all of us are ready to prep every meal, every day — and that’s just fine!  Especially if you’re just starting out, consider just prepping the meal you struggle with the most.

You can start with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks — whichever one is your “problem meal” and tends to cause you to over-indulge or end up in the drive-thru. Then, once you feel confident preparing that meal, take that momentum and apply it to another meal.

You might be surprised how big of an effect simply fixing one calorie-bomb per day can have!

If you need some tips on meal prepping, check out the popular meal prep guide Vince Sant posted on our V Shred’s YouTube Channel.

Have A Strong Support System

Getting started can feel infinitely harder if your friends, family, and co-workers aren’t joining you and adopting a healthy lifestyle of their own. Even if you feel like you’re the only one in your circle making positive changes, it’s still important that you vocalize your goals and let them know you would welcome their support.

But it’s equally important to have like-minded people in your circle cheering you on. This is exactly why we created our private Facebook Groups for Men and Women.

It’s free to join, and there are hundreds of thousands of other clients and even our V Shred trainers and nutritionists in these groups that are happy to offer tips that will help you navigate your exercise program and diet and offer the support you need to stay on track!

Still Stuck? We’ve Got Your Back! 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You may not be an expert yet, but we have some team members who definitely hare.

The Custom Coaching team at V Shred have created over 1 million personalized meal plans for people from all backgrounds, and can do the same for you. No matter your situation, they’ve seen it before.

Our most dramatic transformations almost always involve custom coaching. So if you’re really confused or ready to make a serious change, you can get your custom diet plan here or learn more by emailing coaching@vshred.com.

The post I’m Totally Lost And Struggling With Nutrition. What Do I Do? appeared first on V Shred.

How to prepare protein is a question we hear all the time. In terms of nutrition questions, it’s right up there with “What should  I order when eating at a restaurant” and “Should I have a protein shake post-workout.”

And just like those questions the answer depends on your goals.Here’s how to cook your proteins in a way that will keep you from getting bored and help you reach your goals!

Best Ways To Prepare Meat For Weight Loss

If you’re using one of our programs like Fat Loss Extreme for Men or Women or Move, it’s likely that you’re looking to lose or control your weight. If that’ the case, then battering or deep-frying your meat on a daily basis probably won’t help you much!

When weight-loss is the goal, stick with low-calorie ways of cooking your meat such as:

• Baking
• Grilling
• Boiling
• Pan-frying
• Air frying

All of these methods are great for cooking enough meat for a single meal, or even better, for “meal prepping” multiple meals– which we highly recommend. 

One other thing to watch out for if you are trying to lose weight is cooking oils. They can add a lot of calories from fats, and it doesn’t take very much for them to add up quickly, especially if you are cooking with them for several meals each day.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. It just means you should use oils in moderation and, more importantly, track them if you are measuring your food and tracking calories/macros — which you can easily calculate in our V Shred App for IOS or Android.

Here are a few other cooking options besides frying, battering, and smothering with oils.

Cooking Sprays: Most cooking methods mentioned above don’t require additional oil. But if needed and you’re looking for places to cut calories, consider switching to a few spritzes of cooking spray.

Herbs & Spices: These will be your best friend if you want to flavor your meat without any additional calories! Change them around, and you’ll find you can prepare chicken or other meats multiple ways, all without adding any calories.

Rotate A Variety Of Lean Meats: Don’t feel like you need to limit your protein choices to fish and chicken! Lean ground beef, lean ground turkey, lean ground bison, and even pork tenderloin are delicious low-fat protein sources.

They are also  super easy to prep without additional oils. Just toss them in some spices, cook using one of the suggested methods above, and then serve them up alongside some vegetables and a healthy carb — and dinner is done.

If you get bored with meat, you can also use Sculpt Nation PROTEIN to make a delicious smoothie, or even something fun like protein pancakes! 

Best Ways To Cook Meat For Bulking/Weight Gain

If you are in a caloric surplus or looking for ways to add more calories to your meals without feeling overly stuffed (which is a common issue that we talk about in the article Should I Keep Eating if I’m Full?  — cooking oils and higher fat meats are a great way to sneak in calories.

That doesn’t necessarily mean “all butter, all the time,” though! After all, a bulking program like CLEAN BULK should be just that… clean!

And if it’s not clear where that line is, we can help you find it! That’s why we have a team of nutritionists at V Shred who make custom goal-oriented meal plans for people worldwide every day.

You can get your customized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll create a plan that you can stick with that includes the best ways to prepare your meals!

If you aren’t already, you should also get active in our Facebook Groups for Men or Women. Thousands of people — even our on-staff trainers and nutrition experts — are there every day offering cooking tips, recipes, and more!

The post What Are The Best Ways To Cook Meat? appeared first on V Shred.

The post What Should I Order In A Restaurant When I’m On A Diet? appeared first on V Shred.

Let’s get straight to the point. Yes, it’s OK to have a “cheat meal.” However, the term “cheat” is pretty loaded, and sends an unnecessarily strict message about nutrition. For this we prefer to call them “free meals.”

Whatever you call them, for most, an occasional higher-calorie meal where you don’t have to eat your planned meals, or order grilled chicken and steamed veggies off the restaurant menu–  won’t derail your progress.

In fact, research shows an occasional diet break can assist in boosting your metabolism, especially if you are on a low-calorie diet for an extended period.

Free meals can also provide a much-needed mental break. Constantly trying to resist your cravings can be stressful! Allowing yourself to let loose and eat what you want for one meal is often exactly what you need to continue to stay on track!

None of this means you should start planning out your “free” meals on day 1 of a diet, though! There’s a strong argument for waiting a while first.

When And How To Incorporate A Cheat Meal

In our V Shred custom meal plans and fat-loss programs like Move, Fat Loss Extreme For Men and Women, we usually have clients commit to a full month of pretty dialed-in nutrition before they have a refeed, free meal, or cheat.

Here’s why: When you’re just starting out, your body is still primed for fat gain, not fat loss. If you start out by cutting back 1500 calories a day, 6 days a week, but still feast on 5000 calories on the seventh day, it will catch up with you. Sorry, that’s just how calories work.

But after at least a month of eating right and exercising consistently, you’re going to be in a much better place.

• Your blood sugar is more stable.
• Your metabolism is boosted.
• Your body is better equipped to take some extra carbs and calories from a big meal of all those foods you’ve been craving and use them to help you refuel and recover.

You will also be in a better mindset, which is also important when considering free meals. You have to be mentally ready to eat foods that could potentially trigger old eating patterns.

Remember, It’s A Cheat Meal, Not A Cheat Day

Now, to be clear, when you are given the green light to have a free meal, we’re talking about one meal, not an entire day.

One other thing. Don’t confuse a cheat meal with a treat. Say your coworker brings donuts to work, and you have one. Have you “cheated” or broken your diet? Definitely not!

If you’re tracking calories or macros in our V Shred App for IOS or Android, you can just track that donut and fit it into your daily “macro budget.” That’s one of the big advantages of a flexible dieting approach and why we recommend it.

Now, some of our clients complain of a little GI distress when they indulge in a free meal. To help with this, we suggest taking some quality digestive enzymes that can help assist in breaking food down so it can be easily digested.

Still Confused On How You Can “Cheat” And Still Lose Weight? 

If  you’re struggling to make sense of all these words–cheat, treat, refeed, etc.– we get it. You’re not alone. The confusion of “cheat meals” is one of the most discussed topics in our Facebook Group for Men and Women. We suggest jumping into these conversations and asking questions!

That’s also why we have a team of certified personal trainers and nutritionists at V Shred. They build custom diet plans to help make sense of nutrition and speed up our clients’ results every day.

Get your plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we can get you the help you need.

The post Should I Eat A “Cheat Meal?” appeared first on V Shred.

Having low energy, feeling tired or unfocused, struggling through crappy workouts, and feeling downright hungry is a common complaint from some of our clients who are on lower calories and choose to carb cycle.

Sure, being in a caloric deficit can have its low points, but feeling terrible for days and days on end is a sign that something in your diet isn’t working. Remember: The best diet is one you can actually stick to!

The first question, then, is this: Are you sure you’re really up for carb cycling? Our article Do I Need to Do Carb Cycling? can help you figure it out.

But if you know you want to carb cycle, here’s how to trouble shoot the diet if if your stomach is growling on lower-carb days.

Are your high-carb days… too low-carb? 

Our first question for you: Are you actually tracking your carbs and macros and measuring your portions? Or are you guesstimating your macros or just kinda eyeballing them?

Because it’s really common for people who aren’t tracking their carbs to actually keep their carbs too low on medium and high-carb days. When this happens, you don’t have enough carbs stored up to get through their low-carb days without feeling like crap.

Remember: carb-cycling is not “low-carb” or “no-carb” dieting.

On high-carb days, you should be eating 200, 250, maybe even upwards of 300 g of carbs, depending on your body type, goals, and the personalized macros you have calculated in our V Shred App for IOS or Android.

If you are eating enough on your high-carb days, that should be enough to keep you feeling pretty good on lower-carb days.

If you believe that your macro calculations are correct and are certain you are eating enough, here are a few other tips to get past those hunger pains.

• Take a look at your meals. Make sure you are eating plenty of fiber-rich foods that are high satiety.
• Ensure you are eating enough protein. Aiming for .8-1 g per day is a great target when dieting.
• Drink some water, tea, coffee, BCAAs, a protein shake, or other diet-friendly beverages.
• Distract yourself: Go on a walk, phone a friend, hit the gym. Anything but sitting around feeling hungry!
• Supplement with a quality thermogenic like BURN EVOLVED, which contains ingredients that can help suppress your appetite and lessen occasional cravings.
• Get support from other members in our Facebook community for men or women. It’s always nice to vent to someone that understands. Many of our clients can relate to hunger pains and may have some suggestions you haven’t considered.

Still Hungry?

Many people try to use carb cycling as a shortcut to weight loss, but they’re not ready for how demanding and challenging it is. Especially if you don’t have one of our expert nutritionists guiding you!

This is why we only recommend it to people who have finished one of our full 90-day workout plans and have a solid grasp of their nutrition.

If you just had a lightning strike moment, then it’s time to explore some other options.

The macro calculator on our V Shred app for IOS or Android also has a “balanced diet” option. Adjust your settings and see if eating the same amount of carbs daily does the trick!

And if you’re totally lost, we can help you! V Shred has a team of dietitians and personal trainers who are writing thousands of custom nutrition plans every single day, and they can make one for you, too.

Get your personalized meal plan here or reach out at coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll get you set up with a meal plan that will help you reach your goals and leave you feeling satisfied!

The post Low-Carb Days Are A Struggle. What Do I Do? appeared first on V Shred.

You’ve likely heard us talk about carb cycling a lot. We even include a carb cycling calculator in the calorie and macro calculator within the V Shred App for IOS and Android.

But here’s the deal… carb cycling is demanding and tricky, and it’s a dieting strategy with a pretty in-depth learning curve. It is definitely NOT for everyone, and even people who are well-versed in nutrition struggle with it — or only do it for specific periods of time.

When you’re just starting out, to be honest, it’s a lot easier to do carb cycling wrong than to do it right. For that reason, we only advise carb cycling as something you do after mastering the basics of calories, meal prep, and regular training.

The best way to do this is to follow (and finish) one of our 90-day programs— like Fat Loss Extreme Male, Fat Loss Extreme Female, or MOVE. 

Even better, follow that program while asking all the questions you have along the way in our private Facebook groups for men or women, where V Shred trainers and nutrition experts are always available to answer your questions.

When To Consider Carb Cycling

Remember, the best eating style for you is the one that you can stick to consistently! That might be carb cycling for you, or it might not. After three months in one of our workout programs and lots of practice dialing in your calories and nailing workouts, you’ll have a better understanding of fitness and nutrition, and what works for you overall.

If you really want to try carb cycling and don’t want to wait three months, or you get to the end of the 90 days and are still totally lost, we can help you!

Our V Shred certified trainers and nutritionists create custom meal plans for people who want to take the planning off of their plate–literally.

Sound like a good fit? Reach out by clicking HERE or emailing coaching@vshred.com.

The post Do I Need To Do Carb Cycling? appeared first on V Shred.

First things first: We’re not going to tell you to cut coffee, tea, or alcohol out of your life. Why? Because first of all, we believe in balance and sustainable nutrition. And second, we’ve been around long enough to know that most people will drink them no matter what we say.

So instead of saying “yes or no,” — let’s talk about how to drink them and not derail your progress!

How many calories are in coffee, tea, and alcoholic drinks? 

When it comes to coffee, tea, and alcohol, plenty of people are guilty of “drinking their calories” and doing a lot of damage to their diet without realizing it.

That’s because many coffee shop drinks and alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories. Don’t believe us?

• A caramel frap is a popular coffee drink, and will cost ya around 570 calories and almost 90 carbs!
• Tea with cream and sugar? Could be as much as 150-200 calories or more, depending on when you say “when”
• That class of wine? 100-200 calories, and that’s a pretty restrained pour!
• Most beers will be at least as many calories as that glass of wine, and far more.
• If you prefer a fruity cocktail, a long island tea could set you back upwards of 700+ calories!

Those last three also don’t take into account the snacking and questionable food choices that often accompany — and follow — having a few drinks. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. Coffee and tea are calorie-free on their own, after all! It’s the milk, sugar, syrups, and all that delicious whipped cream on top that starts to add up. 

Alcohol, well, that’s a little more complicated. But it’s still possible to enjoy an adult beverage from time to time and not go over your daily calorie allotment.

Don’t have a daily calorie target dialed in? We’ve got you covered. Calculate your personal calorie and macro targets in our V Shred App for IOS or Android and track everything you drink for a week. It will likely be eye-opening!!

Smarter Ways To Enjoy Coffee And Alcohol

Four words: The simpler, the better. The more ingredients in a  cocktail, the more sugar, carbs, and calories it contains. The longer your order at the coffee shop, the more calories and sugar it probably contains. .

We get it: black coffee isn’t for everyone. And if it’s not for you, look for lower-calorie alternatives that you can add to your cup of joe…

• Sweeten with stevia instead of sugar.
• Opt for low-fat or fat-free milk or creamers and limit it to one serving.
• Give unsweetened nut milks or oat milk a try.
• Swap carb-filled flavorings for sugar-free syrups.
• Add a dash of honey or agave if you can’t stomach artificial sweeteners.
• Try blending in some Sculpt Nation PROTEIN and make your own latte.

If you’re dead set on drinking your drink your way, well, get your portions under control. Order the smallest size available and reserve the higher calorie drinks to be consumed occasionally, not every morning.

But Wait, Don’t Coffee And Wine Have Health Benefits?

Yes, coffee, wine, and even beer have a lot of antioxidants that can be good for you. But let’s be real, that’s NOT the reason you’re having that fourth glass of wine.

Plus, there are better ways to help fill nutritional gaps and get your micronutrients. Sculpt Nation GREENS are designed to give you all you need, and then some, from whole-food sources like fruits, vegetables, and adaptogens like turmeric.

If you’re looking for a target to aim for: One to two drinks, one to two times a week probably isn’t going to set anyone back too much, especially if you stick to simple beverages and track everything you consume. Anything more than that isn’t going to do your goals any good.

Once you go past a drink or two, that’s when the health benefits go out the window, and the empty calories start to add up. It’s also where most of us allow cravings (or buzzed state) to take over, leading to some poor food choices.

On a physical level, this is also the point where your body starts prioritizing getting rid of the toxic alcohol in your system and stops burning fat and building muscle.

Unsure How To Calculate Drinks Into Your Macros? 

Do you want some help getting strategic about fitting your favorite things into your diet? That’s what our V Shred coaches and nutrition experts do for thousands of people every day.

You can get your plan here or email coaching@vshred.com. We can craft a custom diet plan that  works for you, and yes, can even include your favorite indulgences!

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