“15 keys to maximizing your nutrition program and ......feb 15, 2019 · - minimize (cut out...

“15 Keys to Maximizing YourNutrition Program and Unlocking

the Secrets to Optimal WeightLoss Success!”

By Nathan J. Nowak

“You can’t out train a poor diet!”

This was the topic of conversation I had with my friend and fellow fitness professional, Jonathan Fennell.

As we completed sprints up Stone Mountain, we discussed what we hear daily on the topic of nutrition and how many fitness enthusiasts can’t seem to grasp the concept when it comes to overall weight loss and healthy living success.

Too many times I’ve seen folks train their a**es off in the gym to find them an hour later walking back from the cafeteria with a cheese burger, fries and diet soda in hand.

The part I don’t understand, I will see them day after day doing hundreds of abdominal exercises in an attempt to “out do” the diet mistakes. Many times they blame the training programs for lack of definition in their midsection and not their poor nutrition choices.

Over the years as a fitness professional, I’ve helped thousands (yes, thousands) of people lose weight, get in shape, compete in sporting events and more. The one thing that everyone seems to struggle withthe most regardless of where they are on their fitness journey the is nutrition. I’ve said this for years,

“If you follow a crappy workout routine and eat right, you can still see some results. But you can have the best workout program design in the world and your nutrition isn’t dialed in, you’re in trouble.”

Trinity Fitness 2019© nathanjnowak.com

I can write blogs and articles all day on nutrition. The do’s, don’ts and all the in-betweens, but this isn’t the goal for today. Today I’m going to share the simple and effective keys to healthier nutrition strategies that will lead to unlocking your body’s metabolism to maximize fat loss and muscle strength success.

Now, remember, even though we’d like to believe a magic solution is out there, persistence and daily commitment to health is the ONLY way to see pounds drop off and a lean toned stomach appear!

- Tracking is critical. If you’re not committed to journal what you eat on a daily bases, the bikini body you’re looking for and the six-pack abs will allude you for another year.

Now, it’s easier than ever to journal. Use a fitness app, such as Myfitnesspal to assist with tracking calories, fat, protein and carbohydrate intake on a daily basis. This will give you a good idea ofwhether or not you’re eating too much, too little and getting the right combinations of nutrients.

- Eating too little, Eating too much! Even though it sounds simple, it’s not as easy as many might believe.

Let’s start with the first part, eating too little. There’s a myth out there that says, “eat less to weigh less” have you heard it? It makes sense and in essence is correct, but there are several factors that have to be in place for that to work correctly.


In order to lose weight, we must consume fewer calories than we burn. To lose 1 pound, the body will have to burn 1500 calories. However, if we eat too few calories, add cardiovascular exercise and weight training on top of that, the body goes into starvation mode. This approach causes the body to hold onto body fat and breakdown muscle tissue for fuel.

- Use common sense nutrition guidelines to follow. What are you suppose to eat? There are so many books and programs out there promoting everything from low carb to high protein to low fat, no fat and even all-fat diets.

These are all fads. Yep, if you’ve been alive for 15 to 20 years and haven’t seen these come and go at least twice, you haven’t been paying attention. The basics work. I call them the “Rule of 3” Lean protein, starchy carb and fibrous carb with every meal.

Use a visually equal portion size of each with every meal, including breakfast. Get a “Rule of 3” meal in every 3 to 3.5 hours.

- Minimize (cut out sugar). This is harder than many think because there’s sugar in everything.

I’ve said this for the past 25 years, ‘if fat loss is the goal, sugar is out!”If your tracking your nutrition, you’ll see very quickly that sugar adds up by the end of the day. The average American eats 160 pounds of sugar each year. That’s a lot of sugar!

Minimizing sugar intake keeps blood sugar from spiking and allows the body to release stored fat as fuel rather than running off blood sugar.


In addition to preventing you from losing weight, excessive amounts of sugar can cause many health problems including diabetes, insulin resistance and high blood pressure.

Remember your fitness goals and think twice before grabbing and gulping down a sugary coffee, tea or soda.

- Easy on the Fruit. That’s right you read it correctly. Remember if fat loss is the goal, sugar is OUT! There’s so much sugar in things these days. If we add more to the total we’ll never see the fat come off.

Don’t believe me? Let me explain…There are two antagonistic hormones in the body. The first is insulin. Everyone’s heard of insulin because of the rise in diabetes in the U.S.The second one is glucagon. Glucagon isn’t as well known.

When we consume a diet high in sugar, blood sugar levels rise increasing insulin. When this happens the body uses blood sugar as fuel, breaks down the rest into triglycerides and stores them as fat in the cell. Think back to a time you ate or drank something high in sugar. You felt a kick of “energy” followed by an almost debilitating “crash.” That process was the insulin release and depletion of blood sugar.

When teaching the body to be glucagon dominant, it doesn’t use blood sugar as it’s primary energy source, the body will start releasing stored body fat as fuel.


- Cleanse, It’s an oil change for the body. “If it’s not coming out, it’s not coming off!”

It’s a funny quote I’ve been using since the late 90’s. It’s a true statement though. We have over 20 feet of intestines in our digestive tract. Over time particles from foods, toxins in the air we breathe and medications we use build up a coating around the walls of our intestines.

This can prevent nutrients from food and supplements to not absorb properly. There’s a saying I remember hearing a lot when I was growing up, “You are what you eat.” That statement isn’t entirely true.It should read, “You are what you eat, digest and absorb.” If the nutrients aren’t making it through the digestive wall and into the cells, then there’s no benefit to the food, regardless of the nutrition values. It’s important to keep the pipes clean. This is where a good herbal cleansing system can help keep everything moving regularly.

Using a cleanse system to help detox the body is similar to taking your car in for an oil change. Using a cleanse every 3 to 4 months helps remove, excess waste and toxins which build up in the intestinal tract and blood stream.

- Supplementation. Remember, a supplement is an “in addition too, not a replacement for food.”

65% of Americans are protein deficient which can lead to bone decayand osteoporosis. As we age it’s important to continue building muscle and supporting strong bones. The only way to do that is through proper protein intake.

Another deficiency many Americans have is daily fiber intake. Daily fiber intake for women is 25 grams and for men it’s 38 grams, but the average American diet is only 15 grams.

Our food has 1/5 the vitamins and nutrients it once had 50 years ago.

Even though we think we’re eating enough our bodies are still starving, this causes overeating. Empty calories in and no energy


expenditure (calories burned) leads to excess fat, high blood sugar and more.

Supplementation is the key to fill nutritional gaps in our daily nutrition routines. I've recommended supplements as part of that solution since 1998 and suggest Le-Vel's Thrive 8 Week Experience to all my clients and athletes. You can find out more at https://nathan_nowak.le-vel.com

*At the end of this report I’ve shared the basics of the Thrive Experience and how simple and easy it can be added into your current daily routine.

- Stay hydrated. Drinking 8 to 10 8oz. glasses of water a day is the minimum recommendation, but not enough people do it.

In addition to dehydration, drinking coffee, teas and colas leads to high acidic levels and inflammation, which can cause joint pain and discomfort. Who wants to workout and stay active when the body is hurting all the time? Start each day with two 8oz. glasses of water to get things moving and flush out toxins. If you forget to stop and drink water, set timers/alarms to go off as reminders.


- Know your hidden Food Allergies. What are food allergies? Sincethe late 90’s when I was introduced to the term, I started researching and sharing this information with my clients. Nowadays you can read articles all over the Internet about food allergies and sensitivities.

Most people are aware of acute food allergies. These are the allergic reactions that cause seizures, vomiting and anaphylactic shock. If you have acute reactions to certain foods, you know to stay away from them.

It’s the chronic allergies that are harder to trace. These reactions happen over time. Sometimes a day or two after consuming the foodswe’re allergic to. Consuming foods your body is sensitive to can prevent you from burning body fat and keep you 10 to 20 pounds heavier than you’d like.

The basic food groups considered to produce the most common allergic reactions are dairy, nuts, eggs, wheat, corn and artificial sweeteners.

There are several ways to check whether or not you have allergies and sensitivities to foods.

The easiest way is the elimination diet. Eliminate all of the foods listed above while cleansing the body at the same time. After the 10 day cleanse is complete, add one food at a time back into your


routine. For example, add dairy into your breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days. See, feel and experience the reaction. You may feel bloating, burping, gas, lethargic, headaches, sinus pressure, etc. Record the results. If any of these symptoms occur, this is a sign yourbody doesn’t like the foods in the food group.

For a more complete and thorough analysis, companies like ALCAT can test everything from foods and spices, to molds and plants.

After completing the dairy test wait 5-7 days before introducing the next group. Repeat the breakfast, lunch and dinner sequence for two days again and record the results. - What type of Wheat you eat. This once healthy grain has now become nothing but poison to the body. Finding good quality wheat products can be as rare as panning for gold. Sounds a little far fetched, but it’s the truth.

Go into any supermarket these days and look at a package of bread. Flip it over and look at the ingredients. Most of those ingredients can’teven be pronounced without help. If it looks like a tongue twister and sounds a lot like a chemical, it probably isn’t good to put into your body.

- Glycemic Load vs. Glycemic Index. What’s the difference? That’s a great question. Many dietitians and nutritionists have used the GI (Glycemic Index) for helping clients balance nutrition and diets. The GI uses carbohydrates as the variable in determining the spike or risein blood sugar after consumption. Although much of the GI can be used correctly there are flaws within the index which cause problems for those using it for healthy weight loss and blood sugar control.

For example, using the GI a potato is ranked higher on the chart than ice cream. Looking at that, one could conclude that eating ice cream is healthier than eating a potato. I know, who would think that, right?

As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s true. I had a client who was “self teaching” the GI and the meanings behind the ratings. She came up with that conclusion herself. I explained to her the reason.


A potato (85) is a starchy carbohydrate. Ice cream (55) Is more than just one type of carbohydrate. It also contains, sugar, protein and other ingredients. Those extra ingredients combine to lower the number on the index. However, a potato is healthier (when combined with a lean protein and starchy carbohydrate) and a better fit in a supportive nutrition plan for weight loss than ice cream.

The GL (Glycemic Load) is a little different and in many cases a better measure for people trying to lose weight and maintain blood sugar levels.

The GL is determined by the amount of carbohydrates in a food. Anything below a 10 on the GL scale are considered to have little impact on blood sugar levels. Foods between 10 and 20 GL are moderate and anything above 20 is high.

Here’s an example of a high GI food that registers low on the GL.Graham Crackers: GI of 74 and GL of 8.1

Food rankings on the GI scale do not take into consideration serving sizes. It only sees the readiness of a carbohydrate for absorption. If the same food is low on the GL scale, it could mean that the overall food as a low carbohydrate count for the serving size. Most times a low GL is a better representation of a foods impact on blood sugar levels.Remember - even though a food may be low on the GL scale doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a healthy option. Using common sense is critical.


- Take your food out for a spin and do a little rotation! No, I don’t mean spinning your belly around in circles, but a rotation in the foods you eat on a regular basis. Rotating your foods provide different sources of nutrients.

Not all foods have every micro and macronutrient the body needs. Adding variety to your nutrition program will give your body exposure to most of the nutrients needed.

Another reason to change up your foods is to prevent the body from forming sensitivities or allergies to certain foods. Over time if the foods we eat aren’t cycled the body can develop sensitivities that can cause poor absorption. Lack of absorption can cause belly bloating, constipation and over time, chronic diseases.

Let me explain the rotation nutrition plan concept.

If you’re using Sunday’s to cook all the meals for the week, you’ll make enough chicken, green beans, etc. for several meals. Instead ofhaving chicken every day or for two to three days in a row, add some other types of lean protein throughout the week. If you plan to eat chicken on Monday the next time you could have chicken, in a rotational nutrition plan would be Thursday or Friday. Use the same concept for starchy and fibrous carbohydrates too. One way I teach this to clients is by labeling each day a different color. Here’s one waya weekly schedule would look.

You’ll need a few containers for meals and leftovers, preferably different colors or different color labels to keep it simple.

Monday – BlueTuesday – GreenWednesday – RedThursday – BlueFriday – Green Saturday – Red Sunday - Blue

As you use a larger variety of foods, you’ll have more options than days in a week. Which is a good thing!


There are a lot of great healthy cookbooks with more recipes than you could imagine. Get creative and have fun. Remember, this is you helping yourself lose weight, gain muscle and ultimately, become healthier.

- Be Prepared! This one could have been first on the list. It’s the Boy Scout motto and definitely holds true for weight loss and healthy living. Preparation or lack of derails most people from weight loss goals before they see any results.

Preparation is essential for success in everything we do in life and weight loss success is definitely one of them. Preparing meals before you get hungry is one way, but also, preparing meals or at least a menu of the weeks meals is necessary for making sure you stay on track with healthy options and tracking daily calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates.

If you’re too busy to cook on a regular bases, mark off a weekend dayto prepare and cook all your meals for the week. Use labels and containers for each day. Now you have healthy meals conveniently ready to eat.

- High Acidic Foods. can definitely keep your weight loss goals frombecoming a reality. Foods high in acid lead to many digestive issues. These can be as minor as a little indigestion and heart burn or as painful as acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome.

High acidic foods increase the chances of inflammation in the gut andintestines. The more inflammation the less chances vitamins and minerals will be absorbed.

After consuming acidic foods for long periods of time it can be painful drinking water. The body is rejecting anything entering the digestive tract.

Acidic foods can also cause acidosis. This diagnosis is seen in diabetes and cancer patients.


Another issue with high acidic diets is the inflammation caused in the joints. Lower back pain, stiffness in the joints and eventually loss of bone density do to lack of calcium are common. Sinus issues, bad breath and fatigue can be signs of too much acid in the body too.

Choose foods higher on the Alkaline side of the pH chart. Examples are kale, broccoli, spinach, cucumbers and avocados. I’ve attached a list of foods at the end of this report.

Some foods and spices that will help fight inflammation are ginger root, papaya, red cabbage and turmeric.

- Read Food Labels Carefully.---Many products on the shelves in the grocery store today are quick and easy to prepare. Our laziness has created a whole line of products that allow us to create a meal in 5 to 10 minutes simply by adding water or a few ingredients to a mix.

There is, however, a price we pay for this convenience, and I'm not referring to the price on the box. It’s the additives and other chemicalsadded to create cheap products fast that have a longer shelf life.


Here are some examples of foods you think you are eating but have none of the ingredients they claim to have on the box.

---What about the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Fruit and Cream Variety? There are packages that come in strawberry and blueberry flavors, but the strawberry packets don't contain any strawberries, and the blueberry version doesn't contain any blueberries. With all the sugar that’s added to get the fruit taste, you’d be better off adding fresh fruit to regular slow-cooked oatmeal.

---And, what really is a “serving size”? There's no regulation on the size of a serving, and that’s why you can go to the store, buy a box ofthose really good looking cookies that claim to be 1 gram of fat, take them home, look at the back of the box, and realize you're only allowed to eat a quarter of that cookie. The bad part is that the given "serving size" is not even close to what we actually use in real life.

---Make sure you read and use common sense when shopping. It's up to us as consumers to educate ourselves, not the responsibility of the product manufacturers. Besides, they're in it for the quick buck; they don't really have our best interest in mind.

Here’s a breakdown of a food label and what to look for while shopping for healthier foods. There are 7 main things to look for on labels.


The first are Serving Sizes. This sounds easy enough but the serving sizes on some products are ridiculously low. For example, on a box of cookies the serving size could read, “serving size – ½ a cookie. A whole cookie out of the box fits into the palm of your hand. That’s a tiny serving size. Besides who eats half a cookie? In additionto the size being small, the calories, fat and sugar for that serving are extremely high. Don’t be fooled by the front marketing. Read the backto see the real information.

Number two on the list is the number of Calories per serving. Remember this… “Not all calories are created equal.” I don’t believe in calorie restrictive diets but I do believe in tracking daily caloric intake. If you only have 1820 calories to consume (before exercise) then 200 calories for a small serving of something my not be the best option unless it’s healthy and supports your nutrition goals. Calories can add up fast. Be sure to check the serving size along with the number of calories per serving in order to stay on target.

Fat Calories are another important number to check. When tracking daily nutrition fat consumption is one of those numbers to track. If a high number of daily calories come from fat there’s a good chance the total fat grams for the day will exceed the target number. An


example of this is cooking oils like olive oil. Yes, olive oil is a good oil to use, but 100% of the calories come from fat. The fats are good fatsbut still add to the daily fat total. Even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Another less healthy example is cheese. Cheese is high in fat, high in saturated fat, but also high in calories from fat. Payattention to the calories from fat numbers. They can add too many grams to your daily tracking numbers and thus inches to your waistline.

Moving down the fat list is Total Fat. This is a combination of fats in the particular food, i.e. the good and the bad.

The body needs some fats to survive. Eliminating all fat or eating a low fat diet will lead to disaster in the long term. There are the bad fats, which have no place in a supportive nutrition program.

Saturated Fats are fats that stay solid at room temperature. An example is the fat on a piece of steak. Limiting these types of fat is best when trying to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and yes fat loss.Trans Fats are another type of bad fat. These are a dangerously badfat that can cause healthy problems later in life when consumed over an extended period of time. Trans fats are not natural and not found in nature. Trans fats or Hydrogenated Oil as the label will read in the ingredients section is a good fat pumped full of hydrogen to increase the burn rate. Food manufacturers use this to mass-produce foods cheaply. If you stick to the perimeter of the supermarket you’ll never come in contact with either one of these terms. Many packaged products can have trans fats / hydrogenated oils.

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats are considered the good fats. These can be found in flaxseeds, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil and many different types of nuts.

Side note: if the goal is fat loss, the more good fats the body consumes the more bad fat the body will release.

Next on the list is Carbohydrates. Carbs are broken into two groups starchy and fibrous carbohydrates. Starchy carbs are potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc. These are essential for energy for the body. The body uses glycogen for fuel. Consider it gasoline for a car. Without it, the


car (the body) won’t move. Trying to eliminate or limit starchy carbohydrates may have short-term benefits on weight loss, but the long-term effect can be dangerous. Problems can range from kidney and liver stress to osteoporosis.

FYI - The goal should be healthy weight loss and optimal performance not quick fixes.

In addition to serious health issues using a carb restricted diet can also have a negative effect on your fat loss. If the body is deprived from starchy carbs for too long the body will break down muscle for fuel instead. This will ultimately make body fat increase; muscle massdecrease and any chances of looking good in a bikini are long gone. And too make it even worse, the next time there’s a splurge on bread or pasta, the body will hold onto the carbs twice as long, it doesn’t know when the next carbs are coming, because its been trained to store fats in an attempt to keep you alive.

The problem isn’t the starchy carbs themselves, but the over consumption of carbs and a sedentary lifestyle creating the excess fat.

The next carbohydrate is Fibrous. These are leafy vegetables and greens. There are two types of fiber, soluble (absorbs water) and insoluble (does not absorb water). Each day get a combination of both. Even though fiber isn’t digestible, the body still tries, thus burning calories during digestion, which is a good thing. Fiber also helps as a gentle scrubber as it travels through the digestive track removing waste particles along the way.

Sugar has little to no place in a supportive nutrition program. The consumption of sugar is growing higher and higher every year. Until people stop giving into the sugar, there will always be obesity, diabetes and insulin issues to battle. Large amounts of sugar destroy the digestive system, increase inflammation in the body and block therelease of stored fat as fuel and lead to excess body fat storage.

I said it before and I’ll say it again… “If fat loss (and healthy living) arethe goal, sugar is out!”


Only by reading food labels correctly will you see the sugar content per serving and avoid making the mistake of adding unwanted fat to your midsection.

Protein is the building blocks of muscle. Without protein muscle would starve. As with fiber, too many Americans do not get enough protein in their daily diet. When we don’t have enough protein to spare lean muscle tissue combined with a calorie restrictive diet, muscle will be broken down and used as fuel.

FYI…. That’s not a good thing!

To keep muscular system strong and healthy, protein is required. Strong muscles also prevent diseases like osteoporosis. Remember strong muscles support strong bones.

There is the flip side to too little protein and that is the high protein diet. During the creation of this report “high protein” and “low carb” diets are still the trend. It sounds good in theory especially when celebrities and athletes are promoting them. However, just as not having enough protein can cause severe side effects so can too much.

Protein is made up of amino acids. Amino acid chains are hard to breakdown and require several rounds of digestion. If there’s too much protein in the diet the body has to work over time to break downthe protein. This causes stress on the kidneys and liver. Overtime thisstress can lead to adrenal fatigue. The body will also start to fight the proteins believing them to be harmful to the body. This increases white blood cells as if the body was fighting a virus. Over a period of time the inflammation can lead to digestive problems, ketosis and excess body fat around the midsection.

So, before jumping on the “high protein” diet wagon, be sure to examine your goals and workout routines to determine the right amount of protein for success.


Following any one of these keys will help your current fitness program. If after looking through these key strategies you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. Many of my clients felt the same way when they first started. If that’s the case, take baby steps. Follow one or two of these key strategies for a week or two, then add another. Pretty soon all of these will be implemented into your daily routine.

The Thrive 8 Week Experience is the simplest most effective way I have found to decrease inflammation, lose weight, restore gut and digestive health, increase focus, mood and mental clarity, achieve better more restful sleep and more.

These 3 steps are completed within the first 30 minutes of your morning. That's it. Nothing more to remember to take during the day. Learn more at https://nathan_nowak.le-vel.com


A Note from Nathan:

Fitness and Healthy Living Enthusiast!

I know this is a lot of information to digest all at once. Even applying afew of these tips on a regular bases will skyrocket your fitness and nutrition goals.

However, if you need assistance with a fitness and nutrition program, I’m here to help. If guidance and structure are what you need, let me coach you from start to finish with your goals. No, you don’t have to live close or train in person with me. In 2008 I created my first online program called the 24 Day Rapid Fat Loss System. Over the years this program has been a huge success for online coaching clients.

With new information and research, I've created an updated and more indepth version of this program. It's called Trinity's Peak Performance Lifestyle System.

The new and revised system includes new information to help you achieve weight loss and healthy living faster than before.

Now, there’s no reason for you to reach success!

You can check out all the details at www.rapidfatlosssystem.com

I look forward to working with you.

Start Strong, Finish Stronger!Nathan J. Nowak

P.S. As my gift to help you get started, I’d like to offer you a special price for the complete system and online coaching program. Simply enter THRIVE to receive $50 Off the program.


“15 keys to maximizing your nutrition program and ......feb 15, 2019 · - minimize (cut out...

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