The Diet Solution Basics
The Diet Solution is based upon three main principles:
(1) calorie control and macronutrient manipulation (2) giving your body the nutrients it needs and (3) maintaining stable insulin levels.The number one thing that dictates whether you gain or lose weight is your calorie intake. If you are eating more calories than you burn, then you will gain weight. If you are eating less calories than you burn, then you will lose weight. Taking things a step further, the ratio of the three macronutrients protein, fat, and carbohydrates controls whether that weight you gain/lose is muscle or fat. The Diet Solution not only controls your caloric intake but also the ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates to promote fat loss and lean muscle gains. In order to lose fat and gain muscle, you must give your body the nutrients it needs.
However, losing weight is not as simple as eating less calories than you burn. If you do not give your body the nutrients it needs you will feel terrible and your results will be less than stellar. The side effects of not giving your body the nutrients it needs are fatigue, weakness, irritability, insomnia, among other nasty things in addition to not having the energy to workout. Weight training and cardiovascular exercise are both vital to gaining lean muscle and losing fat. If you don’t have enough energy to function in your daily life, then you certainly are not going to have energy to exercise.
The Diet Solution focuses on giving your body the essential nutrients it needs (nutrients that must be obtained through the diet), specifically protein and essential fatty acids (EFAs). Every meal you eat will contain a protein source like chicken or fish and a healthy fat source like nuts or avocado. Then, we add in fruits and vegetables, which give you vitamins, minerals, fiber, low GI carbs and tons of other beneficial nutrients. Finally, we add in starchy carbs when your body needs them the most, in the morning (meal #1) or if you are working out that day, to your post-workout meal. Setting up your diet up in this manner is the key to maintaining stable insulin levels, which allows you to gain muscle and lose fat.
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to carbohydrates. People often adopt an “all-or-nothing” mindset regarding carbs and they either go on a zero carb diet or eat as many carbs as they desire. Instead of taking an extreme approach to carbs, The Diet Solution is a controlled-carbohydrate diet. When you eat carbohydrates, your blood glucose increases and the body releases insulin from the pancreas to store the carbohydrates and bring your blood glucose levels back to normal levels. The problem for those trying to lose fat is the fact that insulin blunts the fat burning process. When insulin is secreted, the body puts fat burning on the backburner so it can deal with the influx of carbohydrates. Chronically high insulin levels will lead to fat storage! In order to maximize fat loss, insulin levels must be controlled. This does not mean limiting insulin levels as much as possible by not eating any carbohydrates, but rather controlling the amount and type of carbohydrates eaten. You want to stick to “good carbohydrates” that are unprocessed, high in fiber, and low in sugar. Good carbohydrates are digested and absorbed slowly which leads to healthy blood glucose levels (normal insulin response) and conversion of food energy for the body as opposed to sugar-filled, processed carbohydrates that spike blood glucose levels and promote fat gain. Examples of good carbohydrates are whole grains, oatmeal, bran, potatoes, and wheat/whole grain bread/pastas. Eating small, frequent meals composed of protein, fats, and good carbohydrates will lead to stable insulin levels, fat loss, and lean muscle gains.
To optimize fat loss and lean muscle gains, you will be eating five meals a day, spaced out every three hours. All of your meals will contain a
protein source and a healthy fat source. In addition to protein and fat, we will be adding fruits, vegetables, and starchy carbs (with your first or
post-workout meal only). To help you fit five meals into your day, we have created Solution 5 -- the most advanced meal-replacement-powder (MRP) ever developed. Solution 5 contains high quality protein, healthy fats,
fiber, a fruit and vegetable blend, along with digestive enzymes. It was created to fit our diet guidelines and give you everything you need from a meal. We know that everyone is busy and doesn’t have time to cook and prepare five meals each day. This is where Solution 5 comes into play; 1-2 of your daily meals will be in the form of a Solution 5 shake.
It may sound like The Diet Solution is a strict diet, and it is, but you are allowed one meal a week where you can eat whatever tasty foods you are craving. We call this your weekly “Free Meal.” The Free Meal is not a cheat meal because it is built into your diet. The weekly Free Meal serves as both a psychological break from dieting as well as giving your body a metabolic boost. Those are the basics of Scivation’s Diet Solution; now let’s go into further detail on the diet.
The Essential Macronutrients—Protein & FatYou would be selling yourself short by not giving your body all the nutrients it needs. I am talking specifically about the nutrients that are “essential” to the body. Essential nutrients are nutrients that the body cannot make and therefore must be obtained through the diet. Concerning the macronutrients, there are two groups of essential nutrients: essential amino acids (EAAs) and essential fatty acids (EFAs). Getting adequate protein in your diet each and every day is heavily stressed in the fitness community, but what is not stressed is getting in adequate essential fatty acids each day. Why would you focus on only getting one of the two essential nutrients? Both EAAs (in the form of protein) and EFAs MUST be obtained from your diet.
Protein contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of the body. Getting adequate protein in your diet is vital to the repair and recovery of your body. In order to recover from your workouts and gain lean muscle you must obtain sufficient dietary protein – this cannot be overlooked.
Most people have a fear of dietary fat. They think that eating fat makes you fat and therefore they limit it as much as possible. Not only is this thinking wrong but it can also be detrimental to your body and results. There are two fatty acids that are essential to the body, the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (LA). If your body does not get enough ALA and LA from your diet then many metabolic processes and even hormone production can suffer. When choosing the
dietary fat sources that comprise your diet, you want to choose foods that are high in ALA and LA (i.e. almonds and olive oil) and stay away from foods that are high in saturated and trans-fats (i.e. butter and bacon). While you do need some saturated fats in your diet, the majority of your fats should be unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats).
To get the best results possible, you must focus on getting enough of both protein and essential fats in your diet every day. All five meals in The Diet Solution are based around protein and fat. We also add in fruits and vegetables to provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and low GI carbs as well as starchy carbohydrates to promote energy and recovery when your body needs them the most.
Fruits and VegetablesYou are to have two servings of fruit every day. These fruit servings can be placed in any meals you desire. If you want to have one serving of fruit with meal #1 and another with meal #5 that is fine. If you want to have both servings of fruit with meal #3 that is perfectly fine. The important thing is that you eat your two servings of fruit each and every day. While you can eat any type of fruit you desire, there are two fruits that have been shown to increase fat loss when combined with an insulin
controlled diet: grapefruit and blueberries. If you like grapefruit and blueberries then we highly recommend you use these two fruits for the majority of your fruit intake. If you do not like grapefruit and blueberries, or you cannot eat them for medical reasons, then you do NOT have to eat them.
Green vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and are very low GI carbs. You are allowed to eat unlimited green vegetables (i.e. broccoli and green beans) on this diet. Why can you eat unlimited green vegetables? While green vegetables do contain calories, the benefits of eating vegetables far outweigh any calories they contain. It is theorized that it requires more calories to digest green vegetables than they contain making them a negative calorie food. Whether or not this is completely true or not, let’s face it, no one has every gotten fat from eating too much broccoli!
In addition to eating unlimited green vegetables you may also eat other non-green vegetables (i.e. mushrooms, carrots, and corn) sparingly. Try to get at least three servings of green vegetables a day. If you want more than three servings of green vegetables then eat up!
Starchy CarbohydratesThe Diet Solution is a controlled-carbohydrate diet, structured to maintain stable insulin and blood sugar levels. Scientifically speaking you do not need to eat carbohydrates at all because the body can create glucose (the simplest form of carbohydrate) from amino acids as well as ketones (fatty acid byproducts) for its energy requirements. Since the body doesn’t really need dietary carbohydrates, does this mean that carbohydrates don’t serve a purpose? No, eating carbohydrates is beneficial when you eat the right type of carbohydrates at specific times. Eating starchy carbohydrates (i.e. potatoes, oatmeal, and rice) provides your body with energy and helps you recovery after a workout. To put the carbohydrates to best use, you are to eat them at the times when your body can utilize them the best, first thing in the morning and/or post-workout. Upon waking, the body’s insulin sensitivity is high, meaning less insulin is needed to store ingested carbohydrates. Remember, insulin blunts the fat burning process so we want to keep insulin levels controlled.
After going 6-8 hours without any food the body is ready to absorb the nutrients you give it. On the days where you are not working out, you are to have your carbohydrates first thing in the morning with meal #1. If you are working out, then you are to have your carbohydrates post-workout and not with meal #1. The reason for this is after a workout the body is primed to absorb nutrients even more so than first thing in the morning. When you workout you burn muscle glycogen (carbohydrates stored in the muscles). After a workout, the body wants to replenish this lost glycogen and therefore enhances its ability to metabolize carbohydrates, making post-workout the BEST time to eat carbohydrates. Note that if your post-workout meal is your last meal of the day you should still eat your starchy carbohydrates. No matter what time of the day your finish your workout, even if it is right before bed, it is still the prime time to eat starchy carbohydrates.
FiberDietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate but cannot be digested by the human gut nor does it provide any energy. However it has protective qualities, it helps soften stool and encourages normal eliminations (healthy bowel movements). Fiber rich diets also promote a feeling of fullness, which is very beneficial for those looking to drop a few excess pounds. Fiber has been linked to a reduction in heart attacks, strokes, colon cancer and diabetes. However, extremely high dietary fiber intake (more than 40 grams per day) can also lead to health problems including chronic diarrhea and and impaired dietary nutrient absorption. The Diet Solution provides beneficial fiber through fruit, vegetables, starchy carbohydrates, and Solution 5 (which contains 3.5 grams per serving).
The Free MealOnce a week you are allowed to eat a meal of whatever foods you are craving. We call this meal the weekly Free Meal. If you want a greasy cheeseburger and French fries then eat a greasy cheeseburger and French fries. If you want some General Tso’s chicken and fried rice from your favorite Chinese restaurant then get some General Tso’s chicken and fried rice. If you want to cook up some spaghetti and meatballs then cook up some spaghetti and meatballs. While you are allowed to eat whatever you are craving this does not mean you can let loose at an all-you-can-eat-buffet and stuff yourself until you cannot move. This should be a normal sized meal like you would get at a restaurant. The purpose of the Free Meal is two-fold, (1) it provides a psychological break from dieting and (2) it gives your body a metabolic boost.
Dieting, specifically on a low-calorie diet, for an extended period of time can cause your metabolism to slow because your body senses it is not getting enough calories and it will therefore try to hang on to the calories it has, which are stored as body fat! Body fat is stored calories and energy the body can call upon when it is needed. If the body thinks it is not getting enough calories then it will do what is needed (i.e. decrease your metabolic rate) to keep the calories (body fat) it has. By giving your body a large influx of excess calories once a week you “trick” your body into thinking it is getting more calories than it really is, preventing a decrease in your metabolism. So when it comes time to eat your weekly Free Meal don’t feel bad, it is actually doing your body good!
