New Year Diet Plans

Another New Year has come and gone which means you are likely weeks into your latest heath related vow to kick those bad habits, right?  Sooo how’s it going? Engorged into that first Krispy Kreme donut yet?  Caved and lit that first cigarette of 2012?  If so, that will surely be the only one… right?  For our readers who are still flourishing, we applaud your success and truly hope it continues.  However, studies find that nearly 88%* of you will fail to keep your resolution by year’s end and it’s likely many of you will have ALREADY failed. But fear not, because after a brief hiatus The Healthy Boy is back with some game changing advice.  That 2012 goal is still well within your reach and this year we’re going to help you get there, this year will be different!

Regardless if your resolution is still alive or not, just remember there are still more than 11 months remaining in 2012.  Here at Healthy Boy we are going to give you the best advice you’ve ever read about resolutions.  They are usually unsuccessful because they are unrealistic and overwhelming.  We are creatures of habit and most resolutions are too shocking to one’s daily routine, consequently making them unsustainable.  All too often people try these crazy fad diets or set lofty end goals rather than focusing on the manageable steps to reach them. Your success or failure this year relies heavily on your ability to understand these two key words, BE REALISTIC! 

If your 2011 daily diet included any of the following…

Breakfast:  Bagel w/ cream cheese, Sugary Cereal, Fatty Muffin, Coffee with cream & sugar

Lunch: Pizza, Sandwich & Chips, Bowl of Pasta, can of soda

Afternoon Snack: Chips, cookies, candy bar, coffee & a vending machine run

Dinner: Pasta, Burger & Fries, Chinese Food, Fast Food, more Pizza

Dessert: Crispy Cream, Ice Cream, Brownies, cookies, COOKIES, & more COOKIES

…then it is NOT REALISTIC to think you can start waking up early every morning to cook an organic egg white omelet, pack that healthy low fat salad every day and turn down that pizza or Taco Tuesdays with your buddies at night.  Trust me, it just aint gona happen!  That’s like asking a drunk, substance abusing, sexaholic to become a born again Christian over night.  Again, NOT REALISTIC! However, what IS REALISTIC is changing one bad thing about your diet at a time.  Think of it this way, when a house is built do carpenters build the walls and the roof at the same time?  No, they start with the foundation and build up from there.  So why should building a healthy diet be any different, because it’s not.  If you think you can manage changing one thing about your poor eating habits then please read on and start contemplating this question. What is your diet’s Achilles heel? 

       

Those of you, who buy giant tubs of Rocky Road ice cream every week and down a bowl each night before bed, look no further I think we’ve located your first problem to fix.  If you drink a soda with every meal, exchange it for water or an unsweetened ice tea.  For those with more of an all-encompassing gluttony, aka with a lack of a single guilty pleasure then start with one of the HB building blocks, to name a few…


Eat a healthy balanced breakfast, every day


Do not drink sugar (soda, sugar in coffee, red bull etc.)


Remove white flour from your diet


Eat 3-4 servings of vegetables every day


No desserts on weekdays (reward yourself with one dessert each weekend)

…so just pick one and stick to it, not three times a week or when you have time, EVERY DAY!  Don’t be unrealistic and try to change your entire diet all at once.  Address this one issue, promise yourself that no matter what you will not, NOT EVEN ONCE let it slip and you will be on your way to losing weight or getting those 6-pack abs you’ve always wanted.  After this first change is ingrained into your eating habits, move on to the next problem.  If you can change one thing about your diet each month this year (again one at a time) by year’s end you will have an entirely new diet and likely and entirely new body.  

You have the power to make this year different.  Don’t worry about that resolution.  Forget that crazy diet or cleanse, and definitely don’t try eating no carbs.  Just build yourself a healthy diet one step at a time and remember to always BE REALISTIC! In 2012 you will reach your goal and Healthy Boy will help you get there.


HB

*Statistic is based on results from a 2007 study conducted by Richard Wisemen at the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people               

The Fatty Awards - Paul Deen

So guess what? The funny, bubbly woman with the heavy hand scooping out the butter, lacing it with sugar and then throwing in all your favorite Food Network recipes, Paul Deen, has announced she has type 2 diabetes.

No real surprise there, I guess.

The thing we find most shocking at The Healthy Boy is that Paula has known about her disease since 2008, and yet has continued to promote the recipes that caused it, to the public including releasing a children's cookbook. Not only that, but she has now only announced this revelation because she is teaming up with a drug company that sells a drug that manages the disease.

Smells like $ to us. Sorry Paula, you receive this week's Fatty Award.

What do y'all think? Does this change your opinion of Paula Deen? Will you still make her recipes?

HB

Who do you think should win next week's Fatty Award? We award them to people or products that promote a non Healthy Boy Lifestyle.

How To Get Ripped

Men's Health recently published an article on "The Rules Of The Ripped". Are you following them? Check them out below... plus two additional Healthy Boy rules at the end :)

Rule #1: "I will eat protein with every meal and every snack"

Rule #2: "I will never eat the world's worst breakfast... (none)"

New Year, New You... New Healthy Boy?

Thats right, The Healthy Boy is back! We're bigger, better, healthier, and going to knock that candy bar out of your hand and whip you into shape.

We're going to be bringing you all the latest news, updates, tips and articles on how you can build a better body and live a healthier life... and maybe a few other things you might want to know about in between.

So... Whose been a healthy boy then?

HB

Why Excess Abdominal Fat Is More DEADLY Than You Think

I remember when I watched the first episode of The Jersey Shore, I was taken back by a few things;

1. How so many people in one room could possibly be wearing Ed Hardy t-shirts,

2. That someone would show up with all their belongings in a garbage bag - classy,

3. And that anyone who called himself "The Situation" had any hope of appealing to women...

...but then the guy lifted up his rhinestone studded shirt and revealed a 6-pack, no wait - 8-pack, that would make even the most experienced personal trainers jealous. But as it turns out, a toned torso isn't just something you should aim for because it's going to help you score at a bar or look hot down at the beach (although lets face it - it helps), it's also an indication of how healthy you are, and excess fat around your abdomen is a market of greater health risks, and could be as dangerous to your health as your addiction to bad MTV reality shows. Check out this article below by Mike Geary, the author of The Truth About Abs.  

Post Workout Meals For Muscle Growth

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. When I wake up I am starving and in the kitchen within five minutes busily whipping up an egg and spinach omelette and if anyone gets in my way they will likely get whacked over the head with my Paula Dean non stick skillet. Although it may be my favorite meal of the day, it is not necessarily the most important. You see, if you are gym junkie or fitness enthusiast, or even just like to lift a few weights a couple of times a week, your post workout meal can determine whether all that work you have just done will equate into muscle growth or be in vain. And if you think consuming large amounts of protein is the answer, then you will be surprised. Today we are going to take a look at how and why post workout nutrition should be your most important meal of the day, and show you a ratio that will optimize your muscle growth that can apply no matter where or what you eat after you workout.

So why is what you eat or drink after you workout so important? Well when you are in the gym, lifting weights or performing resistance training, you are breaking down muscle fibers and depleting your muscle's glycogen stores to use as energy. When you step off the weights floor your body is in what's known as a catabolic state, which means that because of all the stress you have just put on it, you have hormones circulating that are counterproductive to muscle growth. You need to switch your body into an anabolic state, where you have replaced muscle glycogen stores and given your body the right amount of calories and nutrients to help your muscles repair.

How To Naturally Increase Your Testosterone

Ever since you were a child, whether you were aware of it or not, hormones have been coursing through your veins and have been responsible for all of your biological processes. From growth, to decision making, to what you choose to eat and when, and even that annoying pimple you have on your back that has completely interfered with your plan on wearing that muscle bound tank top to show off your bulging biceps on the weekend. When it comes to health and fitness however, hormones play an even more prominent role; they determine how much energy you have, how much muscle size you can gain, and even how much fat you can lose and how quickly you can lose it. So much so that bodybuilders and fitness junkies have for decades tried to manipulate them, even via illegal means such as anabolic steroids, to get the best body, or best performance, possible. The main hormone we are taking about here is testosterone, but you don't have to resort to sticking needles in your butt or ordering questionable illegal drugs from that red-faced, bloated muscle head in the gym to reap it's benefits. Today I'm going to show you how you too can manipulate it naturally via a few diet and exercise tips and tricks that will help speed up your fat loss and help you put on lean muscle mass quicker than ever.

Testosterone is known as the male sex hormone, and is primarily found in the male testes and also in smaller amounts in female ovaries. It's associated with strength, youth and sex... that's right, all the fun things. Low testosterone can result in fatigue, loss of libido, premature aging, sexual dysfunction, muscle loss and fat gain, just to name a few, so you can see it's important to keep it at optimal levels for proper daily function and way of life. Low testosterone is a serious medical issue and should you suspect that you are suffering from this, you should consult your doctor immediately. However today for the purposes of this article, we are going to assume you are a healthy individual with normal, regular testosterone levels, as we show you ways of manipulating and optimizing it for your exercise and fitness goals. Take a look at the tips and tricks natural bodybuilders (they're ones that don't resort to using steroids) use to burn fat and get buff...