80% of what you consume will determine what you look like on the inside and out. Nutrition and rest are KEY in your physique. The popular catch phrase "You are what you eat" is 100% true when it comes to your physique. For a majority of people, getting away with simply eating clean and keeping their calories in check is what keeps their general health great. Its the combined nutrition of different foods we consume to function on a daily basis, maintain/lose/gain weight, build muscle, lean out or simply be able to have the necessary energy the human body needs to keep going without the crash. So why can't we all have that tone & amazing physique we see in magazines and billboards? Why aren't we all just genetically engineered to respond to clean eating the same way really fit people with almost 0 ounces of fat on them? Its a science, and I'm here to break it down for you in a language we can all understand. Simplicity.
Take for example someone like myself, who for years struggled with my weight, worked out like crazy but never paid attention to my eating and fluid intake. Never invested in supplements or even considered how much of something I would consume. What do you think my results were? Do you honestly think that just because I worked out I was able to eat whatever I wanted? Even if it was burning myself out like a lot of people do, should I have been able to get the results I truly desired without paying attention to the foods & fluids I consumed? If you're shaking your head NO, you're right. Our bodies are designed to use the food we consume as fuel and nothing more. Our bodies use water to keep everything inside us hydrated and lubricated so we don't shrivel up and die.
So what then is strict clean eating? Does it include dairy? Does it mean you can drink diet anything? Does it mean you can't have tons of sugar? There are many many questions people ask me on a daily basis so I will get right down to it. It means: Super low quantities of dairy or none at all. No sugars from unnatural sources. Diet anything I say no to but in moderation is ok if you absolutely have to have it. Low Fat or No Fat IS NOT better than whole fat *IF* the fat is natural. For instance, Whole Milk. For those of you who buy low/no fat milk, have you looked at the sugar content on the back label? If not, next time you decide you need it, look at the sugar content of it on the nutrition label. I guarantee it has more sugar than Whole Milk. The reason low/no fat doesn't work is because to make up for lost flavor, the companies add sugar to the product so you still get that somewhat tolerable taste when you consume it. If you want good results and want your body to deplete fat, check the nutrition and look for sugar laden products. I bet you stop buying low/no fat products once you examine what's REALLY going on. The insulin spike from the sugar increases the stress hormones (cortisol) and causes the crash & burn effect. Cortisol actually activates fat storage in cells! Who wants that? Research is dynamic and can greatly increase your chance of success if you just do it.
Veggies are extremely important. Most of you have heard that veggies are "free" and that is actually true.... but only for certain ones. Veggies contain a lot of fibrous carbs but some veggies have lots of sugars, protein and starch. Don't get me wrong but if you are looking to deplete fat & get those abs out, you're gonna have to remove some certain veggies from your diet. Large amounts of carrots, corn, peas, edamame, and spaghetti squash are just a few of the veggies that can possibly hinder your goals depending on your body type. I suggest, if you have a really hard time losing fat (specifically in the waist line because its the last accessible fat to burn) remove these veggies I just named from your diet. Go for the broccoli, cabbage (red and green) cauliflower (any color) zucchini, lettuce, asparagus, artichokes, bok choy and veggies that are mostly carb fiber. I eat these kind of veggies all day long & sometimes make a little stir fry with some carb free soy sauce to tide me over until my next meal and I STILL deplete fat like crazy! You can add them to some cooked turkey and 2 teaspoons of a medium chain triglyceride healthy fat like Coconut Butter (great fat burner and it doesn't use Chylomicrons that slow fat burning) to it after its cooked. The taste is out of this world and while you enjoy that you will be moving toward your goals of getting that lean beautiful or big muscular physique. This is 'EAT TO GROW' (a very popular company by the way) and if you aren't eating clean, you won't see the results! 
Low glycemic carbs are essential as well. While the body needs energy sources from food, it doesn't need the wrong energy sources like fruit filled yogurts or "protein bars." The reason I have protein bars in parenthesis is because a majority of them have more sugar than a candy bar. Might as well just buy some Snickers & say screw it. My point is, we use these low glycemic carbs to give us energy WITHOUT the insulin spike that produces the popular crash and burn effect on us. They replace the glycogen stores we deplete after a great workout OR they fuel us for the workout we are about to immerse ourselves in. The win win situation is, low glycemic carbs, carb meals early in the day, before and after your workout are the times when they work best in our bodies. Oats, breads, legumes, sweet potatoes, yams, rice & more are low glycemic. BUT, there is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes. Yams are orange and sweet potatoes are white. They both grow in the same funky form, but are both different in properties. The sweet potato is lower in calories, has a lower glycemic load and is much higher in beta-carotene than the yam. The sweet potato is also considered to be moderately anti-inflammatory and the yam is actually moderately inflammatory. So there is a difference in the 2 in case some didn't know. 
Water plays a very critical role in your physique as well. Did you know that if you don't consume room temperature you actually put your body in shock and are NOT hydrating it? In order to be properly hydrated after drinking cold water, you would actually have to drink the same amount in room temperature water to get the proper hydration your body needs. So why then if I drink cold water am I just fine or feel hydrated? Its because your body still responds, but much later after consuming it. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink water, you are already dehydrated. Water is CRITICAL to our bodies and if you think you can survive without it, you're wrong. It helps keep vitamins and minerals in our body, helps burn fat, flushes many toxins out of us (even better if you drink 1-2 glasses before a meal or 1 liter before breakfast as I do) helps with brain function, CNS response, joint and muscle lubrication, organ hydration and so so much more. DO NOT underestimate the power of water. IT IS VITAL.
Strict Clean Eating is EXACTLY what you need to do in order to get your results. Your body DOES need a cheat meal once a week to boost the LEPTIN in your body which is the mother of all fat burners in us. We're like a battery. We need a recharge every week to keep us going, to help break plateaus and keep burning fat at an optimal rate. There is a treasure box full of knowledge out there for you to find. You just have to be willing to find it!
