Protein: Your Natural Building Blocks

What is protein? We hear all about it these days, but what is it? In a simple metaphor, protein is the building blocks of the human body. Look at yourself in the mirror, or simply look down at your hands, your legs, and your feet. Everything you see is made of protein. Now let’s dive under your skin and explore your incredible body. As we move deeper into the body we will first encounter a layer of fat. This is not made of protein - sorry. But as we explore deeper, we move into the beautiful muscles of your body, all made of protein. And this is the protein we want to focus on…

At Reshape the Nation, dietary protein (the kind we eat) is a very important part of our lifestyle. Our body uses the protein we eat to maintain and build our beautiful muscles. And the muscle, being the most metabolically active tissue in our body, boosts our metabolic rate through the roof! Now can you see why protein is so important for us? You betcha!

As for how our bodies get protein, if we want to have fun with it, simply put, proteins come from anything that has eyes.  It’s a funny saying, but it’s true! Think about it…

However, nowadays we can get protein from some other incredible sources. We can get proteins from plants like soy, hemp, rice, and almonds; from milk products like cottage cheese and whey; and from eggs.

So how do we know what proteins to eat? You guessed it… I’ve got a list for you

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who watched on story on TLC last night.  We hope you enjoyed it and are inspired to keep reading and watching us!  If you missed it, it airs again Wednesday and Thursday - check here for times!

Setting the Metabolic Clock – Spinning the Wheel

We can’t create an incredible transformation until we set your metabolic clock.  It’s the single most important thing you can do to prepare for your transformation.

To set your Metabolic Clock, we need to start “spinning the wheel”.  Think of your body as a lump of clay on a potter’s wheel. When we eat, we spin the wheel.  The faster the wheel spins, the easier it is to mold the clay. We spin the wheel by eating every three hours. In three to five days, your metabolic clock will be set.

Pros: Eating every three hours boosts metabolism for maximum weight loss.

Cons: If you’ve been consuming just one or two meals daily, when you begin setting your metabolic clock it feels like a TON of food. The biggest complaint I hear when people start boosting metabolism is that they can barely eat all of the real food!  Real food = lots of bulk, little calories. 

Solution: Don’t worry, the fullness you’re feeling will pass.  In three to five days your new metabolic clock will be set.  After this, you’ll find yourself HUNGRY every two hours, which is your body’s way of telling you’re your clock is set!

Adaptation: When The Weight Loss Stops

Have you ever been on a diet where everything was going great, and then the weight loss just stopped?  You’re doing the exact same thing that worked so well before, and your body wont budge, so what’s wrong? What changed?  Believe it or not, your body did exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Our body has its own built-in autopilot and will always try to adjust its metabolism (energy out) to accommodate and match your food intake (energy in.) 

Qusetion: So what does this mean?

Answer: Most of us will adapt to any given nutrition and exercise program and our weight loss will slow or even stop over time.

Solution: Constantly change your calorie intake, food intake and workouts, so your body never has the opportunity to adapt and stop!

Sluggish Metabolism? Let’s Unslug It!

“I have a sluggish metabolism.” I hear that complaint all of the time.  You might even be right, but here’s my secret: we can do something about it!  Nowadays we are led to believe that we are stuck with a sluggish metabolism, but did you know you can actually raise your metabolism in just a couple of days? In fact, the word metabolism actually means ‘changing energy’!

Here are three pointers for boosting your metabolism in just a couple days:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
2. Eat more carbohydrates.
3. Move.  Metaboost and Accelerate!

Chris and David on The Today Show and TLC

We hope you got the chance to catch us on the Today Show this morning.  If you missed it or want to watch it again you can check us out here! 

And please watch us on 650-lb Virgin - a detailed, personal look at David as he shares his story, discusses his past journey and his future plans.  Airing on TLC this Sunday at 8pm.  Check here for local listings.

Today we also opened up Reshape The Nation program for pre-registrations.  For more information click the getting started link on the left.  Lots more to come in the next few days with a fresh video on our Youtube channel and more new articles and tips!

Muscle - Your Metabolic Engine

I love muscle.  You should too!  Muscle is the most active living tissue on the body that gives us our shape & our curves. Plus, muscle tissue accounts for the majority of the energy we burn every day - our metabolism!

I’m about to teach you something cool. 

1. Our muscles grow when we load them with weight…then feed them.
2. Our butt and leg muscles are the largest muscle group in the body.
3. The more we weigh, the larger our butt and leg muscles grow.

See where I’m going here?  The more you weigh, the more your muscles grow, the higher your metabolic potential!

You’ve been sitting on a V-12 metabolic engine and you didn’t even know it!   The next step is to fuel that engine with the right foods… stay tuned!

Don’t Gain It Back… We Won’t Let You!

Ever hear a horror story about a friend falling off her diet program and gaining unbelievable amounts of weight within a a couple months? Maybe this has even happened to you? Typically, such rapid weight gain follows some kind of rapid weight loss, and you’ve probably heard the experts say the human body isn’t made to lose weight extremely fast. Those experts are right!

I’ve made it my goal to find a solution to prevent that rapid weight gain after weight loss because I want to anchor in your success! The problem, I’ve discovered, is that following a normal lifestyle means we need to be able to indulge and take a week-long vacation without worrying about gaining the weight back.

In my years of research, I’ve come up with what I believe is the only real solution:

Sometimes, eat a lot of calories; and sometimes, eat less calories.

This might not make much sense at first, but let me try to briefly explain. There are numerous benefits to the process of carb cycling (we all know I’m a big fan). When the body experiences high carbohydrate/high calorie days patterned into the lifestyle, it will continuously raise your metabolism and keep it revved up for any breaks in the future. As a result, you can jump off the pattern for one, two or, in some cases, three weeks and not experience the rapid (and frustrating) weight rebound. Your weight loss is already anchored in, and all you have to do is pick up where you left off. Remember, this is real life. This is a weight loss journey. We have vacations, holidays, business trips and family dinners… we need to have a lifestyle pattern that allows us to truly live!

Fat Loss 101

Did you know you ALREADY have the beautiful body of muscle that you desire? It just happens to be underneath a blanket of energy we call “bodyfat.”  Grab that blanket and hang onto it while you read the following statement out loud:
 


“This is the blanket of energy covering my muscles. I will break down the blanket with nutrition and burn it with exercise.”
 


Your bodyfat (blanket of energy) is going to be mobilized (broken down) with your food plan and oxidized (burned) in your muscle during and after Reshape the Nation ‘Metaboosts’ and ‘Accelerators’ – that’s how the machine works.
 


CP’s Bonus Tip: Your weight loss will be most noticeable from the top-down, It is very common for you to notice it first in your face, shoulders, and upper body, then it travels down the body to the stomach, butt, and thighs. So be patient and be careful not to make the common mistake of judging your early success solely by the stomach.

If you don’t want to look like these guys, stop “Sumo Dieting!”

Does anyone reading this skip breakfast? Don’t worry, most of us do. In fact most Americans skipped breakfast and won’t eat till late lunch.  Then we overeat at dinner. In the fitness industry, we call this “sumo dieting” because it’s the exact lifestyle pattern that sumo wrestlers follow to gain their massive size! When we don’t eat we slow our metabolic rate and hormonally trigger our bodies to store the majority of our food as fat. Hmmm…

I’ve got a suggestions for you: Stop sumo dieting; eat breakfast! 

How It Works

When asked to write a book about how I do what I do, I refused.  There are already over 1000 weight loss and diet books in publication, and 9 out of 10 of them offer programs that fail within the first week.  Instead, I chose to create the most extensive lifestyle program ever.  With my team, we developed the tools and solutions to make getting in shape easy, and we’ll be there with you every step of the way. That’s how we create success.

Whether you want to lose 30 pounds or 300 pounds, there are only three things that we focus on here at Reshape the Nation — Eating, Moving, and Living… together.
 

Carb Cycle Lifestyle^TM

We’ve all heard that the key to success in life is balance.  The key to success in nutrition is no different.  Reshape the Nation is built on a powerful method called “Carb Cycling.”  Essentially, Carb Cycling is a continuous seesaw of high and low carbohydrate/calorie days.  By offsetting the High Days with Low Days, the overall net result is a wonderfully balanced nutrition program.  Plus, using this pattern we can actually reap the metabolic boosting benefits of High Days and fat burning benefits of Low Days for a nutrition structure that is much more effective than any static or stable nutrition program!  In addition, the high and low calorie nature of cycling keeps the metabolism constantly “guessing,” so it can never adapt and plateau our weight-loss.

Carb balancing has actually been used in the fitness industry for years as the most effective way to change body composition.  At Reshape the Nation, we just put a real-life twist on it.  The results speak for themselves — incredible permanent weight loss without crashing the metabolism.

Lifestyle Layers^TM
Most programs make the mistake of restricting foods.  One of the most common reasons we fail on a weight loss program is because we feel deprived.  We can only hold out for so long before we give in to fall back on our old habits and comfort foods.  Along with this falling back come feelings of guilt, failure, and hopelessness.  
 
Let’s get real: We have emotional and psychological need for comfort foods, and it’s important that they play a major role in our new lifestyle.  What makes Reshape the Nation different is that we’ve created something we call Lifestyle Layers^TM — structured “Reward Days” that you select throughout the week to indulge in comfort foods.  We have lifestyle layers ranging from once a week, up to every other day.  With this flexibility, you can never fail.
 
How’s this for a life-long nutrition plan: If you can’t have it today, you can always have it tomorrow. Sound pretty reasonable?  Yeah, we like it too.

 
The STAX System^TM
There are hundreds of diet programs out there.  You’ll find the most effective ones require us to eat at least five to six meals throughout the day.  Eating this many meals might seem counter intuitive, but so many programs require it because it works.  Eating every three hours throughout the day is the most effective way to keep metabolism high and maximize your weight loss.  
 
Let’s get real: The moment we leave the house our food options are convenience stores, fast food, and vending machines.  If we’re supposed to eat the right food every three hours, we need to select from a list, prepare in advance, carry it with us, and eat throughout the day.  Sounds complicated, right?  Wrong… we’ve got the solution.  Here at Reshape the Nation we use the STAX System — an all-in-one nutrition system that portions, times, and carries your meals for the day.  
 
No more weighing, no more measuring, no more calorie-counting.  With STAX, you’ll always get the right food at the right time — it’s nutrition finally made easy.
 

Shape The States^TM
I created the Shape the States system of movements from the fundamental, basic movement patterns of the human body: pushing, squatting, and crunching - and I created 50 workout celebrations for each of our 50 States, utilizing different combinations of these movement patterns.  Best of all, as we go thru the movements I explain what is happening in your body every step of the way.  
 
The State Celebrations take only 10 minutes in the morning, and they can be done absolutely anywhere.  Each State Celebration is followed by an “accelerator” designed to maximize fat oxidation (burning).  As you “Shape the States” you’ll develop strength, muscle tone, and endurance.  Most importantly, you’ll skyrocket your metabolism for maximum weight-loss and incredible energy throughout the day.
 
Within days you’ll feel the difference, within weeks you’ll see your new body emerging, and within months you will have completely changed your life.  I’m Chris Powell, and I know that together we can transform your body, change your life, and make a difference in the lives of others around us — come Reshape the Nation with us!

Helping Others

When we first began David’s transformation, I made a very simple deal with him: I would always be there for him.  I would never give up on him.  I would teach him everything I knew.  The only thing I asked in return was that once he had his new life, he must help others in need.  He must find the next “David,” girl or a guy, and he must change that person’s life.  Now a certified trainer himself, David is looking to fulfill his promise and find the next desperate soul waiting for someone to guide him through a total lifestyle transformation.

As David (and I) quickly discovered, there are about 50 million desperate souls out there.  However, instead of seeing a challenge, we saw an opportunity - the opportunity to help millions of people.  Instead of helping people one at a time like we had originally pledged, we’ve decided to reach out to those 50 million people and offer to teach them - you, the person reading this right now – about your incredible body, how to understand it, and how to listen to it so we can guide you through your own journey of transformation.

My name is Chris Powell, and I’m a Transformation Coach.  Together with David, we want to share with you our last 13 years of education, research, personal experience, and hands-on immersion in hundreds of transformations.  We promise to be there for you, to never give up on you, and to teach you everything we know.  But when we’re done, we only ask one thing: We ask that you help others in need, too.  Share your success, and share what you learn with your family, friends, and loved ones. Together, we can do a world of good.

Paying It Forward

When we first began David’s transformation, I made a very simple deal with him: I would always be there for him.  I would never give up on him.  I would teach him everything I knew.  The only thing I asked in return was that once he had his new life, he must pay it forward.  He must find the next “David,” girl or a guy, and he must change that person’s life.  Now a certified trainer himself, David is looking to pay it forward.  He wants to fulfill his promise and find the next desperate soul waiting for someone to guide him through a total lifestyle transformation.

As David (and I) quickly discovered, there are about 50 million desperate souls out there.  However, instead of seeing a challenge, we saw an opportunity – the opportunity to help millions of people.  Instead of paying it forward one at a time like we had originally pledged, we’ve decided to reach out to those 50 million people and offer to teach them – you, the person reading this right now – about your incredible body, how to understand it, and how to listen to it so we can guide you through your own journey of transformation.

My name is Chris Powell, and I’m a Transformation Coach.  Together with David, we want to share with you our last 13 years of education, research, personal experience, and hands-on immersion in hundreds of transformations.  We promise to be there for you, to never give up on you, and to teach you everything we know.  But when we’re done, we only ask one thing: We ask that you pay it forward, too.  Share what you learn with your family, friends, and loved ones. Together, we can do for the world a world of good.

Meet Chris and David

My name is Chris Powell.  I got my first set of weights when I was 14.  One day, when I came home from school, my parents had taken out the living room furniture and put a weight set in the middle of the floor.  No couch, no chairs.  I sat on the weight bench for the first week, but by the end of the month, I was hooked.  That was just the beginning…

I quickly became fascinated with the human body and how it can change and be changed.  I took this passion to Arizona State University (go Sun Devils!) and received my degree in Exercise Science with concentrations in physiology and biomechanics.  I was enamored with the bodybuilding world, and learned their tricks of the trade for body manipulation.  Upon graduation, I moved into the field of sports and performance, earning my CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) Certification.  But I was troubled by the general population’s lack of adherence to exercise and nutrition programs.  Why couldn’t people be as passionate about living healthy – and fun – lifestyles as I was?  So I began turning my focus from the human body to human behavior.

Five years ago I was blessed to have met my best friend, David Smith, who weighed, at the time, 630 pounds.  He inspired me to learn, to study, to engulf myself in the metabolic and physiological components necessary for incredible transformation and weight loss. He was my test subject, sounding board, confidant, and most importantly, my partner on the journey we committed to.

In the process of that journey, we created the most effective, all-encompassing program for sustained, permanent, and incredible weight loss.  400lbs lost in two years!  He was on Oprah; I was in the front of the audience.  20/20 did a story on our friendship.  We were special guests on The View.  We were flown to Japan to be on one of their most popular shows.  We just finished a TLC Documentary about the life changing experience.  Our lives have been absolutely crazy, but also incredible.  And best of all, along the way we’ve had the opportunity to help thousands of people understand themselves and take control of their lives.  We create transformations not just physically, but also habitually.

Workouts, Nutrition, Tips and more…coming soon!

Hey all!

I’ve been working away at loading up daily workouts, nutrition, tips, and recipes…and learning how to do this ‘blog’ stuff.  It’s all new to me, but it’s pretty darn cool!!  Stay tuned – I’ll be seein y’all soon!

Chris