Body Optimized Coaching (2025)

05/07/2022

Have your fitness and nutrition questions answered!!!

This Friday I will be posting a video where I will answer any questions you have about nutrition and exercise. Simply write your questions in the comment section here or in my post at Mitch Troop and I will answer them all on Friday in a video. All questions will also later be answered in more detail along with any follow up questions in the weeks to come.

26/06/2022

My last post of my mini series on how to improve your health and physique is a recommendation. Hire a nutritional coach.
As a nutritional coach myself I would love to help out anyone needing it, but honestly it doesn't have to be me. Or for some people it shouldn't be me.
A nutrition coach will start you on the path to success by creating a nutritional and training plan that is right for you. Different coaches specialize in different types of plans. The right plan for you is the one that you will follow.
A program if it is going to work has to do only two things. 1. Put you in a calorie deficit. How that is done isn't important. 2. Provide a structure that will allow you to be consistent and achieve sustainability.
Once you have your plan a coach will check in with you periodically to make sure you are following the plan and answer any questions that come up.
Two huge advantages of a coach are: firstly preventing you from second guessing yourself when things don't go as planned (and they won't) and ruining your diet or completely abandoning it. Secondly a coach provides buy-in. Unfortunately most people (including me) when given information that is free won't follow it. By paying for a service you show to yourself that you are valuing what is being provided and will follow through on the program.
An easy example of the power of buy-in: If someone gives you a sandwich you may eat some of it if you are hungry, but if you pay for a sandwich you'll eat the whole thing even if you aren't that hungry and the sandwich isn`t very good.
For those who want to know more about the type of coaching I provide my email is mitch@bodyoptimizedcoaching.com or stay tuned for the launching of my full website next week.
All the best!

24/06/2022

Play around with meal timing.
If your looking to lose weight make sure your meal plan fits your lifestyle. There are many myths out there preventing you from choosing a meal pattern that fits you.
Don`t have time for meals? You don't need to eat 5-6 meals a day to keep metabolism high. You can eat one or two meals a day and get lean and fit if you don't have much time for preparing food and enjoy bigger meals.
Don't like breakfast? That is also a myth. Skipping breakfast for some people actually helps them lose weight. Even fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week is an option.
Eating windows, alternate day fasting, the standard three a day, there are so many options and all work as long as they create a calorie deficit. So find the right option for you that will optimize your adherence and lead to long-term success.
All the best!

19/06/2022

Decrease stress
A normal level of stress is unavoidable. There will always be things that come up at work or in your home life. However, when stress builds up or becomes too much it can affect recovery from working out, slow fat loss, and lead to stress eating. To prevent this from happening be aware of stresses that are avoidable. The things that you tend to take on but don't actually have too. A simple pause to ask yourself, "Is this something I really have to be worried bout?" will suffice.
When this isn't enough, for times when real stress piles on, then that is probably a time to put any fitness goals on hold for a while, take a break from the gym and concentrate on eating healthy so that when the stressful period ends then you can easily transition back to where you were before.
All the best.

17/06/2022

Track your steps.
Usually on a diet we reduce our calories and start to lose a little weight. Unfortunately for some the reduction in calories coming in leads quickly to lower energy levels which in turn leads to lower activity levels. So now your lower activity levels have adjusted your calorie output down until it meets up with your reduced calorie intake. Which means you are eating less, more tired, and not even losing weight. This sucks.
A good way to prevent this is to track your steps either with an I phone app or a pedometer (they are very cheap). Find your average for a normal day. Then try to increase it to a sustainable level. This will lead to some weight loss. Now by trying to maintain this step count every day as you decrease your calories you can maintain your fat loss and minimize plateaus in your weight loss journey.
All the best!

16/06/2022

Get enough sleep.
First of all if you don't get enough sleep you will have a hard time recovering from training sessions. This means your progress will be slower, you may have to skip training sessions due to inability to recover in time, and you will be less active which all translates into your weight loss slowing down to a crawl.
To make matters worse, when you are tired you tend to make poor decisions. This is disaster when dieting or when trying to simply eat better. You are more likely to say f*** it and order pizza when your tired and don't feel like cooking. Combine this with lower calorie output and you may have a situation for weight gain followed by reduced motivation and even a complete giving up of your quest for a healthy physique. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep is a good way to ensure progress when embarking on a fitness journey.
All the best.

03/06/2022

Calculate your daily calorie output.
You need to know how many calories you are spending in one day so you can adjust your calories up or most likely down.
A simple method is to multiply your bodyweight by 24 (22 for females). This gets you close the number of calories you body needs daily even if you do no physical activity (BMR).
Secondly choose your daily activity level. If you are inactive choose 1.1, a little active 1.3, moderately active 1.5, and very active 1.7. If you are an athlete, runner, etc you might need a higher number but this should cover most people.
Multiply your first number by your second to get your daily calorie needs. Then simply eat less calories than this number. Monitor your progress (or get a nutrition coach to do it for you) and adjust your calories based on your results.
All the best!

30/05/2022

Calculating your average daily calorie intake.
When you have an idea of how many calories is in a certain amount of food you are in a better position to control how many calories you take in and make better food choices.
It can be surprising when you realize that in one donut there are 250 calories on average. So if you have two donuts after work that can be up to 1/4 of your daily caloric requirement. You also start to figure out where you have hidden calories in your diet. Milk in your coffee, butter on toast, it all counts. I continually find that when I have stalled in weight loss calories have slowly crept up on me. Others not realizing this may be frustrated and suspect hormones or metabolic slowdown, until they add up their calories and realize that they aren`t eating in a deficit.
When you total calories for a day try to get the average of three different days, with one being a training day, another a non-trying day, and a weekend day. The average of the the three will give you a good base to then make adjustments depending on your physique goals.
How do I find calorie numbers? There are many apps out there for popular foods. My fitness pal is the most popular one. Chronometer is another I have used the past. The one I recommend for starting off is MacrosFirst. It has a lot of common foods and highly customizable. As a beginner it provides you with all you need in the free version. If you want to kick things into high gear there is also a paid option. I suggest playing around with the portions options. You can change the portion for grams, ounces, slices, even wholes for things like a banana. It really gives you an idea of how quickly calories can add up if your not careful. Think of this as paying your tuition. Once you have the knowledge you can diet easier and with less stress because you will be able to guess fairly closely how many calories are in a meal and have more control over them (and your physique) was a result.
If you have any questions or want more info about my services simply send me a message, email me at mitchtroop@hotmail.com, or comment on this post with the words "Info please"
All the best

27/05/2022

Emphasize whole foods.
There are all sorts of groups out there who want to demonize certain food groups. In the past fat has been demonized, leading to low fat versions of all types of foods. At other times it has been popular to make carbohydrates the bad guy.
When looking at the type of diets that support health they all have one thing in common, they contain Whole Foods that are minimally processed. We don't need to cut out all carbs, fat or even sugar and alcohol, we simply need to realize that all foods should be viewed in the context of the total diet. If your diet consists of mostly minimally processed foods and a good balance of the types of food, then having a burger or (gasp) a donut now and then will not destroy your health (sorry though, eating 6 donuts and coffee for breakfast every day probably will).
Follow the 80/20 rule, eat real food, and not too much and you will be just fine.
P.S. When it comes to weight loss the most important factor is.............drum roll............ total daily caloric intake.
All the best!

25/05/2022

Eat enough protein
When your trying to lose weight you need to make sure you eat enough protein to maintain your lean mass. I`ll repeat what said in a previous post, the skinny fat look is not appealing.
Remember that when your trying to maintain muscle you don`t have to worry too much about having protein every few hours (gaining muscle is a different story). Focus on total protein intake in a day and you'll be good. A good target to shoot for is around 2g of protein per kilogram f bodyweight. You can go slightly higher or lower depending on your individual taste.
For example: You weigh 160lbs (72 kgs) = 72 * 2 = 144 grams of protein per day ideally split into three or four meals. With four meals you get about 35 grams of protein per meal. This is only about 120 grams of chicken breast or 130 grams of steak. Add in a few other high protein foods like greek yoghurt and cottage cheese and you can hit 144 grams easily. If you like a big protein meal then do only three meals.
Another big benefit of protein is that it is very satiating, which is important when your trying to avoid hunger on a lower calorie diet.
All the best!

24/05/2022

Challenge your muscles
One of the best way to optimize your body is to start a workout plan. I don`t mean hitting the treadmill or jogging every morning, I`m talking about a strength training program designed specifically to stimulate your muscles.
The program can be done at home with a few simple exercises. A few sets of push-ups, wall squats, and chin-ups done three times a week can make a huge difference in your physique. All you need is a wall and a bar that can hold your bodyweight. There are all sorts of variations that can be done if you`re a beginner as well. Can't do push-ups? Try knee push-ups. Can't do wall squats? Do holds, where you hold yourself in a partial squat above a chair for as long as you can. Bands can also help you do a chin-up, or start off with a back row using jugs of milk. Whatever you do keep it simple and easy to continue, for consistency is the key.
One more thing, if your female don`t worry about building too much muscle and looking big. It won`t happen. The muscle you gain (which won't be very much) will simply give you a sexy shape. Fitness models who still look very feminine work out almost every day, so three times a week for 30 minutes isn`t going to get you jacked, unless someone is spiking your coffee with steroids.
Above all enjoy your journey.
All the best!

23/05/2022

10 Ways to optimize your body
1) Challenge your muscles.
Whether you hit the gym or do bodyweight exercises at home strength training is a game-changer
2) Eat enough protein.
This supports the creation of lean body mass. The skinny-fat look is not cool.
3) Emphasize whole foods.
Don`t demonize any one type of food simply strive to eat minimally processed foods.
4) Calculate your average daily calorie intake.
When you have an idea of the amounts of food and how many calories they are you are in a better position to make changes.
5) Calculate how many calories you burn in a day.
You need to know how many calories you need to maintain your weight so you can choose a deficit you are comfortable with.
6) Get enough sleep.
You are more likely to make poor food choices when you are tired.
7) Track your steps.
Increase your daily steps if they are low and try to maintain that target as you loose weight.
8) Decrease stress.
Stress can interfere with recovery from workouts and contribute to overtraining.
9) Play around with your meal times to fit your lifestyle.
You don't need to eat six meat a day to be fit, you don`t even need to eat breakfast if it isnt for you. Experiment with different meal patterns and even fasting periods to find what you like and will allow you to adhere to a lower calorie diet.
10) Hire a Coach.
A coach (like me) will help you with accountability and give you guidance on how to continue with your plan to optimize your body!
Stay tuned for more info on the individual points over the next few weeks.
All the best

10/05/2022

Nutritional Knowledge Edition 4
Blood pH and diet.
Your body tightly regulates blood ph. It maintains a ph of 7.4. Even doing something like max sprints, the blood ph won't fall below a ph of about 6.7, and even this will only be for a brief time before the acidity of the blood is buffered.
You can`t change the bodys` pH through diet. Eating only supposedly alkaline foods won't have any effect on your blood ph.
Setting aside blood pH, eating any type of food to the exclusion of others will result in a much greater chance of causing nutritional imbalances. The good thing is that you don't need to waste any time worrying about blood pH, simply eat a variety of minimally processed foods.

06/05/2022

Nutritional Knowledge Edition 3
Always look at nutritional evidence with a critical eye. When someone says that their opinion is backed-up by scientific studies they might be telling the truth. However, in order to know if a study truly is in sync with what the speaker is saying you need to look at the whole study. Never trust a studies conclusion. Sometimes a study will be carefully controlled and show one result, only to have the authors claim that the study showed the completely opposite result in the conclusion section. Unfortunately news programs generally just look at a studies conclusion and report on that. Which of course leads to a second point, it I not wise to get your nutritional information from the news. Although I hope most of my readers already know this.

Body Optimized Coaching