ITG Diet Blog

Exercise is important when maintaining a healthy weight, especially in Step 3 of the ITG Diet. But what about exercise when you're trying to lose weight in Step 1?

There are a lot of opinions out there about how important exercise is, or is not, when trying to lose weight. It's not as simple as calories in versus calories out though. When you're in ketosis, intense exercise can have a detrimental effect on your weight loss progress and how your body ultimately burns off fats and carbs. It's important to understand why too much intense exercise can slow down your progress.

Ready to take some time off of work and enjoy some fun in the sun? Planning an excursion across the globe to visit exciting new places? ITG is here to help no matter what Step of the plan you're on!

Remember that just because you're going on vacation, you don't have to sacrifice your diet. ITG Foods are travel friendly and can be packed in your suitcase or carry-on bag when flying. If you are driving, even better! Bring along those ITG Foods and fill a cooler with ice packs and lots of veggies and pre-cooked lean proteins for snacks and meals on the way.

Summer is finally here! With the beautiful weather comes lots of great summer parties, cookouts and barbecues, and even birthdays and graduations. And of course, they all revolve around eating, drinking and socializing. Many people enjoy an opportunity to make that great new recipe they found and use these parties as an excuse to try them out. When you show up at a party for 20 people, there is usually enough food to feed an army.

You're faced with all these delicious dishes that you never get to eat, because you are on a diet. What will you do? ITG is here to give you some tips that will help you stick to your diet and survive those summer parties!

We eat when we're happy. We eat when we're stressed, sad, bored, or lonely, We often eat more than our body actually needs.

In the past few decades, our food tastes and habits have been changing. We used to eat due to hunger and for our energy needs. These days, we eat for pleasurable experiences, and those foods are densely packed with sugar, salt, and fat. Plus, everything is readily available any time of day or night at stores and drive-thrus.

If you're working on reaching your goal weight quickly and efficiently using the ITG Diet Plan, you may have been learning the importance of understanding nutrition labels and how to decipher them. Over the years I've spent coaching the program, I certainly have learned a lot about labels myself. Remember, years ago, we were taught how bad fat was for us? "Fat will make you fat!" Starting in the 1980s and continuing throughout the 1990s, "reduced fat" and fat-free foods gained their foothold in our lives. The low-fat diet was born. However, looking back now we can start to see that fat isn't quite as bad for us compared to what was being pumping into these foods to add flavor without that fat: sugar and salt.

Summer Frustrations are quickly approaching…

Remember a few weeks ago you made the decision to get in shape for this Summer?  Maybe you made some New Year’s resolutions?  Maybe you committed to a certain date that you wanted to be a certain shape?

How’s that working out for you?

Have you stuck to your plan and lost some weight?

Did you start the diet and give up?

Or are you partially doing the plan and doing the diet “your own way?”

If you’re in the majority and are doing the ITG Diet plan successfully and losing the weight you want, then kudos to you!  You’ll be the one everyone will be asking for your secret.  You’ll be the one with the new wardrobe.  You’ll be the one with that renewed twinkle in your eye and spring in your step.

Over the years and from an early age, we've all been taught how bad it is to eat fat. From low fat foods, to reduced fat foods, to low fat lifestyles, avoiding fat has been engrained in our thinking: that eating fat will cause us to gain fat. While too much of any nutrient can very easily be converted and stored as fat in the body, fat is still an essential part of our diet. What types of fat are healthy, which should we eat in moderation, and what types should we avoid? 

Selenium is a trace mineral that is found in small amounts in nuts, meats, and some vegetables. Trace minerals such as selenium are needed for many of the body's processes, including proper muscle development, cell maintenance, immune system responses, and thyroid hormone metabolism.

It's something we all look forward to... the day finally arrives, and congratulations! You are in Step 3 of the ITG Diet Plan, Maintenance!

If you've made it to Step 3, kudos to you for reaching your health and weight loss goals! Now, let the fun begin. Step 3 allows one Reward Day a week when you can, within reason, eat whatever you've been looking forward to all week long.

What fun foods have you been looking forward to on your Reward Day?

If you're like me and many other people, pizza might be up there on the list of priorities. However, normal pizza shop and even frozen pizzas from the store are extremely high in carbs, sodium and fat. They have very little dietary fiber.

I’ve always had a problem with mindless eating. Whether I was driving for work, watching television at night, or sitting in front of a computer, I always had to have something to snack on. Most of the time – no, scratch that – ALL of the time, those snacks were full of carbs and sugar. It was really easy for me to stop at a gas station or a fast food joint and grab a couple bags of chips, candy, fries, or a milkshake at least once or twice a day. I never thought that I was overdoing it in the snacking department because I was always extremely hungry whenever it came to mealtimes! Without keeping track of what I ate, I got into a bad habit of not even knowing what I was putting into my system.

If you get hungry on-the-go these days, your options for food are endless. When you’re trying to stick with only healthy foods from fast food restaurants, your options become much more limited. Many fast food restaurants are now offering “healthy” menu selections which can come in handy for someone on a diet watching their fat and carb intake. The problem is you will need to be cautious of all the hidden ingredients that will turn that healthy salad or wrap into a roadblock on your path to your weight loss goal.

The holidays are here and while they can be filled with comfort and joy, they can also be a time of stress and, unfortunately, weight gain! We understand that it's easy to throw your routine and hard work to the wind in favor of overindulgence, yet with a little help, and a lot of will power, we know you will survive without derailing your success.

Here are our Top Tips to Help You Stay on Track:

Stick to Your Routine and stock up your shelves with ITG Foods!

Between holiday shopping and more parties than you can possibly squeeze onto a calendar, it's easy to skip your routine to try to get more in -- but try not to, keep it as simple as possible. By sticking with a diet and exercise plan, you will keep your health as priority number one. Staying healthy and active will also help you manage the stress that the holidays are sure to bring. Stock up on your favorite ITG Diet foods to snack on in emergencies or before parties.

Proteins are the building blocks of the body. They are broken down into many forms of amino acids and directed to areas that protein is needed. Your hair, skin, muscles…almost every part of your body needs different proteins to grow, repair and replenish. Many diets to lose weight cut back on fat, calories and much more in an effort to drop the pounds. The ITG Diet is all about lowering your carb intake and upping your high quality protein intake. But do you know the reasons why protein works when it comes to weight loss?

You're starting the ITG Diet, or have been on it for a little while. You're learning something new about foods, nutrition, and how your body reacts to the foods you eat by gaining, maintaining, or losing weight. You can really feel when you have a bad day, and you know when you're doing well because the clothes get looser and your energy levels increase.

There are many tips and tricks that we teach during the initial consultation for new ITG dieters. Some may become new habits for life, and others will be helpful ways to combat hunger, help you stop yourself from overeating, and general tips to stay successful while on all Steps of the ITG Diet Plan.

Back in the days before I lost my weight and changed my habits with ITG, I wasn't a big believer in using supplements as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Rightfully so, as I had done a lot of research on the quality of over-the-counter supplements in vitamin shops and drugstores. Since supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, there can be ingredient and quality issues; you aren't always getting what you think. For example, some protein supplements do indeed contain protein, but that protein was absorbed and utilized by animals, and not humans. There are other supplements that have been tested off the shelves and they contain nothing but dried and ground grass and weeds, with no benefit whatsoever to the human body. Other supplements contain nutrients, but not in the levels listed on the bottle. However, when I started with ITG and learned the importance of proper supplementation, good manufacturing practices (GMP), and medical grade quality ingredients, my eyes were opened as to what a good supplement can do for the body. Want to know my favorite supplements? Keep reading!

Ready to warm up with some... cheese!? Try ITG Cheesy Cheddar! Finally, you can say "Cheese Please!" and enjoy that aged cheddar taste you crave over your favorite vegetables, proteins, and more. Cheesy Cheddar is a delicious way to enjoy great cheese flavor with the ITG Diet Plan each day. With 15 grams of satiating protein, 3 grams of fat and only 6 grams of carbs, Cheesy Cheddar is a healthier and more satisfying way to enjoy your cheesy dishes.

If you’re like one of many people we speak to each day who wants to start the ITG Diet Plan, but you exercise quite frequently and are worried about your routine, then this information is for you!

The ITG Diet Plan is a low-calorie diet. When you exercise vigorously, your body requires many more calories than the plan provides you with. The calories from ITG Foods, combined with whole foods from the store, falls into a range which is perfect for losing weight and maintaining muscle mass. However, while on the plan, exercise can change the way your body processes foods as it adjusts to lower levels of sugar and converts to using your stored body fat for energy.

In light of the new year and "dieting season," there are many articles and news pieces published every day comparing a typical keto diet to other weight loss plans. On average, about 6,000 articles, documents and reviews are posted daily dealing with health and weight loss. Sifting through all that material on the internet can dig up a lot of information, both educational as well as misguided.

While the ITG Diet Plan does get you into a light state of ketosis, there are differences between ITG and simply eating foods according to a keto lifestyle. A typical keto diet is a way of eating rather than a weight loss plan, allowing many foods that we restrict while on the ITG Diet Plan. 

“I do great during the day - it’s when I get home, that I struggle.” I hear this a lot!

It’s true - at the end of the day, we’re tired, we’re a bit stressed, we have a whole set of tasks still to do or we’d like to relax - food and alcohol can bring comfort. 

We’d like to have a drink, we snack on our kids food or maybe we’re snacking on the dinner that we’re making for our family, or it’s the couch and some ice cream - It’s all a struggle.

We know this time of year is full of holiday cheer, and holiday cookies, and holiday cakes, and cocktails... the list goes on! How do you make it through without indulging, or if you are in Step 3, overindulging in those sugary filled little treats?