Editor's Note: This is the second of a four-part series dealing with physical fitness. The first part of the series was a brief overview of the mentality a person must have in order to be successful. The second part deals with nutrition and the third part will talk about an exercise regime. The fourth part will discuss diet and exercise supplements.

Most if not all fitness experts agree that good nutrition is the key component of any diet or exercise plan. Without it, the body doesn’t get the energy it needs to produce results in the gym or to burn fat.

The less a person eats, the less a person weights, the better they feel, right? Not necessarily. Jerry Toler is a certified personal trainer and nutritional counselor at Better Bodies Inc. He is a strong believer in eating enough throughout the day to keep a person’s metabolism going throughout the day. In fact he suggests eating every three hours from breakfast up until the time a person goes to bed.

“Every time you eat, your metabolism goes up,” Toler said. “So if you are eating every two to three hours that means your metabolism is up all day long. The other thing eating every two to three hours does is that it supplies your body with a slow constant source of energy so your energy level isn’t going up and down. Your energy level stays high all day long. Another plus is that your blood sugar is also level all day long.”

When Toler meets with one of his clients he develops a meal plan that breaks down the food groups into protein, starchy carbohydrates, fibrous carbohydrates and fats. He then uses the client’s body weight to figure out the person’s protein requirement. For example, at 190 pounds the bare minimum daily amount of protein intake should be 190 grams. If a person is exercising they need to be taking in about 1.5 times their weight in protein on a daily basis.

Toler figures about the same amount of carbohydrates as he does protein for a client.

“I try to see how many calories we come up with at that point,” he said. “If it’s low we add more carbohydrates. We have to divide all of those into five or six. I insist my clients have to eat every two to three hours.”

He said fats will take care of themselves if a person is consuming lean protein.

“So the three things we really focus on are protein and the two types of carbohydrates,” Toler said. “You want to get all three of those things with every meal.”

Toler used examples of fried food, fatty cuts of steak and ham as the types of meat a person should avoid. By eating the three food groups together he said a person is supplying the body with the protein it needs to rebuild muscle and to provide for the body’s organs.

“Proteins are broken down into amino acids,” Toler said. “You are also supplying the starch which your body needs for energy. The fiber contains a lot of vitamins and minerals which also cleans out your intestinal system. It also slows down the digestive process of the starches which means you don’t have a blood sugar spike. That’s why all three of the these need to be eaten at once.”

For breakfast he suggests a bowl of oatmeal with a protein shake. While he admits that fiber is limited with the meal, he said that’s OK with breakfast.

“For a lot of people it’s tough to eat a vegetable in the morning,” Toler said. “If you can eat one in the morning it makes it that much better, and I do encourage that. I want no added sugar with the oatmeal. It has some naturally occurring sugar already. For a visual if you look at the side of the box and it says there are five grams of sugar, that’s like pouring five packets of sugar on your oatmeal. One packet equals a gram. Keep sugars to a minimum.”

If breakfast is at 7 a.m. then by 10 a.m. a person needs to be eating their second meal of the day. Toler suggests a protein source such as a chicken breast, fish, turkey breast or a very lean beef source. He said cottage cheese is also an excellent source of protein as long as it has a low amount of fat and sugar.

“I don’t mean in the form of a sandwich either,” he said. “You want to keep your bread intake to a minimum. If you need a sandwich take one slice of 100 percent whole wheat, whole grain and cut it in half. Pile your protein between the half slices. You also have to have some vegetables. Examples of fibers include carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, any salad type vegetables.”

He said it’s OK to eat a salad with the meal, but don’t use croutons, bacon bits or cheese.

“If you are going to eat a salad, get your favorite salad dressing and put it on the side,” Toler said. “Dip your fork in the dressing — don’t scoop it. Dip it into the dressing and then into the salad. That way you get a taste of the salad dressing and by the time you are done with a huge salad you have hardly used any of it at all.”

By 1 p.m. a person would need to eat a third meal. Toler said the meal should consist of the same components and that a person could switch the types. He said good examples of starches are baked potatoes without butter and sour cream, sweet potatoes, yams, corn, rice and beans.

“The same goes for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.,” he said. “At 10 p.m. I always suggest a protein shake for that last meal. That supplies the body with the protein that it will break down into amino acids. When you are sleeping your muscles are repairing and rebuilding. It will also help solve the problem of waking up in the middle of the night hungry.”

Toler said if someone’s goal is to lose body fat they have to minimize the amount of milk they drink, even skim milk.

“Milk is loaded with lactose,” he said. “Lactose and fructose are two really bad sugars if you are trying to lose body fat. What happens is the sugars are digested and they go into the liver. From there they are converted into glucose which is our stored energy. However, very little of it ever leaves the liver to go on and supply the rest of the body. So once your liver is full, it tricks your whole body into thinking it has enough energy. So any carbohydrate you eat after that is stored as body fat because the body doesn’t think it needs to convert it to energy.”

He said fruit is also something people should avoid when trying to lose body fat.

“I’m not ever going to tell someone they can’t eat any fruit, especially in season,” Toler said. “But it’s something you need to eat in moderation because it has the same effect as milk. Fruit is very nutritious though, and so is milk. It just depends on what you are trying to do.”

He insists that people cannot go by weight alone to gauge their physical condition. A body composition is also needed.

“That’s something that gets done on a weekly basis if you have a personal trainer so you can stay on top of where your body fat is compared to your muscle mass,” Toler said. “We cover nutrition, lifting weights and cardio. I work very hard to get my clients’ nutrition right. Then we work on lifting weights — proper form and proper technique. That works the target muscle to its maximum capability and it keeps you from getting injured. Then we work on cardio. Cardio needs to be done at the right time and at the right intensity. All three phases are equally important. Together you get good to great results.”

Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.

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