INTRODUCTION
Many who are new to running may have picked up this form of exercise to lose weight. Running gets individuals results in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, running alone will not be enough for sustainable health results. Once one‘s body gets used to the activity, weight loss becomes harder to achieve. You would have to either go for longer runs or pick up on your intensity. Picking up on one's intensity is not easy, especially if you suffered an injury in the past. How do we get the most out of our running experience? How do we lose weight on a steady basis? As an experienced runner, how can I increase my performance?
Have you ever heard; “You can’t outrun a bad diet?” Or “You are what you eat?” That is the key....... What kind of fuel (food) are you putting into the gas tank? Premium or regular? Are you fueling up while your tank is already full? You do not go to the gas station when there is 1/2 - 3/4 of a tank full, do you? In our easy guide, we will explain what foods to avoid. We discuss what foods will serve you for weight loss, and improved running performance. We will discuss WHEN you should fuel your body for optimal results. As a bonus, we provided you with a Shopping List Cheat Sheet, and an 8-week Beginners 5k Training Plan to help you move more, eat clean, and run to the best you!
Keep Calm And “Keep It Real” (My Whole30 Experience)
At Keep Calm And Run To The Best You we help individuals train for local race events. This can be the person’s very first 5k or their 10th and they want to improve on their race times. Many have used our system and gone on to run half marathons. What is Keep Calm and Keep It Real? (Aka “Keeping It Real”) Besides walking or jogging 3 days per week, one must be intentional about their food choices. Keeping It Real means eating REAL food. Moderate portions of meat, eggs, seafood, plenty of vegetables, & moderate amount of fruit. Plenty of heart healthy natural fats, herbs and spices. Eat foods with little to no ingredients. Should your food choice have a label the ingredients must be pronounceable. These whole and unprocessed foods are like Premium Gasoline for your body. Processed food on the other hand is like Regular Gas in a Mercedes with added sugar for good measure. I experienced this by taking the Whole30 Challenge by Melissa Hartwig in 2018. You will see my stats below, but first let’s talk about what the challenge is all about.
Take The Challenge: 30 days (AVOID These Foods)
When it comes to running, we want to have good posture and breathe with ease, in a sense, Keep Calm and flow. We don‘t want anything to disrupt that. When it comes to our nutritional choices, we don’t want anything to disrupt us while we are on the road to good health. We will avoid these problematic foods from our eating. Avoiding these foods will bring more than weight loss. You will experience smoother skin, more energy, a smaller waist, and more. Will it be a challenge to avoid the following foods? Sure it will, but you have to Keep Calm, breathe and keep going! Remember this: Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful! Here are problematic foods to avoid:
AVOID - Added Sugar, Of Any Form (Real or Artificial)
AVOID - All Grains. This includes wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, sprouted grains, and all gluten-free pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat. This also includes all the ways wheat, corn and rice creeps into our foods by ways of bran, germ, starch etc. READ your labels. (I know…..challenging….Keep Calm, you can do it!)
AVOID - Dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep’s milk. Products like milk, cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
AVOID - Legumes. This includes beans such as: black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc. Peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. (including peanut butter) Avoid all soy-soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways once again it sneaks into your food like lecithin.
AVOID - Alcohol. Including cooking alcohol.
AVOID - Carrageenan, MSG, or Sulfates.
Avoiding these foods for 30 days will bring you the energy that you need to get out the door ready to train. The energy from your training days will lead to fantastic results on race day. Without the disruption of grains, the bloated feeling from legumes and dairy, you will get to the starting line feeling light and ready to run.
**Special Note:
Make a special attempt to avoid looking for loopholes. Do not look for ways to have your favorite food in a recreated healthier form. A muffin is still a muffin, and potato chips are still potato chips. The ingredients may only have avocado oil, potatoes, and sea salt. The ingredients are all within the Keeping It Real limits. You recreating these sweets or the salty snacks may have you craving other Non Script foods.
Oh One More Thing.......
No weighing yourself. Lock up your scale. Pay attention to such things as, not needing a nap, better sleep, looser clothes, or less cravings. If you take a 30 day challenge, weigh yourself only at the start and at the end. If you have been in a battle with weight your whole life and are used to getting on the scale daily, this will be a challenge within itself. Trust the process, FREE yourself and use that extra time to plan your day for success.
Extra Can Haves:
Salt (whenever possible choose sea or himalayan)
Coconut Aminos (a great soy sauce substitute)
Vinegar (All forms are allowed with the exception of malt vinegar since it’s the only one containing gluten)
Ghee or Clarified Butter (Milk proteins are not found in these as is in regular butter)
We would like to encourage you all to take the 30 day challenge. That’s what we call “Keeping It Real” 💯. Working with many clients, one thing that I realize is that everything isn’t for everybody. Some may feel as though Keeping it 💯 is just too hard. Well why not try Keeping It Real 50% - 80%? Decide which AVOID foods that you can give up for 30 days, and stick to that. In 2019 I started a 7 day challenge to introduce people to the process. Many started the 7 day challenge, then decided to extend it to 30 days. This often occurs after sugar withdrawal passes (usually within 3-5 days). Individuals begin to feel empowered to continue. Individuals will have control over food cravings and experience more energy with more mental clarity.
Meal Guide:
Here is where we begin to differ from mainstream dietary advice.
Mainstream advice would tell us that we have to have breakfast or to eat 3 meals a day with snacks during the day. That is over fueling your tank. (We will discuss this more under “Fueling Your Tank”)
What if we told you that if you exercised first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, that you would be targeting belly fat? Mainstream advice would tell you to eat an hour before your workout. Also you have heard that you must have protein within 45 minutes of your workout. What if we told you that it’s not necessary to have anything to eat and you will continue to burn fat? True! When you eat the Keeping It Real way, you are eating nutrient dense foods that will keep you satiated. By eliminating sugar, your body will start to run off of fat. When the fat in your body has been depleted from the foods you ate, your body will look for another energy source. That source will be your own body fat. Boom. You are welcome! Here is a simple guide to follow. Again we must say it is just a guide. At times the body craves more, and as long as it’s not processed food, it’s ok to have a few more of the acceptable foods. We call this “On Script” food choices.
All oils and cooking fats: (olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats, etc.) 1-2 thumb sized portions. Or more if needed.
All butters: (ghee, coconut butter, nut butters such as almond/cashew, etc.) 1-2 thumb sized portions
Coconut: (shredded or flaked) 1-2 open heaping handfuls.
Olives 1-2 open heaping handfuls.
Nuts and seeds: up to one closed handfuls
Avocado: half or whole (FAVORITE)
Coconut milk: quarter to half of 14 oz can
Eat 2-3 meals per day with protein, unlimited vegetables, (including potatoes) and occasionally add a serving of fruit. Add those healthy fats above to each meal and you will be one lean running machine.
When To Fuel Your Tank: Intermittent Fasting
The notion that eating six small meals should eventually turn into six big meals is unnecessary. This is what I mean about over-fueling your gas tank. Your stomach may still have food in it from the evening dinner and snacks. Don’t overfill your tank. Whenever we eat, we cause our insulin levels to go up and down. This in effect causes us to crash, feel tired and sluggish. When we run for weight loss, our body will use foods that we recently ate as fuel. Instead, wouldn’t you love it if the fuel you used came from your stored fat? Introducing fasting can encourage runners to use their stored energy, or fat, as fuel and encourage weight loss. Studies show that intermittent fasting can help maintain blood glucose levels and prevent energy crashes. This means when your body is used to going longer without food, you’re less likely to crash and reach for something sugary.
For people new to the concept of Intermittent fasting (IF), do not feel as though you need to embark on a 16 hour fast. Take it slowly by trying a 13 hour fast. Example: If you stopped eating at 8pm, resume eating at 9am. As you get used to the 13 hour fast you can increase your fasting windows. The health benefits are enormous if you can get used to 16-20 hours of fasting. Check with your physician before trying IF, especially if you are diabetic.
People often ask, “What Can I Have During My Fast?” Simple Answer: Water, Black Coffee or Black Non Flavored Tea! Prep for your fast the night before with your last meal. Your last meal should have plenty of healthy fats. Avocados, coconut oil, olive oils, nuts, as well as the fat on your meats. These fats will keep you satisfied longer during your fast.
An additional benefit of Intermittent Fasting is that your body has time to digest foods. This will help greatly with restoring your digestive system. To break your fast, have a cup of organic bone broth. Not only is it delicious, there are many health benefits to doing so. One being that it aids in preparing your stomach for digestion.
Real People Real RESULTS:
In April of 2018, I (Tadris Parker) tried the Whole30 elimination diet for 30 days myself. My results were crazy as you can see in the picture below. I lost 8 lbs within the 30-days and 3 inches off of my waist. Went on to lose another 6 lbs two weeks after the 30-day reset was complete. (188 lbs down to 174 in 6 weeks) They say that you can't outrun a bad diet. Running will help you get some great results in the beginning. Your nutritional plan will help you maintain the results forever. I was the guy that would run 10 miles on a Sunday then cave in to 2 slices of pizza since I ran earlier. It didn’t just stop with pizza, it would turn into something sweet, chips to go with the pizza or french fries. This may sound all too familiar to you as well. I decided that I wanted to improve my race times. I decided to take action on what I learned about the harmful effects of grains. I took things a step further by not just avoiding grains, I avoided the six problematic foods (mentioned earlier) for 30 days. I improved race performance and experienced serious energy as well as other great benefits. To my amazement, I didn't have to increase my running, I stuck to my 3 days a week running plan. I went on to test another theory... What would happen if I restricted my eating window, kept the problematic foods out for 30 days and ran 3 days a week? Well my results other than just the scale were wonderful!
Here is my exact entry that I wrote in my journal on January 1st 2019:
“30 days ago on December 2nd I was 178.6lbs and proud that I wasn’t 180 lbs although my nutrition wasn’t on point. I felt out of control with my sugar cravings. I did not take measurements or pictures. So I went to get on a scale after my 30 days of what I also call “Keeping It Real” along with Intermittent Fasting. I averaged a 16/8 fast, a lot of the days I hit 20 hrs which I loved.
When I went to get onto the scale I noticed there were stats saved from 81 days ago. So I was curious. I wrote them all down to compare with my new results from today. Here’s What Happened:”
I can't even put this into words.....
I will say this, THE MOST IMPORTANT stats here are the Metabolic Age and Visceral Fat. No matter how much I ran or thought I was eating healthy in the past, I couldn’t get under 50 and was confused. The Visceral Fat is the fat stored in your stomach area. Visceral fat is what causes heart failure and other ailments, we should be under 10, I couldn’t get past 11.
Snapshot of my 30 days in December 2018 of Running, Intermittent Fasting & Keeping It Real: Lost 12.2lbs
I ran my first runDisney Half Marathon event on January 12th, 2019. When I got on scale on January 9th before my flight, I was amazed to see 163 lbs. This had me jumping across the finish line.
The beautiful thing is that it didn’t just work for me, here are some clients. January 2019 Lisa Polite took us up on a 7 day challenge. Lisa had joined the beginners 5k training program around the same time. Combining the two programs, Keeping It Real and our Run/Walk Training Program she went on to lose 7lbs in week 1. The amazing thing is, this didn’t just work for Lisa, it happened for others as well.
Real Life DATA:
*Results may vary. Before starting any new diet or exercise regiment check with your physician.
Who do you know that can benefit from those types of results? Let’s show you how both Chris & Jamie are doing now after their initial challenges:
With both Chris & Jamie, we tracked these updated figures in June 2019. With Chris her 30 lbs loss happened from February - June. (4 months)
Jamie lost just 10 lbs from June 2018 - January 2019. (6 months)
Jamie started following the Keeping It Real system in January 2019. Once the weight started to come off, and the pain went away, Jamie started running only 3 days per week.
Jamie lost an astonishing 40lbs from January 2019 - June 2019 (6 months)
2020 - 2020 RESULTS of Marie Geary
Lost 70 lbs in 9 Months
2022 - 2023 RESULTS of Online Client Joann Rivera
In August 2022, Joann at 64 years old walked a 5k in Ocean City, NJ, and finished last at the event. Her daughter Joelene shared The Coach Tadris Podcast with Joann and the content spoke to her. Joann was moved to donate to the show, prompting Coach Tadris to reach out to thank her personally.
From that initial call, Joann followed the 30-day Keeping It Real process and lost 12 lbs. In late October 2022 participated in her first 5k using the run, walk, run system. Joann went on to lose 40 lbs and kept it off. One year later, in August 2023 Joann ran that same 5k and placed 9th in her age group out of 39 runners in the 60 - 69 age group.
2024 Joann Runs First Half Marathon At 66 Years Old #nevertooold
(Coach Tadris, Joann Rivera, Katherine & Thomas Aikens)
EXTRA CREDIT - SHOPPING LIST (CHEAT SHEET)
WHAT YOU NEED TO AVOID
NO added sugar, real or artificial
NO grains
NO dairy
NO carrageenan or sulfites
NO alcohol (in any form, not even for cooking)
NO legumes (no beans, chickpeas, peanuts, soybeans/soy, etc)
NO baked goods w/ "approved" ingredients
*BE SURE TO READ LABELS AND ENSURE THEY DO NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THESE*
SHOPPING LIST
Fruit/Vegetables
All fruit & vegetables, besides corn & lima beans are compliant
Note: You can have lots of veggies, but eat fruit in moderation
Protein/Meats
Meat, seafood, poultry, eggs
Best: Labeled Whole30 approved or 100% grass-fed, pastured, wild-caught & organic
Avoid: Processed meats (like sausage, burgers, bacon, deli meat, etc) w/ added sugar, carrageenan, MSG/sulfites (There are a few such as Applegate Farms that make Whole30 approved bacon) Read the labels.
Fats
COOKING FAT
• clarified butter
• coconut cream
• coconut milk
• coconut oil
• duck fat
• EVOO
• ghee
• palm oil
• lard (pork fat)
• tallow (beef fat)
EATING/DRESSING
• avocado
• avocado oil
• coconut butter
• coconut (flakes, shredded)
• coconut milk (canned only)
• light olive oil
• olives
NUTS & SEEDS
• acorn
• almond butter
• almonds
• brazil nuts
• cashews
• cashew butter
• flaxseeds
• hazelnuts/filberts
• macadamia nuts
• macadamia butter
• pecans
• pine nuts
• pistachios
• pumpkin seeds
• pepitas
• sesame seeds
• tahini
• sunflower seed butter
• sunflower seeds
• walnuts
Pantry Items
• almond flour
• anchovy paste
• apple cider vinegar
• arrowroot powder
• balsamic vinegar
• beef broth
• beet kvass
• black garlic
• canned butternut squash
• canned olives
• canned pumpkin
• canned salmon
• canned sweet potatoes
• canned tuna
• capers
• chicken broth
• cocoa (100% cacao)
• coconut aminos
• coconut flour
• dried cranberries
• fish broth
• hot sauce
• ketchup (Whole30 approved)
• kimchi
• mustard
• orange blossom water
• pickles
• preserved lemons
• raisins
• red wine vinegar
• rice/white vinegar
• roasted red peppers
• sardines
• sauerkraut
• tajin
• tapioca starch
• tomatoes (sun-dried)
• tomatoes (paste, diced/crushed)
• vegetable broth
Other
Drinks
• apple cider
• cacao (100%) drinks
• club soda
• coconut water
• coffee
• fruit juice
• kombucha
• mineral water
• seltzer/sparkling water
• tea
• vegetable juice
OK ADDITIVES
• acacia
• acetic acid
• ascorbic acid
• beta-carotene
• calcium
• carbonate
• calcium chloride
• chloride
• citric acid
• ferrous gluconate
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• locust bean gum
• lactic acid
• MSG
• niacin
• pectin
• potassium
• potato starch
• riboflavin
• salt
• sodium citrate
• sodium nitrate
• sodium nitrite
• sodium pectinate
• sunflower lecithin
• zinc gluconate
• xanthan gum
EXTRA CREDIT - Working Out
During a 30-day reset, you may feel a bit fatigued in the beginning as you switch from glucose as fuel to being a fat-burning machine. Some do not suffer the effects of the energy dip, while others struggle through their workouts. Do not be hard on yourself. As the days go by, your energy will return in a major way as you reduce inflammation. Some diet plans restrict calories so low that they suggest that followers of their diet not exercise at all. Coach Tadris has been helping people incorporate exercise from the start of their reset and beyond. From the very beginning of Keep Calm Run To The Best You, we’ve been following a run less, run faster approach. Only doing cardio (5k training) 3 key days per week. As a person graduates from running 5k’s and likes to step up and run a 10k, half or a full marathon, the process would be the same, 3 key days per week of running. Coach Tadris suggests incorporating strength training and stretching into your weekly workouts as well.
What A Week Could Look Like:
• Monday - Strength Training
• Tuesday - 30-Min Run/Walk
• Wednesday - Strength Training
• Thursday - 30-Min Run/Walk
• Friday - Pilates, Yoga, Flexibility Work
• Saturday - Distance Run (Build upon your distance every week)
• Sunday - Complete Rest Day (or swap Saturday/Sunday)
Before you think running isn’t for you, consider the run, walk, run method. Coach Tadris met the inventor of the run, walk, run method, Jeff Galloway in 2015. Not only has Coach Tadris been perfecting the method for himself, but he has taught hundreds of people of all ages to successfully run, walk, run any race distance.
(Coach Tadris & Jeff Galloway @ 2024 runDisney Expo)
Finding Your Run, Walk, Run Ratio
• Warm up with an EASY half mile to a mile (about 10 minutes)
• Do Acceleration-Gliders (10 sec fast walking, 10 sec jog, 10 sec faster pace jog)
• Next do Cadence Drills (30 sec jogging fast, counting how many times the right foot touches the ground only. Walk for 30 sec then repeat)
• After the warmup, perform dynamic stretches (leg swings, calf stretch, shoulder rolls etc.) 2 - 3 minutes
• Now it's time for your 1-mile test. Using a tracking app, set it for 1-mile and go.
• Pace yourself as even as possible on each quarter mile (4 laps around the inside lane of a high school track)
**Beginners jog this mile to the best of your ability. Jog as long as possible before taking a walk break. Take as many walk breaks as needed to accomplish your Magic Mile.
**Experienced runners, run this mile non-stop and see how fast you can do this mile.
• Upon completing your mile IMMEDIATELY stop/end workout.
• Add 30 seconds to your mile time, and consult the chart below to find your run, walk, run ratio.
Whether you run a 7-minute mile or a 14-minute mile,
we both covered a mile and can feel amazing!
With the run, walk, run, this sport is for all of us.
(51 Year Old Grandmother Lisa Diaz & Coach Tadris
@ 2021 Atlantic City, NJ 10k)
BONUS: 8-Week Beginners 5k Training Plan
CONCLUSION
I gave you all my secrets in a nutshell. I didn’t save anything. You don’t have to spend money on expensive products for weight loss. You can now actually save money, now that you are not addicted to processed foods. You can use that saved money on a new wardrobe, you will need one. You’re welcome! Now will this be easy? No it will be challenging, if it were easy everyone would be doing it. What’s easy is eating what everyone else is eating. What I offer my clients is support and accountability. We support you when you need help overcoming challenges. We provide accountability by helping you stick to your health goals. Oftentimes a person decides to set a health goal due to a major life event. Perhaps it’s an upcoming wedding, you had a baby and want the baby weight off, or you are getting ready for a vacation. On an even grander scale, the doctors told you, “You need to do something now. Your health is at risk if you don’t lose weight.”
My grandmother was a diabetic. I grew up watching her go for dialysis 3-days per week. Until it finally took her life. I’ve seen other family members have gastric bypass surgeries to lose weight. Unfortunately, I’ve seen some put the weight back on. This is why I’m passionate about sharing my findings with others. I want to teach others how walking/jogging for only 3 days per week, along with Intermittent Fasting and eating Real Foods can change their lives forever. Think for a minute, get a piece of paper and write down all the people that would be affected if YOU were healthier! Would that encourage your husband, mother, father, sister, brother, best friend, grandparent, children or grandchildren? Who would that be for you? As mentioned, it may not be easy, but it will be worth it. With all the people counting on you, the most important person is YOURSELF...... You Are Worth It!
To get the support that you need towards being “The Best You,” we’ve created proven systems that can help you do just that.
**NEW FOR 2025:
Coach Tadris added a NEW monthly weight loss challenge based on, but not limited to this nutrition guide. In addition, added Next Level Coaching for those who need daily support. All the while continuing to help people learn an EASY run, walk, run system to cover any race distance WITHOUT any pain or suffering. 😁
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER:
30-60-90 WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE
https://www.runtothebestyou.com/30-60-90-challenge
HOLISTIC WEIGHT LOSS (Daily Check-Ins w/ Coach Tadris)
https://www.runtothebestyou.com/weight-loss
The Run/Walk Club (Online or In-Person) 5k Training and Beyond)
https://www.runtothebestyou.com/run-walk-club
Whether you'd like to lose weight, run your first 5k, or obtain some other health goal, let's create memories together.
REFERENCES
For encouragement to help you stay on the path to great health, here are some source materials.
Wheat Belly Total Health: (Learn how grains destroys your health) By: William Davis MD
Shopping List Source: whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/
Whole30 Cookbook: (Recipe ideas for living a real food lifestyle) By: Melissa Hartwig
Whole30 Day by Day Journal (Melissa Hartwig)
https://runtothebestyou.com/ (Exercise and Nutrition Accountability) Coach Tadris Parker
Take A Listen To The Coach Tadris Podcast
