ITG Diet Blog

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.

Throughout the holidays, many of us tend to overindulge on so many different types of foods, especially ones high in calories and carbs. There are also occasions when some of us may stress-eat (sometimes because of those holidays!) When we overdo it and eat too much sugar, we tend to get tired, feel uncomfortably full and bloated, or even disappointed and angry with ourselves for letting those foods get the better of us. But can we gain weight by cheating on our diet in just a single day?

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?

I was recently asked how a woman can easily shed 10 pounds quickly in a healthy manner.  Great question, yet those parameters will be difficult for most programs to meet.  From a scientific perspective there is only one program type that can meet those listed conditions of:  (1) easy, (2) drop 10 lbs, (3) quick, and (4) healthy.  One can lose weight on almost any diet yet doing so quickly and in a healthy way eliminates nearly all except a ketonic body program. 

It's that time of year again and the holidays are rapidly approaching! First, there's Halloween with lots of candy, caramel apples, and other junk foods (don't forget the alcohol and mixers for the adults!) Right around the corner is Thanksgiving, a huge feast of anything and everything you can think of. Shortly thereafter is Christmas with more candy, cookies, and desserts to enjoy.

We have helped so many people reach their goal weight and more importantly, maintain that goal weight over the years. Once you learn how you can lose weight and keep it off with ITG by following the program, it is much easier to notice a few extra pounds creeping back here and there as is natural with our busy lives, vacations, holidays, and more.

The biggest takeaway would be recognizing when those pounds start creeping back and how you can use the knowledge you learned with your ITG Coach to help you reboot, tune-up, and get back to that goal weight quickly and efficiently. Life happens - but significant weight gain doesn't have to be a part of that!

We recently interviewed one of our successful Step 3 dieters who has been able to maintain his weight with a few tune-ups along the way. Continue reading for excerpts from his interview about Step 3 - Success For Life!

Even those of us with the strongest willpower seem to have periodic lapses in judgement when it comes to indulging in snacks and junk foods. American reliance on these processed foods is a big reason for the obesity epidemic today. It seems scary to realize that we depend on foods with no good nutritional value to get us through everyday life. We then find ourselves craving more and more of those foods just to feel better, even if the feelings only last a short time with the rush of sugar in our systems. Ultimately, these foods affect our health in a negative way. Why is it so hard to give up junk food and fight the urge of salty and sugary cravings?

We've been told time and again that water is very important to our health and extremely important while on the ITG Diet Plan. Water helps flush out the fat we are burning while in ketosis, and too little of it will cause dehydration and stall our weight loss. Every basic function of the human body takes place in water so it is important to stay hydrated, but what if you just don't like water?