While I’m definitely not the next Jamie Oliver, I DO know a thing or two about body transformations.

And if you want to make rapid and lasting changes in the way you look and feel, the kitchen is a great place to start.

Here are six dumb things that I see people doing in their kitchens.  (If you fix these, you’re well on your way to a rockin’ bod!)

Dumb Thing Number One: You Don’t Know How To Cook

My good buddy Chris has a cool saying: “The More You Cook, The Better You Look.”

This is probably MY biggest kitchen weakness (I’m still proud of myself for opening a can of tuna without getting fish juice all over my hands)

If you want to eat well while also eating healthy AND save a pile of cash by not eating out all of the time, then learning how to cook is for you!

Not sure where to start?  Grab a copy of The Healthy Urban Kitchen!  It’s full of great recipes, shopping tips, and the basics of healthy cooking.

Dumb Thing Number Two: You Rule At Workouts, But Suck At Eating

Working out is fun (especially with me!), but eating right can feel like a drag.

During your workout, you have a trainer and fellow trainees encouraging you, but you’re all alone in the kitchen.  Or worse, you have family and co-workers calling you a “crazy health nut” just for adding green veggies and skipping dessert.

You’d be surprised how many people I know who try to out-train their crappy eating habits.

But look around the next time you visit the gym.  Two people can train on the exact same program, but one will get results and the other won’t.  What makes the difference?  The 23 hours a day that they AREN’T in the gym.

You’ve got to stop rationalizing to yourself that just because you exercise you have the right to eat whatever you want.

Dumb Thing Number Three: Your Pantry And Fridge Are Empty

Or even worse, they’re full of junk!

What do you do if you don’t have time to cook?  And your trainer says you need to eat six times a day?

The best thing to do is have a supply of handy foods that you can just grab and go.

Keep these in you kitchen at all times:

• Raw Nuts. I get a big bag of almonds and a big bag of walnuts from costco and throw a handful of each into a baggie to make sure I get enough healthy fats and fiber during the day.
• Fruits and veggies. I hold bell peppers and eat them like an apple.  Apples are great too! Baby carrots, celery, bananas, you name it, keep it in your kitchen.  I consult with a LOT of people, and I’ve never had someone who got fat from eating too many fruits and vegetables.  So chow down!
• Tuna and salmon.  Canned meat is okay, but for traveling, I LOVE those sealed packets you can get in the same aisle at the grocery store.  No draining, no mess!
• String Cheese. It travels well and is quick and easy.  Plus you can eat it super-fast.

Having some simple things like this on hand will keep you on the path of success.

(Oh, I’ve got a great post coming up soon that will REALLY help you with food shopping!)

Dumb Thing Number Four: You Don’t Spice Things Up

I talk to so many people who are eating plain tuna and chicken.  They have to choke it down.  Eeeew.

That takes too much willpower for me.  I’d much rather someone add some spice to their meals to, oh I don’t know, MAKE THEIR FOOD TASTE GOOD! (Food that tastes good takes MUCH less willpower to eat)

You can get a lot out of just salt and pepper.  But check out the spice aisle at the store.

Cooking fish?  Grilling beef? Baking chicken?  Look at the pre-mixed spices.  They very cleverly put the name of what meat they’re designed for on the label.

Steak?  Grab a bottle of “Steak Seasoning”.  It’s that easy!

For salads, add some vinegar.

I put salsa on almost everything.

All of these spices really pep up the flavor of your food, without screwing up your calorie counts.

Dumb Thing Number Five: You Obsess Over Details

Yes, you need to know what, how much, and when to eat.

But a lot of people spend months gathering information and end up never using it.

That’s why I make it as simple as possible with these 7 Fundamental Rules Of Nutrition:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.
2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.
3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.
4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.
5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).
6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.
7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).

Follow these 7 guidelines and THEN I’ll give you more exact details…

But until then, focus on these seven and you’ll be doing better than 98% of people.

Dumb Thing Number Six: You Buy Crappy Diet Products

I talked to a woman last week who decided not to try my Carson City Bootcamp BECAUSE SHE IS SPENDING OVER $300 A MONTH ON DIET PRODUCTS!!

Obviously she’s the exception, not the rule.  Still, you didn’t get fat by taking pills, you’re not going to get slim by taking pills either.

There are a few supplements I recommend.

Fish oil.

A post-workout shake.

A multi-vitamin.

And depending on your goals, maybe two or three others.

Stick to a proven exercise and nutrition plan and you’ll have a great body while all of the pill takers will just be getting fatter.

And now it’s YOUR turn.  What dumb things do you (or your friends) do in the kitchen?  Leave a comment below!