Nutrition Tips to Improve Fat Loss
Incorporating these fat
loss tips will improve your nutrition
program. Start off slowly and add one a week, you
don't have to adopt all of them at once. Before long,
you’ve cleaned up your nutrition program and
on your way to reaching your goal. Trendy diets, fads
and the infomercial product of the month, are not
going to help you reach your weight
loss goals. A well thought-out nutrition
and exercise program will.
Eat breakfast
Proven time and again, those who eat
breakfast are more successful at controlling their
weight than those that don't. Plus, when doing strength
training exercises (and you know you should be), it's
even more important to make certain you fuel those
muscles after an overnight fast. The perfect time
for burning fat because glycogen, blood glucose and
insulin levels are all low.
Unfortunately, it may also be perfect
for burning muscle, because glycogen levels are low,
and levels of the catabolic stress hormone cortisol
are high. If you skip breakfast and eat lunch at noon,
you’re not only in a highly catabolic (muscle
wasting) state, you’re also sending an unmistakable
starvation signal to your body.
Eat less sugar
Start reading labels! Sugar is hidden
in almost every commercial food item. A single tablespoon
of ketchup gets 3 of its 4 grams of carbs from sugar.
A 12 oz can of cola has a staggering 40 grams of sugar,
and ALL of the carbs in a cola are sugar! Why does
that matter? Simple sugars are digested very quickly
and cause a rapid spike in blood sugar. Your body
then releases large amounts of insulin. Insulin quickly
clears the glucose from the bloodstream leading to
low blood sugar (hypoglycemia.) Low blood sugar causes
cravings, hunger, weakness, mood swings and decreased
energy. These cravings for sugar result in a vicious
cycle of ups and downs in blood sugar levels throughout
the day.
Eat More Often
Studies have shown that those who eat
4-6 smaller meals per day have less body fat than
those eating 2-3 meals a day, even if both groups
eat about the same number of calories. This is because
of maintaining steady blood sugar levels. Too much
insulin activates fat storage enzymes and forces fat
in the bloodstream into fat cells for storage. High
insulin levels also inhibit enzymes that promote the
breakdown of existing stored body fat. You can manage
your blood sugar and insulin levels by choosing fewer
simple carbohydrates, more complex carbohydrates,
eating fiber and having your carbohydrates with lean
proteins approximately every three hours.
Eat protein
Be sure to include enough protein for
your level of activity (you are exercising…right?)
Protein speeds up your metabolism because your body
has to work harder to digest, process, and utilize
it compared to fats or carbs. The "thermic"
effect of protein is one of the reasons that a higher
protein diet is more effective for fat loss than a
diet high in fat or carbs. Too much of any food can
be stored as body fat, but protein is less likely
to be converted to fat than any other nutrient.
Eat nothing from a box
The closer your food is to nature the
better off you are. Have you looked at the ingredients
list in most packaged food these days? You need to
be a scientist to figure out what half the ingredients
are. Stick to real, wholesome foods, fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, lean protein, etc.
Eat your vegetables
I don't mean fast food french fries.
Try to get as many vegetable servings into your meals
as you can. It's nearly impossible to over eat vegetables.
They are full of fiber and will help keep you full
between meals. They also contain loads of antioxidants.
Raw is great, steamed is another good way to have
them. Hold the heavy cheese sauces please!
Eat protein and carbs together
If you want to keep your blood sugar
in check, then don't eat your carbs by themselves.
Strive to always have balanced meals of protein, carbs
and healthy fats. You'll feel better and your muscles
will thank you. Prepare your own food Best for several
reasons…It's cheaper than eating out, you know
exactly what you are eating, and it saves time. It
takes no more time to cook up 6 healthy chicken breasts
than it does to cook one or two. Make things easy.
Prepare them over the weekend and your lunches for
the next few days are done. While you are at it, put
on a pot of brown or wild rice, or bake up some sweet
potatoes and you're good to go.
Drink water LOTS!
Most people are already dehydrated.
Strive to drink a gallon a day. If you drink a lot
of coffee, then you need an extra 8 oz for each cup
of coffee. Exercise will put more demands on your
fluid levels. You need water. Drink 50-75% of your
body weight in ounces of water. Add an additional
16 oz for strenuous exercise. No complaining!
Get more exercise
Get some exercise on most days of the
week, and alternate between strength training exercises
and cardio training. If you are a beginner, shoot
for two weight workouts a week and progress to 3 or
more depending upon your goals. Get in as many cardio
sessions as your schedule will allow, but aim for
at least 3. Commit to adopting these nutrition program
changes and you'll be well on your way to reaching
your weight loss goal, whether it's ten pounds or
many more. Sound nutrition and exercise will always
succeed in the long run.
Don't give into the temptation of fads.
The information contained in this article is strictly
for informational purposes and is not intended to
provide medical advice. If you are sedentary or over
40 please get clearance from a doctor before starting
an exercise program.
About the Author
Rick DeToma is a fitness coach, and
trainer who specializes in home workouts. Contact
Rick for a no obligation telephone fitness assessment
at: http://www.tailored-fitness-home-workouts.com/contact.html
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