Are you completely honest with yourself about your eating habits? Even if you have a healthy eating plan drawn up for yourself, you probably overlook the extra treats you allow yourself throughout the day, especially at times of year such as Halloween, when bowls of candies are temptingly available at work and home. If you can’t resist treats, the hard truth is your fat loss program won’t be successful.
No matter how much hard work you put in at the gym, a poor diet will make sure it all comes to nothing. If you regularly eat fast food, candy bars, and drink sugary sodas, then you will never lose fat or build muscle. It is surprising how many people continue to eat this way despite all the information available nowadays about good nutrition.
It is a shame people eat badly, because there is nothing complicated about fat loss nutrition. The first thing to do is cut out those unnecessary calories, such as high-fat, high-sugar snacks and sodas. An occasional treat is fine, but if you eat ice-cream, cookies, and chips every day, that fat loss just will not happen. Instead, replace them with a healthy snack such as almonds, which contain fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fats. A serving of 22 pieces helps to curb hunger, so reach for them rather than the cookie jar.
Try breaking three large meals per day into six smaller ones. This will encourage your metabolism to speed up, burning off extra calories. Meals should contain lean protein, vegetables, and whole foods. Remember, you can never eat enough fruit and vegetables. (Just make sure they are not smothered in fatty sauces or fried.)
It is helpful to take a note of what you eat on a daily basis. Go into detail- how are your energy levels after certain foods? Some foods give you a consistent level of energy while others cause fatigue. Sugar and fried foods are associated with poor concentration, while whole foods and snacks keep you alert and energetic. Make the switch, and if you are overweight, you will lose at least 1 pound per week, just from better nutrition.
If you have poor eating habits, you won’t make an instant switch to perfect nutrition- don’t be too hard on yourself. Initially, just try to improve on what you ate the day before, and build up slowly. A steady, focused approach will work much better than overwhelming yourself with dramatic changes. Here are three top tips for the beginner to get off to the best possible start:
- Eat several small, whole food meals a day.
- Avoid unnecessary liquid calories, such as alcohol, sugary soda, or sweetened hot drinks.
- Do not eat processed carbohydrates or sugar. This means cutting out white bread, cakes, candies, sodas, and chips.
Tackle them one at a time- on the first day, have water with your lunch instead of a soda. Build up to stage where you can make weekly meal plans of small whole food dishes. It is especially important to plan if you are on a busy schedule and might be tempted to grab a fatty snack instead of a healthy option.
Stay realistic- if you currently live off fast food takeaways, you will struggle to suddenly plan and prepare a full week of healthy meals- go for two per week and build from there. When you feel ready, here are some further steps you can take:
1. Plan a weekly menu. Make it flexible in case you to eat out on a business or social occasion, or work late- the more options you have, the better it will work.
2. Good meals start with grocery shopping. Make a weekly list of healthy ingredients and take it to the store with you. If you don’t have cookies, chips, and cakes in the house, you won’t be tempted to eat them!
3. Prepare the meals, or at least the main ingredients, on your day off so that cooking them isn’t time consuming during your working week.
Another good tip is to avoid foods that come in a bag or a box as much as possible- these are generally processed foods with added fats and sugars. If you have to buy something with a label, make sure the product doesn’t contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) or Partially- Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil. These ingredients are the source of trans-fatty acids which have strongly contributed to modern obesity levels.
An example of a good health food shopping list includes the following:
- Vegetables: Mushrooms, Spinach, Broccoli, Peppers (red, green, yellow & orange), Snow Peas, Tomato Sauce, Frozen Mixed Vegetables.
- Fruits: Apples, Oranges, Melon, Raspberries, Grapes, Peaches, Blueberries.
- Other: Almonds (unsalted, not roasted) Green Tea.
Remember to start slowly and be consistent in your approach for the best results.
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