The popular trend these days is to not eat and lose weight fast, but the outcome is not always as good as it sounds.
When you take away nutrition from your body it begins to wither away, which could lead to major health problems along the way.
Losing weight is not what you really need, and what the weight scale says does not even matter a lot of the time – unless you are a wrestler trying to make weight.
Instead, you need to worry about losing body fat, which is the issue that causes health conditions and adds on the extra weight anyways.
There are people who weigh 250lbs. but live a healthy life since their body fat percentage is below 20%. The fat has to go, and you can actually lose it while eating food!
Why starve yourself and drink only water for weeks hoping for change.
Yes, you lose weight, but something on the inside is going to not feel very well in return. The way a diet works is by careful planning of what foods are going to be consumed, how often you eat, and of course a little exercising throughout the week.
These three things combine together allowing you to eat and lose fat permanently, and do not worry, the exercising really is not that big a part of fat loss if you eat healthy.
Eat Plenty of Foods High in Nutrition
Okay, so if you see a package of cupcakes at the store and read the nutritional label, you might see it say there are 32 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.
These are two of the three macronutrients your body needs, so this is good for your diet right? Wrong.
Nothing within the nutrients are really worth anything since most of the carbs come from processed sugars that contain no nutrient values to make an impact on your fat loss program.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates make up the larger portion of your daily macronutrient consumption. A nutrient that needs to be eaten in larger amounts has “macro” in front of it, and carbs tend to be a big issue these days.
However, despite what people say, you can eat carbs and be fine with losing fat, but only if you are eating healthy types of carbs. Whole grains are much better than the processed ones. An example would be whole grain bread and white bread. White bread is stripped of nutrition containing simple carbs; while whole grain bread has plenty of fiber and complex carbs.
Your body digests the carbs as glucose, which is basically sugar that your body’s metabolism is going to use to burn fat and increase energy levels. This is very helpful when it comes to fat loss, and your success might depend upon consuming small amounts of carbs.
Remember, no big portions of them are necessary. All you want is enough to supply your body throughout the day for work and training, then a little bit more for the time you are at rest.
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Great carbohydrate foods to consume are brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, barley, whole grains, and fruits.
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A perfect snacking carb to eat that is healthy is popcorn, which contains high amounts of fiber. Not the kind that is drenched in butter at a movie theater. You want to buy the kernels and pop them yourself to know for sure that they are healthy. The reason for this is because you will most likely want some type of a greasy carb snack such as potato chips, so why not indulge in something a bit healthier? Add a tiny bit of salt if you need a little flavour.
Protein
Protein is the second largest nutrient you need to consume daily, and it is known as the building blocks of life.
The reason why is because protein can be found assisting with almost every type of process taking place within your body.
Bones, cartilage, blood, and skin rely on protein to survive. However, protein is most commonly known to be a miracle nutrient that is able to make muscles grow quickly, but this of course is not what happens per say.
The nutrient only helps support muscle recovery and cellular growth.
Every time you train muscle fibers become torn microscopically, and protein is needed to help them recover and not feel so sore the next day.
Then cellular growth takes place, thus the reason for muscle hypertrophy. Eating a high protein diet is not going to make your lean muscles come any faster, and usually your body is going to gain weight from the unused protein nutrients.
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Some smart protein choices are salmon, turkey breast, tilapia, chicken breast, cottage cheese, eggs, and even beans. Be careful with the amount of red meats you consume since they are high in saturated fats, which will be discussed with dietary fats. Try to purchase lean beef and pork tenderloins if you wish to consume them.
Dietary fats
Dietary fats are often under looked, but need to be a part of every person’s diet; even those trying to lose fat and build muscle.
The importance of fats is because they regulate cell functions through the use of fatty acids sending signal molecules throughout your body.
However, the key role you are wanting to learn about is how dietary fats affect your metabolism. They are used as a secondary source of energy after supplies of carbohydrates have dwindled.
Omega-fatty acids fall into this category, and they are a necessity for your daily life since you are not able to produce them internally, so consumption of these amazing fats is required. They are known for supporting the heart, brain, cartilage, joints, and plenty of other areas all over your body. You can consume them easily with fatty fish, and other great healthy fats you can consume are:
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Olive oil, avocados, eggs, flax seeds, canola oil, coconut, and nuts. Although fats are good to eat, you still have to monitor your intake to make sure you are not trying to be too healthy.
Smaller Portions, but more Meals
The proper way to eat and lose fat is by consuming smaller meals full of nutritious food 4-5 times a day – opposed to 3 heavy meals a day.
The reason for this is because you are giving your body enough time to digest and disperse the nutrients needed, and the rest that are unused will be released as wastes.
This is something you really need to practice and get used to since most people do not even consume breakfast, so lunch and dinner meals end up being larger.
You also want to remember that you eat the most during breakfast and lunch times, and less in the evening. You are wanting to use all the nutrients throughout the day, and have a little bit leftover to carry your body on during rest and night.
Drink plenty of water from the time you wake up until you go to bed. Your body requires water constantly to take care of all the processes, and you especially need to consume at least .5 ounces of water per pound of weight.
So, if you weigh 200lbs. you need to drink 100 ounces of water.
Exercise is still Important
You do not need to exercise for more than 45 mins a day, and you can even get away with 20 minute training days as well.
The only reason you want to train for longer duration is because you are trying to build more muscle or lose more fat.
However, keeping a nice fitness tempo is better for when you are toning up and losing the fat at a steady pace, which is healthier than dropping 10 pounds in a few days.
The type of training you choose is up to you, but intensity levels will determine what you seek.
There is Crossfit, HIIT, powerlifting, weight training, bodyweight training, running, swimming, and plenty of other fitness activities to choose from. Mix them up throughout each month to get the most out of your body and use all the nutrients being consumed.
