16 Ways To Fight Fat: Nutrition
EAT MORE FREQUENTLY. Eating 5-6 small
meals a day as opposed to “three squares” causes your metabolism to work
constantly. Eating larger meals, however, slows your metabolism and forces
leftover calories to be stored as fat.
GET LEAFY. Those who eat a
salad before dinner tend to consume less calories overall during dinner. But
don’t sabotage yourself - stay away from high-fat dressings like ranch, blue
cheese and Caesar.
EAT PROTEIN. Since
muscle-building is the fastest route to slim down, make sure your protein
consumption is enough to keep up with your weight training. Eat too little and
your gains could be slower. Get 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight
per day to help your muscle gains along. Use protein bars and shakes to
supplement your whole-food consumption and stave off cravings.
CARB SMART. Keep your
carbohydrates low to moderate when trying to lose weight. If you rotate low-
and high-carb days, you’ll be able to keep your energy levels up while running
a caloric deficit. Good, clean, fiber-rich carbs include oats, potatoes, rice
and whole-grain bread. Also, limit high-carb drinks like fruit juice to
postworkout, when your body needs carbs to speed recovery.
CUT OUT SODA. Instead, rely on
water and other flavored drinks like Crystal Light to get your fluids every
day. If you drink one soda per day, you’re adding 1,750 calories per week to
your diet. Also, studies have shown that those who regularly consume diet sodas
tend to gain weight in the long run because of over-indulgences elsewhere.
SKIP HAPPY HOUR. Alcohol
consumption can temporarily blunt testosterone levels, hindering muscle repair
and growth and blunting sexual drive. Also, the calories from alcoholic
beverages - in the neighborhood of 100-200 each without cocktail mixers - add
up faster than you may think.
SLOW DOWN, TURBO! Successful
dieters and fitness buffs will tell you that fast eating and bodyfat go hand in
hand because you end up overeating. It takes about 10 minutes for the food in
your stomach to signal your brain that you’ve eaten enough.
OPERATION DINNER OUT. Be diligent when
ordering in a restaurant. Ask to have your meats grilled without oil or grease.
Request steamed vegetables with no butter. Get a salad (no cheese) with either
low-fat dressing or vinaigrette.
CALORIES OUT! The goal in any fat- or weight-loss program should be to
burn more calories than you consume. Aim to cut total calorie consumption by
about 250 calories per day. That means you’ll have to figure out how many
calories you eat in a normal day. The math will pay big dividends later.
AVOID SIMPLE SUGARS. Too much sugar in
your diet can wreak havoc on your metabolism by spiking your insulin response
and promoting the accumulation of bodyfat. Immediately after exercise, however,
is an ideal time to ingest simple sugars; otherwise, steer clear.
TIMED CONSUMPTION. When you eat is just as important as what you eat. Eat two-thirds
of your daily calories before dinner to avoid overeating later.
EAT MORE FIBER. Fiber, both
soluble and insoluble, is essential to health and helps decrease bodyfat.
Adults should consume 35-40 grams of fiber per day, with about one-third coming
from insoluble fibrous sources. Along with fiber-rich whole grains, consume
large amounts of fibrous vegetables, such as broccoli, to attain your daily
intake and promote satiety.
PREPARE. If your workplace
serves nothing healthy, tote food or snacks along with you. If you’re at a
function where only junk food is served, pre-eat something healthy and adequate
in calories to meet your energy needs. That makes it easier to say no to empty
calories.
GET YOLKED. Eating eggs for
breakfast was found to reduce hunger and food intake for up to 24 hours.
DON’T BE SALTY. Excess sodium consumption can make you look softer and
cause you to burn less fat. To help you look leaner and strip sodium from your
diet, drink more water, cut back on highly processed foods and use potassium
chloride to season your foods.
GOT MILK? Individuals who consumed high levels of dietary calcium in a
24-hour period had higher rates of fat oxidation that day than those who
consumed lesser amounts. So stock up on low-fat versions of cheese, milk and
yogurt; if you’re lactose intolerant, choose dark-green leafy vegetables,
legumes and almonds.
GO NUTS! Looking for a
healthy snack? Eating a handful of almonds helped test subjects lose 62% more
weight, 56% more fat and 50% more from their waistline after 24 weeks compared
to those who followed the same diet without almonds
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