Chances are your nutrition is terrible. Or at the very least, your nutrition plan
is good but you allow yourself far too many treats. Take today for example. How
many Halloween candies have you treated yourself to at work? And you still have
to go home and resist the leftover candy bowl or your child's Halloween loot.
The bottom line: You can't succeed in your fat loss program if your diet is
average.
I need to bring up this point because of the many emails people send me about their
nutrition. From what I read, most people's nutrition plans are far too poor
to allow them to lose fat. And yet they are working harder than ever in the gym
and wondering why they aren't losing fat. No workout will help you build muscle
and lose fat if you keep eating at fast-food restaurants, drinking sugary sodas,
and raiding bags of leftover mini-candy bars.
And it's frustrating because the secrets to fat loss nutrition are so simple.
The best approach is eating several small meals per day, with each meal containing
lean protein, vegetables, and other whole foods. You must eliminate unnecessary
calories such as soda and high-fat, high-sugar snacks (like that mini-Snickers bar
that's on your desk right now). If you're trying to lose fat, you can't
have treats every day. If fat loss is the goal, then cookies, apple pie, ice cream,
nachos, fried foods, etc. just don't make the cut, as unfortunate as it is.
Research shows that an increased intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with
fat loss (nutritionists never put a limit on the number of vegetables that people
should eat - provided they are not fried or covered in fat or sauces). Other research
suggests that replacing carbohydrates with almonds (a source of fiber, protein,
and monounsaturated fats) leads to greater weight loss. Almonds are a very healthy
snack and help curb hunger. A typical serving is 1 ounce of almonds (about 22 pieces)
and can replace chips, chocolate bars, and cookies in your diet.
Make sure you are logging your food intake and making notes about your energy levels
when you eat certain foods. Soon you will identify the nutritional reasons for your
fatigue or for your consistent energy levels. You will quickly associate sugar and
fried foods with poor mental performance, while noticing that small, whole, natural
food-based meals and snacks help keep you alert and full of energy.
If you are overweight and just starting to improve your nutrition, I have some good
news for you. You should begin losing at least 1 pound per week (probably 2 or more)
simply from the nutritional changes.
Nutrition is that powerful. Don't expect to start eating perfectly tomorrow,
but you should slowly build up to eating much better and healthier than you were
yesterday. Try to improve your nutrition plan everyday. Stay consistent and focused
with your nutritional approach. You can do it. Here are three nutrition changes
that would pay huge dividends for a fat-loss beginner:
1) Eat several small, whole food meals per day.
2) Don't consume any unnecessary liquid calories (i.e. no soda, alcohol, or sweetened
beverages). Drink more water – nutrition experts recommend 3 liters per day.
3) Eliminate processed carbohydrates and sugar from your nutrition plan (no soda,
cake, chips, white bread, or chocolate bars).
If you're fed up with the body fat and spare tire around your middle, then
it's time to take a structured approach to fat loss.