Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a magic pill that you could take tonight and wake up tomorrow with the body of your dreams? But there isn’t. However, by following a few nutritional strategies in addition to a weight-training program it is possible to change your body. The following is not a buffet menu to pick from you must incorporate all of them if you want to get results:
1. Eat 5-6 Meals Per Day. Your body needs fuel to burn fat; if you skip meals your body does not have the fuel necessary to burn fat. The best way to keep your metabolism running high and fat burning is to eat a small meal about every 3 hours. These meals do not have to be sit down meals, instead they can be quick on the go snacks like a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts or a protein shake made with real fruit.
2. Eat Protein at Each Meal. Protein is the building block of muscle, the more muscle tissue on your body the higher your metabolism will run, resulting in more fat burned and lost each day.
3. Avoid Starches. A sure proof way to gain weight and get fat is to eat a lot of starches. In order to lose fat you need to limit your starches to only first thing in the morning at breakfast (15 minutes after waking) and within 2 hours after completing a strength training workout, steady-state cardio does not count (e.g. running/walking, spinning, aerobics, etc.)
4. Eat Fruits and Vegetables at Each Meal. Fruits and vegetables provide your body with high amounts of nutrients without a high number of calories. These types of foods will fill you up making you feel more full eating fewer calories. Corn and potatoes do not count as a vegetable (By the way corn is actually a grain).
5. Drink a Post-Workout Recovery Shake. After completing your workout your body needs specific nutrients to start the recovery process, which will increase your metabolism and fat loss. A post-workout protein shake is the best way to get the nutrients in. Timing is important here; you need to drink this shake as soon as you complete your workout.
6. Take a Fish Oil Supplement. Fish oil has been shown in the research to increase fat loss compared to exercise alone. Not only will fish oil help you lose fat, it will also help your heart, brain, and joints.
7. Take a Multi-Vitamin Supplement. Even the best diet has nutritional holes in it. That is why it is necessary to take a daily multi-vitamin supplement to fill in those holes.
8. Do Not Drink Alcohol. The consumption of alcohol slows down the fat burning process by shutting down the use of fat for energy and replacing it with the alcohol. So instead of burning fat off your body, you burn alcohol from your body.
9. Drink Water. If you are dehydrated it is very hard for you body to process fat. In order to prevent dehydration it is necessary to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day.
10. Follow These Rules 90% of the Time. No one is perfect and expecting perfection is only setting yourself up for failure. That is why you only need to follow the above guidelines 90% of the time, which allows for 4-5 cheat meals per week. However, if you miss a meal that’s a cheat.
