Archive for the ‘Fat Loss Diet’ Category

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Food Planning for Fat Loss and Muscle Building

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

Are you trying to burn fat or put of some muscle? Are you happy that your workouts are good and you are getting enough rest, and yet frustratingly you are still not getting the results you are after? I guarantee that with most people the problem comes is in your diet.

Larry Scott, the first Mr. Olympia, remarked in 1965 “Bodybuilding is 90% nutrition”, and he was right! Nutrition is the key to success not just for bodybuilders, but for anyone trying to get in shape. To see great results, you really need to tighten up on your nutrition.

With alot of people it doesn’t come down to the fact that they don’t know what they should be eating, it is more that they are guessing what they do actually eat, I can hold my hand up and admit that I have done this in this past.  If you try to estimate your calories, you can find yourself eating far more or less than you actually need. As for your nutiriton ratios, you stand no chance if you are trying to guess them.

The key is to plan. I find that the best way is to spend a little bit of time sitting down and working out a few days worth of menus. If you have a full day’s worth of food written in front of you , it will make things alot easier.

Another good method is to split up your daily allowances into your six meals equally, and then sit down and write out a number of different meals that you could have throughthe day. If you make sure each meal has the same calories and nutrition ratios, you could pick from various meal combinations through the day to keep variation in your diet, and to stop you getting bored eating the same things day in day out. Also prepare your meals as much as possible the day before, this will ensure that you are making sure the next days eating is as easy as possible.

It is also a good idea to keep a food diary. I know it sounds a bit daft, but if you write down what you eat each day you will eventually be able to what works well for you and what doesn’t.

Remember nutrition willbe the difference between little or no results, and great results. So try and get in the habit of planning your meals, and keep a food diary each day, it really is worth the extra effort. 

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Omega 3 for Fat Loss

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Omega 3 along with Omega 6 is one of the essential fatty acids and belongs to the polyunsaturated group of fats. An essential fatty acids is one which can’t be produced by the body, and therefore must come from your diet. Shockingly most people don’t get enough Omega 3 in their diets, and are even borderline deficient.

Over the past few years the benefits of Omega 3 have come to light. Research has found them to reduce the risks of many health issues including heart disease, heart attacks and even cancer. They can lower cholesterol, and help with depression.

As you can see the health benefits of Omega 3 are amazing, so how do they benefit fat loss? Well have a look at the list below and you will see why it is so important to include enough Omega 3 in your diet if you are aiming for fat loss…

  • Omega 3 assists in muscle preservation – lean muscle burns calories, so we want to hold onto at all costs!
  • Omega 3 increases your metabolism – the faster your metabolism the more calories you burn!
  • Omega 3 is growth promoting – adding a little lean muscle is great to aid in fat loss!
  • Omega 3 encourages the body fat burning process – need I say more!
  • Omega 3 is used for energy production – you’ll need lots of energy for your cardio and resistance training sessions!
  • Omega 3 cares for your joints – lots of exercise can take it’s toll on your joints, Omega 3 protects them against the effects of training and keeps them nicely lubricated.

So as you can see, Omega 3 is a vital addition to your diet when trying to lose bodyfat, so make sure that you are getting your quota. The best source of Omega 3 comes from oily fish, such as Salmon, herring and mackeral. If fish isn’t you thing them you can try one of the few supplements that I recommend, this being flaxseed oil. It is a great source of Omega 3 and isn’t too pricey.

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Nutrition Ratios: A Good Starting Point

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

If you are trying to lose some body fat or gain muscle, your nutrition ratios can have a huge effect on your success. What I mean by nutrition ratios is basically how much protein, carbohydrates and fat make up the calories that you are eating.

Unfortunately there are many different views on this and many different ratios that you can use. For example you could use a 40:40:20 which means 50% of your total calorie intake would be from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 20% from fat. The ideal ratio to use depends  on your goal, be it fat loss or muscle building, and it also varies from person to person.

You should remember that each of these nutrients don’t have the same amount of calories, they are as follows:-

  • 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
  • 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
  • 1 gram of fat = 9 calories

As a beginner trying to achieve fat loss or muscle gain, rather than trying to work out your requirements exactly you should just try and get roughly in the right area. My advice is to spread your calorie intake over six meals a day, and to make sure that you eat both carbohydrates and protein with each meal. This will give you a good starting point, and as you get more experienced you can adjust as you feel necessary. If you are trying to lose fat you might find that you need to drop your carb intake, or if you are trying to gain muscle you may need to increase your protein intake. A good figure to aim for with protein if you are trying tolose fat or build muscle is about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

You should also make sure that you are getting at least 15-20% of your calories from good fat, the unsaturated fats, avoiding saturated fat and especially trans fatty acids.

Give that a try and you should start to see some good results!

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Another Reason to Increase your Protein Intake for Fat Loss

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

It seems to be very hard to convince people that an increase in your protein intake will help you with your dieting for fat loss. Apart from the vital role that protein pays in the building and repair of your muscles, and the fact that that the more lean muscle you have the more calories your body burns even when resting. There is also another great reason why you should be increasing your protein intake.

A high protein diet will actually control your appetite and stop you from craving snacks in between meals. There has been research into this subject, and it has been found that meals with a higher content of protein keep your hunger at bay longer than a higher carb or fat (especially saturated fat).

So aim to spread your calories over six meals a day, every four hours and increase your protein intake. This will stop you from craving junk food and snacks between meals, and won’t leave you feeling hungry.  Aim for roughly 0.8 to 1.4 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight as a guide for your daily protein intake. Also spreading your meals into six small meals a day will help you control your food cravings by reducing the time you need to wait till you eat again.

Give a high protein diet a try and i’m sure you find the results pleasing.

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A Quick Guide to Carbohydrates

Monday, April 21st, 2008

With some of the new fad diets that are out there, people have been led to believe that carbohydrates are bad for you and should be avoided. This is not true and whether you are dieting to burn fat or lose muscle, a certain amount of carbohydrates are important. They contain sugars and are your bodys preferred energy source. There are two main types of carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are usually referred to as the ‘bad carbs’. This is actually wrong. The problem with them is that are easily digested by the body and absorbed into the bloodstream, which causes a sudden rise in blood sugar levels. This will give you a quick lift in energy, but will soon drop again and leave you feeling even more tired than before. This sudden rise in blood sugar levels also creates a sudden rise in insulin levels which can cause the sugars to be turned into fat.  That said the natural simple carbs, such as fructose which is found in fruit and lactose which is found in dairy products are perfectly healthy eaten in moderation. Fruit also contains many vitamins and minerals that the body, and dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and protein. So you shouldn’tcompletely avoid fruit and dairy products, just limit the amount you eat. Complex Carbohydrates are the second main group in the carbohydrate family. Complex carbs take a lot longer for the body to digest than simple carbohydrates. This means that they supply the body with a steadier and longer lasting supply of energy, without the sudden rises and drops in blood sugar.  Complex carbs can be split into two sub groups, Starchy (starch) and fibrous (fibre). They are found in foods such as potatoes, whole grain pasta, brown rice, oats, wheat, grains and vegetables. These really are the better type of carbohydrates and should be your chosen source of energy. They alsohave many health benefits. So why do carbs have a bad name? Well it’s mainly due to the Processed and Refined versions of complex and simple carbs. Processed complex carbs can be eaten so long as youlimit the amount you have. Food such as pasta and rice are good examples of processed complex carbs, with these you should go for the wholegrain or brown options as they will have been refined less. The more that complex carbs get refined the closer to simple carbs they start to act. The really nasty ones are the refined sugars. They are found in ready meals, sweets, cakes and pretty much any fast food places. These contribute to bodyfat gain, high cholesteral and can decrease your growth hormone. They are the ones that should be avoided at all costs!  

 A good way to look at it is the more natural the carbohydrate the better, if it hasn’t been. For both fat loss and muscle gain, the majority of your carb intake should be from natural complex carbs. Small amounts of natural simple carbs and even slightly processed complex carbs are ok, but avoid refined sugars as much as you can! 

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Water the Essential Ingredient for Fat Loss and Muscle Building

Friday, April 11th, 2008

The Importance of getting enough water each day is greatly under valued and ignored. Water is vital for the body to function, in fact 60 to 70% of your body is made up from water.

Every process in your body requires water, including tissue repair and growth, digestion, circulation, and the list goes on! If you aren’t supplying it with enough water, it will not be able to function properly. The body also uses water to flush out waste via urine. If you haven’t got enough water in you, your body will hold on to any water it has and won’t discharge any waste. This is not good for the body.

When it comes to the fat burning process, if you haven’t supplied your body with enough water it won’t happen. The body needs water to complete the process.

If you are trying to build muscle, you should know that water is essential for your body to complete the process. If you are dehydrated muscle growth just won’t happen.

So many people don’t drink enough water each day, and are constantly in state of slight dehydration. If you ever feel groggy, have a headache and are tired this could be put down to being dehydrated. So the question is how much water should you be drinking?! Well as a rough guide you should be aiming to drink at least 8 to 10 cups of water through out each day. You should take care to drink more when you are exercising, as exercise tends to dehydrate you.

Remember to get you quota of water each and every day, it is a vital ingredient for fat loss and muscle building!
 
 

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Supplements…To Use Or Not To Use?!

Monday, April 7th, 2008

My philosophy when i comes to dieting is that the more natural the better. I think that your diet should consist of as much naturally produced foods as possible, that means staying away from processed foods and as far as possible anything that is modified or added to by man. With that said what about supplements? They are produced by man, so should they be avoided?

A supplement is exactly that, a supplement to your diet. If you can get all the nutrients that you need from your food (protein, carb’s, efa’s, vitamins, etc.), then that is the best thing to do. Unfortunately it is not always that easy to get everything you need from your diet. If you have a hectic lifestyle you may find it hard to sit down and eat your meals, or if you are overfeeding for muscle growth you may find it difficult to eat enough. This is where supplements can be useful. If you are struggling to eat enough calories everyday, then you could add a high calorie protein shake in between meals. If you are busy in meetings all day at work, and you don’t have time to eat a proper meal, you can throw back a protein shake to make sure you are getting your amino acids into your muscles. A protein shake is also a convenient way of getting your post workout protein.

Other supplements that are marketed as wonder pills, to get amazing muscle growth or fat loss should be avoided. You have to be very careful, remember the supplement industry is a billion dollar industry. Companies put millions into selling their products, money is their main goal not you achieving the results you want. Stay away from anything that promises miracle results, because they just won’t work.

So my advice is try and get everything your body needs from natural food sources. If you are struggling to get enough of a certain nutrition, then this is where supplements come in. Protein shakes, and vitamin supplements are fine as a ’supplement’ to your diet. If you do use protein shakes or similar products, try to keep their usage to a minimal. A protein shake after a workout or as an occasional meal replacement is fine, but you should try and get ninety percent of your nutrition from food. Also avoid any ‘wonder’ pill that promises you miracle results, they just don’t work!

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How Often Should I Eat for Fat Loss?

Monday, March 17th, 2008

When people are trying to lose weight they often make the mistake of skipping meals, thinking that this will help them achieve the results they are looking for. In fact this is the worst thing that you could do. By skipping meals you may start to lose weight in the short term, but soon your body will respond to this by slowing down your metabolism, making it even harder for you to lose weight. This is known as the starvation response.

What if there is a way that you could actually speed up your metabolism, well lucky enough there is! Rather than eating two or three larger meals a day, you should actually be trying to eat five or even better six smaller meals. Aim to eat every three hours, and this will actually speed up your metabolism. So why every three hours? It takes your body on average about three hours to digest food. So by eating every three hours you are feeding your body with a steady flow of nutrition, but also giving it chance to finish digesting the previous meal. 

This method of eating six meals a day also applies to muscle building, this regular feeding of nutrition into the body (particularly protein for muscle building) is how you will achieve the best results. Also remember if you are trying to lose fat, the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns even when you are resting! 

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