Nutrition Tips to Improve Fat Loss

Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition program. Start off slowly and add one a week, you don't have to adopt all of them at once. Before long, you've cleaned up your nutrition program and on your way to reaching your goal. Trendy diets, fads and the infomercial product of the month, are not going to help you reach your weight loss goals. A well thought-out nutrition and exercise program will.

Eat breakfast

Proven time and again, those who eat breakfast are more successful at controlling their weight than those that don't. Plus, when doing strength training exercises (and you know you should be), it's even more important to make certain you fuel those muscles after an overnight fast. The perfect time for burning fat because glycogen, blood glucose and insulin levels are all low.

Unfortunately, it may also be perfect for burning muscle, because glycogen levels are low, and levels of the catabolic stress hormone cortisol are high. If you skip breakfast and eat lunch at noon, you're not only in a highly catabolic (muscle wasting) state, you're also sending an unmistakable starvation signal to your body.

Eat less sugar

Start reading labels! Sugar is hidden in almost every commercial food item. A single tablespoon of ketchup gets 3 of its 4 grams of carbs from sugar. A 12 oz can of cola has a staggering 40 grams of sugar, and ALL of the carbs in a cola are sugar! Why does that matter?

Simple sugars are digested very quickly and cause a rapid spike in blood sugar. Your body then releases large amounts of insulin. Insulin quickly clears the glucose from the bloodstream leading to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia.) Low blood sugar causes cravings, hunger, weakness, mood swings and decreased energy. These cravings for sugar result in a vicious cycle of ups and downs in blood sugar levels throughout the day.

Eat More Often

Studies have shown that those who eat 4-6 smaller meals per day have less body fat than those eating 2-3 meals a day, even if both groups eat about the same number of calories. This is because of maintaining steady blood sugar levels. Too much insulin activates fat storage enzymes and forces fat in the bloodstream into fat cells for storage.

High insulin levels also inhibit enzymes that promote the breakdown of existing stored body fat. You can manage your blood sugar and insulin levels by choosing fewer simple carbohydrates, more complex carbohydrates, eating fiber and having your carbohydrates with lean proteins approximately every three hours.

Eat protein

Be sure to include enough protein for your level of activity (you are exercising?right?)

Protein speeds up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to digest, process, and utilize it compared to fats or carbs.

The "thermic" effect of protein is one of the reasons that a higher protein diet is more effective for fat loss than a diet high in fat or carbs. Too much of any food can be stored as body fat, but protein is less likely to be converted to fat than any other nutrient.

Eat nothing from a box

The closer your food is to nature the better off you are. Have you looked at the ingredients list in most packaged food these days? You need to be a scientist to figure out what half the ingredients are. Stick to real, wholesome foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, etc.

Eat your vegetables

I don't mean fast food french fries. Try to get as many vegetable servings into your meals as you can. It's nearly impossible to over eat vegetables. They are full of fiber and will help keep you full between meals. They also contain loads of antioxidants. Raw is great, steamed is another good way to have them. Hold the heavy cheese sauces please!

Eat protein and carbs together

If you want to keep your blood sugar in check, then don't eat your carbs by themselves. Strive to always have balanced meals of protein, carbs and healthy fats. You'll feel better and your muscles will thank you.

Prepare your own food

Best for several reasons?It's cheaper than eating out, you know exactly what you are eating, and it saves time. It takes no more time to cook up 6 healthy chicken breasts than it does to cook one or two. Make things easy. Prepare them over the weekend and your lunches for the next few days are done. While you are at it, put on a pot of brown or wild rice, or bake up some sweet potatoes and you're good to go.

Drink water

LOTS! Most people are already dehydrated. Strive to drink a gallon a day. If you drink a lot of coffee, then you need an extra 8 oz for each cup of coffee. Exercise will put more demands on your fluid levels. You need water. Drink 50-75% of your body weight in ounces of water. Add an additional 16 oz for strenuous exercise. No complaining!

Get more exercise

Get some exercise on most days of the week, and alternate between strength training exercises and cardio training. If you are a beginner, shoot for two weight workouts a week and progress to 3 or more depending upon your goals. Get in as many cardio sessions as your schedule will allow, but aim for at least 3.

Commit to adopting these nutrition program changes and you'll be well on your way to reaching your weight loss goal, whether it's ten pounds or many more. Sound nutrition and exercise will always succeed in the long run. Don't give into the temptation of fads.

The information contained in this article is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you are sedentary or over 40 please get clearance from a doctor before starting an exercise program.

---

You have permission to publish this article electronically, without changes of any kind, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included, and remain working hyperlinks. Please send a copy of the URL where you have posted this article.

© By Rick DeToma

Rick DeToma is a fitness coach, and trainer who specializes in home workouts. Contact Rick for a no obligation telephone fitness assessment at: http://www.tailored-fitness-home-w orkouts.com/contact.html

Get more tips like these by subscribing to Tailored Fitness News http://www.tailored-fitness-hom e-workouts.com/newsletter.html

---

Blood Type and Diet

Eating right to suit your blood type" is a subject... Read More

Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Reproductive System

Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More

Protein and Endurance Sports

Endurance Sports are like music concerts. They start at a... Read More

Substitutes for Butter

Instead of Butter: Use top quality, cold pressed, extra virgin... Read More

Preventing Heart Disease: What to Eat

About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More

Stay Healty, Eat more Fish and Seafood

There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More

Chocolate Is Good For You!

Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More

Seven Secret Agents That Can Help You Live To 120

You know about Vitamins A,C, D, E ,and the B's... Read More

5 Favorite Summer-Break Tips

You can trust me that I make sure to take... Read More

Creating Your Target of Health

Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create... Read More

Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From?

Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More

Juice Sensibility

Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More

Foods Can Lower Cholesterol and C-reactive Protein

If you have high cholesterol, the American Heart Association's low-cholesterol,... Read More

A Consumers Guide to Soy Terms

Although you may have heard about soy and all of... Read More

Avoiding High Cholesterol Foods

Cholesterol finds its way into our bodies in two main... Read More

Tips for Effective Muscle Building Diets

One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is... Read More

The Sugar-Coated Truth

It is believed that cane sugar was discovered before the... Read More

Heart Health ? Fish Oils To The Rescue

In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More

3 Things You Want to Know About Cholesterol

You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you?You... Read More

Curbing Your Carbohydrate Addiction

Some experts consider carbohydrate craving and addiction as something more... Read More

Eating to Gain Mass

This is usually the forgotten element of most mass programs.... Read More

Macrobiotics: Diet and Lifestyle for Long-term Health

A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it is a... Read More

Take Back Your Life 5

In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More

What is the Atkins Diet and How Can It Help You?

What is the Atkins diet and how can it help... Read More

Autism and Nutritional Supplements

Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More

The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life!

Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm... Read More

Calcium: the Miracle Mineral

We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More

Helping Your Immune System Win The War Against Disease

Just as our country is currently engaged in a war... Read More

The Face of the Waters

The story of creation begins with water. Water is an... Read More

How to Help Your Picky Eater

One of the most common questions I am asked is... Read More

Omega 3s: Using Our Heads to Nourish Our Brains

We sometimes hear about ways that we can take care... Read More

Enjoy The Holidays Healthfully

How To Have A Healthy ThanksgivingEnd of the year holidays... Read More

Nutrition, Evolution, and Having a Healthy Diet

Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news,... Read More