But what about the many meals a day?! Well, this is another thing most people forget. Your body digests what it takes, in about 2 ½ hours. Most people eat 3 large meals a day and a few snacks, well, this will add up to around ~3,000 calories to the average person. The body, however, needs energy ALL through the day. Would you rather drive your car to E, fill up, drive your car to E, fill up, drive to E then park it, then fill it up in the morning again? Or, drive your car to ¼ tank, fill it, ¼ tank, fill it – see what I’m saying? It costs the same in the long run, but is better because at some point your fuel pump takes a beating sucking down that last little bit of gas – and this is a perfect reference, the body will go catabolic and then get a big meal and store what it left over as fat!
Breaking the ~3k cals down to 6-7 smaller meals of 4-500 calories, makes for a much more efficient body, as your metabolism stays high all day breaking down food. That, in itself, burns calories! But how do I break my meals down? That’s what gets most people …
Your food intake should consist of about 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats. This is a pretty standard figure, but I like to manipulate this some because of some basic ways the body handles these nutrients. Think about your day, when do you expel the most energy? Morning (your didn’t eat all night, you need carbs to start your body – think, what’s recommended? Cereal, toast, fruits – all carbs). Lunchtime, usually when you go back to work and need energy to well – sustain life. Then most people, eat carbs around dinner time then proceed to workout. Great, carbs BEFORE you work out!
Then finish your workout and eat another carb rich meal, bad idea. You won’t be using much energy after 7:00PM will you? Probably not … so avoid the carbs. Chips? No way, don’t even go down that isle at the grocery store. Head over to the meat department, and get a nice lean steak. Or two, or 10 pounds worth … eat up! Get tuna, veggies to make salads, and a very light oil/vinegar dressing that’s low in overall calories and use sparingly. Fry some chicken lightly in a pan, 3-4 days worth, and keep it in the fridge to use with salads if you don’t care for tuna. Chicken and rice is a great carb/protein rich meal, and mixed vegetables are VERY low in calories (the frozen kind), and you can cook those up along with the chicken and again make a dozen or so in separate containers and have a few days worth of meals prepared in advance. Pop in microwave, some soy sauce, and have a great meal!
Mix a few raisins in with yogurt if you don’t care for protein shakes for something to eat before morning cardio. Protein is there to keep your body from breaking down muscle, and a little carbs in the mix won’t affect daily carb intakes! Little things like this, just to find ways to avoid foods that are just empty calories and won’t do you much good, make the biggest difference. Sure, you can still have a great meal every once in a while as a “cheat”, but don’t make it a regular habit. After a while, it’s a nice thing to have when you accomplish a goal - and after you see yourself changing, you will stay away from bad foods because you’ll love the new person you’re becoming.
This is a post from FatManUnleashed.com'sWeight Loss Blog:
Cut the B.S. and Get Your Diet in Order!
But what about the many meals a day?! Well, this is another thing most people forget. Your body digests what it takes, in about 2 ½ hours. Most people eat 3 large meals a day and a few snacks, well, this will add up to around ~3,000 calories to the average person. The body, however, needs energy ALL through the day. Would you rather drive your car to E, fill up, drive your car to E, fill up, drive to E then park it, then fill it up in the morning again? Or, drive your car to ¼ tank, fill it, ¼ tank, fill it – see what I’m saying? It costs the same in the long run, but is better because at some point your fuel pump takes a beating sucking down that last little bit of gas – and this is a perfect reference, the body will go catabolic and then get a big meal and store what it left over as fat!
Breaking the ~3k cals down to 6-7 smaller meals of 4-500 calories, makes for a much more efficient body, as your metabolism stays high all day breaking down food. That, in itself, burns calories! But how do I break my meals down? That’s what gets most people …
Your food intake should consist of about 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats. This is a pretty standard figure, but I like to manipulate this some because of some basic ways the body handles these nutrients. Think about your day, when do you expel the most energy? Morning (your didn’t eat all night, you need carbs to start your body – think, what’s recommended? Cereal, toast, fruits – all carbs). Lunchtime, usually when you go back to work and need energy to well – sustain life. Then most people, eat carbs around dinner time then proceed to workout. Great, carbs BEFORE you work out!
Then finish your workout and eat another carb rich meal, bad idea. You won’t be using much energy after 7:00PM will you? Probably not … so avoid the carbs. Chips? No way, don’t even go down that isle at the grocery store. Head over to the meat department, and get a nice lean steak. Or two, or 10 pounds worth … eat up! Get tuna, veggies to make salads, and a very light oil/vinegar dressing that’s low in overall calories and use sparingly. Fry some chicken lightly in a pan, 3-4 days worth, and keep it in the fridge to use with salads if you don’t care for tuna. Chicken and rice is a great carb/protein rich meal, and mixed vegetables are VERY low in calories (the frozen kind), and you can cook those up along with the chicken and again make a dozen or so in separate containers and have a few days worth of meals prepared in advance. Pop in microwave, some soy sauce, and have a great meal!
Mix a few raisins in with yogurt if you don’t care for protein shakes for something to eat before morning cardio. Protein is there to keep your body from breaking down muscle, and a little carbs in the mix won’t affect daily carb intakes! Little things like this, just to find ways to avoid foods that are just empty calories and won’t do you much good, make the biggest difference. Sure, you can still have a great meal every once in a while as a “cheat”, but don’t make it a regular habit. After a while, it’s a nice thing to have when you accomplish a goal - and after you see yourself changing, you will stay away from bad foods because you’ll love the new person you’re becoming.
This is a post from FatManUnleashed.com'sWeight Loss Blog:
Cut the B.S. and Get Your Diet in Order!