Fat Loss Nutrition - Start losing weight with these 8 simple nutrition tips

Fat Loss Nutrition - Start losing weight with these 8 simple nutrition tips

There is a lot of confusion about how and what to eat in this country. This isn't surprising considering a search for nutrition books on Amazon.com returns over 50,000 books! Are there really 50,000 ways to eat? Possibly, but in my opinion effective nutrition programs have more similarities than differences.

Let's put the differences aside and go back to basics. Here is a list of basic nutrition tips to help you lose weight and improve your health:

1. Drink more water

Start your day with a glass or two of water when you first wake up, then drink water throughout the day.How much water should you drink?Expert opinions vary, but I personally use half my body weight in ounces of water as a guideline. I weigh 194 pounds, so I should drink about 97 ounces of water per day. Try drinking only water or green tea if you feel like you're losing a lot of weight.

2. Eat balanced meals

There are many different expert opinions on this including the Zone Diet, Atkins, Pritikin, Metabolic Typing, the Government Food Pyramid, etc. I like to keep things simple. Have some meat (lean beef, chicken, fish, or eggs), some starches (brown rice, quinoa, etc.), and some vegetables (spinach, chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, etc.). Research into nutrition is beginning to show that we are all individuals and that our metabolism is influenced by our genetics and lifestyle. There is no definitive answer to what you should eat without getting genetic testing and having it tailored to your lifestyle. Nutritional Genomics is the future of diet prescription, but if you consume all of the foods mentioned above, you are on the right track.

3. Eat breakfast

I meet so many people who start their day with coffee or coffee and a bagel and then end the day with a big meal before going to bed. This is the exact opposite of what they should be doing. When you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar will be low if you go without eating while you sleep. Start your day with a breakfast that follows the guidelines for eating balanced meals listed above.Are you not hungry in the morning?No problem, just eat what you can and gradually increase the amount until you're eating a full breakfast. After a while, you will notice that your body is craving a meal when you first wake up. You should also find that when you give your body what it needs at the start of the day, your energy levels and mood improve.

4. Eat several small meals throughout the day

Not only should you eat a balanced breakfast, but also 3-5 meals/snacks per day. These meals and snacks should be eaten every 3-4 hours.How many should you have?This is a complex question that should be answered by a professional. A more general answer would be: eat when you are hungry. Some people have metabolic or psychological problems that cause them to feel hungry even if they have eaten recently. Most likely you are not one of these people, so don't starve. Eat when you're hungry.

5. Minimize processed foods.

I really want to say never eat processed foods, but let's be honest: some of these things taste good and many of us will never completely eliminate them from our diets. That's okay, but remember, the more you eat, the harder it will be for you to lose weight and improve your health. How do you identify processed foods? Just read the label. Forget what the marketing says on the packaging. The nutritional information on the label will give you the best information about the product. Ingredient labels must list certain things and meet government standards.

The ingredients are listed from largest to smallest component. For example, if the ingredients list includes: water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and orange juice, you know that the product is actually made of water, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar. There probably isn't much juice in it. If you read the label and the product contains words you can't pronounce or sound like chemical warfare agents, there's a good chance it's processed food. Keep your intake of these products to an absolute minimum.

6. Eat or prepare your meals at home

This may be time-inconvenient, especially if you don't consider yourself a decent cook, but I believe that preparing your own food is a necessary key to getting your nutritional regime moving in the right direction. Many restaurants and fast food outlets keep costs down by buying the cheapest ingredients they can find. Also remember that most restaurant meals are prepared to taste good, not necessarily to help you with your nutritional goals. To taste good to some chefs, you have to add things that you might not do when cooking your own food.Don't know how to cook?That's fine, just learn a few basic concepts to get the job done. Cooking scrambled eggs and preparing salads are a good start.

7. Follow the 90/10 rule

Everyone is busy and we all give in to tasty temptations. Don't stress too much about it or place unreasonable expectations on yourself. Instead, try to follow good nutritional principles 90% of the time. Even if 90% is too much of a behavior change for you, try 60/40. Finally, you can increase the percentage but start with something that is appropriate for you. Just make sure your healthy diet outweighs your unhealthy diet and you're on the right track.

8. Listen to your body

Our bodies are so complex and there are many systems that give you feedback on how your diet is affecting you. For example, you might eat too much ice cream. It may taste pretty good when it sinks, but the stomach ache or sluggishness you feel afterwards is your body's way of giving you feedback about your eating habits. Your body is an amazing machine, so be sure to listen!

Inspired by Ezine and Ted Ryce