Top 10 Tips for Fat Loss
1. Organise, plan, shop, prepare
Spend some time planning your meals and snacks for the week ahead. Know what you are going to be eating 24 hours ahead, that way you know if you need to take meat out of the freezer, if you need to shop for anything and it takes the hassle out of deciding what to pack for work in the morning.
Shop regularly, especially for fresh produce. Stock up with pantry staples like cans of salmon or tuna, cans of soup and always have eggs on hand, so that you can throw together a quick meal if you need to.
Think about preparing meals in bulk at the weekend, perhaps a casserole or soup, or make extra servings and freeze them for later.
2. Be accountable.
Keep an accurate food and exercise diary. It is surprising how many times a day we pick! If you don’t know what you are doing wrong, you can’t change it. If you bite it, write it! Food diaries can be downloaded from here.
3. Measure your portions, don’t guess
Portion sizes have a habit of growing over time, so take the time to measure accurately and consistently.
4. Drink water!
Our bodies and brains need water to function properly. Your liver and kidneys need sufficient fluid to carry out their de-toxing jobs, so don’t deprive your body of fluid. Plain water, tea and herbal teas should make up the majority of your fluid intake.
5. Beware liquid calories
Empty calories from things like alcohol and milky cafe coffees can sneak up on you. For fat loss and good health you want to concentrate on getting the majority of your daily energy intake from quality, real food and save alcohol and cafe coffees for occasional treats.
6. Exercise regularly
Schedule exercise into your life and make it happen most days. When it comes to fat loss, what goes in your mouth is about 80% of the fat loss equation, but you get an even better result if you exercise regularly as well. Find something that you enjoy doing and do it! The more effort you put in, the greater reward you receive.
7. Aim to eat four cups of fibrous veggies every day.
Two with lunch and another two with dinner. Fibrous veggies are low in energy, high in nutrients, high in fibre and they are your health and fat loss friends. Stir fries, soups, casseroles, salads, dry roasted, veggie kebabs, there are lots of ways to increase your vegetable intake.
8. Eat protein with every meal and snack.
Protein doesn’t just mean meat, chicken, fish and eggs. Try low fat versions of dairy items like yoghurt, smoothies, cottage cheese, cream cheese, Edam cheese, etc. Have low fat hummus with crackers or veggie sticks, or nuts as a healthy snack.
9. Moderate your carbohydrate portions
Unless you are an athlete needing a higher amount of carbohydrate for fuel, you probably don’t need as much carbohydrate as you think. For main meals visualise your plate as half being fibrous veggies, ¼ lean protein and ¼ carbohydrate.
10. Eat slowly and mindfully
It is important to enjoy what you are eating, so arrange your food nicely on your plate, concentrating on colours and textures. Chew your food slowly, really noticing the texture and taste. Don’t work, read, watch TV, or otherwise distract yourself while eating. You are much more likely to feel satisfied after your meal if you took your time eating it.
Read more Nutrition Resources here
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