One that we didn’t mention the other day is getting enough sleep. In order for your body to really be functioning properly, you need to make sure that you’re getting adequate rest. Have you noticed that when you’re sleep deprived you really don’t function very well? Your body is trying to tell you something!
Anyway, here’s a link to article. Check it out and good luck in your weight loss efforts!
Some may argue with me on this one and say “well, things have changed these days. Our food is more processed and it’s harder to get the nutrients that one needs to be healthy and maintain a good weight.” There is some truth to this statement, but it also sounds a lot like an excuse to me for why you don’t look and feel better. Is it going to be easy to build a better body? Probably not! But the work is worth it.
So here are some basic tips to consider for optimal and natural weight loss:
1. Eat More Often
We’ve all been hearing this from every fitness book and program for years. Three square meals a day just isn’t the best way to eat. Instead, break your eating up into 5-6 small meals a day, trying to get a good mix of carbs and protein in each meal.
2. Eat Real Food
Don’t eat a lot of processed food. Make sure you’re getting good portions of food that you cook yourself, not just throw in the microwave because its convenient. You’ll get a lot more out of food that you put together because the individual ingredients are usually better for you.
3. Get Some Exercise
Do both cardio and weight training. To effectively lose weight, you need to be doing cardio to help your overall health and you also need to be doing weight training to build more muscle for optimal fat burning.
4. Watch Your Calories
You don’t have to count your calories every single day. But you will need to do it often enough so that you know if you’re in the right range of what you should be eating. Remember, if you burn more calories than you eat, then you’ll be setting yourself up to be losing weight. If you’re eating too much or no exercising enough, then the equation won’t work out.
5. Visualize Your Goal
Don’t overlook this one. Keep yourself motivated by looking at realistic images of what you want to look like. Keep that goal in front of you and keep on working towards that.
I personally feel that tip 5 is the most important. If you can’t keep yourself motivated, it doesn’t matter what you do because you’re less likely to stick with it. So find your motivation and keep motivating yourself. Of course, there are other tips that we could put on this list. If you can at least get started with these basic principles you’ll be putting yourself in a good position to start losing weight.
This week’s nutrition is about the different types of fat:
To lose fat, sometimes you have to eat fat. Monounsaturated fats and certain polyunsaturates actually speed up the metabolic rate. Lipid researchers believe that the best of the fat burning bunch are the highly unsaturated omega 3s called EPA and DHA. A diet supplemented with omega 3-rich fish oil promotes losses of body fat with simultaneous gains in lean mass.
Brought to you by Precision Nutrition
So what are some of the key things that you should be tracking to know if you’re making progress? Some of this depends on your goals, but here is a list of things you should consider measuring on a regular basis to see how you’re doing. You should also use some specifics for these measurements as the basis of your goals as well.
Important Measurements
- Neck
- Chect
- Biceps (Relaxed & Flexed)
- Forearms
- Wrists
- Waist
- Thighs
- Calves
- Shoulders
- Weight
- Body Fat Percentage
If you will just keep track of these measurements and base your goals around them, you’ll have a good foundation for setting and tracking great, measurable goals.
Tom’s interview is conducted by Chris Mohr who also has quite the resume. You can read more about Chris at the bottom of the interview, but just to give you an idea he has been a nutrition consultant to many companies like Clif Bar, Discovery Health Channel, Fit Fuel, and more.
This particular interview comes in two parts and mainly has to do with fat loss. Very good information from a guy who practices what he preaches!
Fat Burning Secrets Revealed - The Interview, Pt 1
Fat Burning Secrets Revealed - The Interview, Pt 2
Revving Up Metabolism
by Dr. John Berardi
I recommend more calories than most do. That’s because there’s no such thing as a stagnant metabolic set-point. Instead, metabolism chases intake. So, if you want a bigger metabolism, you need a bigger food intake. And if you’re worried about fat gain with this approach, just use outcome-based decision making and adjust energy (calorie) intake every two weeks based on your results. Not much ‘damage’ can take place in only two weeks. So if you end up boosting your metabolism, you’ll be thanking me eternally. And if it turns out you’re consuming too much, you can just adjust down.
This tip brought to you by: Precision Nutrition
Fish Oil Rules
by Dr. John Berardi I consider fish oil to be an essential supplement for fat loss. Data from the University of Western Ontario shows that fish oil supplementation increases lean body mass (during non-dieting conditions), increases BMR (by up to 400kcal/day), decreases inflammation, and improves the ratio of fat/carb oxidized (sparing carbs, burning fat). Recommended dose: Start with 6-10g per day of total fish oil (assuming 30% EPA and DHA).
SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.
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Cardio Exercises-Low Or High Intensity Exercise Burn Body Fat Faster?
BodyFitnessInfo.com BLOG » Making Your Cardio Workout More Enjoyable
Five Great Exercise Machines for Burning Fat
The Best Way to Get Six Pack Abs
Eat Pasta… Carefully
by Dr. John Berardi
As a God-fearing Italian, I have to admit that I love pasta. But, as a gut-fearing weight lifter and athlete, I definitely have to choose the lower GI, nutrient dense whole-wheat variety. During training phases that require or allow for higher carbohydrate intake (higher volume training) I’ll eat one whole-wheat pasta meal per day. During other phases (like where I’m trying to lose fat), the pasta stays on the shelf in favor of a higher lean protein, good fat, and fruit and veggie intake.
SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.
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