Welcome back!! Today's post is going to look at what, when, and how much we should be eating for optimum fat loss. If you were to do a search on Amazon.com for diet books, you will get 100,186 results. And there's seemingly a diet for everyone: If you want fast results, try The 4-Day Diet. If you're in it for the long run, then maybe The Lifetime Diet is for you. There's a diet plan for Killing The Fat Guy, and one if you're a Skinny Bitch. You can Eat Like Jesus, or if you're not religiously inclined, see why The Devil Served Tortellini. Lazy people may do well on The Couch Potato Diet, and those of you who are more active may relate to The No-Meat Athlete. With another 100,178 to go, it's no wonder people are confused and frustrated when trying to shed unwanted pounds.
Let's first look at food quality. As much as possible, we should be eating unprocessed foods that are served closely to their natural state. Our proteins should be comprised of lean red meats (these usually contain the word "round" or "loin"), as well as wild sources such as elk and bison. Poultry, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, beans, legumes, tofu and tempeh are other great sources.
Our carbohydrates might include fiber-rich vegetables like spinach, kale, carrots, and broccoli, as well as fruits like berries, oranges, and melons. Whole-grain, unrefined starches (breads, rices, pastas), and simple sugars like fruit juices, bagels, muffins, and breakfast cereals should be eaten in limited quantities, and only at certain times.
And we should be eating some healthy fats daily. Dietary fats fall into 1 of 3 categories: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are those found in meats, eggs, dairy, butter, and cheeses. Monounsaturated fats include cashews, olives, olive oil, and avocados. The polyunsaturateds are in fish oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts and flax seeds among other foods.
Now let's turn to the amount of food we should be eating to promote fat loss. And we're going to make this simple: no weighing your food or using cumbersome measuring cups. Fortunately, the good Lord blessed us with a great pair of measuring devices: our hands. They're portable, so you can used them as a guide when dining out. With our goal of fat loss, and general health, we should be eating 4-5 smaller meals/snacks a day. For our protein, a woman's-sized portion is the size (length, width, and thickness) of the palm of your hand. Men, your portion size is 2 palms.
A serving of carbohydrates is 1 medium piece of fruit for men and women. For vegetables, a serving size is equal to 1 fist for women, 2 for men. And when we're talking about the starchy carbs, a serving equals 1 cupped handful for women, double that for the guys.
Our healthy fats should be fairly equally divided (1/3 of each) among saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Here a portion is equal to the size of your thumb...1 thumb for women, 2 for men. Since most Americans eat plenty of saturated fats, our focus should be on adding in the mono and polyunsaturated foods.
Let's finish today's post with a few healthy habits:
1. Eat slowly and stop eating when you're 80% full (or no longer hungry). It takes about 20 minutes
for our brain to receive the signal from our stomach that we're full, so slow down and take at
least 20 minutes to eat your meal;
2. Eat fruits and vegetables in a 1:5 ratio for fat loss--5 servings of veggies for every 1 portion of
fruit. Women, strive for 5 servings of veggies; men, go for 8-10;
3. Eat starchy carbs ONLY within 90 minutes after a fairly vigorous exercise session. This is when
our body best processes these foods;
4. Eat those simple sugars rarely (if ever). Ideally, 2-3 servings a week is plenty.
5. Drink plenty of water and other zero-Calorie beverages--about 1/2 your body weight in ounces
of water (a 200 pound man should drink around 100 ounces of water daily, more if outdoors in
the heat or exercising intensely).
Remember, these are general guidelines that may not produce the same results for everyone. But these guidelines are a good starting point for those of you who are new to implementing a healthy nutrition program. Your call for action TODAY is to go through your refrigerator and kitchen cupboards and start getting rid of the processed (boxed, bagged, etc.) foods. Replace these with the items we've mentioned in this article.
On Wednesday, we'll look into the best forms of cardio exercise for burning fat, and debunk some long-standing myths.
Move Better. Eat Better. Live Better!
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