Nutrition for Fat Loss: Start Losing Weight With These 8 Simple Nutrition Tips

May 23, 2023 0 Comments

There is a lot of confusion about how and what to eat in this country. That’s not surprising when you consider that a search for nutrition books on Amazon.com returns over 50,000 books! Are there really 50,000 ways to eat? Possibly, but my opinion is that effective nutrition programs tend to have more similarities than differences.

Let’s put differences aside and get back to basics. Here is a list of basic nutritional tips that will help you start losing weight and improve your health:

1. Drink more water

Start your day by drinking a glass or two of water when you wake up, then drink water throughout the day. How much water should you drink? Expert opinions vary on this, but I personally use half my body weight in ounces of water as a guide. I weigh 194 pounds, so I should be drinking about 97 ounces of water a day. Try to drink only water or green tea if you feel like you have a lot of weight to lose.

2. Eat balanced meals

There are many different expert opinions on this, including the Zone diet, Atkin, Pritikin, Metabolic Typing, the government food pyramid, etc. I like to keep things simple. Eat some meat (lean beef, chicken, fish, or eggs), some starch (brown rice, quinoa, etc.), and some vegetables (spinach, chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, etc.). Nutrition research is beginning to show that we are all individuals and that our metabolism is affected by our genetics and lifestyle. There is no definitive answer on what to eat unless you have a genetic test and it fits into your lifestyle. Nutritional genomics is the future of diet prescription, but including all of the foods listed above will put you on the right track.

3. Have breakfast

I meet so many people who start the day with coffee or coffee and a bagel and then end the day with a big meal before they go to bed. This is the exact opposite of what they should be doing. When you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar is low from not eating during your sleep. Be sure to start your day with breakfast following the guidelines I listed above for eating balanced meals. Aren’t you hungry in the morning? No problem, just eat what you can and gradually increase the amount until you are eating a full breakfast. After a while of doing this, you will find that your body craves a meal when you first wake up. You should also find that your energy levels and mood improve as you begin to give your body what it needs at the start of the day.

4. Eat several small meals throughout the day

You should not only eat a balanced breakfast, but you should eat 3-5 meals/snacks per day. These meals and snacks should be eaten every 3 to 4 hours. How many should you have? This is a complex question that should be addressed with a professional. A more general answer would be: eat if you are hungry. Some people have metabolic or psychological problems that make them hungry even after they have recently eaten. Chances are you’re not one of these people, so don’t starve yourself. Eat when you are hungry.

5. Minimize processed foods.

I really want to say never eat processed foods, but let’s face it: Some of this stuff tastes good, and many of us will never completely eliminate it from our diet. That’s fine, but keep in mind that the more you eat, the harder it will be to maintain your 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 have to list certain things and meet government standards.

Ingredients are listed from largest component to smallest component. For example, if the ingredients list has: water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and orange juice, you know that the product is actually made up of water, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar; probably doesn’t have much juice. Also, if you read the label and the product has words you can’t pronounce or sound like chemical warfare agents, it’s most likely processed foods. Keep your intake of these products to an absolute minimum.

6. Eat or prepare your meals at home

This can be a time constraint, especially if you don’t consider yourself a good cook, but I believe that preparing your own food is a necessary key to moving your diet in the right direction. Many restaurants and fast food places cut costs by buying the cheapest ingredients they can find. Also keep in mind that most restaurant food is prepared to taste good, not necessarily to help you with your nutritional goals. Tasting well for some chefs requires adding things you wouldn’t do if you were cooking your own food. You do not know how to cook? That’s fine, just learn some basics to get the job done. Cooking scrambled eggs and making salads are a great way to 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 and don’t set yourself unreasonable expectations either. Instead, try to follow the principles of good eating 90% of the time. Even if 90% is too much of a behavior change for you, try 60/40. You can eventually increase the percentage, but start with something that’s reasonable for you. Just make sure your healthy eating outweighs your unhealthy one and you’ll be on the right track.

8. Listen to your body

Our bodies are very complex, and many systems are in place to give you information about how what you eat is affecting you. For example, you may eat too much ice cream. It can taste pretty good when it’s coming down, 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 to it!

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