EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

Any fitness expert will tell you that fat loss begins with eating smart and not with working out. Because people have become so engrossed with how much or how little they eat, it’s no wonder that more and more fad diets are being introduced in the market each year. It’s come to a point where 

some people are technically starving themselves

all in the name of weight loss. If you’re sick and tired of trying out the latest diets just to keep your weight down, you need to learn how to pace your meals and eat smarter. It’s really not only the type of food per se that is causing weight gain. It’s also when, how and how often you eat food during the day.

Let’s face it. Food plays a hugely important role in the body’s development. You will always be better off eating loads of low-calorie, high-fiber food, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy lean meats, fish and other protein, plus those whole grains and other minimally processed foods.

When you are selecting foods, make sure you don’t skimp on insoluble fiber, such as you find in leafy greens and other vegetables.EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

This is because it is not digested in the stomach and small intestine, it simply passes on into the colon, sweeping through it like a natural brush. Fiber soaks up water to form a soft bulky mass, which moves easily along the digestive tract. Having a high-fiber diet helps your digestion and also helps you to feel fuller for longer and for fewer calories, EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

all of which greatly assists with weight loss.

That aside, you need to eat regular meals, not to get into a destructive habit of bingeing and starving in order to lose weight. After all, if you don’t provide the body with the nutrition it needs, then you can’t expect it to perform the way you want it to. This is the main reason why eating smart will always be more effective than eating less.

For example, healthy snacks, like carrot sticks, are a top slimming aid - always eat a light healthy snack in the afternoon. There is a great reason for this and it revolves around insulin. A healthy snack boosts your metabolism and balances out your blood sugar EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

Keep the snacks low calorie and high fiber too. Here are some heart-healthy snacks that will keep you going during the day for very few calories:

1 piece of fruit of your choice.

2 wholegrain crackers, lightly spread with a mixture of smoked mackerel, mashed with fat-free plain yoghurt and seasoned with pepper.

Half a small whole-meal roll, toasted and topped with low-fat cottage cheese.

150ml fat-free plain yoghurt.

Crudités – raw cucumber, carrot, celery and radish, as much as you like – with a tablespoon of reduced fat hummus as a dip.

A hot bowl of organic miso soup – the packets are available from good health stores and supermarkets.

Apple and a teaspoon of nut butter

A rye crispbread topped with a sliced tomato and a tablespoonful of low-fat cottage cheese.

A couple of pinches of mixed seeds

Homemade ripe banana milkshake (banana, milk, ice, sprinkle of cinnamon, optional)

A whole grain cereal bar with no added sugar

So, get snack-happy and fire up your sluggish metabolism by eating 4-6 small, nutritionally dense meals or snacks throughout the day instead of 3 big ones. If you live a moderately active lifestyle, this should be enough to keep your energy levels up and your fat-burning capabilities in top shape.

One last note, eating smart includes how you eat. Do not gobble down your food in front of the TV. Concentrate on what you are eating so that your body and mind fully register it and you are likely to feel fuller with less food. Also, never forget that digestion begins long before you swallow.

That way all the right enzymes can work on the food and start to break it down. If you do not chew your food properly, you are likely to suffer from indigestion and bloating, which work against you when you are trying to lose weight.EAT SMART, EAT OFTEN

Once you master the art of eating smart – which means frequent high-fiber, calorie-controlled meals, properly digested - you won’t just feel better, you’ll also help your body to develop lean and strong muscles. As long as you choose food that is healthy and all natural, you can expect to enjoy the benefits of having energy that will last you throughout the day.

ALL CARBS BEFORE 6 (CONSUME ALL CARBOHYDRATES BEFORE 6 PM)

When your body produces insulin, the glucose from the carbs is transformed into glycogen, a form of sugar that the muscle stores for future use. When the body’s glycogen storage is filled up, the rest of the glycogen is then converted into fat. Without physical exertion to use up the excess glycogen, carbohydrates after 6pm will only turn your body into a storehouse of fat.ALL CARBS BEFORE 6

So do you work out more at night to burn it off? Experts believe that it’s better to just cut the fuel from its source. Eliminating your carbohydrate intake in the evening is far better than trying to burn the excess fat off. We only have so much time in the day and it does not make sense to gorge ALL CARBS BEFORE 6 ourselves on carbs and then spend hours trying to burn it all away with an impossibly vigorous work-out.

This should not be confused with a total ban on all carbs. Sure, your waistline will thank you if you do not go overboard on eating the wrong kinds of starchy carbohydrates, the kind that are found in refined white flour, or potatoes for example. You will find that if you eat too much white bread, pasta, potatoes and baked goods you may develop a weight problem (see Tip #14).

However, healthy carbs are another matter altogether, in particular whole grains, whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa and other minimally processed ingredients. As whole grains really do fill you up, help your digestion work at its best and provide lots of essential nutrients for very few calories, they really are a recipe for slimming success! Eat medium-sized portions of whole grains at breakfast, such as a slice of whole meal toast, and also at lunch, for example in a brown rice salad with plenty of vegetables. ALL CARBS BEFORE 6 The additional health benefits of eating whole grains include a reduced risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colorectal cancer, asthma and more, so don’t hold back, natural, 

minimally starchy food is fantastic for your health. Tuck in earlier on in the day, just make sure you eat no further carbs for dinner after 6pm.

Some people argue that there is no foundation for this carb curfew, but that is because they misunderstand the concept. Your body does not magically know when it is 6pm and therefore simply start to hold onto extra calories. In general, eating carbs at night is not always automatically going to do your weight great harm provided you are staying within your total macronutrient needs. However, the very real problem is that far too many individuals overload during the day and fail to take that into account at each night. That can be compounded by the fact that they choose to entertain or go to restaurants in the evening without considering the build-up of calories. You make your life much easier by simply adjusting your eating habits so that carbs do not feature at all in the evenings – it’s a no-brainer.

The other great news is that excluding carbs from dinner really is the easiest and most natural time to go without them. Instead of bowls of pasta or helpings of mashed potato, fill up your plate with green vegetables alongside your lean protein (such as a skinless chicken breast) and enjoy a serving of fruit afterwards. You will drastically lower the calorie content of your meal without changing its ability to fill you up hugely, and consequently you will be able to lose more weight.ALL CARBS BEFORE 6

As a result of not eating carbs in the evening you may well feel that you are far less bloated and feel more comfortable than previously in the abdominal area, which is a welcome, positive side effect of this healthier diet. At the same time, many people find that they eliminate any residual digestive problems by adopting a diet that contains higher levels of whole grains.

Remember, this is not a quick-fix fad and on balance, the amount of calories that you eat overall is the most important factor in keeping the weight off. But you might be surprised at how much more quickly stubborn fat starts to shift from tricky areas like your belly once you put this rule of no carbs after 6pm into practice.ALL CARBS BEFORE 6

WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT (DO WEIGHT TRAINING TO LOSE FAT)

WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT

Many people make the mistake of relying solely on cardio exercises to lose fat. But did you know that the better way to shed those extra pounds is to build muscle instead?

This is a key factor when it comes to changing your body shape for the better. When you build muscle through weight training exercises, you don’t just make your body stronger,WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT it also results in significantly faster fat loss. Muscle uses fat as fuel and therefore the more muscle that a body has, the more efficient it is at burning fat.

Muscle tissue burns far more calories - even when you're simply resting - than body fat. When you look at the difference biologically, 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn just 20 calories. This confirms what we instinctively feel to be true – more muscular bodies work better all around and help to keep the fat storage at bay.

WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT

Yet so many of us forget to do any weight training or simply ignore it. While cardio activity may be an effective means to burn stored fat, weight training is the way to go when it comes to muscle development. And you shouldn’t ever neglect muscle development because it stimulates a greater metabolic response from your body. It’s the only way for your body to burn more calories even when you’re at rest.

In order to lose those unwanted pounds, you need to make weight training the core of your fitness program. To incorporate this, start off with 1 or 2 45-minute sessions in a week. Then slowly build it up to 3-4 sessions, allowing at least a day of rest in between. Consider your metabolic response and body type when choosing a specific program to follow WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT if you belong to a health club or gym, ask their staff to advise you on the most effective exercise. Ultimately, make sure that you choose a program that will help you meet your fitness goals.

 However, you do not need to start a complicated regimen or become the member of an expensive club in order to start weight training on a regular basis.WEIGHTS TO LOSE FAT Simply invest in a pair of 5 to 10lb weights, depending on your strength and capabilities, and try out these three simple weight training exercises to get you started.

CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST !!!

CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST

Many people think that doing aerobic exercise is enough to burn fat, but the truth is, the type of exercise that you do is just as important as the time when you do it. Doing a 30-minute session of moderate intensity exercise in the afternoon will not burn as much fat as a 30-minute session done first thing in the morning, before you take breakfast.

Exercising on an empty stomach takes advantage of the fact that the body doesn’t have immediate glycogen levels to burn for fuel. What it burns instead is your stored fat which it uses to sustain the workout. If you wait until after breakfast to work out, your body will make use of the fuel from your last meal and just store unused calories into fat. This is a situation that you should avoid if your main fitness goal is to burn stored fat.CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST

A recent study that looked into the optimum way to exercise to burn fat turned up some exciting results. It tested two groups of people, one where everyone ate breakfast and one where they had not eaten since the night before. Body groups then exercised and the results were analyzed. They clearly showed that people who exercised on an empty stomach before breakfast burned up to an incredible 20 per cent more body fat than the people who ate breakfast. Worth remembering when you are serious about getting rid of body fat!

Exercising in the morning can also put you in a great mood and encourage your body to wake up all its vital systems properly. Also, it has been proven that by exercising in the morning you are more likely stick to it. After all, it is easier to enjoy some time and peace to do your exercise before the day gets too busy and the many distractions start competing for your attention. CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST Another great thing about doing your workouts in the morning is that you’ll be over and done with it before you even get started with your day. By the time you have your breakfast, you’re already done with it!

CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST

Make exercise a good daily habit by picking something you generally enjoy that will get you out of breath and your heart beating faster. Some recommended cardio exercise options, which take just 30 minutes include:

Running or jogging (5 mph) = 295 calories

Bicycling (10 mph or more) = 195 calories

Swimming (slow freestyle) = 255 calories

Aerobics = 240 calories

Basketball = 220 calories

Walking fast (3.5 miles mph) = 140 calories

Biking (less than 10 mph) = 145 calories

Dancing = 165 calories

Another benefit to getting a good morning sweat on is that it instantly puts you in the zone, allowing you to be energetic for the day ahead. That is more than just a psychological benefit. Studies have shown that exercise raises your metabolic rate, which also remains higher than normal after you have stopped exercising. So, if you go for a morning jog, CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST for example, you will be burning more calories when you’ve finished than if you had done no jogging at all. If you exercise in the evening before bed, you lose this benefit as the metabolic rate slows down again when you sleep.

Also, it has been proven that exercise in the morning can ultimately help you sleep better. One major study of overweight women showed that those who carried on regular with consistent morning exercise, for approximately four hours a week, CARDIO BEFORE BREAKFAST slept better than those who did less exercise. Also, people who exercised in the evening were found to experience even greater trouble falling asleep than they would have if they had done no exercise at all. Not only was their body more ‘pumped up’

and too excited to easily relax, their minds were more alert too, so they could not switch off. While this is a great benefit when you have a busy day ahead, it is not exactly what you want when you are trying to go to bed.

This is an important tip to consider, because there is a definite connection between sleep and weight loss. Poor quality or insufficient sleep affects the hormones that control appetite. We look into the benefits of sleep more in 

Tip #8.

So, exercise early and enjoy burning far more calories and sleeping much better as a result. Not only will you feel fantastic during the day, but you will be doing your body a real favor as you improve the extent to which you can successfully lose weight or keep it off for good.