I'm often asked what to eat to lose weight and build muscle, my answer is always the same, to eat a small balanced meal every three hours to jump start the metabolism and balance blood sugar levels. Eating a small meal is just that - smaller portions.
Often time's people go all day snacking without eating a nutritious meal consisting of lean protein, complex carbohydrate and veggies. By the end of the day when they get home from work they are starving and end up eating the entire pantry filled with sugars, preservatives and sodium. Before they know it an hour of overindulging goes by then soon after painful bloating and indigestion kicks in. The body can only utilize and digest a certain amount of calories in one meal which is between 300 - 500 calories (depending on size and mass) then stores the rest as unwanted fat! Did you know the body actually prefers less food? There's a reason why you feel lethargic and heavy after consuming too many calories in one meal - it's your body telling you it was over loaded with too many calories, sugars, salts and fats at one time. The best way to know how much food is enough is to eat until you feel satisfied or until you're "almost" full. If you feel you could eat a bit more, stop eating! That feeling is your "red light" signal to push your plate aside. If you have food left on your plate, congratulations! You're well on your way to living a longer, healthier life and that will lead to permanent weight loss success.
Eat Small Meals Frequently
By eating every few hours your body will utilize the needed calories (if you eat clean) and will go into muscle building and fat burning mode as it digests the needed nutrients to build a lean physique.
1. Get enough sleep.
2. Eat breakfast every day. Eat a meal that combines complex carbohydrates with protein, such as an omelette with whole-grain toast or unsweetened cereal with milk.
3. Decrease your sugar intake. Sweet snacks and drinks give you a quick high, but quickly make you feel tired as your blood sugar drops.
4. Cut down on your meat consumption and fat intake; these take a lot of energy to digest.
5. Eat low-fat, high-fiber foods such as whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.
6. Eat foods that are rich in iron - for example, oysters, green beans and spinach.
7. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
8. Cut back on caffeine and avoid overindulging in alcoholic drinks.
