Eating Healthy Vs Eating For Fat Loss

You've decided it’s time to get in shape, so you join the gym, clear out the cupboards of so-called “unhealthy” foods, and go to the supermarket to stock up on what you think are the right foods to help you change your body shape.

I’m not normally wrong when I guess the type of foods that make up this new healthy shopping basket? Wholemeal pasta, fruit, low-fat yogurts, vegetables, possibly some brown rice, fish, eggs, chicken and maybe some turkey. This all looks very healthy, right?

So why is it when you start combining these food groups, you have an initial drop in weight and then you hit a plateau?

The difference is in food combinations and the timing of certain foods. A major reason for excess body fat around the midsection is poorly timed intake of carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, rice, oats etc. 

Below are my top tips to help you turn your healthy diet, into a fat loss diet.

1. Start your day with protein. What you eat first thing in the morning affects what you eat for the rest of the day. Choose a breakfast based around eggs (omelets), meat and vegetables.

2. Keep all your meals leading up to your workout free from starchy carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes) and fruit. Every meal must contain a portion of lean protein (chicken, fish etc.), at least 2 different vegetables and a portion of essential fats (nuts, oils or avocado).

3. Keep your carbs to the window of opportunity. An example of this would be to finish your workout and have a sweet potato with your meal. If you choose to have your carbs after your workout, remember you must deserve them so train hard!

4. Don’t combine essential fats (nuts, oils etc.) with your carbohydrate meals. Carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin which is known as the storage hormone. So if fat is in the bloodstream when insulin is elevated, there is a very strong chance that it will be sent into your cells and stored as fat.

Have a weekend!
Brandon