WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT? 🤔
ARE YOU WANTING TO TRIM DOWN BEFORE SUMMER? ⛱
DO YOU GET CONFUSED DECIDING WHAT FOODS ARE BEST FOR SLIMMING DOWN? 😕
Let me help YOU finds the foods you should eat to fulfill your needs without causing you to gain weight, but instead lose weight, slim down or just feel better! What you eat will truly determine how you look, how you feel and most of the time how healthy you will be today, tomorrow and in the future. Do you need to eat healthy every single meal? Absolutely not, as I consider “cheat meals” a little treat we give to ourselves for a job well done and also to you can enjoy some of those non-nutrituos meals that just brings a smile to our face. But, you must limit these type of meals to special occasions or treats. Here are 7 easy tips to help you jump start your weight loss with the Summer Slimdown Series.
HERE ARE 7 EASY STEPS TO EAT CLEAN, LOSE WEIGHT & STAY TRIM
Stay Away from the Scale as that can be the most frustrating thing and also very deceiving. Have you ever stood on the scale to find you put on weight after eating clean & exercising? How about losing weight after eating unhealthy? The number on the scale can fluctuate so much depending on water retention, what time of day you weight yourself or right after you eat a meal. Your weight can fluctuate as much as 5lbs. on the scale in one day! So, get off the scale and use the measuring tape or another great indicator is by the way your clothes fit . . . or don’t fit! I recommend measuring your body: chest, arms, abs, hips, thighs & calves. Write it down on a piece of paper for future reference so you can see where you are loosing weight.
It’s Never a Diet, but a Lifestyle because no one can live on a diet forever, nor would you want too! To lose the weight and keep it off you need to make permanent changes to the way you eat. Like I said before, it’s ok to have a “cheat meal” occasionally, but if you only cut back on calories temporarily or have too many “cheat meals”, you will gain back the weight quicker, as you begin messing with your metabolism. Don’t ever think of diet as all the foods you can not eat, but think in terms of your “diet” as all the healthy foods you will eat and not just short term thinking, but making this your new healthy lifestyle.
Strength Training Truly does Make a Difference yet so many focus on cardio too much and forget about weights. It is great to get your cardio in about 3 days a week, but strength training will truly help you to build lean muscle, which in turn will increase your metabolism and therefore increase your calorie burning. Focus on adding weight bearing exercises to your workouts (link here for many workouts to do at home) at least 2 to 3 days a week. Now this does not mean you need to workout 6 days a week, as you can do your cardio and weight training back to back on the same days. Once you start adding and then keeping weight training into your weekly workouts, you will find that your body shape will also begin to change. You will loose inches where you want too, but also gain awesome muscles in other areas that will give you a much leaner, stronger look.
Don’t Create all Calories the Same, because the type of food you are eating can make all the difference to weight loss, slimming down and de-boating. A calorie is not a calorie, you must think about what you are putting into your mouth and how it will benefit your body or be a detriment. If it comes in a box (processed food) it’s usually high in fat, sugar and sodium. Look to the natural colors of the rainbow by eating fresh fruits and veggies that are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. Every meal should include a fruit and veggie, and even better yet, have most of your meals filled with fruit, veggies and lean protein. You will feel fuller, and find you are not as hungry after eating, because you have loaded your body with healthy nutritious items that are also filled with fiber.
Proteins and Healthy Fats should be your Friends as they each have amazing benefits to fueling your body and creating satiety. The lean protein will fill you up and build muscle, which will also keep your metabolism elevated and then burn fat. Look for healthy plant based fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts which are all healthy, within moderation, and will create fillings of fullness. There are so many ways to get lean protein now, even if you are not a meat eater. If you choose meats, make sure they are lean. Other great options is non-fat greek yogurt, nuts and legumes and seed items like quinoa.
Think when You’re Eating don’t zone out, as that leads to overeating. When you eat, don’t sit in front of the TV, computer or while reading, as you will usually not have any idea how much food you have eaten, unless you have healthy food that is plated for one sitting. Also, try to remember to slow down and eat each bite and swallow before putting another bite in your mouth. Your stomach can take about 20 minutes to determine when it’s full, so slow down as you will better realize when you are full and not overeat and actually lose weight, because you stop eating well before you are full.
Don’t Skip a Meal, it will actually work against you and put weight on. When your body does not get the proper fuel through healthy foods or enough food, you actually end up over eating for one meal or even worse your body begins to burn precious muscle to supply your body with much needed energy. You should be eating 6 to 7 small “meals” throughout the day, so your body gets fueled about every 3 hours which will keep you metabolism elevated and burning fat. Use this weekly food tracker below to monitor your meals each day.
Let me know how your SUMMER SLIMDOWN SERIES is working for you! 📧 Are you eating healthier? How about exercising more? Adding weight training? Trying new workouts or FIT Shop fitness equipment?
Drop me an email or reply below and let me know how you are doing or if you need any suggestions, encouragement, inspiration or maybe just a congratulations for doing such a great job! 😊