Nutrition is the most important factor to losing weight, getting "lean" or "toned" and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So I want to start this post by saying, going to the gym is not enough for you to lose weight, tone and to keep it off. To lose weight/tone, you will have to come the realisation that your nutrition is the most important part, therefore you can not overlook it and you will have to change your lifestyle to a healthy one. Saying that, a cheat or treat once a week is also important, for many different reasons! Plus leading a healthy lifestyle is vital which impacts your mood, skin and general health!
Fuel your body with the correct foods, for maximum results in the gym and for your body. Food is not your enemy. Never, ever starve yourself!
I thought I would write a post on my weekly diets and give some tips, as I get asked quite frequently what I eat and what I would recommend! And I will also explain why I have one cheat per week, and why it's vital you do.
Weekly Diet
I eat frequently (every 3-4 hours), and this is so my metabolism never slows down and my nutrition is high. This is an example of what I eat and drink in a day and the times I have it:
Food: Porridge with rice milk and water.
Drink: A protein shake mixed with water and a green tea.
Meal 2 (10-11AM)
Food: Prawn salad with a banana, apple or orange.
Drink: I constantly drink water throughout the day, I usually drink 3-5 litres a day.
Meal 3 (3-4PM)
Food: Low fat yoghurt with another piece of fruit (either apple or orange) or a JuicePlus+ shake.
Drink: Water and a green tea.
Meal 4 (5-6PM)
Food: Chicken/Fish with spinach, sweetcorn, peas, carrots and herbs and spices (e.g chilli and mixed herbs) I do usually stick to 4 different vegetables and change what I have daily, for variety.
Drink: Water and a green tea.
Meal 5 (8-9PM)
Food: Grapes
Drink: A green tea.
Plus:
A post-workout protein shake mixed with water.
I constantly try and change the vegetables I buy weekly to add variety into my diet, which allows different nutrients into my body. The key to nutrition is variety and clean fresh produce! I also drink a lot of water which is vital, as it enables our liver to do it's job, and it flushes waste and toxins out of your body . Also the more water you drink, the more water your body releases, which means drinking plenty of water keeps your body from retaining water. Consequently, drinking water is good for you externally and internally, as water is also very good for your skin and it can affect how you look! I also drink a lot of green tea, which has many so many health benefits! These benefits include: boosts metabolism, aids in weight loss, clears skin, prevents heart disease, prevents cancer, low caffeine level, lowers cholesterol and contains the highest level of EGCG which is a powerful antioxidant.
A Tip When Food Shopping:
Do not buy frozen produce, always go for clean and fresh!
Frozen is not as good for you as fresh produce is!
Why Are Having "Cheats" Or "Treats" Important?
Firstly, I don't necessarily have a whole cheat "day", but a cheat meal or snacks and so on! My cheat days are usually on a Sunday, so I can start fresh on the Monday.
There are many benefits to cheat days! Firstly, when I plan a cheat day for my diet, I have one once a week. I personally look forward to "rewarding" myself in a certain sense for my hard work in the week. However the most important thing is to not go overboard, for example, eat junk food all day long! If you don't have a "cheat" or "treat" day to look forward to, there's more danger of binge eating! and getting into bad habits such as crash dieting which are so bad for you. Also knowing that you live a healthy lifestyle and can still enjoy unhealthy foods sometimes will make your "diet" not feel like a diet and more like a healthy lifestyle. Plus, feeling guilty from having treats is something I do often! However, there is no need to feel guilty at all, as balance is important in everyones lifestyle. Plus rewarding myself and for once not being too strict on myself helps me be even more determined to work hard for the week ahead.
I have done research into cheat days from various fitness websites and I have learnt while living a healthy lifestyle, it's likely that you have low muscle glycogen levels, which affects performance! However, that's also not an excuse to cheat too often. A cheat meal has the calories and carbohydrates which you do not usually have, which replenishes some of these stores which in a sense "re-feeds" and will help give you more energy for your next workouts. So, on these days, you can eat brown rice, wholewheat pasta and so on as well. Therefore having a cheat meal or snack once a week can help you! and is not a reason to feel guilty.
Also! Another thing I have learnt while researching is that along with decreased muscle glycogen, there is also the "slowing of metabolism effect". Which is basically when the body senses the lower-calorie intake, and therefore lowers the amount of energy it needs to function on a daily basis which slows your metabolism. This equals in burning less calories, which makes weight loss/toning more difficult. However, when you shock your body with a high calorie intake, the body's metabolism will show an increase and you'll kick start your metabolism into gear. This helps the body get less accustomed to running on a lower calorie level and makes getting lean/losing weight easier.
Overall, it is important to make sure that you live a healthy lifestyle and fit your diet to suit you and your goals in fitness and/or health. It is also so important to not "fantasise" about cheat days and make you crave cheats even more! I see "cheats" or "treat" days as a part of my lifestyle and a little reward weekly, plus I enjoy healthy foods, so my diet is not a diet in my eyes whatsoever... It's just what I choose to eat. Having a positive mindset is just as important as having a healthy body! If you are one to dream about that junk food, maybe it is better to have cheat snacks (such as a piece of chocolate on certain days) which helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep your cravings to a minimum.
Any questions?
juicepluslac@hotmail.com
IG: @fitladieslife
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