Weight loss is one of the most exploited areas in the fitness industry. As much as there are viable means of losing weight, people often favour lose-weight-quick schemes like slimming teas. If only they knew how inimical slimming teas could be.
Regular fitness training, on the other hand, pays huge dividends in terms of weight loss, and also mental health. And it needn't cost a penny.
To complement your fitness training, it's important to choose the right nutrition. You might wonder how eating will help you lose weight, since it's most likely what made you gain weight in the first place. This post will put you through.
Nutrition is vital for better overall health too.
Let’s go!
The Importance of Nutrition for Weight Loss
So can precision nutrition really help with your weight loss plan? Short answer: YES. Long answer: Read on!
Nutrition is an essential aspect of weight loss. When you engage in fitness training, you burn lots of calories, and your energy levels deplete.
The natural way to restore your energy level to a maximum are through quality rest and sound nutrition. Indeed, your fitness goals can only be realised by combining physical exertion with healthful rest and proper nutrition.
Besides, a healthful diet can help you lose weight on its own. We refer to these kinds of foods as “real food”. Real foods are those that contain plenty of minerals and vitamins, are devoid of any chemical additives and are mostly unprocessed in any form.
Here are some examples of real foods:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Oats
- Grass-fed meat
- Beans and legumes
- Fish and seafood
- Nuts and seeds (raw and unsalted)
- Sweet potatoes etc.
These are the kinds of foods that can significantly aid your weight loss plan. Here are some reasons why they do.
They are nutritious
Proper nutrition is crucial, and real foods offer that. Since they’re filled with minerals and vitamins, they’re recommended for your health.
When you consume processed foods, you deprive your body of enough iron. Your body needs iron to transport oxygen around your body. Oxygen is vital to aiding your exercise drills.
However, when you consume real foods, your body gets enough iron to aid oxygen transportation. This way, your exercise drills prove to be more effective, and your weight loss plan becomes more productive.
They lack refined sugars
Real foods often contain natural sugars – sugars that are rather different to the refined sugars usually found in processed foods. For example, natural sugars can be found in fruits and vegetables.
Refined sugars provide high calories to processed foods. Since the essence of weight loss is to get rid of extra calories, it is not beneficial for the body.
When you consume processed foods with refined sugars often, obesity occurs.
It is why real foods should always be your first choice – because they contain only natural sugars and do not contain surplus calories.
They lack artificial trans fats
Every nutritionist understands one thing: artificial trans fats are bad for everyone. Trans fats are primarily made up of vegetable oils that contain hydrogen molecules. They’re solid as opposed to the liquid form of natural vegetable oils.
Trans fats are usually used to preserve processed foods like doughnuts, cakes, etc. However, they have adverse effects on the health and waistlines of individuals who consume them.
Fortunately, real foods do not have trans fats in them. Real foods like lamb and pork contain natural fats, but they do not pose any threats to people who consume them.
Some real foods reduce your urge for sugar
It is natural for every human to love sugary things. They have a positive reception by the taste bud. However, consuming much sugar makes you vulnerable to stasis or weight gain. It is in direct contrast to your weight loss plan.
Not to worry – some real foods help to eliminate sugar cravings. When you eat fruits like berries and apples, they satisfy your desire for sweet things, and they help to reduce your sugar intake.
When you continue to consume real foods, your urge for sugary things starts depleting over time until you find them less desirable.
Weight loss is possible even while eating plenty of real foods
Did you know that you can eat lots of real foods yet lose weight? Well, you can. This is why most nutritionists and personal trainers advise eating regular, modest-portioned meals throughout the day. Look at the nutrition plan of any elite athlete and you’ll notice just how much they eat every day. The difference is, they are eating properly.
Real foods are rich in protein
Protein is quite essential for every weight loss program. Here’s why: it increases the rate at which the body converts food and beverages into energy, reduces your hunger level, and influences the formation of hormones that control weight gain.
Luckily, real foods boast high protein levels. It is partly because there is not much processing involved with real foods.
When a meal is processed, it makes essential amino acids more tasking for the body to digest. In the same vein, it reduces the availability of these amino acids to the body.
With real foods boasting high protein and low calories, it is beneficial for weight loss.
How to lose weight with nutrition
Alongside fitness training, diet is the safest and most feasible way of losing weight in a gradual process.
Different steps can help you lose weight with nutrition. Here are some of them.
Regular dieting
There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. If you resolve to reduce your calorie consumption by 500 per day on average, you’ll lose 1 pound every week.
You can set feasible goals and work towards achieving them.
You can eat three balanced meals every day and at exact times. Avoid the consumption of processed foods too. They’re bad for your weight loss plan.
Ration what you eat
As much as we want you to eat balanced foods, there is a need for you to control what you eat. There are different recommended portions depending on age, gender, and other criteria.
For example, if you want rice or pasta, three tablespoons are enough for you. Similarly, you shouldn’t eat more than one medium slice of bread.
Use a meal planner
For consistency, you are advised to stick to a meal timetable. There are diet plans available for you to take advantage of. These plans help you eat the right food combination.
Drink water often
The temptation to drink beverages that are high in calories will always arise. The onus is on you to resist such. You can often take water. Avoid consumption of non-diet juice and juice. Find out the healthiest water to drink.
You should also read up on supplements that can help your body lower cholesterol levels.
Conclusion
By combining precision nutrition and a proper fitness plan, weight loss logically follows. Of course, when you have reached your target weight, you may have another ambition: to improve your musculature, for example, or enhance your athletic performance. Again, tailoring your diet and training accordingly is what is necessary.
You’ll be surprised by how it easy it becomes to snub empty calories in favour of nutrient-dense alternatives. Natural food. Real food. The food that sustained our Palaeolithic ancestors. Don’t look back!
Guest blog by Tyler Read, owner of ptpioneer.com – a website dedicated to helping people get started in the personal training industry. Tyler helps people discover, study and pass their fitness exams. Check out his free videos for the latest trends.
Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.
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