The Way to Shred
• 31/07/2018
The Way to Shred: Nutrition for weight loss
Are you overwhelmed with all of the information available on weight loss and fat burning – you are not alone. Many of us find it hard to filter through the large amount of information available online to identify fact from fiction.
In this article Gwen Gothard – Musashi Performance Nutritionist explains the truths about healthy fat loss and the quickest way you can achieve fat loss goals without following fad diets or funky weight loss routines.
First of all, you need to identify what your weight loss goal is. If you are planning on losing 10kg then you need to break this down into a weekly goal, for example a healthy weight loss for an average healthy person is approximately 0.5-1kg per week. Therefore, 10kg should be lost over the course of 10-weeks.
Secondly you will need to identify how you can achieve this, start by keeping a 24-hour food diary. Write down everything you eat over a 24-hour period including both food and drinks.
Look back at your food diary asking yourself the following questions:
- Have I eaten 3-main meals and 2-3 snacks in-between meals? Have I eaten every 3-4hours?
- Have I included healthy protein (chicken, fish, tofu, eggs or diary) in each meal?
- Have I monitored or taken note of my portion sizes?
- Eating every 3-4hours including both meals and snacks will help to keep your metabolism working hard and increase the chances of natural fat burning, even at rest.
- Protein with every meal helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer while also helping to maintain important muscle mass to assist fat burning results. Protein powders and protein bars such as those found in the Musashi Shred and Burn range are perfect for bridging the gap in-between main meals, helping to keep the metabolism working hard and also providing the body with quality protein to retain muscle definition.
- Servings sizes are also important; it is easy to overeat when a meal is delicious or graze out of the pantry when you are bored or tired. Make sure that you know what you are putting into your mouth at all times. Only eat when you are actually hungry and always think before you reach for a second serve, do you really need it?
- Have I eaten a large amount of pre-packaged foods, fast foods or foods containing large amounts of saturated fat i.e. chocolate, biscuits, chips etc.?
- Did I drink soft drink or cordial in the last 24-hours?
- Eating large amounts of high saturated fat, high salty and highly processed foods can automatically hinder weight loss. Try and reduce these in your diet and if you are eating these items daily reduce your intake to every-other-day or even better, once or twice a week.
- Soft drink contains many hidden unwanted calories. Did you know, if you drink one can of soft drink every day for whole year you are at risk of putting on an additional 6kg of body fat.