So you should have seen Part One of my Fat Loss tips and hopefully you’ve been really honest with yourself and are looking at making a few very simple changes.
Do you have our Fat Loss Checklist to find out how well what you eat is matched to your fat loss goals? Get it here
But now we have four more tips for fat loss right here in Part Two of my Ten Fat Loss Tips.
1. Let vegies occupy a significant amount of your plate real estate and include them in at least 2 meals a day
Another rule we have all been told since we were kids – eat vegetables every day.
Vegies are extremely low in energy but provide a truck-load of essential nutrients. Aside from being nutrient dense, research shows that by increasing your vegetable intake at a meal you can lower total energy intake.
One of the most powerful changes you can make to your diet is allowing vegetables to occupy more of our plate real estate at both lunch and dinner each day. Especially on non-training days when your energy needs are lower.
Just eat a big salad at lunch and some lightly steamed vegetables at dinner … how easy is that?
2. Include a small serve of protein rich food at each meal and snack
Protein rich foods make meals and snacks more filling. So it makes good sense to include a small serve of protein rich food at each meal and snack throughout the day.
You don’t need to follow a high protein diet.. this is just about a better distribution of your protein intake. Most Aussies ‘back end’ their protein intake - consuming half or more of their daily protein intake at dinner. Instead, keep your serve of protein rich food at dinner to no more than a deck of cards (about 100-120g), add some lean ham and low fat cheese to your sandwich at lunch, poached eggs at breaky and include a natural Greek yoghurt as a great mid-meal snack.
You will feel fuller for longer and avoid those nasty hunger pangs that can wreak havoc with your meal plan.
3. Drinking with meals can help moderate food intake and promote better hydration
Recent research suggests that drinking calorie-free drinks with meals can help fill you up, so it moderates your intake of food at the meal. This obviously assists with weight loss but will also boost your hydration by making use of the salt naturally in food to better hydrate.
And water is important! Dehydration impairs your performance which means you’ll get less training adaptations from your work-out and will burn fewer calories. Arrive at the gym hydrated and think about your fluid intake throughout the day. Carry a drink bottle with you everywhere and ensure you refill it during the day.
My tip – drink two glasses of water before each meal. That gives you more than a litre a day already. Then have a water bottle at your desk that you finish before lunch, and then again before you finish for the day.
I can already hear you saying… I don’t like the taste of water. No excuse - add a small twist of lemon or lime juice to your bottle of water for extra flavour. Alternatively, if you really struggle with plain water, consider using diet cordial to help you drink more. Keep the amounts of diet cordial to just the minimum as super sweet diet cordials still keep your taste buds craving sweet treats.
4. Mid-meal snacks are OK if they keep hunger at bay
Having regular meals and snacks throughout the day helps prevent you from getting over hungry and bringing out the “hangries” when you eat everything in sight.
The key is to select the right snacks like fresh fruit, low fat or diet yoghurts, portion packs of nuts etc. Avoiding energy rich, nutrient poor foods and drinks is critical as these foods are so easy to passively over-consume.
So that’s a wrap for Part Two of my Ten Fat Loss Tips.
Ready for Part Three? This quick read could save you hundreds of calories a day! Do you have our Fat Loss Checklist to find out how well what you eat is matched to your fat loss goals? Get it here
And if you need more support to plan your meals or measure your fat loss, BOOK HERE for a consultation with a dietitian or DEXA scan.