Alright, so I am not a nutritionist or any type of doctor. However, I have been successful at losing 50 lbs and there are a few key things I think have helped me along the way. I want to share them with you so maybe you can get a better sense of what you can change up to make better choices. Here we go:
1) Drink Water - and lots of it.
I generally drink about 120 ounces a day or close to a gallon. After 80 ounces I stop counting, but I keep drinking. It's important for your body to stay hydrated to perform at it's best. From drinking water, you reduce the amount of water you retain. Strange, but factual. It flushes out the toxins and sodium from your system. There is a formula based on your weight on how much water you should drink. I do believe this is a fairly ideal formulation. I am NOT a doctor and some of you may disagree. However, this is what I live by and this is MY blog. So - You take your weight and divide it by 2. That is the number of ounces you should drink.
For example= I weigh 150. So 75 ounces is how many ounces I should definitely get in. Though I try to drink a gallon each day, because I like it. :)
2) Eat CLEAN foods
Stop eating processed foods. Anything that comes in a box or bag that has a ton of ingredients in it, is probably not the best for you. Look at the ingredients, if you have no idea what it is or how to say it, it's probably some chemical shit storm. In my grocery shopping, I stick to the outside of the store for the majority of my foods I buy. The produce section, the meat section, the freezer section. Occasionally I drop down in the isles for brown rice, quinoa, and steel cut oats. THAT is IT!
Here is my typical grocery list:
Produce - any vegetables (I try to buy organic), any fruits (again organic). I buy them this way because I know there are no chemicals or pesticides used on them that I can put in my body.
Meat - Grass fed beef or xtra lean beef, 99% fat free turkey, free range natural antibiotic free chicken breasts or tenderloins, pork tenderloins, fish - preferred wild caught salmon.
Freezer - Bagged veggies with no added sauce or seasoning. Frozen fish or shrimp
Dairy - Free-range eggs, Unsweetened almond milk, 100% egg whites
3) NO diet foods
I used to be all about the convenience. The "healthy" cereal bars or protein bars or the healthy frozen meals. Even those diet shakes. Not good. Again CHEMICAL SHIT STORM! These are all full of JUNK and I was not reading my labels. I was also NOT seeing any results by eating these things and usually didn't satisfy my hunger. Again, eat clean food. This is not clean food. You may feel good about yourself for making a "healthy" choice, but these truly are marketed that way and trick you. Do you really want to eat those "healthy" foods for the rest of your life? Eating clean is the only sustainable way to be healthy.
4) Eat small meals multiple times a day
I eat every 2-3 hours. This seems a little excessive for some. My thoughts used to be the less I ate the more my body would burn calories. WRONG! The less you eat the more your body will hold onto all the PRECIOUS nutrients because your metabolism is slow. When you eat often, your body speeds up and it's getting the nutrients it needs to burn calories more efficiently. I eat 5-6 meals a day. I know it sounds like a lot, but you get used to it. Then you see results!
5) Stop eating 3 hours before bed.
Anything eating after this time will more than likely be stored energy and then turn into fat. True story! I know people get late night munchies. So if needed, grab a piece of lean protein to snack on. With that being said - carbs and fruits are always best to be eating before 3 pm. These are big energy sources and if they don't get burned off that day, again they will get stored.
Alright those are my TOP 5 tips that I follow each day. I hope these helped you make better choices. Again I am NOT a doctor or a nutritionist. Just from my experience this is what has worked for me :)
