10 Nutritional Tips to Maximize Body Fat Loss 

                                               Paul Eade 2/08

1. Your two most important meals of the day are breakfast and the meal after your workout. An easy nutritional breakfast would be a bowl of wheat bran cereal or oatmeal with skim milk and a banana. A great after workout choice would be a high protein meal replacement shake like Met-Rx or Myoplex with a banana, milk or water & ice. Look for meal replacement shakes that have similar amounts of protein and carbohydrates. The better shakes have 30+ grams of protein and 30 grams or less of carbohydrates.

2. Eliminate saturated fats from your daily meals. It’s common sense to avoid high saturated fat foods like bacon and pepperoni but by also draining /rinsing fat from ground beef, you also decrease the majority of the saturated fat. Saturated fat is calorie dense; each gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to protein & carbohydrates which contain 4 calories per gram.

3. Include good fats (omega-3’s and 6’s) in your daily eating plan. Ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil are great sources that can be purchased at Eade Fitness or supermarkets. Ground flaxseed can be put over vegetables/salads, soups or in cereal or oatmeal. 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil can be added to your daily protein shake or put in your yogurt. These good fats are needed for growth and repair of cells and they also provide anti-inflammatory properties – better than Advil or Ibuprofen! Omega-3 fats will also eliminate dry skin and hair. These fats will also build your immune system. I can honesty proclaim that in the 10+ years I have included flax oil (1-2 tablespoons per day) in my daily eating program I have been sick and missed work only once or twice.

4. Avoid high sugar products or adding sugar to foods! This cannot be understated. Excess sugar promotes bodyfat storage. You must eliminate sweets to eliminate bodyfat. Most people already understand and have eliminated regular sodas like Pepsi and Coke. Sodas are loaded with sugar as of course are processed sweets like cakes & cookies. Eliminating all carbonated beverages (diet included) will guard against bloating and gastrointestinal aches and stress. Eliminate carbonation and watch your stomach flatten. Eat plenty of fruits for energy and nutrition. Fruits pack a great deal of vitamin C and fiber and are low in calories.

5. Eat at least 1 apple a day. Eat as a snack between meals or slice and put on salad. With many types and tastes to choose from, apples provide you with a quick, nutritious snack that is high in fiber. You should increase your daily fruit intake by eating an orange and banana every day. All fruits are encouraged for snacks.

6. Eat “light” (low sugar) yogurt. Eat as a snack between meals or in evening. Purchase brands that contain 10 grams or less of sugar. Yogurt is a quick source of calcium and great for intestinal health.

7. Eat at least 1 salad per day as a meal with low fat protein (tuna, chicken, turkey) and a low calorie dressing. When you feel like having a meal with “volume’, choose a large salad. Salads are a great choice when dining out but always ask for low calorie dressing and avoid regular cheeses (high in fat) on top of your salad and skip the croutons (empty non-nutritious calories).

8. Vegetables are unlimited! Try and include them in all sit down meals. The more you eat (especially as a replacement to other foods) the quicker your fat loss. Eat the vegetables raw, steamed or microwave (frozen). Use low calorie dressing as a dip. Cut up vegetables to have them readily available in your refrigerator.

9. Avoid white breads and choose 100% whole wheat grain products. The first ingredient on the bread package is the most important avoid “enriched flour” products in favor of “whole wheat grain”. Limit per servings helpings of bread to two slices.

10. Eat 4-6 servings (meals & snacks) per day. Breakfast – Mid Morning Snack – Lunch – Mid Afternoon Snack – Dinner – Evening Snack. Multiple small servings eaten throughout the day are better assimilated in the body and will keep your blood sugar levels stable, thereby reducing hunger pangs & increasing your metabolism.

Allow yourself a one FREE meal or even free day when you eat foods like pizza, ice cream, cookies, wings, a few beers etc… the foods you don’t eat the other 6 days of the week. Actually, by eating these foods once a week, you begin to see how food affects your energy levels and how eating foods high in refined flour and sugar will cause you to hold water and raise your bodyweight. Just remember by soaking up the pools of fat on your cheese & pepperoni pizza, you eliminate over 30% of the total fat content. Consistency is the key – while each individual is different, adhering to these nutritional practices and exercising (resistance machines + cardiovascular machines) for at least 3 months should result in definite body fat loss.