Don’t let your diet undermine your attempts at successful transformation. Create a nutrition plan that is rock solid by using these 7 pieces of advice from successful athletes!
You can’t just rely on your workouts to help you change if you want to. It takes a lot of effort in the kitchen to burn fat or gain muscle, too!
You won’t achieve the outcomes you work so hard to achieve without a firm understanding of nutrition. You need a flawless nutrition game plan if you want to have your finest year yet.
Our athletes are available to assist! They are thoroughly aware of what it takes to optimise your nutrition for lasting change. Use their advice in your diet plan to effectively burn fat and gain muscle.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice; for health advice, please consult a licensed healthcare provider. Read our disclosures.
Modify Calories on Days When You’re Not Training
Many people hoping to transform their bodies make the error of consuming the same number of calories during training sessions as they do during non-training sessions.
People don’t properly nourish themselves while undergoing metamorphosis. You require more fuel to train and aid in the healing of your body on training days.
Athletes advise increasing calories on training days and lowering them on non-training days. On rest days, they stipulate that the calorie total must be 2,000, and on working days, 2,500.
Instead of drastically altering your calorie intake by the thousands, adjust your intake in accordance with your weight, gender, goals, and the intensity of your workouts.
Many of these calories can be obtained from protein and additional carbohydrates, which will support peak performance on the days you train.
Pay Attention to your Body
You might believe that eating healthily is simple: You never deviate from a list of foods that are allowed on your diet. However, it’s crucial to customize your nutrition strategy.
Jimmy Everett, a fitness model, advises not to ignore the way your body reacts to various foods.
Even if a certain cuisine may be nutritious for you, it may not make you feel great. If anything causes your body to react poorly, leave it out of your diet.
Replace anything you do decide to take out with an alternative, healthier option.
Don’t make yourself consume something you dislike or have bad reactions to just because your plan specifies it.
Try Not to Be Too Strict
There is no doubt that healthier food choices are necessary if you want to reduce your body fat. Unhealthy meals that may have previously filled your plate will likely be excluded from your new regimen.
However, don’t start your journey by giving up everything you enjoy eating.
Focus on eating as many healthy meals as you can, but don’t consider any items to be “off limits. You’ll go crazy and your strategy won’t work if you limit yourself to eating the same few meals repeatedly.
You should be aware that there is room for occasional treats if you choose healthy options for the majority of your carbohydrate, protein, and fat amounts. The key is balance for successful transformation.
Boost Your Protein Intake
An investigation published in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2005 indicated that healthy adults who raised their protein intake from 15% to 30% experienced considerably greater sensations of fullness, but their calorie intake and fat mass dropped.[1]
Every meal should contain 20 to 30 grams of high-quality protein to promote muscle growth and raise rates of protein synthesis.[2]
To put it another way, protein is king! Therefore, if you began your transformation but haven’t yet increased your protein intake, it’s time.
However, increasing your protein intake doesn’t require you to feed on meat at every meal. Vegans can receive their protein from soy, tempeh, lentils, and beans.
Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that your body is impacted by the quality of the food you eat. You’ll feel better the better the meals you eat.
Don’t Be Afraid of Fat
Some people completely eliminate dietary fat because they believe it doesn’t fit in a diet designed to burn fat. The reality is that your body requires dietary fat in order to burn fat.
According to studies, consuming nutrient-dense good fats like omega-3 fatty acids can really help with fat burning.
According to one of these studies, healthy men and women who took fish oil supplements for six weeks saw an increase in lean mass and a decrease in fat mass.[3]
Healthy fats also aid in lowering cortisol levels in the body, which aids in stress management.
Additionally, it has been demonstrated that combining fish oil with exercise improves cardiovascular and metabolic health in addition to body fat reduction.[4]
Reduce Calories Gradually
Suddenly cutting your daily calorie intake from 2,500 to 1,500 might make you feel famished, restricted, and dissatisfied. It is much preferable to reduce it gently.
According to fitness model James Pulido, “I suggest starting with a 200-calorie decrease [from what you’re eating currently] and then gradually increasing activity and intensity levels.”
Slowly reducing your caloric intake will help to ensure that you continue to notice improvements. You won’t be able to move forward if you start your journey by reducing your calorie consumption too quickly.
You can progress for the long run if you start with the very minimum effective amount of calorie restriction and cardio.
Keep Hydrated
Make sure you drink enough water since, according to model Jimmy Everett, staying hydrated is essential to the fat-loss process.
Everything from your metabolic rate to your energy levels might be affected by dehydration.
Too many people spend the entire day partially dehydrated, which makes them feel tired when they shouldn’t and makes them eat when they should just be drinking.
How can you tell if you are adequately hydrated? The simplest method is to observe the colour of your urination.
Your urine should be the colour of lemonade; if it appears more like apple juice, you should consume more liquids.
Keep track of how frequently you use the loo (aim for a trip every couple of hours). If you take a multivitamin, you could notice that the colour of your urine is neon yellow (due to extra riboflavin).[5]
Try not to hydrate yourself with coffee and energy drinks. Add some BCAAs or lemon slices to your water to flavour it if you don’t like plain water.