Five Essential Nutritional Steps To Increase Your Weight-Loss Capacity

Weight loss strategies will depend on your body composition goals

Do you want to put on muscle mass, are you preparing for a particular event, or do you want to get leaner?
 
If you want to get leaner, a moderate calorie deficit is needed and should be part of your overall weight loss nutritional goals.
 
With any diet plan that calls for changing your body shape — diet will determine 80% of your results.
 
This also applied to building muscle.
 
If we don’t give our bodies adequate nutritional needs, we’re not getting the results.
 
Let’s assume you are trying to lose some body fat.
 
Here are a few steps you should follow daily to make the journey more successful.

Five essential nutritional steps to increase your weight-loss capacity (in and out of the gym)

Protein is powerful in weight loss and muscle building

This should be an essential part of your dieting strategy because protein helps to keep you full for extended periods; it’s thermogenic & requires energy to digest, & helps retain muscle mass as you diet.
 
Some tremendous low calorie but dense protein sources are eggs, fish, chicken breast and wild-caught meats.
 
Try to include protein with every single meal you have.
 
I like to take eggs along when I’m on the go, as it helps me achieve my protein quota and keeps that level of sustained energy throughout the day.
 
The worst part of dieting is feeling hungry all the time — but consuming protein will help you overcome this.
 
Keep a protein source in your bag all the time — just in case (don’t forget to leave eggs in your bag).

Don’t sacrifice calories too much

On days you aren’t exercising, you will need to include nutrition for recovery and repair.
 
This also depends on what kind of exercise you are performing.
 
When you lift weights, your body will require a bit more fuel to repair micro muscle tears and make the muscle stronger so you can lift more next time around.
 
It’s safe to say that on those days, you will probably not want to eat the volume of food that you do when training.
 
Allow your body to gauge what it needs and consume accordingly and within your nutritional quota. Always eat when you are hungry — don’t force feed.

Carb cycle for optimal results

One thing I do when I’m not training is carb cycle regularly.
 
That means, on days I’m not lifting, I will go lower carb.
 
This helps me burn more body fat and create a nice balance of that low to high carb ratio during the week.
 
Perhaps give this a try and see how it helps both your training and weight loss results.

Include greener vegetables in your diet

I mentioned protein, but we need to include a wide range of green vegetables for their nutrient value.
 
Vegetables contain protein — even though not a level similar to animal protein. So you will have to eat a higher volume of plant-based food if you are vegan.
 
We also have to remember that consuming more vegetables to keep us full for more extended periods is essential when carb cycling.
 
Pick veggies such as spinach, kale, lettuce, cabbage and broccoli and add them to your protein source.
 
Make sure to add some fats, like avocado and olive oil. Fats help with the absorption of nutrients, and they make the meal a little bit tastier!

Try intermittent fasting on rest days

For added fat loss, why not schedule some IF days when you are resting.
 
This leads to fewer calories consumed and gets your body more insulin sensitive, meaning it will burn fat as a fuel source.
 
We want our bodies to maintain a fat-burning state, but it becomes inhibited by eating too frequently and not allowing the body to lower its insulin levels enough to burn stored fat.
 
Start with a smaller window of fasting, and then gradually add more and more time. It is challenging initially, but soon enough, this becomes second nature.
 
I highly recommend this method for faster fat loss and longevity.
 
Hopefully, these few tips and tricks will allow you to balance the calories you eat and give you some flexibility with your nutritional plan, so you don’t feel hungry.
 
When we use a flexible technique, we are more likely to stick with it for the long haul, making it a lifestyle habit.
 
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