Working out to get your ideal body doesn't mean that you only have to hit the gym and you're set to go. You may find you can spend the whole day in the gym, and still, you are not able to lose weight as you expected. Why is this? Many tend to forget to develop the right diet that supplements their workout plans and allows them to lose weight faster and healthily. Here’s a quick guide to developing the right meal plan for your healthy weight loss.
1. Never skip meals
The first thing to note is that you should never starve yourself. Skipping meals can push your body into storing fat deposits. If you're keen to see results from your diet, the best thing you can do is reduce your calorie intake and the number of times you eat in a day. That means eliminating snacking and sticking to three key meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2. Avoid sugars and starch
A lot of sugars and starch (carbs) are not particularly beneficial to your body. When you ingest these foods in high amounts, they are broken down for energy by the body instead of the stored fats. When you limit this in your diet, however, your body will break down your fat reserves, helping you to lose some weight.
3. Go low-fat
Suppose you want to lose weight, and substitute full-fat products, such as butter and blue milk, for low-fat alternatives, such as oil-based spreads and skimmed milk. This is important in dropping bad cholesterol levels in your body, which can be associated with being overweight and may lead to other conditions.
4. Increase your vegetable intake
Vegetables are essential when it comes to weight loss. Ensure that you have some element of greens in all your meals. There is a great selection of nutritious low-carb vegetables stacked on your grocery shelves. Vegetables are a good source of oils, fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals.
5. Don't forget the protein!
Research shows that protein-rich foods are essential in lowering cravings by about 60%. These cravings often lead to irresponsible snacking, so to avoid this, make sure you pack your mealtimes with low-fat and low-calorie protein such as lean red meat, turkey, fish and pulses.