Fitness Blender / Eating Right to Lose Weight

 Fitness Blender

Do you skip breakfast? It is imperative that you start your day with a good, healthy breakfast. Whatever you do, do NOT skip breakfast. Your body has been without nutrients for 6+ hours...thus the name BREAK(the)FAST. People who start their day with a good healthy breakfast without fail have the best success with their weight loss plan and actually eat LESS throughout the day than those who regularly skip breakfast. Balance this meal (and all subsequent meals) with carbohydrates, proteins, and a little healthy fat.

Some good options would be a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, whole wheat toast w/jelly, and a banana. Or an egg white omelet with cut up veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers), whole wheat toast w/peanut butter, and a small glass of orange juice. Or if you prefer to drink your breakfast on the go, smoothies are an excellent option. Gather the ingredients in your blender for your favorite smoothie the night before and store it in the refrigerator. The next morning, all you have to do is blend and go! Super easy!  

In addition, plan your meals so that you are eating every 3-4 hours, about 5-6 times per day. For example, if you normally eat breakfast at 6am, you would also have meals at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm. You want to make sure that your last meal is 3-4 hours before you go to bed. Eating more frequently may seem a little odd at first, but studies have shown that people who eat more frequently have the most success with not only weight loss, but consistent energy levels throughout the day.

Think of building a fire. You wouldn't load a bunch of wood on a fire only three times in a day and expect it to constantly burn. If you tend to the fire more frequently and feed it small pieces of wood every few hours, the fire will respond with a consistent and even flame all day. This is also true for your metabolism. You will experience more level ranges of energy throughout the day if you eat more often. This is not to say that you have huge meals at every sitting! Think about dividing your normal portion in half. Eat half of what you normally eat for lunch and eat the other half 3-4 hours later. You are still getting plenty to eat...you are just eating more regularly. This also helps to prevent you from overeating. When you know that your next meal is only a few hours away, you will be less likely to eat more to "store up".

Plan your meals ahead of time, and write them down to make sure you have everything on hand. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail! When you eat more regular meals, you will also find that the 3pm "afternoon slump" will be a thing of the past.