Eating right to get ripped or even just in better shape can seem like an overwhelming proposition at times. There is tons of info out there which suggests that you eat healthy but gives few concrete tips about what you should eat or make it a simple decision to keep track of each day. Where to begin? Grains, vegetables? And what about meat? What do you mean you have to eat more protein or carbohydrates? Which are ‘good’ carbs and ‘good fats’?  Well, the solution isn’t so complicated, small steps and minor adjustments are the building blocks of long-term success. Start implementing these changes and you can start seeing a major transformation in the way you feel and the composition of your body.

 

Start with Liquid Calories

Drinking water is possibly one of the best things you can do for your health and your weight. Water has no calories and is absolutely vital for all bodily processes. If you currently drink soft drinks and alcohol it might shock you to see the number of extra calories that these habits bring in each week. But that’s not all, not really want all additives, refined sugars and chemicals in some of these drinks. I once cut out soda as a teenager and within months lost 10-15 pounds without making any other changes to my diet and exercise program. Cut the liquid calories and the results will come.

Get Rid of the Processed and Sugary Foods

The simplest way to put this is to cut all  refined foods. You can take the gradual elimination approach to make it easier on yourself, as simple sugar foods can be quite addictive. Depending on your caloric needs, you can replace these refined and simple sugar foods with whole grains and foods like fruits and veggies. The white flour has been refined and processed to the point that everything has been removed from the whole grain, that made it nutritious in the first place.

 

Get Your Protein

Eliminating bad carbs can go a long way to helping to shred fat and get much more fiber in our diets. However, we also need to take care to get our protein intake, especially when we are in the middle of weight lifting and cardio programs. However, proteins is especially necessary to preserve muscle tissue that we already have, and even increase it a little to improve our body composition. Here are some common options:

-Lean cuts of meat

- beans

-nuts

- chicken or turkey without skin, especially breast 

- eggs

- skim milk 

- all fish

You don’t necessarily need massive amounts of protein to build muscle but bumping it up to around .75-1.25 grams per lb of body weight has worked for me in the past.

Get Some Fats, They Aren’t Evil

Use olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil in your cooking, in your salads and even a cup of natural yogurt. Avoid saturated fats, trans fats, and refined oils. Fats are vital in proper hormone production, which is vital to not only build muscle and lose fat, but also many other functions in your body. 

Consume good amounts of fruits and vegetables

This is something which we all know intuitively but many people fail to implement this into their diet. I like to add frozen vegetables with my larger meals and also get my fruit intake with an all-natural + no additive smoothie. It’s good to get a wide variety of veggies and fruits in your diet to ensure that you are getting a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals each day. These foods are full of life and essential towards maintaining a fully healthy and functional body.

 

Well that’s all for now, start slowly and keep it up for a few weeks and soon notice that you feel different, you have increased energy, and that the belly fat is starting to melt off. And remember this is what you do on a regular basis so that in the long run, these changes will make a difference. Creating new and better habits takes time.