What you need to eat to lose fat

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We are sharing with you a new post from the famous blogger Leo Babauta, from which you will find out which foods will help you lose fat and which exercises will help you keep yourself in good shape.

Lifehacker's readers are already familiar with the famous blogger. Leo often writes on his blog about a healthy lifestyle, self-development, and how important it is to form new habits.

Today we want to share with you an article from which you will find out what foods and exercises can help you lose fat.

I was obese but managed to get back to normal weight. And sometimes people ask me what to eat to lose fat.

I've tried many diets: Atkins, Mediterranean, South Beach, Paleo, Vegan, and a bunch of others. In the end, I created my own meal plan and keep track of how many calories I consume.

And I came to this conclusion:

To get rid of fat, you should eat high quality foods, especially vegetables. In this case, you will not overeat and poison your body with junk food.

I have created a nutrition system that works for me, and I hope that it will work for you, but since we are all different, you may have a slightly different effect. I may give up meat without regret out of compassion for animals, but I don't expect everyone to do the same. Experiment, try to find what works for you.

High quality products

Here is a list of high quality foods that have helped me lose fat.

Non-starch vegetables. These are wonderful foods: I can eat them in unlimited quantities and only benefit from it. Green vegetables are the best for fat loss, but don't underestimate reds, oranges, and yellows as well.
Proteins. Since I'm a vegetarian, I usually go with tempeh, seitan, tofu, and beans. But if you do not consider yourself a vegetarian, then, of course, fish, poultry and red meat (in small quantities) will do.
Fruits. I usually eat them for a snack. Carrots, although not a fruit, can also be attributed to this point. I like berries, apples, stone fruits (peaches, plums, etc.), tropical fruits.
Beans. I mentioned beans before when I talked about proteins, but I put them on a separate paragraph to emphasize that beans of all kinds are extremely healthy for you.
Vegetable oils. I allow myself small amounts of olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil.

I also cut back on whole grains, nuts (nuts are good for your body, but they are high in calories), and starchy vegetables. And every night I have a glass of red wine.

Low quality products

Low-quality foods are recommended to be consumed in smaller quantities and not as a main food, but, say, for dessert, since most of them do not contribute to fat loss.

Flour products. Bread, pastries, pasta. These foods are not bad for you (in moderation), but they do not contribute to fat loss.
Sugar. He is in everything. Carbonated drinks, coffee, sweets, cereals, sauces. I am not urging you to give up sugar completely, but I advise you to consume it in moderation, let it be an additional pleasure for you, and not a staple in your diet.
Beer. I love beer, but it certainly doesn't help me lose weight. So I only drink beer on holidays or when meeting with friends - about once or twice a month.
Fried foods. I do not shy away from fried foods, but I know that they definitely do not help me get rid of fat.
Starchy foods. White rice, white potatoes - these foods are not bad for your body, but it's hard to call them a complete food.
Processed meat. I don't eat any meat as I'm a vegetarian, but I would advise everyone to stay away from processed meat. This is the concentration of fats, salts and nitrates.
Prepared food products. Not the worst for your body, but, of course, these are more expensive products and at the same time more saturated with fats, salt and sugars. You should be especially careful about frozen foods (except perhaps frozen vegetables).

Do you know why many people find it so difficult to lose fat even when they are dieting? Because even on a diet, they still allow themselves this junk food.

High quality diet

How do we combine high quality foods in our daily diet? There are many combinations, I will give a few examples.

Example 1. For breakfast, tofu scrambled eggs with vegetables, for lunch tempeh and vegetarian stew (you can add some brown rice as you like), for a snack, fruits and carrots, for dinner again a vegetarian stew, in the evening you can have a glass of red wine.
Example 2. For breakfast, oatmeal with berries or nuts, for lunch, vegetarian chili, for dessert, apples and almond oil, a cup of green tea. For dinner again, chili and a glass of red wine.
Example 3. Have a light breakfast of nuts and fruits (in reasonable amounts, of course), then head out to workout and grab a protein shake. For lunch, seitan with cabbage, a roast of mushrooms, a little later you can treat yourself to a fruit cocktail. For dinner, seitan with vegetables, green tea, in the evening you can drink a glass of red wine.
Example 4. For breakfast, oatmeal with berries or nuts, soy milk. For lunch, lentil curry, carrots and hummus for a snack. After lunch, you can have oolong tea.

If these combinations do not suit you, then there are many of them on the Internet and you can easily choose the one that suits you.

I usually cook food for three to four days at once. This saves me time on cooking.

If you start eating right, does that mean that from now on, bread, candy or fries will forever be banned for you? I am not a supporter of extreme measures, so I believe that you do not need to torture yourself, denying yourself what you love. But it should also be remembered that these products are harmful to the body and you should not indulge yourself with them often.

You can also get pleasure from healthy food, not just fast food.

Fat Burning Workouts

Diet is one of the main conditions that will help you lose fat. But in order to keep yourself in good shape and stay healthy, diet must be combined with exercise.

Here are the exercises I do:

Power training. By doing strength training, you can lose fat without losing muscle mass. Plus, strength training can help you feel stronger and more confident. This is important not only for men, but also for women. I recommend starting with exercises such as push-ups, squats, and lunges. After you get used to these exercises, you can gradually increase the load, for example, start doing exercises with a barbell.
Cardio training. It often seems to me that people who do strength training are contemptuous of cardio. But in my opinion, strength and cardio work well together. Cardio helps your heart stay healthy, you burn extra calories and keep yourself in good shape. I love running and walking a lot, but if you prefer swimming or cycling, then these cardio loads are great too.
Sport. Play any sport you like: basketball, football, rugby, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, surfing.

The secret is simple: if you combine various exercises with the right and suitable diet for you, then you will be able to lose fat.