One of Orlando Florida’s best personal trainers Meral Ertunc has 25 years training professionals says that what you eat is 85 percent of weight loss and achieving fitness goals. Meral offers healthy eating and food tips that includes eating choices that you can live with. Nutrition is a very important factor in workouts and weight loss. You can’t lose weight if you’re eating poorly. No work out can adjust for unhealthy food choices.
Food Tips
Here are some basic food tips to follow:
1. Drink Lots of Water:
Upon waking in the morning, take a couple of deep breaths and exhale forcefully. Keep a bottle of water by the bed and immediately hydrate yourself to encourage optimal bodily function and speed up the metabolism.
2. Don’t Skip Meals:
Skipping a meal is the worst technique for ensuring good health. Don’t Avoid Meals! Eat several meals throughout the day with a range of foods. Eat breakfast! Skipping breakfast can increase your appetite.
3. Eat Small Meals Often:
Eat 4 to 5 meals per day. This helps to stabilize your energy levels all day long and prevent you from overeating.
4. Control Portion Size:
Whether it’s oatmeal, rice or chicken, you must keep your portion sizes under control. The portion should be about the size of your fist. Eating too much food (even healthy food) can prevent fat loss.
5. Avoid Salt and Cook with Herbs and Spices:
By using different flavors, you can easily make chicken breasts taste different every day of the week. Try Mrs. Dash and other salt-free seasonings like Molly McButter.
6. Avoid Butters, Dressings, Sauces, Gravy:
When eating meals out, let your server know that you’re interested in ordering your food without butters, oils, added sauces.
7. Eat Healthy Food to Lose Weight:
Your diet and food choice, your nutrition and calories matter. Don’t try to create your diet. Go to your doctor and ask for help and go to a certified nutritionist. Don’t try fad diets and dangerous drugs or chemicals to change your appetite. Just remember, no amount of exercise will reshape your body if you’re not eating healthy food. You have to make healthy food choices.
8. Avoid Alcohol and Wine:
When you’re trying to lose weight, alcohol is the No. 1 enemy in my book. According to the National Institute of Health, “alcohol can impair the proper function of hormones and impairs regulation of blood sugar. Alcohol can slow metabolism which promotes fat storage and decreases muscle growth. Another important consideration is that alcohol drinks and liquors contain high caloric intakes often mixed with sugars.
If you are having a drink, choose clear alcohol, avoid sugar and try sugar-free mixers. Try alternative mixers to avoid sugar such as vodka, club soda, or tequila on the rocks with lime. Wine is another option. But drink within reason. Be safe and limit yourself to one drink per day. Never drink and drive.
9. Don’t Starve Yourself:
Your body has to have regular meals and healthy food to thrive. If you’re working out you have to eat right.
10. Carry Healthy Snacks
When you’re busy or traveling you may not have time for a full meal on the run. Take healthy snacks with you and stay away from fast food and junk food.