The Fitness Journal

Today we have an article from Leigh Peele, author of Fat Loss Troubleshoot discussing her top foods for fat loss.

Top 9 Foods for Fat Loss

by Leigh Peele

So often we are told “You need to change your diet and eat healthier foods”. Whether it is to lose weight or to live a healthier life we are always looking for the “right” foods to eat. The problem is, we don’t know what the right foods are. Should we be eating lean cuisine meals, do weight watchers, or just depress our taste buds and just eat tofu and sprouts.
Well now I have the answer. Here are my top 9 foods you need for fat loss, and to just live a healthier life in general.

Number 1 Water

Okay fine so water isn’t “food” but it is the most important substance you can take into your body. 70% of people are walking around at least partially dehydrated in this country and they don’t even know it. How could they? This makes me think of so many movies where they show a person peeing in the snow and it’s yellow. We don’t want yellow snow, that isn’t healthy.

The goal is to have very light off yellow, almost clear, urine. This is a sign of good hydration. The more yellow, the more dehydrated. Water is 100% essential need to the body, and 100% essential for fat loss. If nothing else, remember this the next time you chug down. How do you think that fat leaves the body? I will give you a hint – it doesn’t just magically disappear into nothing.

Number 2 Eggs

My next choice is eggs, especially egg whites and omega 3 eggs. You know there is just nothing you can’t do with these guys. Scrambled, hard boiled, baking, pancakes, added protein to smoothies (egg whites only for that one guys okay). They have the greatest Biological Value of protein you can ask for, and the omega 3 has good fats. Not only is it an easy food, it is a cheap food. So yeah, number 2 on the list, eggs.

Number 3 EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids)

Next up is EFA’s or essential fatty acids. Whatever source you choose to get this from is yours. I personally, and I will try not to advertise or name drop here, but go with a supplement oil blend. We not only want good fats, we want a balance of good fats. Now this doesn’t mean not to get any fats from whole foods. Fish, nuts, oils, are all great, but somewhere in the diet getting a pure and solid form of supplemented oil blend is something that I think is key, not only for fat loss, but for health.

Number 4 Oatmeal

Now oatmeal is a personal obsession, it is hard not to put it at one because of my pure love for it. A lot of people get very confused about oatmeal, how to cook it, which brand to buy. Do I get instant, steel cut, rolled? My advice, cost wise and ease wise is to go with the Old Fashion Rolled Oats. Now, do steel oats have a higher fiber source and better process? Of course, but they aren’t as cheap, not as easy to find, and take longer to cook. I find in some areas if you ask too much of people they end up giving up all together. So go into the store, get the old fashion rolled oats, still lower GI than instant, a great source of fiber, and great for the heart. Best of all they are easy to work with and cheap to buy.

Number 5 Berries

Berries, particularly I would choose wild blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries. Some of the best sources of anti-oxidants, fiber, low calories, easy to make anything taste good with. Also if you buy frozen you can save some cash, if you buy frozen and in bulk you can save a bundle.

Number 6 Greens

Greens is classified as turnips, spinach, collard, kale, I would even throw in broccoli into that mix. These are the true super foods. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, low calorie, the list goes on and on.

You know a lot of people fight me on the vegetables, I wasn’t a fan of veggies myself, but let me tell you that you can sneak these suckers in so much you won’t even know they are there. Then one day you wake up and not only have you developed a taste for them, but you actually like them and want to have them in your meals. Put them in an omelet, vegetable lasagna, or toss into a shake with berries and protein and BAM you have one heck of a power combo. Don’t neglect your veggies!

Number 7 Whey

Okay now that I am finished with my “eat your veggies” talk we are going to get to Whey Protein. If you are whey intolerant you can go with egg, but basically what I am speaking of is whey protein supplement powder. In general I am really pro whole foods, but in certain times, a protein supplement has its place. Especially post workout, and if choosing a protein powder, whey is number one. If you use it right, and time it right in your diet, but still provide yourself with whole foods, it can be one heck of a protein source and save you some time as well.

Number 8 Fish

Next up is fish, I think that fish is great but you know really I don’t like it. I still haven’t come to enjoy any fish that wasn’t a childhood fish stick, but I eat it! I eat it because it is a source of good fats and amazing source of protein. So maybe you are in the same boat as me, and you don’t like getting it down, do it anyway.

Number 9 Sweet Potato

Alright, last one, Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes deemed the “anti-diabetic” food are filled with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and of all starch foods are the easiest to digest. Did I mention they are really yummy?

So with this list realize that if you ate nothing but what is on this list that you have a complete balanced diet right here. Complete amino acids, good fats, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, all right here in these 9 foods. Mix them up even and have real power meals, put the berries in the oatmeal, put the spinach in the omelets, it is endless. Some people might say “hey you didn’t list this or that”, don’t get me wrong there are definitely some other great foods out there, but as far as I what I feel the average person can easily and should keep in their daily diet, these are my top nine.

Leigh Peele is a professional author and trainer who specializes in fat loss and metabolism damage. You can find out more information on how to advance your fat loss by going to Fat Loss Troubleshoot.

If you are interested in me working with you to achieve your health and fitness goals, go to busy-fitness.com/
Train Smart, Love Life.
Wayne

In this article Jason Ferruggia, author of Muscle Gaining Secrets gives some tips to improve your training results.

5 Muscle Building Tips
By Jason Ferruggia

Here are 5 random muscle building tips that may make a big difference in your training.

– Don’t exceed 5-6 reps on most of your warm up sets. Your first set could consist of a very light weight for 10-20 reps just to get loosened up and get the blood flowing but beyond that you want to keep the reps low. The reason for this is that you don’t want to build up too much lactic acid or accumulate too much fatigue with your warm ups.

– Don’t stretch before your workout in the hopes of preventing injury. This doesn’t work. The only benefit of stretching before a workout is to help you get into positions you might not be able to reach (such as a full squat) because you are tight in specific areas (such as the hamstrings and hip flexors). But stretching for the sake of injury prevention is an outdated idea and doesn’t really work.

– Don’t over-analyze and over-think everything you do in the gym. This never gets you anywhere. Don’t worry if the incline of the bench is supposed to be 50 degrees or 55 degrees. Don’t worry that if you don’t supinate at exactly the right time that you won’t activate your biceps optimally. Don’t stress out about the exact grip width on the bar. If someone tells you that a 16? grip on the bench press hits your triceps better than anything else, but because of an injury or anatomical difference you can only comfortably use an 18? grip, don’t sweat it. People over-think themselves to death and they never get anywhere because of it. Go to the gym, get stronger, go home, eat, sleep and repeat. Don’t turn it into advanced calculus. That is one of the best muscle building tips I can give you.

– Always train both sides of the joint with equal volume. Therefore if you do six sets per week of pressing exercises you need to do six sets per week of pulling exercises. If you do two sets of curls you should do two sets of triceps work. And so on and so on…

– If you can’t get your forearms to grow, try hitting them with more frequency than other muscle groups. They can easily be trained three times per week and recover without any problem. Also, try to hold the bottom stretched position of wrist curls for 3-5 seconds per rep. When you finish training the forearms, hit them with a deep stretch for both the extensors and flexors for 30-60 seconds. These muscle building tips should get the forearms to grow.

For more incredible muscle building tips please visit MuscleGainingSecrets.com.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out www.musclegainingsecrets.com

If you are interested in me working with you to achieve your health and fitness goals, go to busy-fitness.com/
Train Smart, Love Life.
Wayne

Here’s another healthy eating tip from John Berardi author of Precision Nutrition

Tip #8
Fiber Facts
by Dr. John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you’ll be getting 41g of fiber. Also, a small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

SEE ALSO:
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If you are interested in me working with you to achieve your health and fitness goals, go to busy-fitness.com/
Train Smart, Love Life.
Wayne