Find your food intake range and don’t exceed it!
Finding your food intake range and not exceeding it is going to be the most important factor of you losing fat and building muscle. With your age, gender, weight, height and fitness activity level, use web based tools like freedieting.com to find the right amount of food you should be consuming in order to lose weight, gain muscle or maintain your weight.
Even if you are working out consistently, if you are continuously exceeding your caloric intake, then you will eventually gain fat on top of muscle. The optimal way to build a great physique is to eat the right amount of calories for your body type & fitness goals, while incorporating cardio and weight lifting into your approach. Even if you miss a workout session or two, if your nutrition plan is solid, you will not gain fat, but rather just maintain your weight and current level of muscularity. No two people are the same, so there is no set amount of calories for each person. There is a range of calories for each body type that will help that person reach their fitness goals. Personally, I know that if I consume 2400 calories a day (a high protein, low carb/moderate healthy fat diet), and workout, I will maintain my weight. If I eat less, then I’ll lose about 2lbs of fat per week.
Eating 3 to 6 balanced meals per day will ensure that you are energized not only for your workouts, but energized to live a productive life each day. Let’s clear the air. There is NO specific eating scheme that will make a person lose weight. Evidence suggest that, if you are consistently participating in a progressive workout program, exercising 3 to 5 times per week, eating smaller meals throughout the day may help keep bad cholesterol, insulin, hunger and appetite in check. For those individuals who are not exercising regularly, and/or are currently overweight, eating more frequently may not provide the same level of benefits as for the exercising population.
Recommendation:
Start your meal plan with 3 relatively balanced meals per day. Weight loss success is about keeping things simple, and using an approach that’s easily repeatable for you. You should start your day with high quality protein, like Whey Protein and egg whites. Include healthy carbs (veggies and complex carbs like brown rice, which will either give you energy for your workout, or re-stock your energy for your next workout. The 3 meals per day example plan below is perfect for someone new to living a healthy lifestyle.