80% of your Fatloss Battle is With Nutrition!
I have been a Personal Trainer for over 10 years and I generally have to repeat myself everyday!
General everyday question are…
“Should I give up eating carbs?”
“Is taking too much protein bad for you?”
“How much protein do I need to take?”
“why can’t I eat bananas?”
The list goes on… When I take on a new personal training client I have a little print out that I give to them including simple everyday tips on what to eat!
You should aim to eat at least 3 meals and 2 to 4 small snacks everyday day depending on what your goals are ie.. (fat loss, muscle gain, etc). This is where structure and planning comes into play.
Try spread those feedings out every two and a half to four hours . Do NOT have a fatty meal for your pre and post workout meals. I make sure all of my personal training clients know this from day one! Fat will slow down digestion and in turn effect recovery speed.
Again another thing to try aim to do is to consume a source of protein with every meal…Even if you’re just having your oats(Porridge) mix up a scoop of your favourite flavoured protein and mix it in. Now you have a chocolate or vanilla flavoured porridge! 😉 Also try your best to have your meals or snacks consuming of either protein and fats together or carbs and proteins together. Try not to mix sugar/carbs and or fat together! It’s okay to have fiberous carbs, such as green veggies with proten and fat as the insulin response/storage generated from this will be minimal.
If fat loss is your goal then you should stick with a low intake of carbs, I am not completely against eating carbs, you don’t have to get rid of carbs completely. Any carbs consumed should be earned (via intense training) and should be rich in fibre! I am all for carbs if you’re trying to gain muscle! Limit fruit your fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day.
Only have LOW GI fruits such as apples, all berries and grapefruit. There is a huge misconception that you can just eat endless amounts of fruit. It is actually crazy how much people don’t know about fruit and what are the correct type of fruits you can eat for fatloss! By eating the wrong fruit you are taking in sugar at the end of the day. I hear this all the time, it irritates me, ‘Natural sugar’ or not its still sugar and the end of the day that sugar will more than likely be the storage of “FAT”.
If you are going to have carbohydrate then eat your higher end carb meals before 6pm and structure them around your training sessions. Pre and post workout, If you’re looking to gain muscle and drop fat simultaneously! The amount of carbs you should consume will depend on your goals and how tolerant and adaptable you are to carbohydrates. If you have one, you should discuss with your personal trainer regarding your carb intake allowance and requirements. If your personal trainer knows his stuff he won’t steer you wrong!
After 6pm focus on consuming meals/snacks that contain protein only or protein and fat. Again fibrous carbohydrate such as veggies are okay after 6pm, but avoid sugars and the “evil” that is wheat(bread, pasta), also including fruits and biscuits.
After 6pm focus on consuming meals/snacks that contain protein only or protein and fat. Again fibrous carbs such as veggies are okay after 6pm, but avoid sugars and the evil wheat, also including fruits and biscuits.
Drink plenty of water, 2/3 Litres throughout the day and also during your training session.
This one I never understand. Why do people drink calories? Don’t know about you but I’d rather have a cake! Don’t drink your calories… no soft drinks, fruit juices and limit milk intake (Lactose = FAT storage).
Your nutrition should be structured to coinside with your personal training goals, be it fatloss, muscle gain or both.
After a strength training or Fatloss session then follow the above table.
Darragh Hayes BBS CPT NCEHS
Personal Trainer Dublin
