TOP TEN NUTRITION TIPS www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk
Medical Disclaimer The material provided within this book is for information purposes only and in no way supersedes any prior advice given by a medical practitioner or therapist. Should you follow any of the information provided, you are choosing to do so of your own free will, without coercion and in the full knowledge that the material has not been personally designed for you. Should you suffer from a medical condition of any kind or suspect that following any of the suggestions in this book may cause you a medical problem of any kind whatsoever that you should speak to a qualified medical practitioner for advice. Image credits: Front Cover and Understand calories page: satina@123rf.com Complex carbs: Olga Kriger@123RF.com; Simple carbs: Vasilis Ververidis@123RF. com; What to eat post workout: ayphoto@123rf.com; Cleaning up your nutrition: dolgachov@123rf.com; Good food choices: oksix@123rf.com; Coconut oil: Yasuhiro Amano@123RF.com; Omega 3 fish oil: pinkomelet@123rf.com Copyright 2018 The Fitness Experts and it s licensors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means whatsoever without the prior consent and written permission of the author.
Top Ten Nutrition Tips INTRODUCTION You re smashing it in the gym and training consistently each week. But you re still not seeing the changes in your body composition that you were hoping for. It s a common problem but it can be fixed. Firstly, it s important to understand that good results come mainly from good nutrition. We can train as hard as we like, but if we aren t eating healthily, our body composition is unlikely to make many (if any) improvements. Fat loss is a slow process and so it s important to be patient and have a long term approach to nutrition which can be adhered to. Here are some key points you can follow to help you improve your nutrition. If you follow these steps, over time you should start seeing some positive changes in your body composition. 1. Understand calories A calorie is a measure of energy found in food. The three macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) contain different amounts of calories per gram. Fats contain the most amount of calories at 9 kcal per gram, whilst proteins and carbs both contain 4 kcal per gram. Your body consumes calories from the food we eat and then burns them through daily activity. Everyone will burn a different amount of calories on a daily basis. Factors such as age, gender, and activity level can affect how many calories we burn. The key thing to understand is... When you eat LESS calories than you burn each day you will be in a CALORIE DEFICIT. This means your body will use stored fat (amongst other things) for energy. Understanding this means you can manipulate your calorie level to lose weight and shift some body fat. www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 1
Start by figuring out your basal metabolic rate using an online calculator. This is the amount of calories your body would burn if you stayed in bed all day. From here, you can factor in your activity level, which will give you your daily calorie maintenance level, or the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Once you have that figure, you simply need to aim to keep your daily calorie intake below that amount. You can use an online food tracking app to help you track your daily calorie intake. 2. Focus on proteins and plenty of vegetables Protein is used by the body to build new muscle tissue. The more muscle you have, the better for body composition goals (this doesnt mean bulking up!. Aim to get protein from sources that are as clean as possible. Lean animal sources such as chicken, fish, turkey and eggs are ideal. These are all complete proteins and give you all the essential amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own. Just like with calories, we can manipulate our macronutrient intake to help us get better results. The two macro nutrients you should focus on to build muscle are protein and carbohydrates. Try and split your meals into the following ratio... 30% Carbohydrates / 40% Proteins / 30% Fats Also remember that although vegetables are technically carbs, they are fibrous carbs and therefore yield very few calories. Fill up on greens to keep yourself feeling full without packing in too many calories. C F P www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 12
3. Know your carbs Carbs are still needed when losing weight. We need carbs to fuel us through our gym sessions and for energy in general. There are two types of carbs... Complex Carbs Aim for mainly slow release/digesting carbs. These complex carbs will give you a sustained release of energy throughout your day. Here are some examples of foods containing complex carbs: Oatmeal Brown rice Quinoa Buckwheat Potatoes Beans Peas Lentils Simple Carbs Ideally keep these types of carbs to a minimum. They are broken down faster by your body, meaning the energy from them usually gets stored in your body rather than gradually released. For example, foods like white pasta and bagels will potentially spike your blood sugar levels and make your body crave more sweet food. Here are some examples of foods containing simple carbs: Sugar Fruit juice Cakes and pastries White bread Fizzy drinks Packaged cereals Sweets Corn syrup www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 13
4. What to eat before a workout You need energy to push yourself through a heavy gym session regardless of your goals and what type of training you re doing. But what you choose for your pre workout meal can have an impact on your workout and performance. Different foods will also be utilised and stored differently in the body. Before you train, consume a meal that is roughly 75% carbs and 25% protein, around 60-90 minutes before you hit the gym. Ideally go for those slow digesting carbs (oatmeal, whole grains etc) to help give you the energy you need to push right through to the end of the workout. That little bit of protein will help fuel your muscles and increases amino acid delivery into the muscles during the workout. Remember to include it in your calories for the day. 5. What to eat after a workout No matter what you ve trained or how you ve trained, post workout, your body will have used up various sources of stored energy and will be in a depleted state. The purpose of your post workout meal should be to replenish your energy stores. You should aim to consume a meal that contains fast digesting proteins and simple carbs, to give your muscles the protein required to build new muscle tissue and prevent further muscle break down. Protein shakes are ideal as they are designed to get the nutrients your body needs to the right places quickly. Try and consume one within at least an hour of your session. Check the label first and avoid any that are high in sugars. www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 14
6. Cleaning up your nutrition Before you even start counting calories and tracking your macronutrients, I d recommend giving your overall nutrition a bit of a clean up. Try to limit processed foods as much as possible as these are damaging to your health and contain a lot of chemicals and poor quality ingredients. Before you go to eat something, ask yourself if it has come from a plant or animal source (i.e. has it been killed or grown?). If not then you need to keep those kinds of foods to a minimum. With that said, I don t expect you to eat like this 24/7. It s all about being sensible and eating those not so good foods in moderation. For example, if you tell yourself you can never eat chocolate again, then you re going to just want it more. Try to find an approach that works for you. For example, you could eat clean Monday to Friday, then at weekends allow yourself a bit more flexibility. Factoring in cheat meals gives you something to look forward to. Just be aware that this approach only works if you know that you can go back to eating healthily again after you ve enjoyed some treats. For some people, enjoying a cheat meal or two can lead to binge-eating and / or falling off the wagon. We are all different, so learn what works for you. www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 15
7. Good food choices We already know some foods are low in fat, but some foods will actually help your body burn fat more efficiently. Here are some examples... Eggs - One of the best protein sources around. They are packed with nutrients and make a great choice whatever your goal. Green Tea - Starting your day with a cup of green tea and swapping your regular tea or coffee for this super fat burner could aid your fat loss goals. It s also available in supplement form, as a capsule, and has been shown to have the same effects as drinking it. Green tea increases norepinephrine one of the body s key fat burning hormones. It also provides powerful antioxidants and prolongs thermogenesis the body s ability to generate heat and burn calories. Salmon - A great source of protein, it also contains omega 3 essential fats, a type of fat which can turn on your body s fat burning systems and block fat storage. Oatmeal - An ideal food source for breakfast, it has been proven to leave you feeling fuller for longer and less likely to suffer food cravings throughout the day. Try it with water instead of milk to reduce the calories and avoid any varieties with added artificial sweeteners. www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 16
Coconut oil - Studies have shown that coconut oil has a positive effect on blood sugar levels by regulating the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose. This means you won t get that insulin spike where you quickly become hungry and feel like eating more carbs. It can be used in a variety of ways including replacing normal cooking oil in cooking and baking. 8. Eat small meals regularly Try dividing your meals up into smaller portions and eating regularly throughout the day. This approach will help keep hunger away and maintain steady energy levels. 9. Get 8 hours sleep Lack of sleep can affect the hormones that control hunger cravings known as Leptin and Ghrelin. You also need to get enough sleep simply to have sufficient energy to hit the gym and smash your workouts throughout the week. It s safe to say that sleep plays a big part in your results! An experiment was carried out where two groups of people followed the exact same diet and exercise plan, but one group got less sleep than the other. Guess which group lost the most weight? www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 17
10. Supplements When used in combination with a healthy, balanced diet, supplements can be beneficial in helping you reach your goals. Supplements are designed to do just that - supplement a healthy lifestyle. Here are my top 3 recommended supplements... Protein powder - Protein intake is important for improving body composition. If you find it difficult to get enough protein from whole foods, then supplementing with a protein shake is a good option. A protein shake is convenient to take to the gym for after your training session. Make sure you choose a high quality whey protein supplement which is at least 70% protein. If you re lactose intolerant, you could consider an ultra low lactose variety. If you re following a dairy free or vegan diet, there are a variety of options available, for example, pea, hemp and rice protein. Creatine - The most tried and tested sports supplement on the market. It has been shown to increase strength which is important for maintaining or even gaining modest amounts of muscle whilst in a calorie deficit. Omega 3 fish oil - An essential fatty acid which has anti-inflammatory properties. It s good for brain health, joint health and to regulate inflammation in the body. You can get an adequate intake of Omega 3 by eating fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. However, not everyone likes fish and this makes Omega 3 supplements very useful. Make sure you choose a high quality product, preferably one that has been molecularly distilled to minimise heavy metal contamination. www.thefitnessexperts.co.uk E: nutrition@thefitnessexperts.co.uk 18