Being able to get into a regular workout routine is obviously a huge factor, and is perhaps the most difficult part. This is why starting slow with some very easy to achieve goals is the best way to begin.
However, the entire time you are slowly adding reps or running further, a great helper is making sure what you put into your body during meals and between is part of the solution, not the problem.
For some people, suddenly giving up some favorite foods and snacks is even harder than tying those laces and sweating it out four days a week. But there are plenty of different ways to make changing your diet not so difficult. Read on to get the low-down!
Table of Contents
What Kind of Work Out?
The first thing to consider is why you are working out. Is it to simply lose weight, or are you trying to build muscle mass, because the two are certainly not the same thing? While regular exercise will slowly burn off the fat in your body and increase the size and strength of your muscle, the two are not directly correlated. You don’t ‘turn’ fat into muscle.
This means that if you are trying to shed pounds, cutting down on calories is essential. Meanwhile, if you are already in a good workout routine and want to add to your biceps, quads, and tone that stomach, then adding high protein foods makes perfect sense.
In some cases, you might decide to hire a personal trainer that will help in every facet, including crafting a strict dietary regimen for you (while this can be beneficial, it can also be quite pricey, so hopefully you’ve made some wise investments, otherwise you might have to consider work as a trans sugar baby to pay for it).
For some people, the whole reason that they jog regularly is to keep their body in a state that is able to burn calories easily. While jogging doesn’t give you a license to eat anything you want, it definitely can definitely help make sure that the ice cream doesn’t go right to your thighs.
Swapping in Veggies
If ‘snacking’ was a company you could buy stock in, everyone would be rich. It has become a more and more popular way to eat, especially now that the internet has heavily altered our work and social schedules. Three meals a day doesn’t always happen, and that means maybe two meals and you’ll fill the hunger gaps with whatever’s in your cupboard.
While we would like to say we don’t always munch on chips or cookies (just like we say we don’t always visit the online gambling or squirt gay site at two in the morning), these occasional unhealthy treats can really do a lot of harm when you are trying to get in shape.
While going cold turkey is an option, it is one that can sometimes fall to pieces. The better choice is to just have fewer or small bags of these junk foods and instead have more of the good stuff.
Prepared, sliced veggies can be bought in most grocery stores, and keeping them front and center in your fridge is a great way to make sure you’ll remember that they’re there. Carrots are a great choice if you want to indulge your sugar fix with its natural sweetness, and there are plenty of cracker options that are much healthier than chips that can help in a pinch as well.
Forget Frozen
Chips and cookies are foods that are typically high in fat (especially trans-fats, which are the worst possible kind). Bit at least these are typically snacks, not meals, and eating them when you are having some Group Fun with other people can lessen your own intake.
The real surprise foods that can put on the pounds quickly are foods that aren’t designed to be eaten right away but can be put in your freezer for a later day. While frozen meals (from pizza to chicken strips to dumplings) can be very easy to prepare, they typically have plenty of preservatives in them that make it possible for them to be edible (and tasty) upon defrosting.
Sometimes, your entire day’s worth of recommended intake of fats (from these preservatives) can be swallowed up in one meal.
Trying to reduce your dependency on frozen foods is very important, and one of the best ways is to do it carefully. Not all food that goes into and comes out of your freezer is a problem. Plenty of frozen fruits and vegetables are absolutely fine and (nearly) fat-free, so if you are in a hurry, choose peas or green beans instead of fries when you need to think of a side dish.
The ‘Liquid’ Diet
The smoothie may be as old as the blender itself, but in the last few years, it has been a go-to for everyone wanting to eat healthy food quickly. Mixing several fruits like berries and citrus types can add a wonderful flavor, although it shouldn’t surprise you that the more leafy green vegetables you add in the healthier the smoothie.
One of the really good secret ingredients to give any smoothie a delicious flavor is bananas, so even if a spinach-centric one doesn’t sound too appetizing, adding in a banana can really make the taste that much better. In fact, they have become so popular as meal replacements that many smoothies are made with breakfast in mind. It will definitely give you a good energy boost so you can hit the gym right after.