Change What You Eat To Burn Fat!

Published 08 January 08 04:07 PM | Corinne

As we discussed yesterday, changing what you do with your body on a regular basis is critical to winning the fat loss battle. Today let's talk about food! You heard me, we are going to talk about your body and how it looks at what you put into it to decide if it's going to burn fat efficiently.

You are rocking along the fatloss trail, losing a pound or two a week, exercising, feeling good, and then a big ole stall happens. You can't figure out why the menu you have eaten for the past six months no longer works for you. You amp up your exercise trying to burn more calories because you really can't drop anymore calories with being miserable.

It might just be your food selections that are slowing you down. Often people who are successful with weight loss will eat the same things day in and day out...yours truly is one of those people. It's OK as long as it's working for you. When it stops working you need to shake things up and there's lots of ways to do it:

1. Look at your average menu and simply change out one thing from each part of the day. You might change the cereal to oatmeal, the turkey sandwich to a chicken salad, the afternoon snack of a protein bar to peanut butter, and dinner from grilled chicken and rice to fish with cheesy veggies. Make a bunch of changes and see if that helps.

2. Do you eat the same calories everyday give or take 100? Do a big shift here. Let's say you average 1600 calories a day. For three days eat 1400 calories a day and then one day eat 2000 calories. Alternate that pattern for a couple of weeks.

3. Are you eating lower carb most of the time? Have a carb high day. Once a week have a day where you eat loads of healthy carbs and then go back to your usual eating pattern.

4. Do you ever have a metabolic boost meal? That's really a splurge meal in sheep's clothing. One time a week you need to eat foods that are higher in fat, calories, and different than your usual fare for your sanity and your waistline. The splurge meal (metabolic boost) helps you to recharge the fires in the belly to burn fat the rest of the week.

OK, that's my down and dirty on how to change up your eating to be a fat burning furnace. I also posted a new page to the website today dedicated to determining "Am I Carb Sensitive?" It has a good template for you to use to develop a fat loss/weight loss eating plan incorporating mini-meals and post-workout fueling. I think you will find it to be a good read and might help you shed those last stubborn pounds.

If you are not even at the point where your foods are clean and needing some shifting, you might check out Eating Strategies 101: How to Lose Fat.

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Comments

# Julieb said on January 10, 2008 11:36 AM:

This may be a question for your WW thread, but it was this blog that made me think of it.  When you say eat 1600/1400 cal are you talking net?  

If I'm eating about 1600 calories (give or take) everyday and burn 400-600 per day, am I ok for fat loss?  Apparently not, because I'm stalled out.  I have a feeling it's not enough and I need to change something up.

# Corinne said on January 11, 2008 08:21 AM:

Julie...1600 is your average that you eat through your journal. Can you post a typical day of your eating like

B - time of day and what you eat

S - time of day and what you eat

And, be sure to stick in where your workout is in the layout so I can see how you fuel pre- and post. Also, I need age, height, and weight.

Also, make sure you tell me a brief description of your typical workouts...exp:

M - TM

T - ST upper body with cardio

W - off

etc.

That will also help. You can just post it all here. :)

# Julieb said on January 11, 2008 10:30 AM:

B (7am) - Oatmeal

S (10-11am) - SBD protein bar

L (12:30-1) - turkey sandwich on WW w/2% cheese

carrots and an apple

D (6pm) Grilled chicken, 2 cups of veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc)

Workout 8pm

PWS - 94% FF popcorn or apple and PB

S: rest day

M: 45min run

T: 30min upper body & 30min cardio

W: 45min cardio (run/elliptical)

T: 30min lower body & 30min cardio

F: 45-60min cardio/run

S: 45min weights (all over) & 20-30min cardio

I appreciate your input.  I'm very comfortable at 133-135, but my pants are a little tighter and I'm at 140 following the holidays.  It was SO not worth it! :)

# Julieb said on January 11, 2008 10:48 AM:

Whoops - I was just looking over my menu -

I usually have pretzels/baked chips with  lunch and rice or a potato with dinner.

# Corinne said on January 13, 2008 10:26 PM:

Looking at your schedule 1600 should be doing he trick. The changes I would make to this is:

Drop the chips/pretzels, carrot, or apple. All three are starchy carbs along with the bread. Just way too much carbs and not enough protein. If you like cottage cheese, I'd love to see you add that as your side item with the apple and switch out your carrots for a spinach salad.

Dinner is fine but your after workout snack is not. :) You must have protein especially on the days you do you strength training. You will "see" better results. Can you sub out for a protein shake and an apple? Maybe some chicken and apple. Since you workout at night yogurt would be good esp if you added a 1/2 scoop of pro powder to it.

I never caught how tall you are and your age. You might let me know that too. :)

# Julieb said on January 14, 2008 10:06 AM:

5'5" and 29 yrs old

Thanks for the tips!  Packing lunch for work is challenging - I'll work on it.

# Julieb said on January 14, 2008 10:10 AM:

You asked for weight too - I'm stalled at 140.  I'm more comfortable at 135, but I'd settle for seeing my measurements go down. :)

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