Everyone has heard the saying that 80% of weight loss is due to diet.  For a large part that is true because for the majority of us, our workouts take up about 4% of our day and the other 96% is typically not spent being as active.  That means the opportunity to continue to burn the Calories burned during the active workout diminishes greatly which is the crux of weight loss – burn more calories than what you consume day over day.

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That means one has to better manage what they eat throughout the day to realize results.  It can be hard though with all the temptations of fatty, sugary, salty fast food all around but here are some tips to help you out.

1. Eat the most calories earlier in the day

Breakfast is considered the most important breakfast of the day because it’s the energy that kickstarts your day.  It is typically the first meal you eat after sleeping so it’s a great opportunity to eat the most calories you will consume during the day because you have all day to burn it off.  As the day progresses eat less calories and smaller meals.

2. Increase your protein and fiber consumption

Protein and fiber (carbohydrates) are macronutrients which contain 4 calories per gram.  They are very filling and help stave off hunger for hours.  They are an excellent choice for between-meal snacks and breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Excellent sources of protein include meat, fish, poultry, dairy and beans.  Fiber also bulks in your belly and gives you a full feeling.  Excellent sources of fiber include oatmeal, lentils and whole grains.

A great food source which contains both is Dannon Oikos Protein Crunch yogurt.  Greek yogurt is known to contain more protein than regular yogurt and this brand has 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.  With that much protein and fiber in every 5 ounce cup it helps you feel satiated for many hours post consumption.  The other great thing about this yogurt is it contains zero added or artificial sugar.

Head over to your local WalMart, straight to the Dairy aisle, look up on the shelves, and pick up all 4 flavors which include:

• Banana & Chocolate,
• Chocolate Oats & Peanuts,
• Oats & Blueberries, and
• Oats & Peanuts

Make sure to use this special ibotta offer when you do.

3. Eat 5 to 6 small meals daily

I know this seems counterintuitive but eating every few hours throughout the day actually helps to keep the metabolism stoked and stable Blood Sugar Levels which helps your body burn fat throughout the day even at rest.  Stable blood sugar levels means you won’t from feeling full to feeling ravenous and “hangry” which makes people more prone to eat food inconsistent with their weight loss goals.  Figure out how many calories you need to eat to have a daily caloric deficit and divide by 5 or 6 and that is the amount of calories to aim for in each meal or snack.

4. Eat less calories than you burn

I mentioned this at the end of the previous tip but it all comes down to eating less energy than your body uses so the difference is burning excess calories which, when done consistently, will help you lose weight over time.  The body already burns the most of its calories at rest (about 70%) and then another 10% processing food consumed, that leaves another 20% to burn and you don’t want the amount of food you eat daily to exceed that because that typically means weight gain.

5. Eat on smaller plates    

Did you know according to some studies, people who eat on smaller plates actually consume less food per sitting. With traditional-sized or restaurant plates, we feel we have to fill up our plates and eat everything on them, even if we are no longer hungry, which results in consuming excess calories.  Eating on a smaller plate, even if you feel the need to fill up the plate, means you will need less food to fill it up and therefore eat smaller portions.

Take these tips and apply them and you will be on the path to reaching your weight loss goals.

Which of these tips did you find the most helpful and that you plan to implement?