8 Nutrition Tips For a Simply Shredded Physique
You recently started lifting weights believing that you can get a shredded physique like the pro bodybuilders and fitness models in the muscle magazines. After a few months of lifting you probably realized that only weight training will not get you to your goal. You probably introduced a little bit of cardio in your routine and that’s great, but the key to a ripped physique is the combination of a good weight lifting routine, cardio training and mostly – the structure of your diet.
How you eat can have an enormous impact on how you look. To help you get the simply shredded body we have made a list of the most important nutrition tips:
1. Increase the protein
Bodybuilders consume large quantities of protein to build muscle mass, but high protein diets also promote fat loss in two different ways. First, by eating a high protein diet, the body’s muscle mass is increased, and more muscle mass needs more calories to sustain itself. This means your metabolism will be increased and you’ll be burning more calories just to sustain the muscles. Second, eating more protein will increase satiety and decrease hunger. The researchers from Skidmore College discovered that subjects that ate a high protein diet lost significantly more body fat than those eating a high carb diet.
2. Eat fat to lose fat
Did you know that good fats actually promote fat loss? You may not thought about eating fat when trying to build a shredded body, but scientists discovered that omega 3 fatty acids promote fat loss, decrease inflammation, improve digestion and have a positive effect on the brain functions. Increase the consumption of fats in your diet by introducing fish, nuts, seeds and fish oil supplements to it.
3. Watch out with the carbs
Limit your carbs to two periods of the day : in the morning and right after the workout. Those are the times when your glycogen is depleted and your body needs carbs to replenish the reserves. When choosing carbs try to choose the ones with low glycemic index: brown bread, brown rice, oatmeal and vegetables. These carbohydrates will keep your insulin levels steady and help you get that simply shredded physique. One simple way to cut the extra carbs is to cut all beverages containing sugar and substitute them with water, tea or coffee.
4. Add some grapefruit to your diet
It may not taste that good, but grapefruit can certainly help you lose unwanted pounds on your waist. Scientists believe that grapefruit has the ability to control insulin levels and decrease insulin peaks. A study conducted in Scripps Clinic in San Diego showed that the subjects who ate half of grapefruit three times a day, lost 4-10 pounds in a 12 week time span, without changing anything in else in their diet.
5. Increase the Calcium
Calcium controls the hormone calcitriol (also known as Vitamin D3 ) which on the other hand, tells the body to store fat and inhibit fat loss. According to different studies, low fat dairy products like cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are a very good way to increase your protein and calcium intake.
6. Use spices in your diet
Capsaicin is a chemical found in different types of peppers, that makes them taste hot. Science also shows that capsaicin promotes fat loss at rest. You can add chill pepper sauce, red peppers or any type of hot peppers to your meals to magnify the fat loss effects of your diet.
Cinnamon is a plant that is used as a spice and a remedy for hundreds of centuries. It has the ability to control blood sugar levels and reduce insulin spikes. Adding cinnamon by sprinkling it on your meals such as cereals oat meals, coffee or tea, will certainly take you one step closer to that simply shredded physique. Check this list of spices for fat loss boost.
7. Replace the sugary beverages with Green Tea
Besides the many health benefits (reduction of bah cholesterol, reduction of high blood pressure etc.) it has, research has shown that the active substance EGCG in green tea can also increase your metabolism by 4% in 24 hours and stop the movement of glucose into fat cells.
8. Drink more water
Water is one of the most important substances we need to consume in order to stay alive and sustain our good health. It helps the body flush toxins, metabolize the stored fat and use it as energy. A non active person should drink about 14-15 ml of water per pound of body weight, while a physically active person should drink around 22-25 ml per pound of body weight.
Like we said before, what and how much you eat has the greatest impact of how you look. By following the above tips you can look great, but combine the diet with intense weightlifting, add some cardio to the combination and you can build the simply shredded body you dreamed of and turn the heads towards you.