Mens Health has a great article on the nutrients and eating skills necessary to lose fat. I usually hate the slant of these articles because I thing the target them at 18 year old kids getting ready to go to the bar but thats just my attitude. The article is great and I am going to paraphrase the points here as I think there is some knowledge I can add and the article was a little wordy.
1. To lose weight, you must cut calories
The low-fat/low-carbohydrate debate comes down to this: You still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight. Every study I looked at shows this. The perfect weight-loss diet is the one you can live with, whether you cut fat, carbs, or some combination.
2. Take Whey protein
A daily shake made with two scoops of whey protein, fruit (fresh or frozen berries or a banana), and water or crushed ice will decrease hunger. You can buy whey protein at any grocery store nowadays, this is the best option for protein enhancement in your diet.
3. Meat kills fat
Protein takes the most calories to assimilate and digest, followed by carbohydrates, followed by fat. Animal proteins increase thermogenesis more than vegetable proteins, so the best calorie-burning foods are lean meats. Build your dinner around lean chicken, beef, or pork. That way, you’re burning the most calories through digestion at the end of the day, when your metabolism is slower. This is one of the big reasons that I think people are too concerned about their fat intake but at the same time do not eat enough protein.
4. Take Branched Chain Aminos
Try to get at least 10 grams of Branched Chain Aminos a day. Since they’re most abundant in meat and dairy products, you can get the better part of that by following rules 2 and 3. (Two scoops of whey protein and 3 ounces of beef contains 10 g of Branched Chain Aminos.) You can also buy Branched Chain Amino supplements (which, you should be aware, are expensive). Look for supplements that are 50 percent leucine, 25 percent isoleucine, and 25 percent valine. I personally do not like these as it is the single most expensive way to get your protein.
5. Beware of fried foods
Highly refined carbohydrates, such as fructose-sweetened beverages and low-fiber breads, are a terrible idea. These products raise your blood sugar very quickly and then they burn off very quickly and you end up feeling tired and hungry much sooner than you should. Goodbye diet, hello diabetes. There is a way to make refined carbohydrates even worse: Fry them. Researchers have found a suspected carcinogen called acrylamide in such products as potato chips and french fries. Anytime I get a chance to talk you out of eating worthless snack foods, I do it.
6. The fullness of Fiber
Fiber’s effect is the opposite of snack foods. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady. The benefits: You’ll have a more consistent energy supply and less between-meal hunger. You can safely and easily take in more fiber by using a supplement. (MD Labs’ Fiber-Psyll is a good one; go to MDlabs.com.). Start with 7 to 12g a day, mixing some with water and drinking it before your main meals. I recommend that you eat some All Bran for breakfast. I love All Bran and it is very high in fiber. A good size bowl of All Bran with milk gives you all the fiber you need. Lately as well I have started taking Flax seed meal and Psyllium Husk.
7. Count on calcium
Recently, nutrition researchers discovered that dairy and other calcium-rich foods help you stay lean, prevent osteoporosis, and possibly prevent colon cancer. The recommendation is to take in 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. (A cup of milk contains 300.) I have seen a lot of research saying that the calcium from Green leafy veggies is much better for your body than trying to get Calcium from Milk, check it out for yourself if you are not much of a milk drinker now.
8. Get your Omegas
Each year, we learn more about the health benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds, and flaxseed and fish oils. These health benefits–less risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example–are great on their own. But omega-3 fats contribute to a better physique as well. For example, omega-3s reduce inflammation throughout your body. That not only prevents heart attacks (inflammation in the tissues surrounding blood vessels is a major cause) but also helps your muscles recover faster from workouts.
Bigger, less-inflamed muscles mean a faster metabolism, and speeding up your metabolism is crucial when you’re trying to get lean. If you don’t eat fish twice a week and can’t stomach fish-oil supplements, try eggs high in omega-3s, which are found in the dairy case, next to the regular eggs. You can eat four of them a day without any negative effect on your cholesterol levels. I just take a Omega 3 vitamin every day. Remember if you are taking Flax Seed oil that it spoils when exposed to air very quickly.
9. Make a plan Set a Goal
Next time you read a weight-loss story in a newspaper or magazine, count the number of disparaging references to popular diets. Based on the way diet gurus trash their competitors, you’d think there was no plan on earth that actually works. But the truth is that you can’t lose weight without a diet. You must have a plan. The more sophisticated it is, and the more tailored to your likes and dislikes, the better. You can’t wing it and expect to see results. Remember the Basics. I won’t offer you the perfect weight-loss regimen, because research has yet to discover one. But even the worst plan is more likely to succeed than no plan at all.
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