Posted on January 08, 2017 by Jenny Cromack
It’s that time of year where everyone seems to be on a health kick! Everyone is trying to fit in more exercise, getting their steps in and eating healthier, here at motive8 we LOVE it!
The problem at this time of year though, is that there is lots of conflicting information around about the best ways to lose weight, eat healthy, tone up, etc. There are new diet books spilling off the shelves, every newspaper and magazine you read has the latest diet to follow to get a flat stomach, toned hips, but the issue with these diets is there often so extreme and restrictive that is difficult to follow them in the long term. They are simply not a lifestyle.
At motive8 we don’t believe in quick fixes, we believe in enjoying healthy, tasty food which can be enjoyed as part of your lifestyle yet still get results. So, we thought we would share our tips for healthy eating made easy. We firstly look at body types as different body types, tolerate carbs differently. If you want to improve your physique it’s essential you eat for your body type. We then look at carbs, protein, fats and snacking.
Eat For Your Body Type
This is a huge subject, but essentially you have 3 types of body type, although most of us tend to be a mixture of two.
Ectomorph– think Mo Farah or Paula Radcliffe, very lean and do not hold a lot of body fat. These people are the ones who make us jealous! They have high metabolisms and can tolerate a lot of carbohydrates. That’s not to say, if you are an ectomorph, that you should eat what you want….you don’t want to end up being a ‘fat-skinny’ ….someone who looks lean on the outside, but is unhealthy on the inside due to eating a diet high in sugar and saturated fat,
Mesomorph – these body types tend to be more athletic, a bit more muscular. Think of a typical sprinters physique with wide shoulders and a tapered waist. This body type has a moderate toleration of carbs, if they are training they can tolerate them (not as much as the ectomorph), but stop training and these dudes can put on body fat quite easily.
Endormorph – endormorphs have a slow metabolism and low tolerance for carbohydrates. They tend to gain wait quite easily if they over consume carbs and will store weight around their abdominal and chest area. If you are an endomorph then you should look to eat as fewer starchy carbs as possible for optimum body composition results.
Focus the majority of your meals on protein, good fats and vegetables
- Proteins are more satisfying, keep us full and do not have the same effect on our blood sugar levels as carbohydrates do. Ensure you have protein with each meal and if you exercise a lot then make sure you have a protein snack within 30 minutes of your workout.
- Eating a diet high in good fats has been shown to be highly effective from a fat loss point of view. We’re talking nuts, seeds, olive oil, olives, avocado. Still make sure you stay away from processed foods high in saturated fats.
- Vegetables are a great way of adding essential vitamins and minerals to your diet, in addition to fibre. These are also important for the correct functioning of your body. I’d recommend having at least 2-3 portions of veg with your meals.
Carbohydrates are NOT the devil
Carbohydrates are not the devil they are made out to be. You just need to make sure you eat the right type of carbohydrates and at the right time if you are looking to lose/maintain weight and improve your body composition.
Before we look at carbs and what we recommend, I’d like to point out that here I’m talking about starchy carbs such as pulses, grains, potatoes, root veg, etc not lower carbs veg such as mushrooms, peppers, leeks, cabbage, squash, etc.
Avoid……
- High sugar carbohydrates, these create a spike in your blood sugar levels which hinders fat loss and also makes you likely to want to eat again as high sugary foods are not very filling. We’re not just talking biscuits, cakes and sweets here but also processed foods such as white bread.
- Eating too many carbohydrates. When we eat carbohydrates our body breaks the carbs down to be stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Once these stores are full, then we store the excess carbohydrate as fat. Often it’s not actually fat which makes us fat, but eating too many carbs as once our glycogen stores are full we have not option but to create more fat cells.
- Processed foods
We recommend…..
- Eating low, GI carbohydrates these keep us fuller for longer and also don’t upset our blood sugar levels as much meaning we tend to stay satisfied for longer after eating them and less likely to snack. Here we are talking about grains such as quinoa, bulgar wheat, brown rice, pulses.
- Limiting carbs to 1-2 meals per day this will ensure you are not constantly topping up your glycogen levels and allow you to become more effective at burning fat as a fuel.
- When you’re on a rest day aim to limit carbs to only one meal maximum per day. You could even try having a carb-free day.
- Remember to relate your carbohydrate intake to your body type above.
- Timing of your carbs is important. For optimum fat loss, aim to keep your carbohydrate intake centred around your lunches and/or after your training sessions. Starting the day with a high-carb breakfast will increase your blood sugar levels which is not as effective for fat burning, therefore chose a protein based breakfast instead. If you do chose a carbohydrate based breakfast then chose a low GI option such as porridge.
To Snack or Not To Snack?
I think this is quite personal, find out what works for you. Yes, the theory is that eating ‘little and often’ is more beneficial for fat burning but I find with some of my personal training clients this simply doesn’t work.
If you are eating, nutritious meals based on high protein and good fats you may find that you do not need to snack as you are simply too full. If this is the case then don’t be forcing food down your throat!
Eat Natural (Clean), Avoid Unprocessed Foods
We have saved the best, until the last. If you eat natural aka clean foods which are unprocessed then you cannot go wrong! Make your meals all from scratch and you know exactly what goes into them, you’ll also probably find you naturally follow a high protein, good fats, low GI carbohydrate based diet this way as many processed foods are high in sugar and unhealthy fats.