NUTRITION
•Angie Asche
5 tiny tweaks that can help with weight loss
As a dietitian, I’m used to people asking me for advice about how to detox their diets to lose weight.
They’re often relieved (and sometimes skeptical!) when I tell them that a full-blown ‘cleanse’ isn’t what they need. If anything, extreme diets can often leave you in worse shape than when you started – especially if they involve any questionable supplements – and they’re often lacking in the very nutrients that help your body detox naturally.
If you can’t sustain the diet, you won’t sustain the results. And if your diet requires you to eliminate all of the foods you love, it won’t work. So before you vow to never eat bread again or add an expensive ‘fat burner’ to your online shopping cart, give one of these bite-sized goals a try.
They might not sound as sexy as a diet overhaul, but they have something even better going for them: they actually work.
1. Don’t cut carbs, time them
Let’s clear up some carbohydrate confusion: you don’t need to eat a low-carb diet to lose weight. However, putting some thought into when you eat your carbs is a good idea.
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Rather than giving up your favorite potatoes – like our Sheet-pan Lemon Chicken & Potatoes – time eating carbs around your training.
While many dieters try to eat as few carbs as possible overall, a more realistic goal is to lower your carb intake on the days you’re resting from training. You could also try to consume the majority of your carbohydrates before and after training, instead of large amounts later in the evening.
Don’t forget, the majority of your carbs should come from whole grains like quinoa, buckwheat, oats, brown rice and whole-grain bread, all of which you’ll find in your Centr meals and snacks.
2. Try one new vegetable or fruit each week
Scary statistic alert: about 90 percent of adults in the US don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.
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Lunch is a great place to get your veggie fix. Try the Roast Veggie & Hummus Bowl for a veggie blast.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is a great aim if your goal is weight loss – they tend to be hydrating, rich in nutrients and low in calories. But simply telling yourself to ‘eat more’ is a little too vague to be helpful. So why not challenge yourself to try a new fruit or vegetable every few weeks, and make the ones you love part of your regular rotation?
3. Pack in protein
Protein isn’t just a priority for people who want to build serious muscle. I recommend a high-protein diet for anyone trying to decrease body fat while preventing the loss of lean muscle.
Aim to include a high-quality protein source with each meal. Poultry, lean red meat, eggs, tofu and legumes are all great options. Your Centr meal plan is your source for protein-rich recipes – try some of these great high-protein meals and snacks to start.
4. Ditch the daily weigh-ins
No matter how tuned in you are to nutrition, weight loss isn’t linear. Your body weight can fluctuate day-to-day depending on a variety of factors like your hormones, how hydrated you are and your digestion. Investing too much energy in these ups and downs can quickly become mentally exhausting, so try setting yourself a goal to only weigh yourself once a week, or once a month.
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Having fitness goals (like nailing the progressions in Luke and Alexz’s 100-rep challenge) will keep your weight loss journey from becoming unhealthy.
To keep a healthy attitude during weight loss, the scale should not be your only measure of success. If you’re looking for more ways to measure your success in the kitchen and on the workout mat, try these other methods of progress tracking.
5. Go to bed
Seriously, get some rest! One of the reasons I love Centr is the holistic nature of the program, because how you Live has a big impact on how you Eat and Train.
How does jumping into bed relate to weight loss? Because sleep is essential for maintaining optimal hormone levels, a poor night’s rest can interfere with insulin signaling (the process that controls blood glucose levels) and appetite, which can lead to fat gain.
Poor sleep is also linked to a decrease in athletic performance, which will stop you from bringing your best on the workout mat.
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, so if you’re getting less than that, a healthy goal is to aim for an extra hour each night. This is where the sleep visualizations on Centr come in handy – check them out in the Explore section.
Angie Asche
NUTRITION
Sports dietitian Angie Asche will power your plate with no-nonsense food advice. Founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition, Angie works with MLB, NFL and NHL athletes to get the best from their bodies. With a Masters of Science in Nutrition & Physical Performance, and as a certified exercise physiologist and personal trainer, she’s got the expertise you need to achieve your goals.
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