Lose weight with the right diet

Summary of this blog

This blog emphasizes the importance of proper nutrition in weight loss and provides a comprehensive overview of various aspects. The authors highlight that nutrition is more critical than exercise and that poor dietary habits render even intense training ineffective. Calculating calorie needs is presented as a crucial step for weight loss, with a tracking app like MyFitnessPal being recommended.

The authors place a special focus on protein-rich foods such as tuna, salmon, beef, chicken, and eggs, essential for muscle growth. Additionally, they recommend vegetables and fruits for minerals and vitamins. Drinking ice-cold water is mentioned as beneficial for fat burning, while sugary drinks should be avoided.

The necessity to focus on foods with low energy density is emphasized to manage a caloric deficit. The blog concludes that calculating calorie needs and engaging in strength training, supported by protein-rich foods, are key components for successful weight loss.

End of summary

In our previous post, we discussed which physical activities contribute most effectively to calorie burning, focusing on strength and endurance training, the duration of workouts, and the variation of exercises.

Today's blog delves into effective fat burning through proper nutrition. This knowledge forms the foundation of a successful diet. Naturally, there are various diet forms that can bring you closer to your goal.

Nutrition is more important than exercise

Many are unaware that nutrition is the crucial factor in weight loss. Even rigorous training cannot lead to weight loss if nutrition is neglected.

Calculate calorie requirements

The fundamental rule states: If you consume more calories than you expend, you gain weight. By reducing calorie intake, you lose weight.

First and foremost, you should calculate your personal caloric needs. A detailed guide on how to calculate this can be found in our post: Caloric Needs Calculation: Everything You Need to Know! Once you've determined this value, it's essential to adjust your diet to a caloric deficit.

For recording and tracking your progress, the use of a tracking app such as MyFitnessPal is recommended.

Some important foods

Particularly protein-rich foods like tuna, salmon, beef, chicken, or eggs are crucial for muscle growth.

Note

The recommended amount of protein you should ideally consume can be found in the article: How much protein should I take as an athlete?

In addition to the already mentioned foods, the following are also recommended:

• Vegetables: for example, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus - these provide the body with minerals and vitamins.
• Fruits: for example, raspberries, apples, blueberries - they contain a wealth of important vitamins. Adequate water intake

In the context of fat burning, ice-cold water is the best drink. In addition to zero calories, cold water has the advantage of forcing the muscles to "work" to keep the body warm.

Advice

You should definitely avoid sugary drinks like juices or sodas, as well as alcoholic beverages

Drink plenty of water

Regarding the topic of fat-burning activity, ice-cold water represents an optimal choice of fluid. Besides being calorie-free, cold water has the advantage of compelling the muscles to become active in order to maintain the body temperature.

Advice

It is strongly recommended to avoid sugary beverages such as fruit juices or sodas, as well as alcoholic drinks.

Eat foods with low energy density

Navigating a caloric deficit can be challenging, making it sensible to focus on foods that provide long-lasting satiety with few calories. The emphasis should be on foods that have a low energy density.

For example

• fruits, vegetables, fish, and low-fat quark have a low caloric density (1.5 kcal/gram)
• lean meat, low-fat cheese, and whole grain bread have a caloric density of about 2 kcal/gram
• alcohol, white bread/toast, and breaded meat have a caloric density of over 2 kcal/gram.

To illustrate this: A small piece of chocolate contains more calories than an apple but is less filling. The decision should, therefore, be straightforward.

Conclusion

For successful weight loss, it is crucial to calculate the caloric requirements. To monitor caloric intake, a tracking app, available for free on Android and iOS devices, is recommended.

Muscles work and burn fat, making it sensible to primarily engage in strength training. Protein-rich foods such as fish, meat, and eggs promote muscle growth and stimulate fat burning. Therefore, the diet should be aligned accordingly.