3 Tips on Nutrition for Building Muscles and Losing Fat

No matter how hard you try in the gym, you won’t see much result unless you combine your workouts with a well thought out nutrition plan. Without proper nutrition for building muscles and losing fat your body will always be lacking the balance and energy to complement your training efforts.

The good news is that the same rules apply to both muscle gain and fat loss nutrition planning, and that these rules are actually quite simple to follow. You will instantly notice an improvement in your mental capacity and focus, as well as an increase in your energy levels and workout recovery times.

1. Meal Partitioning

Increase the number of meals per day, but make them smaller and focused on what food they contain. Fruits, lean protein, vegetables and whole foods should always form up the main ingredients of each meal. You must instill some self-discipline here and get rid of high-calorie, high-fat and high-sugar foods.

If you’re serious about losing fat while maintaining high energy resources for your workouts, you can’t have things like chocolate bars, cookies, pies, ice cream, fried foods, etc. in your menu. Definitely not often anyway.

I know it’s impossible to completely change your eating habits, but you need to start making changes today and be consistent and focused. By taking small steps in eliminating bad foods and adding good ones, you will achieve the necessary nutrition levels in a rather short period of time.

2. Drinking Water

It goes without saying that hydration is crucial, not only for preserving life altogether, but for allowing your body to function at its best. While the minimum intake should be at about 2 liters a day, nutrition specialists suggest at least 3 liters of water. This is quite true when you’re working out to build muscle and lose fat as it helps your system to get rid of toxins more easily.

Calories that come from drinks such as soda, alcohol or beverages containing sugar are working against you, so replace the regular consumption of those with a glass of water. Don’t think much about it and you can easily do it. You’ll be glad you did later.

3. Creating a Nutrition Plan

You need to make a plan. Period. Going from meal to meal without having a clear idea what you should consume is not going to take you far. Nor will going into the grocery store and trying to figure out what to buy in the last minute. Unless you’re experienced and have been following a plan for months or years, you will miss out on important ingredients, as well as end up buying something you shouldn’t.

Plan with your daily schedule in mind. It’s not feasible to cancel a lunch meeting or a business trip just to eat healthy, so make sure to point these out in your plan and prepare some whole food sandwiches or try to figure out in advance what foods to order in that restaurant, such that you don’t have to break out of your nutrition targets.

Make a grocery shop list and stick to it. It will save you a lot of time and help you avoid mistakes, as well as keep those tempting candies and other treats out of your house. That way you can focus on following your nutrition plan to the optimum. Try to prepare as many ingredients and meal prerequisites so when it comes to making the actual meal you can have it ready in no time.

While a lot more can be said on the topic, I can guarantee you that just by following these 3 simple tips on proper nutrition for building muscles and losing fat you will experience noticeable results right from the start. Don’t be surprised if you begin losing a pound or more per week just from having the correct nutrition alone.