Front Load Your Day For Fat Loss!

Posted Sep 03, 2009 by . This entry is filed under Weight Loss, Meal Plans, and Food Strategies.

That's not exactly what I mean

Recipe for Disaster Part II

Are you completely starving yourself of carbohydrates in order to lose a few pounds? Or are you cutting out every last gram of fat and making sure to get all 7 servings of grains like the food pyramid says?  If so, how's that working out for you?

If I had to guess, I'd say it's not working out at all!

Here's a simple rule that will help you make significant changes to the way your body stores and burns fat that can yield amazing results. Oh, and it's easy! 

Front load your carbohydrates.

What does "front load" mean?  Simple.  Let's assume you eat 200 grams of carbohydrates per day.  Divide those carbohydrates into thirds, and eat them all within your first 3 meals.  This is assuming you're going to eat 5-6 meals, which no matter what excuse you find, you should be able to do. Why 5-6 meals? There is substantial evidence supporting the idea that smaller meals spread throughout the day can aid in increased metabolism of fat.  Remember when you’re trying to lose weight, you’re at war!  You need every soldier you can drum up, and that’s one you don’t want to be without. 

Along with eating the majority of your carbohydrates in the earlier part of the day, you're going to eliminate the majority of the fats within those higher carbohydrate meals.  We try to choose one energy source or the other by not combining our "carbs" with our "fats" in order to keep our calories down and our bodies processing carbohydrates more efficiently.  In other words, we do a better job at preventing fat storage and aiding in fat loss this way!  Now this doesn't mean you can have a low-fat bagel for breakfast and move on.  You still need to be combining lean proteins with every meal, which is an entire topic within itself that we will be addressing next week.  However, a few things about protein you should know; protein aids in increasing lean muscle mass, decreases hunger, prolongs satiation, and potentially may help reduce cholesterol!  And these are just a few of the benefits!

So breakfast could look something more like 1 cup Fat Free Chobani Greek Yogurt (20grams protein, 9 grams carbs, 0 grams fat) and 1 cup fresh berries (10-20 grams carbohydrates).  This meal is high in protein, moderate in carbohydrates and fat free.  Perfect!

The next two meals would need to look very similar to the first and you should be finished consuming them by roughly 1-3 PM in the afternoon. This of course is assuming you're waking up on a regular schedule around 7 or 8am. 

So then what?

The last 2-3 meals are where you will get your essential fats and reduce your carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates are still allowed in these meals, however need to come from low calorie vegetables like green beans, spinach, cucumber, zucchini, etc. There's dozens to choose from so be creative and don't get bored!

Now, you still need that energy source we talked about earlier, so these are our fattier meals. Corn beef and cabbage isn't what I'm talking about here either.  Fat is devious.  You can sabotage your meal with one extra tablespoon of oil so be careful!  That may be a little extreme, but you do need to pay attention to the amount of fat you'll be consuming per meal. 

Here's an example of a late afternoon or evening "low-carb" meal.

6 ounces grass fed beef (30 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 3-8 grams fat), 4 cups fresh spinach, ¼ avocado, 1/4 cup black olives, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup fat free sour cream (5-10 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fat, 2 grams protein).

This meal is high in protein, fiber and important micronutrients, is low in carbs, and adequate in heart healthy fats without getting absurd with bland, boring foods.

Removing the late afternoon and night time carbohydrates will allow your insulin levels to lower and become more sustainable.  This will dramatically prevent fat storage, and allow the body to burn fat more efficiently, especially if you're involved in a rigorous exercise routine (which you are, right?)

Eating your carbs in the morning will allow the body to maintain proper glycogen levels, and prevent you from feeling fatigue and "brain starved" all of the time.

Certainly some variables exist like time of awakening, when you workout, and when you go to sleep, however the rules mostly remain the same. 

You get you're carbs in the morning, your fats at night, and everyone holds hands with protein.

Just because I know you want it: here's an example day!

Meal 1 -8 am

-         4 egg whites- ¼ cup mango salsa- 1/8 cup shredded cheese- Fat Free whole wheat tortilla

-         (20 grams protein, 35 grams carbs, 4-5 grams fat)

Meal 2 -11am

-         1 can tuna w/ mustard on whole wheat bread, lettuce and tomato

-         (30 grams protein, 30 grams carbs, 3-4 grams fat)

Meal 3 – 12:30pm

-         Shredded Chicken Burrito (whole wheat tortilla – 1/8 c cheese – ¼ c salsa- 2T fat free sour cream – lettuce- tomato- 4-5oz chicken)

-         (20-30grams protein, 35 grams carbs, 4-5 grams fat)

Meal 4 – 3-3:30pm

-         2 Hard Boiled Eggs – 3 oz low sugar or sugar free jerky

-         (20-30 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 0-5 grams carbs)

Meal 5 – 5-6pm

-         4-5oz Blackened Salmon- Green Salad (2c romaine-1/4c olive-tomato-onion-artichoke- balsamic vinegar)

-         (25-30 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 5-10 grams carb)

Meal 6 8pm optional*

-         1 ½ scoops low carb protein powder - 1 T Natural Nut Butter – water – ice – blender!

-         (30 grams protein, 3-4 grams carbs, 7-10 grams fat)

Simple enough!

Don't complicate it.  Starches and low fat combined with clean proteins in the first half of the day.  No starches and moderate fats combined with clean proteins in the latter half of the day.  It works wonders for weight control and weight loss. 

If you've been sucking down low-fat, higher carb meals in the evenings, regardless of how "low-glycemic", or "complex" they are, you're going to struggle with losing weight, and potentially gain weight. 

Obviously there are many other factors that are involved into meal planning and nutritional weight-loss strategies, however this is a great place to start!

Let me know how it goes!

Knock 'em dead!

- m!ke