What to Eat For Fat Loss is an Extremely Important Question
That’s the question that I get asked all the time when I am working with women or speaking at an event.
You know you should fuel up before a workout. But what to eat and how much is an extremely popular question. My answer is lets figure it out once and for all. It is not as hard as you think. It does not require special diet plans or meal prep that takes you all day to prepare. It’s a simple mathematical equations and I am no MATHLETE. But I am very good at what I do and I love helping other women get Hot and Healthy in a simple and easy way that fits into their lifestyle.
Should I exercise on an empty stomach? Should I do cardio before I eat in the morning? Is a banana ok before I exercise? Help, what should I do? OMG! there is so much information out there ladies and sometimes I even question my own sanity. But then I go back to what I know and what truly works.
Would you drive your car with no fuel to get to work?
I think not! Let’s get back to basics. Your body has been sleeping, (hopefully restfully all night). Now you are up and getting ready to exercise. Your body has been in a semi detox/no food state for 7 to 12 hours depending on how long you sleep.
If you go to exercise with no fuel in your tank, popular belief is that you will be tapping into your fat stores. Well, I do not agree with that statement. If you are exercising the Hot and Healthy Body way you are going to need to get fuel (food) into your body before and after you work out to give your body the energy it needs to power through a workout. Plus, you do not want your body tapping into or catabolizing your hard earned muscle tissue.
So How Much Do I Eat and What Do I Eat?
That is a great question and I am so glad you asked. I have this super simple easy “rule” that lets me know if I am fueling my body at each meal. I hate counting calories, weighing or measuring my food or counting points. Been there done that all before. I have counted every calorie that crossed my lips, done complicated meal plans and shopping trips to the store with a cart load of food that I never ate.
The Hot and Healthy Way is so simple and it works. If it didn’t I would not be be able to keep my “after” shape all year long at 48 and for over 10 years now.
It’s my 20/20 rule. 20 Grams of a good healthy carbohydrate and 20 grams of a good clean healthy protein, a healthy fat and a veggie at each mea! This is 5 meals a day. Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack & Dinner.
It looks like this: Grams Carbs + 20 Grams Protein + Healthy Fat + Healthy Veggie = Hot and Healthy Body!
- Breakfast 20 grams protein + 20 grams carbs + healthy fat + veggie
- Snack 20 grams protein + 20 grams carbs + healthy fat + veggie
- Lunch 20 grams protein + 20 grams carbs + healthy fat + veggie
- Snack 20 grams protein + 20 grams carbs + healthy fat + veggie
- Dinner 20 grams protein + 20 grams carbs + healthy fat + veggie
If you are wanting to lean out a little faster take out the 20 grams of starchy carbs (rice, sweet potato, bread, gluten free pasta, quinoa) and night and eat a protein and a veggie.
So what does this look like?
- Green Smoothie with your favorite vegan/whey protein powder, spinach & kale, 5 almonds & 1/2 frozen banana
- Tuna with lettuce tomato + 1 slice ezekiel bread + 1 tbsp. avocado ( I use salsa instead of mayo)
- Large salad with chicken or beans + lots of veggies + 1/2 sweet potato
- 1 serving tofu + sweet potato rounds + salad with dressing & lots of veggies
- 1 chicken breast + quinoa + grilled asparagus with olive oil and garlic
Listen, I am all about making health and weight loss as easy as possible and I truly believe it does not have to be as complicated as everyone makes it out to be. In fact, I know it does not have to be. Because I have done it, and live it each and every day.
What I want you to do now, is start to read your food labels and understand what a portion size of carbohydrates looks (20 grams) like and a portion of protein (20 grams) looks like. This is for women, men I love you too but women are my specialty. You guys can go with roughly 40 carb/40 protein ratio.
Here is an example of a day of Hot and Healthy Eating following my 20/20 Hot and Healthy guideline.
Realize that we are not perfect and that each and every day is going to be different. But when you start planning and keeping these simple ratios in your head it become so much more easy to adjust what you are eating and what you are not eating.
I will be doing many more blog posts on this topic with recipe ideas and healthy combinations.
If you want to learn more and go in depth than get the Hot and Healthy Body Program. You need to eat food to lose weight. My friends laugh that I eat all the time. I say keep laughing, because I know it works.
Shawn R. Martin
Doing JNL FUSION, having trouble with my diet.. Can you help?
Laura London
Hi Shawn, I would suggest my Hot and Healthy Body Academy, it is a 30 day program along with 21 coaching videos that will help you to lose the weight and understand how to keep it off for life. You can read more about it here. https://lauralondonfitness.com/product/hot-healthy-body-academy/