Are you frustrated because you are eating right and not seeing the results you want? Well, you are not alone. Often times, when someone begins the journey to physical fitness, the focus is only on “what” they are eating. That’s not the only thing that you need to focus on though. Sure, it is important to eat the right foods and work out. You should focus on complex carbohydrates and lean protein. You should also limit the amount of fruit or “sweet” vegetables such as corn. Many people are shocked to hear that you should stay away from fruit, but the fact is that the juice in most fruit is comprised almost entirely of simple sugars, and simple sugars are your enemy if you are trying to get lean.
Where most people miss the mark is how often they eat. Whenever you are focusing on getting lean and shedding body fat, it is important to eat smaller meals more often. The jury is out on the exact number of meals, but a good place to start is 5-6, with each meal containing approximately 16-20% of your total calories for the day.
This is important for many reasons with the main being that it keeps your metabolism ramped up throughout the day. When you only eat three larger meals during the day, in between meals your body is going to slow down your metabolism between meals as a method of preserving energy. This is a defense method that our bodies use to conserve energy when food is not constantly available. This is not what you want at all; a slow metabolism means that your body is not burning your stored energy (fat). When you provide your body with a constant stream of healthy calories, your metabolism will stay ramped up all day long. First burning the calories that you are consuming and then tapping into the stored fat in your body, keeping your body well fueled may seem counterproductive but it is in fact a good way to get lean.