Sam’s top 5 tips to help shred the fat!
For those of you who have read some of our past articles or have received nutritional support from us you will all know by now that maintaining a calorie deficit is the main goal when it comes to losing weight. Some people struggle more than others to keep below the threshold, so today I’m going to share a few things that work for me when I’m attempting to get my abs to show again in preparation for the summer!
5) Fry-light is king.
Just a single tablespoon of olive oil ranges from 100-120 calories. I’m willing to bet that most people just pour the oil into the pan straight from the bottle… Are you guilty of this? You might have just unintentionally added 200 calories to your meal. In my opinion for an almost tasteless addition to a meal; oil is not worth the calories. With just 1 calorie per spray of Fry-light, just a few sprays are enough to stop meat and veg sticking to the bottom of a pan. This one change has reduced my weekly calorie intake somewhere between 700 and 1400 calories. You’ll be able to find it in most popular supermarkets.
4) Experiment with quick meals
Believe it or not, my days as a student actually taught me something about cooking! With the short space of time between lectures and socialising I had to whip up some low-calorie meals quickly. In reality, sometimes we forget to do meal prep in advance since we’re not all perfect. When strapped for time, straight away people tend to resort for a takeaway to save the hassle of cooking for the next 40 minutes. If you can get some really tasty go-to meals that take 5-10 minutes to prepare such as stir-fry’s, seasoned chicken & rice combinations and spicy fajitas packed full of protein and veg then you’ll be more likely to avoid takeaways.
3) Use low calorie ingredients to add flavour to your meals!
Vegetables, garlic, onions, herbs, and spices are your best friends. Low-calorie meals don’t have to be boring, so get inventive and make it tasty! In my opinion avoiding the high calorie flavouring is key, so it would be WISE to avoid things such as mayonnaise, the aforementioned oil, cheese, and salad dressings. Weigh up whether adding certain flavourings are worth the calories and try to use different combinations with lower calorie flavourings.
2) Try to base every meal around protein
You may have heard this one before, but when you’re losing weight you’re also likely to lose some muscle mass. Keeping protein high will give your muscles the fuel to repair and maintain as much lean mass as possible. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, so it’s within your best interest to maintain it. If you’re consuming enough protein and are performing resistance based exercise 3 times per week and you’re not losing any weight DON’T WORRY! You’re likely losing fat and gaining muscle, so don’t let the scales get you down; there’s a lot more changes going on with your body than you think. Follow this principle and you’re on the right track to a ‘toned’ or ‘tight’ looking physique.
1) Evaluate what is important to YOU
This is without a doubt my most valuable tip. Everyone is individual with individual tastes and preferences. Everything written above is what works for me, these things may not work for you. You need to think about what you are WILLING to give up and what you are NOT WILLING to give up. My Achilles heel is ice cream, so I try to leave some calories in my diet so I can have a bowl every once in a while. Some people might not be able to rationalise to skimmed milk from whole milk because that is something they need, others might not be able to make the switch from oil to Fry-light! Do what works for you; just try to have it in moderation.
Happy shredding ladies and gents!
Sam Austin
