Healthy food for weight loss. What and how to eat while playing sports?

To get their body in shape, many people choose sports. But in order to achieve a tangible result, some sports training is not enough. It is important to properly develop your diet. After all, high-calorie and harmful foods can overnight nullify all efforts even after the most intense workout.

Work on the acquisition of a beautiful figure should begin systematically. Even at the start, you need to determine the daily number of calories that is optimal for a person of your complexion. It is also important to calculate the BJU formula – the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates you need to achieve your goal. Let’s talk about this in more detail.

Diet calorie content

 

Even if you started exercising to get rid of extra pounds, you can not reduce the dose of calories to a critical minimum. It is strictly forbidden to refuse food, but you need to eat right. Remember: if your body receives less than 1200 calories per day, metabolic failure and health problems cannot be avoided. In order for the metabolism to be correct, and the heart and blood vessels not to suffer, a person needs from 1200 to 1500 kcal per day. When the body receives less energy, it begins to intensively save what it already has, because it believes that now it will have to starve all the time. As a result of the slowdown in all vital processes, the weight loss procedure also becomes very slow.

Eating the right number of calories is an important part of losing weight. But getting these calories is worth only from healthy food. In addition, the body needs energy throughout the day, so not only the right set of products is important, but also their optimal distribution over several meals.

So, to lose weight, you need to consume at least 1200 kcal per day. The upper limit of this indicator is also available, but it depends on the constitution of the body and the proportion of daily sports loads. In any case, the calorie content of the daily diet cannot exceed 2300 kcal.

The right combination of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates

The composition of foods is as important as their calorie content.

For those who want to build muscle, you should eat protein foods. Protein contributes to the rapid set of muscle mass. The best foods are legumes, lean meats, low-fat milk and its derivatives, and eggs. Women should get at least 90 grams of protein per day, and men at least 130 grams. These values ​​can be a little more – it all depends on the lifestyle and level of physical activity. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of the amount of protein that has entered the body. When there is a risk of not receiving this important building material for muscles, experienced athletes use specialized protein shakes that completely cover the lack of protein.

Carbohydrates saturate the body with energy, which is vital for athletes. But carbs are different. Those found in sweets and other sweets are called “simple”. They won’t do any good. It is important to use other, “complex” carbohydrates. A large number of them are found in cereals, whole-grain bread, and vegetables. A full and proper carbohydrate breakfast will fill you with energy for the whole day.

Without the intake of fats in the body, the metabolism cannot proceed quickly, so fat-containing foods should be on the menu. But fat must also be correct. You can take it from seeds, redfish, high-quality vegetable oils, and nuts, but the amount should be controlled. The maximum daily dose of fat should not exceed 40 grams.

Water is the key to success

A beautiful, athletic and toned figure is impossible without a sufficient amount of water. The athlete should always have a bottle of clean drinking water at hand. Lack of life-giving moisture can cause dehydration and harm your health. Drink water both before and after your workout. With a strong feeling of thirst, you can take a few sips in the process of training.

Water is another source of energy. A sufficient amount of fluid prevents problems with the cardiovascular system, speeds up metabolism, rids the body of toxic substances, and rejuvenates.

At least 2-3 liters of water should be consumed per day. True, there are some restrictions: it is not recommended to drink 20 minutes before meals and within 60 minutes after the meal.

 

Training Nutrition

Classes with an empty stomach are only allowed in the morning, immediately after waking up. In the event that a workout is scheduled for the afternoon, a meal before it is required. But try to take at least 1 hour from lunch to the fitness room, and preferably 1.5 hours. To get the energy you need, it is better to eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates.

Studies have shown that after vigorous physical activity, a “protein-carbohydrate window” opens. This is the best time for those who want to build muscle. It is at this moment that you should drink a protein shake or eat some light protein product. But remember: it should be a snack. You can eat a full meal an hour and a half after training.

When exercising, do not forget about water. An acute feeling of thirst is unacceptable!

Nutrition for athletes: useful tips

– The number of meals should be increased. Eat a little and often. Optimal – 5 times a day with a break of 3 hours. Thus, in addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you need to have a few light snacks (low-fat cottage cheese, vegetables, and fruits);

– the amount of food eaten at one meal should not be more than your palm;

– have breakfast with complex carbohydrates, you can add some protein foods to them;

– lunch should be dense, but at the same time, potatoes and pasta, which are familiar to us, in combination with fish and meat, should not be. It is better to dine with cereals in tandem with vegetables and proteins;

– dinner should be protein foods, you can add some vegetables to them. This will help restore strength and normalize muscle tone after active sports;

– if you play sports, fasting is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, exhaustion of the body cannot be avoided;

– Eat regularly and regularly. Haste interferes with the control of the quantity and composition of food;

– limit the amount of salt consumed to the minimum possible;

– in order to properly compose a diet, it is better to seek the advice of a specialist – a sports instructor or nutritionist.

Useful and harmful products for weight loss

If you set out to lose extra pounds with the help of sports, include the following products in your menu: buckwheat and oatmeal, seafood and fish, low-fat boiled meat fillets (turkey, rabbit meat, chicken), low-fat or low-fat dairy products, vegetables and fruit crops, dried fruits, herbs, vegetable matter, nuts.

So that your efforts are not in vain, exclude fatty meat, sweets, muffins, smoked meats, fast food, soda, sweet coffee and tea from the diet.

Sweet tooth, who cannot imagine their life without sweets and chocolates, can be advised to switch to marshmallows or marshmallows. They do not contain fat, but they should be consumed before lunch.

Sample menu for the day

If you have started training, you need to know how to properly compose a diet and distribute products. A sample menu for the day will help:

Breakfast:

– 160 grams of oatmeal boiled in water;

– 1 teaspoon of honey;

– fruits – 110 grams;

– nuts – 10-12 pieces.

Snack:

– unsweetened coffee or tea;

– sandwich: a slice of whole grain bread and cheese.

Dinner:

– buckwheat – 110 grams;

– vegetables and greens – 160 grams;

– vegetable oil – 1 teaspoon;

– hard-boiled chicken egg.

Snack:

– cottage cheese product of low-fat content (up to 5%) – 100 grams.

Dinner:

– boiled meat – 150 grams;

– vegetables (excluding potatoes) – 150 grams;

– greenery.

 

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