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Eat Small, Eat Light, Eat Often

Posted By: Chris Proctor, NSCA-CPT on 02/13/2012

Eat Small-When eating meals throughout the day, we should focus on smaller portions, and fueling more regularly. When we go too long between meals, we stifle the ability of our metabolism to burn calories, and put ourselves into a storage mode.

Eat Light- Our meals should include all the macronutrients(fats, carbohydrates, protein, fiber) and should be sufficient in quantity to keep us full and satisfied for 3-4 hours. If we are hungry too soon, we did not eat enough. If we aren't hungry at the 4 hour mark, we likely ate a little too much. It is trail and error so son't give up before your body gets accustomed to the new eating schedule.

Eat Often- We need to focus on eating more often throughout the day, and thinking about the nutrient content. The days of eating only 3 larger meals are gone. Our bodies run like a coal furnace on a ship. If you want it to run all day, you need to fuel it regularly, and often. Shoot for 5-6 meals over the course of your day.

No matter what you may hear or read, a good training program does not come with a free pass on nutrition. It does not matter how great your trainer is, if you cannot modify poor eating habits, you will never reach the health goals you're chasing.