By Damon Moschetto
Welcome to the third installment of Nutrition for Weight Loss. Now that you have a basic understanding of nutrition, let’s talk about some specific ways to get to your fat loss goal!

The first thing we need to understand is The Law of Thermodynamics. The simple explanation of this idea is energy in Versus energy out. If energy in is less than energy out we will lose weight, conversely, if energy in is greater than energy out we will gain weight and if energy in is equal to energy out we will remain the same, or we would be at “maintenance” as I like to call it. This simple concept is something that most people just don’t want to accept. The Law of Thermodynamics is a physical law, no different than the Law of Gravity; neither of them has been disputed. Most people want to blame their weight gain on genetics, carbohydrates, slow metabolism, thyroid issues, the boogie man, anything but the truth. The bottom line is as a society we move too little and eat too much. Here is an example, at the turn of the last century (1900’s) the typical female could consume 4-5000 calories daily and not gain weight based on the amount of physical work she did on a daily basis. Today, we do less physical labor and a typical female gains weight on 1800 calories a day.

Now, as promised, here are the tools to work with… The first thing you need to do is make sure you are eating breakfast. Break down the word, break and fast, by eating breakfast we are breaking the 8 hour fast that we go on while sleeping. Breakfast revs up your metabolism and starts your furnace to begin burning the excess calories you have stored.

The next simple step is to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Somewhere between 4-6 small meals is ideal. Just eating the traditional 3 squares per day is setting yourself up for failure. By eating less frequently you are sending a signal to your brain to conserve energy between meals and that is a recipe for disaster. Now, if you are saying to yourself “There is no way I can get 4 meals into my busy day” I would like you to consider this:

1. Are you truly happy with the way you look and feel? (Be honest, what if I asked your spouse this question?)
2. Have you steadily gained weight over the past 5-10 years?

If you answered no to 1 and yes to 2, I suggest you put down the doughnut and implement the changes I am about to recommend. Eating more frequently throughout the day has never been easier with the availability of meal replacements, such as bars and shakes. You do not have to think of 4-6 meals as sitting down at the table for seven courses. Its as simple as planning out your day in advance, you wouldn’t go to an important meeting unprepared, prepare your food for the day and throw a bar or protein cookie in your purse!

Next installment will be MOVE MORE and tips for creating S.P.A., (Spontaneous Physical Activity). CAN’T WAIT!!!