The best weight training and cardio workouts will do very little if your diet is off. Make sure you have your diet optimized to build quality lean muscle, have the energy to power you through those tough workouts and drop that excess body fat. Try to get at least 25-30 grams of protein at each meal and consume small meals every 3 hours throughout the day for maximum results!
Try to focus on lean protein sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites) whole wheat starchy carbs (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread) and lean fibrous carbs (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini). A quick daily menu could consist of:
8am:
1 chicken breast (8 ounce), 1 cup of steamed brown rice, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
11am:
turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (8 ounces of lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).
2pm:
8 ounces of top round steak, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of non-fat cottage cheese
5pm:
egg white omelet (8 egg whites, mushrooms), 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (NO butter)
8pm:
8 ounces of fish (salmon, catfish, trout, halibut, etc.), 2 cups steamed zucchini, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Eat several, small and nutritious meals throughout the day. You will gain several benefits from eating several small meals throughout the day. Your body's metabolism will be revved up throughout the day. You will also have something in your stomach every few hours and be grazing all day long. This is important because you will not feel deprived like someone who eats 1 meal in the morning and then waits until dinner time to eat again, which usually tends to create a mini-binge since the person is extremely hungry. Try to eat a small and nutritious meal every 3 hours and you will reap the rewards!
You can take a FREE diet analysis of your current nutritional plan here:
http://www.shapefit.com/diet-analysis.html
Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life!