Weight Loss Meal Plans For Athletes

When an athlete creates a meal plan for losing weight, a lot of advice in food choices is offered. These three unusual tips can improve your fitness, bringing you closer to your goal weight, no matter where you start.

How many times must it be said? Eat breakfast every day.

Breakfast alerts your body that sleeping time is over, body repair is finished and body actions need now begin. Wake your body's metabolism up every morning, not just before workouts or Monday through Friday. The 8-hour hibernation mode significantly reduces the number of calories burned per hour. Without breakfast, your body stays at the reduced calorie rate. If you wake at six a.m., for six long hours your body burns calories at a percentage of what you should be burning. The "should be burning" calorie allotment depends on the type of breakfast. A light breakfast might have you burning more calories than during sleep, but a full breakfast -- eggs, side meat, toast and citrus -- puts you at maximum resting basal metabolic rate. And if you workout just before or after breakfast, never skimp on protein, including eggs and bacon. The more your body feels that food is plentiful, the fewer calories it absorbs from any food. However, remember cereal, fruits and vegetables supply almost all of your fiber which cleanse the bowels, where metabolic rate is determined. Fiber also pushes last night's sins out, and you absorb less of that chocolate or other goodies.

Eating is more of a psychological event or a cultural activity than a nutrition function to nourish your body. Mood greatly affects your food intake, the way that shopping on a empty stomach does.

Drink your water

An informal study of twins showed that if each twin ate nearly the same amount of food, even the exact same types of food, the twin that drank at least 64 ounces of water lost more weight. Bite for bite, the twin that kept up her water intake lost dramatically more weight. Water removes many toxins from the body, improves skin tone, nail growth, hair luster and all other body functions. Coffee, soda and milk do not do the same great clean-up, and probably should not even be counted in the recommended 64 ounces. Only water quenches thirst successfully, without leaving you wanting more food.

If you need sugar, eat sugar. Better yet, choose natural sugars such as honey, maple, brown sugar, agave nectar or molasses. Best of all, satisfy your craving with fruit! Lose high fructose corn syrup and modified starch from your waistline.

Water is better for your workout, better for your waistline and better for your entire body.

When designing a meal, these three tips will help you lose weight, increase your fitness and improve your life as an athlete. A structured meal plan may improve your fitness and weight goal achievement, but these three tips are more important than any combination of foods, any calorie counting regimen or any magic substance. Eat breakfast daily, avoid fake sugars even if you keep the real ones and always drink the entire 64 ounces of water recommended daily for your optimum health.

Always drink the entire 64 ounces of water recommended daily for your optimum health