A very important component of most weight loss eating plans is the frequency of which you eat your meals.

When eating for fat loss, in some ways more is better. For this fat loss habit, you are going to want to begin eating a meal every 2-4 hours or so while you are awake. These meals should not be large meals, but they should follow some basic principles for fat loss, which I will discuss shortly

For some people this could be four or five meals, and for others this may more like six meals. I know you may be used to eating only one or two meals per day, but this principle of eating at regular intervals is very important.

When we eat regularly throughout the day, our body is consistently being fed nutrients, so we tend to stay comfortably full throughout the day. The result: No gorging!

In addition, when we eat regularly, our metabolism increases and the body actually begins to burn more fat and store less.

So let me get into the components of what each meal should be based around. Keep in mind, in future posts I will be discussing more of these Principles (fat loss habits) in detail, so any questions about the why’s for each of these food suggestions will be cleared up.

For now, just focus on starting to eat more frequently throughout the day, and try to base your food choices around the types of foods I list here.

Each meal should follow these basic principles:

1. Eat lean protein with every meal (eggs, lean ground beef, chicken, or fish are just some examples)
2. Include vegetables with every meal – they can be raw, cooked, steamed, boiled, etc. Just make sure that you’re eating vegetables as much as possible
3. Include some healthy fats with most meals (olive oil, avocados, fish oil are a few examples)
4. Save starchy carbohydrates for after your workouts (more on this in a future post)

So there you have it. These are the basics for eating. Remember to eat frequently throughout the day, and try to follow the four basic principles outlined above in each meal.

This may take some time to get used to, so don’t sweat it if you’re not comfortable eating so often at first. Just try to focus on cutting your portion sizes down at the meals you do eat. Once you can manage this, your body will begin to let you know when you are hungry and when it is time for another feeding session.