Lose Fat Not Muscle - Nutrition Guide

Many people train so hard at the gym to lose fat and pack on lean muscle tissue. However as you are reducing calories and increasing your calorific expenditure you are bound to lose muscle too. This can have a negative effect (long-term) as the less muscle tissue you have the slower your metabolic rate will become.

You need to ensure you eat the right foods to ensure you are not losing important muscle tissue. Below are some great food choices that are high in protein and are low fat food sources staples in your diet.

Breakfast choices

Eggs

Hailed as the most nutritious and versatile food, one egg packs around 6g of high quality protein, and contains varying amounts of 14 essential nutrients including Vit B2, Vit A, Vit D, choline and iodine. It's easy to control your portion, and calorie intake with one large egg containing around 70 calories. If you want to stay satisfied till lunch, start your day with scrambled egg, using 1-2 eggs,3 egg whites, and just a dash of skimmed milk.

Protein Porridge Oats

Perfect for re-fuelling after a morning cardio session, oats are a whole-grain cereal meaning they're a great fibre source, and are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Oats health benefits include lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels. A 30 serving of oats contains just 117 calories, their raw breakdown consists of 66% carbs, 17% protein, 7% fat, and 11% fibre.

To increase the protein macros of oats, simply add a scoop of LA Whey protein which will give you an instant 24.5g of protein per serving.

Peanut Butter on Toast

Swap butter for 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter, which adds about 8 grams of protein to your meal. Since processed nut butters can be sneaky sources of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, look for a super-short ingredient list.

Quark

This very high protein, minimal carb dairy food source is a celebs secret. As an upgrade to fat-free natural yogurt the gloriously thick texture and taste is a strong comparison to mascarpone. Available in snack pots or in tubs, enjoy this desert on its own, next to your porridge, or add some dried fruits on top for some extra flavour.

LUNCH CHOICES

Chicken breast

A body-builders favourite for being a lean protein source, one chicken breast contains 124 calories, zero carbs, and over 26g of protein. As an excellent source of protein, chicken contains essential amino acids

Tuna

Low in saturated fat, Tuna is packed with vitamins and minerals, and is an excellent source of protein. The versatile food source is key health benefits is its high protein content, maintenance of a healthy blood pressure thanks to its omega-3 fatty acids

Protein Shake

Kill those mid-afternoon hunger pangs before you hit your evening session with a low fat protein shake. Grab a LA Muscle Shaker, add a serving scoop of LA Whey Gold Protein to water/skimmed milk. Shake away and savour your chosen flavour. LA Whey will give you 49g of quality protein and virtually zero carbs and zero fat.

Kale

This superfood digestion aider is a low calorie, high fibre, non-fat super green! One cup of Kale has only 36 calories, 5g of fibre, and 0g of fat. It's packed with numerous nutrients, vitamins, magnesium, folate, and magnesium.

DINNER CHOICES

Turkey steaks/ breast

Perhaps the most underrated meat on the market, turkey is very high in protein, and very low in fat and an inexpensive source of iron, zinc, potassium, and B vitamin. Regular turkey consumption can help lower cholesterol levels, and keeps hormone levels stable. Turkey also contains the amino acid tryptophan which produces serotonin and plays an important role in strengthening the immune system.

Salmon

Fish and shellfish are nutrient dense and salmon is no exception. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals (including potassium, selenium and vitamin B12) but it is their content of omega-3 fatty acids that receives the most attention.

Liver

Although not to everyone's taste liver contains a large amount of high-quality protein, iron, vitamin B including B12 and folic acid meaning it'll help combat fatigue, and tiredness enabling you to perform during your training sessions.

Spinach

This versatile fuss-free super food complements any meat or fish! The super green is a great source of fibre, niacin, protein, vitamin A, C, E, K, thiamine, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and magnese.

Snacks

LA Muscle have come up with some fantastic recipes that are high in protein, low in fat and perfect for snacking on. These include;

Almond crunch protein bars. Recipe here

For all of LA Muscle's tasty and healthy recipes click here