I've got a pretty decent build to start. I'm 6'1", 220lbs. I started hitting the gym pretty consistantly a few months ago, and am sticking to my schedule a LOT better than I expected. I am also making an effort to eat better as well. (My previous diet consisted of whatever was close. (I'm on the run quite a bit so it was mainly fast food.)
I'm doing about 70% Weights/30% cardio.
My goal is to tone up while shedding some fat. (The only area that I have pretty noticable fat is the waist.)
So my question is, what foods should I stick to to lose fat. (Combined with exercise of course.)
I've mainly been eating tuna, and other high protien type items after working out, and salads & Grilled chicken but would love to broaden my options.
Thanks guys, and I look forward to posting more.
Looks like you're starting from ground zero as far as nutrition basics go, so try not to get caught up in the small stuff just yet. Just know that it doesn't have to be fancy or complex, and focus on the food 1st, then worry about supps when necessary. Get as much of a variety of foods as possible from all 6 basic groups every day:
-- protein/flesh (all kinds of land & sea flesh, protein powder)
-- fats (nuts, avocado, olive oil, fish/flax oil, etc)
-- fibrous veggies (the list is loooong)
-- starches (whole grain products & starchy veggies)
-- milk & milk products (if you're lactose intolerant, stick with small amounts of cheese & yogurt)
-- fruit
For your goals in particular, a gram of protein per pound of target bodyweight is in the ballpark. Your protein needs probably wouldn't exceed that unless you were dieting really aggressively, which it doesn't sound like you're about to. 1-2 grams of carb per pound of target bodyweight is the generally effective range for guys who aren't looking specifically to mass up (those folks may need up to 3g/lb or more). Where you fall along that range (1-2g/lb) really depends upon your relative volume of exercise. Fat grams can be roughly ballparked by cutting your target bodyweight in half. Translating all this stuff into terms of actual food is gonna take either a built in memory of food stats (which a lot of experienced guys around here already have), or a site like nutritiondata.com or fitday.com.
As far as food avoidance goes, I'd warn against 100% avoidance of anything. You gotta be able to loosen up regularly to give your body & mind a break. the whole concept of "dirty" vs "clean" foods is debatable. Just do your best to dominate your diet with nutrient-dense whole foods & keep the refined stuff & desserts to a low roar. You can either schedule 1-2 "junk" meals per week, or you can have a small amount of "junk" every day (appx 10% of total kcals max). Either way will still allow progress, some find they don't need or want to cheat much at all, & that's fine for those weirdos
The rest honestly is personal trial & error.... And asking questions to the warm & nutruring member's of Bobo's Circus.
That's just my .02, everyone has their valid take on a subject this broad.