If you are weight training to build muscle, your biggest goal is to keep your body mass index in check. Body builders around the world will tell you that having the perfect, sculpted body is also about staying lean and keeping your body fat at a minimum.
To be pure muscle and no fat you have to find creative ways to exercise, but you also have to eat the right food. In order to sculpt your muscles, you need food with enough protein to keep you energized, but also food that helps burn fat – you also want to suppress those unwanted cravings.
Here are 5 great foods for burning fat and building muscle.
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Oatmeal.
Oatmeal is the secret weapon for a lot of body builders that want to sculpt the perfect body. Eating oatmeal 1 to 2 hours before an exercise or weight lifting session will give you an adequate amount of sustained energy, which will allow you to work out longer. Oatmeal is also great at regulating your blood sugar levels, which can stave off cravings. It is also a great source of fiber, which can prevent your body from storing excess fat.
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Nuts and Seeds.
Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. And choosing the unsalted option will allow for maximum weight loss potential and help suppress your appetite and cravings for more fatty foods. For men, nuts have proven to increase testosterone levels, which is great if you are weight training. Studies also show that some nuts can reduce cholesterol levels by 12%.
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Fish.
Another great food that will burn fat and help build muscle is fish. Some fish, like salmon, tuna and sardines can release a hormone in your body called leptin. Leptin is released so that your body can naturally regulate the fat storage by determining whether to store it or burn it for energy. If you are heading to your weekly pilates exercises or weight training class, eating fish 2 hours before hand will significantly increase your body’s natural ability to burn excess fat and keep you energized.
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Beans.
Beans are another really great food to help burn fat so that you can focus on building muscle. Studies have shown that up 23% of people who regularly eat beans as part of their diets have thinner waistlines. Dietitians recommend that you eat beans up to 4 times a week, or more for body builders, to help give them energy and help them burn fat.
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Eggs.
Last, but not least, eggs are an excellent source of protein that can help you stave off hunger for the rest of the day. They also have a number of energy rich, fat burning, muscle building nutrients that make eggs one of body builder’s favorite foods to sculpt the perfect body.
Researchers say that eating eggs in the morning can reduce your daily cravings for fatty foods at up to 400 calories. For someone who is trying to burn fat and build muscle, either sunny side up or scrambled, making eggs your daily morning ritual might get you the perfect abs and more.
Tags: build muscle, Diet, fat loss, food, foods, gain muscle, health, healthy, lose fat, lose weight, muscle gain, nutrition, weight loss
I’ve found cold processed whey protein to be the best food to support muscle growth. It ranks higher than eggs in Biological Value, or the proportion of absorbed protein that is retained in the body for repair or growth. If you consume it 30 minutes before a workout and immediately after, it has been shown to increase metabolism for up to 24 hours after – thus helping to burn fat.
I new that eggs were good for protein but I never thought of them as a fat burner…Thanks for the tip keep them coming!
I think you should differentiate between types of oatmeal. I agree those benefits are found from old fashioned oatmeal, but not necessarily the instant varieties.