Rumor has it "Abs are made in the kitchen"

Your stomach should not be a waste basket! What you put in your body has more of an effect on your goal than you might think! I hear In the gym all the time "I worked out hard today so I'm going to eat a burger". That's cool but if you want to see progress you need to eat right! Going to the gym definitely helps but what you eat is actually more important. Surprised? Yeah a lot of people are when I tell them how important eating a clean diet is. Now obviously there is going to be those times when you're craving something bad and that's fine to have a cheat meal here in there but for the majority of the time its important to feed yourself with good clean food. It's important that you eat a balance of complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats. Below is a guideline you can use that I follow to help keep me on track :)

Rules:

Eat within 30 minutes of waking up.

Drink a minimum of 1 litre of water every day

No sodas or juices

Eat every 3-4 hours

Try and stay away from things that are fried, creamy, processed foods (things that come in a package)

Think portion control

Healthy Protein: (Baked or grilled)

Skinless chicken breast (4oz which is about the size of your palm)

Lean turkey (4oz which is about the size of your palm)

Salmon (4oz which is about the size of your palm)

Tuna (1 can)

Any white fish (size of palm is one serving)

Beans (1/2 cup is one serving)

Eggs (2 max a day)

Egg whites (3-4 egg whites is one serving)

Protein powder (isolate, 1 scoop is one serving)

Almond milk (1/2 cup is 1 serving)

Quinoa (1/2 cup cooked is 1 serving)

Healthy Fats (3 servings a day)

All natural peanut butter (1tbsp. per serving)

Avocado (1/4 of an avocado sliced is 1 serving)

All nuts (keep portion to a small handful)

Olive oil (1 tsp. is 1 serving)

Coconut oil (1 tsp. in 1 serving)

Flax seeds

Grains/ Complex Carbs

Sweet potato (1/2 a small sweet potato is 1 serving)

100% whole wheat bread and wraps (These are healthy but limit these)

Brown rice (1/2 cup is 1 serving)

Plain oats (1/2 cup is 1 serving)

Vegetables

All vegetables are good (1 cup is one serving)

Fruits

All fruits are good but limit to 2 per day. (½ a cup or one whole fruit is one serving )

Other

Splenda as a sweetener if you drink tea or coffee.