Take Meal in This way

•  Eat small, frequent, protein-based meals, and never miss breakfast.

Remember, you want to keep your blood sugar level steady and minimize insulin, which promotes fat storage (except after a workout). A recent study showed that men who ate at least five meals a day had an average body-mass index that was 13 percent lower than those who ate only one or two meals a day. The frequent eaters also had a 4 percent lower waist-to-hip ratio, which indicates less body fat . Eat right, eat often As for skipping breakfast, here’s why it’s a bad idea: In 1993 researchers at the University of Colorado and the University of Pittsburgh studied people who’d lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least one year. They were looking for clues as to w hat helps people reduce body fat permanently. One thing they found w as that four o u t of five ate breakfast every day of the week. If you don’t eat breakfast, your body starts burning muscle immediately and hangs onto body fat.

• Increase your protein and reduce carbs—but not too much. 

It takes more energy to digest protein, and that burns extra calories. Extra protein also boosts your metabolism by maintaining thyroid hormone and building more muscle—the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest. However, too much protein can force your body to use it as an energy source, which produces toxins that slow fat burning. You need the right balance of protein and carbs for your specific energy and rebuilding needs. (More on that later, plus diets with the exact macronutrient balance that can help you strip away body fat fast.)

•          Include fat in your diet. 

Especially the so-called good kind, essential fatty acids found in nuts and fish. Studies show that  diets in which less than 20 percent of  total calories come from  fat c an cause a decrease in test oste ro ne—and testosterone not only helps you build muscle but also helps you burn body fat, especially in the abdominal area. Don’t associate dietary fat with body fat. In fact, diets rich in omega-3 fats not only don’ t promote body fat accumulation but may protect against obesity as well. Omega-3 s are known to change the characteristics of cellular membranes in a way that favors increased insulin receptor effectiveness. In other words, they help prevent excess fat gain.One fat you should avoid like the plague, however, is trans fatty acids. Look for the words partially hydrogenated in the ingredients list on  food labels. That  means there are trans fats p resent an d you s houldn’t eat i t. Trans fats h ave been associated with many diseases, especially car diovascular disease, because they raise serum cholesterol levels even more than saturated fat (the kind found in bacon). They also elevate production of low-density lipoprotein. If that’s not enough to keep you from eating foods with trans fats, how about this: They can cause muscle loss

. That’s right, the muscle you work so hard to build in the gym. Now that’s evil!

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