This hub will deliver the basics of nutrition for weight loss. While I will go into greater detail on each topic listed below in their own hubs, this will serve as a general guide for those looking to make some quick improvements to their diets for weight loss purposes.

The most basic, and possibly most importing, tip that I can give you in terms of nutrition for weight loss is to listen to your body. Your body will actually tell you what you should and should not be eating by giving out signals.

Let's say you eat a cheeseburger for lunch with some fries. You feel satisfied when you are finished with the meal. About 10 minutes later, you still feel pretty good. Then things start going downhill. You notice some slight discomfort in your stomach about 30 minutes after the meal. It's not enough to get alarmed or to run to the bathroom, but it's there. Also, about an hour later, you notice your energy levels starting to drop. What does all this tell you?

You should'nt have eaten the cheeseburger! Some part of that meal did not sit well with your system, possibly the bun or the fries. Furthermore, the combination of foods was likely too high in carbs for you, thus the energy drop shortly after the meal was digested. Your body gave you these clues so that you will make a more informed choice next time.

The only problem is that so few people actually listen to their bodies. A large number of people are actually intolerant to a type of protein called gluten which is found in most grains. Still, most of these people continue to load up on grains even though their bodies give them small clues that they should be avoiding these foods.

Picking up on these clues is not always easy, but it will pay huge dividends. Start taking note on how your body feels after each meal. If you go for hours with no discomfort, feel fully alert, and have steady energy levels then you probably ate a meal that your body liked. If you experience any problems in any of these areas, then something wasn't right. It could mean that you ate a food that you shouldn't have eaten. Or, it could mean that your combination ratio of carbohydrates to protein to fat was not right for your body.

Just listen to your body and you can start to make some smarter food choices. Remember, we are all different at the biochemical level so we all respond differently to each food.

You probably know something of the importance of water for weight loss purposes. Let me just say that this is the simplest tip on the planet that most people do not utilize. It's a no-brainer, but so few people take advantage of this incredible tool.

Drink water, period. Forget the juices. Forget sodas. Forget iced tea. Limit the coffee and the tea and the alcohol. Drink water.

There are no calories in water, so you can cut out a substantial portion of your daily caloric intake by making the switch. Water will also help your body get rid of the harmful toxins that get stored in your fat tissue. Water also helps promote ideal health by keeping you hydrated.

If you feel like your mouth is dry, you are already dehydrated. Drink some water immediately. If your urine is bright in color, you are dehydrated. Drink some water immediately. If you wake up in the morning, you are probably somewhat dehydrated. Drink some water immediately.

Here is another not-so-common fact about water in regards to weight loss. When you are thirsty, your brain can actually give out the same signals as when you are hungry. As a result, sometimes you may feel hungry when your body is really only thirsty. Therefore, you should make it a habit of drinking a glass of water shortly before each meal. This will help calm some of that "hunger" and prevent you from overeating.

Get the picture? Good. And just so you know that I practice what I preach, I drank half a glass of water as I wrote this section!

I am a big proponent of eating smaller meals more often, as opposed to the traditional three meals per day. The reason I like the greater frequency is that it will provide your body with a fairly constant source of energy. In other words, your body will get its fuel from the food you eat and burn it off over the course of 2-3 hours. Then, you will provide it more fuel for the next 2-3 hours, and so on.

If you were to eat a large meal and then weight 5-6 hours before eating again, your body may not have that constant fuel source. You may not be able to fully break down the large meal for fuel during the digestions process. This means the rest would get stored in your body, likely as fat. Then, once the digestion process is complete, your body will begin to look for more energy. If there is none coming in then it will start to eat away at its own tissues. It would start with muscle tissue. Since muscle tissue is a huge contributor to your metabolic rate, this is NOT something you want to happen.

This is a major reason why calorie-cutting diets do not work over long perios of time. You end up losing significant amounts of muscle, which lowers your metabolic rate so you end up burning less calories throughout the day. Furthermore, your body goes into starvation mode and begins to conserve energy. Again, this means fewer calories burned throughout the day.

Bottom line here, eat smaller meals more often and do not cut calories significantly.

I will be creating separate hubs later on for carbs, fats, and protein because they all deserve some in-depth analysis. For now, you should realize that each of these three macronutrients will effect each individual in different ways.

I always recommend a quality source of protein with each meal because protein has the greatest metabolic effect throughout the consumption and digestion process. This means your body will burn the most calories through the consumption of protein. Protein is also benefitial for building and/or maintain muscle mass. This is also important for your metabolism. Quality sources of protein include chicken (or any poultry), beef, pork, fish, and eggs. Nuts, legumes, yogurt (avoid the sugary ones) also have decent amounts of protein.

I also recommend vegetable with each meal mainly for their health benefits. They help to balance meals out and also provide valuable antioxidants for the body. Eating vegetables, especially leafy greens, at the beginning of meals has also been shown to aid in digestion.

Avoid sugars, period. They taste great and are addicting. Think of the foods you crave most. A lot of them are probably filled with sugar. The only time to really consider sugar is after a workout when your body needs to replenish its glycogen stores in the muscles. During a brief window after your workout, it carbohydrates will go mainly to the muscles or be burned for fuel. Otherwise, avoid sugars.

Most people are best served avoiding many grains. Grains are loaded with carbohydrates which are basically the same as sugar to the body. In addition, most grains contain gluten, which many people are unknowingly intolerant to. Avoid grains for a while and see if you feel better. Most likely you will. When I say grains I mean breads, pasta, rice (not too bad), beer, etc.

Try different food combinations while following the above recommendations and see what makes you feel the best for the longest time. These combinations are likely to fit your individual needs. (More on this in a future hub. Don't you just love all the teasers?)

As this hub of nutrition for weight loss basics is getting a bit long and detailed, I'd like to wrap things up so that I stick to the basics. Just implementing one or two of the suggestions that I made above can have a very significant effect on your weight loss efforts. Give them a try and let me know how great things turn out!

I'll be adding on to this hub as well as the main guide in coming days. If you have anything specific that you would like addressed, feel free to leave a comment. I wish you all the best in achieving your greatest of goals!

Also, Im in the process of working on something very special for you over at the School of Weight Loss, so feel free to check there for some updates.