Eat every 3-4 hours. By timing your meals out consistently it allows your body to become more efficient in utilizing nutrients for energy. Once your body becomes used to the consistent eating times, it will metabolize food quicker. When your meals are inconsistent or far apart in time, the metabolism slows down because it doesn't know when the next meal is coming, therefore it will store the food for energy for later, or even store it as fat.  

Eat complex carbohydrates after your workouts and before 4 pm. - Complex carbohydrates after a workout is great for muscle recovery (along with a source of protein). It is important to have your carbohydrates before 4 pm so the body can utilize carbohydrates for energy. Remember you don't need a lot of energy to go to sleep, right? Examples of complex carbohydrates include brown rice, sweet potato, and oatmeal.

Drink a minimum of 80oz of water but aim for 128oz. - 128oz =1 gallon. It sounds like a lot of water all at one time, but if you spread your water intake out through out the day it is easier to accomplish. Think about dividing your day into four parts - 32oz of water every 3 hours seems more reasonable right? Or 16 oz of water every hour and a half.

Increase your fiber intake. Most people only have about 10-12g of fiber a day, but the body really needs about 25-30 grams of fiber. Oatmeal, apples, and dark green leafy vegetables are great sources of fiber.

Have some form of protein in every meal. - Most people do not get enough protein per day. Aim for 1/2g - 1.0g of protein per pound of body weight. A few examples of good protein sources are: chicken breast, turkey, fish, lean steak, protein drinks and soy .

About the Author 

Laura Mak 

Laura Mak is a fitness and health expert at MuscleMagFitness.com where she regularly writes ad reports on hot topics in the areas of health and fitness, nutrition, and yoga. As a world renowned fitness trainer specializing in personal fitness training, dancing and choreography, Laura has helped thousands of people of all ages across the globe lose weight, look good, feel great. Laura owns MakAttackFitness.com, a successful online company offering health and fitness eBooks, fitness equipment, apparel and offers customized personal training services.