To sculpt a lean and toned body, depending on workout alone is not enough. You’ll also need to have proper nutrition. Nutrition provides us with the raw ingredients for energy recuperation and growth. Without a healthy diet plan, your goal of achieving a body you desire will be hard to realize. Below are 5 tips to help you plan your nutrition properly:

1. Your nutrition plan should be based on eating small and frequent meals throughout the day. Why? Because when you feed your body several times a day, your metabolism greatly increases. In addition, whenever three hours go by without any food consumption, your body switches to a catabolic state (a state in which your body starts burning muscle for energy).

2. Your meals should contain carbohydrates, protein and fats in the correct ratios. When you eat a meal that does not make up the proper balance of nutrients (for example an all carbohydrate meal; such as a pasta meal), you will not yield the desired results. Every macronutrient has to be present in order for the body to absorb them and use them properly and efficiently.

3. Increase your intake of protein. Proteins are the building blocks of all living organisms. If you are trying to build a structure such as the Empire State Building any construction contractor will tell you that they will need way more raw material to build such a large structure than to build a regular house. The same thing happens with body sculpting.

4. Reduce consumption of bad fats and bring on the good fats. Examples of bad fats are cooking oils, butter, and saturated fats which are often found in meats. Nevertheless, make sure you do not completely eliminate fats from your diet as good fats such as flaxseed oil, natural peanut butter and virgin olive oil are still essential for your body.

5. No smoking and limited alcohol consumption. Both offer health problems which are not in line with what you are trying to accomplish. Alcohol in particular adds 7 empty calories per gram to your diet, which is not a good situation when you are trying to control your caloric intake.

Following a proper nutrition plan may be difficult in the beginning if this is not something that you are used to. But with determination and consistency, you’ll soon be able to turn your unhealthy eating habits into a healthy one, and begin developing the perfect body you’ve always dream of.