Many people are commonly trying to change their bodies.  Whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain weight, diet is a key factor in this process.

A great place to start when making changes to the diet is to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  This will give you the number of calories your body uses in a day so that you may plan accordingly.  If you want to lose weight, try to consume about 500 calories a day less than your BMR.  If you would like to gain weight, try consume more calories than your BMR.

For those trying to lose weight, cleaning up your diet is a very effective tool.  In addition to staying away from foods high in fat, also try to stay away from empty calories.  This means desserts, candy, non-diet soda, and alcohol. 

The average soda is at least 140 calories of mainly sugar.  Those who drink a few sodas a day, can easily cut out a few hundred empty calories in their diet.  Also, alcohol is seven empty calories per gram.  Minimizing the consumption of alcoholic beverages can result in some great weight loss benefits.

For those trying to build lean muscle, it’s a good idea to have a meal or protein shake every three hours or so.  While it may be tempting to eat whatever you like, this action will lead to a higher percentage of body fat and higher LDL Cholesterol and Triglyceride levels. 

Both groups of people should also try to limit their carbohydrate intake to Complex Carbohydrates such as pasta, brown rice, potatoes and vegetables.