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People have a wide variety of reasons to lose weight.
Some attempt weight loss to improve their physical appearance while others try to lose weight in an effort to improve their overall health.
Regardless of why you are trying to lose weight, it is important to remember that weight loss regimens require consistency and commitment.
Here are some tips that will help you along the way.
1. A Balanced Nutrient Dense Low Carb Diet
The most important first step in shedding pounds through healthy eating is to select a strategy that suits your lifestyle. You must set clear and easy to follow / track weight loss goals, keeping in mind your overall health and medical history. Ideally this should done by a dietitian.
But by way of general guidance, here are a few tips that should help you greatly to shed those pounds safely and fast.
- Keep in mind that, whichever dieting method you choose, dietary and medical specialists agree that losing weight too rapidly (as promoted by many “crash diets” and those which involve large reductions in body fluid) is simply not safe. Also, some studies suggest that rapid loss increases the risk of gaining weight back. In order to lose weight safely, a good starting point for an average adult is to cut 500 to 1,000 calories per day from their diet.[1] [2]
- Low or No Carb Diets are by far the most effective way to lose weight safely and fast. Many of these diets focus on eliminating “bad” carbohydrates from your diet and replacing the nutritional value of those carbohydrates with protein-rich foods. These diets generally focus on protein rich and nutrient dense vegetables such as romaine lettuce, baby spinach and kale. White meat and oily fish are also highly recommended, but still be aware of the calorie content of all foods … even good foods!
- Low-Fat Diets: These diets are designed to cut the overall intake of fats from your diet, thus eliminating excess calories that can lead to weight gain. Also, decreasing fat intake lowers the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.[3]
- Low-Calorie Diets: These diets control the overall intake of calories, found in all types of food, to help produce a reduction in the overall body mass of an individual. These types of diets can often lead to fatigue however, as an individual’s overall caloric intake and, thus, energy is reduced.
2. Drink lots of water and take vitamins
Drinking water is not only healthy, but can also reduce hunger and the urge to eat by making you feel full. Also, taking a daily regimen of multivitamins can help replace the extra nutrients that you may be missing from your diet.[4]
- Doctors recommend that adult males drink at least 3 liters (0.79 US gal) of water a day and adult females drink 2.2 liters (0.6 US gal) of water of day.
- Vitamins are essential as many people who start diet plans tend to cut out foods their bodies are used to eating, thus creating deficiencies.
3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Dieting does not equate to skipping meals. Eating breakfast, contrary to popular belief, actually helps to kick-start your metabolism, which assists in burning excess calories throughout the day.[4]
Start off the day with a 500 to 600 calorie meal. A very healthy and filling meal that falls in line with this calorie intake would include a banana, a bowl of oatmeal, whole-grain toast with one to two tablespoons of peanut butter. This will provide you with a mix of carbohydrates and protein.
Carbohydrates give you quick energy and protein will provide energy throughout the day.[5]
4. Eat a Modest Lunch
If you have eaten breakfast and plan to eat dinner, there is no reason to eat a large lunch. However, you can still eat a healthy and filling meal at lunchtime.
- For lunch, eat 300 to 400 calories. Salad, yogurt, salmon, chicken (not fried, but grilled), fruit, cottage cheese, steamed vegetables, or soup are all good choices.
- Avoid foods that are heavy in saturated fat or high in calories. This would include fried foods, heavy sauces, and creams.
5. Eat Well Portioned Dinners
For most Americans, dinner is the largest meal of the day. As a result, it is very important that you limit the portions of food you eat at dinnertime. Don’t overindulge and avoid following-up dinner with a dessert.
You should eat a dinner that falls somewhere around 400 to 600 calories. Roasted chicken with whole wheat pasta, mahi-mahi tacos, beef stir fry with broccoli and shiitake mushrooms, or pork medallions with pomegranate sauce are all tasty choices that provide the necessary nutrition while still falling in this calorie range.
6. Avoid Unhealthy Snacks, Soda, and Alcohol.
Snacking on chips, candy, other unhealthy foods in between meals is devastating to one’s diet. All of the “unhealthy” snacks, or those that contain high levels of “empty” calories or high levels of fat, are deemed excess calories by your metabolism and stored for later use. Also, soda and alcohol, especially beer, are high in calories and generally unnecessary for your body’s nutritional requirements.
- As an alternative, try snacking on a handful of almonds, carrot sticks and hummus, calorie-limited snack packs, or yogurt.
- It is critical to point out here that diet sodas have never been proven as effective as weight loss tools. Actually, the sweetness of the diet soda tricks your body into thinking it is getting high-calorie input, without providing any actual calories. Because of this, drinking diet soda is likely to increase hunger as well as the desire for sweet, high-calorie foods.
7. Don't Get Discouraged!
Weight loss through healthy eating will not happen instantaneously. A lot depends on your own self discipline and will power. For some, it will take longer to achieve measurable results … and on some occasions, you even gain weight before you lose it.
However, if you stick to your plan and give it a chance to work … a “new you” is the reward … and a healthy, disease resistant body is the prize.
Surely a prize worth fighting for!
Article by Steve Searle.
Founder of https://foodanddietz.com/
By the Way … Are you interested in losing weight healthily and fast without hunger?
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