Losing weight does not have to be extremely difficult. By manipulating some of your everyday eating habits and choosing certain beneficial foods over non-beneficial foods, weight loss can begin almost immediately. The key is knowing what to do, how to do it, and making it part of your everyday lifestyle.
Eating Habits and Weight Loss
It is important to not keeping eating until you feel full. It takes your brain time to receive the signal from your stomach that you are full. The problem is that if you wait until you feel full, you may have already taken in extra calories you do not need.
In addition, slow down the rate at which you eat. As already mentioned, it takes time to get the signal you are full, and if you are eating quickly, you may have already taken in too much food. By slowing down, you can get the signal at an appropriate time in relation to what you eat.
Do not eat large meals. Instead, try eating six smaller meals per day. Just make sure they are smaller meals that stave off hunger, but do not fill you up. Lastly, make it a habit to only eat until you are no longer hungry.
Food Choices and Weight Loss
You can control your weight by controlling the foods you eat. Stay away from high- sugar drinks, and stick with water instead. Use breads and pastas labeled "whole" or "brown." Stay away from those labeled "white", "enriched", or " bleached," because they have had their nutrition taken away during processing. Make fruits and vegetables more than a side dish--base meals around them. According to Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley in the January/February 2009 issue of "Nutrition Action," vegetables provide between 10 and 50 calories per serving.
When eating meat, stick with lean choices, such as turkey, chicken, or fish. Include nuts and beans for their protein content. Lastly, when consuming milk or dairy, use only fat free, or skim. Each has the same nutritional content as whole milk products without all the fat.
Exercise and Weight Loss
When trying to lose weight, cardiovascular exercise and strength training must become part of your lifestyle. In addition to simply burning more calories from the activity itself, exercise helps raise the body's metabolism and keeps it up for a period of time after the exercises session is over. Furthermore, by stimulating muscle growth, you increase the body's ability to burn more fat at rest. A body made of more lean body mass will burn more calories at rest than a body made of more fat mass.
References
- "Nutrition Action"; Rating Rutabagas: Not All Vegetables Are Created Equal; Bonnie Liebman and Jayne Hurley; January/February 2009
- "Nutrition Action"; What Should I Eat; Bonnie Liebman; October 2009
- "Nutrition Action"; The Real Cost Of Red Meat; Bonnie Liebman; June 2009
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; NSCA 2000
- "Personal Trainer Manual" American Council on Exercise" ACE 1997
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