Fighting the battle of the bulge provides a challenge to anyone who faces it. In a world full of eat-and-run, fast food restaurants with oversize meals, you may struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Surprisingly, approximately 67 percent of Americans over the age of 20 are overweight or obese, according the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Losing weight in a healthy manner requires you to eat properly and understand weight loss.
Weight Loss
You must burn an extra 3,500 calories to lose just 1 lb. of fat, according to HelpGuide.org. By taking in 500 fewer calories a day than before you started your weight loss program, you can lose 1 lb. of fat a week. Reducing your calories too much can lead to nutrient deficiencies, however.
Watching Portion Sizes
One way to control what you eat and reduce your calorie intake involves understanding portion sizes. A portion equals the amount of one type of food that you eat in one sitting. You should read the nutrition labels on the side of food containers and limit your portion size to one serving, advises the Weight-Control Information Network. It may also be helpful to learn how to eyeball certain serving sizes. One cup of cereal or one baked potato should equal the size of your fist, while half a cup of fruit or ice cream is about the size of half a baseball. Eating more slowly and using smaller dishes may also help you reduce your portion sizes.
Reducing Calories
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, changing your simple carbohydrates like white bread to complex carbohydrates like whole wheat bread, and experimenting with different types of lean protein will help you decrease your calorie intake, advises the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center. These foods will help you feel fuller longer, and contain large amounts of health-promoting nutrients and vitamins. Also, remember to replace your high-calorie drinks like alcohol, soda and coffee with water.
Revving Up Your Metabolism
You can help your body increase the number of calories it uses by eating five to six small meals each day instead of one to two large meals, according to the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center. By starving yourself and waiting to eat only one meal, you slow down your metabolism, and your body begins to store more calories as fat. Do not try to lose more than 1 or 2 lb. each week. Doing so causes your body to burn muscle, decreasing your muscle mass. When you lose muscle mass, you lose calorie-burning ability.
Fad Diets
Quick-weight-loss diets, also called fad diets, may be detrimental to your health, advises the American Heart Association. They typically cause you to focus on eating only one type of food. After staying on this type of diet for any length of time, you may develop deficiencies in certain nutrients. These diets also tend to take the enjoyment out of eating. You can become bored with eating the same foods and never have the chance to learn how to change your eating patterns for life.
References
- American Heart Association: Quick-Weight-Loss or Fad Diets
- HeatlhGuide.org: Healthy Weight Loss And Dieting
- UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center: Eating Strategies For Permanent Fat Loss
- Centers For Disease Control And Prevention: Fast Stats
- Weight-Control Information Network: Weight-loss And Nutrition Myths
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