What to eat to lose weight

What to eat to lose weight 225x300 What to eat to lose weight

What to eat to lose weight

In the fight against extra pounds, some people make the mistake of thinking that losing weight has to be a difficult and complicated process. While there are certainly many complex diets on the market today, losing weight can actually be easy if you follow a few simple guidelines. Basically, the keys to weight loss are eating healthier foods,  deciding what to eat to lose weight, eating smaller portions, and getting more exercise each day.

However, in addition to understanding the basic goals of weight loss, it can also be helpful to learn a few easy tips and tricks. Here are just a few of the many simple tricks that you can use to help jump-start your weight loss efforts.

Don’t Drink Sugary Soft Drinks and Sodas

Although soft drinks and sodas are a common part of almost everyone’s life, in reality they should be considered an enemy of weight loss. Most people enjoy drinking these beverages, at least occasionally. However, most of them are far too high in sugar content to be part of a healthy diet program. You might be shocked if you actually knew how much sugar is in some of these beverages. Even when looking at the nutrition label of these drinks, it can sometimes be difficult to fully understand just how much unhealthy sugar they contain. This is because the sugar in these drinks is often listed in a variety of different ways, such as “high fructose corn syrup” and other terms that do not specifically include the word “sugar.” When you take a look at the calorie count of these beverages, keep in mind that most if not all of the calories come directly from sugar. If you are trying to lose weight, substitute healthier and lower calorie beverages for sodas and soft drinks, and you are almost guaranteed to lose more weight.

Be Careful of Salad Dressings

Many people feel that eating a salad for lunch or dinner is a great way to make sure their meal is “diet-friendly.” Unfortunately, while the vegetables in the salad are healthy and low in calories, many times the salad dressings are not. You might be shocked to realize how many calories and grams of fat are in your favorite salad dressing. If you’re trying to lose weight, try spritzing your salad with a spray of balsamic vinegar instead of dousing it with high calorie dressings. If you simply must have your favorite salad dressing, try serving it on the side instead of dumping it onto the salad. You can then lightly dip each bite into the dressing so that you will consume fewer calories and grams of fat.

Skip the Bread

If you frequently eat dinner or lunch at a restaurant, avoid being tempted by the breadbasket. Restaurants frequently put a basket of bread and butter on the table before the meal is served. If you partake of this bread, you’re sure to add greatly to the overall calorie content of your meal. Instead, order a healthy salad to enjoy before your main course arrives.

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What to eat to lose weight

Weight Loss articles

How to Eat to Lose Weight

We all know that fat is a major part of the American diet for better or worse. While many diets are aimed at completely avoiding fat, the major energy source is necessary for a balanced diet and ideal body. Without a satisfactory amount of fat in your diet you can begin feeling sluggish and left with an empty stomach. The key is quality fat.

What is Quality Fat?

Quality fat? No, this is not an oxymoron. Quality fats are fats in their most natural form. While junk food is pumped with saturated fats and triglycerides, foods such as nuts, avocados and olive oils have just the right amount of natural fat to keep you going.

Where Can I Find Quality Fats?

Now don’t run out and start eating pork belly and nachos before finishing this article because you will be disappointed when you gain weight. Another important part about quality fats is that they should be as close to natural and without heat manipulation as possible. Heat destroys essential fatty acids so you will lose the benefit.

A quick tip to stick to homemade foods. Most supermarkets are host to products high in poor fat content with unnatural preservatives and need to be put in the microwave. All of these chemicals and heat can reap havoc on fat cells in your body and the food you are about to ingest. Local farmers markets and health food stores will have healthier alternatives.

What Foods Should I Buy?

Now that you know where to find quality fats a simple list of what to buy and what not to buy will be needed. When shopping think of how the food is made to figure out if it may have quality fat. Olive oil is a good fat source since it is very natural as olives only need to be pressed to get oil. Other oils such as canola and soybean oil must be heavily processed to extract oil.

Steer clear of foods heavy in fats and carbohydrates. When thinking of salmon, a great source of healthy fat, it consists of mainly fat and protein. As a general rule of thumb for meats, eating lean fats is good for quality fat content and protein. Fat portions of any meat even chicken are not good for you. Nuts which are also good sources of quality fats are primarily just fat. Try to balance the quality fat with either protein or other nutrients such as vitamins. Good sources of quality fats include:

Fish (Salmon, tuna, halibut, cod, haddock)

Nuts/seeds (Almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, flaxseed, sunflower seeds)

Fruits & some vegetables (avocados, olives, kale, collard greens, mustard greens)

Dairy alternatives (soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk)

Foods to avoid are mainly due to the method of preparation or ingredients. Some of those foods are:

Fried, baked and pre-mixed (cake mixes) foods

Solid fats (margarine, lard)

Certain dairy (whole fat milk, whole fat cheese, ice cream)

Snack foods (potato chips, candy, doughnuts, cookies)

How Can Quality Fats Really Help Me?

Glad you asked! Quality fats other than keeping you fueled have a multitude of benefits. Many people think that they need carbohydrates to remain fueled for a workout and replenish. While this is true to an extent, unless you are a bodybuilder or advanced at creating specialized diets use healthy fats as a fuel instead. The fats in addition to protein and a great exercise routine will keep your weight regulated while your muscles remain fueled from protein.

Quality fats are more easily lost so when you begin to lose weight you will shed the pounds more quickly. Some fats also aid in metabolic function and can increase your fat burn. If you take a multivitamin daily good fats can help transport vitamins such as vitamin A, D and E throughout the body easily. Last but not least, essential fatty acids benefit your heart and immune system.

Get Started!

Now that you know all you need to know about quality fats go out there and stock up! A balanced diet of protein rich foods with the quality fats in moderation are a great start to losing weight. While it may take you a while to begin cooking with quality fats you can begin right now by switching from unhealthy snacks which lead to weight gain and switch to a handful of nuts or seeds.

Weight Loss articles