Dieting is the key ingredient of any weight loss program. When mixed with exercise, dieting can do wonders. It is just as important to cut down on your calories as it is to get into exercise. But before getting into a diet plan, you will need to know the amount of calories you are taking and how much you need, and then you can plan your diet accordingly.
What to Eat
You should be eating a lot of things, but at this point, note this: You must eat less, but frequently. Eating small quantities four times a day is better than eating the overall same amount twice or three times a day. Skipping a meal lowers the metabolism. And keeping up this habit will kick in the "survival mode" of your body, which will start preserving fats. And if in case you think you are losing some weight, beware---that's the muscles you had and of course a lot of water. So let's look at a list of things that are really good for dieting:
Fruits, greens and grains: Unprocessed food is the least contributor to weight gain and helps a lot when you are losing. Switching to such foods will result in a lot of eating, but little weight gain, exactly what we need.
Fiber: Fiber fills the stomach, slowing digestion and making us feel full. That is the reason why a whole-grain bread fills us up sooner than a simple one. Fiber also accelerates the movement of fats through our digestive system, making sure as little of it is absorbed as possible. Processed foods usually have their fiber stripped away; for example, refined grains can turn into sugar just as fast as sugar itself. Hence, fiber also helps stabilize the blood-sugar level.
What Not to Eat
There a lot of things that we can control and one of those is the food we eat.
Fat: Every 10 kg of fat has to go through 29 kilometers of EXTRA blood vessels to be digested properly. Think about this. Your heart probably has to go through this every other week along with your joints, where fat accumulates and causes wear and tear. Not to mention the increased hypertension and cholesterol production in the liver that chock out arteries, contributing to heart attacks and strokes. And what's becoming increasingly clear is that not all fats are equal.
Sugar: Sugar is everywhere, and it gets consumed in a jiffy. And it's mostly in places where you are not looking, e.g. in your processed food, like bread or ketchup or even in salad dressings. And beware of fat-free products, too; sugar is often used to replace the fat that is taken out. Fat-free DOES NOT necessarily have to mean calorie-free. And remember, whatever you eat, and do not burn, gets stored as fat. And a quick dosage of sugar results in an insulin spike, followed immediately by an insulin drop that leaves us feeling tired and hungry and craving for more sugary foods.
Foods to Watch Out For
The key is really to read labels. While a package may advertise only so many calories, you need to read the label. For example, a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie states that it only has 520 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat. This doesn't sound bad for a meal, until you read the label. A serving size is half of the pot pie. So while the box says 520 calories and 12 gm of fat, if you eat the entire pie you are getting more than a 1,000 calories and 24 grams of fat.
A popular favorite amongst people who are trying to make healthy food choices is popcorn. But microwave popcorn can completely sabotage your efforts to lose weight. Take a look at Pop Secret's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn Snack Size Bags. Each bag has 9 grams of bad fat, 6 of which are transfats.
Read the labels of what you are eating, pay attention to serving size of each product. Please see the resource box below for the "Know Your Food" link it is a table that will help you keep your food choices in check.
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