Weight loss is a topic that confronts people everyday. Knowing what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat are all as important as the notion of losing weight itself. A studied approach to the concept of healthy weight loss is suggested here.
One of the tasks women dread the most is getting onto that weighing scale at home. They spend a few minutes leading up to the idea, praying that the display will tilt in their favor. What if we could make that simpler? How would people feel about knowing for certain that the next time they weigh themselves, they will surely be happier? A quick glance at the worldwide web will reveal that there are many quick and seemingly simple ways to lose weight fast. But, how reliable are they? And how can you tell for sure that there won’t be any side effects?
Dangers posed by crash diets are not always delineated clearly at the outset. While a quick weight-loss solution may cause you to shed the pounds within five days, the consequences may not be that pleasant. Generally, crash diets work on the principle of instant gratification- the idea that when you step on to the scale five days from now, you would have shed 4 pounds. But, sadly, this would mean cutting out things cold turkey and opting for drastic measures. A sustained, gradual and long-term goal is easier to achieve without adverse effects to your health.
The situation is simple: you weigh more than your ideal figure and you need to bring it back down without any harm to your body. Common sense dictates that you follow a strict diet program and include some form of exercise and slowly, yet surely, you will see a difference.
The following step-by-step guide will assist you to reach the goal.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Maintain a daily calorie chart:
Identify how many calories are present in the various food groups such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals. Measure them out in terms of cups or spoonfuls with reference to a food pyramid. Ensure that the daily calorie count includes more fruits, vegetables and healthy protein and little or no processed sugars, fatty foods and oils.
Calculate your daily nutritional requirement this way: based on your BMI and height, you would have a certain calorific need. Having gauged that with the help of any online tool, aim to lose two pounds each week. For that to happen, you would need to cut down on roughly, 1000 calories a day.
This cannot happen all of a sudden. Start with a simple target of losing 500 calories per day. At the end of the first week, increase it to 700 calories per day. Check with a nutritionist or dietician which meal plan would come closest to help achieve that target. And take things slow! Losing too much weight too quickly can cause other unwarranted health risks.
Eat smaller and more frequent meals:
This is something you would have heard time and again from every healthcare professional. Large meals tend to fill you up too quickly, making room for a larger appetite at the next meal. Smaller and healthier snack options will effectively keep those hunger pangs away.  And while this may be difficult for working women to abide by, there are ways to work around hurdles.
Pack an apple or a box of nuts in your handbag. About two hours after breakfast, start munching on the apple. Include a variety of healthy snacks for these breaks. Some good sources for these snacks are fibrous foods such as oats, fresh fruits and beans. These fill you up with good calories while keeping the fat away. Interestingly, people who eat more fibre tend to lose more weight. So, eat more to lose more!
Increase your protein intake:
Research has shown that, of all the food groups, the one kindest to dieters is the protein segment. Exercise tends to dehydrate you, but eating immediately after a workout can lead to weight gain. Sports persons and athletes, after a rigorous workout, prefer to load themselves up on a protein drink or an apple and peanut milkshake. A protein drink will restore the fluids without adding to the fat. Even if you aren’t the kind who works out a lot, you can choose to include a little protein in every snack and meal. An extra dab of peanut butter on your fruit salad or some soya chunks in your pasta will give you that much-needed health boost. The best part is that you will start watching the pounds fall away.
Indulge yourself once in a while:
Nobody likes to starve themselves of delicious food for an extended period of time. So, if you’ve gone without a dessert for more than two weeks, you can indulge those taste buds once a fortnight. But, this doesn’t mean you have to slacken on the diet plan. There are interesting 100-calorie snacks that are succulent without being fattening. Some of these are salad vegetables with a low-fat ranch dip, salted popcorn, fruit smoothies just to name a few.
Move the body:
Not everyone likes exercise, but we can still find ways to include physical exertion in our day-to-day routine. Instead of taking the elevator to your office, opt for the stairs. Walk to the water cooler every half hour to quench your thirst. Filling up on water gives you the added advantage of keeping false hunger pangs at bay.
Remember these key tips:
- Increase proteins
- Drink more water
- Eat more fiber
- Avoid processed foods and sugars
- Don’t lose too much too quickly
- Don’t starve the body; eat intelligently
At the end of the day, your resolution to lose weight must be prompted by the need to get healthy and stay fit. Follow the diet program coupled with exercise to get you the health that will keep you happy.