Dieting Do's & Don'ts
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Dieting Do's & Don'ts |
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Doesn't it seem like cravings and emotionally driven
eating are amped up when you’re on a diet? The good news is that there are many
tried-and-true methods to help keep you on track. When planning your weight
loss, focus on feeling well and full of energy, not a dress size or a
number on the scale. Behavior and food changes over the long-term will do more
for your waistline (and your heart health) than trying the diet of the week.
When starting any type of diet or exercise program the first step is to always check with your Doctor. Make sure you are healthy enough to change your daily routine and get professional medical advice on how many calories you need a day. Most adults will need to consume at least 1400-1500 calories each day. Below that level, it is difficult to get all the nutrients you need. Often servings of important food groups get omitted when calorie restriction dips too low. The first thing to remember when trying to diet is starving yourself is not the answer. True weight loss means not only taking off the weight but keeping it off. While its true that you will lose pounds starving yourself the long term results are more negative than positive. One of problems with a starvation diet is that up to 50% of that weight loss comes from muscle tissue, not from fat. And that sets you up for pure disaster. Muscles are your body’s metabolic furnace; each pound burns about 50 calories a day. On the other hand, every pound of muscle you lose on a starvation diet slows your metabolism down by 50 calories a day. So while you may be proud of the 10 pounds you lost by eating only celery and carrot sticks, five of those pounds are likely from muscle loss. And five pounds of muscle that previously burned 50 calories per pound equals a 250-calorie reduction in your metabolism. To make matters worse, as your metabolism slows down, you’ll have to eat less and less food to compensate. The bottom line? If you lose weight slowly and healthfully, you’ll lose pure fat and keep your metabolism revved up. When you are ready to begin a weight loss plan, one of the unpleasant things you need to do is to get on the scales and find out exactly where your weight is. Weigh in the early morning before breakfast with little or no clothing on if possible. Throughout your weight loss plan, try to always way at the same time of day with the same clothing. Next set some realistic goals. plan to lose no more than two pounds per week. Losing over two pounds means that water, electrolytes and muscle can be lost, not just fat. Loss of muscle will dampen your engine's fire, slowing your metabolic rate, a sure set-up for yo-yo weight cycling. Adding daily exercise in your lifetime plan is a win win for your weight and overall health.. Put more steps in your every day. Whittling away at the "calories out" side of the energy equation is a sure-fire way to lose weight. Additionally, strength training can help increase lean muscle mass, further firing up your metabolism. Protein is digested more slowly than carbohydrates and fat, so it takes fewer calories to fill you up. Fiber slows mealtime digestion and absorbs water, which expands your stomach and creates a feeling of fullness. Lentils and starchy beans (for example, navy, kidney, black, pinto, and garbanzo beans) naturally combine protein and fiber in very impressive amounts, so consider eating them in soups and salads or as a side dish instead of rice or pasta.Recent studies show that sleep deprivation can make it difficult to fit into your favorite jeans. When you don’t get enough shut-eye, your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry, and less leptin, a hormone that increases satiety. Discipline might enable you to resist, but why not give your body a well-deserved rest? Keep yourself well hydrated. Water has no calories and will help you feel fuller. It is hard to distinguish between being thirsty and being hungry, so try drinking water and waiting 20 to 30 minutes to see if you're still hungry. Most people drink sodas, coffee, and other such beverages and totally disregard drinking plain water. Replace high calorie drinks with water and save your calories for real food. Keep your house a safe haven. Shop wisely has and plenty of low calorie, healthy snacks to avoid a let night binge. With your home safe be especially cautious eating out when you are trying to lose weight. Do your homework and go online to find what the calorie and fat counts are at local restaurants. You may be shocked to find out many entrees may have an entire day's worth of calories in them! Even items like seafood and salads may pack a wallop so don't assume anything, get the nutrition facts before you eat. To cut down on sodium, stay away from prepared foods. It's the food industry, not the salt shaker, that causes our salt problem. More than 75 percent of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods. Lastly set realistic short and long-term goals. It is realistic to lose ten percent of your body weight, but for most people, a twenty- percent loss is unrealistic. Setting weight loss goals too high can be frustrating and lead to yo-yo dieting. Based on medical expertise in conditions such as hypertension, any amount of weight loss, however small, will reap benefits. It's not an all-or-nothing situation. |
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