Did you know that you can eat good food while still losing weight? Sounds absurd, right? Changing your diet and eating habits can improve your overall health, help you lose weight, and make you feel better every day. Exercising can also really maximize these benefits!
Step
Part 1 of 2: Eating the Right Food
Step 1. Eat more fresh food
Choose fresh foods rich in healthy nutrients and low in fat.
- Adding lots of vegetables and fruits to your diet can be beneficial. One way to add more vegetables and fruits to your diet, reduce your calorie intake, and still enjoy your favorite foods is to add or "hide" vegetables in dishes. Researchers have found that adding pureed vegetables to a meal (for example, adding cauliflower to mac and cheese) helps people consume several hundred fewer calories than the total calories of the dish. Vegetables add mass to the dish, but don't provide a lot of extra calories.
- Choose foods with different colors. Make sure your meal consists of many colors; The best way to do this is to include a variety of fresh vegetables, from eggplant, beets, kale, to yellow peppers. Different colors usually help you eat more vegetables, and make dishes even more interesting and appetizing!
Step 2. Eat foods rich in fiber
Fiber-rich foods make you feel full longer, so you won't be tempted to eat unhealthy snacks that will only make you gain weight.
Nuts, for example, are filling, rich in fiber, and a great source of protein, while being slow to digest, so you feel full longer (which in turn prevents you from eating more!)
Step 3. Avoid juice, and eat fruit
Instead of drinking juices or smoothies, which tend to be high in calories, eat whole fruit, such as apples.
Eating whole fruit is more filling than juice, because whole fruit contains more fiber. In addition, the activity of chewing fruit tells the brain that you have eaten something solid
Step 4. Eat foods that contain lots of water, such as vegetables and fruits
Studies have shown that people who eat a lot of high-water foods have a lower body mass index. The water in food helps keep you full longer, so you eat less overall.
- Watermelon and strawberries contain about 92% water by volume. Other fruits that have a high water content include grapefruit, orange melon (cantaloupe), and peaches. However, keep in mind that there are many fruits that are rich in sugar. So, try to limit your daily intake of fruits.
- For vegetables, cucumber and lettuce have the highest water content, which is as much as 96%. Zucchini, radishes, and celery have 95% water content.
Step 5. Include fat-burning foods
By choosing your food carefully, you can lose weight without feeling hungry. There are many foods that have been shown to help with weight loss. Foods such as chili peppers, green tea, berries, and whole grains can really help with weight loss, by preventing insulin spikes and keeping your metabolic rate steady.
Step 6. Include good fats in your diet
Monounsaturated fats have been clinically proven to help burn fat, especially in the abdominal area. So, add foods like avocados, kalamata olives, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, and flax seeds to your diet, and watch your weight drop.
Step 7. Eat superfoods
Superfoods are a term sometimes used to describe highly nutritious foods that are believed to be good for health as a result. Some superfood claims are backed by scientific evidence, while other claims make some foods very popular even though they don't have much scientific evidence.
- Quinoa, for example, is a true superfood, as it is a complete protein (meaning quinoa contains the eight essential amino acids that are essential for body tissues). In addition, quinoa has more protein than most cereal grains, and has higher levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron than other grains such as wheat and barley.
- Just make sure you do your research before deciding to include certain “superfoods” in your diet.
Step 8. Don't eat empty calorie unhealthy food
“Empty calorie” foods are foods that have calories (from sugar and/or solid fat) but have absolutely, or almost no, nutritional value.
The empty-calorie foods and drinks most consumed by Americans include cakes, pastries, pastries, doughnuts, soda, energy drinks, fruit drinks, cheese, pizza, ice cream, bacon, hot dogs, and sausages. For some of these foods, there are several alternative versions. For example, buy low-fat hot dogs and low-fat cheese at the convenience store. Also choose sugar-free drinks. Other foods, such as regular candy and soda, are essentially empty calories
Step 9. Eat more soup
Soup is relatively low in calories. What's more, if you start with soup, you're likely to eat less of the main course.
Opt for broth-based soups and about 100-150 calories per serving. You can choose a raw or pureed soup, as long as it's without cream
Step 10. Fulfill your cravings once in a while
Please finish the donuts or pizza slices. Occasional feeding temptations will help prevent overeating. If you feel the temptation to eat something, just eat a little. Remember, the more you limit yourself, the more cravings you will feel for the food.
Try to eat a bowl of raw vegetables or drink a full glass of water before fulfilling the desire to eat low-nutrient foods. This method can be filling so you can only eat a small amount of low-nutrient foods
Part 2 of 2: Eating Right
Step 1. Eat slowly
It takes the brain about 20 minutes to become aware of being full. So, eat slowly so that the brain can convey the feeling of fullness properly.
If you don't feel full immediately after eating, wait. Chemicals released by the brain when you eat or drink take time to build up and convey a feeling of fullness. As the chemical increases, hunger decreases; That's why pause after eating and before adding
Step 2. Use cutlery and sit at the table while eating
Eating with your hands allows you to eat more food in one bite.
Research has also found that people who eat with a larger spoon eat less than people who eat with a smaller spoon
Step 3. Stop eating when you are full
When you feel full enough after eating, stop, and place cutlery and napkins on your plate to indicate that you've finished eating. It's also a signal to yourself and those around you that you're done eating.
Remember, you don't have to finish all the food on your plate once you feel full. Eat until you feel 80% full. Do not eat until heartburn or feel too full
Step 4. Drink more water
Often we mistake thirst for hunger, so we eat when we don't need it. By keeping yourself hydrated, you'll feel less hungry and also have clearer skin and shinier hair.
If you're not sure whether you're feeling hungry or not, try drinking a large glass of water and wait a few minutes. If you no longer feel hungry, your body actually needs water, not food
Step 5. Record all the foods you eat in a food journal
This method is simple but very useful for detecting whether you are deviating from your meal plan or not. We often tend to underestimate the snacks we eat between meals, and instead think our diets aren't working. Most people make an incorrect estimate of their daily intake, which is 25% lower than it really is.
- You can also find useful information about your daily habits and the exact number of calories you actually consume. Once you get a better understanding of your own habits and patterns, you can begin to address behavioral issues that are holding back your diet's progress.
- Keeping a food journal also makes you more responsible.
Step 6. Learn how to eat out
Eating at other people's restaurants or homes can be a big challenge. You want to eat, but you also don't want to eat wrong and run the risk of hindering the progress of the diet.
- Choose foods that are steamed, grilled, or baked, rather than fried. Don't eat dishes labeled "breaded-fried", "crispy" or "flour-fried"; those are all keywords for “fried”.
- Don't be afraid to ask for modifications. For example, ask for salad to replace potatoes or bread as a side dish. Ask for chicken or another entrée dish with separate sauce, rather than one that is already covered in sauce. This will allow you to eat delicious food without excess calories.
- If you know that a certain restaurant serves large portions of food, share it with friends.
- To avoid overeating when dining out, have a few healthy snacks at home before you leave. Try carrots, hummus, or apples. Eating a few healthy snacks before going to a restaurant will reduce hunger and keep your mind clear when choosing and ordering healthy food from the menu that the restaurant offers.
- Save food. Before you start eating, ask for a take-away container, and put any uneaten food in the container.
- When ordering a salad, always ask for the dressing and salad dressing separately. There are many types of salad dressings that are full of fat and calories. A seemingly "healthier" meal can contain as many calories as a burger if it's covered in fatty gravy. Also be aware of other high-calorie additions, such as bacon and cheese.
Step 7. Be prepared to fail once in a while
You may eat too much one night. You may have had a bad day where you wanted to eat a lot of low-nutrient foods. Just don't despair when you realize that you've strayed from the target. It will take you a lifetime to reach your current weight, and it will take time to reach your desired new size and weight.
To maintain optimism, reward yourself when you achieve small goals. For example, buy yourself a small gift or snack for every five times you lose weight. The expectation of a reward will eventually become a motivation in itself
Tips
- A weight loss plan can be shortened to a simple formula: consume fewer calories than you burn.
- Exercise every day! It will make you healthier overall and reach your goals faster. Burning more calories also means you can (and need!) eat more.
- For better digestion, drink a glass of water before each meal.
Warning
- You should exercise while eating healthy. Otherwise, the weight will likely not go down.
- If you need to lose more than 10% of your weight, talk to your doctor before starting any weight loss plan.
