Fad diets (strict diets by eliminating certain nutrients) that promise dramatic and fast weight loss are tempting. However, this is not a healthy choice. Diets that starve you or have to get rid of certain types of food can help you lose weight, but you will also lose important muscle mass and fluid weight without burning a lot of fat. Even this diet can have a bad impact on health because you will be deficient in essential minerals and vitamins. Don't go on a fad diet that can have a negative impact on your health, but take steps to burn fat while preventing the loss of muscle mass and keeping your body healthy.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Changing Eating Habits
Step 1. Reduce your total calories
You will lose weight if you burn more calories than you take in, so if you are sedentary and eat a lot, you will tend to gain weight. Eating fewer calories is the first step to losing weight. Track the number of calories you consume in a day by logging the calorie information in all the foods and drinks you consume. If your food doesn't have a nutrition label, use the USDA Food Database to find out how many calories the food contains.
- Use an online calculator that takes your activity level into account to find out how many calories your body needs to keep your current weight from gaining weight. Try using this calculator: www.bmrcalculator.org/.
- Inside 0.45 kg of fat contains 3500 calories. To lose 0.45 kg of fat in a week, every day you must reduce the consumption of 500 calories than what is needed by the body so that you do not gain weight.
Step 2. Take control of the portion sizes of your meals
Most of the portions of food served in restaurants or even those you eat at home are much larger than they should be. If you eat too much food, your body will convert it to fat and store it for later use. Read the labels of the foods you eat to find out the right portion sizes. If you want an off-label food, first check the list on the American Dietetic Association Food Exchange for the right portion size.
- Use a food scale and measuring cup to make sure that your portions are in the recommended amount.
- This is hard to do if you eat in a restaurant because they usually serve large portion sizes. However, some restaurants provide nutritional information via the internet. If possible, check the nutritional information first and try to eat between 500 and 600 calories.
- Remember that you don't have to finish all of the food served. Eat only half of it to meet your calorie intake goals, then save the rest for later. Maybe you can ask the waitress to wrap up half of the food to take home.
- Some restaurants also serve lighter menus or half portions of larger meals. If possible order a menu of meals with lighter portions.
Step 3. Eat more healthy fats and less unhealthy fats
The type of fat consumed can affect what the body will do: burn fat or store it. Healthy fats such as unsaturated oils should be the main source of fat in your diet. To replace butter and lard, use olive or canola oil for cooking. Other sources of healthy fats include nuts, avocados, whole grains, fish, and natural peanut butter. Don't eat foods that contain trans fats or include the words "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list. As much as possible avoid saturated fat, and limit its use to no more than 10% of the total calories you consume.
- To calculate the total calories from saturated fat, multiply the weight of fat in grams by 9. For example, a food item with 5 grams of saturated fat contains 45 calories from saturated fat.
- Divide those calories by your total calories for the day, then multiply by 100. The number should be under 10.
- For example, if you consume 210 calories from saturated fat and consume a total of 2,300 calories for the day, you are consuming 9% of calories from saturated fat.
Step 4. Avoid processed foods
Processed foods must go through various types of processing at the factory, and are usually packaged in cans, boxes, bags, or other types of packaging. Usually these foods contain a lot of sugar, fat, and salt that can inhibit weight loss. Processed foods also do not contain many nutrients that we can get in whole foods (whole food). Slowly eliminate processed foods from your diet by eliminating 2 to 3 types of processed foods per day. Replace with whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts.
- When in stores, avoid the processed foods on display there by shopping as needed and knowing where to display produce, meat and seafood, dairy, and bakeries. Only choose foods that are not too much processed, for example those on the display of cooking ingredients.
- Cook meals from scratch in large batches and freeze in edible portion sizes for one week. Homemade soup topped with lots of vegetables is a great option for freezing.
- Choose foods that contain only three ingredients or less to avoid processed foods.
Step 5. Consume more fiber.
Fiber is a carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the body. Fiber has many health benefits, such as keeping your digestive tract healthy, and making you feel full for longer so you don't overeat. Fiber can be obtained from fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. Consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily accompanied by drinking large amounts of water.
- Fruits that contain lots of fiber include raspberries, blackberries, guavas, and mangoes.
- Vegetables that are high in fiber include lentils, peas, broccoli, and artichokes.
Step 6. Drink lots of water
Water is a very important ingredient for controlling weight. Water helps flush out the waste products of metabolism to be expelled from the body system, keeping the metabolism high so that it can burn fat quickly. Water also keeps you full so you don't overeat. The ideal water intake for men is 3 liters a day (approximately 13 glasses), while women should drink 2.2 liters of water a day (approximately 9 glasses).
If you do high-intensity cardio activity or exercise or live in a hot area, you may need to increase your water intake
Step 7. Eat small meals throughout the day
Do not eat three meals a day in large quantities, but eat six times a day in small portions. The body can process food better if the portions are small, so that only a small amount of excess food will be stored as fat. It can also stabilize blood sugar levels and increase the body's ability to absorb minerals and vitamins. Make sure these small portions of food come from healthy ingredients, and from whole, not processed foods. Maybe you can try this simple food plan example:
- First meal (8am): One medium banana with cup oatmeal.
- Second meal (10am): A serving of smoothie made from 1 cup spinach, 4 medium strawberries, cup raspberries, 1 tbsp. flaxseed, and 250 ml of almond milk without sugar.
- Third meal (12:00 p.m.): One slice of whole wheat toast topped with a hard-boiled egg and cup of mashed avocado.
- Fourth meal (15:00): 1 cup salad with avocado, cup cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette sauce.
- Fifth meal (5pm): 113 grams of roasted chicken with chickpeas and cup of brown rice.
- Sixth meal (7pm): cup of cooked quinoa mixed with sautéed mushrooms and peppers.
Part 2 of 2: Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Do the exercise 3 to 4 times a week
Exercise is an important part of losing weight and maximizing the amount of fat that can be burned. In order to burn fat with maximum results, start exercising for 2 and a half hours a week, then give it an additional 30 minutes each week. The best way to maximize fat burning is to combine weight training with high-intensity cardio. Try the following 4 week workout plan:
- Sunday: Week One - 45 minutes of cardio; Week Two - 45 minutes of cardio; Week Three - 60 minutes of cardio; Week Four - 60 minutes of cardio.
- Monday: CLOSED on all weeks
- Tuesday: First Sunday - Upper body strength training for 30 minutes; Week Two - 45 minutes of upper body strength training; Week Three - 45 minutes of upper body strength training; Week Four - 60 minutes of upper body strength training.
- Wednesday: CLOSED on all weeks
- Thursday: First Sunday - 45 minutes of cardio; Week Two - 45 minutes of cardio; Week Three - 60 minutes of cardio; Week Four - 60 minutes of cardio.
- Friday: HOLIDAY all week
- Saturday: First Sunday - Lower body strength training for 30 minutes; Week Two - Lower body strength training for 45 minutes; Week Three - Lower body strength training for 45 minutes; Week Four - Lower body strength training for 60 minutes.
Step 2. Include strength training in your routine
Strength training is a great way to increase muscle mass while burning fat. You can do strength training using weights, resistance bands, or using your body weight. Try combining strength training that works different parts of the muscles in your body. Start with moderately heavy weights or resistances and do three sets of 10 reps with each exercise or until you can't do it anymore. If you've been able to lift the weight three times in a row (three full sets of 10 reps) without fail, increase the weight or resistance by one level.
- Some exercises to train the lower body include squats, calf raises, lunges, deadlifts, and leg presses.
- Some exercises for the upper body include push-ups, sit-ups, chest presses, bicep curls, overhead presses, triceps dips, and lateral pull-downs.
Step 3. Do lots of cardio
Cardio is another name for aerobic or endurance activity. Apart from speeding up fat burning, cardio exercise also has many other health benefits including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Run, jog, or walk: If you start your workout by walking, work your way up to jogging, then running.
- Enjoy outdoor activities such as competitive sports, hiking, swimming and cycling.
- If you are a member of a gym, use a treadmill, elliptical machine, bicycle, and a stair climber (an exercise machine that mimics a ladder).
- Try doing interval training, for example by running sprints interspersed with jogging.
- Switch from high-intensity cardio to slower or longer resistance cardio to maximize fat burning.
Step 4. Get more sleep
Adults over 17 years of age should sleep for 7 to 9 hours a night, and children ages 6 to 17 should sleep 10 to 11 hours. Recent research has shown that sleep deprived people or people who have sleep disorders tend to be fatter than people who sleep for the recommended 7 to 9 hours. This happens because lack of sleep causes changes to the body's metabolism and fat burning. Try some of these tips so you can sleep well at night:
- Put dark curtains on the windows to make your room completely dark.
- Don't eat food at least two hours before bedtime so you don't experience heartburn (a burning sensation when stomach contents move up into the esophagus) or an increase in energy when you're trying to sleep.
- Only use the bed for sex and sleep. Do not do other activities such as reading, watching TV, listening to music, or using the computer while in bed.
Step 5. Make small but meaningful lifestyle changes
Small lifestyle changes throughout the day can help you stick to new habits. In the end, you will make positive changes to a healthy lifestyle that can be maintained in the long term. Some small steps you can take throughout the day to make your lifestyle healthier include:
- Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park the vehicle in a place far from the destination.
- Start a hobby that requires you to move around, such as cycling or hiking.
- Go to traditional markets to buy fresh produce.
- Start gardening.
Tips
- Don't skip meals. This action actually makes you eat more at the next meal so that you will gain weight.
- It's all about energy balance; what you consume in the form of calories must be burned by exercising!
- If you overeat when you're stressed or feeling emotional, you may want to get this habit checked, for example, with the help of a counselor or therapist. Understanding what triggers bad eating habits can help you transition to a healthy lifestyle.
Warning
- Don't push yourself too hard when practicing. Stop the exercise if you really can't continue it, then breathe deeply, and drink plenty of water. Slow down and reduce the intensity if you have a headache or a dry throat. This is a sign of dehydration that must be addressed immediately by drinking water.
- Make sure you have consulted with your doctor before starting ANY wellness or exercise plan.
