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Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category

When you start up on a weight loss diet, one of the first things many people begin to worry about is finding weight loss foods that taste good. This is often what will deter people from sticking with a diet program. It may not be that they don’t have the time to plan or cook their meals, or that they are skipping their fat loss workouts in the gym. Rather, it’s that the food they’re eating tastes so bland that they start experiencing cravings through the roof.

With a little creativity though, you can dramatically improve the taste of many foods without adding a lot of calories, carbohydrates, or fat.

Here are some ideas.

Use More Spices

There is a wide variety of spices you can use to season your foods – and if salt is a concern for you, that’s no longer a problem with the Mrs. Dash spices available now.

Spices can virtually be added to anything – from seasoning your chicken breasts with them, throwing cinnamon into your oatmeal, adding it to your cooked whole wheat pasta, or tossing the spice over steamed vegetables.

Since many of them also contain herbs, it can have other positive health benefits.

Consider Sugar-Free Syrups

For those of you who enjoy your fancy coffee’s or other sweet-tasting desserts, look into the many flavors of sugar-free syrups that are now available on the market.

These can be added to coffees, teas, in yogurt, cottage cheese, in oatmeal, over cooked sweet potatoes, in protein shakes, and so on.

Use Low-Sodium Broths

To add more flavor to your stir-fries, rather than using oil or other high calorie sauces, consider using low-sodium broths to keep the dish moist while it cooks.

You can also use low-sodium broths as bases for soups (which are great when dieting because they are naturally lower in calories), and in replacement for butter when preparing mashed potatoes.

Low sodium broths also make a good base for many sauces such as teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or a garlic-herb broth.

Use Salsa, Soy Sauce, Low-Sugar Ketchup, or Mustard

Finally, keep in mind that there are many condiments out there that would be considered ‘free’ because of the fact they contain so few calories.

Such examples would be salsa, soy sauce, low-sugar ketchup, mustard, balsamic vinegars, and so on.

You can use these at your preference to help make the foods you’re eating taste more palatable and increase the likelihood that you stay with your diet.

So, be sure you keep these points in mind. With some extra creativity, it can be a lot easier to stick with your diet and enjoy the foods you’re eating at the same time.

When you make the decision to lose weight, you inevitably then have to go and choose a diet that not only will do the trick but also be a diet and exercise package that will be acceptable and stimulating. If you start off with a poor diet and exercise program, you’ll most likely drop it and that just makes your weight loss program a big waste of time. Here’s some food for thought…

Following a weight loss program is the most simple and efficient solution to getting rid of your extra pounds (or at least most of them). You can find these programs all around you: books that guide you, on-line weight loss programs, TV shows, etc. You can choose which one to follow depending on your personal eating habits and on the money you are willing to spend for such a program.

Many of us have a sedentary lifestyle, we go to work by car and then sit at a desk for eight hours or more, and we are always tempted by tasty and cheap but unhealthy food, rich in fats and carbohydrates. The result can be measured in the extra pounds we “gain” and it can vary from just a few extra pounds to obesity, depending on our metabolism & activities. As obesity became one of the major problems of the civilized world, an entire industry has developed on the basis of people’s need to lose weight. There are all kinds of products available on the market, such as different weight loss pills, fitness devices, electrical stimulation devices, etc. The problem is the majority of these products are not that efficient as their commercials are suggesting and some may indeed be seriously harmful to your health. It is much better to find a suitable weight loss program and follow it step by step.

The most essential part of the weight loss program is the diet plan, but for a more attractive commercial presentation the producers also come up with different “secrets” books, tools, analyzers, motivation tips, weight loss tricks, etc. There are also programs that include weight loss support; there are support groups such as Overeaters Anonymous or Fat Acceptance.

Here are some examples of weight loss programs:

Low Fat Diet

The low fat weight loss program recommends a diet based on low fat or no fat foods. Reducing fat intake and regular exercise results in long-lasting weight loss. This program can be very effective if produced and supervised by an expert. Many low fat programs found on the market reduce fat consumption too much and it can become harmful for your health. A very high consumption of carbs is also not good, which is often recommended by some programs. However, this diet is one of the best ways to lose weight, but it is important they are described in the correct manner.

High Protein Diet

This weight loss program is based on the consumption of high protein and low carb foods. Although it leads to reasonably rapid weight loss, it is often NOT an effective diet in the long run. It encourages the consumption of saturated fats and this increases the risk of heart diseases. It can also cause damage to your kidneys, as in the absence of enough carbs, for the rapid burning of fatty acids the kidneys have to work overtime.

Fixed Menu

This type of weight loss program indicates you apply a fixed menu diet. You get a list of what you have to eat everyday. It is easy to follow because you don’t need to keep the calorie count. Its efficiency and healthiness can vary greatly.

Points Program

This weight loss program is created by Weight Watchers, a company offering different dieting products and services for weight loss. The points system consists in quantifying the caloric intake and the energy expenditure. Foods are assigned a specific number of points and exercises are assigned a negative number of points. Based on their current weight and weight loss goals, program participants are allocated a certain number of points every week. Therefore, participants are allowed to eat any type of food, but they must not exceed their total point value that week. This is an easy to follow program, mainly because of the psychological effect is has on the participant.

Food Optimizing

This weight loss program is created by Slimming World, a British company which runs weight loss classes across the UK. During classes members are weighed and the loss or gain is shared with the others; they also share experiences, tips, ask for advice, etc.

The diet is a calorie-restricted one. The foods known as “free foods”, are considered to have a low calorie content may be eaten in unrestricted amounts. They recommend eating four small portions per day of foods that provide supplies of minerals, vitamins or dietary fiber, even if these foods are higher in calories. Days are classified in red days and green
days. There are red days “free foods” and green days “free foods”, and all other foods are assigned a syn value.

Although most of us know the do’s and don’ts in order to lose weight, it becomes much easier if we are using a precise weight loss program, this way we get more determined.

The most important thing is not to expect short term extraordinary results. Even if there are weight loss programs that guarantee this, you may cause serious injury to your health and you will only enjoy short-time results normally. A good diet should always include all of the Recommended Daily Allowances for vitamins, minerals and proteins. Also, the weight loss program must offer you solutions for maintenance after the weight loss phase is over; and this is much more difficult than the weight loss itself. It is important to know that only healthy the eating habits and exercise are the primary keys to long term weight control.

When losing weight, keeping a record of your food and beverage consumption is a very effective strategy. Keeping a weight loss food diary provides insight into the progress of your weight loss program and will indicate whether or not you meet your goals.

Record keeping

A weight loss food diary can be a simple notebook or a computer database. From breakfast to dinner, jot down what kinds of food or beverage you ingested, as well as their corresponding amounts. Also include the activities you did for the day and your hunger level. Indicate whether you were full or famished prior to eating a meal.

Keep a diary for at least three weeks. You do not have to record your food consumption for one whole month or year. It may be a little hard to accomplish at first, so jot down your food intake immediately after eating. During the course of your dieting, the calorie intake should decrease. This should not be the same with the nutrient intake which should meet the standard rate.

Benefits

In general, a weight loss food diary encourages deeper awareness of your weight loss problem. Benefits of keeping a food diary include discovering the factors that trigger binges and cravings. Since eating and behavioral patterns will show on your diary, idenifying how to make necessary changes will be easy. For example, being aware that you take big portions of food will somehow force you to stop the habit. You can then make correct adjustments to your diet plans by just referring to your food diary. A diary is also handy when one has to consult a health care professional about their weight loss program.

A weight loss food diary helps one to be focused and discipline. It will also help a person to be deeply committed to a program.

Just going on a diet will present temporary weight loss. However for effective weight loss, you have to learn to follow a food program throughout your life. You have to aim at eating quality food and increase the amount of energy you burn.

Quality food is food that has more of fiber and roughage so that you feel full faster, foods with lower levels of fat and sugar and foods that are not refined or processed.

Make it a point to eat small, but frequent meals throughout the day, where all meals should have some proteins to help maintain your muscle and energy levels. Also eat more of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis for your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.

To find out how many calories you require everyday for weight loss, you have to multiply your weight in pounds by twelve calories. If its weight maintenance you’re looking for, you have to multiply your weight by 15 calories.

Once you know how many calories you need per day, you can work at reducing your daily calorie consumption to lose weight. However don’t go lower than the required amount of calories for your body, lest you go into starvation mode where your body lowers its metabolic rate and thus starts collecting fat instead of burning it.

Simultaneously, you find an increase in hunger pangs wherein you start craving high energy foods that you should actually avoid. Instead, make it a point to reduce your consumption of foods with obvious and hidden fats but avoid severe food restriction.

However you have to be aware of the times you over eat, so that you can exercise more later on to burn these excess calories as compensation. Instead of monitoring your weight, start monitoring your body fat levels while aiming at moderate fat loss of a pound a week.

Follow these tips for faster and more nutritional weight loss.

The fastest weight loss program you can follow, through which you will lose the most weight in the shortest period of time, with the least amount of sacrifice or hardship, is the Calorie Shifting Diet. While on this diet, you can expect to lose 9 pounds every 11 days, or upwards of 20 pounds per month.

The Calorie Shifting Diet differs from other diets in that you lose weight, not by reducing your intake of calories, carbohydrates, or eating only certain types of foods, but by shifting the types of calories that you consume at each meal on a rotational basis, every day.

While on this diet, you are allowed to eat as much food as you desire at each meal until you are fully satisfied, but not until you are too full. You would be required to eat four full meals every day. And you will also be required to eat food from all four major food groups over the course of the diet. The only major difference is that you be grouping your foods together differently at each meal over the course of each day.

Eating in this manner will result in invoking of a metabolic response that is conducive to weight loss, because of a “phantom nutritional deficit” that you will be triggering. In other words, your body’s metabolism will react as though you are being malnourished, and will thus compensate by burning fat, when in fact you are really eating plentiful food of all varieties. By shifting calories around in the manner prescribed by this diet, you are able to spoof this condition and sustain it for long periods of time.

Nutritionists recommend against losing weight to rapidly. That is why this diet also requires you to take a mandatory 3-day break every 14 days, in order to give your body a chance to stablize and to rest from the rapid weight loss you will have been experiencing. After the 3-day break, you may resume your diet for another 11 consecutive days.

Diet is as hard as working yourself out of being overweight. But one way or another, you have to take care of your own weight. Here are the 20 best weight loss foods that would augment your diet as well as your workouts.

Steak – These are packed with considerable amounts of amino acids which make them great for increasing muscle mass.

Whole eggs – Not just the whites are good for you but the entire egg. People who stick to low-calorie diets benefit from tossing in an egg or two in their meals.

Kale – Kale contains fiber, calcium, iron, and too little calorie. If you do not want the earthy flavor, you could go for spinach as an alternative.

Oats – Though packed with carbs, oats have lots of fiber that lessen satiety. This food cleanses your digestive system, too.

Green tea – With enough antioxidant and caffeine, this drink is a weight loss bonanza in itself.

Dark chocolate – Although a big no-no food for some, it can do wonders to your heart and weight. Consume in moderation, though.

Lentils – Lentils have soluble fiber and protein, the one-two punch against fat bellies.

Sardines – Sardines are definitely a health bargain and great weight loss food.

Goji berries – An awesome source of protein, goji contains around 18 amino acids. These berries are a recommended hunger-buster.

Wild salmon – This fish helps build muscles by supplying sufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Pumpkin – These are generous on fiber but shy on calories.

Buckwheat pasta – Though carbohydrates laden, it contains lots of fiber.

Berries – Containing lots of nutrients and providing lots of benefits, berries are considered the superfruits.

Pomegranates – These are very good for weight loss.

Chilies – These shoot up metabolism.

Yogurt – Yogurt keeps your blood sugar level steady and prevents fat storage.

Quinoa – It satiates through its fiber and protein content.

Parmesan cheese – This is the type of cheese with the least amount of calories but lots of flavor.

Avocado – Fatty acids and fiber merits avocado as a good fat remover.

Olive oil – This oil helps prevent various diseases. It also builds muscles.