Eating to lose weight – Facts for real loss

How many times have you tried a diet, only to find you can’t stick to it or the weight you lost comes back? Or maybe none of them were successful. Many people will try many different weight loss techniques other than diets, only to find again that they continue to struggle to achieve that ‘elusive’ goal.

In a recent study, thousands of people said they were following their doctor’s instructions to eat healthy and exercise vigorously. However, their weight kept going up and they usually gave up, deciding that the ‘diet gurus’ must have the right answer. When the researchers evaluated the calorie intake of these people, they found that most people ate an average of 400 more calories per day than they thought. In one week, this is 2,800 calories, which can result in almost a pound per week of weight gain.

This article will discuss some diets and eating methods that are ineffective, or just plain wrong, and then give suggestions on how to make changes that will produce weight loss results.

too much of a good thing

If you’ve improved your food choices, good for you! However, if you’re still not losing weight, look at your portion sizes. Too much of even a good thing can pack on the pounds if it results in more calories being consumed than burned. If you’re eating well but still can’t lose weight, try keeping a food diary for 3-5 days to find out how good you’re eating. Don’t just list the foods you eat, weigh and measure your foods so you’re clear on how many calories each serving provides. After weighing and measuring your food for a week, you’ll have a much clearer idea of ​​what a serving does and how many calories you’re realistically eating each day.

The “Lite” rate can add

Another mistake people make is thinking that foods that are labeled ‘fat-free,’ ‘low-fat, or ‘reduced-fat’ mean they can eat more without feeling guilty. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the flavor has to come from something. So if a food has less fat, it can have more sugar, which means the calorie level stays the same, if not higher. As a consequence, you eat more and find yourself slowly gaining weight on your weight loss journey.

These low-fat options can be good, but continue to make these foods an occasional treat and eat the same amount as you would if they were the full-fat versions. Depending on the flavor, you may want to stick with its higher-fat version and simply eat it less often or eat a smaller amount.

We can drink our calories

A regular soda, a sweetened tea, a smoothie, etc., all provide calories. It is estimated that approximately 20% of the calories we consume each day come from the liquids we drink. Research has shown that calories from these sources do not satisfy hunger either. Experts say that just one regular soda a day, every day, can add 15 pounds to your body in a year.

What do you drink on a regular basis? I love Starbuck’s Frappuccino®, but I know that if I drank one every day, I would be adding about 300 calories a day to my food intake! In one week, that would work out to 2,100 calories. It takes 3,500 calories to equal one pound.

skipping meals

This is a very common mistake that dieters make. They believe that if they skip a meal, they will eat fewer calories throughout the day. However, your body gets used to a certain number of calories each day, so if you don’t get them in the first half of the day, you’re likely to crave food later in the day, making up for the shortfall. Unfortunately, evening meals are generally higher in fat and lower in healthy nutrients.
One suggestion is to never skip breakfast or lunch, and if you’re not too hungry at dinner, eat a little or half of what you’re served. Increase your water intake, especially 30 minutes before a meal. If you’re not used to eating breakfast, at least start the new habit with some protein and fruit. Once you get into the habit of eating lighter at night, you will eventually start to wake up hungry.

If you travel a lot or feel like you’re too busy to stop and eat, keep some ‘portable’ foods with you. Even a meal replacement bar is better than skipping it altogether. Many foods, like chilled, cooked vegetables or cut up fruit, along with some crackers and a protein like string cheese or peanut butter, keep well. Today there are many small, portable coolers that you can take with you in the car or on the plane.

If it enters your mouth, count

It’s not unusual for people to wonder why they’re not losing weight because they’re eating very healthy, moderate meals. They don’t skip meals, have eliminated the ‘junk’ and keep an eye on portion sizes.

However, they forget about snacks between meals! A good rule of thumb is to consider that each bite can average 25 calories: therefore four ‘extra’ bites in a day results in an extra 100 calories for that day. An excellent site that provides suggestions for cutting down on those extras is at this link: http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftmar03.htm. Do you grab a quick handful of fries when you run through the kitchen? At work, do you stop at the vending machine to ‘stay away’ in the afternoon? Or maybe you head out to grab a few bites of ice cream from the bowl when you’re tired, stressed, or angry. All these ‘little’ extras add up! If you ate an extra 100 calories every day, you would gain almost a pound in a month.

Again, keeping a food diary, over 5 days, helps people really become aware of the extra ‘hidden’ calories they eat at times they weren’t even aware of. In a previous program I offered, clients would keep a food diary for 30 days and write to me daily along the way. All of the clients who participated in this program discovered times when they ate that they weren’t aware of, and every one of them successfully lost weight on the program!

When I see nutrition clients struggling to control their eating habits, snacking, and cravings, I often encourage them to keep more fruit on hand. If you tend to crave sweets, eating fruit instead will satisfy that craving, lose weight, and even make you healthier due to antioxidant-rich foods.

Does life end on Saturday and Sunday?

This is one of my favorites! Weekend ‘days off’ became popular with one diet and exercise program in particular. However, what I see from my clients is that if they can’t control their eating as a ‘natural’ part of life, taking the weekend ‘off’ will not help instill new healthy habits. It’s so easy to pack on the extra calories in just two days! If there’s a food you avoid because you perceive it to be a ‘bad’ food, or because you feel like you can’t control portion amounts of that food, but you ‘allow’ it on weekends, you’re depriving yourself of learning to manage that food. food and could continue to fight with it all his life. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel at peace with a problem food at some point instead of always avoiding it as ‘the enemy’?

Fill up on nutrient-dense foods

Although 66% of all Americans are overweight or obese, there are still people who manage to control their weight without constant struggle. How they did it? This article is not focused on exercise, but as a personal trainer, I may question the benefits of consistent exercise. Another key is to eat foods that are ‘nutrient dense’, high in moisture and low in fat. These are foods that fill you up without a lot of calories. Multiple Pennsylvania State University studies have identified particular foods that fit into this category: examples include water, broth-based soups, vegetables, and, in particular, green leafy vegetables. Adding vegetables to mixed dishes helps increase the nutrient density and decrease the calories of the dish. Add water-rich vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or tomatoes to chili, stews, and even mac and cheese. Studies have shown that people eat the same number of servings, but because of the increased ‘volume’, they eat fewer calories.

I always suggest to clients that they look for a change that they can do at once. Review the tips above and determine what small change you can make today. Just work on that change until it becomes a habit or a natural way of eating. Only after it has become second nature should you work on a second change. Small, slow changes that incorporate healthy habits that are valid will ensure that you will be lighter a year from now than you are today.