Losing weight and keeping it off are major concerns for an increasing number of people around the world, and the advice offered on the subject will usually be conflicting. Celebrities seem to lose weight as easily as breathing, leading to many people trying to emulate what they do. However, this is not necessarily the best way to go about weight loss, particularly if long term results are what you want. The following five tips will help you to reach and maintain your ideal weight.
• Eat regularly throughout the day. This may seem counter-intuitive, as eating less will lead to your body using its reserves of energy, but you do still need food. Avoiding meals will affect your metabolism, slowing it down and making it more difficult for you to lose weight. If you are hungry most of the time, you will also choose less healthy options when you do eat. Small, frequent meals allow you to maintain a higher metabolic rate, burning off calories and reducing levels of fat.
• Don't cut out any food groups. Unless there is a medical reason and you have been advised to do this by your doctor, don't cut out an entire food group from your diet. This will not be sustainable on a long term basis and, like skipping meals, will slow down your metabolism. Your body will think that you are starving, and try to reserve as much of your food intake as possible, by converting it to fat. When you do reintroduce the food group (carbs, for example), you will experience weight gain. Cut down on the offending types of food, but don't avoid them completely.
• Eat from a smaller plate. While large dinner plates look great on your table, research has consistently shown that people eat more as a result. It is thought that this is because we feel the urge to fill the plate, rather than just taking what we require. A smaller plate looks full much sooner, so you will eat less overall, if you do this at every meal.
• Keep a selection of healthy snacks available. Reaching for a chocolate bar can often be the downfall of many diets, as the quick burst of sugar followed by the dip in energy will leave you feeling hungry. Foods that release energy slowly throughout the day will help to prevent this. Even when you are at work, you should have snacks available; fruit and nuts are both great options.
• Boost your intake of protein. Salads are usually the most popular choice of lunch for people on a diet, but it can lead to hunger setting in during the afternoon. Adding protein and a light salad dressing will help to satisfy your hunger more effectively, without increasing the calories too much. Grilled chicken breast is an excellent addition to a leafy green salad, or you could choose salmon instead, which also contains healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which are considered to be one of the healthy fats.
• Eat regularly throughout the day. This may seem counter-intuitive, as eating less will lead to your body using its reserves of energy, but you do still need food. Avoiding meals will affect your metabolism, slowing it down and making it more difficult for you to lose weight. If you are hungry most of the time, you will also choose less healthy options when you do eat. Small, frequent meals allow you to maintain a higher metabolic rate, burning off calories and reducing levels of fat.
• Don't cut out any food groups. Unless there is a medical reason and you have been advised to do this by your doctor, don't cut out an entire food group from your diet. This will not be sustainable on a long term basis and, like skipping meals, will slow down your metabolism. Your body will think that you are starving, and try to reserve as much of your food intake as possible, by converting it to fat. When you do reintroduce the food group (carbs, for example), you will experience weight gain. Cut down on the offending types of food, but don't avoid them completely.
• Eat from a smaller plate. While large dinner plates look great on your table, research has consistently shown that people eat more as a result. It is thought that this is because we feel the urge to fill the plate, rather than just taking what we require. A smaller plate looks full much sooner, so you will eat less overall, if you do this at every meal.
• Keep a selection of healthy snacks available. Reaching for a chocolate bar can often be the downfall of many diets, as the quick burst of sugar followed by the dip in energy will leave you feeling hungry. Foods that release energy slowly throughout the day will help to prevent this. Even when you are at work, you should have snacks available; fruit and nuts are both great options.
• Boost your intake of protein. Salads are usually the most popular choice of lunch for people on a diet, but it can lead to hunger setting in during the afternoon. Adding protein and a light salad dressing will help to satisfy your hunger more effectively, without increasing the calories too much. Grilled chicken breast is an excellent addition to a leafy green salad, or you could choose salmon instead, which also contains healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which are considered to be one of the healthy fats.
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