You have probably read so many different things about how to lose weight. At the bottom of all the theories is simple biology. Here are the simple facts about weight loss:
1 pound of weight = 3,500 calories
You have probably heard this before. But what does this mean?
If you want to lose 1 pound per week you have to create a deficit throughout the week of 3,500 calories. This deficit can be from DIET, EXERCISE, or a combination of BOTH.
Divide 3,500 calories by 7 days in a week = 500 calories deficit per day is required to lose 1 pound per week
when you look at it this way you can appreciate the great accomplishment of losing 1 pound per week.
to lose 2 pounds per week? you need to create a 1000 calorie deficit per day, now this can be hard.
It is recommended in a diet to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Doing this allows you to create a life style you can follow long term and therefore maintain the weight loss.
Ways to help you reach this calorie deficit with the least pain:
1. Increase your fiber intake - Increasing your daily fiber intake to 25 g per day will help you feel fuller for longer. Soluble fiber, in particular, creates a gel of the food in your stomach and therefore takes longer to pass through and increases digestion time. Read the nutrition label, under carbohydrates to see grams of fiber.
Foods high in fiber include: whole wheat cous cous, whole wheat bread and pasta, quinoa, oat meal, lentils, beans, flax seed meal, peas, fruit with skin, whole wheat wraps, high-fiber breakfast cereal.
2. Drink lots of water - When increasing fiber intake it is important to also increase fluid intake to aid with digestion. Plus drinking a lot of water has no calories and tons of health benefits!
3. Don't skip a meal - Do not skip a meal in order to lower calories intake. This results in showing up at the next meal so hungry and eating the equivalence of a small country. The key is to never let your self get very hungry and then you can eat mindfully and smaller amounts rather than devouring when really hungry. Also, skipping a meal makes your body think "uh-oh, there's no food, starving mode." When the next meal comes around your body will preserve every ounce as fat because it is not sure when the next meal will come - your metabolism will slow down.
5. Eat complex carbohydrates - Try to eat less simple sugars which spike your blood sugar levels and leave you hungry shortly after. Look at the nutrition label, compare the grams of carbohydrates and the grams of sugar, there should be a lot more carbs than sugar.
6. Skip soda and juices - Eating actual fruit over juices and soda is way more satisfying than drinking something. Drinks can pack in a lot of calories which are "wasted" because you do not get the amount of satiety you would get if you ate that amount of calories. Try cutting your soda, juice, and high-calorie drinks for water. Start small, with swapping one drink for a glass of water per day and go from there. As for tea, try making your own over buying ready teas which are very high in sugar and other additives.
7. Snack smart - Avoid snacking on low-nutrition, high-calorie foods like muffins, croissants, and chocolate. I included snack ideas a few posts ago you can get ideas for good snacks. If you have a sweet tooth craving satisfy it with a fun-size chocolate (only keep one around so you cannot go back for more, and preferably dark chocolate for the health benefits)
A study I just read showed that a short walk (15 minutes) during a work break as opposed to resting for 15 minutes resulted in subjects eating 50% less chocolate (15 g vs. 28g.) So take a break and walk around! It will help curb your unhealthy cravings!
8. Change your environment - Create a healthy environment to support your weight-loss efforts. Try to not bring into the house unhealthy foods like chips, soda, and cookies. You will see that because it is not around you will eat a lot less of it and be ok! Instead, fill the house with healthy options and make them visible to you. Try new healthy foods! seek out recipes! you'll be surprised how good healthy food can be. Make a commitment to eat these unhealthy foods only out of the house and attempt eating at home as much as possible. You probably wont have at home bread and butter, appetizer, main course, and dessert, so eating home allows you to consume less calories and save money.
9. Get active - No matter what your activity level currently is, increase it a little bit more each week. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week. Here is easy ways to get started:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator - a study showed that other than the exercise benefits, subjects also saved time (15 minutes per day) by taking the stairs over elevator. Follow the rule of 3 - if where you need to go is 3 or less flight of stairs away - take the stairs
Park far when going to the mall or school - Park at the last spot and walk to get a little bit of exercise in. If your feeling very ambitious try parking on opposite side of mall and walk to the store you need to go to instead of parking right by the store.
I will post more ways for you to get active and cut your calorie intake but choose some of the ideas you read here and get started!
Foods high in fiber include: whole wheat cous cous, whole wheat bread and pasta, quinoa, oat meal, lentils, beans, flax seed meal, peas, fruit with skin, whole wheat wraps, high-fiber breakfast cereal.
2. Drink lots of water - When increasing fiber intake it is important to also increase fluid intake to aid with digestion. Plus drinking a lot of water has no calories and tons of health benefits!
3. Don't skip a meal - Do not skip a meal in order to lower calories intake. This results in showing up at the next meal so hungry and eating the equivalence of a small country. The key is to never let your self get very hungry and then you can eat mindfully and smaller amounts rather than devouring when really hungry. Also, skipping a meal makes your body think "uh-oh, there's no food, starving mode." When the next meal comes around your body will preserve every ounce as fat because it is not sure when the next meal will come - your metabolism will slow down.
5. Eat complex carbohydrates - Try to eat less simple sugars which spike your blood sugar levels and leave you hungry shortly after. Look at the nutrition label, compare the grams of carbohydrates and the grams of sugar, there should be a lot more carbs than sugar.
6. Skip soda and juices - Eating actual fruit over juices and soda is way more satisfying than drinking something. Drinks can pack in a lot of calories which are "wasted" because you do not get the amount of satiety you would get if you ate that amount of calories. Try cutting your soda, juice, and high-calorie drinks for water. Start small, with swapping one drink for a glass of water per day and go from there. As for tea, try making your own over buying ready teas which are very high in sugar and other additives.
7. Snack smart - Avoid snacking on low-nutrition, high-calorie foods like muffins, croissants, and chocolate. I included snack ideas a few posts ago you can get ideas for good snacks. If you have a sweet tooth craving satisfy it with a fun-size chocolate (only keep one around so you cannot go back for more, and preferably dark chocolate for the health benefits)
A study I just read showed that a short walk (15 minutes) during a work break as opposed to resting for 15 minutes resulted in subjects eating 50% less chocolate (15 g vs. 28g.) So take a break and walk around! It will help curb your unhealthy cravings!
8. Change your environment - Create a healthy environment to support your weight-loss efforts. Try to not bring into the house unhealthy foods like chips, soda, and cookies. You will see that because it is not around you will eat a lot less of it and be ok! Instead, fill the house with healthy options and make them visible to you. Try new healthy foods! seek out recipes! you'll be surprised how good healthy food can be. Make a commitment to eat these unhealthy foods only out of the house and attempt eating at home as much as possible. You probably wont have at home bread and butter, appetizer, main course, and dessert, so eating home allows you to consume less calories and save money.
9. Get active - No matter what your activity level currently is, increase it a little bit more each week. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week. Here is easy ways to get started:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator - a study showed that other than the exercise benefits, subjects also saved time (15 minutes per day) by taking the stairs over elevator. Follow the rule of 3 - if where you need to go is 3 or less flight of stairs away - take the stairs
Park far when going to the mall or school - Park at the last spot and walk to get a little bit of exercise in. If your feeling very ambitious try parking on opposite side of mall and walk to the store you need to go to instead of parking right by the store.
I will post more ways for you to get active and cut your calorie intake but choose some of the ideas you read here and get started!
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