Weight Loss Tips

You know you are experiencing difficult dieting schedule, but donot know how to stop it! Weight Loss Tips Itis time to get your balance back.

Loosing Weight doesn't have to be a torture, it has to be a pleasure.The following tips will help you lose weight in a healthy and pleasurableway.

Last Updated -6th July 2006

Tips

Find out how many calories you need BMR (Basal MetabolicRate)
(Body Weight (lb) x 15) + (moderate activity (mins/day) x 3.5) = BMRin kcal
Since you wish to lose weight, deduct you BMR by 500 kcal
For instance, you weigh 140 lb and you perform 20 mins of moderateactivity every day. BMR of this example = (140 x 15) + (20 x 3.5)= 2100 + 70 = 2800 kcal. BMR minus 500kcal; it would be 2800 - 500= 2300 kcal. Therefore 2300 kcal is the target in this example tolosing 1 lb per week.
Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
Fruits and vegetables are packed with beneficial fibers and nutrients.They fill up your stomach fast so you feel full earlier. They arealso low in calories and helps to keep your calorie count low.
Watch for Portion Size - One serving of pasta means 1/2 cupof cooked pasta. However, most restaurants serve a pasta dish with4 servings of pasta!!! You do not need to finish and clean off theplate every time. You can simply ask to take home the leftover.
Do not Skip Meals - Eating small frequent meals help to balanceyour calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugarlevel balanced. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5 - 6 smallermeals throughout the day.
Go for wholesome fresh foods - If possible, purchase freshfoods and avoid package (processed) and convenient foods such as fastfood. Packaged and convenient foods are often higher in sodium andfat content. Many people we spoke to are amazed that they can easilylose weight by packing a home-cooked lunch to work instead of eatingout.
Don't be overly-restrictive - Everyone has his or her favoritetreats. Simply allow yourself a little indulgence, but watch out forthe frequency and the quantity. Having a small treat once in a whilecan be rewarding to your weight loss experience. Cutting too muchof your favorite treats usually lead to an early relapse.
Understand Food Claims and Labels - A product labeled witha fat-free claim does not mean that it is low in calories. Similarlya product labeled as low-sugar or low-carb does not mean it is lowin fat or calories. Always read the nutrition label on the packaging.
Watch for the sugary drinks - Juices, pop, cream & sugarin your coffee or tea all add up. Opt for drinking at least 8 glassesof water a day. In addition to providing hydration to your body, itwill also help you feel full.
Keep a food journal - Keeping a food journal helps you pinpoint your eating pattern and will enable you to easily modify it.If possible, have your Registered Dietitian review your journal.
Exercise - Most authorities recommend 30 - 60 minutes ofphysical activity a day to stay healthy. Also try adding weight-bearingexercises at least 2 times a week. This will help burn some of theunwanted calories.
Increase your proteinintake - When you start losing weight, your body tends to breakdown muscles to meet its energy requirements. This results in slowermetabolism and hence weight loss becomes difficult. But increasingyour protein intake will prevent the breakdown of the muscles. Besides,it leads to secretion of glucagon that helps in liberation of theenergy stored in the body.
Eat frequently- Smaller meals provide constant flow of nutrients to the body. Youwill not experience hunger pangs, thus keeping you away from fatteningfoods. Besides, it prevents the catabolism or breakdown of musclewhen your body’s calorie level goes down.
Eat more green leafyvegetables - Increasing your protein intake will make your diethighly acidic. This will make your blood more acidic, which can leadto diseases like gout, arthritis and cardiovascular diseases. To counteractthis condition, be sure to include more green leafy vegetables inyour diet.
Include starchesafter your workout - Though foods like green vegetables, fruitsand beans should form the major portion of your diet, there is noneed to avoid starches like potatoes, rice and pasta. You can eatthem after your workout when your body is in need of instant energy.
Include more of nutrientrich foods - Major part of your diet should consist of foods thatare rich in nutrients but not calories. These foods will keep youfull longer without making you fat. Some examples are Cabbage, spinach,lettuce, and broccoli.
Keep well hydrated- Dehydration tire you out mentally and physically. Besides, your metabolism goes down whenyou are dehydrated. So ensure you drink at least 2 liters of waterdaily. Increase your intake if you are either physically active orlive in hot, humid climate.
Do not decrease yourfat intake below optimum - In weight loss, it is important todecrease your fat intake, but the fats that you should cut down onare the saturated fats found in dairy and animal products. Your intakeof polyunsaturated fats obtained from nuts and fish and monounsaturatedfats obtained from olive oil should not fall below the recommendedlevels.
Stay away from unplannedsnacks - If you have not made any plans for including a snackin your daily meal plan, avoid it as the calories can pile up veryquickly. This can upset your weight loss goals.
Plan your meals inadvance - An essential part of any weight loss program is maintenanceof food journal. This will help you check your progress so that youcan adjust your plan on regular basis. Besides, this will help youin snacking less.
Take adequate amountsof protein - For every pound you weigh, take 1 to 1.25 grams ofprotein. Besides, being low in calories, it will keep you full fora long time.
Keep your house cleanof junk foods - If there are no bad temptations like candies,chips, sugary snacks and other processed foods at home, you will notbe tempted to eat them.
Read labels on thefood items - While purchasing foods from the supermarket, readthe labels very carefully. Besides focusing on the usual ingredientslike carbohydrates, fats and proteins, look at the amount of sodiumand sugar it contains. Most of these foods have hidden amounts ofsodium and sugars like monosodium glutamate and corn starch. Thesecan add more calories to the item.
Get a good night’ssleep - Though it is tempting to stay up late watching all thesoaps and movies on television or party late, it is not good for yourbody. Research indicates that people who get less than 5 hours ofsleep daily, tend to store more body fat as compared to people whoget their daily quota of full night’s sleep.
Increase yournon exercise activities - Simple activities like parking yourcar a block away from the shop, climbing stairs, getting two stopsaway from your destination and walking will ensure that your bodyburns more calories and aid your fat loss.