Take a step down any magazine aisle or bookstore and one of the first things you will notice is a wealth of literature containing weight loss tips and tricks. For the past few decades, Americans have become obsessed with trying to find the newest and most effective fast track to weight loss; be it a super food, magic pill, a sweat-inducing workout video or even surgery. However, everyone’s body is different.
How many different ways can there really be to “melt fat” and attain the physique we desire? Forget everything you thought you knew and learn the truth behind what’s hindering us from realizing our goals.
1. Clearly outline your lifestyle change so that you can accurately track and monitor your compliance.
If we don’t set rules and guidelines, it will prove difficult to stay committed to a plan for more than a few days or so. This causes constant “failures” which can be discouraging and lead to abandoning the regimen altogether. Know what foods you will allow yourself to eat freely, regularly, moderately, and sparingly.
We’ve all heard it before, but it’s worth repeating; don’t quit your favorite foods cold turkey. By allowing yourself a “cheat meal” or two throughout the week, not only are you satiating your craving,s but the occasional curve ball to your metabolism can actually contribute to more optimal function
2. Know the right foods to eat and which to eliminate.
Don’t fall for fad diets or any other weight loss plan that aren’t sustainable. Even if you are lucky enough to lose a few pounds, you will likely gain them back once you inevitably succumb to temptation. Recent research is finding multiple flaws in conventional thinking revealing that fat is not the enemy and that carbohydrates really are the biggest contributor to obesity and other health conditions. Fat does not store in the body as fat, it actually metabolizes relatively easily. Carbohydrates however; cannot be broken down by the body to be used as fuel readily. Your body must produce insulin in order to convert those carbs into glucose (sugar) for energy, but when our body cannot burn the sugar quickly enough, it stores them for later use. The problem is, when it is stored it doesn’t make us feel full, so we typically eat again and again constantly storing more and more as fat while burning less and less. This is more evident when we eat Chinese food and feel hungry 30 minutes later.
This spike in our blood sugar level leads to overproduction of insulin and more fat being stored. This perpetual cycle not only causes weight gain, but also creates insulin resistance; our cell’s resistance to storing glucose. Our bodies respond to this by producing more insulin to combat this resistance, often causing type 2 diabetes. Limit your carbs, especially those higher on the glycemic index. Be wary of foods labeled as “fat free” because fat free often means it may be rich in carbs and/or sugars which turn into fat in our bodies.The best way to feel full quicker and to stay full longer is to balance each and every meal. Try to include a fat, protein, dairy, fiber rich whole grains (not whole wheat) and as much “color” (fruits and vegetables) as you wish.
By adding all of these foods to every meal, we feel full quicker. Our stomachs tell our brain we are full either when we have eaten a lot of calories, or when we eat a large volume of food. When we eat a lot of calories, we become full with less food in our stomach. This is great for reducing hunger pains quickly, but because there is little food to process, just empty calories, we’ll be going back for more before long. When we actually fill our stomachs with food by eating lower calorie or higher nutritionally dense foods such as vegetables, berries, nuts, and proteins, we will sustain that fullness for a longer time.
3. Learn to accept fat
Limit carbs everything else becomes common sense. By reading nutrition labels for sugar and carbohydrate content, our decisions can be made much simpler. The surest way to lose weight and enhance your health is to eat as raw as possible. The more processed a food is, the more expensive and unhealthy it usually becomes.
Shop primarily from the perimeter of a grocery store, those are the perishable items which typically means fresher and less processed. This way, we are stocking our kitchen with the best our grocery stores have to offer and ridding our freezers and pantries of processed packaged meals.
4. Finally, remember that you are human
We all make mistakes and occasionally relax our standards to some degree. If you cheat, listen to your inner New Yorker and forget about it. Remember how you great you felt the day before and move on. The war is won over the long term and a few slips here and there won’t sabotage your agenda unless you allow it to and give up.
Losing weight can feel out of reach for many of us, but if we invest some consideration, accountability and abandon hopes of a miracle pill, it can be within reach. By utilizing some of the advice within this article paired with common sense – a slimmer waistline may be just one good call away.
