Did you know that 70% of weight loss originates from proper nutrition? By knowing what to and what not to eat, you maximize your efforts in trying to lose weight. The seven tips below will guide you on your way to proper nutrition and efficient weight loss.
1. Cut Sugars and Starches
The most crucial part to cut off in your diet when trying to lose weight is carbohydrates (starches). To give you a little bit of a background, insulin is responsible for storing your fat. Insulin-release is also stimulated when you eat too much sugar that comes from starch or carbohydrates.
The more sugar you eat, the more your body releases insulin, and the more it stores fat. But when insulin goes down, you don’t give your body a lot of chance to store up on fat, making it burn more to fuel your body instead.
Another benefit of lowered your insulin level is that it allows your kidneys to do what they are supposed to do – and that is to get rid of excess sodium and water in your body. Excess sodium causes you to bloat up and store the water as weight excess. As soon as you get rid of carbohydrates on the first few weeks of your diet, you will notice you are losing more weight than expected.
2. Eat Vegetables, Healthy Fats and Protein
Taking away the usual source of your carbohydrates does not mean you can’t have them anymore. Carbohydrates from vegetables sources can provide the recommended range of 20 to 50 grams per day. You can get your daily requirements of carbohydrates through low-carb, yet eating vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and swiss chard.
The healthiest protein sources would be beef, chicken, turkey and lamb. Fish and eggs are also rich in omega 3 – an important antioxidant needed by your body. Aside from that, eating proteins and healthy fats is a must. Healthy fats can be obtained by including fish oil, avocado, olive oil, peanut oil and alike.
By constructing your daily meal in these three components, you help better boost your metabolism. The best part about eating these kinds of fat is it doesn’t raise the risk of you getting a heart disease.
3. Lift Weights
Yes, it’s possible for you to lose weight without exercise, but getting your body active is always recommended for better results. Going to the gym at least 3 times a week to warm up, stretch out and lift some weights is beneficial in speeding up your weight loss. Lifting weights allow you to burn more calories and create more muscle mass.
Remember, muscle metabolism takes up a lot of calories. When done right, you will most likely gain weight because of the gained muscle mass, but lose fat because your body had converted it to supply the energy it requires for using your muscles.
4. Have A Cheat Day
Deprivation is usually the cause why so many people falter on their weight loss journey. Allow yourself to indulge at least once a week. If you have fully restricted yourself from carbohydrates, it’s good to take a day off from it.
But just because you’re allowed a cheat day doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you can. Opt for complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, oats, or brown rice and make sure you only do it once a week.
Overdoing it will cause you to fall behind on the results you want to achieve. This is the day you can eat something unhealthy, but make sure you do it to satisfy your taste buds and not your appetite.
5. Control Portions and Calories
Without proper nutrition knowledge, calorie counting will be both exhausting and somewhat useless. The truth about it is calorie counting becomes unnecessary when you stick to the protein – healthy fat – low carb vegetables plan.
Sticking to that diet alone tells you that you’re already hitting the kind of nutrition you need in order to lose weight. But if you still want to count your calories to make sure you’re sticking to the plan, by all means, go right ahead.
Using a calorie counter or a calorie calculator is the best option if you’re not into keeping a food journal.
6. Drink Plenty Of Water
Always remember that your body needs the proper hydration to make sure that all metabolic processes are working like a well-oiled machine. Water can make you feel fuller, help you reduce cravings, and hydrate your cells and skin.
If you feel like you’re losing more weight than expected, drinking lots of water will improve the elasticity of your skin – thereby preventing it from sagging or stretch marks. Water is also a great way to help flush down the excess sodium in the body.
Remember when we said too much insulin can stock up on sodium? Well, as soon as you cut back on your carbs, and lower down your insulin, your body is going to need the right hydration to help eliminate the excess salt that’s causing you to keep your water weight. So, drink up like there’s no tomorrow!
7. Sleep Right
The body regenerates cell repair faster while you’re sleeping. If you think your exercise routine has gotten you feeling completely sore, a good night’s rest will help heal the torn tissues caused by working out. You can also de-stress by bathing in warm water. Every movement in the body causes wear-and-tear, so if you want to naturally get rid of the pain, sleeping will help hasten the healing.