This may be the year you finally shed those extra pounds, achieve a powerful, compact body, and also give your health a massive boost with a commitment to sensible eating. But so as to attain your healthy weight and keep it there, you will need to sidestep a good deal of diet minefields.

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So many nutritional myths and faddish ideas are out there, you could easily end up sabotaging your weight loss efforts and endangering your health, without even being aware of it. 58% of customers are actively trying to lose weight to improve either their physical appearance, health or both, according to the Natural Marketing Institute’s Health & Wellness Trends Database.

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YOU HAVE TO GO ON A DIET TO LOSE WEIGHT. REALITY: Most diets do not work. Rather than following the most recent hip weight loss plan, you should develop healthful, fat-burning customs and make them part of your everyday life. How do they stack up? A recent study monitored the weight loss results of obese folks who followed popular diet programs for a single year. So as to attain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), most areas necessary to shed 41.8 lbs. At the end of 12 months, those on the Atkins low-carb program lost 10.4 pounds; Zone moderate-carb dieters lost 3.5 pounds; and Ornish low-fat dieters shed 4.9 pounds.

On all three meals, the subjects experienced the majority of their weight loss in the first two to six months, then began regaining the majority of their lost pounds. The best way to achieve permanent weight loss is to integrate reasonable, healthy, and enjoyable changes to your life which you can stick with over time. Consumers used several lifestyle changes to help manage their weight in the last year.

REALITY: Many “low-fat” foods are surprisingly high in sugar content – and calories. That’s because producers often add sugar to compensate for the diminished taste and texture that results from eliminating fat. Secrets of Sneaky Sugar: A sugar by any other name is still sugar. Your”diet” food may contain added sugars in various guises you might not recognize. Here are a few names to search for on the ingredient listing: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, sucrose, syrup. So what’s a conscientious dieter to do? As always, the battle of the bulge is finally won in the arena of calories.

The Great Cookie Caper

Let’s compare calories of a regular chocolate chip cookie and a reduced-fat chocolate chip cookie. The normal cookie has 3 fat grams and 49 calories; the reduced-fat cookie has 2 fat g and 45 calories. A 4-calorie difference isn’t likely to get you into that bikini ! On the other hand, some low-carb options can significantly slash your calorie consumption. Don’t want to give up cheddar cheese? One ounce of regular cheddar cheese has 6 pounds and 114 calories; the same-sized low-fat portion has 1.2 g of fat and an impressively reduced 49 calories! When the weight reduction goal is to improve their health, consumers appear to eat a more balanced diet (e.g., less sugar, fewer carbohydrates, etc.). In the last year, consumers restricted their glucose, carbohydrate, and fat consumption more frequently than they used diet food/products to help manage their weight.

You Need to STARVE YOURSELF TO LOSE WEIGHT. REALITY: Yes, you do need to restrict your calories to lose pounds, but there is no need to starve. You may cleverly select foods that fill you up, not out – and keep you satisfied and stoked with energy daily. What’s your best option for filling foods? Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Most Americans get only half of the recommended daily intake of 25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber, placing them at risk for obesity and a range of serious health issues.

  • Consumers that eat fewer carbs to lose weight additionally eat polyunsaturated foods (66 percent ) and take part in regular and consistent exercise (61 percent ) to attain their optimum weight. Fiber comes in two forms, each with its own starring role to play in protecting our health and promoting weight control. Soluble fibers dissolve in water, and are associated with regulating glucose levels and lowering cholesterol. Insoluble fibers or roughage can not dissolve in water, but can absorb water. This causes them to swell, which makes them great bulking agents that enhance gastrointestinal functions and accelerate elimination. By ingesting adequate quantities from both fiber types, you will enjoy their whole selection of health benefits. Soluble fibers: apples, citrus fruits, pears, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, legumes, lentils, barley, oats, oat bran, oatmeal. Insoluble fibers: Cabbage, beets, Brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, whole wheat bread, wheat cereal, wheat germ, rye.
  • Create a whole grain pilaf with a combination of barley, wild rice, brown rice, broth, and spices. For a unique touch, stir in toasted nuts or chopped dried fruit.
  • Try rolled oats or a crushed, unsweetened whole grain cereal as breading for baked fish, poultry, veal cutlets or eggplant parmesan.
  • Freeze leftover cooked brown rice, bulgur, or barley. Heat and serve it later as a quick side dish.
  • Choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list: brown rice, bulgur, graham flour, oatmeal, whole wheat corn, whole oats, whole rye, whole wheat, wild rice.
  • Food tagged with the words “multi-grain,” “stone-ground,””100% wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran” are generally not Promotional products.
  • Color isn’t an indication of grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients. Read the ingredient list to determine if it’s a whole grain.

REALITY: Your body needs fat to function. Fat provides you with energy, permits you to absorb key vitamins, and helps build cell membranes and walls throughout the body. Don’t deprive yourself of health-giving, energy-producing fat. 41 percent of consumers employed a low-carb diet in the past year to handle their weight. And customers were heavily invested in using reduced fat food/beverages. The key is to eat the right kind of fat – and in the appropriate amounts. It’s easy to take in surplus amounts of omega-6 fatty acids since the frequent vegetable oils from the American diet – such as corn, safflower and sunflowers oils – are packaged with omega-6. So are meat, eggs and milk.

Unfortunately, when you eat large amounts of omega-6, you not only gain weight, as a result of its high caloric content, you could also grow more prone to inflammation and thickening of the blood. Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are tough to come by. The reason you are likely not getting enough of those health-giving powerhouses is that many manufacturers eliminate them to keep products clean. You can ramp up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids by nibbling on legumes, walnuts, flaxseed, and alfalfa, and by adding cold water fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel to your menu.

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Here’s a handy guide for obtaining a healthy balance of fat in your daily diet: Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils. Sip green tea, drop weight? The Chinese have long appreciated green tea because of its remarkable ability to promote digestion, enhance mental faculties, and regulate body temperature. An intriguing new study in Japan indicates that green tea may also have a beneficial role to play in reducing your weight.

Over a 12-week period, 1 group of guys drank a jar of tea containing 690 milligrams of catechins (from green tea) daily, while another group consumed tea comprising only 22 milligrams of catechins. The results demonstrated that the guys drinking the tea with greater catechins had lower Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat and waist circumference in contrast to another group. So next time you pour a soothing cup of green tea, consider that every sip might be helping your body break down fat, together with all its other advantages.

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SKIP BREAKFAST TO SLASH YOUR DAILY CALORIE INTAKE. REALITY: While you might be tempted to overlook your morning meal to save on calories, studies show that skipping breakfast may sabotage your diet attempts. A recent study analyzed the role that breakfast intake plays in body mass index and analyzed the effect of different kinds of breakfasts. After adjustments for gender, age and race, the results revealed that individuals who ate different kinds of cereal had a lower body mass index than those who ate meat and eggs or those who skipped breakfast.

And, for women, here is a fascinating look at the powerful link between a healthy breakfast and weight: a recent study of government data on breakfast eating in teens (ages 12 to 16) revealed that the thinnest women are the most likely to eat breakfast. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the most obese girls are the most likely to skip breakfast. Needless to say, not all of cereals are made equal. You won’t lose weight by heaping your bowl with sugary cereal, then drowning it in milk.

Choose a low-calorie, higher fiber cereal and limit your portion size to approximately 150 calories. Oatmeal is an outstanding alternative for a satisfying, high-fiber jumpstart for your day. And try skipping the fruit juiceand eating the fruit instead. By eating a healthy, filling breakfast, you are going to stay more in control of your appetite and be less prone to overeating later in the day. Breakfast bonus: Eating small meals more often may help decrease your cholesterol. British researchers recently found that people who ate more than six times per day had lower cholesterol (by about 5%) than those who ate once or twice per day. The secret is to eat small, healthy meals every three or four hours.

Who Skips Breakfast?

People that are losing weight to improve their appearance have a tendency to skip meals more than those that are losing weight to improve their health. You already know that going on fad diets can be bothersome, unhealthy and inefficient, because the weight you lose comes right back, every time. Now there’s another reason to end the “yo-yo diet” syndrome – it may compromise your immune system. Investigators examined a group of healthy, obese, postmenopausal girls and found that the more frequently the girls had lost 10 pounds or more, the greater the suppression of the immune systems.

  • Avoid fad diets and focus on making healthy lifestyle changes.
  • Check the labels of low carb”diet” foods for sneakily added sugars and high-calorie content.
  • Stave off diet-destroying hunger pangs with filling high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.