Friday, April 22, 2011

Develop Your Own Weight Loss Diet Menu

It can be difficult and at times seemingly impossible to lose weight, but with the right weight loss diet menu, a proper exercise plan and a positive attitude, it can be within your reach. There are many fads, promises and weight loss techniques available on the market and people spend astounding amounts of money in the effort to lose unwanted pounds.
The most common cause of being overweight or obese is directly related to a poor diet, bad eating habits, little to no exercise or a combination of these. Although the reasons that people are overweight are highly contested and debated, most experts agree that the basic principle behind losing weight is to eat better, or even less, and to move more. Your body has to burn the excess calories it does not use in order to facilitate weight loss.
Permanent weight loss demands a change in lifestyle. A good place to begin the change is with the diet. There are many weight loss diet menus and plans available, and some may have merit to them, but proceed with caution and look at each one thoroughly to make sure you will still get your required nutrients. Starvation diets should be avoided at all cost as they shed water weight but also cause a rebound effect later on, and they often trigger weight gain in the long run.
Keep in mind that it is not as much about the amount of food eaten as the quality of food eaten. Try rotating proper healthy foods and eating meals with a balance of proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Consuming complex carbohydrates that also contain protein will help satisfy you faster and keep you feeling full for a longer amount of time.
Some examples are lentils, a baked potato without any toppings other than steamed vegetables, brown rice, beans, skinless chicken or turkey breast, sesame seeds, whole grain foods and whitefish. Meats should always be lean, broiled, grilled on a counter top grill, or baked, but never coated with oil or breading. And they should not be fried.
Consume an abundant amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to avoid getting stuck in a rut by eating a variety of foods every day. One goal should be to eat one meal of the day consisting of nothing but fruits and vegetables. Choose low calorie vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, kale, green beans, celery, onions, radishes, turnips or cucumbers.
Low calorie and low carbohydrate fruit choices would include watermelon - which also acts as a natural diuretic - cantaloupe, strawberries, apples and grapefruit. Bananas, cherries, figs, dates, green peas, grapes, white rice, pineapple, sweet potatoes and yams, pears and corn are all higher in calories and/or sugar content and should be eaten only in limited amounts.
As good as your weight loss diet menu may be, it can only help you lose so much weight. You have to find an exercise plan that you enjoy and will do on a consistent basis in order to effect a real and healthy lifestyle change.

No comments:

Post a Comment