| According to American dieticians, approximately 2 of every 3 Americans are obese. What is more, corpulence is considered the second principal cause of preventable death in the USA.
A diet is usually the first thing that enters one's mind when it is high time to lose weight. A diet is about changing eating habits. A balanced diet should include large amounts of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat diary products, and a limited amount of lean meat, poultry and fish. The healthy diet differs from the so-called crash diets which promise miraculous results immediately. However, most fad diets are unhealthy, since they mean starvation. The major drawback of crash diets is that the body loses water and muscle tissue. These are the two key components that the body requires to burn body fat. If you go on a fad diet, you may witness a substantially large loss of weight in the beginning. Being deficient in vitamins, protein, fats and carbs, your body gets vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. Furthermore, as your metabolism is in starvation mode, it gets very hard to burn body fat. Thus, most dieters give up. To lose weight permanently, it is necessary to alter your eating habits.
You do not have to give up your best-loved "comfort foods" in order to eat right. Instead, make them healthier by substituting ingredients. For instance, regular sour cream can be substituted by its low-fat version. Eat low-fat ground turkey instead of ground beef in a meat loaf recipe.
Fresh fruit or vegetables from home, for example, are a lot healthier than that vending machine cake.
Use smaller dishes to make portions look larger and begin a "no seconds" program. If you are eating out, select smaller portions, share large servings or take home part of your meal for the following day.
Exclude high-calorie foods low in vitamins and minerals, such as candies, fizzy drinks, chips etc.
Remember that no healthy dietary program is efficient without physical exercise. Thirty minutes of brisk walking, at least five times a week, can bring you good results. |