Healthy Foods for Weight Loss: Low-carb diet

       

Welcome to my weight loss tips series here on how to lose weight HT. This post talks about Carbohydrates, and how taking the right kinds, can help your quest for weight loss.

Carbohydrates and Weight Loss:

Carbohydrates are essential for a well-balanced diet and healthy body. They provide the only fuel source for many vital body organs, including our brains, central nervous system and kidneys.

The digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin to help the glucose move from the blood into the cells.

If you choose to follow a low-carb diet, do not avoid carbohydrates completely. Carbohydrates are needed to provide energy and to metabolise fat.

Choose carbohydrate foods that are unrefined or unprocessed, including wholegrains and fruit, rather than the more refined and energy-dense forms such as cakes, sweets and soft drinks. Have a variety of vegetables daily.

Whether you are overweight or obese, following a low-carb diet will greatly help you lose weight in the long run. Below are some great low-carb foods you should incorporate into your diet (daily, if possible);

We can reap the health benefits of good carbs by choosing carbohydrates full of fiber. These carbohydrates get absorbed slowly into our systems, avoiding spikes in blood sugar levels. Examples are; Whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.

• Zucchini (a.k.a Courgette):

Zucchini squash (Courgette) is one of the most popular summer squashes in Europe and the Americas. It is a vegetable with smooth skin, tender, crunchy fresh with small edible seeds and high moisture content.

Zucchini is one of the very low calorie vegetables; providing only 17 calories per 100g.

It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol.

Its peel (exterior), is a great source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers.

They have an anti-oxidant value (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity - ORAC) of 180 Trolex Equivalents (TE) per 100g. It is one of the commonest vegetables included in weight reduction and cholesterol control programs by dieticians.

Fresh and tender Zucchini can be eaten raw in salads.

The pods can be fried, baked, steamed, boiled, or employed in stuffing.

Small choppings or gratings of it can be stuffed between bread or pizza.

It mixes well with potatoes, carrots, asparagus, green beans, etc., in stews, sabzi and curries.

• Swiss Chard:

Swiss Chard is also known as Spinach-chard or Silverbeet. It is one of the most popular green leafy vegetables of European origin.

Chard leaves are an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin (vitamin-C). It helps remove free radicals and reactive oxygen species from the human body through its reduction potential properties.

Regular inclusion of Chard in diets has been found to prevent Osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin A deficiency; and believed to protect from cardio-vascular diseases, obesity and more.

Fresh young Chard leaves can be used raw in salads.

Mature chard leaves and stalks are usually cooked, braised or sautéed; the bitter flavor fades with heat (cooking). Note that anti-oxidant benefits of this vegetable will diminish significantly as it steams, fries or is boiled for a long time.

Silverbeet pie, with pistachio, raisins, cheese stuffing (filling) is a favourite Italian and Mediterranean delight.

• Cherry Tomatoes:

Cherry tomato, or quite simply, tomato, is a pulpy nutritious fruit commonly eaten as a vegetable.

Tomatoes are one of the low-calorie vegetables; hold just 18 calories per 100g. They are also very low in fat contents and have zero cholesterol levels.

They are also a great source of antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins. Because of these qualities, dieticians and nutritionists often recommend them in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction diet programs.

Tomato is used extensively in different types of meals across the world. All kinds of tomatoes, including cherry, are one of the most commonly featured ingredients in Salad preparations worldwide.

Fresh tomato juice and soup, are popular health-drinks served as appetizers.

Delicious Spanish cold tomato and cucumber soup, gazpacho, is a popular Andalusian preparation.

Ripe or Unripe tomatoes can be used in similar ways like other raw vegetables, to prepare in curries, stews and to make ‘chutney’ in some of the Indian States.

• Cauliflower:

Cauliflower is also known as Cabbage flower. It is packed with essential nutrients.

Cauliflowers are compact and have an array of health benefits. They contain phyto-nutrients such as vitamins, indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane,... These help prevent overweight, diabetes and offer protection from prostate, ovarian and cervical cancers.

They are very low in calories. Providing only 26 calories in every 100g; they also contain dietary fiber that is good for your digestion.

Cauliflower can be mixed with vegetables, lentils and meat.

Its florets are added in pasta bake, casseroles and to make curry/soup.

• Celery:

Celery is one of the popular Mediterranean herbs recognized for its strong aromatic flavor that it imparts to different cuisines.

Celery is one of the very low calorie herbal plants. Its leaves contain 16 calories per 100g weight and has lots of non-soluble fiber (roughage) which when combined with other weight loss regimens may help reduce body weight, and blood cholesterol.

Celery leaf, root, and stalks can be used in salads and stews.

The herb is used as is used as a garnish in a variety of recipes. It blends well with other complementing vegetables like potato, carrot, beans and poultry.

The fresh leafs are used to prepare soups and sauces.

The post you just read is, “Healthy weight loss foods | Very low-carb veggies”. If you found this post helpful, why not share it with your friends (they too might find it helpful).

                                                       

Resources:

www.nutrition-and-you.com

How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month? | Tips and Analysis

How Much Weight Can One Lose in a Month? 

Losing a considerable amount of weight in a month is very possible. However, rapid or dramatic weight loss is risky and counter-productive, the faster you lose weight, the easier you can gain it back.

If you lose weight through medically sane methods such as; exercise, clean eating and healthy dietary supplements, you shouldn’t have to worry about gaining it back (as long as you don’t relapse to old habits).

On the other hand, if you lose weight by more extreme measures like starvation, cleanses, or crazy crash diets – you are more likely to gain back all the weight you lost – as quickly as they went.

A Healthy Weight Loss Rate:

Shedding-off 1 to 2.5 lb (pounds) a week, is considered a healthy rate for weight loss. More obese folks can achieve faster rates that, but it is advised against. Therefore, one can generally lose up to 10 pounds in a month. This is not enough to substantially change your entire body shape, but remember, it is one step at a time.

How To Lose 10 Pounds in 1 Month: Here is a plan to help with your goal to lose a significant amount of weight in a month:

• Commence the process – 1st Week
• Integrate Exercise – 2nd Week
• Pump it Up a Notch – 3rd Week
• Keep Up the Morale – 4th Week

Week #1:     Commence the Process

• Take Your Measurements: To track progress moving forward, it is very important to take your present measurements, so that you can use them as reference data, as the weeks go by.

• Start Following a Healthy Diet: Dieting is all about making changes and having the endurance to maintain these changes.

• Go for foods low in carbohydrate/starch, and high in protein.

• Take less salt

• Drink more water

• Take more fruits and Vegetables

Fun Fact: 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories.

To lose a pound of fat, you need to eat 3500 calories less than you use to. The way to achieve this, is to eat nutrient-rich, low-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables that will fill you up and leave you satisfied.

P.S: Do not starve yourself in the name of weight loss.

Suddenly adapting to a new diet is not going to be easy at all. You may not immediately adhere to all specifications of your weight loss plan at once.

Reduce the ration of unhealthy foods you see as indispensible.

Avoid eating late at night (before you sleep). The calories are immediately stored as fat because during sleep, we burn less energy.

Start Excluding Unhealthy Foods:

Even though its natural to indulge once in a while, to really achieve your weight loss goals, you have to eliminate some very unhealthy foods from your diet. Some examples of such foods are;

White Pasta

Bread

Soda Pop

Chips

Candy

Foods high in processed sugar

Cane Sugar

Energy drinks and sugary/creamy coffees etc,

Generally, try to stay away from high-carb diets.

Empty Your House of Foods in Your Blacklist:

Keep unhealthy foods out of your house:

• Donate non-perishable food items to a local shelter or food bank, and throw put the perishables.

• If you stay around people who aren’t dieting, hand stuff out.

• Establish ‘off-limit’ zones: Resolve to not search certain areas of your drawers and refrigerator, and do not let your roommate(s) store their unhealthy foods there.

Go Grocery Shopping For Healthier Items:

The kinds of food items you should shop for are;

Vegetables: Buy different varieties, and make sure you add them to your daily meals somehow.

Fruit: High-Fiber foods like apples, pears, oranges and bananas.

Lean Protein: Buy 95% lean red meats or skinless poultry. Other great protein sources are, nuts, soy, tofu, and egg whites.

Low-Fat Diary: Try some diary substitutes such as Soymilk or rice milk.

High-Fiber Carbs: Carbohydrate foods aren’t all doom and gloomy. Your body needs them to function, but watch the type you eat. The most high-fiber and healthiest carbs are the ones least processed.

For example, go for brown rice instead of white rice, whole grain flour instead of white flour. Try out different types of grains such as Couscous, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Chia Seeds etc.

Don’t Expect Yourself to Suddenly Adhere to All the New Rules:

Changing one’s diet is a complete lifestyle change. Your body must have to adjust to these changes gradually.

Week #2:  Incorporate Exercises

Exercise is the best way to burn the fat already in your body. It doesn’t always have to be boring.

• Skip whenever you have the time to: Skipping is one of the little known best exercises you can do. When skipping, you exercise the heart (cardio), thighs, legs and hands, all at the same time. It is the whole package!

You have to make time for exercise one way or the other. Even if you have a busy lifestyle, get creative!

• Go for a walk before work, or maybe go to the gym right after work.

• Bike to work

• Schedule more physical activities over the weekend.

• Instead of going to the movie with your friends, go hiking together. You’d be surprised how enjoyable that’ll be.

• Make exercise date with others. You are less likely to break a commitment you made to someone else.

Do Cardio-Vascular Drills: These are exercises that gets the heart pumping. They increase your metabolism and also exercises your entire body much more effectively than specific weight training such as lifting weights, which only builds muscle mass at specific body parts.

Skipping is a very very good Cardio-exercise. You could either skip with a skip-rope, or pretend you’ve got one.

Try to Find an Activity You Love:

Swimming

Running and Hiking

Dancing

Yoga

• Mix Up Your Machines and Methods: At the gym, try the machines that exercise different parts of your body. For example, run, then use an elliptical, and then use a rowing macine, all for 30 minutes each. The more you mix it up and move your body in different ways, the more effective your workout will be.

Start Small, then build Momentum:

It is a fact that, working out isn’t fun at first. You must gradually get your muscles accustomed to vigorous activity.

Start slow and short, build up endurance, and increase the duration or mileage of your exercise routine.

Note: Just because you’re exercising now doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want! If you must reward yourself with a dessert, try a yogurt and fruit parfait.

Try working out on a treadmill or machine that logs the calories you’ve burned. That will make sure you really know how hard it is to work off 300 calories.

Week #3:  Pump it Up a Notch!

• Push Your Exercise to a Whole Level: Until you get to a point where you can endure longer routines than normal, you are not working hard enough. Increase the intensity of your workout so you can keep shedding pounds. For example, increase the ramp and speed on your treadmill, or add greater resistance on your rowing machine.

• Instead of regular yoga, do hot (bikram) yoga, distance Running vs. Sprinting etc.

If your heart isn’t pumping hard, it’s not cardio, and fat isn’t burning as well as it could.

• Results won’t be immediate. However, enjoy the endorphin rush that comes immediately after exercise. You can sleep much better and wake up more refreshed after your body has been working so hard.

• Start Taking Measurements Again: Compare against the measurements you took during week one, and you’ll start to notice progress. Keep track of your results, and let the small victories keep you going.

• Keep Eating Well: Try to make your ‘boring’ diet fresh and fun again, by looking up new recipes and variations online.

• Drink Water: Water can keep you feeling full. It also helps clean out your system of anti-oxidants. Carrying water along with you in a bottle will make you drink much more than you would if you didn’t carry one with you.

Week #4:  Keep Up Your Morale

• Don’t relent on your diet and exercise. You are too close to your timeline, to relapse to old habits.

• Teach others how to prepare healthy meal.

• Host a healthy dinner for your friends and dispaly your new recipes. They’ll likely be impressed with how tasty your low-calorie food can be.

• Reward yourself with something you wanted to own say, that attractive or expensive leather jacket.

• Take your final measurements: You’ll likely see some amazing improvements.

• Whether or not you want to continue with everything, don’t completely go back to old routine because, you will start gaining weight again.

To keep you motivated, why not join a weight-loss club or team up with a friend?



Resources:

www.wikihow.com