Healthy Tips to Make Your Diet a Success!
We often hear that you need to eat fewer calories than you use to lose. Well, that’s true, but also not true. If you eat too little, your body won’t have enough calories to burn the fat and also will go into starvation mode, thus conserving energy by slowing down your metabolism. The higher your metabolism rate, the faster you burn calories – the slower, the less you burn. So eating less is not always the answer.
Actually, you can eat more and lose more! Protein causes the body to burn more calories than other foods. That’s why the Atkins Diet (high protein, low carb) works so well, but it is really not the healthiest way to go. So increase the protein, but not by substituting it for carbs and veggies because you need them for fiber, vitamins and minerals.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that you need the veggies not only for nutrition, but to keep your body’s pH level where it should be. Too much animal protein, including dairy, can cause too much acidity, but a good balance of greens can prevent this. My belief is you can never eat too many non-starchy veggies when on a diet – or even when you’re not! And don’t fall into the trap of eliminating all fats and oils. These are needed for your body to burn calories too. Just limit the amount you consume.
But let’s say eating too little is not your problem. You eat small healthy meals, you’re not hungry between meals or have cravings but have reached a point in your diet where you are hardly losing anymore or not at all. In this case, you can expend more energy to use up those calories. Running on the treadmill will do the trick, but it’s a temporary fix. The real trick is to build more muscle mass because the more you have, the more your metabolism will increase. When this occurs, you may even be able to eat more fats/oils and still lose. This happened to me. I’m not suggesting that you turn into a bodybuilder, just maybe 2-3 days a week moderate workout at home with some weights and a DVD for inspiration. Running or walking will still use up calories, but increased muscle will do the work for you permanently.
Let’s face it, all diets work as long as you stick to them. However, from my personal experience, no matter what the diet, if it includes sugar products, I don’t lose. (Starchy vegetables and processed grains when digested turn into sugar.) In my next blog, I will talk about different diets. As we are considering diet tips, feel free to share your experiences. |
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