WEIGHT LOSS FOODS

The proper weight loss foods must be included in your diet if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off.

First, it’s important to understand that in order to lose weight, you must decrease calorie consumption and increase calorie expenditure (exercise). Despite this fact, there are certain types of foods that should be eaten if you want to lose weight and get lean.

The truth is, you could eat less calories and still eat candy bars all day. Would you lose weight? Sure! Would you be lean and have energy? Probably not!

If you want to lose weight and build lean muscle, include these weight loss foods in your diet:

1) Lean Meat. If you switch from a fatty to leaner meat, you will automatically save quite a few calories. It’s important to eat enough lean protein, and to try to get some protein at each meal or snack.

Definitely skip the fried meats, avoid the skins on poultry, and be sure that if it is red meat that it’s a lean cut. Chicken, turkey, and fish are great weight loss foods.

2) Water. It only makes sense that water would be a weight loss food, since it has no calories. Sugary, calorie-laden beverages are a major pitfall for people wanting to lose weight. You MUST decrease your consumption of these types of drinks: soda, sweetened fruit juices, coffee beverages (like a mocha frap), and sports drinks such as Gatorade (when not used for its intended purpose).

Water will not only be a way to cut down on calories, but will also make you feel fuller and quench your thirst (which is sometimes mistaken as hunger).

3) Salad. As a general recommendation, we know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables. One of the best ways to get these veggies in your diet is by eating salads.

One great aspect of salads is that you are even eating the veggies raw, so no nutrients have been lost! Also, you can get a variety of high-fiber vegetables all in one meal.

Be careful with salad toppings such as cheese, egg, bacon, and salad dressing. These can easily add extra calories if used in excess and negate the health benefits of the salad!

4) Nuts and seeds. Not only are they delicious, but they also have many healthy qualities to them.

The reason they are a weight loss food is that they have a wonderful combination of protein, fiber, and fat. These nutrients help you to feel more satisfied and prevent your blood sugar from spiking (which causes hunger later). Though high in fat, they contain the healthy” fat.

They also contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against cardiovascular disease. Be careful, because you only need a small handful a day! Too many of this good food can be too many calories.

5) Olive oil. It may seem strange to call this a weight loss food, but if used properly, it can be. Often, when people are trying to lose weight, they end up eating a lot of fat-free or low fat foods.

Studies have shown that we do need the right kinds of fat in our diet. Not only do we need the essential fatty acids, but we also need some fat to make us feel fuller. Ever wondered why you can sit down and eat a bunch of fat free crackers and then be hungry an hour later? It may be that you need some protein and fat along with that carbohydrate!

Olive oil is a great oil to use on salads (you could do olive oil vinaigrette) or to cook with. Not only will you get the “good” fat, but you will also feel fuller longer. Who doesn’t want that?

6) Protein powder. This is not necessary for everyone, but for those of you who eat a lot of “carby” foods and not much protein, this could be a huge help for you in losing weight and gaining muscle! We must have protein to build muscle.

The more lean muscle mass you have, the better your metabolism – resulting in weight loss! If you don’t really like the typical high-protein foods, you may want to try protein powder shakes instead. You can add low fat yogurt, milk, fruit, etc. and get even more health benefits.
Staying on track with what you eat is a challenge for all of us. We constantly must be evaluating what, when, and how much we are eating.

Christen Ferster R.D. is the Food Coach at Elite Wellness Coaching. She is able to analyze your current diet and make recommendations for change.

It will make a significant difference in how quickly you reach your weight loss goal if you are eating the correct amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat at each meal.

Contact us today to find out how to get your complete diet analysis.

To learn more click on one of the following topics:

Your Fat Burning Zone

How to Lose Belly Fat

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