Eating healthy so you can have more weight loss success is more than just consuming less calories than you burn each day. Every nutrient should count towards the health benefits that are received, and should fuel every workout.
1. Track your intake of VitaminsYou want to make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D (which cuts back on fat storage) and other healthy vitamins that your body needs. Vitamins makes your body work more efficiently, store less fat and boosts your metabolism (which means you have more energy to exercise and even feel motivated to exercise).
2. Plan your Meals AccordinglyIt's amazing how easy it is to eat healthier if you have a plan - and know what you need more of. Once you've figured out which vitamins you need choosing what to eat is a very simple thing organize. Just think about what you will eat the day before and purchase ingredients in advance (or buy fresh if you live right beside a supermarket). Think about the times that you will eat your meals, and make sure that they are spaced out well enough so that hunger doesn't strike too early. When you're sticking to a plan, you are less likely to deviate from the diet.
If you don't plan ahead you will find it very challenging to stick within your dietary guidelines. You will end up eating too much sodium and/or having to resort to frozen food, and paying too much money for a salad that you could have made yourself! Planning really works!
3. Don't be Afraid of SnacksHealthy snacks are good for you. They regulate your energy levels so you don't end up feeling starved later and over-eating things you shouldn't be eating in the first place. Avoiding snacks and binge eating isn't going to make you any thinner or healthier. Healthy snacks such as fruits or granola taste great, give a good energy boost, and when supper arrives you won't be as hungry. If you're exercising a lot aim for a protein bar. Avoid anything with lots of sugar or chocolate (chocolate bars are mostly sugar and very little cocoa).
4. Alternate High and Low CarbsSome people like to alternate high and low carbohydrate meals. eg. Carbs for breakfast and supper, but not for lunch or snacks. The idea is to reduce your carb intake, but still maintain your energy levels and still being able to eat the foods your enjoy. You will want to eat carbs when you're going to be more active on a particular day and lower your carb intake if it's a lazy day where you know you won't be exercising much (like attending a funeral). Or if you know that you will be dining out, or going to the movies (and eating junk food) later on then you should still eat, but avoid anything high in carbs. Carbohydrate reduction (not elimination!) is necessary for weight loss success. Less bread doesn't mean you cut out bread entirely.
Why the big fuss over carbs? Carbohydrates are always underestimated, but they're a major factor in putting on weight - especially if you eat bread a LOT. Carbs are in almost everything, including bread, cake, doughnuts, milk, beans, fruit, vegetables etc. If a dieter is only counting carbs in the bread and whole grains that are consumed, the meal plan will have more than originally estimated. Pay attention to other sources of carbs than just bread and cereal.
5. Cut Back on Sugary BeveragesIf you can't cut them out entirely at least cut back on your soda pop (or aim for the Diet Cola instead, although that isn't as good as you think as you will see below).
Any drinks with lots of sugar in it is going to contribute to the overall caloric intake. People who drink coffee with lots of sugar are likewise going to face problems.
Even diet drinks that have been artificially sweetened will cause a dieter to overeat. This is due to the sweetener telling the brain that it is going to have something sugary when it is not. Eventually the brain says, "Hey, where's that sugar you promised me?" and that's when a sugar craving kicks in... and then you eat something else with sugar in it and are more likely to binge on it because your brain is saying "Yes! Sugar! Finally!"
It's incredible how less often you will crave junk and sugary food when you haven't been eating it. Fried, fatty and sugary foods react in the body like an addiction. The more you have the more you want. The less you eat and less you desire it, eventually you just break the habit.
6. Think Smaller PortionsIf the meal is bigger than your hand then its too much all at once. Its better to have 4 or 5 small portion meals per day than 3 BIG meals per day. With time the portions will get smaller because your energy levels are more regulated and even, thus you don't feel as hungry. Thus you don't binge. Thus you don't pack on the pounds and get addicted to sugar and fat... and thus becomes the awful cycle. Smaller portions helps you to break the cycle of addiction, like weaning kittens off their mother's milk.
Use the above 6 tips to achieve weight loss success through nutrition.
