Remember that old saying, you are what you eat? You may have thought it was just a phrase used by parents wanting their children to eat their greens but you really are what you eat! If you eat a tuna sandwich, the tuna is broken down and the amino acids (proteins) from it are used in your body to build muscle and new cells! You can also see on the outside of your body, if you’re eating junk food you may get spots and look fatter, but if you’re eating healthy foods, you’ll look slimmer and healthier. So, diet is the first place to start at when you want to lose weight. There’s no point in doing lots of exercise if your diet isn’t up to scratch! You need to ensure your diet consists of meals that are nutritious!
So now we’ll take a look at what you should be including in your healthy diet to help lose weight. The goal is to cut down on calories so that you lose weight, but without starving yourself or causing yourself to binge on junk food. You should try to gradually change, don’t drop your calories and eat healthy all of a sudden. Slowly phase in healthy meals and phase out snacks and meals one by one. So, the first thing you’ll want to include in your diet is protein. Protein is essential for repairing cells and building muscle, as well as a few other things. You can get plenty of protein in your diet through foods such as meats (chicken, pork, beef), eggs or soy products. The second essential food macronutrient you will need is carbohydrates. Don’t go crazy on carbs though, as too many will simply turn into fat if the energy from them isn’t used! Go for foods such as whole grain bread and brown rice for your carbohydrate needs. And lastly, you’ll be needing fats. Yes, fats! I know you’re losing fat but you still need to eat them. Go for healthy fats that are in things like nuts and fish. And don’t forget to eat fresh fruit and veg as they contain lots of vitamins and minerals that your body needs!
You should also be wary about what kinds of foods you ought to avoid. Most of them are pretty obvious; avoid eating too much fat by consuming lean cuts of meat and don’t eat junk food as it contains so many calories of little nutritional value. Don’t eat processed (or simple) carbs (things like refined bread and pasta), try to aim for complex and whole carbs, like the brown rice mentioned above. Try to avoid alcohol if you can as it has no beneficial value when losing weight.
So now you’re aware of what you need to eat and what to avoid. You should take a look at your diet and come up with some healthy meals that are good for you. If you’re having issues with portion size try eating 5 or 6 small meals per day as your stomach will shrink, meaning you will feel fuller faster and therefore eat less food.
