Natural Weight Loss Diets and Recommendations!

So what should you eat if you’re trying to beat obesity through weight loss?

It’s no secret that the majority of obese people eat too much. While this may be a problem in itself, it is not the “key” reason they are over weight.

The main problem is that they often eat too much of the “bad stuff” and then do little about implementing a suitable weight loss program.

Of course, even if you’re eating the “good stuff”, you can still eat too much. So the secret is to find the right balance of eating the right foods and implementing a weight loss and exercise plan that will help you achieve your goal of losing weight.

When first deciding that you want to participate in any weight loss program, your first and foremost priority should be to learn WHAT you should be eating. Once you have done this, you then need to know how HOW MUCH you should be eating, and then learn to recognize WHEN you’re full and WHEN you’re really hungry!

It’s also important to remember that any weight loss should be done gradually. Don’t expect miracles overnight, as is promised by some weight loss fad diets.

When you first start dieting, initially you may only be losing water weight, and therefore while you may get excited about your initial weight loss, you need to put this into perspective and not expect to maintain this level of weight loss over a longer period of time.

Studies have shown that it is only possible to lose approximately three pounds of fat per week and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Any weight loss over and above this level is purely water loss or muscle loss, and you definitely need to control this loss, otherwise you risk suffering health problems in the future.

If you’re dieting correctly, responsibly and with the health of your body in mind, you need to understand that after your initial blast of losing weight, your weight loss will slow down to an average of one to two pounds per week.

In order for women to lose one to two pounds a week, they should consume between 1200 and 1500 calories a day, while men should consume between 1500 and 1800 calories a day.

The American Heart Association recommends that you should eat a variety of foods from all the different types of food groups in order to maintain healthy weight loss. So let’s examine the different food groups the American Heart Association suggests you consume.

Meat, Poultry, Fish

You should consume no more than 6 ounces of meat, poultry, and fish per day. Lean cuts of poultry and fish have fewer calories than fatty red meat, however if you would rather include red meat in your weight loss diet, with a little effort you can find lean cuts of red meat in your local supermarket.

Breads, Cereals, Starches

This food group includes bread, cereal, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn. It is recommended that you have six servings from this food group a day, noting that a serving size is 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, and 1cup of rice, pasta, or ¼ to ½ cup of starchy veggies.

When you can, choose whole-grain bread, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta instead of their white counterparts which have been stripped of their nutrients and fiber.

Vegetables and Fruits

Fruits and vegetables are essential parts of your diet as they contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients. You should have at least five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables.

A serving size is ½ cup to 1 cup of cooked and raw vegetables, ½ cup of fruit juice or one medium piece of fruit. Aim to choose a variety of colors in your diet because they have different vitamins and minerals. On this point, let’s examine the colors you should include in your diet every day.

Red - Red fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help keep your heart and urinary tract healthy. They also help with your memory and lower your risk of some cancers. When it comes to red, choose from apples, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, red peppers, and radishes, to name a few.

Yellow/Orange - Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that keep your heart, vision and immune system healthy. Some yellow and orange fruits and veggies include apricots, lemons, peaches, cantaloupe, yellow squash, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Green - Green fruits and vegetables help lower your risk of some cancers and keep your bones and teeth strong. Choose foods like green grapes, broccoli, avocados, spinach, green apples and limes.

Blue/Purple - Blue and purple fruits and vegetables lower the risk of some cancers and keep your urinary tract healthy. They also help maintain your memory function. Some delicious blue and purple foods are blackberries, blueberries, raisins, plums, eggplant and purple cabbage.

White - White foods promote a health heart, and if you already have healthy cholesterol, they’ll help maintain those levels. Bananas, pears, cauliflower, mushrooms, and garlic are tasty options you can fit into your meal plan.

Milk Products

If you love dairy products, the good news is that you can still eat them and lose weight. However, choose low-fat or fat-free products. They contain the same vitamins and minerals, taste good and lower your cholesterol all at the same time. Adults aged 19-50 should have three servings of milk products per day.

A serving of dairy is 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk, 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat yogurt, 1 ounce of low-fat cheese (stay away from fat-free cheeses as they have too much sodium) or a ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese.

Fats

You should have no more than five servings of fats a day in the form of oil, nuts, seeds, olives, avocado and mayonnaise. Fat servings include one teaspoon of oil, three teaspoons of nuts or seeds, 5-10 olives, 1/8 of an avocado and two teaspoons of mayonnaise. If you love the taste of butter on your vegetables, use a fat-free imitation butter spray. It really doesn’t taste that much different.