How to Build Healthy Eating Habits for Weight Loss
For many people, losing weight is an uphill task. There are so many diets, programs, supplements, pills, exercises and what have you. Experts, however, say that weight loss is more of what you put into your body and how you utilize it. That is 80% of what you eat and 20% how you burn up what you eat.
From the numbers, we see that food is the more important part of the journey and that means that is where most of our emphasis should be. That means that we have to learn a lot about the different food types, the way our bodies react with the food and how to ensure that we find the right balance between foods that are good for us and foods that we like to eat. Many times, people who are trying to lose weight have the extra pounds because they are not eating right.
This is because many of the easily available options are not healthy and also because some people are biased towards healthy food because they think that it is boring. Most diets call for the removal of food and changing what one eats and eventually people start to feel deprived and cave in and revert to the routines that gained them the weight in the first place.
What does your body need?
Your body needs a balanced diet in order to run properly. A balanced diet is a meal comprising of all nutrients required by your body to perform at its best. These are carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fats, and vitamins. These food groups should be taken in the right quantities if they are to serve us well. These are called calories, the amount of energy stored in a particular food. A deficiency or excess of one or the other may lead to an imbalance and even disease. There are also lots of foods with empty calories that provide little nutritional value.
In order to lose weight, we must know what foods to eat and in what portions. Let us now look at how to build healthy eating habits for weight loss.
1. Choose foods that are rich in nutrients.
Reduce the sugars and carbohydrates because they turn into fat in the body. Make room for healthy fats like those in avocado and olive oil as these aid in the weight loss process as several studies have found. Instead of using the carbohydrates in your body for fuel, the body will start to burn down the fat in the body instead and this will, in turn, lead to weight loss. Do not try to cut out both carbs and fats as this will just make you feel weak and cranky and cause you to give up on healthy eating at all.
Eating more protein makes you feel fuller for longer and therefore you eat less. Foods rich in protein include beef, fish, eggs, pork, and lamb. Fill up on foods rich in fibers and low carb vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and tomatoes as these help in burning fat especially in the stomach area.
2. Drink lots of water to aid your digestion.
Earlier we mentioned that deficiency in one nutrient can lead to an imbalance. Do not be afraid of a carbohydrate deficiency because you will still be able to get the nutrient from the stuff you are getting as the foods do not have just protein or vitamins but also carbohydrates but in limited quantities.
Make sure you eat whole or unprocessed foods as these are better for the body.
3. Prepare your own food
It is easier to choose healthy food when you make your own meals. Then you know exactly what has gone into your food and the calorie contents therein. Make a menu, write a list of the healthy food you are going to get and buy only that which is on the list. Experiment on different ways to make your food delicious but healthy, try out smoothies and juices for snacks instead of soda. Measure out your portions, know how many calories are in whatever you are preparing. As imagined, this might be a difficult task to achieve when you eat out at a restaurant. You can make an inventory of your meals as you go along, write it all down in a journal and this will help you track your progress. Research has shown that people who make their own meals eat approximately 200 calories less than those that eat out.
Tip: Do not go shopping on an empty stomach. This might force you to pick out unhealthy foods to satisfy a craving.
4. Do not reward yourself with food.
When we finish an exam, get a promotion, sign a huge contract, and feel lonely or disappointed we often treat ourselves to food to celebrate or make us feel better. That should stop. We should learn to disconnect food from emotions and break the cycle of emotional eating. There are plenty of other ways to reward or comfort yourself. Sign up for a new gym class, go watch a movie, buy a new pair of shoes, or go to an event with friends. Emotional eating may cause one to binge on unhealthy foods and that sets one back on their journey to weight loss or making healthy food choices. In the same way, mark every small milestone along your journey to keep you motivated, for example, you can buy a new pair of jeans when the old ones get loose.
5. Do not miss breakfast
Most people miss breakfast because they are always in a rush or do not have enough time to prepare the meals in the morning. However, after a good night’s rest, your body needs the energy to start the day and also to kick-start your metabolism. Breakfasts high in protein suppress your cravings and that limits the number of calories you consume per day. That can only be obtained from a meal at breakfast. It is therefore not wise to skip out on breakfast.
