Get fit and fabulous with sensible eating habits and weight loss solutions that work. Fad diets can leave you hopeless and helpess with false promises and dangerous side effects. The right way to lose weight is to follow the basic rules for good nutrition, proper calorie intake and to get busy with a fitness routine that you enjoy. You didn’t gain your excess weight in a week, so be realistic that it won’t come off in a week. The key to losing the weight and keeping it off comes from a well-balanced diet and adopting a new lifestyle.
1. Carbs and Proteins
A well rounded diet should deliver about twenty percent protein and eighty percent carbohydrates. Carbs are divided into two categories: the simple carbohydrate and the complex carbohydrate. Simple carbs contain sugars and should be restricted or elimintaed from your weight loss diet. Even indulging in one cookie can open the door to a sugar binge that will set your weight loss goal further away. Rather, choose naturally sweetned food to include fresh fruits, raisons, and naturally sweetened juices.
If you opt to consume animal proteins, the meat portion size on your plate should not exceed the size a credit card. The bulk of your weight loss meal should contain high-fiber foods such as salads, cooked or raw vegeatables and brown rice. Vegetarian dishes are also a super source of plant proteins to include tofu, soy-based foods, beans, legumes and even spinach.
2. Exercise
The reason most people gain weight is because the body does not move enough to burn off the day’s caloric intake. Regular exercise not only whacks the fat, it also strenthens the heart and replaces the body’s fat with lean muscle. Building muscle is critical for rapid weight loss as it heats up the body to burn fat twenty-four hours a day. When you build muscle, your body is on automatic pilot as a fat burning machine to melt the fat even when you are asleep. The key to getting a regular workout is to find an activity that you enjoy. Gym membership is often difficult to stick to, so your best bet may be to work out at home.
Aerobic exercise must be done at least twenty minutes per session to raise your heart rate to fat burning capacity. Walk or jog on the treadmill, work out with your favorite dance or aerobics DVD or make your cardio a brisk walk around the block. Strengthening exercises are achieved quickly with weight training either with free weights or from your favorite health and fitness body building equipment.
3. Water
The body needs at least eight glasses of water per day. Water intake is especially important when you exercise regualarly to keep the weight loss moving at breakneck speed. As your body heats up during exercise, the calories are also heated up, or more commonly called, “burned”. Once the calories and fat have been heated, they must be flushed out of the body with water. You will be thirsty after a good workout, so be sure to reach for water instead of juice, soda or iced tea. Weight loss solutions are easy once you get the hang of it and your new healthy lifestyle will add quality and quantity to your years.