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Nutrition Nutrition Basics How You Can Eat as Much as you Want and Still Lose Weight
| How You Can Eat as Much as you Want and Still Lose Weight |
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| Written by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA | |
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People who eat healthy, mostly unprocessed foods, including fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (lentils, dry beans and peas), and limited amounts of lean animal protein (reduced-fat dairy, fish, chicken, and lean cuts of other meats), often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight. If they are switching from a diet containing lots of processed foods, they find that they can eat more yet consume fewer calories -- and they lose weight.
Because natural fruits, vegetables and whole grains are high in
complex carbohydrates and fiber, they are absorbed slowly and satisfy
our feelings of hunger. Heavily processed foods, on the other hand, are
not only low in nutritional value, but they don't make us feel
satisfied so we eat more of them. They are made from refined
ingredients that are so tasteless they require large amounts of salt,
sugar, fat, and high-priced advertising to make them attractive. Other Weight Loss Tips
Understand basic food principles.
You May Understand the Glycemic Index, But do not forget to consider the Glycemic Load. It is important to understand how your food affects your blood sugar, hormones and fat storage. Understanding
the Glycemic Index (GI) is a good first step (The GI is a measure of
the rate at which a carb breaks down and releases glucose into the
bloodstream; the higher the GI, the greater the effect on insulin
secretion), but it is important to understand a bit more. One of the
drawbacks of using only the GI is that it can be misleading. GI tests
aren't based on typical portion sizes of foods. Instead, researchers
use a standard measure of 50 grams of carbohydrates of the foods that
they are testing; therefore, portion sizes vary depending on the amount
of available carbohydrates in the particular food. Additionally, if you
look at Glycemic Load, drinking a gallon of OJ would derail your diet
more than having a candy bar. Just something to consider when eating and planning your meals.
Eat slowly.
For
more than 30 years, dieters have been told to eat slowly to reduce
their intake of food. This idea "It started in about 1972 as a
hypothesis that eating slowly would allow the body time for the
development of satiety [fullness] and we would eat less," according
to Kathleen Melanson, assistant professor of nutrition and food science
at the University of Rhode Island. "Since then we've heard it
everywhere and it has become common knowledge. But no studies had been
conducted to prove it." Not until recently!!! In a laboratory study of
college-age women over the past year led by Melanson confirmed the
long-held belief. In the study, 30 women made two visits to Melanson's
lab, and each time they were given a large plate of pasta and told to
eat as much as they wanted. When they were told to eat quickly, they
consumed 646 calories in nine minutes, but when they were encouraged to
pause between bites and chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times, they ate
just 579 calories in 29 minutes.
The
study demonstrated that satiety signals need time to develop. The women
took in fewer calories when they ate more slowly, and they had a
greater feeling of satiety at meal completion and 60 minutes
afterwards!!! This data strongly suggests benefits to eating more
slowly. The study also interviewed the participants who stated
that they enjoyed the meal more when they ate slowly than when they ate
quickly. Of important note, one potentially confounding factor in the
study was that the volunteers were provided water to drink with their
meal, and when eating slowly they had considerably more time to drink
before completing their meal. The greater consumption of water might
have contributed to satiety under the slow condition. However, Melanson
said that this factor reflects the real-world situation, since eating
slowly allows more time for water consumption.
Eat a heart healthy diet. A Heart Healthy Diet is one with lots of fiber, fruits, vegetables, nuts, good fats, lean cuts of meat, and minimal sugar and processed foods. Eat Good Lean Protein with Every Meal. This helps regulate blood sugar. Carb only meals can spike these levels.
Add Chicken and Turkey breast to your diet.
Both provide great protein, and are low in fat.
Add a little fish to your diet.
Fish contains good healthy fats.
Do not cut out the meat!
Although Chicken
and fish are typically considered healthier than red meat because many
cuts of red meat can have too much saturated fat, today this is not
always the case anymore. Now, lean cuts of red meat are readily
available to consumers. If you follow a heart-healthy diet, it doesn't
make a difference whether you eat red meat or white meat, as long as
you choose lean cuts.
Do Not Overeat.
Overeating causes weight gain and fat storage.
Eat frequently (every three hours).
Eating
small meals every two to three hours helps keep your body fed,
minimizes blood sugar spikes, helps maintain lean muscle mass, and
helps
keep your energy level stabilized.
Drink lots of water.
Water can help you lose weight and feel full. It also helps with food digestion, toxins elimination and helps hydrate the skin. Drinking cold water is best. Studies show that drinking cold water rather than tepid water can burn calories; drinking about 8
ounces of ice-cold water (1 degree Celsius) would cause the body to
expend about 9 calories. Although this is not a huge deal, if you drank
100 ounces a day this way you could lose a pound a month, besides the
calories you might not eat while drinking the water, which would also
help you, feel fuller. (For more on this refer to Jeff Behar's article Understanding the Importance of proper Hydration, http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/behar12.htm).
Consume foods that Enhance Insulin Sensitivity (make your insulin work better).
This
would include foods high in the mineral chromium: broccoli, whole
grains, shellfish, mushrooms and brewer’s yeast, as well as spices such
as: cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, turmeric.
Minimize the bad fats.
Fats
are 9 calories a gram more than double that of protein and
carbohydrates. Keeping fats below 30% and cholesterol intake below 200
mg will markedly cut your risk of heart disease.
Avoid trans fats
These
fats contribute to weight gain, and over the long term contribute to
insulin resistance (the underlying metabolic problem in Type 2
Diabetes) and also elevate your cardiovascular risk.
Avoid fried foods.
For
stovetop cooking, it's better either to stir-fry foods in nonstick pans
lightly coated with a cooking-oil spray or to braise them in broth or
wine. Baking, broiling, and roasting add no extra fat to your meals.
Avoid fast foods.
Hot dogs, hamburgers, tacos, fried
chicken, french fries, burritoes, and other fast-food meals and snacks
tend to promote weight gain for two reasons. First, they are high in
fat, calories, or both. Second, the "value meals" are often excessively
large and tempt you to overeat.
Minimize beverages that contain calories.
Drinks that contain corn syrup and other simple surgars can add up quickly and often leave you still feeling hungry.
Increase your fiber.
Fiber
increases satiety (the feeling of fullness) by adding bulk to foods
without additional calories Fiber can also help stabilize blood sugar
levels by delaying stomach emptying which slows the rate of
carbohydrate absorption, improves the body’s regulation of blood sugar,
reduces the risk of insulin resistance/sensitivity and lowers insulin
needs.
Fiber
also has many health benefits. Increasing your consumption can also
help decrease blood cholesterol levels, and therefore, reduces the risk
of heart disease. It can also decrease the risk of colon
cancer by increasing the speed of elimination; reducing the amount of
time harmful toxins are in contact with the intestinal cells.
The
recommended dietary fiber intake is 14g per 1,000 calories consumed.
This can be achieved by eating more vegetables, whole grains, beans,
certain fruits and cereals. A gradual increase is recommended to
minimize the side effectsof fiber, such as cramping, diarrhea, and intestinal gas. It is also very important to increase your fluid intake as you increase your fiber intake.
Choose foods that are filling and low in calories.
That
means meals and snacks made with whole grains, such as brown rice,
whole-wheat bread, and oatmeal, as well as legumes, such as lentils and
other beans.
Minimize the consumption of high Glycemic Foods.
Consumption
of high Glycemic carbohydrates (which to some people’s surprise
include, white rice, white potatoes, sugar) results in surges of blood
glucose and insulin that, derail diets, zap energy, hamper training
gains and over time, can lead to the development of Type 2 Diabetes in
carbohydrate sensitive / insulin resistant individuals.
Never eat carbohydrates without protein.
By
consuming some high-quality protein at every meal/snack your blood
glucose and insulin levels are more stable and appetite is minimized
compared to a carb only meal.
Do not overload on low Glycemic Carbohydrates.
Too many carbohydrates, even good carbohydrates can raise blood sugar. For example drinking a gallon of OJ creates a higher Glycemic Load effect on your body than eating a cupcake. Just something to consider when eating and planning your meals.
Limit Fruit Intake to 2 To 3 Servings A Day At Most.
Limit
fruit to two servings a day. Avoid the “sweeter,” high Glycemic index
tropical fruits: bananas, mangos, pineapple and papaya.
Increase your vegetable consumption.
Eating
five servings a day of vegetables helps keep you looking good, keeps
blood sugar levels stable, and also helps keep you healthy by providing
important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. There are
numerous studies showing that those who increase their daily servings
of fruit and vegetables lower their risk dramatically for insulin
resistance, obesity, hypertension, heart attacks, and cancer.
Choose the Colorful veggies.
Colorful
fruits and vegetables of the vine get their wide range of vivid colors
from health-protecting substances such as lycopene, vitamin C and
vitamin A. Use them generously in dishes to enhance nutrients with very
few calories
Use low-fat or nonfat dairy foods.
Milk,
yogurt, and cheese and other low-fat dairy products are packed with
calcium and protein and may also help you lose weight. Research
suggests that dairy food, when part of a reduced-calorie diet, can
enhance weight loss while strengthening bones and keeping you feeling
full and satisfied. Be careful though, but the whole-milk versions of
these dairy products are very high in fat, so substitute them for the
low fat or fat free varieties whenever possible.
Minimize consumption of alcohol;
Avoid salad dressings, margarines, and other foods high in soybean oil. These calories do NOT do the body good!
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Much More to Come at MuscleMagFitness.com Visit us frequently, as we are constantly adding new health, fitness, nutrition and diet tools as well as many new articles, important medical and health studies information, the latest in disease prevention information, health alerts, anti-aging information, and much more!
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