What to Eat in Order to Lose Weight

Losing weight requires a change in lifestyle--there is no easy one-step answer. Behavior modifications for diet and exercise are essential components to weight loss. In weight loss it is important to eat less than usual. Calorie restriction can more easily be dealt with by eating filling foods that are low in calories. It helps to set a daily routine that includes regular exercise times and regular meal times. Planning meals ahead of time and only buying groceries one to two times per week helps to change dietary habits and improve your chances of reaching your goal weights.

Eat Less

• The most important rule for losing weight is that you consume fewer calories than you use in any given day. The average human needs 25 to 30 calories per kg body weight daily. To lose weight, it is recommended to decrease average needs by 500 calories per day. For example, a 70 kg person needs 1,750 to 2,100 calories per day to maintain weight. On a weight loss diet this person should consume 1,250 to 1,600 calories per day. The National Institutes of Health recommends a 0.5 to 2-lb. weight loss per week. Moore than 2 lbs. per week weight loss is most likely loss of water weight.

  A decreasing body weight often involves the loss of protein and fat stores. When this happens, the body may feel starved. But the human body has an amazing ability to adapt to starvation and is able to lower the amounts of calories it uses to survive. This is the reason why weight will plateau at a certain point. Exercise is essential to keeping metabolism up and maintaining weight loss. Increasing exercise intensity as weight is lost improves the chances that you will reach your desired weight.

Filling Foods

• There are two components of food that are filling and contain no calories--water and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is the part of your food that passes through the digestive tract unabsorbed. It is found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Stalk vegetables, such as celery, broccoli and carrots are high in insoluble fiber. Water increases the volume of food without increasing calories. Foods high in water include broths, fruit and vegetables. Leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, are high in water and low in calories, provide a filling food source.

  Although water and fiber contain no calories they can be found in high calorie foods. For example, soda is mostly water but contains a lot of sugar, which makes it high calorie. Reading labels and keeping a journal of daily calories will help to reach daily intake goals.

Protein

• It is possible that eating protein with every meal helps to increase a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time. This makes physiological sense because protein foods slow gastric motility more than carbohydrates. Eating low fat and lean protein foods will help to control the calories. Meal and snack examples of this include, low fat cottage cheese with peaches, lean chicken with green beans, and cheese sticks with apples.