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Nutritional Guidelines for Weight Loss

For some people, losing weight isn't nearly as challenging as keeping it off. A successful weight-loss program is more than just restricting calories. It's about identifying and adopting a healthy diet. Without a basic comprehension of nutrition, your chances at maintaining your weight loss are slim. The following nutritional guidelines will not only help you get started on the right track, but ensure that you stay on it.

  1. Set Realistic Goals

    • While the thought of dropping 20 pounds in two weeks may sound enticing, rapid weight loss is often followed by rapid weight gain. Rapid weight loss, which is usually the result of a severe restriction of calories, may cause your body to go into starvation mode. At that point, your body will burn energy from places you don't want it to, such as your muscles. This results in you having less overall energy and a slowed metabolism, which results in fewer calories burned. Instead, set realistic weight-loss goals. You should be able to lose about 10 percent of your body weight per week. If you are 200 pounds, aim to drop about two pounds per week, or 7,000 calories. One way to achieve this is by reducing your caloric intake by 700 calories per day and increasing your activity level to burn an additional 300 calories.

    Food Calories

    • The calories in food are found in fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. A healthy diet will include each of these macro-nutrients. While dieting, you may be tempted to adopt a low-carbohydrate or high-protein diet or severely restrict your fat intake. However, keep in mind that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends a diet that consists of about 45 to 65 percent carbohydrate, 20 to 35 percent fat, and 10 to 30 percent protein. When reducing your calories, be sure to maintain percentages close to these figures.

    Focus on Fiber

    • Fiber has a number of health benefits such as lowering cholesterol levels, improving regularity, and reducing the risks of colon cancer. Women should consume about 21 to 25 grams per day. Select foods that are high in fiber such as cooked artichokes (about 10 grams of fiber), raspberries (8 grams), cooked split peas (16 grams), cooked lentils (15 grams), and baked beans (10 grams). When shopping, review nutrition labels for their fiber count. Always be looking for ways to increase your fiber intake, particularly when shopping for cereals and breads, which typically have 1 to 6 grams per serving.

    Select Low-Calorie Foods

    • By selecting low-calorie foods, you can consume more food throughout the day. A good guideline for a healthy diet is to eat three to six meals per day to maintain constant energy levels. In order to eat frequently and maintain your calorie restriction, select low-calorie foods, such as broccoli, whole-wheat bread, fish and poultry, low-fat yogurt, potatoes, low-fat cheese, pickles, leafy vegetables, soup, whole-wheat pasta, and eggs.

    Tips

    • Drink plenty of water. Not only does your body crave it, but drinking water can help stave off hunger. When you begin to feel hungry, be sure to drink some water. This may be enough to satiate you until it's time for your snack or meal. When dieting, keep a record of the foods that you eat. Carry a small notebook with you and jot down everything that you eat each day. This way you won't overlook any hidden calories like those found in soda, or extra cream in your coffee. When dieting, avoid alcoholic beverages.

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