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Nutrition for Losing Weight

Losing weight is hard. It comes on so easily but then clings tenaciously to the body and refuses to leave. Fad diets and dietary supplements usually let you down. But it's possible to lose weight. In fact, it can be easy. By following a few simple rules, you can watch the weight melt off of you fast.

  1. Regulate Your Calories

    • It is important to understanding calorie control. Figure out how many calories you eat in a regular day. You can do this by reading the nutrition labels on your food, and carefully measuring out all your servings. Once you have found out how many calories you eat, decide how much you want to cut back. It's important not to cut too many calories. Karen Collins, R.D. reports on MSNBC "...dramatic cuts in calorie consumption can decrease our metabolic rate, slowing down calorie burning." This is because our body reacts to drastic reductions in calorie consumption by assuming that the body is starving. It slows down your metabolism to make the most of the calories you do consume. To lose 1 lb. of weight, you must burn 3,500 calories more than you consume. But this can be done over a period of a week. Losing 5 to 10 lbs. a week isn't healthy. Losing 2 to 3 lbs. a week is optimal.

    Pick Healthy Food

    • It's possible to lose weight eating only junk food. You can carefully regulate your calories and only eat such things as chips and pizza. But this will leave you feeling unsatisfied and constantly hungry. Why? The problem with junk food is that it offers little to no nutritional value. This is why eating junk food will keep you hungry constantly. Your body knows that it is getting food but it also knows it is getting no nutrition. Your body needs protein, carbohydrates and fats to function. Protein can be found in all meats, beans, peanuts, milk and some grains. Carbohydrates are the most common. Carbohydrates can be found in breads, fruits, vegetables, some grains, pasta and more. Protein and carbohydrates will be your main source of energy. Fats are also essential. Fats provide concentrated energy and help lubricate the body. Make sure to minimize your fats. A good source of essential fats is nuts.

    Five Meals a Day

    • Most cultures and society's eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. These meals are large, and when planned healthily will contain all of the nutrition and calories necessary for the day. However, this is not the way the human body works. Between these meals, the body will often get hungry. This is because the blood sugar will drop and the body feels like it needs more nutrition. Often this will lead to between-meal snacking and over eating.

      To avoid this problem, it is important to eat five meals a day. This meals will be smaller than a normal meal. For example, a turkey sandwich with an apple and some milk would make an excellent-sized meal. Breakfast could be peanut butter toast and cereal. In those two meals, you get strong sources of protein (turkey and peanut butter) and several carbs (cereal and bread). Each meal should come at 2- to 3-hour intervals throughout the day. This will help curb cravings and will keep your metabolism running smooth and quick.

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