We all know the general rules about
dieting. Count your calories, keep food high in nutrition, and low fat, etc.
Here are my own unique rules to get the most out of your diet.
Not enough calories can be just as
dangerous as too many. If you don’t get enough calories, your body thinks that
there is a food shortage, and it starts hoarding calories. This is called
starvation mode. Your body will store every single calorie that enters it as
fat because it doesn't know when it will get more food. Obviously this is
counterproductive to weight loss. Some people think that if you cut enough
calories for long enough, that you will lose weight even in starvation mode.
This may be true, but it won’t be just fat you’re losing, but your body will
start breaking down muscle and organ tissues to get the nutrients it needs.
This can adversely affect your health.
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If you are on a calorie
prescription, drinking things like soda, fruit juice, and other sweetened
beverages can add up in the calorie department, and cause you to either go over
your prescription without realizing it, or leave less calories for more filling
foods and you will be hungry all the time. The occasional sweet drink here and
there probably won’t hurt if you plan for it, but don’t make it a habit.
All the experts tell you how to eat
healthy foods and about portion sizes, but what they don’t say is that if you
eat less, more often, you will boost your metabolism and lose fat faster. By
providing your body with a steady flow of energy in small amounts, you are
keeping your blood sugar at a steady level and your body thinks there is plenty
of food, but gets just enough to use at a time and doesn’t get much chance to
store any. If you eat less often, your blood sugar fluctuates. It will burn fat
during the lows (right before meals) but will store more fat during the highs
(right after meals). When walking, which method do you think will get you there
faster, walking at a moderate pace in one direction, or alternating between
running 10 feet, then running back 5 feet? The recommended schedule is three
300-400 calorie meals and three to four 200 calorie snacks, and you should eat
about every three hours or so.
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People who occasionally cheat on
their diets are more likely to stick to them. Some people have a cheat meal,
where in one meal they eat whatever they want, as much as they want, once a
week. Some people have a cheat day, where they don’t count calories for a whole
day but still watch what they eat (keep it reasonable). Others simply give themselves
a certain number of “cheat calories” a day that they can spend on junk food,
such as soda or chocolate cake. As long as you keep cheating to a reasonable
amount, it can actually help you stick to your diet and some people report
losing weight faster with a little cheating.
If it is still an hour and a half
until your next meal and you feel like your stomach is going to implode, have a
very small bridge snack. Such as slice of plain toast, a single rice cake, and
four ounces of skim milk. The trick to bridge snacks is to keep them under 100
calories and don’t have more than one or two a day. These are for emergencies
only. A good example: get these 100 calorie packs of cheddar cheese and keep a
few in the fridge at work.
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And when you do weigh yourself, use
the same scale every time and pick a time to do it. Some people weigh
themselves on a schedule, such as once a week, on the same day, at the same
time. Some prefer to weigh themselves after an event, such as a workout or a
bowel movement. Work something out and stick to it. A person’s weight can
fluctuate by as much as 5lbs from one day to another, and stepping on a scale
and being 2lbs heavier than yesterday, while perfectly normal, can be
discouraging. You don’t need the discouragement.
If you are working out
regularly, you may be building muscle while burning fat. If this is the case,
you may be getting thinner and leaner without losing weight or even gain
weight. If you've been trying hard and the scale won’t budge, try measuring
your waist at the smallest part every few days and see if you’re losing inches.
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Have you ever met someone on the
Atkins diet? They’re tired and cranky. This is because carbohydrates are where
your body gets most of its energy, and they help regulate your mood. If you
work behind a desk and never exercise or if you are bedridden, cutting carbs is
a great way to lose weight, but if you work out regularly, play sports, and/or
have a physically demanding job, YOU NEED YOUR CARBOHYDRATES! Try to get in
more complex carbs than simple ones by choosing wheat and whole grain over
white and processed. Such as wheat bread, brown rice, multi-grain cheerios
instead of honey-nut.
If something is working for you,
keep doing it. Unless it’s a licensed medical professional, don’t listen to people
when they tell you not to do something, or suggest you do something else
instead. Everyone is different. If the diet plan you’re on is working for you
(and isn't going to harm you), don’t listen when people tell you it’s bad.
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If someone suggests something to
try along with your current diet, and it sounds reasonable, try it. If they say
not to eat anything white (ever) or to only eat vegetables for three days and
eat like normal the rest of the week, that’s a fad diet and be wary. Also, if
diets make you lose more than 2 lbs per week or encourage you to eat one thing
all the time, they are most likely fad diets.
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