Healthy dieting does not mean starving. Healthy eating habits include rich sources of carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
One of the biggest mistakes people make while trying to lose weight is to skip meals and not eat. This is not healthy eating and can actually cause the body to gain weight. Fairly strict mealtimes are very important in a healthy lifestyle, as is a healthy diet and nutrition plan.
Healthy Dieting Does Not Mean Starving
Healthy dieting involves two steps once the BMI has been assessed. First, calories that are stored on the body as fat must be burned off with exercise. Then, food calories must be reduced with healthy eating plans. The calories a person burns off subtracted from the food a person eats equals current body weight.
While it might make sense to quit eating, the body does not see it that way. Going without food for any length of time causes the body to go into “starvation mode.” The body thinks, “There is no food! I will store fat, so this soul can live!” The body literally holds on to any fat it receives and burns off carbohydrates and proteins. The binge/purge cycle is not healthy at all.
Timing is Everything for Healthy Weight Loss
Healthy weight loss begins with increasing body metabolism. Metabolism is the speed at which a body breaks down food into energy. Many elite athletes have extremely high metabolism rates and have been seen eating stacks of pancakes and pasta. People with slow metabolisms can barely eat a thing and still not lose weight. One dessert or an extra slice of pizza adds more unwanted weight.
One of the biggest weight loss tips among bodybuilders and fitness experts is to eat small meals more frequently. This one healthy lifestyle change increases metabolism so that the body burns food faster. When the body knows it will receive food again in a few hours, it will quit hanging onto fat. Instead of eating three big meals or skipping meals entirely, it is much more effective to eat five to six times a day. These smaller meals should be eaten no more than three hours apart. Splitting three meals a day into six smaller meals burns calories much more effectively.
Healthy Eating Habits Start With Carbohydrates
The key to healthy eating is to balance carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. People who are beginning healthy eating habits need to understand three things: 1) not all carbohydrates are bad, 2) the body needs plenty of protein, and 3) eating healthy fat does not make one fat.
Sugar and high fructose corn syrup must go. Eliminating these two products alone may start a weight loss trend. Alcohol is a form of sugar as well. Cut it out completely, or enjoy one glass of wine on the weekend until the weight is off. Toss out white bread products, doughnuts, white rice, white flour pasta, cookies, and candy. Good carbohydrates are whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. Fresh vegetables and fruits are also heavily emphasized, especially asparagus, leafy green vegetables, carrots, broccoli, and red bell peppers.
Healthy Diets Include Fats and Protein
Saturated fats such as animal fat, dairy products, and ice cream lead to heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Trans fats are hydrogenated oils like margarine and vegetable oils. Most packaged food contain trans fats. Healthy fats include raw nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts, olives, extra virgin olive oil, and coconut oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, nuts, flaxseed, and flax oil. Healthy fats are essential to weight loss.
Protein builds muscle and is essential for workout recovery. Good animal sources of protein include “clean” chicken breasts, cage-free eggs, hormone-free non-fat milk, wild-caught salmon, and tuna. Vegans have no trouble building muscle. Plant sources of protein come from black beans and quinoa, lentils and brown rice, almond butter sandwiches, and raw nuts and seeds. Many vegan bodybuilders use brown rice, pea, or hemp protein powders in protein shakes and green smoothies as well.
