Most people feel like they are a little overweight, even if it's just a few pounds. Dieting and developing an exercise routine tailor made for your unique needs can help you to shed those unwanted pounds quickly, and allow you to keep your goal weight after you have reached it!
First things first: With any new diet or exercise routine, don't forget to ask your family doctor to help you decide your approach. Giving you a complete physical and blood work can help determine if there are any current conditions that need attention. After you are cleared for take-off, do your homework. Research the diet you are attempting, and get the facts. Ask questions in an online forum, and read reviews written by people who have tried the diet. Keep an open mind, because not all diets work for everyone. Trial and error will be the norm for a while.
Diets can be confusing, so you will need to make certain that you are trying a healthy diet option. And you had better believe there are literally millions to choose from! Everything from the ever popular Atkins diet, to the Zen diet. Let's break some more common diets down, and take a look at what you need for specific results
LOW/NO CARBOHYDRATE DIETS
Ok, let's define carbohydrate, shall we? Carbohydrates are first and foremost a major source of our energy. Sugars, starches, celluloses and gums are the typical groups of organic compounds that we refer to as "carbs". Now, don't misunderstand, carbs are very important and you need to ingest some to keep things in a normal balance, but you can cut them down to very little. The less carbs you eat the more fat you will burn. How? You ask? Think about this: Your body will burn the carbohydrates as a first fuel.
When you eat sugars and get a rush of energy, your body burns it off quickly, and can then leave you feeling drained and tired. This is also known as "crashing". If you stop eating these carbs, you body will search for other fuel, turning to stored fat to burn instead of the normally present carbohydrates. Typically, in the first two weeks of this diet, it is recommended that you eat only meats and cheeses, because they have no carbs in them. But, something you don't normally hear about this type of diet: Watch the fat content! If you are only eating meats and cheeses, you are more than likely consuming at least twice to three times the amount of fat you normally eat. This can be a safe diet, if you make sure the meats you are eating are lower in fat. Chicken and fish are most beneficial for this, and pork can be leaner than beef. As long as you read labels and understand the fat content, this will not be an issue for you.
Drinking lots of water while you are dieting can show amazing results. Along with keeping you hydrated, it will flush impurities from your body and aid in digestion. And at this stage, you are not consuming much fiber, so the water is a big help.
After the initial two weeks, and quite a few pounds dropped, you can reintroduce some carbohydrates into your diet. Start by adding some fresh fruits and vegetables. Not too many, as this will only cause issues with the whole "low carb" thing. Everything in moderation, right? Once you have gotten through the first few weeks, you will notice your cravings for sweets have gotten weaker, and you don't automatically reach for a jelly doughnut at work. Eating healthy isn't a diet change, it's a lifestyle change.
LOW CALORIE DIETS
Calories are defined as a food energy unit. The amount of calories you should consume daily depends on several factors. Age, gender and exercise routine will determine the correct amount of calories per individual. With most people the range is 1,000 to nearly 4,000 calories a day, but typically 1,500 to 2,400 is standard. If you consume more than the needed amount of calories and do not burn them off with exercise, your body will store the calories, turning it into fat. YUCK! No one wants leftovers turning into love handles. So, reading labels on your food will give you an idea as to how much calories you are taking into your body, and give you a good idea how much exercise you will need to burn it off. Lowering the caloric intake will cause your body to search for stored fat for energy, because there is no fresh supply. When your body turns to the storage, it burns off excess weight.
LOW FAT DIETS
When a person decides to take the "low fat" approach to dieting, they begin to cut down on all types of fat that is consumed daily. Fat is present in almost all foods, and is especially evident in things such as red meat and pork. You can get lean cuts of meat and that will take much of the fat off. Chicken, turkey and fish are the most popular meats in the low fat category. Saturated fats are the most dangerous fats for your cholesterol. Trying to watch the amounts of saturated fat can get tedious, but can help you to avoid heart attacks in the long run. Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are better for you. Monounsaturated fats will lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and allow you to keep the current levels of good cholesterol (HDL). Poly unsaturated will work to lower both the good and the bad. Trans fats are the worst of them all, as it will raise the bad and lower the good. Not a good idea to consume too much of that, is it? Eating more fiber such as fruits and vegetables can counteract the fat intake, as long as the fat intake is reasonable.
I have been writing articles for a year now, and find it very interesting. I really enjoy researching topics, and I love to write. I am a current student online at University of Phoenix. Getting an associate's degree in business management, then on to a bachelor's degree and from there, who knows! I am trying to expand my client base and hope to find some work here. I hope you enjoy my articles. All of them are 100% original. That's my promise. Outstanding quality, and outstanding quantity.
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