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REDUCING DAILY CALORIE INTAKE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND STAY HEALTHY AND HOW SEVERELY SHOULD YOU REDUCE YOUR CALORIE INTAKE
People are bombarded, these days, with many different ways to lose weight. Many people are confused about what to believe and how they should approach dieting and losing weight. Reducing your daily calorie intake is one of the tools you should use if you are determined to implement a successful weight loss plan.
It really does boil down to calories consumed and calories spent. Whether you are trying a low carb diet, a low fat diet or any other type of diet; if that diet is working for you, then, you are consuming fewer calories than you are using while you are on that diet.
An effective weight loss program includes doing strength training workouts, cardio-vascular workouts and workouts that have high-intensity activity built into them. There are times when long-slow-distance workouts are appropriate and there are times when quick and intense workouts are appropriate.
When the proper types of workouts that suit you are combined with a reduction in your calorie consumption. You will be likely to lose weight.
If you have a lot of weight to lose. You should probably reduce your calorie consumption by 10% to 30%. If you have 20 pounds or less to lose; your calorie reduction should probably be around 10% and you should really concentrate on expending more calories with exercise.
While reducing your calorie intake; it is important to make sure you are still consuming proper nutrients from the foods you are consuming. Keep in mind. Fruits, berries and vegetables are dense sources of nutrients. Also realize, your body can absorb nutrients from foods much more easily than from man-made tablets.
It is also important to understand that your body has a tendency to adjust its calories needs. If you suddenly reduce your calorie intake and don't increase your level of activity; your body will need fewer calories. This is one of the reasons it may be difficult to lose weight from reducing calories alone.
Most people are very poor at estimating how many calories they are consuming. If you are serious about losing weight and definitely want to see results, then you should be recording in a journal every day how many calories you are consuming. You should also be recording how much exercise you are doing. People who record their calorie consumption and workouts accomplished are significantly more likely to realize positive results.
People are also much more likely to realize positive results if they are accountable. In other words; if you can find a reliable and positive source to report to; regarding your calorie consumption and exercise performed at the end of each day or every other day; you will be much more likely to realize weight loss.
Losing one pound of fat requires consuming about 3500 calories fewer than your body needs. Gaining one pound of fat requires consuming about 3500 calories more than your body needs.
This 3500 calorie base figure is deceiving because many other factors come into play.
It is easier for young people to lose weight than older people who still have a full appetite.
Some people have a high metabolism.
Some people have hypo-glycemia which can cause quick weight loss.
Some people have Diabetes and aren't keeping their blood sugar levels in the normal range. Those people are not maintaining the proper amount of insulin in their bodies. Without enough insulin presant; their bodies cannot convert the excess sugar in their bodies into fat. Their bodies accumulate sugar in their blood stream and that sugar damages their organs over time. People who have Diabetes and don't manage their blood sugar levels may be very lean; no matter what they eat.
Some people have Celiac Disease. When they consume certain foods; the hair-like substances that are supposed to line their digestive systems get eroded and their bodies can no longer process the nutrients in the foods they eat efficiently. Foods pass through their systems without being absorbed properly; consequently, they cannot gain weight and they lose weight easily.
Some people have thyroid issues.
Try not to compare your weight loss progress with other people's weight loss progress. Try not to be jealous of the people who are lean without trying; they may have a lot of health problems and symptoms that you don't have to deal with. You may be putting a lot more effort into losing weight than someone else; yet, receiving dramatically slower results. Don't let that discourage you. Concentrate on what you need to do to get results because your physical needs will be different than other people's physical needs.
The following is a list of some ways calories you consume can be reduced:
Proteins:
Great sources of lean proteins are: beans, black-eyed peas, eggs, low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, swiss cheese, seafood (fish oils have been proven to help people lose weight), lean turkey, lean chicken, lean pork, lean venison, and lean veal.
When cooking meat; if the meat has a lot of fat; you can dump it into a large stainless steel strainer after it has been fried and soak it in hot water, drain that water and grease. Soak it in hot water again, drain. Do this about 3 or 4 times. You'll be left with very lean meat.
Carbohydrates:
There are many carbohydrates that are very low in calories, high in fiber and dense in nutrients. Broccoli is an excellent example of that. I used to want to skip eating foods like green beans because it seemed to me like it didn't make my hunger go away and it took a long time to eat. I have learned since then that chewing helps release enzymes in your digestive system that help process foods and burn calories. Also you are more likely to burn more calories if you eat about 5 or 6 small meals each day instead of eating 3 large meals each day. Green beans are very high on the list when it comes to eating foods that will help you lose weight.
Excellent carbohydrates are ones that have a lot of fiber. You are safe with eating most vegetables in quantity if they aren't swimming in a high calorie sauce. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are dense sources of calories and should be consumed in moderation. Cabbage is an excellent vegetable that can help make you feel full and help you keep your calorie intake low. You may want to increase your cabbage intake slowly however, because, if your body is not used to it. The cabbage will probably make you feel gassy.
Berries are an excellent source of nutrients. Eat berries of every color. That will help ensure you are consuming a large variety of vitamins and minerals. If you sweeten them with splenda, you will have an awesome low-calorie snack. What the heck, sprinkle on some cinnamon too.
There are also carbohydrates that are very high in calories and low in nutrient density. Usually these foods are also easy to eat in large quantities. They are commonly known as cakes, cookies, pies, candies, fudge, chips and fries. You've probably heard of at least 1 or 2 of these. Also bread, especially homemade, just out of the oven bread, can fall into this category. These naughty foods have a tendency to not fill-you-up as much as foods that are high in fiber and they won't keep you feeling full as long as foods that are high in fiber.
Anything that is battered and deep fried is going to be high in calories.
I'll tell ya right now. I do not comprehend when people say things like, "Oh, this is so rich, I couldn't possibly eat very much of this chocolate cake". If the chocolate cake is really good; I can eat about one third of a 9" x 13" pan of it before I have any desire to slow down. Luckily, my logic and knowledge does kick-in and I do stop myself before I go too overboard; but, I certainly don't think desserts are 'TOO RICH'.
Any food that you have trouble eating a normal-sized portion of is probably going to be a naughty food and those are the ones you should be careful with. You may need to remove them completely from your dwelling and make sure noone is bringing them to you.
If you do have a decent amount of self-discipline; you may want to substitute the super-naughty sweets with low-calorie sweets. One substitution would be high-grain rice cakes they have interesting flavors these days. You can find peanut butter chocolate chip, caramel and cinnamon roll rice cakes. They are about 50 to 60 calories per rice cake and are a little bit filling.
Some of the cereals are real high in calories and some are not. If you read the labels on the cereal boxes; you can find some that are about 110 calories for 3/4 cup. Bran cereals are very high in fiber and are usually one of the better cereal choices.
Oatmeal is considered a starchy carb. Usually, the starchy carbs are taboo; but, oatmeal is one of the good starchy carbs. If you can eat oatmeal in moderation, do so.
If I consume more fruits; I crave the naughty sweets less.
The no-sugar added ice creams are significantly lower in calories than the loaded with sugar varieties.
Low calorie and no calorie chocolate sauce can be purchased. Sugar-free chocolate powder can be purchased.
You can make pumpkin pie with Splenda instead of sugar and place it in a pan that is buttered and doesn't have a crust. It doesn't take long to make and it is surprisingly low in calories.
There are many types of cheesecakes you can make with low-fat cream cheese and fat free sour cream. Use Splenda instead of sugar. You can even stir-in a jar of sugar-free jelly. You can also stir in a low calorie or no calorie chocolate sauce. These sugar-free cheesecakes are very tasty. These cheesecakes don't need a crust.
There are many 90 calorie and 100 calorie packs on the market these days. They are good if you are able to eat just one pack in a 24 hour period.
Unsweetened applesauce tastes pretty good and is low in calories.
One thing you should understand is if you are going to cheat and splurge a little. The best time to do it is right before and right after you exercise. If you eat before your workout; your body will use those calories for energy. If you eat after your workout; your body will use those calories to help build muscle. Increasing your muscle mass increases your metabolism. If you are a female who is afraid to increase muscle. You might want to reconsider this. You can add more muscle to your butt instead of your legs by doing lots of different types of lunges for example if your goal is to have lean legs that will fit into skinny pant legs. You can determine where you will increase your muscle mass by doing certain types of exercises and avoiding other types of exercises.
There are breads you can find in the stores that have about 35 to 40 calories per slice. If your body can tolerate wheat. Wholewheat breads and the whole grain breads are much better for you and are more filling than the breads that are made with white flour. In fact, if you are going to be making your own pancakes, muffins, cakes or bread. There are many types of flour you can use that are much lower in calories and more filling than white flour. Try bran flour or barley flour for example, they taste pretty good. Sometimes I make cakes using bran flour, barley flour, wheat germ, unsweetened applesauce, fat free yogurt, a couple of eggs, splenda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg and about 2 tsp of baking soda. I might even throw-in some pumpkin. I don't measure; I just stir ingredients in until it is the right consistency. A sugar-free batter needs to be significantly soupier than a cake batter that is made with sugar because when the sugar is absent, the batter will just be stickier and gooier. Anyway, you end up with a tasty cake that is low in calories and kind of filling.
Fats:
There are good fats and there are bad fats.
Fish Oils are very good and have been proven to help people lose weight. Fish Oils have also been proven to decrease internal inflammation and for some people can improve vision.
Be cautious around any fat that solidifies and try to consume those in small quantities. If you are someone who fries bacon; then, pours the bacon grease on your salad, you might want to reconsider this ritual. There are some excellent salad dressings these days that are about 20 to 30 calories per 2 tablespoons. Look at the labels on the fat-free vinaigrettes. Also inspect the calorie counts on some of the other fat-free salad dressings, some of them are dramatically lower in calories than the other salad dressings.
Peanut butter has been proven to help people feel full longer; but, check the labels. Some brands of peanut butter have a lot of sugar added to them and will be much higher in calories than other brands. Try not to eat more than 2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter within a 5 hour period. Calories consumed from peanut butter can add up pretty fast when you consume half of the jar or more.
It is important to consume some fats. They do help make you feel more full and keep you feeling full longer. Don't let yourself get so hungry that you end-up having a pig-out session now and then. Keep healthy snacks (like nuts) with you, all of the time, if you think that may happen.
Never go to the grocery store when you are starving.
Cheese:
Cheese can help make you feel full. It can also constipate you. Try not to eat more than 4 oz. of cheese per day. Read the labels on the different cheeses. Some are quite-a-bit lower in calories than others. Swiss cheese is on the low-end and American cheese is on the high end when it comes to calories.
Sauces:
You don't have to spread butter on rolls and bread. Some rolls and breads taste great without anything on them. If you must spread something on your bread products. Try one of the lower calorie peanut butters or sugar-free jellies. There are even low-calorie maple syrups at the stores. You can drizzle on a low-calorie or no-calorie chocolate sauce. How about a low-calorie barbeque sauce or a
low-calorie ketchup, or mustard on your roll?
Mayonaise is about 100 calories per tablespoon. Calories add up very quickly in some of the sauces. Always read the labels on the sauces before you start spreading them.
Nuts:
Proteins, fats and high fiber foods are the foods that help make you feel full and keep you feeling full.
Nuts have protein, fats and fiber. They can help you feel full. Some people can't eat nuts in moderation. If you are one of those people; you may need to measure how many nuts you are going to eat, then; put the nuts away somewhere that requires climbing a ladder. Next, put the ladder away. Then return to your eating area and enjoy your nuts.
Beverages:
1. Drink only water all of the time or most of the time.
2. Replace sugared soda with sugar-free soda.
3. Replace fruit drinks with low calorie fruit drinks.
(Diet V-8 Splash is 10 calories per 8 ounces).
4. Replace beer with lite beer.
5. Replace whole milk with 2% or fat-free milk.
Most adult males need to consume approximately 2200 - 3000 calories per day to maintain their weight. Most females need to consume approximately 1800 - 2200 calories per day to maintain their weight. Consequently, if you are a female who has been consuming and needs 2000 calories per day to maintain your current weight and you begin creating a calorie deficit of 300 calories per day; you should expect to lose one pound in about 11 or 12 days. Unless you have a lot of weight to lose; most weight loss authorities don't recommend you try to lose more than 2 pounds per week.
As you lose weight; you will need to continually decrease your calorie consumption. Once you are a smaller person; you will not need as many calories to maintain your same weight. If you do lose weight, then reach a plateau; you may have reached a level where your calories-in versus your calories-out have reached an equilibrium. At that point you will need to evaluate and adjust your weight-loss program.
It is important that when you begin reducing your calorie intake; you make adjustments to your current diet that you don't mind and can live with because if you only reduce your calorie intake temporarily; as soon as you return to your old calorie consumption behaviors you will be likely to regain the weight. If you adjust your diet in a way that is still an enjoyable way to eat; you will be much more likely to make these changes permanent lifestyle changes and you will be much more likely to be able to keep the weight off.
If you are determined to lose weight; reducing your daily calorie consumption is definitely a method you can use to help you achieve this goal. If you want to make sure you follow-through with your plan to lose weight, keeping a calorie consumption journal and reporting your efforts to a reliable source regularly can help you keep your momentum going. Any diet program should include reading labels before you consume foods and beverages can help you make wise choices. Once you have some new lower-calorie habits in place; those behaviors won't be hard to maintain because some of the lower calorie substitutes taste really good.
Look forward to improving your health, looking great and feeling great!!!
Written by: Dawn Perucca
www.thesoccerlockersite.com
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