Jul 29, 2003 09:50 AM
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(Updated Jul 29, 2003 10:00 AM)
GOOD AND HEALTHY EATING HABITS.Its so easy to talk about them but when it comes to sustaining good eating habits, its a tough job. We all give way to our inner temptation for unhealthy food. For some its Chocolate while for others its icecream or french fries or hamburgers or hotdogs .the list is endless.
Like other bad habits, it can be unlearned. Evolving your diet away from fat takes some time and energy - but not much. And you don't have to swear off tasty dishes or your favorite treats. In fact, once you get the hang of low-fat eating, all you give up is obesity and risk of premature death. Some major issues for weight reduction are:
Your Meals - Good Proteins, less Fats please
Most of us spend the majority of our adult lives on and off some sort of diet. For some, it seems to be a never-ending vicious cycle. However, we are what we eat. Most of us have grown up believing that carbohydrates(starches and sugars) were the major dietary villains. We view potatoes and cakes as'fattening, ' and think weight loss involved limiting the total number of calories one ate. The centerpiece of restaurant'diet plates' was a ground beef patty. But in the last 20 years, nutrition scientists have shown that there's really only one villain in our diet - fat.
Carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains provide most of the body's energy. They are our friends, the body's main source of energy. Even long-vilified sugar doesn't hurt most people when used in moderation with good dental hygiene. As far as weight control is concerned, if you limit fat calories, you don't have to worry much about your total caloric intake.'It's not the potato that's fattening, ' says Ron Goor, Ph.D., co-author of The Choose to Lose Diet: A Food Lover's Guide to Permanent Weight Loss.'It's the butter, sour cream, and bacon bits people put on it. The same goes for sugar. Cakes, pies, and ice cream are fattening not because they contain sugar, but because they're loaded with fat. It's people's'fat tooth, ' not their sweet tooth, that gets them into trouble.' How could this be? Simple: all calories are not created equal. One gram of carbohydrate or protein contains only 4 calories, but one gram of fat contains 9.'Fat calories really sneak up on you. A few handfuls of potato chips has the same number of calories as two medium-sized baked potatoes topped with nonfat yogurt and steamed vegetables.' Carbohydrates have a lot of bulk per calorie. Eating them triggers feelings of fullness. It's difficult to overeat if you base your diet on them.
Reducing fat intake is often hard. Concentrate on cutting down the amount of saturated fat you eat to about 10% of your total calories. Saturated fat predominates in animal fat(fat on and meat, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, lard and drippings) and many margarines and other cooking fats. It is unusual for anyone to eat too much unsaturated fat. This is found in many vegetable oils and soft margarines, fatty fish, nuts and seeds, as well as in smaller amounts in whole grain cereals and some vegetables and legumes. As you eat less saturated fat, the proportion of unsaturated fat in your diet automatically increases. This is good and may be medically helpful, for instance, in preventing or treating high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and gallstones. And yes, it doesnt causes obesity. If you are a lover of fast foods like pizza or ham-burgers, maybe you can have it once a month or tops twice.(For people in India, it would be sweets and oily foods once or twice a month)
why diets dont work sometimes
The typical diet limits two things-carbohydrates and total calories. The result is short-term weight loss of a few pounds, and then rapid weight gain, often to a level a pound or two above where you started. It's not hard to understand why. It takes about 3 grams of water to store one gram of glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrate. Low-carbohydrate diets eliminate glycogen-and the water it takes to store it. Water is heavy. Losing glycogen reduces weight by eliminating some of the body's water, not its fat. Meanwhile, diets that limit calories to less than about 1200 a day fool the body into thinking it's starving. The body reacts by slowing its basal metabolic rate(BMR), the rate at which calories are burned while resting. The longer you diet, the slower your BMR, and as BMR decreases, the pounds come off more slowly. When the diet ends and calorie consumption returns to normal, renewed glycogen storage quickly adds lost water weight. In addition, BMR remains low for a while, so you burn calories more slowly and regain weight more quickly, especially if you eat fats.
Curb your Cravings
In order to curb your cravings,
-Do not skip meals. Skipping meals would give u more cravings food such as cookies or chocolates.
-Decide what craving is appropriate and limit the quantity you have.
-Also eat it slowly so that you enjoy it.
Exercise
Exercise should be a part of your regular routine, as it
-burns fats
-distracts your mind from food
-makes the mind stable and calm(relieves any anxiety)
Keep Regular sleeping habits
Lack of proper sleep fuels obesity. According to a study conducted by University of Chicago, evidence suggests that lack of sleep provides a very strong Appetite stimulation. But guys, you cant oversleep.
Drink sufficient water
Drinking sufficient water(about 8 glasses a day) is always helpful because -it avoids dehydration during weightloss. -adequate water ensures smooth burning of calories. -it flushes out toxins(toxins hamper weight reduction).
Keep an Active life style
Keep a lifestyle involving a lot of physical activities such as walking, outdoor sports and swimming. Recent research has proved that walking about 2000 steps regularly a day can be a very effective weight reduction measure. To accomplish 2000 steps, all you have to do is walk a couple of blocks and instead of using the elevator, use the stairs. I bet you it will help
