Weight loss diet - what to eat , what to avoid

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To lose weight, a person has to reduce the calorie intake by some amount. It is important to develop a healthy diet , so that body receives sufficient nutrients even as you try to lose weight. Check the calorie count of the food you eat. A diet without sufficient nutrients like vitamins and minerals will only increase the appetite of the person trying to lose weight.

Since most people combine a diet with an exercise plan to lose weight , additional nutrients are required for the growth of muscles to increase the metabolic rate. Small changes in your diet can help you lose a lot of weight. A diet containing less than 1000 calories is not useful for losing weight, since the body goes into starvation mode and tries to retain fat.

Fast foods and convenience foods like pizzas and burgers have little nutrient value and can be easily replaced or eliminated from a weight loss diet without any adverse effect.

Fat is the most concentrated source of calories - 9 Kcal per gram and most diets will limit the fat consumption to less than 30% of the total calories. Alcoholic beverages contain 7Kcal per gram of alcohol.

However, other food should be replaced gradually, so that the body is not affected adversely.

Nutrient rich foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, meats, poultry, eggs , wholegrain food, ingredients. These should be included in your diet.

Ideally the diet should be low fat with no sugar and high in proteins like soy protein, high fiber grains

Drink plenty of water, it will increase the rate fat is burnt by the body.

Avoid sweets and snacks containing a lot of sugar like cream biscuits and cakes.

If you are hungry, eat fruits or salads with healthy dressings

The best time to eat food is when a person is most active, so that the energy produced from the food is consumed by the body and not stored as fat . When the metabolic rate is high, energy is used up at a faster rate. After waking up in the morning, all the energy generated by the previous meal has been used up . The breakfast eaten will be immediately used up by the body. Also, if a meal is eaten immediately after a vigorous workout, like a weight training session, all the energy will be quickly used up by the body.

If you care for your long term health, design your own weight loss plan and stick to it. There are no short cuts to permanent weight loss!