Simple Ways To Lose Weight – Watching What You Eat

There is no question that obesity is a big problem in the United States and other Western nations, and it’s not showing any signs of going away soon. If you have been looking for simple ways to lose weight, then chances are you have stumbled across a few fad diets, perhaps you have even tried a few. But there is only one way to shed those extra pounds: you have to burn more calories than you take in. One way to decrease how many calories you take in is by controlling your portions. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

The first thing you need to know is what a normal portion is for most of the foods you eat. You may be quite shocked to find out that you have been regularly eating three to four times the normal portion. For example, a serving of meat is considered to be 3 ounces, that works out to be about the same dimensions as a deck of cards. A serving of ice cream is a half cup, so if you eat a pint you will have consumed four servings. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Most of us will mindlessly fill our entire plate when we sit down to eat. We don’t really think about what we put on the plate, we just know that it should be full. Therefore, you can trick yourself into eating less by using smaller plates, cups and bowls when you eat. That way there will be less plate to fill.

You can also look to tricks used by restaurants to make your plate look fuller. A favorite is to use garnishes like thinly slice fruit, raw kale and fresh parsley. These aren’t normally eaten, but they take up extra room and give the illusion of having more food on your plate.

If you put the healthiest foods on your plate first, then you will automatically limit how much of the less-than-healthy food you’ll have room for. For example, if you start by putting veggies on your plate, then a small salad, you will be forcing yourself to take a smaller portion of meat.

Did you know that the type of glass you put your beverages in makes a difference? This is nothing more than an illusion, but it ranks as one of the simple ways to lose weight. Taller, thinner glasses look like they hold more, so use those. If you’re having a cold drink, then fill the glass with ice first, then pour in your beverage. Yes, restaurants use this trick, too.

Only cook what you’ll eat. A lot of recipes are designed to feed a family of four, but if there are only two of you, or you’re on your own, then reducing those recipes will help to keep your portions under control. After all, you can’t eat more of a certain dish if there isn’t more there for you to eat.

Tags: Bowls, Burn Calories, Calories, Deck Of Cards, Eating Habits, Extra Room, Fad Diets, Healthiest Foods, Healthy Food, How Many Calories, Illusion, Kale, Losing Weight, obesity;, Parsley, Pint, Proverbial Iceberg, Restaurants, Shed, Signs, Sit, Veggies, Ways To Lose Weight —

The presence of fat in your body helps your body store fat, adds insulation for heat, and adds a layer of shock absorption. Your percentage of body fat, which you should have to stand for healthy, should consist of 25 % – 39 % for a male and for a woman it should substitute 18 % – 23 %. If you are a male and have a body index factor above 30 or a woman with a ingredient 25 then you are considered obese.

Your obesity can be measured with the help of the Basal Metabolic Index, or BMI for short. This is calculated by dividing the weight of your body by your total height. If the BMI averages to be over 30 you are considered to be suffering from obesity.

You need to be aware though before you begin that you are not the only lone suffering from this sometimes fatal disease. This dreaded disease has reached an epidemic level in our nation today. That means that at least 1 out of 3 people are obese in our society. Here are some tips that have been proposed by the Department of Human Services since well as the Department of Agriculture which falls into the workaday dietary guidelines for uncut Americans.

1. Fruits – This can be fruits of organ kind including fresh or canned. Although fresh is better due to the natural sugars that it contains

2. Vegetables – These include dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale among others. Further you should consider adding orange vegetables as well. This includes such things as sweet potato, carrots, and pumpkin among others.

3. Calcium – Drink lots of low fat and fat free milk, but these should be taken in balanced proportion.

4. Cereals and Pasta – You need to go for the whole grain pasta and cereals as these are better for your health as well as weight loss

5. Protein – These encompass such things as lean meat, poultry, and fish among others.

6. Unsaturated fat – Fish, nuts, and vegetables are all good for this combine among others.

7. Salt – You need to limit your total daily intake of vigour. Do not consume more than 2300 grams of salt in a given day. This equals to one teaspoon.

Besides having a balanced diet you need to also be sure to diary plenty of exercise as well. Such things owing to a short brisk walk or running are usually darling useful in helping you lose weight. You can also try some free hand exercises that can be prescribed by your personal trainer if you happen to have one. Also if you drink plenty of water it will help you detoxify your body from any toxins that may combine the body.

Being obese can be a problem for you but if you follow the useful dietary guidelines you will be able to become an ideal weight again.

24 Hour Fitness
http://www.www.24-hr-fitness.com

Tags: Basal Metabolic, Basal Metabolic Index, Bmi, Body Index, Broccoli, Carrots, Cereals, Dark Green Leafy Vegetables, Department Of Agriculture, Department Of Human Services, disease, epidemic level, Free Milk, Green Leafy Vegetables, Index Factor, Kale, Lean Meat, Meat Poultry, Natural Sugars, obesity;, Orange Vegetables, Personal Trainer, Shock Absorption, sometimes fatal disease, Sweet Potato, Whole Grain Pasta —