The Best Diet To Keep Your Weight Off

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Each person is different. No matter how thoroughly you search, you will not find a universal diet that will be suitable for everyone when it comes to losing weight. The idea of "going on a diet" in order to get rid on an unwanted pounds implies that eventually, you will "go off" the diet and return to your old eating habits. This way you will end up with up and down weight loss and gain, which is not good for your health. The best way to lose weight and maintain it this way is to make changes in your lifestyle which suppose well-balanced and healthy diet as well as exercise.

There can be a number of reasons to cause your issues with weight. Weight problems often are due to genetics, they run in families. Some people tend to eat a lot when they are under stress or lonely in order to comfort themselves. Sometimes a low metabolism or a problem with hormone levels may be the reason. A new diet may help you lose weight for just some period of time, but the weight, as was mentioned before, often comes back unless new ways are established that will help you to handle the problems that are contributing to your weight gain. This may mean figuring out new ways to cope with sadness, depression and loneliness.

To lose weight, you have to reduce the number of calories you consume on a daily basis and start burning off more calories every day. Calories are the amount of energy in the food you intake. Some foods have more calories than others. For instance, products that have high amounts of fat and sugar are accordingly high in calories. If you consume more calories than are needed for your body, the extra calories are going to settle as body excess fat. If you bring down your diet by 250 calories each day and exercise enough to burn off another 250 calories, that constitutes up to 500 less calories per one day. If all this is maintained for seven days, you can lose 1 pound of fat in one week without a fear of gaining this pounds back.

You should follow a healthy diet that you like and that you can stick to. The diet should be low in fats (especially saturated and trans fats) and sugars, and high in fiber and protein. Your doctor or a nutritionist can give you advice on what kinds of foods are healthy choices. Remember to watch portion sizes. A healthy portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. A healthy portion of rice or pasta is about the size of your fist. Most restaurants tend to double or even triple these amounts, so be careful when dining out.

Many experts recommend that individuals should not try to lose more than two pounds a week. Losing more than 2 pounds on a weekly basis typically means that water weight and lean muscle mass are being lost and not the excess fat. If people continue to lose more than 2 pounds per week, they may end up having less energy, and are more likely to gain the weight back.

Most people can eat 3 regular meals and 1 snack every day. It is important to remember that all the three meals should be almost of the same size and must be low in fat. Include fruits and vegetables as well as 2 to 3 ounces of whole grains and 1 to 2 ounces of meat at most meals. Some people find it more beneficial to it 5 or 6 smaller portions of food during a day, approximately between 2 to 3 hours apart. For instance, the first meal of the day in this case may be low-fat or nonfat yogurt and a banana. Three hours later a simple deli sandwich can be consumed along with whole-grain bread and fat-free mayonnaise.

Many people think that skipping meals could bring them more benefits and they would lose weight faster. Not a good idea. While this may really work and help to lose some extra weight in the beginning, it did not prove to work in the long run. When skipping meals, you will feel more hungry at a later time, therefore eating more during the next meal. After about a month of eating a normal breakfast, lunch and a light dinner, your body will adjust.

It has become much more convenient for many people these days to use diet pills and not torture themselves with exhausting diets and exercise. In spite of the fact that diet drugs may help you lose weight at first, they usually are not very helpful to maintain the results and can also have negative and harmful side effects. Most diet pills have not been tested and proved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which means you cannot be sure in their safety. Using pills also does not help you learn how to change your eating and exercise habits. Making lasting changes in these habits is the only best way when it comes to loosing weight and keeping it off.