Diet Plans to Lose Weight

If one wishes to lose weight, it should happen in a healthy manner by making certain dietary and lifestyle changes. Thus, following a diet plan might prove beneficial to achieve the desired results in a healthy way. Here, are a few tips for losing weight in a healthy way.

Eat Veggies and Fruits
A balanced diet is a must in order to lose weight. One need not starve the body to be slim. All one has to do is eat right. A major portion of one's daily diet should comprise vegetables and fruits. They provide the body with many essential minerals and vitamins and they are low in calories. Therefore, it is advised to go for an apple instead of a packet of chips when one feels the urge to have a snack.

Drink Water
Include two to three liters of water every day. Water flushes out all wastes and toxins from the body. It aids in digestion. Water is needed for the proper functioning of liver and kidneys. Thus, for a healthy body and glowing skin, it is necessary to drink a good amount of water every day.

Eat Foods with Complex Carbohydrates
The foods that are high in carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, and rice cause weight gain. So, one should replace them with the foods containing complex carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, green leafy vegetables, legumes, and brown rice.

Take Five Small Meals a Day
Take five small meals spread throughout the day. Do not remain hungry for long hours. A common mistake that people make is to skip breakfast in the morning. It is observed that the day one skips breakfast, one actually tend to eat much more in the other meals, thus, adding up the calories. So, make sure to consume healthy foods at regular intervals. Also, make sure that you keep the portion size small.

Include Eggs in Daily Diet
It would be better to cut down on the intake of on red meats. Instead include chicken, fish, and eggs in the diet. Research studies have shown that eggs contain vitamin B12, which actually aids in fat and weight loss. So preferably, include an egg every day for breakfast in the diet.

Eat High-fiber Foods
Include fiber-rich foods such as apples, raspberries, strawberries, nuts, prunes, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, beans, carrot, and brown rice. These aid in digestion and keep the body full for a longer duration, thus helping in reducing one's overall calorie intake. Moreover, during the digestion process when fiber is eliminated from the body, it attaches itself to the fats and takes them along too. High protein foods are quite essential as they help in building the muscles of the body, which is an important step towards the fat burning process.

Say No to Fast Foods
Mostly, it is recommend that one should follow a diet which is devoid of fast food and fried food. So, it is necessary that one should follow the same. Avoid the consumption of foods like pizzas, burgers, hotdogs, and pastas as they are all high-calorie foods.

Cook at Home
Cooking at home should be a habit. This is because most of the foods that are available in restaurants are high in calories. A good idea would be to plan the menu for the week well in advance, and do the grocery shopping on weekends. If one has a hectic work schedule, then cook some food items and freeze them. As far as possible, one should consume home cooked meals.

Exercise
Exercise everyday, even if that means simply walking for half an hour. Exercise increases the flow of oxygen in the body, and keeps one feeling rejuvenated throughout the day. It helps burn so many calories, thereby leading to reduction in one's weight.

Be Active
It is very important that one does not lead a sedentary lifestyle. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator. One can walk down to nearby places instead of driving there. Take up some household chores such as cleaning and gardening, as these burn calories too. In short, do not just keep sitting in front of the TV or the computer. Engage in physical activities.

Manage Stress
Stress can take its toll and many a time, people under stress indulge in comfort eating. So along with a healthy diet, undertake meditation everyday for about ten minutes to keep the mind relaxed. Simply close the eyes and try to concentrate on your breathing. Concentrate on the way you inhale and exhale. The mind may waver initially, but once you are able to meditate properly, you would observe a sea of change in how you feel.

Sample Diet Plan

Breakfast
- Cereals with low fat milk and fruit salad
or
- Scrambled eggs or boiled eggs with whole wheat toast, and a cup of decaffeinated coffee

Lunch
- A mixed vegetable and meat salad, with must-have foods in the salad - tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce leaves, olives, capsicum, and grilled chicken

Dinner
- Fruits and a whole wheat toast with a teaspoon of low fat butter

Snacks
- Dry fruits such as pistachios and pine nuts
or
- Fresh fruits like apples and oranges

Quick Fix Diet Plans

Although such diet plans are not recommended, if one wishes to know of some fad diets, here are two popular ones.

Cabbage Soup Diet
This is a seven day plan in which a person is recommended to consume some specific kinds of fruits and vegetables daily, along with brown rice and meats. There's a special recipe for the preparation of cabbage soup, which can be consumed on all the seven days, as many times as one wishes.

The "3 Day Diet"
This diet plan lasts for three days and claims to increase energy levels, hastens weight loss, cleanses the liver, and lowers the cholesterol in a person, although there is no scientific evidence to substantiate these claims. The main food items in the diet are tuna, grapefruit juice, and vegetables like carrots, cabbage, beans, and cauliflower. It also includes fruits like melons and half cup low fat vanilla ice cream everyday.

As one can see, such absurd quick fix diets are not what one needs. Instead, follow the aforementioned tips and design one's own diet to lose weight. A healthy diet and a regular exercise routine is the key to losing weight and staying fit for life.

Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.

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