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We’ve all been there.
Enjoyed a little too much of that ice cream, had an extra slice of cake, drank wayyyyy too much wine and WHAM! You’re now 10 pounds heavier!
How did that happen?
Well, we kind of know how it happened. But how do we do to get back to our pre-burrito belly?
Nowadays, we don’t have the luxury of time and more importantly don’t want to waste our efforts doing what’s wrong only to realize that if we had just done a little research, we could have saved weeks to maybe months of our lives.
So, before you start hitting the gym and doing multiple burpees, I’ve done the ground work for you on what works so lets finally figure out what the weight loss formula is!
Table of Contents
weight = energy intake + energy output
…Yeah, we know that doc, so?
Well according to research, exercise improves cardiovascular fitness, insulin sensitivity, glycemic control of Diabetes Mellitus, blood pressure and depression BUT weight loss and maintenance…hmmm not so much.
According to one study done, people were divided into three strategy groups:
1. Exercise only
2. Exercise + dietary restriction or
3. Dietary restriction alone.
Not to get too technical but basically if you are ONLY exercising you have to workout a heck of alot more than what is normally recommended if you want to see some primo results.
The better option is the exercise + diet component or diet alone to lose weight.
Now before you quit eating and starve yourself, when I say “diet restriction” what I mean is“restricting” the bad foods and filling up with healthier options such as unsaturated fats, whole grains, good protein and fruits and vegetables.
It’s been proven, and I can personally vouch for this, that when you eat the right portion of “healthy foods” you tend to consume less calories and more importantly don’t crave things such as sugar or salt.
Let’s take a second to break down our diets into there tiniest components to have a better understanding of what exactly goes into our bodies.
A) Diet
Carbohydrates
Probably the most ample and extensive organic substances in nature, and they are essentially a part of all living things. Carbohydrates serve as energy sources and as structural components in organisms.
When choosing carbs avoid ones that are processed because processed foods tend to be high in carbohydrates but low in vitamins, minerals and fiber. But there ARE healthy carb options out there which can make a BIG difference in general health.
Carbs come in many forms, but here are the top three:
1. Starch
Foods high in starch include:
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Starchy vegetables like peas, corn, lima beans and potatoes
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Lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas and split peas
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Grains like oats, barley, rice, wheat and others.
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Whole grains are just that – the whole plant that has been harvested and dried with little processing
2. Sugar
There are two main types of sugars:
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Naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk or fruit and
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Added sugars that are added during processing, a few examples of which are things such as
fruit canned in heavy syrup, sugar added to make a cookie, and table sugar.
3. Fiber
Which is found in plant foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and pulses (dried
beans, peas, and lentils).
Eating foods high in fiber is a great way to fill up and to stay satiated for a longer period of time.
Good sources include:
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Beans and legumes (ie. Black, kidney, pinto, chick peas, white beans and lentils)
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Fruits and vegetables and edible seeds (ie berries)
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Whole wheat pasta
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Whole grain cereals (ie. Old fashioned or steel cut oats)
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Whole grain breads
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Nuts
Fats
Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body’s functions. Research about the possible harms and benefits of dietary fat is always evolving. Current evidence suggests focusing on choosing healthier fats and avoiding the less healthy ones.
Unhealthy fats:
There are two main types of potentially harmful dietary fats:
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Saturated fat.This type of fat comes mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products.
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Trans fat.This type of fat occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts. But most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation.
Healthier fats:
These potentially helpful types of dietary fat are primarily unsaturated fats:
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Monounsaturated fatty acids.This type of fat is found in a variety of foods and oils.
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Polyunsaturated fatty acids.This type of fat is found mostly in plant-based foods and oils.
Foods made up mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at roomtemperature, such as canola oil, olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and corn oil.
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Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3, found in some types of fatty fish, and there are plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
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Fish– Salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring
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Plant– flaxseed (ground), oils (canola, flaxseed, soybean), and nuts and other seeds (walnuts, butternuts, and chia seeds)
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Protein
Protein is found throughout the body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue.
It is made from twenty-plus basic building blocks called amino acids. Because we don’t store amino acids, our bodies make them in two different ways: either from scratch, or through modification.
Based on what scientists saw these are the areas to get your protein intake.
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Get your protein from plants when possible:
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Legumes:lentils, beans (adzuki, black, fava, chick peas /garbanzo, kidney, lima, mung,pinto etc.), peas (green, snow, snap, split, etc.), edamame/soybeans (and products made from soy: tofu, tempeh, etc.), peanuts.
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Nuts and Seeds: almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, squash and pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds.
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Whole Grains: kamut, teff, wheat, quinoa, rice, wild rice, millet, oats, buckwheat.
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Other: while many vegetables and fruits contain some level of protein, it’s generally in smaller amounts than the other plant-based foods. Some examples with higher protein quantities include corn, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and artichokes.
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So how do we incorporate these 3 vital staples into our regime?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) the recommended daily or weekly servings of each food type is based on a total of 2000 calories/day are:
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Vegetables: 5 servings/day
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Fruits: 4 servings/day
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Grains: At least half should be whole grain/high in dietary fiber. 6 servings/day
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Dairy: Low fat and fat free. 3 servings/day
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Poultry, meat, and eggs: Lean and extra lean; skin and visible fat removed. 8-9 servings/week
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Fish and other seafood: 2-3 servings/week.
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Nuts, seeds, beans and legumes: 5 servings/week.
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Fats and oils: 3 servings/day.
I know that is a lot of info to digest, get it?
But the “Nutrition facts label” will help you understand the serving size in order to maintain proper portion control and after a while you’ll get in the habit of what is a serving and eventually won’t need to measure!
The Healthy Eating Plate was created by nutrition experts at Harvard T.H. Chan School Public Health and editors at Harvard Health Publications.
By using this illustration, we can visualize the exact helping of nutrient sources required in our daily diets.
Although, we mentioned that exercise isn’t as important in losing weight as compared to a healthy diet it is still very much a relevant factor in overall weight loss.
B) Exercise
The exercises found to work the best when wanting to whittle down to attain that sleek figure comprises of aerobic workouts or better known as “cardio”.
Aerobic activities generally mean anything that increases your breathing and heart rate such asbrisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, biking, jump rope, Zumba, spin class, kickboxing to name just a few.
In summary when observing the research, the consensus is that dieting (healthy eating) is tremendously more important than compared to exercising when it comes to weight loss with 75% being due to diet and 25% due to exercise.
So, the next time you want to lose those love handles, go by the motto of less crunching (ab exercises) and more munching (healthier foods) and I promise you’ll be saying bye-bye to that burrito belly!
For more check out:
Top 17 Deliciously Weight Loss Smoothie Recipes
Why You Are Not Losing Weight Despite Doing Everything Right!
#1 Best Diet For 2020: Helps To Lose Weight & Keep It Off For Good!
Losing Weight And How I Achieved it! A Beginners Journey
How These 7 Healthy Foods Cause Belly Fat!
How To Quit Sugar For Good! And What To Eat Instead
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Hi I'm Dr. Tina Gupta physician-turned-type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and weight loss coach who helps you easily lower your blood sugars and lose weight by getting to the heart of your needs and desires instead of depending on food to fill that void. If you're interested in working together, email me at drnav@thelifestylecure.com to get started today!
