The battle to lose weight is a difficult journey for many Americans. Some people have trouble losing weight, while others have difficulty keeping the pounds off. Successful weight loss and maintenance depends on following a proper diet and exercise regimen.
Determine How You Feel
Before even thinking about opening the refrigerator, you should first determine how your body feels. Consider whether or not you are really hungry. People eat for a variety of reasons other than hunger—boredom, social pressure, pleasure—and often overindulge. To avoid this common pitfall, ask yourself whether or not you are really hungry. Hunger is also often confused with thirst, resulting in the consumption of extra calories instead of satisfying a body’s real need with a simple glass of water. This can happen especially in the spring and summer, when temperatures are rising and thirst and dehydration set in quicker. If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water and waiting ten or fifteen minutes to see if you still feel the same way. Avoid drinking soda or other sugary drinks, which contain an average of 300 extra calories that your body doesn’t need.
The Right Choices
Certain foods have different effects on your body and can make the battle of the bulge easier. Eating a bit of lean protein, such as chicken, turkey or fish at every meal keeps you full longer and may prevent you from feeling the urge to binge. Protein is also key in building and repairing muscles tired out from the gym. Vegetables, which are high in fiber and water, can also help stave off hunger while only contributing a small amount of calories to your diet. Food containing unrefined carbohydrates like whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice have a similar filling effect as protein. In addition, when eaten before a workout session, such foods can boost your exercise success rate.
Much like “the power of positive thinking”, think about what you can add to your diet, not take away from it. The more good food you include in your diet, the less you’ll feel a need to satisfy your hunger with bad food because there just won’t be any room in your stomach.
Be sure to take proper care of your body. A healthy diet, when combined with exercise and adequate amount of sleep is more effective than a healthy diet alone. Adequate exercise is considered to be about an hour a day, while 7-8 hours of sleep is ideal.
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