Publish 1 April 2021
Diets fail when you resume eating the foods you love. Learn portion control for indulgences while introducing a larger group of healthy food options.
Forget About Dieting
Yo-yo dieting is a common phenomenon among people who follow restrictive, bland diets. If you abstain from your favorite foods as part of a weight-loss plan, it is bound to fail. This is because you will regain all the lost weight once you resume eating all the delicious foods you enjoy.
As much as food serves to supply your body with nourishment, it is also a source of happiness and comfort. When your diet excludes foods that make you happy, you will feel starved even after eating other foods to your heart’s content.
Why? Because you develop a strong fondness for the foods (healthy and unhealthy) that you enjoy. Once you can’t have them, you will keep craving them and overindulge on your cheat days.
A restrictive diet can lead to increased cravings, emotional eating, nutritional deficiencies, or eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa. You can eat the foods you love, lose weight, and enjoy adequate nutrition if you eat mindfully…
Lose Weight Eating Favorite Foods
Mindful eating allows you to replace spontaneous actions and thoughts toward food with more intentional and healthier responses. You must be mindful of what you eat. Learn portion control for indulgences while introducing a larger group of healthy food options.
Mindful eating also means that you can only eat when you experience real hunger and stop eating once you feel full. Pair small portions of foods you love with larger amounts of healthy food to increase satiety. Your diet should largely consist of:
1. Fruits are fiber-rich and chock-full of vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients. There is a wide variety of sweet, citrusy, tangy, and sour fruits you can enjoy.
Have up to 4 servings of fresh or dried fruits daily by eating them whole or making them into smoothie blends.
2. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and packed with phytochemicals that help to protect your cells from oxidative damage. They are also loaded with essential vitamins and minerals.
Choose from a wide variety of starchy, cruciferous, leafy greens, and starchy vegetables. Boil, roast, steam, bake, or grill up to 4 servings of vegetables daily.
3. Whole, unrefined grains like rolled oats, quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, seitan, amaranth, whole-wheat pasta, etc., are considerably high in calories and starch. They are also high in gut-friendly fiber, so they are filling.
Whole grains should make the bulk of your daily energy requirement, so you can have up to 7 servings per day. Not only do grains supply high amounts of carbohydrates, but some of them are excellent sources of complete proteins and dietary minerals.
4. Dairy, if you love to have milk in your cereals, stick to low-fat or fat-free options and try to limit consumption to 2 servings. Each serving equals 1 cup (8 fluid ounces).
5. Animal protein includes skinless poultry, lean beef, fatty fish, and seafood. You may add these to your diet in small portions 2–3 servings daily.
6. Nuts, seeds, and nut butter like chia seeds, walnuts, almonds, tahini, hemp, and flax seeds are rich in omega-3. They help to promote all-round growth and development at different life stages. Get your supply of healthy fats, protein, and dietary fiber by adding 1–2 servings of nuts, seeds, or nut butter into your smoothies.
Moderate Guilty Pleasures
If you must have them, enjoy sweets, chocolates, cakes, ice cream, etc., in moderation. You can eat the sweet foods you love only by pairing them with large portions of healthy foods. This will keep you from bingeing as a result of hunger.
Drink red wine instead of alcohol. It contains phytochemicals and antioxidants, including resveratrol, which helps to fight inflammation. Limit consumption to one drink per day for women and two drinks for men.
Avoid highly processed foods because they contain additives that may be harmful to your health. Keep your plate simple and healthy. Increase your physical activity to speed up metabolism, relieve stress, and improve self-image. Fulfilling your energy and nutritional needs while partaking in other health-promoting activities is the key to healthy and sustainable weight loss.
