So, the holidays are over. It might feel that, during the holiday season, you have put on a bit of extra weight and now it would be a good time to get rid of a few of those extra pounds.
Losing weight is usually associated with restrictions, endless calorie counting and a fear of slipping which may result in overeating. What if you could lose weight without feeling hungry and having a bad conscience over a treat or two?
Diets make you gain weight
People on a diet tend to lose approximately 7-11 pounds. And it all comes back within a year. Only 5% of dieters manage to achieve their goal and maintain their ideal weight.
There are a lot of reasons why diets are failing us
- One of the main reasons for failure is the lack of allowance. A diet is often all-or-nothing. Food that is permitted can be very different to that which you are used to. If the diet is very one-sided it may lack essential nutrients meaning you never feel satisfied even if the portion size had been sufficient.
- Calorie counting on the other hand often results in a situation where you start ”saving” calories for treats, or you start waiting for the day when the diet is over and you can “eat again”. Sounds familiar?
Dare to eat
Surprisingly, when losing weight it is important to eat sufficiently and often enough. Especially if exercise is involved. With these rules you can lose weight by eating:
1. The Balanced Plate Diet
Half of your plate should be made up of vegetables and the other half should be 25% of protein and 25% of carbohydrate. We tend to eat the same amount of food regardless of its calorie density. When you always fill half of your plate with veggies, the amount of calories is naturally lower.
2. More veggies
Veggies should make up half of the plate in each meal and snack. Include vegetables, fruit and berries to your meals. They give you the feeling of satiety without adding a lot of energy. At the same time our body gets essential antioxidants and nutrients.
3. More protein
Sufficient amounts of protein brings a long-lasting feeling of satisfaction. Breakfast especially should include enough protein. Good sources of protein are meat, dairy products, eggs and legumes, nuts and seeds.
4. Good fats
If we only decrease the amount of fat, we also decrease the amount of unsaturated fat meaning all of a sudden our diet lacks the necessary omega-3 fatty acids! Good sources of fats are, for example, canola oil, nuts, seeds, fatty margarine and avocados. You should eat a couple of tea spoons daily at least!
5. Regular eating
Regular eating means 4 to 6 meals a day. This keeps blood glucose levels stable, it means your hunger doesn’t grow too much and cravings for unhealthy food stay away. Your energy levels don’t flag and you keep going all day long.
A given diet plan or sustainable weight loss?
Diet plans often offer a list of permitted foods and few options for each meal. Since we make over 200 food choices daily, a planned diet sounds tempting. There’s no need to figure it out myself! But a diet is only temporary. When it ends you need to be able to make those 200 decision by yourself so that you keep the extra pounds off.
The See How You Eat Coach app helps you to make small healthy changes in your diet that make a big difference in the long run. We don’t tell you exactly what to eat but guide you towards healthier choices and making them a part of your daily life. You get instant feedback from your choices as well as tools and daily tips that motivate and help you to improve.
We also believe that a treat or two once in a while are part of our daily life and don’t harm anyone. (Quite the opposite!) When 80% of your choices are very healthy, you don’t have to stress about the remaining 20%. You will lose weight and permanent weight management becomes possible.
Eat for a healthier mind and body!
Mia, Mike & Marika
Health Revolution -team