Some Of The Best Ways To Lose Weight
And Not Put It Back On
Have you noticed that your body may not be quite as energetic as your mind and attitude? Perhaps you feel a little more fatigued than you should, or your feet and back may ache. These can all be symptoms of the trend in our culture to carry more extra weight on our frame than it was made for.
If this issue has been on your mind and you have been desiring to improve your health, then now is a great time to re-evaluate your eating habits and find healthy ways to lose the extra weight.
The best ways to lose weight are those that consider the long term effects of whatever method you choose to drop the pounds. Your weight loss plan should give you healthy ideas you can follow and live with for weeks, months or even years to come. At the same time, it should help you at lose at least a few pounds of quickly within the first couple of weeks.
Most research will tell you that the healthiest way to diet is to lose weight slowly and consistently. In the big picture this is true, but in the beginning it is also important to see good results fast. This is one reason why most diets begin with a very restricted program for the first few weeks.
They also do this to capitalize on the current motivation which propelled you toward dieting in the first place. Whatever motivation that made you take the first steps toward losing weight will probably carry you through at least the first few days of your diet without losing the battle of temptation. Use your strong motivation of the moment to do a healthy over-hall on your diet and be very restrictive for a time.
Consult with your doctor before starting any diet plan, but assuming you are relatively healthy, you can consider a few radical changes for the first 2-4 weeks.
Most diets focus on what you cannot eat. But in fact one of the best ways to lose weight is to add even more healthy foods into your diet. The plan below, which is based around Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "Eat To Live" Diet, may help you to lose weight in a fashion you may not have thought possible. The quantity of food you eat should actually be greater than it has been till now and in this way speed up the fat burning process. Eating at least every 4 hours enables your metabolism to work more effectively.
Here is a possible diet suggestion for the first 4 weeks:
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- At least one pound of fresh raw vegetables a day (half of them green). Have more if you want. Try raw broccoli chopped up in your food, eat fresh spinach or lettuce with every meal, add in a couple of celery sticks. Raw carrots are great too.
- At least one pound of cooked vegetables every day (half of them green). Have more if you want. Make lots of soup! But do not include any starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, or rutabaga.
- At least one pound of whole fresh raw fruit a day (especially berries). Have more if you want, but do not eat fruit at the same meal with any of the foods recommended below. Do not drink fruit juice - eat the whole fruit.
- At least 8 oz of peas, beans or lentils a day (cooked weight).
- Not more than 8 oz of potatoes, corn, rice or other grains, cooked carrots etc in a day.
- Not more than 4 oz of meat or fish (that's 4 oz total - not 4 oz of each!).
- Not more than 2-3 oz. of raw, unsalted nuts or seeds.
- Not more than a quarter teaspoon of salt (except Celtic).
- No sugar or artificial sweeteners (try Stevia or Agave in small quantities if you need a bit of sweetener).
- No oils, butter, mayonnaise etc. (except Olive Oil).
- No dairy products or eggs (unless organic and unpasteurized- then limited to 1 serving/day).
- No white flour products (bread, pasta, etc.) 100% whole grain products can be used in moderation.
- No alcoholic drinks.
- No dried fruits or fruit juice.
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Reminder: this is to be used strictly for 4 weeks. Later if you wish, you can adjust and add more flexibility into the diet so that it will fit with your lifestyle. Raw honey, unprocessed fats/butter (ie. Earth Balance) will be helpful as you are adding healthy options. Keep in mind the above recommendations will help you achieve more rapid weight loss and need only be adhered to closely for the first 4 weeks.
However, you will find it is best never to add back sugar or sweeteners even in very small quantities. If you never eat them, you will find your taste buds have been re-educated not to need them. After 4 weeks without refined sugar you will no longer crave sugar, which will make it much easier to stick your diet. This also helps to eliminate processed and unhealthy fats that so often come in the same package.
You will also enjoy your vegetables more than you imagined you could. You will find that nearly every natural food begins to taste more flavorful and delicious when you do not spoil your taste buds with sugar.
This means you will need to avoid most packaged foods, mayonnaise, sauces etc. that almost always include sugar. Always read the labels.
This method is one of the best ways of losing weight that can bring you quick results as well as helping you to reach your target weight over the longer haul. Give it a try. You may be amazed at not only the weight changes but the increase in your immune function and feelings of overall well-being.
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