Nutrition for Weight Loss and Obesity Control
Updated on July 28, 2007
Having a healthy diet does not mean starving yourself or forever banishing the foods you crave. You don't have to give up any of your favorite foods! You only need to make sure that you have balance in your diet (i.e. eat a variety of foods and drink a variety of liquids) and monitor the amount that you eat. A small slice of cake once in awhile (such as once a month) is a nice way to savor a tasty treat. A large slice of cake every day is probably a ticket to obesity-ville.
Step One: Drink Up
Keep yourself hydrated. Many times we eat when we are actually thirsty. Plus, being hydrated helps your body, including your metabolism, run more efficiently.
#1 choice: Water, Caffeine-Free or Decaf Tea or Coffee with no sugar
#2 choice: Diluted Juice (fill your cup half way with water before you pour in the juice), Caffeine-Free or Decaf Tea or Coffee with no more than 2 tsps. of sugar
#3 choice (no more than one or two cups per day): 100% Juice (not diluted), Sparkling Juice
#4 choice (no more than one or two cups per day): Milk, Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Almond Milk
Sodas, sports drinks (unless your doing intense exercise), powdered drinks, and most other drinks contain so much sugar that you may end up gaining weight by drinking them.
Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners, which may potentially be hazardous to your health, so use them sparingly.
You don't have to avoid caffeine. Just know that caffeine can dehydrate you, so for every ounce of caffeinated liquid you have, drink an extra ounce of water.
Step Two: Eat Variety of Fresh Fruits and Veggies
Fresh is the key word here.
Too many canned foods are packed in tons of salt or sugar. If you plan on using canned fruits or vegetables, make sure they are packed in water without sugar or salt.
Dried foods are actually often high in calories because they aren't filled with calorie-free water. Plus, the lack of water in dried fruits and veggies makes them smaller, so we feel tempted to eat more of them. Always rehydrate dried fruit and veggies by putting them in soups, hot cereals, etc. By rehydrating them, you'll get more flavor from them. By mixing them in with soups, cereals, etc. you'll also be likely to eat less of them because they will act as a flavoring agents rather than snack foods.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are acceptable as long as they aren't mixed with any sauces, instant meals, etc. (so creamed spinach doesn't count).
Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in water and fiber. Water has zero calories. Fiber also has zero calories because your body doesn't absorb it. That means you can eat lots of it, and it will fill you up. Fruits and vegetables also have lots of vitamins and minerals which will keep you healthier and even improve the appearance of your skin and hair.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables raw, steamed, roasted, grilled, boiled, or microwaved. Mix them with whole grain pasta, brown rice, meat or mock-meat dishes, etc. Season them with herbs and spices. You can add a small, measured amount of butter (1/2 tbl), honey (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), syrup (1-2 tbl), sauces (1-2 tbl), salad dressing (1-2 tbl), salt (just a pinch), etc. Just don't slather it on.
Some diets suggest that certain fruits or vegetables are bad. Some things like potatoes are high in starch, and some things like bananas are high in sugar. However, they're not bad because they still contain lots of healthy vitamins and minerals. The problem is eating too much of one kind of fruit or vegetable. Don't just eat the same thing all day long. One or two bananas are fine. Five is too much of a good thing.
Step Three: Choose Whole Grains Instead of Processed
Whole grains have a greater nutritional value than processed grains. They have more protein. They have essential fats. They have vitamins and minerals. They also have fiber, which fills you up, helps reduce your blood cholesterol levels, and helps move food along your digestive system.
Processed grains, on the other hand, are mostly starch, which turns into sugar, which raises your blood glucose levels (which promotes insulin resistance diabetes if done often), and gets stored as fat if you don't burn it.
Here are some better whole grain choices:
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Whole grain bread (instead of white, potato, etc.)
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Brown rice (instead of white)
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Noodles made from whole grain flour (instead of white flour)
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Oatmeal (instead of creamed wheat)
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Whole grain cereal (instead of cereal made from refined grains)
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Crackers made from whole grain flour (instead of white flour)
Step Four: Portion Control
We have been trained to eat more than we need. Blame it on our parents who told us to clean our plates (even if we were full). Blame it on restaurants for giving us plates of food that are enough to feed 2 to 3 people. Blame it on the guilt of throwing out food because there are starving children in [fill in country here]. Blame it on buying the bigger size because you get more for your money. Make any excuse you want, but the result is the same, we eat too much food in a single sitting.
We could eat the 6-inch sandwich, but we get the 12-inch. We could have a cup of cereal, but we fill up the bowl (no matter how big the bowl is). We could have a scoop of ice cream, but we have three.
You don't have to cut out any food. Not even chocolate or sticky cinnamon buns. You just need to control how much you eat.
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Get the smallest size possible when you order food (even if the bigger size is cheaper).
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Never buy junk food in bulk, no matter how good of a deal it is. Buy small amounts of the best stuff you can get.
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Wait 30 minutes before you go back for seconds.
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At restaurants, ask for a take-home box immediately when you get your food, and put half of your meal in the box before you take a single bite. Save it for a meal tomorrow.
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Buy several sets of measuring cups, and use them as scoops when you cook at home. Measure everything. Don't try to guess.
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Always split your dessert with a friend, and if you make a batch of cookies, share it with your neighbors (they'll love it).
Step Five: Plan Your Meals
Get out your calendar and decide which meals you are going to have and when you are going to have them. Pasta on Tuesday. Pizza on Friday. Got a new recipe? Pick a day to make it. Start thinking about what you are going to put into your body rather than just eating things that are convenient. This will reduce temptation to just throw anything together (especially anything high in calories and low in nutrition).
If you won't be home for your meal, avoid fast food and junk snacks by bringing your food with you. Bring your lunch to work. Bring a cooler packed with food for road trips. Sneak your own food into movie theaters.
Tip: Learn Some Basic Cooking Skills
Get a cook book. When I say cook book, I'm not talking about the 30-page books you order from magazines. A good cook book is huge. It contains recipes as well as information and lessons on how to cook. (There is a difference between a recipe and cooking lessons.)
Flip through your cook book and pick out some recipes you'd like to try. Read through the information sections to learn how to cook the basics. Even if you don't understand it, it will stick in your mind and be useful later on during an "Oh, that's what that means" moment.
Watch cooking shows. Notice how they manage to make meals in less than an hour, and they rarely if ever use a microwave or prepackaged items. I highly recommend watching Good Eats, America's Test Kitchen, 30-Minute Meals, and How to Boil Water. Don't focus on being a gourmet until you get the basics down.
Tip: Shop for Ingredients, Not Meals
When you plan out your meals, get your recipes together, make your list of ingredients, and shop for them.
If you're making macaroni and cheese, you will be shopping for things like macaroni noodles, cheddar cheese, flour, oil or butter, milk, salt, etc. You will not be shopping for a box of macaroni and cheese. It's fine to have one or two boxes of macaroni and cheese for those "I just walked in the door, and the kids are crying because they're starving" moments, but don't plan on having it for a normal meal.
Tip: Use Fresh Foods
Nothing makes you want to prepare a healthy meal like buying fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of flours and grains, nuts and seeds, and of course dairy products. Grow a garden, and you'll become obsessed with fresh foods.
...by Feed