You don’t need to starve yourself on a wacky fad diet if you want to look better in your shorts or swimsuit this summer.
The secret to weight loss is to choose healthy foods and take in fewer calories than you burn. And it's just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. The best foods for weight loss in summer are light, refreshing and, most important, keep you out of the hot kitchen.
The single easiest way to trim calories from your summer diet, experts say, is to load up on nature’s bounty. Produce is at its peak in summer. Delicious fruits and vegetables abound at farmers' markets and in your local grocery. Besides being low in calories, produce is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
"Enjoy fresh produce in season. You will be thrilled at how fresh, delicious, and satisfying it tastes," says Susan Moores, RD, a St. Paul, Minn. nutrition consultant. "Save the oranges and apples for fall, and load up on fresh berries, melons, greens, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, pea pods, and all the super-nutritious and low-calorie fruits, greens and vegetables that grow in the garden this time of year."
As a bonus, you can forget about portion control when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, Moores say.
"Go for it, because it is hard to do much damage to your waistline with these super-nutritious edibles," says Moores
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
High protein breakfast may limit snacking
Overweight/obese, "breakfast skipping," teen girls who ate a high-protein breakfast reduced their unhealthy snacking later in the day, U.S. researchers say.
Heather Leidy of the University of Missouri said the study involved 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 who either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Each breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density, but the high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein, Leidy said.
Study participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples throughout the day. Prior to dinner, functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans were performed to track brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior, Leidy said.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found the consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or "satiety" along with reductions in brain activity responsible for controlling food cravings.
The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods, the study said.
"Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks," Leidy said in a statement. "These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods."
DRINKS TO MAKE YOU LOSE BODY FAT
Once dieters decide to change their eating habits for weight loss purposes, many focus on solid foods alone. However, the amount of calories you ingest from drinks like soda, fruit juice and alcohol may be the true culprit for excess fat storage. Making simple changes to your beverage consumption habits may be the ticket to losing unwanted body fat.
Water
Good old-fashioned water is one of the best drinks to help you lose body fat. Not only is it usually free and helps cleanse toxins out of your body, but it may also help to boost your metabolism. You should drink at least six to eight glasses a day. Try sprucing it up with a splash of lemon or lime to give it a zesty flavor.
Green Tea
Green tea offers a wide variety of chemicals and compounds that help you fight body fat. Caffeine is one of the main ingredients, but EGCG and catechins are two other fat-burning contents of green tea. A study published in the "Journal of Nutrition" found that green tea combined with regular exercise helped to stimulate body fat loss, particularly around the midsection.
HOW TO GET SKINNY LEGS FAST WITH EXERCISES
If you want to slim down your legs, make modifications to your workout routine. An effective lower-body workout should include exercises to activate your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Because it is not possible to spot-reduce weight, you need to reduce your total body weight to trim inches off your legs. Include high-intensity leg workouts in your full-body exercise routine and follow a balanced, healthy diet to help you get skinny legs fast.
Step 1
Train your legs two times per week. Include exercises to target each muscle in your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes. Use light to moderate resistance; completing a set of 25 repetitions should be a challenge.
Step 2
Perform sumo squats to tone your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes while engaging your inner thighs. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold a barbell with your arms down in front of you. Lower your hips toward the floor until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your chest elevated throughout the movement. Press your body up until your legs are straight, returning to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 20 repetitions.
Step 1
Train your legs two times per week. Include exercises to target each muscle in your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes. Use light to moderate resistance; completing a set of 25 repetitions should be a challenge.
Step 2
Perform sumo squats to tone your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes while engaging your inner thighs. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold a barbell with your arms down in front of you. Lower your hips toward the floor until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your chest elevated throughout the movement. Press your body up until your legs are straight, returning to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 20 repetitions.
What’s the Best Diet for Men?
How should you eat to look cut on the beach this summer? You might try fasting—if you were a rodent. Mice fed a high-fat diet that fasted for 16 hours a day weighed 28 percent less than a group of rodents that nibbled on an identical diet throughout the day, revealed a new study in the journal Cell Metabolism. Fasting may make metabolism more efficient and burn more fat, the researchers say.
So should you fast? It’s too early to tell exactly how fasting affects human metabolism. Experts agree that the best diet for you is the one that you can stick to. “The way you diet is all about your personal preferences,” says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health nutrition advisor. “You’ll lose weight on any plan that helps you cut calories.” But you do need some sort of plan in order to shed pounds successfully, Aragon says. (Our pick? The Men’s Health Diet, of course—it’s a real-world plan you can follow for life!)
Here, we examine the benefits—and pitfalls—of three popular ways to eat.
Diet Plan: Six small meals
You eat small, 300-calorie meals six times a day. The problem: It’s easy to overeat. “Many people think that every meal has to be a balanced mix of protein, starch, and veggies, but that’s when those meals become too big,” says Aragon. Not to mention, 300 calories looks puny on your plate.
So should you fast? It’s too early to tell exactly how fasting affects human metabolism. Experts agree that the best diet for you is the one that you can stick to. “The way you diet is all about your personal preferences,” says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health nutrition advisor. “You’ll lose weight on any plan that helps you cut calories.” But you do need some sort of plan in order to shed pounds successfully, Aragon says. (Our pick? The Men’s Health Diet, of course—it’s a real-world plan you can follow for life!)
Here, we examine the benefits—and pitfalls—of three popular ways to eat.
Diet Plan: Six small meals
You eat small, 300-calorie meals six times a day. The problem: It’s easy to overeat. “Many people think that every meal has to be a balanced mix of protein, starch, and veggies, but that’s when those meals become too big,” says Aragon. Not to mention, 300 calories looks puny on your plate.
7 Diet Myths Exposed
Drinking and eating myths debunked. They say you should banish late-night meals, slave over old-fashioned oatmeal, and stop after one bite of dessert. Obviously, "they" don't live in the real world
Most of the time, nutritionists and dietitians are full of brilliant ideas that help you eat healthier, stay slimmer, and live longer. But every once in a while, food gurus forget that the rest of us have limited time, funds, and willpower. That's when they spit out wonky bits of wisdom like "Ask your waiter to wrap half your entrée before you start eating." Yeah, he'd be happy to--right after he sticks his thumb in your salade Niçoise. We collected seven of the hardest-to-swallow expert suggestions and replaced them with equally healthy tips that a normal person can actually use. Because unless your name is Jessica Seinfeld, you're not going to spend every second fretting about what goes on your plate.
The advice: Chug eight glasses of water a day.
Why it's useless: Peeing every 20 minutes seriously interferes with life.
The real deal: Believe it or not, the eight-glass quota isn't etched in stone. Yes, we need to be well-hydrated, but if your urine is clear or close to it, you're probably getting enough fluids. If your No. 1 is neon yellow, lighten things up by adding one or two glasses a day. Once your body adjusts to getting more fluid (and you don't have to run to the can every 10 minutes), add another, says Karen Benzinger, R.D., a dietary consultant in Chicago who specializes in health care. And don't forget that all liquids--including tea, juice, even the tonic in your vodka drink--help keep your body sufficiently saturated.
10 EASY WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT STARVING
1. Always Eat a Man's Breakfast
No more Lucky Charms—you want some protein and fat. Scrambled eggs and a few sausage links will keep you fuller longer than an airy doughnut will.
2. Eat More!
We're talking three good snacks and three healthful meals. But what do you serve during the bowl game if you can't have chips and dip? Mixed nuts—especially almonds—will satisfy your craving for something crunchy while helping to build muscle.
3. Just Say No to Starches
Foods like pasta, white bread, and potatoes make you fat. If you must have pasta, make yours whole-wheat. Same goes for bread, and swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes. Just don't eat too much! A perfect example of a great swap are these crispy sweet potato fries. You'll never go back to regular potatoes.
4. Lift Weights
Yes, you have to hit the gym, and no, lifting beer cans during happy hour doesn't count. The muscles you build will not only improve your performance, they'll stoke your metabolism so you burn calories long after your workout is over.
5. Think Before You Eat
Don't just stuff your face with the stale cookies left over from the holidays, eat what tastes good and what's good for you. Take your time eating; you'll stay fuller longer. Here are 7 ways to harness your hunger from a grumbling stomach.
No more Lucky Charms—you want some protein and fat. Scrambled eggs and a few sausage links will keep you fuller longer than an airy doughnut will.
2. Eat More!
We're talking three good snacks and three healthful meals. But what do you serve during the bowl game if you can't have chips and dip? Mixed nuts—especially almonds—will satisfy your craving for something crunchy while helping to build muscle.
3. Just Say No to Starches
Foods like pasta, white bread, and potatoes make you fat. If you must have pasta, make yours whole-wheat. Same goes for bread, and swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes. Just don't eat too much! A perfect example of a great swap are these crispy sweet potato fries. You'll never go back to regular potatoes.
4. Lift Weights
Yes, you have to hit the gym, and no, lifting beer cans during happy hour doesn't count. The muscles you build will not only improve your performance, they'll stoke your metabolism so you burn calories long after your workout is over.
5. Think Before You Eat
Don't just stuff your face with the stale cookies left over from the holidays, eat what tastes good and what's good for you. Take your time eating; you'll stay fuller longer. Here are 7 ways to harness your hunger from a grumbling stomach.
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