Diet, Yes Diet, Is Critical For Weight Loss
Introduction
You are what you eat. This old saying is particularly true when it comes to your weight. If your diet consists of foods high in fat and calories, then you will likely be overweight.
If your diet is a healthy and balanced then you will be likely be at a good weight. You can certainly eat foods high in fat but they shouldn’t dominate your diet. In fact, having some high fat foods regularly should help keep your cravings in check.
The Simple Math of Weight Maintenance
So why do health experts tell you to stay away from high fat, high calorie foods? It is simple math; your body only needs so many calories per day for basic function. Consuming a high amount of these bad foods will likely be more than you need.
If you consume more than you need, these extra calories are stored in your body. Over time, the additional calories add up and you gain weight. Even if you are an average math student, you can figure out that more calories equals more weight!
Why is it So Hard to Lose Weight?
If weight maintenance is simple math, why don’t more people do the calculations and lose weight easier? The reason, of course, is that most of the bad foods taste so good! However, something you might not realize is that many of the good foods also taste very good.
Consider this example for a minute. You can eat a hamburger from a local fast food restaurant and consume well over 600 calories with high fat. Depending on your height and weight, the average person needs between 1,800-2,000 calories per day.
As you can see, this one hamburger is a significant portion of your daily food intake. If every meal you have is equal to this one, you can see how quickly weight gain happens. Once you add in some peoples’ tendency to snack frequently, calories add up very fast.
What’s The Alternative?
Your local meat market will likely sell lean hamburger that tastes better than the fast food burger. If you want, you can add in some low fat condiments for half the calories but not half the taste. If all of your meals are similar to this, you can see how weight loss can be achieved.
For many people the concept of “diet” can be the last thing they want to hear. If you consider eating new foods a long-term, lifestyle change you will get better results. The key is to keep the new habits with better food, not eat them only until you lose weight.
If you stop these good habits once you’ve lost weight, you will gain that weight back. Going back to your old habits means going back to the fatty hamburgers and expanding waistline. Once you’ve made the lifestyle change to a better diet, you should feel better about yourself.
Conclusion
One conclusive sign that you’ve succeeded in your lifestyle switch is if some fatty foods disgust you. It is good to eat some fatty foods once in awhile to keep your cravings in check. If you are finding that you still can’t resist those fatty potato chips, there’s more work to do.
If you are in a position where you choose when you want to have a little bad food, you’ve done good. The key to successful weight loss is to be in control of your diet, not the other way around. Control of your diet and regular exercise will not only keep the weight off but will lead to long-term good health.
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