okay... i've read this thread and here are some advice from a licensed professional...
the best way to lose weight is to really control what you eat... i'm not saying that you should refrain from eating a single type of food like rice, just the opposite...
variety and moderation is key to a healthy diet... the Philippine food pyramid guide is the best reference about your diet...
to explain the food pyramid, the base of the pyramid is what you should consume the most.
so the base of the pyramid is usually water normally we would need 8-10 glasses of water, but recent studies have shown that we need more... so the recommended water intak is now 10-13 glasses of water a day...
on top of water, the next food group that we should eat more of are the carbs, rice, grains, breads, tubers cereals, etc... whole grains are best since the bran is still intact and the bran contains a lot of nutrients. another good thing about whole grains is the fiber... as you probably know, fiber helps keep our body healthy.
on top of carbs are fruits and vegetables... you should eat at least three servings of fruits daily and at least 1 and a half cup of vegetables. this should meet your vitamin and mineral requirements.
next on the list are the meats and dairy... a glass of milk a day, preferably low or non fat, will meet the calcium requirements of the body. another good thing about milk is that studies have shown that adequate calcium intake helps in weight management since calcium blocks the absorption of fats... about the meats, just remove the visible fats and you should be okay...
the tip of the pyramid, meaning you should limit these foods are sugars, fats and oils... so if you want a soda, go for the light or diet ones... and avoid fried foods from now on... mayonnaise, butter, margarine, sandwich spreads, these are considered as fats... so cut down on these foods...
here's a tip... VOLUMETRICs
look at the caloric density of foods you can eat a ot of the less calorie dense foods like fruits and vegetables... lets see, a cup of vegetables only gives you about 32 calories... a cup of rice 200 calories... so you can eat about 6-7 cups of vegetables (minus the dressing) before you get the same amount of calories from rice...
and another thing... DON'T EVER SKIP MEALS!!!
if you skip meals, the body tends to adapt itself to these periods of starvation, meaning once you resume your normal diet, your body will store most of the food you eat in order to prepare for future periods of starvation meaning it will make you fat...
and EXERCISE IS KEY!!! raising your metabolism through aerobic exercise will greatly affect how much weight you lose.. also you need weight training to strengthen and increase muscle mass... more muscle mass means more calories burned even while resting...
for those going to the gym and still wondering why they lose weight at such a slow pace, its because muscles weigh twice as much as fat... so lets say a cube of muscle measuring an inch all sides compared to a cube of fat with the same measurements, the muscle will be heavier than the fat... so don't despair... use the tape measure instead of the weighing scale...
for more questions... just pm me...
-Ian Recolizado RND(Registered Nutritionist Dietitian)-
