There is so much controversial information about losing weight. There is a lot of information that is not accurate. It’s very easy to be misled. You may end up being frustrated or giving up on your weight loss dream when you are led to do things that do not work. To avoid doing thing that don’t work, you should know the fundamental principles of losing weight. You should raise your red flag every time you are advised to do things that are not in line with the weight loss principles. Here are the fundamental weight loss principles that you should be aware of if you want to lose weight successfully;
Reducing calorie intake is crucial
One of the reasons why you may not be losing weight as you would want to is because you are taking in more calories that you are using. You have to take in less calories than the calories that you are using to be able to lose weight. It’s that simple! You will be able to achieve this by knowing the calories in each type of food you are eating. You should avoid eating too much carbs. This is not because carbohydrates are bad. Its because they are very high in calories.
1 pound is equal to 3500 calories. To be able to lose 1 pound of fat, you have to burn 3500 calories or more. Try to avoid carbs that are high in calories such as bread, soft drinks, rice and sugar. You can get your daily supply of carbs from vegetables and fruits.
It’s important to drink plenty of water
Make sure that you drink plenty of water every day. In most cases, you are actually feeling thirsty when you feel hungry. The next time you go to get snack, drink a tall glass of water before picking it up. Keeping your body well hydrated helps to optimize the rate of metabolism. This means that you will be able to burn the fat reserves faster when your body is well hydrated at all times. You should drink at least two liters of water every day. Drinking a lot more won’t hurt you. Water has zero calories.
Your diet should include proteins and fats
To be able to shed off the fat in your body effectively, you have to include protein in your diet plan. Protein increases satiety. It also helps you to preserve your muscle mass when you are working on losing weight. There are many rich sources of protein. You can incorporate eggs into your breakfast and nuts into your snacks. Include lean protein such as fish, chicken and beans into your dinner and lunch. It is important to spread your protein intake evenly across the different meals that you take every day. Do not forget to take a fast digesting form of protein (e.g. protein shake) immediately after working out.
Contrary to what most people think, fats are not bad. Just like other things, you should take in fats in moderation. Only take in the healthy fat (monosaturated fat).
Prioritize strength training
If you on a healthy diet plan, you should prioritize strength training instead of cardio. Strength training will help you build lean muscles in your body. Hit the gym three to four times week to lift some weights. Strength training will help you to create more muscle and as well as keep the muscles that you already have. When you have a high muscle mass, you will be able to burn fats much faster. You will even be able to burn fat when you are sleeping. This is because muscles have a high energy requirement.
It takes time to lose weight
Do not believe the advertisement for pills, herbs and portion that will melt your fat reserves in a week or two. It takes time to lose weight the healthy way. The advertisements are nothing but marketing strategies. Most of the weight loss products advertised may also have adverse side effects. To be able to lose weight, you have to stick to your diet plan and to exercise for some time to witness significant changes. You should not be discouraged to realize that you have not lost much weight when you get on weighing scale after two weeks.