SHOULD YOU REALLY EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT

The common belief is that the only way to lose weight is by eating less. Lately, however, the more I hear about dieting and weight loss, the more I hear that we should actually eat more in order to lose weight. How's that possible?? Let's take a closer look at this theory to find out if it's fact or myth.

Many people who research diet plans find that they get "stuck" before they even begin. One of the main reasons, aside from what should be eaten, is the difference in opinions on whether we should eat less in order to shed some pounds or whether we should eat more to lose weight. The logical thinking would be that you eat less, you weigh less, as many diets will also have you believe. More and more experts are now disagreeing with this common belief though, and telling us that the real key is to start a regimented diet that leads us to eat more to lose weight.

Diets that restrict your caloric and food intakes are actually just setting you up for failure. When you first start eating less, sure you may find that your weight has gone down, but as soon as your body goes into "starvation" mode, it will decide to start burning muscle instead of fat. This will not only leave you frustrated and discouraged, but will also lead to a more fierce battle with your weight.

Most of you who want to weight will also agree that you don't want to sacrifice your health while doing it, and starving yourself obviously doesn't sound like the healthy way to go. In fact, the opposite can be done so you can remain healthy and lose the weight you desire. Find a diet that tells you to eat more to lose weight and encourages anywhere from 5 to 7 well-balanced, well-proportioned meals a day if you want to achieve healthy, successful weight loss.

The reason it's being said now that we should eat more to lose weight is that smaller, more frequent eating gives us more energy throughout the day, which builds up our metabolism. Our metabolism is what breaks down the foods and sugars in our body so they don't store as fat. Eating more will give us a higher metabolic rate which will lead to our bodies breaking down those sugars even faster. More food equals more energy, and more energy equals a higher metabolism, leading to weight loss.

Another reason you will want to eat more to lose weight is because it will not only give your body the energy it needs in order to start burning fat, but it also keeps you more satisfied throughout the day so you won't have the urge to overeat. One of the biggest reasons that beginning a weight loss program that takes you down this road is that it's the type of diet that anyone can stick to. Most diets fail because they are simply too difficult for any normal person to adhere to for a long period of time. It's extremely important for anyone who is looking to successfully lose weight to choose a diet that not only works, but is right for them. And I think anyone can agree that it's much easier to eat more frequently than to starve themselves.

Even though cutting down on foods and even skipping meals may seem like the logical, clear path to weight loss, we can see that, as well as being unhealthy, it can also hinder our dieting attempts. Make sure to nourish your body frequently with high quality foods and nutrients. Find out firsthand that you can truly eat more to lose weight, and keep your health intact while doing so
JAZZ UP YOUR HEALTHY DIET MENU

Fasting does not mean you limit yourselves to drab old salads and juices. Let us see how to jazz up your healthy diet menu...

Fasting is a wonderful new beginning.... But, thanks to that salivating tongue, foodies never find fasting fun even though they know the health benefits of fasting. So, nutritionists have taken up the responsibility of making fasting, fun with their little tricks and tips. Nidhi Aggarwal, a nutritionist says, “Bake, grill, boil, do anything but fry. If you fast on a regular basis, then go for boiled potato chat and garnish it with all the vegetables you like. Instead of concentrating on the potatoes, you can concentrate on the other veggies. Beet root pakodas and sweet potato kheer are also good options.” Fasting can be fun. All you need is a little determination and loads of vegetables, nuts and fruits.

Naini Setalvad, nutritionist and health consultant says, “When you are fasting, have lots of fruits and nuts. Go for nuts and vegetables cooked with minimum oil. Make a salad out of bottle gourd and cucumber and spice it up with cumin or green/red chilly. Slow cook whatever you are making so that the flavors come out.


For those, who complain about the lack of choices in fasting, nutritionist Rajan Bhokhle has some good news,“Juice fast, dry fast, tea fast, master cleanse fast and fasting for religious purposes or just to lose weight, choose what you want to do and why. Some people also fast to enjoy special fasting foods like mint sabudana salad and watermelon smoothies. A well garnished peanut curry with a dash of kokum or tamarind pulp, vegetable broth or apple, cranberries and grapefruit juices are also good options.”

Fasting may not exactly sound like fun but with the lemonade diet, the cookie diet and a juice fasting diet, it can be made interesting. Not only is the food consumed during fasting important, so is the food after the fast. Dietician Ritu Galotia says that one of the golden rules when fasting is to break the fast extremely slowly and carefully. She adds, “Drink lots of vegetable juices, and consume well garnished fruits. Oatmeal is also a great food to eat afterwards. Do not overeat!”

Looks matter, whether it’s that of an individual or even something on the menu. Buy a fancy bowl, decorate it with some salad leaves, put some nicely chopped, chilled fruits and vegetables and feel like a queen (or a king). And yes, don’t forget to stand on that weighing machine after you break the fast!