According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized by “abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that can affect health”. It is therefore important to act. As such, the diet to lose weight offers recommendations to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. It aims to provide the body with what it needs when it needs it. By focusing on the right foods to lose weight, you increase your chances of losing weight without frustration or deprivation.
Diet and Food Regimes introduction
Since the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized obesity as “abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that can affect health”, it is important to act on time and prevent any major health problems from happening.
Diet and Menus for Losing Weight: Understand Everything in 2 Minutes
As such, diets for losing weight offer recommendations to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. The diets are aimed to give the body what it needs when it needs it. By focusing on the consumption of the right food, you increase your chances of losing weight without any frustration or deprivation.
The 5 essential points of the diet to lose weight:
- Listen to food sensations
- Favor foods with low energy density
- Include more fibers
- Avoid fats, sugar, and industrial products
- Fight against a sedentary lifestyle
- Benefits of a Diet for Losing Weight
The diet for losing weight has many health benefits. Some of them include the following:
- Take into account the concept of the energy density of foods
- Lose weight without feeling hungry, frustrated or tired
- Does not require excessive control of the amount of food consumed
- Does not require calorie calculations
- Learn to listen to the sensations of food: without any deprivation, you will stop eating naturally when you will not be hungry anymore.
- The most important rule of this diet is to eat only when you are hungry and stop as soon as you feel full.
However, for health reasons, weight loss should not exceed 1kg per week.
Our Recommendations for What Your Diet Meal Should Contain
The Weight Loss Diet is a set of recommendations on the best food choices to make to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It allows the weight loss process to continue gradually.
Here are our dietary recommendations for sustainable weight loss.
Foods for Losing Weight
Some food categories, in addition to being full, can really help the body lose weight. Foods to lose weight are very useful as part of a meal diet to lose weight without deprivation.
Low Energy Density Food
The best way to lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight, is to increase your intake of satisfying foods chosen according to their energy density. Energy density takes into account the number of calories contained in food in relation to the volume of the food. For example, you will need to eat several apples for eating 100 kcal. On the other hand, it will only take a small handful of chips to reach the same energy intake of 100 kcal.
As part of this diet, it is therefore recommended to consume most of the low energy density foods: fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and legumes. Rich in fiber, water, and micro-nutrients, they satisfy with very few calories.
Here is a classification of the foods to be preferred and the foods to be limited according to their energy density:
| Preferred food Energy density from 0 to 1.5 | Food for moderate consumption Energy density from 1.5 to 4 | Food that needs to be limited Energy density from 4 to 9 |
|---|---|---|
| ● Fruits and vegetables ● Potato and corn ● Whole grain cereals ● Pulses ● Whitefish and seafood ● Turkey ham ● Skimmed milk and soya milk ● Vegetable broths ● Yogurts 0% | ● Meat products ● Poultry ● Eggs ● Cheese ● Bread | ● Frying and breading ● Industrial biscuits and cakes ● Pizza ● Mayonnaise-type sauces ● Viennese pastries and pastries ● Deli meats ● Margarine ● Butter |
Eating Fruits and Vegetables
It is important to consume at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day as part of a diet. The latter are low in calories, high in fiber, water, and antioxidants. A plate must be 50% filled with plants. This way your diet meal will have a much better chance of satisfying you for a lower amount of calories.
One serving of fruit and vegetables is equivalent to :
- 250g vegetables
- 1 bowl of salad
- 1 apple
- 250g strawberries
- 2 kiwi
- Half a melon
Promote Protein
Proteins are satisfying foods, they are the consistent part of the meal. They are very important in a balanced diet because they provide stable energy and prevent hunger between meals. They act as speed regulators: consuming them at each meal provides the body with energy throughout the day. To lose weight, protein must represent 20% of total calories.
Some protein-rich foods to include in the diet to lose weight:
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Fishes
- Lean meat
- Dairy products 0%.
- Pulses
- Soybean-based meat substitutes and tofu
- Oilseed butter (limit to 1 teaspoon per day)
Favor Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber has its rightful place in a diet meal. They reduce appetite and promote weight control in two ways. On the one hand, they slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood, on the other hand, they swell in the presence of water and give the stomach the feeling of being full. It is recommended to consume 25 to 30g of fiber per day. By consuming fruits and vegetables with each meal, whole grains and legumes, this 30g intake is quite achievable.
Some tips to increase your fiber intake as part of a diet:
- Choose wholemeal bread and starches
- Add oat bran to dishes (yogurts, soups, salads, etc.)
- Make your own juices by mixing fresh fruit
- Add seeds and nuts to dishes
- Eat legumes by adding them to your salads, soups, and dishes
Make a Light Meal in the Evening
In the evening, the body no longer needs as much energy as during the day. It is, therefore, necessary to adapt the meal accordingly and not to consume more than 30% of the calories of the day at dinner. For an adequate meal, you can refer to the model designed by Harmonie Santé nutritionists, illustrated opposite.
Here are some tips to reduce the calorie intake of dinner:
- Choose an average plate
- Half of the plate must be occupied by vegetables
- A quarter of the plate should be filled with starchy foods (about the size of the palm of the hand)
- In the other quarter, place the portion of meat or substitute (100 to 150g maximum)
- Take the time to eat calmly
- When you are no longer hungry, stop eating. You should never force yourself to finish your plate if you are full
Other recommended foods:
- Pulses
- Low-fat dairy products
Food that You Need to Avoid in Your Diet
As part of a diet to lose weight, some foods are to be avoided. Often sources of calories, bad fats, and sugars, it is recommended to limit their consumption to facilitate weight loss and be in good health.
Limit Bad Fats
Without insisting on the calorie content, it is important to remember that fats provide the most calories in the diet (more than carbohydrates and proteins). In addition, fats are less satisfying than carbohydrates and proteins. Even if fats are essential for the proper functioning of the body, they must be limited to 30% of total calories.
It is recommended to limit the following foods because of their high saturated fat content:
- Fries
- Breadcrumbs
- Doughnuts
- Sweet and savory industrial biscuits and cakes
- Pastry shops
- Viennese pastries
- Cheeses
- Milk and whole milk products
- Fast food
- Prepared industrial dishes
Industrial Products
Many industrial products are made from ingredients that are harmful to health. For example, these products are often high in sugar. Sugar is used as a preservative and flavor enhancer. In addition, the fats used in these products are often of poor quality because they are cheap (trans and saturated fatty acids). Finally, we often find that these products are saltier than homemade products. In the context of a diet, it seems important to limit the consumption of industrial products.
Some tips to limit industrial food:
- Make your own cookies and cakes
- Cook in larger quantities and store leftovers in the freezer for a quick meal
- Prepare your own lunch
- Read food labels carefully
- Cooking simple dishes based on raw foods (fruits and vegetables, lean meats, etc.)
- Replace ready-to-eat snacks with fruit and dairy products
Refined Products
Refined products are cereal products obtained from refined cereals (white flour, white bread, classic pasta, etc.). Refined products contain little or no fiber. This lack of dietary fiber can slow down weight loss. On the one hand, because they are less satisfying products and on the other hand because they raise blood sugar levels more quickly after meals. As we have seen previously, fiber is very important as part of a balanced diet meal.
Sugar
Sugar, by stimulating insulin secretion, promotes storage in the form of fat. Excess sugar can lead to long-term overweight, obesity and insulin resistance. One thing is certain, sugar and sweet products should be avoided as part of a diet to lose weight.
Here are some tips that will help you reduce your daily sugar intake:
- Do not add sugar to your hot drinks
- Replace sugar with honey in your yogurts and pastries
- Make your own cakes and cookies
- Use natural sugar substitutes: honey, stevia, coconut sugar, etc.
- Drink only water: sweet and light drinks maintain the body’s dependence on the sweetness
Sedentary life
A diet should be accompanied by daily physical activity, if possible. Physical activity, even gentle, helps increase the body’s energy expenditure and keeps it healthy. Moving after a meal, such as walking, increases metabolism and results in significant energy expenditure as part of a diet.
To increase your energy expenditure gently you can:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Take a 30-minute walk a day
- Get off the bus one stop before your usual stop
- Do some exercises while watching your TV show
- Going out on a bike trip on the weekends
Other foods not recommended:
- Frying and breading
- Cheeses
- Deli meats
Practical Advice for Following the Diet
Read Nutrition Labels
Fats are indicated by the term lipids. What is interesting is to look at the mention “of which saturated fatty acids”: if you have a choice between several products, choose the one that contains the least saturated fatty acids. Sugars are indicated by the term carbohydrates. What is interesting is to look at the mention “including sugars”: if you have a choice between several products, choose the one with the lowest sugar content.
Drink Plenty of Water
Water not only fills the stomach but also hydrates the body and supports it in its cleansing process. Water thus promotes various chemical and metabolic reactions. Water alone should be the main source of hydration, it is recommended to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day. You must increase your water consumption in case of heat and exercise.
Be careful, however, sweetened drinks such as fruit juices, soft drinks and syrups should not replace water. They are high in hidden calories and can slow down your weight loss. Sugar-free tea and coffee can help to keep the body hydrated, but your intake should not exceed 2 to 3 cups a day.
Have an Afternoon Snack
A quality afternoon snack is useful for weight loss. It helps to split food and prevent cravings that push you to eat anything, anytime. By having a snack in the middle of the afternoon, you will naturally eat less at the evening meal. To be nutritious, the snack must contain carbohydrates and protein. Here are some examples of balanced snacks:
- 1 apple and 5 to 6 nuts
- Yogurt 0% with honey and some linseed
- 0% cottage cheese with fresh raspberries
- 30g of muesli in 1/2 cup of soy milk
- 1 slice of wholemeal bread and 30g of low-fat cheese
There is No Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight
By lowering your sugar intake and reducing carbs, you can change the hormonal environment and make your brain and body want to lose weight. If this happens, it could lead to a drastic reduction of appetite and hunger, which will eliminate the main reason that leads people to fail with their weight loss methods.
However, if you suffer from a medical condition, make sure you talk to your doctor before making any changes to your meals.
Also read: Fructose Intolerance : Foods to include in the diet without risk
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