Being healthy can elude us in our day to day lives. However, it’s almost never too late to start taking your health seriously. There’s a debate on where to start, healthy eating or vigorous exercise. Some may be lost as to where to start regarding healthy eating. We’re here with a few helpful tips to get you started and on the right path to healthy eating & weight loss. The first thing we’re going to touch base on is caloric intake.
Do you have to eat less calories in order to lose weight?
First, let’s start off with what exactly calories are and how high/low calorie counts can affect your body. Calories are units of measure in regard to energy. Normally, calories are in foods and beverages and are used to determine how much energy you would get from consuming them.
A healthy adult should be consuming roughly 2000 calories. It can be more, it just depends on your body size. The best way for you to start monitoring your calories is the old school way of counting them off the label of whatever you’re cooking and add everything up at the end of the day. An alternative way of counting your calories is via any health app. The iPhone app has an integrated health app that not only counts your calories, but your steps as well. Many people believe dieting doesn’t matter. They also believe that they can rack up as many empty calories as they want and will still be able to lose weight because they are on a low-carb intake diet or they’ve cut out all sugars. The fact remains that the best practice in weight loss is a combination of low caloric intake & exercise.
Now, a mistake that some people make is counting the calories they eat but not factoring in just how beneficial those calories are to not only their health but their overall heart health as well. Let’s use an example. A cheeseburger contains roughly 430 calories. That includes the bun & burger but does not include any condiments that may be used. Now, that’s a minimum of 430 calories for a portion of one meal. Whereas a cup of mixed vegetables has 118 calories and a 2.6oz packet of tuna fish has 70 calories.
Eating a protein enriched breakfast can help you resist those pesky cravings and keep you energized throughout the morning. In fact, eating more protein in each of your meals throughout the day can give you a feeling of being fuller and help you lose weight simultaneously.
Now, you may be thinking: Do I really have to count the calories off every single box? Short answer; yes. Why? As you count your daily caloric intake, you’ll start to realize just how much you’re eating and with that you’ll start to develop your own portion control. With that, you can start to focus on multiple forms of label counting that will guide you through your health journey.
Does eating more protein assist in weight loss?
Modern-day low carb diets are often very effective because a good majority of their success is derived from the high protein intake the diet commands. Protein will have you feeling fuller longer and are generally lower calories than foods that are loaded with fats & sugars. In fact, drinking an 8 fl oz glass of water and ingesting 10-20g of protein after you wake up has proved to be a benefit to weight loss. This combination not only hydrates you but also gets your metabolism working & working fast at the start of your day.
When carbohydrates are broken down by your body, they metabolize to sugar in your stomach. With that being said, carbs for those of us on a weight loss journey can be a pest, and cause our progress to slow. Adding protein to a meal that also contains carbohydrates will slow the process of sugar entering your bloodstream from the carbs. This will keep you away from cravings later on in your day.
So why is protein so good for weight loss? Your body must work harder to metabolize protein, thus burning around 100 calories in the process. The more protein you eat, the stronger your muscles will become. Not only that but the more protein that you ingest, the fuller your stomach will feel. Which will make you more likely to avoid those empty calories and/or sugars that we all use as comfort foods. A key to ensuring that is combining your protein-rich meal with a carbohydrate and possibly a vegetable. Corn or carrots are usually this writer’s go-to preference.
“TEF”, thermic effect of food, is known as the amount/type of energy that is used by our body when we digest food. The amount of energy required to digest protein is greater than the amount of energy used to digest carbohydrates or fats.
Effective Exercises for Weight Loss
Dieting is a very important step on the road to weight loss, however, exercise also will play a key role in seeing the result you want on the scale. Below, we are going to cover a few exercises that will help you shed those unwanted pounds just in time for summer.
Squats
The good – Squats involve a multitude of muscles in the lower body and most of which, we use every day, including your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and quadriceps. Can squats help you lose belly fat? Yes, they can. However, the results will be indirect because squats are a muscle building activity, which will help you lose fat overall, which includes belly fat.
How to do squats
Positioning your ankles shoulder width apart, with your head facing forward and your chest out: sit back and downward as if you’re sitting down onto a chair or couch. Allow your lower back to arch ever so slightly as your body lowers. Go as low as you can, and push back through your heels to bring yourself back into your starting position.
Lat pulldowns
The good – This is one of the best workouts for your upper body. Almost every muscle is worked and it is even a contributing factor in promoting healthy shoulder muscles. Primarily, the lat pulldown exercise works the latissimus dorsi muscle group. Lat pulldowns also work the pectoralis minor, more commonly known as the pecks. Lat pulldowns also promote back strengthening and shoulder strengthening. The infraspinatus, deltoids, and teres major are just a few of the shoulder muscles that are strengthened while doing lat pulldowns. In regards to back strengthening, the lower back, upper back, rhomboids, and trapezius are among the muscles that are worked.
How to do Lat Pulldowns
Start by raising your arms and grabbing the weight bar. Assure that your chest is upward and bring your chest to the bar. Your elbows need to be directed down. Tense up your lats and pull downward from your armpit region. Pull the bar down to your chin or a tad bit below your chin. Slowly raise back up into the position in which you started.
Pushups
The good – Pushups strengthen almost every muscle in your upper body. They are like squats but for your upper body directly. With pushups, you will work your chest, triceps, biceps, abdominal muscles, and shoulders. It’s encouraged to do pushups with bench presses in order to increase gains.
How to do pushups
To begin doing a pushup, start by getting down into a plank position. With your nose pointed towards the floor, your palms need to be on the floor at a shoulder width distance apart. With your legs straight & the balls of your feet on the floor, push yourself directly up, while keeping your body in a straight line and your eyes & nose pointed towards the floor. For the best results, it is encouraged that you do 3 sets of pushups at whichever number you are most comfortable.
Conclusion – What to take from this?
Overall, your health is very important. Changing your habits can add years onto your life and for some of us, give us mental health clarity that we desperately need. Most of us at one point or another, have needed tips on how to lose weight naturally and there is no harm in getting a little advice. Just remember, make an attempt at keeping your calories low, your activity level medium to high, and your thoughts positive.
If you are still looking for more information on weight loss, consider reading our 7 minute HIIT cardio workout guide!
