Most people think that losing weight involves making some temporary changes to their dietary habits.
If you are overweight, it is likely a symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle that includes both dietary and exercise habits (these are usually absent).
Rather than focus on losing weight, focus on the 'process' of being healthy. This involves 30 minutes of exercise daily with an elevated heart rate of over 120 bpm. This can be accomplished with a daily brisk walk. Eventually as your fitness improves you can take 2-3 walks per day that add up to 60 minutes. Consider some resistance training either with weights or your own body weight (push ups).
With respect to food, you must first 'permanently' dramatically reduce sugars. Simple sugars like the white stuff, honey, agave, and all sugar substitutes. Next eliminate soft drinks completely, as well as fruit juices, and restrict alcoholic beverages to 1 drink per day maximum. Ideally it would be a glass of red wine for its heart benefits.
Start eating more fresh foods and avoid packaged foods from the grocery store. Many packaged goods have hidden sugars and are also loaded with unhealthy oils.
Eliminate white flour products like white bread, white pizza dough, and other white simple starches like white rice, and white potatoes. Replace with brown rice, whole grain bread, whole wheat pizza dough, sweet potatoes. Quinoa is also excellent and is considered a protein. Avoid fried foods altogether as the frying oxidizes the oil and contributes to clogging your arteries.
Calorie density is a concept you must learn. The amount of calories per serving plays a role in meal selection. For example, you can have a table spoon of olive oil or 2 apples. Which will fill you up more?
Animal proteins are very calorie dense. Therefore, out of 21 meals per week, try limiting animal proteins to 7 of those meals. 3 should be fish and 4 can be chicken or turkey. You can have red meat once every couple of weeks. Portion size should be no more than 3 oz for any animal protein.
For another 7 meals, fill yourself up with plant proteins like beans (not baked beans in a can with sauce - too much sugar), chick peas and lentils. Look up some Greek and Italian recipes for these foods to make them tasty.
For breakfast you can have nut butters, like peanut or almond butter (organic, no salt, no sugar) drizzled very lightly with honey. You can also have a full cup of an egg-white omelette on whole grain toast. Spice up your omelette with onion, green or red peppers, Kalamata olives, and feta. Egg whites are filling and have very few calories. Egg yolks are fine once a week (2 eggs). This issue with red meat and egg yolks is what they do to your gut bacteria, not the saturated fats.
Have blueberries and an apple or orange daily, and a spinach or arugula salad daily. Use only extra virgin olive oil, or in combination with balsamic vinegar or lemon juice for your salad dressing. Avoid all sweet and dairy-oriented salad dressings - they are too calorie dense.
Green tea is also helpful in increasing your metabolic rate which will help you lose weight.
Hold yourself accountable for exercise by buying a Fitbit or similar body metrics device that you wear on your wrist. This way you can document how many steps you take each day and how many minutes you have exercised. Go see your doctor and have your blood-work done semi-annually so you can track triglyceride levels, apoB and apoA levels to monitor your heart health. Also weigh yourself only once per week maximum. Focus on the process, not on the goal.
For more healthy strategies - read all of my posts here:
healthunlocked.com/user/sos007
Maybe this article may help someone? Sure has helped me!
