fat loss diet Archives

March 12, 2023 By Neha Sharma 1 Comment

Lose Body Fat by Changing What You Eat

There are many of us who lead demanding and hectic lifestyles which are marred with extensive working hours, early mornings and late nights. In fact, late-night shifts affect our eating patterns a lot!

Due to erratic working patterns, processed foods, instant food items and junk food are in trend as they are easy to carry and can be ordered or eaten anywhere! People don’t carry home food as much and always eat food at work in a hurry, knowing that they are gulping their food without chewing.

If we pay a little attention to what we are eating and how we are eating it, it makes a big difference. The statement, “Lose body fat by changing what you eat” holds true in this context.

Can You Lose Body Fat with Food?

First of all, you have to see the natural foods around you which have the capability to help you lose body fat. Try including some of the following option in your daily meals.

Whole Grains: contain a good amount of fiber and as they are complex in nature, they release carbohydrates slowly in the body. They need energy from the body to breakdown and in turn, help you lose fat. So, include brown rice, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, Ragi, Jowar, and Bajra over refined flour like maida, suji and white rice.
Pulses & Legumes: are an excellent source of fiber and vegetable protein. Protein gives you a feeling of satiety which stops you from overeating and decreases your total calorie intake resulting in fat loss. Choose whole pulses like white & black chana, cow pea, kidney bean, sprouts and have them in at least two meals.
Vegetables & Fruits: are excellent sources of fiber and are low in calories. They require a lot of energy to breakdown and some fibers don’t digest in human bodies. They need to be excreted and absorb fat from the body while doing so, thereby reducing fat and cutting down total calorie intake. Have at least 2-3 servings of fruits & vegetables. Their way of cooking can be changed like sautéing, steaming, baking, shallow frying, or roasting instead of deep-frying.
Healthy Fats: can be obtained through nuts, fish & seeds to improve omega 3 fatty acid which is anti-inflammatory and helps in controlling visceral fat accumulation. Cut down your intake of all types of visible fats such as butter, ghee, oils and avoid refined oils. Instead, use soybean oil, sesame oil, mustard & groundnut oil.
Water: increases the metabolism of the body by flushing out toxins and cleansing the liver. The best part? It has zero calories. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water a day.
Tea: Replacing your tea with green, turmeric or lemon tea and avoiding or minimizing visible intake of sugar [1tsp of sugar (5gm) = 20 calories] helps you lose weight.

Meal timings are also crucial in shedding extra fat. This is because the metabolism of the body slows down as the day progresses. That’s why late-night eaters are prone to weight gain. Low calorie and nutrient-dense food can be chosen by late eaters.

Chewing your food properly also increases the rate of absorption of nutrients and avoids extra accumulation of fat. Practicing mindful eating i.e. eating by paying attention and noticing each sip or bite, tasting your food, teaches you to control your hunger and actually helps in weight loss.

We hope these tips help you lose body fat. For more on how adjusting food habits can help you lose weight, ask a GOQii Coach for guidance by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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October 19, 2022 By Sunita Arora 2 Comments

11 Easy Habits To Help You Lose Weight

As a lifestyle coach and weight management expert, I often see people struggling to lose weight. In my previous article, I have shared my insight on 11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health. While I hope you read that, I will be sharing a few easy habits you can adopt to lose weight! By making small efforts and small changes in your habits, you can easily achieve your weight loss goals.

11 Habits For a Healthier You

Read Food Labels: Reading food labels helps you make the right food choices! It helps with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, etc. by helping you avoid food with ingredients which may aggravate these conditions. On the label, the greatest quantities come first. A product that lists sugar or corn syrup as its first ingredient will always be high in calories.
Maintain a Food Journal: After doing all of the above, if you’ve still not shed some weight, maintain a food journal. It will help you track your food and beverage intake. Then you can easily decide where you need to cut out extra calories which have affected your weight loss goals.
Begin Your Day With Protein: We couldn’t stress enough on the importance of breakfast! Never skip it. Eating a high protein breakfast helps us curb cravings and aids weight loss. Give a kick-start to your day by including nuts, seeds, oats, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and eggs in your breakfast.
Eat Slow and Chew More: The entire digestive process starts in the mouth with chewing. The faster you eat, the more food you will consume. Chewing food at a slower pace can help you reduce overall food intake. It can also help you get more nutrients from the food you eat.
Let Dinner Be The Last Meal: Boredom or stress can lead to unhealthy snacking! People often eat out of boredom or stress even when they aren’t hungry. If you feel hungry even after a good dinner, go for lighter, healthier options which are rich in fiber and protein such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, hummus, yogurt, air-popped popcorn, etc.
Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping meals can slow your metabolism down, making it harder to lose weight. It also leads to poor, unhealthy food choices, overeating and obesity. When you don’t eat enough, you don’t get the required nutrients for muscle growth, bone health and the immune system which leads to issues such as fatigue, hair loss and low immunity.
Avoid TV and Gadgets While Eating: Working or Watching TV while eating has harmful effects on your health. By paying attention to what you eat, you are more likely to make healthier food choices. You will enjoy your meals more with its smell, flavor and texture!
Use Smaller Plates: Using smaller plates helps one control the quantity of food consumed. It helps you maintain portion control. Using bigger plates often leads to overeating. If you are eating out, you can always ask for a half portion. This will save a lot of calories and prevent overeating.
Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep: Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in calorie intake. Going to bed early and taking in 8 hours of sleep helps in reducing weight. Without enough sleep, it is difficult to plan meals and exercise. If you stay up late, you will definitely overeat.
Drink Plenty of Water: Increasing your water intake reduces your appetite and helps you lose weight. Drinking 2-3 liters of water daily helps you flush toxins from your body and gives you a feeling of satiety too! Keep yourself well hydrated, always!
Move More: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining weight and good health. Regular physical activity can improve muscle strength and boost metabolism. Depending on your workout, it can either prevent weight gain or help you maintain your weight.

We hope this article has helped you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! To learn more tips and tricks for weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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September 22, 2022 By GOQii 5 Comments

Hidden Hunger: Are You Suffering From It?

22 year old Rita loves to eat and keeps on munching easily accessible and addictive junk foods. As a result she has gained excess weight but feels dull and drained throughout the day. Her health checkup revealed nutrient deficiency, which was hard for her to believe. In this modern day of being time-poor and money-rich, there is nothing more appealing than fast and convenient meals, which unfortunately gets translated to junk food. Junk food or empty calorie foods, refer to calorie-containing foods (and beverages) that are low in or completely devoid of nutrients. Rita is not an isolated case. Many of us might have experienced the same… This is Hidden Hunger.

What Is Hidden Hunger?

WHO defines Hidden Hunger as lack of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). As the name suggests, micronutrients are required by our body in very small quantities. They enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other essential substances. They also play a central role in metabolism and in the maintenance of tissue function. Hidden Hunger occurs when the quality of food we eat does not meet our nutrient requirements.

Left unnoticed, long term deficiency of micronutrients may lead to impaired cognitive and physical development. Short term deficiency can be treated by a nutrient rich diet. General symptoms of hidden hunger are-unexplained tiredness, dullness, poor concentration and lack of interest in activity.

A balanced diet, that contains items from all major food groups in appropriate quantities ensures adequate intake of micronutrients. Major food groups to be included in meals are:

Cereals, Pulses and Millets: Rich source of B vitamins and minerals like iron, selenium etc., when consumed in whole (unprocessed) form.
Dairy and Meat products: Rich source of several vitamins and minerals esp. Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, Iron, Iodine, Calcium and Zinc.
Vegetables and fruits: Rich source of all vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (phyto chemicals) esp. Vitamin C, Beta carotene, Folate, Potassium, Magnesium etc.
Nuts and oilseeds: Powerhouse of minerals (Magnesium, Zinc etc.) and fat soluble vitamins. They are good snacking option between meals.

To curb this Hidden Hunger, it’s time to check your meals, modify them to include all food groups and revert back to your original, active and energetic self! We hope this article helps you. If you need help to make a change and learn more about how to balance your meals, ask an expert by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more topics on weight loss and managing your health, check out Healthy Reads.

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September 9, 2022 By Arooshi Garg Leave a Comment

Is It Possible To Lose Weight Through Diet?

When it comes to weight loss, the first thing that comes to mind is slaving away on the treadmill, going for long jogs or joining a gym. But apart from physical activity, there are other factors that influence weight loss like nutrition, quality of sleep and how well you manage stress. Let’s look at some nutritional factors and determine if it is possible to lose weight through diet.

1. Burning more calories than you consume
The most helpful approach for weight loss is to reduce the number of calories you eat and increase the number of calories you burn through physical activity. One should aim on getting into a negative calorie balance. i.e. you eat less calories and burn more calories and give a chance to stored fats to get metabolized. This can be achieved by taking small steps such as cutting down on carbs, while increasing protein rich food in your diet to meet the daily nutrition requirements. Avoiding packaged foods, high salt and sugar foods, and focussing more on seasonal fruits, vegetables and local native millets can go a long way.

2. Calorie Deficit and What You Need To Keep In Mind
Our body weight is determined by the amount of calories we consume as food and the amount of calories we burn through physical activities. If you’re gaining weight over time, most likely your daily calorie intake is more than the number of calories you are burning through your daily activities.

In order to counteract this, it is important to cut back on calorie intake and burn more calories. Over a period of time, this strategy helps in burning the stored fats and ultimately helps in weight loss. For instance, there are 7,700kcals of energy in 1kg of fat. That means in order to burn 1kg of fat, you should have a calorie deficit of 7,700 i.e. either burn this through exercise or eat less calories on a daily basis. A combination of both these ways is most successful and stable over a long period of time. Changing our eating habits along with regular exercise is the most effective way to lose weight over a period of time. It is also the best way to ensure that the weight does not bounce back with slight deviations.

3. Balancing Diet With Activity
One needs a proper combination of diet, cardio workouts and weight training. Diet definitely plays a huge role in managing weight, however, without proper training or physical activity, the weight lost will keep bouncing back. So one needs proper calorie burn though cardio activities and also lean muscle gain that can happen through weight training.

4. Include More Fiber In Your Diet
Fiber is extremely important in a weight loss journey. Fiber makes up the bulk of your meals. It helps in keeping you full for longer – not starving or feeling hungry all the time is extremely important in a weight loss journey. Eating more fiber also prevents spikes in blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber present in oats, apples, carrots and beans forms a gel-like structure in the gut and slows the absorption of sugars which helps in preventing fat build up.

Is It Possible To Lose Weight Through Diet Alone?

A simple answer to this would be no. It is not possible to lose weight through diet alone. By eating lesser calories, you are creating a deficit but usually it is not sufficient to lose weight. Even if one loses weight by extreme dieting or food restriction, the weight quickly bounces back as what you have lost in a short period is just body water and muscle. In order to have sustainable weight loss, it is important to combine calorie deficit through reduced dietary intake and also a minimum 60 minutes’ combination of daily cardio and strength or weight training workouts to lose fat and gain lean muscle.

We hope this article helps you! For more on weight loss, check out Healthy Reads. To get expert advice and guidance on weight loss, reach out to our experts by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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