Healthy Food Options Have Fewer Calories

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While very low-calorie diets may have short-term benefits, they are difficult to maintain and may lack essential nutrients. To achieve successful weight management, it is important to increase physical activity alongside following a healthy menu rate. Calories are the energy source for your body and are derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn but good food choices support healthy living.

Making smarter food choices and incorporating physical activities can help you shed those extra pounds without feeling hungry. Simply swap high-calorie foods for lower calorie alternatives but watch your portion sizes consuming healthier foods. On the other hand, you increase physical activity along with managing calorie intake and you are more likely to see permanent weight loss.

Tracking Helps You Stay on Track

Want to make sure you stay on track with your exercise and diet? Tracking your daily workouts and meals can help you make informed decisions to effectively plan ahead. Benefits of tracking food and exercise habits include:

1) What you should eat when – Tracking calories lets you see what you should eat and when, which may or may not match when you feel hungry. This allows you to adjust your eating schedule based on facts.

2) Identify any overindulgences – Often times we forget everything we put in our mouths at every meal and snack. Tracking helps you identify any overindulgences because you have to write it down.

3) Learn more about nutrition – Since a calorie deficit is needed to lose weight and burn fat, you have to learn more about nutrition to induce energy deficits and support muscle growth.

4) Alert you of needed actions – Keeping a daily journal helps to improve your self-awareness of calorie intake and expenditure as well as alert you of needed actions to keep your plan for healthy living on track.

Strength Training Helps Burn Stored Fat Deposits

Calories are the energy source for your body, and they come from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. When you consume more calories than your body needs, they get stored as fat. Adding exercise to your daily routine helps burn fat stores. Remember, calorie estimates are not one-size-fits-all, so set your own goals based on the changes you want to make. By reducing calorie intake, increasing physical activity, or both, your body can release stored calories to burn for energy.

Fitness experts at Concordia University in Saint Paul recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate cardio each week to maintain and even more if you're trying to lose weight. This can include activities like cycling, walking, or even vigorous housework that increases your breathing. They also suggest two days a week of strength training. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body's metabolism works in burning stored fat deposits.