Healthy Eating Does Not Have to Be Complicated

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When you consume food, your body naturally creates a state of calorie surplus due to the influx of extra energy and nutrients needed for fuel. This influx of calories often exceeds your immediate needs but eventually results in a deficit state that triggers hunger signals.

Eating real food can make a huge difference. If your existing diet is filled with highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates, food choices make a difference in how you look and feel.

Carbohydrates get a bad name in most weight loss circles, but unrefined complex carbs from fresh produce and whole grains are a healthy component of a balanced diet. So, cut back on the sugar and starches that cause blood sugar spikes.

Science-Based Tips for Better Weight Control

Immediately after losing weight your body responds by trying to slow your metabolism to restore fat deposits, which explains why increasing physical activity is important for weight control. Check out the science-based tips below:

1) Ditch Processed Foods – Since refined carbohydrates and processed foods are high in calories, you can trigger weight loss when you replace those foods with healthier whole foods that contain important nutrients that keep you feeling full longer.

2) Consider Intermittent Fasting – Following a restrictive diet can be more difficult for some people than simply skipping meals based on a schedule of intermittent fasting. The key to shedding pounds is to avoid eating during specified windows.

3) Drink Healthy Liquids – Detox water with ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, cucumbers, and lemon claim to remove toxins, balance your body’s pH. Although a great alternative to sugary drinks, detox water isn’t a magic bullet.

4) Control Your Food Environment – A major component of losing weight and keeping it off is to make better food choices. Make sure you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with whole foods, nuts, seeds, berries, and lean sources of animal and plant proteins.

How you lose weight differs from how you gain muscle. So, when it comes to reducing fat stores and retaining muscle mass, you will need a science-based approach like resistance training and a double-dose of discipline.

Make Weight Loss Science Work for You

Simply changing a few bad habits can help you achieve a healthy weight. Some of these have nothing to do with your menu plan or exercise schedule. A healthy lifestyle change is to avoid distracted eating in front of the TV or computer. There has been numerous debates inside the scientific community regarding the optimal balance of macronutrient intake for men and women to lose weight. Unfortunately, most conclusions are based on immediate not long-term results.

Although some suggest a low-fat diet may be useful for altering your metabolism, as a more effective approach to permanent weight loss, the mechanisms for losing weight on a restricted diet is not clear. The weight lost may be due to total energy intake. Both low-carb and low-fat diets that were previously used to combat obesity included stringent restrictions on sugar or fat intake, which limited an individual’s food choices and may be more difficult to sustain for the long haul.