Healthy Eating for Fat Loss: Diet Tips and Meal Ideas
In a previous article, we explained the concept of Basal Metabolic Rate. Today, we’ll explain a bit what kind of diet will help you achieve sustainable weight-loss goals most effectively!
Most people attempting to loss weight have probably experimented with some form of “diet”, through skipping meals or eating half a sandwich instead of a full-length sandwich. If the goal is simply to lose weight, this can be effective enough. But if the goal is to burn fat, then *what* you eat is also just as important as *how much* you eat!
Two people who eat the same amount of food (in terms of calories) but eat very different things will not have the same body composition results long-term!
It’s fairly common knowledge that reducing intake of sugary drinks, highly processed foods, fried foods, and heavily flavored foods is generally better for your health. However, there are other details that can help make a difference - for example, the current consensus is to eat proteins and fats first when having a meal, with rice/bread/pasta last, to reduce the overall amount of carbohydrates consumed, avoiding eating too many “empty calories” that have minimal nutrition value.
There are several guidelines that are useful to keep in mind!
- Emphasize unprocessed foods (tomatoes > ketchup)
- Minimize usage of heavily flavored sauces
- Emphasize foods with higher protein value
- Reduce intake of sugary drinks (note that foods that have natural sugar in them like juice are not exempt!)
- Don’t give up!
Some example meal proportions that would help with fat loss are as follows:
- Vegetable stew + wheat bread + serving of fruit
- Sweet potato + 2 servings of vegetables + fish/lean meat
- Rice burger + chicken salad + unsweetened drink
- Grilled salmon + 1/2 bowl brown rice + stir-fried vegetables
- Vegetable cheese bagel + latte without sugar
- Vegetable wrap + unsweetened soymilk
Dietary and nutritional science is a constantly evolving field as researchers learn more, and what’s “state-of-the-art” this year may be outdated the next! Ultimately, what ends up working for each individual may not be the best method for another person, so the most important thing is to try something and observe carefully how your body feels and reacts!