Is your weight loss diet not reaping results? Perhaps it is time to look into your entire regimen. Weight loss needs patience. For some the results may show in a matter of few days and for some it may take months. One needs to understand that every body functions and metabolizes differently, so if your weight loss efforts are not showing results-it does not mean you throw all your diet plans out of the window and go back to your unhealthy eating habits. It is time to tweak what you may have been doing wrong all this while.
Here are some common dieting mistakes you must look out for
1. Stay hydrated: While one should have eight glasses of water every day. There are other ways to be hydrated too. A glass of fresh nimbu-paani, coconut water and aam-panna are nutritious options you can try.
2. Not adding enough protein and fibre
Protein and fibre are two most important components for losing weight. Not including them in your diet can slow down your metabolism. Protein is responsible for stimulating the thermic effect of food, which means that the body burns more energy processing dietary protein that it does in case of carbohydrates and fats. Both the nutrients help keep you fuller for longer, thereby preventing you from overeating.
3. Include More Good Fats: All fats are not bad! One must know how to distinguish between fats. Ditch bad fats found in junk food and load up on good fats such as olive oil, fish, nuts and ghee.
Kathleen Alleaume, a nutritionist and an exercise scientist, has listed a number of foods you should be mindful of.
1. Salty snacks: Refined salty snacks generate empty calories and does not really fill you up. It makes you crave more. A study shows that added salt makes people eat more. Besides, all that sodium leaves you thirsty.
2. Salads: It is good to add greens to your salads but if your salad is all kale, cucumber, and spinach, chances are that you're not getting enough satisfying sustenance to keep you going until dinner. Adding a topping of protein (boiled eggs, chicken, salmon, or legumes), with slow-burning carbs (like roasted sweet potato, corn or brown rice) and a little fat (feta, nuts, seeds, tahini or avocado) can help settle those hunger pangs.
3. Rice crackers: Rice crackers contain small traces of fibre and are made from highly refined rice that make our insulin levels spike, causing blood sugar to crash, making us feel hungry again.
4. Juices: Juicing a fruit makes you cost out on majority of fibres. Lack of fibre means your body absorbs the calories quicker. Stay full while chewing your calories instead, so the brain receives hunger-combating cues that help you get from meal to meal.
5 Alcohol: Research has shown that alcohol flicks the brain into starvation mode. This increases appetite and explains why we reach for snacks after drinking.
(With inputs ANI)