‘Tis the season to gain weight,
not lose it. But if you take a deep breath, relax and do a little
planning, you can lose those unwanted pounds and be at your most
impressively svelte by the time the first party rolls around.
Your secret weapon? Fiber in your weight loss program. Simply
by boosting your daily fiber intake, you can eat enough to control
your hunger and take off ten pounds in the next month.
Calorie
Control
The key to losing weight is learning how to reduce
the number of calories you consume each day. When you eat fewer
calories than your body burns during normal daily activity, you
lose weight, and fiber can help you eliminate those calories.
High-fiber foods have very few calories, yet because they add
bulk to a meal, they help you feel full more quickly and for
longer periods of time after eating. In addition, they keep you
from absorbing calories from other foods (each gram of fiber
consumed helps flush away 7 calories) and keep your blood sugar
steady (so you don’t feel a strong craving for more food). Instead of
a big breakfast, lunch and dinner, try eating several smaller
meals every 2 to 3 hours that include plenty of fiber-rich fruits,
veggies, legumes and whole grains in addition to lean meats and
protein, and you’ll be slipping into that party dress in
no time!
The Right Stuff
When you want to melt away the
pounds, the right food choices will make all the difference.
Think of the foods you eat every day as belonging to one of three
groups: lean protein (poultry, fish and red meat), fats (includes
seeds and nuts) and complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables
and legumes). A healthy daily diet should emphasize complex carbohydrates—these
vegetarian foods are where the fiber is—and by eating plenty
of fruits and vegetables, you will feel fuller on fewer calories.
However, try to limit your intake of starchy vegetables such
as lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and corn.
If you have trouble getting enough fiber through
diet alone, all-natural fiber and protein bars, as well as nutrient-packed
fiber and protein shakes, are a delicious way to boost your fiber
intake without all the fuss. In addition to 6 to 8 servings (one-half
cup per serving) of complex carbohydrates, you should eat 2 to
3 daily servings (4 ounces per serving) of the protein foods
and 2 to 3 servings (2 tablespoons per serving) of fats.
The
following meal plan will help give you an idea of how to choose
healthy options throughout the day.
Breakfast: 1
serving fiber/protein shake mix combined w/ water, ½ cup
frozen fruit or 4 oz. almond milk, plus 4 oz.
water (blended)
Snack:
½-cup
raspberries w/ low-fat cottage cheese, or ½ fiber/protein
snackbar |
Lunch: Salad
w/ grilled chicken, or 1 serving fiber/protein
shake mix combined w/ water, ½ cup froz.
fruit or 4 oz. almond milk plus 4 oz. water
(blended)
Snack: Brown
rice cake w/ almond butter, or ½ fiber/protein snack bar |
Dinner: Grilled
fish with brown rice and steamed vegetables
Snack/Dessert:
4
cups air-popped popcorn, or 1 cup dark sweet cherries
w/ 1 tbsp. whp. cream |
|
Planned Satisfaction
Following this kind of high-fiber,
healthy eating plan allows you to lose weight fairly rapidly
and steadily. And the great thing is, you don’t feel deprived!
The fiber you are consuming fills you up and helps you avoid
that empty feeling that so many diet plans create. Stick to it
and your diligence will be rewarded: You’ll have more energy,
look great and have a happier, thinner holiday! |
