For those seeking to lose weight, keeping their caloric intake in control is an important aspect. According to weight loss clinic Vancouver health experts, making small changes in food habits can have a major effect on how successfully you achieve your goal of losing weight. Here are a few tips they recommend to help you keep those additional calories at bay.
Restrict Eating Outside Food
Food that is served in restaurants and fast food units is more likely to be cooked using ingredients and processes that speed up the cooking process and enhance the taste. However, in many cases, this does not necessarily translate into healthy, low-calorie food. Besides, when you have to stick to a standard meal size, you are more likely to end up consuming larger portions. No wonder then that dietitians believe that rising obesity levels are related to the proportion of people eating out rather than at home. When you cook at home, it is easier to use healthy ingredients and methods that keep the calories under control and more importantly, you can choose the amount you consume.
Get Your Meal Size Right
Determine portions depending on the time of the day when you eat a meal. This is important because it determines how your metabolic system functions. Generally, it is best to have a filling and healthy breakfast, followed by a big lunch, keeping dinner as light as possible. Skipping breakfast is a big mistake because not only does it increase your tendency to indulge in a heavier meal later, it also leads to problems of acidity, flatulence and indigestion.
Include Spices in Your Cooking
Spicy food works to an advantage in two ways – the pepper component of spicy food tends to increase your metabolic rate, contributing to weight loss; besides, when food is spicy, you tend to eat it more slowly and as a result, your brain has greater time to figure out that your hunger has been satiated.
Therefore, you are less likely to overeat and the calories automatically get cut down from your diet.
Drink a Lot of Water
Drinking water during the course of a meal can make you feel full, and as a result, you may find it easier to eat lesser food; however, this can pose problems with your digestion. A better alternative is to drink a glass of water before every meal – this ensures you do not begin the meal feeling famished and as a result, your meal portions stay smaller. Wherever possible during the day, reach for a glass of water rather than a sweetened juice, cola or any other beverage that’s rich in sugar and artificial ingredients. Consuming water throughout the day ensures your body stays sufficiently hydrated and this helps you prolong the duration for which you can perform intense exercise without feeling fatigue.
By practicing these healthy food habits, you will learn through trial and error about what works best for you. As the dietitians at weight loss clinic Vancouver stress, every individual has different metabolism patterns and therefore, it is important to come up with a customized diet plan the yields you the desired results.