Is There a Miracle Diet for
Weight Loss?

chillibreeze writer — Anupama Babu

The new inventions brought by the dynamic world of technology have made so many changes in the everyday life, worldwide. Lifestyle has improved so much that everybody conveniently forgets the healthy ways of living. The body movements are awfully less at the work environments as well as at home. The busy lifestyles necessitate the frequent visits to fast food shops where people indulge in fatty and refined foods resulting in lifestyle diseases. The first indicator of imminent lifestyle diseases is obesity. By not allowing the body weight to go high beyond the ideal weight, one can be saved from many of the fatal or morbid diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc. As per WHO, obesity is going to be the public health concern which cause poor health, universally.

Luckily, now many are concerned about the weight gain. When people think about body weight, they first look for a miracle formula which can reduce their undesirable big bellies, flabby waists and hips. It is no wonder that they go for medicines that are available on the counter or sometimes for costly treatments which claims to reduce the body weight without much effort. One should understand that, there is no miracle diet which can reduce body fat, at once. There are so many named diets, with high protein low carbohydrate or high fat low carbohydrate contents that are sometimes considered for a faster weight reduction. But it is always better to rely on a well balanced diet. Well balanced and scientifically modified diet combined with lifestyle changes can make wonders. In that sense one can say “Yes we have a miracle diet to make you slim, trim and beautiful”.

Is dieting necessary to reduce weight?
The diet modifications might be necessary when you are trying to reduce your weight. A faulty diet and lack of exercise are the most important reasons for the weight gain. One can trim the excess body fat that deposited already by increasing the body movements. Well planned diet can prevent any further fat deposit. So along with exercises the diet modification is also necessary.

Factors to be considered while dieting

Select low glycemic foods which do not cause huge variations in your blood glucose levels.
Go for low calorie diet.
Don’t forget to take breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to weight gain.
Have salads or small amounts of protein rich and low fat foods as snacks.
Include moderate amount of lean protein in the diet.
Cut down fried foods and oil intake.
Include more fibre in your diet by replacing other foods by whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
Drink plenty of water.
Spend at least continuous 30 minutes for body movements.
Never starve yourself, as it leads to muscle lose which can further bring down your metabolic rate.

Select your food judiciously
Sometimes you may decide to starve yourself when you are tired of reducing your food and not finding any result. Always remember that small amounts of foods may not help you reducing your body weight. Food selection plays greater role than the food quantity. So be sensible when you select food. Carbohydrates are fattening, but all the carbs are not that bad. Complex carbohydrates that find in wheat and ragi, or brown rice can replace the simple carbohydrate find in white rice, refined flour, sugar etc. As protein source you can select legumes, fish, skimmed milk products or de skinned chicken rather than red meat.

Glycemic index (GI)
Always go for foods with low glycemic index. Low glycemic index foods are those which cause the blood glucose level go up slowly. Foods with lower GI can control calorie intake by reducing the hunger pangs and food craving. The high glycemic foods cause the pancreas to release more insulin at once. It results in a drop of blood glucose level quickly and forces you to eat again. Whereas the foods with low glycemic index release blood glucose slowly and the pancreas has to secrete only reasonable amounts of insulin to the blood stream. You feel full for longer also the pancreas gets enough rest. You can replace your high GI breakfast cereal with oats, and whole wheat products. When you eat bread go for multigrain varieties which contain whole wheat, chick pea, and soy.

Most of the fruits and vegetables have low GI value. Relish salad before a meal. Mixing a high glycemic food with very low glycemic food can reduce the bad effects of the former. That means if you are so fond of rice, combine it with lot of vegetables. Half of your plate should be vegetables when you dine.

Calorie matters
Though the glycemic index is an important factor, it doesn’t mean that low glycemic foods can be eaten liberally. The calories should also be watched. Large servings of even the low glycemic index foods may lead to weight gain. So it is better to go for a low glycemic as well as calorie restricted diet.

Never try to cut down your protein. The metabolism of proteins require a good amount of calorie, thus aides the calorie wastage. Ensure you drink enough water to flush away the nitrogenous metabolic wastes. Legumes are good sources of protein from plants. You can use 2 glasses of skimmed milk daily. Avoid red meats and cut down chicken intake to once in a week or so. Egg white and small fish are the good sources of protein for weight watchers when cooked with less or no oil. Say no to any non-vegetarian food after 6pm, as body tends to collect more fat from heavy dinner than any other meals.

Plain water the most important weight reducing agent
Finally sometimes even when you are on a low-calorie diet the weight may not come down. So watch your fluid intake. One should drink 2-3 liters of plain water daily. The lesser the water intake the more will be the muscle fatigue. It leads to low Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The lower the BMR, heavier you become by eating even less food. Also water is needed to remove the metabolic wastes from the cells. Start a day with a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of pure honey. It helps to clean your digestive system and provide antioxidants for better health. Water can give you better complexion and health.

Release the extra calorie- Exercise
When on weight reduction regime one should never forget the importance of body movements. Walking is the easiest and more practical exercise to burn extra calories. Walk as fast as you can for at least 35 minutes daily. If you don’t have a habit of walking at all, start with15 minutes walk. Walking for about a month can increase your BMR. Walking, an aerobic exercise keeps your heart healthy and gives you better muscle tone. But never break the walking for more than a week, as it may cause the BMR to go down again and you have to wait for long time to get the higher BMR that you once achieved. So if you don’t have enough time for your regular walk, at least spend half of the usual time for it.

Conclusion
There are many diet plans which claim reduction of body weight with in a few days time. But it is always better to go for a balanced diet which matches your diet habit. Slight modifications can be done with the help of a qualified dietitian. A low calorie (also low GI) food with needed amounts of other nutrients along with physical activities can cut down your body fat. A life-style and diet change takes a little time to get adjusted. But once you get adjusted to it becomes a daily routine. Though there is no miracle diet, a well set diet plan along with life-style changes can do miracles in your life by making you more confident and healthier.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in April, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Anupama Babu has post graduation in Hospital Administration and graduation in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics. She has experience of working as consultant dietitian for various multispecialty hospitals and slimming clinics. She has experience in writing medical articles, especially related to nutrition and dietetics. Also she has experience in preparing public teaching materials. She is interested in web content writing as well.

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Is There a Miracle Diet for Weight Loss?

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Is There a Miracle Diet for
Weight Loss?