Dieting can be difficult, painful, and ineffective, but it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to new research, there are now many effective and simple strategies to achieve and maintain healthy weight loss. Of course, combining dieting with exercise is important in order to stay healthy. Additionally, you should discuss your weight loss plans with your doctor prior to beginning them to make sure that you are adequately supporting your body. With that in mind, here are three easy dieting strategy ideas to help achieve and maintain weight loss:
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting involves periods of fasting where no food is eaten, followed by periods where you eat. The time between fasting and non-fasting can vary, but a common dieting strategy is to fast for 16 hours a day and then eat during the remaining 8 hour window (also called 16:8 intermittent fasting). This strategy can encourage your body to burn fats and its sugar stores, which in turn can lead to weight loss. However, before trying this technique, you should consult with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you. Diabetics, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women should avoid this diet.
Choose power foods
In addition to regular fruits and vegetables, you should also try to add power foods into your diet to receive your required nutrients, improve your energy levels, and even improve your heart health. Some examples of power foods include blueberries, fatty fish such as salmon, tree nuts, avocados, and beans. These foods contain healthy or “good” fats, which include monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. Healthy fats are important for providing energy, keeping your body warm, and supporting cell growth. Fats may have a negative reputation in our society, but they play a lead role in many crucial bodily functions and should not be eliminated from your diet.
Replace processed foods with homemade alternatives
Fast food and pre-made meals can be very tempting, but they also can be very bad for your health due to the added sugar, sodium, fat, and preservatives they often contain. Instead, it is healthier to prepare food yourself with fresh ingredients. Although this can be expensive, you can save money by eating out less, saving coupons, and using bulk retailers to get more ingredients for the price. To save time, you can prepare meals in bulk and freeze them for later, essentially creating your own “pre-made” meals. This way, you know exactly what went into your food and still have the convenience of not having to cook the next day.
If you are struggling to lose weight or maintain weight loss, then contacting weight loss experts like those at RCMC Medical Center can help you find the right treatment plan. In combination with diet strategies such as intermittent fasting, eating power foods, and making homemade food, medical weight loss can be a powerful and effective tool.
