Weight loss diets

You may be well aware that our bodies are mostly water. They are trapped inside the cells in our bodies. However, the water within our bodies will usually be lost though mechanisms such as sweating.

As a result, we will need to drink water so that we can make sure that our bodies will not be dehydrated. Of course we will also be able to keep our bodies cool by drinking water. Water will also help in the digestion process.

As a matter of fact, it is usually recommended that we should drink water about 2 liters everyday. This is in fact about the amount of water we will lose from sweating and urination. If we do not replenish enough water, we will just be dehydrated. This will also lead to problems in the functions of our bodies. This is the reason why you should never cut down the amount of water you drink even if you are on diet.

Our metabolism also requires water in order to function probably. The metabolic rate will decrease if we do not have enough water in our body. This means that we will burn the calories or fat a lot slower. This will lead to failure in losing weight.

As discussed, water plays an essential role in our digestion process. If we do not drink enough water, you will probably get constipation. This will render problems to our digestion system, especially the intestines.

If our bodies cannot digest the food efficiently, we may need to eat more food since we do not get the energy we need. You may probably be able to sense that this will ruin your weight loss plan. You have to bear in mind that, if our body gets dehydrated, we may get a fake signal of being hungry, therefore we will eat more food than we really need.

Water can also make use feel full a lot easier. If we drink some water before our meals, we will feel full even if we eat less than normal. This is because water fills the space in the stomach. A lot of dieting experts confirm that this is one of the most effective ways to make use feel full. And we will be able to lose weight a lot easier since we will tend to eat less.

At this point you should know that it is important for you to drink a lot of water if you are on diet. However, you have to remember that you should never drink the 2 liters all at once. This will not help and most of the 2 liters will be wasted!

If you want best weight loss result – add exercise to diet for best weight loss results.

Early studies showed that people who exercised but didn’t diet lost less weight initially, but maintained the weight loss better than those who relied on diet alone. But didn’t control for energy balance between the calories burned by the dieters and calories burned by the exercisers.

Some studies have controlled for the calories burned by the dieters and calories burned by the exercisers to improve the accuracy of the results. These studies have shown that exercise and dieting are equally beneficial for weight loss.

The initial phase of rapid weight loss is often followed by a slow weight loss phase in both people who diet and those who exercise. For Most dieters very difficult to keep weight from returning. The ability to maintain a desired weight determines the long-term success of any diet. Based on the results of recent randomized-controlled trials, the combination of exercise plus diet works better than exercising or dieting alone for the maintenance of weight loss in obese and overweight men and women.

Researchers have noticed that people who exercise while trying to lose weight usually experience the loss of greater amounts of fat and smaller amounts of muscle than those who only restrict the calories they consume.

The fat lost with exercise preferentially comes from the abdomen. Sporting an abdomen larger than your hips increases your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol, decreased good cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries.

Weight loss through exercise has other advantages: many people have more energy and feel more relaxed, and that their overall health noticeably improves when they become more physically active. Exercise can pick up your metabolic rate a notch, making it less likely that you will regain unwanted fat.

It is recommended 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise daily for people who want to lose weight or maintain weight loss. First see your doctor if you’re unaccustomed to this amount of activity. It’s OK to accumulate your activity in several segments, as short as 10 minutes, throughout the day.

Gradually expand your exercise program to include a variety of activities, including:

Aerobic exercise, which moderately elevates your heart rate, most days of the week. Examples: walking, cycling and swimming.

Strength training, for stronger muscles and bones, two to three times a week. Examples: weight lifting, exercise bands and calisthenics.

Stretching, to maintain flexibility, should be performed regularly.

Activities of daily living, to burn additional calories, incorporated into your lifestyle all day long. Examples: walking breaks, yard work and household chores.

Don’t skimp on protein when you diet: It may help you lose more flab and less muscle, new studies show. Harness your hunger. A diet that’s 30% protein (similar to the Zone, Atkins, and South Beach plans) helped 19 overweight people lose an average of 11 pounds, 8 of them fat. Remarkably, the subjects consumed 441 fewer calories per day in 3 months on this regimen than they had during 2 weeks on a 15% protein diet–despite the fact that they could eat as much as they wanted, provided they maintained the 30% protein ratio. Protein can suppress appetite in ways that carbs and fats can’t, the scientists say, for reasons yet to be determined.

Pick better proteins.One of protein’s amino acids, leucine, may be the key to keeping muscle and losing fat. Twenty-four women who averaged 107 g of protein daily (similar to high-protein diets) lost 1 more pound of fat than 24 others who averaged 57 g a day over 4 months. Both groups limited calories to 1,700 a day. Other recent studies show that leucine can promote muscle building when overall calories are low. Although animal protein is richest in leucine (1,700 to 2,100 mg per serving), it’s also a prime source of heart-harming sat fats. So stock up on good, lower-fat sources.

7 protein foods high in fat-fighting leucine (mg)

• Tofu, firm, 1/2 cup - 1,511 mg
• Cottage cheese, 1% fat, 1/2 cup - 1,440 mg
• Fat-free milk, 8 ounces - 818 mg
• Mozzarella, reduced-fat, 1 ounce - 670 mg
• Cheddar, reduced-fat, 1 ounce - 608 mg
• Egg, hard- or soft-boiled, large - 538 mg
• Couscous, cooked, 1 cup - 464 mg