For how long have you been trying to lose weight and the diets failed to help you? People sometimes get stuck at some point along their weight-loss plan not knowing why that happens. Often, it’s because they keep falling for weight-loss gimmicks such as fad diets.
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Fad diets involve eliminating one, and in some cases more of the essential food groups, other times endorsing the consumption of specific foods with promises to quick weight loss. But these kinds of diets only provide short-term solutions and never really amount to anything remotely related to losing weight the healthy way.
Fad diets are unhealthy
Let’s start with the obvious, that fad diets are restrictive, thus difficult to follow and ultimately unhealthy because they can lead to nutritional deficiencies in the body. One such diet example is the cabbage soup diet that requires eating mostly cabbage soup for seven days.
Restricting calories is, of course, one of the ways to lose weight and while deprivation diets do provide a quick fix, they won’t keep the weight off long-term. People on fad diets almost always end up gaining back the weight they lost, sometimes with a little extra bonus.
The only real diet
The only real “diet” is changing eating habits for the better, exercising more and giving it time. The body needs to adjust progressively, and long-term changes are the only healthy option.
What people sometimes don’t understand is that it takes time to lose weight in a way that doesn’t affect the health of the body, the same way it took time to gain weight in the first place. Cutting off unhealthy foods, not skipping meals, eating breakfast and avoiding trans fat are some of the initial steps towards a healthy weight loss plan.
And when it comes to foods and drinks that help with losing weight, there are a variety of them.
Eats and drinks that speed up weight loss
Whether trying to lose weight or not, eating a variety of foods is the only way to go about your day to day nutrition. Make sure you incorporate whole grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables into your diet for the right amount of daily nutrients.
Here are some of the eats and drinks that support weight loss in a healthy way.
Foods
- Beans – inexpensive and filling, beans are an exceptional source of protein.
- Eggs – high in protein and healthy fats, eggs are great for breakfast and should replace fatty, sugary breakfast options.
- Nuts – excellent, healthy snacks, nut mixes keep you filling fuller longer and make you eat less at later meals. Nuts contain healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
- Yogurt – full-fat, plain, natural yogurt provides satiating effects, and high-protein yogurt such as Greek yogurt is one of the best dairy options for increasing satiety.
- Lentils – rich in fiber and low in fat, lentils improve satiety and provide a small amount of calories per serving, an ideal option for weight-loss plans.
Drinks
- Water – especially relevant on high-fiber diets, water is the most important liquid that aids weight loss. It prevents constipation and keeps the body hydrated, helping fiber do the job effectively.
- Lemon juice – lemons contain pectin fiber that can help fight off cravings. Lemon juice helps aid digestion and has detoxifying effects.
- Wine – wines are packed with antioxidants, and they are great to add to your diet in the maintenance phase. They can increase good cholesterol in the body and good bacteria.
- Green tea – the antioxidants in green tea speed up calorie burn, and also green tea was shown to help women lose weight around their waste when consumed in larger amounts (up to 5 cups a day).
- Grapefruit juice – recommended by body builders and nutritionists alike, drinking grapefruit juice approximately 20 minutes before meals curbs the appetite.