2017 is finally here, which means it is time for all of those people who set New Year’s resolutions to lose weight to put their money where their mouth is. And of course, a nice handful of those people will not change anything about their life and expect changes to just happen on their own.
Unfortunately, life does not happen that way. Thankfully, since you are reading this article, you seem to already be looking to take some action to fulfill those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. And you have found the perfect article to use as your launching pad.
Top Diet Tips For A New You
Let’s dive into some of the most effective ways to improve your diet so that you can fulfill your New Year’s resolution to lose weight.
#1: Drink good old H2O
I can’t tell you how many lists that I have put this on. I can’t stress it enough how important drinking water is. This is because so many people turn to unhealthy fattening beverages when they are feeling thirsty. And the irony is that many of those beverages do not even quench one’s thirst. Soft drinks, for instance, actually make you more thirsty so that you are more likely to keep drinking. I should know – I was a huge soda addict until I made the decision to stop drinking it altogether over a year ago.
I turned to water and only water and I have not looked back. I was sick of being at such a high risk for obesity and diabetes by drinking those kinds of beverages. Water is the ideal beverage and that is why it is the key to life. It hydrates you and does not make you fat in the process. Drinking water actually serves to boost your metabolism which makes you more able to lose weight. Drop the soda, coffee, energy drinks, etc. and switch to water and the results will speak for themselves.
#2: Get plenty of protein
Diets that rich in protein have become quite a hot trend as of late. This is because many health experts are suggesting these kinds of diets to their overweight and obese patients. This is because protein-rich diets are especially potent in weight loss. Studies found that following protein-rich diets that ensure that you consume 1.2g of protein for each kg of body weight can reduce your appetite and speed up your metabolism.
Protein is a fantastic nutrient that makes you feel full even if you have consumed a small serving. On top of that, it plays a significant role in muscle growth, which helps it speed up your metabolism. Protein-rich diets are superbly complemented by an effective workout regimen and if you are serious about losing weight in 2017, you will do just that.
#3: Allocate your calories
Look, counting calories is one of the hardest things that people face when trying to lose weight. They stress themselves to the point of giving up because they keep exceeding a certain healthy calorie threshold. This has led medical researchers to try to find an alternative. And one such alternative that I find to be quite promising is the notion of calorie allocation. Basically, if you are not feeling hungry one day, do not force yourself to eat. Fast all day until you feel hungry then eat something small but filling.
The less calories you consume one day, the more you will be able to consume the next. And this is not just a cool sounding alternative, it actually has scientific basis supporting its effectiveness. It works because on the day that you consume a lot of calories, your body is fooled into boosting its metabolism to be able to burn all of those calories. And that metabolism stays boosted even on the days where you do not consume a lot.
#4: ‘Fat’ is not always a bad word
People always associate the ‘fat’ content of food with causing people to be fat. And that is not true all of the time. There are types of fat that are actually good for the body to consume. And the right kinds of fats will help your body feel full for a long time because they take a while to be fully digested, which makes you less likely to pick up something else to eat during the day. Fats like omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly healthy for the body to take in. These fats can be found in oily fish like cod and bass. As always though, moderation is key.
Saturated fats and trans fats are the kinds of fats that you have to look out for – these are incredibly unhealthy and are found in a lot of processed and fried foods.
#5: Consume more fiber
Want to know what makes fiber so great? The fact that it has no calorie content yet manages to make us feel super full after consuming it. Don’t you realize how effective this makes fiber as it pertains to helping people lose weight? And it saddens me that so many people, especially in the United States where fiber-rich foods are readily available, are not eating enough fiber. There is a reason that people who eat plenty of fiber are on average more in shape and healthier than those who do not.
It is time to include more fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and beans, in your diet. Moderation is key, though, and make sure that you are drinking plenty of water along the way, unless you want constipation. And nobody wants that.
#6: Take steps to speed up your metabolism
I mentioned earlier that drinking more water, allocating calories, and consuming plenty of protein can help speed up your metabolism. But why is metabolism important? I am sure most of you know, but for those that do not, metabolism is the process in which your body burns calories and fat to use as energy. And while those steps do help a great amount to speed up one’s metabolism, there is more you can do. There are plenty of useful substances that are contained in foods and supplements that can help speed up your metabolism. Caffeine is one such substance.
Unfortunately, there are not a lot of healthy foods that contain caffeine. Soft drinks are a no-go. Coffee is alright but can become a problem if you consume too much. Dark chocolate is an excellent source of caffeine and antioxidants – so perhaps you could add this to your diet. Or you can try and find a useful caffeine supplement and take that instead. Be careful with supplements though – the market is heavily unregulated and even the safe products can cause damage to your liver if you use them irresponsibly.
New Year Diet Tips Conclusion
There are other ways that you can improve your diet so that you can maximize your weight loss for the new year. However, I felt that these six steps were the most effective and I do not want to overwhelm you with a lot of steps. Being overwhelmed is one of the major reasons that people give up on their resolutions to lose weight and I definitely do not want that to happen to you. I wish you the best of luck in having a happy and healthy 2017!
