With our busy lifestyles, staying slim seems to be an ever increasing challenge. When the pounds creep on what do you do? Many people think that dieting is the key to losing weight. But dieting can be stressful: it’s no fun depriving yourself of food and dealing with constant hunger pangs. Along with the physical hardships you may also experience emotional stress as you worry about what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. These difficulties can cause you to fall off the diet very quickly.
But new research shows that you may be able to lose weight simply by choosing the right foods at mealtimes. No more counting calories or rationing portions-just eat great food and lose weight at the same time. Sound too good to be true? Not according to the latest research.
Eat low-calorie-density foods. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating the right foods may be more effective than eating less. A team at Pennsylvania State University found that low-calorie-density diets can help shed pounds and control hunger.
Low-calorie-density foods such as fruits and vegetables, soups, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products have high water and low fat content. “Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories,” stated study author Dr. Julia A. Ello-Martin in a prepared statement.
She and her colleagues compared 71 obese women, ages 22 to 60, who ate either a reduced-fat diet or a reduced-fat diet that also included water-rich foods.
After one year, both groups showed significant weight loss and a decrease in the calorie density of their diets. But the women on the fat-reduced/water-rich diet lost more weight during the first six months of the study: 19.6 lbs. vs. 14.7 lbs.
The researchers found that the women on the reduced-fat/water-rich diet ate 25 percent more food by weight and felt less hungry than the women on the reduced-fat diet.
“By eating more fruits and vegetables, they were able to eat more food and this probably helped them to stick to their diet and lose more weight,” Ello-Martin said.
You can eat more and still lose weight. This research is confirmed by a 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which showed that it is possible to eat more and still slim down. The study compared weight loss in two groups of obese women. All of them were told to eat a reduced-fat diet, but one group was also instructed to consume water-rich foods, like soups, fruits, and vegetables. That group ate 25 percent more food by volume but lost more weight (an average of 17.5 pounds versus 14). How? They were eating fewer calories, but were still satisfied, thanks to the foods’ high water content. “Physical activity was the same in both groups, so if the people in one group lost more, they had to have eaten fewer calories,” stated lead study author Barbara Rolls, Ph.D.
Try this Eat water-rich and low-fat foods like soups before your begin your meals, and snack on fruit and vegetables.
Eat nuts to feel full. Eating nuts can have a similar effect. Researchers from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, discovered that when 52 overweight women and men followed a 1,000-calories-a-day diet for 24 weeks, those who ate almonds at meals and snack time lost 18% of their body weight, while those whose treats were carbohydrate-based (wheat crackers, baked potato, air-popped popcorn) lost just 11%.
The nut eaters reduced their waists by 14%; the carb snackers, 9%. The researchers suspect that the protein, fat, and fiber in almonds keep you feeling full longer-and that not all the calories in almonds are absorbed thanks to the tough cell walls of these nuts.
Try this Walnuts, pecans, unsalted peanuts, and other nuts should have similar effects-they’re packed with fiber and good fats, too. Have a handful (no more-they’re also high in calories) in place of your usual midmorning or afternoon snack.
Fool your stomach. Pennsylvania State University nutrition expert Barbara Rolls, PhD, found in one ingenious study that secretly reducing the calorie density of food-by preparing macaroni and cheese with less butter and cheese, for example, or adding more veggies and less cheese to pizza-cut 544 calories a day from the diets of 24 young women ages 19 to 35, and they never noticed the difference.
Rolls, author of the book The Volumetrics Eating Plan, states “We eat roughly the same volume of food every day.” If you can reduce the calories by focusing on water-dense fruits and vegetables, you can keep the volume high and feel satisfied. Your stomach senses food volume-it has stretch receptors and pressure sensors.”
Try this Start meals with a big salad-lots of veggies and no croutons or creamy dressing; have double portions of fruit and veggies at meals and skip or cut back on calorie-dense starches, fats, and fatty meats.
Eat eggs for breakfast. Women who started the day with two eggs and toast felt so much fuller and more satisfied than those who had a bagel and cream cheese that they ate 274 fewer calories the rest of the day, announced researchers from a new study at the Rochester Center for Obesity Research in Michigan. The egg group even ate fewer calories the following day. Protein-rich eggs, say the researchers, are simply more satisfying than breads and bagels.
Try this Have a boiled or poached egg for breakfast and indulge in scrambled eggs or an omelet on the weekend. You may wish to hard-boil a few eggs on Sunday and keep them in the fridge for quick weekday breakfasts when you’re dashing out the door.
Eat lean meat and protein sources. Eating more protein and fewer carbohydrates allowed 23 Danish women and men to shed 10% more belly fat-the dangerous intra-abdominal fat that raises risk for diabetes and heart disease-than dieters whose plates held more sweets and produce, say researchers from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen.
No one’s sure why eating fewer carbs and more protein would target belly fat. “We need to do more studies,” says researcher Arne Astrup, MD, a nutrition professor at the university. One possible explanation: A higher protein intake may somehow trigger smaller releases of the anxiety hormone cortisol. Cortisol directs the body to store more fat in the abdomen so less cortisol means less belly fat.
Try this Aim for a moderate portion of protein at each meal such as an egg or a 4-ounce chicken breast.
Snack on a variety of healthy foods to help stabilize your moods.Eating smaller meals and snacks throughout the day will keep your metabolism working at its best and your moods up. Just as hunger can make you feel grumpy, not eating the right foods can also affect your mental state. Fad diets that eliminate entire food groups, for example, can wreak havoc on your emotions. This may explain why people who try to diet often feel the urge to binge and go overboard on sweets and desserts.
So focus on healthy, fiber-rich carbohydrates: oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, whole-wheat pasta and breads, sweet potatoes, and apples. Avoid refined starches and sweets or candies and sodas as these are digested rapidly. You won’t feel satisfied for long after eating them even though you’ve consumed many calories. Refined foods also have little nutritional value.
To keep your appetite in check and your energy levels and emotions steady, try to balance most meals and snacks with a combination of healthy carbohydrates and lean proteins (low-fat dairy, lean meats, nuts). Some foods, such as yogurt and beans, offer a built-in balance of carbs and protein. Other good combinations include:
• low-fat yogurt with low-fat granola
• oatmeal with peaches and walnuts
• carrots and/or whole-wheat pita with hummus
• apple slices with peanut butter
• half a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato
• baked tortilla chips with bean dip
• small salad with grilled chicken breast
• veggie chili with low-fat cheese
So there you have it. Avoid crash diets and the hunger pangs that go with them. Simply eat the right foods as mentioned above and those extra pounds will start melting away.