Vegetarian Weight Loss
Many people think that being a vegetarian
Furthermore, if you stop eating meat and or dairy products you will still need to pay close attention to what you eat due to the absence of nutrients that will be missing in your diet from those food groups. Consequently, you will have to find other sources of protein, calcium and vitamin D, to name a few. And if you’re not careful you will opt to eat fast and easy foods which are high in fat such as cheese, peanut butter, nuts, chips, ice cream etc. In other words, you will need a vegetarian weight loss plan if you want to remain healthy when you begin to take away nutrients that your body requires.
To make the final decision it would be a good idea to know what type of vegetarian you want to be. There are several kinds of vegetarians. Some of the major vegetarian categories include :
* vegan
* lacto-vegetarian: eats dairy products; no eggs or meat
* ovo-vegetaria: eats eggs; no meat
* lacto-ovo vegetaria: eats dairy and egg products; no meat
This list is just the tip of the iceberg, there are all kinds of vegetarians diets to choose from, so if none of these appeal to you, do some research and come up with one that works. As long as it’s healthy and you get what you need to maintain good health that’s what matters.
It also helps to ease into it it by eliminating meat or dairy one meal at a time. Breakfast is a good meal to start with since there are so many healthy cereals on the market why not eat cereal instead of eggs or meat. Then you can do a no meat lunch a few days a week until you finally work your way up to dinner which typically has a meat item as the main course. And before you know it every meal you eat will be vegetarian and you’ll wonder why those foods were ever necessary.
However, if you’re already a vegetarian, depending on how long you’ve been one, then you already know about vegetarian weight loss and that you can still gain weight if you don’t watch what you eat and exercise regularly. Nevertheless, I do believe that you stand a better chance of losing weight and keeping it off with a meatless diet, but only if you have a vegetarian weight loss plan and stick with it
Of course, you can always try it out
Healthy Eating Habits
Healthy eating habits sometimes are not so easy to do. If you have had unhealthy eating habits for a long period of time then eating healthy will not seem natural to you.
Therefore, you need to make the transition to healthy eating habits gradually at a pace you are comfortable with. Remember, it’s not a diet. This is not a program that you will give up on after a few weeks or months. You’re developing healthy eating habits that you want to last a lifetime.
To make progress you need to keep a positive attitude. Give yourself a pat on the back for each step you make in the direction of developing lifetime healthy eating habits. Make this your healthy eating adventure, exploring lots of new and different foods. And most importantly, don’t give up!
If you blow it, don’t beat yourself up. Remember that you’re human, it’s not the end of the world. Go back to your plan and start over again. Developing healthy eating habits doesn’t have to be a stressful experience you can do it and be no worse for the wear.
To make the transition from unhealthy to healthy eating habits you set small doable goals.
For example, you set a goal of not eating junk food for 3 days. Then you set another one for drinking only water for 5 days, just think of all the calories you’ve avoided right there! Then as the weeks go by you keep building upon your victories by adding a day. No junk food for 4 days, then 5 and so forth. If you keep this up you’ll lose weight in no time.
Can you see how much better this is than being on a diet that deprives you of foods you love forever? Really now, what sounds better, no junk food forever or no junk food for 3 days? Which one do you think is actually possible? You guessed it, the 3 day one.
Not to mention, you don’t have to think about buying special foods or drinks!
I’m not saying that you keep on eating unhealthy foods, but that you make the transition doable and realistic. While you’re not eating junk food for three days you eat healthy foods such as: lean fish and meat, white meat no skin or frying, whole grains, low fat- low cal dairy, veggies and fruits in small portions and no more than 1500 calories.
Combined with a moderate exercise routine you will lose about 2 pounds a week. This means you will lose 8 pounds a month and in three months 24 pounds. Wow!
Now you know how to get healthy eating habits and not suffer doing it.
Benefits of a High Fiber Diet
A high fiber diet is one that has many benefits. It used to be that high fiber foods didn’t taste very good. Therefore, people avoided high fiber foods like the plague. However, these days there have been major improvements made and fiber foods aren’t so bad.
A high fiber diet can help you lose weight. It does this by making you feel full longer, so that you don’t need to eat as often or as much. High fiber foods also tend to be lower in calories than their high in fat and calorie counterparts. However, if you have been eating a low fiber diet you need to add fiber slowly to avoid excessive bloating and so that the body can adjust.
The heart benefits from a high fiber as well. It works like this, when fiber goes through your system it picks up fats and bile to carry them out of the body rather than through the bloodstream. This helps keep your cholesterol levels down thus improving cardiovascular health. Nice and easy way to keep a healthy heart you can’t beat it!
You can also cut risk of digestive disorders and diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, colitis, colon cancer and helps prevent hemorrhoids.
In addition, you can avoid type 2 diabetes by eating a diet high in fiber. Fiber rich foods help slow down carbohydrate absorption and improve blood sugar levels. However, you do need to eat 35-50 grams of fiber a day, which can be a challenge for some. Many people only consume 15-20 grams a day, which isn’t enough.
There are only a couple of reasons for a person to not eat a high in fiber diet and they are if you’re fresh out of surgery or if you have cramping or diarrhea.
As you can see 99% of the time it’s beneficial to eat a fiber rich diet. So, do your homework and hunt down those high fiber foods, but remember to add them a little at a time.