What is your weight loss goal?
Is it to fit into skinny jeans, drop a few dress sizes, feel better or just to look great in a bikini? Is it for health reasons? You must have a goal, or you might as well not try to lose weight. Is your belly keeping the rest of your body from looking good.
Well, what if you could eat more and lose that extra weight around your middle? Every dieter in the world wants to know how to lose weight by eating.
The fact is, if you carefully choose the foods your fill up on, you can trim your belly fat without feeling hungry. The Center for Disease Control has a long list of foods that can help you trim the fat off your body and at the same time, keep you from feeling hungry.
Making simple substitutions, such as the type of greens you use in your salad and the snacks you munch during the day, can help melt away excess fat around your middle.
It is entirely possible to cut calories, flatten your stomach and banish those hungry feelings. Dropping weight has never been easy or satisfying but, according to the CDC, this definitely makes it easier by taking some of the pain out.
Belly fat is the hardest to lose and most people still want to do it quickly and painlessly without starvation diets or feeling hungry. The only effective way is to use a diet that promotes fat loss and exercise to speed up the weight loss and tighten up those abdominal muscles.
Here are some things you can try on your own:
1. Put More Whole Grains in Your Diet
Whole grains are higher in fiber than refined starches, so you will feel fuller by eating less. Try replacing breadcrumbs with rolled oats or oatmeal in your meatloaf or meatballs. Put some barley into your chicken noodle or vegetable soup. An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study released in 2008 found that people who loaded their diets with whole grains were more likely to lose fat from their bellies than those who loaded up on the enriched kind.
2. Use Baby Spinach instead of Iceberg Lettuce in Salads and Sandwiches.
Iceberg lettuce has always been the backbone of salads and sandwiches and any kind of leafy vegetable gets the green light when you are trying to lose weight. But the lowly spinach offers a whole bunch of nutrients that iceberg lettuce does not. Spinach is higher in iron and delivers three times as much folic acid (think protein), making it a much better nutritional choice than iceberg lettuce all around.
Folic acid or protein is one of the building blocks for muscles, causing them to work harder and burn more fat for energy, even when you are not working them. So, if you really want to ditch that spare tire around your gut, choosing dark leafy greens over iceberg lettuce will definitely help.
3. Get Rid of the Pretzels and Go for Nuts and Seeds
If you want to lose weight and satisfy your craving to munch, nuts and seeds were a better choice than pretzels or chips. I like almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds and unsalted peanuts. Nuts and seeds are loaded with belly-busting monounsaturated fats and research shows that people who eat two or more servings a week are less likely to gain weight than those who don’t.
The only downside is that nuts and seeds are loaded with calories, so you have to watch your portions and know when to say no. But, on the plus side, they are loaded with protein and fiber, so they’re more filling and your muscles need the protein to repair and grow.
Some Other Weight Loss Foods to Try:
4. Try Reducing the Fat in Your Butter using Mashed Avocado
It may sound yucky, but you probably won’t taste the difference because the avacodo by itself has a bland taste. Try replacing half of the butter in a recipe for mashed avocado. This could reduce fat content by about 40% and cut the number of calories by nearly nearly in half. You still get the creaminess and taste of butter, but you get more belly-trimming monounsaturated fat than . Sure your cookies might have a green tinge, but they should also be chewier and softer.
5. Use Cauliflower in Place of Potatoes and Rice
Cauliflower is the ultimate low-carb dieter’s snack food. The mild taste of cauliflower makes it a great substitute for carb-heavy potatoes and rice. Cauliflower has a lower glycemic index than rice, so your body won’t experience that spike in insulin that can lead to carb cravings.
6. Replace Your Sour Cream with Yogurt
Plain yogurt has a lot less fat and calories than sour cream and a lot more calcium. The next time you’re preparing a party platter dip, try making your dip with plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that people who ate three servings of yogurt a day lost 81% more belly fat than once-a-day yogurt eaters. The researchers hypothesized that calcium helps breaks down fat in your gut. So, for a gut blasting dip, go with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
7. Eat Dark Chocolate instead of Milk Chocolate
When you have a sweet tooth craving for chocolate, indulge yourself with a small bar of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is richer than milk chocolate and people are typically satisfied with a smaller portions. And weight loss is all about portion control.
A healthy eating plan is one that emphasizes a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat free or low-fat milk and milk products. It should include reasonable portions of lean meats (for protein), poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Low levels of saturated fats, trans-fats, cholesterol, salt (listed as sodium on the label), and added sugars. But it must stays within your calorie needs and help you from feeling hungry.
The seven tips might be just the thing that will tip the scales in your favor. Try them, you might be surprised at the results.
