The key to long-term weight loss is to gradually let your body adapt to the change
in its weight. To be successful, you need to eat a smaller quantity of foods
without feeling deprived. While a low-carb diet can get your weight down quickly,
studies have shown that most people regain much of the weight lost because they
are unable to maintain the diet long-term. This is likely due to their body
craving the nutrients not provided by the diet. Regardless of what diet
you choose, the basic formula never changes:
Calories Consumed - Calories Spent
3500 |
= |
Weight Change
(in pounds) |
IF, AND ONLY IF,
you consume enough calories to satisfy your body that it's not starving.
|
If, for example, you add a can of soda each day to your diet (at 140 calories per
can) for 4 weeks and don't also add additional activity or exercise to burn it
off, you'll have a net gain of 3920 calories. There are 3500 calories in one
pound, so you WILL GAIN just over a pound of fat.
The good news is that YOU MUST EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT! Meal Mixer makes it easy
for you to set your diet to an appropriate number of calories to lose or maintain
your weight. With your calories and dietary guidelines set, you can then plan
and record your diet to assure yourself that you're getting enough, but not too
many, calories to lose weight.
To help you lose weight easilyt, Meal Mixer has a simple form
that helps you set
your calories to a safe and productive level. This lets you enjoy great food
in the proper proportions to lose weight. You should, of course, consult your
doctor for the correct calories before entering into a weight loss effort.
Important:
When adding recipes to your plan, turn on the "Fits My Diet" selector. This
will give you a list of recipes that will not exceed your calories, fat, carbohydrate,
and protein requirements for the day (see graphic below).
You can safely add any displayed recipe to your menu when the 'Fits My Diet' checkbox is on.
As you add recipes to your menu, keep an eye on how you're doing for your meal,
your day and your weekly average. Of these three the weekly average is the
most important. You can go over/under each day by a little, but make sure
you're very close over the span of a week. Meal Mixer tracks this for you
on the Week (Grid) View:
Daily Average -- displayed in Week (Grid) View
Meal Mixer also shows you your totals for the day in the Week (Grid) View, and each
meal while search for and looking at recipes you're considering adding to your menu:
Daily Totals displayed in
Week (Grid) View |
Meal Total displayed while
searching or viewing recipes |
From a lifestyle standpoint, there are many things you can do to be healthier and
lose weight at the same time.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. Meal Mixer tracks how many you consume to
promote this in your diet.
- Increase the fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio of your foods. Higher fiber foods digest
more slowly, don't spike your insulin levels, saves your pancreas, and decrease
your risk of diabetes. Meal Mixer's let you know how much fiber you're consuming.
- Cut down on high glycemic foods (these, again, will spike your glucose and hence
insulin level, and then make it crash, leaving you feeling more hungry!
Foods such as white potatoes (french fries, chips, etc.), white rice, white bread,
etc. should be limited in your diet.
-
Exercise! An increased activity level will pay you numerous health and eating benefits
including increased energy level, better digestion, strengthened immune system, stronger muscles,
and an overall greater sense of well-being.
- Drink plenty of water every day. Often times we confuse thirst with
hunger. The average American is chronically dehydrated. Proper hydration increases
mental dexterity as well.
- Record your weight and waist
each week to track your progress. It is most important to keep your waistline
in a healthy range. The rule of thumb is that, if you were healthy when
you graduated high school, your graduation waist size should be your target!