We all have our favorite foods and cravings like chocolate, pies, tarts, biscuits, donuts, waffles, cakes, nuggets, french fries, hotdogs, pizza and so on. But usually, eating too much of the good stuff won’t do any good to your waistline. Some people on their quest for the holy grail of weight loss and how to lose visceral fat often make the mistake of thinking all calories are created equal. Hence they will simply stick to their favorite junk foods but reduce the amount thinking they are on a diet. But that’s not a good idea because the truth is all calories are not created equal. Here is a breakdown of calories:
Calories from 1 gram of fat – 9
Calories from 1 gram of protein – 4
Calories from 1 gram of carbohydrates – 4
Calories from 1 gram of alcohol – 7
As you can see, fat has more calories than other nutrients. So if you were to stick to your favorite food diet or calorie laden foods usually loaded with either too much saturated fats, refined flour, sugar, sodium or empty calories like beer, you’ll be adding more calories to your nutrition. On the other hand, if you were to eat the same amount of calories but deriving from other food items which are more nutritious, you can see that all calories are not created equal here. Calories coming mostly from saturated fats, refined flour, sugar and sodium are not proper nutrition whereas calories coming from protein and complex carbs are way more nourishing, filling and more healthy. That’s not to say all fats are bad. Saturated fats like animal fats are usually bad whereas unsaturated fats like olive oil for instance are not and should be included in your diet.
The choice of foods you make are fundamental if you want to lose weight. Some foods are less calorie dense and have fat-burning properties as well. Such foods include but not limited to:
Fish – cod, tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout, sardine, herring, pilchard, halibut, sea bass
Lean Meats and Proteins – cottage cheese, whey isolates, egg whites, skim milk, skinless chicken/turkey breast, lean beef/veal/pork/lamb/buffalo
Complex Carbs – wholegrain oatmeal, oat bran, sweet potatoes, brown rice, wholemeal bread, yams, wholewheat pasta
Legumes and Pulses – kidney beans, lentils, peas, peanuts, soybeans, flax seeds
Spices – jalapeno, cayenne pepper, pepper, garlic, onion, ginger
Fruits – strawberries, blueberries, apples, kiwis, acai berries, oranges, grapefruit
Vegetables – bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, green beans, spinach, asparagus
Healthy Fats – olive oil, canola oil, macadamia oil
These are some of the foods where you should get your calories from and which you should stick to religiously if you want to get rid of excess weight. For drinks, try to drink water and green tea as far as possible.
Making proper food choices alone won’t help you reach your goals. You still need to be active physically. For instance, do some jogging, brisk walking, cycling, aerobics, swimming or perform some bodyweight compound exercises like lunges, pull-ups, dips, squats, push-ups etc…With your quality nutrition and exercise regimen set in place and a consistent routine going on, there is no way you can’t shed those extra pounds off.