Showing posts with label healthy foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy foods. Show all posts

Foods to Make You Lose Weight on Your Legs

You can't spot reduce, or lose fat from only one chosen area of the body. You can, however, lose weight from your legs if you lose weight all over. Follow a reduced-calorie diet to lose weight from your entire body, and part of the weight loss will be from your legs. Perform toning exercises, such as squats and thigh lifts, to improve the appearance of your legs.

Fruits

To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than your body uses. Fruits are a good choice because they are low-calorie but full of water and fiber, so they fill you up. You can have a larger portion size of fruit for fewer calories than many other snacks. For instance, a 1-ounce snack-sized bag of corn chips has the same number of calories as a small apple or a cup of whole strawberries. Add blueberries to your breakfast cereal. Top whole grain waffles with raspberries. Snack on whole or cubed fruit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 2 cups of fruit per day for someone who consumes 2,000 calories a day.

Vegetables

Vegetables are also filling but low-calorie. Substitute some spinach, onions or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your breakfast omelet. Remove some of the meat and cheese from your sandwich and substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers or onions. Prepare pasta or rice with vegetables. Make sure that vegetables take up the largest portion of your dinner plate. Snack on raw baby carrots with light ranch dressings. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, you should eat at least 2.5 cups of vegetables.

Whole Grains

Whole grains haven't had their bran and germ stripped during the milling process, so they are good sources of filling fiber. Eat high-fiber breakfast cereals, such as oatmeal or bran flakes. Choose whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Select whole grain bagels instead of those made with refined flour. Swap white rice for kasha, brown rice, wild rice or bulgur. Prepare soups, stews, casseroles and salads with wild rice or barley. Try to choose grain products with at least 3 grams of dietary fiber per serving. Look for foods that bear the Whole Grain stamp.

Lean Proteins

Choose lean forms of meat and poultry. When purchasing beef, choose round, chuck, sirloin or tenderloin cuts. Select beef that is labeled "Choice" or "Select" instead of "Prime," which usually contains more fat. Look for beef that is 90 percent or higher lean meat. Lean pork or lamb includes tenderloin, loin chops or leg. The leanest poultry is skinless white meat from the breast. When buying ground poultry, choose ground breast meat or select low-fat ground chicken or turkey. Trim any visible fat from meat and poultry. Western Michigan University recommends eating less 3 oz. of meat per serving, which is about the size of a deck of cards. Alternatively, get your protein from other low-fat foods, such as beans and legumes.

Are There Foods to Eat to Reduce Hip & Thigh Fat?

If you're looking for lean, toned thighs and hips, making some modifications to your diet and exercise routine can help. And while spot reduction -- losing fat from one part of your body, like your thighs or hips -- is a myth, reducing your overall body fat percentage will help you look slimmer. Pair fat-burning foods with workouts that target your hips and thighs for a more toned appearance.

Eat Low-Calorie Fruits and Veggies

Veggies and fruits are your best friend for fat loss. They're very low in calories, so you can eat relatively large portions without making much of a dent in your calorie intake. That's great for helping you feel satisfied while you lose weight, since you'll need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Filling low-cal foods like vegetables can keep you from feeling deprived. Fruits and vegetables are also directly linked to weight loss, according to a study published in Obesity Facts in 2011. The study authors looked at the diet habits of more than 400,000 Americans to find connections between fruit and veggie intake and weight. They found that people who eat the most fruits and veggies were most likely to have a healthy weight, even after accounting for other factors that can influence weight, like physical activity.

Eat a green salad drizzled with a teaspoon of olive oil before your dinner to help you feel satisfied on fewer calories. Add sauteed vegetables to soups, pastas and casseroles. Lunch on vegetable soup or snack on an apple or carrot sticks to feel full between meals.

Lean Protein for a Fat-Burning Metabolism

Adding more protein helps you naturally eat less food, which makes it easier to burn body fat and tone your thighs and hips. A 2008 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes that people following higher-protein diets burn more calories throughout the day and reported feeling more satiated after meals than people on lower-protein diets. The study also found that people on high-protein diets retain lean muscle mass as they lose weight. That's essential for getting the toned thighs and hips you want; as you lose fat, those muscles will become more visible, giving you a leaner look.

Make sure you're eating the right proteins for weight loss -- ones that are low in unhealthy saturated fat. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends limiting red meat, as many cuts tend to be fatty. Instead, go for skinless turkey or chicken breast, eggs, beans, fish and low-fat dairy products such as Greek yogurt for quality protein. Nuts provide protein, too, along with a dose of healthy fats.

Reach for Fiber-Rich Fare

Boost your fiber intake, and burn more fat. That's the takeaway message of a 2015 study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The study found that just one dietary change -- eating more fiber -- was enough to cause significant weight loss. And if you're looking for the most benefits, pair fiber with protein. A study published in Nutrition Journal in 2011 found that people lost more fat on a high-protein, high-fiber diet than they did on a high-protein, high-carbohydrate diet.

Use especially fibrous fruits and vegetables -- like leafy greens, peppers, apples, pears, raspberries and blackberries -- to boost your fiber intake, and combine vegetables with lean proteins for high-fiber, high-protein meals. Try serving grilled salmon with steamed spinach and baby kale, add chunks of grilled chicken to an arugula salad, or add a handful of black beans to your vegetable soup. You can also get fiber from whole grains, like quinoa, oatmeal and whole-wheat pasta and bread. Just eat grains in moderation if you're following a lower-carbohydrate diet, since they also contain lots of starch.

Workouts to Reduce the Look of Hip and Thigh Fat

While the calorie deficit you create through your diet will help you lose fat all over your body, your workouts can specifically target your hips and thighs to help them look more toned. If your doctor gives the go-ahead for intense exercise, do cardio workouts that challenge your leg and hip muscles -- like sprints, box jumps and lateral skater jumps -- to burn fat while you tone your lower body. Incorporate strength training workouts into your routine two to three times per week, and include squats and lunges, which target several muscles in your hips and thighs. Avoid boredom by incorporating different variations of these exercises -- plie squats, for example, can target your inner thighs, while side lunges shape your outer thighs and butt.

The Best Foods to Eat for Fat Loss in the Butt & Hips

If you have a "pear-shaped" body and want to lose weight from your butt and hips, it can be done, but there are several misconceptions regarding weight loss that you should understand. First, there are no foods that actively burn fat off your body. Second, "spot reduction," or in this case, targeting your butt and hips for fat loss, is not possible. You will have to diet and remove body fat proportionally from your entire body to lose inches off your butt and hips.

Fruit

Fruit is a food that can support your fat-loss goals. This is especially true if you are prone to snacking on foods that are high in sugar, such as candy, ice cream or soda. Fruit is low in calories, high in nutrients and fiber. Even though fruit has sugar, it is not refined or processed sugar that can raise your blood glucose levels, trigger insulin release and promote fat storage. The American Council on Exercise recommends blueberries, grapefruits, oranges and watermelon. Any type of fruit makes a good replacement for high-calorie foods or desserts.

Vegetables

Eating vegetables in place of higher calorie foods can help you lose fat off your entire body and your posterior. The Centers for Disease Control recommends steaming your vegetables and using low-fat salad dressings or herbs if you want to add flavor. Like fruit, nearly every kind of vegetable is a suitable low-calorie, highly nutritious replacement for high-fat or high-sugar foods. The exception to the rule is potatoes. The CDC suggests eating green beans, broccoli and bell peppers. The American Council on Exercise recommends artichokes, spinach and bok choy, but any green vegetable is a good choice.

Lean Protein Foods

Eating lean protein foods can significantly help you lose weight. Replacing high-fat protein foods such as red meat and beef with lean protein foods can significantly reduce your caloric intake. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, flounder and herring are all low-calorie sources of lean protein. The American Council on exercise recommends canned tuna because it is a high-protein food source that has no carbohydrates and virtually no dietary fat. Skinless chicken and turkey are also lean sources of protein. Egg whites, soy products and beans can support your fat-loss goals as well. Saturated fat is the type that you want to avoid and keep below 10 percent of your daily calories with the rest of your fats coming from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that total fat consumption should not exceed 35 percent of your daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 35 percent equals 65 grams of fat or 700 calories.

Eating Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, in addition to exceeding your daily calorie needs, the type of fat in your diet not the amount of fat is what causes weight gain and increases your risk for disease. A Harvard study published in the June 23, 2011 issue of the “New England Journal of Medicine,” followed 120,000 men and women’s lifestyles and eating behaviors for 20 years. Researchers discovered people who ate more nuts -- a high-fat food -- whole grains, fruits and vegetables gained less weight than people who ate more red meat, processed meats, french fries, sugary beverages and refined grains. Foods that increase satiety, such as healthy fats, may help reduce overall calorie intake.

How to Lose Weight With These Foods

Regardless of how many fruits, vegetables or lean sources of protein you add to you diet, you must understand how weight loss occurs if you are going to lose fat. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. The CDC says the key to achieving this through diet is to replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods. Replace ice cream with fruit. Replace rice or pasta with vegetables. Replace prime rib with salmon. While exercise will certainly help, creating a caloric deficiency by burning more calories than you eat, is the key to losing weight. Weight loss is not particularly complex, but it does require a commitment and often many dietary and lifestyle changes. Consult your doctor or a registered dietitian if you need further assistance with your weight-loss goals.

5 Foods You Should Eat Every Day to Lose Weight

Losing weight is all about diet. You can exercise as much as you like, but if your diet isn't right, then your progress will be minimal at best. The most important factor in your diet is calories -- to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than you burn. While you can do this by eating whatever foods you like, you will get much faster results, and feel far better, following a diet composed of healthy foods, and five certain foods in particular.

Blueberries

Blueberries are known for being high in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which all benefit general health, but a 2009 study at the University of Michigan showed that they may help weight loss as well, due to the phytochemicals they contain. You can also snack on blueberries when you have a sweet craving, because they are low in calories, yet still provide you with a small sugar hit.

Grapefruit

The well-known grapefruit diet may now be slightly dated, but that doesn't mean grapefruit doesn't have weight-loss benefits. Grapefruit may help to lower your levels of insulin -- a hormone that when present in the body in high quantities can trigger fat storage. It's also very filling, meaning you can eat a fair amount of it without worrying about consuming too many calories.

Chicken

When you eat, your body has to use calories to digest your food. This is known as the thermic effect of feeding, or TEF. According to bodybuilding diet coach Tom Venuto, the types of food that create the biggest rise in TEF are lean proteins, such as chicken. Aim to have a serving of protein with all of your meals, although if you're not a fan of chicken, go for turkey, white fish, lean red meat or dairy products instead.

Salmon

Like chicken, salmon is also high in protein, which stimulates a higher TEF. Salmon is also higher in fat, and while this may sound like a disadvantage when trying to lose weight, it is actually extremely beneficial. Fat is certainly not an enemy when dieting, and it can help to keep you feeling full for longer. The fat in salmon is omega-3, and according to Charles Poliquin, owner of the Poliquin Performance Institute for elite athletes, omega-3 helps to "turn on" your fat-burning genes and "turn off" your fat-storing genes.

Green Vegetables

The huge advantage green vegetables have in any weight-loss diet is that they're extremely low in calories. Vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli, celery, kale, cabbage, green beans and zucchini are all high in fiber and nutrients, yet low in calories. Eating lots of low-calorie vegetables helps you to feel full, beat cravings and improves your general health, so eat at least two servings at every meal.