There are hundreds of fat loss diets out there and some of them work for certain people, but at the same time they don’t work for most people. Instead of spending months or even years trying all sorts of diets that don’t work, follow these 5 tips in order to find the right one for you and most important of all, one that will give you results!
The 5 characteristics of a good diet are:
1. It Doesn’t Restrict Fat Consumption
Many years ago it was thought that you get fat by consuming fat. But scientists had proven that it is only a myth, and that carbohydrates are the main cause of fat gain. Healthy fats are essential for your body and some of them even support fat loss.
So you definitely need to include them in your diet (in moderation). Great sources of healthy fats are: olive oil, unsalted nuts & seeds (walnuts, cashew, peanuts, flax seeds, chia seeds etc.), avocados, peanut butter, whole eggs, salmon and other types of fatty fish.
2. It Has Sufficient Daily Calories
Cutting calories is the main idea behind weight loss, but doing it too drastically will actually make things worse! Your body will get into starvation mode, it will slow down your metabolism and will hang on to the fat that you actually want to lose. Not to mention that you will feel hungry and weak all the time, which usually results in binge eating.
The number of calories you need to eat on a daily basis depends on many factors such as your age, height, weight and activity level...but if a diet suggests less than 1,000 calories a day, it may not be a good solution on the long term!
If your diet consists of foods that will cause excess insulin in your blood, your efforts will be wasted. Those spikes in blood sugar and the following crashes will make you crave for more sugar in no time! A good diet should have a right balance of protein, fat and fibers in order to keep your insulin levels at steady levels. The diet should also consist of multiple small meals a day, made up of low-glycemic foods.
4. It Offers Enough Macronutrients
The 3 macronutrients your body needs on a daily basis in order to function properly are protein, carbohydrates and fats. Different people require different ratios (some do well with a ratio of 40/40/20, others do better on a 60/30/10) but no matter what’s the case for you, your diet should include all three types of macros, in order to stay healthy during the diet and maintain your energy.
5. It Works With You, Not Against You
And the most important aspect of all is that your diet should work with your lifestyle! If you don’t have enough time or skills to cook, you can’t pick a diet that requires extensive time in the kitchen. Or if you have a very tight schedule, you can’t go on a diet that requires you to eat 6 times a day. Or maybe you have a tight budget, so you can’t pick a diet that requires you to eat exotic, organic and expensive foods.
There are many good fat loss diets out there, and many of them can work well for you even though they are based on different principles. Choose one that fits well into your lifestyle and you will find it easier to stick to it and get the results you are looking for!
.png "Tumblr")