Lose weight naturally
So many things have been said about the “natural way” of losing weight. One dietitian even defined it as “the opposite of gaining weight the natural way”. If that means the natural way of gaining weight is being careless about how we treat our body and being careful and caring of our health, then that dietitian has a good point. Simply put, natural weight loss should mean losing excess body weight without the use of invasive procedures, potentially harmful drugs, radical dietary regimen or dangerous activities.
Natural weight loss is closely related with the ways of healthy living, such as eating a well balanced diet, getting enough sleep, having a regular physical exercise, avoiding substance abuse and having a positive outlook. Natural weight loss promoters see it as a long-term plan employing a process that involves positive change in life-style with a commitment to lifetime results. There are no sensational or novel methods of recent discovery in this process. In fact what is primarily employed are basic practices of simple and sensible caring of the human physical health that has been known for many years.
Consider the following recommendations for reducing body fat that primarily constitute the greater part of body weight:
1. Eat 5 to 6 small meals daily, instead of 3 big meals.
Eating in between the three regular meals daily helps suppress appetite and prevents overeating during the regular mealtime. It also increases body metabolism so that the burning of body fat is faster compared to the burning rate when the body metabolism is slow.
2. Prefer food with low calorie content.
Being conscious of the calorie content of different kinds of food is of vital importance, since to avoid the accumulation of fat in the body tissues the amount of calories that should be taken in must not exceed the amount of calories that can be expended in a day’s regular physical activity. It pays to know and compare calorie contents, for example, each gram of fat has 9 calories while each gram of carbohydrate or protein has only 4.
3. Avoid starchy and processed food products.
Processed and refined starchy products, such as pastries, are quickly digested and converted to glucose (which is sugar) in the body. The body uses glucose first as fuel for the energy it needs to function. It also uses its reserve of fat as an additional source of fuel when the supply of glucose is limited to maintenance of normal body functions. In extreme cases of starvation, when body fat is no longer available, the body will also convert protein to glucose and use this as fuel for energy. Loading the body with an excess supply of refined carbohydrates, that are easily converted to glucose, keeps the body from utilizing its fat-reserves as fuel. This prevents the volume of fat in the body from diminishing.
4. Avoid sweetened beverages.
Almost all sweetened beverages contain massive amounts of sugar, and, as explained before, having so much sugar in the body prevents the use of its fat-reserves. To burn up all the calorie content of a can of soft drink, for example, takes about 20 to 30 minutes of hard work on the treadmill. Without so much sugar serving as readily available fuel, the body could have already reduced so much of its fat deposits within that period of time.
5. Avoid alcoholic drinks.
Alcohol like sugar also acts as readily available fuel for energy that the body can use. In fact, between glucose and alcohol the body quickly prefers alcohol as fuel when it is available since it burns more easily and quickly converts to immediately usable energy. This is the reason why after a time of alcohol consumption the body may actually crave for it as in the case of alcoholics. With alcohol around and available the body will not touch its fat reserves and no diminishing of body fat will happen.
6. Eat fresh unprocessed food.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seeds are loaded with vitamins and minerals needed by the body and do not have the animal fat that are simply stored away in the body tissues.
The intake of the right amount of water every day is one important factor in losing weight the natural way which needs to be particularly pointed out. Health experts believe that the body requires about 6 to 8 glasses of water daily to keep it in good operating condition. This means optimum utilization of nutrients, increased energy output and efficient disposal of metabolic wastes. All these are important in the maintenance of good health and physical fitness. One immediate effect of adequate water consumption in relation to weight loss that can be immediately felt is the suppression of the tendency to overeat.
A natural weight loss plan must include a cardiovascular exercise that does not require extreme muscular exertions. A cardiovascular exercise is a physical workout that concentrates more in body movements that improve blood circulation, heart pumping efficiency, intake of oxygen and the exhalation of carbon dioxide from the body. Walking, cycling and swimming are good cardiovascular exercises that can reduce body fat without putting undue strain to the body. A more vigorous physical exercise that requires the utilization of much energy of course can hasten the burning of body fat, like running or weight lifting. An appropriate combination of light cardiovascular exercise and a more vigorous muscular exertion may be employed to hasten weight loss. Use of such combination of physical workouts is best consulted with a competent health provider to determine what fits a particular body and health condition.
Sleep is especially important in natural weight loss. It has been medically established that while the body can get by and function normally with only 5 to 7 hours of sleep, 8 to 10 hours is ideally needed to enable it to do its repairs and to restore itself into optimum operating condition. Current studies in Japan show that people who ordinarily get 5 to 7 hours of sleep succeed in their natural weight loss program in just a few weeks when they get additional 2 hours sleep every night. It seems that sleep deprivation interferes with the body’s secretion of a particular hormone that regulates the feeling of hunger and has an effect of increasing the appetite to eat, while adequate sleep reduces the craving for food. It was also noted that when sleep is inadequate the body tends to store more fat.
The thing that probably plays a vital role in natural weight loss, particularly in relation to how fast body weight can be reduced, is metabolism, and the understanding of it is crucial to anyone serious in losing weight the natural way. Inside a live human body are unceasing organic activities involved in interconnected processes that sustain life. Basic to these activities is the constant destruction of cells (called cell degeneration) and the building of new ones (called cell regeneration) to replace those that have been destroyed. Cell degeneration and regeneration is what metabolism is all about.
Metabolism requires energy and a supply of fuel that can be converted to energy. For example, physical exertion causes the destruction of many muscle cells that need to be immediately replaced to maintain normal muscle condition. The energy that is needed to build new muscle cells will be taken from fuels that are supplied to the body (e.g. oxygen) or stored in the body (e.g. glycogen, various forms of fat and amino acids). Glycogen is glucose stored in the liver and converted back to glucose when needed as fuel. Glucose comes from carbohydrates taken into the body. Amino acids come from the protein in meats. The greater and longer the muscular exertion is made more cells become destroyed and a greater amount of fuel will be needed to produce energy that is needed to make the replacement cells. In other words, when the rate of metabolism is increased fuel requirement is also increased. Since, “fuel” means all the glucose, fat and protein that is stored in the body, an increase in the utilization of these fuels will also have a depleting effect on them. The fuel that the body would use first is glucose. However, when physical exertion is at the level where more fuel for energy is required it will supplement its fuel consumption with stored fat, especially when the supply of glucose becomes limited to the maintenance of normal body functions. Only in the extreme case of starvation will the body start to cannibalize its stored protein and convert this into fuel for energy. What this all means is that an increased in the rate of metabolism decreases the amount of glucose and fat stored in the body. A decrease in stored fat of course means a leaner body.
Understanding the relationship between metabolism and stored fat should be significant to any one serious in losing weight the natural way, as this will enable the weight watcher to deal with the factors that have roles in the increase or reduction of stored fat in the body. In retrospect, the following facts in the dynamics of relationship between metabolism and stored fat are well worth reiterating:
1. Increasing body metabolism, by physical activity, reduces stored fat in the body.
2. Supplying the body with enough food, taken in small amounts 5 times daily, provides the body with enough energy to enable physical exertions that can increase body metabolism. On the other hand, going hungry between regular mealtimes increases the tendency to overeat when food is served.
3. Overeating, particularly with food high in processed or refined carbohydrates, triggers the release of chemicals in the body that slows down metabolism and induces sluggishness, which encourage the storing of fat in the body tissues.
4. Reducing the amount of dietary fat consumed means less fat necessary to burn.
5. Reducing the amount of processed or refined carbohydrates consumed means less glucose for the body to use as fuel so that it will use more of its fat reserves instead.
6. Eating more fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains and seeds, provides the body with the vitamins and minerals it requires and the nutrition that is almost free from fat. It also helps the body perform its normal body processes better, such as nutrient assimilation, filtration of impurities and toxins and waste disposal.
7. Eating high protein food will help replenish amino acids lost during highly strenuous physical exercise.
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