Weight Loss Success: Five Essential Steps
Millions of Americans are looking for a weight loss plan, which is easy to follow and will deliver results. The problem with most traditional weight loss diets is that they eliminate certain important food groups or require drastic lifestyle changes, which can’t be maintained long term. The only weight loss plan, which can work allows for flexibility in food choices and is structured for a slow transition to a new dietary lifestyle.
Healthy weight loss occurs when calories consumed exceeds the energy burned through basic body metabolism and physical activity. The important thing to understand is that the type of food we eat and more importantly, when we eat that food has a profound effect on whether the body stores fat for future needs or burns fat for energy. For those who have tried the typical diet programs and failed, the following five steps will provide the necessary guidelines to achieve permanent weight loss.
Step 1: Stop Eating After 7 PM
Our body abides by a very intricate set of circadian rhythms, allowing time to carry out many necessary metabolic functions. One of those functions is fat burning and storage, which ideally occurs at night when you are asleep. When you stop eating three to four hours before going to bed, initial digestion of food in the stomach is allowed to complete and the body must turn to burning fat for its energy needs.
Try to fast for at least 12 hours each day, as the body will dip further into fat reserves for a longer period of time, and will also carry out other essential cellular maintenance functions which will slow down when food is being digested. This is not recommended for diabetics who may require small meals throughout the day.
Step 2: Eat Three Meals, No Snacking
It’s important to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. The critical point is to allow sufficient time between meals with no snacking. The body closely regulates blood sugar and insulin, and eating between meals sends this delicate mechanism awry resulting in excess fat storage.
The body needs three evenly spaced, moderately sized meals to fuel our energy needs, and also needs several hours after eating to process the food and return blood sugar and insulin to pre-meal levels. This will encourage fat to be used for fuel instead of being stored.
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