What? Did you think I was just gonna discuss exercise and NOT diet? Gosh no! Everyone knows that a healthy lifestyle comprises of regular exercise and healthy eating. The tough part for everyone is to maintain that attitude and practice, FOREVER! Yep, you can't just "diet" or decide to exercise every so often. It needs to be a part of your lifestyle, just like waking up and going to work everyday; exercise and diet are an integral part of your daily life. "Diets" don't work. And exercising in the spring so you can fit into your two piece bathing suit this summer is fine and dandy, but if you make it a part of your everyday life, then you don't have to stress every spring. Make sense?
Again, I did some research and came up with some common sense dietary approaches to fighting belly fat:
I liked this site because it offered some very common food suggestions for diet.
Oatmeal – not instant
Almonds and other nuts - Small quantities per day
Protein Powder – Contains amino acids that burn fat and build muscle, add to all natural fruit only smoothies
Olive and Canola Oil
Berries – fresh is best, canned fruit tends to be over processed and contain way too much sugar
Eggs – Contain vitamin B12 which your body needs to metabolize fat.
Beans and Legumes – Packed with protein and fibre.
Lean Meats and Fish – fish is best, or lean cuts of meat
Whole Grains - 100% whole grain, keep away from instant rice which has little food value
Low Fat All Natural Peanut Butter - PB is packed with niacin, which keeps the digestive system on track and prevents belly bloat.
Green vegetables - Did you know that iceberg lettuce contains almost no fibre?? Choose leafy vegetable like spinach, arugula or romaine instead.
Dairy – choose low fat or fat-free dairy products
Avocados
Tea – Especially green tea which is loaded with antioxidants which speed up metabolism
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – High in protein
Cannellini beans – Contain resistant starch that resists digestion, thereby digesting slower and burning more calories during the process. Who knew?
The interesting thing I discovered here, is that most of this I already include in my diet. For breakfast, I usually have a couple soft-boiled eggs with whole grain toast. Oatmeal is great for a before bed snack, at least I think so. I love berries and try to have them in my fridge whenever they are affordable. I like beans in chili and I love lentil salad. Fish is awesome, I tend to only buy when its on sale though because its darned expensive otherwise. Drinking tea has become my new beverage of choice. Green tea is nice, but I've discovered so many other variety's out there, like berry flavoured teas. I've started experimenting more with these and can't wait for summer to brew up some strawberry tea for sipping with ice. I think my weakest link here is dairy. Like alot of adults I know, milk is not my stomachs favourite food, so I tend to choose yogurt or cheese instead.
When searching for more general information on diet, I found most sites recommend diets that emphasis lean protein and low GI carbs (such as fruits, vegetables and high fibre/whole grains). The true revelation here? None really, this is the type of diet that is recommended for optimal health regardless of what your goal(s) are. The hard truth is food alone cannot and will not affect your overall health. A common sense balance of diet and exercise is what is most recommended.
Does that mean never eating cake, cookies, chips or chocolate ever again? Gosh no, but when you do, limit your intake to a very small portion. You will satisfy your craving and not add on needless fat and sugar to your body. Everything in moderation, right?
The key here is to be aware that your daily caloric intake should not exceed your daily caloric usage. So, if you just burned 400 calories on the treadmill, you probably don't want to go out and kill that effort by wolfing down a fast food burger.
But that's just common sense right?
As part of my belly fat fight, I am going to continue with my usual diet and I will let you know how that goes.
In the meantime; don't sweat the small stuff
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