Monday, March 18, 2013

Know What To Eat for Weight Loss

People say all the time "I Watch What I Eat" but still not losing any weight. When asked about cooking at home and which foods I get a strange look and glassy eyes. Home cooking is by some people considered healthy food is it. Knowing whats in the food by reading labels will assist in your weight loss program. 


A better phrase to use "Know What You Eat" will assist in a weight loss program. The label on all food items will provide information on all the relevant items such as fat, sugar, sodium, fiber. Knowing what food to avoid will increase your chances of losing weight. Ice cream is my problem food  taste fantastic especially in the summer also high in fat. The high fat put the weight on so must reduce the fat by not eating or look to replace ice cream.

Let's go nine years back when first start on my successful diet, or as it should be called a lifestyle change. I knew nothing about reading labels and did not realize the information on the label would be useful. Over time, I figured out labels and starting looking for food items that healthier. The first thing to look for is the calorie count and serving size.  Figure out the calories per servings and estimate how many servings you will eat, as most people will consume, more than one serving per meal. Do the same for calories from fat, the lower the fat the better. This may not be true in all cases, keeping the fat down to 25% to 30% of total calories is an excellent rule of thumb.

There are two types of fats, healthy and unhealthy. Healthy fats are Monounsaturated Fats from nuts and some oils and Polyunsaturated Fats from seafood and oils made from corn; soy and sunflower are a few examples of healthy fats. The unhealthy fats types Saturated Fats from meats, dairy some seafood, and some oils. Trans Fats are manmade will be in some process foods with most items showing zero trans fats on the box. Do your homework and research to get a better understanding of the different  fats will aid in the weight loss process.

Learn more about labels, do a search for "Reading Food Nutrition Labels" on your favorite search engine. Now's time to do your homework and learn about labels and the healthy and unhealthy fats. Start making healthier eating choices at those fast food restaurants and start eating healthier at home by knowing whats in the food. When starting a weight loss program the more you know the better.