If you're serious about bingo, you have to be in top shape.
But how do you lose weight? With a huge variety of diets, it's so hard to know what to do.
The Atkins diet says to eat all the fat you want, but cut the carbs. South Beach says there are good carbs and bad carbs. The Zone says you need to eat extra fat, but no sugar. The FDA can't make up its mind. Do you want slim-fast shakes or Jenny Craig meals? With all the options, it's all but impossible to make a decision.
It might seem hard to count calories or grams of fat. It's complicated, but there are ways to make it easier. For example, a gram of fat has 9 calories, while a gram of protein or carbs has 4 calories. So simple, cut out fat, and you can eat a lot more food, right?
Well, it's not that simple, because your body needs fats in order to function. When you want fats, though, be sure to choose unsaturated fats like Olive, canola, or peanut oils. Nuts such as almonds and cashews are a good source of healthy fats with a lot of energy-producing protein. Peanuts, olives, and avocado are also good sources of fat, but you should be careful to avoid commercially produced peanut butter, because it often contains trans-fatty acids which will raise your risk for heart disease.
A good way to lose weight is to avoid carbohydrates without fiber such as pasta, white rice, potatoes, white flour, and sugar. Foods like these raise your insulin levels and actually make you hungrier. When you eat carbohydrates with higher fiber levels, such as sweet potatoes, bran flakes, brown rice, or oatmeal, you'll feel full faster. In addition, while fiber has the same calories as non-fiber carbs, less of it stays in your system. If you want to lose weight, be sure to eat high-fiber foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Another thing that's important is to make sure you're getting enough protein. Some of the best sources of protein are fish and lean meats. Grilled skinless chicken breast tastes delicious and has a lot fewer calories than a hamburger. Fish may seem boring, but if you grill it with a little garlic or rosemary and drizzle some lemon juice on it, it can be a real delicacy. Tuna steaks have a meaty flavor and a much lower calorie count than beef steaks.
If you don't want to eat meats, eggs are a good source of protein. If you have high cholesterol, you might want to try a cholesterol-free egg substitute such as egg beaters instead. Cottage cheese and yogurts are also a good source of protein, and if you keep the fat percent under 5%, they're less than 100 calories per hundred grams.
An easy way to watch your calories is to eat foods that are less than 100 calories per hundred grams. You can easily eat an enormous amount of food this way and lose weight! All veggies and most fruits fit into this category.
Make sure that you're never really hungry. Eat smaller meals throughout the day. A few carrots or a yogurt in the middle of the afternoon will keep you from grabbing a whole pot of pasta and finishing it in one sitting for dinner.
The most important rule of dieting is that when you make a dieting mistake, you have to let it go. Just go on to the next meal. If you eat well most of the time, you'll feel better and lose weight.
Remember, though, dieting alone will help the weight come off, but if you don't exercise, you'll have a very hard time keeping it off. If you build muscle, your body will burn more calories, and you'll be able to eat more and still lose weight. In addition, regular exercise changes your body chemistry. People who work out regularly crave healthy protein-and-vitamin-rich foods.
