Use Food Pyramid for Healthy Weight Loss
There are tons of fad diets in the market that promises to burn fat in record time. They not only fail to meet their promises but are unhealthy too. Some of these diets claim – eat only bananas for a week and you will lose 10 pounds, drink cabbage soup for a month and you will lose 5 pounds. The claims of fad diets are interesting to say the least. Do you ever bother to remember the food pyramid that you studied in school time? That is the basis of sensible nutrition.
At the base of the pyramid are carbohydrates- rice, wheat and bread. Next comes vegetables and fruits followed by meat, nuts, eggs and the milk group. Whether a person has six or eight servings depends upon various factors. The only rule is to ensure that you get at least 1200 calories a day. The sugar intake must be kept at a maximum and fat intake must be kept at 20 of the total calories.
When you are on a calories deprivation diet that does not include exercise you shed weight extremely fast. This is because your body is burning protein for energy. Protein contains half the calories that fat does, so you double the amount to sustain the same levels of activity. Besides protein, muscle is four-fifths water. That reduces the quantity of energy derived by another one-fifth. Naturally the weighing scales seem so much friendlier! Unfortunately, by burning muscle protein the person concerned is lowering your basal metabolic rate as a result of which you will burn much less calories for the activities of daily living like sleeping or breathing. When you go back to your normal eating pattern, the weight will come back with a vengeance, because your body is now much less adept at burning calories.
To really see results you would need to exercise at least five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes at a fairly brisk pace. You should also get into some strength training. That way you will build lean muscle mass and every pound of muscle built burns 35 extra calories a day! You should not stop exercising once you have reached your target weight – you need to keep on a maintenance schedule of about 30 minutes three to four times a week.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.
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Looking for how to Eat All You Want and Still Lose Weight? Know Home Remedies for Weight Loss to lose fat naturally. Read How to Increase Metabolism through diet, foods and exercises.
Nick Mutt
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May 1st, 2010 at 10:06 am
Low GI verses Healthy Food Pyramid?
I am writing an essay on this topic. In your opinion,
which do you think is better for weight loss and general health. Low GI diet( low carb, medium fat) or the national recomended food pyramid diet guidlines. (high carb, low fat diet)?
May 1st, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Low GI Diet most definitely. The food pyramid seems more of the type to follow a normal diet, not a weight losing one whereas the GI diet does focus on weight loss.
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May 1st, 2010 at 3:10 pm
The low GI diet is better for you and will help you lose weight. You can gain weight being on the food pyramid diet because too many carb intake will be turned into fat.
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May 1st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
So obviously Low GI! There is a great reference book from Australia – The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, info easily located about the diet online.
High carbs will always result in an unhealthy person.
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May 1st, 2010 at 3:14 pm
go to mypyramid.gov
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May 1st, 2010 at 3:16 pm
i’ve tried both.
frankly, when i eat as recommended by the australian food pyramid dietary guidelines, i’m constantly hungry, bloated and tired. the constant hungriness causes me to eat more than i should.
now, i avoid flour / starch and sugar and i’m subsequently on a low carb diet.
i’ve lost a third of my body weight with barely any effort at all.
(from 100kg’s to 70kg’s – I’m 5"5 165cm’s).
i find that eating low carb forces you to eat less processed foods (ie no biscuits, breads and other foods that are devoid nutritionally) and my diet now consists of plenty of lean meat, vegetables, full fat dairy (the way nature intended) and other food products that haven’t been tampered by manufacturing.
my health – specifically my cholesterol – has improved significantly EVEN THOUGH i’m eating far more foods that are supposed to be bad for your cholesterol levels. go figure.
i’m not tired in the afternoons anymore. i eat LESS than i did on a low fat diet, as i’m constantly feeling satisfied, and sometimes i even manage to consume less kilojoules daily then my best friend who eats low fat – simply because i’m just not hungry all the time.
i also enjoy the fact that i’m not being constantly ripped off by supermarkets and food companies by buying processed products with huge mark-ups (ie since WHEN does flour and water in the form of bread cost over $4.00 a loaf!!!!!! – that’s OUTRAGEOUS!!)
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May 1st, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Depends really. There are pros and cons for both. I like to make sure that most of what I eat is low GI, but after a really strenuous work out I go for something high or medium GI because this repairs muscles more quickly and returns energy more rapidly.
I like that the food pyramid promotes eating everything in moderation…..it’s a good goal for everyone.
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