In order to lose weight, you should get most of your calories from low-calorie and nutrient-dense food sources. Make sure to include foods such as high-quality proteins (including lean meats and nuts), fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates (including whole wheat breads, legumes, and brown rice).  Avoid heavily processed foods whenever possible. These include some foods that are frozen (including frozen pizza) and pre-made meals (including microwavable meals).  These foods have been processed to compensate for the nutrition lost during the process it took to preserve the food.  Choose fresh foods as often as possible. Eating multiple (four to five) small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals can help keep your metabolism elevated and suppress your appetite so that you don’t overeat. If you decide to eat more frequently throughout the day, make sure that you keep your portion sizes small. You don’t want to end up eating large meals more frequently and taking in more calories! Saturated fats are less beneficial to your body than unsaturated fats and are usually found in animal sources, like dairy and meat, as well as hydrogenated oils. Many of our favorite desserts are filled with saturated fats, so make sure you limit your intake of sweets.  Palm and coconut oils contain the highest amount of saturated fat, but butter and rendered animal fats like lard and shortening contain a considerable amount of saturated fat as well. Fish oil, for all its healthy omega-3 fatty acids, also contains a high percentage of saturated fat, so it is important to read the nutrition labels on the foods you purchase and limit your portion sizes when eating foods that are high in saturated fats.  It is important to note that you should limit, not exclude, saturated fats from your diet. The occasional saturated fat is fine, especially if it offers other health benefits, such as fish or nuts. Simply put, lean protein sources have less saturated fat and fewer calories.  Replace beef and pork with chicken and turkey. Fish is also lower in fat than most red meat and has additional health benefits. When possible, you should opt for fresh fish over sardines, tuna, or other fish packed in oil. Legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and pinto beans also pack a considerably high amount of low-fat protein. These foods will help you to feel full and will provide you with the necessary nutrition so that you aren’t deprived of essential nutrients as you eat a low fat diet in order to lose weight. Calcium helps regulate the way that fat cells store and break down fat, while low-fat dairy (such as milk and yogurt) can help promote weight loss. Particularly for women, who are especially prone to osteoporosis, it is crucial to include a sufficient amount of low-fat dairy in your diet.  Choose low-fat dairy instead of whole or no-fat dairy. Think two-percent or one-percent milk instead of whole milk or fat-free milk. Low-fat dairy options are often better that non-fat dairy, which are usually packed full of sugars. Include more milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese in your diet. These dairy sources are lower in fat than most hard cheeses, creams, and butters. Anyone over the age of nine years should consume approximately 3 cups of dairy per day. Children aged two to three years should consume approximately 2 cups of dairy each day, while children ages four to eight years old should consume about 2.5 cups of dairy each day. Alcohol is a source of empty calories that you will want to cut out of your diet as much as possible in order to lose weight. Your body reduces its fat-burning by nearly 75% after just one and a half drinks in order to rid itself of the by-products of alcohol (acetaldehyde and acetate). Thus, the fat and carbs that you eat have a greater chance of being stored as fat. Even moderate consumption of alcohol can increase the amount of calories you consume, can decrease your motivation for exercising, and can negatively impact your sleep. If you do choose to drink, drink in moderation. This means one or fewer drinks daily for women and two or fewer drinks daily for men. (One drink is equivalent to 12-oz of beer, 5-oz of wine, or 1.5-oz of liquor). While there is some room for forgiveness in your diet, there are certain foods and drinks that are more likely to throw your diet off altogether. These should be avoided as much as possible. Take foods with empty calories and no nutritional benefit out of your diet. Drinks like soda and foods like frozen French fries and sweet breakfast cereals should be avoided.
تناول وجبات غذائية صحية. تناول وجبات صغيرة خلال اليوم. قم بالحد من استهلاكك للدهون المشبّعة. تجنّب اللحوم الحمراء واستعض عن ذلك بتناول البروتينات الصافية. تناول الكثير من مشتقات الحليب منخفضة الدهون. ابتعد عن تناول المشروبات الكحولية. تجنّب مفسدات الحمية الغذائية.