Medical Professionals – Weight Loss Diet Solutions

What Calories Really Are and How Understanding Them Will Help You Lose Weight

If you’ve been on a diet before, then you’ve probably heard people talk about calories. So what are calories? Why are they so important in weight loss? Without knowing these crucial terms, it’s hard to understand the science behind weight loss.

So What Are Calories?

When defined in nutrition, calories are a measure of the energy in food. The more calories a particular food has, the more energy it contains. Energy is good, right? In the right amounts, it is. Unfortunately, many of us eat too many calories on a daily basis, and that’s what makes us overweight in the first place. Excess calories in the body turn into fat, and that’s why you should only eat as much as your body needs.

How Calories Fit Into Weight Loss

So, what role do calories play in weight loss? It’s simple. When you take in or consume fewer calories than your body needs, you lose weight. When you eat too many calories compared to what your body needs, then you gain weight. Your body needs calories to expend as it carries out its basic functions (circulation, excretion, digestion, and so on) as well as to allow you to carry out other activities throughout your day. This is also where exercise fits in; since exercising helps your body burn more calories, it helps you lose weight as well.

In simple words, to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit so that your body burns fat to make up for the missing calories. This means you either need to eat less, exercise more, or do a combination of the two (the third option works best).

As a general rule, a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day usually helps you lose one pound of weight in a week. If the calorie deficit is 1000 calories, you lose two pounds. Medical professionals recommend maintaining weight loss in the healthy zone, which is around one to two pounds a week, and not more. However, if you are very obese, you may find yourself losing much more weight in the initial few weeks after you lower your calorie count.

Hopefully this post has helped you understand the link between calories and weight loss better. In a nutshell, maintain a caloric deficit, and you will lose weight. How do you maintain this deficit? It’s easy; make healthier low-calorie food choices, cut out unnecessary empty calories from sugary items and alcohol, start being more active throughout the day, and maintain a positive attitude and strong willpower. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it!

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Flush Out Fat With These 5 Tips

Kicking your metabolism into shape so that you burn more calories rather than adding more fat to your body may take some drastic measures. Flushing the fat from your body is one way to increase your metabolic rate. It also rids the body of toxins that cause you to feel bloated and sluggish.

Fat tends to find a home in your body in three main areas ? butt, hips and thighs. Flushing out the fat targets these areas of your body rather than other diets where you may actually lose muscle mass.

Here are five tips for flushing unwanted fat out of your body that will lead you to weight loss success.

1. Lower calorie intake. Calorie count should be between 1000 and 1500 daily for the first couple of weeks.
2. During your fat flushing diet, you should add some good fat (such as flaxseed oil) as well as some protein, vegetables and fruit. Spices (such as cayenne pepper) are also a great addition to the diet plan.
3. Drink plenty of water, green tea and other liquids that act as a diuretic to flush out toxins and fat.
4. Get plenty of sleep. Sleep acts as a restorative process for your body and shouldn’t be neglected.
5. Keep track of all your activities, food and drink. You can jot the information in a notebook or enter it into one of the many online “journals” that are available.

Exercise is also important during this time, but don’t overdo it. You may feel weak because of decreased calorie intake. A brisk walk around the block or ten minutes on the treadmill will suffice.

After two weeks of the above regimen, you can increase your calorie intake to 1500 calories and add more carbohydrates to your diet. Follow this plan until you reach your desired weight. By then, your metabolism will have the boost it needs to work more efficiently.

Some medical professionals find that drastically lowering your calories is unhealthy and maintain that you’ll eventually put the weight back on. It’s true that you lose weight rapidly and unless you stick to the diet, you’ll more than likely put the pounds back on at a later time.

But you have a deadline to meet (such as fitting into that new bikini before your first trip to the beach), try the fat flushing diet for a couple of weeks to see quick and pleasing results.

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