Almost a year ago, I started a diet and exercise regimen after finding out from my doctor that my hypertension is due to my obesity. Before that conversation with my doctor, I did little to no exercise, and ate a lot of processed food and dined regularly in fast food restaurants instead of cooking meals at home and eating healthier food choices. Since that day, I have avoided processed food and fast food offerings since even though they are moreish, and low-cost, they are calorie-dense, have high amounts of trans fat, salt, and simple carbohydrates, at the same time, are typically lacking of vitamins and minerals. They also typically contain flavor enhancers, food colorings, and artificial preservatives which are often associated with respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive problems, and some forms of .
Aside from that I reduced my calorie intake and incorporated more fruits and vegetables into my diet. Before starting my diet regimen, I asked myself, how many calories should I eat? While doing so, I came across a number of health and diet websites and blogs which had calorie calculators which are developed using the Harris Benedict formula utilized by dieticians as well. In order to figure out how many calories should I eat, I just entered my gender, present and preferred weight, and height. To reduce my weight in a safe and sustainable manner, I had to cut down 500 to 1,000 calories from my recommended daily intake.
As mentioned earlier, I ate more fruits and vegetables because they are more nutritious. Also, they contain more fiber which can help in giving a sense of satiety and reduce hunger pangs. As an example, instead of gorging on potato chips, I snacked on bananas. There are fewer calories in a banana compared to oily and salty potato chips, which can have a calorie count upward of two-thousand a bag. Even though there are fewer calories in a banana, it filled me up easily because it is high in fiber. I ate five different kinds of vegetable, and two kinds of fruit per day. I also avoided carbonated beverages, and instead opted for fruit juices, which are more nutritious and healthy.
My doctor strongly advised against an exclusive fruit diet though. His reason being, such a diet will not provide me with the recommended amounts of protein and other macronutrients. Instead, he told me to diversify my protein intake, to include poultry, legumes, beans, nuts, and low-fat dairy instead of the usual pork and beef. At the same time, I was told to give more preference to whole grains instead of refined carbs. Lastly, I also refrained from using saturated oils when cooking, and instead cooked with healthier, unsaturated oils.
Also, I increased my physical activity by doing 5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic workout weekly. I also did resistance training on at least two days of my week. I still adhere to this diet and exercise regimen up to today, and I have managed to lose around 100 lbs by far. Now, I get to experience a lot of things I missed out when I was carrying all that weight – being ogled at instead of getting stare, for instance.
Making healthy food choices can help you lose weight. For instance, there are only 150 calories in a banana, compared to over 2,000 in a bag of chips. The first step to weight loss is to answer the question: “how many calories should I eat in a day?” Find the answer here.
