This article is going to talk about what to eat and what not to eat if you want to lose weight. All the tips and advice will come from Dr. Costa who is a medical doctor with 10 years of experience. He helped a lot of obese patients in their weight loss journey.
The basics
Most people want to lose weight as fast as possible. But fast weight loss is not free from health hazards. Malnutrition, low blood glucose, and kidney damage can happen. We do not recommend more than one kg of weight loss per week. So, if you are 20 kgs overweight then you need to plan for 20 weeks at least.
The mainstay of weight loss is you have to take 500 calories less than your daily calorie requirement. Now the question arises ‘How do I know my daily calorie requirement?’ Just visit this site then calculate your calorie, then come back to this article: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Now you know your daily calorie requirement to maintain weight. You just have to subtract 500 from your daily calorie requirement for weight loss.
How to start dieting?
The rule of thumb is you have to limit your carbohydrate intake and increase vegetable and white meat intake. You should also eat good fats and avoid bad fats. Good fats somewhat dissolve your body fats while bad fats accumulate in your arteries and increased the chances of heart attack, stroke, and fatty liver.
The sources of good fats are:
- Organic extra virgin olive oil
- Organic extra virgin coconut oil
- Butter
- Ghee
- Nuts
- Egg yolk
- Cheese
- Palm oil
- Fats present in red meats
You should cut down the following foods from your diet chart
- Fast food/ junk food
- Deep-fried meats\
- Chocolate
- Sugary milkshakes and icecreams
- Candy
- Soft drinks
- Alcohol
- Sugary tea/ coffee
- Sugary cakes
- Too much rice, bread, and pasta
How many times should you I eat per day?
You should eat five times a day. Breakfast > Snack > Lunch > Snack > Dinner. Eat 500 calories less than your daily calorie requirement. So, if your daily calorie requirement is 2000 calories then you should eat 1500 calories. You should divide these 1500 calories into three equal parts. 500 calories for breakfast and snack, 500 for lunch and snack, and the last 500 for dinner.
How much should I eat per day? (Weight loss diet)
You should eat the amount that gives you a 500 calories deficient diet as mentioned above. The following chart would give you some idea about creating your own diet chart.
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | kJ |
| Fruit | |||
| Apple | 1 (4 oz.) | 59 | 247 |
| Banana | 1 (6 oz.) | 151 | 632 |
| Grapes | 1 cup | 100 | 419 |
| Orange | 1 (4 oz.) | 53 | 222 |
| Pear | 1 (5 oz.) | 82 | 343 |
| Peach | 1 (6 oz.) | 67 | 281 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup | 82 | 343 |
| Strawberry | 1 cup | 53 | 222 |
| Watermelon | 1 cup | 50 | 209 |
| Vegetables | |||
| Asparagus | 1 cup | 27 | 113 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | 45 | 188 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 50 | 209 |
| Cucumber | 4 oz. | 17 | 71 |
| Eggplant | 1 cup | 35 | 147 |
| Lettuce | 1 cup | 5 | 21 |
| Tomato | 1 cup | 22 | 92 |
| Proteins | |||
| Beef, regular, cooked | 2 oz. | 142 | 595 |
| Chicken, cooked | 2 oz. | 136 | 569 |
| Tofu | 4 oz. | 86 | 360 |
| Egg | 1 large | 78 | 327 |
| Fish, Catfish, cooked | 2 oz. | 136 | 569 |
| Pork, cooked | 2 oz. | 137 | 574 |
| Shrimp, cooked | 2 oz. | 56 | 234 |
| Common Meals/Snacks | |||
| Bread, white | 1 slice (1 oz.) | 75 | 314 |
| Butter | 1 tablespoon | 102 | 427 |
| Caesar salad | 3 cups | 481 | 2014 |
| Cheeseburger | 1 sandwich | 285 | 1193 |
| Hamburger | 1 sandwich | 250 | 1047 |
| Dark Chocolate | 1 oz. | 155 | 649 |
| Corn | 1 cup | 132 | 553 |
| Pizza | 1 slice (14″) | 285 | 1193 |
| Potato | 6 oz. | 130 | 544 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked | 206 | 862 |
| Sandwich | 1 (6″ Subway Turkey Sandwich) | 200 | 837 |
| Beverages/Dairy | |||
| Beer | 1 can | 154 | 645 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 1 can | 150 | 628 |
| Diet Coke | 1 can | 0 | 0 |
| Milk (1%) | 1 cup | 102 | 427 |
| Milk (2%) | 1 cup | 122 | 511 |
| Milk (Whole) | 1 cup | 146 | 611 |
| Orange Juice | 1 cup | 111 | 465 |
| Apple cider | 1 cup | 117 | 490 |
| Yogurt (low-fat) | 1 cup | 154 | 645 |
| Yogurt (non-fat) | 1 cup | 110 | 461 |
Make your own 500 calorie deficient diet chart using this chart. But keep in mind, you should always keep a glass of milk, an egg, and veggies in your diet chart. Because a combination of these three food items guarantees all the necessary macro and micronutrients.
Some extra tips
You should calculate your calorie requirement every month. Because if you are 100 kgs now and you and on a weight loss journey and lost 5 kgs in this month, then the next month your calorie requirement will also decrease. Next month you should calculate calorie requirements for 95 kg body weight and adjust your 500 calorie deficient diet chart accordingly.
Go to the bed 2-3 hours after you have finished your dinner. Because during sleep our calorie requirement decreases. If you go to bed soon after you have finished your dinner then the calories you have taken in your dinner would have no where to go. Then they will be converted into fats in your body. These fats will be deposited in your liver causing fatty liver.
If you are having a 500 calorie deficient diet then you don’t have to do a lot of physical exercise everyday. Just do the amount of exercise that would keep you healthy. A 30 minutes fast walk per day should be enough.
Does green tea and herbal medicines work?
I have never seen a patient who got slim by drinking green tea or herbal medicines alone. These things don’t work very well. Sometimes we doctors prescribe some medicines (orlistat) to patients. But these medicines are for those who are very obese and already failed to lose weight by proper dieting and exercise. These medicines are not side-effect-free. Generally, we don’t prescribe these medicines for a long time.
The only side-effect-free way of losing weight is proper dieting, healthy living, and regular physical exercise. Any other method of weight loss would have more side-effects.
What else should I do to lose weight?
Relaxation is very important for the weight loss journey. Stressful situations release stress hormones (cortisol) into our blood. Increased cortisol marked our belly fatter and our muscles weaker. For stress relaxation you can do:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Religious works if you are a religious person
- Aerobics
If you have seven hours of continuous sound sleep every night then your stress level would significantly decrease. But we all are not lucky enough to get a good night’s sleep. If you have insomnia and trouble sleeping then this article would definitely help you: How to treat insomnia? Top tips from a doctor.
EndNote
Not every food is suitable for everyone. If you have egg allergy then you cannot eat eggs. If you have lactose intolerance then you cannot drink milk. These are special cases. If you fall into this category then you should visit a doctor or dietician for an alternative diet chat. If you have a medical condition that restricts you to take a certain food then you should also visit a doctor for your weight loss journey.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.
