healthiest way to lose weight
TRANSCRIPT
Healthiest Way to lose weight
If you want to know the Healthiest Way to lose weight, you probably want to lose it quickly.
But research shows that people who shed pounds
gradually and steadily, about 1 to 2 pounds per week, keep weight off more successfully.
Plus, rapid weight loss or a too-restrictive diet can cause
fatigue, disturbed sleep, physical weakness, and
stomachaches.
Here, three experts weigh in on the healthiest ways to
lose weight through holistic nutrition, fitness, and
Chinese dietary therapy.
Lose weight naturally with nutrition and lifestyle changes Healthiest Way to Lose weight
Create a healthy lifestyle.
The mind, body, and spirit connection is a web with health at the center; no
individual string is isolated.
Make sure to get enough sleep, manage stress, and maintain positive mental health so you
don’t undermine good nutrition or give in to unhealthy cravings
while dieting.
Eat more whole foods.
Focus on nutrient-dense whole foods such as fruits, vegetables,
and whole grains. Avoid most processed and packaged foods, especially those with 135 mg or more of sodium per serving and
5 grams or more of sugar.
Connect with food’s flavors and textures, and chew fully.
This will make you more mindful of good portion size,
which is about one recipe serving size, a handful of a snack, or a small plate for a
meal.
Adopt habits gradually.
Make small, manageable changes. Start with daily
nutrition fundamentals: five servings of fruits and
vegetables, low-glycemic carbs to stabilize blood sugar, and
eight to nine glasses of water.
Healthy diets should increase energy.
New habits, such as getting more sleep or working out
regularly, take about 21 days to form, so add a new one
each month.
–Rebecca Bilodeau, RD, Creator of 21 x 12 Wellness Challenge, New Brunswick,
Canada
Set a fitness goal.
Instead of focusing just on weight loss, set goals such as lowering
healthy body-fat percentage (women, 15 percent to 20
percent; men, 10 percent to 15 percent), running a marathon, or simply feeling more energized.
Use a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) chart to
determine how hard you worked on a one-to-ten scale.
Aim for the seven to eight range, which should feel like
you’re on the verge of becoming uncomfortable and are short of breath but can
still speak easily.
Create a personalized program.
To stay active and lose weight, develop a program
around physical activities you enjoy.
Assess injuries, potential limitations, and how much
time you have for exercise.
Use a heart rate monitor and a RPE chart to gauge
performance; a higher heart rate and increased activity level means you’re burning
more fat.
Mix strength and cardio.
While most cardio training improves your aerobic
system, strength training improves your ATP-PC system (an energy system that helps
with short bursts),
ideal for weight loss because it burns the most calories.
The muscle you form even helps burn calories throughout
the day. Use at least two muscle groups for each
exercise to raise your heart rate and burn more calories.
Aim for 45 minutes of strength training three days a week and 30 to 45 minutes of cardio two days a week; then rotate the next week.Healthiest Way to
Lose weight
–Jason Gerhart, Appetite for Healthy Living, New York
Lose weight naturally with herbs and seasonal eating
Eat seasonally.
Eat warmer foods (steam, roast, grill, or bake foods to heat
them) during fall and winter when your body is colder, and cooler foods during spring and
summer when your body is warmer.
This keeps your digestive function warm, which is the
best way to absorb nutrients. When your body is nutrient-
starved, it retains extra weight.
Incorporate herbs and spices.
Warm your foods with hot or spicy herbs and spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,
allspice, and garlic to create temperature balance and
warm your digestive system.
Many people are stressed and depleted while trying to
lose weight; try holy basil (also known as tulsi) tea or
supplements to relieve stress and increase energy.
Drink green tea.
Sipping at least one cup a day will help dredge out
dampness in the body, which in Chinese medicine refers to
weight, heaviness, and bloating.
Green tea also boosts metabolism, inhibits fat
absorption, and replaces a morning calorie-filled coffee
drink.
For best quality, buy organic teas and look for matcha—
the purest green tea available.