Eating Healthy Foods

Most healthy people - who have managed to lose weight and keep it off - will agree that eating healthy foods are vital to weight loss success. If you want quicker results - eat healthy, exercise and lose weight fast!

Eating healthy foods in moderation is the key! Those who have succeeded at the weight loss challenge suggest eating a variety of healthy foods - in moderation. They recommend not eating too much or too little of any particular food or nutrient.

And eating as wide a variety as possible from each of the five basic food groups. These groups are (1) whole grain bread, cereal, pasta, and rice; (2) vegetables; (3) fruits; (4) milk, yogurt and cheese; and (5) lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts.

Weight loss can be such a balancing act - getting a moderate number of calories from each of the food groups. Then balancing calories consumed versus calories expended.

To lose weight, fewer calories should be consumed than expended. It's that simple! To maintain weight loss, the number of calories consumed and expended should be about the same. (Hint - don't quit those daily walks! )

Because fat is the most concentrated source of calories (9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrate and protein), it is usually the focus of weight-maintenance and weight-loss diets. Limiting fat intake alone will likely limit calories, as well. Weight-conscious consumers should limit fat intake to no more than 30 percent of total calories.

Alcoholic beverages also are a source of calories (7 per gram of alcohol). Twelve ounces of regular beer, for example, provides 150 calories; the same amount of "light" beer, 105 calories. Five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits provide 100 calories. But alcohol provides few, if any, nutrients, so if you drink alcoholic beverages and want to reduce your weight, consider reducing or eliminating your alcohol intake. ( Many healthy fitness lovers enjoy the heart healthy benefits found in red wines. A glass with your favorite meal is only around 100 calories and it does taste simply divine! )

So if you are thinking of losing some weight before swimsuit season arrives - eat smaller meals. Keep eating moderate amounts of healthy foods. And to really supercharge your results - exercise and lose weight fast!