With so many diet programs, and so much money and time are spent for weight loss, only 3% succeed after 5 years. The different approach I am taking is mainly to increase calorie usage through elevating metabolic rate and to take foods with less energy concentration and more fiber and water, like vegetables and fruits. So you can have larger satisfying portion without too many calories. If most of the simple carbs in vegetarian diets are replaced by eggs, skim milk, low fat dairies, lean meats and good fats with equal or less amount of calories, then it will make a very good weight loss diet for non-vegetarians. I prefer all the non-starchy vegetables, fruits, seafood, skinless poultry, skim milk, low fat cheese, eggs, a lot of soy products and tofu, and plenty of vegetable soups. Beans and whole grains will be added after 2 weeks of initial quick loss phase. I will have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and avoid late night snack.
Since regular exercise is so important for increasing calorie usage and long term weight loss, I would advise to establish daily exercise routine first before starting diet program. I exercise 30 to 40 minutes before breakfast and 5 to 15 minutes in the evening. I will increase exercise to about one hour a day temporarily, if I overeat or gain weight unexpectedly. The type of exercise will aim at stretching, strength training (weight bearing and resistance exercises) and cardiovascular exercises. My favorite routine includes dumbbell arm rows, abdominal crunches, push-ups, stretching, squatting, brisk walking, aerobics or stair climbing.
I weight myself everyday at the same time to keep track of the progress. If I don't lose the desired weight of 1-2 pounds a week, then I will be more careful with what I eat and exercise more. If I gain weight unexpectedly, very often I can get ride of that extra pound in a few days. Because sudden one pound weight gain is mostly glycogen and a lot of water, not all 3500 calories of fat. What I don’t want is to weight only once a week and find myself 3 pounds heavier. It is not only difficult to lose all that 3 pounds in a short time and is also very discouraging.
There are two very important things to remember, regular exercise and a lot of vegetable soups. Portion control is not really necessary because the diet will contain a lot of fiber and fluid. That might be the main difference from most of other diet programs. Dieting without exercise might be harmful to your health. The failure rate is extremely high, and when they fail they will gain significantly more weight. Even they just gain back the same weight they had lost before, they will have more fat and their size will increase. Rarely, If they are successful and reduce weight to ideal BMI, they probably will lose so much muscle that they might be unhealthy or look anorexic.
Benefits of exercise
1. Exercise increases metabolism and burns more calories.
2. Exercise, mainly strength exercises, builds more muscle masses and increases basic metabolic rate.
3. The benefit of afterburn continues to burn fat at an accelerated rate after exercise because of elevated metabolism for hours afterwards.
4. Exercise is a positive activity because it makes you look better and fit, relieves the stress, makes you feel better by releasing endorphin and makes you want to do more.
5. Exercise (and adequate sleep) releases growth hormone, which promotes growth in children, increases calcium retention and bone density, increases muscle mass, promotes lipolysis and reduces body fat, increases protein synthesis and stimulates the growth of all internal organs except the brain, and stimulates the immune system.
6. Exercise may be especially helpful in reducing the size of fat cells around the waistline. Diet alone showed no such change even with the similar weight loss. That’s important, because fat specifically in the abdomen has been linked to the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
7. Exercise suppresses appetite and keeps your mind off craving.
8. Both exercise and dieting can help to lose weight. You can always do more exercise, but it is very difficult and unhealthy to keep on reducing the calorie intake.
9. Exercise and dieting reduce serum leptin level. In dieting, depressed leptin slow down metabolism and prevent weight loss. Instead, exercise increases metabolism and leptin sensitivity, thus promoting even more weight loss.
10. Exercise will improve physical and mental health, cardiovascular risk factors, insulin sensitivity and the chance of preventing diabetes. These benefits occur independently of weight loss.
11. Exercise is a healthier way to reduce body fat than dieting which burns both fat and protein (including muscles). In low glycemic state exercise mainly burns fat.
12. Exercise will help you sleep better, improve your resistance to fight infections, lower your risk of cancer and heart disease.
