Posts tagged essential fatty acids

Lose Weight with Nuts

Nuts contain a lot of fat, yes. You only need to look at the nutritional content for a packet of salted peanuts to find that out but, in moderation, they contain essential fatty acids, which help your body to shift the bad fats, that’s what we want isn’t it, to get rid of the excess fat.

Nuts are nutritious and protein packed. They will help with any muscle building programme. I always have a small plateful before gym sessions and it gives me enough energy to last a couple of hours. Try to steer clear from the salted varieties. Get an old biscuit tin and fill it with cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts (unsalted varieties), pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, pecan nuts, hazelnuts, and brazil nuts. Grab a handful or have a small plateful whenever you feel hunger strike. Guaranteed they will fill you up longer than white carbs and they’re supplying your body with essential fatty acids and omega 3. Nuts are so healthy.

For anyone on a weight reduction diet, nuts are really your best friend. You do not need to follow these silly weight watchers or eat less carbs diets, everything eaten in moderation, together with a good exercise programme will shift the fat for you. Do not spend large amounts of money on dietary supplements either because they can upset your body in various ways, ie. diarrhea or loose stools.

The sad fact that no-body wants to tell a dieter is that FATS are important. You should not reduce them from your diet, only the saturated fats but, monosaturated fats, contained in nuts and seeds are ESSENTIAL to weight loss. Seriously!

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Here are some easy ways to lose weight. I have never dieted in my life but have always managed to stay slim so I am going to let you in on my secrets.

  • You do not need to calorie count – This can become obsessive. Calories are listed on every single supermarket item except fruits and vegetables, and we all know that they are the lowest calorie foods and also the healthiest.
  • Start weight training – Weight training will NOT build up the muscles in the body, it only aims to make you look leaner overall. Now that is sexy! Adding just one pound of lean muscle tissue will boost your metabolism and burn an extra fifty calories per day. This may not seem like a lot but it accounts for over five pounds of weight loss per year. Build up the weights gradually but if you want best results I would advise doing body weight training, like press-ups, sit-ups, burpees etc, and carry out weight training with free weights. Always tense your stomach muscles throughout any exercise to work the core muscles.
  • Eat regularly – I do not mean large meals but break up your meals from three to six smaller ones throughout the day. Just at least try it for a week. It will not cost more either because you are simply breaking up your normal routine and eating when your body feels hungry. When you start to eat regularly, the body has no option but to increase its thermogenic rate and burn calories. The body burns 10% of calories through thermogenesis, simply when the body has to break down food and digest it. If you eat more you can take advantage and burn more calories. Regular eating will soon keep your metabolic rate that high and you will feel hungry every three or so hours.
  • Eat Butter – Believe it or not and with all the hype out there about these rich omega 3 spreads like Flora Pro-Active, Butter is good for you. It contains a good amount of Essential Fatty Acids and Omega 3, which help heart health. Remember, everything in moderation. I find that Lurpak is the best butter by far. This might put you off margarines and spreads for life. They are actually grey before colorants are added. Look at the natural colour of butter next to flora. When I found out that was enough for me to change to butter forever.
  • Start Power Walking - A little faster than walking but not as fast as a jogger, Power Walking will shift fat stores big style. Expect to burn around 250 calories per mile, depending on your current weight. When the average jogger or walker burns 100-102 calories per mile, power walking can help to shift weight and FAST. How to practice? If you have a treadmill this is ideal or set yourself targets like your normal walking route minus ten minutes etc.

I’ll offer more weight loss tips later in the week but I hope these get you started on the right track.