If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight while on a plant-based diet, this chapter is dedicated to helping you achieve your goal. That is because most people rely on exercise to lose weight but what you eat is 80% of the battle.
If you like the idea of only 20% of the effort being exercise, then you will love this chapter. You’re about to discover how you can lose weight by eating clean.
Don’t worry about following all these steps, if you fail at one just pick yourself up and move on. That is more important.
1. Get Rid of Unnecessary Food
If you have your favorite foods in your cupboard, it’s perfectly fine as clean eating is not about giving up your favorite foods; it’s all about eating healthy, wholesome foods which aren’t processed.
You were born naturally so feed yourself natural food while enjoying the many benefits such as living longer, being healthy and having a glowing complexion. More importantly, look forward to healthily losing weight.
Think of it this way. Wouldn’t you feed processed cheap seeds to the birds in your area? You would get a decent birdhouse, stock it with amazing nuts and seeds that nature provides and enjoy watching them in your garden while you eat healthy too.
The very first step is to open your cupboards and get rid of any artificial foods, processed meals and fill them with fresh organic foods. Make sure they’re in their purest form as possible.
Throw away all takeout pamphlets and if you’re an avid PC user, put a web blocker app on your pc or phone to block ads from takeouts in your area.
2. Eat Foods that Burn Fat
Eating healthy foods is great, but eating foods that help you burn fat are even better. You can make mediocre changes in your dishes that end up making you a walking fat burning machine melting fat away as if it were nothing.
Below we will look at a variety of foods that can help you melt the fat off your body.
• Peppers
Chili peppers originate from Mexico, although there have been other types of Chili that originate from other countries. They contain high amounts of Vitamin A, C, and K. These vitamins reduce the risk of disease as they are full of antioxidants, but the main benefit is that they keep your metabolism ticking over.
• Green Tea
Green Tea originally comes from China and is considered the healthiest drink on the planet due to the effects the high amount of antioxidants and nutrients have on the body.
Apart from being a way to help you lose weight, green tea improves your brain function and can help you become more aware.
• Buckwheat
Buckwheat is originally from Asia but is now grown in North America. It was originally grown to feed cattle but since has grown popular amongst humans too.
Buckwheat is one of the few natural, gluten-free wheat, which contains resistance starch, and also contains manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, and iron.
• Grapefruit
This wonderful fruit was first discovered in Barbados, although it has a sour taste, it’s quite sweet too.
Grapefruit has a generous amount of fiber which can help you feel quite full, which is the reason why it has been listed as helping you lose weight.
• Lean Poultry and Fish
Poultry and fish are both high in protein and other nutrients but what we’re after is the weight loss properties.
Fish such as Salmon contains fatty acids that help kick-start your metabolism and poultry such as eggs provide you a healthy breakfast to give you enough energy to get through the day.
• Lentils
Lentils are a great addition to many soups and stews which make you feel less hungry and contain a variety of health benefits.
They help reduce your blood sugar levels and lower your LDL cholesterol levels but improve your gut health overall.
• Blueberries
Blueberries originate from North America and can be used with a variety of dishes or enjoyed on their own. A handful is better as a snack than a full-blown ice-cream.
They have been found to help you increase your metabolism and provide a variety of vitamins and nutrients.
• Apples
Apples originally come from central Asia, and there is a wide variety of them. If you heard the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” then you’ll be happy to know that it’s a phrase that’s held.
If at any point you feel hungry, eat an apple due to the amount of fiber it contains. It’s a hunger suppressant, and by eating an apple, it makes all the more sense.
• Almonds
Almonds originally came from the Middle East, but now California is responsible for more than 75% of the world’s almond production on one big farm.
Almonds are low in carbohydrates but have a larger amount of fiber which helps suppresses your hunger while giving you the benefits of getting a lot of vitamins.
• Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt can help you in so many ways, but its primary use is utilizing the protein that benefits bones, muscles, hair, skin, and blood.
Greek yogurt is a high protein, high fat and low carb diet and eaten in moderation will keep your metabolism intact and help you lose weight.
• Spinach
Spinach comes from Ancient Persia but now is grown everywhere, mostly in the USA and China. It’s a big favorite for most people and is very healthy.
There are many benefits of Spinach such as reducing blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of cancer and improve your vision.
3. Plan your Meal Prep
Getting ready to cook breakfast or lunch, you’re probably organizing yourself and prepping the kitchen and getting all the ingredients ready. This is called meal planning.
There are some people that plan a few weeks of exactly what they need, and there are some that simple that walk around the local market grabbing whatever they like.
There is no set way to meal prep correctly, and it’ll depend on person to person. What works great for your friend may not work great for you. Meal preparation is all about being organized, and the below tips will help you achieve that.
• Look at Different Recipes
Pull out those old recipe books; browse the internet for recipes that look great to you. Speak to friends and family for recommendations; write them down and put them away safely to access them at a later date.
• Organize Yourself
Get a cheap calendar or fridge calendar and plan what you are going to eat for the next week. Dedicated each day to a different meal type so that Monday will be fish, Tuesday will be soup. Etc.
Pick one day of the week that will be your shopping week. Look at what you will be cooking for the next week and only get those ingredients. Grab a few freezer bags and containers as any leftovers can be consumed later saving you money.
• Complete your Preparation
As soon as you can, prepare your food, so wash all your greens, cut all your veg and store them in easy to use containers. The more you prepare now, the less you need to worry about later on.
A handy tip is to use plastic tub containers to store your meals in. Only get what you require as you don’t want to clutter your home. A washable black marker will be a lifesaver as you’ll be marking the plastic tubs with each day of the week as to when you’re supposed to eat that specific meal.
If you plan your meals according, it will stop you from binge eating. You eventually become mindful of what you eat and will start to see yourself lose weight.
4. Become Active and Drop Weight
Diet and exercise are important to your overall health and mid-section. It’s beneficial if you can do a mixture of aerobic exercise like running and resistance training like weight training.
By setting a goal like a few inches lost or a couple of pounds dropped will give you something to focus on and help you achieve your goals.
Consume around 500 calories less than you normally would and exercise at the same time. These two go hand in hand, and you will see the weight drop off.
Just don’t starve yourself and exercise all the time. That is cause for you to burn out and put the weight back on.
By eating clean, you will increase your energy levels throughout the day as you will be primed to take on any exercise you plan. Avoid large meals as they will make you feel tired and bloated which makes the feeling of exercise a past time.
An exercise and clean eating combination offer many health benefits, but the main one is that your brain will function at optimal levels.
5. Stay Hydrated
Water makes up more than half of the fluids in your body, so drinking enough water will keep your body working correctly. If you avoid water, you may feel tired, find it hard to work out and can even suffer from headaches.
While the recommendation is to drink around 3 liters of water per day, it will vary from person to person but in general women need 11 cups of water per day and mean need 16 cups of water per day.
Drinking water provides you with many benefits such as:
• Increasing your Brain Power
If you think caffeine can you provide you energy, think again. The next time you need a mental boost, ditch the coffee and drink water. Your brain is three-quarters water, so it’s best to keep it topped up.
• Assists with Weight Management
Water helps you get rid of toxins and fatty-by products and help you feel full. Water can improve your metabolism which aids in burning fat; it’s also a natural hunger suppressant.
The General Rule Is:
Drink as much water as you possibly can.
There is no need to count how much you drink,
just drink enough and it will help you lose weight.
You don’t have to struggle to lose weight, focus on the above points and you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else. You’ll have much more energy from weight loss, and clean eating will make that all easier.
