Weight loss has never been an easy task. For each gender, the struggle to tone down the body fat on its own is rather a feat as it comes with different challenges. While women face various obstacles that make weight loss difficult, the situation not differs greatly for men as well.
In general, the male population find it hard to lose weight because of certain conceptions that exist in relation to them. The biggest and perhaps the most dominant misconception is meal size that they take or “should” take in order to meet the standards created by the society. As a rule of our social settings, guys are required to rather “big” portions of food or else it would not be manly enough. These big meals and their relatively big portions are also well encouraged by restaurants and media and therefore have reinforced the idea that small or “petite” portions of light meals is not that manly and is not suited for boys.
The misconception has made losing weight a difficult task for men out there. They are supposed to cut down their meals, switch to healthier options all without bearing the label of being “less manly”. However, for guys who really want to shed some pounds and get rid of stubborn fat, here are a few easy and quick food options and advice that ActivEats will help you get along with the journey of losing weight.
Know What is Good For You
In order to effectively burn those excess calories and unwanted fat, it is important to know what is good for guys to eat. Eating the right things would not only speed up the process of losing weight but it also a good way to get all the right nutrients you need for better health and a toned body.
Vegetables
Vegetables and dark leafy ones in particular is one essential component of a man’s diet. These green leafy veggies such as spinach, artichokes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, beets, kale and alfalfa sprouts are rich in antioxidants that fight toxins and facilitate the process of losing weight.
Fruits
It is said that in order to achieve and subsequently maintain an ideal, healthy weight, it is important to include at least nine servings of fruit in daily diet. This is because all the different nutrients that a human body can not be obtained by one single fruit and eating them in combination helps in being sated for a long time and also provides the body with essential nutrients. Choosing fruits of different colors such as kiwi, berries, oranges, peers and apples for instance provide the right combination of nutrients.
Grains
Whole grains are not only a source of fibre but they are also abundant in minerals, vitamins and contain zero fat. In this way, they facilitate the peristaltic movement in the body; preventing constipation. In addition to this, these whole grains also provide a feeling of being full.
Lean Meat
While regular meat may not be a good food option for men looking forward to lose weight since it contains 213 calories and upto 15% fat. On the other hand, lean meat is meat with relatively less content of fat that is 5%. Examples of such lean meat is fat trimmed skinless chicken, turkey and red meat.
Proteins
Proteins are essential to build up muscles and to keep the body lean. This however, does not mean increasing the daily protein uptake but taking the right kind of proteins that will benefit the weight loss. Since males tend to have a greater percentage of lean muscles, choosing the right amino acids will help in preserving these lean muscles and also adds to the feeling of being full.
Food sources that provide complete protein which in turn render all the right kinds of amino acids include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and yogurt. In addition, soy, chia and flax seeds are also abundant in proteins.
Say No To These;
This to all the guys willing to lose weight; say no to processed foods. This is because these processed foods are stripped of their natural nutrients and contain large quantities of sodium and other useless chemicals. Apart from processed foods, those which constitute of large fat and sugar content are to be avoided as they hinder the weight loss.
Pick The Right Meal For You
Once you know what is the right thing to eat and what are the foods that should be kept completely at bay, now is the time to choose the appropriate meal. The first and most essential step towards this is for men to learn how to cook. Once familiar to cooking, it is easier to use the required ingredients to come up with different delectable recipes that do brings diversity to everyday dishes and one will not get bored of eating the same kind of food. Filling up the inventory with whole foods such as veggies, fruits, both of which are essentially high in fibre and water and low in fats. Similarly adding whole grains, lean proteins and good fats to diet also helps in proffering satiety and contributes greatly to a well-balanced diet.
Foods such as lowfat yogurt (particularly those with low sugar), fish (like tuna and salmon) which are rich in essential good fats, lean meat such as poultry (skinless) and turkey, cottage cheese (with required sodium level), healthy beans such as black peas, chickpeas and whole grains such as barley or brown rice are ideal ingredients that can be easily incorporated in the diet to come up with various, new and exciting dishes that can make weight loss even more exciting. To fulfil those sweet cravings, having a bowl of fresh fruits is the healthiest alternative for the sweet tooth.
For all the guys looking forward to know the easiest way to cook healthy food, there are four basic cooking techniques that are not only convenient but are also effective in boosting weight loss.
Grilling for instance is the perfect way to fulfil some steak cravings as the fat found in meat is enough to replace additional butter or oil.
Roasting on the other is used to enhance the flavour of vegetables such as carrots, onions. Just add some olive oil, salt, pepper and your favourite herbs and roast your veggies or seafood to determine a taste you never knew existed before.
Poaching is ideal for seafood as it reduced the amount of fat that is otherwise used during conventional cooking.
Sauteing is the perfect alternative to frying as it requires way less oil and retains the original taste of the food.