My Weight Loss Experience – A Personal Story

Calories in a banana

I have been dieting and increasing my physical activity for more than 12 months now after learning from my physician that my high blood pressure is brought about by my being obese. Before that conversation with my doctor, I did little to no exercise, and ate a lot of processed food and dined regularly in fast food restaurants instead of cooking meals at home and eating healthier food choices. My diet regimen involved avoiding convenience foods because while they are tasty, and affordable, they are almost always laden with saturated fats, sodium, and sugar, provide little to no nutritional value and are merely empty calories. In addition to that, they usually have ingredients deemed unnecessary for human life, such as additives and preservatives which are also believed to contribute to certain health problems like asthma, cardiovascular disorders, and even malignancies.

In addition to avoiding convenience food, I also cut down on my energy consumption, and tried to eat more produce. Prior to beginning my diet program, I researched on how many calories should I eat per day. I ran a search online by using the same keywords, and this generated a number of websites and blogs that featured calorie calculators which used the Harris Benedict equation. To determine how many calories should I eat, I simply keyed in my gender, current and desired weight, and height. To facilitate a healthy and sustainable weight reduction of one to two pounds each week, I needed a five-hundred to a thousand calorie deficit daily.

As I have stated in the previous paragraphs, I introduced more fresh fruits and garden veggies into my diet. Not only do these produce make me feel full quickly, they also help in curbing my appetite since they have higher fiber content. As an example, instead of gorging on potato chips, I snacked on bananas. There are fewer calories in a banana compared to oily and salty potato chips, which can have a calorie count upward of two-thousand a bag. While the amount of calories in a banana is much lower, it was more filling since it has high fiber content. I consumed 5 various kinds of veggies, and 2 kinds of fruits daily. I also avoided carbonated beverages, and instead opted for fruit juices, which are more nutritious and healthy.

It is not a good idea to eat fruit exclusively though. This is because they often do not contain the right amounts of protein you need in a day. Instead, he told me to diversify my protein intake, to include poultry, legumes, beans, nuts, and low-fat dairy instead of the usual pork and beef. At the same time, I was told to give more preference to whole grains instead of refined carbs. Lastly, I also refrained from using saturated oils when cooking, and instead cooked with healthier, unsaturated oils.

Also, I did brisk walking for twenty minutes, three times a day, five days of the week. I also did resistance training on at least two days of my week. I continue with this diet and workout regimen up to now. These days, I get noticed for the right reasons and definitely happier with my life.

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