What diet to adopt to lose weight?

All articles on this blog are written in collaboration and with the supervision of health professionals from our weight center.

To trigger a healthy and lasting weight loss, it is essential to go through an energy deficit. No secrets, to achieve this it is essential to review the foods we eat: fruits and vegetables, good fats, through fibers and proteins. Discover in this article the most effective foods to lose weight!

The energy balance

To initiate a healthy and effective weight loss in the long term, it is necessary above all to take into account the energy balance.

The amount of calories we ingest must be less than the amount of energy we expend. It’s as simple as that !

To achieve this we can:

• increase our physical activity in order to expend more energy
• or reduce our calorie consumption

snacking and weight loss

Any form of food restriction that is too strict inevitably leads to snacking. By following restrictive diets, you will live torn between hunger, frustrations and cravings. This will inevitably lead to increasingly important food cracks and the weight that you will have lost the first days (or weeks) will be immediately resumed, with others in addition!

This is why our weight clinic recommends that you opt for a food rebalancing, and this requires a healthy and balanced diet. It is therefore useless to want to lose weight quickly thanks to express diets. The best solution is to opt for healthy foods that are good for your health and your figure. Discover the foods that will help you lose weight while you enjoy yourself.

What foods help you lose weight?

As we have seen before, it is essential to opt for foods that are low in calories. And the banning of so-called “empty” foods is a priority. These foods contain very little or no nutrients and are very high in calories.

Conversely, it is better to favor foods that are low in calories but very rich in nutrients. These foods promote feelings of fullness and contribute to healthy weight loss.

1 – Fruits and vegetables: zero calorie foods

Fruits and vegetables are very low in calories but high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and water. During your meals, your plate must contain at least 50% vegetables.

The vegetables

On the side of vegetables, we find in particular:

• the cucumber
• eggplant
• the lettuce
• spinach
• broccoli
• the courgette
• tomatoes
• chinese cabbage

They are part of vegetables that help lose weight.

The fruits

We can mention as fruits:

• the watermelon
• pineapple
• the melon

Not to mention citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit which are also fat burners.

Apples, on the other hand, are particularly recommended for snacks.

2 – Proteins

Proteins are part of the calorie family, along with fats and carbohydrates. This is why special attention must be paid to its contribution. Protein should therefore represent 20% of your plate in order to avoid being hungry between meals and at the same time, to have enough energy throughout the day.

Low-fat meats

Turkey or chicken cutlets and veal cutlets are preferable to beef or lamb chops which are much higher in fat. Ground beef with less than 5% fat is also a good choice.

Eggs

Eggs are very rich in protein (about 6g/egg), and in nutrients. Satisfying food, eggs prevent nibbling. They are a good alternative to meats for vegetarians.

Crustaceans and white fish

Tuna, monkfish, cod, anchovies and hake are low-fat fish.

Legumes, seeds, peas and some cereals

These include chickpeas, kidney beans, coral lentils, quinoa, soybeans, tofu, chia seeds, etc.

0% or very low fat dairy products

3 – Fibers

Fiber is also an essential part that allows the body to function. They offer a feeling of satiety and slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood while facilitating transit. The recommended fiber intake is 30g to 50g max/day.

oat flakes

Very interesting to consume every morning, both in porridge and sprinkled on yogurt. They quickly provide a feeling of satiety.

Whole grains

Food very rich in fibre: prefer wholegrain breads and starchy foods to easily reach the daily fiber quota.

Vegetables

Some vegetables are also high in fiber:

• broccoli
• green beans
• the tomato
• the salad
• kale

legumes

Pulses contain on average (when cooked) 9g of fiber per 100g. The green flageolet, the coco bean and the white bean are the legumes richest in fibre. In addition to being high in fiber, these foods are satiating, lower cholesterol levels, and decrease fat absorption.

Seeds and nuts

4 – Good fats

A mistake often made by people who want to lose weight is to completely banish fat from their diet. The body also needs fat to function. This intake should ideally be 25%, on the other hand you should choose good fats, rich for example in omega 3. More and more studies are going in this direction, in particular the PURE study which was detailed in a publication on the site of the largest medical press group in Belgium:the specialist.

oily fish

Salmon and herring.

The oils

Peanut, coconut, olive, rapeseed and walnut oils.

Butters

Peanut and nut butters.

Seeds

Flax, chia and sunflower seeds.

Avocado

What to remember about diets that help you lose weight

In order to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way, it is essential to consume fewer calories than you expend. And to achieve this, it is essential to consume foods low in calories and rich in essential nutrients for the proper functioning of the body:

• fruits and vegetables
• the proteins
• fibers
• good fats

Did you like this article? Please let us know in the comments which foods you prefer for weight loss, as well as your experience with the foods on this list.

Do you want to lose weight ? feel free to contact our weight clinic which is made up of a team of professionals, weight specialists. Reachable on +32 (0)2 673 90 71 the doctors will be happy to assist you in your weight loss!