Ah, Spring! The world (at least the part of it where I live) is clean and fresh and starting to live all over again. I love that because if the world can do it, we can do it too. At every age. Some of the most important Spring cleaning you can do is on your own body. The best way to do that is with a vegan detox and a vegan diet.
I came across this article by Joe DePalma in SelfGrowth.com. (Joe has a very good website of his own called ReadySetRise.com.) In this article Joe is giving tips on losing weight. They are good tips and might be interesting and useful to you. But I noticed two really important things.
First, if you follow these tips, you will lose weight, but you will also get healthier. The things he suggests to lose weight – cutting down on or eliminating processed foods including soda, cutting down on or eliminating alcohol, eating a plant-based diet — are the things that will also decrease your risk for heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and many other illnesses. As vegans you are already following most of these steps. If you just watch your fat and sugar intake, you’re there!
Second, point #7, there’s no easy way to beat fat, is wrong. Joe isn’t vegan so he doesn’t realize that the best diet is no diet at all. Most of our fat, sugar, and calorie intake comes from animal products, so a plant-based diet cuts down on all of those things to the extent that you can eat as much as you want and still have a low calorie intake.
Joe doesn’t see that the easiest, most effortless way to lose weight and keep it off is as simple as a plant-based diet (fruits, vegetables, legumes and complex carbohydrates). It took me years and years of struggling with all the diets out there before I learned about the natural benefits of a vegan diet. Two thirds of the population of the United States is overweight or obese, most with related health issues. A vegan diet along with watching fat and sugar intake would help all of them.
Here’s Joe’s article. His tips can benefit all of us.
Here is the big deal; losing weight is mainly based the following factor:
Total Calories Consumed vs. Total Calories Burned
Here are 7 proven tips for you to start winning the battle against your fat right now.
Tip # 1 – CAN THE SODA!
Each (12 oz.) soda has around 140 calories. In a year, 365 sodas = 365 x 140 = 51,100 calories. That comes to 14.6 pounds per year! Do not forget that the 14.6 pounds we are dealing with here only concerns 12 ounce servings of soda, which is considered a “small” with today’s mega-sized sodas of 16, 24, 32, and 44 ounces!
Tip # 2 – WATER, WATER, WATER!
Drinking water daily is critical for weight loss
The real benefit of drinking water as it pertains to weight loss is that it is excellent for flushing the burnt fat/calories out of your body. Also, when you drink less water, your body begins storing the water you do drink for emergency purposes. Conversely, when you start drinking more water on a regular basis your body gets out of “emergency” mode and releases the excess water, allowing you to lose weight.
Tip # 3 – VEGETABLES ARE YOUR FRIENDS!
Although eating vegetables with every meal is preferable, I understand the difficultly in doing so and recommend that you make two mealtime trades as often as possible:
A) Trade fried side dishes for any cooked vegetable with very little butter or salt.
B) Trade your lunch snack for raw vegetables with a very little amount of low-fat dip or dressing. You should also eat a small salad with very little dressing before your main dinner. By doing this your appetite will reduce and you will not overeat during your main course. Above all, vegetables are very low in calories and are also a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which will help keep you healthy along with assisting you to lose weight.
Tip # 4 – DO NOT STAY HUNGRY OR STARVE YOURSELF!
Staying hungry and starving yourself will only make you eat that much more when you do eventually sit down for a meal. The best way to go is to eat frequently in small portions. Skipping meals affects your metabolism and will actually slow down your weight loss! Start your day by making breakfast your biggest and healthiest meal followed by a small lunch with a slightly bigger dinner. Use meal replacement shakes midday or late-evening in rotation with veggies and salads.
Tip # 5 – FAST FOOD = FAT YOU!
Fast food is a convenient, tasty and cost effective reality, but it makes you fat every single time! You can at least minimize the disastrous effects of fatty fast food on your body when you find yourself at the drive thru on that very rare occasion. When you place an order at a fast food restaurant, here are some phrases that will help you to minimize your fat intake. “No Mayo,” “No Cheese,” “No Soda,” “No Fries,” “No Dessert.”
Tip # 6 – BOOZE MAKES YOU FATTER THAN YOU THINK!
– One 12 oz. can of beer has around 140 calories
– One 4 oz. glass of wine has between 80 and 200 calories
– One 1 oz shot of whiskey has between 65 to 85 calories
Skipping one 12 ounce can of beer on a daily average can save you over 14 pounds of extra weight a year (the same as giving up one 12 oz. can of soda a day). Alcohol is highly concentrated in calories with almost no nutritional value.
Tip # 7 – THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO BEAT THE FAT!
With all the fad diets out there, it may seem like there are easy and sacrifice-free ways to beat the fat off your body. Sadly, losing weight will always be as simple as burning more calories than you consume. Do not be taken in with the hype and the easy path of a slimmer you. It simply is not a reality that lasts.
A vegan cleanse is a great way to start your Spring cleaning. Get a lean healthy body with Vegan Flush. It is a gentle, healthy, two-week cleanse that helps you eliminate the toxins in your body while you are eating the most nutritious fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. You’ll have a variety of recipes and foods to choose from. The Vegan Flush lasts only two weeks, but you’ll begin to feel better, lose weight, and start to see your symptoms disappear. Click the link to read more about it.
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