Are you struggling with weight loss? The tips for achieving successful weight loss include understanding the principles and basics through calorie deficit, portion control, and choosing the right food or snacks, such as the best nuts for weight loss.
With a thorough understanding of this process, you can healthily achieve weight loss. There's no need to starve yourself or neglect the nutrients of wholesome food or snacks to achieve these goals.
3 Key Principles of Weight Loss and Portion Control
Let's explore the three key principles of weight loss and portion control without starving yourself. First, achieving weight loss requires creating a calorie deficit with proper portion control of the foods we consume. Finally, mindful eating practices and eliminating bad eating habits are essential.
Tip 1: Basics of Weight Loss - Calorie Deficit
A calorie deficit is a process whereby we consume fewer daily calories than our body requires and over time, this amount will accumulate and can create a deficit that leads to weight loss.
Based on an average recommendation of daily caloric intake, males will require 2200 calories and 1800 calories for females. This may not apply to every individual as multiple factors account for our daily caloric intake however, we use it as a general reference.
The simple way to look at the idea of calorie deficit is to burn more calories than you consume. For example, assuming a male will require a daily of 2200 calories and if he consumes 1700 calories, this will create a deficit of 500 calories and, in a week, it will be 3500 calories.
With consistency in achieving a calorie deficit, eventually, you will start seeing a reduction in your weight or body fat percentage. While this may intrigue you to eat less with the possibility of starving, however, there are healthy methods to achieve a calorie deficit instead of starving yourself.
Tip 2: Importance of Portion Control in Achieving Weight Loss Goals
Oftentimes, we're unaware of the calories we consume, especially when eating out where portion sizes are out of our control. One of the most common examples is, an economical rice stall, they usually serve a large portion of rice that may make you overly full. So the next time you visit an economical rice stall, you can opt for less rice.
The purpose of portion control is not just to limit the overconsumption of calories, but it is to prevent us from overeating when we are managing our weight loss goals. It is not necessary to eat till you are fully bloated. You may consume a portion size that would satisfy your hunger or portion out to more meals to curb hunger in between meals.
Without proper portion control, we may underestimate the serving size which is the leading cause of overconsumption. Like nuts, a daily serving size is about 30-40g, without paying too much attention to the serving size, we can overconsume easily.
Tip 3: Mindful Eating for Effective Weight Loss
Mindful eating is one of the effective methods for achieving a successful weight loss goal. It is to choose the right foods or snacks in your diet while enjoying less nutritious food in moderation.
By being mindful of your consumption, you can implement portion control and still achieve a calorie deficit. Portion control is not just about reducing the serving size.
Here's a comparison of skinless chicken breast 100g vs peanuts 100g, the calories of the chicken breast are 284kcal and the calories of the peanuts are 567kcal. This means you could have eaten two chicken breasts to achieve almost the same calories as 100g of peanuts. In terms of nutrition balance, chicken breast would be a better option.
In other words, a larger portion of nutritious food or snacks can have fewer calories and make you feel fuller. With the right selection of nutritious foods or snacks that have fewer calories, you may enjoy your favorite "unhealthy" food or snack options in smaller amounts.
Practical Strategies for Portioning Nuts in Weight Loss Diets
Nuts are excellent healthy snacks that can be added to a weight loss diet because they are highly nutritious while providing satiety that makes you feel fuller for a longer period.
By curbing your hunger, it reduces your cravings for more food or snacks and unnecessary calorie intake. However, nuts can be calorie-dense, and have to be mindful of portion control.
Below are some of the ways nuts you can portion control your nuts while achieving your weight loss goals.
Using Your Hand Size as a Gauge for Portioning Nuts
The most common way to gauge daily nuts serving size is to grab a handful. While this might not be the most accurate, generally, it should have about 30g to 40g of nuts.
The portion might not seem like a lot however, nuts are nutritious and calorie-dense. With a small serving amount, it could provide a good amount of protein, fats, fiber, and other micronutrients.
Kitchen Weighing Scale for Nut Portions
For the most accurate daily serving of nuts, a kitchen weighing scale is your best bet. It's a great tool for portion control in general, costing less than $10 and readily available online. Love mixed nuts? Measure out a serving to enjoy the variety while keeping track of your calorie intake.
The kitchen weighing scale can also be used to measure other ingredients for your weight loss diet.
Sustainable Weight Loss Strategy with Nuts
Many cases of weight loss failure are not due to the difficulty but because of our unsustainable methods. Based on the three tips provided, you can achieve weight loss in the long term with an understanding the basics of weight loss with a calorie deficit, portion control, and mindful eating practices.
By following a more sustainable method, we can choose more foods or snacks like nuts that provide macro and micronutrients while keeping us feeling satisfied.
Here are some examples of nuts that are rich in macro or micronutrients:
Almonds & Pistachios - Rich in protein and low in calories.
Cashews - Rich in micronutrients such as copper, magnesium or zinc.
Macadamias - Rich in unsaturated fats.
Walnuts - Rich in unsaturated fats with Omega-3 fatty acids.
Pecans - Rich in fiber.
There is no need to starve ourselves to lose weight, we can plan our diet with portion-controlling and mindful eating choices that can create a calorie deficit. Nuts can be a valuable part of a weight loss diet when enjoyed in moderation and with proper portion control.
Remember, you don't have to eliminate your favorite food or snacks – mindful eating allows you to indulge them occasionally while focusing on healthy choices most of the time.
