Diet for a Man
While there are many different types of weight loss diet available for all kinds of people, when it comes to tailoring a dieting plan for a man's needs, certain aspects need to be emphasized.
Taking in to account the different physiology involved when planning a man's dietary needs rather than that of a woman, some obvious things spring to mind that I'd like to share here.
First of all, a man's body contains greater muscle mass in general than a woman's outside of the bodybuilding arena of course. Remember, I'm talking about a close to average guy that works a desk job for example and doesn't do much exercise who may be overweight and looking for a dietary solution to getting back in shape.
What to Eat?
So the first order of the day must be working on what a guy should be eating each day to help his body to build muscle mass which will, in turn help him burn excess fat.
That would mean increasing his intake of foods that are high in protein. The obvious choices in a diet for a man would be lean meat that is best sourced from an organic farm store sourced from animals that are "grass fed."
This is preferable than just buying meat from the supermarket where you have no idea where it came from or what medications and hormones were injected into the animal or what it predominantly ate. All that meddling by farmers can and does have an adverse effect on the person consuming the end product!
If the man is vegetarian or vegan, protein must come from alternative sources, of which there are many to choose from. Several varieties of bean are naturally high in protein. Certain seeds such as chia are good examples. Plant-based high-protein products such as spiralina are also good to have to hand.
That should be combined with foods that will provide energy from "good" carbohydrates such as those found in fresh vegetables and fruit. The benefit there is that vegetables and fruit also contain healthy levels of dietary fiber, which is necessary to insure effective digestion.
Healthy fats should also be included, with the best sources coming from olive and coconut oils along with nuts that are high in omega 3 essential oil (walnuts are best) as well as flax seeds for example.
In short, it is best to aim for a healthy ingredient constituent for all main meals. Just by doing that will cause a lot of desirable changes to take place in the physical body as long as certain foods and consumables are avoided.
What Not to Eat?
Much of the problem of becoming overweight has its cause in many of the processed and manufactured foods and drinks that are popularly consumed these days. It's good common sense to check what you are going to be eating by first reviewing the diet ingredients by reading the labels on food.
Sensibly, if you can avoid most, if not all food and drinks that come in packaging of any kind, you can transform your appearance in short order!
By this I mean avoiding all ready meals, takeaways and food ingredients that can be bought at the grocery store that comes in packets, cans or jars. Instead, opt for what I already mentioned above: fresh produce all the time.
If you, like a large percentage of the population, like to drink one or more cans of soda each day, here is something that will absolutely stun you:
One can of soda contains around 400 calories from sugars that do nothing else but add pounds of stored fat to your waistline!
Did you know that by cutting out just one can of soda per day, you can cut your weekly calorie intake by as much as 2,800 calories?
If you're drinking more than one can a day and you stop it altogether, you can actually lose around a pound in weight each week just by doing that and nothing else!
The rule of thumb here is to avoid all foods and drinks that contain added sugar, sugar substitutes or sweeteners of any kind (natural or artificial). The worst offender is a substance called HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) that is added to a huge number of foods and drinks as a sweetener and is likely responsible for America's obesity epidemic all on its own!
You have been warned!
Exercise
Lastly, although this article is primarily aimed at diets, it is also important for a guy to get at least some exercise each day. That's to allow his muscles to do some work to help them grow in mass and strength.
Bigger, stronger muscles need more energy to work. By working on building those muscles, you are also working on building on an internal fat burning process like no other!
You don't need to work like a bodybuilder or train like an athlete to build muscle, either. You can do it just by getting out into the fresh air each day and walking briskly for half an hour or more.
Or getting on a bicycle and pedalling your self around for a few miles, running round the block if you like to run, or going for a swim each day.
There are loads of ways of getting exercise that doesn't even feel like it that it's surprising so many guys do absolutely nothing and get so out of shape. Here are a few more tips:
- If you work in an office building, instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs! It's surprising how beneficial that simple action is!
- If you sit at your desk eating lunch every day, change that bad habit. how about taking your lunch with you and go for a walk to the park, eat it there, then walk back. It's seems like nothing, but it can make a big difference.
- If you live close enough to your office, instead of taking the car, get a bike and cycle there and back each day. Or walk if your workplace is close enough and you don't want to ride a bike.
- If you sit at home each evening in front of the TV, change that habit. Find a local dance class and join it! Or Go visit a local sports center and take up an activity like tennis, badminton or similar with a friend. Or how about your wife (that might be a better idea)?
Is It Best to Lose Weight Fast or Slow?
Often people ponder over whether it is better to lose weight fast or to lose it slowly. Yet so many people are looking at finding out ways to learn how to lose weight fast that they stop looking at the healthy aspect of losing that weight and focus only on the speed aspect.
This is a mistake for the most part, because when you look at it from a sensible perspective, the whole reason for losing weight really should be to improve your overall health. After all, when you are overweight, you are not as healthy as you would be if you were at your correct weight.
Sure, some people will chime in and say that they are just as healthy even though they're maybe ten or twelve pounds overweight, but in the main, that's just being in denial of the facts and defending their unwillingness to do anything to correct the situation. That will probably get a few people upset, but the truth is often not as kind as having it glossed over with fluffy, sugar-coated words.
The bottom line is that while you might be tempted to want to investigate the fastest ways to shed your excess weight, the healthiest way to do that is to do it slowly and surely, because that's the way it stands the best chance of lasting in the long term. It is the long term effect that you really ought to be aiming for because it's your body after all and you want it to be as healthy as it can be for as long as possible.