by Khyrana Oktivia Pambudi

Created on: February 07, 2009

Won't that be just about every women (and perhaps men too) dream to found a magical food that lets you lose weight the more you eat it. If just so happens the food tastes good, that would be a fabulous bonus. Before you start having images on your head, lets analyse the reality. The fact remains, if you consume more calories than your body able to burn, you will gain weight. So in order to lose weight you need to make sure your body burn more then what you consume. Having said that, how much calories a person burn would varies from one person to another depending on many things such as their muscle mass, daily activity, some would even say gender and age.

Now, our body requires food to fuel our daily activities. Sitting, sleeping, or even digesting our food would requires some calories. So if for example we grab that last piece of pie that contains 300 calories, minus the process of eating and digesting, we probably won't eat as much as 300 calories. Although I haven't been able to find any research that shows the actual amount of calories we use in order to digest that pie, this information has lead many to a belief that if we eat food that has less calories then what we would burn in order to digest it, we could lose weight just by eating them. They have a list of food, mostly fruits and veggies which are believed to have this effect. As much as I'd love to believe that, until all the herbivores and vegans in the world are dying of malnutrition, then I'm afraid I have to pass on this diet.

Even though I don't believe there are foods that have lesser calories then what they would requires us to digest, I do believe that food is an important factor in helping us lose weight. Foods are not only contains calories, they also contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, which are all good for our body. We just have to be careful in choosing the right kind of food, the way it is cooked and most importantly, our portions. For example if we would to substitute red meat with fish, theoretically it would be better for our health, but if we gobble down an entire pan of deep-fried fish we'd probably better off sticking with a smaller portion of lean meat steak instead.

In order to make the most out of your food, you need to make a meal plan. Here are some points to remember when you make your plan.

First, you need to assess your activities, and figure out your daily calories need.

Second, choose your food wisely. As a rule of the thumb, try to stick to either fresh or frozen products as much as possible. Stay away from those processed foods. They are laden with fat and additives.

Third, choose the right cooking method. Try looking up recipes that includes baking, grilling, steaming, and stir frying. Deep frying is a real enemy when it comes to fighting your weight.

Fourth, the last but not least, be careful with all the extras in your food. Too much ketchup or mayo can turn your healthy sandwich into a real high-fat calorie meal.

That's all for now, I sure hope this article can provide some insight to you. Have a great, and tasty day.

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