Why sticking to 80% diet and 20% exercise is your best bet for weight loss!

Losing weight is not difficult. You can limit eating food and lose all that weight, fat and inches in less than a week. But in the process you will also end up losing your health. Sagging and dull skin, indigestion, hair fall are some of the effects that you will end up experiencing if you lose weight this way. Therefore, eating the right food is equally important and should not be digressed from just to reach your ideal weight faster. Weight loss, if done in the right manner, can lead to many benefits other than just a slimmer body.

What is the 80-20 rule?
 
The 80-20 rule talks about 20 per cent exercise and 80 per cent nutrition. While most mistake this the other way round, it is important to understand how 80per cent nutrition plays a huge role in fitness. Both nutrition and exercise compliment each other and neither can do anything without the other. This means that without exercising, you will not end up burning calories of the foods you eat and without food, you will not have the desired energy for exercise.

The 80-20 rule has been backed by science and should be adhered to if healthy and sustainable weight loss is your goal. However, this does not mean that 80 per cent nutrition means you keep eating food all the time and exercise for sometime only. 80 per cent nutrition denotes to a food plate which is a perfect blend of fiber, protein, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins and minerals.

How to ensure your 80 per cent nutrition intake everyday?
 
Since we know how our food plate needs to be divided into different food groups, here is the list of healthy foods which you can include in your daily diet:
Fiber: Indigestion and constipation are two biggest issues of any weight loss fanatic. Fiber will take care of this. To include enough fiber in your diet, you can include green leafy vegetables, fruits, pulses, whole grain foods such as buckwheat flour.

Fats: To cut the bad fats from your body, you need to consume good fats. This does not mean loading up your plate with harmful fats such as trans fats which are cancerous in nature, but rather healthy fats which contribute to a healthier body. To add fats to your diet, you need to include ghee, mustard oil, sesame oil, dried fruits and nuts such as walnuts, almonds and cashew nuts.

Proteins: Despite the fact that a typical Indian breakfast starts with milk, we lack protein in our diet. Proteins are the building blocks of the body and hence lead to weight loss as well. Not only milk but you need to include other richer sources of protein such as yoghurt, cheese, paneer, soya, tofu, gram flour, peanuts, chicken or fish to complete your daily intake of protein.

Vitamins and minerals: Even though we have read in many textbooks that vitamins and minerals are important for immunity, we tend to forget them anyway. Vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruits are the best way to get your daily

Carbohydrates: The often feared food group during weight loss is actually the most important for a fully functional healthy active body. At least 40 per cent of your plate should contain carbs such as rice, roti, multigrain breads, vegetables, pulses, legumes and fruits.


Why is the 80 per cent nutrition rule important?
 
The 80 per cent nutrition rule is necessary to manage your daily calorie intake. If you are a weight loss fanatic, by now you understand the basic concept of calorie in and calorie out. This means that you should burn as many calories as you eat. This definitely does not mean that you exercise throughout the day only to make up for your last meal, but rather that you should be active despite your exercise schedule.

The calorie rule means that on every kilogram of your body weight, you need 30 calories. For example, if you weigh 60 kilograms, you need (60X30) 1800 healthy calories everyday, even to lose or maintain your ideal weight. (Via Indiatimes)