Best Foods to Eat When You Start Gaining Weight

If you notice that you've been gaining weight recently, you should certainly start to take action and make changes with your diet, but it can be hard to decide what exactly to do. One idea is to start adding more healthy foods into your diet while weaning yourself off of the worst culprits that are causing you weight gain. There are some foods that are high in fiber, reduce your appetite, help to burn fat, and have other beneficial effects that can help you lose weight and stabilize your current weight. In this article are a few of the best foods to eat when you start gaining weight, and you should try some of them if you find that you've been gaining weight. See if they can help stop the weight gain and perhaps even help you lose some.

Grapefruit can help you stop gaining weight

Grapefruit is by far one of the best options as weight stabilizing fruit because of its metabolic effects. It's a fiber and water rich fruit and it can directly cause weight loss. It's one of the allowed HCG diet fruits because of these effects. Its high water content will help reduce your appetite, and eating just one half of a grapefruit before eating a meal can help reduce your overall calorie intake substantially. Try eating them before a meal, or eat them as a snack between meals. One study found that people who ate grapefruit and drank the juice had a 25% lower calorie intake, so it can definitely make a significant impact.

Adding cayenne pepper into your food can help you lose weight

Cayenne pepper is one of the best spices to incorporate into your meals for the specific purpose of weight loss. It can help you lose weight through several different effects. Studies have found that cayenne pepper can actually boost your body's fat metabolism. A study by the National Institute of Health found that a half of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper consumed as a capsule or mixed into food can help you burn about 10 more calories in a four hour period, and it also reduces your appetite [1]. The spice can also help you lose weight because it adds more flavor to food with very few calories, and other studies have suggested that people eat smaller portions when cayenne pepper is added into their meals.

Greek yogurt can help stabilize your weight

Another good option for a weight loss food is zero fat or low fat Greek yogurt. Low fat Greek yogurt is high in protein and goes great with several fruits like blueberries and raspberries. However, you have to be careful to avoid adding any sugar into your yogurt. Use natural sweeteners like stevia if you need your Greek yogurt to be a bit sweeter, but avoid storebought varieties and other types of yogurt that have sugar, corn syrup, or other additives. Studies have found that increasing your dairy and protein intake can cause a reduction in weight as well as increased muscle gain, and Greek yogurt is one of the best ways to get more dairy into your diet [2].

Almonds are an excellent weight stabilizer

Nuts, and in particular almonds, are always a good idea to eat more of when you are finding that you're gaining too much weight too quickly. You can stabilize your weight by creating a calorie deficit, or burning more calories than you consume every day. Most people burn anywhere from around 1,800 to 2,300 calories per day naturally, and when you eat foods like almonds they can help you control your appetite so that you don't eat as many calories. Almonds are not low in calories, however the fact that they are so filling can help you stay satisfied, as opposed to foods that are high in carbohydrates.

Studies have found that almonds have a significant effect on weight stabilization. In one study, participants ate 355 calories of almonds every day for 10 weeks, but they did not gain any significant amount of weight [3]. When they added almonds into their diet they did not make any other major changes to their diet. The participants made up for the extra calorie consumption by eating a lower amount of calories during their meals naturally, and they were satisfied for a longer period of time. You can eat up to a few ounces of almonds per day without having to worry about weight gain, and they are also rich in monounsaturated fats which can lower your risk of heart disease, as well as fiber and many other nutrients that are beneficial for your health.

Add almost any source of protein into your diet

Adding more protein into your diet is a sure way to stabilize weight gain. If you're gaining weight quickly, there is a good chance that you aren't eating enough protein. You should be eating around 0.5 to 0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day at minimum, and some people should be eating more, if you are trying to lose weight. High protein diets can prevent you from losing muscle as well, as muscle loss adds to your weight gain and makes it more difficult to lose weight.

Some good sources of protein include eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, lean red meat, and fish and other seafood. Try to estimate how much protein you are eating on a daily basis and if you feel that it is low, start to increase it while reducing your carbohydrate intake. It's especially important to increase your protein intake when you are exercising on a regular basis, even if it is just cardio. If you've vegetarian you can increase your protein intake with foods like tofu, soy meat, dairy foods like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, legumes, and whey protein.

No matter what type of diet you have there are always options to add more protein, and the results can be significant in helping your control your weight. Try to stick to mostly organic sources of protein and avoid junk food or fast food, even if it has a high protein content as the other additives and ingredients will cause metabolic issues and weight gain.

References:

[1] - http://www.webmd.com/diet/20110427/cayenne-pepper-may-burn-calories-curb-appetite

[2] - http://www.livestrong.com/article/253524-greek-yogurt-weight-loss/