Everyone knows oatmeal is good for you. Did you know that it can also help with losing weight? You read that correctly, you can lose belly fat by eating oatmeal!
Oats contain high levels of dietary fiber which is resistant to digestive enzymes, therefore your body does not process it as caloric intake. Furthermore, the high fiber content makes you feel satiated for longer periods of time, which helps to reduce unnecessary eating throughout the day.
There is even a diet called the oatmeal diet. If you are intrigued, keep reading to learn more about how oatmeal helps you lose weight.
Is eating oatmeal good for weight loss?
Overnight oats and cooked oatmeal are known for being a good breakfast choice for those on any type of diet. Oatmeal is a nutritious source of plant based protein, healthy fats and essential vitamins and minerals, therefore it is viewed as a healthy food that imparts nutritional benefits for those who make it a part of their daily diet.
Can oatmeal help you lose weight? Oats are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Dietary fiber cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes, therefore the nutritional values are not absorbed as calories.
Because oats are packed with nutrients and fiber, oatmeal is gluten free, good for digestive functions, helps your stomach feel full with smaller portions, and keeps you full for longer periods of time than other foods do.
Fiber help you to feel full for extended periods of time, which eliminates the need to snack. In general, these properties result in less food consumption, thereby reducing your caloric intake throughout the day.
This is a plus since the basic mainstay of weight loss is to reduce the amount of calories taken in to less than the amount of calories burned. Along with this, oatmeal is also simply a low fat and low calorie food in the first place.
As a result, it can be concluded that oatmeal is a good food to eat when your desired goal is weight loss.
How much oatmeal should I eat for weight loss?
There is even a diet that consists of eating oatmeal as the main dish to promote weight loss. Where as oatmeal is essentially the main course that uses high fiber intake to help with weight loss.
The oatmeal diet does not mean you eat oatmeal exclusively, without any other foods the whole time. Rather, the oatmeal diet is based on a three phase system.
Phase 1
You initially start by eating eating oatmeal as the main entree with some fruit as a side.
Phase 2
Then, you progress to eating oatmeal plus some veggies or fruit for three meals a day.
Phase 3
Finally, you regress to eating oatmeal as the main course for only one meal a day, with the rest of the day’s food being healthy and balanced dishes.
When preparing the oatmeal for each meal, it is recommended that the serving size be half a cup of oatmeal. Healthy oatmeal toppings like fruit or skim milk, low fat sides like yogurt, or spices like cinnamon may be eaten too.
How much weight can I lose on the oatmeal diet?
The goal of going on most diets, with the exception of diets for dealing with health concerns, is usually to lose weight. The oatmeal diet is no exception.
So exactly how much weight can a person lose by following the oatmeal diet? Remember that people’s bodies are different, so no diet regimen works the same for every single person.
However, some people on the oatmeal diet have lost up to five pounds in just the first week. Other people have a more modest prediction, saying that a loss of two to four pounds is a reasonable expectation, leading to a weight loss of about twenty pounds over a two month period.
Many people have lost weight on the oatmeal diet, but remember that, as with other diets, there is the risk of weight regain after dropping the diet if you do not continue to follow a healthy, balanced eating routine of some sort.
What is the best time to eat oats for weight loss?
Another question you might be wondering about is when exactly is the best time to eat oats when trying to lose weight. Maybe you are wondering if there even is a best time to eat oats for weight loss.
Oats are normally eaten as a breakfast food, but is morning really the best time? Morning is a good time to eat oats because it provides you with the energy to perform your daily tasks while keeping you full longer, thus preventing you from snacking as much throughout the day.
However, the oatmeal diet does not purely advocate eating oatmeal for all three meals, signifying that any of these time is good. Furthermore, it has been shown that oatmeal makes a good dinner as well.
In short, there really is no best time; oats are good at any time of day. This is due to the fact that oatmeal fills you up, preventing late night snacking and hunger cravings.
Which are the best oats for weight loss?
There exists more than one type of oats. So what type of oats is best for weight loss?
The oatmeal diet forbids eating instant oatmeal in the first part. However, this restriction is slackened later on, and instant oats are permitted is the latter phases of the plan.
In general, steel cut oats or Irish oats are probably the best for weight loss by a very slight margin. Due to its less processed nature, steel cut oats are better for blood sugar levels and overall energy level, giving it a slight advantage over other kinds.
In reality, steel cut oats, rolled oats and quick oats all possess the same amounts of protein, fiber, carbs, and calories; the difference in “weight loss effect” of the different oats is small enough to be considered negligible.
However, this applies to plain oats of any type. Adding toppings or sweetening oatmeal obviously makes it less effective at helping you lose weight since it increases the amount of calories.
Oats For Weight Loss: Final Thoughts
So to close it out, here is a brief review. Oatmeal is a low fat, low calorie food that is effective at helping you lose weight, and the oatmeal diet enables a great deal of weight loss.
Oatmeal is a good food to eat for any meal or snack. All types of oats are good for weight loss, though steel cut oats may be the best by a tiny amount.
In the end, you can lose weight by eating oatmeal and following the oatmeal diet. However, any other foods eaten should also be healthy, and the oatmeal diet should be paired with regular exercise for the best results.
Eating oatmeal can help you lose weight, but it is not like a miracle drug; you have to follow the diet, do the work, and continue to eat healthy even after ceasing the diet. So go ahead and try out the oatmeal diet for yourself!
Resources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26273900/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037534/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325078/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015038/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7956987/
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/2/131/1924832