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How to start losing weightIn order to lose weight we have to change 1. STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT You may not like being overweight, but worrying makes it worse. 2. STOP FOCUSING ON THE WORD 'DIET' Instead, focus on Healthy Eating. Because healthy eating leads to healthy shapely bodies. Not always, perhaps, but 95% of the time it does. The healthiest eating plan is low-fat, high carbohydrate. 3. DON'T RUSH THINGS - RUSHING MAKES YOU FATTER Fast weight loss is a myth. Don't waste time looking for it. Instead, relax and take a longer view. 4. GET MOTIVATED! Start exercising. Learn about willpower! Introduction Regular physical activity is an important part of effective weight loss and weight maintenance. It also can help prevent several diseases and improve your overall health. It does not matter what type of physical activity you perform - sports, planned exercise, household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks - all are beneficial. Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. How can exercise help to control my weight? 1. It burns calories Physical activity uses up excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. 2. It slightly raises your metabolic rate The higher our metabolic rate, the easier is it to lose weight. In this way, exercise helps to overcome the 'plateau' effect. 3. It gradually reduces your fat ratio and increases your muscle ratio Muscle cells are 8 times more metabolically active than fat cells. So the more muscle you have, the less fat you have and the easier it is to lose weight. 4. It's great for motivation Getting active is a great way to increase your motivation to change your weight and your life! Willpower and weight loss How many times have you heard someone say - "If only I had the willpower to lose weight? How many times have you said it, yourself? Quite a lot, I expect. Poor old willpower! It always gets the blame Why can't we stick to a diet? Because we lack willpower. Why do we fall into temptation? Because we lack willpower. Why do we eat a whole cake in one sitting? Because we lack willpower. We see willpower as a magical quality. If someone has it, they're invincible - if they don't have it, they're done for. What's more, we can't really develop willpower, can we? No way! Either we have it, or we don't. And we DON'T have it, right? And so life goes on. We continue trying to lose weight but we never succeed, because in our heart of hearts we KNOW we don't have the willpower to do it. And each failure reinforces our feeling of helplessness. Does this sound like you? Do you suffer from lack of willpower? If so, let me give you some help. 1. Say Goodbye to the word WILLPOWER. 2. Say Hello to the word INCENTIVE. You see, we think of willpower as something we either have or we don't. Like a big nose, a gift for music, or a sense of humor. So we feel helpless to develop any for ourselves. We just sit on our butt and say: "Help! I don't have any willpower"...(sob). In other words, focusing on willpower gives us a sore butt and precious little else But INCENTIVES are different. We don't inherit incentives. We find and develop them for ourselves. In fact, we can develop an incentive for almost anything, including dieting. So stop thinking WILLPOWER and start thinking INCENTIVE. Remember, losing weight isn't a matter of gritting your teeth and overcoming 168 different pain barriers. It's about CHOOSING to be slim, rather than fat. It's about CHOOSING a slim lifestyle, rather than a burger and fries lifestyle. After all, you don't HAVE to be slim. You can be any shape or size you want. So stop worrying about lack of willpower and concentrate on finding a good incentive to lose weight. Something positive to aim for, that will keep you going in the weeks ahead. And if you CAN'T find a good incentive, then maybe you don't really WANT to be slim. Maybe you'd rather eat cookies. In which case, stop worrying about dieting and find happiness elsewhere. The Best Type of Weight Loss Diet Medical science is constantly evolving. Who knows what the best diet will be in 20-30 years from now. Right now, there are few doubts about which weight loss diet is best. Overwhelming evidence suggests that the best diet is a balanced low fat diet. A balanced low fat diet is high in healthy carbohydrates, low in fat and moderate in protein. It should be rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are specially recommended for weight control and preventing diseases such as cancer and heart disease. High-carbohydrate, low-fat, moderate-protein diets are also recommended for optimal athletic performance. High protein diets are unhealthy Contrary to the fad diet approach currently promoted by some popular books, a diet that is high in protein can actually contribute to disease and other health problems. International Journal of Obesity The CARMEN study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, reveals how increasing carbohydrate intake can help weight control. The study demonstrated that when volunteers increased their consumption of carbohydrates and reduced their consumption of fat, they were able to lose body fat and maintain this weight loss without counting calories or embarking on awkward or life-changing slimming regimes. Take regular moderate exercise 20 minutes of light exercise every day is fine for starters. You can increase this gradually but don't overdo it. Exercise won't make you slim but it helps. Low-fat hi-carb diet This diet is low in fat AND high in complex carbohydrates. Why low-fat? Because fat is bad for your heart and other serious diseases, like cancer. Because fat contains more than twice the calories of other foods. Because fat is 7 times more easily converted to body fat than carbohydrates. Because fat helps to destroy our taste for healthy food. We all need a little fat. But none of us need the amount or the type we commonly eat. Why high-complex-carbohydrate? Because complex carbohydrates are less fattening, very healthy and much less easily converted to body fat. Because they are a great source of energy. Because our brain depends exclusively on them. Carbohydrates - a brief explanation There are 3 basic types of carbohydrates 1. Simple Carbohydrates - also called 'sugars' These are made up of simple molecules that are quickly and easily digested into the bloodstream. The sudden surge of energy they produce can be very upsetting for our system. These carbohydrates should be eaten only in small quantities. Foods high in simple carbohydrates Table-sugar, syrups, preserves, jelly, ordinary sodas/ soft drinks, sweets, candies, cakes. Food ingredients high in simple carbohydrates Dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, fruit juice concentrate, molasses, glucose syrup, honey. 2. Complex carbohydrates These are made up of 'complex' molecules, so it takes longer for our body to digest them. Result? We stay full for longer and our system is not upset. We should eat about 60% of our calories in the form of complex carbohydrates. Foods high in complex carbohydrates Whole meal bread, potatoes, pasta, rice (esp. brown) fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes. 3. Very complex carbohydrates - also known as Fiber This type of carbohydrate is SO complex that we can't digest it at all!! Nevertheless, it provides bulk which keeps us feeling full and it has significant health benefits. It helps lower cholesterol, reduces the risk of diabetes and helps combat certain cancers. We should eat 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Complex and very complex carbohydrates are ESSENTIAL ingredients in any healthy weight loss diet. That's why low-carbohydrate diets are so UNHEALTHY. Diet Guidelines Eat less fat Switch to low fat options like: fat-free dairy food, low-fat cheese, fat-free dressings. Switch to fish, turkey and chicken from beef and lamb. Use less fat when cooking and add less fat (mayo, butter) to your plate. Eat more complex carbohydrates Like potatoes, whole meal or wholegrain bread, oats, cereal, rice, pasta. Eat less sugar and sugary foods Like table sugar, soft drinks, cookies, candy. Switch to lower-sugar options, drink water and fruit juices rather than sodas. Eat more fruit, vegetables and salad Make these foods a major part of your diet Eat more fiber Eat more beans, legumes for extra fiber. Why this diet is best It's easy to follow. It's very filling. It's very healthy. It's good for slow, steady weight loss. The moral? Junk the fad diets Junk the high protein or low calorie diets. Look for a good low-fat diet. |
