The healthiest
way to lose weight is neither crash diets nor bursts of exercise. The body
likes slow changes in terms of food and exercise.
For example,
someone who hasn't exercised for years shouldn't rush into running miles a day
or pounding the treadmill. Not only will the struggle to do so leave you
feeling disheartened and demotivated, you're also far more likely to injure
yourself and set your fitness levels back further.
The same goes
for people who suddenly start starving themselves. Diets that severely restrict
calories or the types of food 'allowed' can lead you to be deficient in the
nutrients and vitamins that your body needs.
So, if you need
to lose weight, what should you do?
Energy needs
and weight loss
Your body uses
food for energy. It stores any excess energy as fat. This means if you eat more
food than your body needs for daily activities and cell maintenance, you'll
gain weight.
To lose weight,
you need to get your body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way
to do this is to:
reduce the
amount of calories you eat
increase your
levels of activity.
This is why
experts talk about weight loss in terms of diet and exercise.
Introduce
changes gradually
Small changes
can make a big difference. One extra biscuit a week can lead you to gain 5lb a
year – cut that biscuit out of your diet and you'll lose the same amount.
You're also
more likely to stick to, say, swapping full-fat milk for semi-skimmed or making
time for breakfast each morning than a diet that sets rules for all foods.
You should
think of weight loss in terms of permanently changing your eating habits. While
weight-loss goals are usually set in term of weeks, the end game is to sustain
these changes over months and years, ie lifestyle change for life.
Increase your
activity levels
Someone who
increases the amount they exercise, but maintains the same diet and calorie
intake, will almost certainly lose weight.
No matter if
you hate gyms – even light exercise, such as a short 20 minute walk, will be
beneficial if done most days of the week.
Every single
time you exercise more than usual, you burn calories and fat.
There are lots
of ways to increase the amount of activity you do. Team sports, racket sports,
aerobics classes, running, walking, swimming and cycling will
all improve your fitness levels.
Find something
you enjoy that's easy for you to do in terms of location and cost. You're then
more likely to build it into your routine and continue to exercise, despite
inevitably missing the odd session through holidays, family commitments, etc.
Get out and
about at the weekend. Leave your car on the drive and walk to the shops. Try to
incorporate longer walks into outings to the park, coast or countryside and
take a picnic, so you're in control of what you are going to eat that day.
Every extra
step you take helps. Always use the stairs instead of the lift, or get off the
bus a stop before the usual one and walk the rest of the way.
Use commercial
breaks between TV-programmes to stand up and do exercise, or consider using an
exercise bicycle in the living room while watching your favourite programme.
Reduce your
calorie intake
What is
overweight?
Doctors use BMI
to assess weight.
A BMI of 18.5
to 25 is healthy.
If you have a
BMI of more than 25, you're overweight.
Over 30 is
obese.
Over 40 is
morbidly obese.
To calculate
your BMI, you'll need to know your weight in kilos and your height in metres,
then follow the example below.
1. Multiply
your height by itself, eg 1.7x1.7= 2.89.
2. Divide your
weight (eg 80kg) by this figure.
3. 80 ÷ 2.89=
27.7.
27.7 is the
BMI.
If you're
overweight, you can't continue with your current eating habits if you really
want to lose weight.
It's not
possible to reduce body fat while eating lots of food, cakes and sweets. This
doesn't mean you can never have any treats, but you need to learn how to limit
these foods to small quantities – say, for special occasions.
In terms of
weight-loss, you can get your body to use up existing stores of fat by eating
less and making healthier choices.
This doesn't
mean crash diet (anything less than 1500 calories), which usually ends up with
you either getting weaker or giving up in desperation. Quick-fix diets can lead
to a yo-yoing effect of drastic weight loss followed by weight gain, resulting
in a vicious cycle.
There are no
shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way.
Eating 300 to
500 calories less per day should lead to a loss of between one and two pounds
per week. This is a realistic target. It may seem slow, but it would add up to
a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.
Fat contains the most amount of calories out of all
the food types (protein,carbohydrates), so a good way to achieve this is to cut
down on fatty foods and eat more wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables.
Below are ways
to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.
Replace fizzy
drinks and fruit cordials with water.
Swap whole milk
for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.
Eat less lunch
than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine
or butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).
Stop taking
sugar in tea and coffee.
Have smaller
portions of the food you enjoy.
Avoid having a
second helping at dinner.
Cut out
unhealthy treats – such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between
meals.
Cut down on alcohol intake.
All these
things will influence your health in a positive way.
Finally, don't
be tempted to skip breakfast – or any meal to lose weight. While skipping a
meal will reduce your calorie intake for that hour, it will leave you much
hungrier later on.
Not only are
you likely to overeat to compensate, but you'll often make bad choices to fill
the gap: a cereal bar is not as healthy as a bowl of cereal or as filling,
leading you to 'need' something extra for lunch.
Irregular
eating habits also disrupt your body's metabolism, which makes it harder to
lose weight in the first place.
Write down your
plan
Food diary
If you're not
sure what's wrong with your diet, try keeping a daily diary of everything you
eat and drink.
You can use a
notebook or an online diary.
At the end of
the week, review your entries for problem areas.
Look out for
processed foods, alcohol, fast food, roasts, creamy sauces and fried foods.
If your diet
seems largely healthy, look at portion sizes.
If you're not
sure what's meant by 'healthy diet',
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk
