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Dieting Information |
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Dieting InformationThe essential part of almost all weight loss regimes is diet and exercise. We hope you find the information in this and other pages very useful.
Lifestyle changes to aid Weight Loss.1.Reach for water before you reach for a snack.It's the cheapest, safest appetite suppressant there is. 2. Keep the cupboards empty. You'll save both money and temptation. By cutting back on the amount of food choices you have around, there will be less impulse snacking. 3. Do something inspiring. A cheap incentive is sticking a picture of a dress you'd really love to wear where it will motivate you. 4. Use spices liberally. Ginger, cayenne, jalapeno peppers and Tobasco sauce can boost your fat-burning ability by up to 25%, according to a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan. 5. Sleep. The University of Chicago recently found that a woman's metabolism rises 40% when she gets enough sleep. 6. Be a smart shopper. Have a list when you go to the supermarket to prevent impulse purchases and always shop after a meal. 9. Always eat breakfast. It fuels you for the day and you'll be less hungry at lunch. 10. Snack right. A boiled sweet is only about 20 calories and can last up to twenty minutes. A 400-calorie ice cream cone never lasts more than ten minutes. Food and a healthier lifestyleEating well has to be one of the greatest pleasures in life. Contrary to what many people believe, losing weight does not have to mean that you deprive yourself of good food, except that for too long good food has often meant an excess of the less healthy things found in food, such as fat, refined sugar, and salt.The bad old days In the past, butter, oil, cheese and other fatty foods were considered essential for cooking. However these days with the advent of new, healthier cooking methods as well as healthy alternatives for almost all dairy and oil products, cooking such as this is no longer the only option to enjoy tasty and satisfying meals. We know now that all the excess fat we tend to consume, along with too much sugar and salt has had a huge impact on global health, particularly in the West. In order to combat this tendency we need to rethink what we eat on a daily basis as well as starting some form of regular exercise to make up for our current sedentary lifestyles. We all eat fat in one form or another every day, and a certain amount of fat is vital in order to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. However almost everyone can afford to, and should, reduce their fat intake, particularly of saturated fats. Gram per gram, dietary fats provide far more energy than all the other types of food in our diet. It stands to reason, then, that eating a high-fat diet without exercising enough to use up all of that energy will mean that you put on weight. By cutting down on fat, you can easily reduce your energy intake without affecting the other essential nutrients. By choosing the correct types of fat, and using reduced fat and fat-free products whenever possible, as well as making small, simple changes to the way you cook and prepare food you really can reduce your fat intake quite dramatically and enjoy a far better diet without noticing any real difference. We need to include a variety of foods in our diet every day to ensure that we are supplying our body with all of the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs, to function at peak efficiency. To get the balance right it is important to know just how much of each food group we should be eating. Food Groups & information about them.The 5 main food groups are best represented in the diagram of the Food Pyramid, as it clearly shows proportionately how much of each group we should be eating in order to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.Starches - the largest group, foods such as potatoes, rice, cereals (such as oats and maize), bread and pasta. These are high in complex carbohydrates, provide us with plenty of energy and you should have around 8 servings per day. You should try to have the wholemeal varieties of these food e.g breakfast - a bowl of no salt no sugar whole wheat cereal with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk snack - one or two whole wheat crispbreads with some low fat spread. lunch - wholemeal brown bread sandwich. afternoon snack - a piece of fruit or a couple of rice cakes spread with yeast extract. supper - healthy meal of grilled meat or fish with a baked potato, rice, cous cous or pasta. Fruit and Vegetables - The second largest tier on the pyramid. Includes foods such as carrots, lettuce, apples etc. provide us with raw fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. You should have at least 5 servings per day. e.g Breakfast - half a grapefruit Snack - an apple and some grapes Lunch &/or supper - leafy, green vegetables and another kind of vegetable or fruit. Dairy Products - These are foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese and provide us with the calcium & essential minerals. You should have between 2 and 3 servings every day. e.g. Breakfast - such as a serving of skimmed milk with our breakfast cereal, snack - low fat bio yogurt lunch / dinner - 1oz of low fat or half fat cheese with a baked potato Protein - These are foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dried beans, nut, and alternative proteins such as tofu and Quorn. You should have no more than 2 servings from this group per day, try to choose proteins which are low in fat naturally, such as chicken, turkey and venison. Fat and Sugar Foods - These are foods such as oils, fats and sugars and should only be consumed in small amounts. Fat should not be cut out of our diet altogether as there are good fats and bad fats: FatsFats are made up of building blocks of fatty acids and glycerol, there are two types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. There is always a combination of each of these fats in any food.Fats which can harm Saturated fats in foods such as red meats, butter and refined cooking oils. As the body finds it very hard to process the fatty acids contained in foods such as these into energy, so it simply stores them as body fat, also increase the level of cholesterol in the blood, which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease. Fats which can cure Unsaturated fats, when taken in moderation as part of a balanced diet, behave differently. Polyunsaturated fats. These are Plant origin (omega 6)(sunflower oil and seeds)& oily fish origin (omega 3)(mackerel, herring and sardines). Small amounts of these fats are essential for good health, also thought to actually reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. Monounsaturated fats. These are foods such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, some nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds, as well as oily fish and avocados, also thought to actually reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. By becoming aware of foods which are high in fat, (particularly saturated fat), and making simple changes to your diet, you can reduce the total fat content of your diet quite considerably. Instead of reaching for that high fat, high sugar, high salt, ready-made meal, try filling up on fruit and vegetables, or foods that are high in carbohydrate such as pasta, rice, bread or potatoes instead. Some of the More Popular DietsRecommended Diet of the Month - The South Beach DietAtkins Diet - The Atkins diet plan allows unrestricted amounts of protein, including meats, eggs and cheese, and severely limits foods containing carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and fruit. Blood Type Diet - The idea is that by following a specific diet based on your blood type will improve digestion and cause weight loss. Fit for life - on this program, eating foods in specific combinations at certain times of the day is meant to result in increased energy and natural weight reduction. Food combining Diets - The idea is that when foods are combined inappropriately, they cannot be absorbed from the intestinal tract. Weight gain is a result of eating patterns not excess calorie intake. Low Fat Diets - The logic of these diets is that since fat contains more calories than carbohydrates or protein, limiting the fat in our diet is a simple way to promote weight loss. Mayo Clinic - A low-carbohydrate diet plan that allows you to eat as much as you want of the prescribed foods. Pritikin - A very low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet that is based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables that results in improved cardiovascular health as well as weight loss. Slim fast - apparently an easy, nutritious, convenient, economical, great-tasting, simple and flexible method for weight loss and weight maintenance. The South Beach Diet - This low-carb diet promises quick weight loss without hunger or cravings, plus improved cardiovascular health. The Special K Diet - Lose up to six pounds in two weeks by eating Special K with skim milk and fruit for two meals each day. The Subway Diet - By choosing low-fat Subway sandwiches for two meals each day, you'll lose weight without sacrificing taste. Sugar Busters - The idea is that eating foods high in sugar causes overproduction of insulin which inhibits weight loss. Weight watchers - Weight Watchers® maintains that healthful weight management requires a comprehensive lifestyle program that includes emotional, mental and physical health within an environment of group support. The Zone Diet - This higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet is supposed to decrease hunger, then weight. Other ways to aid weight lossWeight Loss patchesThere are several different brands of skin patches with different ingredients (e.g. seaweed extract). The manufacturers claim that these patches assist weight loss but there is no clinical evidence to support the idea that these patches assist weight loss.
Liposuction
Medications
Orlistat (Xenical)
Sibutramine (Reductil)
Some Important facts about these medications:
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