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Need to lose weight? Here are some simple tips that can help you
lose weight.
Why are you overweight?
Statistics show that people in the western world are heavier than ever. The reasons for
this are generally due to modern living with our diet tending to be highly processed,
sugary and often high in saturated fats. Most people lead largely sedentary lifestyles,
which causes our muscles to atrophy from lack of use and thus slows our metabolism even
further.
Before you embark on any weight loss programme there are several factors you need to
consider.
Learn a little bit about nutrition what food is and how our body
utilises it. There are many easy to follow books on the market.
Then it is best to ask yourself why you wish to lose weight knowing
your reasons can clarify your goal and make it easier to succeed.
Always seek medical advice before embarking on a nutritional/weight loss
programme.
Remember that due to our genetic disposition we have only partial
control over our body shape and size. It is easy to maintain a weight that is above our
optimum weight whilst on the other hand is difficult to maintain a weigh that is a few
pounds below our optimum weight.
Short-term diets, which are often sold as a panacea for most weight
problems, don't work. These diets are known to slow the body's metabolism, in other words
you put weight on faster after coming off the diet. They also have the further
disadvantage of eliciting sugar cravings, which can cause the urge to binge.
What diet do I choose?
There are a wide array of diets to chose from. In order to determine the best diet for you
there are a number of factors to consider.
Do you want a short-term 1-2 week diet that allows you to lose 5-10 pounds for a short
period of time and then go back to your former weight and way of living?
Do you want to follow a long-term plan, which will allow you to lose weight and maintain
your weight loss while enjoying the foods you love?
Many fitness experts have converged on the notion that in the long term, exercise combined
with a healthy diet is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. Exercise is the most
efficient way to change your metabolism so that you will not add any more body fat whilst
at the same time you will burn excess body fat. Continuous aerobic exercise over a
15-minute period excluding warm up and cool down periods repeated every day at a level of
70-80 of your maximum heart rate is the most beneficial.
10 top tips for weight loss
Don't starve yourself. There are plenty of diets to chose from so there
is no need to go hungry
Drink water. It fills you up and flushes toxins from the body. 8 glasses
are recommended per day.
Exercise. It burns calories, suppresses appetite, raises metabolism,
firms and tones your body.
Plenty of green vegetables. You can eat as much as you like and they are
not fattening.
Eat without distraction. Eat slowly but never whilst watching the TV or
whilst engaged in activity you won't notice you are eating and you won't feel full.
Fool your stomach with a before meal snack.
It takes 20 minutes for your body to realise it's being fed and respond
by feeling full. Try some sliced raw vegetables or a bowl of broth.
Be prepared. Keep a variety of foods handy that fit in with your diet
should you feel like snacking.
Avoid alcohol. Full of empty calories, suppresses the body's ability to
burn fat.
Eat a small snack. Before you go shopping eat a healthy snack to help
you shop sensibly.
In the New Year look out for Sunstone's Weight Loss Programme, where both
exercise and healthy diet are combined together in a supportive and caring environment to
help you obtain maximum effects.
Rosalind McManus, Fitness Manager, Sunstone Health Club for Women, 16 Northwold Rd,
N16 7HR. For more information telephone 020 7923 1991
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