How To Lose Weight?

When it comes to losing weight, those who exercise regularly have a head start. Whether you wish to lose a few pounds or have a bigger goal, exercise provides a healthy way to burn off extra calories. The problem is that even if you work out daily, it is hard to lose weight through exercise alone. Studies have shown that the secret to successful weight loss is regular exercise together with a healthy and careful calorie intake. Follow the eating tips throughout this chapter to help you drop those unwanted pounds.

The only proven way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than your body uses as fuel for your activities. The idea is to find a diet and lifestyle that you can comfortably live with, rather than attempt to lose weight periodically with diets that are hard to maintain.

Don’t diet

Many popular diets are based on gimmicks or unproven science and often involve cutting out certain food categories or limiting carbohydrates. They may help you lose weight in the short term but they are not sustainable. Most people don’t like giving up favourite foods, whether chocolate, bread or cheese, so any diet that dramatically restricts these isn’t likely to work in the long term.
Sooner or later you’ll give in to the temptation to eat the banned foods, thereby giving up the diet and putting the weight back on. Long-term weight control is about making simple yet lasting changes to the way you eat and incorporating regular activity in to your daily schedule. Your eating plan should include all food groups – in particular, foods that:
■ satisfy your appetite
■ are high in complex and low-glycaemic carbohydrates
■ contain a modest amount of protein
■ have a high fibre and water content.

Do the calorie maths

Experts agree that 0.5–1.0 kg per week is a healthy and effective rate of weight loss. 0.5 kg of fat equates to roughly 3,500 calories. So, to lose 0.5 kg in a week you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. This isn’t as daunting as it sounds – lose 300 calories a day by foregoing two biscuits and drinkingone less glass of wine and step up your expenditure by 200 calories a day, and you’ll lose 0.5 kg a week.

What is the secret to successful weight loss?

The secret ingredient in weight management is satiety, the feeling of fullness and satisfaction that you should have at the end of a meal. It may sound obvious, but the reason most diets fail is that they are too restrictive and don’t satisfy hunger. To lose weight you need to be able to choose foods that are not only nutritious and enjoyable but also satisfy your hunger. If you don’t feel sated you will get hungry and tend to snack or overeat more readily. On the other hand, by eating mostly foods with a ‘high satiety’ rating, i.e. foods that are nutritious and also satisfy your hunger, you will find that you can feel full with fewer calories. Feeling full and satisfied while eating foods you like
makes it much easier to lose unwanted pounds.

Why is satiety important?

Eating foods that satisfy your hunger will mean that you consume fewer calories – it’s that simple. Obesity researchers have found that people tend to eat the same weight of food every day, regardless of the calorie content. When the water content of a dish is increased or extra vegetables are added, people eat the same amount but with fewer calories – yet they feel just as full and satisfied. So, by choosing foods that have fewer calories but eating your usual weight of food, you will end up eating fewer calories. In other words, opt for foods with a low energy density most of the time and eat smaller portions of foods with a high energy density.

Take form Food For Fitness Magazine.