A Weight Loss Prescription

April 27, 2011

Why should a weight loss or a weight management programme be a prescription?

This question is best answered if you consider what happens when you are ill. Normally you arrange a consultation with a specialist or your Doctor, and he or she will prescribe certain drugs and/or treatments. Having taken that advice, you get your prescription filled and take the required medication in the right dose, at the right time of day, for the specified length of time. Your Doctor will also tell you to take that prescription and to finish the course of medication even if you start to feel better beforehand.

To get the results you want, you have to take the required steps in the right dose for the prescribed length of time. If you do not finish the course, or miss a dose you will not get the results you are after.

A weight loss prescription needs to be an individual prescription and appropriate for you and only you. We are all very different, in age, weight, gender as well as having a wide variety of lifestyles, health issues, fitness levels, and previous experiences of trying to lose weight, all of which will alter the prescription.
Research now shows that just a 10 percent reduction in your body weight can reduce your health risks and improve any current medical conditions considerably.

The great news is that adults who are of “normal” weight and are physically active have a 20 – 30 percent reduced risk of premature death and up to 50 percent reduced risk of developing the major chronic diseases.

It is very easy today when looking at slimming and diets that are on the market to be taken in with the hype that we read and see around us. Don’t be tempted by the increasing number of “quick fix” options that are currently flooding the market.

Many of these quick fixes offer quick and totally unrealistic weight loss promises. Losing weight will never be quick, our bodies are designed to defend our weight.

Many of these weight loss programs offer a novel approach to weight loss and can appear to be fun and motivating, even down to having all your meals prepared for you. If they are ineffective in helping you to permanently lose the pounds then not only is it a good opportunity lost, but will have also cost you money and time. These experiences can leave you feeling down and discouraged.

So how can you tell the dieting fact from fiction? Below are some simple things to help you spot the fiction.

The weight loss program promises to solve your weight problems without you having to change your lifestyle in any way.

The program promises rapid weight loss of more than two pounds of body fat a week.

It recommends the magical fat burning effects of foods, or hidden ingredients in foods

The diet promotes the avoidance or severe limitation of an entire food group.

The weight loss program promotes eating mainly one type of food.

It provides all your meals for you.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It is easy to over complicate things; ultimately it comes down to the simple equation of energy balance. Energy intake versus energy output.

Energy intake is what we put into our body in the form of food and drink. Energy output comes from calories burned by our metabolism and our activity. When these two are in balance, our weight remains stable.

When we consume more calories than we burn, or use, we gain weight; and when we take in less calories than we use, we lose weight.

Everyone has different lifestyles, appetites, family experiences, food preferences, activity levels, types of stress, relationship with food, health problems and levels of knowledge about food.

Life events such as having a baby, a new job, retiring, emotional upsets or illness will also have a major impact.

The reality is that it only takes a tiny imbalance to make a huge difference. Eating just one extra chocolate biscuit, say one hundred calories each day, could lead to a weight gain of five kilograms, that is just over ten pounds in a year.

Achieving your Weight Loss Plan

April 21, 2011

The obese people find it really difficult to manage with the daily chores and even if they get it done themselves, it makes them quite tired quickly. A recent study has it that the obese people are likely to die early as compared to the lean ones. It is also said that the former group of people are vulnerable to diseases than the latter set. Before it gets too late, it is better to get back into shape by following a weight loss plan after which one will feel and healthier than before. Here are a few tips that can be included in a weight loss plan.

• It is first important to determine yourself to follow the suggestions in the plan regularly without a break.
• A weight loss plan consists of both regular exercise and a proper healthy diet. When both are followed proportionately there is no doubt you can lose weight in a healthy manner.
• It is a must that you perform atleast an hour of physical activity everyday. This makes you more active than ever and helps you burn the extra fat that is accumulated as a result of excessive cholesterol in the body.
• It is not necessary that you work out in the gym. You can do that when you have time else perform some aerobic simple exercises at home.
• Walking and jogging can also work out well for bringing about weight loss. The right time for jogging or walking is either in the morning or the evening.
• When you perform daily exercises, you not only reduce the weight, but also the risk of premature death caused due to heart related problems, risk of diabetes, depression, blood pressure and content of cholesterol in the body. On the whole you can feel yourself healthy and active all the time.
• The diet is what you need to concentrate next. There are various diets like the high protein diet that can help in the weight loss.
• Make sure you eliminate the habit of eating junk food as they are the root cause of weight gain and the impairment of the health.
• Stick to fresh fruits and vegetables so that there is less probability of causing harm to the health. Reduce the calorie intake; make the meals smaller and increase the number of meals you intake. If you wish to follow a protein diet plan to lose weight, you can consult the dietician and then move ahead.
• Drink lots of water to ensure the metabolism process takes place effectively. Atleast six to eight glasses of water is necessary for the body per day.

Tips On Starting A Weight Loss Journey

April 13, 2011

Starting your weight loss journey in order to achieve your weight loss goals will require a great deal of commitment and motivation. However, anyone who believes that enormous changes to their lifestyle have to be put into place to achieve success should think again. By making small tweaks and alterations here and there, there is no reason why you shouldn’t gradually and effectively be able to lose weight.

First of all, you need to have some real reasons why you want to lose weight before you start developing your plan to achieve this. Having some tangible reasons will act as motivation when the going gets tough. This could simply be because you want to improve your aesthetic appearance, you want to improve your health and fitness, or simply that you want to give yourself more confidence.

Now you need to start building a plan of action to follow. Within your plan that you need to incorporate a healthy diet as a priority. As mentioned, small changes to your diet over time will build up and will gradually help you to develop a healthy lifestyle. Simply cutting out all of the unhealthy parts of your diet straightaway and going cold turkey isn’t necessarily the best way to go about it. Do this and you will most likely fall off the wagon at some point.

Instead, make gradual changes. For example, instead of having white pasta, white rice, and white bread, substitute these for whole-wheat products instead. Instead of stacking on unhealthy foods that are high in fats, start eating healthy snacks between meals. Incorporate more fruit and vegetables into your daily nutritional routine. Making these gradual changes will help you to see gradual results, and these will further help to motivate you to continue.

Again, start exercising gradually as well. Living a sedentary lifestyle is not only going to lead you to put on weight, but it is going to mean you are much more likely to develop health problems as you get older. In order to improve your health and fitness, as well as lose weight, start exercising several times a week for at least half an hour. The more you do so, the quicker the results will come.

All of these basic and gradual changes will help you to go on a weight loss journey. Don’t expect to lose weight extremely quickly, but recognise that the small steps that you take will add up to a longer and healthier future.