Weight Loss Tips

February 3, 2010 by Helen Frost
Filed under Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss unfortunately there are no real quick fixes. Don’t be conned by the new shed kilos in day’s diet or the latest pill, potion or fat blaster. At the end of the day it is what you choose to put in your mouth and how often you use your muscles in physical activity that is going to have you feeling full of energy and good about yourself.

It is not only what you eat but when and how much. If you know how to eat the right foods in the right amount at the right time of the day, you will not crave and eat the wrong foods at the wrong time and suffer the consequences.

Make clean water your favorite drink. We need a minimum of 8 glasses of water in a day. Avoid drinking juice, soft drinks or carbonated beverages.
First, start with the big picture. Write down your goals and be specific and realistic. ½ to 1kg per week is safe and permanent. What do you want to change? Where do you want to be a year from now? Give yourself time.
Focus on the details. Every day we make dozens of tiny decisions that can spell the difference between whether we lose weight or gain. Do you pick the muesli for breakfast or the chocolate muffin? Do you spend twenty minutes on the couch or twenty minutes on a brisk walk? Small changes can add up to huge results.
Start exercising - no matter what your fitness level just get started. When you start you might only be able to manage a shuffle to the end of the street, but gradually built up to the whole block. Then get moving in your favorite exercise or activity a minimum of 5 days per week for 45 minutes or more. The more regularly you workout the quicker you will shed the stored fat. Don’t compare yourself to others, just work within your limits and take it slow and steady and be consistent.
Eat more vegetables during meals as water-rich foods like zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers reduce your overall calorie consumption. Some other water-rich foods include soups and salads; they are good source of nutrition.
Eat breakfast. A wholesome breakfast sets you up for the day. With a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and good oils you will feel satisfied and determined to stay on track all day. Something like porridge/oatmeal/muesli, livened up with grated apple and cinnamon, or chopped banana with yoghurt and milk or soy is a tasty and nourishing way to start the day. If you are not into cereals try 2 eggs with 2 whole meal toasts or a smoothie with milk, yoghurt, fruit etc.
Eat fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Eating whole foods will keep you satisfied for longer period of time than juice. Moreover, fruit juices are very high in calories.
Don’t stuff yourself with food in a single sitting; instead have 5 to 6 small meals or snacks in a day. Eating several small meals helps the body to release less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps to control hunger.
Avoid taking white foods as they contain large amounts of carbohydrates, which may further lead to weight gain. Replace white sugar, white rice, and white flour with whole grain breads and brown rice.
Take a walk before dinner and it’ll not only burn calories, but also cut down your appetite.
After every two hours, get up and walk around the office or your home for five minutes. A brisk five-minute walk after every two hours will you’re your body active.
Be kind to yourself and your body. You don’t have to look in the mirror and chant, “I love me! I am beautiful!” but at the same time yelling at your thighs won’t encourage your weight loss efforts. It is important to consider the emotional issues that may be contributing to your weight. Reading self help books, doing self development courses etc to help deal with past hurts, disappointments or experiences can help to bring your thoughts into a much more positive frame. Self sabotage through binge eating when emotionally challenged needs to be handled.
Make your treats irregular and miniature. Instead of banning dessert, choose smaller portions. Fresh fruits are always are great way to cleanse the palette and satisfy the desire for something sweet in between or after a meal.
Do resistance training or lift weights. It won’t make you bigger – it’ll make you more toned and strong! The more muscle you have the faster you burn through food and fat and the faster the metabolism. If you’re worried about loose skin, resistance training is the best thing you can do to tone your body as you lose weight.
Planning is crucial. Every weekend take ten minutes to plan our meals for the coming week. Choose from tried and true recipes, so it’s quicker to cook than phone for a takeaway. Meals don’t have to be fancy but they do need to be tasty and wholesome.
Buy your groceries online. It saves time and you’re not tempted by all the sights and smells of the supermarket. Or tortured by your screaming children.
Feel your emotions, don’t feed them. In times of stress it’s tempting to bury your feelings in cake – better to feel bad about binging than tackle the real issue! But try to find non-edible ways of coping –head for a box ercise class or some other aerobic class or activity that helps you let off steam and release the stored tension..
Go Greek. If you’re a cream or sour cream fiend, low fat Greek yoghurt is an excellent substitute. Being low in fat, protein-rich and incredibly creamy it is great with fruits or on a jacket potatoe with a sprinkle of sea salt and ground pepper. Dob onto a bowl of chilli or curry. Swirl into butternut soup.
Skip watching TV for an hour and go for a walk instead. Or else, you have now time to finish your domestic chores.
The best exercise is the one you enjoy. So what if your best friend swears by aerobics at dawn? If you’re a shift worker or just plain grumpy in the morning, this will never suit you. Choose an exercise you like and do it when it’s most convenient for you – this way you’ll stick with it.
Stock your office pantry. It’s much easier to ignore the vending machine when I’ve got half an orchard sitting on my desk and a drawer full of oatcakes, nuts and seeds.
Have a cuppa. When hunger strikes and it’s not meal time, you can make a cup of tea. This can give you time to figure out if you are really hungry or you are just thirsty or just bored or cranky or upset. Herbal tea is great.
Have a moan. Losing weight can be challenging, but you don’t have to feel alone in the struggle. Start your own blog, sign up for a message board, or join a weight loss group, buddy up with a friend to keep motivated and on track.
Put the scales in perspective. Don’t fret over small fluctuations – focus on all the healthy things you’ve been doing for your body. Get out the tape measure or have a pair of “measurement jeans”, so you’re not dependent on the scales for feedback. Don’t get on them everyday as they can be a nightmare. Building the muscle and shape through exercise may mean the scales don’t move for a while. Muscle weights 2-3 times more than fat, but occupies 60% less space. You can put on a little bit of muscle (which is essential for weight loss) and lose a big bit of fat and the scales may not show it. It is fat loss not weight loss that counts. Your measurements and how your clothes fit is the best guide to success.
Be adaptable. Make your weight loss plans fit around your life, not the other way around. Sometimes circumstances will change – a new job, a family crisis, moving house – and suddenly your usual routine doesn’t work. The trick is to be flexible and know when it’s time to tweak your methods.
Set a non-scale goal. Why not train for a special event like a charity walk or ride or challenge yourself to do 10 push ups or 20 lunges or 20 sit-ups or extra time a the gym or an extra 5 minutes a day of walking? Focusing on fitness means you don’t fret about the numbers so much. And all those endorphins make you feel less inclined to go on a chocolate bender.
Accept that sometimes it’s going to suck. Despite your best intentions, there will be days when you fall into a bag of crisps. But long-term success is about persistence, not perfection. It’s picking yourself up when you fall, over and over again. Just keep going and get back on track.
Don’t wait to be “skinny” to start living your life. If you have dreams of traveling or learning to scuba dive, don’t think you need a smaller bum before you deserve them. Your life is happening right now – so forget about your wobbly bits and jump right in!
Use vegetables to make hefty meals. Like pasta salad loaded with vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes can be eaten twice. Same applies for stir-fries; add vegetables to make a fluffier omelet.
Take most of the calories in the first half of the day because studies tell that the more you eat in the morning, the less you’ll eat in the evening. Moreover, you will get more chances to burn off those early-day calories than late-night calories.
Order alcohol by the glass, not the bottle. This way, you’ll be more aware of how much alcohol you’re in taking. Alcohol is high in calories.
Stock your refrigerator with low-fat yogurt. Cut down 500 calories a day from your diet and eat yogurt three times a day for 12 weeks. It will help you lose more weight and body fat.

Tags: exercise, measurement jeans, vegetables, Weight Loss

EXERCISE & NUTRITION

February 3, 2010 by Helen Frost
Filed under Fitness, Nutrition

EXERCISE & OXYGEN

Increased Oxygen intake during exercise leads to increased oxidation (Free Radical production and damage). This makes the body more vulnerable to damage, fatigue, inflammation, muscle soreness, slow recovery, injury and disease. Antioxidants prevent this Free Radical Damage.

DAMAGE & FATIGUE

Free Radical attack on a muscle. Ligament, cartage, bone etc will cause damage, fatigue and inhibit performance.

INFLAMMATION

Free Radicals create inflammation and are greatest twenty-four hours after a strenuous exercise session. This results in slow recovery.

Antioxidants play a major role in preventing the damage and inflammation and assist in a quicker recovery.

ANTIOXIDANT

Antioxidant means “against oxidation.”

Antioxidants are manufactured within the body from the food we eat.

The key source of “Whole Food” Antioxidants is Fresh, Raw Fruits & Vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts and good quality essential fatty acids.

“WHOLE FOOD”

Science shows that the 1000’s of vitamin and minerals and Antioxidants from “whole food” fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, or “Whole Food” concentrates are safer and far more effective than isolated, synthetic, man made supplements.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION recommends we eat a minimum of 5 – 9+

Cups of Varied, Quality Fresh, Raw, Fruits & Vegetables every day (more if

training hard) to provide Antioxidant, Free Radical Protection, prevent disease,

boost the immune system and slow the effects of ageing.

This high level of fruit and vegetables consumption is very difficult for most people to achieve.

Soil depletion, chemicals and pesticides, gassing, cold storage and over processing is impacting on our food quality. Plus we are often too busy and too tired to eat them, we don’t really like some of them, we only eat our favourites and we can’t get the variety all year round.

“WHOLE FOOD” Concentrated forms of Nutrition can help to solve this problem.

REFERENCES

Acworth, I.N., and B. Bailey. Reactive Oxygen Species. In: The handbook of oxidative metabolism. Massachusetts: ESA Inc., 1997, p. 1-1 to 4-4.
Alessio, H.M., and E.R. Blasi. Physical activity as a natural antioxidant booster and its effect on a healthy lifestyle. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 68 (4): 292-302, 1997. [Abstract]
Clarkson P. M. Antioxidants and physical performance. Crit.Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 35: 131-141, 1995. [Abstract]
Dekkers, J. C., L. J. P. van Doornen, and Han C. G. Kemper. The Role of Antioxidant Vitamins and Enzymes in the Prevention of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Sports Med 21: 213-238, 1996. [Abstract

Tags: Antioxidant, exercise, Free Radicals, Nutrition