Give up the Diet

If you're thinking of going on a diet to lose those extra pounds think again. Long-term weight control through dieting is near impossible, for the simple reason is that diets promote only short term solutions not long term.

After dieting you'll certainly look lighter on the scales, but in most cases this is because you've dumped a few pounds of body fluid and muscle, and not because you've lost any significant amounts of body fat.

One of the main reasons diets don't work is because they send the body into starvation mode - a survival mechanism for times when humans faced periods of famine. Cutting back on our energy intake causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat.

At the same time, hunger signals increase and we quickly start to crave high energy foods loaded with fats and sugars - the exact foods we are trying to do without!!!

Alarmingly, research has shown that repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on!!

This is because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits, the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old eating habits actually represent an excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but you may even gain a bit extra.

"Five more reasons to stop dieting"

· Diets sap energy - Too little food means not enough

energy for physical activity.

· Diets lower your metabolism - Dieting causes your body

to conserve energy, making results harder to achieve.

· Diets are unhealthy - A cycle of rapid weight loss

followed by weight gain can lead to a loss of lean tissue

from your body and calcium from your bones. It also

strips the body of essential vitamins and minerals.

· Diets make food the enemy - Food provides nourishment

and comfort. Diets can make you afraid to eat, depriving

you of one of life's pleasures.

· Diets cheat your confidence - Going from one failed · diet to the next can leave you feeling depressed and · create a cycle in which guilt battles against food.

Regular physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet aren't as glamorous as the quick fixes, but they do get better results.

Start with one extra exercise session and one less fatty takeaway meal per week, and gradually work towards a lifelong plan for achieving your best weight.

If you change the way you eat or exercise to lose weight, ask yourself this question. Can I see myself sticking to this routine for life!!

If the answer is "no" then its time to change what you're doing. Any healthy weight loss plan should include the following:

· A wide variety of foods.

· Regular and enjoyable exercise.

· Enough filling foods to avoid constant hunger.

· At least 1200 calories a day.

· Flexibility for treat foods and social occasions.

· A realistic goal of your best weight (not necessarily

your lowest weight.)

Fact

A realistic weight loss is around one to two pounds per week. Fast weight losses are not fat loss but glycogen and water. If you lose weight quickly then you will probable return back to the weight at which you started as quickly as it was lost.

Fiction

· Weight loss is quick and simple.

· Exercise is not necessary.

· Certain exercises can spot reduce.

· Carbohydrates (for example, bread, potatoes, rice,

and pasta) are fattening.

So the way to lose body fat and maintain muscle or increase it is to have a food program for life and more energy output. Increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, non-fat dairy products, whole grains and beans that you eat.

Eliminate calorie-dense foods such as cookies, sugary desserts, chips, fries, pizza, candies, crackers etc. Research on people who have successfully lost a lot of weight and kept it off long term, shows that the vast majority succeeded by consuming a low fat diet high in fibre coupled with strength training and cardiovascular activity. These are the basics you'll need to aim for.

A sound weight loss eating plan should:

· Be nutritionally sound, providing all the nutrients you need.

· Never promise fast weight losses.

· Offer an eating plan based on real food.

· Allow you to eat out.

· Avoid expensive meal plans, products and supplements.

· Not avoid carbohydrate foods, e.g. bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes.

· Make gradual dietary changes.

· Provide knowledge.

· Allow you to eat all foods

· Recommend physical activity.

Fat calories are more fattening than carbohydrate calories. Your body can easily convert the fat you eat in food into body fat, so to lose weight you need to cut down on fats and foods that contain it.

Consider the following steps to reduce fat in your diet.

· Use skimmed or skimmed milk in drinks, cooking and on cereals.

· Buy a non - stick frying pan.

· Buy a cheese slicer

· Cut the visible fat from meat.

· Eat very little pastry.

· Learn how to read a food label.

· Substitute low fat yoghurt for cream.

· Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.

· Eat fruit as snacks rather than eating chocolate and biscuits.

· Eat fewer burgers and sausages.

Gary Matthews is a fitness trainer from "down under" who has been coaching clients from athletes to bodybuilders for two decades. You may contact Gary directly at gary@maximumfitness.com and visit his website at

http://www.maximumfitness.com.

---

The South Beach Diet

Among the most popular forms of dieting is the South... Read More

Obesity and Morbid Obesity ? Is Gastric Bypass Surgery Right For You

The very first thing you want to do before you... Read More

If Youre Eating High Protein Be Informed about Mad Cow

Finding Mad Cow in Oregon puts a new wrinkle in... Read More

Fat Burners: The Shocking Truth

Fat Burners refer to the hundreds of products on the... Read More

Is Avoiding Sweets Driving You Nuts? Put the Nuts to Work for You

You can overcome the desires of your sweet-tooth by incorporating... Read More

Successful Weight-loss Pointers

Well we're at it again, trying to honor our promise... Read More

Atkins Diet -- The Final Verdict

Supporters of the Atkins Diet claim that a low carbohydrate... Read More

Today?s Diets ? What?s Hot!

For the person who wants to shed a few pounds... Read More

Law of Attraction Resolves Diet Controversy

Who'd have thought healthy eating could be so controversial? Lunching... Read More

Pediatric Obesity: A Look at the Epidemic

Obesity in America is at an epidemic level. It is... Read More

Theyre Wide, Theyre Here, Get Used to It

America's Obesity EpidemicAs the numbers of overweight Americans continue to... Read More

Law of Attraction for Weight Loss: Your Secret to Dropping Unwanted Weight Once and for All!

Ever notice how your best friend can lose weight on... Read More

Help! My Kids are Overweight!

If you have recently found yourself fretting over your child's... Read More

Changing Your Eating Habits

We are bombarded with advertisements pushing delicious looking, fat filled,... Read More

Losing Weight is All About Counting Calories/Carbs and Exercising. Or Is It?

Losing Weight is All About Counting Calories/Carbs and Exercising. Or... Read More

5 Easy Steps to Help You Lose Weight

When losing weight, most of us don't have the time... Read More

Weight Gain = Poor Quality of Life

Gaining up to 20 pounds over four years can significantly... Read More

Weight Loss - A Complex Issue - Learn More

Please feel free to comment, to provide good information and... Read More

The Results Of Being Overweight

Being overweight is no laughing matter. For those who are... Read More

Diet and Exercise Evolution: Adaptation (part I) -- Theory

Adaptation is the most important concept I teach. The human... Read More

Dieting Tips For Fast Weight Loss - How To Jump-start Your Diet

Do you want to lose weight fast? While there is... Read More

Eating Habits That Can Help You Lose Weight And Stay That Way

There are certain eating habits that can make you gain... Read More

Advice for the Ill = Advice for the Well

All of the things we tell sick people so that... Read More

Diet Fads: Supermarket Sheep

Eighteen or twenty years ago, I was into high protein,... Read More

Why You Must Eat Before Going to Bed?

You have probably heard the old myth, that you should... Read More

Fat Burning Foods

Are there any foods that burn body fat? If yes,... Read More

How You Can Chew to Lose Weight

There Is A Right Way to Chew!Chewing your food is... Read More

The Science of Obesity: Fats & Cholesterol

For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would... Read More

I Think I Have an Eating Disorder and Want to Stop

An eating disorder is a life threatening condition that often... Read More

Co-Dependency and Food: Trying to Fill the Void

Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More

At The Dinner Table

This Article was originally Published in The July 2004 Issue... Read More

Lose Weight on Hips and Thighs: A Quest for Slimmer Hips and Thighs!

Losing weight on hips and thighs has always been a... Read More

Losing Weight: Healthier Wallet

Lose Weight - Get A Break The American Obesity... Read More