Who can you trust to give unbiased advice when researching weight loss? When given the "facts", how do you know if the statements are true, misleading or unproven? I seem to have lost more money than weight over the years by following diet programs, especially those requiring special meal replacements (drinks, biscuits, etc).
Like me, you may have tried any of the following: Avoiding Carbohydrates This is achieved by following high protein diets - Atkins, South Beach and a whole lot of other popular diets that promote foodstuffs rich in protein and low in carbohydrates.
While such diets can produce significant weight loss in a short period of time, the long term outlook is not good.
Many people find the restricted choice of food unpleasant and return to normal eating patterns, gaining back the weight they lost and usually a little extra! Avoiding Fats Cutting down on fat would seem necessary during a weight loss program.
After all, a gram of fat contains approximately twice the calories of a gram of protein or carbohydrate.
However, recent thinking is that not all fat is bad for you.
When cutting down you should aim to reduce your intake of saturated fats whilst maintaining the healthier fatty acids.
These include alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat.
I'm sure you are aware of omega-3.
The food industry is using the name on an awful lot of packaging at the moment, as though this one item is key to all good health.
Skipping Meals Skipping meals can be counter-productive.
When your body feels as though it is being starved it attempts to survive by lowering your metabolic rate.
That is, it slows the rate at which it burns calories because it doesn't know when it will next be fed! Continuing this type of behaviour makes it more difficult to lose weight.
Regular meals are important and current thinking is that you should eat more than the standard 3 times per day.
However, eating more of the foods which are known to be good for you, including salads, vegetables, nuts and fruits is preferred to the burger, fries and double thick shake.
Reduced or Sugar-Free and Reduced or Fat-Free Products In general, foods that have been processed to reduce the fat or sugar content seem a great idea.
Cutting calories without sacrificing nutrition by adding a bit of Splenda, the artificial sweetener, seems OK but in many cases, where we are talking about processed foods, you can't assume just because a label says "reduced sugar" or "reduced fat" that the product has fewer calories.
After all, the manufacturers know that sugar and fat give us the tastes we all crave.
Food Groups Dieting This seems to have no basis in reality.
How many people tried the grapefruit diet or the cabbage soup diet? What about avoiding all white foods or all wheat products? I wonder how long anybody can maintain this type of diet without suffering mental and physical exhaustion.
Search For Your Ideal There are many internet programs for weight loss and some are very popular, helping to achieve great results.
All you need is a push in the right direction.
Why not join me on the quest?
Like me, you may have tried any of the following: Avoiding Carbohydrates This is achieved by following high protein diets - Atkins, South Beach and a whole lot of other popular diets that promote foodstuffs rich in protein and low in carbohydrates.
While such diets can produce significant weight loss in a short period of time, the long term outlook is not good.
Many people find the restricted choice of food unpleasant and return to normal eating patterns, gaining back the weight they lost and usually a little extra! Avoiding Fats Cutting down on fat would seem necessary during a weight loss program.
After all, a gram of fat contains approximately twice the calories of a gram of protein or carbohydrate.
However, recent thinking is that not all fat is bad for you.
When cutting down you should aim to reduce your intake of saturated fats whilst maintaining the healthier fatty acids.
These include alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat.
I'm sure you are aware of omega-3.
The food industry is using the name on an awful lot of packaging at the moment, as though this one item is key to all good health.
Skipping Meals Skipping meals can be counter-productive.
When your body feels as though it is being starved it attempts to survive by lowering your metabolic rate.
That is, it slows the rate at which it burns calories because it doesn't know when it will next be fed! Continuing this type of behaviour makes it more difficult to lose weight.
Regular meals are important and current thinking is that you should eat more than the standard 3 times per day.
However, eating more of the foods which are known to be good for you, including salads, vegetables, nuts and fruits is preferred to the burger, fries and double thick shake.
Reduced or Sugar-Free and Reduced or Fat-Free Products In general, foods that have been processed to reduce the fat or sugar content seem a great idea.
Cutting calories without sacrificing nutrition by adding a bit of Splenda, the artificial sweetener, seems OK but in many cases, where we are talking about processed foods, you can't assume just because a label says "reduced sugar" or "reduced fat" that the product has fewer calories.
After all, the manufacturers know that sugar and fat give us the tastes we all crave.
Food Groups Dieting This seems to have no basis in reality.
How many people tried the grapefruit diet or the cabbage soup diet? What about avoiding all white foods or all wheat products? I wonder how long anybody can maintain this type of diet without suffering mental and physical exhaustion.
Search For Your Ideal There are many internet programs for weight loss and some are very popular, helping to achieve great results.
All you need is a push in the right direction.
Why not join me on the quest?