Chose to lose weight to a level that doesn't compromise your health nor quality of life.
|
It surprises me the medical fraternity is still debating which is worse – a high fat diet or a high sugar diet? The question is irrelevant. What we know is a diet high in bad fats and/or refined sugar is bad for you. We also know we benefit from a certain amount of good fats and complex carbohydrates.
It is very easy to obtain the foods to provide a balanced diet. We can eat daily foods that provide protein from both meat and non-meat sources, fat which is large poly- or mono-unstaturated and unrefined sugars.
A piece of lean meat fried in olive oil and a variety of steamed vegetables – carrots, beans, broccoli and spinach. Whack on one or more herbs and you have taste sensation thats great for you.
I see two main challenges. Firstly, many of us currently rely on bad fats to give taste to our food. To address this we should move to healthy AND tasty meals. While low-glycemic diets have been developed for people with diabetes they are appropriate for everyone. They ensure we get a steady stream of ’fuel’ that avoids the fluctuations in blood sugar associated with foods high in refined sugar.
Secondly, whatever we eat we eat too much. This is a double whammy when the food we eat is high in fat and/or sugar. This is probably the harder challenge, both initially and in the longer term. We need to train ourselves to eat smaller meals and limit the in-between snacks. While there is no alternative to eating only what we are going to burn up during the day we can mitigate over-eating by changing what we eat. If you are going to have a blow out then eat food that is lower in fat and/or sugar. For example, fill up on salad greens rather than potatoes.
With attempts to change any ingrained behaviours it does take persistance. With something as central to our lives as eating most of us do not have the discipline to stick stick to a regime that isn’t pleasurable. So enjoy losing weight and stick with a healthy and tasty diet.
Keith
Why are some many people persisting in using diet pills? Do diet pills work to help you lose weight? I am stunned to visit some sites where the discussion is all about comparing pills.
Without having tried them I can’t comment on the effectiveness of diet pills. However I know, through experience, you can lose weight permanently and safely through eating well.
Interested to hear people’s feedback, Keith
It seems whenever we move from one season to another we are faced with managing our diet. Perhaps moving into Spring is easiest with salad vegetables becoming increasing available. Conversly Autumn and Winter are seasons of starchier foods and cold weather is a temptation for fatty comfort food. As I increasingly believe in eating local, fresh food as a preference there is a need for some discipline. Winter greens are a great source of nutrition and allow you to maintain a low glycemic diet during this period.
While fat enhances flavour continue to cut fat off meat and cook in good oil. This coming Winter is going to be season of the slow cooker! Ok, so I’m following the current fad – but not all fads are bad! An early trial will be some very lean goat meat I picked up at the local supermarket. This would probably be tough as old boots if done as a quick fry. The thought of a rich casserole has me full of anticipation. I just need to decide on the veges to gone into the pot – don’t want too much carb.
Eat well, Keith
Remember the food pyramid we were taught as kids? It has fallen from favour. However current thinking on nutrition is presented in a new pyramid developed by the American Department of Agriculture. While aimed largely at children the advice applies to us all. If you need to lose weight or want to visit another site promoting healthy living visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/
regards, Keith
I have found to lose weight I need to focus on what I am eating. Exercise has not been that helpful in directly losing weight. For unfit people my suggestion is you can improve your overall health by losing weight through managing what you eat.
While low glycemic diets are generally only recommended for people with diabetes I believe they provide excellent eating principles for all of us.
However you should not avoid exercise for ever. Consider slowly increasing your activity levels. You do want to exercise regularly as long term health is dependent on being moderately fit. Putting my money where my mouth is you will note from my other blogs I keep myself fit through regular and varied exercise.
The importance of exercise has been reinforced by a study that compared dieting with dieting and exercise. While the weight loss was similar across both groups the group that exercised improved their blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin sensitivity more than the group that did not.
Reference: Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor, family and consumer science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.; Walt Thompson, Ph.D., professor, kinesiology, Georgia State University, Atlanta; January 2010, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Eat well and consider what exercise you would enjoy doing and how you can motivate yourself to undertake this exercise regularly.
Follow my guidance in Enjoy Losing Weight if you are over-weight.
Regards, Keith
Christmas is the time of year when its hardest to lose weight. However there are a number of strategies you can use to maintain weight loss.
Plan for the majority of food eaten over Christmas to be both tasty and healthy. Restrict food high in fat and sugar to a limited number of big favourites.
Chose a way of cooking meat that results in lower fat on your plate. Select deserts that include and are garnished with fruit rather than cream.
Plan Christmas day so you eat the main meal and then do something that doesn’t involve continuing to eat - avoid eating on and on. And a little bit of exercise never hurt anybody!
The Christmas period can easily end in a session of overeating from Christmas through to New Year so be selective in when you are going to have ’special’ meals and stick to normal, tasty meals at other times to lose weight.
In other words, keep making food a focus of Christmas but in such a way you continue to lose weight.
Enjoy losing weight over Christmas
Keith
The Three Bridges Half Marathon held in Wanganui on 12 December 2009 started in pouring rain. However the mild temperature meant the experience was more refreshing than chilling. By the end the sun was out and everything drying out. A lovely run that not only crossed three bridges (twice) but passed through beautiful parks on one side of the river and skirted the edge of the city centre on the other.
Its a very flat course, although my time didn’t reflect this! Some days you run well and other days… Great to be out and experiencing the run however.
The run was well organised with lots of support at drink stations and around the course. Well done to the organisers although best if you don’t finish the briefing one minute before the start.
And after the run there was a market to visit with food and crafts. The strawberries were huge and super tasty.
Overall the experience rated highly. All fitness levels were catered for with distances from 5km to the full marathon. Pencil a weekend in Wanganui for next year.
The American Diabetes Association is warning the number of diabetes cases is predicted to double. The two main drivers are the aging population and increasing rates of obesity.
While we can’t address the aging issue on an individual basis we can minimise the risk we will develop diabetes. Reduce weight through eating well is the main priority as being obese appears to be a major risk factor in developing diabetes.
An important element is controlling blood glucose levels. While a low glycemic diet has been recommended for people that already have diabetes or have recognised symptoms I recommend such a diet for everyone and follow the general principles myself. While a low glycemic diet sounds like it is a ‘medical treatment’ it can better be termed a common sense approach to eating well!!!
Keeping fit through regular exercise also helps overall wellbeing as well as contributing directly to reducing the risk of diabetes.
Eat well, exercise, feel great
Keith
The Three Bridges Half Marathon is a week away. A short run this morning while the temperrature was still brisk. Great to see lots of people out getting fit. A longer run tomorrow should be a good test of where I am in preparation for the half marathon. Having events to aim for helps my motivation to get out and exercise.
Looks like a perfect day for a dive. Might even get something for the BBQ!
Cheers, Keith
Exercise makes you hungry – not a new concept to most people I would have thought. However if you are seeking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight you don’t want extra eating overwhelming the benefits of exercise in assisting to lose weight.
A small study of 58 overweight and obese adults found some lost weight through increased exercise while others appeared to have their exercise efforts counteracted by increased eating. For those who managed to lose weight exercise may have improved their body’s ability to signal when they were full. The researchers found these subjects were hungrier before breakfast but were not hungrier during the rest of the day.
The learning from those that didn’t lose weight is a general warning to all of who are managing our weight. We need to be aware of any tendancy to over eat after exercise and address this if it occurs.
It also reinforces the need to control our eating habits as the main contributor to losing weight.
To read the abstract go to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Neil A King, Phillipa P Caudwell, Mark Hopkins, James R Stubbs, Erik Naslund, and John E Blundell
Dual-process action of exercise on appetite control: increase in orexigenic drive but improvement in meal-induced satiety
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Oct 2009; 90: 921 – 927.
regards, Keith
|
Now is the BEST time to start losing weight!
Get the book, enjoy losing the weight
|
