| Well, I have just been out to the shops to get some | | | | you consume. To lose approximately a pound or body |
| provisions, and everywhere was completely packed. | | | | fat a week you must cut around 500 calories each |
| There was a sort of panicky feel in the air, and lots of | | | | day from your diet. Because this could seriously stress |
| people walking around too fast carrying bulging bags | | | | your system (the famine response) it is sensible to |
| and looking stressed. You know what that means? | | | | burn an extra 250 calories through exercise each day. |
| OH NO it's that time of the year again; the time of | | | | You must exercise for about an hour each day, and |
| endless shopping, darker nights, financial anxiety and | | | | cut 250 calories from your diet, through making |
| the certain knowledge that you will have to eat mince | | | | sensible food choices e.g. swap a 200 calorie bagel at |
| pies and look cheerful whilst trying to stand still so that | | | | lunch for two thick rice cakes (56 calories) saving 144 |
| your tummy doesn't relax over the top of your waist | | | | calories already! |
| band. If you have a busy party season ahead, or are | | | | 8. Weight loss is defined by the outgoing calories |
| going to be seeing relatives and friends who may | | | | exceeding the incoming calories each day/week; it |
| have seen you 2 dress sizes ago, you may be feeling | | | | makes no difference what time of the day you eat. |
| the pressure to lose weight, and fast. Do you need to | | | | There is no point in 'not eating after 6' which may |
| get into that party outfit in 3 weeks? | | | | make you so hungry that you binge at nine on |
| 12 things that you need to know about losing weight: | | | | whatever you can get your hands on. Most sensible is |
| 1. Extreme diets will always make you fatter in the long | | | | to eat 5 small healthy meals a day to encourage the |
| run; resist the urge to try any extreme diet, however | | | | metabolism to run efficiently. If an evening meal makes |
| desperate you feel. | | | | you feel uncomfortable, have a light salad or soup. |
| 2. Skipping breakfast or other meals will make it more | | | | 9. I am very sorry but you are not big-boned, and your |
| difficult to lose weight. If you miss meals, your body will | | | | weight is not your mothers' fault. Different body types |
| view the drop in calories as scarcity of food (famine | | | | store fat in different areas, but the tall slim Jims really |
| response). Your metabolism will slow to conserve | | | | do eat better (or less) or are more active than their |
| calories, and food that you eat may be converted to | | | | rounder cousins. If your family are all large, this is |
| fat for use when the famine has passed. | | | | usually more to do with learnt eating and activity |
| 3. Healthy weight loss is around a pound of body fat a | | | | patterns. If you have been blaming your weight gain on |
| week, if you lose much more, the chances are that | | | | your genetics, then stop, because you can lose weight |
| you will put it back on FAST as soon as you resume | | | | too. Try not to look at the reasons why you can't lose |
| normal eating. | | | | weight, and in stead focus on small changes you can |
| 4. Rapid weight loss on the scales due to dieting may | | | | make to promote weight loss. |
| in fact be loss of water. More disturbingly, rapid weight | | | | 10. If you really can't understand why you cannot lose |
| loss may be due to loss of muscle. A reduced muscle | | | | weight, keep a food diary; you may surprise yourself |
| mass will slow your metabolism, making it easier to put | | | | at how much/often you actually eat. |
| on weight. | | | | 11. If you are concerned about your weight, keep it to |
| 5. Extreme diets will place the body under stress, | | | | yourself; children copy the behaviour of their parents. |
| forcing it to use its vitamin and mineral reserves. This is | | | | To give your children a better chance of avoiding |
| particularly damaging for women of childbearing age, | | | | eating disorders/disordered eating, practice healthy |
| who will need these reserves to sustain a healthy | | | | eating and activity as a good example to them, rather |
| pregnancy in future years. Extreme diets will also | | | | than talking about dieting and your dissatisfaction with |
| interrupt hormonal balances, and may put you at | | | | your weight. |
| increased risk of developing osteoporosis in later life. | | | | 12. Want to lose half a stone in the next 5 minutes? |
| 6. You cannot 'spot reduce;' however many sit-ups | | | | Stand tall with the posture of a ballerina (lads, you can |
| you perform, the fat will not 'melt' or 'burn' from your | | | | be a soldier if you would rather), draw the tummy into |
| tummy. To lose body fat you must burn calories | | | | the back bone, feel as if you are being drawn up to |
| through exercise which gets you out of breath, and by | | | | the ceiling through the crown of your head, slightly roll |
| sensibly reducing calories. You can improve the | | | | the shoulders back and down and maintain this tall |
| appearance of certain areas by developing muscle | | | | posture throughout the day. Good posture will make |
| tone beneath the skin. An ideal way to do this would | | | | you look slimmer immediately. The icing on the cake is |
| be to regularly attend body conditioning or circuit | | | | to think positive things about yourself; if you feel |
| classes where you burn calories and develop muscle | | | | confident and attractive you will look confident and |
| tone at the same time. | | | | attractive. |
| 7. To lose weight you must use more calories than | | | | |