Visions of endless days of tasteless meals and gnawing hunger pangs loom large. Depressing isn’t it? But it needn’t be.
Slimming pulls no punches. You have to eat less and sensibly if you are to be slim, healthy and vital and we don’t hesitate to tell you so, but I offer lots of help. The hardest part is sticking to a diet. This section of the A-Z Household Tips is armed with the facts about food value; you lose weight and learn how to keep it that way. Many of your present attitudes to food were established when you were a child. You may now for example have aversions to certain foods, and when you think back, you may find that these foods were missing in your diet.
The same principle works in reverse, with the foods you particularly like you may associate with happy, sad, joys of all seasons, and friendly dinner parties. Between meals snacking can become damaging to your calorie intake. Some will put on weight if they give up smoking, but this is usually based on the assumption that he will start sucking sweets to replace the oral stimulation supplied by the cigarettes. This attitude is often a clear symptom of a stress situation, periods of boredom and distress, tension and worry are the most common stress situations.
Simply stated, overweight means an excessive accumulation of body fat. Some fat, is essential as a reserve of food for the body, which can be, utilized at any time when the output of energy exceeds the intake.
Prevention: –
There is one other major factor in overweight, and that is age. We all know there is a marked tendency to put on weight as middle-age approaches. But contrary to what people believe, the process is far from inevitable. The chances are that once we reach middle age we will eat well, get little or no exercise and often have a job where expenditure of physical energy is not very high. There is no reason why, the weight that we had when we were 25 should not be the same weight when we reach 40.
The Grapefruit Myth: – Rumours state that the grapefruit has magical properties that burn up fat. Grapefruit is unquestionably an excellent fruit to include in a calorie-controlled diet; it gives fewer calories than most other fruits. The only way that fat gets burned up in the body is when it is used as fuel for energy. This can only be brought about by so reducing the intake of calories that fat stores in the body have to be mobilized to make up the basic needs for energy. Grapefruit helps you to eat fewer calories. The hard fact that all would-be slimmers have to face is that burning up fat comes about only from eating fewer calories. You must plan a diet of food that gives you balance to your energy expenditure.
Bananas and milk are excellent foods and tighter provide a good selection of the nutrients the body requires. But the chances are that you will tire of it long before you reach your target weight.
A reasonable rate at which to lose weight is 1kg a week. There are more likely to be depressing plateaus in the weight-loss graph when nothing seem to happen and that is the point at which many people give up. Just reduce your calorie intake a bit more, until you start to lose again.
There are 2 important things to be said in favour of a slower weight loss.
It is much less likely to cause damage to your health
Is that you have to re-train your appetite to a permanent pattern of eating less.
Once you have lost your surplus weight and settled sown on a maintenance diet, you will be amazed at how little food you really need to maintain that weight and sty healthy.
A well-balanced slimming diet can include bread and potatoes. There are good low-calorie diets including both these foods. No foods is fattening unless you eat too much of it. Eat less high-calorie foods such as sugar, cakes, pastry, rich desserts, fats, fried foods including potato crisps and doughnuts, chocolate and alcohol,
The quantity of food eaten daily has to be reducing enough to allow you to lose weight.
To lose weight over a long tem and holding on to it an average adult woman needs between 1,000 and 1,250 calories per day. And men needs between 1,250 and 1,500 calories per day.
There are no foods, not even grapefruit with magical properties. Slimming requires will power and perseverance, but the rewards in improved heath and looks certainly mike it worthwhile.
Healthy Mind & Body: – Find an exercise plan you enjoy. Feeling good about yourself helps give you the confidence to communicate clearly at home or work Choose a routine:
Fitness Video
Exercise equipment
Work at a Gym, you will benefit from the tailor made program and experts guidance
Aerobic / Aqua Aerobics the goal is 2×60 minute classes a week.
Take up a sport.
Women should aim to reach from 75 to 85% of the average minimum hear rate for their age group in aerobics. You calculate the rate by deducting your age from 220. So if you are 45 your maximum rate should be 195 beats per minute. Start slowly and gradually increase frequently. Do not attempt too much too soon. Always warm up by gentle stretching mussels that are not used to exercise or that can be easily strained or damaged.
· Your body learning and lifestyle will provide a strong base for your future health and achievements.
· Swimming calms the mind as well as toning the body.
· Provide yourself with energy by eating more pasta, rice, bread & cereal foods high in carbohydrates.
To reach and maintain a reasonable body weight you need a balanced diet full of nutrients and assume optional energy and psychological well being.
The Dieticians breakfast rule is based on sound sense from several aspects
The matter of digestion: –
The stomach’s part of the digestive process requires from 4-6 hours to cope with an average meal. It will probably not have completed its work of digesting the last meal of the day until a few hours after bedtime.
Eating early in the day, when you are rested and feeling fresh, gives our stomach the best possible chance of digesting food easily and completely, it helps the body to eliminate waste products in the natural way without the aid of laxatives.
If you start the day without a comfortably lined stomach, you are imposing an unnecessary strain upon your nervous system and are making yourself needlessly tired, while there is still the best part of the day to get through.
If the input of energy exactly balances its output, weight will remain constant. It is when calorie intake is greater than energy output that weight increases, and this is something, which everyone should avoid.
Pushing sown half-chewed food with one eye on the clock and nerves on edge simply does not give your digestive system the chance it needs to do its job properly. Yet it only means getting up about 25minutes earlier.
Core Food Groups: – The National Australian Dietary Guidelines to healthy eating has developed the following food groups based on the nutrients they provide.
Ø Bread, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles
Ø Legumes and vegetables
Ø Fruit
Ø Milk, yoghurt, and cheese.
Ø Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and nuts
Ø Fibre is found in plant products such as wholegrain breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables.
Although fibre is considered to be an extra food type it needs to be included in your diet to prevent bowel disease. Fibre improves bowel function by increasing the bulk of faeces (poo) and reducing transit time in the body, which results in softer, larger stools and more frequent bowel action.
Healthy Eating Guides: –
Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods
Eat plenty of breads and cereals, vegetables, including legumes such as snow peas, green beans and chickpeas, and fruits.
Eat a diet low in fat and in particular, low in saturated fat which predominantly comes from animal fats
Maintain a healthy body weight by balancing physical activity and food intake.
Limit your intake of alcohol
Eat only a moderate amount of sugars and foods containing added sugars.
Choose low-salt foods and use salt sparingly
Eat foods containing calcium- dairy products are the best source. This is particularly important for girls and women
Eat foods containing iron. This is particularly important for girls, women, vegetarians and athletes
How much Caffeine
Most adults can handle up to 300ml of caffeine a day without ill effects, which is equal to
Ø 3 cups of instant coffee,
Ø 2-3 cups Peculated – Espresso coffee
Ø 6-8 cups of tea.
A UK study reported that there would be no problems if one limits their caffeine to 3 cups per day.
1 cup Beverage CaffeineCoffee: -
Plunger, drip short black, cappuccino, flat white, latte = 100-150mg
Instant-------------------------------------------------------- = 80-100mg
Decaffeinated ----------------------------------------------- = 2-5mg
Tea: - Leaf or bag------------------------------------------- = 10-50mg
Green -------------------------------------------------------- = 30-50mg
Herbal infusions-------------------------------------------- = 0 mg
Hot cocoa---------------------------------------------------- = 2-20mg
Cola soft drink 375ml ------------------------------------- = 30-45mg
Energy drink ------------------------------------------------ = 30-80
Diabetics: –
Having diabetes doesn’t mean you need to buy special food. A healthy diet for diabetes is much the same as a healthy diet.
Such a diet would be that is high in: –
Ø Fibre
Ø Wholegrain
Ø Low-GI Carbohydrates
Ø Moderate in salt
Ø Moderate in Sugar
Ø Low in Saturated fats.
Ø A wide range of: Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts, Legumes, Lean meats, Fish and low-fat dairy foods.
Alcohol
Basic guidance for alcohol intake
Ø Limit your intake to 2 standard drinks a day.
Ø Have 2 alcohol-free days each week. Alcohol is high in kilojoules and will slow down your weight-loss efforts
Sugar
Eating modest amounts of sugar in healthy foods such as breakfast cereal, yoghurt, custard and low-fat ice cream should not upset blood glucose levels. The sugar found in baked beans, tomato sauce and other cooing sauces also has little effect on blood glucose levels.
GI
GI stands for glycaemia index, which is a ranking from 0-100 that tells you whether a carbohydrate food will raise blood sugar levels dramatically, moderately or just a little. It gives you a measure of how a carbohydrate will affect your blood sugar.
Oil
Choose poly or mono-unsaturated spreads and wherever possible, look for salt-reduced varieties. If you are trying to loose weight a reduced-fat spread with only 50% fat will help. If you have high cholesterol, consider a sterol spread such as logical or Pro-active. If eaten in the quantity recommended, they can help reduce your cholesterol levels.
Saturated Fats
It is best to avoid these types of fats, which are found in butter, cram, fatty meat, cheese and oils used in fast food. Instead switch to polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oil. Choose from sunflower, safflower, peanut, soybean, and olive or canola oil and avoid saturated oils such as coconut and palm (used in fast food and snack food).
Chick Peas Has low GI value. A good source of Dietary fibre and low in fat
Four Bean Mix Low GI value. Butter beans, and lima beans
Red Kidney Beans: – Low GI value. Rich texture and sweet flavour. Ideal for hearty soups, casseroles & risotto
Low GI Foods contain carbohydrates that gradually release sugar into the bloodstream. This is ideal for those losing weight and diabetics.
Red Kidney Beans
Low GI value. Rich texture and sweet flavour. Ideal for hearty soups, casseroles & risotto
Tips to help reduce your fat intake
Grilling instead of frying
Use a rack filled with a little water when grilling, roasting or baking meat. Marinate very lean meat in a mixture of soy sauce, wine, herbs, garlic or spices. These will prevent the meat from drying out while grilling.
Steaming
Is an ideal way of cooking most vegetables? The food is quickly cook y the steam and does not need any fat.
Microwave
Microwaving is a great way to cook. The microwave allows foods to keep their flavour and moisture while they cook.
Stir Fry
Use a wok or non-stick pan. Use a spray-on oil, water, wine or stock to fry your vegetables and then quickly mix in your lean cooked meat.
Casserole
Casserole cooking is a slow, gentle moist way of cooking that can also be low fat. Before cooing, trim the fat off the meat or skin off the chicken. Do not add any extra fat to the casserole. Allow the casserole to cool and skin any extra fat off the surface. Casseroles divided into serving sizes and frozen are ready prepared meals for people in a hurry.
Baked Vegetables
First par boil vegetables, spray with vegetable oil, place in a dry pan and cook in an oven on high until crisp.
Gravy
If you use the meat pan juices to make gravy, pour the juice into a cup and place in the freezer, when it is cool but not frozen remove the solid fat layer that forms on top. The remaining juice can be use to flavour your gravy.
Mince
When using mince, brown it first in a dry pan and drain off the excess fat before adding the other ingredients.
Butter
Add low fat yoghurt or cottage or ricotta cheese to vegetables.
Cream
Substitute cream with evaporated skin milk or blend skim milk with ricotta cheese.
Sauces
Creamy sauces can be made with Skim milk powder in double strength that adds a creamy texture without the extra fat.
Mayonnaise
Try low fat natural yoghurt instead of mayonnaise in recipes.
Salad Dressing
Make a mixture of lemon juice, herbs, mustard and vinegar it makes a great and tasty dressing.
Staying Slim
Nothing is more soul-destroying than putting on weight after a concerted effort at losing it. But it can happen and it happens from other factors besides eating
A sigh of relief is the natural reaction at the end of your successful slimming campaign, but do not let your good work evaporate overnight. Achieving your target weight after weeks or months of suffering is certainly something to celebrate, but after losing so much it would be a pity to gain it again over the next 2 weeks.
Eat Regularly: – One of the great secrets of staying slim and healthy is eating small amounts but often. Scientists have shown that people who eat five or more times a day are generally slimmer than others who eat the same amount of food but in fewer meals.
The idea of eating frequently may conflict with all you have learned about not eating between meals, but the danger of eating between meals only arises when you eat sugary foods, such as cakes and chocolate biscuits. On a good maintenance diet you can eat three main meals a day with nutritious snacks as well and still keep your weight steady.
The right Foods: – In the course of planning any diet it is important to ensure that the diet provides not only the right number of calories, but also enough protein, vitamins and minerals. Of course the more food you eat the easier it becomes, but this will not make you any slimmer. One way of making certain of eating properly is to include foods out of each food group in your daily diet.
Each day you should have: –
Ø 2-3 potions from the cereal group
Ø Some from the dairy group 1 pint of milk or some cheese.
Ø 2 portions of meat, fish, or eggs.
Ø 2 portions from the fruit and vegetable group, preferably 1 citrus fruit and 1 portion of
green or yellow vegetables.
The latter group should provide not only vitamin C but also carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body.
Burning up the Calories: – To keep your weight constant you have to maintain a balance between the energy you consume in food calories and the energy you use up as heat or physical work, so you can help to stabilize your weight not only by dieting but also by making sure you keep active. In warm weather it’s a good idea to take an extra ½ walk each day or if you are go swimming instead which is an excellent form of exercise.
The important thing is to increase your level of daily activity. A few minutes of formal exercises each day help to tone your muscles and improve your posture and deportment, but unless you really work quite hard for ½ hour they have no significant effect on your energy balance.
No slimming campaign is complete without the aid of exercise. It tightens up slack muscles, tones the body and leaves you feeling health and vibrant. More important, it helps you maintain that low level of weight you’ve worked so hard for.
Exercise: – All sporting activities, walks, yoga, even dancing will keep you trim. Choose an activity that you enjoy, and you will be more likely to adhere to it. Let moderation be your guide.
Walking benefits nearly every muscle in the body, it is rapidly disappearing from so many people’s lives as a form of relaxation. You will be glad you did and so will your figure.
Fats: –
Excessive amounts of fat in the diet can cause health problems. However it is important to have small amounts of fat in your diet because your body needs essential fatty acids to function properly.
Fats are classified by their chemical structure. They can be saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated and most of the fat that you eat should be monounsaturated
A diet high in saturated fats can cause your body to produce more cholesterol, which may contribute to your risk of developing heart disease and some cancers. Saturated fats are mainly found in fatty meat, butter, full-fat milk products, cream lard and many take-away and processed foods. They are also found in some plant food, such as palm or coconut oil. Choose meat that has been trimmed of and reduced fat dairy products wherever possible, especially if heart disease is common in your family
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are healthier choice. These types of fats are found in plant oils such as sunflower, olive and canola oils.
All types of fat are rich sources of energy. There are approximately 27 kilojoules of energy in each gram of fat that you eat. Your body will store any excess calories consumed as body fat, which can lead to obesity.
Australian Dietary Guidelines suggest that you should aim to have approximately 30% of your total energy intake from fat.
Warning: –
These recommendations do not apply to infants and pre-school children, underweight people.
Breastfeeding women or those engaged in an unusually heavy work. People in these special groups have a greater need for fat in their diet.
Sugars: –
Most people enjoy sweet food and apart from sugar’s effect on dental health, it is not nearly as harmful to health as fat. However many foods that are high in sugar are also high in fat, so eating sweet foods can result in high fat intake.
Sugar is added in small amounts to make useful processed foods and these products should not be excluded from your diet. High fibre breakfast cereals and food such as canned baked beans are nutritious, low in fat and high in fibre and are useful foods to include in a healthy diet.
Manufactured foods often have large amounts of sugar added to them during processing. During digestion, sugars such as sucrose and lactose and other carbohydrates, such as starch, break down into simple sugar. These provide energy for body cells and are sometimes stored for future use.
Salt: –
Salt has many purposes and it intensifies the natural flavours, colour and texture of foods. Our body needs small amounts of salt to function because it is an essential nutrient that the body cannot make by itself. However when salt is eaten in excess, it can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure. The National Heath and Medical research Council recommends that adults have an upper limit of 1 teaspoon of salt per day. Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you might get this amount of salt from eating manufactured food like potato crisps, pies and sausages.
Caffeine: –
Many people are mildly addicted to caffeine. Tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa and some cola drinks contain caffeine.
Caffeine stimulates your brain and nervous system and the range of physical effects vary from person to person. These effects, which are temporary and reversible, include increased alertness and heartbeat, and need to urinate more often.
Some studies have shown that caffeine can slightly raise blood pressure, whilst other studies have found lower blood pressure in people that consume caffeine. In short, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that caffeine-containing drinks cause particular problems if these are consumed in moderation.
To help maintain an acceptable level of caffeine in your diet, limit your caffeine intake to less than 600mg per day, this would be 2-4 average strength cups
Drinks that help to keep you alert, such as Red Bull and V contain about 2 ½ times the amount of caffeine found in regular cola drinks. Avoid these so-called smart drinks if you are limiting your caffeine intake. There are many caffeine alternatives on the market.
Food Additives: –
Food additives are added to foods for a specific purpose and are not considered to be food themselves. For example, the artificial sweetener aspartame is added to many beverages, yoghurt, chewing gum and other food to keep the calorie content of the product low. Some additives help maintain or improve the quality, colour, taste and texture of food and prevent from spoiling.
Many convenient, nutritious processed foods contain small amounts of artificial colours and preservatives. In Australia, the Australian New Zealand Food Authority regulates food additives through the Food Standard’s Code. These compulsory standards specify the quantity and type of food colours and preservatives that can be used in foods. Food additives must be listed on packaged and processed foods.
Source by Mary Newton
