10 Things You Need To Know About Losing Weight
Taken from the recent BBC1 programme with the above name, here is a list of useful tips which could help you significantly on the road to weight loss:
1) Don’t skip meals
If you wait to get hungry, your brain will crave high calorie foods as these provide the quickest source of energy…but also the highest amount of fat
2) Use a smaller plate
Swopping your usual 12” plate for 10” could result in you eating up to 22% less food
3) Count calories
Or at least be aware of healthier choices. For example: A black coffee = 10kcals / cappuccino = 300. 2 apples = 120 kcals / small chocolate bar = 300. Women need 2000 calories a day and men 2500 so if you are looking to lose weight you need to reduce this by approx 500 a day through a combination of diet and exercise to lose 1-2 pounds a week.
4) Don’t blame your metabolism
With the exception of ineffective thyroid function, generally speaking we all have normal metabolic rates (the rate we burn calories at rest). Therefore if you find you cannot lose weight, you are probably eating more than you are burning off. You may innocently feel that you are already eating all of the right foods but may not be aware that your portion sizes are too big. Try a week of cutting down and it may just be the kick-start you need to shifting those stubborn pounds.
5) Increase your protein by 10% in each meal
To balance blood sugar levels and stay full up for longer (the key to weight management), you need to include some protein every time you eat. This blocks the hunger signal to the brain thus reducing the risk of over eating. Opt for lean cuts of meat, low fat cheese and yoghurt, eggs, seeds and nuts. Eating an omlette or scrambled, poached or boiled eggs is an ideal way to start off the day.
6) Soup keeps you fuller for longer
If you blend your useful meal with a glass of water or stock and eat it as a chunky soup, it will stay in the stomach for longer thus keeping you full up and away from the biscuit tin. A real tip for dieters!
7) The wider the choice, the more we eat
Avoid ‘buffett’ style eating which involves lots of dishes to choose from in any one meal. Evidence shows that the more choice we have, the more we will end up eating (be warned if you are going on a cruise or an all inclusive holiday..take your gym gear if you don’t want to gain weight!)
Eat low fat dairy
A trial showed that those who ate dairy products every day such as skimmed milk, low fat cottage cheese, yoghurts and creme freche, actually lost more body fat as a result. The dairy calcium works by binding with the fat molecules which subsequently get excreted and therefore not absorbed! This can result in approx 2kg of extra weight loss over a year!
9) Exercise goes on burning fat at rest
You would expect to burn some fat during exercise but it’s been proven that in the 22 hours that follow a workout, you go on burning up to 3 x more fat without having to do a single thing! So you could sit down all day after exercise and still go on burning fat, an extra reason to get exercising every day!
10) Keep moving to lose weight
It’s true that by moving around a little more during the day, it can make a big difference to weight loss. For example, a sedentary person was asked in one day to take the stairs, get off the tube one stop earlier and walk around whilst on the phone. This resulted in her burning another 240 calories which over a year = 2 stone weight loss. So get moving…but don’t eat more!
Good luck following these tips…they really work and if you would like more help and support with losing weight, please do not hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to help. We are fully qualified and experienced in a wide area of exercise prescription and nutrition so can devise an effective weight loss diet and exercise plan for you in a matter of days!!
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