To many people a diet is a restricted food regime
undertaken as a penance; to lose weight for a wedding, a party a special
occasion. It involves sacrifice, near starvation, deprivation and it
makes you irritable. However when you have lost the pounds you can go
back to the habits that made you fat in the first place, and because
you have been feeling deprived for so long you eat all of the foods
that represent that deprivation. The result is you pile back all the
pounds that you struggled to lose and then some more! This starts a
vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting; you eat, get fat, diet, stuff yourself,
and get fat.
Is there another way, well yes, actually there is another way. The
very idea of a banned food makes us want to eat it even more, and
no healthy diet should have a banned list of food products (unless
of course, there is a food allergy and then to cut out a food or food
group is necessary).
Modern research has ascertained that very small changes in our diet,
plus a slight increase in exercise will make a difference. A walk
for twenty minutes just three times a week will improve muscle tone.
Exercise does not have to mean expensive gym membership. All that
is necessary is that you increase your heartbeat and raise a slight
sweat. Obviously the more exercise that you get the better you will
feel, but start small a walk around the block after eating is a healthy
start.
Add fruit for breakfast either as juice, nothing tastes as wonderful
as fresh orange juice squeezed, add fresh fruit to your cereal and
choose a wholegrain cereal rather than a sugarcoated cereal. Instead
of having, a doughnut or a pastry for a snack mid morning have another
piece of fresh fruit. Begin your main meal of the day with a clear
soup, a plate of borscht will not only add another vegetable to your
meals but the soup will mean that you want to less.
No food should be banned which means if you really have to have that
piece of apple pie, have it, end of........ No guilt no recriminations
eat it, sit down savour it and enjoy it. If is a piece of apple pie
that you really want do you want the sandwich you eat before or is
that a piece of conditioning from childhood that you cannot have something
sweet without finishing your meal! If you just want the pie, plan
for it and as the enjoy it, and better still have an hours walk before
you eat it. However, have it as a rare treat not as an everyday item.
A piece of chocolate cake is not going to make to you fat unless you
eat it every day.
Aim to consume less than ten percent of your calories from fats.
Cut out sodas from your diet or at least the fat sodas, substitute
water or sugar free drinks. Be aware of what you are putting in your
mouth, if you are not begin a food diary and remember that to lose
weight permanently and keep it off means permanent changes. Make the
changes gradually if you drink full fat milk switch to semi skimmed
and then slowly come down to skimmed milk, it contains all the nutrients
without the fat.
Overall health and vitality is a more vital concept than losing a
few pounds for a special occasion. Balance the amount you eat to the
amount of calories that your body needs and you have cracked the yoyo
dieting cycle. You want to eat or drink more than your body is burning,
then use more calories by increasing exercise.
