Archive for August, 2011

Tips for Eating Less Fat

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Eating too much fat increases amongst other things your risk of heart disease and encourages weight gain.

Research has shown that our diet generally contains too much fatty food and that we can all benefit from eating less fat.

Instead of getting our energy from starchy foods (carbohydrates) like bread and potatoes, we rely too much on foods that are high in animal fats such as red meat, butter and cheese.

 

Tips for reducing fat intake:

  • Choose lean meat. Trim all visible fat from meat and poultry prior to cooking.
  • Choose low fat milk; choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milks.
  • Choose low fat yoghurts.
  • Choose low fat spread.
  • Fry very occasionally using olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil. Choose grilling or baking instead.
  • Beware of the hidden fats in biscuits, cakes, chocolate, pastry and savoury snacks. Always read your food labels.
  • Fill up on fruit and vegetables.
  • Look out for low fat snacks, low fat yoghurt and fruit.
  • Use oven chips rather than fried.

The Truth About Crash Diets

Monday, August 15th, 2011

If you are overweight, you probably know that you need to change, but a crash diet is never a good idea.

The simple fact is that you may be able to maintain a crash diet for a short period, however there is a significant likelihood that you will soon regain the weight, returning to your pre-crash diet weight.

Here are some of the reasons why crash diets don’t work -
The body reacts to the severe reduction in calories by reducing its metabolic rate.

In simple terms, the body reduces the amount of energy required for normal functioning when it is starved of food. This slows down the rate at which calories are ‘burned up’ meaning that if you significantly reduce your food intake, your body simply burns fewer calories.

When more energy is required by your body for metabolic and other functions, (these are the basic functions of your body, breathing etc). The body will simply burn muscle tissue, rather than fat.

Research shows that most people who embark upon a very low calorie diet may lose weight rapidly, but fail to sustain the weight loss over the medium-long term.

Instead you should aim You to set realistic targets to avoid failure and achieve successful weight loss.