So you’ve decided that its time to address to your health and you have made a conscious decision that you are going to do something about it. Where do you start ? Well a bit of planning and focus on what your health and fitness goals are must be the first place to start. Try to get a clear picture in your mind of what you want to look and feel like . This goal varies from individual to individual, some wanting radical change and others just to feel “ a bit fitter “ The benefits are endless and I say “Its money in the bank” . So to start of with we want to address your diet .
So to start of with we want to address your diet . The exercise part will be discussed in future articles but it may be easier to start looking more closely at the stuff we push into out mouths or food . Everybody wants the quick fix of swallowing a pill and the excess weight will just drop off .It normally does not happen that easy unlike most of the claims made in magazines and advertising campains we see on a daily basis . Sadly so it is more woman than men who “try” a new diet and then get dissalusioned when things don’t happen fast enough . Remember that every time you start a new diet you are readjusting your metabolism for better or worse . Starvation diets are normally the culprit here… The human body is more clever than the mind can conceive. The body understands that when food is scarce it slows down your metabolism to prepare for famine . Naturally your metabolism is slower and will adjust accordingly. After some time when you feel that your results are not happening fast enough you shift back to your original eating habits now with a slower metabolism and guess what …. You pack on more weight . There are three main problems with popular diet programs,all of which occur because they do not follow the findings of nutrition science .
They are concerned with reducing weight rather than bodyfat.
They strip off vital muscle which is the major body component that burns fat in the first place .
They take off weight to fast ,thereby throwing the body into a defensive , fat preserving condition.
The true purpose of weight reduction is to dispose only of excess bodyfat while retaining your muscle and body water. Retaining muscle is essential to losing fat. Muscle is the furnace in which bodyfat is burned .The less muscle you have the lower your metabolic rate , and the harder it is to lose fat. Any diet program that reduces muscle is a recipe for failure. The body recognizes that fat loss is an attack on its energy reserve and immediately takes all sorts of defensive actions . It increases Lipoprotein liase ( the main enzyme it uses to collect and store fat ) and then slows your metabolic rate. The Lipoprotein lipase and the reduced metabolic activity continue for weeks after you stop the diet because the body has a memory of exactly how much fat it had and wants it back.So it grabs and stores every molecule of fat you eat even at the expense of bodily need for energy.The net result is the post-diet fatigue and ravenous appetite that quickly returns every ounce of flab plus a little bit more for “ insurance “. There are a few rules for permanent fat loss. Reliable studies show that it takes years of overeating to grow fat. In other words, the body shifts its fat-point up very slowly. To shift it down you have to operate the same way, very slowly .The problem with most popular diets is that they are deficient in vitamins and minerals. The vitamins and minerals are what we call the nuts and bolts and generally hold everything together. The subject of supplementation is an article that should be dealt with on its own and we can cover that in another issue . Rule 1 for permanent fat loss: Lose no more than 0.25kg per week .Rule 2 for permanent fat loss . Get your bodyfat measured every 2 months. The only type of food you need to cut from your diet is saturated fats. This food puts on more weight than any other.Rule 3. Avoid all saturated fats and commercial diets , no drugs or witches brews.Rule 4. Maintain L Carnitine intake and chromium.Rule 5. Cut the sugar.Rule 6. Eat a high fiber diet .It regulates insulin metabolism .Rule 7. Maintain Omega 3 fatty acids status Rule 8. Exercise in the morning to boost your resting metabolic rate ( RMR )Rule 9. Do low intensity high duration exercise daily.Rule 10. Do resistance training to maintain muscle mass. So stick to these basic rules and understand there is no quick fix. Lotions potions and drugs are useless for long term weight loss. Don’t get sold on pills or creams that are supposed to “ break down cellulite” . Cellulite is just ordinary bodyfat sitting under the skin in tiny pockets separated by connective tissue . You cannot remove a molecule with creams or lotions unless they contain a beta-adrenergic agonist drug that can penetrate the skin and enter the fat beneath.There are drugs that can strip bodyfat but the side effects are horrendous . The key to successful weight loss is consistency, so be kind to yourself but look forward to the journey to a better looking you. Remember that not all diets are bad. We prefer to call them sensible eating habits/plans that have been carefully calculated by a dietician or nutritionist as one diet does not suit everybody. Every person has a different makeup and will respond accordingly. The human body is a complex machine and eating plans should be calculated to the individuals requirements and goals. If your diet is making you feel terrible then you are on the wrong plan. You will know when you feel on top of the world and your energy is restored . Have fun