Part 25 - Sticking At It
With 2008 just underway there are no doubt many among you who are already sick of New Year resolution diets. Were you one of those people who read something about a new diet that really works? Maybe it was a television star or a celebrity health and fitness trainer – waxing lyrical about how a few things with a unique twist can achieve the weight loss you really want. Well if that's the case and if you're sick of yo-yo weight loss and the latest fad diets - then this month's Backpackers Bites is the answer.
- Fad Diets
- Eat Five to Six Times Per Day
- Eat at Least One Serving of Fruit or Vegetables
- When You do Eat Eat One Serving of Protein During Each Meal
- Don't Drink Your Calories
- Seek Out Exercise Fad Diets
Firstly the vast majority of fad diets work in the short term - otherwise they'd never sell at all. Most fad diets have a few things in common. They are low calorie, very limited in the food choices they offer, they work in the short term and are generally impractical in the long term. The odds are that on these diets you will lose 5-10 lbs of water. Normally this is retained because you have more food in your stomach which absorbs liquid.
Another reason why they might work is that you just eat less - because you get sick of the limited choice of food. So this short term loss in inches and weight may seem great but if you start in January the odds are that by early February (when all the shops start stocking up on chocolate for Valentines Day) you'll be going nuts trying to stick with your new plan.
This wont be because it didn't work but because it didn't last and like 95% of dieters, you'll falter and regain the weight. Why is this inevitable? Well, simply because radically altering you calorie intake can ruin the ability of your metabolism to enable proper fat burning. Your body then adapts to the intake of calories by becoming more efficient in running bodily processes. Even worse is that your body gets a lot better at storing fat and burning muscle for fuel.
That means you get more of what you don't want and slowly burn away muscle.Seeing as I'm always asked: “What's the secret?” I'll tell you. The secret is that there isn't a secret. A firm conclusion however is that when it comes to long term health and weight loss – food and lifestyle changes need to be hand in hand.
Rules to Structuring your Eating Habits
- Eat Five to Six Times Per Day
By eating regular meals throughout the day you will avoid getting too hungry and eating outside of your plans. This will also teach your metabolism to burn more calories during the day. Also it will more than likely force you to eat more food early in the day and less in the evening - thus breaking the lopsided eating patterns of most overweight people. - Eat at Least One Serving of Fruit or Vegetables
Ensure that each meal includes one serving of either fruit or vegetables. Aim for fibrous fruits and vegetables. One of the best reasons to do this (beyond the great wealth of vitamins and minerals in them) is that but both tend to be low in calories. This means you can eat more. A perfect example of this can be found by comparing a fast food burger to other food groups. A burger has over 500 calories in it – around a quarter of the average person's daily recommended intake. For the same amount of calories you could eat 300g of Broccoli, 600g of Carrots and 300g of skinless chicken breast. The burger would take you five minutes or less to eat, would more than likely not fill you up and take endless hours on a treadmill to burn off. The healthy option would fill you up, give you energy and fill you up for hours. - Eat One Serving of Protein During Each Meal
Protein can come in many sources such as nuts, dairy, chicken, beef, fish, or soy. The two best reasons to include more protein is that it will fill you up more than carbohydrates or fatty snacks. It also requires more calories from your body to be absorbed and processed and will help maintain those muscles – that you're hopefully building. - Don't Drink Your Calories
Just as we discussed previously, we want to get the most from our calories and drinking sugary sodas, juices, high calorie beer and liquor will do the opposite of this. If you add a high calorie drink to a properly planned healthy meal then we ruin all of the benefits of the meal. If you were to consume one can of regular cola (approximately 250 calories) everyday, and eat the exact same amount of calories, then in one year you could gain approximately 26 lbs. - Seek Out Exercise
While walking a few extra blocks, taking the stairs or simply finding little ways to get your body moving won't equate to immediate changes, it certainly won't hurt. Exercise doesn't have to involve a gym, but increasing physical fitness and using your muscles will only serve to improve your health. It will also maintain a strong metabolism and give you energy.
- James
