Giving Up the Diet

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If you're thinking of going on a diet to lose those extra pounds think again.
Long-term weight control through dieting is near impossible, for the simple reason is that diets promote only short term solutions not long term. After dieting you’ll certainly look lighter on the scales, but in most cases this is because you've dumped a few pounds of body fluid and muscle, and not because you've lost any significant amounts of body fat.
One of the main reasons diets don't work is because they sendthe body into starvation mode - a survival mechanism for times when humans faced periods of famine. Cutting back on our energy intake causes the body to lower its metabolicrate, which reduces its ability to burn fat.
At the same time, hunger signals increase and we quickly start to crave high energy foods loaded with fats and sugars - the exactfoods we are trying to do without! Alarmingly, research has shown that repeated dieting actuallymakes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on. This is because when you dump the diet and return to normaleating habits, the drop in metabolic rate caused by the dietmeans that your old eating habits actually represent an excessin calories.
Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost,but you may even gain a bit extra. "Five more reasons to stop dieting" Regular physical activity and a healthy, balanced diet aren't as glamorous as the quick fixes, but they do get better results.
Start with one extra exercise session and one less fatty takeaway meal per week, and gradually work towards a lifelong plan for achieving your best weight. If you change the way you eat or exercise to lose weight, ask yourself this question.
Can I see myself sticking to this routine for life? If the answer is "no" then its time to change what you're doing. Any healthy weight loss plan should include the following: Fact A realistic weight loss is around one to two pounds per week.
Fast weight losses are not fat loss but glycogen and water. If you lose weight quickly then you will probable return back to the weight at which you started as quickly as it was lost.
Fiction So the way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life and more energy output. Increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, non-fat dairy products, whole grains and beans that you eat.
Eliminate calorie-dense foods such as cookies, sugary desserts, chips, fries, pizza, candies, crackers etc. Research on people who have successfully lost a lot of weight and kept it off long term, shows that the vast majority succeeded by consuming a low fat diet high in fibre coupled with strength training and cardiovascular activity.
These are the basics you'll need to aim for. A sound weight loss-eating plan should: Fat calories are more fattening than carbohydrate calories.
Your body can easily convert the fat you eat in food into body fat, so to lose weight you need to cut down on fats and foods that contain it. Consider the following steps to reduce fat in your diet.
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