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Natural Weight Loss
The truth is, there is no quick fix when it comes to
weight management. No pill, no potion, or diet powder is going to effortlessly
melt excess body fat while you lounge in front of the television...
Having said that there are, nonetheless, a number of important steps you can take to combat the common problem of being concerned with your weight. Quite apart from aspiring to a better figure, research data consistently indicates that dropping those extra kilos significantly reduces the risk of developing heart disease and several other life threatening conditions. Importantly, if you plan to lose weight the natural way, without fad diets or artificial ‘diet’ foods, you are more likely to keep the weight off. This way, you avoid the syndrome of ‘yo-yo dieting’, where any lost weight is almost immediately regained when ‘normal’ eating patterns recommence.
Are You An Apple or A Pear?
As with most things in life, it is important to
focus on the quality, not the quantity. In the case of losing weight, you need
first to become aware of your body shape, as well as your total weight.
Identify the ‘quality’, if you like, of the proportion of fat in your abdominal
and chest areas, compared with other parts of the body.
A quite famous study by Dr. David Schapira, a professor of medicine at the South Florida College of Medicine in the USA, has found that women with an ‘apple’ shape, that is, those who carry most of their weight in the upper part of their body - are more prone to heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure and breast cancer. On the other hand, women who are ‘pear’ shaped, who carry excess body fat in their thighs and hips, are quite dramatically less at risk of these diseases. (This does not mean that, if you are a ‘pear’, you should not worry about losing excess weight, by the way - it just means that you are more likely to be motivated by vanity than by any real health concerns.)
It’s Mostly In Your Mind...
Well, not quite. But it’s fair to say that many weight loss programs fail because the individual is somehow sabotaging their own efforts. Perhaps they don’t really believe they can lose weight. Perhaps they are just not determined and motivated enough. Often, a person on a weight loss program throws it all in because they do not receive any support from their family or friends, and feel it’s just not worth the effort. It is important that you really believe that you are ready to make a change, and that you make a personal commitment to weight management.
A good idea is to write down all the critical points of your program. Take time to set realistic expectations and goals. Not only is what you weighed in secondary school probably just not sensible or healthy for you as an adult, but you could be setting yourself up for failure. Think about all the different aspects of your life, too, not just diet - your exercise and eating habits, stress levels, social support, self esteem and body image are all critical to the issue.
Physical activity is an essential ingredient of any weight management program. Even if you’re not the athletic type, there are plenty of gentle to moderate recreational and leisure activities which will help improve energy output and so maintain a desirable body weight. Investigate aerobic exercise programs at your local gym; strength training exercises are another option, with the added bonus of improving stamina and muscle mass. At the very least, you should aim for a brisk half-hour walk every second day, or its equivalent.
Tips for Natural Weight Loss
Learn to love vegetables (!) and learn to eat lots of them. It’s easy to make them more appealing - investigate delicious low-fat dressings like lemon or apple juice, vinegar or low fat yoghurt for salads, or a scrummy vegetable soup with chick peas or cooked beans with wholemeal bread in winter.
Avoid eating most of your kilojoules late at night. Aim to have your main cereal during the day.
Don’t skip meals - it will make you even hungrier, and you’ll be more likely to crave sweets or chocolate.
Don’t be swayed by the fashionable ‘mono’ diets or fasting. From a natural health point of view they are not a good idea, and can even increase the risk of food sensitivity.
Never shop when you’re hungry, tired or cold. You won’t make very good food choices.
Try to steer clear of refined foods completely. Instead, use brown rice, beans, lentils, millet, corn or buckwheat. They are more likely to fill you up, and take longer to digest than processed flours and grains.
Have a very high fibre breakfast: this should help overcome any constipation. You need to get a boost of energy first thing to replenish your brain and metabolism after sleep.
Avoid alcohol - a standard drink contributes around 500 calories without giving you any protein, vitamins or minerals.
Reduce your intake of all obviously fatty foods. However, remember it takes a long time to lose your taste for cream, butter and margarine so aim to try different flavours, such as tamari, tempeh or cottage cheese in your eating plan.
Don’t pick! Many food cravings are merely bad eating habits - the biscuit with a mid-morning cuppa, the doughnut or icecream after dinner. Learn a new response to the situation, such as taking a walk or calling a friend. At worse, try to select low-calorie snacks and drinks, such as mineral water or fruit.
Brush your teeth after each meal. It’s a strong signal to your brain that the meal has finished.
Consider taking up meditation, or join a relaxation class. It will help you to make what is a considerable lifestyle change.
Check with your health practitioner if you feel abnormally tired or cold, as this could indicate a sluggish metabolism in response to your new eating plan. A
naturopath or herbalist might prescribe certain herbs to stimulate the
digestion, such as chilli and ginger.
Give yourself a reward as you achieve each weekly weight goal - not food! Treat yourself with perfume, music, a massage or facial.
The information contained in this leaflet is not intended as
medical advice, it is provided solely for information and educational
purposes. Please consult a health care professional if you have any health problems.
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