Weight Loss

Weight loss has never been more popular, and over the last few years we have seen countless miracle diets come and go. Some advocate cutting fat, others eradicate carbohydrates. Some even claim a particular fruit or food alone can cause dramatic weight loss. Weight loss is big business (excuse the pun), and people will seem to go to any length (including surgery and drug use) to help them become slim.

As our quest for the ultimate weight loss program continues, we tend to neglect the importance of our body’s health and well being. Cutting out any part of a diet that is essential to good health is not a healthy way to lose weight. In fact, it’s just as easy to lose weight by eating sensibly and getting plenty of exercise, and you’ll feel better doing it!

Weight Loss Diet (Eating Healthy)

There are many ways to achieve weight loss while still remaining healthy. By cutting out fatty foods, minimizing servings and increasing certain fruits and vegetables, your body will naturally shed the fat. As a bonus for maintaining a healthy diet, your skin will look more radiant, and you’ll feel better both mentally and physically. Below are a few ways to cut calories and lose the weight naturally:

•    Eat 3 meals a day: Don’t starve yourself; it can actually cause you to gain weight. Keep your metabolism burning hot by having three well balanced meals (protein, complex carbs, non starchy vegetables and healthy fats) and two (healthy!) snacks a day.

•    Cut out fatty foods: Your body requires you to ingest some healthy fat, but many fatty foods have saturated or trans fats, and are triple the daily recommended amount of fat per serving!

•    Reduce but don’t eliminate carbs: Reducing your carbohydrate intake to 16 grams per meal gives your body the carbs it needs without over saturation.

•    Take a multivitamin with minerals once a day (preferably medical grade).

•    Start a food journal or see a naturopath to rid any foods from your diet that are allergens. Journals can help you understand what foods cause adverse reactions in your body. Start by eliminating the obvious allergens (peanuts, gluten, soy, eggs, dairy) and slowly introduce them week by week noting any changes in your body.

•    Cleanse your body with a gentle colon cleanse or body cleanse.

•    Avoid cravings: Cravings may be an indicator of emotional eating habits. Cravings have also been shown to identify food sensitivities.

Exercise

While practicing the nutritional eating habits above, start an exercise routine you can stick with. Exercise should be performed 5 times a week (yes, 5 times!) and can start as simple 15 minute cardio sessions. Exercise routines should slowly ramp up until you are performing 5 45 minute cardio routines per week, with each routine targeting a heart rate of 130-150 beats per minute. Once you are at this level of exercise, you can substitute 2 of your sessions for anaerobic sessions (weight training). Below are some examples of excellent cardio workouts:

•    jogging or running
•    swimming
•    cycling
•    skating
•    aerobics

For those of you who have difficulty motivation yourself to exercise, have no fear. First of all, with your new diet will come new energy. After a few weeks of your healthy diet, you’ll notice a considerable change in your body’s energy. You’re getting healthier. Now, getting up and jogging around the block doesn’t seem like such a chore. With your new diet also comes mental wellness. Studies have proven that proper eating habits are conducive to metal wellness and can eliminate depression and anxiety. If you’re still having problems getting into a routine of exercise, here are a few things to try:

•    watching TV while using a treadmill
•    listening to an mp3 player while jogging
•    creating goals (timing yourself, marking distances and then jogging to them)
•    incorporate exercise in your regular routine (bike to work, use the stairs instead of the elevator, jog to the corner store, jog or run your dog)
•    make it fun (by skating or skiing with your family, hiking with your friends)

Eating with nutrition in mind and incorporating regular exercise is truly the most rewarding and easy way to lose weight and help combat obesity. Healthy weight loss should be about 2 pounds per week, no more. Once you get in the swing of your new lifestyle, you’ll wonder why you ever considered starving your body to lose weight.