diet

Diet has become a dirty four-letter word for many people!

Yet diet is simply the kinds and quantities of food you habitually intake. So in essence you are already on a diet. It just may not be one that is serving you well.

A diet that is not serving you well may result in excess weight. Excess weight is often referred to by the term overweight or in more serious cases, obesity. Where the body accumulates more fat than is being processed or burned by the normal metabolism, that leads to excess weight gain. In some cases, this can be genetic but in most, there is a dietary issue that needs to be addressed. Excess weight is measured in what is called body mass index or BMI according to the fitness and medical circles. BMI is arrived at by dividing weight by height and then squaring the result. A BMI of 25-29kg/m is considered overweight. A reading of 30 or more is in the obese category.

Obesity is outright dangerous. Medical research shows that the chances of a heart attack are exponentially increased the higher the BMI goes. People who are overweight also struggle with a myriad of other complications. These include diabetes, some cancers, high blood pressure, gallstones, sleep apnea, and more. Want me to stop? That’s just the medical view. Obese people also have to deal with a low self-esteem, being ridiculed or preached to, withdrawal from regular activities, loss of job prospects, limited clothing choices and so it goes on.

How does diet help?

There is a direct correlation between weight loss and dieting according to researchers and nutritionists. Education is key. Learning to read and understand the labels when shopping is a lifesaver. There are some foods which have a higher caloric content than others, have increased amounts of sodium or trans-fats or sugar and knowing this will put you on the right track. It allows you to compare products and ake better choices if you have to buy processed food products. It’s also worthwhile familiarizing yourself with the food pyramid although some argue the pyramid should be inverted. Take a look for yourself by going to the government website.

Please remember that “dieting” does not mean starving yourself. It can mean that you are being more careful as to what you eat. Being more mindful of what goes in your mouth will help enormously. Apps like myfitnesspal give you a good idea of what nutritional values a food has – check them out before you eat. Logging your food intake and the calories as well as nutritional value is pretty sobering in my experience.

Here comes the news some of you did not want to hear:

There is NO quick-fix solution to losing weight.

There is also no ONE WAY to lose weight.

If there were then we would all be able to lose any amount of weight we desired at any time. But patently that is not the case. And because it is not the case there is a multi-million dollar industry all too ready to take your money by providing what they claim is the solution to weight loss.

Now there are some products that will work for a period. Diet pills, supplements, programs, methods, systems – you name it – they will work. For some people. Not all people. And possibly not you.

Exercise is great. If you can’t do it yourself there are thousands of products that will help you – ab-rollers, rowing machines, cross-fit trainers, kettlebell kits and so one. They will work. For some people. Maybe not you.

The ONLY solution to consistently lose your excess weight and keep it off for the long-term is to combine a sound nutritional diet full of fresh foods with a properly designed exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake and your exercise plan are important for you to get this right.

There have been studies done that divided participants into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. Both groups made good progress in losing weight yet the diet-only group lost significantly LESS fat than the diet with exercise combined group.

So next time you’re inclined to think you can lose weight with diet only or exercise only remember that a blend of both is far more effective.

In terms of food, the more unprocessed natural produce you can include in your diet the better.

If your diet now consists predominantly of manufactured products like ready-made dinners or take-home meals or big quantities of snacks like chips and chocolates or drinks like Cola then you are going to have to switch your food choices. No question. Did you ever watch “You Are What You Eat?” It clearly made real what people had been eating and in what volumes. Laying a week’s worth of what has gone in your belly onto a table is sobering stuff. Watch the video here or buy the book here You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life. Definitely worthwhile.

So what is unprocessed natural food? True unprocessed natural foods are hard to come by. For example you couldn’t have milk unless it was raw or butter because it has be processed to be separated from the milk itself. But the least processed and most natural is what you are better to aim for. What we want to avoid are lots of additives that add to our weight!

Increase these and decrease all the junk food and other stuff you know is not healthy. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Meat with fat trimmed. Chicken with no skin. Fish. Condiments, herbs and sauces (in moderate quantities). Nuts, seeds, lentils. Look up the advice provided by the government and dietitians. But really, the closer your food intake is based on foods which have had the least processing done the more nutritional benefit they will have.

At the supermarket, pick up most of your groceries from the fresh fruit and veg section, the meat section, the seafood section and the dairy section. Go around the outside aisles to shop. The inner aisles is where the less healthy stuff sits waiting for you!

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