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
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!