Carrying excess weight is a problem for many people, and can be difficult to shed without proper guidance. However, your search for relevant health information and weight management tips is a great first step to developing better lifestyle choices and achieving your long-term weight loss goals.

Diet

First of all, never use the word “diet” in the sense of a short-term quick fix to lose weight. When we talk of a healthy diet we mean a long-term lifestyle change and approach to food, day in and day out. Secondly, avoid diets that advocate severely limited food choice and/or drastically reduced calorie intake – you need to follow nutritional guidelines, even when you are trying to lose weight.

“Fad diets” simply do not work, which is why so many people fail in their attempts to lose weight. The only way you can be certain (or as certain as you can be) of long-term weight loss and good overall health is to permanently alter your lifestyle, eating habits and attitude to food and exercise.

During the slimming process, your body still needs its essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, so you need to choose a path that helps you to lose weight and stay healthy at the same time. If you become nutrient-deficient (due, for example, to severely restricted food choice or a calorie intake that is too low), you will be far more likely to have cravings and binge, which can lead you to putting back on any weight you might have lost – and more!

Nutrient intake

So how do you go about losing weight, while still maintaining your optimal calorie and nutrient intake? If this sounds impossible, it’s not.

Losing weight should never involve you starving yourself – there is no need to go hungry. Of course, you will need to cut down on certain foods in order to lose weight (like “junk” foods and foods high in fat and sugar), but controlled “cheat days” will allow you to occasionally have some of the treats you enjoy and help you to continue with your healthy eating regimen for the long-term.

The key is reducing your calorie intake to a sensible level for your particular body and metabolism, exercising to assist the burning of additional calories and eating a balanced diet comprised of a proportionate amount of foods from each of the food groups. Once you’ve lost the weight, variety and moderation are how you will keep it off!

One great way to ensure appropriate nutrient intake during the slimming process, whilst still keeping calories down, is to use a high quality meal shake or protein powder. A good shake will be naturally low in fat and calories, but high in dietary fibre, protein, complex carbohydrates and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Daily shakes like these can offer fantastic slimming support, when used in conjunction with a balanced diet, because (if used correctly) they can help you to stay fuller for longer and avoid those urges to eat unhealthy foods. At the same time, they can help to ensure that you are giving your body what it craves in terms of nutrients.

Final tips…

1. Our key tip is to avoid so-called “diets”. To be successful and healthy in the long run, you can’t just sporadically crash diet – it is actually unhealthy for your weight to fluctuate up and down. Instead, you should look at being healthy as a lifestyle change. Focus on eating nutritious foods as a way to fuel your body and keep you energized and healthy for the long haul, not as a quick-fix stint of deprivation to lose weight, just to put it back on again a couple of months later – otherwise known as yo-yo dieting.

2. Ideally, start your weight loss regime with a body cleanse and detox. Years of poor diet can often mean a high toxic load, including a strained liver and digestive system (along with underlying food intolerance, which can hinder weight loss). If you can reduce your toxic load before trying to lose weight, you can significantly improve your results. As you progress with your new healthy eating program, your toxic levels will continue to decrease naturally.

3. Lastly, make sure you keep track of your progress – when you start to see results, this will help with motivation and staying-power. Weigh and measure yourself at the outset and then on a regular basis thereafter.

Above we have outlined just a few key tips to guide you on the path to long-term weight loss and a better body image. The fact is that maintaining a positive outlook on your journey and watching out for your health is much more effective than continually being disappointed over setbacks. Try on a new perspective and enjoy the benefits that you’ll reap from it!

Source: specialistsupplements.com