9 WAYS TO REDUCE WEIGHT WITHOUT EATING LESS

9 WAYS TO REDUCE WEIGHT WITHOUT EATING LESS

Why do we have to lose weight ?

More than maintaining physical attractiveness , we have to lose weight in order to keep us in good health. According to the researchers at John Hopkins Medical

Institution, men who are overweight during young adulthood will have a 50% greater chance of developing osteoarthritis as they age. Each year more than 250, 000 Americans die from weight-related diseases. Obese people have a greater chance of developing diabetes.The livers of people with big bellies receive a huge amount of fatty acids from abdominal fat.The fatty acids contribute to a rising cholesterol level and increase in blood pressure. That places them at a greater risk for a stroke or heart attack. Being overweight is really detrimental to your health. Eating the right foods prolongs life. Here are 9 ways to reduce weight that will keep you in good shape.

( ! ) Don't starve yourself.

Lowering your calorie intake will make your body reduce the rate at which it changes calories into energy. In other words, reducing calorie intake slows down your metabolism and holds onto your fat. Starving yourself will actually make it harder for you to lose weight. Food is fuel or energy and when you skip meals, you are not working on energy hat can be burned off. As a defense mechanism, your body clings to calories and slows down your weight loss.

(2) Get a breakfast boost.

Connie Dickman, a registered dietician and nutritionist advises not to skip breakfast. According to her, breakfast gives you energy so that you are not starving as the day go on. When you skip breakfast, you become so hungry that you eat more than you should or eat the wrong foods.

(3) Eat complex carbohydrates.

Practice eating complex carbohydrates rather than simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are found in food such as candy, cereal, softdrinks and ice cream. They are easily absorbed by the body and they stick to the ribs, according to weight loss specialist Dr. Daisy Merey. Simple carbohydrates have a tendency to make you store more fat.

On the other hand, complex carbohydrates which are found in pastas, potatoes, beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruits contain "good" calories that are easily burned.. In switching from a meat-based diet to the one tat is starch-based, you get the same amount of food with only 25% of the calories, says John McDougall, M.D., Director of the McDougall Program at St. Helena Hospital.

Eat more fruits and vegetables, which are high in complex carbohydrates. You will eat more, but you will lose more, because the feeling of fullness will hinder you from eating high-fat foods that make you gain weight.

(4) Eat Fiber.

Kristine Clark, the Director of Sports Nutrition at Penn State University says that eating high-fiber foods can help people keep their weight under control. Because foods hat are rich in fiber help people to slow down their eating and foods that are high in fiber contain less fat and sugar.

According to Nutrition experts, one should eat 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber a day. There are two kinds of fiber in foods. The soluble and the insoluble fibers. Soluble fibers are those that dissolve and thicken in water. Foods that contain soluble fibers include broccoli, zucchini, barley, oat bran, beans and citrus fruits.

Insoluble fibers include skins of fruits and vegetables and the external coatings of wheat kernel.

Fiber is an essential ingredient in one's diet because the insoluble form prevents constipation. Studies revealed that the soluble fibers play an important role in reducing cholesterol.

(5) Drink water.

Water helps the body break down fat and process waste according to Dr. Denise Bruner, a Virginia bariatrician, describing how water as part of her diet, helped her to shed 62 pounds. One should drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day.

(6) Exercise and be active in household work.

T o exercise is one of the best ways to maintain your weight down. Exercise helps you to burn calories. According to Franca Alphin, Nutrition Director at Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in North Carolina, "You can lose weight without exercising, but you won't maintain the weight loss." Exercise may not be a major player in weight loss, but it is the number one player in preventing weight gain," says Jack H. Gilmore, Ph. D.

Inactivity burns fewer calories each day, which are stored as fat. Daniel Kosich, Ph. D., the author of Get Real: A Personal Guide to Real-Life Weight Management and an advisor to Jane Fonda Workouts, says regular activity is a critical part of successful weight loss. It doesn't have to be a strenuous workout. You can burn calories just by doing ordinary chores such as gardening and housework. "Pushing a mop or vacuum across the floor increases your heart rate and creates resistance ," says Barbara Baldwin, Information Services Director for the American Running and Fitness Association in Maryland.

"Raking leaves, stroveling snow, sanding, painting and waxing the car are calorie burners."

According to Laura Gladwin, California-based exercise physiologist, gardening is a great exercise because weeding, pruning and planting require bending and stretching. "You will burn 1,000 calories by doing three-and-a-half hours of garden or yard work in a week," she says.

Ellen F., a crafter in Coral Springs, Fl, found out that dieting wasn't enough to help her shed 20 pounds of excess weight.. She joined a low-impact aerobics class at her community center. By doing aerobics excercises for an hour, three times a week, she lost 20 pounds much quicker than simply dieting.

Walking is one of the healthiest, easiest and cheapest form of exercise. Stroll briskly through a park or around your neighborhood. Walking will be more pleasurable if you do it with a friend..

Suzanne Rossa, an exercise physiologist at Good Samaritan Health and Wellness Center in West Palm Beach Florida says, "Aerobics excercises improves your circulation , increases blood flow,allow you to have a better blood pressure and decreases the amount of fatty substances in your bloodstream."

(7) Build muscle.

Tufts University studies revealed that strength training - the kind that builds muscle will raise your metabolic rate, which enable you to burn calories. Strength training does not always follow that your muscles will grow bigger but they will certainly grow stronger.

Daniel Kosich in his book, A Personal Guide to Real Life Weight Management says, "when you make muscles stronger, they burn more calories. That means that for each pound of muscle you build with strength excercises, you burn 20 to 30 calories a day from your resting energy output or about 7,300 calories a year. You can strength train by using machines and free weights such as barbells.

(8) Follow the Pyramid.

The American Diatetic Association recommends a food guide pyramid that serves as a general list of healthful foods that must be eaten daily. The pyramid has four levels. The top of the pyramid is the smallest part , represents fats, oils and sweets. This group includes salad dressings, butter, ice cream, softdrinks, candies and desserts and foods that has very little nutritional value and can make your calories add up to.

At level two of the pyramid are the milk, yogurt, cheese group, meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts. These foods provide you with protein, calcium, iron and zinc.. ADA recommends two to three servings daily of this group.

The third level represents the vegetable and fruit groups, which are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. ADA recommends three to five servings daily of this group.

At the base of the pyramid are the bread, cereal, rice and pasta. ADA recommends 6 to 11 servings of this group. These foods are source of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals

(9) Stop taking the following food.

ALCOHOL : a 12-ounce can or bottle of beer contains 150 calories. An

Alcoholic beverage can add 100 to 200 calories to your meal.

Alcohol is stored in the liver as fat.

COCONUT : An ounce of raw coconut contains 100 calories, around 77%

Of which is saturated fat.

CHOCOLATE, CANDY, COOKIES :

They are full of simple carbohydrates, which means they are

High in sugar and fats. The main fat in chocolate is cocoa

butter which is approximately 60% saturated fat.

WHOLE MILK : SWITCH TO SKIM MILK

Whole milk has high content of fat.

SUGAR : Softdrinks has very high sugar content.

MARGARINES : Contain hydrogenated vegetable oils.

This article is an excerpt from the book : EAT MORE, LOSE MORE

By Roberta Sandler

Published 1996 by

Globe Communications Corp.