Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Seven things you should do to keep the weight off!

A person's ideal weight will vary depending on various factors, such as bone structure, quantity of muscle, and genes. You could do the BMI test, or you could take your waist to hip ratio measurement and decide if you need to take action.. Here are some additional interesting snippets that might help:

   1. Eat more slowly! Researchers at Osaka University in Japan found that people who ate quickly were more likely to be overweight. Eating quickly as well as eating until full had a greater additional effect on being overweight. (ref: British Medical Journal, October 2008)
   2. Dairy foods fill you up and have the ability to bind to fat which is then excreted. So, fill up on low-fat yoghurts or cottage cheese! (ref: The Truth about Food.)
   3. Soups are good for satiety. Solid food combined with liquid in a soup sit for longer in the stomach, so you feel full for longer.
   4. Don’t snack at night. Not because you’ll store more fat at night, that’s a myth. But you’re likely to eat more at night if you snack then. After dinner, brush your teeth so you’re telling yourself the kitchen door is closed.
   5. Don’t skip breakfast. You are more than twice as likely to be overweight than those who take breakfast.
   6. If you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet but still can’t shift the pounds…. cut portion sizes!. We’ve got so used to supersizing our portions that most of us don’t know what a portion should be. Either use a smaller plate or, better still, use a portion-control plate with compartments for protein, carbs and veg. See www.thedietplate.com.
   7. Chromium can help you reduce weight. It improves sensitivity to insulin which then curbs fat and sugar cravings and reduces appetite. A recent study also shows that chromium can reverse diabetes (ref: Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics)

I hope these tips help make a difference!