fad Diets

Where did most of the Diet programmes go wrong?
Generally, speaking, the diets you hear about do bring about weight loss; but they fail because they are not designed to sustain the weight loss in a healthy way.

Most diets permit a very low calorie content. But when calorie intake is severely low, the body's protective mechanism sets in, to save energy by slowing down the metabolic rate. A too-low calorie intake also means that you lose muscle, and this reduces the metabolic rate further. A lower metabolic rate means the body burns less energy and stores more of it than before - and this means weight gain. And when the weight returns, it returns as fat.

Some people gain weight faster while on a diet than when they are off it!

Then there are some diets which severely restrict carbohydrates. While there is a science behind this, doctors say that most people do not read or understand the method clearly, and face health problems which they blame on the diet or the method.

So what to do? Even as you control your food intake, you need to increase your metabolic rate so that your body burns more energy. And the only way to do that is with regular exercise. And since you are exercising, you need ensure you are consuming the nutrients your body needs to sustain itself through the increased physical activity.

Sounds complicated, but all this means only one thing: losing weight takes careful planning and discipline!

"People with a weight problem need to correct their eating habits permanently. It is not dieting, but a normalised eating style designed for humans, the way the human body was meant to be nourished. Exercise should not appear as something one does for a specific objective, but as a physical activity that the human body was designed to be doing every day," explains Dr Ajith Damodaran, a family physician in private practice.

Do's

• Substitute activity for snacking between meals. Call a friend, play the piano, or take a walk.
• Don't use food as reward. A handbag or a new haircut will keep you trendier, prettier and trimmer.
• Avoid "addictive" finger foods.
• Avoid sugar-laden and alcoholic beverages.
• Manage your stress, boredom or anger, or whatever emotions are making you seek out comfort in food. Try other palliatives.
• Don't upsize. Huge meals at fast food restaurants focus on perceived value for money, and make us forget that we're eating more than we need to.
• Stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.
• Don't obsess about "cleaning" your plate.
• Don't think you can eat less fat and more of everything else. All food has calories - fat or no fat.

How much exercise?
For exercise to help in weight loss, strive for a minimum of five 30-minutes sessions per week. The good news is that three 10-minute sessions in a day are as good as one 30-minute session.

Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with. Walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.

How and what to eat?
Focus on getting healthy, not thin. Eat to improve your chance of a long and healthy life. Many people become more successful at long-term weight loss when their motive changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mindset, and select foods that will help your body's health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your weight.

Cast aside the conflicting reports about which foods are good and bad for you. Balance, moderation and variety are still the key. Sensible and sustained habits shape our body composition and weight, not the skipped meals and the binges.

Smart Strategies

• Set attainable goals like two kilos a month, rather than 20 kilos.
• Record everything you eat, what you were doing at that time, and how you felt. This is a good way to learn about what tempts you and the emotional states that encourage you to snack. This enables you to identify - and kick - bad habits.
• Kill that urge for potato chips by brushing your teeth.
• If you feel hungry before meal time, wait 10 minutes to see if it passes.
• Serving your food attractively cuts down on the amount you eat, and makes you more aware of what you are eating. When a craving hits, opt for crunchy foods like carrot and celery sticks, rather than peanuts and candy.

Eat For Life

• Avoid foods with a high fat content, and trim all visible fat from meat before you cook.
• Non-stick pans mean less oil in cooking. Steam or broil rather than stir-fry.
• Reduce salt and commercial seasonings, and sbustitute with natural spices and seasonings.
• Limit your consumption of processed foods and avoid food in brine.
• Reduce sugar. Check labels for hidden sugars such as dextrose and sucrose, and avoid Aspartame, a sugar substitute.
• Reduce meat, and top up on the proteins from fish, soya and lentils.
  
• Eat at home more, so that you control your food and make healthier choices.
• Read food labels to become more aware of the nutritional value (or the lack of it) of the food you eat.

Extracted from Family:March 2005