At Christmas many people feel like they ought to get into shape a little so they can look their best over the festive period with all the gatherings and parties that'll be kicking off.
Now 1 stone in 6 weeks, or 14lbs is quite a lot and dietitians do add that "occasional dieting" is not advised as when you come off the diet plan, your body may try to compensate for the sudden weight loss with a sudden gain in weight.
This is true if you follow a fad diet of sorts, but if you diet safely with the general knowledge of "how" to diet, then by all means is this achievable - here's how.
1. Exercise 30 minutes a day:
For many this time of year is pretty cold, so however untempting it is to face the bracing winds and rain, training in the winter months is more beneficial on aerobic respiration as well as your stamina.
That said, not all of us can get out during the day and with the night times closing in earlier, if you can, try and invest in a treadmill, running machine or exercise bike.
Many of us tend to eat more in the evening but do less which causes us to gain weight, so why not reverse this pattern and spend half an hour in front of the TV cycling away, and then after a show and a wind down, close the night with a light meal followed by a green tea which will flush the intestines, liver and kidney while you have a good nights sleep.
If you do this alone without being strict on what you eat there's no reason why you shouldn't lose 4 to 6lbs by Christmas.
2. What to eat?
Most importantly is what we consume.
Now, the old adage is eat healthily, meat and 2 veg, a rounded meal etc, and this is true it's just choosing those rounded meals intelligently.
Meat - when it comes to meat for this diet make sure you eat non salty lean meat for 6 weeks.
Lean meat is grilled chicken, fish or even white turkey meat when it comes to sustaining weight loss over Christmas as these are all high in protein low in calories.
They will help you sustain energy for longer without experiencing the peaks and troughs that accompany a fast food meal.
Vegetables - in short all veg is welcome but those that keep you fuller longer - the soluble fibers are beans, carrots, dried peas, cucumber and celery.
Fruits - you should ideally also eat soluble fruits on an empty stomach so you reap the most of their vitamins and minerals and these include apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, cranberries and strawberries.
As these foods breakdown slower because they attract water to form a gel, this means you stay satiated longer as the stomach takes longer to empty which helps lower blood sugar levels and control diabetes and it has a beneficial effect on insulin levels, plus it helps lower LDL - bad cholesterol levels.
3. Consider taking a dietary supplement:
While the weight loss market is a flood with bogus fad celebrity supplements, be clever and choose something which has been approved by a governmental organization.
There are only a handful of over the counter dietary supplements
in the West and these either fall on the side of fat burners or fat
blockers - one's that speed up your metabolism and break down fat stores faster and those which can prevent up to 30% of fats from being digested after you've eaten your main meal.
Visit: 10 Best Supplements to learn more.
Visit: 10 Best Supplements to learn more.
