Questions About Dieting Are Answered
Are you thinking about going on a diet or are you already on one? If so, luck is on your side. Ten of the most frequently asked questions regarding weight loss and diets follow this paragraph. Look them over and see if they don’t answer a LOT of questions you may be having about your diet.
1. According to my size, how much should I weight? The most appropriate person for answering that question accurately is, of course, your doctor. A more appropriate question might be, “how much do I weigh according to my body/mass index? This index measures your height against your weight.
2. If I want to lose weight, which diet is the best one? Any diet that you choose should not only accord you some weight loss, but it should also provide all the appropriate nutrition that your body needs for a healthy daily intake, while, at the same time, providing less calories than your body usually burns.
3. Once I lose weight, how can I keep it off? That’s really not a problem is you make an effort to lose weight gradually and re-adjust both your mind and your body about food. This is a great way for you to get started. There is one HUGE secret to keeping the weight off. Shhhhhh…here it is:
target=_self>keep your energy needs and your caloric input balanced. THAT’S IT! No big secret at all is it? You simply eat enough calories to supply your body’s energy needs, while at the same time avoiding taking in so many that your body stores the excess as fat. That’s a biggie!
4. If I’m obese will I really get diabetes? Well, not necessarily, however, obesity definitely increases the risks of a number of chronic health conditions. Diabetes is just one of those conditions. A overweight of 10% or more actually increases the risk of a person developing type 2 diabetes (the one where you have to take insulin) substantially.
5. What’s the best way to decrease my sugar intake? Well, the most obvious way is by simply cutting sweets and refined snacks out of your diet; however you have to also watch out for those ‘hidden’ sugars that are not evident in the packaging. Always make a point to check out the listed ingredients. If you see high fructose corn syrup or sucrose listed, you should know that both simple sugars that add lots of calories and very little nutritional value to food.
6. Is it necessary for me to weigh myself frequently? Not really. Many people think that they have to weigh everyday. That can honestly be discouraging. If you don’t see the weight loss occurring, it may make you think that what you’re doing is in vain. Not so. You should probably just weigh yourself about once a week at the most. Then, you actually see some results. Some experts may actually recommend that you throw out the scale entirely! Your clothing is actually a more accurate measure of your weight loss. If your clothing is feeling looser, you know the weight is coming off.
7. Is exercise really necessary? Well, no you can just diet and eventually the weight will come off but if you want to see faster and more permanent results, a half hour of moderate exercise daily is a great level of exercise for healthy weight loss. You can get that exercise just by walking, running or even cleaning your house. Any type of activity burns calories.
8. Exactly, what is a calorie anyway? It’s just a measure of energy. The amount of energy, for the body, that can be produced by a food product is how foods are rated.
9. Do I have to change my diet in order to lose weight? As we mentioned above, when you burn more calories that you take in, the result is weight loss. You can really lose weight by increasing your activity in order to burn more calories. This works well generally if you only need to lose a small amount of weight and only if your diet is a healthy one. If you’re quite a bit overweight, it may be necessary to find a newer, more healthy way of eating so that you don’t go back to applying that weight once it’s lost.
10. Is it necessary to have fish on my diet? The short answer is “yes.” You see, fish and fish products are very high in protein and low saturated fats. They also contain high levels of Omega 3 fatty acids which are very important for heart health. It’s not uncommon for some doctors to recommend that a person eat as much as 10 servings of fish per week.
Did that answer some of your diet questions? We hope so. Now go out there and LOSE THAT WEIGHT!!