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5 Healthy Suggestions to Help You Lose Weight – and keep it Off

The reason why so many weight loss methods only seem to provide a short term fix and do not deliver a long term solution is because in order to stay with a diet or exercise programme, you have to really enjoy it. Not only that, but it has to be safe as well. Fad diets, celebrity promoted exercise programmes and weight loss pills and potions will help you to shed a few pounds, but as soon as you start to eat “normally” again, the weight often returns.

So here are 5 genuine suggestions to help you lose weight, which almost anyone can do, without excluding your favourite foods from your diet or spending every spare minute of your time in the gym.

Realistically, any weight loss program will take time. Diets which promise you instant results are either not being completely honest or are simply uninformed. At worst, they may be downright dangerous. As a suggestion, set yourself a realistic target and then follow one single weight loss programme for one month. Don’t weight yourself every day as your weight can fluctuate on a daily basis. I suggest you weigh yourself once a week to check your progress. If you are not losing weight in proportion to your target, first check that you are following the programme correctly. In the meantime, try the following suggestions to help burn off the calories.

Walking is an ideal form of exercise. If you can set aside 30 minutes every day to enjoy a leisurely stroll, you will be strengthening your legs and your heart while burning some calories in the process. With any exercise, start slowly and build up over a period of time. Your leisurely stroll will soon turn into a brisk walk and 30 minutes transform into an hour of excellent cardiovascular exercise!

A second ideal form of exercise is to get on your bike! I suggest you consult your Doctor BEFORE starting on any strenuous exercise to avoid causing any undue stress on your body, but cycling is a great form of exercise and is great fun. You may chose to cycle to work instead of taking the car, if this is possible, which also helps the environment. If you are fortunate enough to live in rural area, cycling enables you to enjoy the scenery often missed when you are behind the wheel of a car.

The next time you have a choice, take the stairs instead of an escalator or lift. This is a fantastic weight loss exercise which you can fit into your daily routine without even noticing the extra effort. Something as simple as walking up a couple of flights of stairs every day can make all the difference where weight loss is concerned. The next time you go to the supermarket, park in the middle of the car park and walk to the store. Avoid parking in the closest spot to the door, which is tempting, but opt to walk instead.

Do not cut out all of your favourite foods from your diet, but eat them in moderation. There is no single food that will completely hinder your weight loss attempt but, all foods if consumed excessively will certainly halt any attempt at weight loss. Cutting out the foods you enjoy will cause cravings and may lead to binge eating. So there is no reason to cut out your favourite food when a conservative amount of the things we love can still have a place in our lives, including during times when you are focusing on losing weight.

One of the major reasons people give for failure to lose weight when on a diet, or for never actually starting is TIME. Whatever exercise routine you decide to adopt it is imperative that you set aside a certain time each day to do it. Some people decide to get up an hour early to go for a walk, jog or cycle ride. It’s a proven fact that people who set a routine are much more likely to stay with it and find success than those who simply exercise only when they have time.

The secret to successful weight loss is:

know what you want your ideal weight to be
prepare a realistic eating and exercise plan to achieve it
make a commitment to yourself to take consistent action to achieve your plan
think of ways to make losing weight fun such as walking, jogging or cycling with a friend
do not give up – you can overcome any obstacle in your way to achieving your perfect weight
Remember, before you begin any weight loss or exercise programme, please consult your Doctor to ensure that you do not damage your health.

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Do special jogging exercise

To achieve the weight loss of fitness walking, you need to master the correct way to have quality, quantity take each step:
First, our lives, every step of the work, go to the bathroom a few steps to make use of; Resolutely give up the elevator and down stairs; Breaks, lunch break not just stroll outside Time thinking about: I walked every step of the way is to exercise.
Secondly, will deal with posture, to lumbar back up, 10 toes of both feet toward walking directions, to toes with each step, every step of the muscles of the whole body involved as much as possible, to bomb people feeling.
Third, hitting in the exercise must be: timing, quantitative, set strength. Stimulate sustainable as a movement will regulate the body so that the body’s own State of “valve” full opening, protection exercise gains.
Regularly means you’re going to “aerobic fitness strides exercise”, you have to be to be scheduled. At a fixed time every day to walk, your body will go to the memory, will follow the adjustment, and thus play a role in the control of blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, blood viscosity and erythrocyte quality, etc.
So-called quantitative means of exercise are relatively fixed, for example walk 3 km or 30 minutes a day. Settle down this time, to go the distance or time.
Scheduled strength is strength to be fixed, but the strength is not the bigger the better, while the medium to.
IV, pulse of the master standard during walking exercise: x1.8 basis based on the underlying pulse x1.4~ pulse, pulse is the best security for your campaign}.Fifth, the best walking exercise time is from 15:00 to 21:00. Especially in the blood is not normal, blood sugar is not particularly stable or already suffering from diabetes, or heart patients should choose this time.
A tight training muscles: seat state of the upper body straight, legs straight and close. The first step first the right leg plate in a straight left leg. Re-use both hands to lift the leg, and as close as possible to the body;
Slowly count to 5:00 to the squat, so thigh and leg was bent at right, squat like horse training; Then count to 10 o’clock to slowly get up, slow and bottom clamping, thigh to push the body stands straight, Maintain the position after 10-15 seconds to relax, and back to the left leg, according to the individual circumstances can repeatedly do, are subject to less fatigue.
Regular leg walk freely, take the stairs more and take less elevator, occasionally wear low shoes, cosmetic leg really helps.

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What is Dukan Diet and its side-effects?

This article gives pertinent information about Dukan Diet and its side-effects

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Pierre Dukan, a French doctor and nutritionist, challenged with the case of obesity started to look for alternative ways in curing the illness. After 20 years of thorough research he published in the year 2000, a book called, “Je ne sais pas maigrir” or translated as, “I don’t know how to get slimmer.” It gained the best-seller in France after a year it has been published.
It was made a hit in UK when Kate Middleton, now the duchess of Cambridge, tried the Dukan Diet before her marriage to the beloved Prince William, she reportedly claimed a loss of two dress sizes. It also allegedly claimed to help five million French. The book is also gaining fame in the US in the year 2011 when actress/singer, Jennifer Lopez, lost pounds after her pregnancy by following this diet.
Dukan Diet: What is it? How does this work?
Dukan Diet is similar to the famous Atkins diet. Atkins and Dukan are much alike in terms of non-intake of carbs initially and do not require portion control or counting calorie consumptions. In Atkins, it requires net carbohydrate intakes and unlike Dukan, it suggests a daily intake of oats, increase water consumption and 20 minutes of everyday brisk walking. Dukan Diet adopts four phases namely: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization.
Four Phases of the Dukan Diet
Attack: In this starter phase, the dieter is only allowed take protein rich foods that are exquisitely low in fat. Dr. Dukan provided 72-item list of foods to be eaten, it excludes pork, lamb, poultry products and cheeses. Food should always be cooked but without adding any fat to it, it best to cook in grilling or roasting. It also requires you to eat 1 ½ tbsp. oat bran & 1.5 liters of water per day. This phase should be followed around 2-7 days or more. Results from this initial phase within 5 days may result in 4-7 lbs. loss. This phase promotes quick loss of weight since it is strictly based on a protein-only diet.
Cruise: Cruise, the second to the fourth phase of the Dukan diet scheme. During this phase dieters who were only allowed to eat protein-only foods can now alternate a 28-items of non-starchy vegetables. They may take attack phase diet for today and take non-starchy veggie diet for tomorrow, and so this phase must go on by alternating these two types of diet each day. This phase may last long enough as much as you want by reaching your desired weight and assuring 2 pounds per week loss.
Consolidation: As one achieves the desired weight, one has to go the next phase called Consolidation, this is the maintenance phase of this diet scheme where you have to prevent putting back excess pounds. The plan in this phase is less strict compared to the first two phases. During this phase you are permitted to eat protein-only and veggie diet along with a piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole grain bread and a portion of hard cheese. In this phase you are allowed to have 1-2 serving of starchy foods and one celebration meal per week. The phase of consolidation does not expect to loss off pounds but rather it is steadily the maintenance process.
Stabilization: Stabilization is the final phase and a life-long phase of the diet scheme. In here maintenance of the life-changing diet may be a challenging and tempting. During this portion of the scheme, one is already permitted to allow any food intake that a person wants and by also sticking to the diet rule in the consolidation phase. As Pierre Dukan suggest, that staying on the phase 1 rule once a week and eat whatever you like for the rest of the week lowers the chances of regaining weight.
Pros and Cons of Dukan Diet
Pros: The fast results of this diet scheme is beneficially rewarding and motivating. It allows you to have protein and veggie meal plan diets and does not require you to count off your calorie intakes.
Cons: It is highly restrictive and can exclude healthy foods. Dieters can experience side-effects such as symptoms of headaches, nausea, lethargy, irritable and loss of concentration. Dieters may acquire halitosis (bad breath), metallic tasting mouth and strong smell in their urines. For those people who have problems with their kidneys and liver are not advised to follow this diet plan. It is not also recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Views and Opinions by Health Experts on the Dukan Diet
There are lots of critics in this diet plan. Due to the restrictive type scheme of this diet, some fruits, grains and nuts which are healthy and have high amounts of vitamins and minerals that are vital to the nutrition of the body are eliminated. Keri Gans of American Dietetic Association, said that the lost amount of multivitamins that should be acquired from those restricted foods are not compensated in the Dukan diet. Experts have also criticized that experiencing such side-effects may not be healthy at all.

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