Lose Weight with a Healthy Diet

Posted by Lynda on July 24th, 2012 (Diet, Weight Loss)

Lose weight with a healthy diet for improved health, better nutrition and an increase in energy.

A healthy diet packed with fresh fruit and vegetables will help you lose weight and feel fantastic. Kale is in season at the moment and is packed with the antioxidant vitamins A, C and K, plus magnesium, calcium and vitamin B6.

Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health which is why it is vital to lose excess weight with a healthy diet.

Carrying extra fat leads to serious health problems including cardiovascular disease which includes heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis.

If you are serious about losing weight with a healthy diet, keep these diet tips in mind and see how quickly you see, feel and notice a big difference.

1) Never skip meals
Skipping meals slows down your metabolism so always eat three meals a day, or 3 small meals with 3 healthy snacks in between. Eating a healthy breakfast will kick start your metabolism and ensure your body is burning calories at its peak throughout the day. If you skip meals your body will start storing food as fat because our body’s are genetically programmed to prepare for famine situations – and if it thinks there is a shortage of food it will start laying down fat reserves for survival.

2) Eat dinner before 6pm
Your metabolism slows down towards the end of the day, so avoid eating a big, heavy fat-laden meal late at night. Try to eat a light evening meal before 6pm or 7pm, before your metabolism naturally winds down for the day.

3) Keep a food diary
A recent study by the American Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that women who wrote down what they ate lost 6 lbs (2.7kg) more over the course of a year than those who did not. Read last week’s post on why it is a good idea to keep a food diary and download a Food Diary & Food Group Chart for your own use.

4) Avoid eating out often
The same study also found women who ate out once a week, particularly at lunch time lost less weight that those who made their own lunch. Occasional treats are fine though, and eating out doesn’t need to wreck your healthy diet if you pick the right foods and ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the side, so you can add your own.

5) Exercise for 30 minutes five times a week
If you want to lose weight, you really do have to exercise – but it doesn’t have to be hard work. Walking, swimming and cycling are all cheap and easy ways to add more physical exercise in to your daily routine. Take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to the shops instead of driving and spend your lunch hour taking a brisk stroll through the park rather than sitting behind your desk.

If you would like to speak to a dietitian about how simple alterations to your diet can help ease a particular health problem or simply wish to improve your overall nutrition, get in touch. Lynda Hamilton is a qualified dietitian and nutritionist with clinics in Sydney, so send an email if you would like to speak to a dietitian in Sydney.