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| olives, nuts + avocados – help to promote weight loss |
Cutting fat from your diet
Hands up who’s ever checked a packet and then rejected your food
choice based on the fat content?
If you’ve ever been on a diet, we’re
guessing your hand is probably up. For many dieters, fat seems like the
ultimate enemy. However, opting for low fat products can be much more of
a diet disaster than opting for those that contain moderate amounts of
fat.
Firstly, many low fat meals are packed with sugar to compensate,
meaning that they can still inevitably lead to weight gain. Furthermore,
contrary to what you may think, not all fats are good for you, and
studies have found that eating good monounsaturated fats – found in
olives, nuts and avocados – can actually help to promote weight loss.
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| use glass not plastic water bottle |
Drinking water
Drinking plenty of water is undoubtedly good for you; helping you to
stay hydrated and energized and to keep your organs and digestive
system in good condition. However, studies have shown that the chemicals
found in water could also be making you fat.
Not only have research results published in
PLoS ONE shown
that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastic water bottles
encourages the body to create more fat, our drinking water can also
contain the hormone estrogen, which affects the way our bodies store
fat. The more we are exposed to these chemicals, the harder it becomes
to lose weight.
However, there’s no need to panic just yet – while
ditching water clearly isn’t an option, experts suggest that filtering
your water or using a reverse osmosis purification system can limit the
chemicals you are exposed to.
Exercise
While exercise is essential for good health and, when approached
correctly, can help you to shed excess pounds, many exercisers make
vital mistakes that can lead to them gaining weight. Firstly, research
has found that relying solely on exercise to manage your weight can
actually be ineffective. Studies have shown that exercise, when not
combined with dietary changes, does very little in respect to losing
weight.
Additionally, many of us overestimate the amount of calories burned
through exercise and adhere to the myth that exercise continues to boost
the body’s ability to burn fat well after our workout is over.
Therefore, we often end up overcompensating for workouts with pre- or
post-workout snacks, leading to weight gain. For maximum weight loss
benefits, try to incorporate both exercise and dietary changes into your
day.
Looking on the bright side
While impulsive and optimistic people may be happier (and therefore
have stronger immune systems) than their more anxious and pessimistic
counterparts, research suggests that they could also have more trouble
losing weight.
According to research by America's National Institute on Ageing,
impulsivity is the strongest predictor of who will become overweight.
Furthermore, researchers from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan
studied obese women and men partaking in a six month weight loss program
and found that those who were more positive and optimistic in their
outlook lost the least weight.
It is believed that positivity may cause
weight gain by causing optimists not to worry enough about their weight
to resist temptation and stick to a strict healthy eating and fitness
regime.
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| fructose (the sugar found in fruit) can help to trigger overeating |
Snacking on fruit
Fruit is undoubtedly nutritious, being packed with vitamins,
minerals, fiber and antioxidants. However, due to its healthy
properties, many people overindulge on fresh fruit, juices and
smoothies, forgetting about the fact that many fruits are also high in
calories and sugar. Although fruit is healthy, remember that a calorie
is still a calorie, and the ones in fruit are as likely to make you
overweight as the ones in any other food.
Furthermore, research results published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association suggest
that fructose (the sugar found in fruit) can help to trigger
overeating, as after consuming fructose the brain doesn’t register
feelings of fullness and satiety as it does when we consume glucose.
While it is still important we feed our bodies with the nutrients found
in fruit, those struggling with their weight should ensure they don’t go
overboard. You should also try to obtain some of these nutrients and
fiber through vegetables, which are lower in sugar and calories.
Read more on realbuzz.com...
7 ‘good’ habits that are bad for your health
7 worst weight loss mistakes
