Are Delicious Meal Plans For Losing Weight The Next Big Thing?

If the food you eat is delicious to you, then you will want more of it. This will help you find success in losing weight if you enjoy what you eat.

Do you know that feeling when you are trying a new recipe with strange ingredients? It may be good for you to eat, but it takes a lot of time to prepare. You have to go to the store and spend time finding all of the ingredients. Then you take them home and concentrate on the recipe that you are not used to making. It may taste good in the end and is good for you, but all of the time, effort, and maybe even money, might not make it worth it.

Choosing to eat simpler meals makes it easier to accomplish your weight loss goals. If it is simple, healthy, and tasty, you are more likely to stick to it and be successful in getting results for melting fat.

The simpler I made my meals, they healthier and tastier they were. It took me less preparation time. I was able to focus on what I ate instead of how to make it. It was easy to plan my meals ahead and then follow the menu. I had results losing weight like never before with simple meal plans that I enjoyed eating.

Delicious Meal Plans For Losing Weight

Breakfast: Smoothies with protein powder, yogurt with chia seeds, fruit, or eggs.

Lunch: Broth based soups, a variety of green salads with only a tablespoon of dressing. Lettuce wraps with chicken salad, tuna, or salmon is also very tasty. Just add some mango or pineapple salsa.

Dinner: Choose a lean protein like fish, chicken or turkey. Then choose a vegetable. A green salad is great along with frozen veggies or better yet, roasted veggies. Chop up a variety of veggies, drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. It is so delicious and colorful. For a side, choose couscous or brown rice. Eat only a small amount.

For Mexican food, use a whole grain tortilla and add toppings such as chicken, tomatoes, beans, peppers, lettuce, a bit of cheese and salsa.

The idea is to make it simple so that you are more likely to stick to it. On the weekend go crazy with a new recipe or a favorite. Try to stick to the healthy plans during the week.

Appy About The Way You Work Out?

The summer is over and you've done well to keep that bikini bod so far, but we all know cosy jumpers are on the horizon and the temptation to gorge on those carbs is becoming nearly too much.

Well, fear not motivational slackers, there's a different way to work out that will renew your passion for fitness.

I'm talking about fitness apps and I have the best apps you can get to keep your summer body sizzling.

A recent study about the benefits of fitness exercise apps can be a vehicle for behaviour change in exercise in the same way that a nicotine patch can be a vehicle for behaviour change in smoking.

"So basically, fitness apps allow users to overcome the barriers they were facing to exercise regularly, such as lack of motivation or little spare time. In addition to that almost 75% of current app users said they were far more active than before, compared to less than half of non-users."

If you like the sound of that, here are five fitness apps I would recommend to keep that fitness motivation and see you through to the end of summer, or maybe even longer.

Pact. (Free).

Do you ever make bets with your friends to see if they'll stick to their fitness promises? Want to earn money from sticking to your word? Then take a look at Pact. It's a fitness app that allows you to bet money on whether you'll go to the gym and complete a workout. The app checks that you've stuck to your goals by ensuring you check into the places you promised you'd go and work out, it even measures how long you've been there for. If you reach your goals, you earn money, if you flake out, the money you bet goes into a communal pot for other people to win. Trust me, there are a lot of slackers out there pouring money into it.

FIT Radio. (Free; pay for Premium).

If you like to listen to your favourite tunes while pumping iron, then this is the app for you. FIT Radio is a music-streaming app that specialises in DJ-created mixes that maintain a consistent beat, which will help with your running. There's a wide range of genres including Spin, Yoga, and Zumba. If you decide to go Premium, there's more than 25 genres and stations, as well as other perks such as no ads. If you love working out to music but can't be bothered to create your own playlist then this is the app for you.

Charity Miles. (Free).

If earning money for charity spurs you on to run those extra couple of miles, then you need to check out Charity Miles. Corporate sponsors agree to donate a few pennies for every mile you run, walk, cycle, Segway, whatever you fancy. The app has a list of charities you can donate to, so choose which one you want to support and get going!

Zombies, Run! (Free; in-app purchases).

Does saving the human race while burning off a bunch of calories sound convenient? Then you're in luck, pop off to the app store and download Zombies, Run! This app is an ultra-immersive running game and audio adventure, which was even co-created with award-winning novelist, Naomi Alderman. Every run becomes a mission where you're the hero, with the audio you hear immersing you in your very own zombie film. Complete missions and progress through the story, as well as progressing your own fitness.

Yoga Wake Up. (Free).

Yoga isn't for everyone, but neither is waking up at 7am everyday. If you want to start your day off right, and leave your bed feeling refreshed and ready for your day, then you need Yoga Wake Up in your life. This app is a short audio-guided yoga or meditation session that starts in bed, to a music selection including Bob Marley, Prince, and Bon Iver. Learn how to deepen your breath, loosen up your body, and set intentions for the day such as calmness, resilience, and even kindness. Why wake up to an alarm clock when you can wake up to a Yoga workout?

Apple Watch and Weight Loss - Test Out the GM Diet

It is quite rightly said, that there is nothing as certain as change itself. In the light of this profound reality, we find ourselves constantly at odds, trying to catch up with these changes. Nowhere else it this fact more evident than in the technology sector. In the last decade alone, our approach to engaging with our tech toys has been completed turned on its head.

One such change has happened to our watches, thanks to the Apple watch. It has without a doubt, changed our expectations from what a timepiece can be in the 21st century. The company had emphasised its importance in the area of health tracking. Let's go ahead and look at this in more detail.

The Apple watch is able to track your heart rate, your movement through the day and your sedentary time from your wrist. This means that it can track your daily active calorie burn, as it surely does. This is the number of calories your body would without any heavy exercise. Not only this, if you also go ahead exercise regularly, you would be able to see the total caloric count burnt in the day. To further promote this, the Apple watch also prompts you to get up for a minute every hour in the day to ensure minimum health goals for a day.

So how can you test your workout progress with the Apple watch?

Track your caloric intake - Thanks to the information age we can accurately estimate the caloric intake in our food items. The more raw food, you consume the easier it would be to keep track. You can compare this to your active calories burnt during the day to create a baseline.

Plan your workout - You should never starve yourself while on a diet. The watch provides a baseline to aim for the extra calories you aim to burn during the day by choosing one of the preset workouts or the watch will detect heavy exercises itself. Set the duration of your daily work based on the calorie goal or vice versa.
To test these aspects in a real world, plan a week-long diet plan with the GM diet plan along with a daily 30-minute exercise routine. The diet calls for consumption of a lot of raw food items, whose caloric content can be tracked quite easily. Also, you can possibly see if your metabolism increases over a week by the change in your active calories metric. The nice added benefit at the end of the week should be at the least four to five kilograms of excess weight shed. Please be advised, though, do not overwork yourself in the gym during this diet.

An Adrenaline Boost to Lose Weight

Losing weight can be a tough goal to achieve. Let's face it, it can be truly frustrating to get rid of those pesky pounds that continually stick around the body. To make matters worse it can become increasingly difficult if you are repeatedly unsuccessful in meeting your target objective since that's not going to help your motivation to continue on with your intended goal. Time to get an adrenaline boost to inspire you to improve your weight loss efforts.

One of the main issues when faced trying to lose weight is that there are so many things that must be taken care of on a daily basis. Weight loss can often come in third, fourth, or maybe even fifth place on your priorities list. With something that far down on a list of importance, it's easy to overlook the little things that need to be taken care of in order for you to be successful losing weight.

Naturally first you have your family and possibly kids that need your immediate attention, then likely your job and all the pressure and deadlines associated with that. Next you may have your significant other to worry about, then maybe your household needs your attention. With all these other important matters to attend to it can be rather easy to forget about your healthy agenda to lose weight and get fit. Or in all reality, you may just be too tired by the end of the day to care much about weight loss any longer.

One way to combat this issue is to give yourself an adrenaline boost of motivation to help bring the goal of weight loss to the forefront of your priorities. Granted it won't, nor should it, replace any of the aforementioned necessities, but at least the idea of sticking with weight loss will remain in the back of your head throughout the day.

Here's how you can do this. Take a quick moment to weigh yourself each and every morning and track it on a monthly wall calendar. What that means is to simply tack up a monthly calendar (you can usually find one for a $1 at the dollar store) in your bathroom or where you keep your scale and in the morning before showering, hop on your scale and whatever number pops up, write that directly on the day on your calendar.

You will soon have a fantastic day-by-day tracker by taking this simple, yet important step, it will help force the weight loss issue to remain in the back of your mind inspiring you to make healthy nutritional choices throughout the day.

Making poor nutritional choices once or twice a day is usually what prevents a person from reaching their weight loss goal. As shocking as that may sound, one slip in a snacking instance allowing yourself to binge on chips and soda can easily toss 1,000+ calories into your body. You're just not going to lose weight that way!

However, if you get into the habit of weighing yourself every morning, you'll get that all-important adrenaline boost so when the thought of snacking on something unhealthy pops up in your mind, you'll remember that you're going to weigh yourself the next day and hopefully you'll stick with something nutritious instead.

Weight loss success is the culmination of many small decisions made for a prolonged period of time. The more weight you want to lose, the longer the process generally takes. You can do it as long as you're willing to make some changes in how you live your life, and stick with the process.

About the Author: Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District for the past 17 years. He created 10Quickies.com to help teachers and parents provide children in 2nd-5th grades with a fun and inspirational way to review grade level math.

Alkaline Water - Worth the Hype or Just a Story?

Health trends change quite frequently. We all have heard about fad diets and food plans that promise to change our body in miraculous ways, and at the same time, there is no denying that such diets do come with their own cons. However, that isn't exactly the case with alkaline diet. Basically, this is a diet that says eating foods and drinking beverages with a better pH level can keep a lot of health issues at bay. Since the diet restricts a person from some of the tasty flavors, many people choose to go for alkaline water, which has a higher pH level. In this unbiased post, we will try to decode the pros and cons of drinking alkaline beverages.

The Pros at a Glance:

1. Many researchers actually believe that alkaline water allows easy absorption of water in the body due to the higher pH. In general, tap water contains pH level of 5 or 6, while with alkaline beverages; the level can be as high as 9 or 10. The improvement in pH allows the body to flush all toxins in a better way, which in turn works on the hydration rate.

2. The mineral content in alkaline water is also very high. Naturally, water gets alkaline when it passes through rocks around the streams. The water we buy from the store is manufactured artificially, and leading brands make sure that there are extra minerals and vitamins. With 9.5pH alkaline water manufactured to advanced standards, your body actually gets a good dose of essential nutrients.

3. Experts also believe that water with better pH offers relief from muscle pain and sprains. There is also a good impact on the metabolism rate and blood sugar levels, which may be extremely beneficial for those dealing with obesity and diabetes.

On The Flip Side:

Well, the only con that one can think of is the price. Alkaline water is priced higher than regular mineral water, which can be a turn off. However, with the benefits that you get, it is easy to shell those extra dollars. Reading between the labels is also essential, given that you need to find the details about added minerals and other facts about a certain brand. Also, it should be noted that alkaline water and its benefits are yet to be approved by leading researchers. Although there are no side effects or known concerns, the lack of conclusive evidence can be a reason to put off some people.

Keeping those aside, you have some reasons to consider alkaline water as a part of your daily routine. For a good body, it isn't just about food, but it is equally about water and hydration too. Given that dairy and meat will be off your menu in this diet, replacing your regular water with high pH water is probably a good way to start. Not to forget, don't miss on talking with your doctor before you make any kind of major changes in your diet, especially if you are on medications.

Alcohol Consumption After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Post bariatric surgery, have you too observed that alcohol affects you differently? While you were comfortable with having 2-3 pegs of your favourite Scotch before you went under the knife, now, even one peg make you feel the same as 2-3?
You can take a moment to find some solace in the fact that you are not the only one to feel so!

A survey found that nearly 90 per cent of patients who underwent either gastric bypass or gastric sleeve now find themselves more sensitive to alcohol. They, just like you, are able to feel the effects of alcohol after taking a few sips. Many also claimed that they lose muscle coordination after one or two drinks, and are not able to regain balance even after two-three hours.

If you think there is something wrong with bariatric surgery, let us assure you that it is only a myth. It is important to understand that the body undergoes many changes post bariatric surgery and in the end it all comes down to how the body absorbs alcohol and metabolizes it in a bariatric patient.

When you drink alcohol, or any alcoholic beverage with a normal gut anatomy, it first enters the stomach and gets metabolizes through the process called gastric alcohol metabolism where the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase works its magic. However, gender, age, medications, etc., can affect the blood alcohol levels and its effects here. Alcohol absorption is also dependent on the rate at which alcohol empties into the intestines. Another factor that affects the whole process is food. Having food in the stomach slows down the gastric emptying, and eventually reduces the rate of alcohol absorption by the intestines. Conversely, an empty stomach enhances absorption and also increases the risk for intoxication.

Almost 95 percent of the stomach is bypassed in patients who undergo gastric bypass, and this includes the pylorus. In such a condition, the alcohol directly passes from the stomach into the intestines, where it is rapidly absorbed by the intestines due to their larger surface area. Add to this the postoperative rule of not eating while drinking, and you can imagine the rate at which alcohol is absorbed in bariatric patients.

Moreover, liver too plays a role in metabolizing the alcohol entering the body. But, conditions relatively common among individuals with morbid obesity, such as steatosis and fatty liver disease, make the alcohol metabolism a bit more difficult. Furthermore, bariatric patients follow a low carbohydrate diet which means that they have a low amount of glycogen. When alcohol enters the body, it further depletes the body of glycogen and also reduces glucose homeostasis. This puts the bariatric patient at a higher risk of hypoglycaemia.

Although all this may sound scary to you, however, you just consult a bariatric surgeon before you plan on drinking alcohol again. A thorough understanding and a few precautions can help you enjoy your drink without affecting your health.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Paleo Diet

Have you ever searched on the internet for the real best weight reducing diet programs? If so, you may have read about what is perceived as the next best diet in the planet, which is called the Paleo diet. But, what precisely is this Paleo diet and what really makes it better than all the other diets? The Paleo word is the short for Paleolithic, the prehistoric time of humans, that existed millions of years ago. At the time of this Paleolithic times, humans learned how to farm and how to hunt, this means that these people only ate food that were easily obtainable to them in their own close environment.

These people then biologically adapted to become better and stronger by eating more and more of these paleo foods. Advocators of this diet suggested that there has been too late of a time period among what is known as 'the end of the Paleolithic era' and what is known as 'modern day' for the human body to really adjust to today's western diet. This lack of conversion is apparently the cause for the existence of modern illnesses, like diabetes and obesity. This diet type, which is also noted as the caveman diet, really entails foods such as eggs, grass-fed proteins, vegetables, wild seafood, nuts, plant-based oils and some fruits. These are all wonderful food selections for sure, to any diet can advantage from so this high omega-3 fatty acids, stresses high fiber, high potassium, high nutrients and low sodium consumption.

Based on last words, the Paleo diet seems to be a wonderful idea right? But, the Paleo diet also limits some food groups that prehistoric people would not have used for sure, mainly because they were not easily attainable for them. This involves foods such as: legumes such as beans and peanuts, grains, refined sugars, dairy and salt. These food groups are commonly ingredients for most of the harmful processed foods around the globe. The paleo is wonderful for people that are lactose intolerance, because it actually limits dairy and gluten intolerance, because they restricts grain.

All these great features as well as losing weight? Paleo sounds quite darn amazing right? Nevertheless if you analyze the diet, you can understand these advantages of the Paleo diet are true, it doesn't make the diet the ideal choice possible and there are three large reasons for it.

1) The Paleo diet is costly under the Paleo diet, but primary sources of protein are from grass-fed animals and wild fish in the USA. For just ten dollars you'll be able to get about three pounds of standard ground beef for the same quantity you will only be able to get a little extra than a pound of grass-fed ground beef, whilst salmon can run you up to $30 per pound whilst farm-raised salmon are often below ten dollars. These price variations can easily frighten a lot of people from attempting a true Paleo diet.

2) The Paleo diet does not take into concern portions and calories. Even though the food selections in a Paleo diet are healthy, there is no max capacity to how much of it we can consume which can lead to eating too much. You can eat as many penny of foods as you wish but if your calorie consumption is too much you will still earn weight. The good reason about paleo though is that you're eating high amounts of proteins and fiber both which usually will make you feel even more full while eating fewer calories opposed to eating extremely dense carbohydrates such as bread which usually are high in calories and requires much more to fill you up. Nevertheless with no set limitations on calories the Paleo diet may not be the best technique for weight loss.

3) The Paleo diet is just not functional. The Paleo diet puts a restriction on many food groups that have become a huge part of human culture for hundreds of years. The most notable limitations are dairy grains and beans. Even though one might be able to dispute the healthiness of these food groups, it doesn't alter the fact that human culture has relied on them for continued existence for centuries. Even more so a lot of these options have become a staple food for various cultures all around the world, for persons to simply stop eating foods such as rice, bread, cheese and beans is obviously unfeasible. Even though the Paleo diet has a lot of wonderful features and healthy food alternatives, the disadvantages cannot quickly be ignored.

Adding Superfoods To Your Diet - Healthy Diet Vital To Good Health And A Sound Mind

Superfoods That Will Boost Your Mood

Most people know that the key to good health is eating a healthy diet. A diet loaded with vegetables and lean meats is healthy; a diet of junk food is not. However, most people have no idea that there are certain foods that can be labeled 'superfoods'. Superfoods are loaded with nutrients vital to good health and a sound mind. They are filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and are great foods to eat to help fight off cancer cells.

These superfoods are not only healthy for you, but they taste fantastic. Although not everyone shares the same taste buds, there is enough variety of superfoods to please even the pickiest of eaters. Try to incorporate at least one of these superfoods into your diet each day. Even better, aim for a few. Remember, it doesn't take an enormous amount of superfood for you to benefit from it: a little often goes a long way.

Below you will find a small list of superfoods, information of what they contain, and how they can help you live a happier, healthier life. Think of this short list of superfoods as your healthy diet tips for the day:

Almonds

Almonds are loaded with iron and magnesium, and are a naturally low saturated fat food. Unsalted almonds are a delicious, nutritious addition to any diet. Almonds are a great snack for people who want to lose weight, or just maintain their weight, as they are a very effective appetite suppresser.

Avocados

One serving of avocado has 20 different minerals and vitamins, including huge amounts of vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. Avocados are a terrific source of the good fats our bodies need. This easy to metabilize veggie is a super tasty superfood that enhances any meal. Eating avocados also give you a healthy dose of folate, which is needed for proper tissue development.

Blueberries

Delicious little blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins that not only help your mind and body, but they actually boost your immunity to keep you healthy. Blueberries are no different than other berries in that they are loaded with enough fiber to keep your bodily functions working properly. Try some juicy blueberries in your morning oatmeal, put some in your yogurt snack, or put them in your blender with a few other ingredients and make yourself a wonderful, cool fruit smoothie. Your brain and body will thank you all day long.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a superfood because it is super high in vitamin D. Vitamin D can be found in other foods, and the sun is also a wonderful source of vitamin D. Eating a half cup of broccoli three times a week will not only help your respiratory and digestive systems function properly, it also helps build strong bones and just keeps you overall healthier. Broccoli can be eaten raw, steamed, fried, or baked. If fried or baked, use a bit of extra virgin olive oil for an even greater boost of superfood goodness.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants that helps your body in the fight against cancer. This super delicious treat is best eaten in small quantities; just a half bar (of a full size candy bar) has 200 calories, 10 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of fat.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Yes, olive oil is nothing but 100% fat. However, this type of fat is actually beneficial to a healthy heart. Although there are 7 grams of fat per teaspoon, there is only 60 calories added to your diet - and those are all heart healthy calories. Use olive oil in your cooking, and when you make home made salad dressing. You may not notice the effects of extra virgin olive oil, but adding this oil to your diet works wonders on your heart health and that is just good news for everyone.

Honey

Although most of honey is water, natural sugars and sucrose, the amount of vitamins and minerals in honey makes it a superfood to use in place of regular sugar, high fructose corn syrup and those nasty tasting (chemical filled) artificial sweeteners. Honey contains pollen, protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin B6 and amino acids. Use honey to sweeten your drinks and your foods. It is a wonderful superfood that helps heal wounds and fights off infections.

Kale

Watch any cooking show on television these days and everyone seems to want to add kale to their menus. Yes, kale is the latest super trendy superfood, but it is there for a reason. Eating kale will help you lower your cholesterol levels naturally. Delicious kale is loaded with nutrients that greatly reduce your risk for developing several types of cancer, including prostate, breast, ovary, colon and bladder cancers.

Lean Meats

Eating lean meats offers your body the protein it needs, without all the fats it doesn't. Lean cuts of beef, chicken and turkey all contain amino acids needed to grow and sustain our muscles. If you just have to have meat every day, substitute lean meats for fattier ones, and watch portion size.

Mixed Nuts

Mixed nuts are another source of healthy proteins. Eating a small handful of mixed nuts for your mid-morning, or mid-afternoon snack not only helps prevent dangerous sugar drops (especially in people with diabetes), but also prevents you from overeating junk food that isn't good for your body.

And Finally...

When you have a craving for something crunchy, trying frying up some broccoli or kale - adding your favorite spices to give it the zing you like - instead of reaching for chips or crackers. Have a sweet tooth? Try a bit of dark chocolate, a hot cup of tea with some honey added, or a bowl of blueberries drizzled with a bit of sweet honey to squelch those cravings.

Incorporating these superfoods into your daily diet will make you feel like a new person. With more energy to get out and about, you will become stronger, more fit and healthier than you have ever been before. When you feel fit you feel fine; when you feel fine you are happy. What better reasons do you need to include these superfoods into your healthy diet? Hopefully these diet tips will help you get started on your path to a better life.

Check out Weight Loss Dieting Plans for your choice of healthy and weight loss nutrition. Feel like a new person with your healthy eating and fat loss program. Look great, feel great and find your way to better health and a better life.

Accountability: Tips for Weight Loss Success

Accountability is a key component to reaching your goals. Whatever the goal- whether it's to lose weight, to hit the gym 4 days a week, to stop drinking coffee, to run a half marathon, to get up before 8 am - we all need accountability to keep us on track and to give us momentum.

Accountability is responsibility. When you know you are being held accountable for something, you are more likely to do it.

You're busy. You have responsibilities, obligations, friends, family, chores and careers. Remember that your first responsibility is to yourself. If you aren't fit and healthy and happy, making everyone else happy becomes that much more difficult. Hold yourself accountable for you. Whatever it takes, we can make it work.

Hire a Trainer

As a trainer, it's MY job to hold you accountable. Your trainer is either a) going to be waiting for you at the gym or b) going to be tracking your workouts and nutrition daily. Simply knowing that helps you to push yourself through the "I'm tired", "I don't want to", "I'm busy" moments. If you don't show up for a workout, if you aren't pushing yourself through a set, your trainer will know.

Track It

Track your workouts and meals in an app, in Excel or in a fitness journal. Don't just write down how many reps you did and how many minutes you spent on the elliptical machine. Write down how you felt - were you tired, did you exercise on any empty stomach, did you feel like a rock star? This is important because when you look at your journal later, you will be able to get an idea of WHY a workout went the way it did. If you felt like you could workout for hours, take a look at what and when you ate that day, what time you worked out and who you worked out with. Try to pick out the activities and patterns that made certain days great and form habits so that EVERYDAY is great.

Sign up for a Competition

You don't have to sign up for the next Cross Fit competition in your state. But sign up for a 5k or a bike race to raise money for a cause. Sign up for a race in Rhode Island with a friend and call it a mini-vacation.

Once you've signed up, that competition will sit in the back of your mind. The less you train for it, the more likely it is that race day will not be pretty. Once you've signed up, you've put money (and if you're anything like me, a bit of pride), on the line. You have a deadline to meet and each step you take to train gets you a bit closer to that finish line.

Share on Social Media

Share your goals, your workouts, your successes and your screw-ups. Social media is an amazing place to find like-minded people and vocalize your commitment. Whether you post on your own Facebook page, a community fitness page, Instagram or whichever other platform you use, you've put that energy out in to the universe. In response, you might find you get more encouragement and motivation than you thought you might. And you might find that you offer that encouragement and motivation to others as well.

I've created a comprehensive, printable fitness journal that you can have for free. Contact me on http://www.juliahalefitness.com and I will send you yours as soon as possible.

According To Science, Why Low Calorie Diets Don't Work In The Long Run

Anyone who's ever attempted to stick to an extremely low-calorie diet will be able to tell you that they don't work in the long-run and you inevitably end up putting the weight back on and more.

And now a leading British neuroscientist has revealed why this happens.

According to Dr. Jason McKeown, one of the country's leading young neuroscientists, highly calorie-restricted diets is destined to fail when it comes to long-term weight loss because our brains will try and override the results.

Our brains control our weight, our metabolism, and our hunger levels, he explains. Specifically, studies over the last fifty years have consistently shown that the hypothalamus is 'mission control' for our weight.

And our brains have both a very clear view of how much we should weigh and the ability to override attempts to weigh less. This is why when people go on a diet and lose a certain amount of weight they often plateau and then, in the majority of cases, see their weight creep back up again. Their brain is unhappy with the new lower weight.

Despite this, half the British public are thought to be trying to lose weight by following a diet at any given time.

Dr. McKeown explains that dropping the pounds is a lot harder than it can seem on paper because of how we are programmed.

All of us have a range of weight at which our brain is happy, he explains.

This range is negatively influenced by a poor, high sugar diet which nudges the range up. The only way to influence weight in the long-term is to reset the range.

It's down to, he says, millennia of human evolution.

Dr. McKeown is currently researching neurotechnology that could help people target health issues - he has been working on the newly launched Modius, a headset which people are meant to wear for an hour a day for two to three months to help them lose weight.

Neurotechnology may sound a little sci-fi but it is steadily becoming better understood as a common modality for targeting health issues, and I feel we are at the early stages of some really interesting medical applications, says London-based GP Dr. Monah Mansoori.

Whilst more research is needed to further inform us there are already thousands of people reporting weight loss as a result of using this technology and I think Dr. Jason and his team may be onto something pretty exciting.

In the meantime, however, if you want to lose fat, it's best to aim for a slow and steady approach a healthy amount of weight to be losing is one to two pounds a week. Whilst everyone wants quick fixes, it simply isn't sustainable.

Gradual weight loss should lead to a healthy lifestyle and sustainable way of eating.