Healthy Weight Loss

Weight loss refers to the loss of total body mass in an effort to improve fitness, health, and/or appearance. It is important that you lose fat and not muscle when losing that weight.

It occurs when an individual is in a state of negative energy balance. When the human body is spending more energy in work and heat than it is gaining from food or other nutritional supplements, it will use up its stored reserves of fat or muscle

Although weight loss may involve loss of fat, muscle or fluid, weight loss for the purposes of maintaining health should aim to lose fat while conserving muscle and fluid.

Other methods of losing weight include use of drugs and supplements that decrease appetite, block fat absorption, or reduce stomach volume.

Weight loss can also occur as a result of certain medical problems like onset of type 2 diabetes and malfunctioning of the thyroid glands.

The best and healthiest way of weight loss however is through a sustainable diet and exercise programme that suits yourparticular lifestyle and preference. I went from a size 22 to a size 14 by taking two protein shake meal replacements aday and eating a healthy meal third meal. In between I ate two healthy protein snacks so I never felt hungry. After losingthe weight over a period of three months I was able to maintain it by having only one protein shake meal replacement and two healthy meals and two snacks.

I lost this weight in the first instance without any exercise programme. I must admit however that at the time I didn't have a car and went everywhere by bus which meant I had to walk quite extensively. When I did start driving I noticed that even though I did not go back to my size 22 I went up a size to 16. I therefore decided to get a pedometer and do 10,000 steps a day for at least five days in the week. I was able to acheive this by going on my treadmill for 30 minutes Monday to Friday. I rested weekends. when this got too boring for me I joined with some friends under the supervision of a fitness coach (another friend) twice a week for some very mild exercises and interval training. When due to work commitments we couldn't continue I started lifting weights (large books in my case) for about five minutes a day which speeded up my metabolism and I have maintained my size 14 now for three years.

Bottom line - find an exercise programme and healthy diet that suits your lifestyle and stick to it. Healthy weight loss is acheivable, I have proven that.

Check out some of the different types of diets out there

Find out more about dieting in general here

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