Animal protein:

As these are high in amino acids, animal proteins are referred to as complete. They are also high in saturated fat  and low in fibre so should be eaten in the right proportions.

Plant protein:

Plant proteins should generally be consumed in higher amounts than animal proteins.

In order to keep the correct dietary balance, try to select animal proteins that are low in saturated fat i.e. fish and poultry.

Some people believe that vegetarians do not consume enough protein. This is not true as we can get protein from a number of non-animal foods.

A good example of high protein meals for vegetarians could include:

• Lentil curry
• Tortillas and mixed beans
• Hoummus
• Beans on toast

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The reason behind this is that our body thinks fat will be needed in the future to use for energy as less calories are being consumed. It therefore slows down metabolism (the chemical process whereby substances, including fat, are broken down to produce energy).

This can then have a knock on affect if you then give up your diet. This may be due to frustration at not seeing results or weight loss. Your metabolism will now be a lot less efficient than previously and even though you may not be eating as much as before, you will find yourself gaining weight faster.

Another point worth noting is that although you lose both fat and muscle in equal amounts during weight loss, you will find that when the weight is regained, it will be mostly fat.

 For these reasons, most dieters who lose weight will end up putting back on part, if not all of the weight they have lost.

 We can therefore see why crash and fad diets will not work. It is definitely not advisable if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle long term.

Many ‘gimmicky’ diets will promise a lot but you will ultimately be recommended things that can be unrealistic and may be detrimental to your health.

Fad diets can have you convinced in a very extreme way. They may have you believing certain foods are not to be touched at all. Possibly convincing you to eliminate certain food group’s altogether (foods that are an essential part of a balanced diet).

This is particularly noticeable in the diets that eliminate carbohydrates (we will talk about these in the next article in this series)

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Anyway here is the recipe I used with some nutritional information as well.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

One of the main problems that arise from any kind of diet is that your body is being deprived of essential nutrients that are needed in every day. With some of these diets, you are practically starving yourselves. Such fad diets promote consumption of very few calories and although it may cause an initial drop in weight it will never be sustained.

The main reason for this is that our bodies are very clever and react accordingly when they believe they being starved by becoming more efficient at storing fat, the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve by dieting. Effectively when you diet your body says “hang on a minute, I don’t know where my next meal is coming from, I better put some in storage”.  For the same reason, your metabolism will slow right down (Metabolism is the chemical process that breaks down substances in your body, including fat, to produce energy).

The reality is that, due to the nature of these fad diets, they are not sustainable. They make it very difficult for people to function in everyday life as they are not providing you with the essentials your body needs to function. They are very unrealistic and not very enjoyable. So when you give up on your diet, your metabolism will have slowed right down and your body has become more efficient at storing fat. This means when you go back to eating normally, you will more than likely find yourself gaining weight at a faster rate than previously.

On a side note, when we lose weight, it is lost in the form of both fat and muscle, so when we put it back on, it will just be fat.

The only real effective way to lose weight is through, a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise that results in slightly more calories being used, than are consumed through your diet.

A large number of people actually do without breakfast. Maybe they feel they don’t have enough time in the morning or they just can’t “stomach” it. I’ve heard many people say “I can’t eat that early” or “breakfast makes me feel sick”. If you find this is the case, then you should gradually introduce breakfast as part of a healthy lifestyle. Maybe start with a glass of fruit juice, then move onto a bit of fruit and slowly build up to eating a full breakfast.

The initial struggle to eat breakfast will be down to the fact that your body is simply not used to it.

By skipping breakfast, our blood sugar levels will dip by mid morning. This will generally result in us eating a quick, sugary snack as that is what our bodies crave. There will be a quick rise in blood sugar level, but it will soon drop again.

The same thing happens again at lunch and a poor food choice may well be opted for as again this is what our body craves. Once again there is a sharp rise and fall in blood sugar level. This pattern will generally continue throughout the day resulting in a real roller coaster ride in your blood sugar all day.

The urgent demand for blood sugar levels to rise will generally result in your food choice being poor throughout the day. Even if you do chose a healthy option, your body will have gone into starvation mode from the lack of breakfast and more than likely your metabolism will have slowed down.

A healthy breakfast will start your body cycle working and kick start your metabolism. By consuming a low GI food for breakfast, you will find your blood sugar rising gradually throughout the day. This will have a massive impact on the way you feel throughout the day and you will not have the sharp rises and falls in energy levels.

With your metabolism working more efficiently, you will slowly start to notice positive changes in your weight.

The common misconception with weight training is that it will cause large muscle growth. This is something many, in particular women, fear. The reality is that women do not possess the same levels of testosterone as men, which means they would never match the muscle growth of men without additional supplements.  Also in order for your muscles to increase in size (muscle mass), they would need to be greatly overloaded.

A muscle building program would consist of a low number of repetitions of a heavy weight. Instead of overloading the muscles, weight training for weight loss would focus on a lighter weight with higher repetitions to promote muscle tone over muscle size. This type of training will increase your lean muscle mass.

By using weight training, we increase the lean muscle mass in our bodies which will in turn increase our metabolic rate. This good news for us is that, even at rest, our bodies will now be more efficient at burning energy.

One thing worth noting is that when we do lose weight, it comes in the form of both fat and muscle. Therefore it is very important that we maintain the lean muscle in our body through weight training. This will ensure that our body is still working as efficiently as it can to burn fat, even when we have lost a bit of wait.

It would always be advisable to consult any kind of exercise specialist before embarking on any form of weight training. They are trained specifically in all different types of training for different goals and will be able to tailor a program to suit your individual needs.

The key thing to remember is that you need to stay positive all the time, and that weight loss is not an overnight success. It is achievable through a sustained period of healthy eating and exercise. One of the ways to make sure you stay motivated throughout is to get into proper habits from the start and go about things the right way.

Although fad diets are appealing for a short term fix, they will leave you unsatisfied and more often than not, overweight in the long run.

A great way to ensure you stay motivated all the way through your weight loss adventure is to set goals. It is very important to follow the SMART principle as this will make sure your goals are achieved and will spur you on further.

So what is the SMART principle when it comes to goal setting? It is a nice little acronym that can be explained as follows:

Specific – Make sure your goals are clearly set out and that they are specific to what you want to achieve.

Measurable- You must be able to measure your goals. It will act as a marker so you will know when you have achieved it and move onto the next one. Vague goals like “I want to lose weight in the next month” are no good. Instead it should be something like “I want to lose a pound in the next 2 weeks”.

Achievable- Making unrealistic goals will mean you never reach them and you will probably end up giving up. By making them achievable, even the little goals will seem like massive victories.

Relevant- The must be relevant for what you are trying to achieve. Completing a marathon is not necessarily a good goal if its weight loss you want to achieve. The two are not mutually exclusive but it is not specifically relevant to your goals.

Time related- Making sure you can measure a goal over a period of time can ensure that you stay motivated. Goals over regular time periods make you aware of whether or not goals are being achieved.

Follow these goal setting principles and weight loss becomes a lot easier.