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From mindful metabolism to cutting calories: 10 ways to get your diet back on track

WITH carb-loaded comfort food tempting us to scupper healthy-eating intentions, here’s how to keep your waistline in check…

By MARINA GASK

PUBLISHED: 00:01, Sun, Oct 25, 2015

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Those who spend 45 minutes or more in the kitchen per day have lower body mass indexes

1. Match your DNA

Researchers at The University of Sheffield found that a one-size-fits-all approach to diet doesn’t work and weight-loss strategies need to be more tailored. A massive 60 per cent of variance in body weight is due to genetic factors, so make your diet work with your genetic make-up. 

SOLUTION: DNAFit is a programme that provides bespoke advice to improve your fitness, weight and health by analysing your genes. 

A saliva test provides the information to develop your personalised diet and exercise programme. The DNAFit test and consultation costs from £99 at dnafit.com.

2. Sleep well

A study by Weill Cornell Medical College in the US discovered just 30 minutes less sleep per night than normal can cause weight gain. The more sleep-deprived you are, the less regulated your hormones. You release too much cortisol, which increases your appetite and not enough leptin, which controls fat stores. 

SOLUTION: “Set an alarm for 9.30pm to remind you to switch all technology off to guarantee a good night’s sleep,” says nutritional adviser and personal fitness trainer Rachel McGuinness (zestlifestyle.com). “A tech amnesty is essential as the blue light emitted by computer screens increases serotonin secretion, fighting the body’s sleep hormone, melatonin.”

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Sleep well: 30 minutes less sleep per night than normal can cause weight gain

3. On the move

Never mind spin classes – just moving more will have a huge impact on your ability to lose weight. Long periods of gentle exercise – such as daily dog walks – are better at fat burning than high-intensity cardio gym sessions. Low-intensity exercise improves insulin sensitivity and blood lipid levels, which are both indicators of diabetes and obesity. 

SOLUTION: Keep on the go and the energy burnt will soon clock up: 150 minutes of brisk walking a week is a good rule of thumb. Or get a Fitbit and aim to do 10,000 steps a day. 

4. Cut calories

Most of us eat far too many calories, which is why nearly two thirds of the adult population is overweight or obese. Eating out is almost as bad as takeaways when it comes to calories, due to added cream and butter, plus alcohol that weakens our resolve while piling on more calories. 

SOLUTION: Use the NHS-approved app Cook & Count, which measures exactly how many calories there are in your cooking, and also gives you the nutritional content of fat, carbohydrate and protein. 

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Long periods of gentle exercise – such as daily dog walks – are great at fat burning

5. Mindful metabolism

Ever felt that those extra few inches won’t shift? This could be something to do with your metabolism. Understanding how it works could hold the key to transforming your shape for the long term. 

SOLUTION: Get your metabolism analysed. The results of a Hypoxi analysis (hypoxi.net) explain how high your consumption of calories is, how well your body uses its fat reserves, how many calories a day you really need and what type of foods are recommended for you. 

6. Know your sugar

With Jamie Oliver declaring sugar is almost as bad for you as alcohol and tobacco, the average Brit consumes 238 teaspoons of it each week. 

Yet glucose is the chemical in the bloodstream that carries energy to the brain, muscles and other organs and systems. Acts of self-control – like eating sensibly – reduce blood glucose levels. 

SOLUTION: Low levels of glucose predict poor performance on self-control tasks and tests. Replenishing glucose at low willpower points in the day (such as mid-afternoon) with a small glass of lemonade improves self-control performance – meaning you can resist treats.

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When you get the urge to snack, do something with your hands like trying an adult colouring book

7. Enjoy the kitchen

Research has found those who spend 45 minutes or more in the kitchen per day have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than those who only spend less time preparing meals – 39 per cent of those who had a healthy BMI (of 18.5-24.9) on average spent 45 minutes or more preparing meals per day.

SOLUTION: Not having the right ingredients for rustling up a healthy meal is the key, so stock up the freezer and you’ll have no excuse. Have a ready supply of frozen veg, herbs, root ginger and chillis, plus cook-from-frozen fish and mince, as well as frozen fruit for healthysorbets.

8. Beat boredom

A recent Weight Watchers survey found the biggest reason for snacking is boredom and the average Brit spends 34 days a year thinking about food. 

SOLUTION: “When you get the urge to snack, do something with your hands like trying an adult colouring book or playing a brain-training game on your phone,” says Rachel McGuinness. “If you normally have a snack at a certain time, go for a walk or do an activityinstead, so you break the snacking-when-bored cycle.”

9. False friends

We’re meant to eat at least five servings of fruit and veg a day for optimum health. But a recent study by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston found starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn and peas will make you gain weight.

SOLUTION: Vegetables that contain lots of fibre and are low in carbohydrates such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts lead to greater weight loss, probably because they make you feel full. If you want to lose weight, eat more berries, pears, apples, tofu, soy, cauliflower and green, leafy vegetables.

10. Don’t give up

We’re only human and even the most disciplined of us falls off the diet wagon now and again with the odd comfort-eating binge.

SOLUTION: Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day – we all deserve the odd treat. Just resolve to get back on track for the rest of the week. Think of it as “calories in, calories out” and plan a way to exercise it off. 

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/diets/613627/10-ways-to-get-your-diet-back-on-track

Women have to work HARDER than men to lose weight and get fit.

• Women have to do about 20% more exercise to get the same benefits  and while exercise alone might be enough for men to lose weight, women also have to look at their diet to get the same results
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• Experts say body composition such as muscle mass and hormones to blame

By ANNA HODGEKISS

PUBLISHED: 17:23, 24 January 2013 | UPDATED: 17:43, 24 January 2013

Women have to do a lot more exercise to get the same health benefits as men, in terms of both diet and fitness

It's bad news for women who work out with their partners. Scientists have discovered that when it comes to the benefits of exercise, the odds appear to be firmly stacked against the fairer sex. New research suggests that women have to do a lot more exercise to get the same health benefits as men, in terms of both diet and fitness.

Scientists at the University of Missouri who put obese men and women on the same fitness programme found men reaped significantly more benefits. And experts are now warning that while exercise alone might be enough for men to lose weight, women must also address their diet to get the same results. 
During the study, Professor Jill Kanaley and her colleagues looked at the heart rate and blood pressure of nearly 75 obese men and women with Type 2 diabetes. 

They all followed a programme of aerobic (i.e. cardiovascular) exercise for 16 weeks. They all worked at an effort of 65 per cent, which was worked out based on each individual's ability. 

Despite everyone exercising at relatively the same speed, the researchers found that men got far more benefit from the exercise than women. Over the 16 weeks, women's recovery time did not improve, whereas men's did, indicating their fitness had improved. They also lost more weight. 

Commenting on the study, Dr Chris Easton, a lecturer in clinical exercise psychology at the University of West Scotland, told MailOnline: 'This adds to a growing body of evidence that men and women respond to exercise in different ways. 

'One main reason for this is body composition - men have a higher proportion of of muscle of women - and muscle has a higher metabolic rate than
'This is crucially important as it means that even when they are resting, men burn more calories than women. This indicates that women really have to look at their diet as well as exercise, whereas men may be able to get by on exercise alone.'He said that go get the same effect as a man working at 65 per cent effort, a woman would effectively need to work at around 85 per cent effort - or work out for longer.

Experts are now warning that while exercise alone might be enough for men to lose weight, women also have to look at their diet to get the same results

He added that men naturally have an advantage when it comes to fitness as they have larger hearts and lungs and a higher proportion of haemoglobin - that part of the blood that carries oxygen around the body, which is vital during exercise.

Study leader Professor Kanaley said: 'This research highlights that the advantages we think exercise is going to give individuals may not be the same across genders, particularly for those who have Type 2 diabetes. This is a concern because there are high mortality rates with Type 2 diabetes, especially for women.'

'We keep assuming that exercise will do the trick—we think when we tell people to "go train," regardless of gender, everyone will get the same results. Our research indicates certain exercises may not be enough for women. These findings could help health providers and researchers develop targeted exercise interventions for obese women.The study was published in the journal Metabolism.

The latest figures from Health Survey for England show that 62.8 per cent of  adults in the UK are overweight or obese.

SO WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR WOMEN TO LOSE WEIGHT? 

Personal trainer Dan Roberts says 'by far the best way' for women to lose weight is to lift weights. This temporarily raises levels of testosterone and growth hormones, which burns more fat. 

He told MailOnline: 'It's all to do with hormones. Men have more muscle because they have more testosterone. Women have more oestrogen which naturally makes them store more body fat. 

'Women also have to work harder to lose weight because they store fat around the thighs, bottom and stomach to protect the womb and for childbearing reasons.

'Older women in particular have the lowest testosterone levels. It is they, not 20-year-old boys, who should be doing weight-training.'

He also recommends women ditch the tiny dumbbells, too. 'Women should be doing what's known as compound weight training, that is, using muscles such as the glutes and quads.  'The bigger muscle groups you use, the more calories you will burn.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2267714/Its-harder-WOMEN-lose-weight-men.html#ixzz3kO6kuFUn
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