Christine Michael - How to Lose Weight

Cover

Title Page

Introduction Introduction There has never been so much information available to us about healthy eating, weight management and exercise, yet the sheer number of regimes and theories can make it even harder to choose a diet and stick to it. This book will guide you through the weight loss maze, equipping you with the information, confidence and motivation you need to achieve your personal slimming and fitness goals. A guide for life Around 13 million adults in the UK are watching their weight or are actively ‘on a diet’, yet public health statistics suggest this may be a losing battle. Over half of adults are overweight and one in five is at the ‘obese’ level that represents a significant health risk. So what’s going wrong and how can we reverse a trend that suggests that obesity-related diseases will soon overtake smoking as the biggest single cause of premature death? Beginning with a self-assessment guide to working out your healthy weight range, you will discover the science behind how we lose weight –and put it on – and learn sound healthy-eating principles to ensure that your slimming campaign is safe as well as effective. With so many diets available, there’s an assessment of 30 different slimming methods, to help you evaluate all the conflicting information and claims that are made about weight loss products and services. And as getting more active is a vital part of a healthy, slim lifestyle, you’ll find a comprehensive guide to boosting fitness and weight loss with the exercise routine that suits you best. Your chances of success depend on your motivation, confidence and readiness to make the permanent lifestyle changes that are essential to achieving your goal. Find ways to discover your deepest motivations, overcome your inner obstacles and tackle the setbacks that may have led to previous failed attempts at dieting. This book can help you throughout your slimming campaign, providing inspiration, reassurance and support.

1 The big picture

Assessing your weight and shape Assessing your weight and shape Do you have a weight problem and, if so, how much do you need to lose to reach the weight range that is healthy for you? Here are some easy ways to find out the facts about your figure. must know Measure your BMI To work out your BMI, you need to divide your weight by your height, squared - a calculator is handy to do the sums. 1 To find your BMI using metric measurements, take your weight in kilograms and your height in metres (get someone to check your height for you if it has been a while). 2 Now divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres, squared. (To turn your weight in pounds into kilos, divide by 2.2; and to turn inches into metres, multiply by 0.025.) So if your weight is: 59 kg (9 st 4 lb) And your height is: 1.6 m (5 ft 4 in) Your BMI is: 59 ft(1.6 X 1.6) = 23. The scientific approach Most of us have several different ways of keeping an eye on our weight: for instance, we notice when a favourite pair of trousers feels too tight, or when we do not like what we see in the mirror or on the bathroom scales. To assess what your weight really says about your health and wellbeing though, it pays to take a more scientific approach. If you’ve been in denial about your weight for years, the thought of finding out the cold facts might be daunting, but it might not be as bad as you think. Many people have a fixed idea about what their weight ‘should be’, and often it’s based on the slim figure they had as a teenager or on their wedding day, which might not be comfortable or realistic for them now. And if the truth about your weight does come as an unpleasant shock, turn that feeling into a motivational boost. Now that you are about to start a healthy weight loss campaign, you need never see that figure on the scales again.

2 Healthy weight, healthier you

Why overweight is a big dea

3 In search of a cause

Why we’re the shape we’re in

4 The science of weight loss

The energy balance

5 Healthy eating for slimmers

Healthy eating for slimmers

6 Choosing a weight loss method

Where to get good advice

Choose the right diet

Calorie-counting diets

Low-carbohydrate diets

Low-fat diets

High-fibre diets

Glycaemic index (Gl) diets

Mediterranean diet

Detox diets

Diuretic diets

Food-combining diets

Crash diets

Food intolerance diets

High-fat diets

Anti-cellulite diets

Body-type diets

Meal replacement diets

Other weight loss methods

Slimming clubs

Slimming websites

7 Exercise: the energy booster

Move it to lose it

8 Making it happen

Confidence and commitment

9 Stay slim for life

Make it a habit

Personal record planner

Glossary

Need to know more?

Further reading

Index

Keep Reading

Copyright

About the publisher

There has never been so much information available to us about healthy eating, weight management and exercise, yet the sheer number of regimes and theories can make it even harder to choose a diet and stick to it. This book will guide you through the weight loss maze, equipping you with the information, confidence and motivation you need to achieve your personal slimming and fitness goals.

A guide for life

Around 13 million adults in the UK are watching their weight or are actively ‘on a diet’, yet public health statistics suggest this may be a losing battle. Over half of adults are overweight and one in five is at the ‘obese’ level that represents a significant health risk. So what’s going wrong and how can we reverse a trend that suggests that obesity-related diseases will soon overtake smoking as the biggest single cause of premature death?

Beginning with a self-assessment guide to working out your healthy weight range, you will discover the science behind how we lose weight –and put it on – and learn sound healthy-eating principles to ensure that your slimming campaign is safe as well as effective. With so many diets available, there’s an assessment of 30 different slimming methods, to help you evaluate all the conflicting information and claims that are made about weight loss products and services. And as getting more active is a vital part of a healthy, slim lifestyle, you’ll find a comprehensive guide to boosting fitness and weight loss with the exercise routine that suits you best.

Your chances of success depend on your motivation, confidence and readiness to make the permanent lifestyle changes that are essential to achieving your goal. Find ways to discover your deepest motivations, overcome your inner obstacles and tackle the setbacks that may have led to previous failed attempts at dieting. This book can help you throughout your slimming campaign, providing inspiration, reassurance and support.

Before you set yourself a weight loss goal, it is a good idea to find out what kind of shape you are in. These days there is more to working out your ideal weight than just standing on the scales, which only tell part of the story. It takes just a few minutes to discover how healthy your weight and shape are and also to decide what you want to aim for.

Do you have a weight problem and, if so, how much do you need to lose to reach the weight range that is healthy for you? Here are some easy ways to find out the facts about your figure.