Starting A Healthy Diet Plan
Battling the Middle-Age Spread - How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off
People want to lose weight fast as possible. However, losing weight fast is the pitfall to dieting and is the reason why people gain back the weight they have lost.
According to recent research at Mayo Clinic, women in their perimenopausal years (the years leading up to menopause) experience shifts in weight, averaging a weight gain of approximately one pound every year. This perimenopausal period usually ranges from the age of forty-fifty and sometimes beyond these years. What is interesting is that this research has determined that this weight gain experienced by perimenopausal women is not necessarily due to hormonal changes. Factors such as aging, lifestyle, and body composition all play a significant part in this weight gain.
Battle the bulge!
How can women stop this weight gain, also known as the middle-aged spread? Well, there are a lot of diets, and some are weight loss schemes. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration describes the weight loss business as money making, and estimates that Americans spend millions of dollars yearly in weight loss products. Our society puts so much emphasis on being small, looking thin, weighing less, etc. But a healthy way to lose weight is to begin a weight loss plan that is sensible and tailored to your specific needs.
Diets that promise a weight loss more than 2 pounds per week are the pitfall to people gaining weight back. The faster you lose the weight, the more likely your chances are of gaining that weight back. This loss and gain of weight is called diet cycling, also known as yo-yo dieting. The reason this happens is because of homeostasis, the body's defense to maintain an equal energy balance in the body. Diet cycling is unhealthy. In fact, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Washington have conducted studies with findings indicating that here is a link between diet cycling and a weakened immune system.
Recommendations from the pros
To prevent diet cycling, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends a weight loss of no more than 2 pounds per week, not favoring low carbohydrate diets or starvation diets. They suggest a well-balanced diet, one with a caloric value tailored to both your present body weight and your target weight loss. They recommend all diets to contain vegetables, fruits, starches and meats (which can be substituted with other protein sources). Also, since exercising maintains good health and increases metabolism (which is a requirement to lose weight), the ADA strongly encourages dieters to exercise twenty to thirty minutes, 3-4 times weekly.
Don't be fooled with the moneymaking schemes of weight loss. Begin a healthy diet plan, one that contains the right amount of calories and adequate exercise. Look to be healthy first and lose weight sensibly. The United States Department of Agriculture has provided a new food pyramid for guidance with dieting. You can access this site at:
Always consult your physician for guidance before beginning any type of weight loss plan.
References:
Weight Management Strategies for Success
