How to handle the cravings?

Many of the new diets restrict (or completely forbid) consumption of whole groups of foods. More often than not, those "illegal" items are exactly those that used to be our favourites, so it should not be surprising if we sometimes commit the one or another nutritional crime. If it is chocolate that you cannot live without, then it is still better to break this one law, than to give up on rules altogether. Namely, total deprivation of the past favourite foods is a common reason for giving up on dietary goals. Temptations are a part of our lives, and usually it is the illegal things that seem most desirable. In case of foods, very few of them should be given a lifelong sentence. Instead, just give them house arrest at night, and let them out when the sun is shining and you are ready to work off your guilt. And if you are going to commit a food crime, choose the one that you can get away with. For example, one jumbo scone has the same number of calories (700) as a bowl of oatmeal with peaches, plus a bowl of cornflakes with banana, plus an English muffin with jam, plus two pieces of toast with marmalade, plus two dishes of fruit. In other words, if there are two illegal food items you desire, then take the less illegal one. Or two of them, as long as their combination is still less illegal than the alternative. Basically, it is always advisable to try to avoid the nutritional electric chair. Try to find new favourite foods. And if the old ones are still irresistible, then throw in some exercise and you will still be able to have an occasional piece of chocolate.

THE DANGER OF FAD DIETS****

The "Energy Balance Equation" is the only universally accepted and proven theory whose simple message is that weight loss can only be achieved if less calories are consumed than burned. On the contrary, alternative diet solutions tend to pick a macronutrient that they classify as bad and then consequently discourage consumption of all foods rich in this nutrient. Low-fat diets, for example, limit consumption of meats, whereas low-carb diets limit consumption of potatoes and rice, among others. In exchange, low-carb diets allow boundless consumption of all other fat-rich products, claiming that the absence of carbs still results in weight loss regardless of the consumed quantities. This claim is partially true, but only in the first stage of dieting and only because of the side effects associated with this approach. When the body doesn't get enough carbohydrates, it starts to reduce the glycogen reserves in the liver. The body then starts to extract glycogen from muscle tissue, thus breaking it down and depleting water from the muscles at the same time. In the initial stages of the diet, the first seven to nine pounds a person loses are water, presenting a real danger of dehydration and mineral deficiencies. Regardless of the question of such diets' meaningfulness, you should never place weight loss above your health. Instead, make sure that your diet features varied menus and that it encourages eating fruit, vegetables and lean protein (reduced-fat dairy products, fish, chicken, and lean cuts of beef and pork) and whole and natural foods.

THE FATS THAT MAKE YOU LEAN

Ever since their discovery in the 70s, the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats have been the focus of many studies and clinical trials. They turned out to be essential to life and good health, and their role in protection against disease and treatment of illnesses is well-known. But what most of us don’t know is that they can contribute to weight loss as well. Exercise is one of the best ways of speeding up your metabolism. However, it also causes muscle inflammation, and this again (apart from increasing the risk of heart-disease) slows down your burn rate. Interestingly, one of the best medicines known to man against inflammation is – you guessed it, the omega-3s. So, instead of ditching exercising, just take a bite or two of fish, nuts, seeds, flaxseed, and fish oils, and you will have done something good for your waist and your health. And if you are not a seafood fan, you can also try eggs rich in omega-3s.

How to keep your metabolism from shutting down

Cutting too many calories puts your body in a state of alarm, in which it pushes to conserve calories rather than burn them. You start feeling cold and tired, and the lack of energy forces your body to break down muscle tissue to fuel its vital operations. This is bad in more than just one sense, since the amount of muscle tissue is directly related to metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories. You do need to slash calories to lose weight, but you should not go too far. As a general rule, do not cut more than 500 calories, because then you start experiencing two effects that are not helpful in dieting at all. First, your body decreases the fire in the oven from steaming hot to a mild simmer. And second, it starts breaking down muscle tissue, which in return reduces the burn rate even further. There are two ways of dealing with this problem. The first and simple one is to make sure that the calories you cut do not come from protein. Digestion of protein triggers new fires in your stomach, and those calories will not leave a lasting impression on the weight scale. The slightly tougher way to step up the metabolism is to step up your exercise. Exercise increases your energy output, calling on stored calories for extra fuel. Recent studies show that not only does exercise increase metabolism during a workout, but it also causes your metabolism to stay increased for a period of time after exercising, allowing you to burn more calories.