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Weight loss Hack One – WHEN you eat
There are plenty of brilliant and healthy food recipes out there catering for every possible culinary taste, but when you want to get serious about weight loss It’s important to pay attention not just to WHAT you eat. But also How, When and Why you Eat.
We have been looking into the other factors that affect weight gain, apart from eating healthily. These key tips we will share here as our weight loss hacks and hack number one is to pay attention to WHEN you eat.
A study led by Ulster University in Northern Ireland has looked deeper into the daily rhythm of people’s calorie consumptions and how this affects the quantity and quality of the food that person consumes.
The study found two significant things, firstly that people who wat a larger proportion of their daily EI (Energy Intake) later in the day, eat more calories. So if you are skipping meals and eating big in the evening you are probably consuming more calories than if you had eaten breakfast and lunch.
The study also suggested that meal timing affects the nutritional quality of the food eaten. People are more likely to be consuming refined carbohydrates and fats if they are getting a larger proportion of their calories after 6 pm.
This new study backs up the old adage ‘eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner. Previously this was accepted on basis that we burn most of our calories later in the day. This study shows it also affects how much we eat and what we eat.
Having nothing but coffee for breakfast, skipping lunch and feasting in the evening, is the worst routine for weight loss. Shifting the amount you eat to earlier in the day will help you shed those pounds.
5 Tips to Jump-Start Your Summer Weight-Loss
- Eat breakfast – To get your metabolism in gear as early as possible and burn more calories.
- Move more – Whatever exercise you fancy, lockdown restrictions are easing and the weather is improving (unsure emoji) NOW is the time to ease into a more active lifestyle.
- Change up the takeaway – We all know the greasy and carby varieties are no good for weigh-loss. Find new, lighter options such as Japanese or Thai, which you can enjoy and feel much less guilty about.
- Glug Water – Water is magical! It stops hunger pangs and helps you limit your food intake. This is on top of keeping you hydrated and healthy!
- Get Spicy – Hot peppers and chillies contain capsaicin, which is linked to weight loss. So it is time to put a little extra kick into your cooking.
Obesity Key to Covid Toll
Hundreds of thousands of Covid 19 deaths could have been avoided if obesity had been tackled was the comment in late February 2021 of the World Obesity Federation.(WOF).
9 in 10 Covid-19 deaths are linked to obesity in those countries with high obesity rates. This includes the UK which has the world’s third-highest death rate and the fourth highest obesity rate. The report says the death rate is 10 times higher in countries where half or more of the population is overweight. Compare the death rates of the UK to that of Vietnam. 2.2 million of the 2.5 million deaths so far were in countries with high levels of obesity.
Keto Craze – Just Another High Protein Diet?
In the last few years, there has been a growing following of the Ketogenic Diet. After seeing it everywhere from glossies to Facebook, it got me thinking maybe the new Keto Craze could work for me but is it just another low protein diet?
Low protein diets have been popular for at least 40 years. Every ten years or so a new diet tribe hails there regime as working where nothing else has.
I have often been amazed by the weight-loss results of friends who have followed different high-protein or low-carb diets. Whether it be the Atkins, The Dukan or the newest Ketogenic. After enviously admiring how great they look, I’ve rushed out to get whichever book. Unfortunately, it has never really got further than that for me.
But Do Low Protein Diets Work?
There is a lot of research to suggest that a higher-protein diet will help overweight and obese people to lose weight. Part of the science behind success is hormones. Hunger signals to the brain are largely controlled by hormones and upping your protein intake can change the levels of the hormones responsible.
It also takes more energy to metabolise and digest proteins. This is termed a high ‘thermic effect’. So, protein calories are more efficient for losing weight and keeping you feeling full.
So What Is The Keto Diet?
The Ketogenic diet is actually a very low carbohydrate and high-fat diet. It was developed a hundred years ago as a treatment for epilepsy. Following this strict diet was found to trigger a biochemical process in the body ’Ketosis’, which could reduce seizers in people with epilepsy.
Ketosis happens when the body is forced to override its natural use of carbohydrates for energy. By replacing most carbohydrates intake with fat the body starts to use fat instead, it can also help speed up the use of body’s fat stores.
The Ketogenic diet gaining popularity in the mainstream may be surprising. It takes a very high level of commitment, especially in the beginning when trying to trigger ketosis in the body. Which will be hard for many people to follow or maintain long-term.
Sometimes I have wished I had the dedication and organisation needed to follow these diets. Of course, all weight loss takes some dedication. However, I’ve accepted that complicated meal planning with lots of rules and restrictions is just more than I can get my head around let alone integrate into my life. I’ve learnt that diets don’t work for me.
Deep down I know what I need to do – move more, eat less and have a balanced diet. I also know if I can summon a fraction of the will-power and focus it takes to follow an extreme diet, I will be well on my way!
