Sunday, November 3, 2013

Your Shortcut To Weight Loss Through Diet and Fitness

Today we are living in a "I want to good look" society, where appearances really count. So many people, want to sculpt their bodies to achieve that magazine-cover look. Others are very conscious about their health and fitness. As a result, gyms, health spas (plastic surgery clinics!) and other fitness centers have mushroomed to cater to the needs of both these "look good" and health and fitness buffs.

Everywhere you look weight loss products, exercise machines, and other ways to improve fitness are prominently promoted and many are installed (although not so many used!) at home. But you cannot build a beautiful body by exercise alone. The food that you choose to eat will also have an important part to play.

To be fit and healthy requires an exercise program combined with good eating.

Diet is as important as exercise. Diet provides the fuel one needs for healthy growth and to repair worn-out muscles and stressed out nerves. Remember that you are what you eat. There have been many, many different dieting strategies, views, programs and methods created by many organisations and individuals. However many of which, I might add, are very unbalanced and highly questionable.

For example some advocate high carbs and low fat whereas others promote high fat and low carbs. So which one works better and how should one choose? The significant difference between these two approaches is only in the balance. Simply high carbohydrate diets concentrate on having a high proportion of carbohydrate-rich foods while high fat diets endorse a higher than recommended intake of fat-rich foods.

High carbohydrate diets result in glycogen, a glucose complex that supplies energy that the body uses for anaerobic exercise, to be stored in the liver and muscles.

On the other hand, fat is the richest source of calories. Containing 2.5 times more calories than carbohydrates. Studies have shown that the body uses eight times more calories to metabolize carbohydrates than it does to burn fat.

So how do you choose one to follow? A low carbohydrate and high fat diet or the other way around.

Research has shown that to have sustainable weight loss an individual must choose a diet which suits their food preferences, lifestyle and medical profile. The only critical factor is that calories in must be less than calories out!

For you to efficiently melt off excess weight you must find a diet program that suits you best. Other important elements of a diet are balance, moderation, and variation. Extreme care must be taken to include essential nutrients and other essential substances necessary for healthy body functioning.

High carbohydrates and low fat; Low fat and high carbohydrates; find the one which works for you. Your quest for a slim and healthy body does not have to be a slog, find a diet that offers variety so one is not stuck in a narrow uninspiring food rut for life.

Who knows? you may discover that even broccoli and spinach offers some great options.

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