Weight Loss Program & Diet Plans

If you missed Jamie Oliver's Eat to Save Your Life then you can get all his great health advice here. We summarised his tips and advice so you can get all the health benefits.

Emotional eating is best described as eating to suppress or soften negative emotions. If you are overweight, chances are you are emotionally eating!

It is possible to lose weight fast, however there are things that pull back your weight loss rate and make it harder. Find out the fastest rate of weight loss that is sustainable.

When people want to lose weight they often want to do it fast. This is definitely one of the biggest challenges with weight loss as there is a delay between hard work and achievement. There are a number of reasons that contribute to making fast weight loss difficult. Primarily this is due to the fact that when you have a large calorie deficit (burn more calories than you eat) your body goes into starvation mode. Lack of fluids is another major reason for unsustainable fast weight loss. Our body is made up of 70 - 75% water, so levels of only 2% dehydration would lead to a weight loss of nearly 2kg. This weight is put straight back on when fluids are put back into the body. In addition, hunger becomes a real distraction for fast weight loss as your body is crying out for calories to fulfill even the most basic bodily needs. 

So how fast can you actually lose weight? 

Let's look at Mary, who is 32 years old and weighs 80kg. By looking at a few extremes we can see how quickly weight loss is actually possible. If May ate absolutely nothing for a week, she would have eaten 0 calories against around 14,000 calories burnt. Now it takes around 7,600 calories to burn 1kg of fat so this would equate to weight loss of around 1.8kg. 

There are a range of different carbohydrates, ranging from individual glucose molecules and sugars, to larger carbohydrates chains such as starches. Our digestive systems break down carbohydrates to release individual sugar molecules which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Carbohydrates are essential to maintain blood glucose levels, providing fuel for our muscles and brain. A low blood glucose level (known as hypoglycaemia) can make us feel tired, dizzy and generally unwell.

Carbohydrate foods are an important fuel, but also provide an amazing range of vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health, as well as fibre for a healthy digestive system.

Not all carbohydrates are digested and absorbed at the same rate, and the type of carbohydrate can have a specific influence on health and energy levels. Low gi foods tend to be better for us as they release sugar into the blood stream slowly and evenly, which will help maintain higher energy levels and assist weight loss as the body converts less sugar into glycogen and fat. 

Dieting can seem difficult, however thier are a few simple things you can do to make dieting and weight loss easier.

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet has been hugely popular in Australia, and now the rest of the world. It is based on a higher protein diet with regular exercise. Find out how one of australia's most popular diets works.

Fast foods are quick and convenient, but usually extremely high in calories and saturated fat. Learn some tips on how to stay healthy when do have to eat fast foods.

Fast foods are generally very high in calories, and it would not be hard to eat over 1000 calories in one sitting.  This would be over half most people's daily calorie requirements! 

Some good things to keep in mind when eating fast foods is:

• Try to substitute fries with salad.  A large serving of fries at McDonalds has over 450 calories (ouch!)
• Drink water instead of soft drinks.  A bottle of coke has 260 calories!
• Watch your portions sizes. Try not to have the upsize meal.  
• Eat slowly. Fast foods in particular are full of sugar and very easy to eat quickly.  It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the brain to register that the body is full, which is enough time to significantly overeat.  
• Try having a big drink of water before starting, making you feel fuller and less likely to overeat.  
• Grilled instead of fried meat. 
  

Find out what is in a serving size from each food group, to help achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

Fats are an essential part of our diet, largely used to provide energy and support growth. Fats are the most concentrated source of energy available to our body. However, the average Australian eats far more fat than required for good health, further increasing the difficulty of weight loss.

The main problem with consuming excess dietary fat is the effect on weight gain. Fat has double the amount of calories compared to carbohydrate and protein, therefore a reduction in fat intake is a priority for reducing total calorie intake. Also, a high fat intake, independent of weight, has been linked to health conditions such as high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, and colon cancer.

To understand this further we need to look at the different types of fat are and how they are used in our body. Sustainability is a major factor and a healthy food intake should incorporate changes that are long-term.

Carbohydrates are found in many of the foods that we eat each day and are a great choice when wanting to lose weight. There are a range of different carbohydrates..

Find out the GI values of all your favourite foods and start working out how you can substitute them into your diet.

Have a look at the different types of foods you eat and their respective GI values.  A good way to improve your diet is to find the foods you eat with a high GI value and substitute it for something with a lower GI value.  As a general guide low GI foods have a value of less than 55, medium between 56 to 59 and high over 70.

How many calories is one of the most important qestions to ask when you want to lose weight. The short answer is that the calorie consumption to lose weight will vary from person to person....

The festive season can be one of the most difficult when it comes to weight loss. Find out some helpful tips to get you through.

We all know that a healthy diet is good for us, but what deficiencies or poor diets lead to what conditions?

We all know that it is important to eat nutritious food, but what exactly does this mean? Basically nutrition is the science that examines the relationship between diet and health. by having a good understanding of nutrition we are able....

With all the information on low GI foods it can become confusing on which ones to eat. This article provides some basic guidelines on the types of low GI foods you should be eating.

We are all told that dieting was the way of the past and “healthy eating” is the way of the future. Why is dieting such a dirty word...

With so many diet plans to choose from it is ofen hard to know which diet plan to choose. This article will take all the guess work out for you.