Matt Tallis

Author's Posts

Useless or Harmful Weight Loss Advice

Unfortunately, the internet is awash with unhelpful weight loss tips that can actually do more harm than good. We aim to identify these myths so you can successfully achieve healthy weight loss. ”Never skip breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day” We’re bombarded with the message that we should always eat breakfast, so that we have fuel for the day ahead and so our metabolism gets a boost after sleeping. How often have you actually been hungry when you wake up though? Many people don’t feel hungry for many hours after waking, and therefore there is no real reason to eat; they are forcing themselves to eat in the...

How to Lose Water Weight Quickly and Safely

Excess water in your body can be caused by poor diet or food intolerances, and for most people is not a major issue. However, you may want to lose water weight to alter your appearance, and as such a number of people try to remove any excess water from their system. Here are some ways that you can reduce the amount of excess water held in your body. Exercise more One of the best ways to get rid of water weight quickly is to do more exercise, as this will cause you to sweat out excess water. On average, an hour of exercise will cause you to lose somewhere between 0.5 and 2 litres of fluid, depending on clothing and temperature....

Maintaining Weight Loss

Maintaining weight loss can be a struggle for many people, especially if they have lost weight through a ‘quick-fix’ fad diet, instead of making healthy lifestyle changes. Indeed, research has found that only 20 per cent of people who started dieting when they were overweight managed to keep the weight off in the long run. A proper diet should be seen as a change to your eating habits that will ensure good health in the long-term, not just rapid, short-term weight loss. var myTarget='https://track.webgains.com/click.html?wglinkid=3600505&wgcampaignid=40572&js=0';var uri =...

How Many Carbs Should I Eat to Lose Weight?

A number of people follow a low-carb diet to lose weight, with an increasing number of studies supporting its effect on weight loss. The amount of carbs consumed each day depends on each individual and their personal health goals. While you do not need to follow a low-carb diet, it is often recommended that you at least restrict your intake of carbs when trying to lose weight. Why follow a low-carb diet? Carbohydrates stimulate the secretion of insulin, which is the main fat storage hormone. Not only can this hamper your body’s ability to burn fat for energy, it may result in an increased appetite and lead to overeating. By...

Can Fibre Help Me Lose Weight?

Fibre refers to carbohydrates that humans are unable to digest, and is split into either soluble or insoluble fibre, depending on how they react with liquids. Insoluble fibres are basically just ‘bulking’ agents that have almost no impact on the body, but soluble fibre can be very beneficial for metabolic health. There are number of studies that demonstrate that soluble fibre can help weight loss, but this fibre must have certain properties. Fibre fuels healthy bacteria Scientists estimate that there are around 100 trillion bacteria living in the human gut, with most of this located in the large intestine. These bacteria are...

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?

On average, men need around 2,500 calories per day to maintain their weight, and 2,000 to lose 1lb per week. Women require slightly fewer, with 2,000 calories per day needed to maintain their weight, and 1,500 to lose 1lb per week. This is not an exact figure for everyone, however, as the exact number of calories needed for each person is affected by many factors including age, weight, height and physical activity levels. What are calories? A calorie is the unit that energy is measured in. Within food products, a calorie usually means the energy content of that particular food or beverage. In order to lose weight, you need to eat...

Eating Protein for Weight Loss

Weight loss is much easier when you eat more protein. A high intake of protein is related to a boosted metabolism and reduced appetite, and it can help you lose body fat while you build muscle. Protein reduces hunger When your brain works out whether you are hungry or not, many sources of information are processed, with arguably the most important being the hormones that are sent to the brain when you are hungry. A higher protein intake reduces the number of hunger hormones sent, while increasing the levels of satiety hormones. A reduction in fat and carb intake, replaced by a higher protein intake, causes lower levels of hunger and...

Eating Real Foods to Lose Weight

Real foods tend to be much healthier than processed foods, and may help you lose weight. While processed foods are often much quicker and convenient than real foods, they tend to be low in essential nutrients and high in calories. There has been a rapid rise in obesity rates since highly processed foods became widely available, and this is no coincidence. What are real foods? Real foods are single-ingredient foods that tend to contain high amounts of minerals and vitamins. They are unprocessed and do not contain additives, and there are many advantages to including real foods in your diet. They taste great and boost your health, so you...

Calorie Counting

Calorie counting is one popular way around the difficulties attached to eating less, and is a method very commonly used by those trying to lose weight. The simple process behind losing weight is eating fewer calories than you burn. However, this may be more difficult than it first seems, which is why many people count calories to help track the foods they eat and the energy they burn. What is a calorie? A calorie is the unit that energy is measured in. Within food products, calories usually means the energy content of that particular food or beverage. It is widely accepted that, in order to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories...

How to Lose Weight without Diet or Exercise

There are numerous ways to lose weight without following a diet or exercising regularly. While a combination of the two is generally the best way to lose weight, many people find it difficult to adhere to a diet and exercise regime. Consequently, they adopt a host of healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes to boost their weight loss attempts, such as those listed below. Stop buying unhealthy food in the first place This one is very straightforward. If you haven’t got any packets of sweets, biscuits or crisps lying around at home or in the office, then you aren’t able to eat them. Simple. To help prevent you from buying...

Losing Weight: Our Top Tips

Weight loss advice can be found all over the internet, but not all of it is good advice. We aim to provide you with some of our favourite tips, which have been backed up by science, to aid your attempts to lose weight naturally. If you are attempting to lose weight you should consider talking to your doctor beforehand, especially if you have a medical condition or take medication. Eat more fruit and vegetables You will rarely find a successful weight loss diet that doesn’t tell you to include plenty of fruit and vegetables. Rich in fibre and nutrients, as well as containing water, fruit and veg are often low in calories. Whether...

How to Lose Weight Fast and Safely

Rapid weight loss is highly desired by many people, but losing too much weight too quickly can be dangerous. You need to know how to lose weight safely so that you boost your health, not harm it. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to starve yourself to lose weight. You can enjoy a wide range of healthy, nutritious foods every day and still lose weight quickly, without hunger pains. The key to weight loss is regular exercise and a well-balanced, nutritious diet that is easy for you to stick to in the long-term. How is weight lost? Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. If you were to burn 500 more...

Micronutrients

The human body is a complex structure of biological mechanisms that require various nutritional components to function. These nutrients are classified as macronutrients, (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fibre and water), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) and phytochemicals. Vitamins Vitamins are essential nutrients that are needed to ensure metabolic reactions are carried out properly. When the body lacks vitamins, reactions can malfunction which eventually leads to various health issues. Most of these important vitamins can’t be made in the body, meaning they must be consumed in your diet. There are 13 vitamins,...

Sugar

Most people in the UK are eating too much sugar and are restricting themselves on the amount of sweets, cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks they consume. Having sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories so cutting down could help you control your weight. Sugar levels Make sure you read the labels thoroughly. Remember that other words can be used to describe added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. Another way of finding out how much sugar is...

Dairy and Milk

This food group consists of cheese, milk, fromage frais and yoghurt and are high in calcium. Cream, margarine and butter pertain to the fat and sugar group. Why is calcium important? Calcium is a mineral which makes for strong teeth and bones. It ensures your nerves and muscles function effectively. It is vital for growth, strengthening your bones into your mid-thirties, when an individual reaches peak bone mass. Thereupon, due to the aging process, bones lose density and get weaker. Should your dietary intake of calcium not have been sufficient prior to this, you have a greater risk of your bones not being strong enough to handle any...

BMI – Body Mass Index and BMI Calculator

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way to measure body fat levels. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by Adolphe Quetelet, and so it is sometimes referred to as the Quetelet scale. Why is BMI important? BMI is an important and useful way to measure someone’s weight. It helps to standardise what is ‘healthy’ across the population. Issues arise when trying to state what is a healthy body weight and what isn’t. Someone who is 1.9m tall is not going to have the same healthy body weight as a person who is 1.4m tall; they will simply weigh more by being taller. BMI takes this into account, and judges bodyweight against height, giving a...

Food and Diet Myths

There are hundreds of food myths and assumptions that are banded about by ‘experts’, dietitians, websites, magazines, etc. They can range from the more popular myths such as, “is skipping breakfast ok?” to “healthier foods are too expensive”. The following are the most common and popular beliefs many people hold: ”Diet experts keep changing what is healthy eating and what is not” False - The majority of people think that nutrition experts regularly change their minds regarding diets and often disagree with one another. However, the main messages about healthy eating have remained the same for some time. An example of...

Portion Control Tips

To control your weight, you need to pay close attention to portion sizes, not just choosing a healthy mix of foods. We overeat to the tune of 500 calories or so each day – but where do these extra calories come from? Over-consumption of fast food and fizzy drinks is the answer, as well as overly large portion sizes. It’s little wonder there is an obesity crisis right now, and restricting our portion sizes is one of the ways to address the problem of overeating. It is important to remember that every person is different. What might feel like a small portion of food to someone else could feel very large to you. Listen to your...

Soy-Free Diet

An allergy to soy is fairly common, particularly among children and babies, with around 0.4 per cent of children being allergic to soy. Usually, a soy allergy is outgrown by the age of 10, however it can continue into adulthood. Due to the health problems posed, some people must therefore adhere to a soy-free diet. What is a soy-free diet? Soybeans are a part of the legume family, which includes beans, peas, peanuts and lentils. An allergy to soy does not mean you are any more likely to have an allergy to other legumes than someone who is not allergic to soy. There are a number of food products that should be avoided on a soy-free...
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