Our body weight is not directly proportional to the amount we eat but rather how much calories is present in the food. If we consume more calories than we burn up, the body weight will still increase accordingly.

There are a number of factors which may contribute to the dilemma above. One of them is genetics. If ones parents are on the chubbier side, then he or she stands at a higher risk of falling into the same category as well. Babies which are overfed since birth have a higher chance of obesity as well.

High calorie content foods are another contributing factor to obesity. E.g. a salad contains about 10 to 12 calories only, but with the addition of seasonings and sauces i.e. mayonnaise & thousand island sauce which are extremely high in fat content and calories would make it an entirely different story. For example, one tablespoon of thousand island sauce contains around 59 calories and 4 milligrams of cholesterol. A single milkshake carries around 2000 calories, which is more than what a male adult require daily for energy!

Planning and calculating your calorie intake is a great way to watch ones figure. As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Given that it is the very first meal after a full night’s rest of our digestive system, our body tends to absorb more of what we are eating, hence one must avoid heavy, oily and fried items.

Try consuming more plant-based organic food and reduce the pace of eating. Our brain takes about 20 minutes to receive signals from our nervous system that we are “full & satisfied”, it is recommended that one takes around half an hour to finish each meal instead of hurrying it through.

Most vegetarian food are deep fried or cooked with much oil to bring out the flavour and thus contain higher calories owing to the oils used. The high fat content does not help much with weight reduction. One should avoid oily and fried food, but instead practice eating more steamed or boiled food. The best diet is to use a balanced plant diet to control calorie intake and maintain a healthy body.

Butter and margarine may contain the same amount of calories. A tablespoon of butter or a tablespoon of margarine contains about 100 calories. Similarly, a tablespoon of animal fats such as bacon oil contains about 130 calories, similar to vegetable oil. Henceforth, even with the switching to margarine or vegetable oil, it does not help with weight loss. The best way to lose weight is to avoid taking these fatty acids to reduce overall calorie intake.

The low calorie diet often include plant based, boiled or steamed foods, which may be too bland for some. Some people are not used to these lighter foods right away, preferring to eat delicious fried foods, and so they choose to exercise instead as an alternative to losing weight. Although exercise can help burn up ample calories, reducing one’s calorie intake is still the more effective way to go. With an hour of jogging, you can burn up to 413 calories, which is equivalent to taking out three cans of Coke in calories. But for those who are not used to strenuous exercise, this method may prove to be quite laborious.

Reducing calorie intake can reduce weight more effectively, moreover low calorie diets are nutritious and healthy. In addition, a balanced diet and regular exercise are all essential for the strengthening of our immune system. Successful weight management requires determination and persistence!

Conversely, lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. Studies have shown that the lack of sleep increases hormones that control our appetite, making us hungrier and reducing leptin hormones that make people feel full instead. Appetite may become uncontrollable with the lack of sleep and leads to even more calorie intake in the longer run. One study found that calorie intake during extra waking hours is usually higher than what we burn up instead, which in turn increases our body weight.

Try eating slowly, pace it out. If you are used to eating meat, you may still eat some, but not excessively. Lean meat, fish and poultry, such as chicken breast is preferable. Try grilling with no oil, but add a little salt and pepper seasoning instead and try eating more steamed cooked or boiled vegetables. A high-fibre diet can help you feel full for a longer time.

Reduce your intake of bread, pasta and sauces. In order to achieve the target of losing one kilogram in a week, it is recommended that a woman consume under 800 calories a day and a man consume within the range of 1000 calories. Remember, even a single cookie contains about 128 calories. If you want to reduce one kilogram in a week, eating six to eight cookies a day means you must refrain from eating any other food on that very day itself.

Many herbal slimming teas contain tea or tea extracts and is laxative in nature. Tea contains about 3.5% caffeine; caffeine is a harmful stimulant and the laxatives may weaken the body’s immune system and cause diarrhoea, anorexia, and kidney failure. Laxatives can only stimulate the large intestine, promoting increased bowel movements, but does not contribute to the burning up of any calories, and have no significant health benefits.

People who employ the low-carbohydrate diets refrain from all carbohydrate in their diet and conversely increase their protein and fat intake. They do not eat bread, rice, and pasta, but they consume copious amounts of meat, cheese, and butter instead. Although some weight can be reduced in a short period of time, the reason for such weight loss is mostly due to the loss of water and muscle tissue, rather than the loss of fat. However, fat is the most important thing to lose when attempting to lose weight. Muscle burns up more calories than fat, and once the low-carbohydrate diet is stopped, the loss of muscle tissue makes weight loss even more difficult after.

Low-carbohydrate diets are generally quite unhealthy. People who use low-carbohydrate diets would only allow themselves to consume small amounts of fruits and vegetables, and thus they do not have a well-balanced intake of essential nutrients. High intake of meat over a long period of time can also bring about heart diseases, diabetes, stroke, and may even pose potential cancer risks. Excessive intake of animal proteins also put tremendous stress on the kidneys.

This can be only be inferred based on the weight loss method you employ. Incorrect dieting practices, including fasting or eating very little, may lead the body gradually adapting to lesser and lesser amount of food. When the body muscle lacks the required fuel to burn, the body stores up fat instead and shed muscle tissues to prepare for possible starvation. Burning up calories with less muscle mass lowers our metabolism, and with lower metabolism, we would require less calories than ever before, thus weight management becomes a more difficult affair. On the other hand, a protein-rich, low-calorie and balanced diet with loads of vegetable and fruits can help increase the muscle mass and consequently burn off the fat. A low calorie diet can prevent a sudden dip in metabolism, and taking in healthier food in the meantime can do great things for our health.