A Few Tips On Choosing The Right Diet Plan For Weight Loss

Are you looking to lose weight in a healthy and natural way? Are you flooded with fitness and diet plans from experts, friends and even from people who know nothing about losing weight? It does get quite frustrating at times when you keep getting unsolicited advice from almost everybody about weight loss, doesn't it? This is why it is important for you to know the right approach to losing weight. Some people work out for long hours at the gym but still don't knock off those extra kilos from their body. Ever wondered why? It is because they don't follow a proper diet plan. Being cautious about the food that you eat and avoiding fatty or oily food is just not enough anymore. You need to follow an accurate timetable, eat in small quantities at regular intervals and know your timings. How do you choose the right diet plan? Here are few tips that can help you in this regard.

1. Depending or supporting attitude
Do you always to lookup to others for support regarding suggestions to knock off those extra kilos? Do you work out together in a group so that you get inspired by the others and thus perform better in your weight management programs? If yes, you need to choose a diet plan that has been tried and tested by celebrities. This gives you the assurance that it works and you always examples to draw inspirations from. The only thing that you need to remember is to follow these plans along with a group of friends so that you can constantly monitor each other and know where you to stand.

2. Snack lovers
Some people cannot resist their temptation towards chocolates, ice creams and other oily snacks. If you belong to this type, the best diet plan for you would be to include a lot of fibre-rich fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The other important point that you need to remember is to keep all those evil delicacies at a faraway place so that you don't have easy access to them as and when you want to eat them. When you have a craving to eat some crispy or oily snack, you can take the help of chewing gum or peppermint, as they divert your mind away from binge eating, to a great extent.

There is no such plan that you need to follow strictly to bring the desired weight loss in you. Never allow the process to dominate your thinking and affect your personality. Weight loss should never be a stressful procedure. If it becomes stressful, you will not be able to achieve the desired results. If you want to be successful in your objective, you should know your strengths and weaknesses and then decide on a diet plan accordingly.

The Internet, self-help books, celebrities and a host of other sources may try to give you various perspectives and ideas about shedding off the extra flab in your body. However, it is important to understand that each one's individual body and mental conditioning is different. What works for a celebrity need not work for you. Understand your individuality and choose the right plan so that you enjoy losing your weight. If you want to be sure about your plan, consult with your medical expert as well if the foods that you have finalised in your plan are suitable for your health. This way, you can be sure of eating the right foods at the right time. The budget also plays an important role when you decide the food items in your plan. You need to be judicious and choose only those food items that fall under your affordability levels so that you don't strain yourself too much in this process.

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Balanced Diet

Losing Belly Fat on a Budget

A big concern about losing stomach fat is how much money will it all cost?
Though the prospect of spending money in order to provide results is largely a well designed marketing lie to get you to buy the latest and greatest products on offer.

The truth is Fat Loss doesn't need to be an expensive venture!
In fact having money to burn when it comes to losing stomach fat will provide you with very little if any extra benefit.

Truth be known, effective fat loss comes from what you know and how you use information as opposed to what kind of fitness toys you have.

By far its the simplest things that will provide you with the most results when it comes to losing stomach fat.

As far as daily exercise is concerned, finding an activity that you enjoy can be much more effective than buying the latest expensive piece of exercise equipment. After all the best type of exercise you can do to burn stomach fat is an exercise that you don't mind doing often.

Sports for example are fun and therefor a great motivator, we often see sporting activities more as a leisure activity rather than exercise, but the simple fact is that anything that gets your heart rate elevated is exercise and is doing you the world of good. Whether you enjoy golf, tennis, soccer or hiking, snorkeling or indoor rock climbing; all these activities are great fat burners and if done regularly will provide solid fat loss results.

The real key to success for losing belly fat on a budget is establishing a plan which organizes your eating and exercise regime. In other words structuring your lifestyle centering around your ultimate fat loss goals.

Top Budget Diet Tips

• Fresh whole foods provide valuable nutrition with the least amount of calories, look for 'in season' fruit and veg to keep costs down
• Eggs are are not only a great source of protein and omega 3 acids but they are also relatively cheap and can be used in a wide range of recipes.
• When cooking look for simple, tasty yet healthy recipes and dishes which freeze well. A good low fat lasagna recipe will not only be cheap to make but will be highly nutritious and easily portioned and frozen for convenient quick meal.
• Fresh nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts and macadamia nuts are not only relatively cheap in comparison to highly processed snack foods but are also high in fiber, protein and good fats which actually help your body to burn fat. Nuts make excellent convenient snacks at any time of day and will help to keep your metabolism humming along.
• Water is without doubt the most undervalued resource in our world today and can be extremely helpful in losing stomach fat. Pound for pound, drinking water regularly throughout your day is without doubt the most cost effective way to burn stomach fat.
• Many small changes can add up to big results, changing from full cream milk to low or even half fat milk will reduce your saturated fat intake yet the change will cost you almost nothing.

Budget exercise ideas that will save you money.

• Buying a good pair of running shoes is an invaluable investment, just look for any excuse to throw them use your legs instead of using your car which will cost you in fuel and added mileage.
• Living near the coast is a huge bonus, swimming is probably the best exercise you can do but also the sea water is great for muscle recovery and running on soft sand is a great way to drastically reduce the impact and potential damage that can be done to joints when running on hard surfaces.
• Buy a few Yoga, Pilates or dance Fitness DVD's they don't cost the earth and if you have a few friends who are are trying to lose weight you can swap and share!
• While paying someone to mow your lawn may seem easier, doing it yourself provides a great mini workout and get you out in the sun and fresh air.
• Although many people don't regard stretching as an exercise, lengthening your muscles by regularly stretching increases blood flow to muscles and helps to increase metabolism. Stretching will also help to prevent injury, reduce stress by releasing those natural feel feel good drugs, endorphins.

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Healthy Super foods You Must Include In Your Kids Diet

Weight Loss - Lose 9 Lbs in 11 Days With a Healthy Diet Plan

Fat loss 4 idiots is a web-based budget diet, a diet generator that allow you to choose type of aliments that you like and then generates a 11 day diet menu from your pick.

It is so to help you lose your belly fat fast and healthily. Eating the right food at the right time will trigger the Fat Burning Hormones, so you can lose fat faster than any other diets and most importantly, you can do so safely. Usual diets can cost an arm and a leg when it comes to the price, but with this program not only will you be able to purchase you food in normal groceries but you will also learn how to make the food yourself. This will help you keep the weight off after you are done with the diet since you will know how to cook your food.

And also because you are choosing type of food that you like you will be less tempted to cheat on your diet. But eating what you like while on diet is not the only reason why Fat Loss 4 Idiots it a great diet plan. With usual diet plans, you sometime eat more or less 1 meals a day in order to reduce your calorie intake. But with Fat loss 4 Idiots you are invited to eat 4 meals a day. And this is actually one of the things required to lose 9 pounds each 11 days.

I can already hear you going like: "how can I lose weight eating more?". The question you should ask yourself is "Have usual diet plans made you lose the weight you wanted to get rid of?". If you are still looking for a working weight loss diet plan then chances are that the answer is... nope. But with medical progress and new discovery, some have come to realize that Fat Hormones are stimulated from the food that you eat and depending on what you are eating and when you are eating it, the human body would produces a rather big load of those Hormones. Resulting in quicker weight loss.

The diet menu you have chosen (obviously because you like it), eaten 4 times a day will cause you Fat Burning Hormones to work at a fast and non-stop pace and you will be observing results inside that first 11 days cycle. Everyone can lose 9 pounds using this system but even if it is just 3 to 4 pounds a cycle, fact is you will still be losing weight healthily.

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What is a Healthy Diet for Kids? Tips and Tricks

Making Your Diet Work on a Budget

When you look at any of the Hollywood Diets of the day you will notice one common domineer. Cost, these diet plans are never cheap and defiantly not something worth spending money on.
The problem with diets is that we are all different. Our metabolism's work at different rates, some of us use calories more one day than another and some will only ever eat and exercise based on their budget.

Budget Dieting seems to cause a lot of people to give up before they even start. But this doesn't have to be the case. It is fully possible to involve yourself in healthy eating, even if you are on a very tight budget.

This may require a little bit of extra time and effort to plan your meals, but you can make good and inexpensive food choice in order to provide your body with excellent nutrition.Yes 'health foods' are expensive but a healthy diet combined with ample exercise shouldn't require specialty foods.

Planning is the key to sustaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. This can be time consuming to start with but in the long run can save you a lot of hassle and expense. The basis for any good diet should be nutrition and cover all the major requirements for our body's to function effectively: Carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and fats.
The easiest and cheapest way to control your intake and expenditure is by making your own meals. Buy the basic ingredients for a full weeks meal plan, cook your seven days worth of foods portion them up and freezing them (remember to label them so you know what's what). Then all you have to do is re-heat them when you need. You will also find that if you are buying 'deal' foods that you will probably have a lot left over(this is why you pre-portion) that you can use over the next few weeks.

You may even find that you can skip one of your big food shops a month due to the amount of 'left-overs' you have frozen.

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Children's Weight Loss Tips

A Low Budget Diet

While losing weight is good for your health, it may not always be good on your wallet. Many diets on the market will give us the weight loss results that we are looking for, but can take every penny we have. But we don't have to be pound-wise and penny foolish! If you want your wallet to remain fat and while trimming inches off your waistline, here's how to choose a low budget diet:

There are many so-called effective diets out there that rely on ready-made or pre-packaged meals. These are the ones that can really burn holes in your pocket as the dieters rely on products (that can be expensive) instead of foods that people buy at the grocery stores. Losing weight is not about custom-made meals or pre-packaged diet foods. How will you maintain your target weight without relying on these products? A good diet is about combining a healthy diet and an exercise plan that will fit with your lifestyle.

Focus on fresh: Vegetables will give you the fibre and vitamins you need to lose weight. If you want to save some money, buy in-season vegetables, as they may be more affordable. You might think that fresh fruits and vegetables cost you more than the usual processed foods you buy, but if you take a closer look and compare the prices you'll be surprised to find that you will be paying the same amount for junk foods (like snacks) as you do for a bag of fresh fruits and veggies.

Plan to see a difference: When you plan your meals, you can make a list of what you need to buy. This will help you save money as you won't end up buying something you will not use or have to throw away spoiled food. You'll also save repeated trips to the grocery store. Planning will also help you cook larger portions that you can freeze and eat another day.

Cut the carbs: Many effective diets encourage people to cut down on the amount of carbohydrates they eat. Even if you don't choose to follow a low-carb diet, cutting down on carbs by not eating white bread, pasta, white rice and goodies like doughnuts and cookies will always help you lose weight. Sodas are another item to cut down on. Drinking water in not only a good way to lose weight and be healthy but it will also help you save some money.

Keep your eyes open: How will that help you lose weight and save money? The answer is simple, just look for discounts, special sales and compare prices. You can also use search for coupons online, oftentimes you will be surprised with how much you can save!
Pick the right proteins: Everyone knows that protein helps you build muscle when combined with the right exercise. When you are at the grocery store, choose lean meats and see if any deals are being offered.

Slimming shakes, energy bars and other similar foods may be convenient but that's not something you can follow for the rest of your life. Also, these foods may also contain preservatives which don't really do you any good. A good weight loss diet is one that focuses on fresh food and healthy eating and exercise and that will keep both you and your wallet happy.

Jason is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. He has made the journey from an out of shape 180-pounder to a 155-pound lean machine. The transformation was made possible by the weight loss program he started a few years ago and ever since then, he doesn't spare any opportunity to spread the good word around for these structured weight loss plans.

He lives in New York with his wife of two years. His other interests include traveling and painting. He has painted over 50 beautiful landscapes while visiting foreign countries and he plans on opening an art gallery in New York at the end of the year to display his artwork.

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5 Tips for Choosing and Eating Organic Foods for a Healthy Life

 
The demand for organic foods has increased manifold in recent times as people are becoming more health conscious. These foods have the great knack of making people healthier and thus we as human beings should adopt healthier ways of eating. There has been a lot of debate in recent times as to whether organic foods are healthy or not. Below are some tips for building your very own pantry of organic foods.

1. Find a farm for organic food
Purchasing food from both organic and local food can be ideal at times. You can ask your family, friends and other workers to show you some green markets for purchasing fresh organic food. This can help you a lot in the long run.

2. Ask a lot of questions
It doesn't matter whether you are buying all your food directly from any farmer or at a local supermarket, you shouldn't be afraid of asking questions. You need to enquire and get to know more about the source of a particular food item in order to justify yourself that it is healthy and eatable.

3. Read all the food labels
While you are seeking out the organic food, read all the food labels. The food packaged should be marked in a clear manner with the seal of a certified food. Typically, fruits and vegetables have a seal or a sticker on them that clearly certifies them to be eatable.

4. Organic food should be purchased only within your budget
Most of the individuals who are working with a limited budget should not worry a lot about this and should purchase the food only within their budget. People on a budget should buy foods during the season, or buy in bulk and other splitting areas in order to save money.

5. Find a balance
While you are seeking out and also purchasing any food, it might not be a practical solution for all the persons in a particular location. Also many individuals will not always have an access to the supermarkets that can offer these options. You shouldn't let this to be a determinant for you eating vegetables and fruits. Just do your best and buy the best or freshest vegetable sand fruits that are available in a close proximity and you will be alright. This can keep you healthy as you will be on an organic diet. It is one of the important things to remember.

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Cooking at Home is the Recipe for Healthy Weight Loss

People who eat home cooked food most nights of the week, consume up to 140 less calories a day than those who rely on ready meals, restaurants and takeaways.

That amounts to over 50,000 calories in a year - the equivalent of 14lbs of fat.

The study from John Hopkins University¹ also found that the home-cooked-food group ate less fat, sugar and salt and more fibre.

“When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all – even if they are not trying to lose weight,”

says Julia A. Wolfson, MPP lead author of the study. She went on to say: 

“The evidence shows people who cook at home eat a more healthy diet."

Wolfson and co-author Sara N. Bleich, PhD, researchers in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, analyzed data from the 2007-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from more than 9,000 participants aged 20 and older.

The survey asked detailed questions about what participants ate during a 24-hour period as well as other eating behaviours such as fast food in the past 30 days.

The study found 8 percent of participants ate home-cooked dinner once or less a week and consumed an average of 2301 calories a day.

The forty-eight percent of participants ate dinner cooked at home six to seven times a week and they consumed 2,164 calories a day.
The research also found that those who cook at home more frequently are less likely to choose fast foods on the occasions when they eat out.

But wait, you say, I haven't got time!
At the end of a busy day you get home to an empty fridge, no energy and you're starving - it's too easy to make bad decisions on what to eat; takeaways and fast food seem an easy option.
We’d suggest the first place to look is at WLR’s articles:
Check out our helpful article Easier Evening Meals for some time-saving ideas.

If it's cooking skills, or knowing how to cook healthily, that's holding you back take a look at Laurence's Healthy Cooking Tips

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How I Eat Healthy on a Low Budget! (Cheap & Clean)

Want to Diet on a Budget?

It’s often imagined that dieting is expensive and that buying all of the nutritious and tasty ingredients needed for a balanced diet will increase your food bills to astronomical proportions. 

We have been conditioned to think that with all the cheap ‘ready’ meals available in the shops, if you are shopping on a budget then dieting and a healthy eating lifestyle are not possible.  We’ve created a 4 week plan and some handy hints and tips to follow that will help you lose weight without spending a fortune at the supermarket.
The food in our Budget Diet Plan comes in at just £98.21 for one person for one month if bought from Sainsburys (cheapest according to www.mysupermarket.co.uk Jan 2014). That’s £24.55 per week for all your meals!

How to Diet on a Budget

There’s no reason why you need to throw your food budgeting out the window as soon as you start to count your calories. You just need to remember a few handy hints for keeping those costs down.
We’ll show you how to plan properly, shop economically and how to get the most from your food while still achieving your weight loss goals. By joining WLR using our completely free trial and using our cheap diet meal plan, you’ll find that following a diet on a budget is no longer a problem, and you’ll soon become an expert at creating delicious healthy meals for a fraction of the price.
Our 4 week budget diet plan has been designed to give you a host of practical, cheap recipes that can often be prepared in advance and frozen for later use. This will enable you to save money as well as keeping to your target calorie allowance.
Built into the budget recipe instructions are some simple tools and ideas to help you save time and money, enjoy yourself and rediscover your kitchen.  If you know the right places to make adjustments there’s no reason why shopping for diet meals should cost any more than if you were to buy convenience foods – in fact you might even save yourself a few pennies whilst you shed the pounds and lose weight!

Plan, Plan Plan!

Planning is the key to dieting on a budget – if you make time to plan you will save yourself plenty of pounds. We have made this easier for you by giving you two weeks of meals and recipes to help you diet on a budget - including breakfast, lunch and dinner (which repeat for the last two weeks of the month). This means any frozen leftovers can be used at a later date and you will know what you need to buy in and when.
As you see how the diet plan fits together and how you can carry ingredients over, you can start to think about next month, and how you can add your own little tweaks and preferences to create new and exciting ideas.

Savvy Diet Shopping

When you do go shopping, always have a list of exactly what you need for your budget diet meals and always stick to it! Don’t be tempted by seemingly good offers, they are there to get rid of the supermarket’s own planning errors -  if it’s not on your list then you don’t need it.
Planning ahead with our diet meal plan means you can buy in bulk and drive the costs down even further. If you do spot an item you need as an ingredient at a bargain price then you can save even more, knowing that you will be using it! Our diet meal plan eliminates the trouble of planning for you - stick to it and you’ll see how eating healthy on a budget should be done.

Get the Most from Your food

We’ll help you maximise your whole roast chicken for up to 4 days, while at the same time cutting your calories and tantalising your taste buds. We’ve tossed in plenty of sumptuous salads and hearty soups and a plentiful serving of perfect pasta recipes.  Not content with that, you will be spoiled with traditional favourites such as the Sunday Roast and Full English Breakfast, not to mention a good portion of your 5 a day!

If you can, Freeze it!

If you’ve bought in bulk or just haven’t got time to eat something before the use-by-date, just freeze it. You can make your food last much longer by popping it in the freezer, eliminating waste and saving you money.
Look out for meals that can be frozen in our budget diet plan to see how you can make your food and your money go further.  You can also save time by making a batch of food ahead of time and freezing in individual packs: your own ready meals!

Keep Those Portions in Check!

Watching your portion sizes isn’t only important for your weight loss.  Our diet plan has pre set the servings for you, as the left over’s will be key to the following day’s meals. Making sure you don’t cook unwanted food means your shopping will last much longer and you won’t throw so much away. Divide packets and measure out portions so you know exactly what you need.

Do It Yourself!

It is far cheaper to cook a meal from scratch than it is to buy a ready meal – and often it’s healthier too. You don’t have to be a Delia in the kitchen as these recipes are simple and effective, and if you give them a try you’ll be surprised by some of the dishes you can make - and the cost of them! 
One simple trick is to mix oil in a spray bottle to coat your frying pan. Simply dilute 5ml extra virgin olive oil with 45ml water or use the ratio 1 oil to 9 water. Remember to shake the bottle well before use as oil and water will not mix. Not only will a £3.00 bottle of olive oil go further and last much longer, but you’ll reduce your calories at the same time!

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Improve Your Self-Esteem To Lose Weight

A woman who was overweight told me, "I'll improve my self-esteem when I lose weight". The sad thing is, it's exactly the opposite. If this woman never had poor self-esteem, she probably would never have gone on a diet, and gained the weight that she is now fighting.

The Things You Resist Persist
The Law of Attraction shows us that our focus in life is what creates our reality. When you are constantly focused on hating your body, dieting and depriving yourself, blaming your body for not looking like others, you will create a stressful reaction. Stress slows down your metabolism and actually makes the problem of weight even worse!

Brain science shows the same effect: the thought that you think frequently create neural networks in your brain. Your thoughts affect your physiology. If you doubt that, consider how your heart pounded last time you had a nightmare. It was imaginary, but your body doesn't know the difference.

The Best Way To Boost Your Self Esteem
You came to the earth as a totally unique human being. You have your own talents, gifts and interests that are different from everyone else. It's doing your purpose that gives you the greatest joy, and helps others.

When you are focused only upon your physical body and your perceived attractiveness, you are neglecting your life's purpose. Any changes, a blemish, a bad hair day, a couple of extra pounds, will make you believe that you are unattractive. Ultimately, if you are lucky enough to live past your 30's, your body will age. You will develop wrinkles, your hair will turn gray and other signs of aging will show on your exterior. On the other hand, your soul and inner beauty only grows as you give more of yourself and share your gifts.

I recently spoke with a woman in a "Strategy Session" who focused so much of her life on every morsel of food she ate; she took walks only to burn calories, had hand weights and ankles weights she wore to make her body work harder. I asked her what she did in her life to use her mind and her talents to help others?

"You know", she said, "I've just recently met a few people who were disabled and felt unable to give anything to others. I've realized what contributions they were able to make to me from our conversations, and how much I saw them as worthy human beings. I didn't see them as crippled! I realized from talking to you that I've made myself crippled because of my focus on how my body wasn't perfect".

Wow, what a realization! Are you obsessed with your body and dieting? Is it time for you to find a new focus, and live a purpose that doesn't have to do with your body? You'll find if you live your life on purpose, as you share your gifts, you learn to value what's inside your body. Your self-esteem grows exponentially. Your stress level lowers. And for many people, this personal growth and change in your mindset and focus is enough to start weight loss.

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Comparing Lives: Tips on How to Be Happy With Your Life and Not Comparing Yourself to Others

Are you someone who is interested in taking your health to the next level? If so, there is a good chance you have considered adding green tea to your daily eating plan. You have likely heard all of the positive notes about how beneficial this type of tea is to your health and as such, have replaced your morning cup of coffee with this beverage.

But, as it turns out there is a beverage even better you will want to consider adding to the mix. That beverage? Matcha tea.

What is this and how does it stack up? Let's look a little closer at what you need to know...
1. What Is Matcha Tea. Match tea is essentially a very concentrated form of green tea and as such, gives you all the benefits green tea has to offer, only amplified.

As it is very concentrated, you will note the taste is usually stronger as well, so for those who love the taste of green tea, chances are you will fall in love with matcha tea and what it has to offer.

How Can Matcha Tea Benefit You? What will you gain from drinking this tea? First, note the antioxidant content of one cup provides the equivalent of 10 cups of green tea. So by serving yourself this one beverage in the morning, you will be doing your part to fend off oxidative damage and disease.

Next, matcha tea will deliver you the same metabolic boosting properties green tea does, which can go a long way towards assisting with weight loss and your overall body weight control...

• those who drink matcha green tea regularly will also notice they are better able to stabilize their blood sugar levels, so this can further assist with your weight loss efforts while also helping you combat Type 2 diabetes.
• you can count on matcha green tea to help give you a great energy boost and keep you in the zone while doing a workout session as well. The unique thing about matcha tea is it contains both caffeine and L-theanine, which helps exert calming and stress busting effects on your body. First, you will get the energizing effect of caffeine, but to counteract the common jittery feeling most people get, you will then find the L-theanine will help keep you calm and mentally focused: one of the best pre-workout options you can use.

It has been revealed matcha tea will help combat some diseases including cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

 

Next time you are looking for something warm to drink, why not consider adding some matcha tea to your day? It is one of the best beverages you could be putting into your system to improve your health and manage your blood sugar levels.

 

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

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Criticising your children for their 'puppy fat' makes them more likely to be obese as an adult

Singling out children for their puppy fat can leave them 'psychologically scarred' and likely to get even fatter in future, a study has found.

So-called 'fat shaming' may lead to feelings of stigma that result in comfort eating, researchers say.

Children labelled as being too heavy by their parents went on to weigh more as adults than children of similar weight whose parents did not label them as fat.

Being told they were overweight also led the children to make ultimately unsuccessful attempts to diet.

The findings may cost doubt on the wisdom of the nationwide NHS scheme to measure the height and weight of all primary school children, in which many pupils have been labelled as overweight or obese.

Eric Robinson of Liverpool University and Angelina Sutin of Florida State University analysed two large studies which track child development.

In the first study, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, tracked the weight of children in 4,983 families from the ages of four or five until 14 or 15 years old.

During the course of the study, parents were asked if they considered their children to be either underweight, normal weight, somewhat overweight and very overweight.

The authors write 'children who were perceived as being overweight at age 4 or 5 gained more weight over the next decade, in part because they perceived themselves to be overweight.'

The children also 'made more attempts to lose weight through dieting at age 12 or 13 than the children who were perceived as normal weight earlier in childhood.'

One in five children in the study were overweight or obese – although 86 per cent of their parents thought they were 'normal'.

In the second study of 8,568 families –the Growing Up in Ireland study – followed children at two points in their lives – at the ages of nine and 13.

At both ages, parents were interviewed and similarly asked if they considered their child to be underweight, overweight or normal.

The authors said the second study found the same result as that in Australia.

Compared with children whose parents perceived them to be of normal weight, the children seen as overweight at age nine 'gained more weight by age 13'.

Just as in the first study, the children labelled as overweight had also made more attempts to diet.

Many of the parents did not see their children as overweight – even though the body mass index of a third of the children showed they were overweight or obese

Of these overweight children, more than half (55 per cent) were identified as being of normal weight by their parent, while 44 per cent were accurately seen as overweight.

In both studies, the authors controlled for factors such as parents suffering from depression and being overweight and obese themselves.

In conclusion the authors write: 'Across two studies, we replicated the finding that children whose parents perceive them to be overweight are likely to gain more weight than peers who parents do not consider them to be overweight.' 

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Lose weight without dieting: simple 10 minute game retrains brain to avoid junk food

A game which trains the brain to avoid unhealthy food such as cakes, biscuits and chocolate can lead to ‘pain free’ weight loss and cut energy intake by more than 200 calories a day, scientists have said.

Psychologists at the University of Exeter showed that less than ten minutes a day of ‘brain training’ using a game which takes away the 'mental reward' of sugary and fatty foods, reduces calorie intake.
Professor Natalia Lawrence’s Food Trainer app is free and is being launched this week on Android devices.

It is based on neuroscience research which suggests people are more inclined to choose fatty and sugary foods because they activate the brain’s reward system, stimulating the release of dopamine and endorphins, which can produce feelings of pleasure and make the person want more.

The game works by flashing up pictures of healthy and unhealthy food and the user has to react by only pressing on the healthy foods to score points. The simple act of ignoring healthy foods, and stimulating the reward response to healthy foods is enough to retrain the brain into craving healthier options, say scientists.

A study of 83 adults showed that people who played the game online just four  times in one week lost weight and ate an average of 220 kcal less per day - roughly equivalent to a chocolate-iced doughnut.
"It’s very exciting to see that our free and simple training can change eating habits and have a positive impact on some people’s lives," said Dr Lawrence.

“In an age where unhealthy food is so abundant and easily available and obesity is a growing health crisis, we need to design innovative ways to support people to live more healthily.
"We are optimistic that the way this app is devised will actually encourage people to opt for healthy food such as fruit and vegetables rather than junk food.”

Studio manager Fiona Furness was one of the first to trial the game and has lost two stone in weight so far, dropping from 11 stone to nine stone.

Mrs Furness, who is in her 50s, said the “pounds just melted way.”
“The results have been remarkable," she said.

"I used to feel really guilt about my bad snacking habits. I'dd often be rushing about, and I’d grab something high calorie and unsatisfying – often a packet of crisps. I’d be hungry again really soon afterwards so it became a vicious cycle.

“These days, if I am feeling peckish I’ll go for a banana or a pack of almonds. That’s the food I’m craving. I’m now closer to nine stone than 11 – the pounds just melted away over eight or nine months without me even noticing.

"The weight loss wasn’t really my goal though – I feel younger and more energetic. Perhaps I’m particularly susceptible to this kind of brain training, but it has been transformative for me.”
Nearly two thirds of adults in Britain are overweight or obese, and the UK is forecast to be the fattest country in Europe within 10 years

Users of the app, who should ideally use it for a few minutes a day without distractions, can tailor it to reduce compulsions to unhealthy food they have most problem with, as well as alcohol, but not to reduce consumption of healthy foods including vegetables.

The scientists have launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise up to £5,000 to develop the app, this week made available for android devices, into an app that can be used on i-phones and i- pads.

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The Key To Successful Weight Loss Is Setting Unrealistic Goals, Study Finds

The secret to losing weight lies in having unrealistic targets, research suggests.

A study of more than 24,000 obese people found that those who set themselves the target of dropping to their ‘dream weight’ managed to lose around 19% of their body weight - an average of three stone. 

In contrast, those who set themselves more realistic targets lost far less weight. 

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The study’s authors said slimmers should “shoot for the moon” when trying to lose weight and are calling for NHS weight loss guidance, which currently advises obese and overweight people to lose between 5-10% of their body weight, to be changed.

The secret to losing weight lies in having unrealistic targets, research suggests.

A study of more than 24,000 obese people found that those who set themselves the target of dropping to their ‘dream weight’ managed to lose around 19% of their body weight - an average of three stone. 

In contrast, those who set themselves more realistic targets lost far less weight. 

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The study’s authors said slimmers should “shoot for the moon” when trying to lose weight and are calling for NHS weight loss guidance, which currently advises obese and overweight people to lose between 5-10% of their body weight, to be changed.

Study author Amanda Avery, Nottingham University academic and consultant dietitian for Slimming World, said the findings are particularly important at a time when a greater number of people will be considering weight loss.

“January is the most popular time of the year to start a healthy weight loss programme and so it’s really important that people have the information they need to maximise their chances of success,” she said.

“We know that current NHS and NICE advice around realistic weight loss targets is designed to protect slimmers from disappointment. However, suggesting that people place limits on their weight loss aims could stop people from seeing what they’re capable of.

“It’s important that people have aspirations and can visualise themselves achieving success.”

She added that the research, conducted by the University of Nottingham on behalf of Slimming World, shows that it’s “best to inspire people to set the weight loss target they would personally really like to achieve”.

She believes this will aid motivation as, if it is really their dream weight, they’ll be more committed to achieving it.

“Setting a target is really only the beginning, though, and it’s vital that people also get regular support to make healthy changes to their eating and activity habits and to help them stay focused, committed and encouraged,” she continued.

“Working together with others to share experiences and solutions to challenges and to celebrate successful weight loss and behaviour change can keep people motivated to achieve long-term success.

“It’s great that the NHS and NICE already encourage people who want to lose weight to set a target, as our study found that people who set their own personal target – as most of our members choose to – were 10 times more likely to be successful.

“The next stage is for them to look more closely at how encouraging patients to aim for their dream weight can increase their chances of success, as long as they’re also getting support along the way.”

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