By Feriha İbrahim
Summer time means wearing
fewer layers, but also becoming more body-conscious. Few people are blessed
with having a high metabolic rate, allowing them to burn off whatever they eat.
The vast majority of us will put on weight if our intake of daily calories goes
up, while our physical activity levels remain the same or go down.
The dangers of fad diets
Whatever the latest diet
gurus say, there is no magic formula for rapid, safe and permanent weight loss.
As many individuals will testify, paying out for fad diets will see your weight
come back just as quickly as it fell off, because they are not sustainable. Indeed,
one of the major worries of following a popular diet is the negative impact it can
have on your body.
Many people try crash
diets, which can make you ill as you dramatically decrease your food intake,
leaving you too weak to function normally. Others exclude entire food types,
such as meat and dairy, or carbohydrates, which depletes your body of vital minerals
and vitamins, or provides an excess of one food type, such as saturated fats,
which can increase the risk of heart disease.
7 tips for sensible weight-loss
Here are seven simple
ways to lose weight healthily – and keep the weight off!
1.
Eat breakfast! Too many people skip this vital meal, which
deprives you of good energy at the start of the day. Research shows those who
eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight.
2.
Cut down on the amount of fat you eat by trimming the fat off
meat, switching from full-fat to skimmed milk, and using more low-fat spreads.
3.
Swap white rice, bread and pasta for wholegrain varieties. Wholegrain
takes more time to digest, so you feel fuller for longer.
4.
Have five portions of fruit and vegetables every day – vary
what you eat to ensure you get a good mix of nutrients.
5.
Ditch sugary drinks for lower calorie alternatives or, even
better, for some sparkling water with a slice of lemon – refreshing and good
for you!
6.
Tempted to snack? Drink some water or a cup of tea first.
Often we think we are hungry, but our bodies are merely thirsty.
7. Exercise regularly: aim to do 150 minutes of
moderate-to-intense physical activity each week.
Orlistat – a medical jumpstart for the obese
If your Body Mass Index
(weight divided by height squared) is over 30 and you are struggling to achieve
weight loss through regular means, you can also consider trying a
medically-approved diet aid.
Some pharmacists are now
authorised to supply Orlistat under the Weight Loss Patient Group Directive to
those who are significantly overweight. This medicine, issued under strict
guidelines, can help you to lose weight by blocking the enzymes in your gut
which digest fat. Nearly a third of the fat can then pass out with your stools
(faeces).
The normal dose is one
capsule (120 mg), three times a day with each meal. However, you do not need to
take one if there is no fat in the meal or if you miss a meal. Many people will
also take multivitamins to compensate for any nutrients that are lost when the
undigested fat passes through your system.
Talk to your local
pharmacist, who will first ask you to complete a form. If you qualify, you will
be set realistic targets for weight-loss and be regularly monitored. You will
still have to diet and do exercise, but your body is given a major boost by Orlistat.
Although the medicine doesn’t work for everyone, four in ten people who stuck
to the guidelines did record a significant drop in weight.
For more information,
visit the Weight Loss section on NHS Choices online, which has lots of useful
guides, as well as anecdotal stories about people trying different ways to lose
weight.
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