I’m sure you all know how much and what you should and shouldn’t eat if you want to lose weight, but I’d like to make a few points.
• You can’t lose weight quickly. Fat accumulates slowly and steadily, and that’s the way it will go. If you lose weight rapidly by fasting, it will come back just as quickly.
• Fat can’t be rubbed, melted or pummelled off. There’s no way to lose it from any particular part of the body: the parts you want to reduce most (breasts, hips) are often the last to go.
• Don’t believe anyone who claims to be able to remove the dimpled fat they call ‘cellulite’. This is a normal type of fat.
• Fad diets and food replacement diets are a waste of effort and money. Most cause loss of body water but don’t decrease your fat stores. Some are dangerous.
• Appetite-suppressing drugs are risky at any time of life, but especially in adolescence. They’re habit-forming, cause side-effects, and any weight you lose comes back after you stop them.
• Snacking between meals is often the culprit. Most snack foods contain lots of kilojoules. I know it’s hard to break the snack habit, but it’s one of the best ways to start losing weight.
• Watch out for soft drinks. As we have seen, one 375-ml can of fizzy soft-drink contains nine teaspoons of sugar. If you drink one can each day, that’s 1500 grams of sugar per month just from soft drinks! Some fruit drinks and flavoured milks are also loaded with sugar.
• If you fancy a snack but know you don’t need it, do something instead. Iron your clothes, cut your toenails, walk the dog, even do your homework! Anything to keep you away from the fridge and biscuit tin.
If you’re having real trouble sticking to a diet to lose those extra kilograms, it may help to see a nutritionist who can give advice on good eating habits that you can keep for the rest of your life. Don’t go overboard about losing weight. Being too thin doesn’t look good and is bad for your health.
In the mid-teens many girls become quite sedentary. There’s school, studying at home, reading, the television, talking to Bends: all these things are done sitting down and though they may tire you, they use very little of the energy that comes from what you eat. I believe that reduced activity is as important as diet in teenage overweight. Fortunately it’s easier for most 10 increase their exercise than to diet, though combining the two works best to get of extra kilograms.
The exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous, though a good run or session at the gym that brings out a sweat usually leaves enough afterglow to keep you feeling good (and surprisingly unpeckish) for the rest of the day. Moderate exercise is also good. A brisk walk, skipping, a swim, a game of tennis, even some house-cleaning will refresh you from that ‘dull body’ feeling that comes from sitting down for too long -helps clear the mind, too.
I know it’s often hard to find the time for exercise, but it’s worth the effort: even worth getting up half an hour earlier to run round a few blocks before you start the day’s programme. You’ll feel better all day (partly from self-righteousness!) and you’ll soon be able to tighten your belt. Try it!
*64/31/5*
