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WEIGHT LOSS: WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Posted under Women's Health by admin

Simple measures Eat half what you do at the moment. Cut down what you know fattens you – refined carbohydrates such as sugar and starch. Fats too should be reduced.

Simple painless measures first Use non-saccharine artificial sweeteners for stewed fruit and beverages, and avoid sugar

wherever possible.

Skim milk to replace milk, however little milk you use, is beneficial. Skim milk is now available in containers from dairies and food stores in the cities (and in most country areas), and tastes very pleasant for those who dislike the powdered form.

Alcohol This not only supplies masses of calories, but weakens the will in many things, including whether you will stick to your planned diet or not. A good idea, if you can’t cut it out altogether, is to make a compromise: drink alcohol only when you are out, for instance at parties; or take half your usual intake. Better if, for a period, you can remove it altogether. Beware the additions to alcoholics drinks, for example tonic water is full of calories. Whisky and soda, or pink gins, are less calorie filled. Beer is out; it is loaded with calories.

Crash diets These are useful in the short term but only after consulting your doctor. Those which completely remove one element in your diet should be avoided; a balance is much safer. Go out and buy a calorie counter at your chemist so that you can see what you are consuming.

Diuretics ‘I accumulate fluid, doctor.’ Some women have this problem – though it is not as common as some believe – but draining yourself of fluids is not the way to reduce weight. There are certain things known to aggravate fluid retention:

• a high salt intake. Salt should be cut down and should not be added after cooking. Like your appetite for sugar, you develop a taste for it but you can gradually cut it back. You need it less and less, even on eggs. This salt reduction also helps your blood pressure.

• a highly refined carbohydrate diet is known to retain fluid so cut this down as far as possible

• smoking.

Diuretics should only be taken under the close supervision of your doctor. In my opinion diuretics will be needed less frequently if the simple measures above are adhered to.

Natural fibre Plenty of natural fibre in your diet is important, as indicated in the section below on constipation, and becomes more important if food intake is reduced. Those who have not been constipated before in their lives sometimes find constipation a problem if they are on restricted diets.