Don’t spend all your energy on the treadmill if you’re trying to drop a pants size. Strength training is an important way to boost your weight loss. Here’s why—and how. Trying to lose a few pounds, but the scale won’t budge? Try adding more weight at the gym. Weight training—using free weights or weight machines to build muscle—is a type of strength training that not can only help you slim down but also offers a ton of other health benefits.

The best part: You don’t have to spend all your time in the weight room. You can even do it at home, without any fancy equipment. Here’s why weight training may be what you need to get the scale moving in the right direction, plus a few tips and exercises to get you started.

Burn More Calories

It’s really pretty simple: Weight training builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat—up to three times more, according to some estimates. “Muscles are fat-burning machines.” So the more muscle you have, the more calories you’re going to burn.

It doesn’t end after you leave the gym, either. Your body keeps torching calories for the next 24 to 48 hours as it works to repair stressed muscle tissues. That’s known as the afterburn effect, another name for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The more oxygen you use both during and after a workout, the greater the EPOC. And studies show that strength training is one of the best ways to do it.

All of this is very good news if you’re trying to lose weight. Think about it. With weight training, you’re revving up your calorie burn. You’re boosting your metabolism—possibly by up to 5 percent, according to one nine-month study. And since you’re likely already watching what you eat, your exercise routine is now working with your diet to help you shed unwanted pounds.

Obviously, burning more calories throughout your day, combined with a sensible diet, is going to maximize your weight loss. Not only that, but it helps keep the weight off. One study found that less than an hour and a half of resistance training each week helped keep dieters from gaining back weight, especially harmful belly fat. 

The Health Benefits of Strength Training

The benefits go beyond the bathroom scale, too. Weight training improves your posture, helps your endurance, builds strength and reduces your chance of injuries. Research shows it can also boost heart health, improve cholesterol levels and increase bone density. It also slows the inevitable decline in strength as we age, because it keeps our muscles from turning to mush and being replaced with fat as we get older.

Oh, and something weight training doesn’t do: It won’t make you bulk up. If you’re training to be a body builder, you’re going to be eating more. You’re going to be training with heavy weights, doing fewer reps and isolating different muscles. To lose weight, you’re going to monitor your calorie intake and do more reps with lighter weights. The end result: a leaner, stronger, more toned body. Who doesn’t want that?

Getting Started

Where people get into trouble is when they start by lifting too heavy. “They go to the gym, pick up 10 pounds and then try to lunge or squat or curl. And the next day they’re so sore and miserable that they get discouraged and quit.”

Instead, she suggests starting with your own body weight (read on for some suggested moves). Your goal is to do 12 to 15 repetitions—they should feel like a challenge, but you should still be able to keep your form. As you get stronger, you’ll gradually add more weight.

No dumbbells at home? Household items will do. Start with soup cans and slowly work up to lifting milk or laundry detergent jugs (partially filled). Try carrying a full laundry basket while you do a set of walking lunges. You don’t have to have a really heavy weight in the beginning, especially if it’s for weight loss.

Finally, remember to change things up. Do something new every week—even if it’s just a little change—so you’re challenging your body in a different way. “You’ll be using different muscles and expending more calories.” If you always do cardio first, switch the order and start with weights instead. One study suggests weight training first gets your heart rate up, making your cardio workout more efficient.

Weight-Training Exercises to Try

Try the strength-building moves below. Be sure to warm up first. Watch your form, and keep a slow tempo. If you feel pain, stop.

FLOOR BRIDGE Lie face-up on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep arms at your sides with palms down. Lift hips off the ground, squeezing your glutes and core until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Hold for three seconds at the top, then lower back down to starting position.

HIP THRUST Start in a seated position with your knees and feet flat on the floor and your shoulder blades (not your neck!) against a bench. Add weight to your hip crease using a pad, if needed. Squeeze your glutes and core and lift your hips until your back is parallel to the floor.

BODYWEIGHT SQUAT Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out, arms at your sides, palms in. Squeeze your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat as you shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat. Bend your elbows and bring your palms together in front of your chest. (You can also just hold your hands in front of your chest the entire time.) Push through your heels to stand back up, and squeeze your glutes at the top for one rep. 

BMI basics

Health professionals use the body mass index (BMI) as a guide to see if your weight is in a healthy range, because being in the overweight or obese range may increase your risk of certain health conditions. ‘Your BMI is just one of a number of tools used to assess your health risks.’ 

The BMI formula

For adults, your body mass index is your weight in kilos divided by your height in metres squared. 

Waist time

Where you’re more likely to store body fat matters to your health, as weight that sits around your middle is associated with an increased risk of certain health conditions. To measure yours, find your bottom ribs and the bit of bone at the top of your hips. The midpoint between them is your waist. Breathe out naturally to get an accurate reading – an indication for good health is having a waist size that’s no more than half your height. That means that someone who is 5ft 5ins tall (65ins), would be aiming for a waist measurement of 32½ins or less.

The tub trick

If losing 1lb doesn’t feel very motivating, lift a 500g tub of butter or marge the next time you’re in the supermarket. That’s around the same weight as 1lb of fat (1lb = 454g) – equivalent to what’s just disappeared from your body, which is pretty amazing! Another way to fire up your motivation is to measure yourself in areas that matter most to you, to help you track how your body shape is changing. 

String theory

If you don’t have a tape measure to hand, try this nifty idea. Simply use a piece of string to measure your height, then fold it in half and loop it around your waist to see if both ends meet. Aim to get your waist fitting within the string for lower health risks. 

Target tips

When it comes to setting your personal achievement target (PAT) there are a few options. ‘It’s great to set your sights on a final dream weight and go for it – and that’s been shown in research* to be incredibly motivating. If you can’t quite visualise that end point yet, aiming for smaller, achievable interim goals can be really valuable. Setting a target of losing five to 10 per cent of your starting weight, for example, will help to reduce your risk of a whole raft of health conditions.’

Enjoy the NSVs

That’s non-scale victories! As your weight and measurements go down, you’ll notice all sorts of other changes. ‘Your clothes feeling looser, and getting less out of breath, for example.’ And then there are measures your GP might use to show how your health is improving as you slim, such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels, or blood pressure. You might find seeing those fall even more motivating than the numbers on the scales!

Are ultra-processed foods secretly sabotaging your diet goals? It’s time to study the labels on your favourite health-food brands. Oat milk. Cereal. Hummus. Plant-based burgers… Hands up whose weekly groceries list goes something like this? Yup, ours too. But did you know these wholesome-sounding staples are often ultra-processed foods (UPFs), linked to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease? According to latest figures, even if you avoid eating junk food such as sugary drinks and snacks, your diet is likely to be shockingly high in UPFs – including cleverly-marketed ‘health’ foods many of us eat daily.

We’re now consuming more than 50 per cent of our energy from UPFs. While their convenience and palatability is tempting, research shows this is having a potentially devastating impact on our health. UPFs tend to produce peaks and dips in blood sugar which are bad for cardiovascular health and conditions such as type-2 diabetes.

Want to protect your health or lose a few pounds? Stop counting calories and start checking the ingredients in your favourite products, say a growing number of nutrition experts. Here’s what you need to know. 

WHAT ARE UPFS?

Much of our Western diet is processed to some extent. Fish is canned, peas are frozen, milk is  turned into yoghurt, wheat is milled into flour. These processes are harmless and can improve food’s digestibility and nutritional value. For instance, did you know canned tomatoes are richer in antioxidant lycopene than raw ones? Most food undergoes some form of processing which isn’t a cause for concern – think cheese, sourdough bread and tofu. ‘These foods have been partially altered by adding sugar, oil, fat, salt and other culinary ingredients.’.

Problems start when food is engineered to create novel flavours and textures. Chewy chocolate cookies, doughy supermarket bread, tongue-tingling tangy tortilla chips… think of your favourite moreish foods and you can guarantee they’re UPFs. Ultra-processed foods have undergone industrial processing to become hyper-palatable,. ‘They typically contain a lot of added salt, sugar, fat and chemical additives. For instance, bread should only have a few ingredients, but white supermarket bread can have a long list of ingredients to increase shelf-life and taste.’

According to the NOVA classification system, common UPFs include reconstituted meats, sausages, salty and sugary snacks, frozen meals, biscuits, ice cream and chocolate. No surprises there. But other UPFs may come as a shock: the almond milk you pour on your cereal, the baked beans or canned soup and sliced bread you grab for lunch, that post-gym smoothie, the pesto you pop on pasta and the fruit yoghurt you have for dessert. And yes, plant-based ready meals, protein drinks and energy bars, too (see Purely plants, below).

METABOLIC MAYHEM

Once inside your body, UPFs behave very differently to the wholefoods they’re made from. Not only are they usually higher in calories, fat and sugar, but their structure (or ‘food matrix’) is also altered during processing, meaning they release these nutrients more quickly into your blood which, in turn, disrupts your metabolism.

One example is oats. ‘You could have two types of oatmeal with identical labels but totally different metabolic and long-term responses. Whole oats produce a blunted blood-sugar level response while finely ground ones [found in instant oatmeal] create a big peak in blood sugar followed by a dip, triggering hunger and inflammation.’

Similarly, fruit juices and smoothies trigger a higher blood-sugar rise and fall than   fibre-packed whole fruit. The processing breaks down the original structure of the fruit. ‘Swapping a glass of orange juice for an orange gives you all the benefits of the orange, rather than just the sugar.’

HEALTH RISKS

No time to cook from scratch? The long-term health cost of eating processed foods may make you reconsider. According to a study of 77,000 people published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, those who ate over half their calories from UPFs (meat- or plant-based) were 14 per cent more likely to die over 10 years. A French study of over 100,000 adults, in the British Medical Journal, found people consuming higher levels of UPFs had an increased risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, a second French study found a 10 per cent increase in UPF consumption raised the risk of cancer.

Scientists believe these effects occur because UPFs increase obesity and exposure to potentially carcinogenic chemicals (from additives and processing). But your gut health may also be involved. The ZOE PREDICT study shows a strong link between UPFs and worse long-term health, including detrimental impacts on the gut microbiome. Results revealed a diet rich in processed foods (including baked beans and juices) encouraged bad gut microbes while a minimally processed, plant-based diet led to good microbes, linked to better metabolic health.

Eating processed foods also leaves less room in your diet for protective healthy produce. ‘A diet high in UPFs is more likely to be lower in nutrient-dense foods, fibre and wholefoods,’ she says.

WEIGHT-LOSS SECRET

Do you find it hard to shed stubborn pounds despite opting for calorie-controlled meals and snacks? Ironically, they could be the problem. Your body absorbs energy more readily from  low-fibre UPFs than wholefoods. Calories, of course, play a role in weight management but they’re not the be-all and end-all. ‘Very refined ingredients can have a higher caloric availability, meaning the body can access these calories far more easily than the same calories encased in fibre-rich wholefoods.’

UPFs are engineered to hit your ‘bliss spot’ so you eat more of them. Research suggests they may disrupt gut-brain signalling and stimulate appetite. Consumption of UPFs is a real problem for people who want to lose weight. ‘It’s much harder when we’re consuming these energy-dense, tasty foods that are quickly metabolised and impact our hunger and satiety signals, encouraging us to eat more.’

A landmark trial by the US National Institutes of Health compared an ultra-processed diet to a minimally processed one of the same calorie, fat, sugar and micronutrient value. Results showed people on the ultra-processed diet ate 500 more calories a day, leading to an average weight gain of two pounds in two weeks. Blood tests revealed that while on the processed diet, people had lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones and higher levels of appetite-stimulating hormones.

WHOLE TRUTH

For anyone wanting to lose weight or improve their diet, I’d encourage them to eat food in its original form. ‘Eat whole apples rather than apple juice, for instance. Minimise UPF consumption and eat a diversity of foods. Thirty plants a week is something we should aim for to improve our gut health.’

Of course, some UPFs are worse than others. While the term “ultra-processed foods” includes foods such as confectionery, fried snacks, cakes and sugary drinks we know we should eat less of, the definition also includes foods that can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, such as sliced wholemeal bread, lower-sugar yoghurts, wholegrain breakfast cereals and baked beans.

Wholegrain UPFs, such as wholegrain breads and breakfast cereals, tend to be healthier than non-wholegrain equivalents, due to their fibre content. Wholegrain bread or cereal still has a poor glucose response but it will be better than white bread.

As always, it’s about balance but, ultimately, minimising UPFs is key to good health. When people cut down on ultraprocessed foods and incorporate more wholefoods rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fibre, they’re likely to see improved gut health, increased energy and mental clarity alongside better sleep and improved wellbeing.

People often perceive resistance (or strength/weights) training as building muscle without truly understanding the plethora of other health benefits associated with this methodology of exercise. Resistance training is not just for people to become 'muscly' but can be utilised by people with many conditions and of all ages to improve their quality of life and make noticeable improvements in both their physical and mental health.

Sometimes when we think of resistance training, we think of lifting weights, however, resistance training is a broad term used for a number of different training methodologies such as free weights (e.g. dumbbells), resistance bands, and even bodyweight training which is essentially the resistance to gravity.

Improved strength is one of the first things that comes to mind when we think of resistance training, and rightly so, for this is such an important component of day to day life and not just for athletes. Increased strength allows us to complete activities of daily living so much easier, whether that be having to lift up your kids or carrying your groceries to the car.

Resistance training has been proven to improve bone density/strength due to the weight bearing stresses that it places through these body structures. It should also be noted that resistance training has a positive impact on your metabolism as muscle cells have a superior metabolic rate compared to fat cells.

One of the most conscious areas that people are concerned about gaining weight is their stomach, which is technically called 'visceral' fat. This abdominal fat is actually associated with higher rates of diseases which includes type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancers. Evidence has shown that incorporating resistance training into your exercise regime reduces not only the total fat, but in particular this abdominal fat that all of us like to lose by the time summer comes around to get those beach bodies ready.

In summary, the benefits of resistance training include:

• Improved strength.
• Improved ability to carry out our usual activities of daily living (housework, shopping, lifting kids etc).
• Improved bone density .
• Reduced risk of developing osteoporosis or reduced osteoporosis progression if you already have it.
• Reduced abdominal fat and improved body shape.
• Improved sports performance with reduced risk of injuries.

Bear in mind, that the type of resistance training you do, needs to be specific to you - your physical health, your health and fitness goals and your sports background. As with any new physical activity it's important to consult your physiotherapist prior to starting, to make sure that you will be exercising safely and effectively.

Other important features are discussed:

1. Reduces the risk of falls.

Falling over is something that many people might not often think about, but as we become older this is of the biggest risks of injury. Most people believe that balance is associated with the risk of having a fall however, strength plays a huge role in our ability to reduce the chance of that happening. If we have greater strength in our muscles throughout our body, especially our core muscles, then we are able to support our body, particularly during dynamic (moving) positions. As we age, we start to become more aware of our body's limitations and potential frailness, and the risk of injury. By improving our strength we are able to decrease the likelihood of injuries occurring as a result of tripping and falling, while participating in various activities, or other activities in our day to day lives.

2. Increases spine & joint mobility.

Resistance training not only improves our muscle strength but also can help increase the mobility and the range of motion of our spine and joints. Muscular imbalances are common in most of us, even if we are unaware of it. We generally have a dominant side (i.e. left or right) and because of this it is important to maintain consistency and equilibrium between both sides of our body. Not only that, but our joints are better supported when surrounded by stronger muscular tissue which can help prevent injuries even in something as common as rolling our ankle.

3. Improves cardiovascular function.

Our heart is the hardest working muscle in the body. Did you know that on average it contracts and relaxes around 100,000 times a day? Resistance training helps to strengthen the heart muscles and thus improve our cardiovascular function. This is essential to maintain vital body processes such as blood pressure, peripheral circulation, cholesterol level and many other aspects in a healthy body.

4. Decreases risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent conditions in today's society, however, this can be prevented through a healthy lifestyle such as exercise regimes where strength training is involved. It does this through improving our insulin sensitivity and correspondingly reducing   blood sugar levels which decreases the likelihood of becoming diabetic. This also helps those who are diabetic by stabilizing their blood glucose levels.

5. Effects on brain, mood & cognitive decline.

Resistance training can also benefit the mind. We're all aware that sometimes we are prone to having off days and feeling down in the dumps but exercise and resistance training can help boost our self-esteem and mood. These are critical aspects that help us function and move through the days, particularly the hard ones. It also improves our sense of body image, social anxiety and other cognitive (psychological) limitations. Resistance training does help slow down cognitive decline and the potential for brain health deterioration which is especially important as we age.

There are many health benefits associated with incorporating resistance training into exercise regimes which can actually help improve our quality of life not only now, but in the future. Even if you are not a fan of 'lifting weights', incorporating this into your current exercise regimes, will only result in further benefits and positive outcomes.

Mobility

Mobility is how a joint moves actively through a range of motion. (Key word here is actively – with muscle engagement happening.)

How it looks : Picture doing a dynamic warm-up, like walking lunges with a side bend each time you step forward, before a run.

Why it matters : Mobility training teaches your body to activate muscles properly and to move with control and power, which helps reduce your risk for muscle imbalances and agitating pains day-to-day, and helps you maintain good form as you train. Basically, you need to focus on mobility to live an injury-free and active life.

Flexibility 

What it means : This is the amount a muscle can stretch or lengthen. Flexibility is what allows you to have range of motion in a joint passively – i.e. without activating your muscles.

How it looks : Imagine holding a static stretch (like reaching for your toes) for 30 to 60 seconds.

Why it matters : Consider flexibility a prerequisite for mobility. Think about it: if you’ve got super-tight hip flexors, you likely do shallow squats or lunges. Improving your flexibility allows your joints to move through their full ranges of motion during functional workout movements. Long-term, you’ll live a more ache-free and comfortable life.

When to do it : Post-workout. Flexibility requires your muscles to be loose and disengaged (the opposite of what you want during your actual sweat session). Plus, static stretching calms the nervous system, easing your body into recovery.

For a consistentl y ouch - free, active lifestyle, remember to incorporate both mobility and flexibility into your workouts .

As long as you consume fewer calories than you burn, you should lose weight, right? Well, that's not strictly true. Here's why...

The idea behind the CICO (calories in, calories out) weight-loss strategy is that in order to lose weight, you can eat anything you like as long as you take in fewer calories than you burn every day. In other words, it doesn't matter what you eat, but rather how much of it you eat.

Calories do have a [raring on weight loss, but it's not as simple as a direct relationship. Most nutritionists agree that CICO has more to do with shedding kilos fast than it dæs with shifting your attitude towards food, and as such is unsustainable in the long term. A CICO strategy may help you lose weight, but it won't necessarily help you create a better relationship with food, or create healthy food habits to ensure that you keep the weight off once you've lost it. 

CICO EXPLAINED

With CICO, calorie counting is put front and centre. To maintain a stable weight, the calories you take in need to balance, not exceed, those you burn; to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. That is what's important, not what those calories are made up of. For example, if your daily calorie intake is capped at 1 500 in order to lose weight, the theory goes that you could eat ice cream and to fill those 1 500 calories and still lose weight by staying within the calorie limit.

But the reality is, our individual experiences with weight loss and our needs are vastly different, which makes it difficult to accurately determine how much weight can be sustainably lost using the CICO method. And, when it comes to weight management, there are many other factors to consider, such as metabolism and individual health concerns.

As humans we also have different hormonal responses to different types of foods, even if we have individual health concerns. Reduced hunger and controlling the production of insulin are key for sustainable weight loss. Carbohydrates have the most profound impact on insulin levels. Thus lower carbohydrate intake can help to reduce aprx•tite, as well as limit and control the responses of the hormones insulin, glucagon and leptin. Your endocrine glands secrete hormones using your bloodstream to regulate certain internal processes. When your hormones are in balance, your metabolism is reslx)nsible for maintaining how many calories your body burns when active and when at rest.

The two important hormones that shape your hunger signals are leptin and ghrelin. Put very simply, leptin decreases your appetite, and ghrelin increases it. Once your normal energy maintenance levels are reached, overeating can numb the leptin receptors in your brain, leading to leptin resistance and, ultimately, weight gain over time.

Research suggests that excess insulin can make you fat — and also keep you fat. When you eat sugary foods or drinks, you keep your insulin working overtime to lower your blood sugar levels — which it clæs by storing the excess sugar as fat. Once your body finishes absorbing glucose and other nutrients from your blood-stream, it turns to your body's fat stores for energy, which is when your bcxly enters its fat-burning mode. Insulin increases the storage of fat in the fat cells, and it prevents fat cells from releasing fat to be burnt for energy.

Either way, it's clear that your hormones need to be in a balanced state for you to lose weight, which makes calories less impactful in the process. Rather than cutting calories and dealing with the constant hunger, unrelenting cravings and low energy, use focxl to balance your hormones and these effects.

Different foods can affect your hormone levels in different ways. Glucuse and fructose are a good example. These two simple sugars provide the same number of calories per gram, but your body metabolises them differently.

A diet too rich in added fructose (not the type naturally found in fruit) is linked to insulin resistance, increased blood sugar levels and higher triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels — all higher than a diet providing the same number of calories from glucose.

On top of that, all calories are not created equal. Remember that your nutrient intake will also impact your hunger and feeling of fullness. A serving of protein will reduce your hunger way more effectively than eating a 100-calorie serving of because fo(k-ls that are rich in protein are more filling than foods that aren't. The sweets will also most likely lead you to overeat later in the day, as glucose tends to increase your ghrelin levels.

It's clear that different affect your metabolism differently: some require more work to digest, absorb or metabolise than others. The measure to quantify this work is called the thermic effect of focxl (TEF). The higher the TEF, the more energy a food source requires to metabolised. Protein has the highest TEF, and fat has the lowest. This means that a high-protein diet requires more calories to metabolised than a low-protein diet does.

In the end, different foods can impact your hormones, hunger, feeling of fullness and metabolism differently regardless of the number of calories they contain.

Although fcrusing on the number of calories you eat day could help you lose weight, it's not a healthy or sustainable solution if you don't take into account the kinds of you're eating too. Eating unhealthy has negative effects regardless of calorie limitations.

Potential problems with a CICO diet

• Vitamin and other nutrient 

• Lack of energy 

• Digestive issues 

• Lack of sustainability

• Inflammation 

• Sluggish metabolism 

TAKE AN INDIVIDUAL APPROACH

A CICO strategy may look good on but weight loss and general health are far more complex than putting numbers into an online basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculator. Our bodily functions are influenced by factors beyond calorie counting, and should carefully considered before jumping onto what seems like the simplest way to drop weight.

CICO is associated with weight loss, but it is not the basis of a healthy or sustainable way of eating. Because CICO places no emphasis on nutrients, it could have significant negative effects. The quality, composition and management of a diet are components that make for a healthy, happy body.

6  ways to change your diet to help control your hormones

• Eat more high-fibre foods, which will help to delay gastric emptying and increase satiety. Cruciferous vegetables, nuts and seeds are riCh in fibre and low in carbohydrates.

• Focus on protein and healthy fats, as this has little impact on your blood sugar. By shitnng your macronutrient composition to include more protein and fat sources, you will ultimately reduce your insulin production by reducing blood sugar spikes.

• Reduce your consumption of highly palatable foods, as these foods lack nutrients and limit your ability to feel hunger. Tasty snack foods like potato chips are difficult to put downonce the packet has been opened; it's much easier to halve your portion of broccoli!

• Limit your consumption of sugar, especially added sugar sources, as too much sugar has an impact on your insulin levels and can lead to increased cravings and hunger. If you're craving sweetness, opt for fibre-rich fresh fruit like berries — the fibre content helps to slow down the blood sugar response.

• Practise mindful eating. Finding mindfulness in your relationship with food can also affect your food intake. When you feel hungry, ask yourself whether you are truly hungry or just bored, stressed or distracted.

• Get good sleep. Various studies have shown that getting less than seven hours of sleep on a regular basis can disrupt digestive enzymes, causing hunger and cravings.

How to create a healthy meal pattern

 

• Select foods based on their nutrient density rather than their calorie content.

• Incorporate foods like healthy fats and proteins, which promote satiety and leave you feeling full for longer. 

• Staying active may not make you lose weight per se, but it's an excellent way to increase serotonin levels, thereby increasing your feeling of wellbeing.

• Prioritise your health by eating foods that address your individual health concerns. 

• Develop useful methods to manage stress.

• Drink enough water.  

By shifting your macronutrient composition to include more protein and fat oourceø, you will ultimately reduce your insulin production by reducing blood sugar.

Carbs always play a role, no matter how small, in our diet. But does it  make a difference what time of day you eat them? Here's what we know.

As you get accustomed to the low-carb lifestyle, you'll able to start experimenting and work out how much carbs you can eat and still lose weight. Timing your carb intake is another consideration, however.

EARLY DOES IT

If your focus is on burning calories, experts advise eating your carbs in the morning and at lunchtime. That's when to eat the required daily amount of fruit and vegetables for the day, which will leave you eating minimal carbs in the evening.

Be aware, however, that eating carbs could cause your blood sugar to drop, which can cause fatigue, light-headedness, dizziness and headaches. Low blood sugar also affects sleep patterns, so if you’re experiencing these effects you may need to make your carb portion stretch further into the day instead of finishing it all early.

MORNING WORKOUTS

Those hitting the gym for a quick early-morning session often do so on an empty stomach to maximise fat-burning. But if you’re going for a longer workout and you aren't fat-adapted, you may need a snack. This is a good time to get your carb portion in.

Remember, to refuel properly, you'll need the right kind of carbs: sugary foods will always make you feel hungry and increase your appetite, so focus on complex carbs like sweet potato (a slice of toasted sweet potato bread, for example) and make sure your protein and fat intake is sufficient.

HIGH BLOOD SUGAR

Most of us are less active in the evening, so you may want to rethink having your main portion of carbs in the evening, because you'll likely experience a sugar spike. Carbs are broken down into glucose molecules in the body, which end up circulating in your blood. If you aren't diabetic, your pancreas will secrete insulin to transport the glucose into cells to used for energy — or, if it's not used, to be converted into fat. Research suggests that glucose tolerance is very early in the day. This is apparently due to the beta cells in the pancreas being more in the morning. These cells produce the insulin that is released to lower blood sugar.

 

KETOSIS

Because the keto diet is very low in carbs, with high fat and moderate protein, it's ideal for weight loss. Carbs are restricted to no more than 50 g to enable ketosis, which uses fat for fuel instead of carbs. Eating the carbs around the time you exercise — referred to as a targeted keto diet - can have a positive outcome. 

INSOMNIA

Some people may experience insomnia on a keto diet, and eating carbs just before bedtime has long been known to help you fall asleep more easily.

INTERMITTENT FASTING

If your routine includes intermittent fasting, your carb intake will naturally fall within your eating window, which is great: your fasting lyriod allows your insulin levels to drop again, which helps protect against diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Most research on the timing of when you eat your carb allowance to the morning, but it depends on your individual needs. For instance, if getting enough sleep is more of an issue for you than losing weight, or you work out in the evening, it's [Ytter to eat your carbs late in the day. But if weight loss is your goal and you exercise in the morning, then eating the bulk of your carb allowance early in the day is the best option for you.

YOUR HEALTH COMES FIRST

If you suffer from any medical condition and you are on medication, it's important to consult your doctor before you make changes to your diet. The same applies to pregnant women and endurance athletes. If you've been diagnosed with type 1, 2 or gestational diabetes, you should also guided by your doctor or dietician.  

'Research suggests that glucose tolerance is better very early in the day.'

‘If getting enough sleep is more of an issue for you than losing weight, it’s better to eat your carbs late in the day.’

If you think calorie counting is such a waste of time, Iwhat do I do instead? How do I prevent myself from eating too much? How do I stay at the same weight, year after year? The answer is simple.

6 REASONS TO STOP COUNTING CALORIES

1. Labels can lie

Yes. Labeling laws allow a 20% margin of error on the nutrition facts panel. That means your 100-calorie snack pack could be 119 calories. Or that 500-calorie TV dinner could be nearly 600 calories.

"The ratio between the amount obtained by laboratory analysis and the amount declared on the product label in the Nutrition Facts panel must be 120% or less, i.e., the label is considered to be out of compliance if the nutrient content of a composite of the product is greater than 20% above the value declared on the label."

2. Nutrients vary by season, variety, ripeness, etc.

While it’s nice to have the nutrient analysis of foods, there is no way food companies could analyze every variety of tomato from every region from every season from different growing conditions (i.e. organic vs. conventional) and every other variable for nutrients, including calories.

For e.g. super sweet summer tomato likely has more calories (and valuable nutrients) than that tasteless, pink one from the dead of winter. Which one would you rather eat?

3. "More calories equals weight gain" is not an exact science.

If calorie counting worked long-term, the USA would be the thinnest country in the world. We are a nation of compulsive dieters and you wouldn’t know it looking at us. The composition of what you’re eating is crucial to how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn.

In a comparative study of 3 diets: low-fat, low-glycemic, and lowcarb. It was observed that those on the low-carb diet burned 350 calories more than the low-fat diet. And yet, our nutrition guidelines recommend a low-calorie, low-fat diet. Trouble is, when you focus on calories, you’re likely to eat less fat (since fat is more calorie-dense than carbohydrate and protein). And when you eat less fat, you’re likely to eat more carbohydrates. See the problem?

If you’re happy eating tasteless, low-fat food, going hungry, and not losing weight, by all means, count calories and cut fat out of your diet."

4. We don’t absorb all calories.

It’s true! A study on almond consumption in humans found that up to 20% of the calories were not absorbed. (J Agric Food Chem, 2008) The exact reason is unknown, but possibly due to the “cellular structure” of nuts and the way our bodies digest food.

In summary, a calorie is not necessarily a calorie: given the functional differences between edible plants, interfamily and even interspecies differences must be considered when making comparisons between food processing techniques.

There’s good evidence that our gut health (and gut bacteria) plays a role in how many calories we absorb from our food.

5. Focusing On Calories Often Means We Restrict Healthy Foods.

This especially happens when it comes to fat. We often omit higher fat foods simply because they are higher in calories without taking into consideration what benefits we might get from them, such as staying fuller for longer (hungry), absorbing antioxidants from vegetables, and getting necessary nutrients, like fat-soluble vitamins.

(This is crucially important for pregnant women who may become deficient in key brain-building nutrients if they restrict fat.)

Choose to fully ignore calorie labels, especially on real foods that are naturally high in fat such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese, butter, avocados, olives, nuts, and seeds. There are innumerable benefits to eating them, and you cannot end up overeating every time

6. Too Much Math.

Honestly, NO one has the time or energy to calculate everything that goes into one’s mouth. That probably sounds odd, but this can be done and is best done without counting. Counting calories is especially fruitless when you know #1-5

11 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF COUNTING CALORIES

1. I listen to my body.

2. I always eat when I’m hungry.

3. I eat foods that I’m actually in the mood to eat.

4. I put my full attention on the meal in front of me.

5. I notice the sensations in my body before, during, and after eating.

6. I sit down when I eat.

7. I chew every bite before taking another.

8. I savor the flavors, texture, mouth feel, sounds, richness, crunchiness or softness, saltiness, or sweetness.

9. I make an effort to eat healthy foods and make an equal effort to eat the healthy foods that taste good to me.

10. I sometimes choose to eat foods purely for the pleasure of eating them, even when they are not “healthy”.

11. I sometimes choose to eat more food than is comfortable, either because the food tastes really good or because I know I won’t have time to eat again for a while (such as during a busy work day).

It’s frustrating: You’ve been working to build healthier habits but aren’t seeing a boost in energy or confidence. The truth is, your daily efforts might not be as helpful as you hoped. Check your routine for the following traps.

1. EATING TOO LITTLE 

In the truest sense, calories equal energy. And if you’re restricting calorie intake too much, your body lacks essential fuel.

In fact, when you significantly restrict calories, your systems don’t have enough energy to perform their most essential functions. Instead, the body adapts and tries to conserve energy, slowing down your metabolism in the process. This can lead to feeling sluggish, unfocused and even unmotivated.

While being mindful of your calorie intake, you should home in on nutrient-dense calories so your body gets everything it needs to run like a welloiled machine.

Nutrient-dense calories will fill you up with goodfor-you vitamins, minerals, fats and other must-haves so you can keep your body properly fueled and operating at its best.

Additionally, instead of cutting back on calories, try incorporating more foods that’ll satiate your hunger and help you feel fuller for longer periods of time. Filling foods deliver those much-needed, energy-generating calories without leaving you hungry or unsatisfied. One of the best options? Protein! Protein powers nearly every one of your body’s systems, from cell repair to strengthening muscle. And it’s as filling as it is beneficial.

2. RELYING ON "DIET" FOODS

It’s counterintuitive (and maddening), but the bulk of convenient “diet” foods, low-calorie snacks, meals and even meal-replacement products are far from ideal choices for anyone trying to eat clean. These foods, which include items that claim to be low-fat, low-calorie and even helpful for weight loss, are typically loaded with additives.

These processed products often feature sugar or sugar alcohols to enhance their flavor – just take one sixounce container of low-fat vanilla yogurt, which contains a whopping 23.5 grams of sugar (hint: always opt for plain, unsweetened).

And there’s another sneaky little detail hiding among the low-fat, lowcalorie “diet” foods: Often, these products don’t fill you up or keep you satisfied for any length of time. As a result, this could lead to some unintended and not-so-smart snack choices.

Instead of reaching for rocessed diet foods, fill your plate and your pantry with nutrient-dense whole foods. These items offer a high dose of vitamins, minerals and other necessary nutrients that deliver energy and an overall sense of vibrance and good health. Nutrient-dense foods like brown rice, baked potatoes, salmon, lean cuts of beef and plain Greek yogurt are always better alternatives to packaged and convenient products.

3. EXERCISING WRONG

Having a workout plan benefits both your physical and mental health. Breaking a sweat regularly helps strengthen your heart, build muscle, protect your bones, grow new brain cells and even boost endorphins, those feel-good chemicals that help enhance mood and encourage a sense of well-being.

But sticking with just one form of exercise and performing it over and over again isn’t the best route to take. Instead, change it up and keep your body on its toes. Rather than just relying on aerobic exercise, add interval training — these short bursts of intense activity burn more energy while preserving lean muscle mass. Incorporate resistance training and weight lifting to build muscle and prevent a decrease in metabolic rate. Then bask in the rush of endorphins.

4. NOT GETTING ENOUGH ZZZs

If you aren’t getting a good night’s sleep every night of the week, it’s hard to get through the day, let alone think about healthy habits. Skipping out on the hours of shut-eye your body needs has a variety of negative effects, not the least of which is a sluggish brain (and jangled neurotransmitters). In the simplest terms, this means your body isn’t able to burn energy as efficiently and you can’t think as clearly. Over time, these inefficiencies can add up to increased mental and physical stress.

Studies have shown that those who adhere to a Mediterranean-style diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts and seeds) sleep longer and enjoy a more restful slumber. The reason? Many of those foods naturally contain high levels of melatonin, seratonin and vitamin D — all hormones that play a role in sleep.

In addition to fueling your body with the best possible foods, do your best to stick to a set sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is a building block for healthy living.

5. MISSING OUT ON FUNCTIONAL NUTRIENTS

If you aren’t getting enough of the right nutrients, you could be sabotaging yourself. Without functional nutrients, or the nutrients that promote optimal health, your body can’t run at its best. And that’s where nutrient-dense foods come in.

Nutrient density is an eating concept that goes beyond judging a food by its calories alone. Instead, you focus on the nutrients – or the nutrients per calorie. The more nutrients packed into a single food calorie, the more beneficial it is.

Just take broccoli, for example: A one-cup serving contains just 31 calories, but you’re also getting a ton of vitamin C and vitamin K, making it a nutrient-dense food. Whole grains are another great example. Calorie for calorie, whole grains offer a broader spectrum of vital nutrients than their refined counterparts.

And research suggests that consuming more nutrient-dense foods is key to overall health. The act can promote longevity and lower the risk for some of today’s biggest killers like heart disease.

In addition to nutrientdense foods, it’s also important to ensure you aren’t overlooking protein or fiber. A lack of protein is particularly troublesome because getting the right amount helps preserve muscle while boosting your metabolism and overall energy.

Fiber, on the other hand, helps satiate hunger – it can even help you maintain a healthy weight naturally. Fiber-rich foods and meals help fill you up quickly, which may influence how much you eat (and what you choose to eat at later meals).

6. STRESSING OUT

High levels of cortisol, one of the body’s primary stress hormones, can stymie even the best intentions. When you’re stressed, your body’s fight-or-flight response is triggered and the production of stress hormones amps up.

The problem: Chronic stress and high levels of cortisol prompt the body to seek out energy-dense foods, especially those rich in sugar and fat. While these foods might ease stress in the short term, they leave you feeling, well, not your best.

Constant tension and anxiety can also impact sleep, and research links sleep disturbances with a higher risk of diabetes and other diseases. To keep cortisol in check, get at least eight hours of sleep a night and exercise daily. To lessen stress, try meditation, deep breathing, yoga or safe, tension-taming herbs and supplements.

7. OBSESSING OVER THE SCALE

There is nothing good (mentally, physically or emotionally) about being tied to a number on the scale. It’s nerve-wracking and, most importantly, not a true indicator of how healthy you are.

Focusing too heavily on your weight can hamper your efforts for better overall health and wellness. Staring at the scale can actually distract you from bodily cues, preventing you from paying attention to important signals like hunger, stress and exhaustion. It’s better to eat mindfully, feeding your body when it signals it’s hungry and stopping when you’re full. No scale can reflect those key clues.

In truth, your weight and clothing size are very poor indicators of how healthful your lifestyle and diet are. The number on the scale is just that – a meaningless number.

So, banish the scale and look at “good health” through a wider lens, one that offers more opportunities to rejoice. This is the benefit of nurturing habits that nourish the body through energy-rich foods, a regular exercise regimen and a tried-and-true sleep routine.

When you find yourself looking for a little relief, read this first to see if these buzzy bottles are worth a shot. You’re likely familiar with the feeling of rushing to unbutton your pants after a big dinner or at the end of a long day of period puffiness. Bloating—a pretty universal conundrum, let’s be real—is why anti-bloat supplements from brands like HUM, Arrae, and The NueCo. entered the wellness ring. While the ingredients vary from productto product,these oral supps are generally packed with a blend of digestive enzymes and herbal ingredients (dandelion root, ginger,to name a couple)that are said to aid digestion and promote a healthy gut and, in turn, reduce the swell. Sounds attractive, but can they really deliver on the promises? What experts say aboutthese offerings...

They can nix painful gas and bloating.

TRUE!

Your gut is like a long hose lined with smooth muscle, which becomes stretched when your intestines expand from excess gas, says NYC gastroenterologist and WH advisor Samantha Nazareth, MD.Some ingredients, such as fennel and peppermint, can relax muscles and aid in moving food and air along, easing discomfort. So they may help after a meal or a night out, for example, and are generally safe if used as directed. These remedies aren’t must-haves, though—sometimes a lifestyle tweak (like slowing down when you eat) does the trick.

They help calm heartburn

POSSIBLE.

Ananti-bloat supp might work if the burn is a result of food not being digested properly, says Dr. Nazareth. If you ate a lot and the foodis taking a long time to break down, that can prevent the valve connecting the esophagus and the stomach from closing properly—allowing acid and contents to flow back. In these cases, digestive enzymes and herbs can help the issue. But there are other possible causes of heartburn unrelated to digestion, such as a hiatal hernia and pregnancy.Consu your MD first to rule out other reasons.

They give your gut a boost.

FOR SOME, YES.

These supplements cankeepyour system running smoothly if you tend tohave trouble digesting certain eats.Choose a tablet with enzymes that specifically target the culprit. For example, if fats are the source of your woes, you’ll want one with lipase. One note: It’s hard to tell if you’re getting the therapeutic dose because de-bloat supps (or any) are not FDA regulated. “I encourage people to do their own research into a company,” says Marvin Singh, MD, a California-based integrative gastroenterologist. Look at their track record online and research the manufacturer, product, and ingredients.

FYI: If you have a blood disorder, you’ll want to avoid a formula that includes bromelain. It works on proteins but can also interfere with platelets and clotting. Ultimately,for awell-functioning gut, go back to basics: eating a well-balanced diet, managing stress, and prioritizing sleep. “Those are fundamentals for everybody, ”Dr. Nazareth says .Good reminder!

No, we’re not talking about eating to lose weight - we’re talking about fueling your brain for the most positive outlook possible. And it all starts with your stomach.

Rule #1. Include fermented food daily

There’s more and more research that shows that if your gut health is off, then your mood is going to be off. If you improve your gut health, you can improve your mood and help manage anxiety and depression. To keep you stomach healthy - and your brain happy - fermented foods like sauerkraut, full-fat Greek yoghurt, kombucha and kefir are must, particularly if you’re under pressure, as stress can negatively affect gut bacteria. For optimum internal health, It’s recommendable 1/4 - 1/2 cup serve a day.

Rule #2. Four portions of seafood a week

The long-chain omega-3s found in fish and seafood are vital for a better mood. They help the brain manage stress and decrease inflammation, a rise facto for everything from depression to heart disease. The oilier, the better: Think salmon, sardines and mackerel four times a week. Don’t like fish? Grass-fed beef is an excellent source of tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, our happy hormone.

Rule #3. Cut back on sugar

Sugar can deplete vital stores of vitamins, destroy good bacteria and send you on a mood roller-coaster. Because your brain needs glucose to fire on all cylinders, opt for starchy fruit and vegies - like sweet potatoes and bananas - to fuel up. Healthy carbs are also vital for the production of tryptophan, which is essential  to good mood and sound sleep. Oh, and eat some chocolate: in one study, three days of eating it every day helped improve symptoms of anxiety and depression. Enjoy a few squares of 85 per cent cocoa versions, or add raw cacao powder to smoothies.

Rule #4. Eat at least seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day

Seven is the lucky number when it come to wellbeing: one study showed that this is the body’s sweet spot, while research from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that eating more fruit and veg one day resulted in a better mood the next, And no, that fruit and nut bar doesn’t count: a large-scale study showed that eating whole foods over processed version was associated with a lower risk of depression.

Rule #5. 10 minutes of meditation

More than ever before, meditation is critical to maintaining optimal mental and physical health. We’re being bombarded with neural activation at a pace not previously known to our species, which means more mental chatter and that in turn means a chaotic mind, attention difficulties and unstable emotions. But even a short meditation can lower stress and tension in the body through activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Here a short mindfulness meditation technique.

➤Set yourself up in any comfortable seated position with your back straight, neck free. Rest your hands gently on the knees or lap and gently close the eyes.
➤Take three slow, gentle, deep breaths. As you breathe in, focus on the chest expanding and taking in lots of fresh air. As you breathe out, notice how as the body exhales, it lets go of tension and softens a little bit. Do that two more times. Now allow it to return to its natural rhythm.
➤Next time you exhale, allow your attention to sink down and notice that feeling of contact between the body and chair beneath you. Notice the feeling of the soles of the feet on the floor, and at the hands and arms, just resting on the legs or in the lap.
➤Notice any sounds, smells and tastes. Let them come and go in and out of your awareness.
➤Now gently bring the attention back to the body. Notice how the body feels today.
➤Start at the top of the head and then naturally scan down through the body. Notice which parts feel uncomfortable. (It’s normal for the mind to wander off at this stage-when you notice, just bring ti back to the physical sensation in the body.)
➤Start to notice the underlying mood. It’s not about judging or analyzing it - simply acknowledging it and getting a sense of where you’re at.
➤Notice the rhythm of the breath. Nothing to do. No effort required. Just watching, noticing, the natural rhythm of the breath. If you like, start counting the breaths, up until 10, then start again.
➤As you prepare to finish, let go of any focus at all. Just allow you mind to be completely free for 10 to 15 seconds. Nothing to do at all. Let the mind do whatever it wants. If the mind wants to think, let it think.

Rule #6. Spend five minutes in nature

Good news for outdoorsy types: time in green spaces makes you happier, according to an 18-year study of more than 10.000 people. Those living in urban environments with more greenery had lower mental distress and higher life satisfaction, and the effect of nature on mood can be felt after just five minutes outside. Lunch break in the park, anyone?

Rule #7. Have a social media detox

All our experts agree that human connection is essential to happiness, but we’re not talking about communication by emoji (after all, a whopping 93 percent of communication is based on non-verbal body language).

Rule #8. Get physical

Exercise is the single most important thing you can do to lift your mood - it’s been shown to improve everything from now we feel about our bodies to how we cope with stress. It’s absolutely vital to mental health because it releases endorphins, which create feelings of contentment, joy, euphoria and pleasure, and decreases both physical and psychological pain. Just 20-60 minutes of exercise is enough to see mood-boosting and physical benefits, and variety is key.

At the heart of all the “new year new you“ stories that promise to help us get slim seems to be one recurring buzzword. A study in the journal Nutrition found that adults on a plant-based diet lost 242 percent more weight over 6 months than those who ate meat and dairy products-and they burned 2 1/2 time more belly fat too. But as much as we’d love those slimming perks, giving up fish, cheese and yogurt just feels so extreme.

First nutrition columnist Jorge Cruise had similar reservations about going vegan. It’s hard to deny the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, but eating this way all day every day means missing out on crucial nutrients. Indeed, researchers at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo report vegans are at greater risk for deficiencies in vital nutrients that are key to effortless weight loss, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and zinc. Even minor shortfalls of these nutrients can lead to hunger, metabolic slowdowns and blue moods. And left unchecked, worsening deficiencies cause more extreme cravings as well as hair loss and compromised immunity. “Full-time veganism is hard. In fact, there are more ex-vegans than there are current, pointing to a 2015 survey from the Human Research Council that found 70 percent of those who try veganism end up abandoning the lifestyle.

Cruise didn’t like those odds, so be went in research of a way to minimize the problems associated with a vegan diet while amplifying its benefits. The solution consuming a plant-based breakfast each morning. When you start off the day eating healing and cleaning foods, you set the stage to have success all day. That’s because a plant-based meal triggers a series of hormonal changes that dampen hunger and fire up metabolism. Plant foods supply phytochemical that prevent the body form secreting abnormal levels of fat-storage hormones. Even better: Front-loading the diet with veggies and whole grains prime the body to burn calories eaten later in the day instead of storing them as fat. You’re flooding the body with phytochemical that don’t let fat cells grow.

The biochemical shifts also trigger an upward spiral in motivation. In a Harvard study, eating a morning meal lead to better all-day blood sugar control and cut pre-lunch cravings in half-and adding protein to the meal enhanced those effects, cutting post-lunch cravings by 60 percent.

A vegan breakfast change the way your taste buds experiences foods too.Taste buds are adaptable little fellas. If you trade up your food, your taste buds change. They start loving the foods that loves you back. Case in point: Reports from the Iowa Women’s Healthy Study show women who adopt a more plant-based diet start to dislike foods they used to count as favorites, like cookies and chips. Once you rehabilitate your taste buds, you start to improve your lunch, you start to improve your dinner. It makes being healthy easier. 

When you start the day with a vegan breakfast, the pounds come off fast. Cruise tested the plan with hundreds of woman. And the results were astounding: they lost up to 11 pounds a week-even though they enjoyed cheese, meat and other animal products at lunch and dinner (even pizza!). Plus, testers reported no deprivation or hunger.

The benefits go beyond melting a menopot. Woman who make the switch improve insulin sensitivity by 43 percent, reduce “bad“ LDL cholesterol by 40 percent and slash their risk of heart disease by 57 percent. And that’s on top of the changes you’ll see in the mirror. The better you’re feeding your hair follicles, the stronger and healthier your hair will be. You skin looks better, your eyes look better, and yes, you’ll have more energy. You’ll have more energy. You’ll feel better in all sorts of ways you never would have predicted!

Switching to semi-vegan doesn’t just supercharge weight loss, it can also lift mood. Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia report that women who consumed a diet primarily comprised of plant foods were 51 percent less likely to experience anxiety than those consuming a standard Wester diet, While the connection is still being studied, researchers believe that high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin C and antioxidants in vegetables and legumes naturally increase the production of feel-good hormones in the brain.

It can be hard to know how often to eat—whether you’re looking to gain size, trim down, or just get through the day continually energized. The idea of downing three squares and two snacks has been bandied about as often as eating six mini-meals a day. But which is ideal?

“Clients ask all the time if eating five or six times a day is necessary," says Brian St. Pierre, R.D., a fitness and nutrition coach with Precision Nutrition. “It seems daunting and many feel they don’t have time to think, plan, and prepare for that.”

According to St. Pierre, the idea of eating multiple mini-meals each day was based on early research. “There’s a thermic effect from eating. It bumps up your metabolism, so the thought was that by eating more frequently, you’d give your body a greater overall metabolic boost for the day, but it’s the total intake that matters.”

For example, a male requiring 3,000 calories a day could eat six 500-calorie meals or three 1000-calorie meals and that would translate to six smaller metabolic rises versus three bigger rises. At the end of the day, however, the thermic effect would be equal, St. Pierre explains.

There can be problems with either strategy. With the six-times-a-day scenario, you’re often eating every two to three hours and may perpetually feel like you just ate, but aren’t satisfied. On the flipside, eating too infrequently, with long stretches of time between meals, can lead to poor choices and overeating.

“It’s about finding that sweet spot. I advise clients to eat about four times a day," says St. Pierre. “That way there’s less meal prep. You can have breakfast at home, pack lunch and one snack to bring to the office, and then have dinner back home. It’s a good general rule of thumb but it’s really about figuring out what works for you.”

Identifying your ideal meal frequency can take some tinkering. Here, St. Pierre offers his tips:

1. LOOK AT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY SCHEDULE.

“What’s feasible with the kind of job you have? Forget the physiology of what you’ve read and figure out what fits into your life,” he says. Smaller, snack-like meals may work best if your job is more on-the-go than deskbound.

2. ASK YOURSELF WHICH APPROACH YOU INSTINCTIVELY PREFER.

Are you a grazer at heart or a three-squares person, enjoying fewer, more filling meals, without snacks? “The latter is what my wife prefers and it works for her,” says St. Pierre. “There’s no physiological need to snack between meals unless doing so helps you not overeat at your main meals.”

3. TRY A TWO-WEEK TEST-DRIVE, THEN ASSESS THE OUTCOME.

Did you really eat five times a day or was four times a better fit? If so, then plan for that. Adjust accordingly, removing a meal or adding one, say if you were consistently hungry or if you were trying to gain size, St. Pierre suggests.

4. GIVE ADJUSTMENTS ANOTHER TWO WEEKS.

“Get into the flow of life and see if you’ve got a better fit. If so, make that your M.O,” he says. “But know that your days may sometimes vary and not go according to plan and big life changes like switching jobs or moving can mean future adjustments.”

Is there a fat man inside you just waiting to get out? Even if you’ve built a lean body with little visible fat, you could still have dangerous levels of visceral fat, you could still have dangerous levels of visceral fat - the kind stored around the organs under the abdominal muscles. Too much of this can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. Weighing won’t tell you visceral fat levels, and neither will using calipers for a body-fat reading-this gauges subcutaneous fat, which doesn’t increase your diabetes risk. Instead measure your waist circumference. Men have a higher risk of health problems if their waist is more than 94cm and for women when waist circumference gets beyond 90 cm. Include interval sprints in your training-a study from Duke University in the US found high-intensity exercise is one of the most effective ways to combat visceral fat.

PINCHABLE VERSUS PRESSABLE

“Subcutaneous fat” is the pinchable, squishy fat right between your skin and muscle that helps keep you warm, cushions you against shock, and stores extra calories. “Visceral fat” stores calories too, but isn’t as pinchable because it is located in and around your organs. It’s hidden deep within the belly region, which is what makes it firm (rather than squishy) when you press it.

PROXIMITY

Fat doesn’t just store calories—it’s a living tissue capable of producing and releasing hormones that affect your other organs. Because visceral fat sits near our organs, its release of these chemicals is poorly situated. Having more visceral fat can raise your LDL (a.k.a. “bad” cholesterol) and blood pressure. Visceral fat can also make you less sensitive to insulin, which increases your risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

TELLING BAD BELLY FAT APART

Even if you’re thin, you can still have visceral fat around the abdominal region—being “skinny” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re healthy. There’s no sure-fire way to tell visceral from subcutaneous fat short of an expensive CT scan, but it’s important for you to get a rough idea of what your visceral stores are. Here are a few tricks to figure out where your belly stands:

APPLES AND PEARS: You’re probably wondering, “What does fruit have to do with it?” These two fruits give a quick visual of where most of your fat is stored on the body. Pears tend to store fat in the lower extremities (hips, thighs, buttocks) as subcutaneous fat while apples tend to store fat in the upper region (belly, chest) as visceral fat. It takes a quick inspection, but this is an imperfect way to tell these two fats apart.

WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (WC): Feel for the top of your hip bone (it’s at the same level as the top of your belly button) and circle a tape measure around this point. Remember to relax and don’t suck in your gut (be honest!). Take 2-3 measurements and figure out the average. Men should have a WC of less than 40 inches (102 cm) and women should have a WC of less than 35 inches (89 cm).

WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO: The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) takes the circumference of your waist (see above) and divides it by the circumference of your hips. To measure your hips, stand in front of a mirror then figure out the widest part of your butt and measure that circumference. Then use this formula:

WHR = (Waist circumference) / (Hip circumference).

Men should have a WHR of less than 1 while women should have a WHR of less than 0.8.

KNOW YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY HISTORY

If your parents or siblings have insulin resistance, heart disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver, you may be at a greater risk for storing visceral fat. Keeping an eye on your visceral fat may be beneficial, but know that the causes of these chronic diseases are complex. If you’re in doubt, it’s best to speak with your healthcare provider.

BANISHING VISCERAL FAT

If you fall in the normal range for WC and WHR, that’s great! Keep working at your weight goals as you see fit. If you’re not there, don’t despair. Because of its proximity to the liver, visceral fat is usually the easier fat to burn. It’s the less risky subcutaneous fat that likes to stick around.

Unfortunately, you can’t forcefully spot reduce fat around your belly no matter how many crunches you do. The next best thing is to live a healthy lifestyle:

• Go beyond weight tracking. You can track your waist, hip and even neck circumference in the MyFitnessPal app to see how your measurements change over time as you lose weight.
• Sweat for 30-60 minutes each day. Visceral fat responds well to regular endurance exercises, such as running, biking, rowing, swimming, that elevate your heart rate. As your body uses fat to fuel exercise, it’ll start using up your visceral stores.
• Eat a well-balanced diet. Eat a diet high in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean protein with calories set for gradual weight loss (e.g. about 1-2 pounds per week). Cut way back on added sugars and alcohol since these nutrients will more likely end up as visceral fat.
• Sleep more, stress less. It’s easier said than done, but in order to take care of your physical body, you have to take care of your mental state. Sleep loss and stress can sabotage your health and fitness goals, so learn more about getting a quality night’s rest and use meditation or yoga to calm your mind. Remember, it’s not just about your health; it’s about your happiness, too.

THE INABILITY TO HOLLOW YOUR STOMACH IS A SIGN OF A WEAK CORE

An easy sign of a weak core is the inability to perform the stomach hollowing test. When you conduct this exercise, the intent is for your stomach to cave inwards when your abdomen contracts. You do this by taking a natural breath, pulling your abs in toward your spine, and holding it. If you lack the ability to do this, then you possess a weak core. See the image below for a visual representation of this exercise.

Overall weakness in your core muscles will lead to serious health conditions if not properly rectified. One guaranteed exercise that will improve every condition discussed in this article is the plank exercise. The benefits of performing the plank exercise are amazing. Not only will you strengthen your core, but you will also strengthen your lower back and upper body, improve your chances of avoiding injury, significantly improve your posture, and shred your abs!

Most importantly, planks can be done anywhere. You do not need a gym membership, a personal trainer, or any equipment. Heck, do your planks naked if you want! Two things will happen when you embrace the plank – your fitness will improve and so will your overall health.

FIVE MORE SIGNS YOUR BODY IS COMPENSANTING FOR A WEAK CORE

1. YOUR POSTURE IS SUB-PAR

You know that the best way to sit at your desk isn't all crunched or crouched over. But what if you can't help it? Hunching over your desk can put strain and pressure on parts of your body that weren't meant to support that position for long, that includes your hip flexors, low back, pelvis, glutes, and shoulder girdle. 

The fix: Practice sitting with your core engaged—belly button drawn back towards your spine—and shoulders pulled back, suggests Lyons. If you have a job that forces you to sit more days, you can try setting an "engaged core" timer, which'll remind you of your goal.

2. YOUR LOWER BACK ARCHES WHEN YOU WALK (AKA YOU HAVE A PELVIC TILT

Have you ever noticed someone (or maybe you do it yourself) walking pelvis-first or with a super-arched lower back? Yep, a weak core could be the culprit here, too. Because carrying and delivering a baby can weaken the pelvic and abdominal muscles, this particular symptom is common in new moms.

The fix: When you're walking, asking yourself: "Are my hips stacked beneath my shoulders?" To strengthen your core and make this stacked position possible, add pelvic tilts, leg extensions, single leg extensions, and glute bridges into your morning routine, suggests Wickham. 

3. YOU HAVE FREQUENT LOWER BACK PAIN

If you've ever felt a tweak, pinch, or twinge when performing a day-to-day movement like transferring the laundry, tossing a ball to the dog, or taking something out of the oven (like these upgraded Ina Garten approved roasted carrots), weak core muscles could be to blame. When your core isn't as strong as it needs to be, your lumbar spine can get all wonky, which can put undue pressure on your vertebrae, discs, and the rest of the muscles that encase the spine.

The fix: Work specifically on strengthening your spine. Strengthening the erector spinae— which runs from your neck to your lower back— can help reduce back pain by helping to encourage proper posture and form when performing exercises.

4. YOU FEEL WEAK WHEN THROWING OR JUMPING

Ever feel weak when performing exercises like tossing a ball, throwing a punch, jumping up and down, or even doing something like a bicep curl? Difficulty doing these things could mean your core isn’t trained properly. That's because our core muscles stabilize and send power and strength to other muscles. If we aren't strong throughout the midline, we throw out the chance that we're going to be strong in arms, legs, shoulders, or ankles—called our distal parts.

The fix: Add compound exercises like the squat, deadlift, push-up, and lunge, which will tone and strengthen your extremities and core at the same time, suggests Luciani. Even unweighted, these movements teach you how to brace your core, while using and strengthening your extremities.

5. YOU USE OBJECTS AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU AS A "CRUTCH"

If you frequently rely on the furniture or friends around you to get (and keep) you standing, it's time to add some core bracing moves to your routine. It surprises people how much core strength simply getting out of bed, a chair, or standing in line takes.

The fix: Trying to sit down, get up, or stand without reaching for poles, pillars, tables, or your pals for help, will eventually help you strengthen the weak muscles, says Lyons. As with any other exercise, it's get easier the more you do it.

Growing evidence suggests a good sleep routine plays an important part in weight control - with a study from the Mayo Clinic showing sufficient sleep is needed to keep our kilojoule intake on track. Study participants who slept for 80 minutes less than a control group consumed on average an extra 2300kJ each day. Research shows that when people are sleep deprived there are changes inside the brain and this could be driving them to eat more. The hormones linked to hunger may be upset, too. Even though they (sleep-deprived study participants) produced the signal telling them they were full, they still consumed extra kilojoules.

DREAMING IS OVERNIGHT THERAPY

University of California researchers have found that during sleep’s dream page (REM sleep), stress chemistry shuts down and memories are processed and put in perspective. The dream stage, based on its unique neurochemical composition, provides us with a form of overnight therapy… we wake up the next day, and experiences have been softened in their emotional strength. We feel better about them, we feel we can cope.

TIPS FOR QUALITY SLEEP DURING WEIGHT LOSS

There are many ways to improve sleep. Here are a few research-based tips for sleeping better when you’re trying to lose weight:

• Keep a regular sleep schedule: Big swings in your sleep schedule or trying to catch up on sleep after a week of late nights can cause changes in metabolism and reduce insulin sensitivity, making it easier for blood sugar to be elevated.
• Sleep in a dark room: Exposure to artificial light while sleeping, such as a TV or bedside lamp, is associated with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity.
• Don’t eat right before bed: Eating late may reduce the success of weight loss attempts.
• Reduce Stress: Chronic stress may lead to poor sleep and weight gain in several ways, including eating to cope with negative emotions.
• Be an Early Bird: People with late bedtimes may consume more calories and be at a higher risk for weight gain. Early birds may be more likely to maintain weight loss when compared to night owls.

MAINTAINING A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY

Deciding if you should attempt to change your body weight is a personal decision best made with the guidance of your doctor. Don’t take all the health and weight loss information you read online25 at face value. Weight loss isn’t appropriate for everyone and doesn’t always mean better health. Remember that health is a lifelong journey that includes not only healthy habits but also having a healthy relationship with your body. If you’re considering weight loss, the National Institutes of Health offers a helpful resource for choosing a safe weight loss program.