5 Perfectly healthy Weight Tips
With obesity and overweight reaching epidemic proportions,
Dairy Farmers of Canada is helping to fight this problem. Its ‘Healthy Weight’ campaign, launched by the organization’s registered dietitians, provides information and solutions to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
When preoccupied with their weight, women often turn to solutions that may be unrealistic – and also unhealthy. Through its Healthy Weight campaign, Dairy Farmers of Canada is offering healthy weight solutions developed by women, for women. Here are five simple tips that bring a much needed element of common sense to the healthy weight issue.
TIP 1: Get to know your healthy weight
Contrary to what you might think, a healthy weight is not a magic number on a scale, nor does it have to do with how you look in a bathing suit.
What constitutes a healthy weight varies from person to person, depending on such factors as build and bone structure. So, for any given height, there’s actually a range of healthy weights which is linked to better health. This weight range is measured by your BMI (body mass index). If you want to know if you’re in your healthy weight range, go to yourhealthyweight.ca.
TIP 2: Miracle diets don't work
Forget about fad diets—they’re ineffective, and in the long run can cause more harm than good. Sure, you may lose a few pounds in the beginning, but sooner or later it all comes back. Furthermore, continually rushing to try the latest diet craze often leads to what nutrition professionals call the “yoyo effect,” where you lose, you gain, you lose, you gain . . . The result is not only demoralizing: it’s unhealthy.
How? Many fad diets make you cut out entire food groups, which can lead to a risk of deficiencies in key nutrients. Giving up milk products, for example, means missing out on up to 16 essential nutrients. In fact, many recent studies also show that calcium and milk product consumption can actually help with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
TIP 3: Have fun being active
Being physically active is as important to maintaining a healthy weight as what we eat. And one of the key elements to staying active is to enjoy the activity in which you’re taking part. Think of things you can do that are active and fun.
Are you highly energetic? Try in-line skating with friends, or aerobic dancing. Are you introspective? Try yoga. Or make the most of family time by being active with your children. The bottom line is to find what activity suits you best.
You don’t have to be athletic to derive great benefits from getting active. Just be active 30 to 60 minutes a day, depending on the level of exertion. It will also help keep your bones strong and reduce your risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
If time is a problem, break down your activity into 10-minute chunks. For example, try 10 minutes of power walking in the morning and at lunchtime. It’s better to start with 15 minutes every day than to hit the gym only once a week because of time constraints.
TIP 4: Breakfast is important
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: regularly skipping breakfast (or any other meal, for that matter) can actually lead to weight gain. In fact, it’s been proven that people who eat breakfast have an easier time managing their weight.
A complete breakfast should include at least three of the four food groups and a source of protein. Try to include fruit and milk products. They are easy breakfast foods and many of us don’t get enough of them. Try a fruit and yogurt smoothie with a small whole grain muffin, or a peanut butter and banana sandwich with milk. Both are quick and delicious ways to get your fruit and milk servings, even on busy mornings.
TIP 5: Kill your cravings at their source
Cravings are often false hunger, and if they hit you at the wrong moment, you may give in to high-calorie, nutrient-poor treats such as candy bars, cookies and donuts.
Surprisingly, cravings are often caused by not eating enough protein at the previous meal. Good sources of protein include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, tofu, nuts and milk products.
Actually, drinking milk at mealtimes is a good way of ensuring adequate protein intake. Or, when cravings attack, fight back with a healthy snack such as yogurt, or some cheese and vegetables. Milk products help to provide the protein you need throughout the day to reduce those food cravings, and studies have revealed that milk can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
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