Diet, slimming and weight management  Diet, slimming and weight management  Diet, slimming and weight management  © Specialist Supplements Ltd 2011 0845 094 3627 Your health is your responsibility A healthy diet for long-term weight loss Trying to shed excess weight? Here are a few tips that can help... You've hit a familiar roadblock - carrying excess weight is a problem for many people, and can be difficult to shed without proper guidance. However, your search for health information is a great first step to developing better lifestyle choices and achieving your weight loss goals. Diet First of all, we here at Specialist Supplements never use the word "diet" in the sense of a short- term "quick fix" to lose weight. When we talk of a healthy diet we mean a long-term lifestyle change and approach to food, day in and day out. Secondly, we do not believe in diets that advocate limited food choice and/or drastically reduced calorie intake - you need to follow nutritional guidelines, even when you are trying to lose weight. "Fad diets" simply do not work, which is why so many people fail in their attempts to lose weight. The only way you can be certain of long-term weight loss and good overall health is to permanently alter your lifestyle, eating habits and attitude to food and exercise.  During the slimming process, your body still needs its essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, so you need to choose a path that helps you to lose weight and stay healthy at the same time. If you become nutrient-deficient (due, for example, to severely restricted food choice or a calorie intake that is too low), you will be far more likely to have cravings and binge, which can ultimately lead you to putting back on any weight you might have lost and more! Nutrient intake So how do you go about losing weight, whilst still maintaining your optimal calorie and nutrient intake? If this sounds impossible (or too good to be true), it's not. Losing weight should never involve you starving yourself - there is no need to go hungry or to have limited food choice. Of course, you will need to cut down on certain foods in order to lose weight (like "junk" foods and foods high in fat and sugar), but controlled "cheat days" will allow you to occasionally have some of the treats you enjoy and help you to continue with the eating regime for the long-term. The key is reducing your calorie intake to a sensible level for your particular body and metabolism, exercising to assist the burning of additional calories and eating a balanced diet comprised of a proportionate amount of foods from each of the food groups. Once you've lost the weight, variety and moderation are how you will keep it off! Of course, if you are unsure about which are the "right" foods and quantities to eat, you may need some guidance in the early stages, until you are used to your new eating habits. We offer a free slimmer's meal plan that can be used as a starting point - it sets out the types of foods you should be eating, the quantities and frequency. One great way to ensure appropriate nutrient intake during the slimming process, whilst still keeping calories down, is to use a high quality meal replacement or protein powder. Many of our customers following weight management programmes use our MEALtime meal replacement powder as either a snack between meals or as a meal in itself. MEALtime is not only naturally low in fat and calories, but it is high in dietary fibre, protein, complex carbohydrates and other essential vitamins and minerals. It even contains psyllium husks for healthy bowels and to aid digestion. Meal replacements and protein powders are a fantastic natural slimming aid, because they allow you to stay full and avoid those urges to eat unhealthy foods, whilst ensuring that you are giving your body what it craves in terms of nutrients - in other words, this is the way to lose weight healthily. Check out our full meal replacement and protein powder ranges, which contain superfruit and superfood powder blends to suit every taste. Final tips... So, our key tip is to avoid so-called "diets". To be successful and healthy for the long run, you can't just sporadically “crash diet” - it is actually unhealthy for your weight to fluctuate up and down. Instead, you should look at being healthy as a lifestyle change. Focus on eating nutritious foods as a way to fuel your body and keep you energized and healthy for the long haul, not as a quick-fix stint of deprivation to lose weight, just to put it back on again a couple of months later - yo-yo dieting. Lastly, make sure you keep track of your progress - when you start to see results, this will help with motivation and staying-power. Weigh and measure yourself at the outset and then on a regular basis - we have a free daily Self Monitoring Monitoring Form and Personal Statistics Form on our main website. Above we have outlined just a few key tips to guide you on the path to long-term weight loss and a better body image. The fact is that maintaining a positive outlook on your journey and watching out for your health is much more effective than continually being disappointed over setbacks. Try on a new perspective and enjoy the benefits that you'll reap from it! If you need any help, visit our main website or give us a call on the number at the top of the page!  *Before changing your diet, undertaking a new physical exercise regime or taking health supplements, it is recommended to consult your physician or other qualified health practitioner, (particularly if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on medications). This is an information site only! 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