Entries from January 2009 ↓

A healthy living campaign called the ‘Change4Life initiative’, targeted at Britain’s soaring obesity rates, is being launched by the Government. The ‘cartoon’ TV adverts for the campaign show scenes from a bygone era, when people took more exercise. These contrast with scenes of modern families eating pizza and children playing video games.

Adverts introducing the new obesity initiative will begin appearing in the next few days. According to the Department of Health, the idea is to “kick start a lifestyle revolution for every family” by promoting healthy eating and exercise.

Firms including Cadbury, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Mars, Nestle and PepsiCola will be participating alongside supermarkets Asda, Tesco and the Co-operative Group.

People with weight problems will be able to call a dedicated helpline and speak to specially-trained advisors for advice on exercise, nutrition and support services. A website has also been set up to unite more than 45,000 groups and projects aimed at promoting healthy living.

The Government has stated that if this three-year campaign does not succeed, it may bring in tighter regulations governing food companies and retailers. Data suggests that 90% of today’s children will be overweight or obese by 2050 unless action is taken now, putting them at increased risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Obesity related health issues will cost the UK £50 billion by 2050 if the weight gain trend continues.

Here are some of the things that will help with weight loss after Christmas:

Drink more vegetable juice. One of the main advantages of drinking fresh vegetable juice is that it is low calorie with no fat. You will be drinking a concentrated cocktail packed with the minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Fresh juice acts as an appetite suppressant, and is therefore very useful in a weight loss diet program. Try drinking a glass of fresh juice before your main meal, and experience a rapid decrease in appetite. Vegetable juice has far less sugar than fruit juices and about 50% less calories. Try carrot or a combination of carrot and parsley juice when hunger pangs strike.

See also Juicing Tips for Weight Loss

Try a quality fat binder. Fat binders combine with the dietry fats in the stomach, and prevent them from being digested, absorbed into the bloodstream and stored in the body. A major problem with many fat binders is that they cannot differentiate between “bad” saturated fat, and “good” poly and monounsaturated fats. These fat binders may prevent the body from absorbing and utilizing enough of the beneficial fats. Some fat is required in the diet to maintain key bodily functions. Binding of good fats would not appear to be an issue with Proactol. Proactol is an effective weight loss product clinically proven to bind bad dietary fats, reduce calorie intake from fat and suppress appetite. It has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

See also Is Proactol a Miracle Pill?

Shopping. Buy more low fat products.

Food preparation. Steamed vegetables are healthier than fried vegetables and less fattening.

Eat a little slower and chew well. Chew your food a bit longer. This will aid digestion and help you get more flavor from the food. It will also reduce the impact of eating smaller portions.

Move your body. Any movement and exercise is better than none. Park your car, or get off the bus, further away from your destination than you need to. Try walking an additional 15 to 20 minutes more every day.

Plan your snacks. To avoid out-of-control snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day. Choose snacks that are filling, but not sugary or fatty.