Our inability to lose weight can be due to reaching a plateau where the body’s metabolism adjusts to the foods being eaten and the exercise being done, and therefore slows down and burns fewer calories, making it more difficult to lose weight. The best thing to do is to vary your exercise routine. It may also be worthwhile reviewing your food intake and reassessing some of the foods that may be contributing to those stubborn extra pounds.
Another question to ask yourself if you’re not losing weight is, ‘Are you eating enough?’ If you starve yourself, then your body will go into famine mode and hold onto all its precious fat reserves. What you might need is to eat regularly and kick-start your metabolism.
Here are some other reasons why weight loss can plateau:
• Having tempting foods in your fridge or cupboards.
• Eating fattening food when you’re a guest or with friends.
• Peer pressure from friends who don’t understand how important sensible eating is to you. They’ll say ‘once won’t hurt’ which is a sure route to giving in to temptation.
• Feeling like you’ve strayed so far from your eating and exercise plan that it feels pointless to go back.
Recipe of the Week
Grilled Swordfish With Citrus Relish
and Cilantro
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 oranges, peeled and sectioned
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh cilantro leaves
6 swordfish steaks, about 150 g each
3 teaspoons olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make citrus relish, combine grapefruit and orange sections in a mixing bowl. Add lime juice, ginger and cilantro and set aside. (This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The relish should be served at room temperature.) Meanwhile, drizzle the swordfish steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fish on each side under a medium grill until it is cooked through. Place each steak on a warm plate and pour over the relish.
Slimming Lifestyle
No Magic Food — Just Less
Low-carbohydrate, low fat, high-protein, high-fat — if you can imagine it, it’s probably been a diet. And if people have successfully lost weight on widely different diets, the reason is most likely that they consumed fewer total calories. Ultimately, then, the answer is to control portion sizes, and that’s no easy task in today’s “supersize” society. Read labels to understand how many servings a package is intended to include, and work on visualizing what a single portion looks like on your plate. Following my Healthy Eating Guide will help you to understand how much food you should be eating and you can email for a free copy to [email protected]
Ask Alva
I’m a 15-year-old girl. I’m only 5 feet 1 inch tall. Please suggest exercises and diet to follow in order to become tall, as soon as possible, before it’s too late for my age. I want to be at least 3 inches taller. Samma
If you’re only 15, you may not have hit your maximum height yet, so relax. At 15, it is a good age to start taking responsibility for your health and the way you look. Many film and pop stars are quite petite, but they take care of their bodies through exercise, healthy eating and promoting their best features.
So, this is what you can do
• Look after your skin by drinking 2 liters of water a day
• Cut out chocolates — many people in our research are addicted top chocolate, and it can cause spots
• Eat plenty of fruit every day
• Eat plenty of fresh vegetables every day
• Eat mainly grilled fish or meat — not fried
• Eat carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta or potatoes for energy, as you need plenty at your age
• Go to bed early and get at least 8 hours sleep every night — young adolescents need plenty of sleep!
• Don’t drink fizzy drinks — drink water or fresh juice instead whenever possible
• Allow yourself one treat a day and exercise every morning for at least 20 minutes, and try to get other exercise when you can. Alva
For all your weight concerns and questions e-mail Alva Carpenter at:
Selected letters will be replied to in this column.
