Wedding Weight Loss

Looking for a way to lose those extra few pounds before the wedding, tone up or lose some extra weight you've been trying to shift for a while now!

Here are a few helpful tips to get you on your way to the body you want, but a couple of thing - make sure to do in moderation, this is not a short term fix and to maintain your desired look must be continued, eat correctly, drink plenty of water during exercise and finally be happy with the body you have... continually looking to be smaller my be a sign of something more sinister!

All information sourced from www.nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight

Weight Loss Tips - Commit to Change

Do today

You can take four actions today that will start your journey towards a healthy weight:

• If you haven’t already, check your BMI with our Healthy weight calculator. If it is in the obese range, aim to lose between 5% and 10% of your starting weight.
• Now take the next snack you plan to have and swap it for something healthier. Many common snacks, such as sweets, chocolate, biscuits and crisps, are high in fat and sugar and supply calories that we don’t need.
• Next, find a way to fit just one extra walk into your day. Brisk walking is a way to burn calories, and you can often fit it into your daily routine. You might walk to the shops during your lunch break, or get off the bus one stop early on the way home and walk the rest of the way. Commit to this and you’ve adopted your second long-term habit. Ideally, you should aim to walk 10,000 steps a day: it’s not as many as it sounds. Learn more in the 10,000 steps a day challenge.
• Last, think about your breakfast tomorrow morning. Can you make it healthier, using the foods you already have at home?

Do this week

There are four actions you can take this week:

• First, plan a healthy weekly shop. Healthy, balanced meals are key to a healthy weight, and eating well often starts with having the right foods at home. At the supermarket look out for fresh foods and healthier options. Stuck for ideas? See our Healthy recipes.
• Everyone likes a treat occasionally, like a pizza or a takeaway. So this week, swap your treat for a healthier, home-made alternative as you can make lower-calorie versions of many takeaway foods at home. If you do order in, choose healthier options: see Healthy takeaways.
• Next, commit to one more way to increase your level of physical activity. It’s recommended that adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week, and you may need more to lose weight. Physical activity means anything that raises your heart rate and makes you warm. You can split the 30 minutes up, for example, into three sections of 10 minutes. You could try our Couch to 5K programme, for more ideas see our step-by-step exercise guides for beginners. 
• Last, identify this week’s danger zones. These are times when you might find yourself eating lots of unhealthy foods, perhaps because you are eating out or simply because you’re tired or stressed, see Diet danger zones.

Weight Loss - Diet Tips (Eat the right number of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use.)

Get started

1. Base your meals on starchy foods
   Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties when you can: they contain more fibre, and can make you feel full for longer. Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegIt’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and veg a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Learn more in 5 A DAY.
3. Eat more fishFish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least two portions a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish is high in omega-3 fats, which may help to prevent heart disease. You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned; but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt. Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards. Non-oily fish include haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate and hake.
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugarWe all need some fat in our diet. But it’s important to pay attention to the type of fat we’re eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as cakes, pies, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and hard cheese. Try to cut down, and choose foods that contain unsaturated rather than saturated fats, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and avocados. Learn more, and get tips on cutting down, in Fat: the facts.
    Most people in the UK eat too much sugar. Sugary foods and drinks are often high in calories, and could  contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, cut down on sugary fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars.  Food labels can help: use them to check how much sugar foods contain. More than 15g of sugar per 100g means that the food is high in sugar.
5. Eat less salt
   Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Learn more in Salt: the facts.
6. Drink plenty of waterTry to drink about six to eight glasses of water (or other fluids) a day to prevent dehydration. When the weather is warm or when we get active, we may need more. But avoid soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars. Remember: Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you to control your weight. Learn more about safe drinking in Alcohol.
7. Don’t skip breakfast
   Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. Wholemeal cereal, with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

Weight Loss - Exercise Tips

The office worker

• Cycle or walk part, if not all, of your journey to work. Get off one bus or tube stop before your final destination.
• Discuss project ideas with a colleague at work while taking a walk.
• Stand while talking on the telephone.
• Walk over to someones desk at work rather than speaking to them by phone.
• Take the stairs instead of the lift. Or get out of the lift a few floors early then use the stairs.
• Go for a walk during your lunch break. Try to find different walks, and alternate between them during the week.
• Use your lunch break to exercise. Your office may have a gym, or you may have access to a nearby swimming pool or squash courts.

The busy mum

• Walk your children to and from school. This will also help your kids to develop a pattern of physical activity.
• Exercise with your child. Take them to the swimming pool or play in the garden or park.
• Unappealing as it sounds, housework is a good workout, but it depends at what pace you do it. The most demanding activities include vacuuming, mopping, changing the bed linen, cleaning the windows, and scrubbing the bath and oven. “Put on some upbeat music,” says Waterman. “That’ll get you going and keep your pace up.”

New parents

• New parents often don't have time for exercise. But there are ways of squeezing it in while looking after a baby.
• If you’re going for a run, take the baby with you. There are baby wraps and baby backpacks. Jogging strollers have improved. There are also ways to take your baby with you when you're riding your bike.
• Exercise during your lunch break at work. You can do a lot in half an hour. 
• Your workplace may have a gym where you can sign up for lunchtime fitness classes. There may be a swimming pool or racket club nearby.

Retired

• As you get older it's even more important to stay active. Exercise will help you to stay mobile and independent in your later years.
• Be active around the house. Cooking, housework and walking while you're on the phone can help to keep you mobile.
• Work in the garden or mow the grass. Pushing, bending, squatting, carrying, digging, pruning and picking things up will use different muscle groups, and improve your balance and co-ordination.
• Go out for a short walk. Start with five to 10 minutes, then gradually do 30 minutes, increasing the pace from leisurely to brisk.
• Consider community-based activities in your area.
• Conservation groups can be a great way to get involved in improving your local environment and being active at the same time.

Love your garden - Gardening for 10 minutes will burn 53 calories.
Skip yourself fit - Depending on the intensity of your workout, skipping will typically burn between 70 and 110 calories in a 10-minute session.
Swap the sofa for cycling - Ten minutes of moderate cycling will burn around 62 calories, and the same time on the treadmill will burn 97 calories.
Take the stairs - Climbing the stairs burns around twice as many calories as walking, and 10 minutes of taking the stairs adds up to around 70 calories burned.
Get walking - Try using a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you do. You can burn 35 calories in 10 minutes of brisk walking.
Dance the night away - Ten minutes of aerobic dancing burns around 65 calories.
Park and walk - You will burn around 35 calories for every 10 minutes of brisk walking, and more if you're carrying heavy bags at the same time.
Clean up on calories - In 10 minutes of energetic dusting, you could burn around 33 calories, while 10 minutes of ironing uses up 15 calories.