Diet and Long Term Weight Loss 

Long term weight loss is essential to heart health and the way you feel about yourself. One of the best ways to ensure weight loss is long term is to follow an excellent diet that is high in protein, carbohydrate, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

It is also important to have at least 2 litres of water per day but a lot of the healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables contain a high amount of water so don't worry about having to drink 8 clear glasses of water per day it's not necessary but optional if you wish to do so. 

Protein is essential to the body because your muscles are made up of protein and it has such an important function to the body. Protein feeds the muscles and keeps the immune system healthy and fills you up. Good proteins include chicken, fish, eggs and low fat cheese.

Carbohydrates are in fruits, vegetables and starches such as bread, pasta and rice and should be a staple in your diet. Carbohydrates have had a battering over the years but the simple fact is that the body needs carbohydrate for energy. They are essential and starving of the body of them isn't healthy at all.

Carbohydrates give energy to each cell in the body. Fibre is an important staple in any diet and can be found in fruit, veg, brown rice, brown pasta and lentils and it is important for excellent bowel health. Vitamins can be found in fruits and veg and minerals are found in eggs, poultry, fish and liver. 

Following a healthy diet is essential to long term weight. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients to stay in optimum health and eating a balanced diet full of these will keep your body at its best. Protein also helps to build muscle and when losing weight it is important to exercise and maintain muscle mass.

When muscle is gained the body's metabolism is revved and stays high. There has been a lot of hype about women and weight training or resistance training as it's better known but the truth is that some form of weight training is excellent to maintain long term weight loss.

The more muscle mass you have in the body the more fat will be burned and the higher your resting metabolism will be. For every pound of muscle gained you will burn an additional 50 calories per day. And contrary to the thought adding muscle bulk to a female figure will make her look leaner not bulkier.

It can be harder for women to build muscle but it is a lot easier for men because they have a higher level of testosterone and muscle building proteins. The more muscle  there is on the body, the leaner the body. Good amounts of protein should be eaten within a hour of resistance training.