If you need to lose weight, aim to lose body fat, rather than decreasing your muscle or 'lean body mass', or dehydrating yourself. If you control your food intake, you can lose weight in a sustained and controlled way. Ideally, you should aim to lose 0.5 - 1kg (1-2 lb) per week and, by eating a balanced diet, you should remain in good health.
If you are muscular and worry that you weight more than indicated on the weight / height charts prepared for the general public, be assured that muscle weighs more than fat. You may seem overweight compared with the average - but you may not need to lose any weight. If you are certain that you need to lose weight, it is best to tackle the problem in the off-season.
Guidelines to Losing Weight
- Eat less food that is high in energy and low in food value (e.g. alcohol, biscuits, cakes, chocolates, cordials, ice-cream, pastries, potato and corn crisps, snack foods, soft drinks)
- Never skip meals. You are more likely to binge if you are hungry or tired. If possible, eat small meals frequently
- Use low-fat dairy products instead of full cream varieties.
- Trim all visible fat from meat before cooking. Remove skin from chicken. Eat more fish.
- Use alternative, low-fat sources of protein such as cottage cheese and pulses (e.g. lentils).
- Grill and steam food rather than frying it in added fat. Roasts should be placed on a rack in a baking dish, so that any melted fat drips away during cooking.
- Avoid crumbed or battered foods.
- Cut down on butter and margarine on bread and toast and avoid gravies, dressings and sauces containing fat.
- Use herbs, spices, lemon juice or tomato juice to flavor your food, instead of fat.
- Make soups, casseroles and stews a day ahead. Allow them to stand overnight, and skim off any fat from the surface. The flavor of these dishes often improves with standing.
- Keep nutritious, low-kilojoule (calorie) snacks, such as carrots, celery and nutritious dips, ready in the refrigerator for when you are hungry.
