GetFit.com.au

Eating smaller meals does not help shed kilos any faster, according to research that debunks a popular
dieting myth.

Dieticians have tested the theory that splitting meals into 5 or 6 snacks speeds up fat burning.

In a study of 180 obese people they found no weight loss advantage from such a diet.

''there seems to be little benefit to changing how often or how regularly you eat'' said researcher Michelle
Palmer of University of Newcastle

Ms Palmer says this should end the debate on snacking and focus Australians back on keeping dieting simple.

Comment From Online Personal Trainer Dean Piazza :

This is interesting article and research as most people were led to believe you needed to eat less but more often in order to speed up your metabolism but what was happening for most people that were overweight was they were eating more often but couldnt control the small portions and so ended up consuming alot more calories than if they were to just eat 3 meals a day.

The best advice i can give from training my clients and seeing people get good results is eating a good size healthy breakfast and lunch and making sure you reduce the size of dinner as this is where your body stores fat alot more easily .
Also try to eat a protein based dinner and eat your carbohydrate based meals for breakfast and lunch.
Snacks are fine but just light food such as fruit, handful of nuts, low fat yoghurt, smoothie.
Its all about being sensible and if you are not hungry - dont eat !

PS you also need to know the diffference between boredom and hunger !

Need some guidance ? support ? motivation ?

I can also design a personalised workout program and meal plan for you and coach you online as
your online personal trainer.

Just complete the form here to get started

https://www.getfit.com.au/registration.html

Posted by Dean at 12:27 PM | Permalink

If you are what you eat, what you eat has a lot to do with how you think about yourself, says a QUT PhD researcher whose study is part of an international research project on the healthy ageing of women.

Queensland University of Technology nursing researcher Rhonda Anderson said self-efficacy had emerged as a strong influence on women's decision to do more exercise or eat more healthily.

She surveyed more than 560 South-East Queensland women aged between 51 and 66 on their exercise and diet habits and found that although women in their 50s were keen to make healthier diet and exercise changes, they had few effective strategies to draw upon.

"This is an age when women's weight tends to peak, and almost two-thirds of the survey group were overweight or obese," Ms Anderson said.

"Self efficacy is our belief that we can produce the result we want to produce, so a person with high dietary self-efficacy believes they can eat healthily no matter what - even when bored, upset, tired, on holiday or at a party.

"A person's level of self-efficacy determines how hard they try and how long they stick at things in the face of difficulties. People with high self-efficacy are motivated and optimistic - when the going gets tough, they keep going.

"People with low self-efficacy avoid difficult tasks and when things get tough they are more likely to give up. We can improve our self-efficacy by developing skills, having role models and getting encouragement from others."

Ms Anderson's study found being overweight or obese was a key influence on self-efficacy. "Women who carried a lot of excess weight were more likely to have low self-efficacy and to not believe they could stick to an effective healthy exercise or diet program," she said.

"Education is also a factor - women with a tertiary education were more likely to have high self-efficacy for exercise."

Ms Anderson said her findings were timely given the population was ageing and women lived longer than men.

"We are going to have a lot of older women and if they are obese at age 60 they are not well placed to have a healthy old age. Carrying excess weight has been linked to diseases including diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer," she said.

Ms Anderson said that most of the women in her study who had made an effort to exercise more took up walking and those who had tried to eat more healthily had mainly cut down on fat.

"But going for a stroll and not having butter on your bread won't have you lose 30kg. Women need specific education and support to be successful in improving their health and losing weight.

"We need to reach the many women juggling work and motherhood and feel guilty if they take time for themselves.

"A lot of women in their 50s are keen to improve their health, and we need to take advantage of that, but if we can support them in taking care of themselves from an earlier age, so much the better."

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Adapted from materials provided by Queensland University of Technology.

Posted by Dean at 12:13 PM | Permalink

With most of us eating on the run, finding healthy packaged foods on the supermarket shelves can be a hit and miss affair.

Sharon Natoli is a dietician with Nutrition Australia. Together with Women's Health magazine, she has put every packaged food item to the test.

"We know the healthy foods are the ones with the single ingredient," Sharon said.

"You know your apples, your pears, your berries and your eggs and meat and that sort of thing.

"It certainly can make it quick and easy if you combine fresh food with packaged foods.

"You can throw together healthy foods very quickly

Click Below for the Top 100 pre packaged foods

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/3307429/consumer/healthy-foods

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/3307429/consumer/healthy-foods

Posted by Dean at 02:11 PM | Permalink

This is a great event which gets bigger every year and now is held in locations right around Australia

Get involved, Get fit and make a difference to people who are diagnosed with breast cancer

The Mothers Day Classic gives you the chance to make a real difference to the lives of those diagnosed with breast cancer. Make a difference by simply walking, running or sponsoring a participant, to help raise vital funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2008 the Mothers Day Classic will be held on Sunday 11 May in capital cities and regional areas across Australia
Click here for more info

http://www.mothersdayclassic.org/

Posted by Dean at 10:48 AM | Permalink