11 WEIGHT-LOSS TIPS

Make sliding into your skinny jeans as easy as pulling on a pair of leggings with the following advice and clever tips.

1. CUT OUT ALCOHOL

It's a sad fact that stress increases levels of the hormone Cortisol in our bodies, which research shows increases the fat around our waists. But reaching for a glass of wine to help you relax can nnake things worse, as alcohol also raises Cortisol levels. Alcohol is also known to disturb our sleep, as the body has to work harder to cleanse itself of toxins. This is why we often feel tired and un-rested after a night of drinking.

2. SLEEP WELL

The benefits of plenty of zzzzzz don't stop at having the energy to get through the day. A good night's sleep also helps reduce stress, keeps your mind sharp, and boosts your immune system and mood.

Getting eight hours regularly is essential for a glowing complexion, as your body produces more protein when you sleep - allowing cells to renew and repair the damage caused by ultraviolet rays, pollution and toxins - and increases human grovrth hormone (HGH) production to retain skin elasticity for fewer wrinkles.

Stick to a sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up roughly the same time every day to maintain your body's internal clock, Try writing in a journal a few minutes before bed to unload the stressors that can cause insomnia and sleep disturbances. Avoid television, computer and phone use an hour before you go to bed - these can act as stimulants - and wear ear plugs and an eye mask to reduce light and sounds.

3. WRITE IT DOWN

Keeping a food and mood diary is an important tool to help manage your relationship with food. Most of us don't know what we are eating, or how all the things we unconsciously eat - from finishing off your child's leftovers to reaching for the biscuit tin as a reward - can add up.

Writing everything down - including snacks and drinks - and noting how you feel when you eat them will help you become more aware of your eating patterns, and show you where you need to make changes.

4. CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS

Paying attention to what, when and how you eat will help you register when you're full so you don't mindlessly consume extra calories. Take your time to chew what you put in your mouth and taste every bite.

Put down your cutlery after every mouthful and don't pick your knife and fork up again until you've thoroughly chewed and swallowed what you're eating as this will help slow you down. Finally, avoid watching TV, reading or working at your desk while you eat - your digestion will thank you.

5. KEEP IT SIMPLE

Make habit your friend. Trying to follow the latest diet trends and recipes can become overwhelming. Instead, find what you like and stick with what works for you - at least until you get bored.

Also, try to have a maximum of six types of food on your plate. Research shows we eat 70 per cent more when we increase variety as every new taste, texture and flavour re-stimulates your appetite.

6. DUMP THE TOXINS

Speed up your weight loss by dumping toxic foods from your body. This includes all low-fat and low-calorie food and drinks. Not only are they less filling, their super-toxic sugars, artificial sweeteners and additives also dump fat around your tummy and can even damage the collagen in your skin, making you look older Clean and lean food is the way to go as your body will only store the good nutrients.

7. DON'T CLEAR YOUR PLATE

Try to leave something on your plate, even if it's just a mouthful. This can help you break away from the idea that clearing your plate is a good thing and regain control over your eating. It will give you the chance to sit back, listen to your body and decide if you're full or not.

Eventually, you won't have to think about portion control because you'll only eat what your body needs.

8. WEIGHTING GAME

If you have excess pounds to shed, research now shows that the best way to lose weight consistently is to reduce your calorie intake by 10 calories for every pound you want to lose permanently. So if you want to drop one stone, you'd need to cut your intake by 140 calories a day.

You may have heard that cutting 500 calories a day is necessary for weight loss, but new research reveals this will result in hitting a plateau before you reach your goaf. Weight loss will take longer If you cut fewer calories but you're more likely to stick to your new regime, and keep the weight off long term.

9. DON'T CRAVE IN

Try fighting your food urges the first time you get them because science shows that the power of a craving dramatically decreases each time it comes back. This approach might not work every time, but you should go from giving into every craving to only giving into 20-30 per cent of them.

10. COOK AT HOME

When you make your own food, you have control over the quality of the ingredients and portion size. If you're short on time during the week, try cooking two meals at once so you spend less time in the kitchen, or prepare a big pot of brown rice, quinoa or other wholegrains at the beginning of the week and throw it into salads, toss with spices, or add toasted slivered nuts and dried fruits for super healthy and filling snacks.

11. STAY HYDRATED

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day It's essential for keeping you hydrated and healthy, and will keep you feeling full, beat water retention, flush away toxins and help your body metabolise stored fat. It's easy to confuse hunger with thirst and eat something when what you really need is fluid. Make sure you drink extra water when you're exercising or in hot weather to compensate for sweat loss and help you perform at your best, ff you don't like water, add a slice of lemon, or try coconut water.

3 SECRETS TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT LOSS

Make sure you don’t pile on the pounds with our top tips

1. PLAN YOUR MEALS

At the beginning of each week, plan your week’s meals to help you stay on track. Put the list up on your fridge and stick to it.

2. STAY FOCUSED

Have a healthy role model like an athlete, celeb or friend in mind when you’re preparing meals and exercising to help you keep your focus.

3. RECRUIT A DIET BUDDY

Surrounding yourself with like-minded friends will help you reach your ultimate diet goals. Organise healthy lunch dates and schedule in exercise sessions to help keep you motivated and on track.

THE SMART WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Try carb cycling, this year’s easiest diet, and watch the fat melt away

When you’re striving to shed excess pounds, carbs are usually the first thing that comes of the menu. The good news is that with our three-week plan, you can have your carbs and eat them too! Yes that’s right – you can still indulge in bread, pasta and your other favourite carb-laden treats and still lose weight –the key is simply to eat the right amount at the right time. Carb cycling, which is tipped as the next big thing in weight loss is not about banning food groups or counting calories, but about eating smart to achieve your diet goals.

SO WHAT IS CARB CYCLING?

As the name suggests, carb cycling involves alternating high-carbohydrate intake days with low-carbohydrate intake days to build muscle and burn fat without depriving your body of nutrients or energy. Eating in this way also helps to lower levels of the blood sugar balancing hormone insulin, which controls food cravings and weight gain and regulates the appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin as well as thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which are the master hormones of the metabolism. Carbs are an important macronutrient group so it’s a big mistake to ban them when dieting. Sure, you’ll drop pounds initially, but your weight loss will eventually plateau as your metabolism slows. Carb cycling helps to program your body to use fat as its primary energy source, preventing a metabolic slow down and helping you get the results you’re after. Experts at University Hospital in South Manchester found that following a low-carbohydrate diet two days a week helped to reduce weight and insulin levels more than a standard calorie- restriction diet. Sounds good to us, where do we sign up?

On this plan we recommend you follow two days of low- carb meals followed by one day of high-carb meals, on a day that coincides with an intense workout. This pattern should be repeated over 21 days. The idea is that by loading up on carbs on high-carb days you’ll restock glycogen reserves and your body will be primed to support an intense workout. Your high-carb day will also rev up your energy levels, speed up your metabolism and recharge your fat loss! In addition, not only will keeping your carb intake high on the days when you need it most give you more energy to nail those workouts, but timing your carb intake carefully will maximise results and prevent muscle breakdown ensuring consistent results. We’ve done the hard work for you and calculated the best kind of carbs in the right quantities needed to keep your system guessing, meaning you get the body you want without any unhealthy shortcuts.

WHICH CARBS ARE BEST?

Not all carbs are created equal. On this diet we recommend that you ban all white, re?ned carbohydrates such as white bread, potatoes and white pasta in favour of complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, porridge, quinoa, sweet potatoes, oats and rye bread. These carbohydrates are low on the glycaemic index, (a scale by which carbs are ranked for their ability to stabilise blood sugar levels). Low-GI foods don’t cause spikes in your blood sugar levels which means they keep you feeling full and slash your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Our 21-day diet plan and complementary workout is a powerful fat-fighting tool that will help you lose up to half a stone in just three weeks.

BELLY FLOPS - THE FITNESS MYTHS THAT COULD BE TO BLAME FOR THE BULGE

IF THERE’S ONE PLACE

Most of us don’t want to wobble, it’s our stomachs. Quick to store up  and stubborn to shift, most women  know the frustration that excess tummy fat can bring. No matter how many diet  tricks and fitness kicks we try, it seems to be a cruel fact of life we can do  nothing about. Or is it? Could it be  we’re just following the wrong rules? It’s time to wise up about the fitness myths  that could be to blame for the bulge.

MYTH #1: ‘ALL FATS IN FOOD CAUSE BELLY FAT’

Busted! It’s true that fatty food can be very high in kilojoules  and a big contributor to belly fat, but  there’s a distinct dif  erence between good fats and bad ones. Good fats, in  moderation, provide your body with the  energy it needs to function properly, whereas baddies will only clog your  arteries and make you, well, fatter!  Find good fats (lower in saturates) in nuts, avocados and oily fish. Cut  down on bad fats (higher in saturates) from vegetable oil, butter and cream.

MYTH #2: ‘DOING LOTS OF AB EXERCISES EVERY DAY  WILL GET RID OF MY TUM’

Busted! Sadly, it doesn’t matter how hard you  train your abs, if there’s a thick layer  of fat over them, you just won’t see the six-pack. To lose body fat, try compound  exercises – which involve more  than one muscle (try squats, lunges, push-ups) – combined with  interval training for a cardio blast.

MYTH #3: ‘YOGA ISN’T A FAT-BURNING EXERCISE’

Busted! The right kind of yoga – one  focusing on building strength,  such as vinyasa flow – is a great  fat blaster. You’ll also tone up, gain flexibility and work your core muscles. So many bonuses!

MYTH #4: ‘LONG-DISTANCE CARDIO IS THE BEST FOR BURNING FAT’

Busted! Wrong again. Long-distance cardiovascular exercise, such  as marathon training, actually  increases levels of the hormone cortisol in your  body to such an extent it can  encourage fat gain. Of course,  if you’re regularly running long  distances, you’ll be burning of    huge kilojoules and, as long as you  don’t eat them all up again, you’ll  lose some fat. But if you want to burn  it of    in a time-ei   cient, safe way that  reduces the risk of injury, try interval training for at least 20 minutes.

MYTH #5: ‘WORKING IN THE “FAT-BURNING ZONE” WILL SLIM ME DOWN’

Busted! The ‘fat-burning zone’ is a myth. There is a zone of activity in which your body  uses fat the most for fuel, but this doesn’t equate with more fat being burnt of   . Why would it be ‘better’ for  your body, and for fat loss, for you to work less hard in the ‘fat-burning zone’ than you would in the more  intense ‘cardio zone’? Bottom line: the harder you  work, the more fat you’ll lose. Heart-rate training  is a much better method of gauging intensity.

MYTH #6: ‘DRINKING DIET COLA AND COFFEE WILL SPEED UP MY METABOLISM’

Busted! No, it won’t stop you eating too much. Instead, you’ll probably just make up for the ‘saved’ kilojoules later in the day. Diet drinks are full of artificial sweeteners and toxins that can cause bloating, while coffee disrupts insulin levels and makes you crave sweet things an hour or so later. Cut them out!

MYTH #7: ‘EATING LESS OFTEN WILL HELP ME LOSE FAT’

Busted! If you’re trying to lose fat, this  is the worst thing you can do. Ideally, you should eat five to six small meals a day, with a portion of protein  in each one to keep your  metabolism stoked  and burning without  overloading. If you’re  often out to dinner, try to  eat three balanced meals  a day with two healthy  snacks in between.

MYTH #8: ‘IT’S NOT MY DIET, I’M JUST  REALLY UNLUCKY’

Busted! Erm, sorry but  this one just  doesn’t wash. While people  have a tendency to store fat in
different places, it’s still possible to get it of    with the right  nutrition and exercise regimen.  In particular, the love handles  at the sides of the belly are  associated with a diet heavy  in refined carbohydrates (such  as white bread and white pasta)  and refined sugar (biscuits,  cakes, chocolate and all the  sweet, yummy things we love).

MYTH #9: ‘FAT-BURNING PILLS WILL FLATTEN MY STOMACH’

Busted! Most fat-burning  pills are stuf  ed  full of caf  eine, which may boost  your metabolism a tad, but  there’s an inevitable and usually hideous comedown. If you are going to take some  anyway (can we say again that it isn’t a great idea), be wary of the ingredients and do your research first.


MYTH #10: ‘LIPOSUCTION IS THE ONLY BACK-UP PLAN’

Busted! Maybe, if you’re prepared to go  under the knife for fairly small  returns. There are far more sensible, long-term,  safer (and cheaper) ways of losing fat, like following  the other tips on this page. A healthy lifestyle,  including a good diet and regular exercise, will  slowly but surely take that fat off for good.

10 WAYS TO GET SLIM WITHOUT THE GYM

1 Join the dark side...

When it comes to chocolate, that is. It’s much harder to munch your way through a whole block of good-quality dark chocolate (we’re talking at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, or 85 if you can hack it) than  the milky stuf    – which means you’ll ration it better. Plus, while the kilojoules may be the same, the dark stuf  is low in sugar and high in healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants known as polyphenols.  Yep, that means this sweet treat is de? nitely doing your body good.

2 Mess about

It might sound a little silly, but being childish can be really good for your body  – so make like a kid and get to the park. A kick-around with a soccer ball, basketball  sesh or impromptu Frisbee game are all  activities that are perfectly capable of burning kilojoules, raising your metabolism  and leaving you smiling from ear to ear.

3 Pump up the volume

Whether you’re outside walking or inside  doing the housework, blasting some of  your favourite tunes is a sure-fire way to  max your motivation, get you moving
faster and burn more kilojoules. Invest
in a new iPod, compile an upbeat playlist,
and let the music get you going.

4 Rope in a hot bod

Looking for a cheap piece of workout kit  that of  ers excellent value? Step away  from the Ab Blaster and pick up your old  skipping rope. Not only does a skipping  rope cost and weigh next to nothing, it  also provides an intense, time-ei   cient cardio workout that you can do pretty  much anywhere. Just ask Rocky Balboa.

5 DITCH THE DAIRY

If you down a large latte every morning, your daily  cuppa could be adding extra  weight. The average adult  doesn’t need that much milk – you can get more calcium  from leafy green veg – plus,  milk has a sugar called  lactose in it, which makes  it high in carbs (yep, even  skim milk).  Time to  develop  a taste for  long blacks.

6 Skip low fat

Don’t waste money on ‘low-fat’ snacks such as cereal bars or skinny mui   ns – they’re  overly processed, packed with sugar and guaranteed to leave you ravenous in half  an hour. Eat more protein, such as chicken  or fish, with your meals instead. It will keep you fuller for longer, saving you money on diet snacks that don’t of  er any benefits.

7 Use your own body weight

One of the most ef  ective weight-training tools around is your own body. It’s free,  open all hours and provides awesome results. Perform 20 of the following  moves back to back and see how you feel:  burpees, push-ups, jump squats, lunges and narrow push-ups. Out of breath yet?

8 Get fit on your commute to work

Make a conscious ef  ort to move more in your daily routine: try taking the stairs  rather than the lift, walking to meetings  or going for a quick stroll on your lunch  break. Even better, leave the train or bus  ticket at home and try jogging, cycling or  walking to work each day. Then go treat  yourself with all the cash you saved!

9 Eat smarter

It’s not easy, but if you’re absolutely  determined to trim down, then cutting  out alcohol and re? ned sugar is the  fastest way to lose body fat – look to  supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley  or the awe-inspiring Beyoncé for evidence. Struggling to curb your sweet tooth? Plan your healthy meals in advance and  pack lots of nutritious snacks such as raw  nuts, natural yoghurt and boiled eggs so  you’re not tempted to dip into the office lolly jar. Combined with your new gym-free exercise tricks, it’s a total winner!

10 GET A PUP

Okay, okay, getting fit shouldn’t be your first reason for becoming a dog owner,  but if you’ve been umm-ing and ahh-ing for a while, it’s a good incentive to make a date with the RSPCA. Dog walking helps you keep active all year round, whatever the weather, because it’s not only yourself you’re letting down if you feel too lazy to go out, it’s Rover, too.

GO NUTS TO LIVE LONGER AND LOSE WEIGHT

Increase your consumption of nuts and you’ll decrease your risk of dying. This sounds pretty enticing, doesn’t it? A recent Harvard University study found that eating nuts might be the ticket to a longer life. After examining almost 30 years of  dietary data from nearly 119,000 men and women, they  found that people who ate nuts frequently (those who consumed nuts seven or more times per week) were 20  percent less likely to die over the 30-year study period compared to those who never cracked into the goodness  of nuts. Increased consumption of nuts (after accounting  for known and suspected risk factors, which could skew  results) was associated with a decrease in deaths due to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

THE PREDIMED TRIAL

Other population-based studies have come to similar conclusions— nuts are good for you. In particular, the  PREDIMED trial, a long-term trial evaluating how a Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of cardiovascular  disease (diseases of the heart and blood vessels), randomly assigned 7,447 older adults (ages 55-80 years)  with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease into one of three diet groups: a Mediterranean diet plus 1 liter per week of virgin olive oil (50 ml/day), a Mediterranean diet plus 30 grams per day of mixed nuts (15 grams walnuts, 7.5 grams hazelnuts and 7.5 grams almonds) or a  low-fat diet (control diet). The participants in the Mediterranean diet groups were educated on this eating pattern, which is based on consumption of fresh fruits,  vegetables, legumes, fish or seafood (including at least  one serving of fatty fish per week), at least one serving of nuts or seeds per week, choosing white meats versus red  meats and the addition of tomatoes, garlic, onion at least twice per week while cooking. They were instructed to  limit or eliminate fried foods and sweets. In addition, those in the low-fat control diet group were advised to  reduce all types of fats and consume lean meats, low-fat  dairy products, cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta, fruits and  vegetables. All groups could consume food as they  desired— they were not given a strict calorie limit to  adhere to. After an average follow-up period of 4.8 years,  participants who consumed the Mediterranean diet  including nuts increased their nut consumption from an  average baseline intake of 0.9 servings per week to six servings per week while those in the Mediterranean diet  group increased their consumption of extra-virgin olive  oil from a baseline intake of 32 grams per day to 50  grams per day. Both the Mediterranean diet with added  extra virgin olive oil as well as the Mediterranean diet with  added nuts led to a significant reduction in risk of stroke  as well as a 30 percent reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

In a separate observational cohort analysis of the PREDIMED study, scientists evaluated the initial diets of 7,216 study participants and found those who consumed more than three servings of nuts  (including any of the following: peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts,  macadamia and cashews) per week at the start of the study had a 39 percent lower risk of death over the  course of the 4.8 year follow-up period. In addition, participants in the upper category of nut consumption  had a 55 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular  disease and 40 percent lower risk of death from cancer  compared to those who never ate nuts over the average 4.8-year follow-up period. And though many of these  participants changed to a Mediterranean diet pattern  over the course of the study, this study suggests that  consuming more than three servings of nuts per week  adds additional benefits to a Mediterranean diet.

A UNIQUE COMPOSITION

What makes nuts so good for your body? Nuts come in tiny packages that deliver enormous nutrition benefits. They are full of healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals,  phytosterols and antioxidants, substances that protect  the cells in your body from damage due to free radicals,  Jekyll-and-Hyde-like compounds that are essential for  life but can go around and wreak havoc if the body’s  antioxidant capacity is too overwhelmed to suppress  them from their rampage.

The unique composition of nutrients and healthy plant- based compounds found in nuts has led to a number of  studies examining how eating nuts may benefit health.  The Harvard study and PREDIMED trial added to previous  research studies which have found a relationship  between increased consumption of nuts and a decreased  risk of certain types of chronic diseases including heart  disease and some types of cancer. In addition, clinical  trials, studies where participants consumed nuts  regularly as part of a mixed diet, have found the more  nuts participants ate, the more their levels of blood fats  dropped. Increasing consumption of nuts resulted in  decreases in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol,  triglycerides and other measures. LDL circulates in the  bloodstream where it can build up on artery walls and,  along with other substances, form a thick plaque that  compromises artery functioning and decreases blood flow. Triglycerides are a type of fat made by the body. 

Both high LDL and triglycerides are considered risk factors for heart disease. Three types of study participants  benefited the most from the addition of nuts: those with  high baseline levels of LDL cholesterol, adults with low body  mass index and those consuming a Western diet, which is  sometimes referred to as SAD, the Standard American Diet—  one that contains large amounts of fried and sweet foods,  processed meats and refined grains.

SMALLER WAIST AND LESS WEIGHT GAIN

If you want all of the benefits associated with nuts but you are worried about how they will affect your waistline,  consider this: the Harvard study found participants who  consumed nuts more frequently were not only leaner but  they also had healthier lifestyle habits compared to study  participants who consumed nuts less frequently. Frequent  nut consumers were more likely to exercise and take a  multivitamin supplement; they ate more fruits and  vegetables and were less likely to smoke. Previous studies  have similar findings— nut consumption is associated with  less weight gain and a smaller waist. Despite their high- calorie and high-fat nutrition, snacking on various types of  nuts may also lead to weight loss—a phenomenon many  experts have attributed to their very filling protein and fat  content. In addition to keeping you full, research on almonds and pistachios suggests that our bodies absorb less fat, and  therefore calories, from nuts than other food sources.

A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  found that participants absorbed only 80 percent of the  calories from the almonds they ate as part of a mixed diet. And therefore, one serving, or about 23 almonds, provided  just 129 calories, not 160 as listed on the Nutrition Facts panel of the package. So what happened to the other 31  calories? During digestion the human body doesn’t  completely break down the cell walls that surround the fat  within almonds. And therefore, we cannot completely absorb  the fat within the nuts.

Another study, published in the British Journal of  Nutrition, found that one of the lowest calorie nuts,  pistachios, might contribute fewer calories to our diets than  previously thought. Over a three-week period, scientists  gave study participants a measured amount of pistachios,  either 0 (no pistachios), 42 grams or 84 grams of pistachios    per day as part of a controlled diet. Using a crossover  design, each participant had a chance to consume each level of pistachios— 0, 42 grams and 84 grams— in order to help  eliminate potential individual differences from what they set  out to determine: if the human body can metabolize and  absorb all of the calories from pistachios. Participants  absorbed 5 percent fewer calories from the pistachios due  to decreased absorption of fat from the nuts. In addition,  consuming pistachios lowered LDL cholesterol by 6 percent. Because both of these studies were conducted using whole  nuts, the results can’t be transferred to nut butters, which  are processed so the cell walls are already broken down,  making it easier to absorb the calories they contain.

IN-SHELL VERSUS SHELLED PISTACHIOS 

In addition, if you are watching your waistline, in-shell pistachios have an added benefit— research suggests you’ll eat fewer calories if you choose in-shell as opposed to  shelled pistachios. College students at Eastern Illinois  University were given a 16-ounce cup of either in-shell or  shelled pistachios and asked to self-select a portion of  pistachios to eat. Students offered in-shell pistachios  consumed 41 percent fewer calories than students offered  shelled pistachios, indicating the form of the food influenced  how many calories were consumed. And though the in-shell  pistachio group didn’t eat nearly as many calories as those  consuming shelled pistachios, reported fullness and  satisfaction ratings were not different between the groups.  The study authors suggested those who ate in-shell  pistachios consumed fewer calories possibly due to the time  it takes to crack open the shells and because the shells are a  visible reminder of how much you’ve consumed. And, this  theory makes sense. Think about a good server in a bar—  they immediately clear beer bottles from the table so their  guests aren’t staring at a table full of empty bottles and  thinking, “Gosh I better slow down, I’ve had a lot of beer  already.” To get you to buy more, they clear plates and  bottles off of your table as soon as possible.

GO NUTS

If there’s one step you should take today to help decrease  your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and possibly even  some types of cancers, it’s adding nuts to your diet. Despite  their high calorie content for the amount of food you are  getting, you probably won’t absorb all of the calories from  whole nuts and study after study shows that nut eaters  weigh less than those who avoid nuts. So, crack one open  today. 

YOGA AND WEIGHT LOSS

Yoga is a great addition to any fitness program for its ability to improve balance and flexibility.  But what about yoga and weight loss? Several studies seem to support the claim that, indeed, yoga can help you lose weight by decreasing stress hormones and increasing insulin sensitivity, which signals the body to use food as fuel instead of storing it as fat. Here’s a closer look at a few of the studies concerning yoga and weight loss.

Restorative Yoga for Overweight Women

Is yoga more beneficial— or does it have the same benefits— as stretching  when it comes to weight loss? Marie G. Araneta, Ph.D., MPH, and colleagues  designed a study to determine what  would benefit overweight women more— a 48-week program of  restorative yoga, or a program involving  stretching exercises. Over the six months of the study period, both  groups lost weight, but the yoga group  lost significantly more subcutaneous  fat (fat that lies directly underneath the  skin as opposed to being found around internal organs, etc). The yoga group lost an average of 1.3 kg at six months, while the stretch group lost about .7 kg. In addition, the yoga group maintained the weight loss, reaching 1.7 kg at the 48-week mark.

The women in the yoga group had an average age of 55 years, while the stretch group was 54. At the start of the study, there weren’t significant differences in weight and subcutaneous fat between the two groups, and all participants had the metabolic syndrome.

It’s important to define “restorative” yoga here, as it differs from other forms of yoga. Rather than focusing on flowing body movements and balance poses, restorative yoga focuses more on relaxation and stress reduction. According to the American Journal of Managed Care, restorative yoga does involve stretching and body alignment, this type of yoga is typically performed in a reclined or seated position, with limbs and parts of the torso being supported by blankets, pillows or padded bolsters. In addition, restorative yoga poses are held longer than in other styles of yoga— sometimes as long as seven minutes— and measured breathing is an important aspect of this practice.

So why the difference in weight loss in the two groups? It’s been found that restorative yoga reduces levels of cortisol— the chemical in the body that increases with stress and has been shown to increase abdominal fat. However, when presenting the results
of the study at the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago, Araneta said this is not an indication that restorative yoga should replace aerobic activity— instead, the practice could particularlybenefit severely obese patients who are unable to do other physical activities.

Mindfulness and Weight Loss

A study done in 2005 performed by medical researcher and practicing yogi Alan Kristal, DPH, MPH found that yoga can help people lose pounds— or at least help them from gaining weight, according to WebMD.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. Participants completed a survey about their physical activity and weight between the ages of 45 and 55. In the study, practicing yoga was defined as performing at least one 30-minute session per week for four or more years. The participants who practiced yoga and were overweight to start with lost about five pounds, while during that same period those who weren’t practicing yoga gained about 14 pounds, according to WebMD.

Kristal told WebMD that from a scientific standpoint, it’s unclear how yoga could help people keep off the weight, but that most likely it’s related to yoga’s “mindfulness” and ability to help “change the relationship of mind to body, and eventually to food and eating.” In addition, yoga may also help people to be more aware of what they’re eating, and what it feels like to be full.

Hot Yoga

Many yogis have also reported weight loss from hot yoga. Hot yoga, also known as Bikram yoga, is  practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity, and is considered by some to be the most intense type of yoga. It’s quite popular now but in case you haven’t tried it, Bikram yoga classes are 90 minutes long and include 26 postures and two breathing exercises.

According to www.bikramyoga.com, Bikram yoga works by creating a tourniquet effect: stretching, balancing and creating pressure all at the same time. Pressure is created because the blood supply in the arteries and veins is being cut off, and when released, the blood rushes through the veins and arteries, flushing them out. Although it is a higher-intensity yoga class because of the heat, Bikram yoga is for any fitness level, including those new to yoga.

So what about the weight-loss effects of hot yoga? While the scientific research on Bikram yoga is
limited, it’s been reported that Bikram yoga may help to normalize appetite and help to diminish unhealthy cravings because the digestion, respiration, endocrine, lymphatic and elimination systems begin to work together harmoniously. Other reported benefits of hot yoga include the ability for deeper stretching, better circulation, muscle and joint balance, and more.

Yoga for Overall Health

More and more yogis are spouting the weight-loss benefits of yoga and sharing their own experiences. But no matter what, yoga is a great addition to any workout program— less stress and more flexibility will certainly help you in other aspects of your training, as well as your everyday life.