Diets

For the purpose of this section I’m going to separate it into two parts.
That is dieting principles for loosing weight and dieting for gaining weight.
Most facts about the one are generally opposite to the other, for example eat too much then you gain weight. Don’t eat enough and your body will use stored fat as fuel,
therefore you lose weight.
   But there are some useful things to know about particular techniques you can use whatever your goals as far as diets are concerned... To have an honest view of what’s happening you need not only to weigh yourself, but to also take measurements of certain areas of your body as it’s your body shape, or should I say proportions that are more important to your actual weight. So weigh yourself at the same time every week and wearing the same clothes. Don’t weigh yourself any more regular than once a week.
Also take these measurements. Top of the thigh, waist, hips, 5cm above the knee and around the shoulders at the biggest point.
Take these measurements again in one month time and see if any difference has occurred.

Losing weight:-
                             If you consider the amount of energy consumed (food consumed) and the amount of energy used during your normal day to be like a seesaw. Then to loose weight (fat) you need to try to keep the balance in the negative. If you are like me and enjoy food, although I have a manual job, I can easily consume more than I expend due to my liking for certain foods. I compensate for my lack of self control as far as food is concerned by regular exercise.
I have never been on any diet as diets by their very nature have a start and a finish.
I do however consider watching my weight to be a lifelong task, so are constantly reviewing it.
First thing in the morning your body needs food therefore if possible eat a good breakfast.
Several small meals during the day are far better than a few large ones. And remember the closer you get to bedtime the lass fat you should try to eat because your body has less chance of burning fat before you go to sleep, therefore more chance of it being stored as body fat.
Another tip, try to prepare your meals in advance if away from home or at work all day.
Chances are if you’re hungry you will eat fast food or anything convenient.
Also drink plenty of water while eating as this confuses your body into thinking you are full when really you are full of water. Be prepared though as you will feel hungry again sooner than normal, so small amounts of food with plenty of water is the way to go.
Also small amounts regularly give the body chance to process the food and not store any excess.

Gaining weight:-
                            If you consider yourself to be underweight and would like to put on some fat while you attempt to gain muscle, then read the above article and in some cases do the opposite. However, small meals here are still the order of the day, just more fat in those meals. Also try to conserve energy output whenever possible and always eat late at night before you go to bed. Read the labels on food that you buy and where possible go for a higher fat content. If you are underweight, eat, eat and then eat some more. Constantly monitor your progress with the scales and by measuring your body as above...
Don’t be afraid to put on a few kilo’s of fat in your quest to gain muscle mass, because if your determined and single-minded enough to gain muscle then loosing a few extra pounds of fat you acquired along the way will not be a challenge. A good schedule is to gain muscle mass and a little fat in the winter months then loose the fat at the beginning of summer to look your best during the summer months.