Lipsticks & Celery Sticks

Fast fact... Any diet that dictates a caloric deficit (also referred to as a reduced calorie/energy intake) will lead to weight loss regardless of the foods and/or fluids that it tells us to consume. This means that the more extreme our eating regime is e.g.swapping solid food sources for fluids, eliminating an entire food group (particularly carbohydrates!) from our daily diet and consuming fewer than 1,200 calories each day etc, the more weight we will eliminate (temporarily), and the more we will struggle to sustain our slimming success - the latter simply due to the fact that unlike a long-term lifestyle change, dieting requires strict, sudden and substantial changes that can only be sustained over a short space of time, a reason why the average dieter will resort back to their unhealthy habits and regain their eliminated weight (and more!) when they can no longer sustain such a rigid and restrictive eating regime. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Top weight loss tip... Don't forbid festive food in fear of 'failing' to fight the flab. Although it may be tempting to forbid our favourite festive foods in fear of fuelling a 'fuller' figure, depriving ourselves of delicious dishes and desserts on Christmas day is not only unnecessary and unrealistic (particularly when we're surrounded by such sensory stimulating food sources!), but it can also trigger the toxic diet/binge cycle that's commonly created when we resort to rigid and restrictive eating rules - this often results in us alternating between all (indulging/binging past the point of satiety when willpower weakens) and nothing (subjecting ourselves to self-starvation/drastic dieting when we feel 'guilty' for tucking into too many festive foods), and can leave us gaining more weight than if we were to relax our regular eating regime in order to munch our festive favourites in moderation. www.twitter.com/celerylips  

Top party tip... Banish boozy food binges by chomping on chewing gum. Although alcohol may raise the risk of weight gain by acting as an appetite stimulant, the temptation to tuck into a takeaway after one too many tipples can often be tamed by simply chomping on a piece of (sugar free) chewing gum - this will automatically make a midnight (or mid morning!) munch seem less appealing by creating a minty mouth, whilst giving you enough time to get home and access a (slightly!) healthier alternative/s to a feast of fast food. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Top nutrition tip of the day... Increase your fibre intake slowly in order to give your gut time to adjust - particularly if you're prone to consuming little to no fibre. Although it may be tempting to instantly increase our intake of fibre-rich foods - particularly if we're preoccupied with promoting healthier eating habits, aiding weight loss (fibre is a satiety stimulating nutrient that can leave us feeling fuller for longer) and/or reaching our recommended five a day - this avoidable action can not only cause unsightly symptoms such as gas and abdominal bloating, but it can also aggravate the discomfort (think diarrhoea and abdominal distension) that stems from irritable bowel syndrome - a reason why we should always aim to increase our fibre intake slowly, as opposed to suddenly. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Fast fact... One pound of fat contains 3,500 calories - this means that in order to eliminate one pound (0.5kg) of excess weight each week, we must create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day, an action that becomes 'easier' to achieve (and sustain!) if we take a sensible approach to slimming by combining a calorie controlled diet, with a regular exercise regime (the latter allowing us to increase energy expenditure without resorting to the restrictive eating that sabotages weight loss success!).  www,twitter.com/celerylips

Top weight loss tip... Rapid weight loss requires rigid rules and restriction. Although a sudden and substantial loss of lbs may successfully shrink our silhouettes, the ability to achieve such rapid results not only requires slimmers to resort to a rigid and restrictive eating and/or exercise regime in order to effectively eliminate an extreme amount of weight over a short space of time, but it also requires them to create drastic dietary and lifestyle changes that are strict, sudden and only sustainable in the short-term - this often involves a complete overhaul of existing eating habits overnight (the core culprit responsible for driving dieters to resort back to their unhealthy habits!), and resembles the root reason why rapid results fail to lead to long-term weight loss. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Why diets don't work... What:  a drastic caloric deficit. Why it doesn't work:  it stalls and sabotages weight loss success. Although a calorie controlled diet is essential for the effective elimination of excess weight, cutting our caloric consumption too low can not only stall weight loss by slowing our metabolism - an action that forces the body to conserve calories in fear of famine - but it can also supersize our silhouettes by increasing the incidence of overeating - we're less likely to sustain self-control and more likely to make poor food choices when our body and brain are feeling famished and fatigued from a lack of fuel. Ditch a caloric deficit for:  a dietary change that complements your current calorie intake. Instead of raising the risk of resorting back to unhealthy eating habits by subjecting yourself to self-starvation, aim to initially consume no more than 500 calories less than your current intake if you have a substantial amount of excess wei...