The number of adults in the Netherlands who are seriously overweight has more than doubled in the last 30 years, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Half of the men over 40 are overweight. How can you lose weight responsibly and get rid of that unhealthy excess weight forever? With, as before, a seductive and attractive figure that attracts the opposite sex.

Alarming figures

Obesity is more common among young people than before, but the situation is especially alarming among adults. CBS figures for the period 2009-2011 show that approximately 6,500,000 Dutch people are moderately or seriously overweight. In other words, in our country 4 in 10 inhabitants are much too fat. As with so many things, it is unfairly distributed here, because one person can eat as much as he wants, while the other has to think about every bite whether he or she is eating too many calories.

Body composition

An overweight office man and a bodybuilder may be the same weight, but it will be clear that the trained athlete has a better body composition. There are now special consultation hours where you can have your body structure measured. So how heavy are your bones and muscles. And what is the share of fat and fluid in your weight? A so-called Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA measurement) can be used to determine whether it is really true that you have such heavy bones, or whether you have too high a percentage of fluid and fat. More information: ViVa! tel 088-9957420

Slimming diet

Most typical weight-loss diets lead to you losing weight quickly, but then gaining even more kilos just as quickly. What is more successful is an eating pattern that helps to permanently change both your eating and exercise habits. In general, diets that promise to quickly lose weight in combination with all kinds of forbidden foods are nonsense. You only have a chance of success if you learn definitive new eating behavior, in combination with exercise. So exercise must be part of the weight loss program.

To sleep

Strangely enough, people who sleep for a short time are more likely to be overweight than people who sleep for a long time. Although you consume fewer calories during your sleep, when you are awake you have more opportunity to eat. Moreover, you move less when you are tired and fatigue particularly stimulates your appetite.

Snacks

It is a myth that snacks are by definition fattening. If you handle it smartly, you can actually lose weight. Low-fat dairy products and fruit prevent you from feeling hungry and overindulging in fat and sweets.

To move

Exercise is important to burn and therefore lose weight. An additional advantage is that your musculoskeletal system (joints, bones, attachments, tendons and muscles) remains flexible. Your heart, lungs and blood vessels also benefit, which is noticeable in less panting and better condition. But you do have to exercise intensively for about 1.5 hours a day. Cycling, brisk walking, strength training at the gym. The extra muscles you gain through strength training consume more calories throughout the day, so this is a double-edged sword. However, with all that exercise there is a danger that you will take in more calories than you burn. So eating smarter and exercising must be a coordinated combination.

Abdominal exercises

Unfortunately, training in a specific area does not mean you will lose fat in that area. You have no influence on where you lose the fat. Your abdomen will become firmer by training your abdominal muscles, but it is by no means certain that your abdominal size will decrease at the same time.

Sweetener

Unfortunately, it is also a myth that you will lose weight if you replace sugar with sweeteners, even though sweeteners indeed contain fewer calories. Rats that were given sugar substitutes actually became fatter than the animals that took sugar. There is a suspicion that the fake sugar will make you eat more overall.

A protein-rich breakfast

Such a protein-rich morning meal supports the weight loss process because proteins provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety. In addition, proteins are fuel suppliers of the muscles, which consume a lot of energy. So having a boiled egg for breakfast is excellent for losing weight faster.

Unsaturated fats

Mackerel, salmon and herring contain many unsaturated fats as well as vegetable oil and nuts. This gives a feeling of satiety and promotes metabolism. So you can eat that unsaturated fat if you want to lose weight. But of course avoid the saturated fats found in cookies, meat and butter.

Alcohol makes you fat

Not only because alcohol contains many calories, but also because an alcoholic drink stimulates the appetite.

Eating in the evening

It is a myth that you should not eat anything after eight o’clock because the food would convert into fat. Ultimately, losing weight is about the balance between consuming and consuming calories.