A Lot Of People Diet To Lose Weight These Days

A Lot Of People Diet To Lose Weight These Days

When we chose to change our eating habits, we usually diet to lose weight. Sometimes we may have health issues, such as high cholesterol, which is what leads us to eat healthier.

Often times we diet to lose weight because as we are overweight and realize that our eating habits may have gotten in this predicament to begin with.

It is possible to just exercise and lose weight, but sooner or later the person will not lose any more weight without changing eating habits as well. Most of the time it is the other way around; people diet, that is they count carbohydrates, fat grams, or calories, somehow limiting their food intake to reach weight loss goals.

Even though every source you read on diet to lose weight encourages combining the diet plan with exercise, not everyone does this right away. Of course, it is ideal to diet and exercise from the beginning of a diet plan, some people may feel overwhelmed by taking on too much change at once, if exercise has not been a part of their life.

There are quite a few online support sites to visit, that have a multitude of information for anyone looking to diet to lose weight. Some diets work better for some than others, for instance, the Atkins diet required quite a drastic cut in carbohydrates, which may not be an appropriate diet to lose weight for everyone.

The South Beach Diet is a popular diet to lose weight because it allows dieters to eat many of the foods they eat anyway and is not quite as restrictive as others. There are also weight loss systems such as Jenny Craig, the LA Weight Loss Center, or Curves for Women.

All of these programs are great and offer a good deal of support for anyone who wants to diet to lose weight. Exercise is encouraged, and for the Curves for Women plan, it is the central part of the program.

When you do decide to diet to lose weight, be sure you visit with your healthcare provider first before beginning your program, especially if you have quite a bit of weight to lose, or if you have health issues that may be of concern. Exercise should not be contraindicated for anyone and can be tailored for each individual dieter’s specific needs.

You diet to lose weight, but you must also incorporate exercise into your plan. You will gain greater health, and also be able to maintain your diet and fitness goals.

A Journey to Begin Losing Pounds

A Journey to Begin Losing Pounds

Usually we all seek to lose weight as fast and easy as possible, and in top of that we want results right away. And if we don’t get them, we just quit and move along.

Frequently we become objective (to lose 1 kilo every week) and if in one week it lowers solely half kilo or what is worse, nothing happens, I get frustrated and that can lead me to no longer continue with the plan I set and then I just quit it.

Even there are times the people unconsciously set goals that are too hard to obtain so that I can leave it quickly, nobody (and I include myself) wants to follow a diet!!!

We make it because it is healthy but when we choose what it tastes better.

Does anybody likes lettuce?

If you want to follow your plan you need to set reasonable and reachable goals. A study stated that when people lower 500g per week, those people maintain long term descent.

It is the best objective that we can intend, to lower 500g for week and knowledge that some week won't lose weight. If you want to lower quick we can also help you, of course, but I have to be conscious that in some moment losing weight rate won’t be the one as desired. And I don't want to frustrate myself for that reason, the following week I will achieve the results.

The body is not something that reacts mathematically, the weight it depends on many factors, as the retention of liquids, the intestinal evacuation, the time in which weigh myself, that ingested the previous night, if I ingested pizza or another very salted food I will surely retain liquids, the same as if I began with an intense activity the previous day.

Another cause of failure in a diet is to be very strict with what you have to eat.

If I go to a party and I don't eat anything, or same at home if I am extremely strict it is very difficult to be able to maintain the plan and in the first time that comes out, you will think “I cannot make diet" or "this is not for me", frustrating me once again, abandoning and feeling badly.

These 2 forms of thinking "if I don't lower 1 kilo per week every week I’m not doing anything good at all" or "I can’t make the diet because I ate an ice cream." are forms in that consciously or unconsciously plot us the diet to ourselves.

In fact I don't want to make diet. Let us accept it!

 Nobody wants to make it, but they want to lose weight. Unfortunately these 2 factors are really hard to join them together and make it work|Regrettably the 2 things join are not able to work together}.

Perhaps it is time that you start making choices, and make decisions in order to choose which path you want to go. By just choosing to remain healthy, you will get results.

A Healthy Diet Check Up...From The Neck Up

A Healthy Diet Check Up...From The Neck Up

If you have tried every so-called healthy diet plan on the planet and every exercise program from the latest fitness guru and repeatedly failed to achieve your weight loss goals, you probably need a “healthy diet check up...from the neck up.”

There's no such thing as a healthy, fast, weight loss diet plan. Successful weight loss doesn’t just happen. It took more than a few days to reach the point where you are at right now. Give yourself a break and expect it to take awhile before you see measurable results. Take a leap of faith and follow some basic principles in your diet plan.

Begin with your “self talk.” This is the conversation that runs through your brain continuously. What kind of conversation do you have with your self talk? What type of negative self talk has kept you from reaching your weight loss goals in the past?

If you had a chance to do it over again, would you change the dialogue? That’s a no-brainer isn’t it? Well, the good news is that you can turn the tide of negative self talk beginning right now. It’s never too late to begin and you start by reprogramming your self talk and beginning a whole new weight loss diet plan.

A good starting point is to begin with positive affirmations. Positive affirmations, spoken aloud with authority and belief, positively affect your attitude, focuses your thinking and lead to a course of action that will help you become the person you want to be and have the things that you want to have.

Begin by writing your weight loss affirmations on paper. You can begin with something like, “I want to lose 25 pounds before Christmas.” That’s a worthy goal and attainable, but we need to put some work into structuring the affirmation.

First of all, “I want” gives the impression that what you desire is always in the future. In order to re-program your self talk, you need to trick your mind into believing that you have already achieved weight loss success. This is how your subconscious mind functions.

Your subconscious mind has no capacity for understanding the concept of time. Everything is in the moment. . .here and now. When you tell your subconscious mind that you “want”, that is exactly what you will get. . .want. . .without ever achieving fulfillment. Unless you change your mental tape recorder, you will achieve exactly what you are telling your subconscious, that you “want to lose 25 pounds.” You will “want to lose 25 pounds” for the rest of your days unless you change your self talk.

If your weight is 150 pounds and you desire is to weight 125 pounds, then you need to “be” 125 pounds from the moment you make the decision to change your self talk. What if you write your affirmation to read something like this: “I am healthy and fit, weighing 125 pounds.”

It is extremely important that your affirmation is crystal clear because what you affirm is exactly what your subconscious mind will bring you.

You needn’t limit yourself to one affirmation either. Write another one that reflects your new exercise program. “I enjoy my healthy new diet plan,” or, “I love the healthy foods I eat.”

Write and rewrite until you are absolutely certain that you have written your weight loss goals “in the here and now” AND represent precisely what you desire. Only then do you begin to speak it aloud and do so several times a day.

Remember to use the present tense. “I acknowledge achievement in all my weight loss goals.” “I have the skill and talent to exercise every day.” “I am a winner.” “I am grateful for all of my accomplishments no matter how small.”

At first you will feel awkward and uncomfortable and you may not feel or believe what you are saying. It doesn’t matter, continue to speak them aloud with as much conviction as you can muster. It’s taken a long time to train your subconscious to use negative self talk. If you will persevere with speaking your affirmations aloud, firmly and confidently, you will be amazed at how quickly you can turn your thoughts around.

You didn’t hop on a bicycle the first time and just take off down the street. It took practice to train your body to balance on those two wheels. This will take some practice as well. Continue to repeat your affirmations aloud, several times a day for the next 30 days and you will be amazed at how much you change your thinking and attitude.

Above all, take action. Do nothing and nothing gets done. Do something and many things are placed in motion.

Regardless of what you are doing in life, you need to take action. Do something every day to put your plan into motion.

A Fitness Routine for Six Pak Abs

A Fitness Routine for Six Pak Abs

The goal of six pack abs mainly depends upon losing weight by completing exercises that focus on the muscles in the abdominal area. There are literally dozens of such exercises including many that are meant for other major muscle groups, but that can be modified to include a workout for your abdominal muscles. Here are just a few of the major abdominal emphasis exercises.

CRUNCHES

Crunches are done by lying on the floor either on a mat or not, with your arms crossed in front of your chest. Many people do crunches with the hands behind the head, but this can create lower back problems because of the pull on the head and neck. A slightly different position has the finger tips placed behind the ears, rather than crossed on the chest. It is important not to pull on the neck or on the ears for assistance in rising off the floor. Instead, suck the abdomen back toward the spine and inhale through the nose at the same time. Raise the shoulders toward the knees using only the muscles in the abdomen. The entire back should not be lifted from the floor, as this is likely to create back strain. No additional benefit to the abdomen is gained by raising the entire torso. The key part of the crunch is the initial flexing of the abdominal muscles as the shoulders are lifted off the floor. As the shoulders clear the floor, exhale through your mouth. Complete the exhalation with a gasp to expel the last of the air from the lungs as your shoulders stay clear of the floor. Lower the shoulders back to the point where the shoulder blade touches the ground while inhaling. It is important to maintain the proper breathing control and muscle flexing to get maximum benefit from crunches.

SIT UPS

Once again start in a position on the floor with your feet flat and your knees bent. The fingers should be placed behind the ears, or you can cross your arms on your chest. Slowly raise the entire back off the floor while inhaling deeply and exhale as you reverse the move. This exercise can be made more challenging in several ways. For instance, you can do sit ups from an incline with your head lower than your lower body. You can then add weights on the chest to lift while you are sitting up. Weights can become heavier on an incline bench. The next difficult step can be attained by holding the feet off the ground while doing sit ups or making a bicycle peddling motion while doing sit ups with your legs. These exercises may not be easy, but are very beneficial to the abdominal area.

LEG LIFTS

Leg lifts begin with the legs straight and the hands at your sides while lying on the floor. Lift both legs up at the same time without bending the knees until the legs are at a ninety degree angle or a close as possible. Not everyone is flexible enough to reach the ninety degree angle. Lower the legs as close as possible to the floor without actually touching and repeat several times. Increase the challenge of this exercise by adding weights to the legs while lifting them. Another challenging exercise for improving definition and musculature in the abdomen is to hang from a pull up bar while lifting both legs to a ninety-degree position. As with most other exercises, try to stay conscious of breathing while slowly doing the routines.

JACKKNIFE SIT UPS

This exercise begins by lying flat on the floor with the hands at your sides in order to provide better balance. At the same time you raise your knees, bring your torso up slowly till the face and knees meet. Return slowly to the original position while in full control of the movement. The jackknife name comes from the natural tendency of the legs to bend at the knee with the feet dropping to the hips presenting the shape of a jackknife. The difficulty level of this position can be increased by holding a weight between the feet while performing the sit ups.

V UPS

This exercise begins with you on your back on the floor with the arms extended over your head. Bring both legs and torso up at the same time without bending the knees or the arms. Keep the pace slow and steady and reach for your feet with your extended hands at the top of the arc. If possible, try to touch your feet, but this move can be tricky until your level of flexibility increases. As with other exercises, adding weight between the feet increases the difficulty level.

A Few Simple Tips To Lose Weight

A Few Simple Tips To Lose Weight

Weight loss is a tough result to obtain regardless of weight or level of physical fitness. There are many different ways to lose weight, some more unhealthy than others, but the ones that work are most times the most complicated to pull off.

Some people may recommend eating less to lose weight, and in some cases eating less is a key component of losing weight, but in most cases, eating is a necessity if one wishes to lower their own weight. Without food and the calories they supply, your body has no energy to burn and in turn will turn your existing muscle into fat. In order to lose weight you must make a commitment, a commitment that must not be broken if you desire results.

Do not misconstrue this for the idea that you can never indulge during your diet, but just be sure that you have set reasonable limits for yourself that you are ready to commit to. If you are on a strict diet, a "cheat" meal here and there will go a long way to keeping you happy.

To be successful in achieving your goal of weight loss: set multiple, smaller, more easily attainable goals for yourself. These will keep you self motivated and more likely to obtaining your overall goal of a happier and healthier life.

Tips for Dieters: Surviving Summer Parties

Tips for Dieters: Surviving Summer Parties

Warmer weather means smaller clothes. Swimsuits, shorts and tank tops can be your worst enemies if you haven't been getting regular exercise for a while. So now is the time, with days being longer and temperatures milder, to start working out in earnest.

However, summer also means parties, socializing with friends and family, and food. How can you keep up with all the craziness and still stick to your careful plan to slim down?

Here are a few tips to help you stay on track and still enjoy the party:

* Eat before you go. Have a decent meal before you hit the scene so that you don't feel tempted to indulge in foods that don't fit into your diet.

* Head for the fruits and vegetables. Skip the dip and avoid the potato salad but enjoy the crudités.

* Fill up the tank with liquids. Fresh water or iced tea will keep you feeling full so you don't unintentionally ruin all your good work. Carb Crusher lemon-flavored bottled tea is great to carry along to your next party.

The active ingredient in Carb Crusher is GCA, green unroasted coffee beans that can inhibit the release of sugar into your body and force the fat-burning process to start even when you aren't eating.

* Don't stand near the food. Keep your distance and it will be difficult to eat unnecessarily.

* If you must eat, put your food on a smaller plate. A salad or dessert plate full of delicacies is a lot less damaging than a heaping dinner plate.

* Have a little exercise. If there's dancing, then get into it. Two hours of dancing can burn off your dessert.

* Keep your eyes forward and your mouth moving. If you concentrate on the person you're talking to and don't eat at the same time, there's less chance of overeating without thinking.

* Put down the loaded plate. If your well-meaning hostess has filled up your plate, put it down and walk away. Don't be bullied into cleaning your plate if you don't want to.

Fasting: The “Fastest” Way to Lose Weight

Fasting: The “Fastest” Way to Lose Weight

The author of the acclaimed “Mucusless Diet Healing System”, Prof Arnold Ehret once said “If one way is true...it is the way of Nature!” It will be an understatement to say he was and is so correct.

In this day and age when everyone desires to be slim or slimmer as the case may be, only very few people know that one sure-fire, all natural, method can lead to a slimmer and more importantly healthier person.

This method is as old as the mountains and is known as Fasting.

It is by far a greater cure of our ills-both physical and mental-than all of the drugs of the medical fraternity combined and when combined with an exclusive mucus-binding (alkaline forming) diet of mainly fruits, leafy and root vegetables (raw and cooked) and even basic exercises that involve the use of one’s own body weight for resistance such as Yoga, Calisthenics and Pilates, a well conducted fast can reap untold benefits for those seeking to lose weight.

There are several types of fasts that can be beneficial for weight loss.

1.The complete water fast: This, admittedly, should be conducted with extreme caution or in a specialized sanitarium if undertaken more than 3 days.

2.The Juice Fast: This is much easier for the general populace and can be undergone as long as you feel like it.

3. The Fruit Fast: This, well, is really not a fast per se…but when one lives exclusively on SEASONAL ORGANIC fruits for days on end…meaning mono meals (2 at the most ) of only one kind of fruit say Apples in Fall, Melons in summer for a week plus, you will be bound to see the benefits.

4. The Dry Fast: This is another camouflaged fast where one consumes ONLY dry fruits such as dates; figs etc for 3 days or thereabout and then breaks the fast with a laxative. Though highly praised in some quarters, it’s not so common.

The second and third choices are by far my personal recommendations for those seeking to lose weight.  A friend of mine tried the second choice after months of badgering and was able to eventually see the awesome cuts in his abdominal cavities. You should have heard him exclaim on the phone to me: “Foras…I got a six-pack man…and I didn’t even do no sit-ups…!” Moreover, his supposed hereditary red-eyes cleared up after several eye-doctors had told him it was just a genetic trait…yeah, right!

Being radical in nature, it must be undertaken with care and although I have covered it in chapter 17 of my e-book “fitness: inside and out”, do feel free to do some research before undertaking a fast or a restricted fruit diet.

Here are a few tips:

1. Prepare yourself for a fast by gradually tapering off of acid-forming aka “junk foods and commence to consuming raw and cooked fruits and veggies to begin a milder cleansing process as these items are the best intestinal brooms for the colon.

2. Every now and again, 3 hours after supper and say an hour or so before retiring to sleep, drink an herbal tea laxative such as “Smooth Move Herbal Tea” during this preparatory stage.

3. Drink 1-2 quarts of unflavored lemonade in the mornings to balance the chemical reactions within the body and to restore it to an alkaline state.

4. Be mentally prepared for the task ahead of fasting.

5. Take things a little easier while fasting or on a mono-diet of fruit.

6. Avoid using microwaves at all costs. I touched on this subject in the free section on controlling acne in my site.

Though not a conclusive list of the dos and don’ts of fasting be well informed that when undertaken properly, you’d not only lose the undesired weight, but you’d be well on your way to a cleaner and better you in no time.

For weight loss, Fasting, my friends is the ‘fastest’ way to improved health!

Fast Weight Loss

Fast Weight Loss

There are many reasons why you may wish to lose body fat. Among the top are to simply look better and improve your overall health. Losing weight should always be regarded as a long term proposition. Quick weight loss plans can help you lose weight but will not give you the longer term results you crave and deserve.

I want "instant" not "fast"!

Fat will be lost in any diet where the calorific intake is lower than expenditure. However these "crash" diets and low-energy diets will result in a muscle loss in addition to the fat burned. It is estimated that the maximum fat a typical human body can burn in any one week is 2 pounds. This means that any weight loss over and above 2 lbs in a week will be mainly muscle or water.

Crash dieting slows down your metabolism . If you don't eat enough food your ancient survival instincts take over and the body enters "starvation mode". In this mode the metabolic rate slows to conserve energy and thus the speed at which weight is lost is reduced. Thus ultimately less fat is burned using "crash" methods.

In addition the body has lost muscle during this crash phase. Muscle burns calories and the more muscle, the more calories and burned. Crash dieting therefore delivers the double whammy of a drop in metabolic weight and a drop in calorie burning muscle tissue.

This is the reason why so many dieters who rely upon fad diets regain weight quickly after losing it. The only safe reliable and long term way to reduce weight is to do it over a period of time.

A gradual reduction in calories maintains muscle tissue, burns only fat and allows you to maintain a healthy lower weight in the future.

Fast Loss Of Weight

Fast Loss Of Weight

Tired of going to gym and yet no results? Try these methods of fast loss of weight.

Is it possible to lose weight fast? Yes indeed. Fast loss of weight means losing about one to two pounds per week. However, any program, which promotes losing 12-15 pounds in a week or 10 days is not in favor of your health or you can say may cause harm to your health. Fast loss of weight in a healthy manner is possible only with certain diet plans and regular exercises.

1. South Beach Diet: This includes three phases. The first phase lasts for 14 days. In this phase you are not allowed to eat high glycemic foods like mashed potatoes, donuts, sports drinks, pretzels, instant rice and ice cream. As a result you will lose insulin resistance and soon begin to lose fats. In these 14 days you can lose up to 10 pounds. In second phase you can slowly add your restricted food items to your meal. The time period varies from person to person. You must continue this phase until you reach your dream weight. Phase three is for whole life. This phase just maintain your reduced weight. You can include three fruit and three grain servings to your menu per day. With the South Beach diet fast loss of weight is possible in a healthy way.

2. Microbiotic Diet: The microbiotic diet is low in fat and high in fibre. So it is popular among vegetarians. This diet restricts milk products, sugar and meat. This diet includes soya products, green leafy vegetables containing roughages, two bowls of shoyo or mishu soup, whole grains, beans and brown rice. Cooking oil preferred is corn oil or mustard oil. For a vegetarian, fast loss of weight can be obtained with the help of this diet.

3. For fast weight loss you can use appetite suppressor like Hoodia Gordoni, which is 100% natural and give no side effects.

With the help of these diet and regular exercises you can achieve your aim of fast weight loss in a healthy manner.

Easy Weight Loss With Healthier Meals

Easy Weight Loss With Healthier Meals

Meals at home and with family do not have to be fat-laden affairs. Nor do they have to be boring, tasteless times of celery mashing around the table. A few subtle adjustments in your food choices will make a big difference on the scales.

Think Lean Meat
Don't give up meat, just make smarter choices in buying it. Meat is much leaner today than it has been due to trimming efforts on the part of meatpackers. Beef labeled as "loin", "round" and "extra lean" are your best choices.
According to The Wisconsin Beef Council, cuts like top round, tenderloin or sirloin qualify as lean, healthy selections.

Roasting, baking, grilling, braising and broiling are healthy meat-cooking methods. Use non-stick pans and choose cooking sprays over oil or butter during preparation. Another way to reduce fat is to strain cooked ground beef and rinse it with hot water. Drain it well before you continue the recipe.


Lean Chicken Choices
When we think lean we often look to chicken. Be smart. Many of us turn a potentially diet-friendly staple into something considerably less than healthy. Say no to fried patties,
chicken fingers, nuggets and franks. Switch to broiling, roasting, baking or steaming fresh chicken. Use a non-stick pan with cooking spray, broth or wine.

Keep in mind that poultry dark meat contains about twice as much fat as white meat. Also, the skin is full of fat. You can remove the skin before cooking or choose skinless varieties. Simply make a rule or take off the skin before you eat it.


Lean Turkey Is A Smart Choice
If you're preparing a turkey, why not cook the stuffing separately? You will reduce its fat content by preventing the turkey fat from soaking into the dressing. Try to use less butter or margarine when preparing the stuffing. Don't forget to skim the fat off of the gravy with a gravy separator or by
refrigerating it. Leave the drumsticks for the kids. As with chicken, choose light meat over dark and you'll save quite a few calories.

Steam It Green
Serve steamed vegetables instead of heavy casseroles or cheese-based dishes. Steaming or microwaving veggies means you don't have to add any fat during preparation; choose lemon juice, herbs, or vinegar over margarine. Use herbs and spices or imitation butter sprinkles as seasoning instead of butter, oil or cheese. If steamed vegetables don't suit your taste buds, reduce the amount of oil you use if you sauté them. Broth or flavored vinegar makes a great substitute for oil.

Grains Are Great
Whenever you have the chance, choose whole grains as your bread choice. For example, you could choose whole grain breading for stuffing preparation, whole grain dinner rolls, whole wheat bread for sandwiches, and wild rice instead of white.

All types of white bread are high in refined sugar and pack in more calories than grains. These refined sugars are some of the "bad carbs" we hear so much about these days. If you still crave white bread occasionally, choose a "lite" or diet version, which will save you a few calories.

Easy Weight Loss Diets

It is a fact that over half of Americans are overweight.  With most of us having busy schedules, it’s not so easy to stick to diets or work out on a regular basis. But, all hope is not lost. The following advice should help you lose those unwanted bounds easily by following a safe diet plan and exercising.  

The first piece of advice deals with exercising. Always exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Talk a walk on a treadmill or around the block a few times. Ten minutes will make a difference by burning stored energy – namely fat. 

The second useful tip is not eating late night snacks. If you avoid snacking three hours before bedtime, you wont be storing fat, and you will be amazed at the results.

Tip number three suggests that if you are going to drink coffee, make it black.  Fancy coffee flavored drinks with cream and sugar are loaded with calories, as opposed to zero in a good old cup of black coffee. 

Tip four recommends that you eat four or five small meals a day rather than the traditional three. Your metabolism needs constant fuel to burn fat. If you feed it in small amounts several times, your metabolism stays high and burns more calories.

Finally, cut down on your carbohydrate intake. This will make a huge difference in how much and how quickly you will lose weight. Eliminate as much bread and other starches as you can from your diet, and you’ll see why it works when you step on the scale. Take this advice, and you’ll see what easy weight loss dieting is all about.

Easy Weight Loss - Make A Start Right Now!

Oh dear, oh dear, it's that time of year but yet again! The holidays are over, Christmas has come and gone, and what is there to look forward to! Summer holidays I suppose, but they do seem such a long time away.

Anyway, I must confess that at the moment, even the thought of a holiday horrifies me, because after my over-indulgence during the festive season, the last thing that I want to be doing is even more eating and drinking.

So, if there is nothing to look forward to for now, and we are in the midst of the January depression, what on earth CAN we do to lift ouselves out of the blues at this time of year!

Here's one thought for you, start right now and get fit. I suggest that not only will that make you feel heaps better, after a few weeks, you will even start to look forward to that summer vacation. Let me give you another more serious and compelling reason for this, and that is that we all shoud start to take our long term health much more seriously than we do at present.

At least that is my humble opinion.

Did you know for instance that current statistics reveal that 75% of Americans are overweight and 40% are obese. That is just in the US, and I am prepared to hazard an educated guess that the rest of the developed world is not far behind.

For those who desire to lose weight and obtain optimal health therefore, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start.

From the Atkins Diet to the South Beach Diet, from low fat to low carb diets, there are numerous weight-loss plans to choose from. In addition, given conflicting information as to what works best, it can be difficult deciding what to do.

For those who have tried many diet plans with no success, it becomes more difficult and frustrating. Many people forget that a diet might work wonders for their friend but won't work well for them. This is not necessarily because the diet is "bad", but because each body reacts differently.
However, there is a way to lose weight that is easy, fast, and doesn't involve deprivation or calorie counting.

It is important to address some background information about body genetics and why weight loss can be difficult before I start to discuss weight loss tips.

At the start of any diet, it is important to note that each person has a different body build. Some people are short and stout, while others are tall and thin. Some have big hips and shoulders, and others are short and very muscular. Genetics can determine body shape and a person's natural build just as it can do eye color, hair color, skin color, and so on.

The good news is that genetics do not determine whether or not one will be fat, but will determine one's body shape.

This means that not every woman can expect to be tall and thin like a Hollywood actress or supermodel such as Tyra Banks. Not every man can expect to be defined and muscular like The Rock. The goal really, in my opionion, is to be at a comfortable weight for one's body shape and to feel good about it.

Having said all that, why is it that people are overweight! I have listed ten of the most common reasons below:-

1. Slow metabolism - People who are overweight have a hard time "burning off" their intake of food. As a result the fat is stored up in the body, rather than used.

2. Emotional eating - Those who struggle with weight often eat when stressed, or when other emotional upheavals are happening in their life.

3. Hormonal imbalances - This does mainly apply to the ladies, (complex creatures that we are!).

4. Eating portions - We can all be guilty of the syndrome that I like to call "greed not need". So watch out for those portion sizes.

5. A build up of toxins in the body - This can be due to too much junk food, candies, sodas, too much coffee, these can all contriubute to this.

6. Eating too late - Late-night eating can cause food to convert to fat a lot more easily, as well as making sleep more difficult.

7. A high susceptibility to growth hormones - These are the hormones which are given to animals to help them grow faster and larger. Some meat and dairy can have some residual growth hormones. These hormones can sometimes result in increased fat storage.

8. Not eating breakfast - This really does make your metabolism slow and sluggish.

9. Numerous diets - Going from diet to diet has a negative impact on the metabolism and causes weight loss to be much more difficult.

10. Food ingredients - The reasons why are amazing and beyond the scope of this article.

Here Are Seven Simple Steps For Easy Weight Loss

Now that there is a better understanding of body genetics, and why people have a tendency to be overweight, here are my tips for fast easy weight loss.

#1: Drink some water first thing in the morning. Ideally you should drink eight ounces of distilled water, bottled water, or filtered water (not tap water).

#2: Eat a big breakfast. Suggested foods to choose from are apples, bananas, rye bread with no sugar, plain yogurt, tuna, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, raw honey, and such like.

#3: Drink distilled water throughout the day: I recommend that you try and drink at least eight glasses per day.

#4: Walk non-stop one hour each day. This doesn't have to be power walking, just walk at your own pace. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise you know!

#5: Try and stop eating after 6:00 PM. This is very hard for many people, but do the best you can. You will be surprised at how much you benefit from this.

#6: Do a candida cleanse. Candida is yeast overgrowth in the colon that can cause all kinds of health problems. Check online for "Candida Cleanse" or go to your local health food store.

#7: Do a colon cleanse: This cleanse cleans out the digestive system, which is clogged and sluggish in many overweight people. Once again, check online or go to your local health food store.

More and more people worldwide are becoming overweight. Extra weight can result in many health issues and negatively impact your emotional state and self-esteem. However for those struggling with this problem, there is hope, because you can lose it and keep it off if you really want to.

Now that you have a understanding of body genetics and why you might be overweight, why not take some positive action today!

Commit to trying at least a few of the steps, you will be glad that you did.

Easy to Follow Weight Loss Tips

Easy to Follow Weight Loss Tips

Achieving weight loss is not that easy.  It needs a good strategy, planning and motivation to lose weight.  Some of the weight loss tips, which can be followed at ease, are listed here to stay healthy as well as to stay fit with a perfect body figure.

Eating the right way helps achieving weight loss goals.  Taking meals in smaller amounts, frequently helps in being energetic all the day and prevents from eating more.

Eating out is often associated with obesity as when dining outside, most of the people don’t check what they eat.  Hence, to achieve weight loss, it is better to avoid dining outside.

Break fast should not be skipped as it has been found out that, people who do not skip their break fast are very successful in losing weight.  If break fast is skipped the bodily metabolism slows down and when food is taken during lunch, it results in increased insulin levels and in turn weight gain.

It is good to stay away from beverages rich in fat and sugar as they will increase the insulin levels in the blood, while caffeine content can lead to dehydration.

Diet strategy can be planned in such a way that, without having to cut the favorite foods, they can be consumed in smaller portions along with healthy fresh vegetables or fruits to get a filled up feeling.  By this way, the nutritional value of the food consumed is increased and fat rich foods are minimized.

Increased consumption of protein helps in burning the calories and avoids the storage of fat in the body.  Protein supplements also help in building and preserving lean muscles.

Water plays an important role in weight loss as water hydrates the organs and the body.  It suppresses hunger pangs, and can be taken in more amounts to get a filled up feeling.

Plan how you want your diet plan to be, adhere to it strictly and it is advised to keep a log for noting down what you eat and the amounts you eat with the weight measurement every week to analyze if you are progressing or not.  Stay motivated while going through weight loss measures to attain success.

If weight is lost the healthy way, it benefits the person with a lower blood pressure, being able to be energetic in spite of controlled intake, healthy heart and organs, better body figure, less stress made on the bones, joints and muscles, and the most important of all stress free.

30-Minute Weight Loss Exercise Proves Most Effective

30-Minute Weight Loss Exercise Proves Most Effective

JUST A LITTLE BIT IS BETTER THAN NOTHING; STILL, A WEE BIT MORE IS SO MUCH MORE ADMIRABLE!

If you're “averagely overweight,” that is, not doctor-diagnosed with extreme obesity, or if you just want to feel better by losing or shedding a few pounds, there’s good news for you – from ACCREDITED, reliable, trusted experts who also care about your well-being. [See: ACE; ACSM; AHA; or AHA.]

Truth: Ten minutes of daily exercise is admirable because it’s far better than zero minutes of productive energy expenditure. However, exercise physiology and weight loss science point to 30 minutes per day, at least three times per week, as part of your best body fat improvement scenario.

Why Does 30 Minutes Prove So Beneficial, And What’s The Other Part of An Effective Weight Loss Scenario?

Your body has only three possible energy systems. Two of them are oxygen-INDEPENDENT. Yet, in order to metabolize fat, your body demands that oxygen be present. Long-story-short: brief, especially “quick” exercise bouts look for quick energy sources. These reside in blood and in muscle. It takes more than a few minutes to significantly tap into your fat stores, and especially, to burn enough of it for a long enough time to lose some substantial body weight.

This is almost the exact opposite of muscle tissue, where you can see and feel virtually immediate results. Burning fat requires patience. You simply have to allow yourself TIME to let exercise effects occur.

Reach Your Aerobic Threshold

Generally, exercise begins with a warm-up phase, at least 1-3 minutes. Provided your intensity remains within your target heart rate training zone, (about 120 heart beats per minute – an estimated average for most non health-impaired adults) you’ll spend the next 7-10 minutes reaching your aerobic threshold. Staying near-to, but right below the point where your muscles burn (from a too-highly-intense performance causing lactic acid build-up) will bring you to a virtually perfect “fat-burn.” Yet, THIS very special meeting only occurs at medium-to-low intensities, which takes longer periods of time.

Lipids (a simplified word for “non-water-soluble-fats” within your system) have to move from the outside of a cell, through the cytosol, mix with pyruvate, plus oxygen… then proceed to your “furnace” (mitochondria). This is where you break fat down into your “rewarding and much-wanted” by-products – energy (the work you’ve achieved); H2O (sweat); and carbon dioxide (a lot of continuous “exhaling”).

So, if you quit at the 10-minute mark, you deny yourself approximately an additional 10 calories or more per minute of weight lost, primarily from fat stores. Stopping this process at 10 minutes is much like going all the way to the door of your favorite party but never stepping inside…for the “real” action.

Reasons Why You Should Work Out More Than Ten Minutes

With all of that said, there’s an even more monumentally powerful yet scientific reason why you should work out for more than only ten minutes. In fact, at least 30-minute exercise sessions prove most beneficial for effective weight loss and improved endurance. You’ll get three fundamental benefits from this:

First, you preserve your LEAN body mass (which you need because it burns fat far better than fat can burn itself).

Second, you get to expend MAXIMUM calories (the true key to losing weight – maximizing caloric expenditure, which is a time-consuming venture).

Third, your extended physical activity makes you change the way your body USES food internally or metabolically (for example, getting three-fold increase in calories expended, compared to person remaining sedentary.).

To Summarize, Experts Now Agree

The bottom line is that essentially all experts in diabetic science, obesity control, dietetics & nutrition, exercise science & personal training, and exercise physiology agree that extended, low-to-moderate-intensity physical activity is yet the most significant and flexible factor in energy expenditure for losing weight.

Mix that with practicality, reasonability, and utilize the following tip: Base your safe, effective weight loss goals around the fundamental principle that you need to alter your energy balance in the NEGATIVE direction by expending about 500 calories per day from smartly manipulating both EXERCISE AND DIET. You’ll find that it's barely even possible to accomplish this feat by altering food alone. With exercise, however, you can obtain your weight loss objectives much more comfortably and conveniently, plus safely, too, for results that are long-lasting and health enhancing.

TOP 10 Weight Watcher Weight Loss Strategies

TOP 10 Weight Watcher Weight Loss Strategies

Recently I hit my goal weight and moved to the Weight Watchers Maintenance Program. I've been thinking about it a lot as I continue to do my best to follow the program, and wondering how it is I was able to lose nearly 33 pounds in 8 months. So, I decided to write my Top 10 Strategies. I'll list them Dave Letterman style.

Top 10 Weight Watchers Weight Loss Strategies That Worked for Me

10. I make sure to have lots of 1 and 2 point treats in the house. I work at home and I've learned that I like to snack and nibble during the day so it's important to have low point treats available so I don't feel guilty.

9. I let other people know (my friends, family and colleagues) what I'm working on so they can support me and give me kudos when I succeed.

8. I share my success and challenges on a blog (http://www.slim-people.com). This has been a great outlet for me to focus myself on what I need to keep doing, reading and thinking about in order to stay on track.

7. I use the Weight Watchers online etools. I'm a nut for details so the online program is great for me. I work at home and sit in front of a computer all day. It's no problem for me to add my food immediately to the online points tracker. I also enter my weight every Saturday after my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. I get an immediate visual representation of how I'm going as I view the graph.

6. I attend the weekly Weight Watchers meetings without fail. I think in 8 months I've only missed two due to being out of town on business and unable to get to a meeting. Though, when I know I'm going to be out of town, I will usually at the very least go the day before and weigh in.

5. I weigh and measure my food. I learned quickly that what my eye thinks is 2 ounces usually is a lot more. I'm not consistent about this but more often than not I do weigh or measure what I'm eating and drinking.

4. I track my points. I write down what I eat. I hear Flora in my head saying, "You bite it, you write it." I've learned that when I slack off from writing everything down, I either don't lose or I gain weight that week. Again, my eyes are not a good judge of quantity.

3. I work out 4 times per week. Before Weight Watchers I took Pilates classes 3 times per week. Though I was getting stronger, I was not losing weight. In fact I was gaining weight due to hormones, a sedentary job and eating too much. I switched to 2 days of Pilates and 2 days of cardio workout. I started the cardio workout the same day I joined Weight Watchers and I know it has make a big difference. Last week I even started walking to my Pilates studio since it's only a 10 minute walk. Up until now I've been driving, if you can believe that.

2. I have a buddy. My dear friend and I joined Weight Watchers together, as well as joined the gym together. We go to the meetings together. We work out 2 times per week together. We talk about food and how we're doing all the time. We evangelize about Weight Watchers. Without my buddy I don't think I would have stayed with the program. No, I know I would not have stayed with the program.

1. And number 1. I made the decision to join Weight Watchers. I had heard a lot of success stories about Weight Watchers and after putting on 30 pounds over the course of 3 years, I decided it was time to take action. I had been telling myself it was age and hormones that contributed to the weight gain and that may be partly true, but I had to take action and do something so I could feel good about myself, my body and my health.

That's it. There are probably more things that could be added to this list. Now my challenge goal is to maintain for 6 weeks and get to Lifetime Member.

Oh, I just remembered one more thing I did. I read an article, I think on Weight Watchers Online, about rewarding yourself when you do well. So I set up a savings account and deposited $10 every time I lost a pound. I call it the "Pamper Me" account. Now, I will add $10 every week I maintain my weight. Then, eventually, I'll do something wonderful to pamper myself!

Good luck and best wishes to you in your journey to weight loss!

A Nutritious Diet while Traveling

A Nutritious Diet while Traveling

Sticking to a nutritious diet while traveling can be one of the more difficult things to do. However, if you learn how to make smart choices, a healthy diet is really not that difficult. It’s probably not the best time in which to start a healthy diet, but if you are currently making healthy choices in your foods already, modifying your diet slightly to accommodate travel, is not as difficult as it first may seem.

If you are traveling by airplane, your diet may have to include airplane food, which can often be of poor nutritional value, depending on the selection. When you book your flight, ask about your food options, ask if a vegetarian dish is available? Vegetarian dishes are sometimes more nutritional in this case, but it really depends on what they may be serving. If you can, eat a larger meal before your flight, so that you don’t have to eat the entire meal that is served, to feel full.

When driving or taking a bus, you may be tempted to stop at fast food restaurants and eat the meals found there. Avoid this whenever possible! If you’re on vacation, you may wish to splurge a tiny bit, but having fast food more than once during a week can really be bad for your health. If you must, choose the healthiest options available, like chicken breasts and diet soda.

Also, remember that you can take your own meals when traveling. Carrying a loaf of whole-wheat bread or pita wraps, some lean lunchmeat, and low-fat cheese in a cooler is a great way to avoid high-fat and high-cholesterol junk food meals. These are much better choices and you’ll save a lot of money as well. Call ahead to ask if there will be a refrigerator in your hotel room.

Lastly, make smart choices when you eat out. If you choose salads or pasta get the dressing on the side and ask about low-carb options. In fact, many places print these dieting options directly in the menu for the health-conscious people. Control your portions by ordering lunch menu sizes or splitting the meal in have and getting a doggie bag, and you’ll be well on your way to healthy eating, even away from home.

Yes, eating healthy foods when you travel can be a challenge. However, your health is worth it. Eating meals high in nutrition will also assist in fighting illnesses that you are likely to encounter when traveling and you will find yourself more alert so that you can enjoy your trip.

Is Exercise Necessary to Lose Weight?

Is Exercise Necessary to Lose Weight?

In today’s society where we are dictated by how we look and how much we weigh, weight loss has always been a goal that we all strive for whether we admit it or not. We all have that ideal weight that we want to achieve. But how do we successfully reach this “ideal” weight?

In this fast-paced world of ours where we are always on the go, we have very little time to squeeze in some type of exercise. Between work and taking care of our family, who even has time to work out? Which begs the question is exercise really necessary to lose weight? Which is more important in losing weight – diet or exercise?

Some people have this mistaken notion that in order to lose weight successfully, we have to exercise for hours on end. Exercise is however only a very small part of the equation.

In fact, many studies have shown that weight loss programs focused on decreasing your caloric intake make you lose two to three times more weight than a program focused on increasing your physical activity.  So what does this mean exactly?

It means that if your goal is just to lose weight, then diet plays a more significant role than exercise. Cutting down on your daily calories will make you lose more weight than just increasing your physical activity. Think about it. You will need to walk for 30 minutes just to burn off 150 calories from a donut. Imagine if you ate a Big Mac, large fries and a large glass of Coke, how many hours do you think it would take to burn off all those calories? If you just watched what you ate, then you would be more successful at losing the excess pounds.

However, this does not mean that you should forget about exercising altogether. If your goal is to be healthy and increase your quality of life, then you need to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. There are studies that show that adding exercise increases your life span. Exercise also reduces your risk of developing medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and some types of cancer particularly colon and breast cancer.

Furthermore, exercise can help improve your mood, reduce depression and anxiety, help you sleep better, improve mental clarity, stall the aging process and give you more energy.

Although dieting by restricting your caloric intake is enough for you to lose weight, working out is crucial for overall physical and mental fitness. A healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen will definitely give you a better quality of life that will allow you to live to the fullest.

Keeping Yourself Motivated to Lose Weight

Keeping Yourself Motivated to Lose Weight

When the New Year comes around, many of us make the resolution to lose weight. We go on the latest fad diet and join a gym. But after just a few days, we find ourselves struggling to stick to our weight loss program. This usually happens because we start to lose our motivation to lose weight. Admit it, things happen. Life happens and we sometimes forget to put ourselves first. However, to be successful at weight loss, we need to keep ourselves motivated. Here are some ways by which you can stay motivated to lose weight.

1.     Take before and after pictures of yourself. When you feel like eating something fattening, look at your picture when you were overweight. Now do you really want to go back to this time in your life when you were sad and miserable and you just didn’t feel good about yourself?

2.       Keep a weight loss journal. Writing down the number of pounds you have lost over time, your daily food intake and exercise regimen will keep you focused and on track. As you see your progress and your weight get lower and lower, you will remain motivated to lose more weight until you reach your goal.

3.       Break down your overall weight loss goal into small, achievable goals. Reward yourself after you have achieved these milestones. For every 10 pounds you lose, pamper yourself, go to a spa, have your hair or nails done or buy a cute outfit. Reward yourself but make sure it is not food related.

4.       Don’t forget what your purpose is for losing weight. If you are losing weight to be healthy, think about how much energy you will have afterwards or how you can minimize your blood pressure medications when you have lost the weight. If you are losing weight to fit into a certain size, imagine how good you will look when you wear that particular dress you have been wanting to fit into for so long.

5.       If your budget allows, hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer will not only guide your work out sessions but he/she will be able to keep you on track and motivated.

6.       Exercise should not be a chore and painful. Find a fun exercise activity that you can stick to. Try dancing, spinning or just simply hiking outdoors. Listen to fast-paced music that will keep you moving while working out. Find an exercise buddy. Studies show that if you work out with somebody, you are more likely to stick to an exercise program.

We have all the information we need to lose weight at our fingertips. But what most people lack is the motivation in order to be successful. Motivation is a big component in weight loss success. Keeping these motivational strategies in mind will help keep you on the right path to achieving your weight loss goals.