Archive for the Weight Loss category
April 19, 2008
Is your workout not working out for you?
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from SpinDiva of the Family In Shape blog.
Photo by ginamig276
You started a fitness program which includes cardio and weight training exercises. Your goal is to lose weight and tone your body, the problem is that after several weeks of tireless exercise you feel stronger but still weigh the same or maybe even a little more. Looking at the scale at this point can be depressing and send you into a feeding frenzy. There are a couple of reasons this could be happening such as the fact that muscle weighs more than fat and you may be building muscle faster than you are burning fat.
I am going to focus on something a little different, nutrition. You cannot do a 60 minute Spin class, burn 600 calories and then run to the nearest fast food restaurant for a 600 calorie lunch – it just doesn’t work that way. Keep in mind that it takes 3500 calories to lose one pound of fat—yes, one pound, which means that you need a deficit of 500 calories per day for seven days to lose one pound per week. That sounds like a lot and it is but it’s not difficult to do.
Here are few key points to consider:
Your meals are not errands or chores – sit, eat and enjoy what you eat.
Balance your meals throughout the day: Eat a light, balanced breakfast (1% or fat free milk with whole grain cereal; yogurt with granola or fruit; cottage cheese with fruit; egg whites with piece of toast, tea or coffee), followed by a lunch filled with raw foods, lean protein, and healthy carbs, and an equally healthy, balanced dinner.
Fuel your body with healthy carbs and protein before and after exercise: Healthy carbs such as fruits, whole grain foods, legumes; protein from lean meat, fish, poultry, and eggs; for the vegetarian this means protein from soy, legumes, nuts and dairy.
Stay away from fast food and specialty coffee shops — at least for a while: A frozen coffee can has as many as 350 calories, a burger with fries=over 1000 calories easy
Include lots of raw foods and whole grain in your diet: if you need a snack between meals or need that 3:00 pm lift you want to look at all fruits and vegetables (except potato) but including sweet potato; whole grain breads, brown rice, whole grain cereals, and low fat dairy products.
Log what you eat each day: Helps you stay on top of your nutrition goals. Log every bite, every candy, every potato chip and every drink. Do this for a couple of days just to see where your calories are going.
Read the food labels: Very important that you become familiar with food labels—how else will you avoid eating something you shouldn’t.
Avoid foods high in sugar and sodium: Aim for balance. Some foods are low fat but have a huge amount of sugar and sodium to make up for the lack of taste and nutrition. These foods will not fill you up for long.
Drink plenty of clear water before during and after exercise: Sip it throughout the day, sometimes you’re just thirsty, not hungry.
Keep healthy snacks handy at all times for days when you have to eat on the go: Granola bars that are high in protein and fiber; home-made trail mix (granola, dried fruit, nuts, whole grain cereal in zip lock bags or plastic containers); portable fruits such as apples, pears, bananas, oranges.
Your body will react based on what you put in it, regardless of how hard you exercise; losing weight requires that you provide your body with well balanced nutrition and exercise. It doesn’t have to be a chore and it doesn’t have to be difficult for you or your family. Change the way you eat and your family will follow. When you eat healthy together you are more likely to make this a part of your family’s healthy living style and everyone will benefit in the long run.
Eat Well, Stay Well - Spin Diva!
For more articles from SpinDiva, visit her Family In Shape blog.
Popularity: 40% [?]
April 11, 2008
WeightLossDude loses 50 pounds in one year
James Brausch is behind WeightLossDude.com and since launching his blog in April 2007, he’s been on the path to losing weight and revealing his weight every few months. Sometimes it’s gone up, sometimes it’s gone down. On April 8th 2008, he’s put his weight at 235.2 pounds, 50 pounds down from when he started - his initial post.
Congratulations to James.
Popularity: 37% [?]
March 23, 2008
So you want to lose your beer belly?
Photo from CommandZed
The problem with good beer isn’t just the occasional hangover, it’s something your partner (or mother) would have warned you about – more calories. It’s been revealed by studies that those who binge drink are more likely to get overweight and form a “beer belly” than those who may drink the same thing but spread it over long periods of time.
In any case, these extra calories are unwanted no matter why and for what reason you drink beer.
Also, if you didn’t know, belly fat is more dangerous than ordinary fat and so along with that comes with a number of serious risks including heart disease, forms of cancer and high blood pressure. For better productivity, and for better life, here are some steps to follow if you want to begin to lose your beer belly.
Cut down (completely if possible) your alcohol intake.
The most important, and more obvious first step. To get a flatter stomach and get rid of some of that belly fat, cut down or completely stop taking in alcohol. If this is really important to you, you’ll get onto a strict regime and avoid certain things.
Work on full body workouts.
Most people who do exercise to lose their beer belly usually only work on belly exercises. The fact is, those kind of exercises are wrong. If you want to lose your beer belly, then you’ll need to work on full body workouts. Cut down on overall body fat. If you just work the abs, you’ll soon reach a plateau and won’t be able to make any more fat loss. If you invest in your entire body, your stomach will naturally take course, and much easily.
If you’re working on just your stomach, you miss out your core muscles such as abs, lower back and midsection and they lose their strength. Work on your core muscles and body workout, and your stomach will even itself out.
The best exercises to focus on are those which will help you burn overall body fat. Focus on cardiovascular exercises such as biking, brisk walking, jogging, etc and weight training sessions such as those in the gym. If you haven’t got lots of time to work at the gym, you don’t have to worry. Even just 3 sessions of intense 45 minutes each is enough a week.
Get a buddy.
Most people do better when they’ve got someone to work with or to be accountable to rather than working on your own. Ask a friend or family member to invest some time in working with you. In return, offer them something. That could even be working with another beer belly friend to both get rid of your beer bellies!
Consistency is key.
This article can’t go without saying that consistency is key. You probably won’t see results immediately. Stick it out for a few months and you’ll see transformations. That’s near enough guaranteed. Remain consistent and you will see results.
Are you on the path to losing your beer belly? What have you done so far? Please share…
Popularity: 11% [?]
January 31, 2008
40 Ways To Lose Weight Fast… And Keep It Off
Photo from hans s
The majority of people who look at their health usually start off their quest for wellness with losing weight. In this month of February, as people are still working on their goals and resolutions, there are more advertisements and promotions for weight loss and fitness videos, programs and workouts.
I set myself on the quest to compile a list of 40 ways one could lose weight fast and more importantly keep off putting the weight back on. The list is by no means conclusive, but it is a collection of ideas, methods and strategies from all around the world.
1. Count your calories - the most straightforward method is simply to count up the number of calories you take in and the number of calories you give off and then you simply give off more calories than you take in.
2. Increase your dietary protein by having a protein shake at least once a day. Protein will help your body facilitate weight loss and can be important to a good plan.
3. Pay attention to what you eat. Document it daily in your journal and consciously create more water-rich healthier meals.
4. Buddy up. Find a friend who is also interested in weight loss and work together, giving each other support in your plans. The support and accountability a friend gives is massive. The Get A Life 2008 system provides a great structure for this.
5. Decrease your carb intake. Eat less bread and pasta.
6. Avoid junk food altogether. No more McDonalds, Burger Kind, KFC. Junk food gives you “empty calories” and unneeded weight loss.
7. Keep hydrated. Drink lots of water throughout the day. Read about starting your day with a pint of water in the free How to Live Healthy in an Unhealthy World book.
8. Plan your workouts. Your workouts need to be planned – journal exactly what you’re going to do and make sure you follow it strictly for a few weeks.
9. Get some good sleep. Sleep is vital to body rejuvenation and repair so make sure you get some good sleep and keep your timings consistent. Lack of sleep can contribute to lack of weight loss.
10. Go on a juice detox.
11. Listen to subliminal or self-hypnosis weight loss CDs or downloads.
12. A positive attitude. Get your attitude in check and realise the outlook is positive when you get going and sheding the amount of weight you want to lose.
13. Accept how weight loss works. This one is important. Some people don’t want to accept the natural processes of body and are looking for quick rewards. Weight loss takes place over time so be consistent and committed, and you will see big results.
14. Keep hunger quiet. When you feel hungry, opt for fresh fruit or a glass of water. This will help cover the hunger.
15. Get your free gym trial and see if it’s for you. Meet with a personal trainer and map out your plan for weight loss. These guys are the experts in helping you get a safe plan that meets your time schedules.
16. Follow Honey Kalaria’s Bollywood Workout, also used by Madonna – a fun way to workout and lose weight.
17. Read Tom Venuto’s “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” and all his extra free bonuses.
18. Increase Metabolism. If you’re having trouble losing weight, try a natural supplement that helps do this.
19. Go on a low fat diet. Low fat is good for your heart too.
20. The Atkins Diet. This seems to work as there are success stories but many people feel nauseated by the high fat content. It also doesn’t seem to keep you healthy for life.
21. Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks.
22. Try the Lemonade Diet and Master Cleanse.
23. Form a new weight loss habit in 21 days.
24. Take Suvaril. This is a revolutionary weight loss pill helping people achieve healthy and great looking bodies the natural way.
25. Eat only until satisfied. Too many people eat and eat and eat even if they’ve had enough. Eat only till your satisfied.
26. Jog up a hill. Hills are like lifting weights for runners. Do this only if you have enough endurance built up. It will also help convert useful fat to a little muscle.
27. Follow Leo’s Zen Weight Loss plan.
28. Stay away from sweetened and fizzy drinks.
29. Drink a glass of water before you start the meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself.
30. Stay away from fried foods. Fried foods are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.
31. Avoid chocolate. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them.
32. Consider going Vegetarian or Vegan. Here’s how.
33. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day instead of three large meals. It is an excellent way of having smaller quantities of food.
34. No more beer. Beer can be fattening if had on a regular basis.
35. Boil your vegetables instead of cooking them, or even better, eat them fresh.
36. Do not be a couch potato.
37. Try out Carol Vorderman’s 28 Day Detox Diet.
38. Attend The Raw Food Party with Peter Pure.
39. Try yoga. Yoga is one of the best ways of losing weight. And it seems to be massive in 2008!
40. Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone’s plans, body and patterns are different. Work at your own pace.
Popularity: 53% [?]
January 14, 2008
Easy weight loss by counting your calories
Photo from Sauri
I believe weight loss is about calorie balancing. In order to get serious about your weight, you’ve got to take note of the calories of everything you with commitment. You can lose weight without counting calories but the speed at which you lose weight is nothing compared to you putting in the effort to monitoring your calories.
The idea is simple: consume less calories than you’re working to lose through exercise. Do that consistently for a set period of time and you will see considerable changes in your weight.
Some schools of thought set diets to restrict you from eating certain foods. For example, one magazine I read recently told you to eat a simple banana and milk diet for 2 weeks and was nicknamed “The Skinny Black Dress Diet.” I believe that weight loss should be fun and although you must be committed in counting your calories and making sure you take in less calories than you give off during the day, you won’t need to restrict your eating.
Calorie Counting
I recommend creating a week’s meal plan in advance for as much as possible so that you can balance out your eating and measure your calories to approximation. This will also allow you to use a calorie counter tool to fit up to 2000 calories in your body each day and also working out how many calories you burn every day.
For example, if my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR, or how many calories I burn daily) is about 1900, I should aim to consume about 500 calories less than that so that I give off 500 calories and work on my weight loss. Then with the calorie counter tool I can plan a weeks eating and add up the calories. Using this example above, losing 500 calories a day should get you to lose 1 pound weight a week!
Choosing Your Foods
Now knowing that you’re going to restrict the amount you eat but not restrict to the type of food, common sense should prevail and guide you to first selecting whole foods, proteins, carbohydrates and lots of water-rich fruits and vegetables. The biggest killer in people focused on weight loss is binging, however you can prevent this by strict motivation to stop eating when you shouldn’t or just eat small amounts in more intervals throughout the day so taking the example above, you would spread about 1500 calories into about 5 times a day for 5 small meals of 300 calories each.
Also, during weeks focused on weight loss, set up some rules.
- No snacking between breakfast and lunch.
- No snacking between lunch and dinner.
- No snacking after dinner.
Snacking (or nibbling) usually starts small but ends up large. Avoid it as much as possible. When you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and as well as getting your energy up, it will help making you feel fuller.
The idea of not restricting some foods I have proposed here is not supported by everyone. But for those on a weight loss plan I think it’s a bit harsh to close out some foods you may like from your life. For that I suggest you take up a 2-bite rule. Any desert you like, any food you like, at only one time in the week, you’re allowed a maximum of two yummy bites. That’s fair, isn’t it?
Exercise
Some say exercise isn’t necessary because your BMR is already going to aid you in giving off calories, however sometimes it’s not the calories you want to give off and ones you should be working to get rid of get stuck in your body. Exercise is extremely important and for at least 30 minutes a day. If you can’t exercise for 30 minutes a day in one go, don’t worry, as Elisa Zied says in her book Feed Your Family Right, you can break it up in 5-10 minute intervals and do it throughout the day at home, at work or during travel. But make sure you do it.
Exercise will help you increase calorie output and thus you may be able to lose weight faster or increase your food consumption a bit more. It’s all about doing your maths right.
Other bits
1. Keep a log. Every day, log down the amount of calories you eat and what you eat. Also log down when you exercise, what exercise you did and for how long for. This will provide useful feedback when you look back on and celebrate your results.
2. Forgive yourself. I don’t think you’ll get it correct right away, so forgive yourself if you do something wrong. Go back, rectify what you’ve done, change course if required and try again. Never say never.
If you’ve done something like this, let me know how it’s working for you.
Popularity: 20% [?]
January 4, 2008
How to cut the fat and feel good
Photo from Mr TGT
Over the last few days, as I’ve kept an eye on the Kenyan post-elections violence I also happened to watch and read about ‘globesity’ – a phenomenon that health secretary Alan Johnson says makes the UK’s obesity crisis just as important as the climate change crisis.
According to a report by the BBC says that the people of the UK are most attached to fast food with the US following in second place. Even more striking is the risk that in just the next generation, children are likely to die before their parents if what they eat and drink is not controlled. Although some people are born overweight, most are not and if their eating habits are not healthy from the start, it is going to be increasingly difficult to keep them off junk food in later life and this will increase in extreme risk.
2007 was probably one of the worst years of obesity that I’ve heard and read about in the UK. More shows than ever following obese kids and what they eat were shown on British television. I remember what was in the news this time last year: a child was going to be taken from his mother because he was extremely obese.
No matter how much one has gone into making obesity known to the public, I don’t think it is having the intended effect of showing people how big a risk it actually is. The consequences for obese people who either don’t do anything about it or don’t know that they’re overweight is dire. Vicki Swindon of Fat Is The New Black sums it up well in this BBC report: “It’s got to a stage now where it’s actually hard to get any useful messages across because people have heard so much, often contradictory, information, that they just think: obesity blah blah blah”.
Some have argued that there is no link between children eating fast food and their obesity, but studies have proven otherwise. Fast food just like sugars and fats contain a lot of ‘empty calories’ and one study shows that children of all ages who eat at fast food places eat too many empty calories and this unhealthy intake adds extra unneeded “junk” cells into the body, increasing the weight.
Think about it. An overweight may stop off at a fast food place twice a week each time taking in about 250 empty calories. Multiply that by 52 weeks and you get an extra few pounds of empty calories within a year. Sure, they may exercise and lose some of it but if they’re overweight, it’s unlikely they do much exercise and most of it just builds up over time.
Here are a few points to helping you and your kids get back to looking and feeling great:
- Make more time for your health. One of the reason people get onto junk food habits is because of the busy lifestyles they lead which means they just don’t have time to prepare a healthy meal. Decide to make some time for yourself each day whether it starts with an extra ten or twenty minutes and fix yourself a healthy meal and salad.
- Keep a food journal. If you’re going to change, you’ll need to want to do it from within. One of the best ways to do this is to keep a food journal and become really aware what you eat. Write down what you eat and drink at every meal time and in between. When you do this and look back on it after a few days, you’ll see how much empty calories you take in and then can consciously decide which ones to cut out from your lifestyle.
- Decide to eat less. It’s often easier said than done, but deciding to eat only a little bit each meal rather than eating till your absolutely full is a great way to allow yourself to cut out unneeded calories and still have lots of energy. When you eat till you’re full, you use up all your energy in getting the food digested as best as possible and become very tired. When you eat only a small amount of healthy food and stop yourself from overeating till you’re stuffed you allow yourself extra energy to keep going.
- Take a walk every day. Find a walking buddy from your local neighbourhood – whether it’s your partner or a close neighbour – and commit to walking for at least 15 minutes each day. This could be first thing when you wake up in the morning or after your dinner at night. Whatever you choose, make sure you do it and walking with someone else makes you accountable.
- Cut the fizzy. Stop drinking fizzy sugar-rich drinks. Drink lots more water and allow your cells to wake up again from their squashed lifestyles. Cells need lots of oxygen to replenish themselves and fizzy drinks doesn’t give you that – they just disrupt your digestion.
- Eat a salad. Salad is water-rich and will help wash down your food. Even if you still continue to eat junk food, have a big healthy salad to help wash down the food and aid your digestion.
- Fad diets don’t work. These are diets that provide lose-weight-fast option and are best avoided as they are difficult to follow in the long term and sometimes require complete restriction in the early days.
What tips can you share to cut the fat?
Popularity: 14% [?]
November 20, 2007
How to replace your addiction of the Big Mac
Does your stomach rumble and give you an uncontrollable craving every time you drive past McDonald’s and smell the burgers cooking? The Big Mac sandwich, one of McDonald’s signature sandwiches, consists of two all beef patties, lettuce, cheese, onions, pickles, and special sauce, all on a sesame seed bun.
McDonald’s has estimated that roughly 550 million Big Macs are sold in the United States alone each year. That’s about 17 per second! Do you know what else the Big Mac sandwich contains? This greasy, half-pound burger has a calorie count of 540, which is 28% of the USRDA! The calories from fat alone are a whopping 270!
Eaten now and then, this sandwich doesn’t pose a health problem for most. However, the consumption of the Big Mac has become an addiction for some people. Are there ways to break this addiction and eat healthier foods?
Addictions form slowly, over a period of time, are performed repeatedly, and can be difficult to break. However, it is possible to break addictions like drinking, smoking, overeating or gambling. The first step to overcoming your addiction is to admit you have a problem and to understand why it is that you do it. Then, you need to be motivated to stop the habit. Do your best to replace the negative behavior with positive behaviors. For example, if food is an addiction, slowly replace your unhealthy choices with healthier ones, until after some time, you’ll be emotionally free of the foods that are detrimental to you.
Make positive lifestyle changes. If you crave a Big Mac, don’t even enter McDonald’s – go somewhere else to eat! It’s important to have an accountability partner or a support system of friends and family in place when fighting any negative habit. When you make healthy or positive choices, make sure to reward yourself with something totally unrelated, such as a new shirt, book or CD.
There are several other restaurants that offer healthy, fulfilling and delicious choices in sandwiches, soups, salads, and entrees. Subway stores offer sandwiches that have as little as 6 grams of fat and yet are packed with veggies, cheese and meat on your choice of a white or whole wheat hoagie bun. A bag of baked chips and bottled water or milk makes for a healthy and filling meal.
Applebee’s is a fantastic choice with lunch and dinner-size salads, whole grains and steamed vegetables available on the menu. Today’s restaurants, whether sit-down or fast food, truly offer healthy options. Baked potatoes, whole grain breads, fruit, side salads, soups, grilled chicken or fish sandwiches and yogurt are just a few of the delicious and healthy choices available to us. We must purpose to choose foods that are nutritious instead of choosing the greasy burger every day.
Popularity: 11% [?]
November 15, 2007
How to make your body burn more calories
If you understand calories and the science behind it all, you’ll be able to create the perfect plan for making weight loss easy and fun.The secret lies in increasing your metabolic rate and thus burning more calories.That is, the rate at which your body burns up your calories. If you take in 2000 calories a day and burn 2000 calories through exercise that same day, you’ll stay at the same weight. If you take in 2000 calories and burn only 1000, you’ll gain weight and fast if it continues that way.Most people consume a lot of calories but don’t put in the effort to burn it. No wonder they’re gaining weight or not losing any. Here are a few things you can do to increase your metabolic rate:-(1) Move.Yes, the old adage of getting up from your seat and moving around every so often is true. Although the average person burns about 30% of calories through daily activity, you need to increase it more if you’re going to get your body to burn more!It’s simple, but most people forget to get up once in a while. Remind yourself with messages, alarms and buzzers to get you going every so often. Here are some ideas: Tap your feet, Stand up when you’re on the phone, Drum your fingers, Stand up and stretch, Move your head from side to side, Change position, Pace up and down, Park in the furthest corner of the car park.(2) Build muscle.When you increase the muscle in your body, you use up a lot of extra calories and so this is another great way to burn those calories. Muscle is active in it’s state and so the more you exercise the more it burns. Train with weights several times a week. Do a bit of cardio each time to begin and whatever you do, you’ll look better, feel younger and lose weight!(3) Eat Little and Often.I was born to learn to eat three heavy meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and not eat in between. There’s truth to that, but I’ve found that eating heavy meals doesn’t help my body, productivity and organisation for my work in front of a laptop or in the lab.Eating little, but often, is a good way to ensure the food you intake at each period has sufficient space to digest without putting you into a tired state.There are two reasons why meal frequency may affect your metabolism. Firstly, levels of thyroid hormones begin to drop within hours of eating a meal, and metabolism slows. Secondly, it may be that the thermogenic effect of eating several small meals is slightly higher than eating the same amount of calories all at once.Those are three simple ideas you can get going with.But, of course, before you start, it’s important to figure out how many calories you’re taking on a daily basis so you know how many you should be looking to burn.Here’s a good site to help you count your calories:-http://www.caloriecounting.co.uk
Popularity: 6% [?]
October 30, 2007
Can fasting help purge the body of toxins?
Some people find it logical that not eating helps the body to get rid of some substances. In some cases, fasts can be limited to eating just some foods like grapes, beans or lentils or sometimes just fresh juices.Fasts are often fads, or part of a “health regimen” or a week away “healing” program. Although many people can withstand one day of fasting, as in some religious practices, extended periods may prove unsafe for most others. Fasting is highly unwise for people with eating disorders or impaired immune systems. It is also not recommended for elderly persons, children, or pregnant women. The “health” part of fasting is more myth than fact. In fact, denying yourself nutrients can actually work against you.To help understand why, a lot can be learned from taking a moment to investigate the body’s own detoxification process. The human body is quite ingenious. It was designed to have two major pathways to eliminate harmful substances. First are the immune tissues of the intestinal tract, and second are the enzymes of the liver. Did you know that the intestinal tract generates about 70 percent of our antibodies? These little heroes attach themselves to many of the bacteria, toxins, and viruses that enter our bodies, inactivate them, and prevent many from being absorbed, helping to protect us against infection and illness.Harmful substances that slip by the intestinal detoxification system are delivered to the liver. This second pathway has two detoxification phases: (1) various transformations occur preventing the perilous substances from creating harm to our bodies; (2) another series of reactions occur, causing these substances to become less toxic. They are then excreted from the body in urine and feces.So, how does fasting influence the body’s detoxification processes? Our nutritional status affects the body’s ability to manufacture antibodies and enzymes, and the liver’s ability to detoxify. Fasting deprives the body of the raw materials — sufficient calories, proteins, and certain vitamins and minerals — needed to make antibodies and enzymes. Eating keeps our immune system strong.So, fasting does not boost the body’s disposal system, or cleanse your body in a healthy way. Fasting denies you all the nutrients you need in a day to stay healthy!
Popularity: 4% [?]
September 27, 2007
What was your weight when you were 20?
It is often said that your weight when you’re aged 20 is the optimum weight for your body if you’ve had a decent upbringing.
And it is also said that if you’re not weighing near enough what you were at around age 20, then you’ve got some work to do.
Try and recall how you looked of what your weight was when you were 20. What was it? And then do a bit of measurement and figure out what your weight is today.
Keeping aside differences to do with body-building, muscle supplementation and keeping fit, are there any differences in your weight?
Popularity: 3% [?]
