Too Much Success.....

I never, ever, thought I would say this but my problem is now STOPPING the weight loss. I have reached my target weight (and a little more) and now have to stabilise. The problem lies in that I now have to re-introduce more carbs, but I have got into the method of not including them and so continue to lose weight. I like what I am eating. I like this low carb regime. 

At the weekend it felt wrong when I had 2 slices of bread with my breakfast. It was a bacon sandwich, and whilst it tasted fine, I found that by mid morning I was feeling hungry. That never happened when I just had a low carb breakfast. I found I was having to compensate for the extra carbs to stop feeling hungry. Crazy!!!

Well I did stabilise (my weight was the same this week as last) however that may have something to do with going out for a meal on Thursday and then attending a wedding reception on Friday, before weighing myself on Saturday morning <grin>.

To try and find a method to control this my wife and I have agreed that we will continue with the regime Monday to Friday and try and introduce more carbs at the weekend. I don't know if this will work or not but time will tell.

The upcoming cruise we are going on will blow everything out the water as we have every intention of enjoying ourselves but at least we have a method to get rid of the extra weight when we get back. It is also the reason why we have included an extra allowance on our target weights to take this into account.

Keep the faith and keep the carbs low. Enjoy.

My Weightloss SUCCESS!!!!!!

Back in mid June I mentioned that I was starting the Dukan Diet. Well I have to admit it did not last that long. My wife and I found it quite bland and we were missing a lot of 'taste'. However it did start us on a weight loss journey, as another friend of ours was also losing weight on a different (but quite similar diet), so we converted to that one. It is a High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diet By Dr. Charles Clark (Click this link to go to Amazon to see the book I am talking about) that allows for the use of cheeses and as many vegetables as you like, excluding potatoes and legumes. So no pasta, potatoes, beans etc. but as much carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc. as you like. Also as much meat as you like.

Well, after nearly 2 months I have lost a total of 21 pounds. That is a stone and a half to us brits. I don't feel hungry and if I want a snack, a slice of meat or a bit of cheese fills me up nicely. I find I no longer get hunger pangs and a need to have a 'sugar rush' with some chocolate or a packet of crisps (chips to our American cousins) .

This eating regime seems to suit me. The only drawback I have come across, so far, is sometimes I get constipated, so I eat some vegitables that have a bit more fibre in them.

It has made us plan our daily menus so that we only buy what we need each week. We have built up a list of about 20 recipies that we like and then we base our main evening meals on selecting 7 of these each week. That way we do not get too repetitive in our meals. Lunch tends to be mainly just protien and we always have a substantial breakfast which sets us up for the day.

You are limited to 40 grammes of carbohydrates a day to start off with (1 slice of bread is 17, half a bagel is similar). I have now reached the point where I want to stabilise so I have upped my limit to 60 grammes a day, but, quite frankly, I am happy with 40 but that will keep me losing weight and I want to stop that for the time being.

There is no need to beat yourself up if you exceed the limit on 1 day, just write the day off and start again the next morning.

One BIG drawback, you have to buy new clothes as your old ones are just TOO BIG!!!!! I have given away all my suits, masses of shirts, jackets etc. to the point where my wardrobe is half empty. I am sure most people will be happy with this "problem".

I will try and get some photos together to illustrate the changes that have occurred in such a short space of time. Now I just have to keep it off.

The Dukan Diet

You may be interested to know that I am actually following the above diet as I type. I have been for a week and the results are quite amazing. It has not been easy but the results speak for themselves.

What is Dukan? Well it comes from France and has been written by Pierre Dukan. It is basically a high protien, no carbohydrate diet (at least in the Attack Phase - which lasts between 5-10 days). Google it for more details, there are hundreds of web sites that will explain it much better than I can. It is similar to Atkins but does not allow any high fat foods like cheeses etc.

I have just completed the Attack phase and lost approx 7-8 pounds. That is half a stone to us brits. That is in a WEEK. OK it has not been easy. Dukan lists some 70 foods you can eat in this phase (and ONLY these foods) so out the window goes fruit, vegatables, carbohydrates, pastas, rice and all associated sauces etc. Basically you only eat protien. ie Meat, Fish, eggs, zero fat yoghurt, no fat cottage cheese and things like onions, chives, some oat bran etc. 

I did not think I would get fed up with just protien, but I found that scrambled eggs for breakfast 3 days on the trot was more than enough for me!!!! Chicken is a meat you tend to eat a lot of, I supose because it is readily available without you having to cook it ie you can get cooked chicken in any supermarket, and it is generaly low in fat.

However, there is a recipie book and there are lots of recipies on the internet that help you prepare the foods in a variety of ways. I think the biggest problem in the attack phase is you tend to eat the same things day after day and you get fed up with them. Also my wife (the cook) hates having to prepare all this food from scratch. I don't think we have done so much washing up in years, lol. 

But, the results speak for themselves. 

We are now moving into the cruise phase where we can start introducing some vegetables and a little more variety into our foods. Let's hope this is as effective!!

I would mention that you can eat as much protien as you like at any time, if you are feeling hungry, go eat a slice of Ham or Turkey. There is no limit on the amount you can eat and you will find that you do not feel hungry. If you eat enough protien, you feel full for longer so you do not get the hunger pangs like other diets. That makes it a LOT easier to follow. 

Keep the faith in yourself, you CAN do it. Just don't give in to those cravings, remember the biggest problem is between your ears and all the training you were given as a child. You have to overcome these and the Dukan Diet certainly helps.

Fat-Free Diet Exposed

First of all, there are two versions of this diet:

1. A diet that tries to eliminate all sources of fat.
   
   This diet is actually a very low fat diet. It would be nearly impossible to avoid eating any fat. This is, like any other macronutrient reduction diet, a bad idea. It takes the insanity of the low-fat diet to new extremes, producing even less positive effects and even more negative effects.
   
   Use this diet only if becoming fatter and weaker is your goal.
   
2. A diet that replaces many normal foods with fat-free varieties.
   
   This can be of value, depending on the foods so replaced and what you replace them with.
   
   An example of a bad replacement is fat-free (or low-fat) peanut butter. The manufacturer takes a very healthy oil (one that will actually help you keep the fat off your body) with one of the worst sugars you can possibly eat--maltodextrin. Fat-free yogurts with fruit flavors are also a disaster--read the labels!
   
   An example of a good replacement is plain fat-free yogurt. But, read the label to make absolutely sure it's plain and doesn't have junk added to it. There are some fancy names for sugar, so don't assume something listed is not sugar just because you have no clue what it actually is. Ditto for fat-free or reduced fat cottage cheese.

Where this diet fails

What matters is how many calories you consume, not how much fat. You can't escape the basic physics, here. It takes 3,500 calories to make a pound of fat--reduce calories, and you reduce fat. Increase calories, and you increase fat. It doesn't matter what kinds of calories those are--it takes 3,500 of them to make a pound of fat.

This diet doesn't address the calorie equation, but it does deprive your body of many important nutrients. And that means that while you are not losing the fat you want to lose (though you may be losing weight in the form of healthy tissue or just water), you are damaging your skin and creating other health problems for yourself.

Use the anabolic diet or carb cycling for natural weight loss and muscle gain Learn more

The anabolic diet and carb cycling program are similar eating plans that naturally burn fat and spare muscle. The main concern for athletes and weightlifters when dieting is that the reduction of calories could cause a loss of muscle because the body needs calories to maintain muscle mass. Both of these plans help achieve weight loss without sacrificing muscle. They also do not involve severe calorie or food restriction, which could lead to unhealthy weight loss or malnutrition, but there are some differences.

Basics

The anabolic diet is based on a book of the same name by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale. It is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. The diet claims to work by encouraging the body burn fat instead of carbs.

According to The Anabolic Diet book, burning fat may lead to fewer hunger cravings making it easier to adhere to the diet. Carb cycling is different because it involves alternating high carb and low-to-moderate carb days following a workout schedule. High-carb days are for working out hard and replenishing glyocgen stores, a substance the body uses for fuel. Lower carb days burn fat.

Anabolic diet

The principal of the anabolic diet is to make the body a fat-burning machine. Followers start with one week of only low carb eating to make the body start burning fat for energy instead of carbs. After week one, the diet recommends eating low carbs during the week and high amounts of carbs on the weekends.

Alternating low and high carbs days prevents the body from reverting to burning mainly carbs for fuel. The higher carb days also allow the body to replenish fuel used during vigorous exercise.

Carb cycling

Carb cycling allows more freedom in scheduling which days are low-to-moderate carb days and which are high carbs; people can match their more intense workout days to their high carb days. Rest days and light workout days lend themselves to eating fewer carbs and lets the body burn fat for fuel.

Fat

A major difference between the two diets is fat intake. Carb cycling suggests followers eat low fat, even as little as possible on high carb days. This is especially beneficial for people who like fatty foods. The anabolic diet allows people to eat 15 to 20 percent of calories from fat on high carb days when the body is geared to burn fat.

Protein

The diets also differ on protein intake. The anabolic diet allows for one-third of calories to come from protein. Carb cycling has specific protein recommendations: between 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight on high carb days and between 1.25 and 1.75 grams per pound on other days. Both eating plans ensure people eat sufficient protein to build and maintain muscle.

Choosing a diet

People with demanding work schedules may prefer the anabolic diet because eating the same on each week day is simpler. People who engage in high-intensity workouts during the week may prefer carb cycling. However, people react differently to low-carbohydrate diets. One of these plans may work better for certain people depending on what their bodies naturally need.

There's No Such Thing as Cheating

There's no right or wrong way to eat. Healthy eating is all about motivation, balance, and flexibility. There will be times when you eat a high-fat meal or eat beyond fullness, or when your schedule gets so busy that you miss a work- out. This happens. It's normal. But it's very important that you don't get down on yourself and abandon your new healthy lifestyle when this happens. 

If you're like most people, your reaction to these diet/ fitness obstacles is guilt. You feel as if all your hard work has been for nothing. "I blew it; I was doing so well. Oh well, I might as well enjoy this weekend and start over on Monday." Or even worse: "I just don't have the motiva- tion or will power to start over and be successful. I quit." Feeling defeated, many people discontinue the healthy living and return to their old routine until some mythical time in the future: "Maybe this spring will be a better time to start over again." This kind of scenario is a perfect example of the diet mentality at work..

An all-or-nothing attitude is why so many people have so little success; we choose structured programs because they relieve us from making choices for ourselves. A properly designed program makes sense, but expecting to stick to a structured eating and exercise plan for an extended period of time without ever deviating makes no sense at all. In fact, this is so unrealistic as to be a set-up for failure. If you begin to change your habits with the assumption that any deviation from your plan will ruin it, you might as well not even begin. Life is full of unplanned obstacles, distractions, and temptations. Your best approach is to prepare for them, keeping an open mind and maintaining a positive attitude. 

It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. Before you begin, tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle, you'll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can; it is equally important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. What- ever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it's not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle. If you keep moving forward and you don't let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you'll eventually have improved eating and exercise habits. 

With this approach, there is no such thing as cheating. When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we make ourselves feel guilty, frustrated and defeated. Replacing the negative concept of "cheating" with the idea of "straying from healthy habits" takes away the all-or- nothing emphasis on right and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won't get very far.

Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier and more enjoyable. 

In the non-diet approach, all foods are legal. There are no "good" foods or "bad" foods. You must believe this. Sudden changes and/or drastic restrictions of high-fat foods when you have a preference or craving for fat will result in feelings of deprivation. No one can or should go through life depriving themselves of foods they really enjoy. You must learn how to make gradual healthy changes to the foods you love while experimenting with and learning to appreciate new flavors and textures. 

A recent survey showed that more than 75 percent of people feel guilty about eating so-called "bad" foods. The greatest obstacle to adopting healthy eating habits is guilt. Attaching a value to foods only makes you feel bad for eating them. When you do decide to eat a high-fat food, enjoy it. Don't beat your- self up over it. Just make a special effort to eat low-fat the rest of the day. Remember, there is nothing wrong with splurging now and then. It can even be good for you if the satisfaction of a higher-fat meal that you've been craving helps you stick with a low-fat lifestyle the rest of the time.

If you're having a special diet meal that's different from what the rest of your family or friends are eating, you'll feel as though you're being punished. In order to be successful in changing your eating habits, you must look forward to and enjoy each meal you eat. This doesn't mean that you have to learn to like rice cakes and celery. It means you must learn how to make simple changes in the foods you love. 

Perhaps one of your favorite meals is fried chicken, a baked potato, and salad. Small changes in how the food is prepared can turn this traditionally high-fat meal into a low-fat well- balanced one. Simply marinating a skinless chicken breast in sweet and sour sauce, rolling it in bread crumbs, and baking it makes the chicken a lot less fattening than if it's fried. Instead of butter or regular sour cream on your potato, try low-fat or nonfat sour cream or a reduced fat ranch dressing. Try using a non-fat or low-fat salad dressing rather than a regular dressing and adding as many vegetables to your salad as possible for their additional flavor, texture and nutrients. Any or all of these changes drastically reduce the amount of fat in the meal without sacrificing flavor or feelings of satisfaction. 

Healthy eating patterns can only occur when you're enjoying all the foods you eat. If you're eating low-fat foods just to be healthy but without enjoying the flavors and textures or how they make you feel, this most likely won't be a permanent change. However, if you begin enjoying healthy foods, you're far more likely to stick with healthy eating for life.

Many people also enjoy eating out but associate this with being "bad" or eating "illegal" foods. Fortunately, it is very possible to eat a healthy, low-fat meal in a restaurant. You don't need to forego your favorite foods or eat before you go out with friends or family. The same decision-making process occurs whether you eat at home or go out to a restaurant. Many people think that they have two options when eating: eating for taste and pleasure or eating for health. As you learn and practice healthy eating techniques, these two options will become one and the same. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Weight Loss Hypnotherapy Program

Weight loss hypnotherapy is the right way to work through your weight problem and bring a solution in reducing it. Hypnosis is a scientific method through which a patient is sent in a state of trance. Though the process does not involve any external interventions of medicines, but it is a very useful process of communicating with the subconscious mind, where lies many of the problems.

How hypnosis drives away weight and anxiety errors

Hypnosis works through the art of an expert hypnotist who knows how to deal with the patient and access his mind. The mind is where the problem resides. Though fat is accumulated in your body but you can help yourself reduce it by working with your mind.

Get in conversation with a licensed practitioner who will be able to send you in a trance. Now, the best thing with weight loss hypnotherapy is that you will be able to converse with him about your problems. The hypnotist will access your mind, where problems like fear, anxiety, self-esteem and problems as such resides. He will give you suggestions as to how to overcome the problems.

The best thing is that in a trance you are very much in receptive mind. You will be able to accept anything that is being said to you. You work as you are being said. But there is a minus point to the whole process. You might tend to forget what you were being told and so you need to sit for such sessions again and again.

Anxiety hypnotherapy is a very useful process that brings in the best solution for you. You are open to repeated sessions, which might be able to bring in a permanent solution, since the advice will work in your favour and it will bring in tips for you to overcome weight loss or depression.

Remember, you need to have will power to fight against the odds. Therefore, will power combined with hypnotherapy bring in effective solution for you.

Use Cardio to burn more fat!

Cardio workouts are a great way to speed up your weight loss if you have got the dedication to do it right.

Visit any modern health club and they will tell you to do the same thing: you need to keep at a 'steady state'. However, this regimen can be very hard for those who have not to stamina to maintain it. To do it successfully you need to keep going at the same identical speed for long stretches of time. No breaks. No slowing down. But consistently.

Now for the average slimmer, like you or me, reaching this fitness level can take some time, and even when you have achieved it, you often rarely lose any pounds.

The reason for this is your metabolism. Whilst cardio certainly tones up the muscles, to experience real, natural weight loss you need to speed up your metabolism. And as the saying goes 'the faster your metabolism, the faster you will burn fat.'

So how can you get this balance right? Simple. By introducing a technique called 'interval training'. Expanding on the 'steady state', this workout ensures that your body still receives the full workout of cardio but more importantly increases your calorie burn. 

Interval Training - your step-by-step guide to instant calorie burn

Alternating between low and high intensities, interval training traditional incorporates the following format:

• 15 minute warm-up
• Amplify pace slightly as well as the resistance for 2 minutes
• Go very fast for the next 0.5 to 1 minutes. It is essential at this point that you do it as hard as you can.
• Repeat for 2 minutes, with a 1 minute fast interval 3 to 6 times.
• 5 minute cool down

So give this routine a try and begin feeling the difference of a healthier, more toned body.

Top 5 best exercises to lose belly fat

Who doesn't want flat abs? People desperate to lose weight will willingly starve themselves, take expensive supplements or do the latest fad diet that promises to give them that flawless figure in 30 days. Thankfully, belly fat is metabolically active and easier to lose. However, if proper nutrition is not observed and the resort is made to low calorie diets, weight loss may not happen within the desired time frame. Hunger and calorie deprivation will eventually kick in and dieters confronted with that favorite food they have been avoiding will have the tendency to binge at the first opportunity. The likelihood of gaining more weight than they originally lost is not far-fetched.

According to Christine Rosenbloom, a nutrition professor at Georgia State University, eating a calorie-controlled diet and 60 minutes of daily moderate exercise activity will result to weight loss and can even help with the desired weight maintenance. In fact, according to Professor Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic, intense aerobic exercise will result to being leaner around the abdomen.

It is important to remember that keeping the body's metabolism up and running so that the body continuously burns calories prevents it from going into the fat-storing mode that causes unnecessary weight gain.

Why exercise is necessary

Most people involved in weight loss believe that it's all about the calories. If you burn calories more than you take in, you lose weight. If you take in more calories than you can burn, the body gains fat. While this piece of logic may make sense, it is only partly true. What burns calories nonstop is actually the lean muscle mass underneath body fat that allows more intake of calories without weight gain.

The body actually adapts to the changes it undergoes. Losing weight without exercising increases the risk of losing lean body mass, slowing the metabolism and putting the body into fat-storing mode. People who have lost body fat and muscle mass may notice that they don't have the muscle mass they once had. Worse yet, once they overeat even a little bit, they start filling up on body fat once again.

Building up muscle mass

An important thing to remember when undergoing a weight loss program is to understand what needs to be done. Realistic and achievable goals can help in building the confidence needed to make the necessary leap for the achievement of a desired weight.

Researchers at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University took a look at some popular abdominal exercises and ranked them. Results of the study revealed that exercises that require constant abdominal stabilization and body rotation resulted in the most muscle activity in the abdomen.

Below are the top five belly exercises as ranked by the study:

1. The Bicycle Exercise - best for targeting the six pack muscles and the obliques. To do this exercise, get into a supine position with hands at the back of your head. Bring knees to the chest while lifting shoulders off the floor. Slowly bring your right elbow towards your left knee as you straighten your right leg. Switch sides and continue in a pedaling motion. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

2. The Captain's Chair Leg Raise - This exercise requires a captain's chair, a rack with padded arms allowing for the legs to hang free that is commonly found in gyms or health clubs. To do this exercise, stand on the chair and grip hand holds. Press back against the pad then raise knees to the chest to contract the abs then lower them back down. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

3. Exercise Ball Crunch - For this exercise, an exercise ball is necessary. In this routine, the abdomen does more exerting but will still need the entire body to stabilize it throughout the routine. To do this exercise, lie on the ball with your lower back fully supported. Place hands behind the head. To lift the torso off the ball, contract the abs to pull the bottom of the rib cage towards the hips. Keep ball stable as you curl up, then lower back down to stretch the abs. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

4. Vertical Leg Crunch - Performing this exercise is similar to doing a leg crunch except that the legs are straight up, forcing the abs to work and adding intensity to the routine. To do this, lie on the floor with the legs straight up, knees crossed, and place the hands beneath the head for support. Contract abs lifting the shoulders off the floor and keep legs in a fixed position to crunch. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

5. Long Arm Crunch - This is a variant of the traditional floor crunch where the arms are held straight behind you, adding a lever to the move and making for a challenging exercise. To do this, lie on the floor or a mat then extend arms straight behind, keeping them clasped and next to the ears. Slowly contract abs and lift shoulders off the floor carefully to keep the arms straight. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

The best strategy to weight loss is to observe a healthy diet coupled with exercise of at least an hour a day. Although there is no sure fire way to deal with belly fat, there are a number of activities from which to choose and enjoy. As long as you're having fun, you can lose weight without realizing it. It is important to look for an exercise you enjoy. If the suggested exercises above do not suit your taste, taking a hike, swimming or biking are just as effective in burning fat and toning muscles.

Enjoy St. Patrick's Day with a Healthy Recipe

If you are planning to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you'll want to make sure that the festivities don't derail your diet plan.  So how do you indulge in the Irish party without gaining weight?  Foodie Amy Sherman has a solution.

Irish food is often full of fat and calories. But Amy Sherman has adapted a healthy recipe for St. Patrick's Day.  Her recipe "Stir-fry Cabbage with Mustard and Chives" is a low calorie alternative to Colcannon, a rich dish of cabbage combined with mashed potatoes loaded with butter and cream.

Stir-fry Cabbage with Mustard and Chives

• 6 cups cabbage, cut into approximately 1 inch squares (about 1/2 head)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 T or 1/2 ActiFry spoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons chives, minced

Whisk together the water, olive oil, mustard, sugar and salt. Place the cabbage in a frying pan or use a T-Fal ActiFry. Drizzle the sauce on top. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender-crisp. Top with minced chives.

The recipe pairs nicely with green beer, but you'll want to be sure it's a light beer to avoid the calories in the more typical dark Irish varieties.

Special Diet Plans for Weight Loss

Most of the people who want to lose weight prefer to follow a particular and planned regime to do so. They want to have a set of rules and regulations for the same. Diet products, books, and services are one of the most flourishing industries in the world today. But before adopting any such technique, one should always keep in mind that it is practically impossible to lose weight just by resorting to these dietary short-cuts without making any changes in his/her lifestyle or reducing the intake of fatty food items.

Some of the most popular diet plans that people across the world follow are the Atkins diet, the GM diet and the like. Most of these diet plans have been a success with people. The idea is to figure out a diet plan that sounds plausible and which you think would work best for you. One should not forget that the most successful weight loss is due to dietary changes and healthy food habits that one should continue for a long time rather than diets that can leave you famished and yearning to eat more.

Most of the people are apprehensive about taking on to a diet plan is because they want to avoid pangs of hunger. But they need to understand the fact that the proper diet is about eating regular meals and keeping oneself full. Keeping one’s hunger in check will ensure that a person does not overeat and will also ensure that he/she does not suffer from frustration that result out of hunger.

One should eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of sticking to the conventional 3 meals. The way this works is simple. When we stick to 3 meals, by the time it is time for one meal, we are so hungry that we end up over overeating. Eating more number of meals will ensure that we are full and let us be in control. The next thing that one should always take care of is to never skip meals. If a person skips a meal in a day, he/she ends up compensating for the skipped meal at some other point of time during the day and that is all the more dangerous. Skipping meals slows down the metabolism because this way, the body feels that it is not getting enough food and thereby, it burns lesser number of calories.

One should adopt the trick of eating slowly. The human body and mind takes 20 minutes to realise that it is full and does not need any more food. If a person eats quickly, then by the end of 20 minutes, he/she has already eaten so much that the entire purpose of reducing calorie intake is lost. But if a person eats slowly, then at the end of the same 20minutes, he/she feels full and also reduces calorie intake in the process. Basically, it is to be strictly believed that a person does not need to starve to ensure there is weight loss. If a person loses weight in a healthy way, he/she is likely to keep it away for good.

Keeping in mind these factors, let us now have a look at the various diet plans and their pros and cons, and their potential effects.

Author: Medha Behera

Weight Loss Diet Help: Straightforward Tips

What are the best sources of information when you are seeking weight loss diet help? There are countless books and other publications, each promoting unique weight loss diet help that claims to allow you to lose weight in a week or two.

The problem is that these plans are not successful. Some may give you some amazing results initially, but ultimately you end up gaining the weight back the moment you discontinue the diet. Others are impossible to maintain.

The weight loss diet help that can work for you must be feasible and should elevate your metabolism without destabilizing your insulin levels. You also should locate a diet plan that you can stick with long-term without deleterious health effects. Here are some more tips that you should remember when you search for weight loss diet help.

In terms of eating carbs, you want to choose sources that are rich in fiber. This means that unprocessed foods and veggies are more beneficial compared to processed foods that are loaded with flour, grains, and unwanted preservatives and additives. Unprocessed foods retain more of their vitamins and minerals and thus have a greater health benefit.

There is no utility in beginning a weight lost diet plan that restricts your consumption of lean red meats, skinless poultry, and fish. These are all great sources of complete proteins and a necessary part of any effective diet plan.

Ensuring that your body receives a sufficient amount of protein is also vital to guaranteeing that you don't catabolize lean muscle tissue to maintain an elevated fat burning metabolism.

You also need to avoid refined carbs and sugary snacks. These foods are harmful because they cause a spike in your blood glucose levels. This in turn triggers secretion of insulin from the pancreas, resulting in elevated insulin levels.

Insulin stores glucose in the liver as glycogen. Any excess sugar is converted into fatty acids and is stored in fat tissue. Since consuming refined sugars caused destabilization of your blood sugar levels, quality weight loss diet help will recommend that you avoid any foods loaded with these simple carbohydrates.

The secretion of excess insulin by the pancreas is a symptom of metabolic syndrome. Also a precursor to diabetes, metabolic syndrome is a pretty common malady where you put on weight to a degree where you may become markedly overweight.

You suffer from elevated triglycerides and an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Good weight loss diet help can help you cure and prevent metabolic syndrome.

Any weight loss diet help that you locate is not complete unless it incorporates exercise. Exercise elevates your metabolism and allows you to gain muscle mass. Weight training and cardiovascular exercise are vital for weight loss and should be included in your weight loss plan.

Finally, any weight loss diet help that does not recommend more sleep is insufficient. You need to get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night. When your body lacks sleep, you are generally more hungry and thus more prone to eating, especially late at night when few healthy options are available.

Learn How to Eat to Lose Weight Now

Finally find out what to eat to lose weight

Especially when you reach a plateau phase in your diet, you might nearly grow desperate over the question what to eat to lose weight. This question isn’t so easy to answer. The habits that you formed over the course of your life can’t just disappear overnight and so you might feel hungry and have less energy while keeping a diet. However, there are some weight loss foods that you can eat to help you getting across such phases. Also, some foods that may seem healthy may contain more calories than you think and so they are not what to eat to lose weight.

What should be your goal to lose weight?

The medical aspect of losing weight is very simple: You need to take in fewer calories than your body burns across the day. In reality this proves to be a lot more complicated than on paper. Many people have different metabolism rates and use up a different base amount of calories. However, the basic rule remains the same. Eating less and exercising will help you lose weight. Don’t worry; you don’t need to spend hours a day at the gym. Even a short walk of half an hour will help you burn some calories.

For example, according to studies, a 30 year old male weighing 200 pounds and being 6 foot tall uses about 1900 calories a day, if he doesn’t exercise at all. If he only exercises three times a week, this rises to 2600 calories a day. This way, even if he eats the same diet as always, he will start to lose weight.

Weight Loss Foods that will help you reach your goal

Those were the bad news so far. While there are many weight loss products on the market that promise to help you in your efforts, you still have to do the main job. And, if you ask yourself what to eat to lose weight, then there is some good news. Sticking to your goals and keeping your diet is hard, when you hear your stomach rumbling all day long. But there are some foods that you can eat to sate your hunger that won’t interfere with your goal of losing weight.

Raw vegetables, whole-grain bread and products, for example will keep you sated for many hours and because they contain a lot of fibers they are also healthy for your digestive system. Nuts are also an often neglected food that you can eat to lose weight. They are a counter-intuitive choice, because they contain a lot of fat and hence calories, but they also provide you with a lot of healthy nutrients like unsaturated fatty acids. Just half an ounce of mixed nuts is enough to sate your hunger for a healthy snack between meals.

What mistakes you should avoid when you decide what to eat to lose weight You may have formed a lot of bad habits over the years that led you to your overweight in the first place. For example, a lot of things that you serve to your meals may add a lot of unnecessary calories. Ketchup contains a lot of sugar and mayonnaise a lot of fat. That is why you should reduce them as well as other fatty sauces. Vegetables are also the healthiest when you just eat them without any sauces, just blanched.

It is not only a decision of what to eat to lose weight, you also need to think about what you drink. Water or teas without sugar are the best choice. Fruit juices are, while they seem to be very healthy, a bad choice. The most important parts of the fruit have been removed and they contain a lot of sugar and calories. It’s better to just eat an orange or an apple for a snack and stay with sugar-free beverages across the day.

Some other things that you should keep in mind

Now you have a general idea of what to eat to lose weight. Losing weight is a journey that takes some time and effort as old habits have to be replaced with new ones. If you enjoyed eating huge portions, then it is time to think again and stop eating when you don’t feel hungry anymore. Also, many people just eat when they are bored. Is the bag of chips in front of TV really necessary? Do you really need to eat those dinner remnants before going to bed?

Keep your goal in mind and be disciplined and persistent. Try to steadily reduce your calorie intake and exercise more to burn more calories. You’ll see that it becomes easier over time as your body adjusts to your new habits. Looking for foods with low calories, high protein and fiber and low fat and sugar is a good rule of thumb when you need to choose what to eat to lose weight.

Think Right, and Lose Weight Now.

What’s the most important step toward losing weight?

No, it’s not what you eat, although that’s important, and pigging out on pizza and chips a couple times a day will scuttle your plans to drop some pound.

No, it’s not exercising, although that’s a critical component of your plan.

No, it’s not the system you buy, although a good system can be tremendously helpful.

The most important step is deciding to lose weight. Most people never do that. They wish they could lose weight, or they long to lose weight, or they’re angry about being fat, or they get mad about not being able to lose weight. But they never make a firm commitment to achieving a reasonable target weight.

Any major life achievement begins with a decision (if it happens by accident, did you really achieve anything?) You have to decide to be thin. You know you’ve really decided when you don’t quit. If you quit, you never really committed in the first place. That might be hard to hear, but it’s the truth.

Suppose your most cherished person in the world was trapped in a burning building. Nobody else is around. You save this person, or this person burns to death, and you’ll hear the screaming. Are you going in to save that person? You bet, and you’ll come out with that person or die trying.

That, my friend, is commitment. If you’re not deathly committed to your weight loss goals, you won’t achieve them.

You don’t have to be super-human, but there’s no escaping the fact that losing weight, like anything else worth doing, takes some commitment and discipline. But the effort will pay you back for the rest of your life.

Staying Motivated While Losing Weight

If you have tried to lose weight in the past and failed just because you couldn't keep yourself motivated, or simply you did not have a good motive to begin with, you are not alone. Many people wake up one day and say "I'm going to start losing weight from this day forwards". They watch their diet and exercise for a day or two, and then they forget about it. This is usually due to a lack of motivation. People are motivated sometimes and at times they're not. If you're ever going to be successful on losing weight, you will need to keep yourself motivated all the time.

Listed below are tips that you can use to encourage yourself whenever you are feeling apathetic. These tips will also help you to deal with temptation of calorific foods, laziness that comes up when it's time to exercise and when you are being a coach potato.

• Never forget the purpose you are losing weight for. If you're losing weight to look attractive, say that out loud every morning "I'm going to lose weight and look attractive". If you're losing weight to be healthy, say "I'm losing weight to be healthy". 
• Never forget the benefits of losing weight. Imagine how energized you be, the level of impact it will have on your productivity, how seductive you will be to the opposite sex.
• Take a picture of yourself while you are overweight. Keep this picture with you at all times. Whenever you feel like eating fattening food, ask yourself "Do I want to be like this forever?" If you have already lost some weight, ask yourself "Do I want to be this again?"
• Keep a picture of your favorite actor/actress, player or model. Whenever you feel unenthusiastic, take a look at his or her abs, legs, hips and tummy. This will make you want to be like him or her and might give you the stimulus you need.
• Create a spreadsheet with columns: date, calories eaten, calories burned, food #1, food #2..., exercise #1, exercise #2..., and weight. Update this file every day except your weight. Weight should be updated weekly. Looking at your progress will help you focus and stay motivated.
• Look at yourself in the mirror everyday and visualize you being slim and trim that you always wanted.
• Watch fitness and exercise related TV shows every day. After looking at people working out and eating healthy, it might encourage you to do the same.
• Look at before and after pictures. Internet is flooded with these types of pictures; a simple search at Google will bring thousands of results.
• If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer will not only give you training, they're also capable of keeping you motivated.
• Make the exercise a fun activity; listen to your favorite music or watch a movie of your choice while you are on a treadmill. You will be surprised how much extra walking/jogging you can do while watching a movie.
• Set small achievable goals and reward yourself on completion. Have your favorite meal, even if it is a pizza or a double cheeseburger. Losing weight does not mean that you will never enjoy your beloved meals.
• The most important tip would be to learn what works for you. It might be fitting into your favorite clothes, showing your abs at the beach, etc.

Most people have whatever it takes to lose weight. They have all the information they need, they have access to a gym. Only thing missing is their motivation. You should make motivation a vital part of your plan. You must know how you will keep yourself motivated before starting on your weight loss approach.

Follow these tips and keep finding new ways to motivate yourself constantly, and you will conquer your way to success in no time.

3 Weight Loss Super Foods to Help You with Quick Weight Loss

How nice it would have been if you could lose weight by eating, right? Well, your wish is about to come true. In this article I will tell you of three such foods that will help you lose weight. Sounds too good to be true? Well, just read this article to understand what I mean!

1. Lean meats: Lean chicken meat is one of the best weight loss foods you can ever have! Why? It contains a lot of amount of protein and very little fat, and as you know, protein will build lean muscles. Lean muscles will help you burn fat by accelerating your metabolic rate! 

If chicken proves to be too expensive for your pocket, try turkey breast! In any case, make sure you eat only lean meats and stay away from red meat!

Fishes are also very good for quick weight loss. Fishes such as salmon and tuna contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids fall in the category of 'good fats' or unsaturated fats. You gained weight because of a hormone called leptin which stores fat inside your body. Omega-3 fatty acids will cut down on leptin; when that happens, you are bound to lose weight!

2. Olive oil: Replace your fatty oil with olive oil. Olive oil is almost free from the 'bad fats' (saturated fats) and contains a considerable amount of unsaturated fats. These unsaturated fats will not only suppress your appetite but also fight cholesterol. In short, olive oil will keep your cholesterol levels down.

3. Berries: Berries are also good for weight loss. There are several types of berries: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. All of them will help you with weight loss in one or the other way. Strawberry is especially the best among the berries: not only it tastes good, but also helps in suppressing your appetite. Once you get rid of hunger pangs, you can focus more on your weight loss goals and less on eating!

As you can see, just because you want to lose weight doesn't mean that you have to starve. Many people tend to starve or follow crash diets but nothing beats eating and losing weight. I firmly believe that if you eat the right foods, you will not only lose weight but also become healthy. Plus the foods I mentioned above are also rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

Also remember that these are not the only weight loss super foods that are available to you. Other foods such as nuts, oatmeal, eggs and almonds can also help you with weight loss. Add these foods to your diet and see how quickly you are able to get rid of your fat belly!

Fit Office People - Weight Loss Program

Most of the time people are given programs on strict schedules and duties, but when it comes to implementation, its rather difficult due to the personal situation of all of us.

Knowing this, here is a program for all the "office people" out there (and of course as a responsible person you will check with your doctor in case of any special cases).

Getting out of the house to go to work can sometimes break all the known speed records and having a diet plan shout at you for not taking your "most important meal of the day" can add extra frustration to an already bad hair day and lost car keys, not to mention that only God remembers where you parked the car last night. 

So what to do. We know we have to have that breakfast and it has to be healthy, but we don't have the time or even wish to eat the bloody thing.

There are three solutions:

The worst: cereal breakfast bars. Its definately better than nothing (anything is better than nothing) but these guys are either undercover calorie bombs or they are so tiny that throwing one in your mouth sometimes feels like you have something stuck in your teeth. As an additional disadvantage, its just too easy to take more than one or even several. Nevertheless, as mentioned, better than nothing, quick & portable.

Runner up and a close contestant for the first place is the super portable - APPLE. Don't bother eating at home! Or did you forget that you have at least 30 minutes of traffic time to kill while you listen to your favorit radio. The rule is simple, put a bowl of apples literally on your way out, grab one as you exit the house and eat it on the way. Throw the leftover bit in one of the ashtrays when you are done.

The winner for breakfast, especially for people who need a faster weight loss, are protein powder drinks or shakes. If you don't know what this is, it is basically a powder of only protein. All natural. Picking the correct product can be a little tricky (too much choice) and it definately requires some experimentation to see which brand you like the best. What you need to look at is the nutrition table on the package and there you are looking to see absolute minimum amounts of carbs and fats (they get as low as less than 1 gram; example: Isopure ZeroCarb) and maximum amount of protein. Basically the whole weight should be protein and vitamins. The consumption is very fast. I've done it in less than 15 seconds. Open lid (there is usually a scoop for 30g inside), put in container which has a closable lid (very cheap to buy. I got mine in the supermarket), pour in liquid (i use water), shake and drink. Remember, protein is the building block of life and its exactly what your body needs in the morning.

 

Now that the breakfast is fixed, next step is work. 

Work work work until lunch. Always try to have a warm meal. Sandwitches are not good at all for this purpose as they are loaded with calories. However, if you have to have a sandwitch, pick brown bread (not with any seeds; seeds are powefully loaded with energy) and pick lean meats like chicken, eggs are good, cheese is good, and only green color salads and definately no sauses whatsoever.

At the warm meal, take a piece of lean meat like chicken, turkey or, if you have the choice, definately put a preferance on fish. With this, do not take any potatoes, pasta, rice or anything of the sort. You add to this (the rest of the plate) warm vegetables. Mixed choices are great for the variety and green coloured ones have a priority.

If you are vegetarian - full plate of vegetables.

No desert, no fruits. If you really have to, take something small, like a small plum. 

Next, around 3-4 pm, which is about 3 hours after you finished lunch, go buy an apple. Yep, every day. Again, you can resort to the more portable cereal snack bars, but they are way more full of calories and give much less benefit than the apple, not even mentioning that they excite your sweet tooth.

Now you finally finished the working day and you are leaving the office. You get into your car and guess what you find. More apples! Where did they come from you ask? I'll tell ya! :) When you went to the supermarket you bought a small/medium plastic container with a fully closable lid, where you could fit 3 apples. You washed it when you got home, put 3 apples inside and put it in the car. This is your emergency stash. What does this mean? 

If you had lunch and you are able to leave the office at a normal hour, you do not need this stash. But often it happens that this is not the case.

Therefore, if you had lunch, you had your 3-4pm apple, but you are now forced to stay until 8-9pm to work, you will arrive home probably by 10pm. You can not have a full meal at that hour. As a matter of fact, you can not eat 3 hours before you go to bed. So, instead, in this "emergency" situation, you can have an apple as you drive back home.

Second situation is of course if you did not have your 3-4pm apple, but you are leaving home at a decent hour or even early. In this case, the "emergency" stash will serve as your after lunch meal and the before dinner appetite killer. If you go for dinner on a stomach which only had lunch, you are very very likely to eat much more than you need. 

Remember the universal rule - eat often, but small amounts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner at home or restaurant is treated same as lunch. Better results are seen if you have the piece of meat only once per day not twice.

So there you have it, quick breakfast bar/apple/protein, meat/vegetable lunch, apple snack, (meat)/vegetable dinner, which makes it 4 meals a day because I am sure you will squize in another snack somewhere to reach the recommended 5 meals per day.

Improvements include:
- as mentioned, one vs. two meats per day
- 1 hour cardio exercise in the evening (example: jogging + music or stationary bike + movie). If you exercise 1 hour, drink 2 scoops (60 grams) of protein powder in the middle of your exercise.

Final words:
- Don't forget your needed 8 glasses of water per day
- When it comes to liquid, drink mostly water / fizzy water and diet sodas (as little as possible) and if you have to have alcohol pick white wine (the rule of alcohol = if you have to have it and you can not have the wine, pick the least sweet one with the least alcohol %)

Habits That You Can Change In Order to Lose Weight

Do you think you have put on a few extra pounds ever since you joined work? Well most of us do gain weight after we finish with our education and start working and there are numerous reasons for it, and controlling the weight gain is an even bigger challenge. Wondering how would you put brakes on the constant weight gain? Follow the points mentioned in the following section and see how easily you can beat the weight gain by shedding a few pounds every two weeks.

Drinking Hot Water

We all know that having a litre of water at the very start of the day helps us in suppressing hunger. However, drinking a glass of Luke warm water helps us a burn a few more calories as a result of increased metabolism. It is better if you can drink Luke warm water quite a few times in day, if possible, as it would result in a far higher number of calories being burnt.

Proper Sleep

Some people believe that too much of sleeping makes you gain weight, which is true to a certain extent, but not always. The first and foremost thing that you need to keep in mind is a proper sleep that should be no less than 6 hours and at the most 8 hours. You can obviously stretch on a few occasions, but a regular sleep of more than 8 hours would mean a reduced metabolism of your body for more than the expected amount.

Lessen Your Meals

You need to be very careful about you’re the amount of food you consume during your meals i.e. dinner and lunch. It is not that you should avoid all junk food and carbonated drinks, but you need to cut down on those as much as possible. We all know that it is tough to lessen the food intake, but we can certainly do so by drinking a couple of glasses of water few minutes before we start with our lunch or dinner. It would ensure that you have a feeling completeness even when you do not eat as much as you can actually!

Workouts are always important, but for people who have a very busy schedule finding time is a tough ask. If you really do not have the time for proper workout then the simplest thing you can do is by avoiding the elevator and taking the stairs, whenever possible.

5 ways to boost your metabolism and achieve a healthier weight loss

Unhealthily eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle are two of the leading reasons for obesity, recent studies have revealed. Yet by simply switching to a healthier lifestyle, you can ensure that your metabolism stays revved up and more importantly that you lose those dreaded excess pounds.

You see, your metabolism plays more of a pivotal part to your weight than you can imagine. In control of the rate at which your body uses up energy when you are not active, your basal metabolic rate can be the difference weight gain or permanent, natural weight loss. 

Luckily, you can now easily take control of your metabolism and experience the natural weight loss you crave without having to go on a diet or starve yourself.

All you need do is apply any one of the following 5 tips to your daily routine:

• 1. Eat 5 to 6 small's meals throughout the day:
  Swap your 2 to 3 big meals a day, for smaller meals consisting of 300 calories. By ensuring within these meals that you consume a decent amount of complex carbohydrates (which can be found in grains, vegetables and fruits), you can keep your metabolism active throughout the day. Even more excitingly, by eating regularly you can resist the temptation to snack on sugary, high fat foods.
• 2. Start your day with a healthy breakfast:
  Skipping breakfast is the worst thing you can do to your metabolism. If you force your body to wait for more than 16 hours for a meal, your body begins to believe you are starving and goes into starvation mode. And this is not good. Once in starvation mode your body then begins to store whatever food you eat, whilst going into energy saving mode - meaning your body is taking on weight without trying to burn it.
• 3. Exercise:
  Altering your diet can only do so much to help your metabolism. To really succeed in achieving healthy weight loss you need to introduce exercise into your daily lifestyle. Try incorporating some aerobic activities such as running, walking, swimming or cycling into your day before you have breakfast. This will enable your body to burn off fat before you then throw in some stomach crunches and weights to speed up your metabolism.
• 4. Get active:
  Exercise is not the only way to give your metabolism a jump start. Simply moving around throughout the day can make a difference. Try taking the stairs instead of the lift or going for a quick 5-10 minute walk on your lunch break. This will not only speed up your metabolism, but will keep you feeling refreshed.
• 5. Take control of your drinking:
  We all know that alcohol is neither healthy for us nor good for our metabolism, so if you are genuinely looking for an instant way to get your metabolic rate back on track, try to cut down on your alcohol intake or completely cut it out of your life altogether. Not only will this reduce your calorie intake, but by then increasing your water intake too you can help your body to function more efficiently.

Basic Guidelines for Sustainable Weight Loss

There are many ways to reduce body weight, but often the faster results may turn to be short-lasting, while maintaining a healthy weight loss over the time is often unsuccessful. If you've managed to lose some pounds but regain them later on, it's probably time to recall the basic guidelines for sustainable weight loss.

As almost everything regarding the human body, losing weight and keeping it off requires slow and gradual changes, in order to allow the body to adapt. To make maintaining healthy weight over the long-term possible, you need lifelong changes - implementing behavioral food choices and more physical activity, and try to slowly make them part of your everyday life.

To stay motivated you need to remember that if you are able to stop weight gain, you can improve your health. Even with relatively minor changes in reduction of body weight percentage. Proper nutrition and fitness levels are beneficial for health, even if for some reason they do not lead to the loss of weight.

If you want to maintain a lifelong healthy weight, it all comes to the balance of the energy needs of the body. Here are some of the basic guidelines for sustainable weight loss:

Shop Smart to Eat Right

Your body needs the right fuel to withstand and recover from the challenges of the busy stressful day. The best way to get all the vital nutrients you need, is by a diverse supply of nutrient-rich foods that can provide the necessary energy, vitamins and minerals, from all the different food groups. The more fresh and colorful your meals are - the greater variety of nutrients you will get.

Most of those smart food choices you can get from the local supermarket. You just have to look around for:

• Fresh different-colored fruits and vegetables;
• Various whole grain foods;
• Low-fat dairy products;
• Lean meat, poultry and fish for valuable amino acids.

Here's an easy tip: when you are snacking between meals, do it on a fruit or a vegetable, instead on a chocolate bar or chips. In this way you will get more fibre, vitamins and minerals, and less sugars, and fats.

Control Your Calories by Swapping Foods, not Excluding Them
One of the most serious nutritional reasons for over-weight problems is the high calorie content of foods with added fat and sugar, such as candies, snacks and soft drinks. To eat healthy does not mean you have to immediately exclude all the fat and sugar from your diet. As I've said at the beginning - it's about making small and gradual changes. Eating and drinking smaller portions can really make the difference to control the amount of energy and to decrease excessive calories.

To make changes more bearable and easy to undertake, the key is to moderate, not eliminate. Controlling portion sizes is a good example of how to cut weight off. To consume less sugar, you may limit your soft drink intake to one cup a day and switch to sparkling water the rest of the time.

Benefits of Eating Healthy and Exercising
To balance your daily calorie intake through proper nutritional choices is not enough. The other key moment is to expend more energy through intentional physical exercise, because most of us consume more calories a day, than we use up.

Except for maintaining sustainable weight loss, exercise is beneficial for improving the cardiovascular system and allowing the better and more complete absorption of nutrients. The recommended minimum for good health is 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity five days a week. To reach and maintain a healthy weight, you may need to be more physically active and slowly add up to your routine. Both cardio and resistant training are needed for strength and health. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, start participating in more physical activities. A brief 20-30 minutes walk in the park would add up and bring you a step closer to achieving your weight loss goal.

About the author:
Diyan Dimitrov specializes in the field of health, fitness, diet and nutrition. He is a writer at Weightlosspills-review.net, who publishes articles on healthy weight management and creates objective weight loss pills review of popular brand names, based on clinical data, scientific information for safety, and user ratings.

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