My Best Way To Lose Weight

Weight Loss Newbies: The Beginner’s Guide to Losing Weight
 by: Lawrence Cole

So you’ve decided that you’re going to do it.

You’re sick and tired of being sick and tired and are once and for all hell bent on losing weight.

Well, let me be the first to warn you of a very grim fact:

Millions have tried before you and most of them have failed miserably at reaching their weight loss and diet goals.

Therefore, I’ve put together a little beginner’s guide to help make sure that you are one of the few that actually ends up being successful at this.

1) Get an accurate picture of where you are now

Many people just go and hop on a diet or weight loss program without knowing exactly where they are from the start. This is dangerous because along the way there WILL be numerous times where you will be tempted to simply quit altogether. Without knowing where you started, you won’t be able to accurately gauge your progress. Not being able too see that progress put you at an extremely high risk of quitting down the road when the going gets tough.

2) Set specific, realistic goals for your weight loss, and WRITE THEM DOWN.

This is one of the most ill-executed steps in the entire process of losing weight. Most people will passively quote some random amount of weight that they "hope" to lose.

- "I need to lose 30 lbs."
– "I’m trying to get back down to a size X"
– "If I can just fit back into Y, I’ll be fine"

That is the exact WRONG way to go about your weight loss. All above the above are hopes. Wishes. Desires. And none does a thinner body make.

What you need are detailed, definite goals that are written and time bound (e.g. "over the next 3 months") to hold yourself accountable to doing what you said you were going to do by the time you said you were going to do it.

3) Adopt a step-by-step course of action to get you there

In order for this to work there needs to be a concrete method to your weight loss madness. To this end, you need to chose a weight loss plan that will lead you step-by-step through what to eat (and what not to eat), how and when to exercise, and every other imaginable aspect of losing weight. The reason for this is that goals have a much better chance of becoming reality when they are being attained as a result of a plan or system of action.

4) Get started IMMEDIATELY

Most flunkies know how to study. Most broke people know how wealth is generated. Most overweight people how to lose weight. However, what separates all of these very knowledgeable, yet unsuccessful people from the results they desire is action. Don’t let that be your fate.

Once you have written specific goals and chosen a plan of action, don’t delay in getting right on track to weight loss. The cheesecake, burgers, chocolate, and pastries aren’t going anywhere. You can snack on them moderately once you’ve achieved your goals. Don’t get caught into the trap of holding off having Your Best Body any longer. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be done.

5) Be Prepared for the emotional roller coaster

Nearly everyone who has tried to lose weight has had some level of success at one time or another. For those who have not been able to sustain desirable results, being knocked out by the emotional roller coaster is most likely to blame.

Look, losing weight is very simple, but not easy. If it were, there wouldn’t be so many people trying to get it right. The #1 skill that you will need to develop in order to make it through is surviving the roller coaster of emotions. One day you’ll feel as if you’re getting great results. A week later, you may actually feel that you are moving backwards. Either way, just know that as long as you consistently follow the weight loss principles, you will ALWAYS move forward, even if it does not feel like it.

6) Don’t stop until your goal is reached, no matter WHAT

So many times people come to a screeching halt in their efforts to lose weight and diet because they get discouraged a portion of the way through OR after they reach a certain benchmark they allow themselves to be satisfied and quit the program even though their goal has not been reached.

DON’T DO IT.

There was a specific reason that you set your initial goal. Do not sell yourself short by settling for anything less. Stick it out until the very end, and your sense of accomplishment will be irreplaceable.

7) Once you’ve reached your goal, never, EVER let yourself blow up again

This is the last and final barrier to ultimate success in your efforts to lose weight.

Make sure not to allow yourself to relapse while you are in maintenance mode. I recommend sticking to the same general principles that helped you lose the weight and then occasionally indulging in some of the foods that you love. This balance is the best way to keep the body that you’ve worked for and not feel over-restricted.

Make this the first and last time that you ever have to go through a weight loss program. Remember that if you can just get it right one good time, you can literally maintain it forever with little effort.

To YourBestBody,

Lawrence Cole
Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach

About The Author

Lawrence Cole is a Lifestyle and Fitness Consultant based out of Los Angeles, CA. He has over 10 years of health and fitness experience and designing simple, effective nutritional strategies to help individuals achieve their personal best internal health and physical conditioning.

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Consistency Is Key To Natural Weight Loss by George Best 

There are huge numbers of weight loss methods and products on the market. Weight loss continues to be a popular goal, yet one that is rarely achieved in our society. While there are certainly extreme measures like surgery and drugs that can promote weight loss, these methods come with significant risks and drawbacks, which is why many people continually seek out and try more natural weight loss approaches.

Ultimately, natural weight loss comes down to some combination of diet and exercise. Although many approaches favor one or the other, the reality is that both diet and exercise are equally important and weight loss occurs much more rapidly with a combined approach. Many weight loss aids, including some reasonably safe natural weight loss products, can improve the overall effects of diet and exercise, but they really cannot be considered a substitute for changing your eating habits and engaging in more physical activity.

There is much debate as to what works and what doesn’t. On the diet front, some will proclaim Atkin’s and other low or no carbohydrate approaches to be the only effective diet strategy. Others may insist that calorie restriction is the way to go. Still others may insist on the low-fat approach. The fact of the matter is that all of these diet systems work at least some of the time.

As with diet, there is considerable debate as to what exercise approach works best for weight loss. Some say you have to do high intensity "interval training". Some favor the long-time, low- intensity aerobic approach. Still others say any increase in any kind of physical activity works just fine. Again, all of these appoaches work at least for some people.

Various recent research studies into the vast array of weight loss approaches has come to a rather interesting conclusion: All weight loss approaches that are based on physiologically-sound principles seem to have about the same statistical success rate. Some recent studies have shown that the biggest determining factor in the success or failure of any weight loss program is… whether or not the person sticks to the program long-term.

It has been my experience in clinical practice that very few people stick to ANY weight loss plan (at least natural weight loss plans – not some type of weight loss drug) for more than about two weeks straight. Yes, some may stay on a weight loss plan for several months, but most are not consistent over that period of time. The majority of those trying to lose weight will start off well for the first few days, but then something will come up and they get off track for a few (or more) days, and then continue going through and on again, off again cycle. The times when they are off the program largely negate whatever progress they make while they are on the program.

Based on my experience with people trying to lose weight, the biggest factor in losing weight is not the diet or exercise the person is doing, it’s the person’s consistency with whatever he or she is doing. Consistency with a natural weight loss plan, including diet and exercise is highly dependent on one’s ability to stay motivated and focusd on achieving one’s weight loss goals. In other words, if you’re going to lose weight and keep it off, you MUST get control of your mind so that you can have sufficient motivation and will-power to stick to the weight loss plan.

Developing motivation and will-power requires more than just deciding to lose weight. It is necessary for you to be able to resist any temptations that would pull you off course and interfere with your follow-through on whatever weight loss program you choose to do. Sadly, the majority of people are lacking an innate capacity to effectively avoid temptation and it is far too easy for many people who try to lose weight to quickly lose momentum and stray from their weight loss plans. For this reason, I recommend using a variety of mental conditioning techniques BEFORE one begins a natural weight loss plan. By preparing the mind in advance, one is far more able to resist temptation and stay sufficiently motivated to stick to the plan.

Among the most useful techniques I have found for this purpose include Neuro-Linguistic Progamming, Neuro-Associative Conditioning (developed by Anthony Robbins), various forms of self-hypnosis, the Sedona Method, Emotional Freedom Technique, and simply taking the time to clearly identify one’s reasons for wanting to lose weight in the first place. By using any or all of these methods, temptation can be largely eliminated and one is able to stick with his or her diet and/or exercise program long-term, which allows for consistent weight loss and maintenance of one’s weight once the goal is achieved.

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A Weight Loss Plan For Success
 by: Jude Wright 

The formula for losing weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. But, it’s not really all that simple, is it?

Long-term weight loss isn’t impossible, but you do have to be committed. Having a weight loss plan for your success is a good start. Here are ten items that should go into your weight loss plan.

1. Eat breakfast. This keeps you from getting too hungry later and then losing control over what you choose to eat later in the day.

2. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and snacks and limit high-fat, high-salt snacks such as potato chips and cookies.

3. Fill up on Fiber. Eat foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The fibers in these foods will fill you up leaving less room for unhealthy choices.

4. Don’t fall into bad habits on weekends. Many people will follow a strict diet on weekends only to fall back into eating more (unhealthy) on the weekends as a reward for "being good" all week. Unfortunately, this can cause you to regain tahe weight you may have lost during the week.

5. Watch portion sizes. Your perception of what a serving size should be and a "true" serving size can differ dramatically. Measuare your portions accurately, especially when you first start your healthy eating regime.

6. Set lifestyle goals – not weight loss goals. Commitment to eating healthy foods does lead to healthy weight loss — gradually. Looking at your weight daily can cause discouragement and will make many people give up and go back to unhealthy food choices.

7. Take healthy snacks with you when you take road trips. Grab healthy granola bars, bananas, apples and other fruit to prevent the tempation of stopping for a cancy bar or milk shake.

8. Don’t deny yourself the foods you love. If you absolutely love chocolate, go ahead and have a small pice – half of a candy bar insteaad of a whole one! And avoid eating your "splurges" every day. Save them for when you really need them!

9. Start moving. Exercise is the key to long term weight loss. You’ve heard the saying, "Move it or lose it." Too true!

10. Keep a journal. Writing down what you eat, when and how much you exercise and your moods will keep you on track and motivated to continue the course.

Weight loss is achieved by both diet and exercise. It is also achieved by persistence. If you "fall off the wagon" one day, pick yourself up and continue your healthy lifestyle the next. Don’t give up!

About The Author

Jude Wright is the webmistress of multiple websites. She is especially interested in nutrition and health issues.

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Avoid These Five Common Weight Loss Mistakes
 by: Hristo Hristov

Mistake #1: Not changing your calorie plan as you lose weight. The fallacy of the "1200 calorie diet" plans and the like.

Most people fix their calorie intake to a given number and expect to lose weight at the same constant rate over a period of weeks. Hence, dieters look for 1000 calorie or 1800 calorie diet plans on the internet. The fixed calorie diet plans don’t work. If you burn 3000 calories a day at the start of a diet, after a week or two of losing some weight, you are no longer burning 3000 calories. Now you might be burning 2800 calories. If you fix your calorie intake in the face of a decreasing calorie expenditure, your weight loss will slow down more and more as you lose weight.

If you want to lose weight at a constant rate, you must repeatedly:

decrease your calorie intake to accommodate the calorie expenditure drop

increase your calorie output by exercising more

do both

I would like to note that you must set realistic slow weight loss goals. If you go for fast weight loss you would not be able to sustain it for a long period unless you go extreme in the calorie reduction and exercise a lot. For people who have to lose more than 20 pounds (10kgs), the goal should be a loss of no more than 2 pounds or 1 kg per week. People who need to lose just a bit of weight should go for weight loss of 1 pound or half a kilogram per week.

Why does my calorie expenditure drop as I lose weight? The most important factors are:

You weight less. A smaller body burns less calories both at rest and while active

You may involuntarily burn fewer calories. Dieters often lack energy and move less

Calorie restriction suppresses the metabolic rate

You have less body fat, which may further suppress your metabolic rate

These major factors contribute to an ever-decreasing energy expenditure as one loses weight. The more a dieter cuts calories, the bigger the calorie expenditure drop. The leaner the dieter, the greater the calorie expenditure drop.

Now you must understand that if you want to succeed in losing weight, you have to make changes in your nutrition plan. I recommend burning more calories, because being more active facilitates smaller calorie restriction and milder calorie expenditure drop.

It is very difficult to estimate the rate of the metabolic drop. Here is the general rule: the bigger you are, the smaller the rate of the metabolic drop. The more weight you lose, the more you have to cut calories or increase exercise. If you are overweight you might need to cut just 10 more calories for every lost pound, while if you are lean you might have to cut 60 calories for every pound lost. I picked these numbers just as an example.

Mistake #2: Overreporting the "extra" calorie expenditure of exercise

Most people count the calories they spend exercising as "extra" calories. There is a difference between calories burned while exercising and "extra" calories burned exercising. Here is an example: you burn 300 calories on the treadmill instead of your usual activity (watching TV at home); in reality, you have to subtract the calories you would have spent watching TV from these 300 calories to calculate how many additional calories you burned. Let’s say that watching TV, you would have burned 80 calories. In this specific case, you have expended 300 calories while exercising, and 220 "extra" calories.

Calorie counters mindlessly add the calories burned exercising as "extra" and in some cases, this practice can significantly influence the calorie calculations. Hence, calorie software counts the part of your usual activities that overlaps with the extra activities twice.

How to estimate the "extra" calories burned exercising?

In order to make the calculations more accurate, I shall first introduce the concept of MET values. MET values are a convenient way to calculate the calorie cost of activities. MET values are multiples of the resting energy expenditure per time. In plain English, a MET = 3 means burning 3 times more calories than resting. A MET = 1 signifies how many calories you burn at rest (your Resting Metabolic Rate or Basal Metabolic Rate). Whatever you do, you burn calories at a rate of at least MET = 1 with the only exception being sleeping which has MET = 0.9. During the day, most activities include sitting and walking which have MET values between 1.2 and 3. Your total daily energy expenditure is calculated by multiplying your Resting Metabolic Rate by the average MET of all your activities. Is your head spinning?

Let’s use a real world example. Consider a female person with a Resting Metabolic Rate of 1200 calories a day. One day has 1440 minutes. Our example lady is burning 1200/1440 = 0.84 calories per minute at rest, which signifies a MET = 1. Let’s say our example woman just returned from an aerobics class, where she exercised for 30 minutes. General aerobic class training has a MET = 6. Our example lady has just burned 30 (minutes) x 6 (MET) * 0.84 (calories per minute) = 151 calories while exercising. Suppose our lady would have chatted on the internet instead of exercising (MET = 1.5). In this example, the woman substituted chatting on the internet with aerobic exercising. Remember, that every time you do something you substitute one activity for another. In order to get the extra calories, we have to subtract 1.5 (chatting) from 6 (exercising). Now let’s calculate the extra calories: 30 (minutes) * (6 – 1.5) (MET value) * 0.84 = 113 calories.

Let’s consider what a standard calorie counter would have done. First, it will assume an average calorie burn rate of 1 calorie per minute. Then the counter will find that exercising for 30 minutes will yield 30 (minutes) * 6 (MET) * 1 (calories per minute) = 180 calories. The calorie counter will add these 180 calories to your daily expenditure without considering that a part of these 180 calories is already accounted by your usual activities.

Do you now see the difference between 113 calories and 180 calories? If that woman spends 5 hours a week in that aerobics class, the standard calorie counters will overreport her calorie output by: (180-113) * 10 = 670 calories a week. The woman will be fooled that her metabolic rate has dropped while she just overestimated her calorie expenditure. Enter weight loss plateau, wasted time and efforts. Do you have the time for trial and error calorie estimations?

Remember these two rules:

Report only extra activities to your calorie counter. If your walk to your office every day, do not log "walking to office for 30 minutes" as an extra activity. Consider only unusual activities that contribute to extra expended calories!

Always subtract the calories you would have burned instead of exercising. A general rule is to subtract from 1.2 to 1.5 from the MET values. In some cases, you need to subtract a greater MET. If you substitute 30 minutes of bodybuilding (MET = 6) for 30 minutes of slow jump rope (MET = then the additional MET would be 8 – 6 = 2.

How to find the MET values of activities based on standard tables?

In order to make the above calculations, you need to know the MET values of activities. Standard tables give: name of activity, duration and calories. Standard tables assume an average calorie expenditure of one calorie per minute. To find the MET you just need to divide the calories by the duration.

Example: "Bicycling, stationary, general", "20 minutes", "140 calories"

MET of "Bicycling, stationary, general" = 140 / 20 = 7

I know these calculations are somewhat tedious and in many cases the standard calorie calculations are close to correct. However, in some cases they can significantly over or under-calculate the calorie expenditure of activities and compromise your weight loss plan with daily miscalculations.

Mistake #3: Training with light weights and lots of reps

I have seen countless number of ladies come to the gym, get the lightest possible dumbbells, crank out some hundreds of reps and go home. Most often, these women do not get the results they want. The problem with this type of training is that it does not burn many "extra" calories unless you spend a considerable amount of time in the gym. Hefting Ken and Barbie weights in the gym has a MET value of 3, which means that it burns 3 times more calories than resting in bed. Almost anything you do during the day has a MET value of 1.2 to 2. Browsing the internet on your computer has a MET value of 1.5. Realize that almost anything you do during the day (average MET = 1.5) has about 50% overlap in calorie expenditure with training with very light weights (MET = 3). If you pump super light dumbbells in the gym, only about half of the calories burned are "additional".

Of course, you can burn a considerable amount of extra calories training with light weights but you have to really extend the duration of this type of training. Curling 5 pound dumbbells for 4 sets of 20 reps and chit-chatting for 20 minutes in the gym is not going to burn many extra calories.

Remember the rule: the less intensive the activity (smaller MET), the greater the calorie expenditure overlap with casual activities; the less intensive the activity, the more time you have to spend doing it to expend a good deal of extra calories. Always subtract a MET of 1 to 1.5 to arrive at the additional expended calories.

Mistake #4: Using "average person" calorie estimations

You can find all kinds of tables showing the calorie cost of different physical activities on the internet. These tables don’t show your calorie expenditure. They actually tell you the calorie expenditure of an "average person". These tables assume you are an average person that burns one calorie per minute at rest. Yes, we covered this in the first part of the article and it needs repeating. Most men burn more than one calorie per minute and most smaller women burn less than one calorie per minute at rest. In reality, these standard tables overestimate the calorie expenditure of smaller people and underestimate the calorie expenditure of bigger than average people. Combine this with the common mistake of counting all burned calories as "additional calories" and you have a wide range of possible miscalculations.

Mistake #5: Going on very low calorie diets (VLCD)

Research has shown little to no difference in the weight loss rate of 1200 calorie diets and 800 calorie diets. The 1200 calorie threshold is the point where further calorie restriction does not yield faster results. Diets in the range of 800 to 1200 calories a day suppress the resting metabolic rate from the very first day and after some weeks on these diets, the metabolic rate has dropped by up to 20%. This metabolic drop is just a consequence of the calorie restriction factor; other factors such as the level of leanness may further depress the calorie expenditure.

A big percentage of the quick initial weight loss on a VLCD is water. VLCDs create an illusion of fast fat loss, while in reality most of the weight loss is water. It is hard to continue a very low calorie diet for a prolonged time because the harsh calorie restriction makes you hungrier than ever. People on VLCDs often lack energy and move very little. When you stop the diet, you are prone to instant overeating. Eating a very low calorie diet is the ticket to yo-yo dieting.

Instead of using very low calorie diets, I recommend diets with a mild calorie restriction and an emphasis on exercise. Overweight people who know what they are doing can employ VLCDs for a limited time. It is important to get enough vitamins and minerals from supplements, because such low calorie diets are woefully inadequate in nutrients. Water intake should be high.

Bodybuilders, powerlifters and athletes must stay away from very low calorie diets because the large calorie restriction causes a greater proportion of the weight loss to be muscle loss.

If you want to automate these complicated calorie calculations, try our training and nutrition software Fitness Assistant FREE for 30 days. Get your trial copy at www.x3msoftware.com

About The Author

Hristo Hristov is the owner of X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing training and nutrition software. Hristo has a degree in Computer Science and passion for powerlifting. In his spare time, Hristo gives training and nutrition consultations.
hristo@x3msoftware.com

This article was posted on December 10, 2003

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Resolving Issues On Fast Weight Loss by Nathalie Fiset,M.D. 

In a world where almost everything moves in a fast-paced environment, people no longer pay attention to ’slowly-but-surely’ strategies. Everybody wants everything in express, fast, easy, hassle-free, and convenient manner. Even in losing weight, people who are suffering from obesity or those who are morbidly obese want fast weight loss solutions to their problem.

FAST WEIGHT LOSS AND EMOTIONAL EATING

Experts say that fad or fast diets are not recommended because these cannot pave the way for permanent weight loss and control. But there are studies that show that fast weight loss has some short-term benefits like being a powerful motivator in losing weight for good. Some physicians also say that is it okay to have a fast weight loss if the person’s health wouldn’t be undermined or affected.

Fast weight loss can be effective if it’s only used for initial weight loss because this can lead to having balanced diet and doing regular exercise or physical activities. Fast weight loss can even motivate a person to follow a reasonable eating plan and sensible eating pattern so he/she would not regain the weight lost. Although some fast weight loss strategies are allowed, it still doesn’t change the fact that engaging into it without preparation is hazardous to health.

One of the reasons why people become obese is emotional eating. Some of the key factors that trigger emotional eating include anger, depression, and anxiety that lead to eating more food that a regular diet allows.

Experts say that if a person can manage emotional eating, the possibility of losing weight fast and safe is greater.

Here are some tips in combating emotional eating:

– It pays to determine your own mood especially before eating. Doing this will give you a mindset that eating is just a part of solving whatever that is bothering you.

– Analyze and monitor your emotions daily. Checking your emotional levels daily can help you trace the reasons why you indulge to emotional eating and can help you solve these emotions before taking any meal. This can also help you fight the urge to overeat when you get emotionally upset.

– Try to develop new hobbies that will take your mind off food and eating. By keeping yourself busy in other things, you can avoid eating large amount of food on a regular basis.

– Work out a meal plan that you can stick with everyday. By having a concrete reminder of the foods you should and should not eat for the day, you can develop a healthy eating plan that can help you lose weight fast and safe.

– Do regular physical activities such as walk or jogging regularly. Physical exertions can help your body burn unnecessary and unwanted calories.

– Exert more effort to form closer friendships and emotional bonds. Having a company that can give you moral support in your endeavor will help you fight emotional complexities.

– Discover and rediscover a better spiritual health. Analyzing your emotions through spiritual health can be enough motivation to keep up with your weight loss agenda.

– Stick to water therapy. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily can keep your body refreshed and well hydrated so you won’t easily get irritated or upset.

– Choose you treats. Comfort foods such as junk foods should be replaced with healthier alternatives such as fruits or low fat products.

– Learn to forgive yourself. When you blow your diet, forgive yourself. Feeling guilty and depressed will only make matters worst. Instead of dwelling on your self-will, try to be positive by telling yourself you can do better tomorrow.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS

Fast weight loss might be a good way to jumpstart a weight loss plan, but it’s significant to keep the long term weight loss goals. In reality, there’s really no such thing as a quick fix or fast when it comes to weight loss. You must bear in mind that if you want to be happy, healthy, and achieve your desired weight for good you better start changing you eating and lifestyle habits.

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Who Are The Best Weight Loss Drugs Really Meant For?

The sad truth is that anyone who feels the need to lose weight all of a sudden, immediately turns to pills to get the job done. There is such thing as being too addicted to weight loss pills. As useful as they are, such things should be taken only when really necessary. Most people do not understand that the best weight loss drugs aren’t meant for anyone who is overweight. Doctors only prescribe them for people who actually have weight-related health problems, and need to lose weight because their lives are at risk.

It cannot be denied that today’s society is very appearance-centered, and many people do drastic things just for cosmetic reasons, such as taking weight loss drugs. The best weight loss drugs are designed mainly for people who have tried other methods of weight loss with no success, have a BMI of greater than 27 and have diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea or other complications, or have a BMI that is greater than 30.

Because of the strong effects of the best weight loss drugs, there are also side effects that cannot be avoided, such as increased blood pressure, dry mouth, constipation, insomnia, headaches, diarrhea and more. Because of this, weight loss drugs should only be prescribed under extreme circumstances. They end up helping people’s conditions and improving their health, but only after a difficult process. By combining the drugs with exercise and a good diet, a once sickly person will be able to lose weight and end up happier and healthier.

By: Joe Bantler

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How to Choose the Right Foods 

The best way to lose weight involves eating good foods and a good exercise program. The best weight loss plans include both.

For thousands of years, our ancestors selected their daily meals from the bounty of the earth’s animal and vegetable harvests. The traditional diets of most human cultures consisted of an almost unlimited variety of ingredients and recipes.

Today, however, our food sources suffer from a lack of quality, diversity, and balance. Natural foods have been replaced with processed and synthetic foods, which have weakened our digestive systems resulting in poor nutrition to the cells, tissues, organs, and systems of our bodies.

To achieve peak performance in any activity requires your body to burn energy. Energy, then, is the byproduct of high performance fuel that will improve the quality of your life and make you healthier than you ever thought possible. In fact, the higher the energy level, the more efficient your body becomes. The more efficient your body becomes, the better you feel. And, the better you feel, the easier it is to achieve the results you are striving for.

So, what is this high performance fuel that will create this abundance of energy for our bodies to burn? The answer is simply the food we eat.

Good nutritional choices play a major role in a healthy weight loss plan. By making small, but effective changes in your daily food intake, you can begin feeling better and improving the quality of your life.

Nutritional science is so confusing and contradictory that to even begin to adapt a universal set of principles to your lifestyle would be nearly impossible. Nevertheless, there are specific key concepts of a well designed healthy weight loss program that include:

1. Making good food choices can be nutritious, enjoyable and energizing.
2. Dieting not only does not work, but can actually take years off your life.
3. Simple modifications in meal choices can reverse how we age.
4. The program is sensible and easy to maintain even when dining out.
5. Losing weight and body fat is achievable & sustainable without drastic alterations or limitations in your lifestyle.

The ideal weight loss program will take a balanced approach to nutrition. By incorporating medically sound and scientifically based research into a healthy plan, your program will not only be effective, but also easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. The two main components of the medically sound nutrition plan include:

* Macronutrient combination
* Stabile blood sugar

Macronutrient Combination

Through the prescribed combination of both macro- and micronutrients, the entire nutritional puzzle is solved. The macronutrients make up the vast bulk and balance of our diets and are found in whole foods. The micronutrients are found within the macronutrients and will be discussed in a supplemental article. The primary macronutrients found in our foods include:

* Proteins
* Carbohydrates
* Fats

Your understanding of each of these components and how you combine them in the foods you eat will determine how successful your overall outcome will be.

Protein:

Proteins contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of your body. Your body can utilize proteins to maintain immune strength as well as to build and repair muscle tissue. Simply put, the greater the muscle mass, the more calories your body will burn. Proteins also promote the release of glucagon, a powerful fat burning hormone.

How much protein should you eat and what are the best sources?

For each individual, the amount of protein may vary. In general, active individuals should consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight. A sustainable nutrition plan understands the importance of protein as it relates to muscle building and fat burning and will usually recommend meal plans that are 50% protein. We have found this combination to be the best at optimizing fat loss and losing weight.

When selecting protein sources, ideally, you want to opt for protein sources that are low in fat. Protein sources that are the most desirable include chicken, turkey, fish, whey protein and low fat soy and dairy products. Current studies have shown that incorporating these nourishing proteins in your daily nutritional regimen can help slow the ageing process and prolong your life. Because a greater protein intake is encouraged, proper hydration must also be maintained. For protein to be effectively broken down and utilized by our body, appropriate water intake is a must.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy for your body. Unfortunately, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Your body processes simple and complex carbohydrates differently. As a result, your energy level, mood, and metabolic processes are all influenced by your choice of carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates are the refined sugars. Common sweeteners such as honey, table sugar and brown sugar are considered simple sugars. What many people do not know is that alcohol, white bread, pasta, and fruit juice are also simple sugars. These foods when digested, are converted to glucose (sugar), and cause an immediate rise in your blood sugar level. With a spike in your sugar levels, insulin is released, which converts these excess sugars to fat.

Complex carbohydrates are eventually broken down into sugar, however, the process by which this occurs differs from simple carbohydrate break down. Complex carbohydrates assimilate into our system at a much slower rate. As a result, blood sugar stability is maintained and insulin levels remain at normal levels. Typically, complex carbohydrates are high in fiber, low in sugar and have a low glycemic index rating. Examples of high quality carbohydrates include broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, whole grain breads, beans and sweet potatoes.

How much carbohydrate should you eat and what are the best sources?

The best sources of complex carbohydrates are raw, non-starchy vegetables and whole fruits. These foods are high in fiber, which is critical for elimination and stable blood sugar. In addition, complex carbohydrates are your best source of glucose, which is the only fuel your brain can burn. Complex carbohydrates are also involved in assisting the body in burning fat and antioxidants, necessary for disease prevention.

Recommendations on the amount of carbohydrates needed by the body will vary. For the most part, however, a healthy meal plan will usually recommend at least 1 cup of carbohydrates per meal. This should account for about 30% of your total food consumption

Essential Fats:

As Americans we consume almost 35% of our daily calories from fat. Most often this is saturated fat. Studies have shown that consuming a diet high in saturated fat can lead to heart disease and decreased immune function. In other words, consuming foods high in saturated fat will shorten your life.

An important point to remember is that consuming the right kind of fat can be beneficial in your attempt to manage your weight, and live an enhanced lifestyle. These fats and oils speed up metabolism, regulate your hormones, facilitate fat burning, and strengthen your immune system. Of particular importance is role essential fats and oils play in stabilizing blood sugar levels by slowing the emptying of the stomach. Essential fats provide you with:

* Concentrated energy
* Compounds needed for cellular metabolism
* Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, which aid in the burning of fat

How much essential fat should you eat and what are the best sources? Essential fats occur naturally and do not undergo any additional processing. Examples of foods that contain these valuable essential fats include fish such as salmon and tuna, raw nuts, avocados, flax seed oils and olive oil. The best sources of essential fats and oils come from plants. Most healthy weight loss plans recommend that no more than 20% of your diet come from fat. This translates to a minimum of 1 – 2 tablespoons of raw oil, or cup of raw seeds or nuts, or 1 – 2 tablespoons of raw nut butter per meal.

A solid healthy weight loss program will add years to your life and provide you with an abundance of energy.

Do you want to learn more about how to lose weight and keep it off? I’ve just finished a new ebook on how you can get lasting weight loss results, "The 10 Step Permanent Weight Loss Formula".

Download it free here: http://www.metamorphicweightloss.com/Reports/101062011859free.html.

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Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals
 by: Adam Waxler

How much weight do you want to lose? Are you being realistic about how long it will take to achieve your weight loss goal?

When someone has decided to lose weight, one of the first things that person should do is set a goal weight or an ideal weight.

Unfortunately, when most people decide to lose weight, they are not being realistic about how much weight to lose and how long it will take them to lose that weight. For many, their ‘ideal weight’ may be the wrong weight for them to be aiming for

The sad fact is, years of being overweight and jumping from one fad diet to another may have confused your mind and body about what is truly your ideal weight. One of the major problems comes from a lack of understanding about metabolism. If you’ve been overweight for a very long time, or if you’ve consistently ‘yo-yoed’, your body may respond to your initial weight loss by slowing down its metabolism because it believes that you are starving to death. This slowing down of your metabolism leads to discouraging plateaus that often knock people off their diets entirely, and lead to regaining all or part of the lost weight.

Many weight loss experts today recommend aiming for shorter-term, more attainable weight loss goals. Since the bulk of diet research shows that most dieters lose weight steadily for about 12 weeks, then hit a plateau, that’s the number of weeks that the weight loss experts suggest you should aim for. The weight loss strategy that many have found works best for them is one of alternating periods of weight loss and maintenance, each lasting 8-12 weeks.

The strategy calls for choosing a realistic weight loss goal for an 8-12 week period. Knowing that the most reasonable and healthiest weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week, losing 25 pounds in three months is not unrealistic. You should be on your weight loss diet until you reach that goal, or for 12 weeks, whichever comes first, and then switch to a maintenance diet.

Why switch to a maintenance diet at that point?

Simple, you’re giving yourself a break from more restrictive eating. More importantly though, you are re-educating your body and letting it establish a new starting point. Once you’ve maintained your new weight for 8-12 weeks, set another weight loss goal, and move back into weight loss mode. By giving your body a break from ’starvation’, you’ll have overcome its resistance to weight loss.

You’ll also be giving yourself a chance to ‘practice’ maintaining your new, healthier weight. Researchers have found that more than half of the dieters who take off significant amounts of weight do not maintain that weight loss once they go ‘off’ their diet. By practicing weight maintenance in stages, you’ll be proving to yourself that you can lose weight and maintain that weight loss over a period of time.

This weight loss plan will work with any long-term weight loss diet. You’ll find dieting and reaching your weight loss goal much easier to do if you choose a diet that has concrete ‘phases’, such as the South Beach or the Atkins diet, since the weight loss and maintenance phases are clearly laid out for you to follow. Regardless of the diet you choose, though, by alternating between weight loss phases and maintenance phases, you’ll teach yourself and your body how to maintain a healthy weight.

Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler

About The Author

Adam Waxler publishes the Weight-Loss-Machine…a free weight loss newsletter. Sign up for your free subscription and receive a new weight loss tip each and every week guaranteed to help you lose weight. Grab your free subscription here: http://www.weight-loss-machine.com.

This article was posted on February 02, 2006

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A Beginner’s Guide To Weight Loss- 5 Steps
 by: David Speringo

‘I’ll start my diet today’ you say to yourself for what seems the 485th time. But as the day wears on, you fall back into your typical eating patterns. These are the eating patterns which do not contribute to any weight loss either. Instead, you keep the vicious cycle going of either maintaining your current weight, or increasing it even more which may lead to health problems.

My personal journey started at a time when I was young and had trouble breathing. I even had trouble fitting into a pair of size 44 pants, and had trouble socializing with people because I thought of myself as a ‘fat person’. There came a time however when I took that first step towards positive weight loss, and a positive step towards changing my life.

But where to start? Which diet? Do I need to stick to any one diet, or could I make my own up? I was confused, because there was so much information out there about the newest weight loss diet gimmicks, and nutritional supplements which ‘GUARANTEED I WILL LOSE WEIGHT!!!!’.

It was all baloney. I found that I could not trust any marketing claim associated with a company trying to make money.

How did I start? By cutting down on the number of meals/snacks I was eating. I grew up in an Italian household where we were encouraged to finish our plate. You can only take so much of that as your waist lines grows. Today, however, I encourage people to eat 4-6 times a day. But to eat in small amounts. If you are a person who likes to pick at food, eat snacks throughout the day, and eat well after 8pm. My advice is to stop doing all of that (I know, easier said than done, right?).

5 Steps to starting your weight loss plan

Step 1: Eat 4-6 times a day, in small amounts. Make each time you eat a small meal. Sounds tough, doesn’t it? It is, but as you start doing it, you will change the way you eat food. The way you prep food, and the way you enjoy food (I still love food!).

The goal here is to force your metabolism to burn up the calories at the proper time. The more you have your metabolism working throughout the day, the more you are forcing your body to expend energy to burn up food! It IS as simple as that.

You have to realize that at first, it may seem like you are eating a lot in the beginning, when you are trying to lose weight. But remember, it’s all in the size of the portions you are feeding yourself. Don’t overdo it. Have a fruit salad in the morning, at 10 or 11 am, have a turkey sandwich, at 1 pm make yourself some chicken salad, etc..by doing this, you are not starving your body, and at the same time you are not feeding your body garbage!

Step 2: Drink a lot of water. Drinking water cleans out your system, that’s been known for a long time. It also has been shown to help in fat loss. How? Well, if you are generally a juice or soda drinker, and are now switching over to just water- you are cutting out those simple carbohydrate calories from your diet. And for some, that is a lot of calories. If you have troubles switching over to plain water- try some crystal light, or flavored water. Personally, I’m up to drinking a gallon a day. For many, this may seem a lot. Try to shoot for 6-8 full glasses of water a day. The key here is to make a habit of it.

Step 3: Exercise. So where do you start? If you have time to join a gym, by all means, do so! Join a step class, and/or lift weights. If you are overweight, do NOT feel like you do not belong in a gym. Many people who are overweight often feel like people are staring at them, thus making them feel self-conscious. My advice to you- Don’t worry about it! The gym is for EVERYONE to get in shape, no matter what size they are. Talk to a personal trainer when you go in there also, they will be your best source of information of reaching your workout goals. That’s what they get paid to do!

If you can’t afford a gym, or spend the time at a gym, there are alternatives. Places like Target, Walmart, and even on Ebay, sell exercise balls which come with videos or instruction sets on doing exercises. I feel as though exercise balls give you a greater range of flexibility and mobility. These are two very necessary things to work on when you are trying to lose weight. These exercises can usually be done in 15-20 minutes worth of time a day. If you are truly dedicated to losing weight, then make time for these exercises.

Other ideas for exercise include power walking, home video step workouts, hiking, riding a bike, or staying active for long periods of time. Even if you need to get a friend or family member to go along with you, this is time well spent. These exercises will give you a greater focus on your goal of losing weight.

Step 4: Talk to people about your diet. From my experience, the more I talked about my diet with people, the more support I was getting for my efforts. Do not underestimate the value of community support. Consequently, I run a website that specializes in online diet support ( http://www.dietdiscussions.com ) and I feel as though when people are given encouragement to stay on track, they feel better about themselves. Why do it alone when others are walking the same steps you are?

Step 5: Change the way you think about food. This is one of the hardest things to do, in my opinion. So often food becomes an object of comfort. We feel bad, we eat. We feel good ,we eat. The problem with this is that when we do eat, we are not consciously thinking about what we are putting into our bodies, and then we gain weight.

This mindset has to change. You can still enjoy food, but just pause before you eat something and ask yourself- Is it time to eat? Does this fall into my portion size for this meal?

These 5 steps are ways that I know that have directly helped people, beside myself. Use these steps to focus on what you are trying to do. There is so much information in the diet community about what works and what does not. What it all boils down to, is that it is not rocket science. There is a means and method to making it work for you. If you need any support for your weight loss diet plan, do not hesitate to contact me and ask a question or give me a comment. I have been through what you are going through, so I understand what you are feeling. Stay focused and stay on track, and you will find that you will start feeling better as the pounds start coming off!

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Weight Loss and Snacking – can they go together?
Copyright 2006 Eva Moffat

Snacking in itself is not bad for you, but it’s your choice of what food you eat to tide you over until your next meal that can be the baddie.

If you snack on junk food, that is usually full of unhealthy fat, you will be more likely to have a weight gain rather than a weight loss.

Here are 7 ways you can snack and not mess up your weight loss programme:

Healthy Snacks, give them a fair try
Keep away from Trans Fats
Read the small print on the labels
Energy Bars are not all they are cracked up to be
You don’t have to have a snack just because the clock says it’s time
High fat snacks ….. run a mile
Ignore the TV ads that tempt you to eat unwisely

Healthy Snacks, Give Them A Try

If you must snack, go for the healthy alternatives. In the fridge or your lunch box have some ready prepared fruit and vegetables. You could peel a carrot, slice it up into bite size pieces and chew on it slowly. You will be amazed at how quickly this will satisfy you. And as mother used to tell you, ‘Eating carrots will help you see in the dark.’

Or have a nice crispy apple. Wash it but don’t peel it. Most of the goodness is in the skin.

Low fat biscuits can also help to keep you on track.

Have foods that are baked or grilled rather than fried.

Keep Away From Trans Fats

Trans Fats (bad fats) are the fats that raise your Cholesterol.

Cholesterol is the fat that clogs up your arteries, and as the blood is unable to flow smoothly, it can have the effect of giving you high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart problems or strokes.

Foods containing Trans Fats could be found in Microwave Snack foods. If you see ‘partially hydrogenated oils’ listed on the label, alarm bells should be ringing in your head.

Read The Small Print On The Labels

Get out your magnifying glass, be like Sherlock Holmes and play detective.

Study the labels on the food you buy. Forget about the adverts telling you how wonderful they are, rather check for yourself what’s in it.

What you are looking for is the Nutritional Value. The label should tell you:

How many calories are in each portion?
Grams of fat per portion
Saturated Fat
Trans Fat
How much calcium is in each portion
Protein
Sugar
Salt

Work out for yourself, how much salt you are eating each day. It has been found that we should not be eating more than 6 grams of salt each day. You may be shocked to find that you are having more than your daily recommended amount of salt in one meal, so you could be over your limit if you eat more than one meal a day.

Also if the label says it contains Trans Fat. Do yourself a big favour and put the packet/tin back on the shelf and your heart will thank you for it.

Be sure to check how the manufacturers work out what they consider a portion. Often their portions are for birds and I mean the feathered type.

Energy Bars Are Not All They Are Cracked Up To Be

Those bars that are said to be packed with energy and power, should be scrutinised for what’s in it.

It’s a common belief that sugar gives you energy. But too much sugar can mean you end up with higher blood sugar levels than your body can cope with.

Maybe the label tells you that the bar is low in Carbohydrates, that’s fine, but what it doesn’t tell you, is that it is also low in fibre and probably higher in fat.

Be afraid; be very afraid, if it tastes good … it’s likely to be loaded with sugar.

So ideally, the perfect energy bar for you should contain the following.

At least 3 grams of Fibre
At least 5 grams of Protein
Lower amounts of fat
No saturated fat
And fewer than 20 grams of sugar.
Low in salt

You Don’t Have To Have A Snack Just Because The Clock Says It Is Time

If you have got into the habit of having a snack at 11.00 in the morning and again at 3.00 pm, do you really need it?

Say you had a high protein breakfast or lunch you should manage to get through to your next meal without the need to snack.

Yet if you had a high carbohydrate meal (either breakfast or lunch) you probably will be peckish, so a snack will prevent you from going into starvation mode.

Why is a High Protein meal better than a High Carbohydrate one?

The High Protein meal will be digested more slowly, so filling you up gradually over several hours.

While the High Carbohydrate meal fills you up instantly, but you will be feeling hungry much sooner. As High Carbohydrates are normally full of Calories, then having a High Carbohydrate snack as well, thus taking in even more calories, that weight loss plan you have been following is now about to fly out the window.

So if the clock tells you it’s snack time, only have a snack if you are really hungry. Then have a High Protein snack, it’s much less Calories in it.

High Fat Snacks … Run A Mile

High Fat snacks can encourage you to overeat.

Pennsylvania State University Researchers did a test on some rats, they fed the rats a High Fat diet; this resulted in the rats overeating. The researchers compared these results with rats fed a Low Fat diet.

The conclusion the Researchers came to was that there is a Hormone that is secreted then sends a message to the brain saying, ‘Stop eating now, you’re full up’. But on a High Fat diet, this Hormone was suppressed, and so the rats just went on eating. .

Ignore The TV Ads That Tempt You To Eat Unwisely

While you are watching TV, especially during Prime Time, have you noticed the number of adverts for snack foods? And of course these snacks are made up of junk foods; high in fat and salt.

As we know, these advertisers are paying thousands of pounds to get their adverts put in these prime spots. So the TV viewer is suddenly convinced that they are in need of a snack. Sure enough, when next at the Supermarket, he/she will deliberately seek out that advertised product. The mentality is …… if it’s advertised on the TV it must be good.

The advertiser has won again. And you lose your weight loss goals.

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