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Contributed Blogs
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7 Steps to Healthy Weight Loss |
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If healthy weight loss is your goal, these seven easy tips are sure to help you achieve it.
1. Don't Skip Meals
One
of the absolute worst things you can do when trying to lose weight is
to skip meals. Nothing can trip up a diet faster. By skipping meals,
you could force your body into "starvation mode", causing it to hang on
to the weight you're trying lose. That's because your body reacts as if
it is literally starving, retaining the fat as a protective measure.
Another problem with skipping meals is that by the time you do get
around to eating, you'll probably overeat, making up for the calories
you skipped earlier, and then some.
2. Practice Portion Control
The
key to a healthy diet and weight management is portion control. Being
aware of how much we eat is just as important as knowing what we eat.
Unfortunately, it's not always easy to figure out what a "normal"
portion size is, especially in a world where bigger is better. We're
surrounded by restaurants serving overflowing plates of food and
all-you-can-eat buffets. One way to counter this is to learn what a
recommended serving size is for the foods we eat and what it looks
like. Being able to visualize a healthy serving will make it easier to
put sensible portions on your plate.
3. Consume More Whole Grains
Adding
more whole grains and produce to your diet is essential for healthy
weight loss. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are nutrient rich, low in
calories and fat, and high in fiber, allowing you to eat more of them,
more often, without gaining weight. Also, the fiber in whole grains and
produce will make you feel fuller longer, helping you avoid overeating,
while also helping you control your portions better. As an added
benefit, you could see your health improve thanks to the added
nutrients which may be missing from your diet.
4. Read Food Labels
Understanding
food labels is an easy, yet critical, skill in the pursuit of healthy
weight loss. Without it, you can't count calories, figure out serving
sizes, or compare labels, making informed food choices virtually
impossible.
5. Drink More Water
Shoot for eight
glasses a day, as conventional wisdom suggests. It seems like a lot,
and it is, but only if you try to drink it all at once. Spread your
water consumption throughout the day, replacing the sodas or sugary
drinks you normally have with meals with a couple of glasses of water.
If you drink two glasses with lunch and two with dinner, you're halfway
there. And you've avoided all the calories found in those other
beverages. You may also prevent overeating by staying well-hydrated.
6. Snack Between Meals
In
order to maintain blood sugar levels, it's necessary to eat every three
to four hours. That's where snacks come in. They help you maintain
proper blood sugar levels and prevent you from getting too hungry
between meals, helping you control your portions and avoid overeating
at mealtime. Of course, the snack you choose must be healthy and
satisfying. For example, try an apple, which is high in fiber and low
in calories, with reduced fat cottage cheese, which is an excellent
source of protein.
7. Get Some Exercise
Exercise
doesn't have to mean running a marathon or hours spent in the gym
lifting weights. The important thing is to get your heart-rate up.
Riding a bike or taking a brisk walk will get your heart pumping
faster, boosting your metabolism. Work your way up to 30 minutes a day,
at least 5 days a week. It's important, though, to go at your own pace.
It won't do you any good to push yourself so hard you end up dreading
your workouts, leading you to skip them.
After
studying Health and Nutrition in College, Rob spent 10 years working as
a personal trainer. He now spends his time developing sites and
resources dedicated to healthy weight loss. To learn more about healthy
weight loss, please visit The Weight Loss Place.
by Rob Pitts
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Weight Loss - Who Says That Fat Loss Must Be Slow? |
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This article is specifically targeted at dieters
using or planning to use a very low calorie diet in an attempt to lose
more than the so-called 'standard' MAXIMUM fat loss of ±1 kilogram/±2
pounds per week. You CAN lose more than that without ruining your
metabolism, regardless of what the 'experts' say.
Most people
severely cut calories when they try to lose weight, and it is difficult
to prevent them from using that approach, so we'll work with that.
Very low calorie dieting does not need to be a bad thing though. For one, done correctly, it causes rapid loss of belly and visceral fat - the fat around the organs - and therefore indirectly reduces the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
That
said, specific precautions have to be taken to ensure maximum fat loss
and maximum muscle tissue retention. The 5 most important things that
one can do while on a very low calorie diet are:
1. Eat enough protein
If
you're going to eat very few calories, then you must ensure that a
large portion of that calories comes from protein. It is now well known
that higher protein, lower carbohydrate diets actually cause a greater
loss in FAT, even though the WEIGHT loss may be the same on a higher
carbohydrate diet. I advise eating SOLID protein when calories are low,
since it is more satisfying and digestion requires a bit more calories
than with liquid protein sources.
2. Diet 3 days on 1 day off
We
all know that low calorie diets cause a metabolism crash. EVENTUALLY.
Why wait until that happens? Every fourth day, eat more healthy
calories, a bit more carbohydrates, and a LOT of protein - solid and
liquid. Also, eat 6-7 smaller meals on those 'off days'. Not only will
you prevent your metabolism from crashing, but it will also be
accelerated and ready for the next 3 days of low calorie eating.
Why would fat loss stop now?
3. Strength training
A
scientific study showed that subjects that were on extremely low
calorie diets (only 800 calories), but did strength training as opposed
to traditional 'cardio', actually gained muscle tissue. Those subjects
also lost a significant amount of fat.
While that does show that
resistance exercise is far more important that cardio while cutting
calories severely, that is not the tip I'd like to leave here.
The
tip is to LIMIT both the FREQUENCY and the DURATION of your strength
workouts, since they can just as easily have a negative effect. Your
body has a limited recovery ability while you're severely restricting
calories, and doing too much will cause muscle loss, thus ruining your
metabolism.
I recommend at most 20 minutes of resistance exercise
and only 3 times a week. It may seem too little, but the aim is to
PRESERVE muscle tissue - any muscle gained is just a bonus.
4. Discard aerobics in favor of interval training
Yes,
aerobic exercise burns more fat while you're doing it, but interval
training keeps your metabolism burning more calories even while you're
resting. Also, a bigger percentage of weight loss from interval
training is due to fat loss than with aerobic exercise, so again muscle
is spared.
As with weight training, limit the duration to 20 minutes, three times a week.
5. Combine strength and cardio sessions
The
most important benefit of doing this is that you end up with 4 days a
week where you're doing very little exercise. This gives your body time
to recuperate, and keeps your endocrine (hormonal) system working
optimally, thereby ensuring that muscle is spared and fat is burned as
fast as possible.
Don't worry, both types of exercise has you
burning calories for up to 46 hours - even while you sleep! The low
calories will have you dropping weight anyway.
So, you CAN lose
fat much faster than the 'diet gurus' say you can. Just do it smartly.
Besides, if you have a lot of weight to lose, why would you even be
happy with only 2 pounds a week?
Want to lose fat fast? Grab my ultra-rapid "Nuke That Fat" weight loss ebook completely FREE at: http://www.nukethatfat.com
by Junaid Gamieldien
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A Few Tips on How to Lose Weight the Easy Way |
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You can make losing weight a family project or set
your own personal goal. Pick a day to begin. Focus on making simple
changes on a daily basis. Make these changes slowly. Stick to them. Try
these tips.
Prepare food by broiling or baking more often instead
of frying. Eat fewer breaded and fried foods. Breading and frying foods
like fish, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables add fat and calories.
Eat
more fruits, whole grain, and vegetables. If you are a nibbler, choose
fruit and vegetables as snacks more often. Eat lean meat, fish, and
poultry without skin. Choose poultry breasts and drumsticks more often
than the wings and thighs.
Use the food label to choose lower
calorie foods. Drink fewer alcoholic and high-calorie beverages. And
one of the most important things Drink six to eight glasses of water
each day.
Eat smaller portions--do not go back for seconds, try
eating only one serving of high-fat, high-calorie foods like pizza, ice
cream, or chips. Slowly cut back on your portion size. Substitute with
lower fat, lower calorie foods during the rest of the day.
Be
physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, or as much as you can.
It really helps you to lose weight if you are more active Dance. See if
you remember all the steps or learn some new ones. Add more moves for a
personalized workout.
Say bye to the elevator, Use the stairs. If
you take the bus get off one or two bus stops early and walk the rest
of the way Park your car a block or two away and walk, always remember
enjoys losing weight and you will stick to it, don't forget to take in
some fresh air, and stop and smell the roses every now and then.
Still
looking for the right way for you to lose those extra pounds? When it
comes to losing weight there are different conditions that apply to
everyone differently. It's time you find what can work for you topfatlosstoday.com start losing fat today.
by Lindon Bristol
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What is the Best Diet Plan For Fast Weight Loss? |
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You have probably asked yourself what the best diet
plan for healthy fast weight loss is. With so many to choose from, it's
sometimes difficult to know what really works and what doesn't. I'm
going to let you in on a little secret - the best diet plan ever!
Of
course, you can always lose alot of weight by fasting and only drinking
water for several days, but this isn't very effective. For one thing,
you are so hungry after the fast is over that you are apt to binge on
all sorts of foods that aren't conducive to fast weight loss.
Tried
pre-packaged diet foods and diet pills? The food isn't too good, and
diet pills can be a health risk. These are probably not the best diet
plans if you truly want to lose weight in a healthy way, and keep it
off. It's really hard for most people to exist on 800 calories per day.
Let's talk about what I believe is the best diet plan
ever invented. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is so easy, you will never try any
other weight loss plan again. No need to count calories, fat grams,
carbs, or anything else.
This plan has helped thousands to lose
weight and keep it off. By training your body how to burn calories and
fat through the use of food, this is the easiest thing you will ever
see when it comes to weight loss.
Fat Loss 4 Idiots will teach
you what foods increase metabolism and burn fat, when to eat, and how
to eat in order to lose weight very fast. You can eat real food, even
foods you love and lose 9 lbs. in just 11 days! I think you will agree
if you take a look, this is the best diet plan and certainly the
easiest one to follow.
What is the best diet plan for fast weight loss? Fat Loss 4 Idiots is the answer. Period.
Try the best diet plan ever to lose weight quickly,
and for good! The Fat Loss 4 Idiots program is unlike anything you have
ever seen, and will show you how to lose 9 lbs. in just 11 days. Visit The Skinny on Weight Loss for all the juicy details!
by Toni T
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Walking For Weight Loss - Secrets to a Successful Walking Workout Plan |
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Walking contains all of the necessary qualities that
you need to lose weight and become healthier. It exercises the major
muscles and gets your heart rate up, which can, in turn, boost your
metabolism and help you lose weight.
Starting a walking program
is easy, no matter what your age or current level of fitness. Some
consider walking to be the perfect exercise because it is low impact
and you can increase your level of exercise as your strength grows. All
you need to get started is a good pair of walking shoes and some
determination.
If you haven't exercised in a while, it's best to
start slow. Most people find that a 15-minute brisk walk is enough to
get their heart rate up and their muscles moving. Even though you'll
want to walk for longer periods of time in the future, this can be
enough to get you started with a walking plan.
Once you've done
15 minutes per day for a week to ten days, you can start increasing
your distance and your time. Stretch yourself further each day until
you've built up to 30 minutes of walking time. After the first five
minutes of walking, your body moves out of the warm-up phase, and then
you can move into calorie burning territory. When you walk for 30
minutes, you'll have plenty of calorie-burning time in your workout to
make it worthwhile.
While you are walking for weight loss, it's
important that you keep up the proper intensity level. One good rule of
thumb: you should be exercising at an intensity that allows you to
carry on a conversation, but if you are able to speak comfortably for
long periods of time without taking a break or if you are able to
comfortably sing a song, ramp up your intensity a bit. You should break
a sweat during your 30-minute walk and you should keep the same pace
until you do a 5 minute slow down at the end of the walking.
Once
you've started your walking program it's important that you keep going.
After the first week, you're bound to see a remarkable difference in
your energy level, which will help you to keep going.
To stay
motivated, mark a date on your calendar three weeks from when you begin
and make a deal with yourself. If you keep walking each day until that
date, reward yourself with something special. To stick to your weight
loss goals, make sure to reward yourself with a non-food item, such as
a shopping trip or some new music to work out to.
Walking can be
an effective way to lose weight and to improve your health at the same
time. Because it's accessible to everyone and easy to do, it's the
perfect way to start exercising. With persistence and determination,
you can make walking a part of your life.
Jamie
Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where you'll
find reviews and coupons for popular online diet plans, including weight loss programs in Canada. You can also see her top online diet recommendation.
by Jamie Jefferson
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Testimonial
Thank you for sharing this simple, yet effective secret with us. The Asian Secret has changed my families eating habits forever. It is incredible how something so simple can be so life changing. Especially in today’s stressful life. Everything of the best.
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