Successful Weight Loss In Five Easy Steps

Posted by | Posted in Weight loss | Posted on 06-03-2010

If you happen to be among the millions of people who are weight impaired, you may have already considered, or even tried many alternatives for losing weight, and you may still be seeking that one magic “remedy”.

Sadly, there are no magic remedies, diet pills, or supplements for losing weight. It takes desire, persistence, and lots of accurate information seasoned with ample amounts of supportive and caring guidance, to succeed.

Through the trials and tribulations of many failed weight loss plans, we now know that if you try to manage your weight by making too many radical changes to your diet and your lifestyle, you will eventually fail.

For a diet plan to be successful it must fit within the boundaries of normal day-to-day habits and activities. It must allow for the consumption of familiar foods in familiar and traditional social settings.

The exclusion of “taboo” foods or your favorite fast food restaurant is generally a set-up for eventual dieting failure. When you stop to think about it, isn’t it usually the things you are told that you can’t do or can’t have that you desire the most! It’s a part of human nature. We want what we can’t have!

So take it away from us, and surely this is exactly what we will want and crave most! The most highly regarded sources of information agree that we tend to focus on what we can’t have, including the foods we eat.(see what the Bible has to say about it.

A good plan for losing weight should not try to radically change your eating behavior. The plan should adapt to your daily activities and eating habits, and of course any good plan should incorporate the benefits of good nutrition, convenience,and above all, practicality.

The bottom line is that we are all very busy people without a lot of time to spare. We’re not very likely to turn our busy lifestyles upside down to follow some restrictive plan for losing weight.

Maybe a few will work for a short period of time, but the facts don’t lie. Although the “crash” weight loss diets may work for a short while, most of us will find that before long the pounds will start to begin to creep back on.

After all, we are not going give-up eating at fast food and sit-down restaurants when we need a quick meal or snack, and we are unlikely to stop eating with business associates, good friends and family. It is very difficult therefore,(if not impossible)to follow dieting guidelines on special meal occasions such as these!

We are not going to completely eliminate the foods we love and crave, and we’re most definitely not going to waste precious time preparing special dietary meals from “scratch” every day! Therefore it is very important to know that you don’t have to stop doing any of the above to lose weight.

You can look and feel like a million bucks, take years off your appearance and have the energy and vitality to accomplish your dreams, by following a few simple guidelines.

Here they are…

Take It One Step At A Time.

Some of the greatest accomplishments in life begin by taking one small step at a time. When we are challenged to think deeply, encouraged by others to succeed, and ultimately inspired to takeaction, great things start to happen!
If you have important weight loss goals you are not achieving,try to spend less time worrying about all the possible “causes” and start concentrating on how you can make progress.

This is one of the keys to moving forward and a simple, but powerful tool for success.

Assess Your Dietary Needs And Lifestyle.

Awareness is the key, so take some time to learn about your specific dietary needs (caloric intake) and daily energy requirements for example. We’re talking a basic understanding here, and not having to go into any great detail.

Seek Advice From Friends And Trusted Authorities.

Don’t believe everything you hear! There are thousands of diet “scams” on the market. When you find a trusted source, ask as many questions as you can about diet and exercise. Find out what has worked for others. But always be on-guard for the “quick fix” approach…it won’t work in the majority of cases.

Start Creating A System Of Support.

About 85% of our “happiness” and well-being is determined by the quality of our relationships with other people. Loving, caring relationships and a network of friends, family, and colleagues  lowers stress, increases longevity, and helps us to accomplish our goals in life (including losing weight).

We are social creatures and we do our best when we have friends to cheer us on, offer support, give advice, and hold us accountable when necessary. This makes it easy for us to succeed.

So, surround yourself with people, tools and activities that make it more likely for you to succeed than to fail! Arrange your living environment and social situations so that every thing around you pulls your forward, instead of possibly leaving you totally de-motivated.

Use Your Resources.

Read motivational tips, general health information and any other literature you can get your hands-on. Information is power!

NOW TAKE THE FIRST STEP

There you have it. So you can get started today, and make sure your whole approach is controlled, rational and methodical. If you can take the “long term view,” and set yourself realistic “achievable” goals you will most surely succeed.

A Natural Hormone Can Make You Lose Weigh

Posted by | Posted in Weight loss | Posted on 06-03-2010

Most of us desire to be in perfect shape all the time. A good physique enhances our persona and makes us feel confident about ourselves. Attaining and maintaining a nice figure is no child’s play. It requires immense hard work and dedication. But we’re blessed in some ways as we’ve got a platter full of options for maintaining our weight.

According to new discovery, Obestatin, a naturally occurring hormone might prove helpful in controlling weight by suppressing the appetite. This unique hormone is formed in the stomach and small intestine. It’s capable of reducing hunger partially by slowing the rate at which food travels through the stomach and the small intestine. Consumption of an extra dosage of Obestatin could decrease the digestion process even further. If proved efficient for humans, it can be a big sigh of relief for millions of obese people worldwide.
It’s a well known fact that obesity has genetic causes and weight gain is biological therefore most of the time obesity can occur due to some sort of genetic disorder. There are more than 50 genes that controls our weight. We need to acknowledge the fact that our biological makeup hasn’t changed over the past years, but the number of overweight and obese people have risen dramatically.

Over weight or obesity leads to a lot of other medical complications which can be life threatening at times. To safeguard ourselves from this dreaded disorder, we need to lead our life in a more organized way. Regular workouts and exercise in addition to a healthy diet full of nutrition and devoid of fat can help us remain fit and healthy for years to come. A healthy lifestyle will always remain the most important way to control weight and make our life an enjoyable one.

How Do I Gain Weight?

Posted by | Posted in Weight loss | Posted on 16-01-2010

Try asking people how to gain weight and you’ll likely see some bewildered faces staring back at you. For the majority of people, hearing that question is akin to hearing the questions, “How do I stub my toe?” or “How do I run out of gas?”
Those confused faces not withstanding, the question is a legitimate one and one that frustrates those who find themselves on the light end of the scale.   While those on the heavy end can’t get through a commercial break or flip through more than five pages of a magazine without someone offering up a solution to their weight problems, it can be a lonely struggle for those who want to put on weight.
If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to your question, it will probably involve the words “eat more.”  That, despite being obvious, is great advice.  Quite simply, to gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for healthy weight gain.
You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more weight-furnished friends, but you are probably over-estimating your intake.  After a trip to the doctor’s office to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulk up(thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective weight gain program is to journal your eating habits.  Counting calories for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.
From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300-500 calories until you start putting on the pounds.  Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influence your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight you are putting on.   So if you are after an aesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to these factors.
To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junk food and focus on eating whole foods.  A good weight gain diet should be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and 20-40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids).  Different ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people.  Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.
Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle.  A weight training program designed to give the body a reason to add some muscle will be very important to achieving your goals. Your workout routines should concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises (those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set.  Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal the body into muscle growth.  Try to either increase the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.
Don’t go overboard with your workouts.  Two or three one-hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the trick.  Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spend too much time in the gym.  This can be counterproductive in two ways.  First, it means you are burning off a lot of the calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and, second, you can over-train your muscles by working them too hard, basically making them unresponsive.
If you are looking for some company in your quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community.  There you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean muscle mass.  You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight.  Be very cautious when looking at these products.  Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there are a lot of companies out there looking to take your money.  While some of these products can help, others aren’t necessary.
With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weight training program in place you will have all you need to achieve your gain weight goals.  Better yet, you will never again have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at you.

How to Lose Weight Successfully

Posted by | Posted in Weight loss | Posted on 16-01-2010

For overweight and obese persons, losing weight is very hard. There are a lot of weight loss programs being offered in gyms nowadays but still, it’s so tiresome to go on and on to the gym just for this reason. I myself have been very interested to start my workout but when I get the chance to do it, I always feel very lazy. There are other ways to burn those unwanted fats away and I will be discussing some of them here.
Engaging in exercises might help you lose weight. You can do different types of exercises basically in the morning when you wake up. Jogging for at least an hour in your subdivision is a common practice that almost everybody does. It is said to effectively burn body’s fats. Walking around can also serve this purpose. So, if you are off to a place which is just a few walks away from where you are, forget about riding your car first and just walk.
You can also consider medical procedures such as liposuction and surgery to remove your fats and maintain a good figure. These procedures are the fastest and easiest means to get off those body fats but their costs are the major drawback. Only those who have enough resources to sustain the huge operation fees can certainly adopt this procedure. But then, you are still not assured that you’ll not become fat or obese anymore after your liposuction or surgery.
In addition, you can also take pills, medicines and other supplements in order to lose much weight. There are a lot of diet pills available in the market today. Some of them are said to be effective but most of them aren’t much acceptable because of its side-effects to its users. These actually make them not worthy to be bought and used for the said purpose. In contrast, teas are more preferred by other people who are trying to get slim. Yeah, its effects are seen at a snail’s pace but then, it has no side-effects and is very much nutritious when taken.
The simplest way to get lean is to always have enough sleep – eight hours per day, if possible. Only a few knows that when we sleep, we also burn fats. So, if you love to sleep, then it might be the best for your weight loss plan. Why don’t you try it now?
Now, it’s up for you to decide on what process is perfect for you! The only concern here is your willingness to carry out these activities and achieve the body figure that you desire. For now, what you actually need to do is to accept and love yourself for what you are.

4 Crazy Things You Must Do To Lose Weight

Posted by | Posted in Weight loss | Posted on 16-10-2009

1.  Start Eating a Lot More!
That’s right, you read it correctly…YOU MUST EAT MORE—A whole lot more than you’re eating right now.  You have to eat 5-7 meals a day to fire up your metabolism to lose weight.
Your body needs a constant supply of energy to burn fat, and if you don’t eat a meal every two or three hours…Your metabolism will become so slow that you’ll gain weight just by looking at food.
The sooner you start eating more…the sooner you’ll be able to eat the foods you like without worrying about gaining weight.
Now I don’t mean for you to eat 5 large dinner sized meals everyday.  You should try to eat 5-7 smaller 250 – 400 calorie meals every 2-3 hours.
2.  Start Playing Golf.
Before you say “what the heck does golf have to do with me losing weight”…Let me explain.
People always tell me that they don’t have time to exercise, their too tired to exercise, or they don’t feel like exercising.
But they always find time to have fun.  Look, you don’t have to get on a treadmill everyday, take aerobics, or swim laps to lose weight….
…you can lose weight playing golf, playing with your kids, and you can even go to the mall shopping.
What do all those things have in common?  They’re all things that involve you moving around just enough to burn fat.  Notice that TV, reading, and sleeping weren’t one of the things I mentioned.
Think about it…If you went shopping at your local mall everyday you could easily lose 1-2 lbs. a week just by walking around the mall a couple of times (That’s of course if you don’t make too many trips to the food court).
What about playing golf (without the cart), racquetball, or going out dancing everyday?  That’s an easy (fun) weight loss of about 2 lbs a week right there.
Try to find something that you like to do that gets you up off you’re butt and do it everyday for at least 30 minutes (The longer the more fat you’ll burn).
3.  Stop Losing Weight and Start Burning Fat.
If you want to lose weight… just go on a diet, sit in a steam room for a couple of hours, or take some side-effect infested weight loss pill.
If you want to look better as you lose weight…then you need to focus on burning fat.
Diets, steam rooms, and pills cause you to lose muscle and water weight.  Losing muscle not only makes you look worse but it also lowers your metabolism making it easier for you to gain weight.
Have you ever noticed the people who lose weight on these “lose 30lbs in 8 days” programs still have flabby arms, a saggy butt, and pot belly?  The reason why is that these programs tend to help people lose more good-looking muscle than ugly body fat.
Steam rooms cause you to lose water weight which you’ll gain back after you drink a couple glasses of water.
The best way to focus on burning fat is to lose no more than 2lbs a week.  If you lose more than 2lbs a week you will only start to lose muscle and water.
A basic beginner’s fat loss plan would be to eat more and play golf everyday (please see the first two things you must do to lose weight).
4.  Just Keep on Saying SO THAT
First, ask yourself Why you want to lose weight and after you come up with a reason why just keep on saying SO THAT.
For example—Why Do you want to lose weight
* I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT…
* I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT…
* I can be the best looking person at my high school reunion SO THAT…
* I can see the surprised looks on the faces of my classmates SO THAT …
* I may be able to go on a date with the person I had a crush on in high school
Can you see what’s happening here?  The more times you say SO THAT the more and more motivated you’ll become to lose weight.  I don’t know about you but if you can come up with at least three SO THATS nothing will stop you from losing weight.