Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category
Posted by leah
1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.
As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour. Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here’s Why:
During the day your body’s main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you get from eating your meals. As you sleep at night for 6+ hours your body uses up all those carbohydrates as energy for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body doesn’t have any carbohydrates as energy to use and it will look to burn body fat instead for energy.
For you to take advantage of this morning fat burning opportunity you have to exercise first thing in the morning. Don’t eat breakfast because if you do you’ll just give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy instead of the body fat that you want to burn for energy.
Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout. Morning workouts keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout the day only means that you’ll burn more calories and lose more weight. If you workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you’ll miss out on all the extra fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning. When you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest.
Other reasons why its good to exercise first thing in the morning is that you get the workout out of the way, and working out in the morning will also reduce your level of stress throughout the day.
Advanced Tip: Want to burn even more fat? Add another workout to your daily routine 4-6 hours after your morning workout. Keep your already high metabolism higher by adding a 2nd workout during the day. If you’re seriously thinking about adding a 2nd workout to your daily routine then try to do your cardio workouts in the morning. Mostly fat calories are burned doing cardio at a moderate intensities. Make your 2nd workout of the day a workout with weights. Mostly carbohydrate is burned doing weight-training workouts. The muscle that you build from weight training will also help you burn fat. 1lb of Muscle burns 50 calories a day or 1lb of fat every 70 days. Not only will you be burning more calories, you’ll look better – whatever your weight is.
2. Eat Breakfast
Another way to keep your metabolism revved up all day long is to eat breakfast. After you workout in the morning as discussed earlier, just have breakfast and you’ll give your body the perfect 1-2 combination to jump start your metabolism.
Eating breakfast in the morning is what gets your metabolism started. Don ’t skip breakfast and wait until mid-morning or afternoon to eat, your metabolism will run slower causing you not burn any extra fat.
Think about this way-Your metabolism is a fireplace that’ll burn fat all day long for you if you operate it correctly. When you eat breakfast you are basically throwing a log onto that fireplace to get it started burning fat.
Eating breakfast will help stop those cravings you may have later on in the day and along with working out in the morning, eating breakfast will also keep you energized throughout the day and lower stress levels.
Advanced Tip: Instead of eating only 2 more meals during the day like lunch & dinner, try to eat 4-5 more small mini-meals spaced 2-3 hours apart during the day. Remember the fireplace? By eating these mini-meals you’ll be throwing just the right amount of “wood” on the fireplace to keep your metabolism burning calories throughout the day. Don’t shut down your metabolism by eating big lunches or dinners, keep that metabolism of yours burning fat all day long.
Morning Checklist
1. Workout for at least 30min after waking up in the morning
2. Eat a healthy breakfast
3. Burn fat & lose more weight during the day
Use these 2 tips to reveal that six-pack, fit into that dress for an upcoming event like a wedding or reunion, or to impress that special someone. Whatever your fitness goal is these 2 tips above will surely help you reach them.
Posted by ichatmedia
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
BMR [kcal]
Body Weight [lb] x 15 + (moderate activity [mins/day] x 3.5)
Since you wish to lose weight, your target = BMR - 500 kcal
For instance, you weigh 140 lb and you perform 20 mins of moderate activity every day. BMR of this example = (140 x 15) + (20 x 3.5) = 2100 + 70 = 2170 kcal. BMR minus 500kcal; it would be 2170 - 500 = 1670 kcal. Therefore 1670 kcal is the target in this example to losing 1 lb per week.
Click here to learn more
Posted by lorenz
No food alone could ever cause us to lose weight, there is no such thing as the best single weight loss food. We all understand that weight loss is the result of the energy consumed from all various foods within the diet, and that a diet’s total energy must be lower than the energy used by the body.
Some sites peddle the idea that certain foods are the best for weight loss because when these “special foods” are eaten they result in negative calories however, there is no hard scientific proof to support this theory. In fact the only reason some foods are considered the best for weight loss is because they help reduce the total energy consumption in some way. For example, some fruits are listed in the negative calories foods list and considered one of the best foods for losing weight but this is probably due to the fact that fruits are often very low in energy. If any low calorie food is replacing another food high in calories then it can be considered good for losing weight.
Some other foods that are considered helpful when losing weight are those high in fiber. The fiber helps fill up the stomach quicker causing the individual to eat less, thus less calories are consumed.
Foods that are low in fat are also believed to be the best for losing weight. Fat contains more than twice the amount of energy than carbohydrates or protein, so eating less fat naturally lowers calorie intake.
Foods that are nutritionally dense, especially from some of the B vitamins may help increase energy levels and give an individual more desire to exercise.
Many foods with a high water content are among some of the best foods to help lose weight. They are often low in calories plus increasing water intake has been shown to benefit weight loss. Water benefits weight loss
Fresh, natural produce are among the best foods for weight loss, they are often low in energy and low in sodium. A high sodium intake has been shown to cause slight water retention, thus gaining an extra few pounds of water weight. A low sodium diet can help rid the body of water retention.
Processed and convenient products loaded with refined sugar are NOT the best foods for losing weight. The sugar contributes to “empty calories” void of all nutrients.
Posted by lorenz
Pick a program that focuses on strategies you can practice long-term, not just while you are “on the diet.” Meal replacements, like shakes and portion-controlled entrees, make it easier to cut calories now and in the future. A plan with lots of vegetables and fruits allows you to eat in volume without a lot of calories, and they’re loaded with nutrition.
Make your home a safe haven
Fill your home with healthy, low-fat, quick and easy food options. A bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, for example, can make it easy to have a healthy snack.
Don’t go it alone
Research shows that people are often more successful when they lose weight with a friend or a group.
Make a strong start
Contrary to common wisdom that “slow and steady” weight loss is best, recent articles have found that dieters who lost weight quickly, lost more total weight and kept off more weight long-term. Researchers concluded that how well dieters do in the first 2-4 weeks predicts their success up to five years later.
Make a plan
If you don’t plan out what you’re going to do, the world has a plan for you. Map out the first day of your week to get a strong start you can build on the rest of the week.
More is better
When your weight-loss plan includes healthy strategies like vegetables and fruits and meal replacements, the more of these you eat the more success you’ll have. You don’t have to be hungry to lose weight. On the contrary, if you stay full on low-fat, low calorie foods, you’re more likely to stay on your diet and lose more weight overall.
Target your “easy wins”
Simple substitutions are often the easiest way to cut calories. Drinking a diet soda instead of a regular soda every day will save you 15 or morepounds in a year. Eating a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mustard instead of a roast beef sandwich with mayonnaise just twice a week will save you another 15 pounds.
Keep moving
Daily physical activity, like walking, along with healthy eating is key to long-term weight-loss success and maintenance. Once again, more is better.
Track your progress
Food and exercise records help you stay accountable to your diet plan, reinforce your success and give you valuable feedback on how to continue to build your skills.
Drink your fluids
It is important to stay hydrated, especially when you are losing weight, because your body will naturally lose some water. Make sure you drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of non-caloric liquids per day.
Easy Swaps
With these strategies under your belt, try the following “Easy Swap” system along with physical activity to help drop those pounds:
Easy Swap: Coffee w/milk, sweetener
Instead of: “coffee house” latte
How often: 5 days a week
Lose in a year: 18 - 20 lbs.
Easy Swap: Whole grain cereal w/skim milk
Instead of: a bran muffin
How often: 3x a week
Lose in a year: 14 - 15 lbs.
Easy Swap: Mustard
Instead of: mayo on sandwiches
How often: 3x a week
Lose in a year: 12 - 13 lbs.
Easy Swap: Turkey sandwich w/lettuce and tomato
Instead of: cheeseburger and fries
How often: 3x a week
Lose in a year: 8 - 10 lbs.
Easy Swap: 6 oz. baked potato w/sour cream
Instead of: 5 oz. french fries
How often: 3x a week
Lose in a year: 10 lbs.
Easy Swap: 20 oz. diet soda
Instead of: regular soda
How often: 7 days a week
Lose in a year: 25 lbs.
Easy Swap: Piece of fruit
Instead of: a candy bar
How often: 5 days a week
Lose in a year: 10 - 12 lbs.
Posted by lorenz
Believe it or not, men and women are actually quite different. Apart from the obvious differentiators, women have a number of barriers towards maintaining a healthy weight that men have probably never considered.
The first weight loss problem to discuss is the fact that generally women won’t lose as much fat as men or at the same rate. The reason being is that female fat is stored around the hips, butt and breasts and is there to support the female through pregnancy even during periods where food may be scarce. This fat is less mobile than the fat men store around the mid-section. This is a good thing for women as it reduces their risk of cardiovascular disease when compared with men of the same age. Post menopause women change in how they store energy and can begin to store fat more readily around the mid-section thus increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease as compared to their level of risk prior to menopause. Therefore it’s important for women to manage their body fat prior to menopause as it becomes more difficult with time.
Another weight loss problem for women is that they are typically under more pressure than men to achieve an unrealistically lean body shape. This can lead to significant psychological consequences especially if the female is not genetically predisposed to looking like the desired body shape. As a result, many more women than men have attempted to and achieved weight loss through various crazy and unproven, although popular, weight loss strategies. This can result in the yo-yo or rebound effect, which is another common weight loss problem for women. The main thing to realise is that the body has gone on strike. With each severe bout of weight loss the body becomes more and more protective of the energy it has left making any further weight loss even more difficult
Women are also at greater risk of the vicious cycle of dieting than men. A person can feel unhappy about their body image and decide to go on a diet. As a result they can feel deprived, then angry. In this state of mind the person is more likely to binge which can lead to the person feeling anxious and depressed and food can become a coping strategy. Men are also susceptible to this cycle but women are much more at risk. This situation can lead to a person becoming an ‘over restrained eater’.
Over restrained eating is a common weight loss problem as these people are at a greater risk of relapse due to the thin line they are walking and the feeling of guilt they associate with food. The over restrained eater can last for long periods of time until a situation arises that they are unable to cope with or provides them with an excuse to break their restriction and the gorging begins. Pregnancy is a prime example; the female restricts herself for a number of years then falls pregnant. This provides the over restricted eater with the excuse that they are eating for two and off they go only to find the stored energy doesn’t come off once the baby is born.
The final point to discuss is the role of stress, worry and anxiety. Women experience anxiety much more than men and are therefore more exposed to the effects stress, worry and anxiety have on weight loss. “Stress Management” is an essential tool for the female when it comes to weight loss.
If the above sounds like you or someone you know it is important to understand that this cycle can be difficult to break and professional support may be required. The key factor is to reduce the guilt about eating. If you can stop the feeling of guilt you can break the cycle and actually eat less. If you hear the statement of “I deserve it” stop and think. Should you really have to earn food? If the above sounds like you try the following tips:
Tips to overcome weight loss problems for women
- Give yourself a bit more lee way when it comes to losing weight
- Be aware of overly restrictive eating and the tendency to binge when things go wrong
- Practice eating to live – not living to eat
- Don’t try to compare directly with Men – set your own goals and targets
