4 Weight Loss Tips That Are Fast and Easy!!

Probably one of the hardest goals in life to achieve is losing weight. Losing weight is hard, but it is even harder to maintain that loss.  Although there are several different ways and methods to lose weight,  all will not work for everyone. Everyone is unique and depending on their body shape, habits and family history will affect what works. For some people, it is clear diet and exercise will help you lose weight. For others, diet and exercise alone are not enough, and will need weight loss supplements, and maybe more drastic measures that can only be recommended by their doctor. It makes sense that if you have an underlying medical condition , some additional exercise and adjustment in caloric intake won’t fix the problem.

Getting your weight loss advice and tips from your friends can be a big waste of time and will probably be filled with opinions and very little facts to back them up. If your friend is an exercise trainer or dietitian,  they may be qualified to help. If you get the wrong advice it could actually be harmful.  If you are willing to follow a conservative, commonsense plan of diet and exercise, then I have a few tips for you in this article.

1. Avoid Junk Food:

All your weight loss efforts will be to no avail if you continue poor eating habits that include fast food and highly processed items. This high-calorie food will certainly add to the pounds you have or at least make it take a longer time to meet your weight loss goals. Use common sense and try to eat healthy. Be sure to remove all the temptations out of the kitchen and have a large supply of fruits and vegetables.  When and where do you have the greatest urge to snack?  Make sure you have healthy snacks available.  Also, be sure to prepare your own meals, and plan then out for the whole week. This helps you utilize portion control which is very important in weight loss.

2. Portion Control, Eat small but often:

You may think that if you eat only once a day, you will consume less calories, but  what will happen is your body will go into starvation mode and slow your metabolism down to conserve energy and you will burn muscle and not fat. Also you may become so hungry that the temptation to eat too much will be overwhelming. Keep healthy snacks around and know how many calories they have in each serving. 4 light meals and 3 snacks will give you enough calories to be satisfied and not not going into starvation mode and maybe binge eating.

3. Reduce the number of calories you are consuming, but do not deprive yourself of food:

All things being equal you will lose weight when you are in a caloric deficiency. Keep a food journal of exactly what you are eating. Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University did a study that shows almost everyone underestimates the amount of calories they consume, and people who weigh more do so to a greater degree, but its not clear why. However, you must ensure that the pursuit of reducing your calorie intake, you  do not deprive yourself of favorite foods, overeat or start to gain weight!

4. Exercise:

Exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight. What form of exercise really depends on what you like. The key is to start out gradual and keep track of what you are doing so you can increase the exercises at a measured rate. As your muscle mass increases, so does your metabolism which helps you burn more calories in less time.  Make a list of the changes you want to make and then do them one at a time i.e. “this week walk 1/2 mile”.  Too much too soon may hurt you causing you to completely give up on your program. By keeping a journal as a list of accomplishments you will empower yourself to accomplish more than you ever believed. Lord Kelvin said “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” Just keep a journal for 3 weeks, you will not believe that you could have gotten by without it. Roughly it takes 21 days to develop a habit. Make good health a habit.

As you can see, there’s no better way to lose weight than with diet and exercise. However, if this fails, then your best bet is to visit a doctor trained in weight loss and get the correct plan for your situation.  Proper Motivation, Good Plan and Action = Success

Are You In Danger by These 3 Weight Loss Myths?

If you regularly read magazines on health and fitness, you can be sure that you will see many tips for weight loss. Some of these tips really do work and others do not. Those that don’t generally have competing offers for fad diets, supplements, weight loss and other offers nearby. The advice that really does work for everyone, is usually pretty simple and direct as in.. careful diet and exercise. However, the weight loss industry is riddled with myths and misleading information, and people often tend to distort the truth, either to seek an advantage or simple ignorance. In this article we will go over three of the most common weight loss myths.

Myth No. 1: Spot Reduction of body fat:

Absolutely not true, and I am sure all of the weight loss experts  will agree unanimously.
you can not force your body to reduce fat in in one area. no matter what training you do. While crunches and leg raises are often used in the hope of reducing fat, you will see that instead of reducing fat, you will reduce the muscle mass, which is located under the belly. Therefore, your main goal should not be crunches and leg lifts only, but a healthy diet that will speed up your metabolism and help you burn fat fast! You can’t see a six pack AB if it is covered with fat.

Myth No. 2: That by drastically reducing your caloric intake you will reduce your body fat:

This myth has led many people to the get involved in crash diets. People get involved in a crash diet in hopes of shedding pounds,  and fail to recognize that the crash diet will do harm to their body instead of helping them lose weight. In fact, if you reduce your calories too much, you body will quickly realize that you are trying to kill it and will go into starvation mode. In this situation, your body slows your metabolic rate and burns your muscles (instead of fat, which it holds in reserve for energy production. You will not lose much fat at all, but you will lose your precious muscle, which is a more efficient calorie burner, and when you return to a normal diet, you will gain weight as your fat burning engine, the muscle is not burning as many calories.

Myth No. 3: Cardiovascular exercise alone will help you lose some weight.

It is true that cardiovascular exercise can help you lose fat, but it is not true that its the only form of exercise for weight-loss that is available, we should not forget aerobics. In fact, the amount of fat you lose with aerobic or cardio is almost identical. On the other hand is better to have both cardiovascular/aerobics and weightlifting, which not only helps burn fat during your exercise but after the workout.

I hope this article has managed to explain some the realities of weight loss to you.!

9 Weight-Loss Rules that Work

By: Thomas Incledon

Two years ago, I presented 10 dietary rules for the man who wants bigger muscles and a smaller waist—which is to say, every man who reads this “Mens Health” magazine. But even if you memorized those rules, you’re probably more confused than ever by the sheer white noise created by today’s dietary advice.

If you did what you were told by every expert out there, you’d eat more of everything and less of everything, and you’d eat it earlier, later, and not at all. Fat would save you and kill you, carbohydrates would make you skinny and fat, and protein would turn you into Adonis and put you on dialysis.

Recently, as part of a research project, I reviewed hundreds of weight-loss studies and found some surprising ways in which nutrition science is remarkably clear and straightforward. So, with apologies to Dr. Atkins, Suzanne Somers, and all the other noted weight-loss experts, I humbly present the undisputed masters of the midsection

Cut Calories

The low-fat/low-carbohydrate debate comes down to this: You still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight. Every study I looked at shows this. The perfect weight-loss diet is the one you can live with, whether you cut fat, carbs, or some combination.

Use Whey to Cut Waist

Protein-rich foods put more distance between hunger pangs. And the fuller you feel between meals, the easier it is to avoid binges.

The best food for appetite destruction: whey protein. A daily shake made with two scoops of whey protein, fruit (fresh or frozen berries or a banana), and water or crushed ice will improve your middle line. You can buy whey protein at any good health-food store.

Meat Cuts Fat

When you eat, your body has to expend calories to digest the food. Protein causes this inner fire to burn the hottest, followed by carbohydrates, followed by fat. Animal proteins increase thermogenesis more than vegetable proteins, so the best calorie-burning foods are lean meats. So eat some protein at each meal—build your dinner around lean chicken, beef, or pork. That way, you’re burning the most calories through digestion at the end of the day, when your metabolism is slower.

Remember These Letters: BCAA

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and the branched-chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—are the best of the bunch. BCAAs are as close to magic foods as we’ll ever get. They help you recover from hard workouts by reducing the protein breakdown within your muscles; they increase testosterone and growth hormone, your body’s most important fat-fighting and muscle-building hormones; and they have their most profound effect when you’re following law number 1 and cutting calories in order to lose weight.

For starters, try to get at least 10 grams (g) of BCAAs a day. Since they’re most abundant in meat and dairy products, you can get the better part of that by following laws 2 and 3. (Two scoops of whey protein and 3 ounces of beef contains 10 g of BCAAs.)

You can also buy BCAA supplements (which, you should be aware, are expensive). Look for supplements that are 50 percent leucine, 25 percent isoleucine, and 25 percent valine. Start off with 10 g per day, and wait a month before bumping up the dose. The maximum useful intake is probably 60 g a day from food and supplements.

If It’s Fryin’, You’re Dyin’

One thing that every weight-loss researcher and diet-plan author can agree on: Highly refined carbohydrates, such as fructose-sweetened beverages and low-fiber breads, are a terrible idea. Among the many sins of Mountain Dew and Twinkies is the way they cause your blood sugar to spike soon after eating. What goes up fast comes down fast, and you end up feeling tired and hungry much sooner than you should.

Goodbye diet, hello diabetes.

Now we know of a way to make refined carbohydrates even worse: Fry them. Researchers have found a suspected carcinogen called acrylamide in such products as potato chips and french fries.

A “suspected” carcinogen isn’t the same as a proven carcinogen, such as tobacco smoke. But anytime I get a chance to talk you out of eating worthless snack foods, I do it.

Food Goes Farther with Fiber

Fiber’s effect is the opposite of snack foods’. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady.

The benefits: You’ll have a more consistent energy supply and less between-meal hunger. The only potential downside is that you won’t get as much reading done in the bathroom. What slows down your blood sugar at the front end speeds things up at the back end. I could give you the usual riff about eating more broccoli and raisin bran, but you can safely and easily take in more fiber by using a supplement. (MD Labs’ Fiber-Psyll is a good one; go to MDlabs.com.) Start with 7 to 12 g a day, mixing some with water and drinking it before your main meals.

Count on Calcium

Recently, nutrition researchers discovered that dairy and other calcium-rich foods help you stay lean, prevent osteoporosis, and possibly prevent colon cancer. The recommendation is to take in 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. (A cup of milk contains 300.)

Unfortunately, too much calcium may increase the risk of prostate cancer. The tragic number seems to be 600 mg a day from dairy products. And what’s the point of having a V-shaped torso if your prostate has a spare tire?

Here’s how to reap the benefits of calcium without the risks:

• Avoid taking high-dose calcium supplements unless you really need them (under doctor’s orders, or if you never eat foods naturally rich in calcium). The fat-fighting properties of calcium are activated only if you obtain it from real food.

• Look for low-fat dairy products fortified with vitamin D, such as fat-free milk and yogurt. Vitamin D offers prostate protection.

• Triple your home-gland security by occasionally eating a tomato salad (rich in prostate-protecting lycopene), mozzarella cheese (rich in calcium), and olive oil (which contains a cancer-fighting fat called beta-sitosterol).

Alpha Males Use Omega-3 Fats

Each year, we learn more about the health benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds, and flaxseed and fish oils. (And also in the cool, orange-flavored supplement Coromega, available at iherb.com.)

These health benefits—less risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example—are great on their own. But omega-3 fats contribute to a better physique as well. For example, omega-3s reduce inflammation throughout your body. That not only prevents heart attacks (inflammation in the tissues surrounding blood vessels is a major cause) but also helps your muscles recover faster from workouts.

Bigger, less-inflamed muscles mean a faster metabolism, and speeding up your metabolism is crucial when you’re trying to get lean. If you don’t eat fish twice a week and can’t stomach fish-oil supplements, try eggs high in omega-3s, which are found in the dairy case, next to the regular eggs. You can eat four of them a day without any negative effect on your cholesterol levels.

Make a Plan

Next time you read a weight-loss story in a newspaper or magazine, count the number of disparaging references to popular diets. Based on the way diet gurus trash their competitors, you’d think there was no plan on earth that actually works. But the truth is that you can’t lose weight without a diet.

You must have a plan. The more sophisticated it is, and the more tailored to your likes and dislikes, the better. You can’t wing it and expect to see results. I won’t offer you the perfect weight-loss regimen, because research has yet to discover one. But even the worst plan is more likely to succeed than no plan at all.

The best plan is likely to include these elements:

• Meals and snacks are based on some lean protein source—fish, eggs, dairy, meat.

• More meals are better than fewer. Five or six meals and snacks a day is ideal.

• Low-fat and high-fat diets can both work, but one that cuts almost all fat is doomed.

• Nobody ever became obese from eating the best carbohydrates—fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. And nobody ever died from skipping potatoes, pasta, rice, popcorn, and Wonder Bread.