How to lose weight naturally?

Many people are concerned with their body weight for reasons of health and personal appearance. The amount of time, effort and money spent on losing weight is tremendous. For some people, the goal is merely to look better, and the inevitable health problems associated with being overweight are often neglected. Any simple and fast method toward achieving a slim figure is in great demand. Weight loss pills and programs for rapid weight loss become popular choices on the market. Attempts to solve the problem by reducing food intake are well known. The basic principle of this theory is that if food intake is less than energy expenditure, stored calories will be consumed, mainly in the form of fat. However, the sheer complexity of mechanisms involved in the control of body mass allow little room for external weight manipulation, thus by damaging body reserves through diminished energy intake is not an ideal solution. Once the diet regimen is broken, body weight is quickly regained. There’re also methods directed towards controlling overweight using pharmacological and surgical treatments. However, potential complications are present with each of these procedures, in particular, pharmaceutical intervention may result in drug dependence and side effects. Thus safe and healthy weight loss options are desired.

It is generally known that the body fat is associated to caloric energy balance, which is the difference between caloric intake (calories consumed from food), and caloric expenditure (calories that are burned during base metabolism and physical activity). The core fundamentals of any weight loss program or obesity intervention involve reducing calorie intake (dieting) and increasing calorie utilization (exercise). In other words, the essential factors in losing weight and keeping ideal body weight are motivation, proper dieting and exercise habits, and most importantly, a strong desire for better health. Not all people that desire to lose weight have the self-discipline, motivation, desire, etc. to follow through with a particular dieting and exercise regimen. The theory behind weight loss may be simple, but statistics show that executing and maintaining a weight loss plan is a different story. There is no magic weight loss formula. Losing weight permanently or the success of a weight loss plan depends on your personality and lifestyle.

It is widely recognized that diet is important to the health and psychological well being. Choice of types of food and amounts of intakes is an important factor in maintaining or modifying body weight. In fact, a good diet plan makes it easier to lose weight because you’ll feel better, and you’ll have more energy to stay active. So a diet plan for losing weight should not try to radically change your eating behavior. The plan should adapt to your daily activities and eating behavior. It is understood that the body tends to store excessively absorbed fat for future use rather than eliminate it, and it is this factor which tends to lead to weight gain. A large portion of the calories that a person consumes is associated with the amount of fat that is consumed. A high fat intake diet associated with the inability to match that intake with the expenditure of the consumed fat derived calories is proved to be correlated with overweight. Further, high fat intakes have been shown to be associated with a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, strokes and a number of other health problems. In a diet plan an excessive fat intake is obviously strictly avoided. Selecting food and counting the consumption of food calories is a necessity of many weight control systems. Decreasing the absorption of carbohydrates by inhibiting the digestion of starch is a very effective strategy in weight loss.

Setting and observing daily target calorie consumption levels can be useful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, a serious problem of weight control is an acute one in modern society where a large proportion of society has been unable to balance their energy expenditure with their intake of calories. This is due in part to the unhealthy lifestyle adopted and in part to the ready availability of foodstuffs, especially ‘fast foods’ which are high in fats and sugars. It is known that exercise combined with a well balanced diet is important for maitaining ideal weight and keep good general health. In fact, this is the key to a sucessful plan for safe, natural and healthy weight loss. Many people’s lifestyles have become less physically active due at least in part to the increasing demands of modern society. A natural result of a sedentary lifestyle is the increasing tendency to gain weight. Health and fitness professionals agree that exercise is an important part of staying slim. Without adequate exercise, excess calories are converted and accumulated as body fat.

How to lose weight faster and healthily?

All the recommendations contained here can help lose your weight more easily, provided that you have a healthy diet structure. If there is not a reasonable diet structure, even if you firmly abide by each of the following recommendations, there’s few chances you’ll be successful in losing weight.
The primary weight loss factor

We have been tirelessly talking about various weight loss methods and products, such as diet books, fat-burning medications, weight loss pills, fitness training, aerobic exercise, and all the other staff that could promote weight loss. However, this almost makes us forget that the most important factor or driving force in fat loss is the strength of will. Losing weight is first and foremost a spiritual process. Whatever we do, including weight loss, it’ll fail unless we think that we can do it. Therefore, the first step in body slimming is to convince ourselves that we must remove fat for our health. Weight loss is not easy, but if you make up your mind, there’s no doubt you’re more likely to succeed.

Obesity treatment, as pointed out by many health professionals, is such a long term process that many people hope they can slim down their body quickly. They often ask if they can lose fat by 10 pounds a month by taking drugs or other more effective therapies. It’s somewhat not realistic to lose such amount of body weight in a month. Our body organs keep working to maintain our life and tend to grow continuously. Theoretically there’s no limit for body weight. In fact, losing weight is contrary to our body’s own engineering theorem. So we should try to make the body to accept the weight loss process. Weight loss in a long term won’t make the body produce a fierce resistance so that the weight won’t be regained in the future. We must give our body enough time to adapt to new circumstances. In short, an extreme restriction of dietary intake for a fast weight loss will cause great damage to all body organs.
My view on slimming products

Many people are keen to know if the weight loss drugs are really effective. The advertising campaigns for various slimming products are overwhelming. There’re always full page ads on newspapers and magazines. Those who oppose to the use of slimming products people will try to convince you not to take weight loss pills because they are pure chemical substances. While advocates of weight loss medications will argue that these products will help you achieve a quick weight loss and do not have side effects or health risks. We cannot believe any side of the case. But one thing is absolutely correct: if you do not change your eating habits, do not have a healthy diet plan, weight loss products really do not have any effect. As for whether to take these pharmaceutical products, it depends on you.
Green Tea & caffeine

These are the two primary substances in fat loss products and they contribute to the increase of body’s metabolic rate and promotion of fat burning. However, as in our life the internal balance needs to be maintained in the body. Neither coffee nor green tea should be taken excessively. Too much green tea will cause constipation and too much coffee will lead to excessive hip fat.
Drink plenty of water

Many people drink less than two cups of water, this is not good for health. A lot of physical activities involve large amount of water. Most people need at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Cold water can promote the metabolism and is thus helpful in weight loss. Our body maintains a constant temperature. If we drink the water of which the temperature is lower than body temperature, the body need to work immediately to increase the water temperature to the same level, this process will consume energy. Energy consumption would mean consumption of calories, fat consumption is the consumption of calories, your body begin to lose weight.
Rapid weight loss

As mentioned above, weight loss can be achieved with a healthy diet and quick weight loss would cause danger to physical health. But in hell are there ways to speed up this process while maintaining a good health? Of course, there is. You can accelerate weight loss process through aerobic exercise. The body will consume calories to ensure the normal function of its energy needs, and aerobic exercise consumes more energy. The body produces energy through the degradation of carbohydrates, which in turn leads to the burning of more fat. Therefore, physical activities will accelerate weight loss. Such activities include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and etc.
Protein can help lose weight faster

Protein is the nutrient necessary for muscle building. Amino acids function to construct new muscle cells to replace the old damaged cells. These amino acids are achieved through the decomposition of food protein. Intestinal protein degradation is a very complicated process which consumes a large amount of energy. In other words, there’s energy consumption during digestion of food. Therefore, eating large amounts of protein will make the body consume more energy, thus lose weight faster. The protein in the body will not be converted into fat and sugar. High-protein food includes livestock meat, poultry meat, fish, milk and dairy products.

Lose weight naturally by swimming

Swimming can be one of, if not the, best way to exercise towards weight loss. More so than running, more so than biking, swimming provides the workout strenuous enough to really melt off the pounds. What makes swimming so much more effective than other fitness methods? Have a look for yourself.

* Swimming is one of the best aerobic workouts around. Running and biking (as mentioned previously) are some of the best aerobic exercises to lose weight…swimming is better. A swimming regimen will point you in the proper direction towards weight loss.
* As anyone who has ever taken the plunge before can tell you, water is more resistant than air. Therefore, swimming is like running while utilizing weights. Except instead of working your legs, you are toning the entire body. Almost all your muscles are worked out and this greatly increases the number of calories burned.
* Swimming promotes the growth of muscles. You just read about how the resistance of water and the fact that the motions of swimming couple to form what is essentially a weight-training workout for every muscle in the body. Continued practice of swimming will only improve your utilization of these muscles, leading to the growth and strength of the lean tissue. Muscle growth means metabolism growth. Metabolism growth in turn means weight loss.
* Continued use of swimming as a means for exercise will help make your joints more flexible. Increased flexibility will allow your swimming form to improve, maximizing the effectiveness of the exercise. This increased productivity allows you to burn more calories than ever before, stimulating the reduction of fat cells in the body.
* Swimming can also be a relaxing way to exercise. Increased relaxation alleviates stress. Many scientists point to increased stress as the main culprit for certain types of weight gain. Stress encourages fat, swimming combats stress. You do the math.
* Swimming, in addition to being a more productive exercise than running or biking, is also an easier exercise. Gone is the pressure on joints that accompanies the other exercises. This results in longer workouts at a more refreshed pace. Again, this will help you burn more fat than ever before.
* Swimming simply burns more calories. At its peak, running can burn about 270 calories per hour. Most styles of swimming burn anywhere from 350-400 calories per hour (if you are heavier from the start, that number can be increased even more!). Additionally, deep water walking can burn over 540 calories an hour! This is a lot more productive than sweating it out while running to and fro.

While all exercises have their health benefits and can lead to weight loss, swimming takes the cake. Not only does swimming work all the muscles, but it does so with more resistance yet less stress. This leads to muscle growth, which raises metabolism and increases the ability to burn fat on a consistent basis. Additionally, swimming burns more calories than most any other aerobic exercises. More burnt calories and a higher metabolism will mean lots of weight loss very soon. If this is not enough to get you to hop into a swimming pool, nothing will.

Lose weight with a healthy diet plan

The diet program below is a free weight loss diet plan and is an anti-fad diet. It uses simple and healthy ways to lose weight. It is for anyone who wishes to lose weight. The diet plan is simple, safe and effective.

The lose weight diet has three phases which are detailed below.

Phase 1: How to lose weight
This phase aims at understanding the process of calories and its effect on losing weight. Just as everything you consume increases calories, every activity you perform burns calories. If you consume and burn the same quantity of calories a day, you would maintain your present weight. This is the calorie maintenance level.

Only if you burn more calories than you consume, you begin to lose weight. So, the aim is to create a calorie deficit. Instead of reducing your intake drastically, try to burn more calories than you consume. Combining a proper diet with an ideal workout gives best results and is the ideal weight loss solution.

Phase 2: Create your weight loss diet plan
Using your knowledge of how to lose weight, this phase helps you to create your own weight loss diet plan. To achieve this you need to calculate your calorie maintenance level. There are many tools available online to help you find out calorie maintenance level. Most tools require information regarding your gender, weight, height, age and activity level to find out calorie maintenance level.

The next part is to create your weight loss diet plan. This is done by reducing 500 calories from your calorie maintenance level. This causes calorie deficit and starts the process of weight loss.

It is advisable to eat 5-6 smaller meals than go in for 3 large meals. This helps to increase your metabolism, keeps you more satisfied and provides nutrients through out the day. Your diet that should provide 500 calories below your calorie maintenance level should include right amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates to create a balance diet.

Phase 3: Continue losing weight and keep it off
This phase helps you to continue losing weight and keep the weight off for good.

There is a possibility that you may stop losing weight at some point of time. When it happens, you need to change calorie maintenance level and make necessary calorie adjustment to continue weight loss.

You need to keep weighing yourself one a week to track progress. Weighting should be done on an empty stomach in the morning. The ways to track weight loss are getting your fat percentage tested or by measuring yourself or by tracking through pictures.

Once you reach your ideal weight, you have to consume enough calories as your maintenance levels to retain the new lighter weight.

The Lose Weight Diet works by using the simple logic of what works and what doesn’t work. It aims to reduce your total calorie intake and makes sure that the calories you consume contain protein, carbohydrates and fat required for a balanced diet.

Maintaining weight loss is not as hard it seems

There is a lot of pride that one can have after losing a lot of weight. This world is very appearance conscious and is becoming more and more health conscious as time progresses on. You learned that eating healthier and working out was only part of the battle – a huge part – but still just a part of a greater whole. Continuing to live a healthy lifestyle is not a simple one. Easy never factors into it because when you look out into the world all you can see around you are temptations. Temptations of your pocket book, temptations of faith, the body and yes – junk food. The temptations are vast and unyielding. It takes strength of character and a conviction to remain true to your self.

There is a cold hard fact that anyone can lose weight. It really is true – no matter your circumstances you can lose the weight. The truth, however, is that only 5% of those who lose weight will actually be able to keep it off. Are you someone who wants to regain weight or are you destined to be one of those 5%? I hope the latter.

Losing weight is not a fly by night process. In fact it is a life long journey. I do not want to compare to addiction but it really is. If you are addicted to food it really is a drug that needs to be controlled as well as limited. Let us take a moment to go over the top two reasons why long term diets fails:

* Stress. Stress causes depression and when we are depressed we look for comfort – the usual comfort we find is in the form of food. When that occurs, old ways return and we can kiss the weight loss good bye.
* Taking an extra bite. It is true – if you take an extra bite here or there you can take another extra bite and another until finally the old habits return and you can’t stop.

There are other factors too that are sometimes out of our control like an illness or being confined to a bed. Family also plays a great part in long term weight loss. So what are the reasons that keep that 5% maintaining their weight loss? Here are the top 7 reasons I found to be true among them all:

1. Acceptance of failure as a dieter and thusly moving on. It’s important to know where you may have failed and keep going despite of it.
2. Do not deny yourself the things you love. If you keep a pretty steady diet there s no harm whatsoever in allowing yourself to indulge once in awhile. Denying yourself those tasty things you like make you crave them all that much more.
3. Weigh yourself often – allow the scale to be your inner voice. Make yourself answer to it.
4. Get in daily exercise of at least 30 minutes working up to an hour every day.
5. In your day to day routine add activity. Do more things. Park further from the entrance. Train yourself to push yourself just a little bit more.
6. Diet is an important factor in maintaining your weight loss and following a diet that is high in carbs and low in fat is the most effective diet plan.
7. Eating often. Never allowing yourself to go into starvation mode. Eat 5 to 6 small meals each day.

Keeping these things in mind you can have a better chance of becoming one of the 5% to keep the weight loss!

Losing weight the healthy way - regular exercise

You spent a lot of time trying to be good with eating right and it got you this far. You have made a lot of healthy changes in your life but your weight loss has dwindled. Are you exercising regularly? If you are like then you probably mean to exercise – to wake up earlier and get in 30 minutes on the treadmill. Sure – it happens once or twice then the majesty sort of just falls away and you forget – and you make excuses.

Why do we exercise in the first place? It is not always to burn just those 100 or so calories you get rid of every mile you walk. Exercise actually does that much more. Your metabolic rate is increased and, as such, you will burn those calories much faster. Studies also show that following an exercise program, when you are at rest, you continue to burn calories at an increased rate.

Exercising aids you in preventing the body from entering into starvation mode or can create a hibernation response. Many people begin low-calorie diets because they have found that their metabolic rate is lowered and when that happens your body hordes energy. Exercising will make your body resist moving into that condition.

Gaining muscle mass is a nice side effect for those who exercise on a regular basis. This is a lot better than the alternative. For those who only diet and not exercise are usually faced losing lean tissue of about 20%. On the other hand, those people who exercise regularly while maintaining a low-calorie diet will actually gain weight in the form of lean tissue and lose body fat. Lean tissue is essential in the metabolization process of losing fat. Dieting without exercise means less lean tissue in which to burn at and you will soon plateau and stop losing weight.

Regularly exercising has a wonderfully positive effect on your body chemistry. Untrained subjects that participated in endurance-type exercise for several months develop an increased amount of fat-burning enzymes.

Most heavy people produce excessive insulin within their body tissues. Insulin in excessive amounts that is found in body tissues, unused by the cells, can cause you to store more fat. Exercising helps the cells of the body to use insulin and reducing he need for more insulin.

There is no evidence at this point in time that proves that exercise is a successful tool for appetite control. There are some studies showing that obese people seem to experience suppression of appetite through some exercises.

A researcher campus in lrvine studied both obese men and women for the purpose of seeing if exercise alone was effective in helping people lose weight. They worked with 34 obese men and women that were put down and de-moralized after many years of attempting to lose weight. They were told to start a daily walking regimen and to gradually work to increase time and distance.

This group did not seem to accomplish anything until they worked up to 30 minutes a day at which time they started to lose weight and at the end of the year each of 11 patients who remained with the program had lost a significant amount of weight with an average weight loss of 22 pounds seeing the most successful weight loss being 38 pounds and the least successful at 10 pounds.

An effective free fat burning plan

In order to burn fat fast, you have speed up your metabolism process. This can be achieved by having the right foods in the right quantity along with regular exercise. For long-term benefits and to maximize your weight loss you need to expend more calories in a day than you consume. You have to keep your metabolism high to burn fat fast. This requires following a balanced low fat diet without going in for fad or low calorie diets. These kinds of diets not only reduce your metabolism but also cause muscle loss which in turn reduces your capacity to burn fat fast.

Here are some suggestions and techniques that can be implemented to help burn fat faster:

1. Increase consumption of foods rich in fiber in your daily diet. Fiber helps to burn fat faster and promotes overall health. The best fat burning fruits include apple, blackberry, blueberry, banana, cantaloupe, orange, peach, grapefruit, lemon, strawberry, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. The highest fat burning vegetables are asparagus, bean, broccoli, celery, cucumber, mushroom, spinach, pepper, spinach, salad green, tomato, onion, and zucchini.
2. Have small and frequent meals. Cut down your 3 large meals to 5-6 meals of smaller proportions
3. Do not overeat and have food only when hungry. Avoid junk foods, sodas and fried foods.
4. Drink lots of water especially ice water. Water hydrates you, has zero calories and when it is cold you burn calories warming and absorbing it.
5. Be moderate in your food intake as this helps the metabolism process and helps burn fat faster. Also never starve yourself or overeat.
6. Try to include resistance training in your daily exercise regime. This helps to add muscle which in turn will boost your metabolism and burn fat fast.
7. Avoid having carbohydrates before you go to bed as it increases the fat deposit and stops your body from burning fat faster.
8. Include cardio training to burn fat faster. Exercising your muscles burns both fat and glucose in different proportions. Continuous smooth movements when exercising helps burn fat faster.
9. You can burn fast if you exercise at a lower level of effort and for longer duration. Low intensity exercise prevents decrease in metabolism and fat burning. Breath deep to use more lung capacity for effective fat burning.

Excessive dieting does not give desired results as it causes hormonal changes, loss of muscle and frustration. In order to burn more calories fat fast, you need to build muscle. If you undertake strength and endurance training, it helps to achieve extraordinarily high and long-term metabolism along with toning your body.

Effective cellulite treatments for cellulite removal

For women, having beautiful skin and body is of great concern. Having cellulite is a nightmare for women. Most women desire to have clear and beautiful skin, but if they have cellulite, the dream becomes farfetched and can even cause sleepless nights. A lot of women who have cellulite are not able to wear whatever they want. Almost all women want to look good in short skirts and tank tops. However, even women with beautiful legs and toned tummies hesitate in wearing clothes that show off their assets because of cellulite. If their cellulites are on the legs, they cannot enjoy the comfort of wearing shorts or the girly feeling of wearing skirts. Cellulite can ruin the effect of skimpy clothes on even the best bodies.

Cellulite is fat. They are more often found in women and the usual spots are the thighs, tummy, and buttocks. Sometimes, men have these in the neck and the abdominal area. When there is proper blood circulation in the body, we get smooth and clear skin. However, there are lots of times when fats, fluids, and chemicals are trapped underneath the skin. When this happens, the tissues become hard and thick and causes uneven skin surface. This is cellulite. Cellulite could be a lot lighter than the skin tone, making it more visible. For those who are not suffering from cellulite, they tend to look at it as a petty cosmetic problem. However, for those who have it, it is more than just a cosmetic problem. Because of the embarrassment and frustration that it brings, it becomes an emotional and mental problem.

There is more than one type of cellulite. There is the hard type that is a bit harder to remove because they are attached directly to the muscles of our body. The soft ones, on the other hand, are a lot easier to remove but are more visible because they sag from the body. There are several groups of people who are more prone to having cellulite. Those who are very active like athletes or dancers, those who are pregnant and have just given birth, and those who are taking birth control pills.

The good news is that there are available treatments to try to eliminate cellulite. One of the more popular treatments is the use of anti-cellulite creams. These creams are very common in the market and can be bought in different varieties. They contain the special ingredient alpha-hydroxyl acid that makes the skin more elastic, making the cellulite less visible. So in essence, the creams do not really treat the cellulites. They only make the skin look better. Another thing that men and women could do to try to eliminate cellulite is to exercise regularly. It has been proven that exercising the body is a good way to reduce the appearance of cellulites.

Liposuction may be the best surgical method to remove cellulite in the body. In this procedure, a small incision is made on the body where a small tube is inserted. Fat will then be suctioned out and it’s “bye-bye cellulite”! This procedure is very effective in removing cellulite. However there are some down sides to it. This procedure is expensive. Only those who have money to spare will be able to afford it. Certified doctors do liposuction so it really is costly. Another problem with liposuction is that it only works for those who are near their ideal weight and who have skin that is still elastic. It will not work for those who are overweight and for elderly people who have lost their skin’s elasticity. If the procedure is done on people with sagging skin, a worse cellulite problem may rise.

Those who are physically and emotionally fit, those who are relatively young and still have elastic skin, and those who are not overweight can have liposuction. Liposuction has a good record but you have to set realistic expectations before having the procedure. It is highly possible that not every cellulite will be removed. It should also be noted that some side effects might occur. Bruising and swelling is highly likely, plus there could be some bleeding. If you are not used to anesthesia, adverse reaction may also occur.

Those who cannot have liposuction can lose cellulite the natural way. You can undergo regular exercise to lose body fat. Exercise also aids in good blood circulation. You can also use anti-cellulite creams that target the affected areas, help burns the fat within and remove cellulite. You could also try to do water therapy. Water can treat cellulite because it helps flush out toxins in the body and helps maintain good blood circulation. Ultimately, when toxins are removed and there is good blood circulation, you will have smooth and clear skin.

There are lots of methods available for everyone. The first leg of the journey starts in believing that you can fight cellulite. Do not lose hope; the dream of being cellulite-free can still become a reality.

Starting over yet again: A guide to successful weight loss

“It’s now or never?” you say to yourself after pinching your belly fat and thigh fat. You resolve that you are going to lose weight now or else you will postpone it again for what seems like years and years. You know the negative effects of your sedentary lifestyle, manifesting on the bulges on your stomach and thighs. So now, you’re really set your mind to do it.

Be warned, though. Mindset is truly very important, but many have tried and failed to carry out their resolve and attain their goals in weight loss and diet. This article provides a few tips and tricks so that you won’t have to suffer the same fate.

1. Current physical state. You have to see clearly where you are, your physiological state when you’re starting the regimen. Many people have made the mistake of recklessly entering a program or self-designing diets and exercises without gauging what their current physical condition is. You will need a baseline, something that you can compare yourself against to see if you’re making progress. Without it, there’s a greater chance you’ll quit.

2. Setting specific goals. Not only should your weight loss goals be specific, they would also have to be realistic. You can’t expect to go from 150 pounds to 90 pounds in a month, unless you have some surgical procedure done. You might also be tempted to just cite an ideal weight, or display your smallest dress on your dresser to motivate you to work. These won’t do because the goals you have to set should be time-bound. That is, you need to have a time frame for attaining each goal. For example, tell yourself that in a week, you have to loose 5-7 pounds. By doing this, you will be more accountable to yourself and you will be more motivated to do what you have set.

3. A step-by-step process. Setting goals is not the end-all and be-all of weight loss. You would also have to plan concretely how to achieve these goals. It helps to start small. Plan small steps first, such as foods that you can and cannot eat, hours of the day when you can exercise, and all other aspects that relate to weight loss. It is much easier to accomplish a plan when it is broken down in small steps. That way, you can really gauge your progress.

4. The time factor. Once you have ironed out your goals and plans, there’s no use putting them off. Start as soon as you can so that you can accomplish your goals sooner. Success and failure lies on the right kind of action at the right time. And in weight loss, the right time is NOW.

5. Emotional preparedness. This is necessary because of the difficult road that lies ahead. Sure, it may seem easy when you’re plotting it down on paper, but when you’re actually implementing it, you will realize that it’s not as easy as it looks like. You might feel one day that you’re on the right track, and the next day you’re depressed because you feel you got the weight back, and more. Learning to deal with this roller coaster of emotions is an important factor in weight loss. You have to focus and not get side-tracked by self-doubt.

6. Momentum. You might be tempted to reward yourself by breaking your own rules a bit when you have reached a specific goal. Don’t even try it, because it can be a very slippery slope. In other words, don’t stop unless you have already attained your major goal, that is, your ideal weight, and acclimatizing your body to physical activity and an altered diet. The indication that you are losing weight is your reward, and when you have finally finished the program, you will feel a sense of accomplishment over your effort and discipline.

Walking for weight loss

Everyone knows that the road to being healthy can be should be taken with a healthy dose of exercise. Diets have always been accompanied with reminders that constant activity is required for it to work. The government has even circulated its own recommendations for exercise. Many people think that just because you use your legs to get you to one place to another, it already constitutes exercise. Many people strain this definition further by just walking then considering it as their exercise. But does this work?

Researchers coming from the University of Alberta have taken this question seriously, and they have embarked on a very detailed study. They compared the fitness level of two groups: one group involved following a walking program, and the other group was told to do traditional fitness routines that are moderate in intensity. The research concluded that the fitness level of the latter group was significantly higher than the former, possibly indicating that walking may not be enough. The leader of the research team, Dr. Vicki Harber, elaborated that walking, because of it is a low-intensity activity, do not give the benefits of fitness routines that range from low, to moderate, to high intensity. She also said that in order to be physically fit through exercise, low-intensity activities should be combined with high- and moderate-intensity ones.

In other words, walking will not give you the benefits that you can get from having more challenging exercise routines. But still, can it somehow contribute to overall fitness? And more importantly, can you really be physically fit (i.e. lose weight) through walking?

It is true that walking has its place in a fitness regimen, especially for those who are just recently starting to work towards being healthy. For those who have had no exercise for a long time, it is best to start with a walking program so as to accustom your body to physical activity. Walking is a great segue towards more challenging exercises. This low-intensity activity is particularly recommended to those who feel that their bodies are not up to par, are overweight, and have no experience in strenuous physical activity. Walking is not simply getting you in one physical place to another; it can also take you from inactivity to motion. Because it makes use of the muscles, it will still allow you to burn more calories and to provide a warm-up to your muscles.

However, remember that walking alone does not constitute an entire exercise regimen. As was stated above, you need to subject your body to more strenuous physical activities in order to truly see the results. Once your body gets used to walking, it will adapt to this activity and thus you will reach a plateau. Because of the body’s amazing ability to adapt, every time you get into an exercise rut, that is, if you repeat the same routines over and over for a period of time, your body will gradually adjust and you won’t see any results. Progress requires stepping up. To maintain progress, your body has to constantly challenge itself so that it won’t fall into a rut.

Brisk walking is best accompanied by resistance training. This kind of exercise does not necessarily mean bulging muscles such as that of bodybuilders or pro wrestlers. It is true that resistance training is similar to lifting weights, but this should not be intimidating because, after all, your goal is not to look like a bodybuilder or a pro wrestler. The benefits of resistance training include muscle tone, increased metabolic rate, increased bone density, improved mood, and improved posture, to name a few. You don’t have to use dumbbells or barbells for weight training. You can also enroll in a few yoga or Pilates classes, which advocate training using body weight.

Lose weight with aerobics and resistance training

In searching for exercises that could tone and add firmness to the muscles, most people would go for videos or programs that have aerobics in it. This is a common notion, but it is also wrong. The truth is that aerobics has very little to do with firming and toning the muscles. If you want to see real results, you should opt for resistance exercises, or weight training.

In fact, you can get the best results if you have both aerobics routines and weight training in your exercise regimen. Research has shown that, with this combination, there is a greater chance of increased weight loss as compared to just doing one of either.

While developing your muscles, you may notice that you are getting heavier as well. This is normal because muscles weigh more than fat. Gradually, as you develop your muscles, they will burn fat on their own, even if you are not engaged in strenuous activities. Muscle development leads to higher metabolic rates. 1 pound of muscle can burn up to 500 calories every week so that it can thrive, while 1 pound of fat will only need 14 calories. Developing muscles can also lower the risk for certain diseases, as recent research has shown.

Weight training is beneficial for everyone, old and new, male and female alike. More and more exercise regimens are including weight training into their routines. Current studies indicate that elderly people suffer muscle loss not because it is a natural process of aging, but due to lack of activity. Younger people who don’t exercise much will also lose some of their muscle strength and mass. Resistance training is beneficial in maintaining or increasing muscles mass, even if it is done only twice a week.

Contrary to what many people think, lifting weights regularly does not always lead to bulky muscles. It will only increase the strength of the bones and the body’s metabolic rate, thus giving one’s physique a more toned, leaner appearance.

Strength training and aerobic exercises are equally important. Aerobics will help your blood circulation and develop the heart and lungs, thus distributing more oxygen throughout the body for optimum efficiency. Strength training, on the other hand, will help muscle development, reduction of body fat, and maintenance of bone density.

The goal of aerobic exercises is to elevate the heart rate for a sustained period of time, thus you intake more oxygen and you put your heart and lungs to work. Some aerobic exercises available today are walking, swimming, cycling, and aerobic dancing. If you are enrolled in a gym, you can also use the various machines they have such as treadmills, stationary bicycles, steppers, and more. The choice of exercise depends on your interests, your physical condition, history, and what you hope to achieve. Experts recommend alternating exercises in order to reap bigger benefits.

Aerobics can come in two forms: high-impact and low-impact. Cross-training effectively combines the two. Sustained workouts using only high-impact exercises can cause damage because it is harder to the body. Low-impact aerobics, while safe, may not yield visible results. Cross-training prevents over-working certain muscles and injury.

Going overboard is not advisable either. You may end up getting burned out, thus tempting you to give up altogether. Exercises of moderate intensity are the best, and it is definitely more enjoyable. If you came from a long period of inactivity, such as in recovery, or if you are overweight, start with low-intensity exercises first so that your body will be re-accustomed to physical activity.

Proper warming up and cooling down are essential parts of any workout. This reduces the risk of injury or discomfort during and after your workout. Proper warming up is done by starting slowly, then gradually increasing the speed and intensity. Near the end of your workout, slow down once more as a signal that your body need not exert itself as much anymore.

Developing a personal weight loss plan that works for you

It has always been a fact of human existence that humans are as diverse and varied as anything can be. ‘No two snowflakes are ever alike’ is a popular way to put it. Because of this, it becomes quite difficult to establish some hard and fast rules that can serve everyone equally. However, society tries. After all, every human being is alike in one way or another. Rules regarding the most basic principles can work for human beings, no matter how diverse we all are. Weight loss rules are a bit murkier, especially because even the most basic human components, the genes, are all very different. But there are proven ways to help lose weight. Here are five of them that you might want to try out and apply in your weight loss program.

1. Workouts and weight loss. Exercise routines operate on the principle that you will lose weight if you use up more calories than you consumed. This is the most basic strategy, and no matter how tedious it may sound, it has worked for all. Simple applications include cutting down on calorie consumption, which includes high-fat food, then doing simple exercises thrice a week for twenty minutes. Use your legs instead of your car; if the grocery is just nearby, might as well walk or jog rather than drive. By making sure that you are doing some exercises as you go about with your chores, you would be able to contribute to your goal of getting those extra p$ounds off.

2. Gym membership. If you think you cannot organize your whole day into chunks of exercise, perhaps it’s best to enroll in a gym. This way, you can have your personal trainer that can design a good work-out plan for you according to your goals, and you can consciously set aside some time for you to strengthen and develop your body. Your routine should have a combination of aerobic exercises and anaerobic ones ?that is, cardiovascular exercises and some resistance training.

3. Go to the pro. Professional health practitioners such as nutritionists and dieticians can be the best step you take for losing weight. You might be tempted to just do research on your own without having to consult these professionals and pay a fee, but the people who have tried this are easily frustrated and discouraged because they feel that their diets are tasteless and lacking in variety. A professional can design complete meal plans for you and outline what you can and cannot eat.

4. A work-out buddy. It helps to have someone you can workout with. Training with a friend can boost your motivation and enthusiasm for working out. If you haves someone who can join you for a jogging date or a gym date you will be more inclined to actually do it rather than put it off. It also allows for some quality time with your friends.

5. Frequent small meals. The usual breakfast-lunch-dinner meal plan may be able to provide you with all the energy you would need for the whole day, but it won’t help much with your goal of losing weight. Experts and nutritionists recommend that small, frequent meals are the best way to manage your food consumption when you are in a weight loss program. At least, your body would not have to be pressured into metabolizing the huge amount of food you ate. Thus, there will be less chance of fat accumulation. Eating a small quantity every certain number of hours allows the body to absorb more nutrients, thus it reduces your cravings while still making sure that you are getting the nutrients you need.

Lose weight even with a busy lifestyle

The modern day dad is always busy. First, they have to work hard to provide for their family’s needs. They have to send their kids to school and attend to some extra curricular activities. They are also expected to help in the household chores and perhaps even cook when mom is not around. This is the reason why most dads have big bellies. Year in and year out, their busy schedule hinders them from having any form of exercise. And no matter how much effort they take in following a healthy diet, they still end up with a gut that keeps on getting bigger. They may have dropped beer from their daily routine, but the beer belly has grown that big that it is difficult to shed the extra fats.

What’s more, dads are not the most suited in reading and understanding the various workouts provided by various fitness magazines especially those articles written by individuals who do not have any clue on how it is being a busy dad. So how does one busy dad get rid of those unwanted weight? How does he deal with the little time he has to do some physical activity and workout some unwanted stomach fat? Here are some friendly tips for busy dads who want to become slimmer and healthier.

First, it is important that busy dads do some resistance training. It does not mean that dads should head to a nearby gym and punish themselves with intense training. This is not practical since dads obviously do not have the time to engage themselves in such rigorous training.

Busy dads can do some workouts at home by using their own bodyweight and a couple of dumbbells. Dads can engage in effective and intense workouts at home in as short as 15 minutes. This is certainly good news for dads since they do not have to devote a lot of time doing these workouts.

They can do simple exercises like 15 repetitions of push ups; DB lunge of 10 repetitions for each leg, resting 30 seconds and then repeating them. The set continues with DB rows for 8 repetitions; DB incline chest press for 8 repetitions; and Mt. Climber for 30 seconds, taking a 30 second rest and then repeating.

Also, busy dads can benefit from having a healthy and well-rounded diet. Busy dads should remove liquid calories from their intake by staying away from alcohol, soda, sweetened teas, and coffee drinks. It is better to drink zero calorie drinks such as water and green tea. This can help busy dads lose weight as much as 8 pounds in a week.

Busy dads should also make sure that they minimize their portion sizes. They should cut their portions down by at least a half, and this would provide serious and dramatic results. It is also recommended that busy dads eat fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, and almonds.

Busy dads should also engage in interval training. This involved mixing high intensity exercises with lower intensity exercises. For instance, dads can do some time in a stationary bike. After warming up, mix a few bouts of intense cycling for around 30 seconds, then lower the intensity for another 60 seconds. Repeat this for 5-6 times, then dads can cool down.

These are just some of the easy and effective ways for busy dads to lose stomach fat as fast as possible. This way, busy dads can get rid of their ugly belly while still having time for their family and friends. Remember these simple tips and you will certainly lose stomach fat quickly and easily.

How to lose belly fat and keep it off

There are many resources and many different opinions on how to lose belly fat. After doing much research, this program combines the best of the programs that are available and give the reader a good well rounded program which will allow them to get rid of belly fat, lose weight, and keep it off, if the program is followed as directed.

Belly fat seems to be one of the most stubborn areas to get rid of for most people. However, most people want is a quick fix and that is not what this program is designed for. It will give you needed results quickly but it is designed as a program anyone can incorporate into their life and utilize without dieting or starving themselves.

The first step to achieving your goals is to make a thorough observation of your present diet and daily routine. Most people really have no clue as to what or how much they consume on a daily basis. Start a journal. Write down everything you eat for 2 days running as well as any activity you are doing presently.

On the third day, you are going to grade your diet and your activity levels. You are going to see that there are many things you never realized that you were consuming during the day. This is time to take your inventory. Count how many servings of breads, sweets, sodas and desserts you have been consuming.

The next step after taking your inventory is to make a firm commitment to this program and stick with it! It will not work if you do it for 3 days and stop! This is designed as a way of life, not a quick fix or fad diet and you will see results if you follow this for 2 weeks. This will give you the incentive to continue.

The first rule of thumb is to cut back on sugars and starches which produce fats in the body. So make a pact to cut your servings of breads, sugars, potatoes and desserts in ½. If you totally avoid those types of foods you will start craving them and will eventually want to “cheat” which will not help you in the long run. Avoid sodas as well each soda has around 150 calories which are pure sugar and caffeine. These are empty calories and provide no nutrition for the body. Plan to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily to help hydrate the body, avoid hunger, and rid the body of toxins and fats that are not metabolized by the body.

Next incorporate fat burning foods into your daily diet. This includes 3 servings of dairy products daily such as cheese, milk, and yogurt. The University of Tennessee did a study which showed that people lost twice as much belly fat incorporating this into their diet than those who consumed a diet without it.

Fat burning foods include all citrus fruit, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and guava. These are also high in Vitamin C and will help to repair or boost your immune system. Other fat burning vegetables and fruits are carrots, cabbage, broccoli, apples, watermelon, asparagus, beets, and blueberries. Plan to eat at least 4-6 servings per day of these types of foods.

The last step is to start increasing your daily activity to help to tone and shape your body and includes your belly or abdominal muscles. People with poor health or back problems frequently have issues with this as the abdominal muscles keep the spine aligned and the back muscles in correct position. Therefore improving this area of muscle may also help back pain.

This exercise program is very quick and easy to do. Anyone can do this even those who are not in good health or have been sedentary. Importantly start SLOW and work your way up. This increases your chances of continuing.

First start on a daily 10 minute walk outside or on the treadmill. Then a quick 3 minute exercise routine that targets your abdominal muscles and belly fat. You will do 5-10 jumping jacks, squats, crunches, and push ups. If unable to get on the floor, do push ups against the wall with your body at a 45 degree angle. Every 2-3 days increase your routine by one to two repetitions or minutes. You will see results very quickly doing this!

Best exercise to lose fat

Any fat loss exercise routine focuses on activities consuming large amounts of oxygen. Our body chars 5 calories for a liter of oxygen it consumes. There are many exercise options for those wanting to lose weight. Some of these are running, swimming, biking, rowing, walking, elliptical, upper body ergometer, as well as outdoor sports activities like cross-country skiing.

But what is the most effective exercise in terms of losing fat? Here are some good insights.

Most of us are interested in the physical activity that works best in terms of burning of fats. After all, everyone wants to gain the best bang for their money. Because the goal is to make the most of oxygen consumption, it is important to do activities requiring the greatest effort of the muscles. The more muscles needed in performing an activity, the larger amount of oxygen required in supplying the working muscles.

Remember that oxygen is required by the body in producing energy. The working muscles require oxygen, if not, the muscles will tire out easily and thus will have no ability whatsoever to do their functions.

Most athletes engaged in activities requiring large amounts of muscles usually have the biggest VO2 max or the maximum aerobic capacity since their activities require a lot of oxygen for their working muscles. Thus, the highest VO2 max that has ever been recorded belongs to rowers and cross-country skiers, and not runners.

This may sound intriguing at first since those involved in rowing and cross-country skiing use muscles in working against resistance. The upper body muscles as well as lower body muscles are pulling and pushing a given resistance, making said sports not just effective aerobic training exercises abut also effective in burning calories.

Rowers typically have large men and women who have large and lean muscles. Male rowers usually stand around 6′ 4″ with 220 pounds of pure muscle, making them virtually calorie-burning machines. They can get away with large frames since their sport is not essentially a weight-bearing activity. Rowing idealizes large and muscular athletes since they can produce significant power, both muscularly and aerobically, through their big muscle mass.

But If one takes these similar rowers and asks them to run at similar rates at which they paddle, they are most likely find it difficult. It is due to the particular nature of running as well as the fact that they are carrying more mass.

This also goes with cross-skiers since their aerobic capacity is impressive. But, they are quite similar to runners in terms of physical features since their sport is a weight-bearing one, rewarding athletes who have lots of weight.

Compared to other sports or physical activities, running is more effective in burning calories at the similar intensity. It is thus the more effective kind of cardio for burning of fat while helping anyone to lose weight.

An explanation is that running is considered weight bearing, meaning the muscles of the lower body have to work harder to support and propel a person, and expending more calories in the process. The heavier a person, the more calories he will burn.

Also, running produces too much energy for its movement. Thus, many calories are spent. This activity is recommended for those who aim to shed weight but not for those wanting efficient types of movement.

This actually makes sense since cycling is considered easier compared to running, Cycling is mostly mechanical, meaning that most of the energy utilized in moving the bike results in travel and not that much heat production. Compared to cycling, no doubt that running is way better and healthier option.

How to dine out and still lose fat

Are you the type of person who is worried about their calorie intake, especially when you dine out? This is the problem most people confront especially those who frequently eat in fast food restaurants. Given the hectic lifestyle that most of us lead, it is but convenient and practical to eat at restaurants or fast food places instead of having to prepare your own food. However, eating at restaurants can have its disadvantages especially for those health-conscious individuals. The food which is served in restaurants are not exactly nutritious and healthy, as they contain a lot of calories that have no health benefits to the body and sometimes, ingredients that are bad for the body.

For instance, the 5-piece fried chicken of McDonalds which is served with ranch sauce amounts to a whopping 800 calories, and 55 grams of these calories are fat. This is just an insane amount of fat considering that the restaurant advertises them as a healthy option. The food item is supposedly healthy since it is made of chicken breast, but when chicken breast is doused in butter and deep fried, it becomes a high-calorie, unhealthy food.

Another example of food served in restaurants which is not healthy at all would be smoothies from Jamba Juice. Whenever people hear the word “smoothie”, the tendency is for them to think that it is healthy. This is how the manufacturer markets the said product, after all. But you would be shocked to realize that this product has 900 calories and 160 grams of sugar. This is another example of how ridiculously unhealthy food served in restaurants are.

The said food items are considered to be among the worst foods served in restaurants, in terms of their nutritional values. In fact, there are other food items that have plenty of calories in them, some stretching to the 1500 and 2000 calorie mark. These entrees have the number of calories that some diet plans suggest to have as a total intake in a day.

This would be the problem that most of us face since we usually eat too much of the food that have empty calories and a lot of fat. Often, we are not cautious and observant of the food that we put in our mouth, and we often pay for what we eat when the substances in these foods end up as gooey fat that sits in our butt, gut, or thighs.

This is not really surprising since people in the West are very much notorious for having an unhealthy diet. The consequence is that a lot of people are becoming more afflicted with diseases as well as battle with the bulge. This of course can also lead to serious health problems later on.

Thus, it is important that you be more careful of what you eat and drink, particularly when you are dining out. Choose carefully from the menu, as there are a lot of restaurants that indeed offer a lot of food options that are healthier compared to their items in the menu.

Also remember to avoid eating too much appetizer since they are normally loaded with fat, including vegetable dishes that come with dipping sauce. Do not also eat food that are fried or sautéed since they are high in fat and calories.

You should also eat small amounts of food in restaurants, as well as drinking water between every bite. This way, one can remain healthy and slim despite frequently dining out in various restaurants.

Keep in mind that if you are really bent on losing some weight, you would need to have a lot of discipline as to what you consume in your daily meals, no matter where you go.

Weight loss after pregnancy

Most women are eager to get back to their pre pregnancy weight and shape as soon as it is physically possible. However, what most women need to remember is the fact that it took nine months to get where you are today. Weight loss will be an ongoing process that can be achieved if you follow a healthy diet and do some easy activities. The main thing is to refrain from trying to lose weight too quickly or it can come back to you.

After experiencing pregnancy and giving birth, your body has gone through a lot of changes both physical and hormonal. You are going to need all the energy that you have in order to take care of yourself and your infant for the first month to six weeks. So do not put a lot o emphasis on cutting back on your nutrition while in this time frame.

It is more important to focus on eating a healthy, nutritionally sound diet. You can avoid foods that are high in fats as well as those foods or drinks that do not provide any nutritional value to your diet such as sodas, which have approximately 150 calories and are pure sugar. These are empty calories and are one way you can cut down your intake without risking your health or energy levels. It is advised as well to not substitute diet drinks for sodas as they have been shown to actually increase your appetite which can cause other problems.

Do drink lots of water each day. Water facilitates digestion and will help you to feel full for a time after drinking it. Take your prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your physician until told otherwise and eat a diet that is high in nutrition and vitamins.

It is important to take it easy for the first six weeks after giving birth. So it is not recommended that you start a vigorous work out routine until after that time. Most women gain approximately 30-35 pounds during pregnancy and average time to get back to pre pregnancy weight is around 4-6 months.

This does not mean you have to be sedentary though. You can incorporate twice daily walks which will help you to get some of your shape back as well as to tone your muscles and give you an good cardiac work out. This will help you to feel better and have more energy as well. Purchase a stroller if you do not have one already and on days that are nice, take your baby out with you on your walks. Pushing the stroller will help to burn a few more calories.

Talk with your physician at your six week postpartum check up and if they are in agreement, you can then start a diet that should continue to be nutritionally sound but cut down on calories as well as high fatty foods. This is the time to start to develop a 30 minute exercise program per day to get going on weight loss and toning for your body.

This does not apply to breastfeeding mothers. They require an additional 500 calories per day in order to produce the breast milk needed by their infant as well as increased fluids. Therefore it is not recommended at all for any mother who is breastfeeding to cut back on her diet unless it is empty calories mentioned above. Breastfeeding mothers can take advantage of doing a twice daily walk as well and this will help to greatly tone and shape their bodies. They should consult with their physician as well at their postpartum check up to see what exercises are permissible for them to do at that time.

Guide to weight loss surgery

Bariatric surgery is very popular right now for people who are considered morbidly obese and have tried other weight loss programs and diets but have not been able to lose the weight needed to get them closer to a healthy weight. This type of surgery is not to be taken lightly as there are risks when any surgery is performed. There are also complications and side effects of surgery that need to be understood before someone really looks to this type of procedure in order to lose weight.

There are several different procedures that can be performed however we will discuss the two most popular types of bariatric or weight loss surgery that are performed today. We will discuss what the prerequisites are to be considered for this type of surgery as well as the work up and information that needs to be imparted on the patient considering this. We will also discuss the potential complications for each type of surgery and what if any reversals that can be done. This type of surgery is designed for people who are morbidly obese, especially those who are at least 100 pounds overweight and are in reasonable good health otherwise.

The first type of surgery discussed today is the gastric bypass surgery. It is commonly called the “stomach stapling procedure” by most laymen. In this procedure, the largest portion of the stomach is stapled off and a small pouch formed that holds approximately ½ cup of food at a time. This procedure is considered safer than procedures in the past where the rest of the stomach was removed completely during surgery. The intestine is then rerouted to a lower area of the small intestine which reduces the amount of nutrients that are absorbed by the body. This procedure works both on the premise of restricted amounts of food and drink taken in and promotes reduced absorption of nutrients as well which both promote weight loss.

Some advantages of this procedure are that in clinical studies average excess weight loss with this procedure was 75-90% when checked over a period of one to five years postoperatively. Long term maintenance of ideal weight can be achieved by the patient as long as they adhere to the diet and routines that are given to them to use after surgery.

Some of the draw backs of this surgery are that the stomach can be stretched out again if the patient does not stick with the diet prescribed after surgery. This includes large amounts of liquids as well as foods. Malabsorptive procedures can cause issues such as malnutrition, anemia, and bone disease have been reported. The patient will need to take multi vitamins with iron and minerals in order to get all the nutrients that their body needs to be healthy. This procedure can weaken the immune system due to less nutrients being absorbed so patients are at higher risk of succumbing to viral and bacterial infections. Patients complain of liquid and frequent stools after surgery which in some patients does regulate itself with time. Gall stones are frequently found after this type of surgery and the gall bladder may need to be removed if this happens. This type of surgery is harder to reverse than the next surgical procedure that we will discuss.

The second type of surgery is newer and is reportedly safer to use as it can be adjusted or reversed without undue complications if needed. It is called the lap band surgery and it is the most popular type of weight loss surgery at this time due to the facts stated above. The lap band is a restrictive band that is placed around the top of the stomach and separates the stomach into two parts. This makes the person feel full after eating small portions of foods. In this type of procedure the digestive process is not bypassed but digested normally. The person just cannot eat large amounts as they did before.

The restrictive bands can be adjusted as needed to be more or less restrictive as needed for the particular patient. This surgery is easily reversed as well which does not leave patients with the long term decreased absorption of nutrients as the earlier surgeries caused in patients.

The main issues with this surgery is that leakage can occur around the band, nausea and vomiting can occur, and the band can slip or migrate to a place it should not be in. If this does take place, the band can be adjusted with a minimally invasive procedure whereas the previous surgeries could not be fixed this way.

How to lose stomach fat

Stomach fat, also called visceral fat, belly fat, and pot belly, is found much deeper in the body when compared to the subcutaneous fat located right under the skin. Since it collects and sits around the organs located in the abdomen, stomach fat can be especially dangerous. Everyday more people are being diagnosed with high cholesterol, heart diseases and diabetes, among other diseases and illnesses. Each of these has been linked to stomach fat, making it even more important to find ways to lose stomach fat.

One thing you can do to lose stomach fat is to eat small meals 5 -6 times daily rather than eating 3 big meals. Eating this way makes it less likely that you will do any binge eating at those 3 huge meals daily. If you are not overeating, then you are doing your part to battle stomach fat. This also helps in raising metabolism since the body needs energy in order to digest food. In addition, it’s a better idea to have your heaviest meal at the beginning of the day, eating a reduced amount at the end of the day.

Eating foods that burn fat will also help you lose stomach fat. These foods are the ones that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Some of these foods are eggs, lean meats, fish, whole grains, vegetables, and natural fruits. Don’t eat things that have white sugar or white flour in them. Add some healthy fats like seeds and nuts, fish fat and olive oil. It is important to remember that the body needs essential fatty acids to burn body fat, particularly stomach fat.

If you are really serious about losing stomach fat, it is vital to drink plenty of water. This is especially true following a workout, or any other time you may sweat. In order for your body to perform at its best, it must have water. If it becomes dehydrated, the organs in the body are forced to work harder to keep the body’s water reserve. One of the organs that suffer most during dehydration is the liver. It is what helps to burn fat that produces energy. When the liver cannot perform well, the fat burning process is not going to be as effective as it should be. Drinking such things as sodas, chocolate drinks or canned fruit juices is not going to work as well as water, as the sugar content of these is pretty high.

Lifting weights can help to lose stomach fat. When you work out with them, it causes the abdominal muscles to work harder, which makes them tighter. Performing exercises such as chest presses, free weight squats, and dumbbell rows, will really make those stomach muscles work.

If you are not big on weight lifting, try to lose stomach fat by doing cardio workouts. These can be a big help since calories need to burn in order to lose stomach fat. Brisk walks, swimming, playing tennis, running, jogging, or just dancing are all excellent cardio workouts. They are fun, too. Doing aerobic exercises will provide oxygen to the body, which will aid in burning those unwanted calories, and will increase your metabolism. A cardio workout should happen at least 3 times a week, and should be 30 to 45 minutes in duration.

Believe it or not, all those excess crunches will not help you lose stomach fat. The reason for this is because, when trying to lose fat, it cannot be done by spot reduction. There is only one way to lose fat throughout the body. It can only be accomplished by combining a healthy diet with an exercise routine designed to boost the metabolism. This does not mean that you should not focus some on your stomach fat because there are muscles there that need work. But this work needs to be done correctly. Formulating a plan where you will work out your abdominal muscles on alternating days, 3 times a week, will be much more effective when you are trying to lose stomach fat.

None of this may sound like a lot of fun. However, if you look at it as body maintenance, maybe you will become a bit more motivated. Your body is a much more complicated machine than a car or computer. Both of those need maintenance, just as your body does, to stay in top shape.

Acupuncture for weight loss

Acupuncture is a tool or type of treatment which is used in conjunction with traditional Chinese medicine. This type of treatment has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years in order to treat many types of body disorders. Traditional Chinese medicine which includes acupuncture, herbal supplements and foods that will help to promote weight loss can be used to help people lose more weight and maintain their weight when utilized for this purpose.

Research has been done that shows that treating weight loss with acupuncture and TCM does work. A study by the Journal of Medical Acupuncture in 2003 showed that people treated this way lost 2-3 times more weight than those in the control group. A study done is Australia showed that people who were treated were less likely to be hungry and lost weight faster than others.

Acupuncture works by placing slim needles into different acupuncture points on the body. These treatments are set up specifically for the individual and will depend on the types of symptoms they have as well as what the practitioner finds upon examining the person wanting treatment

According to the philosophy behind Eastern medicine and the five element theory, being overweight is due to an imbalance in the spleen or liver organ systems. The theory states that the spleen works to provide proper digestion and improve the function of the digestive system. This system is responsible for breaking our food down and turning it into Qi (energy) which is essential for life. Disharmony in the spleenic organ system can cause fatigue, lethargy, weakness, slow digestion and metabolism, water retention, frequent liquid stools and bloating.

The liver system works in order to keep the Qi (energy) and the blood flowing smoothly and in a proper manner. Stress, strain, fast living, not eating well, or sleeping well can have very negative effects on our liver being able to function properly. Disharmony of the liver can cause symptoms such as craving and other triggers which cause impulse eating.

Both acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine approach weight loss from a whole body standpoint. They treat both physical and psychological elements and triggers equally. The goal for adequate treatment for weight loss with both of these treatments is to balance emotions and energies effectively, eliminate cravings and emotional triggers to eat, stimulate metabolism and improve digestion.

Acupuncture treatment for weight will be designed for the individual patient but all treatment includes stimulating the points that are responsible for a person’s well being as well as points that promote movement of Qi or energy and blood flow. This will stimulate metabolism and aid digestion. Points will also be chosen to calm down the nervous system and counteract triggers that might affect the person producing cravings or impulse eating.

Most acupuncturists choose points on both the body and the ear. Research shows that the points on the ear are very important to stimulate when treating a person for weight loss. These treatments are usually performed once or twice per week for eight to twelve weeks or until the weight goals have been achieved.

The acupuncturist may attach small magnets or ear tacks to the ear with tape to be kept on after the treatment. The person can then massage the acupuncture points when they feel nervous or hungry. This can help keep down triggers that can cause emotional eating.

Acupuncture alone can go far in helping a person to lose weight however most practitioners recommend that the patient utilize Chinese herbal supplements and also give them food recommendations that will assist them in the ability to lose weight at a faster pace.

Topical fat loss

Topical fat loss is a method of dissolving fatty tissues that is an alternative to liposuction and other surgical procedures. This is achieved by apply creams or lotions on the body in areas where cellulite or fatty tissues are excessive in order to try to dissolve the fat that lies underneath the skin in those areas. The products in the creams are designed to break down or dissolve individual fat cells upon reaching them. The companies also have sprays and gels as well with the same type of ingredients for spot treatment or to treat smaller areas of the body.

The companies that market these types of products state in their literature that their product penetrate the layers of skin to then attack the fatty tissues beneath them. Once the ingredients in the cream dissolve the fat cells and cellulite, the skin takes on a more smooth, healthy and youthful appearance. Most of these creams contain ingredients such as DMAE, diiodol-thyronine, aminophylline, forskolin, and yohimbine.

The companies market the product to women who want to look and feel younger as well as lose their pesky love handles, saddle bags, or those flabby arms they always have to keep covered up. These creams can be pretty pricey but they are easy to find and obtain. They are sold over the counter in most pharmacies or in stores where high end cosmetics and skin care products can be found..

There has not been extensive research on these types of products to date, however Dr Daniel Mowrey from Klein-Becker who sells one of these types of products states that their lab testing shows that fat cells shrink and deflate when subjected to their cream. Supporters of the products include some of the major beauty magazines and their editors who have done their own tests of the products. Klein-Becker’s product gets high raves by several well known publications.

There are just as many skeptics as there are supporters of products such as these. Most of them state that the difference that women notice while using this product is due to temporary fluid or water loss and not fat loss as the products claim. They also question as to how the product can actually be absorbed by the skin and remain intact to get to the fatty layers in the body without being metabolized by the blood stream.

Some of the positive aspects of this type of product would be that it is non-invasive in nature and would not be as risky as liposuction or other cosmetic surgery designed to remove body fat. Other plusses would be that it is much less costly than surgery. It is simple and obtain as well.

Some of the drawbacks include that the jury is still out on the absolute efficacy of this product. Products of this type are generally quite pricey as well. Skin may return to its former appearance upon discontinuance of using the cream as well. Since the product is pricey, it would benefit the consumer to purchase the product from a reputable retailer with a money back guarantee. That way if the product does not work for them, they can return it without penalty.

More research really needs to be done on products of this type and more before definite results can be reported. However, companies realize that weight loss and fat loss are big money makers and generators and will continue to throw products into the market at consumers whether they are quality or not. So it is up to the customer to be a savvy shopper and remember, buyer beware!

Yoga for weight loss

It is well known that yoga has many benefits for body, mind and spirit. Another positive benefit of yoga that many people do not know is that it can promote and aid in weight loss. While it may seem a bit puzzling as to how doing something so calming and low key as yoga can help you lose weight, it has been discovered by the many people who practice this form of exercise on a regular basis that it can help.

While it is easy to see that practicing any form of yoga on a regular basis will build strength, some forms will not get your heart rate high enough to make them the only type of exercise you will need for weight loss. It totally depends on the form of yoga you are doing and how often you do it. You may need to either change the form of yoga you practice, or incorporate some other physical activity into your regimen.

If you are trying to lose weight, it is necessary for you to eat healthy and use exercises that will raise your heart rate. These exercises must be performed on a regular basis for them to be effective in burning calories. For example, the form of yoga known as Ivengar requires that you hold yoga poses for several minutes with a period of rest between each pose. While this will help you build muscles and make your posture better, it is not going to provide the cardiovascular workout that is needed to lose weight.

If you have decided to use yoga as your primary type of exercise, it is necessary to do a vigorous 90 minute yoga class at least 3 times a week. A lot of people who practice yoga also incorporate other activities such as walking, running or some other form of aerobic exercise to help them in reaching weight loss goals.

There are some forms of yoga that will help you in losing weight, however. One such form is called vinyasa or flow yoga. This yoga style requires a series of poses call Sun Salutations to be performed, and includes several athletic and popular styles which are guaranteed to make you sweat.

Another form of yoga that can promote weight loss is called Ashtanga. This yoga style is quite vigorous and carries a few benefits for people who want to lose weight. People who practice Ashtanga yoga are some of the most dedicated of this style. A lot of times beginning yoga students are encouraged to take a series of these classes due to the motivation it offers. In addition, once you have mastered the poses of Ashtanga Yoga, it is perfect to practice at home.

Other yoga forms that encourage a lot of movement and provide a great cardiovascular workout are Power Yoga and Hot Yoga. Power Yoga is very popular because of its highly rigorous workout that pushes up the heart rate. Hot Yoga is Vinyasa yoga performed in a very hot room. This is great for weight loss not only from the rigorous workout it provides, but the heat of the room causes you to sweat out all those calories.

One thing that beginning practitioners of yoga need to understand is that it’s important to honestly assess just how out of shape your body is. You don’t want to start something that is going to hurt you. If you are not in the best of shape, or have not been exercising, you will need to choose a class offering beginning level yoga instruction.

While the most effective yoga workouts are usually done in a class setting, it is very possible to do your workouts at home as well. If you cannot make your class at certain time, you can use a video or audio recording. These are especially helpful if you are just starting out. When planning your workouts at home, there are yoga sequences available for you to follow. These will help you to plan and set up yoga sessions of different lengths that will meet your needs for the day.

As with all exercise routines, including yoga, the key to being successful is self discipline and dedication. If you must miss a work out, don’t let that discourage you. It’s just a matter of picking up where you left off and starting again.

Eat healthy to lose weight

If you’ve been trying to lose weight for some time, then you’ve already heard some of the best advice available on the subject – eat healthy to lose weight. Many people struggle with this advice, even though it is one of the most simple pieces of advice out there. Some people aren’t sure what it means to eat healthy to lose weight. They think they must strictly limit their caloric intake or practically starve themselves to experience any real weight loss benefits. This is simply not the case. If you want to eat healthy to lose weight, there is some important information you need to know about calories, nutrition, and how the body uses the food you eat to perform all of its necessary functions. Once you’re aware of this information, it will be much easier to eat healthy to lose weight.
Healthy Food Choices

If you want to eat healthy to lose weight, it’s important that you make healthy food choices in your daily diet. Fried foods, candy, baked goods, and foods that have low nutritional value will not help you to lose weight and should not be included in a healthy eating plan. But what constitutes healthy food choices? Healthy foods are those foods that have a high nutritional value and provide needed nutrients without having too much sodium, cholesterol, or saturated fat. Examples of healthy food choices include lean meats and poultry, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean fish. Lean meats, fish, and poultry contain good levels of protein that can help boost your metabolism and keep you feeling full in between meals. Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function properly. Whole grains can help keep you feeling full and often have high levels of fiber, which can promote digestive health. Legumes are also a good source of protein and can help you to feel full between meals.
Calories Ingested vs. Calories Burned

Of course, it is not enough just to eat healthy to lose weight. You must also make sure that you are burning more calories each day than you take in. Just eating healthy is not enough to burn a lot of calories. If you go from a high-calorie diet full of cakes and cookies and fried foods, to a diet full of fruits, vegetables, and low-calorie items, you will lose some weight. However, once your body adjusts to the lower-calorie diet, you will reach a plateau and will be unable to lose any more weight unless you are also expending more calories than you are eating. You can eat healthy to lose weight, but you must also exercise for at least thirty minutes each day in order to reap the full benefits of a healthy diet. Weight training can help you to build stronger muscles which, in turn, helps to boost the metabolism. Aerobic exercise that gets the heart pumping will help the heart to improve in condition and can also help to burn fat and calories.
Benefits

If you eat healthy to lose weight, you will experience many benefits, some expected and some unexpected. Of course, you will expect to lose weight if you cut calories and eat healthy foods. This can happen, but there are other benefits you may not have considered. Replacing high-calorie foods with high levels of fat can help to reduce your triglyceride levels, reducing your risk of having a heart attack. Eating foods lower in cholesterol can help reduce the amount of cholesterol building up in your blood and clogging your blood vessels. This can also lead to a reduced risk of heart attack. Eating healthy foods can also help improve digestion, the appearance of the skin and hair, and energy levels. If you want to look and feel better, eat healthy to lose weight. The only thing you have to lose is extra pounds and unwanted fat.

Medical weight loss

Too many people in the world today face serious health issues due to obesity. These are the people who will most likely be put on a medical weight loss program of some sort by their doctors, especially if they become too heavy. These programs can be anything from strictly enforced eating plans outlined by your doctor or nutritionist, to surgical weight loss measures.

While it may seem that a surgical solution would be the easiest, it is not always true. Weight loss eating plans will be difficult to stick to, and may seem really slow to take effect, but this is not surgically invasive, and you will not be facing any risks from things like anesthesia, or possible complications from surgery.

There are even institutions around the country called Medical Weight Loss Clinics, or Medical Weight Loss Centers. These places offer you various effective eating and exercise plans while counseling you and monitoring you every step of the way. The staff at these clinics will make sure you have all of the tools, motivation and encouragement that you could possibly need in order to succeed on their program.

Surgical options are, of course, used quite a bit. There are two main weight loss surgeries to select from. They are the laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure and the lap band procedure. For many years, gastric bypass surgery was the only option available to severely obese people who needed more help that normal people when it comes to losing weight. The lap band procedure has only been introduced in recent years as a less drastic surgical weight loss method. Each of them works similarly by cutting down the amount of food that you can physically eat. As you take in less and less food, your weight goes down.

Besides the obvious things such as risk factors from having surgery, there are some side issues that can be unpleasant to deal with regarding surgical weight loss procedures. Until your body adjusts, you can develop such intestinal problems as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. As your body weight drops, there can be excessive “hanging” skin from your body that can only be corrected by plastic or cosmetic surgery. Undertaking medical weight loss through surgery is not something to be decided lightly. It is a very expensive operation, and if you need to have cosmetic surgery, you will be paying out even more money.

If you are told by your doctor that you have no choice but to lose weight, there are several things to consider when you make the decision of which path you want to follow. Whether it is through a strict diet and exercise plan, or the more invasive surgical procedure, you should definitely gather the facts before making your final decision.

How to stay motivated on a weight loss plan

Losing weight by making lifestyle changes such as improving your diet and exercising more regularly takes a high level of commitment. If you want to lose weight the right way, you need to reduce the amount of calories you consume and increase the number of calories you burn each day. This must be done through careful meal planning and regular exercise. For some people, this is easy because they are motivated to look and feel better and want to experience real results. For some people, the question of how to stay motivated on weight loss plan programs is a difficult one. People can become discouraged if they experience a setback such as gaining back weight that has been lost or not losing any weight in a particular week. Consider the following when you are struggling with how to stay motivated on weight loss plan programs.

If you’re struggling with learning how to stay motivated on weight loss plan programs, there are some motivational tricks that you can use to get yourself in a better frame of mind. One of the motivational tools you can use is thinking about how wonderful you will feel and look once you have lost all of the weight you want to lose. If your weight is currently keeping you from doing something you really want to do, like riding a roller coaster or participating in a sport, just think about how you’ll be able to do those things when you reach your weight loss goal. This can help to motivate you on days when you don’t feel like exercising or you’re tempted to eat that juicy cheeseburger for dinner. Another trick some people use is to imagine all of the great clothing they will be able to wear once their goal has been met. If you struggle with extra weight in your arms, you can think about how nice it will be to wear sleeveless shirts in the summertime. If your midsection has some extra weight, think about how nice you’ll look in a more form-fitting shirt once the weight has been lost.

Weight loss isn’t all about looks, so you should also consider the health benefits of weight loss when you are struggling with learning how to stay motivated on weight loss plan programs. If you currently have health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, think about how much weight loss can help your body regain its former functions. Losing enough weight can be enough to completely reverse some of these problems. Even if you can’t completely eliminate health problems by losing weight, losing weight can help you to control them without having to take extra medication or go through unwanted medical treatments. If you don’t have any health problems that you know of, think about how losing weight will help you to prevent those problems from happening.

The amount of money you will save while you’re on a weight loss plan and after you have reached your weight loss goals is also a good motivator for many people. Many people put off eating healthy because it’s considered too expensive. However, reducing your portion sizes means you’ll make all of your food purchases last longer. It can actually be less expensive to eat healthy than it is to buy cheap convenience foods such as canned soups and noodles. After losing weight, you may be able to spend less money on clothes, medical expenses, prescription medications, and other items. The anticipation of having more money in your pocket while looking and feeling better can help you stay motivated.

If you’ve been struggling with how to stay motivated on weight loss plan programs, there is help out there for you. Use the motivational tips above to get yourself excited about eating healthy and exercising. If you need a little extra encouragement, find a friend who is willing to work with you on a diet and exercise plan. You’ll find it’s a lot more fun to lose the weight when you have someone to exercise with you and cheer you on as you meet your goals.

Exercise productively to lose weight

Regular exercise and a balanced diet are the best way to lose weight and keep it off for the long haul. Exercise should include aerobic exercise to elevate the heart rate and rev up the body’s fat-burning capabilities. Your exercise program should also include strength training to help build strong, lean muscles. Having greater muscle mass can help to increase your metabolic rate, which can help you burn more calories and lose weight more easily. One of the major mistakes people make when they decide to exercise is that they do not exercise productively. You must exercise productively to lose weight, or you will not be able to lose the pounds and keep them off for a long period of time.

Exercising Productively
When you’re exercising, there are several things you need to accomplish. You need to get your heart rate up to a certain level to ensure that your heart is getting a good workout and that your body is burning calories and fat. If you are not exercising productively, your body will not achieve your target heart rate and your efforts to exercise may be in vain. If you exercise productively to lose weight, you are putting in the effort to keep your heart rate up and your exercise is having some impact on your health. You shouldn’t be gasping for air, but it should not be simple for you to sing a song or carry on a conversation with someone else while you are exercising. If it is simple for you to do these things, you need to exercise with more intensity so you can burn fat and gain muscle.

Sample Exercises
There are many activities you can do if you want to exercise productively to lose weight. Aerobic exercises are those exercises that elevate your heart rate and get your metabolism going. These exercises are very important for heart health and overall weight loss. Good examples of aerobic exercise include walking, swimming, jogging, running, and tennis. Weight training is also important if you want to exercise productively to lose weight. Weight training allows you to build muscles, which are important for burning calories and having a steady metabolism. Good examples of weight training exercises include any activities that involve lifting weights or performing an activity while using your own body weight for resistance.

Benefits
There are many benefits if you exercise productively to lose weight. One of the best benefits of exercise is that it releases endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are chemicals that elevate mood, so exercise can make you feel good. Regular exercise can help you improve your energy levels and increase your stamina so that you are able to perform activities for longer periods of time. This type of exercise will also help you to improve your strength. You may find that it’s easier for you to perform some activities as you get more in shape. Weight loss is just an added benefit of exercise. While some people consider weight loss the most important benefit of exercising, being in good shape and having a lot of energy is more important than dropping a few pounds unless you are morbidly obese and you need to lose a few pounds to avoid serious medical complications.

Getting Started
If you’re not sure how to get started on your exercise productively to lose weight plan, consult fitness magazines and books for tips on exercises you can do without putting a lot of strain on your body. If you have the funds available, you may also consider a session with a personal trainer. An initial consultation can give you ideas for exercises that you can do on your own and will help you to determine your current level of fitness so that you can track your progress as you exercise. Above all, practice exercise safety at all times to avoid serious injuries.

Lose weight without taking diet pills

With all of the commercials on television and on the radio for diet pills, many people are starting to think that you have to take diet pills or supplements to lose any weight. This is simply not true. While diet pills and supplements can support you in your weight loss efforts, they are no substitute for a healthy diet and plenty of regular exercise. If you know how to eat the right foods and exercise to get your heart and muscles into shape, it is possible to lose weight without taking diet pills.

If you want to lose weight without taking diet pills, one of the first things you need to do is eliminate unhealthy food choices from your life and replace them with healthier alternatives. Examples of unhealthy food choices include fried foods, fast food, foods that contain high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugars. These foods do not provide adequate nutrition for the average person and they are full of fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar that can cause medical problems and weight gain. To lose weight without taking diet pills, slowly begin to replace these choices with better choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. You don’t need to give up all of your favorite foods in one day. Simply start replacing an item here and there with one that is healthier for you. You can replace hamburgers with turkey burgers for a leaner form of meat. Juices that are full of sugar can be replaced with fresh fruit juice. Making these new choices can help you lose weight without taking diet pills.

Another thing you need to do if you want to lose weight without taking diet pills is get regular exercise. Regular exercise has many benefits besides weight loss including increased muscle strength, better stamina, more energy, and an improvement in mood. Because exercise releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, just getting around thirty minutes of exercise each day can improve your outlook on life. In order to lose weight without taking diet pills, you need to do a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise. Strength training can include lifting weights or doing exercises that use your own body weight as resistance. Aerobic exercise can include jogging, swimming, playing tennis, walking briskly, jumping rope, or even dancing. If you come up with fun activities that you enjoy, you will not have to force yourself to exercise.

There are many benefits to deciding that you want to lose weight without taking diet pills. Many diet pills contain ingredients that cause harmful effects on the human body. These ingredients can increase the heart rate, cause high blood pressure, and also lead to palpitations, sweating, tremors, and dizziness. When you decide to lose weight without taking diet pills, you are able to eliminate these nasty side effects from your life so that you can stay on track with your fitness plan. Another benefit to deciding to lose weight without taking diet pills is that you have a better chance of losing weight and keeping it off for a long time.

Diet pills may cause quick weight loss, but once people stop taking the pills and go back to their old eating habits, the weight piles right back on. Sometimes people gain even more weight than they lost once they stop taking diet pills. When you use healthy eating and regular exercise to lose weight, you are improving your body by speeding up your metabolism and strengthening your heart. This can keep the extra pounds at bay even if you miss a day of exercise or have a piece of birthday cake.