Get Rid of Hunger

When losing weight it is vital that you get rid of your hunger cravings.  If you constantly fee hungry, then you will always want to eat which will almost kill your chances of successfully losing weight.  Look for foods that keep you full for long periods of time.  These are fiber-rich foods such as lentils, legumes, nuts, apples, peas, and etc.  These are not only tasty but they will also help you keep a healthy digestive system!

Drink More Water

Did you know that you can lose at least 7-10 extra pounds just by drinking the correct amounts of water?  When you do not drink enough, you body will store water inside you.  You body will not store water like this if it feels there is plenty coming in on a regular basis.  You should drink at least eight glasses a day for this to work.

I have found that people managed to lose a minimum of seven pounds once they started drinking more water! Once your body gets water regularly, it will stop hoarding water and flush out any excess water that it has stored!

This is just one of the benefits water offers.  It will also boost you body’s metabolic rate, which will help you burn fat and helps you lose weight.  Water is also great for detoxifying your body.  Once you rid your body of toxins you will not only lose s few extra pounds, you will feel better as well!

Hula Hooping

Hula Hooping is a fun way to lose weight without exercise in the standard fashion.  The only thing you will need is a cheap hula hoop from your local dollar store and your set.  Just use it for at least one minute at a time.  Work this is for  ten minutes everyday but if you cannot then do not worry, just use it when you have a spare moment.  This is a fun way to fit in some much needed exercise!  Not all exercise programs require exercise but anytime you can get up and move your body, your weight loss results will be much greater.

See there!  Weight loss doesn’t have to be a boring and rigorous process!  Follow these three quick weight loss tips above and watch just how easily you can shed a few extra pounds!

Low calorie diets used to be all the rage about a year ago.  Since then the fad has died down some but there are still many of them out there.  I have witness countless stories of real people that tried these diets only to give up because they were not seeing the weight loss results they had hoped for.

There are a couple of reasons these low calorie diets do not work.  Perhaps the number one reason is when you eat lower calorie foods, your body essentially is being undernourished.  You will often feel fatigued and sometimes sickly.  These diets leave you very little energy to to anything, let alone exercise!  The cause of this is that your bodies metabolic rate is now running low.

If you are looking to lose weight successfully, you really need to think about these following two points:

Calories Are Not Your Enemy!

Calories themselves are not something you should avoid.  Calories are what your body derives its energy source from.  Eating the correct foods will boost your body’s natural metabolic rate burning those excess pounds and help you lose weight.

It is not rocket science.  Basically, all you need to do is separate the “good” calories from the “bad.”  The bad calories are found in the obvious places, junk foods.  Think about this.  You will not gain weight by eating 10 apples a day even though an apple typically contains around 100 calories, however, you will gain weight if you eat 10 hamburgers.

It seems too simple but it’s honestly just that easy.  You will help yourself greatly by focusing on finding the foods that consist of negative calories.  That may sound strange but “negative calories” does not mean there isn’t any contained within the food.  Instead, it means that in order to digest these foods, your body must burn more calories than are contained in these food items themselves.

Focus On Your Muscles

Now this isn’t a strength and resistance training section.  It simply means that you need to think about your bodies muscles when you are losing weight.  In order for your muscles to maintain themselves they need to burn a lot of calories.  So, the more muscles you have, the more calories that you will burn.  For building them up, you need to focus on protein-rich foods.

You do not have to be going for a super ripped stomach and what not to take advantage of this.  Simple getting up and doing some simple exercises will help you lose weight tremendously.  If you are really into exercise then I recommend joining your local gym.  If you check around you can find some really cheap places to work out.  If you prefer to do some exercises on your own you can always just do them at home.  One really fun way is to stop by your local dvd store and find some fitness videos that spark your interest.

How Does This Relate To Low Calorie Diets?

The reason I mentioned the muscles section is that low calorie diets will reverse your muscle mass.  While on one of these diets you will be unable to maintain your strength and gradually lose it so this is just one more reason low calorie diets are not a good idea.

The truth be known, low calorie diets result in water weight loss and muscle density.  Can you lose a few pounds this way?  Sure.  Is is a good idea?  No..  There are many other healthier ways to lose weight than low calorie diets so watch out and keep these tips in mind!

Take Care All!
~Ryan

Be Cautious of Crash Diets

Crash diets are the most common of all diets on the internet. Most are designed to give you some results in hopes that you will buy into an additional product somewhere down the line. Did you know that most people that have tried crash dieting regained most, if not, all of their weight back?

Perhaps the most common crash diet is the “Low Calorie” diet. While cutting calories is a good thing, most programs cut the number under what is healthy for your body. The side effects of these type of bad diets are fatigue, illness and a weak immune system.

Eating Properly

If you have managed to steer clear of the low calorie “crash diets” ideas, you should still watch your food intake. Foods that are roasted, steamed or broiled rather than fried are always the better option. Remember to add variety to your diet for two reasons: 1) different nutrients are found in different foods and 2) eating the same things is just boring!!

Additional Fat Burners

The right diet pills can help your weight loss by leaps and bounds but do not go buying up the first ones you see. There is a major controversy going on right now in the dieting community about internet weight loss pills. Many contain little or no fat burning ingredients in them. Would you be surprised if I told you that most internet diet pills are just sugar pills?

When you are searching for your next diet, or are currently dieting, keep in mind these tips to help spot a bad diet. It’s not always easy so do not rush on your decision, nothing is worth sacrificing your health over!  If you are currently on a diet, carefully look over what you are doing to make sure you are on a healthy diet!

Image courtesy of Flickr

It’s time for more quick weight loss tips!  Changing your lifestyle to a more healthy one does not have to be a major undertaking.  Start slow and work your way into new habits that will benefit you for years down the road.  Old habits are very hard to break so take it easy on yourself for a while.  Studies show that it takes around a month for things to become a habit to us.

One of the most difficult things about starting a healthier diet is finding more fit alternatives to the food your already eating.  Start just one habit and practice it for about 4 weeks.  Continue with it while you start another along with the first.  Practice this one for four weeks also.  Before you know it, you will have about 12 new healthy habits in about one year.  You will be surprised how well you feel once you are eating healthier.  Here are five tips to get you started:

Substitute Snacks For Fruit And Nuts

The combination of fiber, protein and healthy fats will hold you over until your next meal much better while not suffering from the “candy bar crash.”

Drink More Water

Yes, I realize that we have touched on this subject before but it is VERY important.  Very slowly reduce your soda intake and replace it with either water or tea.  You should aim for 64 ounces or 8 cups per day.  If you want to add some flavor to your water then try the sugar-free powder drink mixes.  You can also add lemon as well.  Green tea is a very good antioxidant and helps your weight loss as well!

Reduce Your Food Intake

This task is hard for many people but try this approach.  Play a “mind game” on yourself.  Having that big plate of food in front of you looks so good but you know it’s so bad!  This time, reduce the size of your plate.  You are reducing your portions while still having the sight of a full plate.  This will trick your mind into thinking your eating more than you really are!

Eat White Meat Turkey or Pork

These meats are lower in fat than both red meat and pork.  However, do not fry the turkey or pork, bake or grill it instead.

Eat Soups or Salads Before Meals

Research shows that if you begin your meals with either a soup or a salad your chance of taking in to many calories during your regular meal is greatly reduced.

Ask for Your Dressing to be Served on the Side

Most restaurants tend to go overboard when adding these sauces to the top of your meals. Ask for it on the side rather than drenched on the top.

If you are trying to lose weight and keep it off then these six quick weight loss tips can help you be on your way in no time.  Some of these are obvious and you may have heard of them before but they are proven successful time and time again.  If you take these tips to heart and include them in your diet, achieving your weight loss goals will be easier than you think.

How much are you really eating?

We have all been guilty of overindulging in our favorite food but who can blame you, food is good!  Unfortunately, too much of a good thing is bad.  If you want to make a change for the future, you must change the present.  A wise philosopher once said, “The definition of insanity is repeating the same task expecting different results.”

Take a look at exactly what you eat during the day and write it down.   Be sure to record everything!  Compare how many “snacks” you have to the amount of meals you eat.

Are you emotionally eating?

This one is really hard to realize because it becomes like a second nature.  Are you really eating because you are hungry or are you just bored?  Are you depressed?  Many of our emotional triggers can be eased with eating.  My bad day food was always frosted mini donuts.  I would have a stash of them from vending machine in my desk at work until I found myself running through 3 packs a day even though I wasn’t really hungry!

Drink a no calorie drink

You don’t need to spend all the time in the word in the supermarkets trying to find the lowest calorie drinks.  The best one can be found right in your home.  Good ole water.  Now I know city water can taste horrid which is the case where I live but install a water filter then your good to go.  Not to mention your helping save the environment PLUS your money by not buying bottled water!

Eat more frequent smaller meals

If you spread out your meals to around 4-6 a day then this will keep your hunger levels down.  This also keeps your blood sugar level at a more consistent rate so you do not feel all tired and groggy.  You will also be less likely to over eat when its dinner or supper time.  This method can be a little tricky if you have a busy schedule.  So try it and if things don’t work out, move on.  There are plenty of methods to lose weight so do not get discouraged if a couple things aren’t right for you.

Sneak in some exercise

I’m not talking about extreme push ups or dead lifts here.  All you need to do is get up and get mobile.  Simple walking will do the trick. Anything to get your body to burn those extra calories.  If it is convenient for you, head to the park and enjoy the day.  If not then you could make some extra steps around the mall or supermarket.  I know many people that say this form of exercise works for them because they love to shop!  Simply make a lap around the mall before you begin shopping to get your heart rate up.

Realize that success lies on persistence

Things will not change overnight.  Anything worth having is worth fighting for!  Weight loss does not have to be a unenjoyable task.  Make it fun and keep at it, never give up, and never stop living.

Take Care All!
~Ryan

Image courtesy of Flicker

First is an article written by Jeff Anderson at Military.com.  This posts goes over some common misconceptions about carbohydrates and gives you the straight facts on what are bad carbs and good carbs.  It is very important to know which carbs you need and don’t need for weight loss.  6 FACTS ABOUT CARBOHYDRATES

Here is a post by the Los Angeles Times about grapefruit being the next miracle fat blocker.  Scientific research shows that naringenin, a flavenoid derived from grapefruit, shows promise of impending diabetes in mice.

Next is a topic for all of us caffeinated drink lovers out there.  This article shows how just one a day adds 15 pounds a year and could be the number one cause of obesity!  Soft drinks contain a lot of sugar and we all know how devastating sugar is on a diet.  Be sure to read this before you grab your next soda!

How to lose weight quickly is an article written by Hasham from HealthMad.com containing 10 simple but effective tips for helping you lose weight.   It touches on the subject of motivation as well as keeping a record of your progress.

Joanne Mayhead from Total Wellbeing Blog brings on the importance of sleep in your weight loss routine.  Did you know the amount of sleep can effect your dieting results?  It absolutely can!  In fact, lack of sleep can interfere with many things throughout your day.

That is it for today’s weight loss tips from around the web.  I really hope you found these resources as informative as I did. Periodically, I will be doing these types of posts to share with you some great reads that I run across.  After all,  great articles are not worth writting if they never get read!

Take care all

Today, I would like to talk about a topic that seems to come up quite regular.  Can stress make you gain weight?  Perhaps this hasn’t been properly answered before and we can shed some light in your direction.

Can Stress Make You Gain Weight?

The short answer to this question is yes!  Stress can make you gain weight; but do you know why?  We have all faced stress in our lives at some point and, lets face it, almost everyday is full of it.

Here is Why

If you have continuing stress patterns (mental or physical) this stimulates a side of your Autonomic Nervous System known commonly as “fight or flight.”  Even though you may be near the brink of exhaustion, your body is still on alert mode.

It’s this unnatural stimulation that causes a repeated release of adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones in your body.  One of the side effects of these hormones is to store excess fat within your body that will enable you to survive in case you are “on the run.”

Unfortunately, you cannot change mother nature but you can work with it.  Make a few simple changes throughout your day and you may be surprised at your results.

How Can I Prevent Stress Weight Gain?

If you are living with a lot of stress and concerned about gaining weight then try to do this one thing; Relax.  Now I know your thinking “Oh.. wow, great, Captain Obvious rides again, thanks for that complex information” but just work with me for a moment.  Take this time to sit back and just breath for a moment.  I know it’s easier said then done, especially if there are kids screaming in the background..you know who you are.

Think back to what it is that gives you the most grief?  Is there some sort of family problem that wears on your mind?  If so then find a friend or family member to talk about it with.  Things like this will drive you insane if you keep them balled up inside of you, I have been there!

Maybe you have incurred a debt or some other unfortunate financial situation.  The same applies here.  Talk about it, make plans.  Harness the power of your mind to formulate a plan.

One major cause of stress is fear of not knowing where you are headed and afraid of where you will end up.  If you can take out these uncertainties, you will feel so much better about both yourself and your situation.  If you can minimize your stress levels then you should not be concerned with stress related weight gain.  Remember that life may not be all it’s cracked up to be but it is much more enjoyable if you feel good about the direction you are headed.  We are only given a limited time on this earth, might as well try to enjoy it!