Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category

The first time I ever saw a copy of Eat This Not That I was visiting my parent’s house.

There were two “Eat This Not That“  books on the coffee table: The Supermarket Survival Guide and The No Diet Weight-Loss Solution.

I picked up one of them, intending to just flip through and get a general idea of what it was all about, and I couldn’t put it down!  I kept reading parts aloud to other people who were in the house and saying, “Did you know this?” or “Can you believe that?”

As the weekend progressed I noticed that everyone who showed up had the same reaction.  They were completely hooked and had to keep reading just one more page….

The Eat This Not That books are written by David Zinczenko who is the editor-in-chief of “Men’s Health” and editorial director of “Women’s Health.”

The premise of this book series is that you don’t have to give up any particular food type in order to lose weight. The “secret” is in the choices you make.  The books are divided into chapters such as “Pantry Staples”, “The Freezer Section”, or “At Your Favorite Restaurants.”

The pages within the chapters are loaded with pictures of actual products and colorful graphics describing them in terms of calories, fat, sodium, and fiber per serving, plus other nutritional or just interesting information.  Each time you turn to the next page, the left hand page shows the “eat this” foods, the right hand page the “not that” foods.

For instance, Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal has 190 calories and 14 grams of sugars per 1 cup serving, compared to Cheerios with 100 calories and 1 gram of sugars per cup.

Or how about this – a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder contains 410 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 730 mg of sodium.  But their Premium Grilled Chicken Club has 570 calories, 21 grams of fat, and 1,720 mg of sodium!

Did you know that most restaurant wheat buns contain more fat and sodium than sourdough? Ok, I’ll stop!

Before I get distracted by any more food facts, let me just summarize by saying that the Eat This Not That books are over-the-top full of practical, useful information presented in an entertaining, easy to read format.  And their small size makes it easy to take them along to the store or restaurants.

I HIGHLY recommend that you buy Eat This, Not That. Once you get one, you’ll want the whole series!

Add these easy weight loss tips to your overall weight loss plan and reach your goal more quickly!

1. Weigh yourself every day. Keeping tabs on your progress helps keep you on track.  When you see the scale inching down, it motivates you to stick with your program.  Movement the other direction causes you to buckle down and work even harder.
2. Walk more. Park farther from your office or the store.  Walk around the block before you fix dinner.  These small amounts add up over the course of a day!
3. Eat hot soup before lunch or dinner. Hot soup cannot be eaten quickly so, by the time you finish the bowl, your brain has had time to signal you that you’re not so hungry any more.  Stay away from creamy soups!
4. Don’t drink high calorie beverages. Even though the calories may be the same, people seem to feel fuller after eating solid food.  If you have a high calorie drink before or with your meal, you’ll probably eat the same size meal as you would have without the drink.
5. Have a spicy appetizer. Eating a little something made with chili powder or peppers suppresses your appetite, resulting in you eating less during your meal.

Be sure to retweet these tips to your followers!

So you can’t lose weight even though you’ve been following your weight loss plan faithfully.

It’s so frustrating!  Let’s take a look at your weight loss plan and see where you can tweak it to get the results you want.

1. Are you dieting but not exercising?

Steady, permanent weight loss requires a combination of decreasing the number of calories you take in and increasing the number of calories you expend.  Exercise revs up your metabolism to keep your body burning calories efficiently.

2. Are you exercising but not dieting?

Exercise is great for your fitness but will not help you lose weight if you continue to overeat between workouts.  It takes a lot of exercise to burn just one pound of fat so, if you want to see results, you need to reduce the amount of fuel coming in so your exercise efforts can work on burning fat that is already in storage.

3. Is your diet too restrictive?

Your body requires a healthy balance of carbs (50% of your daily intake), protein (15%) and fats (35%) in order to keep working like it should.  If you give it the wrong fuel, it will become sluggish and unable to do it’s work of burning calories.  And if you limit yourself to too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode and cling to every single fat cell.  You will feel weak and miserable, plus your weight loss will stop.

4. Are you doing the wrong exercise?

For optimum weight loss, you have to include a combination of cardio and strength training in your exercise plan.  If you are using cardio alone, you are missing out on the calorie burning benefits that building muscle provides.

If your weight loss program hasn’t been as effective as you had hoped it would be, try one of these easy fixes!  And don’t forget to share these ideas with anyone else you know who might need them!

Myth or Fact?

Have you ever noticed that, if something is said often enough, people tend to accept it as true?  Let’s talk about 5 of these diet myths which need to be purged from your knowledge base – they are simply not true!  Some of them might even be sabotaging your health, fitness, or weight loss goals.

• Myth #1:  Carbs are bad for you. Fact:  This myth is only partially true.  It should be amended to say that “white carbs” are not good for you.  These include foods like white rice, white bread, and sugar.  Whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat products are a vital part of a healthy diet.  In fact, the Department of Health recommends that 50% of our daily calories (energy) should come from carbs.
• Myth #2:  Vegetarians can’t build muscle. Fact:  You can build muscle on a vegetarian diet as long as you include protein.  Animal protein is not the only kind of protein.  Good vegetarian sources of protein include beans, nuts, and dairy products.  Optimally, 15% of your daily calories should come from protein.
• Myth #3:  Low fat = low calorie. Fact:  Many products labeled low fat are very high in calories because of high sugar content.  Remember, fat does not make you fat; eating more calories than you burn causes you to gain weight.  Fat is actually a necessary part of a healthy diet.  It should make up 35% of your daily calorie intake.
• Myth #4:  Low fat milk has less calcium than whole milk. Fact:  Milk’s calcium is in the watery part of the milk.  It is not in the creamy part which is skimmed off to make skim or low fat milk.
• Myth #5:  Eating past 8:00 at night causes you to gain weight. Fact:  Once again, weight gain is directly related to the total number of calories you eat during the day, not the time of day you eat them.  Although some people may not be able to sleep well after eating a late meal or snack due to heartburn, etc., it will not cause them to gain weight as long as they have not exceeded their daily calorie needs.

What other diet myths can you think of? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Today I would like to share with you a great article from Lori Shemek of  DLS HealthWorks.

Top 3 Successful Weight Loss Tips (Permanently)
By Lori L. Shemek, Ph. D.

Healthy eating for weight loss is not about becoming unrealistically thin or starving yourself from the foods you love. Rather, it is about living your life with freedom. Freedom from the emotional toll that being overweight has burdened you with, freedom from the diets, freedom to have more energy and freedom to feel optimal health at every level.

We are all different and we all have different stories. But the one connecting point we all do share is our emotions. Emotions run the gamut when it comes to food. But most who struggle with their weight, not only wrestle with proper food choices, and exercise integration, but struggle with the emotional component in their relationship with food.

So in order to create success with your weight loss, you want to integrate the following very important, life-changing weight loss tips:

Tip One: Change Your Mindset

The foundation of all success stems from a deep conviction to change our life. Most people focus on the word “CAN’T.” Instead, take out the ‘t and focus on the word “CAN.” You CAN create the kind of life you want for yourself.

Did you know that the most successful people in the world share a common characteristic? They are tenacious. They persist until they have achieved their goal, even when they feel like quitting.  You must believe that you hold the power to do anything  that you set your mind to. When you feel like giving-up – ask yourself if there isn’t something else you can do. Can I put more effort into making my weight loss goals a reality? Have I tried another strategy? Will quitting help me accomplish my goals? Remember that trials will come, difficulties will arise, and you will want to quit. Reject all thoughts of failure. Tomorrow is another day and as long as you get back on the horse, you will succeed…because you are tenacious.

Tip Two: Change Your Diet

This does not mean you need to eat less food – no far from it. Instead, you need to consume fewer calories. With smart choices, this is very doable. The key is to choose nutrient dense foods only, foods that allow you to eat larger portion sizes but that are delicious and allow you to eat fewer calories. These foods include whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains (complex carbohydrates) such as: oats, whole wheat and brown rice. Choose lean protein and healthy fats as well. Include lean protein with every meal and snack to stabilize your blood sugar. This will help prevent hunger, cravings and poor food choices.

It is vital that you eliminate sugar from your diet. Sugar makes you fat. Excess sugar affects every single organ in the body – including the liver. The liver is where sugar is stored in the form of glucose. Eventually, if sugar is consumed every day, your liver will be unable to store the excess sugar and is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids. Guess where those fatty acids are stored? They are stored in the most inactive areas: The buttocks, the breasts and the thighs etc.

Stay away from fast foods, processed foods, sugar (desserts, sodas, candy etc), white rice (including rice cakes), white flour products and margarine. These foods wreak havoc on the body in many ways!

Hydrate! Drinking adequate water is one important tenet of weight loss. For example, two studies (Boshmann M, StienigerJ. 2003) found that by drinking 500 ml of water, increased metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women. The increase was observed 1o minutes after the consumption of water and the metabolic increase was sustained for over an hour! They attributed this to the increased metabolic action of room temperature water warming-up to body temperature.

To determine how much water you need each day, take your weight and divide by two. The result is the amount of ounces you need each day. Remember that larger people need more water, climate conditions warrant more as well as activity level.

Tip Three: Change Your Environment

You are a product of your environment. Place yourself in an environment or situation that will create weight loss success for you. That means looking at your refrigerator, cupboards, night stand, car, office desk for foods that will prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals. Dispose of all those ‘foods’ that do not serve you in your weight management or optimal health goals.

Use smaller plates, bowls and cups. This will help you serve smaller portions. They make your portions appear larger. Leave the table as soon as you are done eating. The longer you sit at the table, the more you will eat. If you are hungry later, you can have a small healthy snack. Ensure your environment contains elements that contribute to your success.

Commit to NOT eating in front of the TV. Do not have the TV around you when eating or snacking – either leave the room or move the TV.

Cravings will happen, so again, change your environment. When a craving strikes, when you want to reach for food – Create a Diversion. First acknowledge that yes, I do want that food because I am lonely, sad, angry etc. Then take a walk, call a friend, go for a ride in the car, play with your children, read a book, try deep breathing – anything to divert your attention from the food until the urge to eat passes.

Your health and quality of life depend upon your actions, your continual focus and…your tenacity.

Losing weight and living with optimal health is easy once you have the knowledge and motivation. If you would like to learn more about healthy permanent weight loss or any other area of health and nutrition, please visit us here: http://www.dlsHealthWorks.com/ and while you are visiting, please sign-up for your FREE Weight Loss Tips and your FREE eBook “7 Steps To Creating Optimum Health” Here you will find everything you need to create optimum health in your life.

Lori L. Shemek, PhD, CNC, CLC, is Founder and President of DLS HealthWorks. Dr. Lori is a Weight Loss Specialist focusing on healthy and permanent Weight loss. Lori is the creator of the highly successful “All You Can Eat” Weight Management Program. She is the show host of “Creating Optimum Health!” Lori is the Co-Author of “A Practical Guide On Aging Parents And Nutrition.

Article Source:  http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lori_L._Shemek,_Ph.D.

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People are always asking about ways to burn fat and, in fact, I have written quite a few posts about that topic.  However, there are lots of tools and tricks you can use so here are 4 more ways to burn fat.

1. Lower your calorie intake gradually.  If you decide to reduce the number of calories you eat in a day, don’t suddenly cut your intake in half.  If you drastically decrease your eating from one day to the next, your body will believe it’s starving and, rather than burning fat, it will hang on to it.  Lower your calorie intake little by little over the course of a couple of weeks.
2. Use interval training. Interval training involves alternating short bursts of very intense activity with periods of less intense recovery activity.  For example, you might ride your bike (or stationary bike in the gym) as fast as you can for 20 to 30 seconds, then slow to a moderate pace for a minute.  You could also alternate running and walking.  Not only is interval training good aerobic exercise, but you can exercise for a shorter amount of time while getting up to 3 times the fat burning benefit.
3. Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. This keeps your metabolism constantly fueled so it is continuously burning fat. It also keeps your blood sugar on an even keel so you don’t experience energy level crashes.
4. Do strength training. Strength training is the number one most efficient way to burn fat.  Of course you are burning fat during your strength training workout but muscle tissue continues to burn calories even when you’re at rest.  This means that the more muscle you can build, the easier it will be to burn calories, thus burning fat.  If you’re looking for a good explanation of using strength training to burn fat, I recommend the Fat Burning Furnace.

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