Tips Even An Idiot Can Do!

Yes, it’s the idiots guide to weight loss!! Well, maybe not EVERYTHING you need to know, but a few great tips to get you on your way to eating healthier, losing weight and feeling better than you have ever felt before. Just remember, this isn’t a quick fix, you aren’t going to lose 1000 pounds, but it is a good start to get to where you want to be.

Step One: Eat Less

Far too many Americans eat a diet packed with fat, sugar, and grease, and then moan about being fat. If you don’t give your body quality fuel, you don’t end up with a quality body. If you consume fat, it ends up on your waistline. Some sources even state that if a doctor did a biopsy of the fat around your middle, he or she would be able to tell where it came from. The fat you ingest changes that little between your mouth and your middle!  Eat less fat, weigh less. Eat more high quality, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, weigh less. You can only burn so many calories per day. Don’t make the mistake of consuming more than you can possibly use.

Step Two: Move More

If the most exercise you get is carrying the groceries in from the car, you need to beef up your exercise plan. It’s recommended that you get 30 minutes of cardio exercise 3 times a week for good health. That means if you’re going after weight loss, you need even more than that. If you’re pressed for time, add in an extra flight of stairs. Park your car in the furthest parking space from the mall. Increase your walking at work by visiting offices instead of relying on phones or email to talk to someone next door. Increase your movement, decrease your waistline – it’s a proven fact.

So you say you already know all about that – but have your really put it into action? Or do you spend all your time reading about new diet plans, researching that new supplement on the market, or looking up low fat recipes? Learning about diet and exercise doesn’t count. You actually have to put what you learn into action. You can begin to do this by taking these two simple steps to improve your health.

This article entitled “Fat Loss – So Easy an Idiot can Do It” is not medical advice. It should not be used as or substituted as medical advice from your medical professional. This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Tips For Losing Weight Fast

Yes you can lose weight fast and do it in a healthy way, but you have to make sure you do it in a HEALTHY way! Too many people look for quick fixes and if that is what you are looking for you are going to be very disappointed in the results, you might lose a few pounds but don’t look long term or tons of weight dropped overnight. BUT, if you are looking to lose some weight to fit into a certain dress or for a special occassion, here are some tips:

These types of diets referred to as “fad diets.” A few examples of fad diets are: the Cabbage Soup diet, the 3-Day diet, the 7-Day diet, the Grapefruit diet, the Atkins diet, and there are many, many more. None of these, however, are meant to be used long-term for losing weight. In fact, continuing either of them could produce serious health problems later on, like: dehydration and loss of muscle. There are more possible risks, but this article isn’t about scaring anyone. Instead, we’ll talk about when using a “fast diet” can be O.K..

Before we get to it, however, let me say that using fast diets to lose weight fast should be undertaken for short-term quick weight loss only under the guidance of a qualified physician – of which I am not. Always consult with your doctor first. Now, with that said, the only time a fast diet might be okay is when you’ve got less than ten pounds to lose (preferably no more than 5 to 7 pounds) – and you’ll be going back to a nutritionally sound, healthy diet and exercise plan immediately after losing the weight.

Here are some tips for staying healthy while dieting:

1. Drink lots of water. There are no calories in water, and your body needs plenty of fluids to properly burn off fat anyway, so you’ll agree this kinda makes sense.

2. Drink an 8 ounce glass of water before you eat. You’ll feel full faster, and won’t want to eat as much food.

3. Use a small plate and eat slowly. You’ll feel full faster and won’t eat as much.

4. Be active. Inactivity doesn’t help burn fat or calories, so get up off the couch and go outside for a walk, or jog. It doesn’t take a lot of stressful exercise to burn extra calories, but activity is required.

A final bit of advice before you go: remember that fast diets are not meant to be used for a long time. It’s better to eat right and exercise than put yourself in a position of wanting or needing to lose weight fast. If you need to lose three pounds before prom, or your brother’s niece’s wedding, maybe. But for long term weight loss (if you plan to keep off the weight you lose) fast weight loss diets are too stressful on the body to keep up – and may seriously jeopardize your health.

Tips For Making Exercise Fun!

There are so many different exercise programs out there but which one is going to keep you motivated? Most people don’t mind a little exercise when it’s fun to do or get’s you going and keeps you interested but when it gets boring that’s when people tend to give up. So here are some tips to make exercise fun!

You can swim, do water aerobics, or do regular aerobics. If you live in a place that has a lot of nice weather you can get some friends together and go to a driving range and hit some golf balls, play tennis, basketball, baseball, softball, or just hit some balls at a batting cage.

If you live near a wooded area like a forest preserve, go for a hike, or canoing, or row a boat around a lake. You do not have to just get bored doing the same old thing at the gym day in and day out. I think a lot of people forget that so many of the things I have mentioned are exercise and they do count as exercises to lose weight.

Let’s see what else we can come up with. How about taking a dance class, or a spinning class, Yoga is another good one, ooh, so is Pilate’s. Now do not knock yoga or Pilate’s until you have tried them, they can be very tough work outs. Did you know there are are twelve stages or levels to Pilate’s? Yup, it looks a lot easier than it is and if you are not prepared for how difficult it can be it will kick your butt into next week. Seriously.

If I were to pick some exercises from the things I have listed, I think I would start with walking until I could go for about thirty minutes without feeling like I was dying, then maybe graduate to riding a bike until I get the exact same results. Everything I would be doing would be making me stronger and then I think I would find a pool somewhere and start to swim. Swimming is one of the best things you can do because you are in the water and you get the resistance from the water and you also use nearly every muscle in your entire body to do the swim strokes.

When I could swim for thirty minutes non-stop then it would be time for some weight training I think. See it doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you do something for thirty minutes everyday of the week. Do something that you like to do at least a couple of times a week that way you will break up the monotony of going to the gym every day.

Working out should be fun, not tedious or boring. If you are bored then you need to spice things up and find something to do that is fun. Maybe there is a nature walk you can take with a group, hey, that would be great this time of year, you could get out and see all the fall colors, do some bird watching, maybe catch some pictures of wildlife if you take your camera along while doing exercises to lose weight.

Alcohol And Weight Loss

Having a glass of wine or beer with dinner is very common for most, but did you know that those are calories you might not be counting if you are on a diet? Alcohol contains many calories depending on what it is you are drinking and how much. Which is why you have probably heard the saying “Beer Belly” more than once.

Alcohol has fat, just as food does. Alcohol can lead to overeating, and the calories in alcoholic beverages are generally consumed in addition to other food and drink. Liquid calories add up quickly, so be aware of the calorie content of your drink.

Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram. Drinking an alcoholic beverage from time to time won’t kill your diet, but frequent drinking will. Alcoholic beverages can be just as bad for your diet as that greasy pizza – maybe worse. Liquid calories are typically easier to consume, and drinking your calories can cause them to add up more quickly than you’d think!

There are other effects of alcohol on your weight loss as well. Alcohol loosens you up, and helps you relax. It also loosens your dieting resolve. This means that you are less focused on your weight loss goals, and may inadvertently consume more calories than you originally intended. One wing or chip can turn into many, as you become more relaxed about your diet. Consuming large amounts of alcohol can be synonymous with consuming larger amounts of food.

Alcoholic beverages are also generally consumed in addition to food. So, if you drink several drinks with a high calorie content, you are probably also eating at the same time. This can lead to taking in a high number of calories in a short amount of time, simply because you are not paying attention to your drinks. You can help slow this process down by drinking a glass of water after each alcoholic beverage. You’ll feel fuller, and in turn you’ll eat and drink less.

There are several effects of alcohol on your weight loss. Drinking alcoholic beverages can add calories to your day quickly. Alcohol has a high calorie content, similar to fatty foods. Liquid calories in alcoholic beverages go down easily, but pack a dietary punch. Alcohol can also cause you to eat more than you originally intended. Dieters, drink with care, and be careful how many calories you consume through your drink of choice.

This article entitled “Effects of Alcohol on Your Weight Loss” is not medical advice. It should not be used as or substituted as medical advice; from a medical professional. This article is for informational purposes only.

Tips For Teen Boys Needing To Lose Weight

When it comes to losing weight yourself, it’s hard, but you can plan your goals and work towards them and reach them as long as you stick with it. IF you are trying to help a teenage boy lose weight it becomes much more difficult. Not only are you dealing with their growth and hormones, but many times the attitude that goes with it!

As a parent, you may blame yourself. That’s may because you have heard that kids learn much of their behavior from their parents. In other words, your eating habits and attitudes about food have had an impact on your teenager’s waistline. While there may be some truth to that, in some cases, worrying about it isn’t going to fix the problem. You can’t change what you have (or haven’t) done in the past, but you can change what you do from this point forward.

While you may be looking into diet plans for overweight teenage boys, things will go much better if the whole family makes the changes that are needed. Swap unhealthy foods for healthier ones, keep snacking to a minimum, and focus on making better food choices.

Another thing to consider is that different age groups have different calorie needs. For example, children normally don’t need more than 1,600 calories per day. However, one of the groups that needs the most is teenage boys; they need about 2,800 calories. That’s a lot of calories! Because they need so many calories, it can be difficult to limit their intake. In a way, they are eating machines. But that doesn’t mean they should be able to eat anything they want.

Having an eating plan is a good start. Select a wide variety of foods to make sure there are plenty of vitamins and nutrients. Aim for foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. However, it’s okay to add the occasional treat. If you can plan ahead, then the teen won’t have to count calories while they are eating as they will have been figured out a head of time.

If the teenager is severely overweight, then a visit to the doctor is a good idea. This is a time when hormones cause a lot of changes. The doctor can do tests to see if the weight gain is a result of hormones, or if there are other factors at play. Be frank with the doctor and follow any advice they give.

The other aspect of good diet plans for overweight teenage boys is activity, also known as exercise. The only for anybody to lose weight, regardless of age, is to burn more calories than you take in. And because teenage boys need a lot of calories to stay healthy, exercise becomes an even more important part of the equation. Whatever specific plan you decide to follow should have a part that reduces calories and a part that burns more calories. That’s the key to losing weight.

Tips For Easy (er) Weight Loss

I don’t care what they say, how they put it, or what the cost; There is NO magic pill that will make you lose weight without putting in the work that goes along with it. While this might be hard to hear it’s true and once you face that fact you will be on your way to a healthier you with less weight!

There are things you can do to make it easier on yourself, like telling yourself you are going to lose the weight no matter what. If you have ever tried break an old bad habit like smoking, your doctor probably said to choose a start date for quitting. Well, the same can be said for getting in shape. Choose a date when you will start and work up to it. Plan every detail. Begin by keeping a food journal and a record of exercise you get during the day. This will help you make the changes you need to make in order to be successful.

Get a calorie counting booklet that shows you the amount of calories in the food you eat. Use this to create a meal plan that is no more than 1200 – 1500 calories a day and plan out five small meals each day with each meal approximately 300 calories each. Your body cannot process more than 500 calories per meal and the food you eat gets immediately converted to and stored as fat.

When looking for an easy weight loss program, know that your body must burn more calories than it takes in each day. Do not let this overwhelm you but you need to burn 3500 calories to lose one pound. A 30 minute walk three times a week is a great way to start burning those calories. If your joints bother you find a facility that has a pool and start walking in the water until you get stronger

Walking is actually the best thing for you when you want to lose weight fast. I read an article in a magazine just the other day where they were profiling four women who had walked off their excess weight. One of these women walked of over 260 pounds in 30 months.  Using wrist and ankle weights will up the level of difficulty and help you burn more fat with each step.

Your metabolism plays a key role in how fast you lose weight. The faster your metabolism the more weight you will lose. Never, ever starve yourself. If you try to starve yourself your body will go into survival mode and hold on to what it’s got making it virtually impossible for you to lose any weight. You have got to eat to lose weight.

Start your day and metabolism off right and have a good healthy low-carb breakfast. Follow the meal plan you have come up with and pack your snacks and a lunch for work then when you get home have a nice healthy supper. If you find it necessary you can have one more snack before bedtime. Eating every two to three hours will keep your metabolism in high gear and help you lose weight naturally.

So set yourself a start date and then begin chiseling out that thin person you know is inside  you. Drink plenty of water. Once you start seeing results you will realize that you have found an easy weight loss program and you do not need any of those supposed potions.

Don’t Torture Yourself Trying To Lose Weight

No matter what new pill or diet fad they come out with one this is for sure, it won’t work unless YOU work! Read the fine print on all of those diet pills and programs; what do they all say? “With proper diet and exercise”. So pay for all those fads and pills…spend that extra money, or just do the one thing that those who have succeeded in losing and keeping it off have done…

Are there truly any easy ways to lose weight fast out there? I don’t know but I do know one thing, you would lose more weight if you tried the good old standby of eating less and working out more. You want easy? There it is. Eat less, work out more.

Too many people want to have someone else fix their problems. Your doctor is fixes what ails you, your dentist fixes your teeth, your chiropractor fixes your spine, and so on and so on. It has just become way too easy to expect other people to fix the problem that the one with the problem forgets that they and they alone are responsible for their own BS.

Think about this though, what does the doctor do for you when you are sick? She gives you a prescription, right? What do you do with that prescription? You get it filled at the pharmacy and you take it home and take it until it is gone and you feel better, right? What would happen if you didn’t take the medicine? You would get sicker. Then you would feel really stupid for not taking the medicine, right?

The dentist tells you to brush and floss or you will lose your teeth. Who do you get mad at when you lose your teeth? The dentist? The chiropractor tells you to do these exercises to strengthen your back muscles so you have less pain. Who do you get mad at when your back still hurts? The chiropractor? If you do blame the dentist and the chiropractor then you are completely misguided and really need to rethink things.

Same goes for the weight loss, you and only you are responsible for how easily you lose the weight. Eat less and work out more. Walk where you can, incorporate some weights when you get stronger, ride a bike when you get even stronger. I hope that’s not whining I hear. What? You cannot possibly find the time for all that?

Well then, I guess you better start making time to check your blood sugar before and after every meal and injecting yourself with insulin morning, noon and night. Because that is where you are headed if you do not take responsibility for your weight loss right this second and find the time to exercise at least thirty minutes a day, every day and eat less food for the rest of your life. These are the only proven easy ways to lose weight fast.

What NOT To Drink When Dieting

So many people concentrate on what NOT to eat when they are dieting that they forget one of the most important parts of dieting…What NOT to drink! It’s amazing when it’s broken down how much weight you can gain when you drink certain beverages and actually what you drink many times will effect what you eat also. So let’s take a look at what NOT to drink when dieting.

You may think that drinking just one soda per day doesn’t make that much of a difference. If you’re active, and have your weight under control, then having the occasional soda is fine. But let’s take a look at how that one soda can add up and what the impact on your weight will be when you go with a calorie-free alternative.

Let’s use some simple math to see what a positive difference this one small change can make when trying to lose weight. The first thing to know is that every 3,500 calories you get rid equals one pound. Next, a typical 12 ounce can of soda contains 150 calories. Okay, here’s how it works out…

365 days in a year X 150 calories per 12 oz. = 54,750 total calories.

54,750 calories divided by 3,500 calories = 15.6 pounds!

Talk about a small change that can make add up to significant weight loss. And if you happen to drink soda in larger bottles, it could make a difference of 30 pounds or more. But be careful that you don’t replace those calories with other calories. In other words you have to cut those calories out completely to get the full benefit.

So, what are the options? Most people think juice is a good replacement for soda. Not if you’re counting calories it isn’t. For example, while soda may have 150 calories per 12 ounces, grape juice has closer to 250. Some juices have a higher water content, so you’ll have to check the label to be sure. However, if it’s a choice between soda and fruit juice, go with the juice. At least the juice contains some vital nutrients while soda is nothing but empty calories.

Another thing you may not be aware of is that the sugar in soft drinks can make you thirsty. Putting you into an endless loop of drinking calorie-laden beverages to slake the thirst that the same beverages are causing.

The best way to quench your thirst when trying to lose weight is water. Keep a large bottle within arm’s reach throughout the day, making it easy to take a sip when needed.

Tips For Eating Out When Dieting

More and More resturants are catering to those that are on diets, with substitutions and healthier eating choices so it is actually much easier to go out and enjoy a meal with friends or family and not feel guilty. If you still have problems eating out when you are on a diet though, then here are some tips that will help make it easier for you:

Chinese, Japanese, and Thai restaurants can help you lose weight.  Most oriental cuisines rely on vegetables and rice as the major ingredients in their dishes.  Meat is treated as a condiment rather than a main course.  This is great news for people on a weight loss program.  Meat is calorie dense and has a lot fat.  Vegetables are calorie poor and, for the most part, have very little fat.  Stay away from deep fried dishes like tempura.  Stir fried dishes are fine, the high heat means the vegetables don’t stay in the hot oil long enough to absorb it.  Ask for steamed rice rather than fried rice.  Steamed rice will help satisfy you and it extends the flavor of the main dish because it absorbs the sauces.

Italian restaurants can be a challenge if you can’t stay away from the cream sauces and cheese but a blessing if you can.  Think several courses spread out over an hour or so.  Antipasto is a great way to start your meal. Concentrate on the veggies and just have a taste of the cheese or meats.  Order minestrone soup as your starter.  Share a plate of pasta with your dining buddy.   Angel hair pasta with extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, and fresh basil is just as delicious as Fettuccini Alfredo and a lot better for you.

Feel like something French?  Then think Bistro rather than haute cuisine. Roasted chicken garnished with rosemary and lemon, complimented with fresh asparagus is a much better choice than steak with Béarnaise sauce.  Fresh and simple is the mainstay of Bistro cooking rather than creamy and complicated.

American steak houses rely on steaks as their mainstay, no surprise there.  If you feel you have to order steak, have filet mignon, it’s one of the leanest cuts of beef.  Make sure it’s grilled or broiled with no sauce.  Filet is usually served in small portions.  Order the petite cut if they have it.  Eat slowly and you’ll be as satisfied as if you’d eaten the mega portion of prime rib.  Most steak houses emphasize their seafood as much as their beef.  Seafood is a better choice for your diet than beef. Choose fresh vegetables for your sides rather than potato, or creamed spinach.

Whatever the restaurant you can maintain your weight loss program if you carefully choose your entrée and how it’s prepared.

3 Little Known Facts About Diets

Before you can lose any weight there are a few things you NEED to know about yourself and your body. Not every diet is going to work for you like it did for someone else. Everyones metabolism is different, body fat, what you need in calories per day etc. all have to be taken into consideration when starting any weight loss program. So here are some things you need to look at before you start any diet.

An easy way to get a close estimate of how many calories you naturally burn off each day is to multiply what you weigh now times ten. The number you get when you do this is called your “Basic Metabolic Rate.” For example, if you weight 210 pounds, your basic metabolic rate would be 2100 calories per day. If you weigh 95, your basic metabolic rate would be 950 calories. There are more accurate BMR calculators online. Do a search if you want a more exact number, but this simple method will work as a quick rule of thumb to follow. Anyway, once you have this number, you will know how many calories you need to eat.

Fat loss diets don’t have to restrict the “kind” of foods you eat. You can still eat the same types of food you eat now … you simply need to know how many calories are in what you’re eating so you can plan your meals accordingly to eat less calories than what you know (based on the number you got above) you will burn off in a day. So if you got 1400 above, you’ll want to eat less than 1400 calories a day to effectively lose body fat.

Now that you know how many calories you should put in each day, and how many calories are in each serving of the foods you usually eat, the next step to creating the perfect fat loss diet for you is to plan your meals so you eat less than the amount of calories your body naturally burns off each day. Yes, you can still eat foods that “taste good,” as long as you don’t go over the number of calories you’re going to get rid of, so you don’t have to worry about trying to work in buying “special foods” for yourself. You can eat the same foods the rest of your family eats. It’s not “what” you eat. Instead, it’s all about the numbers.

#1: How many calories does your body burn off naturally in a day, and

#2: How many calories are in the foods you normally eat, and

#3: A daily diet plan based on the numbers from 1 and 2 above wherein you eat less calories than your body burns off each day.

If you follow these guidelines, all your future fat loss diets will be as simple as 1-2-3!