Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tips To Help You Lose Excess Fat
Weight training enhances your fat loss by increasing your muscle mass and more muscle means more calories burned (faster metabolism). It also it gives your skin a more tone, tight appearance, lowers your blood pressure, strengthens your bones, improves your agility, increases your flexibility, strengthens your immune system and gives you more energy and a brighter outlook on life. If you have a high level of body fat, or you have never been able to successfully lose fat, you should consider trying a complete, well-rounded program that not only focuses on dieting, but also includes adequate cardiovascular activity and weight training.
If you are already very muscular, and you just want lose a little body fat, then a fat loss program that includes regular cardiovascular activity and weight training is perfect for you. The best way to get ripped and maintain as much muscle as you can is to diet slowly.
The truth is, when you are on a low calorie diet, your body prefers to use muscle tissue for fuel rather than excess body fat. So, the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are losing fat and not muscle. Ideally, you should aim to lose no more than 1lb - 1.5 lbs per week that's it. If you are obese, then you should try to lose no more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. Any more than that and you are sacrificing muscle.
Women do tend to lose fat at a slower rate than men, but don't let this discourage you. Women simply store fat more efficiently than men because it is needed during and after pregnancy. As your body fat levels drop, you will notice that the fat loss comes off in reverse of how it was put on. So, the most recent fat gains will come off first, while the old fat that has been there for a while will take the longest to lose.
The most difficult fat to lose usually centers around the waist, belly and lower back areas for men, and the upper thigh and buttocks, area for women. The fat in these areas are the most difficult to totally get rid of. This type of fat is difficult to lose because the low blood flow in these areas hinders the fat mobilization. So, if the fat can't be moved into the bloodstream to be used as fuel, those love handles will never go away.
That's why thermogenic supplements help to improve fat loss - they increase circulation into these hard to reach areas and mobilize the stubborn fat.
Remember that you cannot spot reduce!
What I mean by this is that you can't pick and choose the areas that you would like to lose the fat and do exercises that work those areas expecting the fat to just magically disappear in those areas. Your body does not work that way. The only way to decrease the amount of fat in certain key areas is by lowering your total body fat levels.
As you lose fat, it will come off all over your body, not just in specific areas. If you follow a complete diet and weight training program for at least 12 weeks, you will begin to see dramatic changes occurring with your body, and I'm not just talking about the obvious physical changes, I'm also talking about the psychological and physiological changes.
You can expect lower body fat (of course), increased muscle mass, increased metabolism, increased sense of well-being, more energy, lower bad cholesterol level, increased good cholesterol level, decreased risk of heart disease, deeper more restful sleep and most important, increased self-confidence.
To be successful, your fat loss program should include the following:
* A calorie restrictive diet, which requires you to eat no less than 12x and no more than 15x your LEAN bodyweight in calories.
* Regular cardiovascular activity for at least 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week. Some recommend a moderate pace while other recommend a vigorous pace -- it doesn't really matter as long as you are exercising.
* Weight training.
* Supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Vitamin C, L-glutamine, and a good multi vitamin are the bare essentials.
* Adequate dietary fat, including high amounts of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-6 and Omega-3).
* Regularly monitor your progress. If you don't track your progress you won't know if your diet program is working! Looking in the mirror or just relying on the scale is NOT adequate. Here's a great composition tracking software that I highly recommend http://www.comptracker.com
It will let you know exactly if what you are doing is working.
* Finally, make sure that the program you decide on is compatible with your lifestyle and schedule.
You can have the greatest program in the world, but if you cannot implement it then it is worthless. There are thousands of fat loss diets and workouts that will work, but the hard part is finding one that works for you and the specifics of your diet and schedule restraints.
Weight Loss With No Dieting, No Pills And Even No Hard Excercises
It's all about simple math, really!
Managing ones weight is in some aspects very alike bookkeeping. You will have to be in control of the income and the expenses. But in our bodies, it's not a good idea to have too much of income or intake, then we will necessary gain some fat-weight and for most of us, it's something we do not want to happen.
So is it not really about "just" eating lesser? No, you don't have to eat lesser overall, or go around being hungry and maybe cranky. And you don't have to eat any diet pills, or pulver, or anything like that either. But back to the mathematical thing.
My husband told me that he read of an experiment, about how large a quantity of ice water one have to drink, in order to lose one kilo* of body weight. I'll tell you this, not to say that you should go and be an excessive ice water drinker, but as an example, a way of thinking of this matter, in very basic mathematical terms. Read more here: http://health.howstuffworks.com/question447.htm.
Pick other favorite weight loss tips from this list
* Eating hot spices
* Eating more protein
* Eating more fiber
* Eating so called "negative calories" - see note below-
* Eating more fat, but "only" Omega 3-fatty acids
* Drinking more water
Note: Negative calories doesn't exist, but some vegetables will cause your body to use up more calories when digesting them, than they contains themselves: cabbage, celery and cucumber, just to mention some.
Here comes yet another reading tips about all the good things that will come from increasing ones daily waterintake. It's a hilarious funny blogpost called: http://twofatbrothers.com/2008/01/17/how-to-lose-1-pound-in-1-minute-or-less/. I am sure that laughing more also will help us in our weight loss management efforts. And that brings us into yet another area...
How tiny changes in your daily habits can help
The weight loss tips from me today, will also include making some tiny changes in our daily habits. For example, not just be sitting in front of a computer for hours and hours to go, but instead considering to stand up for a while. The bodys consumption of calories is slightly larger when you are standing up, compared to when you are sitting down.
If your body weight is 70 kilos*, then just sitting down will burn 105 calories per hour, but when you stand up it will increase to a 161 calories per hour, according to the METs scale. (MET = metabolic equivalent task).
Here's a little half joke weight loss tip, to round up this article with: Next time you are meditating, assuming that you are, think deeply about changing your beer drinking habits (if you got such ones) from ordinary beer, over to light beer, or low carb beer. - Who knows how many pounds just that one little change will take off your (belly) weight, in a year, or so.
Good luck in incorporating your newly found weight loss tips into your daily life. Me? I'm practising some of my own tips and no, I will not reveal to you which ones though, sorry! - Well, we don't have to go to the extreme, do we?
*Note: 1 kilo equals 2.2 Lbs.
Weight Loss Tricks
Weight Loss Trick 1
Keep a record of your progress. Some weight loss tricks we don't want to use are the ones which are self inflicted. We can often defeat ourselves by being dishonest about our calorie intake, or missed exercise because we were too busy, and this can largely be avoided by keeping a weight graph. It is easy to use squared or graph paper to plot the results of your progress, or lack of it. Make sure you weigh yourself consistently, wearing the same clothes, at a set time every day. When the graph is joined together to form a line, you will have visual evidence of your progress.
Weight Loss Trick 2
Keep a record of the food you eat. So many people kid themselves by choosing not to remember all of the times they gave in to temptation and ate something they shouldn't. Then, they feign surprise at their lack of progress on the scales. Make a written record of everything you eat, and keep it accurate and comprehensive. Make a note of how much you eat, and when you eat it, as the body can burn calories at different rates at different times of day. Try to note down exact numbers of calories if you can. The weight loss graph and diary will allow you to analyse for yourself what is producing results and what is not.
Weight Loss Trick 3
Get rid of junk food. Junk food, or as some call it “fast” food, is riddled with empty, useless calories. Even eating this once a week will put a severe brake on your progress, as one meal of burger, fries and sugar laden drink can contain the same calories as you would get from three healthy meals. There is no way you can expect to lose weight by taking in an extra day's worth of calories every week, so the junk food should be cut out completely.
Weight Loss Trick 4
Set yourself a goal. It doesn't matter if the goal is modest, as some people only need to lose a small amount of weight. If you have a serious problem with obesity, as so many Americans sadly do, then do some research and find out what your optimum body weight should be. Even though that target may be a long way off, it will be achievable with solid, consistent effort. Everything is easier when there is a clear destination, and when a large goal is broken down into smaller ones.
You can use some simple but effective weight loss tricks to reach your target so much more easily. Take note of these weight loss tricks, because they will give you renewed hope, and a belief you can succeed. Click the links below to discover some more important weight loss tips.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Healthy Weight Loss
Commitment, perseverance and patience are very necessary for a healthy weight loss. You should control your diet and exercise regularly till you achieve the goals set in your weight loss program. The motivation for a healthy weight loss should come from your own self and you should follow the weight loss program with dedication.
Exercise is an integral part of any weight loss program. You should exercise for 30 to 45 minutes daily. Be regular in your exercises as losing your rhythm is very easy. Once your make exercise a routine, you will like doing it. Also increase your daily activity levels from time to time. This may include parking your car a little far away when you go shopping, starting gardening, etc.
Healthy weight loss should involve a balance diet. You should consume less fats and more proteins and carbohydrates. You should eat more of fruits, vegetables, grains and starchy food. You diet should not contain only one food item. You should eat a variety of food items. A sound health is not about getting sufficient calories for body metabolism and is achieved by consuming various essential foods.
You can also consult a registered dietician for weight loss. Dieticians are educated and trained in nutrition and will provide you information about different food items, their compositions, calorific values and their benefits. You should also read food labels to get a clearer understanding of what you are eating. Foods that are labeled 97 to 100 percent fat-free are good for healthy weight loss.
Make a slow start and let your body adjust to the new lifestyle. Do not haste and consume diet pills that may have side effects. You can also choose to make one to two changes in your habits every week. For example, in the first week, you can decide that you will not eat fried foods and walk daily during your lunch break. In the second week, you can stop eating fat rich dairy products and start jogging in the morning. Your body will get sufficient time to react to such changes and you will succeed in achieving healthy weight loss. You should not target weight loss of more than two pounds each week.
Some people also keep a record of their diet and exercise. Analyze your food habits and exercise levels every week and make necessary improvements in your weight loss program. Increase the quantity of healthy food items that your take and reduce the unhealthy ones every week.
You should also be regular in your meals and snacks. If you skip a meal, you will be hungry after a few hours and your body will demand high energy diet. You will be tempted to eat sugar-rich food such as pastry and chocolate.
If other members in your family also want to reduce weight, then the entire family can choose to eat healthy diet. This will reduce your access to fat rich stuff and fast food. With reduced access, you will be less tempted to eat these unhealthy foods.