Tag: weight loss

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20 Secrets To Dieting Success; Part 2

11. CHEW SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD

Guaranteed if you follow this little secret, You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the time to savor your food and chew it slower. Don’t get in the habit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit down preferably at the table and chew.
Eating slower like this will help you enjoy your food more, pay attention to what it is you are actually eating and get a better sense of when you are actually full.

12. EAT YOUR LARGER MEALS EARLY IN THE DAY AND SMALLER MEALS LATER

You will feel better and lose weight quicker if you eat a large breakfast and eat a smaller dinner. Also as you have been asleep for hours your body has been fasting and earlier in the day is the best time to refuel and provide your body with the energy that is needed.

You may also want to eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day, saving a salad and lean meat protein for dinner.

Eating larger meals during the part of the day when you are most active will help you to feel satisfied throughout the day and curb cravings for unhealthy snacks.

13. CONSIDER EATING SALMON OR TUNA FOR BREAKFAST

Yes this may seem odd, but it is one way to work in Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for you and add some variety to your daily diet. After a few months you may tire of eating eggs and bacon for breakfast. Substituting fish will give you the protein and healthy fish oils you need.

You can try canned salmon or tuna in croquettes for a healthier sausage substitute. Or you could simply eat cold leftover salmon the next morning with dill sauce.

14. USE LETTUCE LEAVES INSTEAD OF BREAD

This tip can seem a bit odd at first but if you try it you will probably grow to love it. Instead of eating breads and buns with your sandwiches and hamburgers, why not try leaves of lettuce?

You can make a double cheeseburger with onions, pickles and tomato wrapped in a whole lettuce leaf. Or you can make tasty wrap sandwiches with lettuce instead of tortilla and bread.

This will help increase your good carb and fiber intake while giving you more variety in your diet.

15. EAT FRUIT FOR DESSERT

Okay, we all want a little dessert sometime, but how do you have your dessert and your low-carb diet too? Why not try cheese with fruit slices or berries? Better yet, why not try cream with berries? You could even try sweet pineapples or strawberries with cottage cheese?

Berries are sweet and high in fiber and nutrients and dairy products are high in protein. If your low-carb plan will allow it, this is a sweet and tasty alternative to more sugary desserts.

An added benefit is that the protein in the dairy products and the fiber in the fresh fruit will make these desserts more filling.

16. SKIP FRUIT JUICE AND EAT FRESH FRUIT

Fruit juice can be very tempting as a replacement for soda, but just how healthy is fruit juice? If you read the labels you will soon realize that in many of the commercial juices available at your local grocery store there is very little actual fruit juice.

What you will find is lots of sugar water and other ingredients. And as we know that all the excess sugar that we consume, if not used will convert into body fat.

Why not skip the juice altogether and eat a fresh piece of fruit? Not only does fresh fruit contain less sugar than juice, fresh fruit has fiber that is good for you and will help you feel fuller longer.

17. MEAL REPLACEMENTS IN MODERATION

New innovative meal replacement shakes and protein bars go on the market almost every day. It is an estimated 20 Billion dollar a year industry so it only makes sense. It is so convenient and in this day and age of always being on the run it is a lifesaver when trying to have a successful diet. These are all the tools of a successful diet so make use of them but keep it in moderation as these products often time contain high amounts of hydrogenated oil and sweeteners.

So be careful. The bars especially may be only slightly healthier than a Snickers candy bar. Occasionally, they may not be that bad for you but as a rule you probably don’t want to indulge in more than 2 meal replacement shakes or bars every day.

18. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS

Low carb doughnuts and muffins? You can find these prepackaged low-carb labeled goods at your neighborhood grocery store and at many low-carb lifestyle specialty shops. That does not mean that you should make a habit out of eating them.

While low-carb pastries may be tempting remember that they still contain all of the usual carbohydrate suspects: sugar or a sugar substitute and flour.

They may be healthier than your typical muffin as an occasional treat, but remember to stick with the basics for continued low-carb success.

19. AT THE GROCERY STORE – SHOP THE OUTER AISLES

It will be easier to stick with your low-carb lifestyle if you learn the one common thread in all grocery store designs: the healthy foods are on the perimeter aisles.

Think about it, when you go into the grocery all of the healthy stuff, fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products are arranged around the stores walls. You only rarely need to enter the center aisle areas in those few stores that stock butter and cheese in the center near the frozen foods. For the most part all of the foods that you need for your low carb diet can be found on the perimeter of the grocery store.

Train yourself to start on one end of the outer aisle and work your way around. It will be much easier to avoid carb cravings and fill your basket with healthy items if you do so.


20. INVEST IN GOOD RECIPE BOOKS

Can’t figure out what to eat? Need some variety in your diet? Turn to a cookbook. Granted, not all recipes in a cookbook are low-carb fare, but you will be surprised at the number of low-carb and low-carb friendly recipes you can find in your standard Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Cookbooks are sometimes lifesavers and great reference tools that often contain handy tips on purchasing cuts of meat and preparing meats, fruits and vegetables in new and exciting ways.

Plus, new low-carb cookbooks are hitting the shelves all the time. So be sure to take advantage of these resources to try something new, different and delicious.


BONUS TIP:
21. TAKE A GOOD MULTIVITAMIN

We can’t all do it right all of the time. Even the most conscientious food combiner may miss some healthy vitamins, minerals and trace elements in their diets. To help make sure you get everything that you need, consider taking a good multivitamin.

Check with your doctor first for recommendations and you should be tested for anemia to see if you need a vitamin with iron. However, the longer you eat low-carb and the more red meat you eat, the less anemia will be a problem and you should be able to take vitamins with less iron.

Your success is totally up to you. Assuming that you are an otherwise healthy individual, your body will do its part. Just remember to adhere to the low-carb diet plan that is right for you and add some variety to your meals to help you stay faithful to your health and weight loss goals.

Conclusion

As we have reached the end of the 20 secrets to dieting success it is important to realize that this list is not exhaustive and definitely not all there is to know about dieting success. The most important thing with any sort of dieting is consistency and setting goals.

Without goals you are headed for disaster as you don’t know where you are going or headed. Just saying “ I want to lose weight” is simply not enough. You need to have a set number of where you want to get to and when you want to achieve it by. Only then will you achieve true and lasting dieting success

I hope you have enjoyed reading these tips and learned all the tools with which to achieve your goal of dieting success.

The key now is to implement what you have learned. Have fun and let’s make this diet a success!

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Macronutrient Based Diets: What Does Science Show?

With the abundance of macronutrient-based diets over the past several decades, from low carbohydrate diets to low fat diets. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates have become principal when talking about optimal diets.

Scientists have begun comparing these types of diets to one another to determine which is the most effective. So far, the evidence has been largely unconvincing.

A study that was published in the Journal JAMA in 2007, reported results of a comparison of four weight loss programs, ranging from high carbohydrate diets to low carbohydrate diets.

The study took twelve months and included obese and overweight premenopausal woman, who were randomly assigned either a very low carb diet, the Zone diet, the Learn diet, or the Ornish diet.

After one year, the weight loss achieved in the Atkins diet group was greater when compared to the other diet groups. The study also looked at secondary outcomes, looking at the metabolic effects, such as blood pressure, glucose levels, body fat, and cholesterol.

They determined that those that took part in the Atkins diet had more weight loss when compared to the other diet groups. This study raises questions about the long-term effects of a low carbohydrate, high fat, and high protein diets.

Another research study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, disagreed with the above study’s findings. They tested 4 different types of diets and found that the weight loss was the same regardless of the type of diet the patient was on.

The study followed eight hundred individuals over two years and assigned each participant to a high fat/high protein diet, an average protein diet, a low fat/high protein diet, and a low fat/average protein diet. They concluded that every diet resulted in weight loss, even though there were differences in the composition of macronutrients.

The study also found that the more group counseling sessions the individuals attended, the more weight they were able to loose and the less weight they gained back. This supports the idea that not only what the person ate was important, but social factors, psychological factors, and behavioral factors were essential in losing weight as well.

This also shows that living a lifestyle with a common sense approach when eating with some exercise added will in fact help you lose weight and keep it off. I know in my own experience this is true and so we all need to keep a balance no matter what science says.

An additional study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, looked at the role of glycemic index and protein on weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Scientists first started the participants on a low calorie diet to allow for some weight loss and then examined whether glycemic index and protein had an impact on weight loss maintenance.

The participants were made up from almost 800 obese individuals from European countries that had lost at least eight percent of their body weight using a low calorie diet.

Participants were placed on one of 5 diets for 6 and a half months: high protein/low glycemic index, low protein/high glycemic index or a low protein/low glycemic index, intended to keep them from gaining weight.

The results showed that the low protein/high glycemic index program resulted in significant weight gain, and that weight gain was less in those people who followed a high protein diet.

These results showed that modest increases in protein content and small reductions in the glycemic index lead to better weight loss maintenance.

Bottom Line

The results of these 3 studies suggest that there may be a benefit to a dietary approach that is based on a high macronutrient diet. Research also tells us that while a particular diet may cause weight loss in one person but may not be beneficial for someone else due to differences in lifestyle and genes.

They found that there isn’t a perfect diet for everyone. The good news is that everyone can take part in the MyPlate guidelines, choosing flavorful and healthy foods to find a diet that works best for them.   

We are all unique and different in our own way so do what works for you. You might even try eating a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast because then you have all day to work off those beautiful calories.

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11 Reasons You’re Not Loosing Weight!

If you started taking in more calories than usual or cutting back on exercise, you wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers on the scale crept higher.

But what if you’re doing everything the same as you always do, and your weight still goes up? It’s time

to delve a little deeper into what else might be going on.

1 Lack of Sleep

There are two issues at work with sleep and weight gain. First, if you’re up late, the odds are greater that you’re doing some late-night snacking, which means you are taking in more calories and not burning them off. The other reason involves what’s going on in your body when you’re sleep-deprived.

Changes in hormone levels increase hunger and appetite and also make you feel not as full after eating.

2 Stress

When life’s demands get too intense, our bodies go into survival mode.

Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” is secreted, which causes an increase in appetite. And of course, we will always reach for high-calorie comfort foods in times of stress as well. This combination is a perfect breeding ground for weight gain.

3 Antidepressants

An unfortunate side effect of some antidepressants is weight gain. Talk to your doctor about making changes to your treatment plan if you think your antidepressant is causing weight gain.

You must never stop or change your medication on your own. Realize that some people experience weight gain after beginning drug treatment simply because they’re feeling better, which can lead to a better appetite and weight gain.

Also, depression itself can cause changes in weight.

4 Steroids

Anti-inflammatory steroid medications like prednisone are notorious for causing weight gain. Fluid retention and increased appetite are the main reasons.

Some people may also see a temporary change in where their body holds fat while taking steroids —

to places like the face, the belly, or the back of the neck.

If you’ve taken steroids for more than a week, don’t stop them abruptly. That can lead to serious problems. Always check with your doctor first.

5 Drugs That May Cause Weight Gain

Several other prescription drugs are linked to weight gain. The list includes antipsychotic drugs (used to treat disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), along with medications to treat migraines, seizures, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Always be aware of what you are taking and what side affects there are concerning weight gain.

Work with your doctor to find a medication that treats your symptoms and lessens side effects.

6 Don’t Jump to Blame the Pill

Contrary to popular belief, combination birth control pills (estrogen and progestin) aren’t proven to cause lasting weight gain. It is thought that some women taking the combination pill may experience some weight gain related to fluid retention, but this is usually short-term.

If you’re still concerned about possible weight gain, talk to your doctor.

7 Hypothyroidism

If your thyroid (the butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck) is not making enough thyroid hormone, you’re probably feeling tired, weak, and cold, and gaining weight.

Without enough thyroid hormone, your metabolism slows, making weight gain more likely. Even a thyroid functioning at the lower end of the normal range might cause weight gain.

Treating hypothyroidism with medication may reverse some of the weight gains.

8 Don’t Blame Menopause

Most women do gain some weight around the time of menopause, but hormones probably aren’t the only cause. Aging also slows your metabolism, so you will burn fewer calories.

And changes in lifestyle (such as exercising less) also play a role. But where you gain weight may be related to menopause, with fat accumulating around your waist more than your hips and thighs.

9 Cushing’s syndrome

Weight gain is a common symptom of Cushing’s syndrome, a condition in which you are exposed to too much of the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn causes weight gain and other abnormalities.

You can get Cushing’s syndrome if you take steroids for asthma, arthritis, or lupus. It can also happen when your adrenal glands make too much cortisol, or it could be related to a tumor. The weight gain may be most prominent around the face, neck, upper back, or waist.

10 Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a common hormonal problem in women of childbearing age. Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts in their ovaries. This condition leads to hormone imbalances that affect a woman’s menstrual cycle and can lead to extra body hair and acne.

Women with this condition are resistant to insulin (the hormone that controls blood sugar), so it may cause weight gain. The weight tends to collect around the belly, putting these women at greater risk for heart disease.

11 Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. When you quit, you may gain some weight, but perhaps less than you think.

On average, people who stop smoking gain less than 10 pounds. You should stop feeling hungrier after several weeks, which will make it easier to help lose any weight you might have gained.

What is actually required to lose weight?

  • A healthy and positive attitude to training and nutrition. Amongst other things, this means no starvation diets!

  • Appropriate nutrition. Again, this means “not too much, not too little”. Undereating is perhaps just as bad as overeating.

  • Appropriate exercise program. This is an important point because a lot of people are scared off by the thought of unpleasant, excessive training programs. Or, they’ll choose a form of exercise that is not suitable to the physique they are trying to achieve.

  • Patience and consistency, matched with realism. If you’re significantly overweight, chances are that this was a gradual process that snuck up on you over an extended period of time. While we’d hope to make steady progress and lose weight faster than we gained it, it’s about keeping it off long term as well. So crash diets are not the answer! You have to be realistic as well, and accept that “you got to live” and you’re not going to be able to stick to your plan with 100% accuracy, 100% of the time.

  • You have to believe if you want to achieve. Belief systems are a big part of this.

Conclusion:

That’s the basic explanation but the difference between success and failure will always be in doing “what is actually required” rather than an inappropriate approach that is either more extreme than is necessary, or completely inadequate.

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7 Steps To Basic Weight Loss

Before starting with your weight loss program, it seems fair to let you know that this is a complicated but not impossible process. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience and motivation.

You need to have a mind set that says you are in this program for the long run.

1.1 What is the “Balance” in weight loss?

Your weight loss plan is a balance of a healthy diet, calorie intake, and proper exercise.

The fundamental balance we are talking about is the balance between calorie intake and calorie burn.

Your weight loss is a process of burning down more calories than what you take in. You may already know that we get calories from food. The food we eat is a proportionate composition of Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals.

Calorie burns can be described in the form of increasing metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the rate at which the body burns up the calories.

Let’s say a person is consuming approximately 1000 calories a day and burning exactly 1000 calories then, their weight remains same. If a person is consuming more calories than he will burn, he will become overweight.

If a person’s calorie intake is less than the calories burned, then the person is moving in a right direction for weight loss. So, for weight loss, we have to decrease our calorie intake and increase our metabolic rate.

1.2 Is long-term weight-maintenance important?

The long-term maintenance of a persons body weight is much more important and difficult than the initial success of weight loss.

Many people achieve success in weight loss but then revert back to unhealthy eating habits and cut-out exercising altogether.

In such a situation, the person will return back to their previous weight or gain even more weight. Nutrition and Health experts believe this is more hazardous than being overweight.

These continuous fluctuations between gaining and losing weight will result in heart problems or even worse, a stroke.

Long-term weight maintenance requires a big commitment. At some points, you will feel uncomfortable and it will seem quite easy to give up.

You have to understand that you just don’t want to lose few pounds and look slim, but want to achieve a healthy lifestyle and looking gorgeous is a big part of it.

1.3 How long will you have to wait to see results?

When we start with any weight loss program, we find ourselves a little impatient to see results. We are feeling like only one day of low-calorie diet or extensive workout in the gym will lead us to our goal.

Having patience is the key. The time it takes for you to see results can vary from person to person. There are many factors affecting this process including your diet chart, calorie intake, exercising habits, and even snacks.

However, in general, many people start seeing a difference within one or two weeks. It is recommended by nutritional experts, that a person should start looking for weight loss results after the first few weeks of dieting and exercise. At the same time, it is important for you to be kind and patient with yourself.

1.4 What is the significance of High Metabolic Rate in weight loss?

Metabolic Rate is the rate at which our body burns calories and expends energy. It is determined by many factors which together determine your body weight. The higher your metabolism the more calories you’ll burn.

In other words an increase in metabolic rate is the way to lose weight without cutting calories. As mentioned earlier burning more calories than you can consume is the defined key for weight loss. Higher usage rate can help use up energy your body has stored as fat.

One more thing to take into consideration, is that when you reach your desired weight, you might reduce your dieting and at the same time cut out some exercise. You will then need to decrease the amount of calories you consume. If not, you will start to regain the weight you lost and maybe even more quickly.

1.5 Are supplements the solution to weight loss?

For anyone sticking to a healthy diet and exercise plan may find it to be very tormenting. More often than not you will wish that instead of following rules somebody would just hand you a “Magic Pill” for losing weight.

I hate to break it to you but there is no such pill out there. Although there are some vitamins and

nutrients available in the form of pills, that can help you in your weight loss program. But they are effective in a very limited way.

One more thing to consider before using pills is that they come with a certain risk factor or side effects. Before taking any pills it is better to consult with your doctor. You have to decide that the benefits these pills are providing “outweigh” the risk and side effects for you or not!

1.6 Losing Weight quickly can be harmful?

We all want to lose weight as quickly as possible. While it is tempting to lose weight fast, experts usually recommend the opposite. Diets that promote quick weight loss are often too low in terms of calories and nutrients causing many health problems including:

– Muscle Loss

– Nutritional Deficiency

– Slow Metabolism

– Gallstones

– And many side effects.

One more problem with fast weight loss is that it is difficult to maintain for the long term.

So the bottom line is that if you want to lose weight and keep it off for long-term, you should

aim for a “slow and steady” pace that will lead to losing 1-2 pounds per week.

1.7 How to get started with a weight loss plan?

One of the biggest problems in a weight loss program is people mostly wonder where to start? Here are some tips that will help you off on the right track.

Tip #1: Analyze your lifestyle closely.

Before starting you need to analyze your lifestyle in regards to (food and exercise habits). This would include identification of the cause of fat accumulation. One way to do this is by keeping a food diary in which you record what you eat on daily basis.

Tip #2: Set a realistic goal.

Determine how much weight you want to lose. After that, take baby steps towards it by establishing short-term goals. Keep in mind that you need to set-up realistic goals.

Don’t be thinking that you can lose 20 pounds within a week because thet is probably impossible. You should expect gradual changes but not immediate results.

Tip #3: Calculate your Calorie intake.

As discussed earlier you need to burn more calories than you eat in order to lose weight.

Your calorie intake depends on your current weight and the amount of exercising you are doing.

Normally, calculating calories can be so boring so, you might try using an online calorie calculator

that will calculate you’re calorie intake for you.

Tip #4: Monitor your progress regularly.

You should “Self-monitor” your progress for your weight loss. Keep regular tabs and make the necessary changes.

If you’re having trouble in accomplishing your goal, maybe see how you can make a change in your behaviour or routine in order to achieve it.

All these tips are significantly helpful for you to get started with your weight loss program.

Good luck and get started.