Health Center | About Weight Loss

Archive for January, 2011

Sometimes, a quick weight loss program taken to the extreme can lead to severe behaviour changes that you may not be aware of. It is a good thing to have people around you who are aware of what you are doing so that they can caution you when something about you seems amiss. It could be the glow on your skin, limpness of your hair, circles under your eyes or the fact that you are looking unwell; these might be signs that your diet is not suiting you.

Check Yourself

Take a photograph of yourself before you start the quick weight loss programme. When you have gone through a few week of the program, compare your old photograph with how you look currently. Is there a difference in the way you were and the way you are? Is it what you have wanted? Another thing to note is how you feel. Do you feel energised when you wake up in the morning? Are you able to clear your body of toxins? If you feel fine without the aid of medication, it probably means that you are doing your body a good turn.

Talk About It

Quick weight loss programmes can be controversial and you need to get the right advice before you embark on it. If you have chosen to follow something off the net or from a book, discuss it with a doctor. Let the doctor check your vital signs and confirm that your health permits a diet of the kind that you are undertaking. If there are some serious disturbances the diet is likely to cause, the doctor can help you take an informed decision. Check with the doctor whether there are specific tests that you should do to avoid future health problems.

Get Your Family In On It

Your family members know you well and will be aware if you have a tendency to take quick weight loss programmes so far that they can prove detrimental to your health. If there are members who feel you need to take medical advice before you embark on the plan, take the advice seriously. If you have done this in the past and are repeating the action, you may become a victim of yo-yo dieting which is harmful to your body. On the other hand, if you find that you have the support of the people around you, it means you must be on the right track and will be warned if things do not seem right.

Let Your Workmates Know

Do this with caution since you want to identify your well wishers who will help you keep on track. Identify people who understand your need for quick weight loss. Avoid getting carried away by people who try to get you off your diet by offering you things that they know you like, just for the fun of it. Your workmates see you every day and can caution you of any signs that you have not noticed that your diet may not be suiting you.

Great!! I hear you say… another one of these pointless blogs on how to lose weight easy and fast that actually never work and just cost money…. well im very happy to say that your wrong on both parts, your not going to spend any money or get a pointless weight loss programme trust me ive gave this programme to family and friends and they would recommend it to anyone! Interested?? Read ON!

Right now im suspecting you have quite a few questions well im here to answer them before you even ask……

(Q) What Type of Programme Is It?     
                               
(A) Its An Ebook!!!

(Q) Why are you giving it away and not asking for money?

(A) Because Ebooks cost nothing to make and post online

(Q) There must be a catch!!!

(A) Theres no catch at all im not going to ask you for your bank details or credit card all im going to ask of you is your name and email address and thats it!

(Q) Ok, so where can i find this link to your email to get my free ebook?

(A) Its on my Blogger Page! The Link is Below!

www.free-weight-loss-secrets.blogspot.com <<< CLICK HERE <<<

On my blog page i also have links to other Ebooks which may help you in any situation you are in be it weight loss, toning up or even both!  

You will not believe how simple it is until you see it with your own eyes!!

I wont keep you any longer you must be very curious on what i have to show you so all you have to do is click on this link input your email adress and name and its yours for free!

www.free-weight-loss-secrets.blogspot.com <<< CLICK HERE <<<

I hope this helps you and gets you closer to your goal and if its a special occasion i wish you all the best of luck.

When trying to lose weight and burn excess fat the last thing you want to be doing is wasting time. This article will explain to you what weighted exercises are best for weight loss, why these exercises are so effective and how to place them in your fat loss plan.

What makes a weight loss exercise effective?

This may seem like a question which is going to lead into a complicated answer, but it really isn’t. The key to any efficient fat burning move is the amount of muscles you use per repetition and the level of intensity at which you perform it. Remember your body will also use calories to repair your body for days after you workout when using weights.

To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis, simple! Your body burns the most amounts of calories when using its muscles. So taking this into account, to lose weight in the quickest time you need to be performing exercises that moves over a series of joints and a collection of muscles, if not all of your muscles (Compound exercises). As you get competent with the movements you need to increase the weight, this will develop the muscle and thus create muscle definition / Tone.

In addition to this as a last point, remember that your legs are a powerful fat burning furnace, purely because of the size and strength of them compared to any other body part. Don’t neglect them and don’t be put off when they ache!

Below is a list of exercises set into 3 section (Beginner, intermediate, advanced).

Beginner weight loss exercises that are simple and effective

These are the body’s basic functional exercises. They teach you how to move through your natural range safely by conditioning your joints and developing the correct motor skills (The way your body moves). In addition to this, these basic exercises will set you up to progress onto the next stage and leave you with sculptured, toned muscles once the fat is eliminated. As well as using the below weighted exercises you should mix in cardio in the form of continuous training and short interval sprints.

* Once you have progressed through to the next stages (intermediate and advance) don’t forget to still include the simple exercises as they are still effective weight loss tools. Just increase the weights and intensity, by including them in supersets / tri-sets.

· Squat

· Squat and press

· Static lunges

· Dead lift

· Dead lift curl

· Dead lift curl and press

· Press up

· Dumbbell swing

· Burpee

Intermediate weight loss exercises

Developing on from your basic level, these set of movements become more dynamic. By doing this we are placing our muscles into greater stress which will result in increased muscle definition. Furthermore it will take your fitness and endurance to the next step. To get the most out of your weight loss programme you should start adding supersets (Performing two exercises one after each other) and increase your interval sprints. This will ensure that you maintain your progress.

· Squat and row (cables)

· Alternate dumbbell swing

· Alternate lunges

· Walking lunges

· Burpee variations

· Dumbbell snatch

· Dumbbell clean and jerk

· Cross body snatch

· Weighted ski

Advanced weight loss exercises

Now you’re at the stage where your fitness and endurance should be at a high level and you can perform supersets and sprints efficiently, with a level of ease. Taking this into consideration we need to raise the bar again by including Tri-sets (performing 3 exercises continuously one after each other). This will get you lungs burning and really test your stamina. Obviously with such an intensive workout the fat will drop of you.

· Burpee Variations with equipment

· Alternate dumbbell clean and jerk

· Alternate dumbbell snatch

· Plyometric jump variations

· Pull ups

· Dips

*Don’t forget you should mix and match all the exercises through the levels above to maintain a constant weight loss and making sure that your body doesn’t adapt to your training. If your body does adapt to your training it will result in a reduced fat burn, so keep on your toes and vary your routines.

How to use weights in a weight loss routine

A weight loss workout should be treated like circuit training. The biggest problem most people make is that they take too much rest or set the workout out so they perform weights first, cardio after (or other way round). A fat burning session should consist of cardio and weights mixed up. A quick example of this is shown below.

1. Treadmill: Continuous (10min)

2. Squat (4 x 10)

3. Cross trainer: Intervals (5min)

4. Dead lift (4 x 10)

5. Rowing machine: Intervals (150m sprint / 30 sec rest x 5 – 10 SETS)

6. Press ups

This simple workout jumps from compound weighted exercise to cardio just like a circuit would, but on the gym floor. It will turn your body into a fat burning furnace!

For more information on how to use cardio when your goal is weight loss, check out the “Cardio for weight loss” article. Also take a look at the weight loss diet section and recipes section to make sure you’re not wasting the hard work. We also have herbal weight loss supplements (Herbal life), which are completely natural in their ingredients, helping you shed the pounds safely.

Jason Garratt invites you to join our FREE Health and Fitness community for information on nutrition and training from professionals http://www.fit2talk.co.uk/signup.php. Get your free profile to help you mange and achieve results.

Also view our tweets http://twitter.com/Fit2Talk for Fit2talk updates.

When all else failed, this miraculous nature’s gift H2O (Water) has helped many people to successfully shift oodles of pounds. No need to give up your favorite foods and absolutely no need to count calories and most of all no need to carry a bottomless purse to achieve your desired weight.  This compound is abundantly available free of charge.

For years people have been looking for an easy fix to effective weight loss and have tried umpteen products on the market but all has been in vain. The market is saturated with a variety of calorie controlled foods, diet pills, soups, powder drinks, protein shakes, diet chocolates, detox programmes, slimming gadgets, the list is endless.  Documented evidence of people achieving long-term results with the use of these products has not been visible.

As we all live in a fast track life, finding time to cook nutritious meals at home is almost impossible for most people. Consequently consuming ready or frozen meals from supermarkets or take-out meals and dinning out has become the easiest option. But we are all aware these foods are loaded with calories and unhealthy fats, which results in obesity and health problems.

So what is this nature’s gift that has helped so many people in losing weight effectively and that too helping them keeping it off?

The dynamic equilibrium of this compound H2O, which constitutes around 70 percent of our bodies, is the essence of this successful weight loss and the best part is it is a gift from nature.

It is unbelievably simple. Just by taking two mugs of hot water daily, first thing in the morning and with sensible eating throughout the day has helped so many people in shifting the stubborn excessive weight. There is no need to take out the scales to measure your food, simply enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

Past evidence shows, depriving the body by cutting out the foods you love causes cravings, thus the loss of control on the intake and weight loss programme heading out the window before it has taken off.

The combination of a gym session or a 30-minute walk at least four times a week with the above programme brings faster results.

Introduction of this wonder gift from nature to a daily plan has helped many people achieve their desired weight and can also help you.

Let’s all aim towards healthier lifestyles and finding that time to cook nutritious meals at home, which is well worth our while for the long-term health benefits.

Why not make the dinning out experience a once in a while treat? After all, you deserve it for making invaluable lifestyle changes. — Kimi Mamtora

So you want to lose weight and have tried traditional weight loss programmes without much success? With the huge number of programmes available, selecting one for you was not probably easier either.

Of course exercise and a reduction in your daily intake will make you lose weight, but it’s not easy especially if you’re not a habitual exerciser. You can lose weight without spending everyday in the gym, starving yourself and feeling hungry all the time.

You probably take a supplement already for vitamins and minerals, but did you know that there are weight loss supplements that are effective for weight reduction?

Yes it may be true that there are hundreds of weight loss supplements on the market, but not all of them are effective. To ensure you have a quality weight loss supplement you they should be natural and have clinical trials to prove they work.

Recently the Telegraph has discussed their recommended top 5 ways for losing weight. These included:

Eat 6 times a day – so watch what you eat and break your meals into smaller portions to eat throughout the day, so you stop snacking
Use an effective fat binder weight loss product – fat binders are commonly found in weight loss products and are 100% natural. Not all are clinical proven but the Telegraph recommend Proactol
Eat breakfast – ensure you set your metabolism for the whole day by having a healthy breakfast
Exercise plan realistic for you – ensure you set realistic goals for your exercise routine, you want to be able to continue it and not give up due to frustration

The Telegraph has pointed out some great tips to ensure that you experience natural easy weight loss.

Losing weight need not be the chore you are expecting!

The missing link for long term weight loss

We now make our way to another test to help you choose a nutrition program for long term weight loss, and it does not actually involve nutrition. The missing link for long term weight loss is exercise. Exercise is the essential component of long term weight loss. Many diet programs do not contain an exercise component, which means they are losers for long term weight loss from the very start. Any program that has its focus on weight loss but does not include a comprehensive exercise plan is like buying a car without tires, or a plane without wings. People who have successfully kept the weight off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise into their lives, and the studies that look at people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off invariably find these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. (4)

I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here, but regular exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit, and can help preserve lean body mass (LBM) which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so I won’t bother adding them here. The bottom line here is, (a) if you have any intentions of getting the most from your goal of losing weight and (b) plan to keep it off long term, regular exercise must be an integral part of the weight loss strategy. So, you can eliminate any program, be it book, e-book, clinic, etc. that does not offer you direction and help with this essential part of long term weight loss.

Side Bar: A quick note on exercise:

Any exercise is better than no exercise. However, like diet plans, not all exercise is created equal, and many people often choose the wrong form of exercise to maximize their efforts to lose weight. For example, they will do aerobics exclusively and ignore resistance training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss, as it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, increases 24 hour energy expenditure, and has health benefits beyond aerobics.

The reader will also note I said fat loss above not weight loss. Though I use the term ‘weight loss’ throughout this article, I do so only because it is a familiar term most people understand. However, the true focus and goal of a properly set up nutrition and exercise plan should be on fat loss, not weight loss. A focus on losing weight, which may include a loss essential muscle, water, and even bone, as well as fat, is the wrong approach. Losing the fat and keeping the all important lean body mass (LBM), is the goal, and the method for achieving that can be found in my ebook(s) on the topic, and is beyond the scope of this article. Bottom line: the type of exercise, intensity of that exercise, length of time doing that exercise, etc., are essential variables here when attempting to lose FAT while retaining (LBM).

Psychology 101 of long term weight loss

Many diet programs out there don’t address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component.

Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese women who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese women who had lost weight and maintained their weight for at least one year and 20 women with a stable weight in the healthy range, found the women who regained the weight:

? Had a tendency to evaluate self-worth in terms of weight and shape
? Had a lack of vigilance with regard to weight control
? had a dichotomous (black-and-white) thinking style
? Had the tendency to use eating to regulate mood.

The researchers concluded:

”The results suggest that psychological factors may provide some explanation as to why many people with obesity regain weight following successful weight loss.”

This particular study was done on women, so it reflects some of the specific psychological issues women have – but make no mistake here – men also have their own psychological issues that can sabotage their long term weight loss efforts. (6)

Additional studies on men and women find psychological characteristics such as “having unrealistic weight goals, poor coping or problem-solving skills and low self-efficacy” often predict failure with long term weight loss. (7) On the other hand, psychological traits common to people who experienced successful long term weight loss include “…an internal motivation to lose weight, social support, better coping strategies and ability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability.” (8)

The main point of this section is to illustrate that psychology plays a major role in determining if people are successful with long term weight loss. If it’s not addressed as part of the overall plan, it can be the factor that makes or breaks your success. This, however, is not an area most nutrition programs can adequately tackle and should not be expected to. However, the better programs do generally attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support. If you see yourself in the above lists from the groups that failed to maintain their weight long term, then know you will need to address those issues via counseling, support groups, etc. Don’t expect any weight loss program to cover this topic adequately but do look for programs that attempt to offer support, goal setting, and resources that will keep you on track.

”There’s a sucker born every minute”

So why don’t you see this type of honest information about the realities of long term weight loss more often? Let’s be honest here, telling the truth is not the best way to sell bars, shakes, books, supplements, and programs. Hell, if by some miracle everyone who read this article actually followed it, and sent it on to millions of other people who actually followed it, makers of said products could be in financial trouble quickly. However, they also know – as the man said – “there’s a sucker born every minute,” so I doubt they will be kept up at night worrying about the effects that I, or this article, will have on their business.

So let’s recap what has been learned here: the big picture realities of permanent weight loss and how you can look at a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it’s for you based on what has been covered above:

? Permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet, but making a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise

? Any weight loss program you choose must pass the “Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?” test,

? The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how to eat and be self reliant so you can make informed long term choices about your nutrition.

? The weight loss program you choose should not leave you reliant on commercial bars, shakes, supplements, or pre-made foods, for your long term success.

? The weight loss program you choose must have an effective exercise component.

? The weight loss program you choose should attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support, but can’t be a replacement for psychological counseling if needed.

Conclusion

I want to take this final section to add some additional points and clarity. For starters, the above advice is not for everyone. It’s not intended for those who really have their nutrition dialed in, such as competitive bodybuilders and other athletes who benefit from fairly dramatic changes in their nutrition, such as ‘off season’ and ‘pre-contest’ and so on.

The article is also not intended for those with medical issues who may be on a specific diet to treat or manage a specific medical condition. The article is intended for the average person who wants to get off the Yo-Yo diet merry-go-round once and for all. As that’s probably 99% of the population, it will cover millions of people.

People should also not be scared off by my “you have to eat this way forever” advice. This does not mean you will be dieting for the rest of your life and have nothing but starvation to look forward to. What it does mean, however, is you will have to learn to eat properly even after you reach your target weight and that way of eating should not be a huge departure from how you ate to lose the weight in the first place. Once you get to your target weight – and or your target bodyfat levels – you will go onto a maintenance phase which generally has more calories and choices of food, even the occasional treat, like a slice of pizza or whatever.

Maintenance diets are a logical extension of the diet you used to lose the weight, but they are not based on the diet you followed that put the weight on in the first place!

Regardless of which program you choose, use the above ‘big picture’ approach which will keep you on track for long term weight loss. See you in the gym!

References

(1) Truby H, et al. Randomised controlled trial of four commercial weight loss programmes in the UK: initial findings from the BBC “diet trials” BMJ 2006;332:1309-1314 (3 June),

(2) Michael D., et al, Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction. A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;293:43-53.

(3) Comparison of Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction-Reply. Michael Dansinger. JAMA. 2005;293:1590-1591.

(4) Kruger J. et al. Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2006, 3:17 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-3-17

(5) Byrne S, et al. Weight maintenance and relapse in obesity: a qualitative study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Aug;27(8):955-62.

(6) Borg P, et al. Food selection and eating behaviour during weight maintenance intervention and 2-y follow-up in obese men.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28(12):1548-54.

(7) Byrne SM. Psychological aspects of weight maintenance and relapse in obesity. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Nov;53(5):1029-36.

(8) Elfhag K, et al. Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. Obes Rev. 2005 Feb;6(1):67-85

So you want to lose weight? The issue is not can you, for you can. The issue is how, and how effectively and easily. I agree there are probably countless quick fix programmes around that may work for a few, but how many can you trust? Bear in mind that amongst these quick fixes there are genuine weight loss programmes that with the right attitude will keep you fit, trim and healthy.

My aim is a series of articles explaining reasons for weight gain and ways to lose it, and keep it lost, naturally. You may try, lose some, then, it comes back with a rage. There are reasons why weight loss programmes fail. Knowing a bit about the nature of our body and mind can help understand these reasons.  

Often people want to lose weight to just feel good, without too much thought to health. They look to improve their self esteem. It is important to realise that your self esteem comes from what you think about yourself, not what others think. The process can be reversed. Starting to feel good about yourself even though you have not lost weight can help you lose weight.

I am going to show a simple weight loss support technique that I have learned about that can make you feel much more attractive and confident. It is known as the mirror technique and has been used successfully by many to improve themselves in all aspects of life involving success. It does not take away the fact that being overweight is maybe unsightly and unhealthy but it can help you to feel more comfortable with your body. This technique is going to reprogram your mind to associate your reflection with good and positive feelings. Very soon you will be able to see your reflection and feel great rather than feeling bad about how you look.

Stand in front of the mirror. It doesn’t need to be full length, just enough to see waist up. Stand erect, heels together, stomach in, chest out and head held high. Stand to attention. Breathe deeply three or four times and feel a sense of strength, power and determination.

With this feeling think back to a time, any situation, when you felt really good about yourself. It doesn’t have to be about being slim. It might have been some good achievement, a job you did well, a compliment received. Anything that gave you a deep satisfied feeling. Close your eyes and think of that moment. Remember how proud you felt. Remember that confidence. Feel it and move it eyes. Feel the glow behind your closed eyes and smile to yourself remembering that moment.

When you start to feel as strongly as possible open your eyes and look into the very depth of your eyes in the mirror. See yourself as other people would have seen you when you had done that great achievement. See yourself with respect and admiration. Keep smiling at yourself and notice the confidence in your eyes.

Squeeze together your thumb and forefinger. This will create an emotional connection between the way you feel at that moment and your reflection, that deep reflection in your eyes.

Practice twice a day, it takes a matter of minutes. Over a period of time you will start to notice a dramatic change in yourself, gaining a sense of confidence you never thought you could have. Your self esteem will grow and very quickly you’ll not worry about your weight as much as you have done before.

It is very important you understand that this technique is not to replace your diet program. It is a way for you to start to feel better about yourself. If you feel better about yourself you will have a greater chance for that weight loss for you will be encouraged to continue your weight loss and make your feelings a reality.

Your weight loss journey

A weight loss journey is an incredibly emotional journey. Once you have set an achievable weight loss goal, you will need to add a healthy dose of self discipline, determination,will power and dedication. Even when you achieve your weight loss goal, it requires the same amount of discipline and will power to maintaining your goal weight. It is a much easier option to be unhealthy and it takes great self control to choose to be healthy.
It is important to remember that the most important person to lose weight for is YOU! You are ultimately responsible for how you live your life and what you feed your body. You need to lose weight for YOU and YOU alone. You can not blame any one else. You need to take responsibility for your own health and take ownership of this weight loss journey. You need to be accountable to YOU!

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I feel uncomfortable?
Do I feel tired and bloated and sluggish?
Do I feel unhealthy?
Do I need more energy?
Do I feel older than I really am?
Do I feel uncomfortable in my own skin?
Am I feeling unattractive?
Do I feel like I have lost my way and no longer feel like me?

What ever the reason is,maybe it is all of the above, pick a reason and remind yourself every day, why you are embarking on this lifestyle change and it must be a lifestyle change.
An important first step, when starting a weight loss programme, is to get on the scale, see what you weigh now, and then set yourself an achievable target. Focus on a size rather than a number on the scales. It is important to define the journey before you take on the challenge. Whether it is a large weight loss or just a few extra kilos that you have to lose, face up to your part in how you came to this place. Take full responsibility for your weight and your health. When you have accepted that it is time to make the changes and achieve an acceptable weight loss then you will be ready to get started.
From day one, until you achieve your goal, you need to write and keep a food diary and goal setting journal to record your weight loss journey. Those people who have a goal or plan and journal it or keep a diary, are more successful in reaching and achieving their goal. Those who don’t journal this weight loss journey, often struggle. This is a really important tool and will help you stay focused. You will need to record on a daily basis what you eat and your exercise performance as well as how you feel and what you want to achieve.
Set goals in this diary, and start with small ones that lead to bigger ones.

When you start achieving these goals, take time out to reward yourself for your weight loss achievements. Maybe get a massage when you achieve your first milestone. Maybe get your hair done or buy a new outfit. Maybe take a weekend away at a special resort. Reward yourself for your efforts as this will help you to stay focused and get you closer to your weight loss dream.

Life will always throw curve balls at you and expect plenty of challenges during a health and fitness programme. The secret is to never give up! When you fall or have a bad day, when you give in and eat unhealthy food, the secret in achieving your weight loss goal is to get back up again and again and again! Don’t waste your time beating yourself up for having a bad day, refocus and start again.  The sooner the better! There is more success in rising when we fail than never failing. Every day is a new day towards health and well being. Be accountable to yourself and do not blame others for your weight gain.

A good healthy eating plan and exercise programme  is a journey worth taking. It will change how you feel, how you think and how you live your life as well as how long you live it.

http://www.weightlosssecret.info

Weight Loss Secret

The missing link for long term weight loss

We now make our way to another test to help you choose a nutrition program for long term weight loss, and it does not actually involve nutrition. The missing link for long term weight loss is exercise. Exercise is the essential component of long term weight loss. Many diet programs do not contain an exercise component, which means they are losers for long term weight loss from the very start. Any program that has its focus on weight loss but does not include a comprehensive exercise plan is like buying a car without tires, or a plane without wings. People who have successfully kept the weight off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise into their lives, and the studies that look at people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off invariably find these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. (4)

I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here, but regular exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit, and can help preserve lean body mass (LBM) which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so I won’t bother adding them here. The bottom line here is, (a) if you have any intentions of getting the most from your goal of losing weight and (b) plan to keep it off long term, regular exercise must be an integral part of the weight loss strategy. So, you can eliminate any program, be it book, e-book, clinic, etc. that does not offer you direction and help with this essential part of long term weight loss.

Side Bar: A quick note on exercise:

Any exercise is better than no exercise. However, like diet plans, not all exercise is created equal, and many people often choose the wrong form of exercise to maximize their efforts to lose weight. For example, they will do aerobics exclusively and ignore resistance training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss, as it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, increases 24 hour energy expenditure, and has health benefits beyond aerobics.

The reader will also note I said fat loss above not weight loss. Though I use the term ‘weight loss’ throughout this article, I do so only because it is a familiar term most people understand. However, the true focus and goal of a properly set up nutrition and exercise plan should be on fat loss, not weight loss. A focus on losing weight, which may include a loss essential muscle, water, and even bone, as well as fat, is the wrong approach. Losing the fat and keeping the all important lean body mass (LBM), is the goal, and the method for achieving that can be found in my ebook(s) on the topic, and is beyond the scope of this article. Bottom line: the type of exercise, intensity of that exercise, length of time doing that exercise, etc., are essential variables here when attempting to lose FAT while retaining (LBM).

Psychology 101 of long term weight loss

Many diet programs out there don’t address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component.

Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese women who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese women who had lost weight and maintained their weight for at least one year and 20 women with a stable weight in the healthy range, found the women who regained the weight:

? Had a tendency to evaluate self-worth in terms of weight and shape
? Had a lack of vigilance with regard to weight control
? had a dichotomous (black-and-white) thinking style
? Had the tendency to use eating to regulate mood.

The researchers concluded:

”The results suggest that psychological factors may provide some explanation as to why many people with obesity regain weight following successful weight loss.”

This particular study was done on women, so it reflects some of the specific psychological issues women have – but make no mistake here – men also have their own psychological issues that can sabotage their long term weight loss efforts. (6)

Additional studies on men and women find psychological characteristics such as “having unrealistic weight goals, poor coping or problem-solving skills and low self-efficacy” often predict failure with long term weight loss. (7) On the other hand, psychological traits common to people who experienced successful long term weight loss include “…an internal motivation to lose weight, social support, better coping strategies and ability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability.” (8)

The main point of this section is to illustrate that psychology plays a major role in determining if people are successful with long term weight loss. If it’s not addressed as part of the overall plan, it can be the factor that makes or breaks your success. This, however, is not an area most nutrition programs can adequately tackle and should not be expected to. However, the better programs do generally attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support. If you see yourself in the above lists from the groups that failed to maintain their weight long term, then know you will need to address those issues via counseling, support groups, etc. Don’t expect any weight loss program to cover this topic adequately but do look for programs that attempt to offer support, goal setting, and resources that will keep you on track.

”There’s a sucker born every minute”

So why don’t you see this type of honest information about the realities of long term weight loss more often? Let’s be honest here, telling the truth is not the best way to sell bars, shakes, books, supplements, and programs. Hell, if by some miracle everyone who read this article actually followed it, and sent it on to millions of other people who actually followed it, makers of said products could be in financial trouble quickly. However, they also know – as the man said – “there’s a sucker born every minute,” so I doubt they will be kept up at night worrying about the effects that I, or this article, will have on their business.

So let’s recap what has been learned here: the big picture realities of permanent weight loss and how you can look at a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it’s for you based on what has been covered above:

? Permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet, but making a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise

? Any weight loss program you choose must pass the “Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?” test,

? The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how to eat and be self reliant so you can make informed long term choices about your nutrition.

? The weight loss program you choose should not leave you reliant on commercial bars, shakes, supplements, or pre-made foods, for your long term success.

? The weight loss program you choose must have an effective exercise component.

? The weight loss program you choose should attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support, but can’t be a replacement for psychological counseling if needed.

Conclusion

I want to take this final section to add some additional points and clarity. For starters, the above advice is not for everyone. It’s not intended for those who really have their nutrition dialed in, such as competitive bodybuilders and other athletes who benefit from fairly dramatic changes in their nutrition, such as ‘off season’ and ‘pre-contest’ and so on.

The article is also not intended for those with medical issues who may be on a specific diet to treat or manage a specific medical condition. The article is intended for the average person who wants to get off the Yo-Yo diet merry-go-round once and for all. As that’s probably 99% of the population, it will cover millions of people.

People should also not be scared off by my “you have to eat this way forever” advice. This does not mean you will be dieting for the rest of your life and have nothing but starvation to look forward to. What it does mean, however, is you will have to learn to eat properly even after you reach your target weight and that way of eating should not be a huge departure from how you ate to lose the weight in the first place. Once you get to your target weight – and or your target bodyfat levels – you will go onto a maintenance phase which generally has more calories and choices of food, even the occasional treat, like a slice of pizza or whatever.

Maintenance diets are a logical extension of the diet you used to lose the weight, but they are not based on the diet you followed that put the weight on in the first place!

Regardless of which program you choose, use the above ‘big picture’ approach which will keep you on track for long term weight loss. See you in the gym!

References

(1) Truby H, et al. Randomised controlled trial of four commercial weight loss programmes in the UK: initial findings from the BBC “diet trials” BMJ 2006;332:1309-1314 (3 June),

(2) Michael D., et al, Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction. A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;293:43-53.

(3) Comparison of Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction-Reply. Michael Dansinger. JAMA. 2005;293:1590-1591.

(4) Kruger J. et al. Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2006, 3:17 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-3-17

(5) Byrne S, et al. Weight maintenance and relapse in obesity: a qualitative study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Aug;27(8):955-62.

(6) Borg P, et al. Food selection and eating behaviour during weight maintenance intervention and 2-y follow-up in obese men.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28(12):1548-54.

(7) Byrne SM. Psychological aspects of weight maintenance and relapse in obesity. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Nov;53(5):1029-36.

(8) Elfhag K, et al. Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. Obes Rev. 2005 Feb;6(1):67-85

Every woman harbours deep desire to look like a Hollywood diva, walk the ramp like a super model and flaunt their super slim dream body someday. Most women come across the problem of overweight at some point in life; it can happen post marriage or child birth or during the later stages of life. Overweight or obesity is one of the most dreadful nightmares of health conscious women. As soon as they gain overweight, they put aside time for all sort of weight loss methods like exercising, dieting, slimming medications and health supplements.

It is advisable give a serious thought to the root cause of weight gain. To put more clearly, one should think about the cause of weight loss in her body and then take up the most appropriate method of Losing body fat. The body weight of a person is controlled by the number of calories you eat and the number of calories you use each day. Weight gain can happen due to many factors such as overeating, sedantry lifestyle devoid of physical activity, hormonal imbalance, emotional eating or depression.

Following a scientific, sensible and healthy weight reduction programme can significantly help to reduce weight in a shorter duration of time. Fortunately, there are a variety of weight loss programmes are available in market that claim rapid loss of body fat in few quick phases. California Medical Weight Management is a sought after weight losses programme that is committed to help thousands of women to reduce their extra body fat. It is a clinically proven, practical solution of weight loss in which a medical expert provides you a personalized weight loss plan.

A realistic and pragmatic weight loss approach is followed by California Medical weight loss, which makes you weight loss ordeal very simple and enjoyable process. The doctors in the institute also provide lifestyle and motivational coaching which helps to lose body fat for longer duration of time.

Thus, if you happen to be going through the problem of being overweight, you can also look out for a effective weight loss plan and get rid of excessive fat on your body.