Weight Loss Trouble?

Probably the hardest thing I have ever had to accomplish was achieving my goal of weight loss.

The task itself was not hard due to lack of effort or drive on my part, the real problem for was trying to determine the right way for me to lose the weight I needed to lose.

Just take a look at any magazine or online and you will see what i mean. You are literally bombarded with new fad diets and magical pills that its hard not to feel overwhelmed!

These new diets and products all seem to promise the same thing over and over again, easy weight loss with little to no effort on your part!Alot of them have pictures to back up their claims, these pictures really make you want to try their product!

New products like this seem to come out everyday and unfortunately alot of desperate people fall for the marketing and sales hype and buy them. These people 99% of the time end up losing no weight and alot of money.

The Right Way To Start Losing Weight

If you are going to start a weight loss program the first thing on your agenda should be getting on a good physical fitness program that combines both cardio workouts and strength training. What ever you are lead to believe you cannot replace good old fashioned exercising with a miracle pill or supplement!

Prior to starting your exercise routine its a good idea to check with your doctor and get checked out to make sure you are able to handle the stress of physical exercise.

Make sure that if this is the first time you are starting an exercise regimen that you take it slowly and do not over exert yourself in the beginning. Starting out with easy exercising like walking or riding a bike will help your body get used to working out and also will burn some extra calories and help you start to shed pounds!

a couple of weeks of mild exercise and you an move up to resistance training and really get the ball rolling!

To many the actual thought of going to the gym and lifting weights is a huge turn off, many would rather just swallow a pill or drink a magic drink! Unfortunately for these people you cannot get around the fact that the more muscle you can build on your body the more fat you are going to burn and the leaner you will become!

In fact the more lean muscle you can build your body will actually start to use more fat and calories then it once did. You will then be able to burn calories faster even when doing sedentary things like watching a television show!

Do not think that you have to turn into some freakishly big bodybuilder type in order to get the benefits from lean muscle building. On the contrary, in fact most men and women will never even show average muscle tone. But its whats underneath the skin that counts!

The only side effect from lifting weights and exercising is that your old clothes are going to fit and you will look and feel much better, and look more attractive to the opposite sex!

You Need More Then Just Exercise Alone!

But even as great as all of this may sound you have to also come to grips with the fact that just exercising alone will not shed all the weight you need to lose. At this stage of the game many people get confused and feel lost when looking for a diet/weight loss plan to follow and use along with their exercise routine!

To make it simpler to decide you should ask yourself a few simple but important questions.

1. Does this plan sound like something I can do?

2. Can I Afford to do it?

3. Will i want to do it?

4. Are you interested in doing it?

In order to give yourself an honest answer you are going to have to really visualize yourself going through this program everyday and making the lifestyle changes it requires.

By truthfully answering these questions to yourself and not getting caught up emotionally you can steer clear of the wrong plan for you that will in the end only stall your progress and weight loss goals.

The sad part is that many people avoid this step and instead buy with emotion hoping that the next plan or the next pill will be the answer, many o these people never make the progress the should have and struggle their whole life!

Losing weight is a global problem and one that effects people in every country and every continent.

Most of the people trying to lose the weight can achieve success with a little planning, research,dedication and by simply being honest with themselves!

To help you reach your goals I have reviewed the three Best Weight Loss Programs on the market that have proven themselves to me and others who have tried them. To see the reviews on these outstanding products and log onto http://www.weightlossguidereviews.com ]]> http://weightlossguidereviews.com/blog/2009/05/weight-loss-programs-how-to-choose-the-right-one-for-you/feed/ http://weightlossguidereviews.com/blog/2009/04/weight-loss-plans-go-to-a-whole-new-level/ http://weightlossguidereviews.com/blog/2009/04/weight-loss-plans-go-to-a-whole-new-level/#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:45:59 +0000 weight loss http://killtheweight.com/?p=90 “Mmm, I really shouldn’t.” you say as you take another bite of that chocolate cake, that you know you shouldn’t eat to begin with because your on a diet and your already fuller than full can get, but yet you keep going. Of course by eating that piece of chocolate cake, you know your going to have to start your diet all over again, but it’s worth it, isn’t it? Don’t be so hard on yourself, just about everyone who’s said they were going to quite biting their nails, or quite smoking, or even diet or eat less carbs all fell off the train at one time or another; it’s just a fact of life, we’re all human and fall prey to temptation sometime. But what if there where a way to loose weight in a way that you could keep eating all the delectable foods you enjoy so much…well you know there is.

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials and ads for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem; I don’t think there’s one person who hasn’t. They are great programs and help a lot of people, but, yes there’s a but, your not a celebrity and making a six figure income to afford their plans on an ongoing basis. You want something you can do that is a little more your price range, but still has the same kind of results as the top name weight loss systems do; that’s completely understandable. Did you know that now there are many programs online, and some that you can do for free?

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the internet is a place of opportunity and insightful information. By going online you can easily do a search on Google to find hundred of web-sites devoted to helping people just like you loose weight fun, easily and maybe even free. Many programs offer their own food, like Nutrisystem and Weight Watchers and so on, but they can be a bit pricey and in times like today, we all need to save every penny we can. So naturally free is good right? It can and can’t be, because one should always look out for scams and programs that seem like they have a lot to offer, but can’t hold up to their end of the bargain.

Visit web-sites like; ediets.com, freeweightlosscenters.com fatloss4idiots.com and freeonlineweihtlossprogram.com to see if what they have to offer is right for you. Don’t look for programs that promise fast results right away, because it takes time (unfortunately) to loose weight because of what our body goes through, and we all know you can’t gain twenty pounds overnight. Also, read reviews about the programs before making any choices, the reviews can say a lot about how a product works or not; search ezinearticles.com for great reviews about different weight loss programs. Always keep In mind that the success of your weight loss is also measured by, how much you dedicate and stick to your plan, whether or not you have a rigorous work out routine and if you can avoid late night trips to the frig. Know that you have the knowledge, go out there and make it happen.

What are some of the restrictions on the Adkins diet? The Adkins diet restricts most of your carbohydrates—your “bad” ones, like white flour and sugar.

THE FIRST FOURTEEN DAYS:

• Less than twenty grams of carbohydrates each day, and this includes eating your salad. Be sure and eat at least two or three helpings of salad, since it is more “healthy” carbohydrate.
• DO NOT SKIP MEALS.
• An example of some allowed foods are fish, meat, fowl, shelfish, beef, tuna, chicken, oysters, scrambled eggs, pork, salmon, turkey, cow/goar, lamp, duck… mostly meats.
• Be sure to add the following but keep them limited: lettuce, box choy, mushrooms, peppers, celery, Jamaica, posse pied, olives
• In addition to salad, you may have eggplant, kale, cabbage, beet greens, cauliflower, string or wax beans, asparagus, chard, onion, zucchini, okra, pumpkin, turnips Phase one is the best part for weight loss.

PHASE TWO {Maintaining your weight loss/Managing your ongoing weight loss}

This is a tough stage and contains the next few weeks. Although you may feel the urge to weigh yourself daily to see the needle

move, don’t weigh yourself much. You will not loose much weight during these two weeks, or any at all.  

PHASE THREE

This is the phase you need to take when you’re almost at your weight loss goal. You will usually only be gaining 1-2 pounds

during this time. This is the time you can add back in some of the “forbidden carbs” if you’re willing to try them.

PHASE FOUR

Maintaining your diet This is actually a stage determined by you. You will know by now how many carbs that you can eat without gaining weight. You can simply add those back into your diet and cheat on a forbidden food every now of then. If you’re going to dig into carbohydrates, be sure and do whole wheat instead of refined white flour. Whole wheat is “more bang for your buck” as it will leave you fuller and feeling better.

If you don’t know what to eat, glance up at the list in Phase One. There are several good ideas here. This is not a good diet for vegetarians or vegans as most of the diet consists of meat and protein. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, consider trying the South Beach diet.

The rainbow itself has changed as there are now brightly colored vertical strips, each one representing one of the six food groups. They are wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, and are simply saying that not all foods in a certain group have the same value.  An example of this is pork and chicken are both in the same category but each have a different nutritional value and different calorie count.  These groups are divided as follows:  

 Orange which is the widest is grains

Green is for vegetables

Red is for fruits

Yellow is for oils - this is the smallest stripe on the pyramid

Blue is for milk and most foods made from milk

Purple is for meats and beans.

If you are confused by what the pyramid is telling you, give it time!  Start out with a few healthy choices at a time and eventually you can make it to the top of the food pyramid.  This means you are eating more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, lean meats and beans, and less junk food.

Eating right can vary from person to person.  Not everyone needs the same amount of food.  Just because one eating plan works for you, doesn’t mean it will work for your spouse or your child.  We all have different requirements, just like overweight people and those underweight as well.  

The new pyramid can be found at www.mypyramid.gov.  It also provides tools to help you figure out which eating plan will be right for you.  Just go to www.mypyramidtracker.gov and it will help you calculate what you need to eat.  Unlike the old pyramid that only suggested foods for you to eat, but never gave you the appropriate amount, the new pyramid labels it out for your convenience.  

 The take away message here is that with the new pyramid it is geared more towards to helping you make the right food choices for your lifestyle.  Picking or choosing the foods that are packed with nutrients.  It also helps to remind us that just changing the way we eat is not all that is needed for a healthy lifestyle.  Portion control is just as important.  Watching that we don’t over estimate what a serving should be, and that we need to exercise or at least increase our physical activity.  Exercise or physical activity is important in weight loss and together are required for good health and the prevention of disease.   Changing your routine just a little can make a difference in your physical activity, for example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther from the entrance of the grocery store to increase your walking time.  You don’t have to be extravagant or go over board and start out small why even household chores are physical activity and are easy ways to exercise.   

Remember to think before you bite or swallow, making healthier choices can be a better way to a longer life.

The energy derived from calories is used to perform everything from your biological functions to typing to jogging or swimming.  Although it is different for every person, your body requires a certain amount to maintain your current weight.  Eating less or burning more calories, will eventually result in some weight loss.  This is called a calorie deficit.  You have to burn approximately 3500 calories to lose one pound.   

So how many calories do you need?  There are many ways to determine what is required in a day to maintain your weight.  There is the Harris-Benedict formula which uses math equation to determine the right number.  It calculates in sex, weight and activity level to get the results.  The results are known as your basal metabolic rate.  Of course the US government provides a chart on the pyramid website and it suggest the daily needs or you can try websites like Calorie Count Plus, which will let you calculate it by typing in the specifics, weight, activity level and your goal for weight loss.  Once you know what is required for you to maintain your current weight, you can set a goal to lose weight.  How many calories you cut from your daily intake is your decision.  It is not recommended to go below 1200 calories a day as you may risk your health.  

Another important part of counting calories is to know how many are in the foods you consume.  Reading a food label is very important.  You should note the total number of calories per serving, and the recommended serving size.  Don’t assume that the serving size is the entire package!  Most packages contain at least two servings unless you buy a single serving. If you buy a food product that does not have a nutrition label, most of the time you can go on the internet and search the web to get the information, this includes restaurants and fast food establishments.  

The size of your portions is the most important part of your calorie counting.  Although it is very time consuming you must measure your food based on serving sizes.   This can be done in one of the simplest ways.  Buy a standard measuring cup.  Most cereals, pasta, and rice are measured by the ½ cup or a cup.  Other items such as peanut butter, salad dressing, or pancake syrup are measured by the tablespoons.  With breads, crackers, deli meats and candy it is measured by the piece.  To be successful, but some small baggies or Ziplocs, or even some containers that or ½ cup or a cup, measure your food and freeze it or store where it is easy and convenient.  Start on a weekend and prepare enough for two or three days or if you have space and containers, do a week at a time.  It is time consuming but well worth the trouble.   

One last thing when counting calories, it is important to keep track.  Even if you are doing the above and preparing a week of food at a time, write it down along with the calories of each item.  Subtract that from your goal so that you can see what you have left during the day.  Also keep a food journal helps you to see what you are doing and if you are staying on track.  

It is important to eat healthy and eliminate those foods that are high in calories such as sodas, candy, cookies and fried foods.  Before you eliminate a particular food, double check the nutritional value, and don’t eliminate something that is good for you so you can cheat and eat something that is bad.

A person can go to the internet and find information for any kind of diet plan.  Some of the more popular diets are  The Aktins diet, Cabbage Soup, Slim Fast, Nutrisystem weight loss plan, South Beach, Weight Watchers, and of course the Grapefruit diet.  Some of these were fads, and some are legitimate weight loss programs.  As with any diet, you have to be focused, motivated and committed to make life style changes.  If you aren’t ready for that kind of commitment, then don’t start a diet and think you are going to lose weight.  You will justify any kind of set back that happens, and will continue until you are no longer dieting at all.  

Let’s take a look at a few of these diets, starting with the Atkins diet.  Very popular today, it is said that this diet may have obtained some of its crazy food choices from the Grapefruit diet.  The Atkins diet promise weight loss and no hunger, with its low carbohydrate diet plan, which will eventually promote better healthy and memory function. This is a low carb-high protein diet which includes fat.   The main idea behind the Atkins diet is that our bodies burn carbohydrates and fat for energy with carbohydrates being burned first.  If you cut out the carbs or drastically reduce the intake, then the body has to rely on the fat for energy, thus burning fat from stored areas of our bodies, like the hips, thighs, and belly.  This is called a ketosis, burning ones body fat for energy.  So when you burn your body fat, you will obviously lose weight.  A lot of people use the Atkins diet to maintain a healthy weight and prevent disease.

Another popular diet at one time was the Grapefruit diet.  This diet actually showed up sometime in the 1930s, but no one will step forward and take credit for the diet plan.  Supposedly there is a magic ingredient in grapefruit when eaten with protein triggers fat burning.  Of course if you are burning fat, you should be losing weight.  Unfortunately, this only lasts while you are on the diet and most of the weight loss is from fluids, and not fat.  The premise of this diet is that you can lose up to 10 pounds in 12 days.  At the end of 12 days, you must go off the diet for at least two and then you can start the whole process again.  

Grapefruits are low in calorie, high in vitamin C and fiber; there is no magical ingredient to burn fat.  However, due to low gylcemic index, low calories and the high fiber content, it can help to reduce insulin levels, making you feel full and eating less. 

The Zone, another popular diet is based on low fat, high proteins at every meal, with fat and carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits high in fiber.  This diet comes with a short course to determine how much you are allowed for fat and carbohydrates, based on your size, age and activity.  The Zone is where you find a refreshed, full of energy and alert person.  It is said to help prevent heart disease and diabetes.  It doesn’t claim to cure, just to help prevent.  

There are many other diets out there, use your brain and don’t go overboard.  Just as gaining weight is bad for your health, losing weight too quickly without a doctor overseeing the program, is just as bad.