Weight Loss Without The Cost
August 26, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Aids, Diet Menus, Diets, Exercise, Foods, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition
I am sure you have seen the countless advertisements out there for one weight loss program or another and they are all promising weight loss in a matter of weeks.
These ads range from the simple every day diet programs to surgical procedures. I am sure you are also well aware of the one thing these diet plans and schemes have in common: the sky high cost.
Helping people lose weight and achieve an ideal body shape is a money making business today due to the massive demand. The gyms you may join, dieticians with hefty bills, and also the food that many of the programs suggest come with a hefty price tag.
But achieving effective, healthy weight loss is not that complicated, so there is no reason why you cannot achieve the same results from these diet programs on your own and save money while doing it. You just have to do some research and become well-informed.
Follow these simple pieces of advice and you should achieve weight loss without the cost:
Know the basics
If you want to make your own diet charts, as well as your very own exercise program, it is important that you know the science to healthy weight loss. While healthy weight loss is mainly about calorie intake it also entails the distribution of those various calories throughout the day. There are also certain conditions that you may have that may be a deterrent to your weight loss goals. In this case you will need to contact your doctor before you begin. There are several resources on the internet today such as calorie counters which can be downloaded for free and used for easy reference.
No gain without some pain
Starving should not be part of your weight loss program. Instead, you should practice restrictive eating. The amount of the restriction will depend on the extent of the foods that are in your diet and it will be something you need to maintain the rest of your life. You will have to give up certain foods however to reach your ideal weight goals. You know what to skip: high fat, high-processed, high sugar food.
Use it or lose it
If you are one of the many that looks at exercise as one of those unpleasant chores that you must do, you need to be able to develop a better attitude. There are certain exercises that you do every day without even knowing about them such as playing with your kids, beach workouts, and yes even sex are good forms and fun ways of burning off those excess calories. These are the activities that are not only good for toning your body but also gives you a high like no other illicit substance can do. As a result, you are not putting any harmful toxins into your body… but you are burning calories while getting an energy boost.
These are all great ways for you to shed those excess pounds and they are a lot cheaper than some of those paid programs that are available today. If you are trying to lose weight, but are on a tight budget, give these ideas a try.
8 Most Popular Diets Today
People are in a diet frenzy these days. They are constantly seeking the right diet to help them lose weight and gain back their health. There are currently eight popular diets that have worked effectively for many people and providing more options for dieting. Here they are:
1. The Atkins Diet focuses on controlling the levels of insulin in the body through the food consumed. It is based on the consumption of more proteins to reduce the levels of insulin in the bloodstream. This high protein diet leads to weight loss in many people.
2. The Zone Diet creates a nutritional balance with 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% protein. The focus is to control the insulin levels that will result in weight loss. The diet consists of unrefined carbohydrates and fats including nuts, olive oil, and avocado.
3. The Vegetarian Diet concentrates on eating non-animal foods - with the exception of eggs, honey, and dairy products. Vegetarians have a lower body weight; suffer from less diseases, and longer life spans, according to current studies. Since the meat products have been removed from the diet, vegetarians consume less fat according to the studies.
4. The Vegan Diet is more a philosophy and way of life since the concept of the diet is based more on environmental and ethical reasons versus health related issues. The Vegan diet does not include any animal-based products including eggs, honey, dairy, and meat products.
5. The Weight Watchers Diet focuses on weight loss, exercise, and a support network or group. Dieters have the ability of meeting in person with the groups or using online services for support. The diet reduces the types of foods consumed while increasing the levels of exercise.
6. The South Beach Diet focuses on the levels of insulin and refined carbohydrates in the diet. The foods consumed are low in fat as a method of controlling the insulin, which leads to weight loss and better health.
7. The Raw Food Diet involves eating food and drinks that are not processed but are only in their original form. Foods must be organic. There are four types of raw food dieters - raw vegetarians, raw vegans, raw omnivores, and raw carnivores. The belief of consuming the food in raw form is that the food does not have additives or extras that will cause health related issues including weight gain.
8. The Mediterranean Diet is a diet from Southern Europe that focuses on the eating habits of citizens of Crete, Greece, and southern Italy. The concentration is on a lot of plant foods, fresh fruits as dessert, beans, nuts, cereals, seeds, olive oil for the main source of dietary fats, cheese and yogurts for the main dairy foods, moderate levels of fish, consuming less than four eggs a week, limited amounts of the red meat, and limited amounts of wine. The Mediterranean Diet consists of fat with the saturated fat less than 8% of the caloric intake.
There are benefits for each type of diet. Depending on your personal lifestyle and preferences, you should find one of these diets that should work for you.
Where To Find Exercise Tips On Losing Weight
Finding the right exercise tips on losing weight is a lot more confusing than you might think. Everywhere you look there is a new diet and exercise plan that is guaranteed to give you good results - and not all plans are right for you. To make the best choice, there are some things that you should consider before you pick a diet or an exercise routine for weight loss.
Consider the source of your exercise tips on losing weight. If you are looking at diets, make sure that the source is a reputable one and that the diet that is recommended uses common sense. Any diet that focuses on quick weight loss is not healthy and will only result in you gaining the weight back in the long run. There are a number of diets on the market that focus on eating one type of food, but it is better to eat a well balanced diet that includes a wide variety of food types.
A visit to your local bookstore will provide you with a number of books that have been written about exercise tips for losing weight. You will find cookbooks and exercise books that will show you the safe and effective way to eat a healthy diet and include exercise in your routine to lose weight and feel great at the same time. Don’t sacrifice your health for weight loss.
Videos are another resource that you can use for exercise tips on losing weight. There are a number of programs that are designed for beginners that will start you off slow and build you up at a good pace. Choose the type of program that you would enjoy to make sure that you use your video with consistency.
Joining a gym is a good way to get some exercise tips on losing weight. There are many trainers who work in the gyms that can steer you in the right direction for the exercises that will help you to burn calories and lose weight. Your new routine should help you to maximize your calories burned and help you to achieve the results that you want.
You can also take all of this advice and design your own exercise plan. Choose some aerobic activity that you will enjoy like walking, biking, running or swimming to increase your metabolism. There are many activities that you can include in your exercise routine that are not typically thought of as exercise - just like dancing. Anything that you can maintain for twenty minutes at an accelerated heart rate will help you to increase your metabolism and lose weight.
Make your exercise plan personal by including things that you love to do. Exercise should be enjoyable and there is no reason that it has to be something to dread. It will improve your mood and help you to feel good immediately. Once you begin including exercise in your daily schedule, you will wonder why you hadn’t started sooner. There are some wonderful health benefits that will come with your new healthy exercise routine. All you have to do is get started.
Free Weight Loss Program For Teens
More and more teens are presenting as overweight and obese. It is becoming an epidemic that is putting a strain on medical resources not to mention making many young people quite unhappy.
But given the state of the average teenager’s diet this really comes as no surprise. Fast meals and junk food are really to blame.
And so the quest for free weight loss programs for teens continues. Well, it is possible to lose weight without spending a fortune.
With this in mind, it is important that any weight loss program should not exploit an overweight teenager’s desperation or offer unrealistic goals. Instead, go for a weight loss program that takes into account the growing and changing body and mind of the teenager.
Teenagers are still developing so they should not do any drastic dieting with overly restricted calorie intake. This can negatively affect their growth and development.
Without a doubt, any free weight loss program for teens should start with the basics. A close look should be taken at what the teenager is eating on a regular basis and also, how much physical activity the teenager is involved in.
As already stated, some teenagers do not have the healthiest of diets. Many of them subsist on nothing more than junk food. If this is the case, then the first thing that has to go is the junk food.
Opt for a balanced diet made up of vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and fruit. This might not sound as interesting as a diet of pizza, fries and hamburgers, but the more fruit and vegetables that are eaten, the better all around weight management and health.
Does that mean no more pizza ever? Well no, it just means that pizza, and other junk food, should be eaten sparingly. Besides, you can go for a thin crust pizza with cheese and vegetable toppings - that is certified healthy. And remember, moderation is key.
The next step towards finding a free weight loss program for teens, is to make sure that there is plenty of regular exercise that goes along with it. That means getting the heart and lungs pumping and working at least three or four times per week for at least twenty minutes at a time.
This doesn’t mean that any teen who is not gym-orientated or who does not enjoy jogging has to start doing those particular activities. There should be some form of exercise that will appeal to any teen. It’s just a matter of finding it.
And don’t discount daily activities. Going for a vigorous walk a few times a week is already considered adequate exercise. So why not let them walk to school? Whatever the exercise taken, it should be done willingly, otherwise it may not be done regularly.
Above all, a free weight loss for teens plan should be realistic and not set the teenager up for failure. Repeated failures are demoralizing and will only result in weight gain. Small, steady progress is always the way to go to see long lasting weight loss.
Weight Loss Foods - Know About What You Eat
How much do you know about food? To lose weight you will have to increase your knowledge about what to eat. You will only be able to shed pounds by educating yourself about the true nature of food and how it works with your body.
This why we’re tackling some basic information you have to know about food and weight loss.
First of all, you need to know about calories. Calories are the fundamental item in any weight loss program. The basic rule is that to lose a pound, you need to burn 3500 calories more than you eat. If you want to lose a pound a week, you need to burn 500 calories a day more than you take in.
Not all foods are created equal - even if they are of equal calories. While Twinkies are banned on every diet, some diets treat weight loss foods differently.
For instance, Atkins and the South Beach diets make you restrict your carbohydrate intake while allowing you to eat as much protein and fat as you want. The Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, encourages you to eat complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while limiting red meat and most kinds of fats.
Both schools have their own set of believers though they espouse different weight loss foods. Research on how both work to find out which is better for your lifestyle and personal food preferences.
The next thing you need to know about is that the time of day that you eat is important. The old saying “eat like a King at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner” is very true for people thinking about weight loss foods.
A big breakfast is a good way to start the day because it will keep you full through lunch. Having a moderate sized lunch and a light mid afternoon snack will keep you going through the afternoon. But how much energy do you really need in the evening?
Most people watch television, read, or surf the internet after dinner. That’s why a light dinner is all you need. Also, close the kitchen after dinner and don’t eat for the four hours preceding bedtime.
The kinds of foods you have can also be a factor in weight loss. Scrambled egg whites are a great breakfast. For lunch, you can even eat out if you know what to choose. Any of the foods on the Subway “under 6” menu are perfect. For dinner, try a broth based soup to start, followed by a salad with low fat dressing. Have a small serving of meat with a larger serving of vegetables.
Of course, you are going to want snacks, and that’s okay provided that you know what is good to eat. Haagen Dazs can even be on your diet, provided that it is their yummy sorbet. Chocolate Dream cookies can substitute for your favorite chocolate chip type. But otherwise, stick to fruit, pretzels, and vegetables.
Another issue to consider is how much sodium you have in your diet. Your body only needs about 500 grams of sodium, but most Americans have between 3000 to 6000 grams a day. All that extra salt leads to bloating and weight gain.
Drinking 8 or more glasses of water a day can help to mitigate this problem by flushing some of the sodium out of your system.
There’s no arguing the weight loss foods connection is real. I encourage you to try to learn as much as possible about what foods really have in them including their calorie, carbohydrate, fat, protein, and sodium contents.
You need knowledge to carry out a successful weight loss program. Before losing weight, you have to do the research.
Lose Weight Programs - How To Choose A Paid Diet Plan
June 21, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Aids, Diet Menus, Diets, Nutrition
There are a variety of lose weight programs out there. All of them have their adherents. All of them have their detractors. So, how do you choose one? We will explore a number of lose weight programs so you can pick the one that is best for you.
First of all, there are any number of dieting books that come out each year. These range from no carbs to all carbs and everything in between. Some are based on specific food combinations. Others are based on strict calorie limitations.
If something feels right in your gut, it’s okay to try it for a few weeks and see if it pays off. Nothing you do for a few weeks is going to kill you.
The more popular diet books inevitably lead to paid membership web sites, supplements, and other money making ventures. If a diet has been successful for you, it may make sense to join. However, you should stick to the book’s plan for a few weeks before investing more money in the program.
Other programs are based on meetings. For instance Weight Watchers takes an approach where you can have a specific number of calories (divided into “Points”) each day. You also attend weekly meetings which are a combination of weigh-ins and cheerleading sessions.
If you decide to do Weight Watchers as your lose weight program, consider going to two or three meetings at different times before you settle on one. That’s because different meeting leaders have different styles. Furthermore, the mix of people at a meeting can affect the tone, so find a group you are comfortable with.
Jenny Craig is a great lose weight program for busy people who want to be able to microwave their meals. Everything - except a few products from the produce aisle and milk - is included with the program. You will also meet one-on-one with a consultant to track your progress and do the weekly weigh-in.
The problem with Jenny Craig is that it is very expensive. You will spend $150 a week or so on “Jenny Food” and then another $30 to $50 at the grocery store. However, the food is quite good, and some even say it is restaurant quality.
Nutrisystem provides a similar program at a lower cost. The food is shipped to you four weeks at a time. Three fourths of the meals are “shelf stable” (i.e. freeze dried) and don’t need to be refrigerated. A new component to the system is their frozen food which composes one week of food each month that you can spread out through the month.
The freeze dried food do not taste all that great. However, this is a much cheaper option for those who cannot afford Jenny Craig.
There are so many lose weight programs around that you have to pick and choose what works best for you. Don’t swing from diet to diet. Instead, pick a plan that feels right and stick to it for the long run or until you meet your weight goals.
Once you have decided on the program for you, make sure you follow it through and through. It is the only way you will lose the weight. Besides, you don’t want to be wasting your time and your hard-earned money.
Juice Recipes for Weight Loss
June 16, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Aids, Diet Menus, Diets, Foods, Healthy Juices, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition
6 Strategies to Lose 6 Pounds in 1 Week
June 9, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets, Exercise
Are you trying to lose 6 pounds? It is actually possible to meet this goal in one week. There are several strategies to follow. In this article, I am going to show you 6 ways to lose 6 pounds in just one week.
One thing that you have to realize is that to lose 6 pounds in a week you must burn 3000 more calories than you take in. That means that you have to burn about 475 extra calories a day. You can do this through diet or exercise - or a combination of both.
1. Spring cleaning. You’ve been putting off doing a thorough house cleaning for months or even years. Trying to lose a few pounds may motivate you to do the hard work. Consider that intense house cleaning burns 575 calories an hour. At this rate, a little over 5 hours of cleaning will allow you to burn the calories needed. But, beware that you don’t want to compensate by eating more. Remember, the calories expended have to exceed the amount eaten by 3000.
2. Go skiing. Skiing is a fun activity to do in the winter. But, what is more, it burns a lot of calories. A 165 pound person will burn more than 12 calories a minute. Four hours of actual ski time (not including time spent on the lift or loafing in the ski lodge) will help you lose 6 pounds. That’s the best excuse I’ve ever heard for a ski holiday!
3. Don’t just sit at your desk. Many Americans today are desk-bound. They sit in a chair at a desk in front of a computer to do their work. But, most people have options. For instance, when you are making phone calls, stand up. Not only will it make you a more persuasive speaker, you’ll also be burning calories. Instead of sending an email, walk over to the person’s cubicle. And, don’t let anyone stop you from fidgeting. This burns calories too. While these kind of strategies won’t help you in one week, they will be effective over the long run.
Now that we’ve discussed ways to lose 6 pounds through exercise, we’ll look at ways to lose through reducing food:
4. Try the Cabbage Soup Diet. Most people can lose 6 pounds or more in a week on this special diet menu. You can have all of the cabbage soup you want each day along with a specified group of secondary foods. The cabbage soup is clear broth or V8 Juice, lots of cabbage, and your own choice of non-starchy vegetables.
5. Try the Grapefruit Diet. On this diet, you eat no starchy food. It’s also called the grapefruit diet because you have to eat a half grapefruit at every meal. At breakfast you have bacon, eggs and coffee; at lunch you have salad and meat; and at dinner you have meat and non-starchy vegetables. To cap every meal you have to eat some grapefruit. Right before bed drink 8 ounces of milk or tomato juice. You can eat until you are satisfied. The diet is supposed to run for 12 days and most people lose 10 pounds or more. However, seven days into it, you should have lost your 6 pounds.
6. Go vegetarian for a week. Eliminating all meat and as much other fat as you can will cause you to lose weight quickly. Try to substitute meat with legumes or beans, eat as much fruits and vegetables as you can rather than starchy pastas, rice, and bread.
So, there you have it, 6 ways to lose 6 pounds in a week.
How To Lose Pounds Fast - Mayo Clinic vs. Cabbage Soup Diets
June 2, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets
I’m going to share with you two programs that can help you. Neither of these programs are suitable for long term sustained weight loss, but both can help you meet immediate goals and help you get started on keeping the pounds off for good.
This diet claims that the specific combination of foods you eat, with aid of the grapefruit, will activate your metabolism. It’s likely though that the real trick to this diet is that it is simply… just quite low in calories.
This “lose pounds fast” diet consists of 2 slices of bacon, 2 eggs, half a grapefruit and coffee for breakfast. For lunch, you’ll have another grapefruit half, along with as much salad and lean meat as you want. At dinner time, you can have meat or fish and non-starchy vegetables as well as the mandatory half grapefruit. Right before bed, drink 8 ounces of milk or vegetable juice.
Do not deviate from the diet plan. That means you should eat everything listed (including the bacon and the salads) but add nothing (particularly carbs) to it. You shouldn’t be hungry on the diet because you can eat the salads, meats, and vegetables until you are full. However, you shouldn’t stuff yourself. You also shouldn’t eat between meals.
Stay on the Grapefruit diet for 12 days. If you want to continue with it, take a 2 day break before repeating the cycle. You should be able to lose 10 pounds in the 12 days.
Another diet that shows you how to lose pounds fast is the Cabbage Soup Diet. On this diet, not surprisingly, you eat a lot of cabbage soup. The basic recipe is a vegetable soup broth filled with lots of cabbage and any other non-starchy vegetables you choose.
The Cabbage Soup diet is a seven day program on which you should be able to lose 5 or more pounds. Each of the seven days has a specific food combination to follow. For instance, on one day you can have all of the vegetables you want plus a baked potato. Another day you can have all the bananas you can eat and all of the milk you can drink. Another day lets you eat up to 16 ounces of beef. The good thing about the Cabbage Soup diet is that you can eat the soup any time you are hungry.
If you want to do multiple cycles of the Cabbage Soup diet, do one week on and one week off.
Any one of the two diets mentioned can help you lose pounds fast. Choose one that fits your food preferences more. Just make sure that after you’ve lost the weight, you keep it off by following a realistic, sensible and healthy eating plan you can sustain for the long term.
LA Weight Loss Recipes
May 27, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets, Foods, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition
LA Weight Loss recipes are part of one of the fastest growing weight loss programs currently being used by millions of people to lose weight - the safe and healthy way. The prescribed recipes are based around typical everyday foods.
The program itself has some food products that are easily combined with these everyday foods. Simply put, it claims to be an all round complete and successful way to lose weight… the yummy way.
Anyone on a diet or weight loss program has been conditioned to believe that diets are restrictive, and for want of a better word, boring. We all know that as well as being hungry, being bored is one of the classic reasons why many people fail their diet programs. They find it difficult to sustain for the long term the required eating habits that they are supposed to follow. And really, when you look closely at many of the diets out there, who can blame them? The LA Weight Loss recipes are nothing like that.
Unlike many other diet programs, LA Weight Loss recipes are interesting, not at all bland or one dimensional. Believe it or not, you get to eat strawberry shortcake on this program. Yes, it might consist of some slightly different ingredients to what you would normally use, but strawberry shortcake it is nonetheless.
So here’s how you would go about making this lovely little dessert that’s also low calorie and healthy. Get a handful of small strawberries , a rice cake, a tablespoon of lemon juice and one of the LA Weight Loss drink mixes. The preparation to make this shortcake is pretty simple and straight forward. Drop the rice cake in a bowl, wash and prepare the strawberries before placing them on the top of your rice cake and all you then do is pour the LA Drink over the strawberries and leave it to set.
Love sweet and sour chicken? Well as LA Weight Loss Recipes go, the sweet and sour chicken is up there in taste with the most indulgent and exotic. Consisting of one protein, two vegetables and a fruit group, this recipe is a pretty simple one to follow and prepare. Simply get together about 8oz of boneless and skinned, pre-cooked chicken breast, a green or red pepper, 3 green onions, some red wine vinegar, cornstarch and some tomato ketchup. Cube some fresh pineapple, add some chopped tomato and some chicken broth and some nonfat cooking spray.
The preparation is now all about making the food quick to cook using a wok and that means cutting the chicken and the vegetables into thin strips or pieces. Using the cooking spray first the vegetables are stir-fried and then the chicken. The next step is to add the other ingredients to the wok and to add the taste to this meal.
So as you can see, the recipes on this program are based on classics that we all know and love… and really that’s why this program is a hit.