Month: January 2011

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General Weight Loss Tips

How To Lose 10 Pounds In One Month

Many people struggle to lose weight for one main reason: they fail to set concrete goals. Instead of specifying an exact and quantifiable goal, plan, and deadline, they content themselves with vague targets like, “I want to lose weight.” This is no way to win. To be successful in any endeavor, including weight loss, people must set concrete goals, define the stepping stones that will mark the path, and create and stick to a plan that will keep them moving forward towards the target.

If you want to lose weight, set a goal, one that is quantifiable, or can be represented with objective numbers. For the purposes of this article, let’s say the goal is 10 pounds in a month. Now chunk it down – there are four weeks in a month, so you’ll need to lose about 2.5 pounds a week. At seven days per week, you’ll need to lose about a third of a pound each day. If each pound of fat contains 3500 calories, this means you must burn around 1250 calories a day through diet and exercise.

Thus, losing ten pounds in a month is difficult, but not impossible, especially if you are very overweight. In that case, those first ten pounds will be quite easy, as long as you follow the plan. If you simply want to lose the ‘last’ 10 pounds off your frame, this goal will be harder to accomplish. No matter your situation, to meet this calorie target, you will have to consistently follow a strict and detailed plan of diet and exercise. Here are the main steps:
1. First, determine how many calories your body uses each day based on your age, sex, weight, and activity level. There are many of these ‘calorie calculators’ around the internet, so find a good one and enter your vital statistics. Let’s say that your basic burn rate in a day is 2500 calories.

2. If you did no additional activity, you’d have to eat 1250 calories a day in order to hit your calorie target and induce weight loss. This would be very difficult to sustain, as you’d be hungry all the time and you’d suffer from malnutrition. Thus, you need to add in daily workouts to up your calorie burn. Let’s say you shoot for 500 calories burned in exercise. This takes your daily calorie burn at 3,000, and thus you need to eat 1,750 calories a day – a much more doable target.

3. Once you’ve determined your calorie target, plan out your daily meals so that you eat that many calories or less. A few guidelines: first, don’t starve yourself. If you consistently deprive your body, it will go into starvation mode, lowering your metabolism and killing your fat burning machine. Instead, you need to make sure your body is well supplied throughout the day with food and water. Instead of eating two or three big meals, eat 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day. This will help control your hunger while also keeping your metabolism roaring. Second, make sure to eat a wide variety of foods from all food groups, focusing especially on whole grain carbohydrates, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. Drink plenty of water each day, and avoid empty calorie beverages like soda and iced tea. If you make the right choices, 1,750 calories should be plenty of food to keep you satisfied each day, but you may still need to get used to ‘real’ portion sizes and wean yourself off the excessive portion sizes that are seen as ‘normal’ today.

4. Once your nutrition plan is in place, design your daily workout regime. You will want to mix in cardiovascular exercises and strength training. Shoot for about 4-6 cardio workouts each week, 3 strength training workouts, and daily flexibility training. Each type of workout will give you specific benefits. Cardio will improve your heart and lung health while also burning calories. Strength training will burn calories too, but it will also build muscle mass, increasing the number of calories you burn simply by existing. Flexibility will help you recover from workouts more quickly and will reduce your chances of injury.

If you follow this clear, detailed plan without fail, you will be sure to hit your goal after one month. The journey doesn’t end there, though – fitness and health is a lifetime quest; a journey, not a destination.

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General Weight Loss Tips

Lose Weight Fast Following Four Steps

It would be an understatement to say that we are living in an era of fast foods take-outs, ready made meals and dishes filled with preservatives and additives. We are a nation always on the go and as a consequence our eating habits have been dramatically altered.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

You can escape becoming a part of the growing statistic of obese people, and offer your body a natural route to losing weight safely and in a healthy manner.

1. Make a list Successful weight loss involves more than changing your dietary habits. You need to find a balance in your mind, body and soul. So pause for a moment and make a list of everything that is preventing you from enjoying your life.

If you suffer from fatigue, memory loss or depression for example, this could be a sign that you are suffering from a vitamin B deficiency, which in turn could be hindering your weight loss.

2. What have you eaten? It is easy to be tempted by quick fix meals, but by eating natural, fresh foods every day you can prevent weight gain.

Give this routine a try and begin feeling the difference of natural weight loss, increased energy levels and the desire to exercise:

  • Drink 6-8 glasses of water every day
  • Swap sugary snacks for a piece of fruit
  • Eat smaller portions: 5 to 6 300 calorie meals a day
  • Chew slower
  • Use natural sweeteners instead of sugar
  • Ensure you receive plenty of sleep
  • Cleanse your body of toxins

3. Exercise One of the easiest ways to improve your quality of life and experience lasting weight loss is to exercise.

Yet it is important to remember that everyone is different. Just because your friend can walk 10 miles a day, does not mean you will be able to do so immediately. You need to exercise at your own fitness levels and gradually build up your routines at a pace that is right for you.

Try starting with a 10 minute walk every day, before slowly building up to 45 minutes. As you exercise more, you will be able to challenge your body further and increase your weight loss successes.

Other good methods include riding a bike, going swimming or doing cardio/strength building exercises. Just remember to make sure that you do routines that interest you. If you enjoy it, you will stay motivated towards doing them every day.

4. Diet Pills Whilst the market may be saturated with many synthetic slimming pills, you can offer your body slimming pills naturally formulated using organic ingredients.

Clinically proven to suppress your appetite, reduce your fat consumption by 20%+ and decrease food cravings, slimming pills can offer you the support you need to take your first step to weight loss. Talk to your family doctor and see if he/she can recommend a pill that will work for you.

Categories
General Weight Loss Tips

Lose Weight By Lowering Your Insulin Level

Many people are probably unaware that they can lose weight by lowering their insulin levels. Revelations about insulin’s role in weight control and overall health have helped many people successfully lose pounds when other methods have failed.

Scientific studies demonstrate that lowering one’s insulin level is not only an effective and safe way to lose weight, but that lower insulin directly contributes to good health in a number of ways.

How insulin works

Insulin is one of the body’s natural hormones that is produced in the pancreas and is used to regulate fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Stimuli like ingested protein and blood glucose levels cause the pancreas to secrete insulin. The hormone regulates both the rate at which the body stores and burns fat.

By lowering insulin levels, the body stores less fat thus preventing weight gain. Studies also suggest that lower insulin contributes to slower aging, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels along with having other health benefits.

Individuals can control their insulin levels using a holistic approach that involves diet, exercise, nutritional supplements and, in some cases, insulin-regulating drugs.Insulin resistance

Many people develop insulin resistance resulting in higher than normal insulin levels in the system. The cause of elevated insulin levels is often linked with the modern lifestyle in which large amounts of sugar and complex carbohydrates are consumed. Other factors that may contribute to insulin resistance are alcohol consumption, nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise, smoking and stress. Web MD goes into depth on the health issues associated with insulin resistance. It can be read here.

The high rate of obesity in America is often linked with Americans’ high levels of insulin. Many snack foods are loaded with carbohydrates and people are not getting as much exercise as before. Consequently, many become insulin resistant and their bodies produce higher levels of insulin contributing to health-threatening weight gain.

Studies also show that these high insulin levels may be contributing to the widespread incidence of cardiovascular disease. The research shows that people with elevated insulin levels had higher risks of heart disease, hypertension, blocked arteries and high cholesterol.

Cutting insulin levels by lowering intake of carbohydrates

One of the most effective ways to lower insulin in the system is to reduce the amount of high carbohydrate foods in our diet. Traditionally, grains and starches make up a large percentage of the modern person’s diet.

We can safely reduce carbohydrate intake by paying more attention to the food we eat. Some foods more readily stimulate the release of insulin than others. Foods that quickly raise the blood glucose levels are the ones to watch most closely. These foods are said to have a high glycemic index (GI) and include grains like rice, wheat and corn; and starchy foods like potatoes and bananas. One does not have to give up these foods, but it is a good idea to be aware of the glycemic index of foods that you normally eat.

Use whole rather than refined grains and try to reduce consumption of sweet foods like sugar and honey. Most processed snack foods should be avoided if possible.

By eating a more balanced diet not so rich in high glycemic index foods, the body’s insulin levels should begin to normalize. Another method of keeping the blood glucose levels lower is to eat a larger number of smaller meals each day. Instead of eating three “square” meals, for example, you could reduce the size of breakfast, lunch and dinner and add some healthy snacks between these meals. Some experts recommend eating about five or six meals a day to avoid sharp swings in blood sugar.

A more balanced diet will contain a higher percentage of proteins and fatty foods as a source of calories. Contrary to a common belief, fat in food does not automatically translate into body fat. By eating a higher percentage of protein and fat rich foods, the body is able to get sufficient energy without pushing up insulin levels. While some fats may contribute to cardiovascular problems, other fats are much less dangerous and are even beneficial so long as one does not overindulge. Omega fatty acids, for example, found in seafood and various plant sources are thought to contribute significantly to cardiovascular and overall health.

The importance of exercise

In addition to controlling excessive intake of carbohydrates, you can also control insulin levels by maintaining an active lifestyle with plenty of regular exercise. Physical activity helps burn off glucose in the blood reducing the amount of stimulus that causes the pancreas to release insulin. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise and resistance training enhance the body’s insulin sensitivity and also may stimulate sex hormones that refine the body’s insulin response.

Of course, regular exercise can also directly burn off fat and it helps tone up the cardiovascular system.

Using nutritional supplements

Certain minerals are thought to help the body control insulin levels better. Chromium is an important element in the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF), a molecule used to regulate blood sugar. Chromium supplements can help lower blood sugar levels and decrease insulin resistance. Foods high in chromium include onions, sweet potato, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Vanadium is another important mineral that can help control insulin levels. Vanadium works by performing some of the functions of insulin. Foods high in vanadium include soybeans, mushrooms, black pepper and parsley. Some experts, though, state that foods do not contain enough vanadium to impact glucose levels and that one should instead use nutritional supplements as a source for this mineral.

Controlling insulin with drugs?

Some doctors recommend using drugs like metformin to reduce insulin levels and promote weight loss. Metformin acts in a manner similar to vanadium in that it mimics the action of insulin. Metformin is considered safer than its predecessor, the anti-diabetic drug phenformin. However, metformin is not available over the counter and must be prescribed by a health professional.

Losing weight requires staying the course

Like any weight loss program, a regimen that involves lowering insulin levels will not work overnight and persistence is required. Generally, it is best to consult with a physician before undertaking an insulin-based weight control program.