Archive for March, 2009

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I remember the feeling of starting a new weight loss program so well. Whether it was the first or the fiftieth time that I had gotten myself all revved up to shed the fat, I had this surge of energy and focused determination. I was going to do it this time. I was going to feel so good about myself, and look so different. I was going to beat the statistics that said I would once again fail. I was on the verge of serious change and my heart was pumped with excitement.

This is a great feeling that many people feel when they first start out on the journey of weight loss. The problem is that there is no clear cut path that leads to a lower weight on the scale. Our bodies are mysterious things and there will always be weeks you work your butt off in the gym only to see a one pound gain or no change at all. Things like this are extremely disheartening, and they are also what leads to many people giving up entirely.

I have done it myself quite a few times in the past. The scale doesn’t say what I think it should, so I think “what’s the point? Why am I doing this?” Or, I slip up and have a big binge and think “I’ve ruined it now! Might as well eat whatever I want!”

Once again, I get in my own way! Self-Sabotage is a very real part of weight loss for many people, but the trick is to keep pushing ahead despite these setbacks. Maybe your setbacks will be a little different the ones I just described, but rest assured things are not going to go completely according to the plan you design at the beginning.

Part of this self-sabotaging pattern is the goals we set when first starting out. Some of us are unsure how much we can actually lose in a week so we aim big without realizing it. Maybe others know they are shooting for the stars, but they feel so good and so determined in the beginning that they really feel they can do it.

Then, when things do not go according to that plan we had in our head or written down somewhere we get frustrated, feel we have failed, and end up destroying all the progress we did actually make along the way. As stupid and pointless as this sounds, it is a mental game that leads millions of people to regaining lost weight every single year.

It is important to understand a few things about losing weight right from the start:

1. This overly ambitious determination you feel at the starting line is not going to always be there. When motivation and inspiration fail, you will have to depend on sheer determination and commitment to get you through to the next burst of positive energy.
2. The number you see on the scale is not the most accurate predictor of the progress you are making. There are so many factors that go into your weight any given moment of any given day that you cannot take it as the absolute word on whether you have failed or succeeded each week.
3. Taking your measurements and figuring your Hip to Waist Ratio will give you the real progress report, so measure yourself every month or two to see how you are progressing for real.
4. Pay attention to how your clothes fit more than the scale.
5. 3500 calories equals a pound of fat. That is how many calories you need to burn in excess to lose a pound, and how much you would have to eat in excess to gain a pound. Keep that in mind when the scale jumps up three pounds unexpectedly. Did you eat an extra 10,500 calories? If not, then shrug it off or go take your measurements if you need reassurance. Do NOT let the whims of a scale defeat you!
6. If you are continually falling short of your goals, then reassess. Maybe your goals are unrealistic or you need to kick up your exercise or get stricter with your food. Don’t feel like a failure. Just find the problem and fix it.

Goals are a great thing to have when you are first starting out, but you cannot lay out the road map for your weight loss journey and expect everything to go as planned. Set realistic goals that you believe are attainable, and then get specific on what you will do every single day to reach those goals. This is the missing link for many people!

It’s very easy to say I want to lose two pounds this week. It’s another thing entirely to say I want to lose 2 pounds and here is exactly what I will do to get there.

Here are some things to consider when setting goals:

• They must be realistic. It may sound real good to say I’m going to lose five pounds every week for the next two months, but how likely is that to actually happen? Setting goals that simply cannot happen will only set you up for disappointment in the end. Stick to something you are sure can actually be accomplished and watch as smaller successes stack up and your confidence grows, instead of deflating.
• Think beyond scale goals. What would happen if you focused on other goals that were not attached to the scale? Maybe this week my goal is to walk two miles on the track four times and next week I am so thrilled with that success that I up it to five times a week. You can also set calorie range goals or small goals that work up to eating a cleaner diet. The number of non-weight goals you can set is endless. They should be driven by your own desires and ambitions, thus truly yours alone.
• Don’t go beyond your own capabilities. If you know you are not a morning person, then don’t set a goal to get up at the crack of dawn to exercise next week. It’s simply not likely to happen most days. If you have to work crazy hours over the weekend, then don’t say you want to run twenty miles that weekend. It’s simple: don’t set yourself up for a failure!

Get specific. Once you have your long term and short term goals set, write down exactly what you will do each and every week and day to get there. Remember, losing 2 pounds is more than a wish. It’s a goal that you have to actually work for.

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How many times have you lost weight in the past? Studies show that most women have been dieting their entire adult life away, and still most of us are not happy with our weight. Why is this?

It’s because we are continually re-losing the same pounds over and over again! We are not very effective with our weight loss measures, which ensure only temporary success. No one sets out thinking “I’ll just lose fifty pounds for a few months, and then I can gain it all back real quick.” No, we all think this time it will be different. This time we’ll manage to starve ourselves forever, or this time we’ll use expensive diet pills and then live off salads after the fat is gone.

Somehow, it is never different, is it? We end up back where we started within a short time period; only now we are more frustrated and desperate then ever. It’s a vicious cycle that can lead to a sense of hopelessness. It’s as if we are completely helpless when it comes to our weight. The fat just has a mind of its own, right?

Wrong! We have a mind of our own! We are the problem! The day my own weight loss really took off was the day I realized I was standing in my own way. My thinking was causing me to fail. I didn’t want to do it the “right way” because I thought that would take too long. I was desperate to lose the weight, and I wanted it NOW!

The problem with that thinking is this: any other way but the “right way” only leads to that vicious cycle of losing and re-losing the same weight. Those quick weight loss measures do not work because they do not change the reason we are fat. Had I just done it the right way from the beginning, I would have been thin years earlier. It turns out the “right way” is not only the fast way, but it’s the only way that leads to effective weight loss.

What exactly is effective weight loss? It’s permanent weight loss! Pounds gone that will never have to be worked off again. Consider a few secrets that will help you change the way you think and break that vicious cycle this time around.

1. You have to eat to lose weight! If you cut calories too low your body will go into starvation mode and you will start storing everything as fat, instead of burning it off as energy. Your body becomes super stingy and wants to hang onto whatever you give it, because your brain is questioning if there will be enough food to keep your body functioning tomorrow and the next day. You can prevent all this by not starving yourself!
2. Eating is not for entertainment, for pleasure, or for emotional comfort. Food should be what gives your body the nutrients it needs to function properly, and nothing else. If you are with me in the emotional eater’s club, then you have to find someone or something else to be your hand-holder, or you will never take the weight off for good.
3. Lean muscle mass refers to the amount of lean muscle in your body. Muscle is what actually burns the fat and turns it into energy, so the more you have the better. You don’t have to lift weights like a bodybuilder, but you want to do some sort of strength training to increase your muscle so you burn more fat all day long.
4. Muscle may do the actual work of burning fat, but cardio exercise is what puts the process in motion. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then the more cardio you can get in, the better. If you aren’t used to exercising, this is a great way to start, even if you just start walking ten minutes a day and slowly increase that time. Just do more today than you did yesterday. You will gain some muscle through cardio and that will get you started.
5. Pills do not work! If they did, there would not be a fat person in America and each pill would be worth a million bucks. If you want to enhance your weight loss, go with vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure your body gets what it needs to efficiently burn your fat stores. If you want the pills for energy, then start eating a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables and get those vitamins. You will feel your natural energy spiking up sooner than you may imagine right now.

These are just some tips that I have learned along my journey of shedding excess fat. I am sick and tired of losing and re-losing the same thirty pounds. What about you?

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As of 2004, two thirds of American adults were overweight, and nearly a third were obese. (I was one of them!) These numbers have been reported even higher through different studies, and the rates only continue to increase. By 2020 it is very possible that half the American population could be obese. (I will NOT be one of them! Will you?)

You are obese when your body reaches 20% more than the weight listed for your age and height on standard weight tables. Weight tables can be found all over the internet, but the best way to determine your status is to find a BMI calculator. They can be found free online as well. Go ahead and find one. It’s time to know the truth.

If you are obese or fast approaching the line, what exactly does it mean? The implications go far beyond a number on the scale or the size of your pants. Fat is stored not only under the skin, but around and inside your muscle and organs.
Consider a few of the health problems that obese people are at risk of developing:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Sleep Apnea
• Some Forms of Cancer
• Stroke

It’s very easy to push those health factors to the back of your mind or to assume that it will not happen to you. Often, thinking that you deserve to be happy overrides the health risks (as if food is what will really make us happy). What you cannot push aside is how being overweight impacts your daily life.

Can you play on the floor with your children and stand up without struggling or hearing all your joints pop under the strain? Can you walk around the block or chase after a child running into the street without losing your breath? Can you fit into all of those cute clothes you see in the stores? How comfortable are you on the beach in the summer? When you look in the mirror, do you see yourself as you feel you are inside?

The AHA! moment that set me on the path to losing weight the healthy way occurred in a department store. I was walking with my toddler and in passing happened to see this huge woman in one of those skinny mirrors they like to place on support columns around the store. For some reason this woman caught my interest because she looked so horrible and I turned to get a second glance. It was then that I realized that woman was actually me.

It wasn’t the me I knew I was inside. It looked like a complete stranger. That was a wake up moment for me because I didn’t want to look like a stranger. I wanted to be myself again, inside and out. I wanted to look in the mirror and see ME.

So, what did I do? What exactly does it mean to lose weight healthfully? These are valid questions because many obese people simply do not know what healthy is anymore. We are flooded with diet products that promise fast weight loss and there are more fad diets than anyone can possibly keep up with. The idea of healthy weight loss has been lost in the confusion as all of these fads insist that they are better.

The fact is they may be better in the short term. You can lose weight with fad diets, but you already know that, right? You know that because you have tried them all a million times. But stop and think about that! Why should you have to try anything more than once if it actually worked the first time?

Short term weight loss is not enough to say “it worked!” If what you want is to lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life, then there is no miracle pill, shake, or energy shot that is going to do the work for you. Yes, I said work because changing ingrained habits to refresh your lifestyle takes a little of that.
Here are some basic guidelines that will help you start to understand what a healthy weight loss program might include for you.

1. You must eat to burn fat and lose weight. Too few calories will cause your body to think it is starving. Then you will start holding onto what calories are supplied, instead of burning them up.
2. You must eat breakfast to lose weight. Your metabolism needs a jump start in the morning. The right breakfast will set your body up to burn more fat all day long.
3. To prevent binging or feeling deprived and to keep your blood sugar stable, you must eat smaller, more frequent meals. Eating every three to four hours throughout the day will keep your metabolism going and stop your blood sugar (and your energy) from dropping during the day.
4. You must keep your body hydrated to lose weight. When your body is dehydrated you will feel as if you are hungry but can’t get full. Drinking lots of water will stop this problem and will help you feel full so you eat less.
5. You must eat a balanced diet to lose weight. Your body needs fats and carbs to function properly, but choosing healthier versions such as olive oil and whole grain pasta will speed up your weight loss significantly.
6. You must get your body up and moving to lose weight and keep it off. It’s a matter of calories out versus calories in. The more you get moving out the more you can take in, and the more fat you will burn off.

I’m sure all that seems a bit overwhelming, but you shouldn’t try to do it all overnight. Take small steps. Work on one thing at a time and eventually it will all come together. Permanent weight loss can be a little slower as you gradually change your habits and the way you live your daily life, but you will only have to do it once!

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This is a very common question from people who want to lose weight but just do not enjoy exercise. If aerobic dancing is a living hell and the treadmill is a bloody climb uphill on raw knees, you are not alone. Many people hate exercise-or at least they start out believing they do. Unfortunately, the answer to the question is yes. You really do need to exercise. Extensive research has proven that people who lose weight by diet alone almost always gain it back. Those who incorporate an exercise routine into their daily life have a much higher chance of actually keeping it off for years to come.

The problem is many of us think of exercise as a chore, and we think it has to be some big drawn out plan where we sweat buckets by the minute. It doesn’t have to be! When starting out, adding more movement than you currently do will lead to some weight loss. Success builds upon success and each week you do a little more than the week before and it isn’t long until you are doing more exercise than you ever thought possible.

There are two reasons that exercise is absolutely necessary:

1. While you are losing weight, exercise will increase the amount of fat you burn every day, which in turn accelerates the pace of your weight loss.
2. After you reach your final goal weight, exercise is what will keep that fat from coming right back.
   That means you need to exercise not only while you are losing weight, but for the rest of your life. So, how do you get started?

How much exercise is really necessary? Take the following tips into consideration:

• Experiment. There are so many ways to exercise these days that it is almost ridiculous. There are thousands of exercise DVDs that can be done in your own living room. You can go out and walk. Start a training program for a 5K or half marathon supporting a cause you really believe in. Join a gym or sign up for a dance class. Purchase a treadmill, recumbent bike, or incline trainer. Learn kickboxing. Right now you may think you hate every form of deliberate movement, but you may really surprise yourself if you try some things out. The library is a good place to rent DVDs for trials.
• Get creative. If walking circles around the block or around a track bore you to death, then find a local high school football field and walk up and down all the stairs in the stands. Get a few co-workers to go out walking during your lunch break. If you have access to a swimming pool, start swimming laps. Anything that gets your heart rate up for a half hour or more will do you good, so think outside the box and find something that isn’t so boring.
• Shake it up. If you do the same thing all the time not only will it become deathly boring but your body will get used to that activity and start burning less calories. When an activity becomes rather easy to do and you no longer have to put out an effort to complete the workout, then congrats! That means your fitness level has improved, but it also means your body has become rather efficient at that activity. Either take the intensity up a notch or mix in some other forms of exercise to keep the fat burning high.
• Entertain yourself. One good thing about exercising at home is you can do it while watching TV or listening to the radio. Make it a habit to jog in place, lift weights, perform yoga moves, or bounce on a mini trampoline while watching television and you will hardly notice the sweat.

Exercise is necessary, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. You can start by simply adding in more movement to your day. Go get a $5 pedometer from Wal-Mart and aim for 10,000 steps a day. It may actually shock you how far below that mark you are right now, but it really doesn’t take much movement to get up there. This is the minimum amount of steps you should be taking over the course of a day if you really want to lose the weight.

The important thing is that you start on your current level and increase your activity with time. If you can only walk around the block one time right now or climbing the steps at the local football field is more than you can handle, then start there. Next week you can go around the block twice or up the steps for an extra few minutes. Just imagine what you will be doing a month, or even a year from now! You will totally blow yourself away, if you just commit and let it happen.

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Leading a green lifestyle is all the rage these days, but few people consider what they are putting in their mouth as part of that commitment. It is rather easy to change the type of light bulbs you use or cut down on unnecessary driving, but many people are not willing to become a veggie munching vegan to save the planet or their hips. The good news is you don’t have to go to such extremes to make your dietary habits better for your body and the planet.

Herbal weight loss is not necessarily a new thing. There are quite a few supplements that claim to be “all natural” that aim to help you shed some unwanted fat, but not all of them are actually healthy for your body. Just become some of the ingredients come straight from nature doesn’t mean they are intended to be taken in high doses.

To sort through which herbal supplements may be helpful to your weight loss journey and which ones could potentially have harmful side effects, read labels and pay attention to the following ingredients:

• Senna: herbal laxative that can lead to dehydration and can be addicting; can possibly lead to the inability to have a bowel movement naturally; commonly found in weight loss teas.
• Chromium Picolinate: synthetic ingredient in many supplements; can cause chromosome damage and lead to dehydration; intended to stabilize blood sugar.
• St. John’s Wort: herb very common in supplements; too much can lead to itching, fatigue, minor gastrointestinal issues and skin or eye irritability.

There is something comforting about knowing the supplement you are putting into your body comes straight from nature, but there is a false sense of security in the “all natural” label. Remember, herbs are what prescription medicines are made out of and there are some that can be more harmful than helpful, especially when taken in high doses or for too long a period of time.

One natural substance that is good for you and extremely beneficial for weight loss is green tea. It has been proven to boost metabolism and increase energy, which in turn will lead to a reduction in body fat. It is very similar to caffeine, without the side effects. It is best consumed as a liquid tea as an enhancement to a healthy diet and regular exercise.

There are pill form supplements, but thoroughly check out how much green tea is actually in the pill and what other ingredients are combined with it.

Immortality herb and apple cider vinegar are other natural ingredients that come with many health benefits.

Another way to make weight loss a little easier and naturally improve your overall health is to choose organic foods as often as possible. Organic foods are not made with pesticides, hormones, and other harmful chemicals that many people believe are responsible for heart disease, cancer, ADHD, and other health problems that run rampant today.

Before you write organic products off as too expensive, go to a few local stores and look around. Prices have dropped considerably and will continue to go down as more and more people purchase them over unhealthier alternatives. Look at you grocery store for sales, as many organic foods can be purchased in bulk while the price is reduced.

Yet, manufacture labels can be misleading if you are not informed on what they mean. Here are labels you may come across and exactly what they mean:

• 100% Organic: all ingredients are organically produced and follow organic processing measures.
• Organic: just at least 95% organically produced with remaining ingredients coming from an approved Natural List of healthy foods.
• Made with Organic Ingredients: at least 70% of ingredients are organically produced.

Though the amount of organic ingredients varies with each label, all products with the organic label must follow guidelines, including not being made with certain processing methods such as using sewage sludge or ionizing radiation. Any of these labels are excellent choices over regular processed foods, but there are further guidelines to consider as far as cost and fresh produce.

In general, any produce that has a thick peel that you take off before eating can be bought cheaper without going organic. Anything that you wash and eat directly is healthier if you go organic, since they will not be sprayed with dangerous pesticides before hitting your fridge. If you want to ensure your food does not rot before you eat it, consider frozen organic fruits and vegetables, which are becoming very popular and can often be found on sale for much less than fresh produce.

One last tip: watch out for labels that say “all natural” as that is a clue they are not qualified to use any of the organic labels. Manufacturers will always find alternative labels that mislead shoppers into thinking they are making healthier choices, but now that you are armed with information you can think for yourself.

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Welcome to Ultimate Healthy Diet.com! Weight loss and dieting can be an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. This site will introduce you to a wealth of knowledge and resources to guide you to success in your weight loss and dieting goals. Be on the look out for relevant posts coming soon!

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