Posts Tagged ‘how to lose weight’

One of the most common patterns of body fat deposition is the “stomach pooch”, or what advertisements for weight loss products refer to as “belly fat”. This is the loose, flabby weight that occurs around the waistline. It is often a source of frustration for those who try to lose weight through strict dietary restriction and heavy exercise because it is exactly these weight loss measures that tend to reinforce this particular pattern of weight gain.

From a hormonal perspective, the belly fat problem is an issue of overworked adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are small organs that sit on top of each kidney that produce a variety of hormones. When it comes to weight loss, the two adrenal hormones that are of most importance are adrenaline and cortisol, which are tied to the body’s reactions to stress, both mental and physical.

Cortisol stimulates fat storage, particularly around the lower abdomen, while adenaline stimulates fat burning. In short-duration stress, the fat storage effects of cortisol are balanced by the fat burning porduced by adrenaline. But as stress becomes more chronic, the production of adrenaline begins to decrease while the cortisol levels remain high for much longer. The longer one remains under stress, the more likely it becomes that the fat storage effects of cortisol will overwhelm the fat burning effects of adrenaline.

So, this means that chronic stress leads to weight gain and belly fat accumulation due to the effects of cortisol. If you have belly fat accumulation as your primary pattern of weight gain, chances are it is at least largely related to your body’s reaction to stress. Remember that stress can be both mental and physical. You’re probably aware of the mental sources of stress you are under, such as you job, caring for your family, the economy, etc.. But you may not have considered the self-imposed physical stress your weight loss program may be causing.

A sensible, healthy diet and a moderate exercise program are not too stressful and will not significantly increase cortisol levels. The problem is, if you get too restrictive on your diet and/or get too intense with your exercise program, the resulting stress on the body can not only prevent you from burning that annoying belly fat, it could actually cause you to develop more!

So how can a diet contribute to stress? The body senses excess calorie restriction as starvation. Since starvation is a threat to your life, your body considers it to be a highly stressful state. A simple way to be able to tell if you’ve restricted your food intake too much is if you feel hungry constantly and/or develop symptoms of hypoglycemia such as dizziness, feeling faint, headaches, moodiness, etc. Now, I’m talking about actual hunger pangs and/or low blood sugar reactions. True hunger is different from simply craving some decadent food you want to eat. What it comes down to is if you are getting hungry all the time, you need to eat more and/or more frequently. People who are having difficulty losing weight are often afraid to eat more, but as long as you stick to healthy food choices, eating enough to prevent constant hunger pangs will make it easier to lose weight than suffering through the hunger will.

When it comes to exercise, the big problem with belly fat is exercising too much and/or too intensely. In people with belly fat, high intensity workouts will only lead to feeling tired and getting frustrated with your lack of weight loss. For people with belly fat accumulation (as the main location of their weight gain), low intensity, and relatively long duration exercise is best. Activities like walking, bicycling, and other aerobic activities are best. Exercise for about 30 to 60 minutes continuously at a pace at which you have enough breath to carry on a conversation without gasping. This should be done 3 to 4 days per week for best results. Those who have excess weight in areas other than the abdomen may benefit from a more intense regimen, but those with just belly fat need to take it a bit easier to keep from activating more cortisol release.

By minimizing the stress caused by your weight loss efforts, you will actually find it easier to get rid of that fat around your midsection and you’ll probably feel more energetic while doing it. While this approach may seem counter-intuitive, I say at least give it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much easier your weight loss will occur.

It is no mystery that people turn to the internet in hopes of being able to find some type of fad diet or magic pill that will teach them how to lose weight while sitting on the couch.

Unless you are willing to take the required action to lose the weight from your body; then chances are you will not notice any difference in the way that you look and feel. Even if you do not know what it takes to lose the weight; we will provide you with some valuable information that will get you started in the right direction.

Have you been wondering why it seems so easy for one person to lose weight while another person seem to be jumping from one weight loss diet plan to another; well here are some of the qualities that you will need to possess before you will notice a difference in the way that you feel.

1. Reason: Why do you want to lose weight? Before you can accomplish anything worthwhile in your life you have to want it bad enough. If you do not have a big enough reason then chances are you will quit before you reach your goals.

2. Set A Goal: It is important to set a goal; after all you can never get from point A to point B if you do not know where you want to go. Do not set a goal that is unachievable otherwise you will be very disappointed that you did not reach them.

3. Remain Persistent: Anyone who has ever set a goal for themselves that they truly want understand that persistence is the quality that will help them reach it. Regardless if you see any weight loss differences in your body when you first begin your journey; you have to keep going until you reach your goals.

If your goals are big enough and your motivation is strong enough you will continue working towards your goals everyday. Always remember to acknowledge your successes and give yourself time to say you did a great job.

4. Habits: It takes 21 days to develop a new habit. If you can stick with your new routine for at least 21 days then you will be able to break your bad habits and develop new habits.

If you are tired of being overweight and are finally ready to lose weight; visit our site below and get all the details on how to get rid of all the excess weight on your body. Do not forget to sign up for our FREE ecourse that will help you reach your weight loss goals.

It is strange how you can gain weight by odd means. This can be easily avoided if you plan your meals ahead of time. In this article I will show you how to do that!

See, if you don’t plan your meals ahead of time, you will probably eat junk foods and less likely to have healthy choices. On the other hand, if you make a plan of what you would be eating the following week or month, then it becomes easier to maintain a healthy diet.

Those who don’t plan their meals ahead of time often end up gorging on something tasty; and often, that ‘tasty something’ turns out to be a calorie-rich junk food!

You have to make a list of what you would be eating for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and of course snacks. Make sure that you eat only low-calorie and low-fat foods! If you are going to eat out at a restaurant, plan your food choices in advance by visiting the restaurant’s website. Most decent restaurants have their own websites where they display their menus, as well as point out which foods would be low on calorie and fat.

Just question yourself – have you ever had the guts to say ‘No’ when you were invited to a delicious, non-veg dinner? Or do you ever turn down an offer of a boatload of cookies from your friend? I know how hard it is to turn down such tempting offers. But if you are serious about losing weight, the first thing that you need to do is have discipline over your temptations and appetite!

The only way you can do it is by cooking a healthier alternative of the ‘tempting dinner’ at your home. Here is an example. If red meat is going to be served there, you can instead cook lean chicken meat at your home. Use minimal oil for cooking to make sure that the food remains low on calorie!

Eat one half of it during dinner and keep the other half for the following day!

Also, it is a good idea to keep yourself full at all times. Try to eat foods which are rich in fiber, as they are likely to keep you full for a long time. Natural fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, low-fat yogurt, etc., are usually healthy choices for someone who is looking forward to losing some inches and pounds quickly! Even if you haven’t gained weight yet, making healthy food choices would make sure that you never gain even one pound of extra fat!

Want to lose weight fast for a HS reunion, a vacation on the beach, or just for your own peace of mind? Lose weight too fast and you could harm your body. Fad diets, diet pills, extreme fasting and other fast weight loss methods may work but they can also make you lose muscle, counter productive to a long term weight loss program, and can cause damage to your heart and other internal organs. Remember Fen-Fen?

Since losing weight is simply expending more calories than you take in, figure out exactly what you take in. Keep a written record of every morsel, for at least a week. Don’t cheat. Cheating on this only harms you. Now with the help of web sites like mypyramidtracker.gov figure out the calories in what you eat.

Now that you know the calories you consume, start cutting. This can be as simple as cutting down on portion sizes. Portion sizes are generally too large both at home and in restaurants.

There are a lot of other no brainer cuts that don’t significantly change what you eat. Soda and juice, cake, cookies, butter, get rid of them. Salad dressing is the largest source of calories on most dinner tables! Getting used to the healthy taste of a salad with a pinch of lemon juice makes a big difference. Get rid of white bread, sugar and carbs. These can easily be replaced with sugar substitutes and whole grain breads.

What about that side dish? Take a look. This part of the meal is often a minefield of bad food choices including French Fries, macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Make a switch to healthy foods, or get rid of the sides completely.

Pumping iron increases lean muscle mass, which increases your metabolism. That leads to burning more calories even when sitting still. Aerobic exercise is the best for calorie and fat burning. Don’t pay attention to the 3-5 times a week school of thought on aerobics. Make it seven days a week, which means an activity you can sustain day after day for the rest of your life.

There’s the plan to lose weight fast. Now get moving!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret about how you can actually eat to lose weight. Don’t believe that it is a possible? Well, I am going to reveal to you three such foods that will help you lose weight. I can already hear your reaction that it sounds too good to be true. Well, just read this article to understand what I mean!

1. Olive oil: Stop using those fatty oils and use olive oil instead. Olive oil contains a considerable amount of unsaturated fats and little saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are much better for you as they will suppress your appetite and will also fight cholesterol. Try it and you may even find that you like the taste of your food better!

2. Lean meats: An excellent one and the most popular is lean chicken meat. It is by far one of the best weight loss foods to have! If you increase your metabolism, you will burn fat quicker. To increase you metabolic rate, build lean muscles. Lean chicken has a lot of protein which, as you know, will build those lean muscles.

If chicken proves to be too expensive for your pocket, try turkey breast. In any case, make sure you eat only lean meats and stay away from red meat!

Another excellent choice for quick weight loss is Fish. For example, salmon and tuna contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids fall in the category of ‘good fats’ or unsaturated fats. One of the reasons you gain weight is because a hormone called leptin stores fat inside you body. Omega-3 fatty acids will cut down on leptin which will help you to lose weight.

3. Berries: You should also add berries to your food choices to when desiring to lose weight. There are several types of berries: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. All are recommended and are beneficial to weight loss and to your overall health in general. If I were to recommend one, it would be strawberries. They help in suppressing your appetite. By reducing those pesky food pangs, you should be better able to focus on your weight loss efforts!

Many people tend to starve themselves when they want to lose weight. As you can see, that is not necessary nor will it provide you with lasting results. Try eating the right foods instead and you will not only lose weight but also become healthy. The foods I mentioned above are also rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

I’ve mentioned three foods that are helpful in your weight loss efforts, but there are many more. If you do a search on the internet, you will find others such as oatmeal, nuts, eggs and almonds. Be sure to add these to your diet and that belly fat will disappear much quicker with less effort.