Useful Weight Loss Tips for Guaranteed Results

Are you overweight and want to lose weight quickly and faster? This article can be of great important as we are going to look at some of the best, fast and quick weight loss tips.

• Once you set your weight loss goals stand by them until you achieve your desired weight. No matter what happens during your workout do not give up just because you have not lost weigh as you expected.
• Make sure you have enough sleep and rest. A good sleep helps in metabolism and this help you lose weight fast.
• Avoid having stress as stressed persons tend to eat more food and this results to weight gain. Always try to be stress free and take a good rest.
• After weight loss workouts make sure that you rest a bit to enable your muscles to relax and be repaired. Generally during workout your body muscles and tissues are damaged and they need to be repaired.
• Try parking your car a distance from your work place and then walk. This will help to exercise your muscles.
• If you have time and your office is upstairs try walking up the stairs rather than using elevator. Walking is a good way of exercising your body.
• Make sure that you eat at home often, as you will have healthy food that does not have a lot of calories. When eating out you do not check you meal and the food you take out may have excess calories. If you are to eat out choose a smaller portion.
• Do a lot of exercises during your free time. You can either go for gym or buy a tool for exercises such as kettlebells. Incorporate exercise that works on all body muscles. When going for exercise do not eat and start with warm ups. Warm ups prepare your muscles for the exercise.
• Check you meals so that you do not take too much calories.
• Breakfast is the most important meal in the day.  Make sure that you do not skip breakfast or any meal as this may force you to eat more food than the required portion.
• It is advisable that you drink a lot of water through out the day as water is very important to your health and can also help in losing weight. It is also important that you drink some water before meals.
• If you feel hungry in between the meals take a healthy snack that is possible made of fruits or even take a fruit salad. Fruit are a better choice of snacks.
• Instead of eating huge amount of food eat little amount at different interval. Basically it is recommended that you eat three main meals in a day and in between the meals you can take fruits or healthy snacks.
• During exercise it is important that you may have a partner who you will work together and compete with. This will not only motivate you but will make the exercise fun.
• If you are a fan of bike riding it is a good decision to ride to your work place rather than driving. Riding does not only helps in burning calories faster but also helps in improving your heart and muscles.
• In your diet try to reduce the fat, sugar and salt.  Mostly food with high fat and sugar has a lot of calories.
• Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber is necessary for a healthy weight loss as it helps the digestive system to run smoothly.
• Instead of just sitting down doing nothing try and keep yourself active by help in household duties or even walking.

When you plan to go on a program or workout with these quick weight loss tips it is quite important to bear some points in mind.

• Remember that losing weight is not an overnight process but a healthy weight loss should be gradual.
• Weight loss tips, good health and exercises work hand in hand. There is no effective weight loss result without exercises and besides that exercises without a balanced diet may not have a good outcome.
• Losing weight is actually taking fewer calories than the amount of calories the body is burning.

These quick weight loss tips can help you lose the weight you need in order to live a much healthier life.

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Rev Up Your Willpower–The Easy Way

By Jim Healthy

Making New Year’s resolutions is the easy part.Keeping them … well, that’s another story, isn’t it?

 Many of the health and financial troubles we get ourselves into are because we either can’t control our impulses to overeat, overspend, or overindulge – or we’re unable to stick with a plan to reverse the damage.

 That’s why most New Year’s resolutions are about exercising more self-control and self-discipline, two of our least favorite words. (Interestingly, when researchers asked people what their major weakness is, they said “not enough willpower.”)

Today I want to tell you about an ingenious technique that can help you succeed at anything you want to accomplish, whether it’s losing weight, changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or improving your health.

Is there a shortcut to self-discipline?

 While human beings are naturally resistant to change, I’ve discovered an ancient Japanese technique that outsmarts this innate stubbornness and actually makes breaking any bad habit easy .

 In his book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, UCLA Medical School psychologist Dr. Robert Maurer describes his success in changing unhealthy behaviors in his patients and helping to break their bad habits using the Zen principle of kaizen (literally, “continuous slow improvement”).

Why we resist change (even if it’s good for us)

 We humans are creatures of habit. Anything we do with regularity takes on a force of its own and doesn’t require much energy to continually repeat. This “force of habit” makes it easy for us keep doing the same thing (even if it’s bad for us).

 Faced with the prospect of changing any comfortable routine, our brain rebels by triggering the “fight or flight” response. We actually experience fear at having to give up the familiar activity.

 The results of this reaction are all-too-familiar. We find ways to “excuse” ourselves from our new diet, from our exercise program, or from our plans to quit smoking or drinking. Psychologists refer to this as “self-sabotage.”

 Our best intentions to change our ways frequently fail because the rational part of brain (“I want to lose weight”) is battling the emotional part (“I’m afraid to give up my favorite foods”).

 When this happens, you’re usually doomed because the emotional brain creates physical sensations which feel more real, more important, and more urgent than the rational reasons to change.

How kaizen outsmarts your brain

 The genius of the kaizen approach is that it completely avoids this inner conflict by never threatening your comfort zone.

 Say you want to start a walking program. The conventional strategy is to choose a regular walking time, select your route and duration, pick a start date, and then “just do it,” as the Nike ads urge.

 But most people never make it to Day One because all this feels too overwhelming and threatening.

 And of those who actually start this program, very few stick with it long enough for the force of habit to kick in so that the going gets easier.

“The least you can do”

 Kaizen asks you to imagine the smallest part of a new activity that you know you can commit to. In other words, something so non-threatening that your “fight or flight” center isn’t aroused at all.

 Maybe this is merely putting on your walking shoes after dinner. Nothing more.

 Or simply walking to the front door and opening it. That’s it.

 Don’t laugh. Performing this one simple action over time will accomplish two powerful goals.

 First, it will interrupt your old habit of climbing onto the couch for some after-dinner TV. And second, it will plant the seed of a new habit (a healthful, post-dinner stroll) in your brain.

 After doing this regularly for a while, you’ll notice the force of habit taking hold. Your new activity will become easier. This is when you can up the ante and walk out the front door and perhaps down to the curb.

The power of small actions

 The most important benefit of the kaizen approach is that it strengthens self-confidence – and this will give you a new sense of belief in yourself.

 You see, what really keeps us stuck in old, self-defeating behaviors is the self-doubt fostered by continually failing in the past efforts. It doesn’t take long for us to become discouraged and believe we are “weak-willed” and “a loser.”

 We forget that willpower works like a muscle that must be trained into strength.

 A new scientific understanding of this is described in the book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by psychologist Roy Baumeister and New York Times health writer John Tierney.

 Expecting to shed 100 pounds of excess weight without first having honed your will on smaller accomplishments is as unrealistic as expecting to bench press 300 pounds or runn a 4-minute mile without any prior training.

Train your willpower for success

 I’ve spent my entire life as an athlete, so I know what I’m talking about here.

 Having exercised for six decades, my force of habit is so strong that I’m physically uncomfortable if I miss a day or two.

 I never have to “talk myself into” exercise. And while I don’t always have the greatest workouts, my exercise habit gets me to the gym. My muscle memory takes it from there.

Build your willpower the kaizen way

 We didn’t get soft of sick overnight, so we shouldn’t expect to develop super-willpower in a weekend.

 The key is to start with one small task and build on our success.

 According to Baumeister and Tierney, it’s nearly impossible to make a change in more than one area of your life at a time.

 Why? Because willpower is like money – you only have a certain amount to spend each day. If you try to make 20 changes in your life, you’re multiplying your willpower exertion by 20 times.

 We’ve been raised to believe that willpower is a virtue, but it’s really more like a muscle. If you overtax it before it becomes strong, it merely gets exhausted from overuse – and you end up failing.

 Choose the one behavior you want to change first, and conserve your willpower for that priority. After that goal is achieved, you’ll be able to tackle something new and different – and you’ll be in even better shape to succeed.

Now it’s your turn

 What is the one behavior you’d most like to change?

 What has worked for you in the past – and what seems to always trip you up?

 What is the simplest kaizen action you can take that you know you can stick with?

 Please “go public” with your personal declaration of independence by leaving your comment.

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7 Foods that Do the Weight-Loss Work for You

By EatingWell Magazine

Do you want to lose weight for good in the new year? Try increasing your daily fiber intake in the form of nutrient-rich high-fiber foods. Why fiber? Recent research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests eating more fiber as a way to prevent weight gain or even encourage weight loss. Over the course of the two-year study, the researchers found that boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1,000 calories resulted in about 4 1/2 pounds of weight lost.

Try it for yourself. If you’re consuming 2,000calories per day, aim to increase your fiber by 16 grams.

Here are 7 fiber-rich foods that help do the weight-loss work for you.

1. Apples: A medium apple (3-inch diameter) contains 4 grams of fiber; a large apple (3 1/4-inch diameter) has 5. Apples also offer a bit of vitamin C and potassium.

2. Green Beans: One cup boasts 4 grams of fiber, plus a healthy dose (30% daily value) or skin-helping vitamin C.

3. Sweet Potatoes: A medium-size baked sweet potato (2 inches wide, 5 inches long…a little larger than your computer mouse), skin included, offers 5 grams of fiber-for just 103 calories. It’s also a nutrition powerhouse: providing 438% daily value of eye-healthy vitamin A (eat these foods to help you see more clearly), 37% daily value of vitamin C, plus some potassium, vitamin E, iron, magnesium and phytochemicals like beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

4. Raspberries: Raspberries are a great source of fiber-some of it soluble in the form of pectin, which helps lower cholesterol. One cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber. Raspberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C.

5. Strawberries: One cup of strawberries has a respectable 3 grams of fiber and more than a full day’s recommended dose of vitamin C-an antioxidant that helps keep skin healthy.

6. Chickpeas: Just 3/4 cup of chickpeas has a whopping 8 grams of fiber! You also get a good amount of vitamin B6 and folate, both of which play a role in forming healthy new cells.

7. Pumpkin: A cup of cooked pumpkin contains 3 grams of fiber. You also get vitamin A (245% daily value), vitamins C, E and potassium.

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Get stronger, leaner and healthier with strength training

by Mehsel Hartwell

You know exercise is good for you. Ideally, you’re looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. If your aerobic workouts aren’t balanced by a proper dose of strength training, though, you’re missing out on a key component of overall health and fitness. Despite its reputation as a “guy” or “jock” thing, strength training is important for everyone. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

Use it or lose it

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. “If you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body,” says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age.”

Strength training also helps you:

• Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger “engine” to burn calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
• Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury. It also contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.
• Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily.
• Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
• Sharpen your focus. Some research suggests that regular strength training helps improve attention for older adults.

Consider the options

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Consider the options:

• Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
• Resistance tubing. Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store.
• Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools.
• Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can also invest in weight machines for use at home.

Getting started

When you have your doctor’s OK to begin a strength training program, start slowly. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of stretching or gentle aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Then choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 repetitions.

“On the 12th repetition, you should be just barely able to finish the motion,” Dr. Laskowski says. “When you’re using the proper weight or amount of resistance, you can build and tone muscle just as efficiently with a single set of 12 repetitions as you can with more sets of the same exercise.”

To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. When you can easily do more than 15 repetitions of a certain exercise, gradually increase the weight or resistance. Remember to stop if you feel pain. Although mild muscle soreness is normal, sharp pain and sore or swollen joints are signs that you’ve overdone it.

When to expect results

You don’t need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. Two to three strength training sessions a week lasting just 20 to 30 minutes are sufficient for most people. You may enjoy noticeable improvements in your strength and stamina in just a few weeks. With regular strength training, you’ll continue to increase your strength — even if you’re not in shape when you begin.

Strength training can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being. Make it part of your quest for better health.

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How Lack of Sleep Makes You Gain Weight

You stayed up too late last night, so you grab a latte on your way into work. When you feel yourself slump at 3 p.m., you raid the vending machine. You’re so tired at the end of the day, you can barely get home for dinner, let alone make a trip to the gym.

Sound familiar? Many sleep-deprived people drag themselves through the day, skipping physical activity and relying on sugary pick-me-ups. But these habits don’t fight off sleepiness for long. And even worse? Over time, they can contribute to weight gain or, at the very least, sabotage your efforts to lose those last few pounds.

Lack of sleep changes your appetite
“We have very substantial research that shows if you shorten or disturb sleep, you increase your appetite for high-calorie dense foods,” says Charles Samuels, MD, medical director of the Centre for Sleep and Human Performance in Calgary, Alberta. “On a simplistic level, your appetite changes.”

Two hormones in your body play an important role in controlling appetite and satiety. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, causing you to eat; leptin suppresses appetite—so you’ll stop eating—and stimulates energy expenditure. In a properly functioning brain, the two hormones are released on and off to regulate normal feelings of hunger. But research has shown that sleep deprivation can alter ghrelin and leptin levels.

“When sleep is restricted to four hours a night, ghrelin levels go up and leptin levels go down,” says National Sleep Foundation spokesperson William Orr, PhD, president and CEO of the Lynn Health Science Institute in Oklahoma City. “So you have a greater amount of appetite and a greater amount of intake.”

Belly fat raises your diabetes risk
If you’re chronically sleep-deprived and consume more high-calorie foods, it’s likely those calories will be deposited around your middle, forming fat deposits that are especially dangerous for raising your risk of type II diabetes. “It’s known as visceral fat deposition,” says Dr. Samuels. “Sleep-deprived individuals’ ability to respond to a glucose load and release insulin is altered.”

In one oft-cited study, he adds, healthy people whose sleep was restricted for six nights showed impaired glucose tolerance, which is a prediabetic condition. When they then got enough sleep, about nine hours a night over the next six nights, their glucose responses returned to normal.

There’s not enough evidence to claim that lack of sleep could cause diabetes, but research has found a connection between the two. At the very least, getting enough sleep can help regulate energy levels—eliminating the need to rely on sugar or carbs for a boost—whether you have diabetes or not.

If you sleep less, you may weigh more
Countering an occasional sleepless night with chocolate the next day won’t set you back too far, but research suggests you may gain weight if sleep deprivation and overeating become routine. “Individuals who are obese tend to sleep less,” says Orr. “There’s been a marked increase in obesity over the last 10 years, and over the last 50 years, there’s been a marked reduction in average sleep time for the average American—which suggests a link between sleep, appetite regulation, and obesity.”

The trouble doesn’t necessarily end if you watch what you eat. Cheat sleep and you may have more trouble losing weight, even if you have a healthy diet. If two women are the same age and weight, both eating healthy meals and walking five hours a week, but one isn’t losing weight, “the first thing we’d ask is if she’s getting enough sleep,” says Dr. Samuels. “With weight control, we look at physical activity, movement, food intake, and recovery, and you have to focus on sleep and where it fits into this context. The fundamental foundation of recovery is sleep.”

Kids and teens also may have problems if they skimp on sleep. Studies have shown that short sleep time in children and adolescents is associated with being overweight. One recent study also suggests a possible link between decreased REM sleep and an increased risk of being overweight.

To fight sleep-deprivation-related weight gain and help make weight loss easier, try the following:

• Rest. “Get the sleep you need, end of story,” says Dr. Samuels. “People always want some magic answer beyond that, but you’ve got to get your sleep. My biggest issue is people who wake up at 4 to go to the gym. People should focus on sleep first, to get to their goal from the weight perspective.”
• Work out early in the day. “Exercise can aid sleep, but not right before bedtime,” says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Jim White, RD, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified fitness instructor in Virginia Beach, Va. After working out, “adrenaline hormones and body temperature are up, which can keep you from falling asleep,” he says.
• Eat right. “Protein is a critical factor for alertness, but people eat carbs when they’re tired,” says Dr. Samuels. “Instead, eat a handful of unsalted mixed nuts.” Whole grains with fiber are also good, says White. “Sugary foods will give you an instant energy buzz for 30 to 45 minutes, but you’ll see a big crash after that; whole grains will fuel you for a longer time.”
• Avoid alcohol. Even if you think it relaxes you, don’t turn to alcohol to calm down in the evening. “People don’t realize that alcohol has nearly the same amount of calories per gram as fat,” says Dr. Samuels. “When men stop drinking, boy, do they lose weight fast.” Additionally, drinking alcohol close to bedtime can disrupt sleep: You may fall asleep more quickly after a few drinks, but you’ll likely wake up more frequently during the night, and research indicates you’ll get less REM sleep during the first half of the night.

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