No More Excuses for Being Overweight

Success in any endeavour, including health and fitness, begins with the thoughts that you want to attain something. Your desire needs to be strong enough and clearly defined before you will begin to take action. Before you begin to successfully lose weight you need to make the necessary changes, and seek out the ways and means to reach your desired goal. You have to adopt a “no excuse” attitude and stay focused on your goals. 

                   

Do these excuses sound familiar? “If I just had more time, I would be exercising regularly.” “I tried to eat low-fat today but my kids wanted pizza.” “Every time I plan to exercise or eat healthy, something always comes up.” “Eating healthy is too expensive.” If we continue to blame outside factors, we will continue to get the same results. Many truly believe these excuses are something totally out of our control preventing us from reaching our goals. We think that something, or someone else, is responsible.

 

The number one and most important step to losing weight successfully is to take 100% responsibility for your actions, which means, you are fully responsible for everything you put into your mouth. Everything you eat is a decision you make. Decisions like whether or not to eat that chocolate cake. Each decision you make you are accountable for. This may sound harsh, but it is a truism. 

                   

You’ve heard the buzzword used by motivational speakers, Proactive. It means more than just taking initiative. It means that we have the responsibility (response-ability) for our own lives. Highly proactive people don’t blame others or circumstances for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice and willpower.

                        

Next time you’re faced with an excuse outside of you, change the way you think and develop a strategy to tell yourself that you can do it. Once you realize the power you already have inside of you, overcoming obstacles will be easier. A few successes will build your confidence and help you grow and be able to commit to something you want to do or have. Self-talk can make us or break us. Allow your self-talk to help you be proactive toward your health and fitness goals. You already have, inside of you, what it takes to succeed.

                   

When I work with clients on behavioral modification, we use tools to help them achieve their goals. Two successful tools are a food journal and appointment scheduling. 

 

1. The food journal is used to write down everything you eat. You will think twice before you eat knowing you have to write it down. Then you can look at your journal to see how the extra calories sneak up. A weight loss coach is also a good strategy to help you become accountable and learn about healthy eating. 

 

2. Schedule your exercise time just like scheduling a meeting or doctor’s appointment. Many clients are successful with their fitness goals working with a personal trainer because they have the appointment scheduled and are less likely to blow it off because of the appointment. Discipline yourself with regularly scheduled exercise time. This will increase your consistency and help you get to your goal.

 

You have the power to control your life and behavior. Recognize the excuses and take the action, now! For more information, motivation and tips on weight loss, go to http://www.womensweightlosscoach.com.

New Year’s Diet Resolution Tips

For many people, the coming New Year will involve resolutions to get on a diet and lose weight. While slimming down is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, it is often easier said than done. Making the switch from the calorie and fat laden temptations that lure us during the six week long holiday fest can be quite difficult. If you’re planning to start your new year off with a pledge to lose weight, keep these tips in mind to help you ease into your resolution the healthy way. 

 

Cutting everything out cold turkey is one of the most common techniques for approaching a diet; however, doing so may well spell disaster for a good intentioned diet. Instead of putting yourself on such a restrictive diet right after the holidays, consider options that will allow you to ease into a healthy eating regimen. This will increase your chances of sticking with your diet resolution and achieving success. 

 

Start by opting for foods that are grilled, roasted, baked or broiled instead of fried. This one technique will allow you to cut out a large amount of calories as well as fat. If you don’t care for the somewhat blander taste of grilled or roasted meats, don’t be afraid to add a little zing with some low-fat or fat-free sauces. Herbs and spices can also go a long way toward livening up grilled and roasted foods. 

 

Most people do not eat nearly as much fruits and vegetables as they should. Besides the fact that fruits and veggies are rich in healthy vitamins, minerals and fiber; they are also a good way to fill up without loading up with calories and fat. Look for ways that you can incorporate fruits and vegetables into your eating regimen. Vegetable soups make a great dinner or lunch solution on a cold wintry day. Salads are easy and quick to pack for lunch with a low-calorie dressing. Top it with some grilled chicken and you’ve got a quick dinner solution as well. 

 

After indulging in holiday sweets, cutting out the treats may be one of the most difficult aspects of starting a new diet. Increase your chances of sticking with it by substituting fresh fruit for calorie rich treats. Stock up on plenty of apples, oranges, berries and whatever other type of fresh fruit strikes your fancy. This is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without sabotaging your diet. 

 

Finally, resist the temptation to reach for a cup of coffee, tea or even a diet cola and grab a bottle of water instead. Even if you’re using an artificial sweetener with your beverage, your diet and your body will respond much better if you opt for plain water. This much needed essential nutrient helps your body to flush out toxins; and in the end, it can help you to lose more weight faster. 

 

By easing your way into your new diet instead of torturing yourself with an overly restrictive or fad diet, you’ll find that you’re more likely to stick with your resolution and by next New Year’s Eve will be ready to show off your slim new shape.

Need To Lose Weight Fast For A Special Occasion?

If you have just a little weight to lose, and want to take it off fast (say, so you can fit into those great pants for your cousin's wedding), there are a number of diets that you can use. Most of these wouldn't be recommended for long-term weight loss, as they substantially restrict your intake of some essential nutrients, so using them habitually may not be healthy. But if you're normal diet is healthy, and you just want a quick boost to drop 8-10 pounds quickly, or to kick off a new diet with a bang, the Cabbage Soup Diet actually works.

 

The cabbage soup diet has been around for nearly 30 years. It's based on the notion that your body actually uses more calories to digest cabbage than the amount that it derives from cabbage. It's a so-called 'negative calorie diet', and includes many foods that, like cabbage, are high in fiber and very low in calories.

 

The base of the cabbage soup diet is - what else? Cabbage soup. There are several recipes for cabbage soup available. Essentially, the soup is made with onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, celery and spices to taste. You'll be eating the soup every day - as much of it as you want.

 

In addition, there is a seven day routine of foods to supplement the cabbage soup.

 

Day One: All the fruit you want (except bananas) along with all the soup that you want. No caffeinated beverages or sodas. Drink only water, tea and cranberry juice.

 

Day Two: Eat all the vegetables that you want, but avoid dried beans, peas and corn. Eat veggies raw, fresh or cooked. No fats, no sauces, no butter. At dinner, you may have one baked potato with butter - and of course, all the cabbage soup that you want!

 

Day Three: Eat all the fruits and veggies that you want from day two and day three - but NO baked potato.

 

Day Four: Bananas and skim milk - yes, all the skim milk you want, plus up to eight bananas, along with -- you guessed it, all the cabbage soup you want.

 

Day Five: Eat ten to twenty ounces of beef (or skinless chicken, or broiled fish). Drink at least 10 glasses of water, and eat up to six fresh tomatoes. (if you substitute for the beef today, you may not tomorrow)

 

Day Six: Eat all the beef, vegetables and cabbage soup that you want. No baked potato. Lots of leafy green vegetables.

 

Day Seven: You can have all the unsweetened fruit juices, brown rice, and vegetables that you want - and at least one bowl of soup.

 

That's it. Remember - this diet is NOT recommended for long term weight loss, or long term use. It doesn't contain enough complex carbohydrates to be healthy for longer than a few days. But if you just need a jump-start or a quick fix, it's a good way to pick up the pace for a week.

Need Practical Weight Loss Tips?

 

The fastest way to losing those few extra pounds is the most basic of all weight loss tips: cut down your consumption of food. I know. That is easier to say than to do. Most weight loss tips about food consumption focus on slightly changing your eating habits. If you need the snack break, do it. The other class of weight loss tips is exercise. Studies have shown that people who walk faster tend to maintain their weight better than people who walk more slowly. If excess weight is a serious concern for you, the best of the weight loss tips is to consult with a qualified weight loss management expert.

 

Weight loss is something almost everyone struggles with sooner or later. "How to lose weight" is not the only question you should be asking. Make self-acceptance just as equal in importance to weight loss. Going for true self-worth gets you to stare the problem right in its eyes. It is strongly advised you get help if many wounds are surfacing. There are many great books and resources on weight loss self-esteem, body image, and true self-acceptance that will take you in new directions.

 

What I am saying here is that the real problem is not how to lose weight, or what to eat, etc. the real problem is self-judgment. Our society today certainly struggles with a weight epidemic. When it comes to our weight and health, a reasonable diet and sufficient exercise always prove superior. Fortunately there is diet information everywhere we turn.

 

Understanding your body and how it functions is key in forming a good diet. If you watch television, then you've surely been bombarded with diet information from some fitness guru. A great place to begin your search for diet information is online. Many diet plans offer a variety of meals that contain low amounts of fat, carbs, and calories. The key to dropping weight is eating healthy and acquiring a daily exercise routine.

 

Whether you're looking to start that new celebrity diet, or simply desire some diet information, you will find it on the World-Wide-Web. With proper diet and fitness benefits, your body will soon transform into that size six you crave. It's time to live healthy, and rid yourself of that burden, which too often destroys your confidence, as well as your body.

 

There is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss, but if you make gradual improvements across a number of areas, the combined effect will put the brakes on the obesity snowball and have your weight loss snowball rolling before you know it.

Need A Weight Loss Plan Strategy?

These days, it seems that you can't open a newspaper without seeing an article about one medical study or other that warns about all of the potentially harmful consequences associated with being overweight. For example, overweight people have higher risks of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes. If you ask me, those are some pretty compelling reasons to make a commitment to shed some pounds now. But perhaps you're a bit cynical about the whole dieting process because of failed attempts in the past.

 

With the number of weight loss plans, the key is most likely to find the best one that suits you and your body. One of the big ones on the market today is the South Beach diet. I swear everywhere I turn; I bump into a new meal from South Beach Diet. You really can't get any simpler than that. The meals are already prepared for you. A microwave is all you need. While great weight loss plans such as Weight Watchers offer a plethora of products to suit anyone's needs, we have to remember the other part of the weight loss equation. Regardless of what weight loss plans you've tested out, exercise is always a factor. It remains imperative that in order to drop pounds and stay in good shape, we all need to have a good fitness regime along with our healthy diets.

 

Many of us look too hard for the easy way out. This is not a plausible solution by any means. Jump online and sort through the deluge of weight loss plans and you will surely come across one that suits your lifestyle. With the vast spectrum of information at our fingertips, there is no reason why we should have any difficulty locating that perfect diet and workout routine. The key to successful weight loss plans is tenacity. Follow the diet accordingly and strive to exercise on a regular basis and you will certainly fit into those tight jeans again.

 

People are constantly looking for ways to improve the results when they have made the decision to lose a few pounds. We all know the traditional advice to watch what you eat and to get more exercise. Just remember that there are no magic weight loss products out there. The foundation of any effective diet is a combination of healthy eating habits and exercise. If you do just one or the other, you're not likely going to see any noticeable long-term results.

Natural Weight Loss Program: Tips to Lose Weight Naturally

You will find thousands of natural weight loss programs and lose weight naturally tips when you do an internet search. With so many weight loss programs in the net, how to you find one that will help you to lose weight naturally that is suitable to you?

 

Let’s cut through the clutter and the confusion. No matter which natural weight loss sites you may come across, the more credible ones will all say the same thing albeit in different form and manner. To lose weight naturally and keep the extra weight off permanently, you must consume fewer calories than you expand calories.

 

“Huh? Isn’t that common sense? Can you tell me something new?” You are probably asking me right now.

 

Fine, I concede that that statement is common sense, so let me ask you something back. If everyone knows it, then why is it that there are so many overweight people who have tried so many methods to lose weight with numerous weight loss programs failed in getting rid of their flabby tummy and extra body fat? 

 

Even if some of them were successful and managed to shed a few pounds, they cannot seem to keep the weight off for long and soon, the weight that they have lost will all come back to haunt them. Are you one of them? If so, do you want to know why?

 

The reason why the weight that they loss came back because most people go for quick fixed weight loss solutions. People prefer the no pain and hassle free methods to lose weight such as taking slimming pills, going on fad diets, using muscle stimulators and any contraptions that promise fast weight loss and muscle toning.

 

The cliché “No pain no gain” is also common sense, don’t you agree? And yet people are still falling into the lure of these temporary weight loss advertisements because they are promised that they can lose weight naturally without having to undergo extensive weight loss programs. People will naturally try to avoid pain and try to take short cuts.

 

So how to lose weight naturally and keep extra body fat away forever? Put into your routine these natural weight loss tips regularly and you will lose pound after pound week after week of extra fat:-

 

Eat Healthily to Lose Weight Naturally

 

Eat healthily. Eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism revving in high gear throughout the day. Drink more plain water instead of soft drinks and sugar laden coffee or tea. Just keep in mind that the amount of calories you eat must be less than what you will use for energy. Simply doing this will help your body burn calories from body fat instead of from the food you consume.

 

Lift Weights to Gain Muscles

 

The more muscles you have, the more your body will naturally burn calories because your muscles need calories to function and stay alive.

 

You don’t have to gain big muscles like body builders, but just enough to buff and tone you up nicely and at the same time enjoy the calorie burning effect of your muscles. Your muscles will stay with you if you lift weight consistently and this will keep extra body fat at away and is one of the best way to lose extra body weight forever.

 

Perform Cardiovascular Exercises to Lose Weight Fast and Naturally

 

Cardio workouts burn calories quickly. That is if you perform the exercises until you are panting and puffing for 20-30 minutes. If you can read a book or listen to music whilst doing cardio exercises, then your cardio exercises are not intensive enough to burn fat effectively. Do this 5-6 times a week as part of your natural weight loss program or 2-3 times a week for weight management program.

 

By following these 3 tips natural weight loss program, you should be losing 1-2 pounds a week and losing weight healthily and naturally. Best of all, you will learn how to lose extra body weight forever.

Natural Diet Tips To Achieve Fast Weight Loss

Because of the countless diet products lining store shelves and being advertised on television, people forget that the most effective way to lose weight is simply to exercise and eat healthy. Natural diet products, however, can help a person get to their ideal weight and they include green tea and whey.

 

Whey is a complex milk-based ingredient made up of protein, lactose, fat and minerals. Protein is the best-known component and it is made up of smaller protein subfractions like beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, glycomacropeptides, bovine serum albumin and minor peptides such as lactoperoxidases, lysozyme and lactoferrin. Some of these subfractions are found only in small amounts (less than 1% usually) of cow’s milk.

 

The benefits of whey have been known for centuries. In fact, in Florence, Italy, it is said that if you want to live healthy and actively, drink whey and dine early.

 

Whey in weight loss

 

Many studies conclude that whey plays a significant role in weight reduction. The results of these studies were so astounding that whey was dubbed an adequate weight loss supplement.

 

Whey has unique effects on food intake. Having whey before a workout helps a person gain and preserve lean body mass. Likewise, whey maintains beta-oxidation (or fat burning) during exercise, compared to other foods. If you include whey in your diet, you can increase your muscle mass and decrease your body fat. This is all because whey rapidly delivers amino acids to your body during exercise.

 

Not only that, but whey has been found to improve blood sugar regulation - which is another factor in controlling appetite and metabolism.

 

The benefit of herbal green tea extract

 

Green tea is famous for its medicinal benefits. Most Asian countries use it and other places around the globe are following suit. Aside from its well-known benefits, green tea can also help a person reduce weight.

 

Drinking green tea is also a safe way to get rid of those pounds. Unlike other herbal products, it doesn’t contain ephedra (which increases heart rate and blood pressure).

 

Instead, green tea contains high concentrations of catechin polyphenols, which work with other chemicals to intensify fat oxidation and thermogenesis (in which heat is created in the body to burn fuels like fat). Moreover, green tea causes the release of carbohydrates to slow down and thus, prevents sharp increases of insulin in the blood.

 

One cup of green tea a day, or a supplemental tea extract, can help you burn 78 extra calories - so imagine if you drink more tea than that! Not only that, but green tea controls leptin, which is a protein produced by fats and it plays a vital role in how the body manages fat storage via brain signals. A lower leptin level decreases a person’s appetite and helps them to eat in moderation.

 

Green tea is a safe and effective weight loss tool.

Natural Diet Pills for Weight Loss - How Safe are They?

Many of us have heard horror stories about the ‘diet pills’ that were popular a generation or so ago. These pills, available with a prescription, were basically ‘speed’ - which, in a slightly different form, was sold as a street drug. And yes, these pills did make women lose weight - sometimes a great deal of weight. This weight loss came at a heavy cost, though. A lot of people became addicted to diet pills. Others simply took them for so long, or at such heavy doses, that they ruined their health. 

 

Nowadays, those types of diet pills still exist, but they are not prescribed or used nearly as often as they used to be. In general, people today are more aware of the importance of good health and doing things the natural way. All the same, losing weight is still a going concern, and there are many people looking for an easy way to do it - a ‘shortcut’, so to speak. That’s where natural medicine comes in. 

 

Natural, naturopathic or herbal medicine has been around for literally hundred of years - long before western medicine or modern pharmaceuticals. It has also undergone a bit of a revival of late. People are disenchanted with the mainstream medical system, and looking for answers through an older system of medicine, one that is based on natural substances such as herbs and vitamins. 

 

In fact, you can see how true that statement is just by browsing the shelves of your local drug store. Chances are, there will be almost as many herbal medicines available on your drugstore shelves as there are conventional medicines. Even some doctors are coming to accept the role that herbal medicine and natural medicine has to play. Even if they don’t out and out endorse it, many doctors will concede that natural medicine does no harm, at any rate. 

 

So, when looking for a quick fix to the weight problems that plague so many of us, natural or herbal diet pills might seem very appealing. Actually, they really do have their strong points. Herbal diet pills are not speed - they don’t even resemble the harsh pharmaceutical diet pills of a generation ago, and they work in totally different ways. For example, some natural diet pills work as a ‘Glucophage’ - they ‘eat up’ the excess glucose that is circulating in your system after you eat. Glucose, according to some, is precisely what does make you gain weight. It can even lead to other problems, such as diabetes later in life. Glucophage can be a great way of eliminating excess glucose in your system if you happen to eat too much. 

 

Of course, as might be expected, that doesn’t work well for everyone - in fact, it sometimes backfires. You might use it as an excuse to eat even more, in fact, in which case no amount of Glucophage can save you! It may also be true that this type of herbal remedy has inconsistent results - it may work much better on some people than on others. That having been said, though, there are people who have used Glucophage and had excellent results. 

 

Other types of herbal diet pills act as appetite suppressants. They just make you want to eat less, plain and simple, much as the diet pills of a generation ago did. There the similarity ends, however - herbal diet pills are less effective than pharmaceutical ones, but they are also much less harmful.

 

Then there are the herbal supplements that you would take in order to cleanse your body of toxins. Some people choose to do this once or twice a year - the early spring, particularly, seems a good time. The herbal supplements that you take during a cleanse are not diet pills per se, but the end result of the cleanse is often weight loss. Furthermore, you might find it a lot easier to lose weight after you’ve done a cleanse. For one thing, you will have gotten out of any bad food habits you might have accumulated!

 

The diet pills of the seventies were not a great idea, except maybe in extreme cases where weight loss was imperative. Even then, there were probably better ways to do it. Don’t assume that all diet pills are bad, though - and do check out the new types of herbal diet supplements available today.

 

Disclaimer:

 

This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read. Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

Multi-Million Dollar Industry - Weight Loss Center

The phrase "weight loss center" returns over 3 million search results in Google. The exponential growth in the number of obese persons or obesity has created a huge demand for weight loss programs, slimming pills, and of course weight-loss centers. Each year people spend over $35 billion for these weight-loss techniques. And as usual, U.S. leads from the front. It will be prime news on CNN if any American city is without its weight loss center. In pure dictionary terms, a weight loss center is meant to provide weight-loss treatment to obese or overweight people. The problem of being overweight is bad for health but excellent for business. Dieting has become a uniquely American "sport," for which Americans pay billions annually to commercial weight loss centers. This multi-billion dollar industry thrives on our inability to control our weight.

 

Obesity carries enormous health risks and economic costs. It is recognized as a major catalyst for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and other debilitating conditions. Estimates of the number of deaths attributable to obesity in the United States alone reach up to 350,000 per year. Weight loss surgery may be an alternative if the body mass index (BMI) is 40 or more. Weight loss surgery may also be considered if the BMI is 35, combined with other health problems such as diabetes or arthritis. A surgical weight loss center provides surgical treatment for obesity. Bariatric surgery is increasingly being used to combat obesity. For very severe obesity, or BMI greater than 50 intestinal-bypass weight loss surgery is indicated. In these cases, weight loss surgeries prove to be effective, as the extreme obesity poses many problems.

 

Bariatric surgery, as weight loss surgery is referred, has a controversial history dating back hundreds of years. But the first modern procedure on record was in 1889, performed by Howard A. Kelly. Other type of surgery also known as "cosmetic plastic surgery" is liposuction. In it, layers of fat are removed by performing an operation on those body parts where the fat has accumulated. Though the fat gets reduced for the time being, the factors and the causes remain untouched and therefore liposuction is only a temporary solution, and at best can be called a symptomatic treatment.

 

Weight loss centers help to adopt healthy lifestyle changes to keep the body fit and healthy. A weight loss center offers a relaxing, serene ambience. The experience at the spa equips the individual to follow a balanced eating regimen, increase physical activities and maintain a healthy lifestyle. These centers also offer the company of like-minded people, thereby making the transformation to healthier lifestyle, a pleasant affair. A professional center should offer guidelines for healthy eating habits and exercises. They should also provide counseling, when needed. Whichever weight loss center you pick to resolve your pressing problem of obesity, make sure the people at the center are well-aware of the body system and are sensitive to your needs. They should be able to prescribe a balanced diet, medications if necessary, and ultimately lead you towards a healthy weight loss.

 

Summary:

 

You cannot just walk in a weight loss center expecting to return home shedding all that extra flab. You need to visit the center often to get necessary tips and healthy diets. It is important to select a center with supportive people, who follow you up on your weight loss progress. The precious time you spend at the center should be productive. It makes no sense, if the weight you lose in a month, reappears in a week. It is important to preserve sustainable weight loss. Remember, a weight loss center cannot provide permanent weight loss. However, if you strictly follow their instructions, you can stay slim and keep the lost weight, well lost forever.