Bad Habits Stop You From Losing Weight

Quit smoking. Lay off the junk food. Stop being a couch potato. Don’t stay up too late.

Sounds simple enough: If you have a bad habit, break it.

But “simple” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy.” You’ll need a good strategy.

Swap Bad for Good

It’s important to add good habits to replace your bad ones. Otherwise, the stuff you want to stop doing will probably come back. For instance, you go to Starbuck's in the morning to meet friends, that's not a bad habit, it's what you order that can make it a bad habit. You want to replace the Latte with something that doesn't have calories. Black coffee or tea with non-fat milk. You might not eat breakfast, but Latte's have lots of calories and they're empty calories.

If you smoked, people who quit smoking can replace it with eating too much. Packing healthy snacks can be a good replacement. Bring fruit or nuts with you to work, don't buy junk from the snack machine. 

It might be great that you turn off the computer in time to wind down and fall asleep, but if you replace that with looking at your phone or watching TV, that’s probably not going to help. Instead, try meditating, writing in a journal, or reading something on paper. (Light from a screen can keep you awake.) Use a book or something printed on paper to help you fall asleep.

Make sure you enjoy your new healthy habit. If you hate running on a treadmill, chances are you won’t stick with it. If you don’t like broccoli, there’s no point in loading your plate with it because you won’t enjoy it. When you're looking to replace a bad habit make sure this is something you like.

Change one habit at a time. Trying to do too much at once can be overwhelming. It can make you feel like you don’t know where to start, so you don’t start at all. As you meet each goal, try to add another one.

Don’t rush it. Chances are you didn’t develop the bad habit overnight, so give yourself the time to develop the new one. It can take 2 to 3 months for a habit to really take hold.

Track Your Progress

Keep a daily record of the changes you make. If you haven’t met your goals for the week, think about what went wrong, then adjust. If you’ve met your goals, give yourself a little reward. Seeing things add up -- like your work-outs or the days since you’ve had a cigarette -- can motivate and encourage you.

Forgive Yourself

Setbacks are normal. Don’t beat yourself up. Think back to when you first started, look at your daily record, and remind yourself of how far you’ve come. One slip-up doesn’t wipe all of that out. Pick up where you left off.

Breaking a bad habit is about the journey, not the destination.

I wanted to change what I eat and I changed all at once to a fresh food diet. I wasn't going to buy anything anymore that had a label. Everything fresh. Meat,fruit and vegetables, I even started to buy bread from a bakery fresh baked.

I found out that it takes a lot of will power to change everything all at once. For most people, it might be too hard, but it worked for me. After you make the change, you can't look back. I know it might sound easy, because there won't be any calories to count or special diets to follow. That's true, but that also means no canned or bottled drinks except for water. You can't drink anything with calories. 

Coffee and tea is fine, but don't add calories. Don't make foods with gravies or sauces. Eat fresh means to eat the food as close to it's natural state as possible. Yes, you can season your food but use spices but no added sugar. 

The part that I found the hardest was "eating out". That can be challenging. For the longest time I was eating dry salads with vinegar or lemon juice and a glass of water. You have to be careful ordering salads. Don't order a salad with cheese or meat. You can change a 300 calorie salad into a 800 calorie salad real quick. Chef salads and Taco salads are the worst. Some can be more than 1000 calories.

I know it sounds crazy to only eat salads when you're in a restaurant, but meats in restaurants are usually soared in marinates which is bad for your diet and sometimes bad for your health. Restaurant chains will use marinate to tenderize meat and add flavor and that's when it become a high-calorie dinner. Fish can be a better option, if they will serve it without a sauce or any gravy.

I found that eating "fresh" meant a lot of home-cooked meals and that's the hardest part.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Reasons Why Your Diet Isn't Working

You're doing everything right and your diet isn't working. You're not eating a lot, but you're still gaining weight. Is it your fault? Are you doing something wrong? Did you choose the wrong weight loss plan?  Are you simply meant to be overweight?  The answer to all of those questions is probably no.

No matter what diet you're on, no matter which weight loss expert you follow or workout program you practice, the secret to weight loss success is finding the right energy balance.

You've got to burn more calories than you consume. But it's more complicated than it sounds, because there are many factors that affect both your energy input (calories consumed) and your energy output (calories burned). 

Reasons that Your Diet Isn't Working

There are many factors that affect your daily calorie intake.  Any of them could be the reason that you can't lose weight.  Most likely, the problem is a combination of several factors.  Evaluate each of them to see where you can make adjustments.

• Hunger  Is your diet starving you. That's not the way to lose your body fat.
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• Boredom  Many people snack from boredom, especially at night. Healthy snacks are good, but never snack at night. Those calories will go straight to your fat cells.

• Low-fat pitfalls  Foods that are high in fat contain more calories.  But many times these foods are more satisfying than low-fat foods that are high in sugar.  So what's the better choice? You can find low-fat, low-cal foods like non-fat Greek yogurt, but it's still a good idea not to eat at night. Usually I get hungry at night because I didn't eat enough protein during the day. I'll do Yoga at night and the urge will pass and I forget about it.

• Meal frequency Eating more often may help you to avoid binge eating at mealtime, but eating more often also increases your chances to consume too many calories.  If you eat 2-3 large meals during the day and snack often because you're hungry, try 4-5 smaller, calorie-controlled meals.  On the other hand, if you have a meal every three hours and you're not losing weight, you may be eating too often. I like the 5 meal a day plan, I don't get hungry if I eat every three hours, but you have to control the calories. I try and stay to about 300 calories per meal. You can do an internet search "300 calorie meals" and you'll find dozens of chioces.
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• Stress  Many of us manage emotions with food. Food provides comfort, often gives us a sense of control and is a source of enjoyment.  But those comfort calories add up. If you suspect that emotional eating is derailing your diet, consider healthy alternatives to reduce stress. Take yoga, or any physical exercise you can do for 30 minutes.
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• Fatigue  What do you do when your body begins to lag in the afternoon?  I don't know about you, but I head to the kitchen.  It's natural to look for energy (i.e. calories) when you need a quick pick-me-up. The problem is that when your activity level lags, the worse thing you can do is consume more calories.  Before you grab your late afternoon snack, ask yourself if you are responding to hunger or fatigue. If you're tired, take a 15-minute nap! If your at work, drink hot tea or coffee.

• Portion size  Almost all of us make portion size mistakes all day long.  If your diet isn't working think about keeping a food log, record all your food and drinks. Most people are making the same mistakes, They think they consume less calories than they really do.

Food choices When trying to lose body fat, make your calories count. Don't eat empty calories. Most of the time we consume empty calories in our drinks. Stop drinking anything that contains calories and stick to eating foods with high amounts of nutrition.

Workouts that are too hard  Believe it or not, but your workout might be the reason that you're not losing weight.  Some programs like CrossFit could actually be harmful to your weight loss program if it causes you to take too much time off or worse, causes injury.  Try to get some physical activity every day.  That means you should schedule easy and moderate workouts along with the high-intensity fat burners.

• Non-exercise activity level.  If your fat-burning Tabata workout exhausts you to the point that you spend the rest of the day on the couch, then you are not benefiting from NEAT.  Non-exercise activity thermogenesis can account for up to 2000 calories burned per day.  Make sure you keep moving all day long. Take the stairs, carry your own groceries, stand while you chat on the phone.  It all adds up. 
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• Stress-induced laziness.  Some people react to stress by moving.  But others take to the couch in times of trouble.  If you are going through a difficult time, give yourself permission to rest.  But try to incorporate easy workouts with a friend to gain support and stay active. 
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• Fatigue. The simple act of dieting can cause stress and fatigue. Even if your weight loss program is not at fault, daily exhaustion is likely to hinder your workouts and your NEAT.  Learn how to sleep better for weight loss. Take simple steps like charging your phone in the kitchen or changing the lighting in your bedroom to get a better night's sleep.
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• Physical factors.  Medical conditions, like thyroid disease, can affect your daily caloric expenditure.  Factors such as age and genetics also play a role in the number of calories you burn.  Talk to your doctor about factors that affect your metabolism. Sometimes there are things you can do to give it a boost. 
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• Body composition.  Muscle burns more calories than fat.  To increase your calorie burn all day, boost your lean muscle mass.  Eat enough protein to fuel your weekends and build strong muscle. Then complete regular strength training workouts at home or at the gym to get lean and buff.
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• Your job. Occupations that require you to sit at a desk will decrease your daily energy output. You're not likely to change jobs to lose weight, but you may be able to make simple changes in your office to increase your daily caloric burn.  Stand while you type, try asking your boss for a stand-up desk, skip the elevator and walk the stairs, turn sit-down meetings into walking meetings.  Some companies are even installing treadmill desks to help workers increase their daily activity level and improve health.
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• Exercise habits.  The way you schedule your workouts can make a difference in the number of calories you burn during each one.  For example, if you schedule a long run on a day after a tough boot camp workout, you may be too tired during the run to gain a real benefit.  Create a balanced exercise program to burn calories with consistent but reasonable workouts.
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• Exercise-induced eating.  Believe it or not, one of the most common mistakes that dieters make is eating too much and justifying the episode with exercise.  Heavy exercise programs will actually stimulate your appetite. So you justify that big lunch because you did a big workout. Workouts don't burn that many calories. On average a big workout will burn about 300 calories, the same as a small lunch. 

Is My Diet Doomed to Fail?

Trying to find the reason your diet isn't working can be painful.  But if one of these factors is contributing to your weight loss woes, you need to address it if you want to slim down.  Get creative and try different tweaks. Everyone can lose weight, you have to find the right way for you.

If you have loved some weight but stopped losing, you probably have to adjust your calories again. As you lose you require less calories, so every 10 pounds or so that you lose drop the number of calories your eating by 100 and see if that works.

Losing body fat should be your goal. Read up on weight loss and losing body fat. It doesn’t cost money to lose weight. The internet is full of free information.

But the quickest way and cheapest way is to buy an ebook online and get everything you need in one short read. I have two ebooks on Amazon:

How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight

Getting To A Healthy Weight

Check out one of them, I think you can find all the info you need and plenty of tips on how I lost my body fat. 

Look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find these e-books. These books give you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my books at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com,

 iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

New Technology for Treadmills

Your heart rate will control the speed of the treadmill.

Sounds crazy, right? It's the newest thing in high-tech sports equipment. You can use the hand rails on the machine or your own chest monitor that plugs into the machine and than by adding a few numbers about your condition the machine will calculate your "target heart rate" and control the speed so your workout is at your target heart rate constantly throughout the the time programed.

Heart rate control and heart rate monitors are popular on many exercise machines including treadmills, elliptical trainers and stationary bikes.

• Heart Rate Monitor: A treadmill with a heart rate monitor reads your heart rate by connecting with pulse sensors on the side rails or a chest strap monitor. It gives you data but doesn't control your workout.
• Heart Rate Control: Heart rate control dictates the extent of your workout by controlling the exertion level of your treadmill.

Why Use a Treadmill with Heart Rate Control

To get an optimum workout, it is important to pace your exercise. You want your heart rate at the proper intensity level for an extended period of time. If your heart rate gets too high, your activity can become counterproductive. If it is too low, you are not getting any substantial health benefits.

That is why one of the most effective methods for fitness training is through monitoring and controlling your heart rate. This is particularly true when striving for cardiovascular goals. Whether you want to shed a few pounds, train for a marathon, or just feel good about yourself, heart rate training and control can optimize your workout.

Handgrip vs. Wireless Heart Rate Control

• Handgrip Control: Treadmills with handgrip heart rate control require holding on to the sensors located on the side rails. It is awkward for walking, and just not feasible for jogging. Only one type of heart rate control makes sense, and that is wireless.

• Wireless Control: With wireless control, you attach a strap around your chest, and your heart rate is fed to the console. This, in turn, controls the intensity of your workout by keeping your cardio exercise within a predetermined heart rate.

Getting in the Zone

Sally Edwards, author of "The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook," discusses the value of heart zone training.

It works for 20-year-old athletes as well as 70-year-olds with heart trouble. The goal is to get into a particular zone. She identifies 5 zones:

• The Healthy Heart Zone: 50% to 60% of your individual maximum heart rate. This is a safe, comfortable zone reached by and easy walk. This is the best zone for people who are just starting to exercise. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol.
• The Temperate Zone: 60% to 70% of your individual maximum heart rate. This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. Achieved through a faster walking speed or a slow jog.
• The Aerobic Zone: 70% to 80% of your individual maximum heart rate. This zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system and increase the size and strength of your heart. Achieved through a steady jog.
• The Anaerobic Threshold Zone: 80% to 90% of your individual maximum heart rate. This is a high-intensity zone is achieved through a "burning" run.

• The Redline Zone: 90% to 100% of your individual maximum heart rate. This zone is the equivalent of running full out and is often used in "interval" training. This zone should be approached with caution and can lead to injuries when sustained for a long period.

Edwards suggests that after determining your maximum heart rate, you can improve your fitness by exercising in several different zones. You alternate in those zones to increase your cardiovascular fitness and vary your exercise regimen.

• I like this idea. I try and stay in my target zone every time I workout but it's not easy to hold the same heart rate for 30 minutes. But with this type of new technology in equipment everyone will be able to get more out of their workout.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

 

How to Lose Weight Without Dieting

A post from VeryWell.com will explain ways that you can lose pounds merely by making changes in your life. Who knew that we gain weight because of the lifestyle we lead.

If you're ready to start losing weight, but you don't want to follow a strict eating program, I have good news. You can lose weight without going on a diet. Just make a few simple changes to your daily routine that will help you eat less no matter where you are and lose weight for good.

Ways to Lose Weight Without Going on a Diet

Don't drink your calories. Beverages are bottomless these days. You can't order a soft drink or iced tea at a restaurant without being provided quick, free refills, or having the freedom to get them yourself.

To keep from drinking a day's worth of calories, choose herbal tea, unsweetened iced tea, flavored water or ice water with a spritz of lemon or lime. If none of those choices suits you, allow yourself one glass of the "real thing" and drink only water thereafter. Calories from sodas and other sweetened beverages add up to mega inches on your waistline and many pounds on the scale. The average overweight person drinks as many calories as they eat, but most calorie-counters don't think that drinks matter and never count those calories. 

Eat a healthy breakfast. Taking the time to eat may help prevent costly calorie mistakes as the day progresses. If you skip your morning meal, you might fall victim to an out-of-control afternoon appetite, oversized portions, poor food choices, and overeating, even into the night. If you can't eat first thing in the morning, a healthful, mid-morning snack is a good idea. If you are not hungry in the morning, it could be a sign that you are eating too close to bedtime. Set a cut-off time for evening eating (such as 7 p.m.) and you will probably feel more like eating in the a.m.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. You hear it all the time, but you really do need to work in those recommended six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger, so you could be reaching for food when you are actually thirsty. Eating water-rich foods like fruit will help you stay well-hydrated, too. Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink; try sipping water throughout the day and you may be surprised to find that your appetite seems much tamer.

Add at least one more serving of produce to as many meals as possible. Veggies and fruit are nutrient-rich and generally low in calories. Many varieties are also full of fiber, to help you feel full. Just be careful of creamy dips or dressings, butter, cheese sauce, and fried vegetables.

Salsa, soups, and pasta sauce are easy ways to work in more vegetable servings each day. (Tip: keep the skin on fresh produce, such as apples, whenever possible as it contains more fiber.)

Make salad your starter. Having a healthy low-calorie salad before your meal will almost certainly prevent you from overeating. Load up all the veggies you like, but just be careful about adding high-fat extras such as shredded cheese or cream-based dressings. Prepackaged, washed salads make it easy to add a salad to any meal without extra effort. Most fast food restaurants offer a reasonably-priced side salad, or some menus offer the option to substitute salad for another side item when purchasing a "combo" or "value" meal.

Go for grains. Whole grains will help you feel full longer than refined carbohydrates. In the morning, a fiber-rich cereal is a smart choice, as is oatmeal. Brown rice, whole grain bread, and whole wheat crackers, are all good ways to include grains in your day. A slice of whole wheat bread goes well with a salad. Microwavable, single-serving brown rice is easy to add to lunch at the office. Or keep wheat crackers stored in your desk drawer for when the afternoon munchies strike.
Always keep healthy frozen meals on hand. Frozen meals that are low in calories can be used as a backup plan for nights when you don't have time to prepare and cook a healthy meal. Try to choose meals with around 300 to 350 calories. (Tip: Even some of the healthier frozen meal choices are skimpy on veggies, so be sure to add a packaged salad or a microwavable, single-serving frozen vegetable to your "instant meal" to better round it out.

Choose foods that will help you feel satisfied longer. While both protein and fat help you feel sated longer than simple carbohydrates, protein naturally contains fewer calories per ounce than fat. Eggs, lean meats, skinless poultry, and reduced-fat dairy products are ideal protein sources. A snack like yogurt, a boiled egg, string cheese or turkey slices will give you an energy boost and quell hunger pangs. Whole grains also contain protein, so you may find combining an animal or dairy protein with a complex carb such as whole wheat crackers or whole grain bread to be even more effective at keeping your energy up and hunger down. If you don't eat meat or dairy, there are also several other sources of protein, such as beans, legumes, and nuts.

Catch some "Zs." Did you know getting enough rest can have a direct impact on your ability to lose weight? Not getting enough sleep can cause you to eat more often or make poor choices. In an effort to compensate for feeling groggy, we tend to naturally reach for higher-calorie, high-fat foods. Getting enough sleep also ensures that you feel energized enough to exercise and that you work out to your fullest capacity when you do. Even if you can't add additional sleeping hours, take some time to simply do nothing, practice deep breathing, read, or listen to some calming music every day. Making a point to relax more can keep emotional eating -- particularly stress-eating -- at bay.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Does Running Help You Lose Belly Fat?

"I'm trying to get rid of my stubborn belly fat. Can running help me lose it?"

A reader is looking for help losing fat and I'll tell her the truth. I know what your thinking, the runners you see are all slim and trim, so "if I run I'll get slim and trim". Maybe, not always, it all depends on the food you're eating. 

I've mentioned this in other articles about running and weight loss, but running is not a sure-fire way to lose weight and, by the same token, it's not a guaranteed way to lose your spare tire, belly, pooch, or whatever else you want to not-so-affectionately call it. And it's also true that you won't lose fat from your abdominal area just by targeting your abs with crunches or other abdominal exercises.

To lose belly fat, you have to reduce your overall body fat. While running can help you lose fat, you'll have a lot more success by combining it with a healthy, low-calorie diet. And, even then, your genetics determine what areas will lose the fat first.

Strategies for Losing Belly Fat

Here are some tips for losing weight (and, as a result, belly fat) with running and a healthy, low-calorie, low-carb diet:

• Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio in your Target Heart Rate Zone on most days of the week. To avoid burnout and injuries, alternate between running and cross training activities, such as cycling, elliptical trainer, dancing, swimming, or hiking.
• Some people find it helpful to track their daily steps. It takes an average of 10,000 steps per day to prevent weight gain, so aim for more than that when you're trying to lose weight.
• Incorporate entire body strength training into your routine twice a week. You don't even need access to fancy gym equipment – you can do some of these body weight exercises at home. Make sure you're doing upper body and lower body exercises, as well as core strengthening exercises.

• Write down everything you eat and drink to keep track of how many calories you're taking in and figure out what bad habits you need to correct. You'll be much less likely to go overboard if you know you have to write it down.

• Focus on making small changes to your diet, such as cutting out regular soda and adding more fruits and veggies.
• Try to avoid eating processed foods. The ingredients in packaged goods and snack foods are often loaded with trans fats, added sugar and added salt or sodium. All three things of those in excess can make it difficult to lose weight.
• Watch your portion sizes, especially after running, when you might feel tempted to eat a little extra because of all the calories you burned during your run. Have prepacked 100-calorie snacks ready at home, so you're not tempted to go overboard. When eating out, share meals — or eat half your meal and take the rest home.
• Check nutrition labels carefully. Just because a food is low in fat doesn't mean it isn't high in other things, like carbs and sugar. Foods such as salad dressings, marinades, mayonnaise, and sauces often contain hidden fat and lots of calories. It's best to eat natural foods. I try to avoid foods that come with a label.  Buy fresh foods and organic if possible.
  
  
     If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.
  
  
  “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
  

Stay Slim Through The Holidays

How do you want to look at the next New Year's Eve celebration? Do you need to fit into your skinny jeans or your barely-there cocktail dress for a special event? Want to look great and make that ex-boyfriend a little bit jealous? Then avoid holiday weight gain and get - or stay - skinny throughout the holiday season.

Clever Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

You've probably heard the age-old tips about moderation and portion control at holiday meals.

If you overindulge at any event, you put yourself at risk for gaining weight. But you already knew that. You need clever tips to keep the weight off. Try these tips to keep your body from falling victim to the holiday heft.

Skip yoga. There's nothing wrong with yoga - especially during this stressful time of year. But yoga doesn't burn calories as effectively as some other workouts. During the holidays, use your precious workout time to do the most effective fat burning workouts.

Brisk Walk. A 30 minute brisk walk every day will burn the extra calories to help you control your weight. How brisk is brisk? You have to get your heart rate up. That's the key to burning calories. Some people go up and down the stairs at work or at the mall, some people walk fast and some people use weights. You have to do what your comfortable with.

Do Tabata. You'll burn more calories and blast more fat if you do high intensity interval training. One of the easiest ways to set up these sessions is to plan Tabata style workouts.No equipment needed. Use body weight exercises that shape your muscles and increase your heart rate.

Dial back on the booze. The fastest path to weight gain is to drink your way through the holidays. You'll consume too many calories from booze and you'll end up making bad food choices.

Skip starch, choose fruit. At each meal, choose fresh fruit instead of starchy side dishes like potatoes or rice. Most fruit is low in calories and has a high water content. You'll get full without consuming too many calories and you'll satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time.

Cut snacks in half. Do you know how many calories you consume from snacks? Snacks aren't a bad idea, but we often eat too much when we munch between meals. If you snack, cut each portion in half so that you consume fewer calories.

Reorganize. Grab your rubber gloves - it's time to clean out your kitchen. Get rid of the junk food that doesn't deserve your attention during the holidays, then set up your kitchen for smart eating.

Lastly, use your smart phone as much as possible. Apps like CalorieCount.com provide information about the food that you eat during the holidays and it can help to guide your food choices. You're more likely to eat less, avoid weight gain and stay skinny if you have a realistic idea of the calories in your food. Remember not to confuse food cravings with hunger. Most people eat out of habit, not because their hungry. We eat because it's time to eat, but that doesn't mean you have to fill up.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Your in Your 20's and Want To Get Slim and Fit, Your in Luck

Now is the time to get the body you really want

Mike Kemp/ Blend Images/ Getty Images

This post from VeryWell.com is absolutely true. The younger you are the easier it will be to lose weight, get fit and slim and it's easier to broke old habits when your young.

Are you ready to get serious about your body? If you’re in your 20s, this might be the first time you’ve had to really think about losing weight or getting in shape. But there's no need to panic.

You can take off the pounds and set up healthy habits to get skinny and keep the weight from coming back. Post this list on your bathroom mirror to serve as a daily reminder of the things you need to do to get in shape so that you not only get fit, but you stay lean and healthy for life.

10 Ways to Get Lean and Healthy in Your 20s

1. Redefine “skinny.”  We often use the word, “skinny,” but let’s face it, ladies, skin and bones are not sexy.  What you really want is a sleek, tight physique.  That means muscle. “Contrary to common belief, muscle makes you leaner, smaller and firmer, not bigger and bulkier,” says Ariane Hundt, M.S., founder of Slim & Strong 4-Week Fat Loss Program based in New York City.  If you are not in the Big Apple to attend her boot camp style sessions, you can build strength at home or at your local gym.
2. Eat more protein.  Yes, I know there are cupcakes and pretzels in your office lunchroom, but if you want to get fit and healthy you won’t eat them. Opt for snacks and meals that are full of protein to build muscle and boost your metabolism. Lean protein will also help you feel full so you eat less throughout the day.
3. Workout harder.  Short, intense workouts are most effective for weight loss.  When you’re young, you’re more likely to be healthy enough for vigorous activity.  So take advantage of it!  Learn how to do interval training to burn more fat in less time.

1. Ignore magazines.  Did you know that women’s magazines contain 10.5 times as many ads promoting weight loss as men’s magazines? Many of the ads promote unrealistic claims and use airbrushed images that can make you feel hopeless. Focus on building the strongest, fittest version of your own body to boost your confidence and keep your commitment in tact.

1. Skip the fad diets.  Quick weight loss is effective in some circumstances, but many fad diets promote short-term loss that will mess with your metabolism. “If you are young and haven’t done too much yo-yo dieting, your metabolism will respond to pretty much any change you expose it to,” says Hundt.  She recommends that you skip the trendy diets and opt for a healthy diet of lean protein and vegetables. It’s often cheaper than processed food, too!
2. Drink less booze.  Heads up, party girls!  Your drinking may be causing more than just a morning headache.  The calories you consume from drinking wine, beer or cocktails can add up to pounds on the scale each year.  Want to make a single change to slim down?  Make a plan to drink less for weight loss and better health.  It works!
3. Build healthy habits. Now is the time to establish daily activity habits to burn calories.  Healthy lifestyle routines will help you slim down in the short run and prevent weight gain in the future.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, stand up while you work at the office, walk to lunch instead of taking the car. 

1. Get organized. The hardest thing about losing weight in your 20s is trying to eat healthy when you have a crazy social schedule.  Let’s face it, you have better things to do than slaving over a hot stove to cook healthy meals every night. So learn a few basic meal-planning strategies to minimize your food prep time and maximize your access to diet-boosting foods will keep you lean even when you’re on the run.
2. Clean out your closet. Think of your weight loss plan as a long-term strategy, not a quick fix solution.  As you slim down, get rid of the clothes that no longer fit. According to Hundt, when you keep bigger items “you send your brain the message that you will eventually get back to your old weight.”  Go all in, girls! Kiss the fat jeans goodbye and don’t let them back in your closet.
3. Watch your snack habits.  Do you know how many calories should come from snacks each day?  Get the answer based on your caloric needs.  Then try to be more aware of your snack habits throughout the day.  Try to eat less when you watch television and rein in the late night nibbles when you’re out on the town.

The good thing about trying to get skinny in your 20s is that your body is more likely to respond to small changes, says Hundt.  So get organized, get serious and get confident to make small adjustments and get a fit, healthy body for life.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Ways to Stop Eating So Much At Night

Learn to curb your appetite in the evening hours

This post is from VeryWell.com. This may be the single biggest reason for your weight problem.

Vico Collective/Alin Dragulin/ Blend Images/ Getty Images

You stick to your diet all day and eat healthy well-balanced meals. Then, the evening comes and you find yourself making repeated trips to the refrigerator or pantry to eat food that you don't really need. Sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone. Nighttime calories are a struggle for many dieters who find that they continue eating after dinner. If you're serious about losing weight, use these tips to stop eating so much at night.

Why Do I Eat So Much at Night?

You're normal if you like to snack and graze after eating dinner. But if you are trying to lose weight, the calories you consume from snacks in the evening could easily undo a day's worth of smart food choices. So, the first step to eating less is to find out why you eat when you don't need to.

For most of us, the reason we overeat is related to the fact that we are less busy at night and we are near food. We like to relax and enjoy more leisurely activities, and food is a common source of comfort. Without the distraction of work or other daytime activities, it's easy to grab for snacks that are nearby. If you can find other ways to unwind, then you'll be likely to eat less at night. You can also use these strategies to curb nighttime eating.

How to Stop Eating After Dinner

The best way to curb your nighttime eating behavior for good is to use short-term strategies to break the habit.

If you can replace snacking with a healthier habit, then you won't feel the urge to overeat in the evening. Use one of these tips (or all three) to change your nighttime snack habit.

• Move away from the food. You're more likely to eat too much at night if you are always around food. So, after dinner, move away from the kitchen. This might mean that you postpone clean-up tasks, so that you aren't tempted to eat leftovers. Or better yet, delegate the job to someone in your house who isn't on a diet.
  
  Another great way to get away from food is to go for a walk after dinner. Even if your walk is just 15-20 minutes long, physical activity helps to break up the eating momentum. It also gives your body a chance to feel the sensation of fullness, so the urge to eat is less strong.
   

• Use a "meal-ender" to curb your appetite. Some dieters use mint-flavored gum to diminish the desire to eat after dinner. Most of us don't like the taste of food when we have a mint flavor in our mouths. Brushing your teeth after dinner provides this same benefit — along with a dental health bonus.
  
  You can also try using MealEnders. These small candies claim to "reset" your taste buds so that you don't feel the urge to eat, and I can attest that they can help to dull post-meal hunger. MealEnders contain no stimulants and are regulated as a food product, so they have to follow strict guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration, unlike many diet and weight loss supplements. I use a mint gum that's very strong. You can also drink a strong hot tea, or coffee.
   
• Be a smart television watcher. Most of us eat too much at night when we snack mindlessly in front of the television. Some researchers even believe that certain action shows make us eat too much food. Regardless of your show preference, however, you can create healthy eating habits in front of the television to eat less and lose weight.
  
  My favorite way to eat less is to keep my hands active. I fold laundry or do other simple chores while I watch TV.  If I really want to eat — and I know I've eaten enough for dinner — then I use specific diet strategies to control snacking in front of the TV. I also make sure that I follow good portion control guidelines if I choose to snack while watching TV.

Remember, snacking isn't bad for your diet. But eating when you're not hungry is never a good plan.  Learn to eat a healthy dinner and then create habits to stop eating so much at night. You'll reach your goal weight faster and keep your weight off for good. 

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Skipping Dinner Might Boost Your Metabolism

Overweight people who eat during a much smaller window of time each day than is typical, report fewer hunger swings and burn slightly more fat at certain times during the night, according to a new study. But the study was small and it's not yet clear what effect, if any, this approach might have on weight.

I personally understand the reasoning and I do believe that if you want to lose weight, you have to eat most of your calories early in the day. Breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner should be all the food you need for the whole day. It's a type of "fasting". Eat all your calories in a 6 or 8 hour window and the other 16 or 18 hours you can't consume any more calories. This gives your body time to digest all the calories you ate and burn some of your body fat. But if you don't eat healthy food it doesn't work and you won't lose or if you binge food during the eating hours it won't work.

The assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham thinks the idea is worth examining as a potential weight-loss approach and hopes to conduct a larger study.

The approach is called early time-restricted feeding. It's been tested in animals, where researchers have found that it reduced fat mass and the risk of chronic disease.

Body mass index is a rough measure of a person's body fat based on height and weight. A BMI of 30 is considered obese. Someone who is 5 feet 9 inches tall would need to weigh 203 pounds to have a BMI of 30.

All of the study participants tried each approach -- the early restricted-eating and the typical pattern. During one four-day period, participants ate between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. only; during another four-day period they ate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The participants ate the same number of calories during each approach and they ate only the food given to them by the researchers and under supervision.

Researchers then tested the impact of the longer fast time on calories burned, fat burned and appetite. The restricted eating time didn't change the total number of calories burned, she said.

Personally, I do think there's merit to the theory. One very big problem that overweight people have is night-time eating. Snacking at night and eating that big meal at 6 pm or later and then not being active enough after dinner will cause weight gain and most of that is simply bad habits.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Why You Have to Keep a Food Log

A cookie here. A bowl of pasta there. A handful of veggies drenched in ranch dressing. We think we know what we're taking in nutritionally, but reality is often pretty far off base. If you have trouble keep weight off, there's usually a simple reason why. 

Most of us that watch the scale often know pretty quick that we're gaining weight. Gaining weight, if your not a body builder like those people on Venice Beach in California, probably means your increasing body fat. And if you're like most of us when we want to lose weight, we cut back on food. That's wrong. Most of us don't overeat, we just eat the wrong things. 

In particular, calorie intake when dining out -- which, let's face it, most of us do more often than we should -- is usually grossly underestimated. Even so-called "healthy" meals can get derailed in a hurry, thanks to poor nutritional choices. Salad dressing is the number-one source of fat in [many] women's diets, which attests to how many women turn a good salad into a cardiac disaster. Most restaurant salads with dressing are about 800 calories, some can be even more, like a Chef Salad, Taco Salad, or a Cobb Salad.

When it comes to diet, we do a lot of things right, but most of us manage to make some serious blunders. Keeping a food log can help us get back on track, and it's not as difficult as you might think. See if any of these excuses sound familiar:

But... I don't understand what the point of a food log is. You know those contests where people fill a huge jar with jellybeans and you guess how many the jar holds, but you're wayyyyyyyyy under? That's pretty much what happens when it comes to "eyeballing" your calorie, fat and sodium intake. We think we know what we're consuming, but we're usually light years away from reality. A food log will help you keep track.

But... I don't have time to keep a food log. Back before the World Wide Web, my dad had a book full of foods and their calorie content. He painstakingly researched and recorded each and every meal and added up the calories himself. Let's all raise our voices in thanks for apps that now do the work for us. (I particularly love My Fitness Pal.)

But... I already eat healthy. Keeping a food log isn't only about the obvious culprits, like calories and fat. Most people unknowingly put away far more sodium than they realize in a given day, and we often overestimate our fruit and veggie consumption. A food log can be a wake-up call to improve habits we didn't even know needed fixing.

Fruit and Vegetables should be 3/4 of every meal. When watching calories, never drink anything with calories. You might not realize it but half the calories we consume come from drinks. If your gaining weight it's all about the calories. You can't exercise away a bad diet. Keeping a food log with an App is the quick easy way to keep track of calories. 

Someone was telling me, you can find an App that tells you the calories in any item on any menu. If I find the App I will post it.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Surprising Reasons You're Gaining Weight

Here’s what we do know about some of the most persistent mysteries of weight loss.

Are All Calories Equal?

Let’s start with the alcohol.

“There’s a big debate on whether alcohol calories are even useable, whether you can even turn them into fat. It’s not easy,” says Ken Fujioka, MD, a weight loss expert at Scripps Health in San Diego, CA. “When you look at various studies you actually get mixed results. Some studies say it’s not a problem, don’t worry about it, others say it’s associated with weight gain. So it’s a real open mess.”

Fujioka counsels his patients to pay attention to how alcohol affects their eating.

“Some folks, when they drink alcohol, feel like they have license to eat whatever they want to, and they get into problems,” he says.

If a glass of wine weakens your will to resist that plate of cheese and crackers, it’s not doing your waistline any favors.

But if booze doesn’t affect your eating, then one or two drinks is probably OK, he says.

As for calories from fat, carbohydrates, and protein, this is where one size, or one eating plan, really doesn’t fit all. Yes, it's true, all calories are not created equal. In other words, if you're trying to lose weight you can't just cut back on the same foods that put on the extra fat. Losing fat is the "key", not just losing weight.

Most people that just lose weight might drop a few pounds but they will usually increase their percentage of body fat which will cause you to burn less calories and after a few weeks the weight returns. So, be careful of the science you believe in. Science will conduct dozens of studies, but if they knew the real answer to weight loss, they would be selling it.

Surprising Reasons You're Gaining Weight

There is good science to show that people who have high blood sugar levels -- associated with conditions like type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, and fatty liver disease -- benefit from diets that are lower in refined carbohydrates and higher in healthy fats and lean proteins. Examples of this kind of diet are South Beach, the Zone diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the low GI diet. My favorite is the Mediterranean diet.

If insulin levels aren’t a concern, there’s little difference in the amount of weight people lose if they cut their calories from fat or from carbs, says Kevin Hall, PhD, a senior investigator and expert in metabolism at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, MD. But he says protein calories are a different story.

In the lab, researchers have shown that higher-protein diets tend to increase the number of calories a person burns, Hall says. “So in that sense, a protein calorie is not equivalent to a carbohydrate or a fat calorie,” he says.

Protein helps you burn more calories during the day and helps preserve muscle. When people lose weight, they don’t just lose fat -- they also lose muscle. The more muscle you lose on a diet, the more your metabolism slows. That can make it tough to keep the weight off down the road. Protein also helps you feel satisfied for longer after your eat.

But people can eat only so much protein without changing their kidney function. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that adults keep their protein in a range of 10% to 35% of total calories each day. Most diets fall into that range. Atkins, for example, one of the highest-protein diets around, supplies 35% of daily calories from protein.

Pick a diet plan you can stay with for many years. To be successful you have to re-train your body to eat healthy. No refined or processed foods.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.