Eating The Right Way To Lose Weight

A great post from VeryWell.com explains why diet is the important part of losing weight.

Forget about starving yourself, losing weight is about eating foods that burn more calories and stop eating and drinking the stuff that puts weight on.

Nutrition and weight loss go hand-in-hand. It really comes down to chemistry and math. Consume too many calories (energy), weight is gained. Creating a caloric deficit stimulates weight loss. Sounds fairly simple.

Everyone seems to be on the search for something quick and easy. Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCDs) are popular but disregard possible health risks. They are also very expensive. Seems like a risky high dollar cost to shed unwanted pounds.

I teach eating “real” quality food to maintain a fit physique and at a cost saving. Want to begin a healthy weight loss journey? Review what you're eating now in order to make healthy changes.

Healthy weight loss is no more than one to three pounds per week.

Time for a Lifestyle Change
Losing weight is a pretty straight forward process. It will require a nutrition lifestyle change together with regular exercise for best overall results. Quality healthy food choices are important.

Are you eating processed foods, dining out, drinking alcohol and soda regularly? Revising these choices will be important for success. Start by keeping a food journal. Write down what you're eating and sub out unhealthy meals for healthier selections.

Studies show people who maintain a consistent food journal have the best weight loss success. The journal allows for accountability. You will be able to repeat personal best weight loss weeks simply reviewing what has been recorded.

The Right Foods and Right Portions
Eating healthy should be enjoyable, taste great and never a burden. Essential nutrients for weight loss include lean proteins, fiber, antioxidants and healthy fats.

Eating correctly portioned meals is essential. A portion size is what can fit in the palm of your hand and simplifies eating healthy. It also reduces the need to continuously count calories.

Normal hunger occurs every two to three hours so many people take advantage of nutrient timing. Eating several small meals per day keeps our metabolism boosted. It also promotes satiety and eliminates urges to binge on guilt laden food.

Keeping the focus on consuming healthy foods will be the success in adopting a healthy lifestyle and reaching your goal weight.

Enjoy a Variety of Healthy Foods
There are a wide variety of healthy foods to satisfy the pickiest eater for weight loss and overall healthy lifestyle.

The following foods will be helpful to start your eat-right journey for successful weight loss.

Best Proteins
Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) – 3.5oz, 30g
Turkey – 7g protein per ounce
Tuna – 6oz, 40
Salmon – 3.5oz, 27g
Halibut – 4oz, 30g
Trout – 4oz, 28g
Sardines – 4oz, 10g
Eggs (high in EFA) – 1 large, 7g
Milk – 1 cup, 8g (1% or skim, if tolerated)
Cottage Cheese – 1/2 cup, 15g
Almonds 8g, Peanuts 9g, Cashews 5g – 1/4 cup
Peanut Butter – 2tbsp, 8g
Kefir – 14g per cup
Yogurt – 8-12g per cup
Tofu – ½ cup, 10g

Top Antioxidants
Blueberries - at least a fistful a day
All rich colored berries (strawberries/blackberries/raspberries/cranberries/aroniaberries)
Sweet potatoes – at least ½ cup serving daily
Broccoli – eat ½ cup raw or 1 cup cooked daily
Tomatoes – One medium
Acai – look for quality juice
Beans - Eat two 1/2 cup servings a day of cooked or canned beans
Oats (steel-cut is the best) - Eat at least three servings of whole grains per day. A serving equals one cup cooked oatmeal, 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats or 1/4 cup steel-cut oats
Spinach – one cup cooked spinach or leafy green vegetable per day
Dark chocolate - Eat a one-ounce serving daily
Red wine or Concord grape juice 4oz – 1 glass daily
Green and white tea – up to 4 cups daily

Eat Healthy Fats
Extra virgin olive oil
Coconut oil
Wild salmon (fresh, frozen and canned)
Ground flaxseeds
Flaxseed oil
Walnuts
Herring
Sardines
Sablefish
Anchovies
Farmed oysters
More »

Stay Consistent
In order to lose weight being consistent with healthy food intake will be necessary. There is no such thing as perfection and only progress.

Take one day at a time and know there will be slip-ups. If you do get off track, let it go and make a better choice with your next meal. Food guilt only drags us down and prevents moving in a positive direction.

Use the palm as your portion size, selecting healthy foods as listed above. Eating every two to three hours is a great beginning to reaching your goal weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

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. 

Some Exercise Will Cause Weight Gain

Are you exercising and not really seeing the results you hoped for?

Maybe you're actually GAINING WEIGHT (very common, actually). Weight Lifting, for example, will cause you to bulk up and put on weight. Yes, weight loss exercise will help you to loss weight and inches.

Fact is, numerous research studies have shown that individuals who start on exercise programs actually subconsciously eat MORE calories due to the fact that exercise also stimulates your appetite.

This is why folks who begin exercising--without consciously getting their diet under control at the same time--often actually GAIN body fat. By eating the right foods your body will eat up the body fat  with just a minimal amount of extra activity, like an extra one hour of walking every day.

Do you want to put in the time and the effort in the gym to GAIN weight? Some people do but not me.

Actually that's what happens to more people then you might think. I had the same problem. I was getting too heavy and the first think I thought of was joining a gym. So I spent $40 a month for many years and got nowhere. I’d lose a little and then gain it back and the cycle would repeat itself over and over.

Finally my wife told me I wasn’t counting my calories and I was eating the wrong things. "Exercise is good for your heart not your waistline.” Finally I started to listen to some of that advice and slowly straightened out my diet. I wasn’t very happy about it though. I had to stop drinking alcohol. I’m a guy and I like beer, but I knew if I didn’t stop drinking I’d never lose any weight. The good part is you don’t have to give it up forever. Only until you lose the weight.

Now that I lost the body fat I wanted to lose, I drink in moderation. One or two drinks a day and I’m not gaining any weight. The trick is moderation of course, but by losing the body fat my body burns more calories naturally so those extra calories don’t bother me. I know it sounds crazy, but the more body fat you have the less calories your body burns. That’s why heavy people can eat like a bird and still don’t lose weight, their not burning any calories. The heavier you are the less activity you want to be because your tired all the time. It’s the cycle that keep fat people fat. And besides that, when you're heavy your body is using all it's available energy just to keep the extra body fat alive, so walk around all day tired.

I know many people overweight and they don’t really understand why thin people can stay thin and heavy people stay heavy. Thin people will burn more calories then heavy people mostly because thin people are more active, but if your heavy you can do something about it. First, take a good look at your diet and cut out foods or drinks with no nutritional value. Why would you pay for food or drinks if it doesn’t help your body, if it has no nutritional value. Your wasting your money. If you eat the right food you will lose weight. Yes, calories are important, but some meal plans will let you eat all you want. Just stick to the plan. And some plan say you can eat anything in moderation. That's the key word"moderation". Those are usually starvation diets, so be careful. I like the plans you can eat all you want just stick to the plan. The food pyramid shown below are all fresh food. Make food choices from the pyramid and stick to it and you will lose fat. Nothing happens overnight so be patient and as your body gets used to the diet you will lose inches. Stick to the plan, that's the secret.



Forget about those foods that only taste good. Those foods are just empty calories. Eat fresh foods. Read about the “Mediterranean Diet” on the internet or go to my other blogs and look under “diets”. The website is “blogonlosingweight.blogspot.com"
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My new ebook is in online bookstores now. You can go to Amazon.com and type the title in the search bar: How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight? The price is $3.99. I think you'll find it interesting. I write about myself and my battle with weight and all the mistakes I made and how you can avoid the mistakes and lose the unwanted body fat.

The ebook is also at http://barnesandnoble.com and they have a special introductory offer right now $2.99. Also available on Ibooks, Kobo, Scribd, and others worldwide.
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The New Year's Resolution

This is the one big promise we make to ourselves every year but seldom keep. I can't speak for everyone, but for the ones obsess with losing weight, don't make that resolution about the bathroom scale. If this is the promise you have been making for years, "this is the year I'm going to lose weight", it's time for a change. This year you want to promise your going to "live a healthier life".

Step off the scale now and no one will get hurt. Focusing just on weight loss can lead to cycles of losing and regaining weight, lower self-esteem, and a preoccupation with food and body image.

“You’ll do better if you have goals that have to do not with weight, but with health,” says Carol Landau, Ph.D., clinical professor of psychiatry and medicine at the Alpert Medical School, Brown University. While a New Year’s resolution is a great way to get in touch with what’s important and how you want to change, “Most diets don’t work,” she says.

“A focus on weight loss tends to result in a quick-fix approach to a permanent challenge,” she says. “Instead, focus on finding health results in lifestyle changes that are more likely to last.”

The irony is, if you make your resolutions about wellness, rather than weight, you may get the best of both worlds: You’ll feel better, get healthier and yes, lose weight. By eating the right foods and being more active your body will burn up that excess body fat.

"The reason most people fail to lose weight is that they don't realize that it's their lifestyle that caused them to gain the excess body fat and it's their lifestyle that prevents them from losing their fat." In most all cases when an adult gains weight it's because they're gain body fat.

Good: Resolve to change daily behaviors

“If you’re totally inactive, it may be walking a mile every day". “If you’re already pretty active, it might be training to run a 5k race.” Or it could be a promise to cut out processed foods. Let your goals be achievable and based on things you can actually do, rather than weight-loss results. It could be eating a healthy breakfast every morning, or eating fish twice a week and making sure you sit down when you eat.

You might resolve to eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal of the day. Eating more fruits and vegetables, along with drinking plenty of water and walking daily, has been shown to be a pretty powerful combo when it comes to weight-loss success. But that’s not your concern now. Before you get there, your goal is to create a healthy habit you can sustain. Same goes for exercise: Your goal is to create a habit that will improve the health of your body and mind.

You won’t have to rely on the scale to know if you’ve been successful, either. If you have an orange at breakfast, a salad at lunch and a green vegetable at dinner, you’ve won. Took a 20-minute walk during your lunch break? Pat yourself on the back. Any improvements you can make in your diet or your activity level will improve your health.

That said, The more improvements you make the quicker the results. Yes, any small improvements will help over the long term, but big improvements can show results in a short amount of time.

When I first decided to "get healthy" I stopped eating my normal diet and started to eat a low-fat, low-carb diet of meat and vegetables. Oatmeal for breakfast and a salad for lunch. That it. I didn't skimp on food, I ate a small amount of food every two hours or so. Between my three basic meals I'd eat fruit or a yogurt cup. I was eating 6 times a day in small quantities. I never got hungry. I was eating all fresh foods. That alone will curb your appetite. Fresh food is more sadisfying than manufactured food and yogurt is manufactured, but I stuck to Greek yogurt, it has less sugar and has more protein. Eating protein is important and you should try and eat protein at every meal.

I write several blogs, Check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog

idropped40pounds.wordpress.com

howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com

blogonweight.blogspot.com

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

There’s two ebooks. “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 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.

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

5 Reasons To Eat Real Food

This is a great post that I'm re-blogging from the 'MyFitnessPal' website. The post is about the 
advantages of Clean Eating. This is only a portion of a larger post that I hope to reblog at a later date.  For people who want to have a better diet but don't know were to start, this article should help you.

1. Eat “healthier” without thinking about it. It’s useful to think of food as nutrients (macro- and   micronutrients) so we can better understand our body. When it comes to healthy eating, it’s more useful to think of food simply as food. Choosing “real” foods lets you eat healthier from a nutrient perspective without thinking too much about nutrients.

2. Redefine your relationship with food. Do you find yourself labeling food as “good” or “bad” based on a predefined notion of what healthy eating looks like? Nothing should always be that black and white, least of all a healthy relationship with food. Choosing real foods forces you to reevaluate the foods you think are healthy (aka processed foods labeled “low fat,” “sugar-free” and so forth). That being said, if you’re willing to buy real food ingredients to bake a cake, you should be able to enjoy a slice of dessert without a side of guilt.

3. Get the most nutrients out of the foods you’re eating. Processing foods usually removes or destroys valuable nutrients. The two exceptions are fortified foods (think: orange juice with added vitamin D) and preserved foods (think: canned and frozen). Choosing mostly real foods helps you maximize the nutrients you get from the foods you eat.

4. Cook, connect and celebrate with friends and family. Real food means real cooking! Since real foods come in the most natural form, it pushes you to be creative in preparing and cooking your meals. Cooking is an essential skill when it comes to living a healthy life. Since good food is a cause for celebration, get your friends and family members involved if you can.

5. Live a longer, healthier life. “You are what you eat” is a simple mantra capturing the impact that diet quality has on your quality of life. Eating mostly real foods will decrease your chances of getting a debilitating chronic disease like heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer. After all, the goal of being physically healthy is to live a long life whilst avoiding these pitfalls. 

I think people have forgotten that first line in #5, 'You are what you eat'.  This phase isn't new. I remember being in school some 50 years ago and reading the same thing. I think people use to pay more attention to what they ate. Today all we look for is convenience and price. Isn't that the real problem with our overweight population? We want to spend more time relaxing and less time worrying about our health or our appearance.

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. 

The 5 Meal A Day Plan For Weight Loss

You need to read about Probiotics, it can help you lose weight among other things.

Probiotics may seem new to the food and supplement industry, but they have been with us from our first breath. During a delivery through the birth canal, a newborn picks up bacteria from his/her mother. These good bacteria are not transmitted when a Cesarean section is performed and have been shown to be the reason why some infants born by Cesarean section have allergies, less than optimal immune systems, and lower levels of gut microflora.

Probiotics are believed to protect us in two ways. The first is the role that they play in our digestive tract. We know that our digestive tract needs a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria, so what gets in the way of this? It looks like our lifestyle is both the problem and the solution. Poor food choices, emotional stress, lack of sleep, antibiotic overuse, other drugs, and environmental influences can all shift the balance in favor of the bad bacteria.

When the digestive tract is healthy, it filters out and eliminates things that can damage it, such as harmful bacteria, toxins, chemicals, and other waste products. On the flip side, it takes in the things that our body needs (nutrients from food and water) and absorbs and helps deliver them to the cells where they are needed.

The idea is not to kill off all of the bad bacteria. Our body does have a need for the bad ones and the good ones. The problem is when the balance is shifted to have more bad than good. An imbalance has been associated with diarrhea, urinary tract infections, muscle pain, and fatigue.

The other way that probiotics help is the impact that they have on our immune system. Some believe that this role is the most important. Our immune system is our protection against germs. When it doesn't function properly, we can suffer from allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders (for example, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis), and infections (for example, infectious diarrhea, Helicobacter pylori, skin infections, and vaginal infections). By maintaining the correct balance from birth, the hope would be to prevent these ailments. Our immune system can benefit anytime that balanced is restored, so it's never too late.

Now your probably wondering what that has to do with losing weight. Well, If your stomach isn't working properly it might be keeping you from losing weight. If your not digesting food properly too much of your food is turning into fat and not energy. Your food will either become energy or be stored as fat. 3500 extra calories in your diet will become one ounce of body fat. Probiotics will put good bacteria in your gut to help you digest food. You have to have more good bacteria than bad bacteria. That's what doctors mean when they talk about a balance of the right bacterias in your stomach. You need both, but you need more of the good, than the bad. Bad bacteria can build up in your system from eating the wrong things. This is where you want to do some research. I know you can buy probiotics in the drug store, but you can get probiotics from the food you eat. You can research that and see what foods will help you put good bacteria back into your system.

Your weight problems can be caused from a stomach problem and you wouldn't even know it.

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. 

It's The Holidays, Forget The Diet

It's a very special time for every family. A season of celebration. I hope you can spend some time with your family, even if it's on the phone.

Celebrating has always involved food and drink, it's a tradition that has gone on for thousands of years and I'm sure it will continue on, but we don't have to pig-out.

Yes, you have to taste the important traditional dishes that your friends or relatives have taken hours to prepare, but use a small plate, take small amounts and try and avoid the sugary stuff. Remember you can't work-off a lot of calories.

A one hour workout for an experienced athlete will only burn about 300 calories. For a person with less athletic experience you might only burn 100 calories. On a festive holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year it's easy to consume 3000 to 4000 calories between all the food, snacks, and drinks for the day. That kind of consumption can increase your weight by 2 or 3 pounds at least.

So if you can hold down your calorie count to say 2000 calories which should only be a few hundred more than normal, you should be able to work off those extra calories in a couple of day.

The problem we all have this time of year is the continual party, one after the other with very little time inbetween to recoup. Than there's the shopping for gifts. We go after work and spend a couple hours trying to find gifts and no time to eat, so we eat in restaurants with friends which involves more celebrating and more calories.

Did you know that the hoiday season is the busiest time of the year for restaurants. It's not unusual for a family to eat out 4 or 5 times a week during the holidays. So if you add up all the meals we eat in restaurants and all the social events we have to attend, it's no wonder that the average adult will gain between 5 and 10 pounds during the holidays.

This is the typical weight gain you have to avoid. It can take months to recoup, if you can recoup. Most of us will try to diet in January. We'll lose some weight but not much, because the winters are cold and in the cold weather we tend to eat more comfort food and that's high-calorie food.

Eating the wrong foods even in small portions will keep you from losing weight. You can't exercise away a bad diet. Once the weather starts to warm up most of us find it easier to cut back on food, but by that time it's hard to break the bad habits we had during the winter. We will trim down a little because we are more active in the spring and summer because the days are longer and we have more time to work outside.

I know all about this life cycle because that is the way my life was. All the weight I would gain during the cold months never quit left me. I always ended up one or two pounds heavier at the end of the year. Of course, we never remember how much we weighed the year before, so we don't realize we keep gaining weight every year. That cycle is call "creeping obesity". The one or two pounds you gain every year and don't even realize it. Then when you get to be 50, you wonder how you gained all that weight. On average, a 50 year old male will weigh between 40 and 60 more than he did on his 21st birthday. The more you weigh when your 21, the more you'll gain over the years. This doesn't hold true in all cases, it's an average over the entire population, some people are very athletic and never gain weight. I weigh the same today as I weighed when I was 17, of course I spent years yo-yoing from 220 pounds down to 160.

Be mindful what you eat. Keeping your body is good condition is your responsibility. It would be better for you and better for your health if you never gained any extra weight. When an adult gains weight they are adding body fat. Not good. The human body is only built to carry a small amount of body fat, like 15% of your weight. It's there in case of emergency. When you can't find food your body will still have fat to survive on. But because of the American diet we are adding too much fat and it only causes health problems.

Controlling your weight and keeping your body in good condition is your responsibility. Your doctor can only relieve your symptons. Give a pills or repair a broken bone. Your body has to heal itself and your have to feed it the nutrition it needs to do that.

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

There’s two ebooks.  “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 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.

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

Are You Destin To Be Fat?

Your genes are why your eyes are brown and your hair is red. They are what make you,  "you". But can genetics determine the size of your jeans?

Research shows that differences in your genes can lead to weight issues. So if your parents are obese, you’re more likely to be, too. But that doesn’t mean you will without question. Many people with obesity in their families aren't heavy. And you can fight the odds with diet and exercise.

Is There a “Fat Gene?”

There’s one gene that’s getting a lot of attention, called FTO. Scientists found that people with certain differences in this gene have a 20% to 30% higher chance of obesity. And those differences are pretty common. That said, I don't think your genes will make you fat, but your parents genes change as they change. So if they were overweight when you were conceived then maybe those genes may have created a fat baby, but that doesn't mean you're going to stay fat. I remember a case in my family were one boy was born over 11 

pounds but throughout childhood and now as a young adult his weight is perfectly normal.

Dozens of other genes are linked to weight as well. Some, for example, cause people to just naturally store more fat. That could be heredity. But it’s still unclear exactly how much weight genes really do carry. Are you really destined to be overweight?

“Obesity is a very complex disease, and many factors can contribute to it and cause it, including genetics, behavior, and environment,” says Naima Moustaid-Moussa, PhD, director of the Obesity Research Cluster at Texas Tech University. Obesity can run in families -- not because of genetics, but because of habits and environment, she says.

More than a third of adults in the United States are obese, Moustaid-Moussa says. “The number of Americans with obesity has steadily increased over the past five decades, but this can’t be explained by some dramatic changes in our genes.”

Jung Han Kim, PhD, an obesity researcher and professor at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, agrees. Obesity has increased around the world with industrialization, a sedentary lifestyle, and a fat-filled diet, she says.

The Bottom Line

Family history alone doesn’t seem to be enough to make you obese. “Genetics does play a role, but the truth is who you are is still determined by how you live your life,” Li says.

So the same advice holds true:

Get active. Aim for 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking every week. Even doing 10 minutes at a time helps. Weight training, done at least twice a week, will help make your muscles strong.

Eat less. Cut calories. Lopping off 500 to 1,000 a day can help you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Choose good-for-you foods. Go for fruit, veggies, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy foods. Fish, lean meats, beans, eggs, and nuts are also good options.

There's a bunch of different opinions about cutting calories for weight loss. Personally, I had to change the food I was eating. If you eat fresh, healthy foods you will be cutting calories. It's all the manufactured foods and drinks that are loaded with calories. 

If you really want to lose the extra flab you can get help, I write 4 blogs and I’ve written two E-books. E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of website looking for the material you want. 

My first e-book is “HowBadDoYouWantToLoseWeight” and it sells for $2.99 on most online bookstores like Amazon, BN.com, iBook, Kobo, and Gardner books in the U.K.

My second e-book is available in the same stores. And on smashwords.com. Just type in the search line “getting to a healthy weight”.

The Right Diet Will Burn Fat

This post is from the HungryGirl website and confirms that your diet will help you burn fat. The right diet will burn more fat than exercise. I write about this subject every week and I know you can't starve yourself and lose weight. You have to eat the right foods. There are actually foods that help you burn fat. If you eat the right foods, you'll never be hungry. It's not the quantity, it's the quality. Sticking to a healthy diet is tough — we need all the extra motivation we can get. Adding fat-burning foods to your meals 'n snacks does double duty: They're healthy additions in and of themselves, they help burn calories. Try the following: One bean, two bean, red bean, blue bean. And when I say "red" and "blue," I mean "pinto" and "navy." Whatever type of bean is your personal favorite, you can count on one thing — experts insist it'll be great at helping your body burn fat. Beans are all-around amazing because they contain lots of protein and fiber. Eating protein is one of the very best ways to encourage your body to burn fat: It boosts your metabolism and helps you feel full and energized. Where does the fiber come in? Studies show that dietary fiber can help regulate your appetite and slow down your digestion, both of which are great for weight control. Aside from those navy and pinto beans, stock up on other fat-burning beans like soybeans, garbanzo beans, black beans, white beans, kidney beans, and lima beans. Bonus: Beans are incredibly budget friendly. Who doesn't love that? While most types of seafood are smart choices, they're not all fat-burning superstars like salmon and tuna. You've probably heard that salmon and tuna are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Why should you care? Because not only do omega-3s help grow your hair and nails, they stimulate a protein hormone in your body called leptin, which jumpstarts your metabolism and regulates your appetite. Well, then, allow me to introduce your new best friends: quinoa, brown rice, oat, and corn. These foods are considered whole grains (not to be confused with refined white carbs, which are basically the opposite of fat-burning foods), and chowing down on them fuels your bod with much-needed fiber and complex carbohydrates. It's the "complex" part that helps burn fat: 1) Complex carbs break down more slowly than the simple variety, meaning your energy levels won't crash, and 2) They hold your insulin levels steady, which is good because insulin spikes encourage your body to hang on to fat. If quinoa is your new best friend, yogurt should come in at a close second. Dairy products contain both protein and calcium, which help keep your muscle mass intact while promoting weight loss. Another tidbit of good news about dairy: Studies show that of two groups of participants on low-calorie diets, the group that included dairy in their diets lost more weight than the dairy-free group. And, as if you need more reason to grow a milk mustache, research shows that probiotics found in some light dairy fights fat. Dairy can be scary because it usually contains fat, but it's not difficult to stick to fat-free and light varieties of milk, yogurt, and cheese. There are so many delicious options out there. As if we needed another reason to drink red wine. I've saved the best for last: A recent study suggests that red wine (from extracts found in a certain type of red grape) may help your body fight fat. The study found that people who ate a high-fat diet accumulated less fat when they also consumed Muscadine grapes. Conversely, the group that also ate a high fat diet but didn't consume the red grapes accumulated the amount of fat that would be expected based on their food choices. The results are attributed mostly to something called ellagic acid, a compound found in Muscadine grapes. Muscadine grapes are grown primarily in the southeastern United States, and they’re used to make certain American wines. Cheers! 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.

We Need To Exercise

You probably wonder why exercise is so important to our body after all my father never exercised or his father either. Well, they came from a different generation. They lived a more physical life. I remember my grandparents; they worked sun up to sun down on a small farm raising chickens, and taking care of their garden and orchard. And my parents didn't have it that hard but without all the conveniences we have today they stayed busy all day between their jobs and shopping and keeping up the house. Today the average adult spends about 16 hours a day either sitting or lying down. When the body is sitting for more than 20 minutes it can go into hibernation mode just like when you're lying down. Several hours in hibernation mode will slow down body functions and will actually cause health problems.

Exercise comes in many types. Playing sports like soccer or swimming or walking, jogging, using hand weights are just a few way to exercise.

More people than ever are starting to exercise. People are realizing the benefits. I don't want to minimize the diet part but exercise has benefits for everyone even if you don't want to lose weight. Exercise will make you feel better and be a happier person with more energy. Of course, the diet part of losing weight will give you the energy you need to exercise. Overweight people generally are tired most of the day. They use up their energy in the morning and slow down after that. Yes, it can be because they're heavy but mostly lack of energy is because of the food you're eating. If your food isn't giving you energy for the whole day, maybe you're eating the wrong food.

Getting started with exercise

What should I wear?

You should wear comfortable, moisture wicking clothing and a good pair of athletic shoes (or barefoot for yoga!). PS: Always have a water bottle nearby to stay hydrated!

How often and how intense should I be working out?

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of cardio a week and two strength training sessions a week. You decide how, when, and where! The options are endless. Just get moving!

How do I know if I’m doing it right?

Good form equals good results. Read the instructions we provide, but more importantly, listen to your body. Muscle fatigue means “Wow! I’m working hard, I can barely do another repetition.” Muscle pain means ”Ow! Something doesn’t feel right.” Work to muscle fatigue. Never work through muscle pain.

Help! What’s a set?

Here’s some help decoding fitness jargon:

• Rep: Short for repetition. The number of times you perform an exercise.
• Set: The number of rounds of repetitions.
• Cardio: It’s heart-pumping exercise that gets you breathing through your mouth, not your nose. The difference between “window shopping and mall walking.”
• Strength Training: Working your muscles. You could be lifting weights, using a resistance band, or doing bodyweight exercises.
• Flexibility: Stretching your muscles and mind-body exercises like yoga

This post comes from MyFitnessPal and gives the beginner some great tips on exercising. 

Send me an email if you have any questions but we all need to start some sort of exercise program that you can stay with.

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. 

How Do People Stay Thin?

It's not the mystery of the Century. I wondered the same think before I lost my body fat. Losing your body fat is key to the mystery. In order to lose fat you must learn how to eat and what to eat so your body burns that excess fat. The mistake I made for many years was thinking that I could burn the fat by exercising.

Exercise is part of losing body fat but exercise itself won't burn fat, it helps your body to function better. You increase the oxygen in your blood stream and increase your strength and balance. You also strengthen your heart which is key to good circulation. It's better circulation and a strong heart that give you energy along with eating the right foods.

So how do people stay thin? Once I lost most of my fat, my BMI was 21 at that time, I was already in the habit of eating fresh food. I follow the suggestions on the food pyramid. This is referred to as the Mediterranean diet. It was voted the best way to eat for the past three years. Following the suggestions from the food pyramid is the healthiest way to eat. There won't be any calories to count and you won't starve, there are plenty of choices, just stick to the pyramid and don't cheat.




At first it might look like a lot of carbs, but they're good carbs, no processed foods here, they're all fresh foods. I know it has "sweets" listed on the pyramid and I do eat dark chocolate occasionally. I know that many of you don't see things on the pyramid that you like to eat, but that was the challenge for me. I had to stop eating desserts and drinking calories. Half of my daily calories came from the liquids I consumed.

Calories are your enemy when you're trying to lose fat. The good part for my was that I could stop counting calories. When I picked food from the pyramid I had no problem overeating. I would eat five small meals a day before six pm and nothing after. The 5 meals during the day kept me full and evens out blood sugar levels so you don't have food cravings.

At first you might gain a pound or two but after a few weeks your body will become accustom to your new meal plan and your appetite will decrease.

Along with daily exercise you can reach your goal. It's a long term plan but changing the food you eat is "life changing". You will regain the energy you thought you lost forever.

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, 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.

Why Do We Eat?

Food provides our bodies with fuel, but that isn't the only reason you might eat. For many people, emotions play a strong role. For example, you might eat because you are:
          
Out with the kids and they want pizza; or sometimes you're out with your friends and they want coffee and something sweet; or maybe eating can bring you pleasure or at least, you think it might. Eating for emotional reasons often leads to overeating, since you weren't hungry in the first place. An occasional binge isn’t a serious problem. If it happens all the time, you might have Binge Eating Disorder. You can talk to your Doctor about that, but the real reason we need to eat is "that your body needs nutrition to function properly. We cause our own disease and cancer because we are the ones that control our diet.

Signs That You’re Eating Because of Emotions

Something stressful happens, and you immediately want to eat.True hunger isn't affected by things like getting into a fight with your spouse or having a bad day at work.

An overwhelming urge to eat comes on suddenly. Real, physical hunger builds up slowly. You shouldn't go from "fine" to "starving" in an instant. That's a food craving and that's more of an addiction.

You only desire one particular food. When you're hungry, you might have a preference (you're in the mood for a burger, for example) but you know other options would be OK. If you'd only be satisfied by chips or ice cream, assume the urge to eat is emotional.

Still not sure if your desire to soothe your feelings with food has crossed a dangerous line? Here are some misconceptions about emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

Myth No. 1: Eating because you're upset or anxious means you have binge eating disorder.

It's true that people who binge often do so to numb emotions such as upsetting, painful, or sad feelings. But most people who turn to food because of how they're feeling do not have binge eating disorder. "We all have our comfort foods," says Randy Flanery, PhD, program director for Webster Wellness Professionals in St. Louis, MO.

If you binge, you eat much more than others would in similar situations. Those with this disorder also feel like they have no control over their eating during a binge. They usually feel very upset, guilty, or shameful about their eating. If that sounds like you, see a mental health expert for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Myth No. 2: Eating a lot of food in one sitting means you have binge eating disorder.

Eating a significant amount of food in a short amount of time is, indeed, defined as a binge. But you can binge from time to time and not have a disorder. "A lot of people -- some estimates say 80% of people -- binge occasionally. Just think about Thanksgiving," says Russell Marx, MD, chief science officer for the National Eating Disorders Association. Everyone indulges every now and then, especially at the holidays. But if you do it all the time, especially if you eat alone because you’re embarrassed about it, see a doctor. These are signs of binge eating disorder.

Myth No. 3: People with binge eating disorder overeat because they're too focused on food.

Actually, it's often the reverse: People who binge tend to not focus enough on what they're eating. They don't realize how much they've eaten until after they've finished. "Many times they're eating almost automatically without paying much attention," Flanery says. "Then later, they stop and say, 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing?'"

If you’re worried about your eating habits, keep a journal. Write down in detail how you feel before, during, and after a meal. Note what you eat and how much you ate. This can help you become more mindful about your eating.

Another tip: "Don't watch TV or read a book while you're eating. Instead, prepare your food, sit at a table, and really savor the flavors and aromas," Flanery says.

Myth No. 4: You should wait until you feel your stomach growling to eat.

Belly growling is a sign of physical hunger. But for a lot of people, the body doesn’t signal it is time to eat until many, many hours after the last meal. "A rumbling stomach can mean that it's been too long since you last ate, which makes you more vulnerable to overeating," Flanery says. It also makes you more likely to choose unhealthy foods, like those with a lot of sugar, fat, and salt.

If you are prone to binges, eating healthy food at regular mealtimes (scheduled every 3 to 4 hours) is usually a good idea. Following a schedule removes some of the decision-making (Am I really hungry?) that can be stressful, Flanery says.

Yes, bingeing is a serious problem and can be the cause of your weight problems, but I define Bing Eating Disorder as an addiction similar to alcoholism. Overeating with friends or relatives like Sunday Dinner isn't Binging and isn't a disorder, but when a person is alone and depressed and then thinks by stuffing themselves, food can make them feel better; and then hating yourself for doing it. That generally starts a cycle of bingeing and then starving yourself for a time until you binge again.

The best way to eat would be to eat several small meals a day and don't let yourself get hungry.

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. 

Eating 5 Meals A Day

I understand the concept: Five small meals a day takes the edge off your appetite, evens out blood sugar levels, and keeps your energy steady. But I confess: Who has time to eat this way?

Although my fitness trainer encourages me to eat healthy food every few hours, my meals usually look like this: coffee, a bit more coffee, lunch at 3 p.m., dinner at 9 p.m. I start over again the next morning.

When I decided to change this habit, and the routine of eating the way you eat is just a habit that you can change, I found that doing these five things helped:

1. Plan ahead. Five meals a day equals breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. To do this right, you need to plan what you’ll eat every day for each “meal.” And you need to schedule eating every 2 to 3 hours.The trick is to even out the calories so you eat 300 calories each time your eat. All five meals should be the same size. Larger meals will elevate your blood sugars or glucose level and cause food cravings later. So whether it's a meal or a snack it needs to be the same size, the same amount of calories. 
2. Stock up. Face it: You’re going to grab whatever food is closest. So stock up on veggies, fruit, healthy carbs like whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese.
3. Go for taste. Choose snack foods that will sustain you and taste good. Remember, healthy food can be satisfying. Mixed nuts are my favorite but for a morning snack fruit or greek yogurt is better.
4. Whip up a smoothie. Blend fruit, milk, yogurt, powdered protein and a little honey for a sweet taste. It's a filling snack packed with vitamins, fiber, protein, and calcium. It  might sound crazy but I put peanut butter in and I don't use fruit, I use vegetables like spinach leaves and if I don't want milk, I'll put water. There's dozens of ways to make a protein shake, you can find recipes on the internet.
5. Combine carbs and protein to stay full longer. Try whole wheat toast with peanut butter or a hard-boiled egg; whole-grain pasta with olive oil and cheese; or oatmeal with fruit, milk, and honey. Or make yourself a big pot of soup that includes pasta, beans and chicken to heat up for lunches or snacks.

If your someone who starts the day very early you might want to do 6 meals a day. Make that first meal the first hour your up and finish eating 3 hours before bed. If you have to push the meals closer together, remember to cut the calories a little like 250 each instead of 300.

If you really want to lose the extra flab you can get help, I write 4 blogs and I’ve written two E-books. Read some of my other blog posts.

Gettingtoahealthyweight.wordpress.com

idropped40pounds.wordpress.com

howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com

blogonweight.blogspot.com

E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of websites looking for the material you want.

My first e-book is “HowBadDoYouWantToLoseWeight” and it sells for $2.99 on most online bookstores like Amazon.com, BN.com, iBook, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, and Gardner books in the U.K.

My second e-book is available in the same stores. And on smashwords.com. If you use the Smashwords promotional code You can get my second book for $1.99 (TL96R). Just type in the search line “getting to a healthy weight”.