Quitting Sugar

I found this article on the web and thought I should post it. There are people out there that really believe that sugar should be "tabu". The no-sugar diet is becoming very popular for the heavy and the thin.

I'm not to that point "yet", but I'm close. The problem with sugar is that manufacturers use sugar or a chemical substitute in everything they make. Go to other countries and or a real bakery and see if they put sugar in bread, but if you real the labels in grocery stores you might not be able to find a loaf of bread with some type of sweetener. To go one step further, I don't think you can find any food that is manufactured without having sweetener added. Is it any wonder that so many people have diabetes.

Anti-sugar fever seems to be on the rise. Last week, a friend who does not have type 2 diabetes asked me about my diabetes diet: “How many carbs can you eat without raising your blood sugar?” Another pal is on a 21-day-cleanse – no sugars allowed. And folks in my neighborhood recently formed a support group for going cold turkey on sugar, which one member claimed is harder than giving up cigarettes: “No one wants you to smoke, but they’re happy to see you eat a slice of birthday cake.”

With the publication of books like Gary Taubes’ The Case Against Sugar, in which he indicts sugar for health problems like obesity, heart disease and, of course, diabetes, the health-conscious are taking heed.

I have to admit, all of the hysteria is kind of amusing to me. To treat my type 2 diabetes, I abandoned sugar ages ago, so not eating the sweet stuff is second nature to me by now. Scanning labels for sugar’s aliases – glucose, simple syrup, fruit sweetener – has also become an ingrained habit. And after years of listening to people question my choices – “Are you sure you can’t have a bite?”, “One cupcake surely won’t hurt?!” – the idea of people without type 2 diabetes jumping onto the anti-sugar wagon seems tinged with irony.

Although I’m unconvinced that sugar is the root of all evil or the root of all disease, I’m also pretty sure that it’s not just “empty calories.” And while some diabetes groups preach sugar can be eaten “in moderation” my personal glucose monitor doesn’t agree.

So how hard is it to abandon sugar? That depends, I think, on how much sugar you’re accustomed to eating. If you’ve got a five-Coke-a-day habit, you’re probably going to have a rougher patch than if you only indulge in dessert on weekend nights.

Wherever you fall on the sugar spectrum, if you are thinking of going cold turkey, here are a few tips:

Seek support. Support groups can help if you’re having trouble going it alone. Talking about what you miss – chocolate chip cookies, mint ripple ice cream, a sugar high – might make it easier. After all, misery loves company.
Journal. Keeping a journal can keep you honest. Dieters have had a lot of success jotting down their daily intake. Logging your daily sugar intake before you try to stop might be a similarly powerful wake-up call.
Read labels. Sugar lurks in the darnedest places – from sugar cured bacon, to low-calorie fruit spreads to sugar tobacco-cured cigarettes. Familiarize yourself with its many guises and read carefully.
Substitute. If you need a hit of sweetness, I find frozen blueberries can do the trick. Or a little whipping cream mixed with vanilla. While you don’t want to trade in everything for artificial sweeteners, if you like the taste, ten-calorie Jello can make a good transition treat.
Forgive yourself. Going cold turkey on sugar isn’t easy. If you do give into an Oreo cookie today, remember that there’s always tomorrow.

Sugar is a habit and can be just as bad or as addictive as cigarettes. The problem with sugar, like anything  else like salt or fats, the body can only process small amounts of it in a day. So, if you have a weight problem you probably have been consume too much sugar or other sweeteners, salt or animal fat which is also in dairy products. Once your liver becomes saturated with anything you have been eating in excess, your liver will slow-down it’s functions. In other words, work slower than normal. When that happens, the liver will turn more animal fats and sugars into body fat and process less than normal. That’s why you add body fat.

Once your liver has slowed down that’s when you have to stop “sugar” all together. Your liver will recoup over time, but you have to "clean up" your diet.

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. 

Take A Look At Future You

I REBLOGGED THIS POST FROM A WEBSITE I READ CALLED NO-BRAINERFITNESS.COM. THE AUTHOR NAILED THIS. WHY CAN'T MORE PEOPLE SEE WHAT THEY DO TO THEMSELVES?

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT FUTURE YOU

Why don’t we exercise enough?

Is it because we are too lazy? Not disciplined enough? Unable to stay motivated?

If you’ve read my most recent post, you know those are essentially the questions we were left with at the end. Because we have all the evidence we need about why we should exercise.

If you’ve read anything else on this blog in the past, you know the answer is not in motivation or discipline, two strategies that will fail you eventually, or drive you (and many around you) nuts.

It is pretty clear that only the strongest Purpose can keep us going in the long term. Yet for most this sense of Purpose remains elusive.

So while it seems we have tendency to be lazy, the truth is slightly different. You could say we are “wired” to be lazy, to economize our efforts, and only the strongest of wills can hold firm on their self-commitments.

By the way, this is not a figment of my imagination, or some wild theory I just came up with. It comes from research in behavioural economics, which others could probably explain better than I can.

But I’m going to explain it to you in my own words. With the help of visuals from a really good talk I recently watched on YouTube. (Even if you think you don’t have time, if you are serious about understanding fitness and long-term health, you should be watching that talk. After reading this post.)

The Truth

Most of us have a strong discounting rate when it comes to our “Future Selves”. (That’s a term borrowed from economics, and it is highly accurate in meaning. However, most of us are not bankers and economists, thankfully. So…) To put it more simply, I hope, the problem is as follows: when you think about the way Future You will be, the possibility of a healthy and active Future You is not seen as important enough because it is too far into the future.

Even though you want to be healthy and fit (who doesn’t?), the Future You is too remote, too distant, too hard to see clearly. The present, and very near future, occupy all that your mind can really consider and act upon. No, I’m not saying we live only for the present, but we have a strong bias in favour of the short-term instead of the long-term.

Those of us who have a much stronger Purpose typically enjoy a stronger sense of that Future Self. In essence, to them it is easier to keep their eyes on the prize. (Back to our economics/finance terminology, a stronger sense of the Future You comes from having a much smaller discounting rate). In other words, a strong Purpose can be understood as considering the distant future as equally important, or even more important, than the present or near-future.

Let’s see how this works

Look again at the image at the top of this post.

You have two pictures of Future You: one that is healthy and fit, and one that is frail and, probably, suffering from some illness(es). The road to each Future You is a series of short-term actions, choices that happen everyday, with their specific consequences:

Two images of Future You…

Although there is no absolute certainly about the outcome, we know for sure what the odds are:

Take a good, hard look at those two Future You. Can you see them well? Which do you want to really be Future You? I bet I know.

So what happens? Why is it still not a complete no-brainer to exercise regularly?

Well, each of us considers those futures against the present. It is a decision process in which you pit Present You against Future You. At least in terms of enjoyment:

If the future appears not important enough, you are likely to pick doing nothing.

Conversely, if the Future You is clear enough, and important enough, your choice would be otherwise:

If Future You is “important” enough in your mind, you will act accordingly. Most of the time. Well, often enough.

That’s basically it. How well you can see Future You, and how you manage to keep Future You in mind on a daily basis, influences how you behave. How much you are eager to exercise regularly.

This works whether Future You is simply a healthy and active Old You, or an incredibly fit and muscular Two Years From Now You, or Winning A Race in 6 Months You. Future You is what you envision yourself to be like at some point in the future. Personally, the only Future You I think is truly worth having in mind, having as a Purpose, is Healthy And Active Old You. Which should make You exercise regularly, and in a reasonable way…

Future You, which becomes the source of your Purpose, is not the only contributing factor to exercising regularly, as we’ll see next time. But it is a necessary beginning. Without it, you must fall back on motivation, or worse, on discipline.

The good news is that you can improve how Future You influences Present You. You need to look at Future You regularly.

So keep a picture of Future You where you can take a good look at it everyday, just as you head out to exercise…

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com

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 Raw Food Diet

The Promise

Your oven gets a rest on this diet. You'll mostly be eating raw fruits, vegetables, and grains.
This may be a healthier way to eat but it takes a lot of research on your part. Rice and fish can be steamed but that's all the cooking I did. I tried it for a few weeks and it is a "life changer". It was a lot of work for me but I did feel better after my body adjusted to my new diet. Talk to your doctor before you start this diet.

There's been lots of talk lately about eating raw foods. I understand and that's why most recipes don't boil foods any more. They claim all the nutrition ends up in the water you throw out. 

The idea is that heating food destroys its nutrients and natural enzymes, which is bad because enzymes boost digestion and fight chronic disease. In short: When you cook it, you kill it.

Some fans of raw food diets believe cooking makes food toxic. They claim that a raw food diet can clear up headaches and allergies, boost immunity and memory, and improve arthritis and diabetes. To take this one step further, Some believe that modern pots and pans cause a lot of our health problems. Example, cooking in Aluminum cook ware and cookware that has a coating inside.

What You Can Eat and What You Can't

Think uncooked, unprocessed, mostly organic foods. Your staples: raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. Some eat unpasteurized dairy foods, raw eggs, meat, and fish. I will eat Sushi but I don't  know about raw meat. Meat contains chemicals like growth hormones that are feed to cattle. Your food can be cold or even a little bit warm, as long as it doesn’t go above 118 degrees.You can use blenders, food processors, and dehydrators to prepare foods.

Level of Effort: High

You may need to ramp up your kitchen skills. Eating out can be tricky, and if you go organic, you may need to go to specialty stores for a wider selection than your usual grocery store.

Cooking and shopping: Prep work can be extensive. Many raw food fans become experts at blending and dehydrating foods. Some germinate nuts and sprout seeds. I'm not that into it, but I do believe you can buy all you need in specialty stores. A raw food diet will give you a lot of fiber so you won't eat as much as you think. You want to buy foods in small amounts and shop more often. People on this diet will usually take supplements usually protein power along with others. This is for the organic crowd so you'll be drinking mostly water and maybe wine on occasion. 

Because some uncooked and unpasteurized foods are linked to food-borne illness, you’ll need to wash your food thoroughly and be extra careful with risky foods like sprouts, raspberries, unpasteurized juices, green onions, and lettuce.
This can be a very healthy way of eating, all natural a lot like farmers eat. But if your not growing your own food and raising your own chickens and catching your own fish you want to read up on this type of diet before you jump right in.

Due to the risk of food poisoning, a raw foods diet isn't recommended for pregnant women, young children, seniors, people with weak immune systems, and those with chronic medical conditions like kidney disease.

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

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, Barnesandnoble.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.  Just type in the search line “getting to a healthy weight”.

The Plan, No Starving

You need to make a plan when you have a serious amount of weight to lose. I found, after months of research, that I had several bad habits I had to break. I didn't really eat anything before lunch. If I had anything it might be a pastry and coffee. I was eating fast food like fried chicken or burgers for lunch and in the afternoon snacking on candy bars or an energy drink. At night, I would eat a regular meal and later start snacking until bed.

After I had to buy bigger pants, I decided to make some changes and try to lose that belly fat. Losing belly fat is different from doing exercises to strengthen your core. This is a common mistake that everyone makes and me included. I was doing crunches twice a day, leg lifts, and anything else I heard about, but nothing was helping me lose the belly fat. Months went by and I tried everything I could think of until I read a post about belly fat.

Here is what I had to do. Losing belly fat is just part of losing body fat in general. So I was walking until I learned you have to speed walk in intervals, very fast for a short time and than slower for a short time and than keep doing that for more than 30 minutes. The idea is to increase your heart beats. If you want to burn fat you have to exercise at an elevated heart rate. If you have a doctor, you should talk to him about exercising and what would be a good heart rate for you. Everyone will be different because of your age and physical condition. Interval speed walking is what I found to be the best for losing body fat. The more walking you do the more fat you will lose and the quicker you'll drop the weight.

But that's only part of the plan. I had to change my diet. I had to start eating fresh and making my own food. I found out that if I was going to become a healthier person, I had to learn how to eat the right foods. If I tried to avoid this part, I would only have temporary weight loss.

I decided to try the Mediterranean diet, it's really a different way to eat.

If you follow the pyramid you will be eating all fresh foods, some foods every day, some weekly, some monthly. When you follow this type of diet you don't have to count calories, just don't cheat. Except for that one glass of wine everyday you should never drink any calories. I will take the body a couple weeks to adjust to the diet but after that you will begin losing weight.

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.

Checkout my other blogs: 

blogonweight.blogspot.com

howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blospot.com

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. 

The Flaws Of Dieting

We make several mistakes when we try to diet. In general, when a person decides to go on a diet they only have the one goal in mind. "Lose some weight so I can get into my clothes, or maybe because your doctor wants you to lose weight. Those people usually starve themselves to lose and than a few months later gain it all back and sometimes even more.

The other flaw in dieting is that we usually never make any permanent changes. We don’t actually intend on making permanent  change or even if we do we pick these diet plans that are impossible to do for the long term because the sacrifice is too much. For Instance, and this one is the most common. We start to skip meals because we know we have to cut calories and this seems to be the easiest way. Big mistake, you have to eat every few hours and you can’t skip eating. The secret is to eat food that will help you lose fat. 

Normally, we eat food that puts on fat. Even if you think you’re eating healthy, you add sauces, gravies, or dressing that create a calories nightmare. Even drinks like a regular soda with your meal will alter your metabolism and you end up storing more sugar and carbs from the food your eating. 

The only way to successfully slim down and stay slim is to totally change  everything you’re doing now. 

You want to eat small meals every 3 hours ( 5 per day) starring with breakfast the first hour you’re out of bed and every 3 hours after that. You can never skip a meal and your should eat about the same calories every time (300 to 350 calories). Do not drink your calories, do not eat processed or manufactured food. Salted nuts are not really manufactured but some people do buy raw nuts. Salted nuts are not very good for weight loss because you’re getting too much salt. Keep your portions small (small hand full).

Do not buy frozen food, do not buy canned foods. 

Do eat seafood and white meat poultry. Eat no animal meat except for lean steak (3 oz.) about twice a month. No dairy except non-fat Greek yogurt. I know this sounds very strict. The food pyramid above shows you all your choice. After you get used to the size of your 5 meals you can stop counting calories. Remember to drink water especially with meals.  I’ll say this again, Don’t drink calories. Most dieters are drinking half of their daily calories. This is the big reason that most of us underestimate their calorie intake. 

Losing weight is about the food you’re eating. Some foods will cause you to gain weight and some will help you lose weight. If you follow the recommended foods on the food pyramid and avoid the other foods, you will lose weight. But this is not a temporary change in the way you eat. This will be your new meal plan for many years to come. 

If you decide to return to prepared foods and bottled or can drinks the weight will return and you’ll start to feel sluggish and the fat will start to accumulate around your waist. Remember you can buy the best foods but it’s about the way you prepare your food that causes you to increase body fat.

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.

Checkout my other blogs: 

blogonweight.blogspot.com

howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blospot.com

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. 

Need Help With Weight Loss

This is why most people give-up on losing weight. Most people who want to lose weight don't want to talk about it. Maybe their embarrassed. Maybe they think it's easy and they can do it. That's the typical attitude of someone who is try to lose for the first time. After trying several times and not being successful or put the weight back on, at that point most people will give up. The following article is about getting help for weight loss. It's just a matter of you realizing you need some professional help.

Help For Losing Weight

Is weight loss harder for you than it is for other people around you? Maybe you've watched friends and family members slim down with popular weight loss programs while you've seen no results at all with the same diet and exercise programs.  Are you just doomed to fail? No. In fact, a new study suggests that the lack of success may not be your fault.

A small study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that weight loss is simply harder for some overweight patients.

Researchers said that “while behavioral factors such as adherence to diet affect weight loss to an extent, our study suggests we should consider a larger picture that includes individual physiology." In short, they said that since your body may be working against you, a personalized approach to weight loss may work best for you.

How to Get Personalized Weight Loss Help

Online weight loss programs and commercial diets work very well for some people. But those programs usually aren't customized specifically for you. You may need personalized weight loss help to slim down successfully and keep the weight off for good. A personalized approach should take into account your medical profile, your unique lifestyle, and even your emotional feelings about food. There are different ways that you can ask for weight loss help, depending on the type of support you need,

Medical Help For Weight Loss. Your best source of personalized weight loss help is your physician. Your primary care provider can tell you how your weight affects your health.

He or she can also explain to you how weight loss may improve your health.  For example, you may be able to decrease your risk of disease if you slim down. You may even be able to reduce or eliminate certain medications when you lose weight.

Your doctor is also a good place to get a recommendation for a registered dietitian (R.D.) or a physical therapist. An R.D. can create a personalized meal plan that takes your lifestyle into consideration. A physical therapist can work with you if you have mobility limitations to find exercise solutions. You can also talk to your doctor about weight loss surgery and prescription diet pills.

Social Help to Lose Weight.  Some commercial weight loss programs include social support as part of the program. For example, Weight Watchers provides meetings for their members where you gather with other dieters and a weight loss mentor to discuss challenges and successes. You may even be able to find a weight loss support community at your church or in your neighborhood. In addition to those sources, you can also build a personalized support network with friends, coworkers and family.

Emotional Weight Loss Help.  Food addiction can be the source of binge eating, overeating or emotional eating. Some behavioral health experts are trained to help you manage those concerns.  You can get a referral from your doctor, a registered dietitian, or you can find a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders through the American Psychological Association.

Remember, if weight loss feels unusually difficult, it probably is. Reach out and ask for the help that you need to build a personalized diet and exercise program for success.

The important thing is that you have the desire to lose weight. Just because you haven't found a good plan for you doesn't mean you can't lose weight. You have already taken the first step, the desire to lose, don't be discouraged that your plan hasn't worked. Consult an expert and start with your doctor. Even if he's not an expert, he may be able to refer you. Just explain about your budget and what your goal is. Remember that losing weight is more than just making the number on the scale go down. 

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. 

Questions To Ask Before You Start Exercising

Good post by HealthDay and this author.

Beginners who want to start an exercise program read all this hype about weight loss; buy what I'm selling or use the machine for an hour a day and you to can lose 20 pounds a month. Don't believe all the hype; remember they are trying to make money off of you. 

If you don't do the right exercise for you, you won't lose weight. And if you're doing too much that can cause different problems. If you don't have a doctor to talk with, try a physical therapist. You want to talk with someone who has no financial gain either way.

Anyone who is starting to exercise for the first time in a long time and has 20 pounds or more to lose needs to talk to a doctor first. Strenuous training can injure your heart and that would be permanent. Read the post below and be prepared when you see a doctor.

So you're ready to get fit. Now what? Start by discussing some important issues with your doctor.

The American Council on Exercise advises that you discuss:

• How active do you want to be and how vigorously do you want to exercise?
• Have you been diagnosed with a heart condition?
• Have you fallen or lost your balance at least twice within the last year?
• Do you ever have chest pain during exercise or have irregular or slow heartbeat at rest?
• Do you take any medication for a heart condition or blood pressure problems?
• Do you have pain during exercise or problems with your bones or joints that are affected by exercise?
• Do you have wounds on your feet that don't heal?
• Have you had unexplained weight loss in the last six months?

-- Diana Kohnle

There are different ways to exercise and some ways are good for weight loss and others are good for your heart. Cardio is great for the heart and blood pressure but it doesn't burn much fat.

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

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.  Just type in the search line “getting to a healthy weight”.

Reasons Your Not Losing Weight

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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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. 
• 
  
• 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. 
• 
  
• 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. 
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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. 

Is Your Workout Working?

Swimming Success: Try a Pool Workout

From WebMD

Swimming is a spectacular cardio workout that builds endurance, flexibility, and strength. Water provides constant resistance -- about 12% to 14% more than you get on land -- so your muscles get a major workout. It also keeps you cool, so you can exercise longer without getting tired or overheated. Buoyancy means no pounding or jarring.

Most strokes target multiple muscles at once. Kicking fires up your legs. “Even the push off the wall is a strengthening exercise. It works the lower legs really well,” says competitive swimmer and certified trainer Kim Evans. Want a stronger core? Focus on the breaststroke or butterfly. Looking for upper body strength? Try freestyle or the backstroke.

To score big gains, try to swim at least twice a week and follow these tips from Evans:

Think turtle, not hare. Swimming is hard, especially in the beginning. “Going slow is fine,” Evans says. It’s better to nail down your form before bumping up your speed or distance.

Try to swim one length of the pool (with good form). Then work up to two, three, and so on, Evans says. “When you can do about 200 meters or eight lengths without stopping, then you can move on to different speeds.”

Try work-rest intervals. Swim for a few minutes or a few laps, then rest and repeat. Shoot for a total workout of 45 to 60 minutes or 1,500 to 2,000 meters.

Perfect your form. The better your form, the easier it is to swim. The happy result: You’ll last longer.

Try to relax your body. If you tighten up, you’ll sink too low in the water. Keep your hips up near the surface. Streamline your stroke and be efficient in the water. Focus on lengthening each stroke. Reach out and grab the water, then pull it past you.

For freestyle and the backstroke, rotate your body as you stretch out your arm. For the breaststroke and butterfly, use a fluid motion and engage your core.

Get the right gear. Here are some accessories you might find handy for your swim workout:

Essentials

Goggles They protect your eyes and make seeing underwater easier. They don’t have to be expensive. Just be sure they fit snugly and don’t leak.

Swimsuit Save the bikini or swim trunks for the beach. When swimming for fitness, wear a suit that’s comfortable and designed for swimming.

Extras

Kickboard Try a kickboard to stay afloat as you focus on your legs or your breathing.

Pull buoy Place a pull buoy between your legs to stay afloat while targeting your upper body.

Fins Wearing fins can help you perfect the flick at the end of your kick and work your legs harder.

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.