The Plan

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.

Why can't I Lose Weight?

It's a common problem. Most diets and weight loss plans are designed to give you quick results, but after a couple of weeks you stop losing weight.

What worked for me was to use my method. I did the research, read the newsletters and looked for the good websites and made my own decisions. I found that there are no short-cuts. Forget about diet pills, surgery, starvation diets, and expensive gym equipment. It doesn't cost money to lose weight. It's about your food and activity level.

Some of us only want to lose 10 or 20 pounds and for those people, I would tell you to exercise. It good that you noticed the weight gain early and you want to nip it in the bud and that's great. So the answer for you is to do strength training. What you need is to lose body fat and you do that by strength training or running and changing your diet. It should only take a couple of months, you have little to lose. Get started as soon as possible before it gets worse.

For those like me, that had to lose more than 50 pounds, You'll have to do some planning. You will need to come to the realization that this will take work on your part. I'm not just talking about physical work, There will be some homework involved. No everyone loses weight the same way so I can tell you how I did it, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. I can give you some encouragement, everyone can get healthier and slimmer and be more active and, in general, be a happier person with more energy.

You start by making a plan. If you haven't done this before, look on the internet for some ideas. The plan is important, "how will you lose this weight". As you research this you'll find that it's not about your weight, it's about body fat. If you're going to be healthy, you have to get rid of the body fat. Don't obsess over the scale waiting for the number to go down. It's not about the number, it's about the inches around your waist. Lose 2 or 3 inches around your waist and you'll feel great.

Tomorrow I'll write more about the Plan. Be thinking about your plan. It has to be a diet plan and an exercise plan.

Ask Questions 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”.

The Governments New Dietary Guidelines

I had to look this up on the internet after I saw a reporter on Fox Network Morning Show talking about this brief two sentence report that's usually two pages. 

Jan. 7, 2016 -- Watch your sugar, use caution with the salt shaker, and limit those saturated fats.

That's the advice from the updated U.S. nutritional guidelines, released Thursday by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The guidelines are published every 5 years and aim to reflect the latest science-based evidence about what we eat.

 Wow, I wonder how much taxpayer money was spent generating this one sentence report. All I get out of that report is not to eat processed foods. After all, if you take those three things out of processed foods there wouldn't be much left. Processed foods are loaded with salt, it's not the salt shaker that gives you high blood pressure, it the processed foods and restaurant food. I have to believe they will revise that report pretty quick after they start getting a lot of hate mail.

"Diet is one of the most powerful tools we have to take control of our own health," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told reporters at a briefing Thursday. "There are many ways to stay healthy, but nutrition will always be at the foundation of good health."

While some groups like the American Medical Association praise and support the guidelines, critics say the recommendations don't go far enough -- and they've accused the government of playing politics with Americans' health.

"It really is a betrayal of science to politics," says David Katz, MD, founding director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, a federally funded program that studies how changes to lifestyle can prevent disease. "Public health, which means the lives of real people, is being thrown under the political bus."

Some of the biggest controversies centered on what wasn't in the guidelines -- a recommendation to eat less red and processed meat. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a panel of independent experts, called eating large amounts of red and processed meat "detrimental."

The guidance does recommend we eat lean meats and poultry, and it notes that eating less meat, including processed meat and processed poultry, has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But it doesn't offer specific instructions or limits around red and processed meats. Choices can include processed meats and processed poultry, as long as eating patterns stay within the limits for sodium, saturated fats, added sugar, and calories recommended by the new guidelines.

"The science on the link between cancer and diet is extensive," says Richard Wender, MD, chief cancer control officer for the American Cancer Society. "By omitting specific diet recommendations, such as eating less red and processed meat, these guidelines miss a critical and significant opportunity to reduce suffering and death from cancer."

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says in a statement that after the advisory committee made that recommendation, "the scientific report was attacked by the meat industry and its allies in Congress."

But the CSPI says the recommendation in the guidelines to eat less meat indicates the Agriculture and Health & Human Services departments "partially resisted the political pressure."

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association praised the guidelines, though.

"Lean beef is a wholesome, nutrient-rich food that helps us get back to the basics of healthy eating, providing many essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, protein, and B vitamins, with fewer calories than many plant-based sources of protein," says Richard Thorpe, identified as a physician and Texas cattle producer, in a statement issued by the association.

At Thursday's news briefing, officials from the agencies defended the meat guideline as it stands, saying the recommendations reflect the best evidence, although men and teen boys still eat too much meat, poultry, and eggs.

Katz doesn't agree. In a social media post, he calls the guidelines "a national embarrassment."

"This is a sad day for nutrition policy in America," he writes. "It is a sad day for public health. It is a day of shame."

Compared to the advisory committee's report, Katz says, the guidelines "represent a disgraceful replacement of specific guidance with the vaguest possible language.

"A term that recurs often, clearly intended to say something while saying next to nothing, is 'nutrient dense foods," he writes. "That replaces reference to specific foods that populate the original document. It might mean broccoli ... I guess it might even mean pepperoni. We can't tell, and that is clearly by design."

The Dash Diet Ranks #1

I like this diet because it's not temporary, like the Mediterranean diet, it's a meal plan you can follow for the rest of your life. If you notice with both these plans  fish is the main source of meat. Plant protein is very important and easy on the dairy. Do some research for yourself, these plans are the way to a healthy life and the best way to lose body fat without starving.

The DASH diet took the top spot overall for the sixth straight year in the U.S. News & World Report annual diet rankings, released Tuesday.

This year, the publication rated 38 diet plans in all -- three more than in 2015 -- with rankings based on reviews from a panel of experts. Two of the new additions ranked highly: the MIND diet, which focuses on boosting brain health, and the Fertility diet, which aims to help women conceive faster but has been shown to benefit others as well. 

The rankings also added a new category, Best Diets for Fast Weight Loss. "We recognize dieters may have short-term weight goals and need options to accomplish that in a healthy way," says Angela Haupt, a senior health editor at U.S. News.

DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to help people prevent high blood pressure. The plan focuses on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while lowering salt. Besides being named Best Diet Overall, DASH also got first place in the category of Best Diets for Healthy Eating.

Weights Watchers won first place in the Best Weight Loss Diets category. The Weight Watchers and Mayo Clinic plans tied for first place in the Best Commercial Weight Loss Diet category, with Jenny Craig coming in next.

For Best Overall, the MIND diet came in second after DASH, tying with TLC. MIND combines features of the DASH and Mediterranean plans, aiming to boost brain health. TLC stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and aims to lower cholesterol through diet, exercise, weight loss, and not smoking.

For fast weight loss, the HMR (Health Management Resources) and Biggest Loser plans tied for first place. HMR is a low-calorie plan that includes meal-replacement shakes and emphasizes plenty of fruits and vegetables. The Biggest Loser diet has you eat regular meals with lean protein, fruits, and vegetables, keep a food journal, and control your portions, along with physical activity.

For the Easiest to Follow category, Weight Watchers, Fertility, and MIND tied for first.

In the Best for Healthy Eating group, DASH came in first, followed by TLC and Mediterranean, a way of eating rather than a formal diet plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and moderate alcohol.

For those with diabetes, the Fertility diet, surprisingly, was first. The diet focuses on changes that are healthy for everyone, like cutting down on red meat and getting protein from nuts and vegetables. DASH and Biggest Loser tied for second place in this category.

For Best Diets for Heart Disease, Ornish, TLC, and DASH took the first three spots, respectively. The Ornish diet is very low-fat, with 10% of calories from fat, and it encourages exercise. It can be tailored to goals such as reversing heart disease, diabetes, or losing weight.

The Mediterranean Diet, Flexitarian (avoiding meat most of the time), and Ornish plans took top spots for Best Plant-Based Diets.

At the Bottom

Meanwhile, the Whole30 diet -- a 30-day program that prohibits legumes, grains, dairy, alcohol, added sugar, and processed food -- ranked at the bottom of the list.

"The Whole30 program is extremely restrictive," Haupt says. "...there's no 'cheating' -- not even a splash of milk in your coffee. Our health experts say that restriction is unnecessary and potentially unhealthy."

Melissa Hartwig, co-creator of the Whole30, says the diet is "designed as a 30-day 'reset,' not a 365-day lifestyle or even a diet. ...The point is to use those 30 days to eliminate foods that can cause digestive and inflammatory issues, and then re-introduce certain food groups one at a time to identify which ones make someone feel badly, so they can make informed choices for themselves going forward. Regardless of the results of any one survey, we believe eating real, whole foods, including [a] wide variety of vegetables and heart-healthy fats, is always a good thing.''

Independent Perspectives

"The list of best diets matches what we as [dietitians] RD's recommend -- choose diet plans that are sustainable, flexible, and enjoyable,'' says Connie Diekman, RD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. "Weight loss is just one part of a healthy weight. Keeping weight off is the important part. And the top diets here make healthy eating sustainable."

Quick-fix eating plans, she says, are not about "achieving a healthier muscle-to-fat ratio. They are about fitting into a dress or winning a bet -- not health promoting.'' She says the list is ''a good reminder to focus on the real goal, lowering body fat while building lean mass.''

For six years now "The Dash Diet" has ranked #1 as the best overall meal plan for healthy living.
It's also a reminder that there's no one perfect diet, says Jennifer Arussi, RD, a dietitian in Los Angeles who also reviewed the report. She is not surprised that the DASH diet got the top spot. "This research-based diet clearly demonstrates its ability to significantly reduce blood pressure with the added benefit of reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke."

Two other plans that got high marks, HMR and Weight Watchers, she says, both emphasize group support and attendance, and both these things ''have been shown in the literature to predict and accelerate weight loss," Arussi says.

Have the right meal plan is the best way to succeed in your weight loss journey. But you can't get discouraged because your plan isn't working. Not all plan work for all people, so pick a new plan. 

So advice for you. Stay away from the pre-made meals, those meals in a box. If you notice all these diets are based on fresh foods. I had to get used to shopping 3 times a day.

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. 

Are you Doing Your Homework?

Losing weight is just as much mental as physical. You have to really want it and be willing to do what it takes. That's the secret, "be willing to do what it takes".

You have to quit buying all those foods you love to eat. You have to walk more. Most people gain weight as they get older because they are less active. When you're less active you burn fewer calories and if you eat the same but burn fewer calories you gain weight. It's not that hard to figure out. It's normal that people gain 3 pounds a year give or take as they get older. Why? you might ask. Because you're slowing down even if you don't realize it. Slowing down is normal and if you're not fighting it, trying to increase activity, then you will gradually gain weight. It will happen to everyone if you're not tracking your food and your activity levels.

It's easy to do with a journal which you can do using paper and pencil or your PC or your smart phone.  I use an APP called "MyFitnessPal", it's free and there are dozens more all free. You pick the one you like. I use to use a spread sheet but it got too hard to remember everything from the whole day. The App is great for me because I can enter things as I go along.

Tracking what you do and what you eat is a big help. When you have that "I'm not going to quit" attitude  a journal will help you find your mistakes and there will be mistakes. Time when you just stop losing and don't know why. The journal is your log book and when you look through the pages you'll find what you're doing wrong. It's not that hard. When you go off track there's only two answers: You ate the wrong things or ate too much or didn't burn enough calories, usually because you skipped exercise or you cut back on walking.

When you find a plan that's working for you, stay with it, don't make any changes until you have to. When your plan is failing and your stuck and not making any progress it's because your body got use to the routine. When that happens you won't burn as many calories and your progress will stop. All successful trainers want you to change your routine every few days so your body doesn't get a chance to get use to the routine. As long as you keep the same intensity and work out for the same amount of time you'll continue to burn about the same amount of calories.

All you need is about 3 different exercise plans. I do a run, walk routine, a free weights routine and I'll swim a couple days a week. Do some research and find some exercises that are right for you. You want exercise plans that challenge your muscle. Building strength will burn body fat. Losing body fat will make you a happier, healthier person, a stronger person with better balance.

Want to learn more about lose weight, go to my new website:

howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.com

Lose Belly Fat Safely and Naturally

This post from StrongLift.com is the way I lost my belly fat. In about 2 months I went from a tight 36 inch jeans to a loose 34 inch jeans. I couldn't believe it, I haven't bought size 34's for 40 years.
One of the biggest questions I get is “how do I lose my belly fat? I’ve tried several things but nothing worked”. When I ask what you tried I hear 100 daily sit-ups, cutting calories drastically, excess cardio, fat burners, etc. If you can’t lose your belly fat, you’re using the wrong approach. You don’t need endless sit-ups, supplements, starving yourself or worse surgery. 
Here are the 10 best ways to lose your belly fat – quickly and naturally. 
1. Stop Doing Crunches. Crunches will strengthen your stomach muscles, but won’t burn the belly fat that covers your abs. Spot reduction is a myth. You’re wasting time & effort doing 200 daily crunches. Crunches can also cause lower back pain, slouching shoulders & forward head posture. The Reverse Crunch doesn’t cause these problems, but again: spot reduction is a myth. To lose your belly fat, you need more. Keep reading.
 2. Get Stronger. Strength training builds muscle mass, prevents muscle loss and helps fat loss. The Squat & Deadlift work best to build strength. Your lower back keeps you upright from the back. Your abs from the front. Both muscles will work hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts at keeping you from collapsing under the weight. Squats & Deadlifts allow you to stress your body with heavy weights, working all your muscles from head to toe. This helps getting stronger quickly and building muscle fast, including ab muscles. Spot reduction still doesn’t exist, so Squats & Deadlifts won’t burn your belly fat directly. However they’ll strengthen your abs and lower your waist size. If you never did both exercises, check StrongLifts 5×5. Only takes 3x45mins/week. 
3. Eat Healthy. As the saying goes “abs are built in the kitchen”. You can train hard & build muscular abs, but if you eat junk food all day, you won’t lose your belly fat. Stop eating processed food. Eat whole, unprocessed foods. Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, cottage cheese, … Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, salad, kale, cabbage, … Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, pears, … Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, … Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, … No need to be perfect. Eating junk food actually helps fat loss by keeping your hormones sharp. Don’t overdo it though. Eat junk food 10% of the time max. That’s 4 junk meals/week if you eat 6 meals/day.
4. Limit Alcohol Consumption. To lose your belly fat, what you drink is as important as what you eat. Alcohol from time to time is OK. But forget about losing your belly fat if you drink beer & sweet alcohols daily. Beer drinkers always have a pear shape: belly fat & man boobs – especially as they get older. Alcohol also stresses your liver which has to overwork to clear the toxins. This can get in the way of building muscles. Drink alcohol 10% of the time. Example Friday & Saturday night. Normal alcohol consumption, not the get drunk. Rest of the time: water, water with squeezed lemon, green tea, etc. Either that or forget about losing your belly fat. 
5. Eat Less Carbs. You need carbs for energy. Problem is that most people eat way more carbs than they need. Your body will stock the carbs it doesn’t need as fat. And this is often how you get belly fat. Unless you’re a skinny guy who needs to gain weight, lower your carb intake. Keep eating fruits & veggies with each meal. But cut back on potatoes, pasta, rice, breads, … Eat these post workout only. 
6. Eat More. Eating tons of healthy foods won’t make you fat. Especially not if you exercise 2-3x/week. Starving yourself is the number 1 nutritional mistakes. Healthy nutrition is important for 3 reasons: Energy. Food is energy. Your body uses food for weight lifting, working, digestion, etc. Lack of food means lack of energy, in all areas of life. Fat Loss. Eating the right foods helps fat loss: protein has the highest thermic effect and satiates, healthy fats promote fat loss, … Maintain Muscle. If you starve yourself, your body will burn muscle for energy – NOT fat. You’ll become skinny + fat. Hunger means you’re not eating enough. Don’t worry about calories. Just eat breakfast and eat every 3 hours from there on, including post workout. Eat healthy foods 90% of the time to lose your belly fat fast. 
7. Eat More Protein. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other foods: your body burns more energy processing proteins than it does processing carbs and fat. That’s why high protein diets work great at burning your belly fat. How much protein do you need daily? Do like I do: eat whole protein with each meal without worrying about the numbers. Check the 10 cheapest sources of protein to keep it budget-friendly. 
8. Eat More Fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Bad nutrition and lack of exercise do. Eating fat actually helps fat loss. Your body won’t stock fat as easily if your give it a constant intake of healthy fats. Fish oil is the best source of fat to lose your belly fat. Fish oil naturally increases testosterone levels and increases fat loss. 6g omega-3 per day is a good start. Check Carlson Fish Oil: 1600mg omega-3 per tbsp. Stay away from trans-fatty fats present in products like margarine. Trans-fatty fats are bad for your health. Eat whole unprocessed foods 90% of the time as I recommend in point 3 and you’ll avoid trans-fatty fats easily. 
9. Lower Your Body Fat. As a man, your belly is the last place where you’ll get rid of fat. If you have man boobs and a double chin, you’ll have to lower your body fat to lose your belly fat. Here’s how: Get Stronger. Strength training builds & maintains muscle, increases fat loss, helps sticking to diet, … Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start: it only takes 3x45mins/week. Eat Healthier. Apply the 8 nutrition rules. Eat breakfast. Eat every 3 hours. Proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal. Carbs post workout only. 2 cups of water with each meal. Whole foods 90% of the time. Add Cardio. 15mins post workout, build up to 3x45mins/week. If you have less than 15% body fat, just get stronger and eat healthier. That will lower your body fat and make you lose your belly fat. Check the fat loss guide for more info about how to lower your body fat. 
10. Stay Motivated. Looking at your belly or in the mirror gives you inaccurate feedback. What you see is influenced by food intake, water retention, light and your own perception. Self-image issues can make the last one tricky. Measure Body Fat. Every 2 weeks using a fat caliper. It doesn’t need to be accurate. What matters is that the trend goes down. 

Measure Your Waist. Also every 2 weeks. If you get stronger and eat healthy, your waist will go down fast. Your pants will start to feel loose. Take Pictures. Shoot pictures of yourself every 2 weeks: front, back & side. The side pictures will show the most change. Success breeds success. Track progress accurately so you know where you are and stay motivated to keep working at losing your belly fat. Don’t just read this post and go back to what you were doing. 

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”.