How Many Calories Do I Need?

I think you're going to be surprised, you don't need that many calories. Many people eat less than 1000 calories a day. For instance, Vegans and many vegetarians. What's the difference, you might say? If you do a little research on vegetarians you'll find there are three different kinds. A very strict vegetarian will stick to all the rules, others eat dairy and vegetables, and others will not eat meat or poultry, but eat everything else, like fish. Vegans are very strict and only eat plant food, and rely on protein supplements from soy and rice.

I know for most of us, we think a diet without meat is just crazy, but science has proven that a diet without animal protein will extend your life and you'll be a lot healthier. 

Every diet should start with basic questions about calories. To begin with, you should know how many calories you need each day. It sounds simple, but depending on the method you use to get your number, you might get different answers. So how do you know which number is right? Something  you might not be aware of; Americans and Canadians and part of Northern Europe are the only places in the world where most people  consume about 3500 calories a day.  That's about twice the caloric intake  the average person needs. Most of us consume just as many calories from drinks as we do in food. I would have to workout 8 hours a day to burn all those calories.

There are different ways to determine your caloric needs. You can get a quick estimate online or a more specific (and expensive) test performed in a lab.

There are pros and cons to each method. The best method for you depends on your goals, how much money you want to spend, and your access to various health services.

Look at these five different methods for determining your caloric needs and evaluate the pros and cons for yourself.

One of the simplest ways to determine your caloric needs is to keep a pre-diet food journal. Before you start a weight loss program, take one week to evaluate your current caloric intake. Don't make any changes to your diet, just write down everything you eat and drink and the number of calories in each one. You should do this at a time when your weight is stable and your daily activity is typical.

After a week of recording your food intake, add the total number of calories for each day and divide by seven to get an average daily caloric intake.
This should provide a general guideline for the number of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. To lose weight, you need to decrease that number by roughly 500-600 calories per day.

Pros: Inexpensive, reinforces good weight loss habits such as food journaling. Online or smartphone apps make this method simple to use.
Cons: Requires tedious recording and may not be accurate if you aren't specific about measuring and recording your food portions.

There are several easy-to-use online caloric needs calculators, like the one at CalorieCount.com. These tools provide a quick and easy estimate of the number of calories you need to eat to lose weight. To get the most accurate number, you need to know your current weight, height and goal weight. You also need to assess your daily activity level.

The number generated from these calculators is usually based on the Harris-Benedict formula for determining basal metabolic rate (BMR).

The formula is widely recognized by experts as a reasonable estimate for daily caloric need. However, it is only as accurate as the information you provide and the answer is based on general guidelines. Daily activity level, for example, varies widely from person to person and there is no way for a single formula to accurately predict the metabolic impact of your specific activity level.

Pros: Provides a fast answer, free to use
Cons: Only based on general guidelines and estimates

Many gyms and other health centers now provide metabolic testing for a fee. Metabolic testing measures the number of calories that your body burns at rest (RMR) and the number of fat and carbohydrate calories your body burns while exercising at various exercise intensities. As part of your metabolic assessment, many trainers will also provide a metabolic training plan that will help you to burn more fat calories during exercise so that you lose weight more effectively. While this seems like the most accurate way to find out how many calories you need, there has been some criticism of this testing process. The accuracy of your test may depend on the quality of equipment used, how often it is calibrated and the skill level of the person doing the testing. The service can be expensive and may require a gym membership.

Pros: Results are personalized and based on your specific performance.
Cons: Expensive and not widely available and some say that results are not as accurate as advertised.

So, back to the question, How many calories a day do I need?

The answer isn't easy, I don't think it's just a number. If a person is eating Pizza, Hamburgers, Carry-out chicken, Chinese carry-out and Sausage sandwiches, just cutting back on the quantity isn't going to help. These are foods that will pack on the pounds. It's not just the calories in these foods but the amount of fat, salt, and other food additives. The average guy on this kind of diet may be eating about 3500 to 4000 calories a day when you add in the drinks and just cutting back on the quantity say to 2500 calories a day isn't going to reduce the amount of body fat. Yes, he might lose a few pounds but most of the loss will be muscle weight.

I don't think counting calories will reduce body fat. People get to engrossed in losing weight and aren't concentrating on losing body fat. That should be your goal. And the only way to lose body fat is for your body to use the fat as fuel. I'll write more about this next time.

Meanwhile, you can go to my website and see more articles about losing weight.     blogonlosingweight.com

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when your trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My ebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. Price $3.99

How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?

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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Learn how to get in shape, lose body fat and become a heathier person without spending a lot of time and money by reading my new e-book,

 How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?. This e-book features my extensive research on weight loss, as well as my journey towards fitness. Grab a copy of my e-book now and improve your health, have more energy, and be a happier person with a positive attitute. Available in online book stores now. Amazon, B&N, iBooks for $3.99

Losing weight wasn’t my main goal when I was growing up. Always tipping the scales between being chubby and thin, I never really felt the need to watch my weight. It wasn't until I became a senior that I realized how hard it was for me to carry around that extra, unwanted body fat. I decided to change my lifestyle, and I lost a lot of weight ever since. I'm proud to say that I weighs the same now as I did in high school.

I weighed 220 pounds 30 years ago and today I weigh 158. No expensive equipment, no diet pills, no surgery, and the gym membership I had only gave me temporary weight loss.

I made up my mind after 10 years of yoyoing up and down that I had to find a way to lose the extra fat for good. I read a lot of posts on a lot of websites and decided the only way was to change my diet. A normal guy will burn about 1800 calories a day if he spends his work day on his feet and does 30-minute workouts every day. 

So from research, I found the 30% of the calories are from fat and your body doesn’t care where it gets the fat. That means my body will burn about 550 calories from fat everyday. So if I eat less fat the 500 calories the body will have to get the extra fat from my stored fat. 

I decided I’d have to help the process along so I started an interval training program. It’s easy and it didn’t cost anything. I jog for 10 minutes to increase my heart rate and then walk for a few minutes to cool down and then jog for 5 minutes and walk for 5 minutes and then jog for 5 and walk for 5 and keep going like that as long as I could. If it gets too hard just walk more and jog less, but try to workout at least 30 minutes total.

Changing my diet was much harder. I had to start over. I gave way all the high-calorie food and drinks in the house. I went to the market and bought fresh foods for two days. All I was eating was fruit, whole grain bread and pasta, vegetables, fresh fish some fresh meat, water, tea, and coffee. For snacks, I bought the salted peanuts you had to shell.

The good news was I could eat all I wanted if I stick to the fresh foods and nuts. When I start the diet I stopped drinking alcohol, that’s important. After a few weeks and 10 pounds, I would have one glass of red wine occasionally. It works and I lost the fat. I did add a little variety to my diet after I lost the weight, but I can’t go back to my old way. No more processed foods of bake goods with enriched or processed flour, no high calorie drinks and very little dairy. 

The upside is that I love being 158 pounds again, I jog now, ride my bike, do Yoga, swim laps and lift weights. I have so much energy I can even work out after dinner.  At 71, I’m in good shape and I don’t take prescription drugs. Life could”t be better.

Change Those Bad Eating Habits

There has been thousands of studies done by scientists all over the world on the subject of eating good foods for better health. Everyone seems to agree, the way to good health is to eat fewer calories. In one study all the seniors that were interviewed were eating less than 2000 calories a day and women about 300 less than men. Women don’t metabolize calories the same as men. No one said that they felt like they were on a diet, they felt like they had plenty to eat. So I decided to try it. I was going to change, kick those bad habits of eating empty calories and start eating food that would help my body.

First I had to start keeping a record of my calorie intake. Then I knew I’d have to change some of the things I was eating so I could get more nutrition out of my calories. I could eat just bread and pastries and stay under 2000 calories but I’d run out of energy. I knew I’d have to maximize the nutrition in the calories so I had the energy to work, exercise and maintain my body.

I knew I’d have to give up eating a lot of the foods I liked and start eating the foods my body needed. Today it’s so much easier to get good information than in years past with all the information on the internet and the easy access using your cell phone or your laptop or use the computers at the library if you don’t have internet access at home. Today you can’t turn on a talk show on Television or go to the bookstore without seeing something about diet and nutrition. There’s thousands of websites and hundreds of books dealing the subject.

Keeping a record of the food I was eating really helped me see what I was doing wrong. After a few weeks of keeping records, it’s easy for anyone to see the mistakes. The hardest part for me was giving up alcohol for several months until I reached my goal. After that, I eased back to a moderate one drink a day. Alcohol will mess with your metabolism and keep you from burning calories, and it also is a big source of calories. Yes, a lite beer is only 100 calories or some as little as 65 calories but the alcohol will interfere with your body’s ability to burn calories, so alcohol in general even if you stay below your proper calorie intake will keep you from burning calories. Once you reach your goal one drink a day won’t hurt, but you’re not trying to lose weight only maintain it.

You don’t have to go without food to lose weight, just stop eating the junk and start eating the good stuff. Cut your portions and don’t skip meals. Skipping meals will keep you from losing weight. Everyone thinks I’m lying but eating will spike your metabolism and that’s what burns calories. Eat something as early as possible and try to eat something small about 6 times a day. Just remember small portions all day long.When I was trying to lose I would stick to 300 calories at a meal and 6 meals a day. Others have more luck, with a three meal plan that reverses meal size. You eat the largest meal for breakfast. Smaller at lunch and only a snack size meal for dinner. You might have heard of it. You eat like a King for breakfast, a Prince for lunch and Pulper for dinner. The idea is to consume 80% of your calories early in the day so you have time to burn them. That's the opposite of what people do today. Today we eat too much at night and we don't do any activities to burn the calories. That's the time of day when your metabolism is almost dormant. Which means most of the food you're consuming at night will be turned into fat. Only a small part will be digested. 

The fastest way to start losing weight is to change your eating habits. 

Eat real food for breakfast like Oatmeal or one egg and one piece of Bacon or Canadian Bacon(ham). To jump-start your metabolism you need to eat some protein the first hour your up. Some people who always seem to be pressed for time will make a protein shake and drink it while their driving. You can make those shakes the night before then take it out of the frig in the morning and blend it and pour it. In two minutes you're gone, you have coffee later. That's about 300 calories.

Next, because you packed snacks the night before, around 10 a.m. while you're drinking coffee, you have a Greek Yogurt or half a sandwich with real cheese not processed or peanut butter, just be careful what your buying, read the labels. Personally, I buy the ground peanuts, they're in paste form like peanut butter, but they have no additives. Manufacturers use palm oil in jar peanut butter and I never eat palm oil or those other chemicals. 

Lunch is next about three hours later and if you bagged your lunch then you want to eat a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Try to only have bottled water or tea with no sugar. Your should be drinking about 4 bottled water at work, one every two hours. I can get a little tired of plain water so I flavor it with lemon juice, no calories in that. Sometimes I bring celery or radishes to eat with the sandwich at lunch. Both of them have lots of nutrition. This is another low-calorie meal, but it only has to last you 3 hours and then you can eat again. When you cut your calories, you want every calorie to count for increased energy. And you don't want to get your energy from sugar highs. Lunch is where most of us go off the diet. You're out with a friend and you're in a restaurant looking at the menu and trying to do damage control by not eating anything that will add pounds but you're trying to eat normal so you don't have to explain what you ordered. I always order salads for lunch in a restaurant. I try to order one with seafood, like shrimp and I get the salad plain and then I put olive oil and lemon. It might not be what you like but I had to get use to eating lots of things I never had before and you will get use to it, it's not bad tasting food, it's just not what you're use to. Again, I drink water with lemon or iced tea no sweetener. 

Mid-afternoon, about 3 hours after lunch you want about a 300 calorie snack, so I'd have a greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. I pick greek yogurt because there's less added sugar, Get your sugar from the fruit you eat, not out of a packet or as an additive in your food. Personally, I buy the greek yogurt plain and add my own fruit. I buy the blueberries or strawberries in the frozen food section, there's nothing added. But if you're bringing your snacks from home you have many choices. You want to stay within the daily calorie count and you want something nutritious. Another idea would be a handful of mixed nuts or just almonds.

Dinner is next about three hours later and for dinner, that's when I eat meat and usually a vegetable or a salad with fruit and vegetables. No gravy on the meat. No salad dressing, use olive oil and lemon or vinegar. When eating meat, I try to eat fish as much as possible and white meat chicken or turkey about twice a week. When I was trying to drop pounds I was following the Mediterranean diet and I'll go over that in more detail later in the book.

Finally, the sixth meal was about three hours after dinner. I'd have another greek yogurt. You can substitute with fruit if you like.

That was my whole day and you will lose weight, you'll have lots of energy and you won't be hungry. You might want to skip that last snack if you eat dinner late and go to bed early. Try not to eat the last two hours before bed.

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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.

 

The "Don't Get Fat" Plan

Did you ever wonder how people in some European countries manage to stay thin? When I was in Europe I didn't see any low-calorie food. Restaurants had no diet food or low-calorie meals. But no one was what we call obese. I've personally been to more than 15 European countries and normal people are in better shape than American. 

I read a non-diet book last year "The secret of eating" were by the author explains that diets don't work. This is a weight loss book about how this woman had gained 20 pounds while going to school in the States and then losing the weight when returning to France, her home country. She goes on to say that in France women don't get fat. In the States when she was going to school the portions of food were too large and foods were too sweet. 

When returning to Europe she returned home and returned to eating the way she grew up. In Europe, women eat sensibly. Good food of very high quality and eaten in small portions. Good food does not mean good tasting, it means food of good quality. You can eat anything you like but eat food of good quality, high in nutritional value. Small portions that you eat slowly is better for you and is satisfying. In the States, people eat too fast, we're always in a hurry to get somewhere. Eat on the run, I see people eat while driving every day. Woman feeding their children in the car while driving them somewhere. Drive-thru windows are so crowded they should have a gas pump half way to the window. Sometimes I spend 20 minutes in line for coffee, I stopped that. No more drive-thru's, if I can't stop and eat or drink at a table or counter then I don't need to.

You know it wasn't always this way. Families use to eat together. At school, all the kids eat together in the cafeteria. But at home we eat individually when we're hungry. Maybe that's why families eat out more. It might be the only way to get everyone together.

This plan is for anyone who had trouble sticking to a diet plan. "Don't Get Fat" is a 3-month plan meant to reset your body for a lifetime of healthy weight through slow, gradual weight loss. She goes on to say that many people will love the plan because there's no fitness classes but instead plenty of daily activity and lots of walking. Lots of walking is what people do in other countries and Americans don't do.

To jump start your diet you begin with two days of leek soup. It cleanses the system so you can start out on empty. Followed by meat or fish, vegetables and a piece of fruit. Drink water with meals, be careful of bottled drinks or any drinks with sugar or sweeteners, those are empty calories. Not good.

At the beginning, keep a food journal. While you're losing weight you need to evaluate your diet and identify excess calories. You will be able to eat anything after you reach your goal. The big part of reaching that goal is to learn to eat smaller portions. You may want to start by eating 4 or 5 meals a day about 3 hours apart. At night I snack on yogurt, low-fat greek yogurt is filling. You can eat yogurt 2 or 3 times a day, great snack full of calcium and protein. Almonds are a good snack in the afternoon. Change what you eat and how you eat and you'll lose weight.If you change what you eat, start to eat healthy, avoid processed foods (those are pre-made foods that are ready-to-eat), no dairy but you can eat non-fat greek yogurt, no enriched wheat flour, and no sugar or any artificial sweeteners. 

I know what your thinking and yes this is a weight loss diet, but it's a lifestyle change. Your learning a new way to eat, a way that you will stay with from now on. 

If you're going to succeed in losing weight and return to a healthy life, you have to forget everything you're doing now. You have to forget about the foods your eating now, and start over. Whatever you've been doing to lose weight hasn't worked and whatever diets you've tried only gave you temporary weight loss, so if you really want to change your life and become a thinner version of you and a healthier person who will live a longer happier life, you need to start over. 

Anything you've been eating will only put weight on you. You need to find a new diet with food you want to eat and that are healthy. You don't have to starve yourself but anything you eat needs to be beneficial to your body. Your food has to give your body energy, but not the energy spike you get from carbs or sugar but real energy that will stay with you. Processed foods will give you an energy high, but then you'll crash about an hour or two later and you get more food cravings. This is what leads to over-eating. Eating foods with to nutritional value that give you a temporary boost in energy, like a soft drink, and then in a short time, you need more. These foods or drinks actually cause an addiction. Sugar is an example of a food that can cause an addiction and now science believes that enriched wheat is another man-made product that causes an addiction. It may be as bad for you as sugar. 

Things like sugar and wheat have not always caused eating disorders or addictions. We are not eating the same things today that your grandparents did. A few decades ago, manufacturers of raw material foods like wheat, sugar and white flour to name a few decided to change the way these raw materials were processed. So now when you read a food label wheat, for instance, is now enriched wheat and flour you buy says enriched flour. In the process of enriching the grain, they added chemicals to make the grains grow faster, so grains are more resistant to bugs and so they can increase production and increase profits. You wonder why a lot of your food comes from other countries. Yes, labor is cheaper in other countries, but using chemicals to enrich foods is not against the law. They can use chemical in other countries that we have band in the U.S. For instance, some of our best pesticides in this country were band because they're harmful to humans, but most other countries still use those pesticides in food production and then they sell that food to U.S. Retailers and it's sold in your grocery stores. 

But that's not the whole story, food suppliers to restaurants will buy that food to save money. Those french fries you buy in restaurants aren't grown in Idaho. Yes, in the grocery stores they have to label the food so you know what country it comes from, but restaurants don't have to tell you and in most cases they don't know. 

So if you truly want to be a fit, thinner and healthier version of you, you'll have to start over. Do the research and find foods that are good for you and foods you'll stick with. Your next diet is your diet for life. I picked the Mediterranean diet, it's not a weight loss diet but you will lose weight and become a healthier person and you can stay with it for life. You can find it on the web. Remember there's no short-cuts, you have to commit and stay with the plan. After 3 months if the plan doesn't work for you, don't give up, try another plan.

Weight Watchers is not for everyone but it will work if you follow the plan. They teach you how to eat and give you the support you need.

Whatever plan you decide on and there are dozens, you want one that you can follow for life, remember there are no short-cuts.
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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.

Beginner's at Workouts Need to Read This

Great article, this problem is the major reason most beginners stop working out. 

What You May Not Know About Muscle Soreness

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You just crushed a really hard workout. You upped the load of your training, or you stepped out of your routine and tried a new activity. You feel great—until you wake up the next morning, barely able to move.

This is known as DOMS. It’s an acronym that athletes and fitness buffs wear with pride.

As its name suggests, “DOMS is muscle soreness that becomes evident six-to-eight hours following activity, peaking around 24 to 48 hours post-training,” says Jon Mike, CSCS, NSCA-CPT and PhD in Exercise Science at the University of New Mexico. While the symptoms will often start to diminish at about 72 hours, “the precise time course and extent of DOMS is highly variable,” Mike says.

DOMS is most pronounced when you introduce a new training stimulus—a new activity, increased intensity or volume—or if you are new to physical activity in general. “Your body is making adaptations to better prepare your muscles to do that activity again,” says Lauren Haythe, certified Kinesis Myofascial Integration Practitioner and yoga teacher. That’s why on Day 1 at the gym, after doing squats or lunges with 10-15 pound weights, you can be brutally sore the next day. “But, as you continue on, you can build up from there, and you won’t be so sore,” she says.

While all kinds of muscular contraction can cause soreness, eccentric contraction—where the muscle lengthens as it contracts—is most often associated with DOMS, according to Mike. This includes movements such as running downhill, lowering weights or lowering down into a squat or push-up position. “There is also some evidence that upper body movement creates more soreness than lower body exercises,” says Mike.

Muscle discomfort is the most common characteristic of DOMS, but there are other symptoms. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), these may include reduced range of motion and joint stiffness, local swelling and tenderness, and diminished muscle strength. These symptoms appear gradually following exercise (not to be confused with acute pain that may arise during physical activity).

Muscle Soreness: Myths vs. Facts

No pain, no gain. Lactic acid build-up. An indicator of muscle growth. These are all phrases that we tend to associate with DOMS. While you may think you know everything you need to know about the condition that has you waddling like a duck, you may be surprised by what’s actually happening in your body.

The verdict: Not true. During exercise, your body needs energy, and it breaks down molecules to get that. As a result of this metabolic process, your cells naturally become more acidic, which makes your muscles feel like they’re burning. But this isn’t caused by lactate. Lactate is actually a by-product of the metabolic process and serves as a buffer that slows down the rate at which the cells become acidic. “People produce lactate all the time, even at rest. It clears your system 30 minutes to 1 hour after working out,” says Mike.

A study in Clinics in Sports Medicine found that DOMS is the result of microtrauma in the muscles and surrounding connective tissues, which causes inflammation. The reason that eccentric muscle contraction (think lowering a dumbbell back down in a bicep curl) is more likely to be the culprit is because it places a higher load on your muscles compared to concentric contraction. “It’s the active lengthening of muscle fibers under load. It’s like you’re pulling on a rope, and there’s so much force that the rope starts to tear and pull apart,” says Mike.

We often wear our DOMS as a badge of honor and believe that if we’re not sore, we’re not doing enough during out workouts. But that’s just not true.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re not getting as good of a workout because you’re not crippled the next day,” says Monica Vazquez, NASM certified personal trainer. “You should feel [soreness] 24 hours to three days after the activity. If, after three days, you try to do the same exercise and you cannot because you go immediately to muscle failure, you’ve done too much,” she says.

According to Mike, studies have shown that soreness itself (using a scale from 0 to 10 to assess the level of soreness) is poorly correlated as an indicator of muscle adaptation and growth. There are many factors that influence how DOMS presents itself in individuals. “There is great variability, even between people with similar genetics and even among highly-trained lifters [and athletes],” he says. So while comparing notes (and commiserating) is all part of the process, soreness and DOMS isn’t the best gauge of how effective your workout was or who’s in better shape.

It’s true that you will start to feel less sore as your body adapts to your workouts and learns to distribute the workload across your muscle fibers more effectively. That’s why you should regularly change up your exercise routine.

However, there is also a genetic component to how sensitive we are to pain and soreness. “People can be no-responders, low-responders or high-responders to soreness,” says Mike. If you’re a high-responder, you will experience DOMS more acutely than someone who is a no- or low-responder when given the same training load. While you can’t change your genes, it is important to know where you fall on the spectrum to understand how your body may respond to changes in your workouts.

Yes, DOMS appears to be caused by trauma to your muscle fibers, but it’s not a definitive measure of muscle damage. In fact, a certain degree of soreness seems to be necessary. “When muscles repair themselves, they get larger and stronger than before so that [muscle soreness] doesn’t happen again,” says Vazquez. While these mechanisms are not completely understood, Mike notes that some muscle trauma is needed to stimulate protein production and muscle growth.

Unfortunately, no. A review of studies for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on the effects of stretching before or after exercise on the development of delayed-onset muscle soreness found that pre- and post-workout stretching did not reduce the effects of DOMS in healthy adults. In fact, research has found that static stretching prior to working out does not safeguard you against injury and may actually decrease your power and strength.

While you may not be able to avoid soreness altogether, ACSM suggests advancing slowly with a new workout, giving your muscles time to adapt and recover. Vazquez recommends always including a proper warm-up (including dynamic stretching), and cooldown period as part of your routine.

Stop Waddling: How to Recover from DOMS

There are a number of ways to alleviate those can’t-make-it-up-the-stairs symptoms. A sports massage is one good way to reduce the effects. “A massage will move the fluid and blood around in your body, which can help heal the microtrauma in your muscles better,” says Haythe. A study in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation found massage to be beneficial on both gait and feelings of post-workout soreness.

Other common ways to treat DOMS include foam rolling, contrast showers (alternating between hot and cold water), Epsom salt baths, increased protein intake (to increase protein synthesis) and omega-3 supplementation (to reduce inflammation), and sleep. New research in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that supplementing with saffron may also help to alleviate DOMS. Regardless of your preferred Rx, Haythe recommends looking at your diet to make sure you’re taking in nutrients to help your body heal. “Find a diet that can really help you feel the best that you can feel,” she says.

When It’s More Than Just Soreness

There may be times when you overdo it with your workout and feel bad. Really bad. But when should you be concerned?

“If your level of soreness does not go down significantly after 72 hours and into the 96 hours mark,” says Mike. ACSM advises that if the pain becomes debilitating, you experience heavy swelling in your limbs or your urine becomes dark in color, you should see your doctor.

If it’s an injury, you’re more likely to feel it immediately during your workout— something that should never be ignored. Soreness, on the other hand, will appear gradually, often the next day. “An injury will likely limit your range of motion and last longer than three days,” says Haythe.

When all is said and done, DOMS shouldn’t be avoided or revered. And it shouldn’t be your only gauge of your level of fitness or strength. “People think that the only part of their workout that matters is the hard part,” Vazquez says. “But, you can do more of the hard part if you don’t injure yourself.”

Long-term, Haythe says, “You’ll build more muscle, strength, and endurance if you give your muscles a chance to take a deep breath and recover.”

—By Christine Yu for Life by DailyBurn
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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.

Why I Work Out After the Kids Go to Bed

This post is from a news letter I get every week. It's worth a read.

By Charity Curley Mathews

My baby weight isn’t going to lose itself -- and believe me, I’ve tried waiting around to find out. I’ve had three babies in the last four years, which means the same 25 pounds has come and gone three times. Problem is, the other 10 extra pounds I've had for years hasn’t gone anywhere, either. Here it is, right around my waist, enjoying life in elastic pants.

This ladies weight problem is more a fat problem. She needs to lose the excess fat and get her shape back again.

It makes me feel better emotionally. Even though I’d rather collapse on the couch the moment all three of my little rascals are tucked in tight, finding the gumption to fire up a fitness DVD or head out for a walk gives me a sense of freedom. When I start carving out time for myself, I feel better taking care of me, like our household isn’t quite as chaotic as it usually seems. Life with young children is tiring, and when you’ve been dealing all day with tantrums, pull-up diapers and tiny people who insist on dressing themselves even though they can't fasten buttons, it’s easy to sink into an emotional rut by nighttime. 

It makes me feel better physically. By now, everyone knows the chemical benefits of exercise. Working out is scientifically proven to provide endorphins, the same kind you get while sneaking a big piece of dark chocolate while the kids are playing in the other room. The difference being, exercise endorphins actually whittle your waistline, instead of expanding it. 

I can focus on two of my needs at once. Ever the multitasking mom, I make sure that even my workouts are twofers: Since private time is at a precious premium, I throw in a fitness DVD and then I turn the volume down and fire up a fun show or podcast. It’s a system that combines genuine entertainment with physical stimulation -- and both on the cheap. No wonder I’m loving my routine! 

It's an automatic out from my kids' bedtime clutches. When my 3-year-old climbs on my back, demanding one more snuggle before bed, I can truthfully tell her, “I’ve got to do my exercises now. Love you!” And she totally gets it. Love that kid. Sticker for her.

It keeps me loose. I’ve always been an active person, but I've never been particularly thin. That’s a whole other ball of wax, one that involves eating a lot less, especially given my height and metabolism (sea slug-ish). Right now, after baby number three, my fitness goals are purely focused on moving all my body’s parts every day, and noticing how good it feels. My creaky neck, that pinch behind my left shoulder blade and oh, those hips... ouch! What they need is movement, strengthening and stretching.

It makes exercising seem like a treat instead of a chore. Ever since my kids were born, I’ve been a work-from-homer instead of an online executive leading a team from the comfort of a fancy office. Nowadays, my time spent being a professional and my time spent being a mom totally blur together, to the point where my average day goes something like this: Interview an expert for an upcoming article. Throw a load of clothes in washing machine. Edit photos for Foodlets.com. Check emails. Get dinner going. Throw clothes in dryer. Set up a conference call with new consulting client.With a schedule like this, I find that it’s honestly just too tiring to consider doing ONE MORE THING at the end of the day -- unless I make it feel like a reward.

For a while, I really resented the whole idea of having to stick to a nighttime fitness routine. Wait, now my "special thing" is exercising? Since when is that “fun”? Then I had a change of heart. Life requires effort. Should one of my daughters ever find herself in a similar situation someday, I'll be able to tell her: “Make the effort. Make yourself healthy.” Because I've learned from personal experience that along the way, she'll be happier.

I like this post from About.com, I added a couple comments but in all this is a common problem and like the solution this lady found that works for her.

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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.

Finding the Right Weight Loss Program

Advertisers bombard you with weight loss advertising. It's a huge industry that's looking

for a piece of your money. Don't swallow everything you hear or read, most of it is just

Hype. Most weight loss plans give you quick results but when 100 dieters were

interviewed one year later, almost 90% had put the weight back on.

Finding a reliable weight loss program is important. More than a third of people in the U.S.

are considered obese. And it's not just adults. The CDC says 1 in 6 kids are dealing with

the condition, too. Weighing too much puts you at risk for many serious health problems,

including diabetes and heart disease.

"Eat less and exercise more" has always been the golden rule for dropping pounds. But how do you really accomplish that? Here are the five must-haves in a weight loss program, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins.

1) Plenty of interaction and support. You want ongoing contact with the program's support team. Researchers recommend at least 14 sessions over 6 months. This might be in person or by phone or email. "Support is so critical in helping people through the weight loss process," Gudzune says.

2) Diet changes that are backed by science. "Things like the Paleo diet are very hot right now but haven't been studied with their effects on weight loss," Gudzune says. You want an approach that has solid evidence to support it works. This might be a low-calorie eating plan or meal replacements, or a well-studied diet for weight loss, like Atkins, she says.

3) Exercise encouragement. Opt for a program with some type of plan to get you moving more. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity (like walking) each week. You can divvy that up however you like. Keep in mind that exercise is key if you want to stay at your lighter weight once you've dropped pounds, but doctors say it's hard to lose weight with just exercise alone.

4) Behavior strategies. Your program should encourage things like weighing yourself, meal planning, or tracking your food or exercise.

5) Approved meds only. Steer clear of programs that push fat burners or other supplements that aren't FDA-approved for weight loss. The FDA offers a list of dangerous weight loss products. You can sign up for email alerts, too. 

Weight loss is about changing what you eat and less about how much you eat. If you eat fresh, healthy food I think you can eat all you want. Fresh, healthy food  is not processed, it's fresh, not frozen vegetables, fruit, lean meat, mostly fish,  brown rice, and drink mostly water, tea or coffee. Don't add anything with calories and avoid dairy.  

Follow a diet like this and don't go back to your old ways. Never cheat, no cheat days allowed and increase the walking and you will lose fat. The more you walk the faster you'll lose fat. I believe the more a person walks the longer they will live.

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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.