Less Than 3 Percent of Americans Live a Healthy Lifestyle

I found this post today and I wanted to reblog this because we wonder why so many Americans are overweight. Is it any wonder.

Factors studied included not smoking, eating right, exercising and keeping a low percentage of body fat

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

Do you get a moderate amount of exercise, eat right, keep from piling on fat and avoid smoking? Congratulations, you're among the 2.7 percent of Americans who do so, according to a new study.

Researchers say that, unfortunately, the other 97.3 percent of American adults get a failing grade on healthy lifestyle habits. The study looked at data on more than 4,700 people who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Survey. The researchers assessed how many people followed four general "principles of healthy living" -- a good diet, moderate exercise, not smoking and keeping body fat under control.

"The behavior standards we were measuring for were pretty reasonable, not super high. We weren't looking for marathon runners," said study senior author Ellen Smit, an associate professor at the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences, in Corvallis.

In fact, the standards used in the study are typical of lifestyle advice given by doctors to their patients, Smit's team said. People who adhere to those four behaviors can help reduce their risk of many health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Unfortunately, less than 3 percent of the adults in the study achieved all four of the healthy living measures, the researchers found. Overall, 71 percent of the adults surveyed did not smoke, 38 percent ate a healthy diet, 10 percent had a normal body fat percentage and 46 percent got sufficient amounts of physical activity. Sixteen percent had three of the healthy lifestyle behaviors, 37 percent had two, 34 percent had one and 11 percent had none.

Among the other findings: women were more likely than men to not smoke and to eat a healthy diet, but they were less likely to have adequate physical activity levels. And when it came to race and ethnicity, Mexican-Americans were more likely to eat a healthy diet than blacks or whites.

The study was conducted by researchers at Oregon State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

In terms of public health, the findings are disappointing, Smit said in an OSU news release.

"This is pretty low, to have so few people maintaining what we would consider a healthy lifestyle," she said. "This is sort of mind boggling. There's clearly a lot of room for improvement." Further research is needed to identify ways to get American adults to adopt more healthy lifestyle habits, the experts said.

The study was published recently in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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

The Secret to Dieting, Don't Diet

Did you ever wonder how people in some European countries manage to stay thin? When I was in Europe I didn't see an low-calorie food. Restaurants had no diet food or low calorie meals. But very few people were 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. Now I understand students call it the "freshman fifteen", it happens to everyone. 

When returning to Europe she returned home and returned to eating the way she grew up. In Europe women eat sensible. 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 eaten 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. In North America we drive everywhere; I have even been accused of drive a half block to the mailbox.  

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 your 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 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 lose 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 your 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 what ever 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, manufactures 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 resistent 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.

What ever plan you decide on and there's dozens, you want one that you can follow for life, remember there's no short-cuts.
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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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

Weight Loss Myths and Facts

These are some facts about weight loss that are promoted by the diet gurus but may not be true.

"diets don’t work" that's only true about high-calorie diet. What these so-called experts should be saying is that strict diets only work temporarily.

"starchy foods cause weight gain" Not really, starchy foods are can add weight if you eat too much. For instance, white potatoes in moderation are very healthy, but if you eat too much of a starchy food you will consume too many calories.

"small frequent meal promotes weight loss" Yes eating small meals will help you control your weight but you will have to eat more often. If you try this watch those calories and try to hold the line at 300 calories a meal.

"bananas make you fat" Not really unless you eat several a day. Bananas are a good source of vitamins, but when you're trying to lose weight eat calorie rich foods in moderation.

"quick weight loss programs don’t work" These plans will work but only for a short time.

"watch out for peanut butter" Peanut butter is another food that's high in protein and other vitamins but also high-calorie. Most peanut butter contains Palm Oil and that's not on your diet. So yes you have to watch out for peanut butter and only eat in small quantities. 

"starvation mode will cause weight gain" When you try to lose weight by restricting your food, your body will go into a starvation mode and start to hoard  your nutrition. So your body will start to add weight in order to avoid starvation. 

"skipping breakfast" This will not help you to lose weight. Skip dinner and just eat a piece of fruit, that may help you to lose weight. Always eat most or 70% of your daily calories in the first 6 hours after you wake up. This will keep you from getting hungry.

"high-intensity workouts" can help you to lose weight but they're very strenuous and are only recommended for the advanced person. Someone in good physical condition.

"is more protein good" It can be but you still need to limit animal protein, so do some research to find good sources of plant protein. A good number to shot for might be 80 grams of protein a day.

"natural foods are better" I have always found that natural food is better. Organic is better yet. And free-range poultry or other livestock is better than livestock raised in confinement.

"fat burners will speed-up weight loss"The only thing I found with fat-burners is that they speed up your heart rate.

It can be hard for new dieters to face the fact that weight loss is really hard. So, most of us are tempted to believe the advertisements, books and program endorsements that tell us that weight loss is easy. 

But the truth is that changing any habit is hard. Changing our eating habits is especially difficult because our physical, social, cultural and sometimes even emotional patterns involve food and these patterns are already developed.

Learning to eat a healthy diet is certainly possible. But it takes time and practice. Is it worth the effort? Yes, absolutely. But before you start the process it's important to gather support and set both short and long terms goals to guide you through the process.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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

Sitting is the New Smoking

Now studies show that 8 hours of sitting, which applies mainly to office workers, is just as bad as smoking and to go a step farther, if you're not exercising that also is just as bad for your health as smoking is. And if you're a smoker that doesn't exercise you need to get real friendly with your doctor. He's going to become your new best friend.

When you see someone smoking, you might question “Why would you do that to yourself when you know it could kill you?” Do you react the same way when you know someone doesn’t exercise? You should. Not exercising is a problem that affect everyone in America because we have lost the need to walk. Walking is the exercise that will help all that ails you. It gets your blood pumping and good circulation is key to good health.  Especially in North America people drive everywhere. I'm guilty of driving to the mailbox on occasion. We only walk 4000 or so steps a day. Back in the day when we all lived without a car or only had one car per family we were much healthier just because we walked more and we ate more fresh foods.

Today smoking is not as common place as 50 years ago, but  we had fewer cases of cancer as a percentage of population than we have today. Why, because we were more active and we ate more fresh foods. You wouldn’t dream of smoking (and if you do smoke, you’re likely trying to quit), so why poison yourself with inactivity? But many of us do. Nearly 80% of us don’t get the recommended amount of exercise. Many experts agree the inactivity epidemic is more concerning than the obesity epidemic. Far more people are inactive then obese, but because inactivity doesn't cause cancer then it isn't as important. 

The benefits of exercise are numerous and irrefutable. It helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, breast and colon cancer, dementia, depression, and more. If you exercise, chances are you’ll live a longer, healthier life. Period.

What’s so powerful about exercise? Take heart disease, for example. Heart disease is associated with inflammation in the body. Exercise is a natural inflammation fighter. When you move, your muscles send out anti-inflammatory chemicals.

Also, every time you get up and move, your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides improve. When you sit down, they get worse. It’s just about moving more. Most of us remember our grandparents and maybe they lived into their 90's, but in their generation, they walked a lot more and did more physical work and probably had a lot less stress. More physical activity and less stress, maybe that's the secret to a long, happy life.

If you’re not active now, I’m sure it sounds overwhelming to start an exercise program. The good news is you can see health benefits with even a small amount of activity. Even taking a daily 5-minute walk around the office will improve your health. Slowly build up from there.

Ultimately, you want your goal to be 30 minutes at least 5 days a week of moderate exercise. We’re talking about a brisk walk– hard enough that you can talk comfortably but not able to sing. But take your time getting there. Throw in resistance exercises a couple of days a week, and you’re on track.

If you’ve tried exercise before and didn’t lose weight, don’t be discouraged. You are still getting health benefits even if you’re not shedding weight. If you’re overweight but active and fit, you can expect to live as long and healthy as someone who is normal weight and fit. Even if you’re obese, being active helps you live a longer, healthier life than a normal weight person who isn’t active. Losing weight is more about diet, so even if your active and fit, you're not going to lose weight until you change your diet. Increasing your physical activity will make you a healthier person and losing weight will even make you healthier. I'm 70 years old and I don't take medications. My Doctor said I'm very healthy for my age, keep it up.

Think you’re too old for it to matter? Hardly. Regardless of your age, getting active has enormous benefits even in your 80s and beyond. We’re not just talking about living longer, but living better with a higher quality of life.

As British-American anthropologist, Ashley Montagu once said, “The idea is to die young as late as possible.”
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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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 Many Calories Do I Cut To Lose Weight?

How many calories to lose weight is a popular question but, to be honest, it does not come with a straight forward answer. I’m sure a lot of you may have been lost from time to time in the endless calorie calculations or taken a wild guess trying to lose weight. Nevertheless do not despair. Below I have summarised the main things you need to know when trying to calculate how many calories to consume in order to lose weight.

For a start, you will find a bit of theory. You may think it is a lot of blabbing but trust me; it will help you understand the whole calorie calculation and weight loss matter.

Calories and energy

Calories are used to measure the body’s energy. This energy comes from food we consume and our body uses it to carry out its processes. Think of the body as a factory. It produces things like movement, repairs tissues, removes waste, thinks and thousands more. To do all that it needs energy.

What we eat has an energy value that is why you see its calorific value in the package. Any extra energy which comes in and is not needed gets stored in the tissues for later use. The body stores this energy in the form of sugar (glycogen), some protein and fat. The body is limited on how much glycogen it will store and protein storage is a bit complicated to even try to explain here. So the majority goes into fat.

If there is a lot of extra energy coming in constantly then the storage becomes bigger and bigger as you may have noticed.

Weight Loss

What is complicated in terms of weight loss is the fact that the body is a complicated factory. There are a number of factors which affect both the storage and use of the calories.

In simple mathematics it goes like this:

Weight = calories in + calories out ± other body factors

Calories in: It is all the food and drinks we consume.

Calories out:

• It is all the calories we use to stay alive (basal metabolic rate),
• All the calories we use to carry out all physical activities (walk, exercise, movement, think, talk etc).
• Other (break down food, fight an illness, thermoregulation, hormones etc)

Other body factors: This is all the rest. Genetics, stress and so on.

In simple words in order to lose weight ‘calories out’ must be more than ‘calories in’. So the big question is "How many calories do I burn?" Believe me, that's the million dollar question. No one really knows how many calories you burn because everybody is different. All the statistics are based on averages. The take numbers from thousands of people and average them out and they try to lump you in or compare you to the average person who is probably nothing like you. 

How many calories should I eat per day to lose weight?

Scientists have worked out that in general there is a daily calorie range requirement. This is:

1500 to 2000 kcal for women and

2000 – 2500 kcal for men

As I already mentioned there are a number of factors which will influence this number but this can be used as a starting point.  The only way to find out your individual and exact calorie requirements is by direct calorimetry but this is not something you get with your everyday shopping.

For an estimated average you can use our BMR tables below or our calorie calculator. The number you will get is as good. All this number will give you is an average of how many calories you use per day. 

Now you know your daily calorie requirements. Keep that number.

Calorie calculation for weight loss or how many calories to lose weight

1. Your body does not just burn only fat; especially during the 1^st week of weight loss. You do lose water, glycogen, and some protein along with fat.

2. When you cut down on your calories your body will try to adapt and often it will lower your metabolic rate. In simply words it will decrease the amount of calories it uses every day. 

Now these are important things to know. The above don’t mean that you have to cut down your calorie consumption even more, but it is more like be realistic.

Also:

1. It is recommended that you do not consume less than 1000 – 1100 kcal per day and

2. Don’t aim to lose more than 1 – 1.5 kg per week.

Health comes first!

How many calories should I eat a day in order to lose weight, a real example

To put all the above in practice, how does it all work? Below is an example.

Daily calorie requirements	1900 kcal
Cut down per day	500 kcal
Total calories per day	1400 kcal

 ! Be aware that the calorie requirement is how many calories your body needs to exist and carry out your daily activities, NOT how many calories you usually eat! You could be eating 3000 kcal per day but still your daily requirements may be 1900 kcal. Calculate according to your requirements not your usual consumption.

Given that you need 1900 kcal per day, if you consume 1400 kcal per day you will approximately lose 1lb per week. Although in reality it doesn’t work as perfect as that it is an average. I am sure you may have read elsewhere about calculating how many calories to consume to lose ‘x’ amount of weight. I can’t stress enough that losing weight is not just a calorie matter. Calorie cutting down is one of the weight loss elements.

However let’s say I need to lose 10 pounds in 2 months. If you do the maths it comes to:

• 1lb = 3500 kcal therefore 4.41 lbs x 3500 kcal = 15435 kcal.
• 15435 kcal in the space of 2 months so it is about 7717 kcal per month. This is the amount of calories you need to cut down. 7717 kcal / 4 weeks in a month = 1929 kcal per week and 1229 kcal / 7 days in a week = 276 kcal per day.
• This was the long way around but what it tells you is that you need to cut down by 276 kcal per day.

That amount doesn’t sound too much and it seems quite feasible. If anything you can follow practical ways to lose weight without even feeling like dieting at all.

However some common weight loss mistakes people make are:

• Most people usually expect to lose a lot more weight in small periods of time. Such calculations could indicate that you need to starve yourself in order to lose weight. 
• The body tends to take approximately 2 weeks to make long term adaptations. You may lose a few pounds the first week but it is unlikely to be a significantly measurable amount of fat. Think water.
• Metabolism tends to slow down as part of the body adapting to receiving less food therefore weight loss slows down.
• When weight loss slows down, people tend to think that they need to cut down calories even more in order to match the decline of calorie burning (slowing down of metabolism).

Apart from cutting down calories think increasing calorie burning. There are many ways you can do that. If we bring the above example back, as we calculated you need to lose 10 pounds in 2 months. This equals to 276 kcal per day. Now what about taking light exercise 3 times a week. This could be as simple as going for 30min brisk walk in the park or as much as going to the gym 3 times a week. Such activities could increase the amount of calories you use in the week and can also boost your metabolism in more than 1 ways.

Therefore you:

1. Increase the amount of calories you use and

2. Increase your calorie requirements.

In addition, some studies suggest ‘cycling’ the calories you consume each day. What that means is that in a week consume variable amounts of calories.

For example:

1.  Your calorie requirements are 1900 kcal and you cut down your calories by 276 kcal per day which equals to consuming 1624 kcal per day.

2. Don’t religiously consume 1624 kcal per day. Maybe some days consume more and some days consume less and keep it being variable through the weeks.

This is meant to keep your metabolism from slowing down as it’s meant to ‘confuse’ the body. Although there is not a lot of strong scientific evidence that this does happen there is also no evidence to say that there is much harm to it as long as you don’t yo-yo from binge eating days to starvation days. What’s good about it is that it provides some flexibility and possible your metabolism does not slow down as much making a lot easier to follow a weight loss regime.

Finally, things like what we eat, when we eat it, genetics, general health and mental state, environment, body shape, obesity, medications and so on, are all factors which can influence weight loss.

My tip is use calorie calculations as a guide and in combination with other things such as a, healthy balanced diet, exercise and general lifestyle changes.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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

Best Workouts for Overweight Exercisers

Everyone needs to exercise no matter what kind of work you do. No matter how physical your job is, you generally use the same muscles over and over and if you're not doing regular exercise you can get muscle cramps, muscle strain, and possibly a pulled muscle. Pulled muscle can cause time off work and loss of wages. Exercise will keep you limber and help you avoid injuries.

Starting a new workout routine is hard for everyone, but it can be especially hard if you are overweight or obese. The health club environment can be intimidating and putting together a program on your own can be both uncomfortable and confusing.

But if you are heavy, exercise is important. Workouts will help you to lose weight, can help you to change the way you feel about yourself, boost your mood, improve your health, and make daily activities more comfortable.
So how do you get started? First, make sure that you are healthy enough for physical activity. Visit your health care provider and ask key questions about limitations or modifications that may apply to you. Then choose a workout that you enjoy enough to stick to. These five programs are particularly well suited for larger exercisers. See what interests you, and then use the tips to get started on a path to a leaner, fitter you.

5 Best Workouts for Overweight Exercisers

1. Walking
   This seems like an obvious choice, but there is a reason that walking tops the list of the best exercise for just about everyone. Walking requires very little equipment and it can be done almost everywhere. Walking is low impact, improves strength and mobility in the lower body, and can be easy, moderate or vigorous depending on your specific plan.
   Get equipped for walking by investing in a good pair of shoes. Visit a locally owned shoe store where a walking or shoe expert will recommend several brands and let you take a few out for a test drive.
   • Tips to start a walking program. If you are absolutely new to exercise, start by walking for just 10 or 15 minutes each day. Gradually add time so that you work towards one full 30-minute session. Don't worry about speed or pace in the beginning. Make consistency your goal.
     As your fitness level increases, see if you can begin to increase the speed and intensity of your workout. Researchers have found that a moderate intensity can be achieved by reaching a 100 step per minute pace, or 3000 steps in 30 minutes. You may choose to invest in an activity monitor, but an inexpensive pedometer will count steps for you too.

1. Aqua Jogging
   Water activities are particularly well suited for people who have painful joints or difficulty moving. But lap swimming is too intense for many people and water aerobics classes are not always available. A good alternative is aqua jogging.
   Aqua jogging is simply running in the water with the help of a buoyancy belt. You get all of the benefits of running or walking without the impact. Compare prices online to find a buoyancy belt that meets your needs. Then find a deep pool and begin jogging!
   • Tips to start an aqua jogging program. Your feet shouldn't touch the bottom of the pool when you aqua jog. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you move forward in your lap lane only by moving your legs against the water. It takes more effort than you might imagine, so start slowly and increase the duration of your workout as you begin to feel more fit.
2. Group Exercise Classes
   One of the best ways to stick to an exercise program is to develop a social support system. Group exercise classes are a perfect place to find friends. But you'll want to be sure you find a class that meets your needs.
   Before you invest any money, preview the class by watching it first. Remember that it takes an overweight exerciser more time to move through certain movements so watch to see if the pace of the class is too fast. Also, watch how the instructor cues the choreography. A good teacher will give plenty of advance warning for movement or direction changes.
   • Tips to start an exercise class. Greet the instructor on your first visit. Introduce yourself and explain that you are starting a new workout program. By connecting with her, you send a message that you are open to feedback and encouragement. The instructor should provide extra guidance and modifications to make sure you are comfortable during class.
3. Strength Training
   There are many good reasons to start a strength training program. But for an overweight exerciser, there are special benefits. Strength training can correct postural issues that may arise from carrying extra weight.  Strength training can also increase the range of motion in all of your joints. Finally, when you build muscle, you boost your metabolism when your body is at rest.
   You can start lifting weights at home, but this is one instance where joining a gym or hiring a trainer may be particularly beneficial. You can use a single session with a personal trainer to learn simple exercises to get you started and show you technique cues that will help you to keep your form in good shape.
   • Tips to start a strength training program. If you join a gym, you might find that some strength training machines are not made to accommodate a larger body. Even if you don't hire a trainer, the gym staff should be able to show you how to adjust equipment or use alternate exercises to work each muscle group.
     Remember to start slowly and don't do too much too soon. Consistency is the most important element of your new workout program, so the worst thing you can do is to overdo it on your first day so that you have to take a week off.
4. Tai Chi
   Mind-body exercise has become more accessible to the general public. Yoga, moving meditation and Qigong classes are easier to find. But sometimes they are difficult for overweight exercisers. Many balance-oriented yoga postures , for example, are difficult for people who are obese because they have a different center of gravity.
   Tai Chi uses a series of flowing movements to increase range of motion in the joints and incorporate some (usually standing) balance postures. Tai Chi also incorporates meditational elements that help to decrease stress and improve your sleep to lose weight.
   • Tips for Starting Tai Chi. As with any group exercise class, you should preview the program before you invest money. Ask the instructor if previous experience is necessary and what accommodations can be made for a new exerciser. Also, ask about the location. Some Tai Chi classes take place in outdoor parks or nature preserves. You'll want to be sure you are comfortable exercising in a public setting before you invest.

Remember that the type of exercise you choose is less important than the fact that you are doing it. Don't be afraid to try everything on the list! Keep a journal to track your progress and be sure to check in with your physician if you are having difficulty maintaining the activity or if other symptoms arise.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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

2 Sample Menus for a 1,200 Calorie Diet

These examples should answer a lot of questions. Every time I write about eating clean, and only eating fresh food, I get email about what foods are you referring to? So today I found this post that gives you ideas about what to eat and the nutritional value in the foods. What I tell my readers is that the quality of the food is more important than the portions. That doesn't mean that it's okay to eat twice the portion because it's not. Do I measure all my portions? No, I might measure something one time to see how much is in the portion but that it, one time.
Something else, I make my meals from a pre-written meal. I wrote all my meals for two weeks all at one time and calculated the calories. And then I shop for 3 days of food. If I buy too much at one time, I tempted to overeat. I don't get exact about measuring because if you're eating fresh foods and your not adding extra salt or sugar, the amount of calories won't be very different.

Example #1

Are you in a hurry to lose some extra pounds? It's possible to lose weight quickly by following a low-calorie diet, as this 1,200 calories per day diet, but you have to do it right to be sure you're getting all of the essential nutrients you need.

Following a low-calorie diet isn't difficult if you include lots of nutrient-dense foods. In fact, it's a necessity because there's no room for foods that aren't totally nutritious.

So what do you do? Choose plenty of low-calorie, high fiber fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat protein sources.  Here are two 1,200 calorie-per-day menus to get you started:

1,215 Calorie Menu With No Non-Nutritive Sweeteners

Breakfast

• One cup oatmeal
• One-half cup non-fat milk
• One tablespoon honey

• One-half cup blueberries
• One cup plain coffee or tea as a beverage

Lunch

• Two slices 100-percent whole grain bread, deli sliced turkey breast, tomato slice, lettuce and one tablespoon mustard
• One-half cup sliced carrots
• Water as a beverage

Dinner

• Three ounces baked salmon
• One cup green beans
• Salad with one cup raw spinach, five cherry tomatoes and one-half cup broccoli florets with lemon juice as a dressing
• Water with a slice of lemon as a beverage

Snacks

• One apple with 12 almonds
• Several glasses of water
• One cup non-fat milk
• One-half cup plain yogurt with one tablespoon honey
• One cup strawberries.

Nutrition Information

• Total Calories - 1,215
• Total Fat - 17.7 percent (25 grams)
• Total Protein - 23 percent (72 grams)

• Total Carbohydrates - 59.3 percent (185 grams)
• Sodium - 1,402 milligrams
• Sugar - 107 grams
• Cholesterol - 94 milligrams
• Saturated Fat - 5.0 grams
• Fiber - 28 grams

Example #2

1,218 Calorie Menu With Non-Nutritive Sweeteners

Breakfast

• One cup whole-grain corn cereal
• One packet Sucralose
• One-half cup non-fat milk
• One cup 100-percent orange juice as a beverage

Lunch

• Salad made with two cups field greens, two ounces albacore tuna (packed in water), one-half cup cherry tomatoes with two tablespoons balsamic vinegar as a dressing.
• Diet soda as a beverage

Dinner

• One three-ounce pork chop
• One baked sweet potato
• One cup steamed asparagus
• One tablespoon olive oil
• One small glass of white wine

Snacks

• One small pita bread with two tablespoons hummus
• One pear
• One serving low-fat, sugar-free fruit-flavored yogurt
• One cup blueberries
• Two-thirds cup baby carrots with one ounce fat-free vegetable dip
• Several glasses of water with slices of lemon or lime

Nutrition Information

• Total Calories - 1,218
• Total Fat - 14.6 percent (20 grams)
• Total Protein - 22.6 percent (70 grams)
• Total Carbohydrates - 56.8 percent (176 grams)
• Sodium - 1,615 milligrams
• Sugar - 86 grams
• Cholesterol - 116 milligrams
• Saturated Fat - 5.0 grams
• Fiber - 24 grams

Portion and serving sizes are key to dieting success, so you'll need a good set of measuring cups and measuring spoons, plus a kitchen scale until you get used to estimating your serving sizes.

I created these menus by using Calorie Count, where you can track your calories, find friendship and support with other dieters and even analyze your own recipes. I also have menus for 1,500 calorie per day and 1,700 calorie per day diets.

Please note: before starting a low-calorie diet, you should see your doctor. 

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're 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