Overweight, Take A Look At Your Future

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

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT FUTURE YOU

Why don’t we exercise enough?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Truth

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

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

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

Let’s see how this works

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

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

Two images of Future You…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. 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, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Quitting Sugar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

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

Eating The Right Way To Lose Weight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

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

Choosing Healthy Protein

We know we have to eat protein and for Americans the protein of choice is meat.

Making healthy protein choices is more about the fats that accompany the proteins and the preparation methods than it is about the actual proteins themselves. Look for protein sources that are lower in saturated fats, a little higher in mono and unsaturated fats, and prepared in healthy ways.

Okay, I'm going to spell it out, when you eat protein you're also getting fats and you prepare any meat, you use cooking oil or lard, so I'm not saying that you should stop eating protein, but the kind of protein you eat and the way you prepare meat can increase your risk for heart trouble. Animal fats will clog the arteries that carry blood throughout the body causing bad circulation and that causes heart trouble.

A fish fillet baked with lemon and almonds is an example of a healthy protein choice. Roasting a chicken breast and topping it with salsa would also be another healthy example. Seafood and poultry have different types of fat that are not harmful to the body.

A porterhouse steak is full of protein and tastes delicious, but it is not as healthy as poultry or fish due to all of the saturated fats usually found in red meat.

For most people, it's a good idea to limit red meat consumption to only a couple of meals each month. Processed meats, like lunch meats, are poor sources of protein too, because the fats and ingredients used to make them have been linked to cancer, and some people also worry about hotdogs and brain tumors.

Of course, fish and chicken may not always be healthy. Fried fish sticks or breaded and fried chicken are not good protein choices because this type of cooking adds unhealthy fats and extra calories.

Meats may be cooked on a grill. This method of cooking can be healthy as long as you take care not to char the meat. Use indirect heat and choose cuts of meat lower in fat to prevent charring.

Other healthy protein sources include legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Vegetables and grains also contain some protein. These plant sources contain polyunsaturated fats, some of which are beneficial to your health. You will learn more about the different types of fats in the next two lessons.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

If you need 2,000 calories per day, then about 300 to 400 calories should come from protein.

One gram of protein has four calories, so that means you would need 100 grams of protein each day. One ounce of protein is about 28 grams, so you need about four ounces of protein each day. One cup of diced chicken breast meat has about 45 grams of protein or just less than two ounces. Three ounces of canned tuna has 20 grams of protein or about two-thirds of an ounce of protein.

So how do you turn this into the right number of portions? One serving of meat is usually about three ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards, and has around 20 grams of protein. One cup of low-fat milk has about eight grams of protein. Twelve almonds have about three grams of protein.

Vegetarians and Incomplete Proteins

Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, and incomplete proteins are missing one or more of the individual essential amino acids. Proteins from animal origin contain all of the essential amino acids, but proteins from plant sources do not. This means that a diet based on plant protein requires the right combinations of protein sources to get enough of all of the essential amino acids.

People who regularly eat meat, dairy, and eggs don't need to be concerned with combining proteins since meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products all contain complete proteins. Vegetarians and vegans may choose complementary proteins to get all the essential amino acids.

For example, grains are very low in the essential amino acid lysine, but legumes contain large amounts of lysine, so grains and legumes are considered complementary. When you eat both grains and legumes during the day, you will consume the lysine you need.

Here are some combinations of complementary plant proteins. They don't need to be combined at every meal as long as you get enough of the various proteins each day:

Grains plus legumes. Try black beans and rice.
Nuts and seeds plus legumes. Lentil soup with a serving of almonds on the side.
Corn plus legumes. Try pinto beans in a corn tortilla.
There are lots of possible combinations.

Try whole-grain pasta tossed with peas, almonds, and Low-Fat Vegan Alfredo Sauce.

Whole wheat toast with peanut butter will give you a complete protein.

Bean soup with whole-grain crackers.

Corn tortillas with refried beans and rice.

A vegetarian or vegan diet that includes legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds will supply all of the essential amino acids. Soy protein is a complete protein, and eating soy will provide you with all of the essential amino acids.

If you really want to lose your body fat then 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 $3.99. 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, bn.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. 

Until February 23 Smashwords is running a sale on my ebooks for $.99 this is your chance to pick up a good read very cheap. I one-stop shop for all the information you need to change your diet, lose weight, lose body fat and find out why you’re having trouble.  Use the code CL77K

Use It Or Lose It

It's an old proverb that most of us never paid much attention to. But it's just as true today as ever before. Your body works in real-time and if you're not building muscle your losing muscle. Your body is continually changing. You build the muscles you use and you lose muscle that you're not using.

This is the main reason you need to work out. Did you ever wonder why most people have lower back problems? I had lower back pain for years. Then I start to exercise to build strength in my core. I did sit-ups, and yoga and now no more backaches. I lost my belly and love-handles and no more pain. Even now I'm a senior, I can play ball with my grandsons, ride my bike and even jog. Exercising will give you your life back. I do some exercise every day. I can't start my day without some exercise. I'll exercise about an hour 3 times a week with lite days in-between. You have to give your muscles 48 hours or so to recover from a hard workout. The other day I do more yoga to stay limber, maybe 20 minutes in the morning while I watch the morning show.

I learned most of this on the internet. There's so much free information I can change my routine every week. As long as you workout with the same intensity, it doesn't matter what you do. Some days I swim, some days I ride a bike, some days I lift weights and some days I do yoga. If you change your routine you actually get better results.

Don't forget to eat better foods and never eat a lot at one time. I nibble all day long, and never eat a regular meal, and I'm never hungry. If I eat a regular meal I get sluggish and tired. I stopped doing that and now I'm more active. I'm back in size 34 pants after about 40 years, I weigh the same as I did in High School and I feel like I'm 35 again.

I'm never going back to that overweight guy who didn't know how to eat real food, snacked every night after dinner, stayed up too late, and never wanted to get out of bed.  After I lost that body fat I was a different people and I like this guy.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. 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, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

 

Don't Diet, Just Eat The Right Way

Dieting can cause you to starve your body and bring on or force you to binge. 

If you have binge eating disorder or think you might, you can learn how to form a positive relationship with food -- and that can help you stop overeating. A positive relationship means eating for the right reasons. 

Think about food as a source of nutrition and energy instead of something to relieve stress or to be avoided. It may seem hard at first, but you can change the way you feel as you improve your eating habits.

Don't Diet

Bingeing might have made you gain weight, as it does for a lot of people, but trying to cut calories or not eating certain kinds of foods can trigger overeating, and that can make it harder for you to recover from the disorder. It can lead to a cycle of dieting and bingeing that’s hard to break.

If you want to lose weight, talk to your doctor about when and how to do it. You want to make sure it doesn’t affect your recovery. With proper help, many people lose weight after they stop bingeing.

Make Regular Meals a Habit

Don’t skip meals. Being very hungry can make you more likely to overeat. It also ups the odds you’ll choose foods that are high in fat and sugar, which can trigger a binge.

It’s important to eat breakfast every day, too. A morning meal can help curb hunger all day long.

Choose healthy foods for meals and snacks. You’ll get nutrients that your body needs. You might also feel fewer cravings for unhealthy foods that make you want to overeat. 

Healthy choices include fruits, vegetables, and protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken breast, salmon, and Greek yogurt. You want to eat fresh foods and eat clean, meaning foods without additives or chemicals. Meats without hormones, fruits, and vegetables that haven't been sprayed with pesticides. 

We are in the habit of only eating when we feel like it. That's the problem, we are causing our own weight problems by not eating properly. We have to eat what our bodies need for energy and nutrition. If you're not doing that over time you will cause your health problems by not eating the right foods. Eating the wrong foods will only cause you to gain weight, be sick more often and miss more time from work. You will be spending more time in the Doctor's office and in general have more health problems. 

Ask yourself why more people over 55 aren't working? Is it because they don't want to? Or is it because employers aren't interested in hiring people who are not very productive.  It's a fact that overweight people have more health problems and miss more time from work. Studies show that the more calories you eat the shorter your life. The more body fat you have the shorter your life. You can be a little overweight and still be healthy, live a long healthy life. Just eat fresh, eat good healthy foods and don't over-eat. 

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. 

Slim For Life; Strategies For Losing Fat And Keeping It Off

Trying yet again to lose those last 10 pounds? We hear you. In fact, 50 percent of women say that within six months they gain back any weight they've managed to ditch. And more than a quarter have dieted so many times they've lost track of the number. Well, get ready to stop the endless yo-yoing: Science has finally come up with simple, groundbreaking solutions for lasting weight loss. We checked in with the top experts in the field and scoured the latest research to bring you the skinny on everything you need to reach your slim-down goals and stay there.

Make your fat burn fat.

Seriously: Your flab can help you shed pounds. How? Just as there's more than one kind of fat in food, there's more than one type in your body. White fat is the bad stuff you want to zap. But a second kind, brown fat, actually torches calories. "Up to 80 percent of adults have brown fat deposits in their bodies," says Aaron M. Cypess, MD, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School. This good fat is powerful because it's packed with mitochondria, the parts of cells that generate heat. When activated, as little as two ounces of brown fat can gobble up as much as 20 percent of your body's calories.

Exercise is one of the best ways to get your brown fat in gear. In a study, scientists at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute discovered that working out releases a hormone called irisin, which converts white fat to brown. Exercise for a half-hour at least five days a week to turn up the burn.

You might be asking yourself; "I do that now, why can't I burn fat." There are a couple different reasons; the most common one is "your diet". When I was exercising to lose fat, I had to go on a low-fat diet. Very low-fat, that way my body was forced into burning body fat instead of the food in every meal. But at the same time, I had to cut my carbs.

Your body has to burn protein, carbs, and fat every day, but it will only burn about 30% fat. If you're eating the wrong foods, your body only has to burn the food your eating and not any of the excesses you have stored.

The second reason can be the exercises your doing. Different exercises affect everyone differently. If you are not getting the results you're looking for, you might want to change or vary the exercise program. You can get some help with that from my ebooks or the internet. You can't do the same exercise time after time and expect results. Your body will get used to that exercise and the results will diminish. Vary the exercise so you work different muscles. For instance do legs Monday, Thursday. Do Abs Tuesday, and Friday, Do upper body on Wednesday and Saturday. Rest on Sunday.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. 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, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.