How To Lose Weight

This is from an article on MedicineNet.com, a great website to find answers to health problems. This is a long article that I’ll break up into 4 parts. Read on, I hope it helps you solve your weight loss problems.

The most effective method for weight loss is reducing the number of calories you consume while increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. To lose 1 pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3,500 calories. You can achieve this either by cutting back on your food intake, increasing physical activity, or ideally, by doing both.

For example, if you consume 500 extra calories per day for one week without changing your activity level, you will gain 1 pound in weight (seven days multiplied by 500 calories equals 3,500 calories or the number of calories resulting in a 1-pound weight gain). Likewise, if you eat 500 fewer calories each day for a week or burn 500 calories per day through exercise for one week, you will lose 1 pound.

Examples of the calorie content of some popular foods and beverages include the following:

One slice of original-style crust pepperoni pizza – 230 calories
One glass of dry white wine – 160 calories
One can of cola – 150 calories
One quarter-pound hamburger with cheese – 500 calories
One jumbo banana nut muffin – 580 calories
Any activities you do throughout the day are added to your BMR (basal metabolic rate) to determine the total number of calories you burn each day. For example, a 170-pound person who spends 45 minutes walking briskly will burn about 300 calories. The same time spent on housecleaning burns about 200 calories, and mowing the lawn for 45 minutes consumes around 275 calories.
How fast should you expect to lose weight?

Most experts agree that a safe, healthy rate of weight loss is one to 1 to 1½ pounds per week. Modification of eating habits along with regular exercise is the most effective way to lose weight over the long term. It is also the ideal way to ensure that the weight stays off.

Starvation diets may result in rapid weight loss, but this type of weight loss can be unsafe and is almost impossible to maintain for most people. When food intake is severely restricted (below approximately 1,200 calories per day), the body begins to adapt to this state of poor nutrition by reducing its metabolic rate, potentially making it even more difficult to lose weight. In plain English, if your body thinks you’re starving it will quit burning calories. Not completely stop, but slow down so much that you’re not going to lose any weight. It is also possible to experience hunger pangs, bouts of hypoglycemia, headaches, and mood changes from overly stringent dieting. These symptoms can result in binge eating and weight gain. Since a highly restrictive diet is almost impossible to maintain for a long time, people who attempt to starve themselves thin often start to gain weight again when they stop dieting and resume their former eating habits. So simply you have to continually eat just in small amounts. Your body has to know there’s another meal coming soon. This method also avoids cravings.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search "howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight".

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, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

The Best Way To Lose Weight

 Most people don’t change their habits until they have to. And that includes eating habits. Changing your eating habits will change your life. It’s not that hard. Most important is to change your portions. If everyone kept a journal of everything they eat all day long and keep the journal for one month, I think you’d be shocked how much you consume every day.

You don’t have to fill up when you eat. The idea that you only eat twice or three times a day is obsolete. When you only eat twice a day, your body gets use to it. Your body expects you to fill up so you can get to the next meal, the problem is that you don’t burn up all that food and then your body stores the excess. After a few weeks of storing the excess you’ve put on some weight.

Start early with breakfast shortly after you wake up. You have to start your metabolism every morning with food. The earlier you eat in the morning the more calories you’ll burn that day. Nothing big, but something like yogurt or a bowl of cereal, whole wheat toast and coffee or better juice, approx. 300 calories. Now if you eat lunch at 12:00 or so, you’ll need something about 9:30, maybe fruit or yogurt, approx. 200 calories. Actually lunch should be a big meal, bigger than dinner. This depends on your job. For active people, with a job that keeps you moving a big lunch might fit your lifestyle; remember to eat healthy, approx. 500 calories. This gives you all afternoon to work it off. If you need something in the afternoon to make it to dinner, I usually eat something about 4, approx.200 calories. I might have more fruit, but some people will eat something more substantial like half a sandwich. The important thing is not to eat snack food or candy or any junk food. That’s were dieters make a mistake. They eat small meals or skip meals to lose weight, then they have to snack and they eat the wrong think. Men should have no more than 1800 calories a day, women about 1500 calories. Remember to count all that you eat and drink. Often drinks will amount to more calories then the food you eat.

The kind of food we eat can also be your problem. O.K., your cutting back on sweets and cutting back on portions but your always hungry and you don’t have any energy. Your workouts are exhausting. Now what? Well, don’t quit. Your problem is the food your eating.

When you cut back on the amount of food you eat your cutting back on your nutritional intake and the way to solve that is to change the food your eating. Green vegetables have very little calories and lots of nutrition. You need to eat protein but try and get most of your protein from plants. Animal protein should be eaten only about once a week. Fish is good protein, poultry is not really animal protein, eggs are not animal protein. Red meat is animal protein, pork is animal protein.

Anyone who cuts back on food to lose weight and then goes back to their regular diet will gain back the weight. Going back to your regular diet means returning to that portion size that originally put the weight on. Yes, it is about what you eat, but almost more important is how much you eat. You really don’t burn that many calories when you workout. You can’t burn off a lunch with a 60 minute power walk. Small portions are the way to cut your food intake, which cuts the calorie intake. If you really want to lose weight permanently than change what you eat, change your portions and get out of that three meal a day habit. I think six small meals a day make more sense, remember to count calories.

When I was looking for a diet plan that was going to work for me, I found the Mediterranean diet. I like this plan immediately.

What is the Mediterranean diet?
I know you’ve heard of the Mediterranean diet, anyone who’s been dieting know about this one. Except, must of us who decide to go on a diet look for quick results. This isn’t that kind of diet, this is more of a lifestyle of correct eating. By following the guide they outline over time excess fat will disappear and you will become a healthier person. Read the following and then do your own research.

The Mediterranean Diet has been around for thousands of years in the Mediterranean region where the focus is on naturally abundant, heart healthy foods. It has become more popular in recent years because the long terms benefits have been proven repeatedly by studies and because it is relatively simple to follow. It groups foods based on the frequency you should eat them to emphasize their benefits and minimize risk factors. How beneficial is this diet? Just recently the New England Journal of Medicine released a study that, among other things, cited a 30% lower chance of heart disease for people following this diet plan than those who did not. Many of the foods focused on in the diet don’t just prevent heart disease but also lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and the occurrence of cancer.

DAILY
Foods consumed daily include fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, potatoes, couscous, quinoa, and whole grains like bread, pasta, and rice. Cheese and yogurt are also recommended but only in the low fat form. Olive oil is the preferred added fat as it’s plant source means it’s low in saturated fat. Another daily recommendation? Physical activity!

WEEKLY
With a solid base of daily foods serving as the foundation of your nutrition, the weekly foods are also very good for you and make excellent sources of healthy fats. This includes fish, poultry, eggs, and sweets. These foods are high in protein and many other minerals while the limited inclusion of sweets/refined sugars allows you to indulge in moderation to satisfy other cravings. Remember the key is moderation.

MONTHLY
The monthly food in the Mediterranean diet is red meat. It’s impossible to deny the benefits of red meat as a valuable source of protein and iron but it is also high in saturated fats. Eating red meat sparingly allows for variety in the diet and still takes advantage of other benefits.

HOW IT APPLIES TO ATHLETES
The Mediterranean diet is fairly well balanced and has a great emphasis on natural, unprocessed foods that are high in vitamins and minerals but also low in unsaturated fats. It should be noted that this diet was not designed for athletes or weight loss but rather an overall healthy lifestyle. That said, it’s easy to balance the athlete’s needs for carbs and proteins with the daily and weekly rotation of foods if you pay attention to what you’re putting in your body.

BOTTOM LINE
The Mediterranean diet has been around for a long time and unlike many fad diets, it’s focus on a long term healthy lifestyle and daily exercise make it a legitimate routine that will pay off over and over. It’s not ideal for vegetarians or people with a gluten-sensitivity or lactose intolerance but it does work, and work very well, for many other people. The important thing to remember is to stick with one diet during your training camp and avoid changing or experimenting with your routine until it’s over. After that, give it a shot and see if it works for you. Search on the internet “Mediterranean Diet” and you’ll find a wealth of information and a chart that looks like a food pyramid. Follow the chart, it gives you lots of choices.

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. 

Is Your Job Killing Your Diet?

 You decided to lose weight and your partner is helping you at home, but when you’re at work you just can’t stick to the food plan. The temptations are too great. 

It’s one thing to stick to your diet in the comfort of your own home: You’ve stocked up on cut veggies and fat-free Greek yogurt, and the only person who sees you write in your food journal is your partner, who’s pretty nonjudgmental about the whole thing. But dieting at the office – with the endless supply of home-baked goods in the communal kitchen and the frequent fast-food lunch breaks – is another thing altogether. 

There's an advantage to working from home, but there's also a disadvantage, your too close to the kitchen. You might thing it's easy to find a job working from home so you can eat nothing but nutritious foods, but people who do work from home are generally well-trained in a specific field, or there in Management jobs, or their selling something. In reality, more then  half the American workforce has to travel to work, commute to their job. They might work in retail, warehouses, factories, construction, public service jobs, etc. We can't all work from home. 

I wish I could tell you to keep up the good work at home and let your guard down when you’re at the office, but because you’re probably spending half of your waking hours at work, that’s not going to fly. Outsmart the whole scenario by doing the following:

Eat Breakfast, Seriously

Everyone from your kindergarten teacher to your know-it-all best friend has extolled the virtues of eating breakfast. Studies have shown that if you eat breakfast, you’re likely to consume fewer calories overall throughout the day. Plus, eating in the morning can jumpstart your metabolism so you start burning calories.

Bring Your Lunch

This isn’t exactly rocket science, but the BEST thing you can do to follow your diet at work is to bring a bagged lunch. If there’s anything that derails a diet, it’s feeling that fierce mid-day hunger and not having healthy food handy. Then it’s “hello vending machine!”

The beauty of brown-bagging is twofold:

Packing your own lunch puts you in complete control of your afternoon meal.
A healthy balanced meal will keep you from feeling snackie an hour later.

If You Have to Go Out for Lunch

I get it – you’ve been cooped up in the office all day or you feel the need to socialize with your coworkers or you’ve been bringing sandwiches from home all week and you can’t stand eating another meal at your desk.

There’s nothing wrong with supporting your local lunch economy every now and then. And there are some surprisingly smart options at major fast food chains.

Pack Snacks

Not only will packing your own snacks help keep your hunger at bay, but it’ll give you something to munch on when you’re summoning all your willpower to avoid that birthday cake in the break room. And make sure to pack a few craving busters for the tempting foods you encounter at the office. Those pastries will look a lot less inviting when you’ve got a dessert-flavored snack bar ready.

For snacks, I like nuts like almonds or walnuts, home-made yogurt cups with Greek yogurt and any type of berries, apples etc. Pick healthy snacks and now you can buy healthy snack bars at the grocery stores. Google “snack bars” and look for the low-cal ones. Most of the healthy snacks like fruit or nuts don’t have to be refrigerated so you can keep them in your desk. Be careful of any manufactured snack bars, they can be full of carbs or sugar.

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. 

Our Weight Problem

The history of humans can tell us that the excess fat we carry around is created by modern man. Humans have had this type of weight problem since the Greeks ruled the Mediterranean, before the Roman Empire. 3000 years ago it was only the very affluent, the politicians, the ruling class that didn't do any physical labor and had all the privileges of politicians today.   In ancient times it was only the ruling class that were treated like royalty. Those are the ones who could eat all they wanted and usually gained too much weight. This was the beginning of the modern society we have today. You might be surprised how similar life was for those in the ruling class.

Today we have more people in the upper-middle and upper class that do about as much work as those rulers and statesmen in the Roman Empire. You should know that your body doesn't know the difference between you sitting and talking, sitting and working on the computer, or just sitting and watching TV. 

Homo sapiens emerged around 300,000 years ago, evolving from Homo heidelbergensis and migrating out of Africa, gradually replacing local populations of archaic humans. For most of history, all humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers. The Neolithic Revolution, which began in Southwest Asia around 13,000 years ago, saw the emergence of agriculture and permanent human settlement. As populations became larger and denser, forms of governance developed within and between communities, and a number of civilizations have risen and fallen. Humans have continued to expand, with a global population of over 7.9 billion in July 2021.

Above is a small paragraph from world history that explains a lot. All those centuries that humans were nomadic they behaved similarly to animals, spending the day light hours hunting and gathering and the nighttime sheltering in place until the sun came up. It wasn't until about 13000 B.C. that humans states to put down roots. In Southeast Asia, humans began to grow their food and build communities. This was what I think might have been the beginning of a civilization more like we have today. Humans that chose to live in a community, grow their food and learn to fish.

Those early farmers had a good diet, healthy food to eat, and would have lived a healthy life and maybe they did until the population grew to an unmanageable level. Remember those early settlers knew nothing about disease, nothing about hygiene, and therefore not many people lived to old age. Humans learned the hard way that you can't use rivers and streams for a toilet. Europe learned that lesson in the middle ages when 100's of thousands of people died of the "Black Plague". 

The continuous growth of the human population has caused most of our problems because we have failed to know how to deal with this ever-growing number of people and the problems that it presents.

So, what does this have to do with my weight, you might ask. The world's weight problem and it is a worldwide problem is simply caused by the lack of physical work that most of us don't have to do and the lack of education. We are not taught to eat properly. We don't understand the importance of putting good nutritional food into our body to fuel the energy our body needs. We eat this manufactured food that adds weight.

I saw a talk show today. A woman was explaining what happened to her last week at the doctor's office. After a long stay at home because of the virus, this woman hadn't been to see the doctor in almost two years. The doctor checked her blood pressure and said abruptly your blood pressure is over 300, what happened? She replied that covid happened. Because we were shut-in day after day I started to buy ice cream and every night after dinner we had a bowl of ice cream watching TV. I knew I was gaining weight but I thought it would only be temporary so I shrugged it off. After a year of eating ice cream every night, know I have a problem, a big problem.

I have read in many sources that you can't exercise away a bad diet. Your fat won't disappear because you go to the gym. One hour of exercise might burn 300 calories if you're running or biking like a pro, but the average person at the gym doesn't workout for one hour and usually on average only burns 100 to 150 if they are lucky.

 You can lose body fat by changing your lifestyle and sticking to it. For example:

this food pyramid gives you everything you need for a healthy diet. Everything in the bottom section you can eat every day, everything in middle is foods you can only eat one time a week, and on top is red meat that should only be eaten once a month. Water is important to cleanse your system and red wine in moderation is good for your blood. Walking an extra one hour a day more is all the exercise you need.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search "howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight".

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, 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.

When You Want To Lose Weight Fast

Working on weight loss? Then you probably want results — fast.

Let me save you some time: skip the fad diets. Their results don’t last. And you have healthier options you can start on — today!

You can safely lose 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise, says weight loss counselor Katherine Tallmadge, RD.

I will warn you that this might not work for everyone. And I’ll add that if your under a doctor's care consult them first before changing your diet or doing lots of exercise.

How to Lose Weight Fast

If you burn 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds

If you want to lose weight faster, you’ll need to eat less and exercise more.

For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds. It’s very important not to cut calories any further — that’s dangerous.

Limiting salt and starches may also mean losing more weight at first — but that’s mostly fluids, not fat.

“When you reduce sodium and cut starches, you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you get started,” says Michael Dansinger, MD, of NBC’s The Biggest Loser show.

Diets for Fast Weight Loss

Dansinger recommends eating a diet that minimizes starches, added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods. For rapid weight loss, he recommends focusing on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.

Here are more tips from Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet :

Eat vegetables to help you feel full.
Drink plenty of water.
Get tempting foods out of your home.
Stay busy — you don’t want to eat just because you’re bored.
Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the ‘fridge.
Don’t skip meals.
Keeping a food journal — writing down everything you eat — can also help you stay on track.

“Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss,” says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, author of "Read It Before You Eat It".

Besides jotting down what you ate, and when, you might also want to note how you were feeling right before you ate it. Were you angry, sad, or bored? We often focus so much on foods and calories, but our emotions are a huge part of our eating habits.

If you see a persistent pattern in your emotional eating, please consider talking to a counselor about it. They can be a big help in finding other ways to handle your feelings.

You have to take weight loss seriously if you’re going to make it work for you.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone.

I write about weight loss and diets and how to lose fat. I have two sites on blogger:

idropped40pounds.blogspot.com and howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com

Thank You for stopping by and remember to sign up for emails and every time I post you'll get it sent to your inbox.

I also write ebooks and you can find my latest in any of the online bookstores.

Big Diet Mistakes

Gut-Busting Diet Mistakes

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD
You’re working to slim down, but your belly hasn’t budged much yet. This post will explain the mistakes you could be making.

Shifting these habits could make all the difference. Losing the extra belly fat can lower your odds of getting heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.

You may be confident that you can make up for it in the gym but think twice.

“There’s a myth about the role of exercise in weight loss,” says Brett White, MD, a family medicine physician in Newport Beach, CA. “Exercise is critical for [heart] health. But realistically, losing weight starts with what we put in our mouths.”

San Francisco-based nutritionist Manuel Villacorta, RD, founder of the weight management website EatingFree.com, sees many men in their 40s and older who have discovered the shortcomings of exercise in their weight loss efforts.

“It’s what worked before,” Villacorta says, “but now they’re finding that it doesn’t have the same effect.”

Of course, you need to be active to lose weight and keep it off. Just don’t count on exercise alone to cover your calories — especially when you’re packing away too much too often.

2. Not Planning Your Meals — or Skipping Them Altogether

It’s not just about what you eat. When you eat also matters.

Eating on the run or at odd hours, you may be throwing off the brain signals that tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re satisfied. And that might lead to eating more than you should.

Skipping meals to slim down is also a bad idea.

When you put off eating, your metabolism slows down, and your body begins to store fat. “Anything that affects the metabolic rate will contribute to fat buildup,” Villacorta says. The bulk of that fat, he adds, gets stored in your midsection.

Your metabolism slows naturally as you age, Villacorta says, but you can keep it as active as possible by eating regularly. That means breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with healthy snacks in between.

Bonus: You’re less likely to overdo it at your next meal if you don’t let yourself get too hungry in the first place. “Excessive hunger is often followed by gorging,” White says.

3. Downing Man-Sized Meals

Controlling portion size is key to controlling the size of your gut.

Your three meals, Villacorta says, should be no more than 700 calories each. A cup of steel-cut oats with a cup of blueberries and a tablespoon of walnuts makes a great power breakfast.

Lunch and dinner should be 4 to 5 ounces of lean meat or omega-3-rich fish, such as salmon, for protein, with veggies and whole grain, like quinoa or brown rice. If you’re a vegetarian, make sure to include a plant-based source of lean protein in each meal.

For your midmorning and midafternoon snacks, skip the chips and cookies. Instead, eat an apple and a cup of nonfat Greek yogurt.

In White’s experience, the healthier the food you eat, the more you can allow yourself.

“People think that dieting means eating less; they envision hunger,” he says. “But if you move from steak and potatoes to fruits and vegetables, you can actually eat more.”

If you eat processed foods, check the label. They may be higher in fat and sugar than you think.

4. Eating Because You’re Stressed

When you’re feeling anxious, you’re more likely to turn to sweet, fatty foods like candy and cookies.

So if you want to flatten your belly, you have to take steps to control your stress levels.

For his own stress, Villacorta follows his therapist’s recommendation and does some simple relaxation exercises. Twice a day, he spends a few minutes taking deep breaths.

“I started doing that, and it was amazing,” he says. “Stress is going to be there,” Villacorta says, “but you can still learn to be healthy.”

5. Overlooking Liquid Calories

Do you know how many calories are in that drink?

Check the label. Or have a glass of water or tea. And if you drink milk, opt for skim or low-fat. You’re still getting the calcium and vitamin D you need, but without the added calories.

Also, take it easy with alcohol. It’s got calories; and when you drink and loosen up, you may eat more than you would if you were sober.

Calories from liquids may account for half of a person’s daily calorie intake.

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. 

 

Eat The Right Foods To Lose Weight

Nutrition and weight loss go hand-in-hand, and it pretty much comes down to chemistry and math. Intake too much energy (calories), weight is gained while creating a caloric deficit stimulates weight loss. Everyone seems to be on the search for something quick and easy. Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCDs) are popular but disregard possible health risks. Seems like a risky high-dollar cost to shed unwanted pounds. I am a believer in eating “real” quality food to maintain a fit physique and at a cost-saving. To start a healthy weight loss journey, review what you’re eating now in order to make changes promoting healthy weight loss which is no more than one to three pounds per week.

Time for a Lifestyle Change
Losing weight is a pretty straightforward process. It will require a nutrition lifestyle change together with regular exercise for the best overall results. Quality healthy food choices are important. If you’re eating processed foods, dining out, drinking alcohol and soda regularly, an immediate revision to those choices will need to happen. Start by keeping a food journal, write down what you’re eating, and cut out unhealthy meals. Studies show people who maintain a consistent food journal have the best weight loss success. The journal allows for accountability. You will learn and be able to repeat personal best weight loss weeks simply by reviewing what has been recorded. A Food Journal is your way to find out why you are not losing weight. If you eat the right foods to lose weight, the weight will come off. If you’re only on a part-time diet and still eating the same foods you did before only in smaller amounts you probably won’t see any results.

The Right Foods and Right Portions
Eating healthy should be enjoyable, taste fabulous, and never be a burden. Essential nutrients for weight loss include lean proteins, fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Understanding portion size is what can fit in the palm of your hand further simplifies eating healthy without 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, 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

Fortunately, there is a wide variety of healthy foods to satisfy the pickiest eater for weight loss and an overall healthy lifestyle. Check out the examples of healthy foods below which can also be used as a ready-made grocery list:

Best Proteins

Lean Proteins ( You’ll notice no red meat on the list)

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/blueberries)

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

Olive

Extra virgin olive oil

Wild salmon (fresh, frozen, and canned)

Ground flaxseeds

Flaxseed oil

Walnuts

Herring

Sardines

Sablefish

Anchovies

Farmed oysters 

You don't have to eat everything from all three categories, but pick foods from all categories and eat them every day. 

Healthy Eating

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. Using the palm as your portion size, and eating every two to three hours is a great beginning to reaching your goal weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

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.