Weight Loss For Men: Best Practices

“A hugely important thing to remember is that there are no weight-loss ‘secrets’,” says Alan Aragon, M.S. and weight-loss coach for Men’s Health.

Studies show that men and women respond to weight loss very differently, in that they’re motivated by different things and enjoy different types of exercise.

Men enjoy physical activity, while women tend to focus their efforts on diets. Men usually don’t respond well to strict diets, but that’s okay - studies also show that gradual changes over time are often more effective than extreme diets because people are more likely to stick to them.

The Food

So what are the best foods for weight loss? Simple: the foods that are real and filling. Real foods are minimally processed and include plants. That doesn’t mean steak is bad for you; it just means salad is better, so make that the focus of your meal. A program like Nuval can help you determine the best foods for you.

Filling foods usually include protein. Protein will keep you full (to prevent overeating) and help build lean muscle. Starches, on the other hand, will quickly spike your blood sugar and then leave you with a slow-moving, lazy, hungry feeling.

The Exercise

“But you said men like to focus on exercise.” That’s true - so what are the best exercises for weight loss? According to Men’s Fitness, the only way to lose a gut is to build muscle, and the only way to build muscle is to lift. They have videos to show you for legs, chest, back, shoulders, and arms.

However, losing your gut and burning fat are not really the same thing. To burn fat, you need to focus on cardio, so Men’s Fitness suggests HIIT (high intensity interval training) where you go between the two.

There’s also some question about the best weight loss supplement. Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill to help the pounds melt off. A College of New Jersey study with collegiate football players studied beta-alanine, and a study in the UK followed athletes and caffeine. Taking both into account, Men’s Fitness suggests 200 mg of caffeine before your workout 2 grams of beta-alanine, both in the morning and following a workout.

Written by: Joanna Hynes

Weight Loss For Women: Best Practices

Many people want to know how to lose weight fast for women, but studies show that women who lose weight gradually instead of quickly are more likely to keep the weight off. Think about a crash diet: if you’re incredibly (and I mean incredibly) disciplined, you can eat like a bird long enough to lose weight quickly, but that’s not a sustainable lifestyle. Eventually you’ll go back to your regular routine, and after the shock you put your body through, it’s actually more likely that your body will latch onto those extra calories.

However, if you slowly cut out one unhealthy item a week (for example, avoid soda week one, then starches week two, and so on and so forth), it’s a lot easier to manage. Plus, when you’re focusing on avoiding starches, you’ll realize you don’t even miss the soda.

Studies also show that you begin to see health benefits after losing just 5-10% of your body weight. That’s only 10 pounds if you’re 200 pounds. So, celebrate the small victories too! You shouldn’t aim to cut your width in half. Focus on the health benefits - how you feel.

Determine Your BMI

Try to not get caught up with numbers on a scale, because muscle actually weighs more than fat. So two people may weigh the same, but one may be slimmer, healthier, and more active.

Your body mass index (BMI) is a popular way to gauge your weight because it calculates your mass instead of your weight - two different things. You can find the formula below:

(Weight in Pounds x 703) / (Height in Inches) / (Height in Inches) = BMI

For example, if someone weighed 200 pounds and stood at 5’5’’ (65 inches), the formula would be:

(200 x 703) / 65 / 65 = 33.28

Generally speaking, BMIs of:

●      12-18 are underweight

●      19-24 are healthy

●      25-30 are overweight

●      30-39 are obese

●      40+ are dangerously obese

Your Diet

The best way to lose weight is in the kitchen and not on the track, just so you know. Some tips and tricks for keeping your diet in control are:

1.     Limit your portions. You don’t have to cut out everything you love. In fact, you’re more likely to give up on the diet all together if you do. If you love pasta, make sure you only have a cup of it on the side instead of an entire dinner.

2.     Avoid Hunger. Keep yourself of a schedule of healthy foods and snacks throughout the day. You’re less likely to binge on something bad if you never allow yourself to starve. Plus, if you eat small meals often instead of two or three large meals, your metabolism has more time to break everything down in a healthy way.

3.     Drink water. Studies show that at least drinking one glass of water before each meal helps you to not overindulge, but you should be drinking half your body weight (in ounces) in water each day. That means someone who is 200 pounds should drink 100 ounces of water a day. Plus, many times you think you’re hungry, you’re actually just thirsty.

4.     Eat slowly. It can take your stomach up to 20 minutes to tell your brain it’s full, so the faster you eat, the more unnecessary calories you’re taking in.

5.     Plan your meals. You’re less likely to swing through a drive-thru if you know you have a chicken defrosting at home or produce that will go bad. Also, you spend all day at work knowing that you’re going to cook when you get home, it’s usually more fun than when you get home, hungry, and have to figure something out with what you have.

Exercise

It’s no secret that one of the best exercises to lose weight is cardio - walking, jogging, running, hiking, biking. Exercise works similarly to diet, however, in that you need to start slow. If you haven’t gone for a run in months, don’t set out to do 3 miles - you’ll end up tired, in pain, and disappointed in yourself.

Also, don’t set out to do it every day, just most days. Four out of seven days a week is a great goal. It’s just about every other day, and you’re exercising more often than not. Many people will focus on cardio to lose weight, and then once they’re at their desired weight or silhouette, they’ll focus on strength training to tone.

Invest in yourself. Get a pedometer to keep track. Get some cute workout clothes to motivate you. Make the trip to the beautiful hiking spot you heard about. It will start to feel less like work and more like “me time” if you do things you enjoy.

Written by: Joanna Hynes

Motivation to Lose: The Science Behind Obesity In America

Obesity causes many health and emotional issues that adults and children in the US face daily. Over 78 million adults and 13 million children suffer from this medical issue. There are many causes behind the problem such as poor diet, genetics, stress, lack of exercise, computers and TV, illness, and heredity are factors that contribute to obesity in America.

Research Says...

There are many weight loss programs that can help with the problem. Many stress healthy eating and exercise. Sometimes medications, behavior modification, and surgery are needed to solve the problem of obesity. Research studies have linked good nutrition and exercise as a way to control weight. 

Genetic research has found genes that increase the risk of obesity in families. The gene affects how the body burns and stores fat and is present in about 10% of the population. This boosts the risk in about 30-50% of the population. The study of these genes should lead to medications that can help control obesity. 

Research takes place in the laboratory and scientists are trying to create safe medications that help people lose weight. Many studies have shown that motivation to lose weight is best when combined with diet, exercise, and medications. Weight loss surgery for some patients is more effective than making lifestyle changes due to their inability to lose weight easily. Many volunteers in research studies conducted by scientists, researchers, and medical staff helps with learning more about obesity.

Physician Supervised Weight Loss Programs

These programs provide a weight loss program in a clinical setting. Many have physicians, nurses, registered dietitians, exercise programs, and psychiatrists. Most focus on diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy. Costs vary and some programs are covered by insurance. Often a doctor or physician’s assistant will evaluate the patient’s condition with medical exam and tests. The treatments may include behavior modification, meal replacement therapy, exercise and medications.

Behavior modification involves a diet and exercise program. They will help you design an effective menu and even provide a food log or applications that help you keep track of calories. Different facilities may help you find the right exercise or provide classes and workout facilities. You might be able to exercise on your own by walking, swimming, biking, joining a gym, and jogging.

A supervised program helps those that are seriously overweight maintain the motivation to lose weight. They provide different options on how to lose weight and keep it off. Some provide meal replacement plans that utilize shakes and products to help patients lose weight and later plan meals. They help patients plan meals, get counseling, and exercise in a supervised environment.

Weight Loss Medications

Sometimes diet and exercise are not enough for extreme weight loss. The doctor may prescribe medication along with diet and exercise. There are several medications on the market that are approved by the FDA. They are Apipex-P, Xenical, HCI,  Saxenda, and Qsymia. Most work on reducing the appetite or craving for food. These medications have side effects so supervision of a doctor is extremely important. Orlistat is a drug that is available over the counter. It is available at higher doses with a prescription. It decreases the amount of fat your body absorbs. Before taking any medications check with your doctor and get a physical exam.

Another medication commonly taken is Liraglutide. It is an injection that controls the blood sugar in the body. Patients that have taken the drug for over a year lost about 5 to 10% of their body weight. It is available as a prescription medication.

Weight Loss Surgery for Obesity

Sometimes it is hard to achieve a healthy weight with diet, exercise and medication. Weight loss surgery is an option to lower weight and risk with medical conditions. Often surgery limits the amount of food the stomach will hold and reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs when eating. There are four common weight loss surgeries which are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch.

Most of the surgeries use a device to make the stomach smaller and in some cases the stomach is removed and decreased in size. The surgeries restrict the amount of food your stomach holds so you will feel full sooner. One other treatment method is called a Maestro Recharable System that works like a pacemaker delivering electric impulses between stomach vagus nerves and the brain. This nerve tell the stomach when it’s full. The device must be charged once a week.

The science behind obesity and weight loss is that one method does not fit all. Due to the many factors that cause obesity different patients will need different methods to succeed at weight loss. There are many methods to help those that are obese lose weight with the help of a qualified doctor and medical facility. 

By Joan Russell

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Weight loss’s Best Friend or Not?

Some people think Apple Cider is simply a drink that cannot yield weight loss results, while others believe it is a magic potion sent straight from the Chronicles of Narnia to magically make us lose our tedious weight. Well, who is right? Let’s lay out a few beneficial facts, and you can decide.

Is Apple Cider Safe? 

If you drink apple cider straight from the bottle, it can be harmful according to Lisa Cimperman, a clinical dietician at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. She also points out that drinking apple cider vinegar as a way to fight diabetes and weight loss is what a lot of people attempt to pursue, but she states that there has been no research completed that backs up the claim that apple cider ensures weight loss or ensures a lower risk of diabetes.

Cimperman goes further to say that apple cider may even help make one’s health worse because a lot of consumers are under the impression that if they consume more apple cider vinegar they may lose weight. However, Cimperman says when you consume too much apple cider, especially in tablet form, there have been reports of some people burning their esophagus because it is highly acidic.

What are the benefits of Apple Cider?

However, do not be too frightened of Cimperman’s assessment because there have been many reports of apple cider being a wonderful agent in the pursuit of weight loss. The vinegar in Apple Cider can improve heart health and the malic acid will cleanse lymph nodes, clogged arteries and organ tissues. It’s also been said to improve sleep quality, energy levels, and reinforce the immune system.

How long does it take to lose weight?

However, it’s important to know that taking ACV will not allow you to lose weight fast. ACV has the antioxidant beta-carotene, which aids in the break down and elimination of any unwanted fat from your body, but this process takes time in your overall weight loss and will help you in the long run. There has been new research completed in the Journal of Functional Foods that says that people who drank a tablespoon of ACV mixed with 8 ounces of water before eating had lower blood glucose levels.

Consult a Doctor to determine if ACV is a Good Alternative.

Typically, if you take the recommended amount of ACV, it is said to help you lose weight more around the time period of three to four months, rather than say, three to four days. So don’t expect any immediate results, and start munching down those donuts you’ve had hidden in the bottom drawer of your fridge for two months: one there expired and two you’re probably not ready for that kind of calorie intake. Whatever you do, always consult with a doctor before deciding to join an ACV diet. 

By Preston Copeland

Medical Solutions for Losing Stomach Fat

With America’s large number of obese and overweight individuals, researchers, scientists, and just people in general have had plenty of time to learn about the many issues related to being overweight. Specifically, some of the worst problems that excess stomach fat has been connected to is increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, and strokes. Excess belly fat might also be a sign of metabolic syndrome.

Not only can stomach fat be unhealthy and dangerous, but it can also be ugly. So, it is no secret why people want to lose their stomach fat. Unfortunately for those people, belly fat can be one of the most daunting areas of the body to enhance the shape of and just trim some weight off. And, when it comes to the stomach, the extra weight might just seem to be completely unfazed by diet and exercise.

Luckily, however, there are medical solutions for losing stubborn stomach fat, so let’s look at some of the FDA-approved weight loss medicines and some of the medical surgeries that might help:

Weight Loss Drugs:

While there are plenty of medicines out there that claim to help you cut fat, especially hard-to-lose stomach fat, we’ll discuss some of the most common and effective prescription medicines that do so and how they help individuals lose weight.

Meridia: This drug helps individual lose weight by increasing brain chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine so people will feel fuller more quickly as they eat, causing them to eat significantly less throughout the day and burn off more weight.

Phentermine: This drugs acts as an appetite suppressant by affecting your central nervous system. Phentermine can be used in combination with dieting and exercise to treat obesity in people with high risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Xenical: This drug helps with losing stomach fat by binding to fat cells in gastrointestinal tract to prevent absorption. So, while using this medication, your body eliminates up to 30% of all the fat you consume.

Some other drugs have been known to help lose weight, such as amphetamines and stimulants as they also suppress your appetite and help you reach a calorie deficit consistently enough to lose weight.

Weight Loss Surgeries:

The only real weight loss surgery that is actually effective and for the purposes of losing weight not reshaping or enhancing your body’s image, is bariatric weight loss surgery. Bariatric weight loss surgery, or gastric bypass, surgically shrinks your stomach’s volume.

This causes people to feel fuller more quickly, and it also reduces your body’s absorption rate of certain nutrients, which results in further weight loss. In addition to reducing the stomach’s volume, quickening feelings of being full, and reducing your body’s absorption rates, gastric bypass also has a dramatic impact on your body’s hormones that drive hunger, so it essentially suppresses your appetite as well.

At the end of the day, each individual will have a specific course of action that best helps their body remove the excess stomach fat.

Of course, however, there is a catch to weight loss medicines and weight loss surgery... They might only be available to those who are severely overweight. Most FDA-approved weight loss drugs and bariatric surgeries are only prescribed to those who have a BMI over 30 or a BMI of over 27 as well as other obesity conditions.

But, for those that fit the bill, weight loss drugs and weight loss surgery could be the perfect solution you’ve been “weighting” for, so don’t hesitate to set up an appointment with your doctor and see what’s right for you! Just remember, effective weight loss is not a sprinting race – weight loss is a long distance marathon that requires lifestyle changes in order to reach your ideal weight. 

By Russell McBurnie

The Difference Between Ideal Weight and Healthy Weight

Weight loss is one of those things that the majority of people consider at some point in their life. Many of those people are not interested in how much weight they should lose, but rather what’s the best way to lose weight so that they look good for bikini season.

However, some of the people who want to lose weight are more interested in exactly where they should set their sights for. While some of those people aim for an ideal weight, some just aim for a healthy weight, and others might not even have a clue to what the difference is between the two. So, that raises the question, what is the difference between ideal weight and healthy weight?

Simple Answer:

The simple way to answer a question like this is to note that a healthy weight is more of a healthy weight range, whereas an ideal weight is a specific, ideal weight for each individual based on general criteria. However, it is important to understand what the exact factors that determine each weight in order to choose which you should aim for.

Ideal Weight:

There are many different formulas that have been created to compute each individual’s ideal body weight, but there’s not necessarily one “best” formula. However, each formula calculates a hypothetical, ideal weight for each person in a similar manner. Each calculator usually generates ideal weight based on each person’s height, gender, and age. There are many ideal weight calculators online.

Healthy Weight:

A healthy weight is a weight that puts you in range of having the right proportion of body fat in relation to overall body mass. This accounts for more particular details for each individual, like their body type. Being a healthy weight allows you to feel energetic, reduces health risks, and prevents premature aging, and usually improves your quality of life.

While a scale only tells you your total weight, it does not distinguish how much of that is from fat, so you don’t know exactly what your weight composition is between the bone, water, other liquids, tissue, fat, and all of the other things that make up what you are, so it does not always tell you whether you are a healthy weight. Rather, you can calculate a healthy weight range more accurately based on things such as your body mass index and your waist circumference.

Calculating Healthy Weight

You can calculate your BMI by 1) Multiplying your height, in inches, by your height again, in inches, then 2) divide your weight, in pounds, by the number you calculated in the first step, and finally 3) multiplying that number by 703. Your BMI is normal if it is between 19 and 24, overweight if it is between 25 and 29, and obese once it is over 30. You can also use an online BMI calculator.

Your waist measurement can also be used to calculate whether you are in a healthy weight range as your waist measurement is associated with many health problems regarding weight issues. For women, your waist should generally be under 35 inches, and for men, your waist should generally be under 40 inches. Anything above those numbers might indicate that you fall within an unhealthy weight range.

At the end of the day, understanding the difference between ideal weight and healthy weight is only a part of the battle. In order to achieve either goal, you must understand how to lose weight effectively. However, the most important weapon you can use to win the battle against weight is dedication and discipline. So if you’re making the effort to understand such things, you’re in a good starting position. Remember, losing weight is not a sprinting race, it is a long-distance marathon!

What Is CoolSculpting and How Does It Work?

It is safe to say that a common experience for people includes gym and diet struggles. Of course such a struggle is worthy, as it is very important to stay healthy. However, for some individuals these struggles are especially difficult. Some people have extremely stubborn areas of fat that do not respond well to exercise and diet. If you are one of those individuals, then don’t worry – there are options for you.

While some people resort to liposuction, or other plastic and reconstructive surgeries, there are much, much less invasive procedures that might help. Specifically, there’s CoolSculpting.

What is CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting is a minimally invasive procedure that eliminates fat without any surgical performances. The procedure uses controlled cooling to freeze fat and eliminate fat in certain areas of the patient’s body. With practically no downtime needed to recover, and no invasive techniques, the procedure itself does not require anesthesia or other surgical tools. Coolsculpting can result in noticeable improvements to the patient’s shape and figure, and the results can be decently long-lasting if the patient adopts good habits to prevent future fat growth.

How Does CoolSculpting Work?

Descriptions of CoolSculpting might seem as though it is something of a miracle, but how it works is actually pretty simple. So, before you let yourself think that CoolSculpting is the miracle you’ve been waiting for to just remove your stubborn fat, it is very important to know how it works so you can understand more accurately what you should expect.

The idea of CoolSculpting actually came from popsicles. Years ago, Harvard scientists found that children who ate popsicles had a strong tendency to get dimples. They realized this was because the popsicles were freezing and then eliminating small pockets of fat cells. So, CoolSculpting utilizes the idea that coldness can target and eliminate fat cells without causing further damage to skin cells or any surrounding tissue.

So, Coolsculpting targets fat cells under the skin in your abdomen, thigh, or chin area. Them, treated fat cells become crystallized, or frozen, and eventually die. Your body then does the rest of work through its natural processes of eliminating dead cells throughout the body, ultimately providing you with a more sculpted look.

The long term results of a Coolsculpting procedure are permanent as the dead cells are permanently removed, so long as you do not add more fat cells to your body. The short term results are a lot more gradual than other fat-removing procedures as it may take a few weeks for your body to remove all of the dead fat cells.

At the end of the day, Coolsculpting can help you reshape some of the most stubborn areas on your body and with some fat reduction, but it will not miraculously remove all of your fat. So, in order to achieve the best results possible, you must look at CoolSculpting as a head start to living a healthier lifestyle, then you will see all of the results you are looking for. Remember, truly effective weight loss is not a sprint – it is a long distance marathon. 

By Russell McBurnie

5 Delicious Recipes for Weight Loss

5 Delicious Recipes for Weight Loss If you’ve struggled in the battle of losing weight and fighting against the temptations of deliciously unhealthy foods, then don’t worry – you’re definitely not alone. Weight loss can be very difficult, so there’s no need to make it any harder.

Instead, focus your diet around goods that help you lose weight. Of course, that always a lot easier said than done, so we’ve provided you with 5 delicious recipes that won’t compromise weight loss on your path to a healthy weight! Here they are:

1.     Pepperoni Pizza – No, fortunately for you, you don’t need to abandon the infamous pepperoni pizza. A classic favorite for many people, and a must on any list of delicious foods, this recipe can be used while continuing to lose weight.

By using whole wheat crust with more fiber and nutrients than a crust made with the typical white flour along with part-skim mozzarella that will save you many calories, you can keep eating pepperoni pizza without compromising your weight loss goals or any flavor!

2.     Blueberry Coffee Cake – Who says you need to ditch breakfast and snack time if you want to lose weight? Breakfast and snack time are actually important to keep your metabolism running smoothly and efficiently, it’s just easy to skip out on eating healthy for breakfast or during snack time.

However, by using this delicious recipe for blueberry coffee cake, you can keep eating breakfast and snacks while continuing to lose weight. This recipe takes advantage of the delicious taste of blueberries by filling a cake with juicy berries and providing a tasty texture by sprinkling turbinado sugar on top. This is definitely one of the tastiest recipes that won’t compromise your weight loss goals.  

3.     Broccoli and Parmesan Casserole – This one is for the vegetable lovers. It can be difficult to find a tasty casserole recipe without sacrificing a ton of calories, but here’s one that’s both delicious and healthy.

This recipe is loaded with calcium as broccoli is one of the best vegetable sources for calcium. As an addition to the cheese-thickened, béchamel sauce, which adds even more calcium to the meal, this meal is certainly a nutritious one! At only 154 calories per serving, this recipe is a must for those looking for delicious and healthy vegetable casserole.

4.     Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir-Fry – Any stir-fry meal is one of those things that can easily make you feel like a chef. It’s quick and easy, and usually delicious. And, of course, what’s a recipe list without a chicken entrée?

By using reduced-sodium soy sauce, reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth, and unsalted cashews, you can make a delicious chicken entrée that helps you with your weight loss goals. This recipe is especially helpful since chicken has an excellent supply of B vitamins that helps keep your metabolism running efficiently, like niacin and B6, which is necessary for efficient weight loss.

5.     Seafood Chowder – Usually chowders are considered to be the opposite of weight loss recipes since they are full of fat and creamy ingredients, but this delicious seafood chowder is quite different.

Made with root veggies, fresh shrimp, and fresh cod in a broth made of low-fat milk, olive oil, and flour, this chowder isn’t filled with all of the extra fat typically found in chowder that uses fatty cream. And, if shrimp or cod isn’t your favorite, you can easily replace the seafood with your favorite!

At the end of the day, losing weight doesn’t always have to be some intense battle between your control and the temptation of delicious foods. You can just lose weight by eating delicious recipes! However, you must keep in mind that losing weight is never a sprinting race. Rather, effective weight loss is a long-distance marathon and it must be treated as one.

By Russell McBurnie

5 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

I know, you’re thinking, these foods better taste good. Surprisingly, they’re not bad. The human body is a vast, devious hard glutton-filled global empire of hungry monsters, and often they enjoy junk food. Why do we enjoy junk food—because it’s good, duh? However, there’s plenty of good food that tastes good and can help you lose weight.

1)    Salmon!

Darn right. Do I need to call the health police on you? Keep your sugar hooks off that chocolate and take a taste of salmon. Yummy. Can you feel that high quality protein circulating down your esophagus? What about those healthy fats, important nutrients and a healthy dose of iodine? You don’t know what iodine is? I am calling the health police. Iodine is a trace mineral and a nutrient found naturally in the body. It’s also needed for cells to convert food into energy. We lovely people need iodine for normal thyroid function and production of thyroid hormones. Salmon also contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation, which is known to play a major role in obesity and metabolic disease

2)    Lean Beef & Chicken Breast

Yeah, now we’re talking. This one is for all you meatheads, we know you are very smart about what you consume and take each blog note to heart so here’s the deal. Beef and chicken contains that scrumptious fulfilling nutrient labeled protein, which is the most fulfilling nutrient. When you chow on a high-protein diet, you can burn up to 80 to 100 more calories per day. By bringing protein into your life, you can cut evening snacking by sixty percent, which can cause weight loss around a pound a week. Ooh eee. (Thank me later.)

3)    Fruit Diet

If all else fails, turn to fruit. We all know it's one of the healthiest snacks and they're pretty delicious. A fruitarian diet is a strict form of a vegetarian diet that is generally limited to eating fresh fruits. Even the stinking United States Department of Agriculture recommends that fruit should be in our daily meal planning for weight loss goals. Of course with every diet, there are risks, so please consult a doctor before beginning a diet. 

4)    Vegan Weight Loss

Did you know that vegans even have a food pyramid? A lot of healthy stuff as far as I can see. The first floors loaded with fruit and veggies. The second floors stuffed with whole grains, while the first and second floor has fortified dairy and beans and seeds and treats (use sparingly). Remember whole grains are a healthy complex carbohydrate that helps keep blood sugar well-balanced to create weight loss. 

5)    Tuna

Say what? Wait, I kind of knew that. Tuna is another low-calorie, high-protein food. It is indeed a lean fish, so that means there isn’t much fat in it (good news for you). Tuna is popular among bodybuilders and fitness models who like to look beautiful like my new red heels (they wish). Only try this tuna stuff if you want to encourage weight loss, keep calories low and fat to a minimum.

See I told you this health stuff was not so bad. Try out a few of these healthy food items and see how it goes. We promise it won't be as bad as you might think. If you're trying to lose weight, just stick by Atlantic Health Solution's blog. We're always here to make sure you know your options! 

By Preston Copeland

Weight Loss and Wellness Centers: Frequently Asked Questions

In today’s world, there is a lot of information about how to lose weight. Between friends, advertisements, wisdom, doctors, and wherever else you might be getting information from, knowing what to listen to when it comes to weight loss can be confusing. However, people often have similar questions about weight loss, so don’t feel alone if you aren’t entirely sure about something.

Often times it can help a lot to know the answers to these common questions, even if the question and answer are simple. With all the diet ads, scams, and misinformation, knowing the basics can definitely put you a step in the right direction. So, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about weight loss:

Q: Can I lose 5-10 pounds in a week?

A: No, losing 5-10 pounds in a week is unrealistic and very unhealthy. While many crash diets advertise that they can help you lose this, their diets are very misleading and unhealthy. As a rule of thumb for weight loss, it is healthy and most effective to aim for losing 1-2 pounds per week. Weight loss is about fixing unhealthy lifestyles and habits by creating healthier ones, and it is very unhealthy for your weight to fluctuate 10 pounds in a week for many reasons. As a tip for judging diets, you should follow the dieting rule that says if you are not able to maintain a diet for the rest of your life, then it is not a safe, healthy diet. Here’s another one of our blogs for other dieting tips and a guide on how to lose 10 pounds, and here’s more information for why it is unhealthy to lose 10 pounds fast.

Q: Can I lose weight without exercising?

A: Yes, it is possible to lose weight without exercising by creating a calorie deficit. However, while it is possible to do so, exercising is a crucial element when it comes to reaching a healthy weight as exercising will better help you achieve an appropriate calorie balance. Losing weight is about moving toward a healthier lifestyle with healthier habits, and exercising certainly helps you with such efforts. Also, people who exercise regularly are much more likely to maintaining any weight loss and preventing the weight from coming back in the future.

Q: Does eating before bed make you gain weight?

A: It depends on what you eat, but eating a snack before bed does not necessarily result in weight gain or interfere with weight loss. At the end of the day, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in, so if the bedtime snack puts you over the mark then that’s when it interferes with weight loss. However, experts say that those who tend to snack at night, tend to snack unhealthily and in larger quantities. This might be because you lose some will power as you get more tired. Regardless, effective weight loss comes down to creating better habits, so it’s almost always helpful to fight late night urges for snacks as it can easily compromise a whole day of effort.

Q: Does eating breakfast really help you lose weight?

A: Yes, eating a healthy breakfast every morning does help you lose weight. Weight loss is about living a healthy, balanced life style, and this is true of your meal spread as well. Not only will eating breakfast in the morning definitely help your appetite control throughout the day, but it also helps keep your metabolism moving. Skipping breakfast actually makes your body think that it’s possibly being starved, which causes it to conserve more by slowing down your metabolism. So, eating a daily, healthy breakfast will surely help you in your weight loss efforts.

Q: How many calories do I need to burn to lose a pound of fat?

A: A pound of fat is generally equivalent to 3,500 calories. So, in order to lose a pound of fat, you must burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Again, only 1-2 pounds of weight loss per weight is considered to be healthy and safe, so depending on your weight loss plan you should aim to burn 500-1000 calories more than you take in on a daily basis. This can either be done by eating fewer calories or burning more calories by using them up through physical activity, but it is recommended that you do a combination of both.

Q: Do I need to count calories and grams of fat in order to lose weight?

A: No, not necessarily. However, counting calories and/or fat can be extremely helpful to anyone that is trying to lose weight. Again, effective weight loss is truly about changing your life style and bettering your habits so that you can practice healthier habits. While many people might get tired of counting calories after a few weeks, or even days, you can learn a lot about your eating habits by keeping track of everything you eat during the day. Many experts recommend recording everything you eat on a daily basis in a food diary so you can learn more about your eating habits and how you need to change in order to become healthier and lose weight. 

By Russell McBurnie

Low Carb Diet Weight Loss Plans

Often times the road to weight loss is a road filled with many speed bumps and obstacles. One of the most common obstacles people have to find their way around before losing weight is just choosing the diet that’s correct for them. In today’s world, there are thousands of diets that all claim to be effective weight loss plans.

Of course, it helps a lot to break down a diet and understand how it works in order to decide whether a certain diet is the right one to further you down the road to your ideal weight. So, to help, we’re going to explain one of the more popular diets over the years – the low carb diet.

First of all, what is it?

The low carb diet suggests that you eat far fewer carbs than people typically do, which means that you will take in a higher proportion of fat. One of the most important facets of the low carb diet is that it minimizes your intake of sugars and starch. By limiting your carbs and largely lessening the amount of sugars and starches you consume, the low carb diet is supposed to allow you to have an easier time managing your weight and control your blood sugar.

One of the popular advantages of the low carb diet is that dieters do not necessarily need to count their calories, follow strict limits, or sacrifice many of the delicious foods we eat day to day for less tasty low-fat foods. Without such restraints, the diet is supposed to be much easier to follow.

How does it work?

Of course, it is important to understand how a diet works when breaking them down, so here is how low carb weight loss works:

All digestible carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars in the intestines, so the diet works by decreasing the amount of sugars and starches you consume. By doing so, your blood sugar stabilizes and your insulin levels drop. Since insulin stores fat and nutrients in the body and keeps fat stored, dropping insulin levels results in increased fat burning.

Additionally, because glucose levels in the blood lead to insulin production, which results in your body storing more fat and nutrients. Your body often perceives the fat storage and nutrient storage as a signal of nutrient and food shortage, so you feel hungry again in just a couple hours after eating. This, of course, leads to a cycle of overeating and weight gain. However, since low-carb diets lower your blood sugar and insulin production, this is prevented. Thus, caloric intake is typically much lower for people on low-carb diets even if they eat all they want on the diet. 

Foods that help you lose weight:

Here a list of foods to eat to help you lose weight on a low-carb diet –

·       Any kind of meat, fish, and shellfish

·       Eggs (in any form)

·       Natural fat, high-fat sauces like using butter and cream for cooking

·       Vegetables that grow above the ground – this includes cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, olives, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers, cucumbers, etc.

·       Dairy products, but make sure to choose full-fat options such as real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream, yogurt, and cheeses (however, be reserved with how much milk you drink as milk typically contains a lot of milk sugar)

·       Nuts and berries

·       Drink water, tea, and coffee on most days

Foods that you should avoid:

·       Sugars, which includes foods like chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, soft drinks, juices, candy, ice cream, cereal, etc.

·       Starches, which includes foods like French fries, breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, chips, etc.

·       Beer, fruit, and margarine

Unlike a lot of diets, low-carb diets allow a lot of freedom to what you can eat. While low carb diets have been popular for some time, it is fair to mention that they have been in question lately about whether they are really effective. Regardless, it is important to do your research before choosing a diet that is best for you, as many different diets offer many different advantages.

By Russell McBurnie

How Many Calories Do I Need To Burn To Lose Weight?

If you’re at a point in your life where you’re thinking that it’s time to lose some weight, then you should keep two things in mind:

First, know that you are not alone. There are very many people that come to a point where they need to cut off some extra weight, so don’t get too down about it. While some may not do much about their extra weight, a huge number of people do take action. However, not everyone’s effort is successful or effective to any significant degree, which leads to the next thing.

Second, understanding how to effectively lose weight is absolutely critical in order to ensure effective weight loss occurs. With so many people constantly looking for easy ways to shed off extra weight, there’s quite a large market for various weight loss plans. However, try not to waste your time with all of the newest dieting trends or overpriced weight loss plans that you see on TV because there is only one factor that determines weight loss: calories consumed versus calories burned. Anything besides something that controls that factor is only a money maker, not a weight loss tool.

Controlling calories to lose weight is no secret to anyone, but it’s an extremely important idea that is often overlooked or not fully understood. That’s why understanding the details about burning calories to lose weight is a must. The must-know in order to lose weight is how many calories you need to burn to lose weight.

So, how many burned calories does it take to lose weight?

It has been determined that there are about 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. So, the simple answer is that you need to burn 3,500 calories for every pound of fat you wish to lose. Of course, the simple answer leaves a lot of things out especially since this doesn’t really help unless you understand how exactly you should approach burning those calories. Therefore, we should look take a look at a less simple answer.

Since calories essentially act as energy supplies for our bodies, our bodies burn a certain number of calories every day to supply our everyday energy even if we just stand all day. This number of calories depends on the individual’s age, gender, weight, height, and average level of daily activity. This number is called our Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, and you can figure out your own BMR by using a BMR calculator.

Thus, in order to maintain ourselves, and maintain our weight as it is, we would need to take in the number of calories that our body uses daily. However, if we were to take in less calories than we need to burn in order to maintain ourselves on a daily basis, then our bodies end up using calories from our stored fat deposits.

So, creating a calorie deficit causes your body to use stored calories by burning the fat on your body. Specifically, for instance, a 3,500 calorie deficit would result in losing about one pound of fat. However, research indicates that a person can only lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week before the body begins to eat its muscle to provide itself with energy, which decreases your metabolism and makes it easier to gain weight. Fasting to lose weight is not only very ineffective, but it’s also unhealthy. To learn more about why it is unhealthy to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week, you can read Can I Lose 10 Pounds Fast?

To finally answer the question about how many calories you need to burn to lose weight, the body needs to burn about 500-1,000 calories each day to lose weight effectively and healthily, which equates to 3,500-7,000 calories per day, or 1-2 pounds. In order to do this, you must calculate your BMR and then subtract 500-1,000 from that number to see how many calories you should eat every day in order to create an effective calories deficit.

By Russell McBurnie

Water and Weight Loss: How They Relate

Whether it’s summer and you need to get ready for the beach, or whether it’s New Year’s Eve and you need a New Year’s Resolution, there always seems to be pressure to lose weight. Of course, losing weight is often much more of a chore than we would like it to be, which is probably why it’ still on the to-do list in the first place.

It’s no secret that effective weight loss is a very difficult task. That is why people are constantly being sold different ideas and diets, all of which claiming to have a secret tip to losing weight quickly and more effectively. While there are no secret weapons to weight loss and no substitutes to decreasing your caloric intake and exercising, there are things you can do that will help you lose weight.

Fortunately for anyone interested in cutting a few pounds, not every weight loss supplement involves some costly diet subscription. Instead, one of the easiest diet aids is free, and it’s already in your home. Water might be the extra boost you need to actually meet your weight loss goals this year. While water and weight loss have always had somewhat of a connection to each other, examining their relations can help ensure that you integrate a boost from water weight loss boost into your weight loss plan. Here are some of the direct and indirect relations between water and weight loss:

1. Drinking water can increase the amount of calories that you burn.

Drinking water has always been considered a healthy habit, and it is usually recommended in diet plans, but studies from this past decade have shown that water actually increases your body’s metabolic rate. Within 10 minutes of drinking water, your body’s metabolic rate increases for about an hour at least. Studies have shown that people generally burn calories 25-30% faster after drinking water, and possibly even faster if the water is cold as the body expends caloric energy to warm the water.

So, even without a single change in your life, besides drinking an additional half a liter of water per day, you can lose an extra 5 pounds within 12 months. For only drinking one large glass of water every day, those are an easy 5 pounds.

2. Drinking water prior to a meal can help to suppress your appetite.

This is one of the more classic reasons for why you should drink more water when you are trying to lose weight. Drinking 1-2 cups of water 30 minutes before a meal has been known to suppress appetite. Reducing your appetite before meals is a great way to lose extra weight during a diet.

Studies have shown that drinking water before a meal does reduce the amount of calories people consume during that meal, which has been shown to increase weight loss by 40% during diets or an additional 4-6 pounds over a 12-week diet. These effects are increasingly more evident for individuals as they get older, but even a modest increase to weight loss makes a diet more effective at a very low cost.

3. Drinking water can decrease your caloric intake.

Drinking more water has been linked to decreases in caloric intake, especially during weight loss programs. While the link may be indirect, there are many reasons for why this happens. As explained above, drinking water before a meal can act as a very effective appetite suppressant, which will certainly decrease the amount of calories you consume. Additionally, drinking water often can, and should, take place of another drink that usually contributes to the number of calories and sugars you consume throughout the day. As a 0-calorie drink, replacing your normal drink of choice with water can certainly decrease the number of calories you consume.

Moral of the Story: Drink more water! Not only is it cheap, and probably free most of the time, but it definitely helps in some way or another with weight loss. An additional 5 pounds here and another 5 pounds there to your weight loss plan can make the difference between another diet that almost worked and the diet that all your friends will notice. Literally the only thing you need to do is drink a glass of water every time you’re thirsty, especially between 30-40 minutes before every meal.

By Russell McBurnie

Why Crash Diet Plans Fail

Crash diets fail for many different reasons but a common reason is simply because they don’t satisfy the appetite. Typically, you lose water weight instead of burning fat, you’re always hungry, you feel extremely weak, and your body isn't being provided the necessary vitamins and minerals that it needs. Often a fad diet does not have a variety of foods needed for good health and often promises fast and easy weight loss.

Your caloric intake change is off the wall.

Most crash diets are metabolically unsound. This means they change the way the body acts when we restrict calories. Often the body produces more LPL which promotes more storage and transfer of fat cells. It often takes the reduced calories and turns them into fat. When you start eating normally again you start to gain weight due to this change.

Your water weight is playing tricks on you.

Diets that give you a rapid weight loss often are just water weight. It is not fat loss but water weight. Sometimes it burns muscle weight which is harmful to the body. Because you are losing protein and water you often feel hungry or tired on a crash diet. There have been many different crash diets over the years. Most of them are not effective in the long run.

You actually need your fat.

Often they cut off the good fats along with the bad. These can lead to a deficiency in essential fatty acids. Eating the right fats when dieting is important to help maintain optimal health. Some fats help the body with the fat burning process. Fats aren't always the bad guys!

Many diets don’t take into consideration the relationship between carbohydrates, insulin and fat storage. Dieting often causes the blood sugar to drop causing you to become hungry. When you get hungry you may eat more snacks leading to poor food choices. Many crash diets have fewer calories than what men and women really need. Healthy weight loss is one or two pounds weekly.  At times crash diets lead to dehydration.

Crash diets that have failed miserably:

1. The grapefruit diet

The grapefruit diet has been around for years. It claims that simply eating grapefruit burns fat. Not surprisingly, there is no scientific evidence to back their grapefruit claim. There are many versions of this diet and it may help you lose some weight but does not produce significant weight loss. These diets can interfere with certain medications so if you have a health condition you could run into problems.

2. The Scarsdale medical diet

Another diet is the Scarsdale Medical diet which was designed by a family doctor and cardiologist. It is high in protein, low in carbs and overall a low fat diet. The limited food choices make it hard to get the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. It does not provide the body with enough calories to meet the necessary requirements. Most doctors strongly believe that the lack of meal options makes it difficult for most people to stick to it which just leads to the person putting the weight back on.

Fad diets can potentially help you lose a few pounds quickly, but the chance of gaining it back immediately after you end the diet is extremely high. These fad diets can cause weakness, hunger, dizziness, and various other symptoms. Some of these diets lead to dehydration and other serious medical conditions. If you have a serious illness check with your doctor before beginning any diet. Always ask a professional dietitian or nutritionist about a diet as they are knowledgeable about healthy diets. Just remember, If it seems too good to be true--it probably is.

By Joan Russell

7 Celebrity Weight Loss Success Stories

Everyone has at least one celebrity that they love. Whether it be because of their house, spouse, car, lifestyle, or even their character, people look up to celebrities and what they accomplishments. Of course, one of the most common celebrity influences is their appearance. We constantly strive to look just like our favorite celebrities.

Celebrities inspires people when it comes to different goals people have to look a certain way. This can especially be true when it comes to extreme weight loss. Losing weight proves to be difficult even when it’s a few pounds, so there’s no secret why people need inspiration to become motivated to lose large amounts of weight. So, weight loss success stories from some of America’s favorite celebrities might be able to provide the perfect form of inspiration for some of the people needing to lose weight. Here’s 7 stories from very different celebrities:

1.     Jonah Hill –

Known for many roles, such as 21 Jump Street and Wolf of Wall Street, Jonah Hill is a star comedy actor. While Jonah Hill came up in Hollywood by being a hilarious chubby guy, he famously dropped almost 40 pounds for his roles in Moneyball and 21 Jump Street. Although Jonah’s weight has fluctuated since then for various roles, he certainly provides many with a weight loss success story to look up to.

2.     Oprah Winfrey –

As one of the most popular and well-known celebrities in the world today, mostly from her talk show, Oprah has plenty of success stories and inspiration to offer people. Among these stories is one of successful weight loss. Most famous of her stories is when she lost 67 pounds from a four-month liquid diet. While her weight has fluctuated since then, she has never come close to her peak weight at 237 pounds, and has recently boasted a 30-pound loss through Weight Watchers from eating a lot of fish and drinking water.

3.     Jennifer Hudson –

As a Grammy-winning singer, an Oscar-winning actress, and a best-selling author, Jennifer Hudson is quite popular and very successful. In about 4 years, Jennifer Hudson managed to lose 80 pounds and drop from a size 16 to a size 6 with the help of Weight Watchers. She has shared her weight loss story with Oprah on her show as well as Ellen DeGeneres.

4.     Snooki –

Nicole Polizzi, commonly known as Snooki, is best known as one of the stars of Jersey Shore and her own reality show, Snooki & Jwoww. While Snooki is quite a bit different from Jonah Hill, Oprah, and Jennifer Hudson, she is certainly a celebrity to many with a successful weight loss story. After giving birth in 2012. Snooki boasted a 50-pound weight loss before even a year had passed. Her story surely inspired and influences many Snooki fans.

5.     Forest Whitaker –

Also an Oscar-winner, Forest Whitaker is a well-known actor starring in a profusion of movies. From The Last King of Scotland to Phone Booth, Panic Room to The Great Debators, and Vantage Point to Where the Wild Things Are, people might know Forest Whitaker from many movies. After putting on 70 pounds for his Oscar-winning role in The Last King of Scotland, he steadily lost that weight along with an extra 5-10 pounds. His weight loss can certainly help to motivate those looking to lose a lot of weight at a moderate pace.

6.     Chris Pratt –

Originally known for his television roles such as his role in Parks and Recreation, Chris Pratt has become increasingly more popular recently after a couple blockbuster movies like Jurassic World and The Guardians of the Galaxy. Going from acting in a comedy show to being an action star Chris Pratt had to change some things. Particularly, Chris Pratt cut over 60 pounds for his movie roles and showcased his new 6-pack on Instagram inspiring and impressing a lot of people.

7.     Peter Jackson –

Although Peter Jackson may not be a famous actor, the film director is definitely a considerable celebrity made famous by his Lord of the Rings movies as well as others such as Lovely Bones. Unlike the actors, Peter Jackson did not lose weight in relation to any role in a movie. Rather, he merely decided that he wanted to change his life a bit. Following this decision, which is the same choice many people are on the brink of making, Peter Jackson was able to drop 70 pounds in just 10 months. His secret was not some crash diet, but just to substitute unhealthy foods with healthy foods and better eating habits. Instead of always eating out or grabbing fast food, he started to pack his breakfast and lunches showing what a huge difference something so simple can cause.

Extreme weight loss can definitely be a daunting task, but it is most certainly not impossible. Since starting such a difficult thing can be one of the hardest parts, many people that need to lose a large amount of weight might just be waiting on the motivation to do so. Luckily, there’s motivation and inspiration everywhere, which is obvious considering how many very different celebrities offer inspiring weight loss stories.

So, if you are struggling to start your weight loss journey, and your friends and family don’t have any motivating success stories, don’t hesitate to check whether your favorite celebrities have lost a lot of weight at some point because there are plenty of celebrities who have!

By Russell McBurnie

Extreme Weight Loss: Risks of Major Weight Change

As a society, we have a large number of people who are quite overweight. With so many overweight individuals, people are often trying to lose a lot of weight as fast as they can. As a culture, we have grown to celebrate extreme weight loss as a successful achievement.

Of course, losing weight is an achievement worth celebrating as there are many health risks associated with being overweight. However, losing weight in an extreme manner also causes some difficulties for your body. Because of these difficulties, healthy diets only aim for a 1 or 2-pound loss every week.

This may seem daunting if you need to lose 20 pounds, and it may seem like an impossible plan if you need to lose even more weight than that. To avoid dieting for what may seem like endless weeks, many people just lose as much weight as they can as quickly as they can. However, it is important to know some of the risks of major weight change before pursuing major weight loss, so here they are.

Risks of Extreme Weight Loss:

Hair Loss –

Weight is not the only thing on its way out. People have shown strong tendencies to experience hair loss because of the major weight loss. In order to lose a lot of weight very quickly, dieters decrease their caloric-intake to minimal levels to ensure extreme weight loss. Because of this, the diet fails to nourish the body adequately. Specifically, a lack of adequate protein and iron commonly causes dieters to lose hair as well as weight.

Fatigue–

Again, extreme weight loss requires an extreme decrease in caloric-intake. The failure to consume a sufficient amount of calories leads dieters to chronically feel lethargic and fatigued. This compromises one of the most significant aspects of healthy weight loss, which is exercising. Making exercise impossible due to the lack of energy, dieters cannot ensure their health through exercise. The decrease in calories results in an overall decrease in your body’s metabolism, which also contributes to the lower levels of energy and makes it more difficult to maintain the weight loss.

Excess Skin –

Another issue with extreme weight loss occurs because the rest of your body has difficulties keeping up with the weight loss. Particularly, your skin can have a very difficult time adjusting to your body’s new size since tightening to your body’s new shape would have to take place slowly and steadily. So, extreme weight loss does have the risk of leaving excess skin hanging around your body. This can be especially negative for dieters that were already self-conscious of their weight, as the excess skin is usually noticeable to others furthering the risk of self-consciousness for the dieter.

Dehydration –

Although you can certainly drink water in extreme-weight-loss diets, extreme weight loss still results in risks of dehydration. By demanding your body to cut as much weight as it can as soon as it can, your body rids weight in different ways. One of the most common sources of weight loss when extreme weight loss occurs quickly is the body’s water. Much of the weight loss is then water weight, putting the body at risk of dehydration, which can be extremely dangerous.

Decreased Cognitive Ability –

 Your brain functions normally and effectively so long as your body maintains its health. Extreme weight loss often strongly limits the glucose that your brain needs to function effectively. The lack of adequate glucose for the brain will leave people in a fog as they are unable to focus as well as before. A lot of empirical research indicates that people struggle more with complicated cognitive tasks while they are dieting. This is also why eating a good breakfast can make a large difference on test performance or your work performance in general.

Poorer Moods –

When someone goes on a diet, especially one that may result in extreme weight loss, their goal must be to better their life in general to some degree. So, while people diet to feel better in some ways, extreme weight loss can cause the opposite. Many people report various feelings of depression that accompany their extreme weight loss. Additionally, one of the most commonly reported changes in mood is the decrease in sex drive. These seem to contradict some of the intentions of extreme weight loss.

Although dieting and major weight change is typically the result of people wanting to make their life, health, and well-being a bit better, extreme weight loss can surely cause more damage and issue to your body, and life, in general. In an attempt to increase your health, there is no need to create another unhealthy situation by losing weight at an extreme rate or volume. Rather, just as people tend to put on extra weight slowly and steadily, they should focus on losing weight in the same manner. Weight loss is a long-distance race and reaching your ideal weight requires a steady pace of about 1-2 pounds per week in order to avoid the risks of extreme weight loss.

By Russell McBurnie

How To Lose Ten Pounds

It’s safe to say plenty of people care about their bodies in our society. Sometimes it’s for health reasons, and sometimes it’s for vainer reasons, but regardless it is something that’s on a lot of people’s minds. So, if you ever look in the mirror and think that it’s time to lose 10 pounds, then don’t feel alone.

Whether it’s through one week, three weeks, or three months, there are many diet plans that show people how to lose 10 pounds. However, you must be careful with how you approach losing weight as many diets are merely products of the newest fads or clever sales. So, to help you avoid falling for a misleading and even unhealthy diet, here’s a guide on how to lose 10 pounds safely to ensure that you are following a good regimen:

1.    First thing’s first – set up a plan!

One of the most difficult challenges for people trying to lose weight is staying on course without giving up. Setting up a plan helps you maintain your discipline even after days when you just may not feel so motivated. An effective plan must have clear goals and intentions so you know what success is as well as an approximate timetable for when you want to get there. However, remember that your plan needs to be realistic so that you don’t set yourself up for imminent failure. So, for instance, don’t draw up a plan to lose 10 pounds in two weeks, as losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is ineffective and unhealthy. Do not overdo it as this is something you would actually like to achieve. Effective weight loss is a marathon.

2.    Watch what you’re putting into your body – cleaning up your diet is essential.

Now, a diet is essential because you cannot lose weight without burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. After all, there’s a decent chance that the reason you need to lose 10 pounds is related to what you’ve been eating. The particular diet that helps a person lose 10 pounds will vary for each individual, but there are certainly tips that go a long way.

First, be smart with what you eat. An effective diet does not have to be crazy. Instead, just watch your snacking. Rather than eating a few hundred calories out of the chip bag, eat something a little more filling and a lot healthier, like fruit. Pay attention to sugary snacks because every gram of sugar is about 4 calories, so snacks with a lot of sugar can add over 50 calories to your snack for no reason. Smart snacking is especially important at night after dinner. Keep yourself entertained and remember that you really do not need a cup of ice cream in order to enjoy your favorite TV show. Also, if you are a soda drinker, then you need to cut out the sodas. Drinking 1-2 cans of soda add a completely unnecessary and unhealthy 150-400 calories every day.

Second, do not cut your calories too low. Avoid cutting more than 750 calories from your diet as calories are the main source of all your energy. Cutting down your caloric-intake too far will result in exhaustion, endless fatigue, and nagging hunger. Watching what you eat is already difficult, but having your body tell you that it’s being starved will not help. The key is to cut your calories while keeping it at a maintainable level that keeps you feeling lively and fed.

3.    Get moving to speed up the process – exercising properly is crucial for effective weight loss.

Exercising is a very important element to any effective weight loss plan. By helping you burn calories, exercise helps you lose weight by burning calories without needing to starve yourself. Of course, you need energy to exercise, so you will also need to make sure your eating a healthy diet. Exercise does not need to be highly intensive workouts. Rather, 20-45 minutes of brisk cardio, like walking and light jogging, every day will help you burn an extra 200-400 calories. You can even add 2-3 days of light strength training to help you tone normally fatty areas into muscle. Like dieting, exercise can be difficult to stay disciplined to, unless you’re one of the few who absolutely love to work out. So, keep it interesting by changing up the activity, the location, the duration, the intensity, or who you exercise with. The most effective exercise plans are those that feel more like play time than they do work time. Of course, you must avoid overdoing it with exercise as well, or else you will put yourself at risk for burning out, which can compromise your entire plan.

4.    Do a little soul searching – understanding bad habits can better ensure long term health.

This may seem dramatic, but seriously look within yourself for reasons as to why you might be where you are. Understanding why you have had trouble staying committed to eating healthy and being more active can help change your life for the long run. Whereas losing 10 pounds might be a single goal, the larger picture is to become healthier, and becoming healthier requires that you change your bad habits into good habits. You might be surprised how many things you do by habit, and focusing on those could really change your life.

Unfortunately, there is no magic wand to wave when you want to lose 10 pounds, and there’s no 3-day diet that can do it for you. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, so slow and steady will win the race. While there might not be a single perfect plan, following this simple guide will help you lose 10 pounds and bring you closer to your ideal weight. 

By Russell McBurnie