A Primer On Safe And Healthy Weight Loss

An Overview of Obesity
Contrary to popular belief, an individual who appears fat may not be obese and the opposite is true for people who appear thin. According to an article published by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), fat mass (makes up large percentage of excess weight) can be broken down into gender-specific fat, storage fat, low-reference fat, and essential fat.
Essential fat accounts for only 3% of total body fat and is found in body parts such as the kidneys, tissues of the central nervous system, bone marrow, lungs, liver, heart, spleen, and intestines. Besides essential fat, women tend to have gender-specific fat as well that is usually located around the hips, pelvis, and breasts and averages 12% of total fat mass. On the other hand, storage fat accounts for 12% of total body fat in men and 12%-15% of the same mass in women. The body stores this type of fat in subcutaneous layers and its purpose is to act as a metabolism energy substrate.
The body requires low-reference fat in order to maintain normal/optimal reproductive health functions. Male bodies contain low-reference fat stores of about 5% while female bodies store about 12% of the same type of fat. Take note these figures tend to be higher in adolescents (7% for males and 14% for females). With this in mind, medical experts differ on the total amount of body fat one should maintain to avoid developing medical conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says adults should strive to maintain body fat within the 10%-32% range. This means that fat is not necessarily bad.
The Basics of Safe Weight Loss
The concept that anchors almost every imaginable weight loss or dieting program is very simple: burning more calories than you eat each day. In spite of such simplicity, many obese/overweight people struggle to shed excess weight and keep it off for extended periods. There are several reasons why people face difficulties losing weight. Firstly, some people attempt to lose as much weight as they can very fast. This approach rarely works as people who try to burn fat fast end up losing water weight instead of fat mass leading to hydration issues. In some cases, individuals lose lean tissue and muscle mass because the body cannot burn large amounts of calories in a short period. Nevertheless, it is possible to lose weight very quickly although it is not advisable to go ahead unless you consult and seek advice from a qualified dietitian or physician. A medical expert may prescribe a low-calorie diet if an obese/overweight individual develops life-threatening weight-related medical conditions. In such a case, one remains under strict medical supervision/observation.
Components of a Good Weight Loss Program
According to NATA, a long-term weight control program must be based on diet, exercise, and hydration. These components determine one's likelihood/ability to add/lose weight.
• Diet
The general rule of thumb for anyone interested in losing weight is to eat "good" foods and avoid "bad" ones. According to the Harvard Medical School, the Mediterranean diet fits the "good" foods description very well. Proponents of the Mediterranean diet advocate eating cereals and whole grain breads, relatively small amounts of red meat, fruit and vegetable servings several times per day, lean protein such as fish and poultry, consuming wine in moderation, and consuming fats made from seeds, olive oil, or nuts.
A low-glycemic-index diet can also help one reduce excess weight. Such a diet precludes all or most processed foods including white rice and white bread because they raise blood sugar levels. Instead of high-glycemic-foods, you should eat nuts, fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, whole grains, and dairy products. Another Harvard Medical School publication states that a low-glycemic-index diet reduces diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases risk.
Include honey in your diet because it boosts the immune system, relieves symptoms of diverse allergies, and has great anti-bacterial properties according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Avoid low-calorie diets because they can cause sudden death, dehydration, ketosis, low basal metabolic rate, irregularities in menstruation, loss of lean tissue, heartbeat irregularities, constipation, kidney infections, fatigue, and diarrhea. It is also worth avoiding detoxification diets because there is no scientific evidence that they work according to the Mayo Clinic.
• Exercise
The other component underpinning effective weight loss is exercise or physical activity of some sort. The ACSM recommends completing 30 minutes of exercise at least five days each week.
However, the ACSM's guidelines are inadequate if you are obese. To shed weight, perform exercises or physical activities that ramp up your body's metabolism rate. A good example would be aerobic exercises lasting 30-90 minutes per session. Interval exercises are also good although they do not raise the body's fat metabolism rate to the same level as aerobics.
The goal of your workouts should be to lose about 1-2 pounds of bodyweight per week. Never exceed weight loss of more than 1.5% of total bodyweight in any given week. If you do so, you may be dehydrating your body or engaging in unhealthy activities. By exercising regularly, you will boost your body's energy.
• Hydration
Water is a key ingredient without which human life would not exist. As such, you should stay well hydrated at all times. Remember liquids/beverages such as lemonade, soda, tea, coffee, and juice do not quench thirst as well as water.
Moreover, consuming sugar-rich beverages translates to adding excess calories to your diet. Benefits of drinking water include limiting excess calorie intake and making the stomach feel full faster during meals.

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What Everybody Losing Weight Ought To Know About Their Scales

Those dreaded scales can be quite a problem for some people, affecting motivation, mood, eating habits & of course progress. So I wanted to write an article that would help you understand all the ways that the number on the scale can be positively or negatively affected.
1. If you are taking up exercise as part of your healthy eating or weight loss plan, especially if that includes strength training you may be losing fat at the same time as building muscle, which wouldn't necessarily show up as weight lost, but would show up in your body measurements.
2. When you eat a very low carb diet, in the first couple of weeks you lose a lot of water weight, this can show up on the scales by as much as 5lb in the first week, however if you then increase the level of carbs at any time, it is likely to show up as an increase.
3. Weighing yourself at different times of the day can give different results. Always weigh under the same circumstances, in the same clothes at the same time of day.
4. Hormones affect weight quite significantly, so if you are stressed, or pre-menstrual, the number on the scale could show up higher than it actually is. For us ladies there is also the added disruption of increased water weight during this time.
5. If you usually weigh yourself in the mornings, but the night before 'weigh day' you eat a high carb meal (such as pasta) this could show up as much as 2lb heavier on your scales in the morning. This is most likely to be water weight rather than actual weight gained, and you would probably be lighter again within a couple of days.
6. Results are not always instant so if you feel like you've had a super healthy week, eaten well and exercised your butt off at the gym, you may not see this reflected in the scale for a week or two, depending on whether there are any other factors in play (such as any of those above).
It takes consistent effort over time to start seeing reductions in the numbers on the scale, and even then sometimes what they say may not be a true reflection, which is why it is important to consider other factors.
- Have your body measurements changed
- Do you have more energy
- Does your skin look healthier
- Are you sleeping better
- Are you noticing even small changes in how your clothes fit
These are all great signs that what you are doing is working, so keep going

Research shows that successful, permanent weight loss can be significantly improved when the approach is personalised to suit you as an individual.
No more dieting, no more going without, no more feeling unhappy with how you look and feel. Just straight forward guidance, support and information on food, nutrition, healthy eating, changing habits and overcoming barriers that have prevented you from losing weight in the past

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Fitness Tips: 3 Best Exercises to Lose Belly Fat

Have you noticed that your belly is usually the most affected when you gain weight? And, sometimes you wonder if the flab will ever go away. The good news is, there are great exercises that can target your belly fat effectively, along with other simple effective steps.
Ultimately, you will regain a flat belly that everyone won't help but notice. It's also great idea to work out in a personal training gym. Don't procrastinate, start right away.
First, start by reducing your calorie consumption. If you want to get the most effective and fastest result with top fitness exercises to lose belly fat, calorie reduction is definitely a must.
So, you should start by cutting back on your food. However, do not starve yourself as this can impact your health negatively. Besides, this can make you over-eat on the long run. You should also eliminate sweets from your diet, which can help speed up your result.
Here are the best exercises to lose belly fat;
#1: The Plank Position
The plank position is one of the effective exercises to get rid of belly fat. You need proper balance on the tips of your toes, holding your entire body weight with your hands at the same time. Your body should align horizontally to the floor. Endeavor to pull your abs muscles into your spine in the process, to help tone your muscles and burn belly fat ultimately.
#2: Abs Crunches
Crunches are known to be one of the best exercises to target tummy fat. However, if you want to obtain complete range of benefits on your abs section with abs crunches, adopt varieties of crunches.
Also, you should vary the flow by trying out exercises such as torso twisting. This will help tone and strengthen the muscles of your belly. Punch alternating arms as you twist, ensuring that you pull-in on your abs area.
#3: Whole Body Exercises
In addition, you need to exercise your entire body to achieve better result with your goal to lose fat on the belly. Belly fat usually comes when you gain body fat. So, you should embark on fitness exercises such as cardio workouts - running, walking, hiking, jogging, biking and other whole body exercises.
Finally, when seeking to lose stomach fat, pay attention to your diet. Avoid saturated fats and embrace healthy diet totally. Also, you should avoid late night foods as well as over-processed foods.

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3 Tips To Make Losing Weight A Little Easier

The decision to lose weight is really the hardest part. This isn't about wanting to lose weight, but about really deciding that you are now ready to make the commitment to lose weight. So, once that decision is made, you then need to decide how to you are going to lose the weight. There are a lot of weight loss diets and programs available to you, but I want to share a few tips on how to make losing weight a little easier.
First, keep eating! Yes, keep eating. You many lose weight if you cut way back on food, but you are only trading one problem for another. It's what you are eating that is the problem. So, take an inventory of what your normally eat, and figure out what "good" food you can swap that "bad" food for. If you really love sweet food, take a look at different fruits that can satisfy that sweet tooth, but are much healthier for you. Yes, fruits have natural sugars, so everything in moderation, right? But you will find that, if committed, you will get some sweet satisfaction from the fruit and it will help you avoid the candy.
Second... drink water! I know you have heard this a lot, but it's time to make a commitment to water. If you are drinking drinks with a lot of sugar, you already know what that is doing to your waistline. Your body needs water to survive, so start substituting water for what you are now drinking. But, even better, drink a full glass of water before a meal. This will fill you up and you won't eat as much. If you really crave something flavored to drink, get flavored water with little or no calories in it.
Third... walk! Again, you already have heard this a lot, but it is really something easy you can do. If you can take a walk before or after work, great. But if you can't fit that into your schedule, there are other ways to get walking into your day. My favorite easy way is to park in the last spot in a parking lot. Then I have to walk all the way to the entrance of the building. This is so easy to do, doesn't take much more time than parking close, and I get some walking in. Also, take the stairs instead of the elevator, really, take the stairs. Even one flight will add that extra bit of exercise to your day. Again, it is easy and quick and you will be making your weight loss a little easier!
Do you agree that these three things can make your weight loss a little easier? This isn't to suggest that you can reach your goal weight with just these three activities, but the idea is to add some easy things to your weight loss plan. If this seems too much, just pick one. The point is to make that decision to lose weight, and then figure out the best weight loss plan and activities to reach your goal.

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8 Diet Tips to Lose Weight and Get in Shape

The food that you eat is of great importance for you to lose weight. If you want to lose weight, here are diet tips that you should consider:
Get Rid Of Red Meat
Instead of taking red meat you should eat plenty of white meat. Great choices that you should go with are fish and poultry. To ensure that your fish, chicken, turkey or shellfish are healthy you should ensure that you prepare them using the right method. As rule of thumb you should avoid preparing your meat with tartar sauce.
Take Plenty Of Water
Many people confuse hunger with thirst. Before you take food, you should first drink some water. If you take plain water and still you feel hungry, you should drink flavored sparkling water. It's also wise that you take a cup of fruit-infused herbal tea.
Start Your Meals With Soup Or Salad
Soup or salad aids in curbing your hunger, prevents you from overeating and controls your portions. Salad contains plenty of fiber which helps you to feel full for a long time. For ideal results, you should top the salad with low calorie dressing.
To limit the amount of fat and calories on your salad, you should make the dressings at your home. It's also wise to include vegetables and dark mixed greens such as spinach.
When it comes to soup, you should go for broth or tomato based soups such as minestrone and vegetable soup made with stock, broth or tomato soup.
Eat Several Mini-Meals
If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will definitely lose weight. One of the most effective ways of ensuring that you consume fewer calories is to eat mini-meals. This calls for you to consume 4-5 meals or snacks per day.
Include Proteins In Your Meals
Proteins ensure that you feel full for a long time. Proteins also preserve muscle mass and encourage burning of fats. Although, it's highly recommended that you include proteins in all of your foods, you shouldn't take any proteins that you come across-you should only consume healthy proteins such as egg whites, cheese, nuts, beans, soy, seafood and lean meat.
Spice Up Your Food
Spices have been shown to stimulate your taste buds thus you feel full for a long time thus you don't eat much. To avoid adding weight, you should ensure that the spices you take contain fewer calories.
Cut On Fried Foods
Fried foods contain plenty of fat which jeopardizes your weight loss. Instead of frying the foods, you should go with other cooking methods such as broiling, boiling, grilling, and baking. To make your food great you should doctor it up by adding your favorite herbs.
Take Fruits As Your Dessert
Instead of taking calorie-filled cookies, you should take a fruit for your dessert. In addition to the fruit containing just a few calories, it also contains extra vitamins, fiber and minerals which are of great help to you.

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How to Lose Weight Without Endangering Your Health

1. Drink More Water
The first thing you need to do is make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. It's recommended that you drink at least eight glasses of water every day, each glass containing eight ounces of water. This has a few different benefits. Water has no calories so it'll keep your body well hydrated without adding calories. Drinking water will raise your metabolism slightly so you'll start burning more calories each day.
Water is also needed to keep your body running at full capacity. As you're exercising, your body is going to need a lot of water to keep itself in top shape and repair the damage you do to your muscles. So if you want to lose weight, it's important that you keep yourself well hydrated.
2. Stop Drinking Soda
You should also cut out soda from your diet completely. Don't just start drinking diet soda or cut the number of sodas back. Get rid of them completely. They're horrible for your body. Just by drinking water every day and dropping the soda you can lose a good bit of weight. You should also cut out as much sugar from your diet as possible.
3. Regular Cardio Exercise
If you want to lose weight effectively, you need to make sure you're exercising regularly. Every day you should be getting a minimum of thirty minutes of cardio. This can be anything from walking, to running, biking, or swimming; anything that will get you moving and boost your heart rate. The more intense the activity, the better it will be, but at the beginning, even walking for half an hour will do your body a world of good.
4. Strength Training
In addition to the cardio exercise, every other day you should be doing some strength training. Cardio training may help you lose a couple pounds, but strength training is what's going to help you burn the most fat. Cardio is good for short calorie burning bursts, but the more muscle you build up, the more calories you'll burn at rest.
It's important that you don't do strength training every day though. When you're lifting weights or doing anything that involves muscle building, you're constantly damaging your muscles. When you finish your workout, your body starts repairing those muscles, making them stronger. That's how you build up muscle. It takes around twenty four hours for your body to completely recover. So if you don't let your body rest, then you'll end up seriously injuring yourself.
Weight loss isn't something that happens overnight. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to shed those pounds. But if you keep motivated, you won't have any problems reaching your goals.

Learn more ways to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle with many more effective lessons and methods. If you want to lose weight permanently and make a healthy lifestyle change, you need to visit my Thin Ninja website.

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how to Find a Local Weight Loss Center

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, have you ever though about joining a weight loss center?  A weight loss center membership is a nice way to help you achieve your goal of losing weight.  If you have never been a member of a weight loss center before, you may be wondering how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join.

Before examining how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join, it is first important to know what weight loss centers are. When examining weight loss centers, you will find that weight loss centers come in a number of different formats.  Most commonly, weight loss centers are used to describe local weight loss programs, where you attend group meetings at the “center.”  There are some weight loss centers that have weekly or biweekly meetings, like for weigh-ins.  There are also weight loss centers where your membership fees give you access to onsite exercise equipment or the ability to attend an aerobics class.

Now that you know exactly what weight loss centers are, you are better prepared to go about finding one to join. One of the many ways that you can go about finding a weight loss center to become a member at is by using your local phone book. When using your local phone book, you will want to checkout the business directory section, which is also commonly referred to as the yellow pages.  You may be able to find the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of local weight loss centers by looking under the headings of “weight loss,” or “health and fitness.”

In addition to using your local phone book, you can also use the internet to help you find a local weight loss center to join. When using the internet, you can use online business directories or online phone books. These online resources are nice, but they are similar to what you would find in your local phone book. Often times, you only get the name, address, and telephone number of a weight loss center.  If you were to use an online business directory, you may also get the address to an online website, if the weight loss center in question has one.

In keeping with using the internet to help you find a local weight loss center, you can also use standard internet searches to your advantage.  When performing a standard internet search, you may want to search with phrases like “weight loss centers,” or “weight loss programs.”  This generalized search may return results for nationally operated weight loss centers.  If you are looking for a local center, you may want to incorporate your city or your state into your standard internet search as well.

Another great way that you can go about finding a local weight loss center to join is by asking those that you know for recommendations. This includes your friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or your doctors.  Whether the individual in question was or still is a member of the weight loss center in question or they know someone who was, you may be able to get a lot information by speaking to those that you know.  It is also nice, as you often don’t just get the name, address, or telephone number of a local weight loss center; you also should get personal recommendations and constructive criticism as well.

The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many ways that you can go about finding local weight loss centers to join. Although it is nice to hear recommendations from those that you know or use the internet to help you familiarize yourself with all of your options, it is important that you take the time to find the perfect weight loss center for you and needs. This should involve examining the membership features that you have access to, the cost of becoming a member, and so forth.

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