How to lose weight with out a diet

August 26, 2009 by health1  
Filed under How to lose weight

It is possible to lose weight with out a diet. In order to achieve this you need to watch what you eat, when you eat it, and in what quantities. In addition you need to start exercising more and alter your lifestyle to a healthier mode. This article explains how to lose weight with out a diet.

Drinking a lot of water is vital in your weight loss efforts

We sometimes cannot differentiate between the feeling of thirst and the feeling of hunger. As a result of this we overload our body with a lot of unwanted calories, when in reality what we really want is a fresh glass of ice-cold water. If you want to add more flavor to the water you can add a couple of lemon slices, or to drink sugar free ice tea. This is a very easy to follow technique that can help you lose weight easily with out a diet.

Lose weight by adding items to your diet and not removing

To lose weight with out a diet you certainly need to include fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. You can set a target to consume at least 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This weight loss trick will ensure that your body takes the necessary fiber and vitamins while at the same time it is a healthy way to fight hunger. After all fruits and vegetables have a lot to offer to your health and can help you prevent various diseases.

A nice way to include more vegetables in your diet is to mix them with your food. For example you can include vegetables in your rice or soups, in chicken (as salad) or in pasta. This may be better than eating them as a side dish.

Get something in your mouth only when you feel hungry

Most of the times, our desire to eat is not because we are feeling really hungry, but it is also due to certain psychological factors. The feeling of hunger is the message of our body to inform us that we need fuel, so if the reason we eat food is not hunger then the whole process will not make us feel better but it will make us feel worse because of the extra calories we will eat. At the end of the day, eating when not hungry is not a healthy habit for many other obvious reasons and it will also break your weight loss plan.

Snacks can ruin your efforts to lose weight

A very common way to ruin your weight loss process and diet is when after the last meal of the day you lie down in front of the TV with a pack of chips or a box of crisps and biscuits. This is a case where you eat not because you are hungry but because you are get used to it.

If you feel that you cannot resist a sweet temptation, get yourself some healthy snacks such as low-calorie cereal bars or low-fat ice cream, and provide yourself the pleasure to have one per day. When you are accustomed to this habit you can try to further reduce the calorie intake by taking a cup of tea with no calories.

Lose weight by eating the foods you enjoy

In contrast to what many weight loss programs suggest in order to lose weight with out a diet you need not to exclude your favourite foods from your diet. This may create the opposite results. Recall the last time you wanted to have a chocolate but not eat one and recall what happened when you decided that you are ‘allowed’ to eat a bar of chocolate.

Instead of completely removing from your weight loss diet foods you like, you can instead buy them in smaller quantities and eat them less often, once or twice a week.

Do not try to follow a very strict weight loss diet

During the period when you are trying to lose weight, if you feel so break from your diet for a while, walk to your favourite restaurant or organize a dine out with friends. You can avoid having any sweets or other snacks on your way to the restaurant- or on the way home. You can eat as many as fruits and vegetables you want. Try not to over do it with the night outs and you will be able to continue your weight loss efforts with greater success.

Eat small meals more often

A secret on how to lose weight with out a diet is to eat smaller meals in regular intervals. The goals is to achieve an intake of fewer calories than those you burn. To do this you need to avoid being hungry all the time. Proven research identified that people who eat 4-5 meals a day find it a lot easier to manage their appetite and weight.

You can adopt this way in your effort to lose weight. Try to divide your meals and the calories you consume during a day in smaller portions. You need to make sure that you consume more calories before noon, while your evening meal should be your last meal of the day. This will not only help you lose weight easily but it is also a healthy habit since it gives enough time to your body to burn the excess calories.

Spicy food can help you lose weight

Seasonings or hot spices in your food, will not only enhance the food tast but will also give you a feeling that you eat more. Spicy food can stimulate your taste and create a sense of fullness, without actually eating more.

Fill your refrigerator with small healthy meals

Meals that can be prepared quickly may solve a number of problems (cooking time, preparation time etc) and may also assist your weight loss efforts. Having a small, easy to prepare meal will prevent you from ordering fast food because you can within 5-10 minutes prepare your own low calorie and healthy meal.

The above mentioned tips can help you lose weight with out a diet.

10 tips on how to lose weight and keep it off

August 25, 2009 by health1  
Filed under How to lose weight

Obesity besides the looks that it gives to your body it also increases your risk of many serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis, and even in some cases cancer. Losing weight, even a few pounds can help you reduce these risks!

Many weight loss diets and programs on the market today promise you miracle results in a very short of time. Most of them are not only unhealthy but their main disadvantage is that you gain the weight you lost (and sometimes even more) immediately after you stop following the proposed diets.

The most important thing to notice when following a weight loss program is how to lose weight and keep it off. You can do this by following several techniques that will help you lose weight the healthy way.

One of the best tips in weight loss is to use more calories than you eat. This means that your daily activities should help your body burn more calories than those consumed by food and drinks. Here are some numbers to help you out:

• One pound equals to 3,500 calories.
• If you during a day you consume 3,500 calories more than you can burn, you will eventually gain a pound.
• If you manage to burn 3,500 calories more than the calories you eat, you will be able to lose a pound.

It should be noted and understood that the exact number of calories a person needs on a daily basis depends on age, sex, and activity level.

Typically though the situation is the following:

• Most men that are between the ages of 41 to 60 need about 2,200 calories a day.
• Most women that are between the ages of 41 to 60 need fewer calories than men, typically they need between 1,600 and 1,800 a day.

As a quick rule of thump in order to lose weight and keep it off, you do not need to suffer and for sure do not follow any stick or miracle diets available on the market! You should make changes to your diet and lifestyle gradually, things that you enjoy and can stick with them long-term.

10 tips on how to lose weight and keep it off

1. Do not hurry, weight loss takes time.

• Set your weight loss goals so as to lose only 1 or 2 pounds a week. It is proven that people who lose weight in a faster pace are more likely to gain the lost weight it back.

• Do not try the advertised miracle diets and weight loss drugs. No only they are un-healthy and dangerous but for sure they don’t work for long.

2. Be careful on what you eat and drink.

• Keep a daily journal for a while and record everything you eat and drink. Most people tend to eat without realising it and they end up consuming much more calories than they really need. A weight loss journal will help you find out this habit.

• Do not eat while watching television. When eating make sure that you sit down at the table not doing anything else.

• Eat slowly and chew your food very good. You should know that it takes about 20 minutes for our brain to get the signal from the stomach that we are feeling full. It is a fact that people who eat too fast they end up eating too much.

3. Prepare more home made food

• When you prepare your own meals at home it is easier and healthier to know what and how much you eat.

• Preparing your own food is not only healthier and safer but it is also less expensive than bying read made food or eating out.

• When you go to grocery stores or supermarkets to buy food make sure that you read the nutrition labels for each item you are buying.

4. Be selective when and where to dine out.

• It is a well know secret that if you want to lose weight you should eat out less.

• Some ready made meals and especially large fast-food meals contain more than 1,500 calories. This is almost enough for a whole day!

• When you do eat out, watch out the food portions. They are usually too large and enough for 2 people to share. In such a case try to share a portion with someone else or take the half portion as take away.

• When eating out you can select more salads. They are healthier and have less calories (without the dressing!)

5. Watch what you drink. Drinks have calories too!

• One regular can of cola has about 150 calories. These calories are known as empty calories since they have absolutely no nutritional value.

• If you do some simple mathematic calculations if you drink one less soft drink a day  you can lose up to 15-lb a year, without doing anything!

• If you want to drink something, you can drink water (lots of it), unsweetened tea, or low-fat milk

6. Fruits and vegetables are your best friend

• You should aim for 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

• Fruits and vegetables will keep you healthy and give you a feeling that you are fill up and contain very few calories.

7. You should try and fight your hunget but by consuming fewer calories.

• It is up to you to make smart choices while selecting your food. For example you could eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables instead of eating a fast food salad (800 calories).

• When you have a choice, choose foods high in fiber that will fill you up. Such foods are fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, and whole-grain cereals, breads, and pasta.

• Before each meal you can have a broth-based soup or green salad. This will help fill your stomach up and you will end up eating less calories.

• Water, Water, Water – at least 8 glasses a day.

8. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day especially for people who want to lose weight. It is proven that people who eat breakfast can lose weight easier.

• Skipping any meals (and breakfast in particular) makes you hungrier and more likely to overeat on the other meals.

9. Eat healthy snacks

• If you really have the need to eat a snack or two then select among fruits and vegetables instead of candy, cookies, and chips.

10. Exercise and physical activity

• Exercise can improve your mood and has a lot of benefits to offer to your health besides weight loss.

• You should try and exercise for at least 30 minutes (moderate physical activity). Typical exercises can be walking, running. Repeat that for at least 5 days a week. You don’t have to join a gym and start weight lifting or very intense exercise.

• Walking is the easiest exercise to do and it will not only help you to burn those extra calories, but it also improves the health of your heart, and strengthens your muscles, which are vital to weight loss.

How to lose weight naturally

August 24, 2009 by health1  
Filed under How to lose weight

There are many way to lose weight but the most important thing to do it to find those ways in order to lose weight naturally. This is because if you manage to lose weight naturally then most probably you will not easily gain the lost weight once you stop your weight loss efforts. This article is about how to lose weight naturally using very easy to follow weight loss tips and techniques.

How to lose weight naturally #1- Be careful on what you buy from grocery stores and supermarkets

Supermarkets and grocery stores  are designed so as to make you purchase items you may not need. Have you ever wondered why core items such as milk and eggs are positioned way in the back of the store. They are designed such a way as to make you walk through the entire store before picking up those items. While navigating through the store you pass by hundreds of other items. Most people have the habit to see and buy many things they think they need and even worse they will make impulse buys which include a lot of unhealthy items like sweets (candy, cake, donuts) and salty foods (chips, crackers). When you visit a store try and concentrate on shopping items that you really need and match your diet needs. Usually these items are located in the outer corners which include the sections of meat, poultry and fish. While browsing through the store, look around you and for a moment stop and think how the store is setup and the number of unhealthy food choices they have available for you to help you destroy your weight loss efforts.

How to lose weight naturally #2 – Food portion size

Being able to manage the portion size is extremely important when it comes to weight loss. With all of the extra large size portions out there, it’s very difficult to know what the correct portion size is. As a rule of thumb you can satisfy your protein needs when eating meat, poultry or fish by choosing a portion size that is about the size of a deck of cards. When eating out in a restaurant, if the portion looks too large then it probably it is large and more than what you need to eat. You can simply eat only a small portion of it and ask to take the rest home to eat in  another meal. By managing your portion sizes, you will be able to teach your mind and stomach into the proper amount of food you should eat . This is very important for creating new eating habits and following a healthy diet plan.

How to lose weight naturally #3 – Eat foods that contain low calories

Although there are no ‘negative calorie foods’, there are some foods that contain a few calories and as a result the calories needed by the body to do the digestion are more than the calories in the food itself. For example, 100 grams of broccoli has 25 calories and the body requires 80 calories to digest it so as a result we have a net loss of 55 calories! Other foods which are very low in calories and require lots of calories for their digestion include asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and zucchini. These are some nice and healthy foods to include in your weight loss diet.

How to lose weight naturally #4 – Build more muscles

Muscle mass is the most active tissue in our body and it is responsible for burning calories throughout the day. If you can increase your muscle tissue by 1 extra pound, this will help you burn about 50 extra calories a day! It is of great importance to include some form of physical exercise into your overall weight loss plan.

How to lose weight naturally #5 – Set clear and precise weight loss goals

Having precise weight loss goals is very important in the process to lose weight naturally. By setting your weight loss goals, you will have a plan to follow so you can make those changes in your lifestyle which will eventually develop into healthy habits to last a lifetime. Concentrate on both short term and long term goals. You can initially set a weekly goal of losing 1 pound of fat. This is the healthiest amount of weight you can lose per week without causing any other health problems. To reach this 1 pound of fat loss per week, focus on making a 500 calorie deficit in the overall calories you consume every day. An easy way to create this 500 calorie deficit is through exercise or through your diet. Try to use a combination of both exercise and diet for the best results!

How to lose weight naturally #6 – Losing weight is a process that needs patience

It is a fact that it didn’t take you 2 weeks to gain those extra 20 pounds, so it definitely will not take you only 2 weeks to lose them! Focus on a solid weight loss/diet plan and stick to it for at least 8-12 weeks. When you begin, you should expect your body to resist the change to some degree. Stick to your plan and don’t be discouraged if you’re not losing weight very quickly. With patience and persistence your body will eventually become a fat burning machine. Be patient and the results will come!

How to lose weight naturally #7 – The mirror always tells the truth

When you are engaged in a weight loss process you want to have progress and you need the results to be visible. You can use the mirror to check your progress. Just wear your underwear or swimsuit and stand in front of the mirror. Take a close look at your trouble areas which tend to concentrate big amounts of body fat like the hips and thighs (for women) and the abdomen (for men). Sometimes the scale may not indicate any weight loss, but you may have added lean muscle to your body, and this will be shown in the mirror.

How to lose weight naturally #8 – Fat loss

When you want to lose weight naturally you probably work very hard in exercising and following to a healthy diet, so you need to make sure that you monitor your body fat levels. You need to make sure that you are losing body fat and not hard earned muscle tissue. Visit a professional to examine and analyze your body fat levels with either hydrostatic weighting (underwater) or with bio electrical impedance (sensors). These will provide you with a very accurate measure of your body fat percentage and will provide immediate feedback to your overall weight loss plan.

How to lose weight naturally #9 – Keep a weight loss journal

One of the most important aspects of weight loss is keeping a journal. Weight loss journals will allow you to keep a detail record and track everything you eat or drink. By keeping a weight loss journal you can immediate get a complete picture of your eating habits. Your journal will keep record of how many meals you eat everyday, the portion of your meals and when you eat each meal.

Except recording all of the foods you eat, your weight loss journal can include your feelings, thoughts and reactions with each meal. You can record such things like were you actually hungry when you ate your last meal or just bored? Did you eat because you were happy, in a bad mood or frustrated? Did you feel stressed or rushed during a meal? Also, you can record your feelings after you ate your meal. Did you feel tired and lethargic? These are very important things to document when keeping your weight loss journal. You will be amazed how much you can learn by recording those dietary events and using this tool is crucial for a successful and healthy weight loss!

How to lose weight naturally #10 – Always consider what you eat

When you want to eat or drink something, think for a moment if the food/drink will help you meet your weight loss goals or if it is setting you back. By considering what you are consuming, you will have a clearer picture of your dietary habits and you will be able to make those changes in your diet that will eventually help you to lose weight naturally.

How to lose weight easy

August 23, 2009 by health1  
Filed under How to lose weight

The following article presents several concrete tips on how to lose weight easy. The guidelines are very easy to follow and they will bring immediate and easy results to your weight loss efforts.

How to lose weight easy: Lose the excess fat

One of the things you can do to lose the excess fat from your body is to reduce your intake of sugar. You can do this by gradually reducing the consumption of high sugar foods like donuts, candy bars, cakes, pies, hard candy, fudge, soft drinks and processed fruit juices. If you want to have something sweet, try frozen grapes or sugar free Jell-O. By reducing the intake of sugar, you will be able to manage the levels of insulin and this will help you improve your body’s ability to start burning the stored fat.

How to lose weight easy: With home made food

Another important aspect in the process of how to lose weight easy is home made food. You need to make healthy and proper choices when cooking at home. Steaming and broiling are among the healthy ways to prepare your meals. If you need to use oil in your cooking use only olive oil. Olive oil is full of healthy mono-unsaturated fats that will help keep you a feeling of fullness for longer periods of time. Do not use oils with high saturated fat such as coconut oils, corn oil, palm oil and vegetable oils. Even better, if you have a good steamer, you can simply add some food with a little water (no oil at all) and you can prepare your self a nice and healthy meal.

How to lose weight easy: How you eat

Another secret of weight loss is how you eat your food. You should try to eat your meals at a slow pace, really enjoying every bite. It must be noted that our body needs around 20 minutes to realize that our stomach is full. If you eat at a fast pace, you will end up eating more calories than you actually need until your brain sends the signal that you are no longer hungry.

Make sure that you make healthy choices when it comes to selecting what type of fats you eat. When selecting cooking oils, choose oils that are high in mono-unsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. Oils that are high in mono-unsaturated fats include olive oil, almond oil and canola oil. Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) like Omega-3 are also very crucial to include them in your daily diet. Salmon and tuna are among the great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 can help to prevent and cure various disorders in many ways. Several established research suggests that individuals who are non-insulin-dependent (or type 2) diabetes, omega-3 can help them improve their insulin sensitivity. Omega-3 fatty acids have been proved to help keeping cholesterol levels low, stabilizing an irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), and lowering blood pressure.

How to lose weight easy: Exercise

In your efforts on how to lose weight easy you really need to concentrate on getting up and exercising in order to burn the excess calories. You can start your exercising efforts by doing the simplest form of exercise, walking. Try to gradually walk 1 kilometer alone or with a friend. Try to improve and make it up to several miles per day and you will be suprised how great you will feel. You can also try doing some sports or other activities which you enjoy and at the same time provide you with a great workout. Start playing various sports, tennis, basketball, or football. By exercising regularly, you will improve your ability to lose weight faster and manage not to get back the weight you lose.

How to lose weight easy: Be selective with foods

Some of the foods that you need to be aware when you want to lose weight fast is cheese. Cheese is full of saturated fat and is very high in calories. Each gram of fat carries more than twice the amount calories compared to the calories contained in protein and carbohydrates (fat has 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein). A small piece of cheese has the same amount of calories as several cups of broccoli. You should try and reduce or completely abandon cheese on your sandwiches and salads. This will help you drastically reduce the overall calories in your daily diet. If you really need to eat cheese from time to time, you can choose a light cheese which has less calories than full fat cheese. Have in mind that most restaurants do not offer low-fat cheese so it is better not to eat cheese when dining out.

Another food that has a lot of calories is mayonnaise. Mayonnaise contains a large amount of fat and has enough calories per serving. You need to make the effort and remove mayo from your sandwiches and meals. This will certainty help you reduce the amount of calories consumed per meal. Instead of mayonnaise try eating a low calorie alternative like spicy mustard. There is also the choice of light mayonnaise which contains less calories per serving than the full fat version.

How to lose weight easy: Avoid dinning out

As with the home cooking, another thing that can destroy your efforts to lose weight fast is dining out. Dining out can help you or destroy your weight loss efforts. Some foods that contain a lot of calories are bread and butter. Usually these are served for free before your main meal in every restaurant. You should be careful the next time you are dining out not to over consume bread and butter. One way to keep the temptation away is by asking from the restaurant to remove the bread basket from the table. As far as butter is concerned you should avoid eating food that is cooked with batter. Make sure that you ask to have the meal boiled, roasted or grilled with olive oil instead of butter and you will immediately reduce the calorie intake by hundreds of calories.

How to lose weight easy: Control your grocery list

Another way on how to lose weight fast is to control your grocery list. Before going for shopping, make a specific and precise grocery list of everything you need to buy and try to stick to it. Make sure that you include in your list all the healthy foods you need such as lean proteins (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, egg whites), healthy carbohydrates (whole wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, black beans), fruits (apples, strawberries, oranges, watermelon) and vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, green beans, squash, romaine lettuce). By having a detailed grocery list before going for shopping, it will be much easier for you to buy only healthy food and avoid making buys like candy, chips and other unhealthy and full fat foods.

A great tip to help you stick to the items on your grocery list and not buying more than you need is to eat a healthy meal before you go for  shopping. This will give you a full stomach that will make you satisfied and keep you away from the many food temptations found in the store. A meal before going for shopping will help you not to make the wrong choices you may have done if you were hungry. Another great way is to take a protein smoothie with you to the supermarket and walk around drinking it. This for sure can keep away the sweet temptations.