How to lose weight – the basic rules

Unlike other illnesses, fighting obesity would require much more than surgery and medications. You would need to do major lifestyle changes including diet and exercise. But before doing so, it would be beneficial to know some basic weight loss facts so you will be on the right tract on your journey to losing weight.

Am I Underweight, Normal, or Obese?

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a ratio based on body weight and height. It is highly correlated with body fat, but increased lean body mass or a large body frame can also increase BMI.

The ideal BMI is 24, Individuals who have a BMI below 24 or who are 80% or less of their desirable body weight for height are at risk for problems associated with poor nutritional status. Those who have a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight; those with BMI of 30 to 39 are considered obese; those who have BMI of 40 and above are considered extremely obese.

To calculate your BMI, simply divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters (metric method) or divide your weight in pounds times 703 by the square of your height in inches (imperial method).

BMI = ( lbs/inches² ) (weight in pounds * 703 ) ———————————— height in inches²

BMI = ( kg/m² ) weight in kilograms ———————————— height in meters²

In addition to the calculation of BMI, waist circumference measurement is particularly useful for people who are categorized as normal or overweight. To measure the waist circumference, a tape measure is placed in a horizontal plane around the abdomen; men who have waist circumferences greater than 40 inches and women who have waist circumferences greater than 35 inches have excess abdominal fat.

Why some people lose weight faster?

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) represents energy needed to maintain essential physiological functions, such as respiration, circulation, and muscle tone. This means that even when a person is at complete rest both physically and mentally, he/she still burns calories because the body needs energy to perform these functions. However, relying in the calories burned through BMR alone will not help you lose weight. It is simply a determinant of why some people lose weight faster than others.

Men: 66 + (13.7 x Weigh in Kilograms) + (5 x Height in centimeter) – (6.8 x Age in years) = BMR

Women: 665 + (9.6 x Weigh in Kilograms) + (1.8 x Height in centimeter) – (4.7 x Age in years) = BMR

How many calories should I consume daily in order to lose weight?

Health buffs are very careful with the amount of calories they take in daily. Some even treat calories as something that is bad for the body and that should be avoided. Calories are actually essential to one’s body because the calories that we get from the food we eat are converted by the body to produce energy for us to be able to do our activities of daily living. Calories become bad for the body when the person takes in too much while living a sedentary lifestyle. If the person is less active, the calories will not be used but instead it will be stored in the body as fat deposits. Whenever we eat 3,500 calories more than what our body needs, we get to gain one pound. If we burn 3,500 calories more than what we eat, we lose a pound. To calculate your daily calorie needs, you may use the Harris-Benedict Equation.

Little to no exercise	BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1-3 days per week)	BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3-5 days per week)	BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6-7 days per week)	BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts)	BMR x 1.9

For example if your BMR is 2000 and you do not do any regular exercise then you need 2000 X 1.2 = 2400 calories.

According to the data given by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, two in five Americans are 20% or more over their ideal body weight. People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for health complications, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and bronchitis. Also, they could suffer from impaired body image, depression, and low self- esteem.

Because of this, the US Department of Health and Human Services has organized campaigns and programs to fight obesity like “We Can!” a national childhood obesity program. Even with these programs, the best person who can help you is yourself, if you want to live a longer and happier life, do take care of your health and lose that excess weight TODAY! Some resources to help you get started:

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Do you really want to lose weight?

One of the questions you really need to ask yourself before getting into the weight loss journey is whether you really want to lose weight. A definite and sincere answer to this question will save you a lot of time, money and frustration. People have a lot reasons to wish that they can lose weight but as soon as they find the first obstacle they forget everything and quit. If you are certain as to why you need to lose weight and you convince yourself that you really want to do it then everything else will be easier.

What it happens many times is that people are worried about their weight loss problem but they are too bored to do something about it. They believe that they will never make it and they are reluctant to take the first step. This is until they find out that one of their friends managed to lose those extra pounds or until they see those super fit models advertising fitness equipment on night TV. This is the point where they start thinking “I want to lose weight” and some of them may even pick up the phone and buy a piece of exercise equipment believing that in a few weeks time they will become thin and fit and look like those models. Unfortunately the majority of these cases fail because there are no miracles when it comes to losing weight. No exercise equipment, weight loss pill or diet can help you lose weight fast and without effort. If you really want to lose weight then you have to do something more than watching fitness equipment on TV or wishing that you could lose weight; you need to get into action, work hard and then enjoy your new self.

Above any diet or exercise routine the most important factor that will help you lose weight is your determination to lose pounds and feel better. The power of your inner self is the driving force behind your efforts and the more motivation you have the easier will be the process. You need to convince yourself that being overweight is a situation that has to stop and that the only way to stop it is by working hard towards achieving your goals. It is very important that you have a plan to follow and equally important that you have inspiration sources to keep you motivated until the end.

The plan will help you measure your progress and take corrective actions and the inspiration sources will help you bypass the many obstacles and failures that will come your way. In your plan set clear milestones and think about the tools you will use to meet those targets. Think about the diet to follow and how you plan to workout (frequency, duration, type of exercise) and also about your ultimate goal i.e. how many pounds you want to lose at the end. For inspiration think about people who can support you (family, friends) or other ways to get emotional support. Visualize yourself at the end of the process and try to imagine how great you will feel. Every time you find a difficulty do not get discouraged but consider this as an opportunity to try harder for faster results.

Weight loss is not that hard if you approach it correctly. All it takes is a step-by-step approach, patience and internal power. Thousands of people have to deal with this problem everyday and hundreds of people are able to find a solution. With a bit of self confidence you can be one of them.

Order take away and lose weight

Many people have the misconception that take away food and weight loss are two contradictive terms. This is because over time take away food is referred to as junk food and because many weight loss experts used to advice people to stay away from such food. Maybe this was the case a number of years back where take away restaurants in general did not pay special attention on how to prepare food that is calorie friendly. This situation has changed and there are many different types of take away food that can satisfy your hunger in style and help you lose weight at the same time. Of course not all take away food satisfies these criteria but with a little bit of research you can achieve both taste and weight loss. Let’s see below some ideas to spicy up your mind before your next takeaway order.

Spicy Food: Spicy food can help you lose weight. This is because spicy food increases your metabolism which is turn helps your body burn more calories. When you eat spices your body temperature is increased as well as your heart rate. Your blood circulation becomes faster and this situation stimulates the break down of fat cells. There are many types of spicy dishes in Japanese, Indian and Chinese food that have great taste and are also good for weight loss.

Pizza: Pizza is a delicious food and a perfect idea for lunch or dinner. If you are on a weight loss diet then you need to ensure that your pizza slices do not include meat such as pepperoni or sausage. Instead prefer eating pizza slices with vegetables (mushrooms, olives, peppers) and light cheese.

Chicken: All take away restaurants have chicken in their menus. Chicken is among the healthiest meat to eat and does not add a lot of calories to your diet. Whenever possible prefer chicken or turkey over red meat (beef and pork).

Fish: Fish is healthy, tasty and calorie friendly. By eating fish twice a week you increase your chances of losing weight or maintaining your normal weight. Many restaurants have added various fish dishes on their takeaway menus and do not forget that the popular tuna salad is even a better choice.

Salads: Salads are also a great way to eat healthy when you order take away. Almost all salads are good for your weight loss provided that you avoid mayonnaise and other salad dressings.

Burgers: Burgers do not necessarily have to be made with meat. There are many other types of burger that taste good and have fewer calories than beef or ham burgers. For example you may want to try: vegetable burgers, fish burgers, chicken burgers, imitation meat burgers).

Whatever food you eat, either homemade or takeaway, you can still stay within your weight loss goals provided that you avoid exaggerations. Eat a reasonable size food portion and try to spend the extra energy acquired on exercise and physical activities. Stop blaming take away food about your extra weight and get serious about your weight loss efforts.

How To Lose Weight Naturally – Salads For Multiple Meals

It’s no secret that eating healthly is a major part of losing weight. The problem is that many people think that healthy food is boring and uninteresting to eat. For this reason it’s difficult to imagine having salads for multiple meals throughout the day. There are ways you can liven up a salad to make it more interesting though. This article will give you a few different ideas for tasty salads that can be used to lose weight.

Firstly, you need to understand what constitutes a salad. Usually when making a salad for a meal you should start with some greens. Generally green vegetables aren’t high in calories and hence you can eat as much as you want of them without worrying about putting on weight. Greens include lettuce or spinach. Without a large amount of greens a salad can be unsatisfying when it comes to portion sizes.

Other vegetables should be included in the salad although more sparingly than greens. You could also include fruit and a small amount of meat – be careful to avoid fried meats though as these are high in calories. Nuts are also commonly used in a salad.

Chicken Caesar Salad

This is one of the most popular salads available and is great if you want to lose weight whilst eating tasty food. To cook the chicken Caesar salad you need a small amount of ciabatta bread, some chicken, garlic, parmesan cheese and lettuce. The amount of each ingredient is up to you although you shouldn’t put in too much chicken whilst trying to lose weight.

Salad Nicoise

The salad Nicoise is made using tuna rather than chicken and hence has a different flavour. As with any sort of salad you need to ensure that you keep the high calorie content to a minimum. There are only a few different ingredients included within a salad Nicoise – mainly tuna, greens and olives.

Chicken and Grape Salad

Using chicken and grapes together might seem like a strange idea but can create a tasty and different dish. The amount of chicken you use will affect how healthy it is so make sure you keep it to a minimum. You shouldn’t try to cut all meat out of your diet though – a balanced diet is key.

Creating Your Own

Now that you’ve seen a few examples of how to make a salad interesting you should start trying to make your own. The more variation you can add to your diet the easier you’ll find it to keep your diet going for a long period of time. Just be careful not to add huge amounts of unhealthy sauces to a salad as this can ruin the meal from a health point of view.

For example, you could make a salad using a variety of different nuts in order to give the meal a greater taste without increasing the number of calories dramatically. You should try to include foods that have a range of different properties such as antioxidants, fibre and other beneficial substances. This will help you to have a balanced diet which is important for health whilst at the same time reducing the number of calories you take on board.

The great thing about salads is that they can be changed to suit any kind of diet and situation. The fact that the majority of a salad is made from greens means that unless you put too much sauce or meat into the mix it’ll nearly always be a healthier option than some of the alternatives. You still need to be careful to choose low calorie ingredients though.

You can also read about 10 other ways on how to lose weight naturally

I Want To Lose Weight Where Do I Start

If you’ve decided that you need to lose weight – be it for aesthetic or health reasons – it’s often difficult to know where to begin. There are so many different techniques, methods and diets to try that it’s almost impossible to make an informed decision. Luckily, weight loss usually comes down to a few important rules and these are where you should start. This article will take you through the most basic rules of all – reducing your calorie intake and increasing the amount of exercise you do.

Although it isn’t fashionable to say that weight loss is just about creating a deficit in the number of calories your body uses, in reality that’s all that really matters. For that reason if you’re beginning to lose weight you need to work out how many calories you consume on an average day. It can be quite shocking to discover how much you’re eating which is why it’s always useful to make a note of everything you eat over a certain period. Once you have a benchmark you can then work on reducing your average intake.

This is important because many people assume that they have to crash diet in order to lose weight. Fortunately, this simply isn’t true and trying to eat as little as possible can actually damage your health and chances of losing weight in the long run. For example, if you suddenly stop eating then you may lose weight but your body’s metabolism will also have decreased. This means when you go back to eating normally you’ll put on weight much faster. Another problem is that a crash diet is very difficult to keep up for any length of time.

Exercise is the other piece of the weight loss puzzle. If you’ve never been interested in sports then increasing the amount of exercise you do can seem daunting. You might imagine that the local gym is full of slim, fit people and be embarrassed to visit. The truth is that to lose weight you need to start exercising as much as possible. Some experts estimate that you need to perform cardiovascular exercise for around 250 minutes a week in order to lose weight which is a lot more than many people do in a month.

It’s important not to think you have to reach this goal straight away though. Start by setting yourself smaller targets and work up to 250 minutes a week. This will increase your confidence as you can see gains in your fitness. If going to the gym doesn’t excite you then consider going swimming, joining a dance group or taking up a new sport. Jogging is also great for weight loss although you need to be careful not to increase your mileage immediately.

Hopefully this article has given you a few ideas for getting started with weight loss. It’s vital that you come up with a plan – both for diet and exercise – that you can stick to for an extended period. The most common mistake people make when trying to lose weight is not creating a balanced diet which means it’s difficult to be consistent. Yo-yo dieting (where someone loses weight, puts it back on and then loses it again) is not only frustrating but could also potentially damage your health and hence should be avoided at all costs.

In summary, to start losing weight you should work out your daily calorie intake and then decide how to reduce it by at least 20% – potentially more if required. You should then increase the amount of exercise you do in a way that’s fun, enjoyable and sustainable.

How to lose weight for women

Many people, from all walks of life, are finding ourselves in a peculiar position. We are overweight, under-exercised, and self conscious about it. This is especially true for many women. A lot of burden is placed on women to look pretty or sexy at all times in our society. It’s no wonder why so many people are trying to change their appearance. After all, there’s nothing wrong with making yourself better. The main thing to remember is just to be yourself, and everything will fall into place.

Weight loss for women is very similar to that of a man. All it really takes is a change of mind, and the way you live. Changing your mind and lifestyle will cause your body to change along with it. This can be difficult at times, but usually it takes place very naturally, just like the process of gaining weight. So where do you start first, you may ask? First and foremost is your mind. A lot of things in life are mental, and the consequences affect your whole world. You first have to get out of the mindset that you are fat, and will always be fat. Realize that you have complete control over your body and life. You can change any part of it that you want, with a little hard work.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets take a look at your lifestyle. This is the part where you snack a lot before bed, drink coffee and eat donuts for breakfast, and chase it down with a double quarter-pounder for lunch. While this may not necessarily be what you do everyday, you can see where I’m going with this. The reasons why you are overweight can be numerous, especially for women. Perhaps you have just gone through pregnancy. Or maybe you are too busy to exercise.

It’s hard to guess specific reasons for why you are overweight. Your main focus, however, should be changing your eating habits. Eat fruits and whole grains for breakfast. Have a salad for lunch, and beans, vegetables, rice, bread, or cheese. Add to that plenty of water. Avoid sugar and fats like the plague. And whatever your schedule may be, find a way to supplement it with activity. Physical activity, if even for short periods throughout your day, will help you lose weight in no time. So stick with it, and you will change, one way or another.

How to lose Weight Without Buying Anything

Contrary to popular belief you do not have to spend a ton of money to lose weight. Every day we are inundated with ads bearing beautiful skinny models who claim they got that way by taking one simple pill a day. Or, they have been on a magic diet plan that they read about in the newest bestseller. You cannot watch a late night TV program without seeing an advertisement for some expensive exercise machine that will help you lose weight in just five minutes a day. All of these claims would be great, if they were true. The simple truth is you can lose weight without buying anything.

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is by walking. Many people end up buying an expensive treadmill with the thought that they will continue to be able to exercise throughout the winter or anytime there is inclement weather. However, usually these treadmills end up abandoned in a corner as a glorified clothes hanger. You do not need an expensive treadmill to get your exercise in. Many people walk outside at all times of the year. Even when the weather seems much too cold, as long as you bundle up you will stay warm. Once you begin your walk your heart rate increases and your body temperature will rise and you will be more than comfortable. In addition, there are many free facilities you can use to do your walking. Many churches have gyms that are open to the public for exercise. Also, many communities have free community centers with indoor tracks.

Another way on how to lose weight without buying anything is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Drinking water helps your body think it is full and cuts down on your calorie intake. Also, spacing your meals out throughout the day will increase the calories that your body uses. The body cannot always use all of the calories you take in during three large meals a day. These calories are then stored for later use and if not used are turned into fat.

Try to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. This will start your morning off right and provide you with the calories needed to get you through the day. Also, never eat right before going to bed. With your body in a state of rest, calories will only be stored in the body and will not be able to be burned off through activity.

How to lose belly fat safely and effectively

Before attempting to lose belly fat you need to consider the reasons that you need to lose belly fat. Is it because you have more weight than normal and this creates other health problems; is it because you want to get rid of a few extra pounds so that you will feel better or is it because your BMI shows that you weight more than what is expected for your height?  Whatever the reason, you need to ensure that you learn how to lose belly fat safely and effectively. The safest way to lose belly fat is the healthy way i.e. healthy food, balanced diet, exercise and physical activity.

Physical activity and exercise

Physical activity and exercise is the only safe way to burn more calories. The more active you are, the more calories you will burn. In simple terms this means that if you increase your levels of exercise without eating more, the extra energy needed will be taken from your fat reserves and so you will lose both fat and calories.

The best type of exercise for weight loss is the one you can do for a long time without getting bored. You do not have to join a gym or fitness class. There are a lot of exercises you can do on your own like walking, running, jogging, cycling etc that can give you good results if you perform them regularly and consistently. Make sure that you exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, 3 times per week. Remember, the more you can exercise the better and faster will be the results.

Healthy eating and balanced diet

To be able to maintain your normal weight and get ready to lose weight and belly fat, you need to follow a diet that is rich in fiber and balanced in carbohydrates and proteins. Fruits and vegetables are perfect candidates for your daily diet while foods that are high in fat, salt and sugars should be avoided or replaced with healthier alternatives. Care should also be taken on the foods that are advertised as “diet foods”. Some of these are low in fat but are high in calories while other are low in calories but high in fat. You need to read the food labels and ensure that the foods you select are both low in calories and fat. If you are not sure how to interpret the items in a food label you can get the advice of a professional nutritionist who can guide you on how to select food and drinks that are healthy and calorie friendly.

Non natural ways to lose weight

Unfortunately the weight loss industry is a very popular one and there are a number of products that promise quick results with no effort. These products have nothing to do with a healthy weight loss. A healthy weight loss excludes weight loss pills, crash diets, deprivation diets, fat burners or other chemical ways that are suppose to help you lose weight. This is not only in theory but it is proven by various studies that deal with fat loss. All studies agree that if you try to lose weight fast without following healthy guidelines you will gradually gain the weight back and in the long run you will end up with more weight.

If you are still not convinced that the best way to lose weight is the healthy way consider the following example. The person that currently holds the World record for losing the biggest amount of pounds (mainly fat), managed to lose over 400 pounds using a balanced diet and exercise and not by using weight loss pills or other methods.

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