Why You Can't Seem To Lose Any Weight

Regina has tried everything she can possibly think of to lose weight. She has counted calories, counted points, gone to a "normal" gym, and ordered every exercise DVD on the face of the earth (at least it feels that way to her). For some reason, nothing has worked for more than a month at a time.

After this 4 week mark, Regina falls back into her old habits and becomes severely frustrated with herself Just when she thinks she has made a breakthrough. She has a couple of problems: first, her husband doesn't support healthy changes she tries to make. Her second problem is that her schedule is just "too crazy" to sustain an exercise program. And lastly, she just loves sugar!

I recently gave Regina a fitness assessment during which I slowly discovered all of this information. When I say she was frustrated, I mean she was literally mad at herself for her perceived failures. I'm going to give you 5 practical tips to lose weight and keep it off!

1. Completely abandon frustration with your past weight loss efforts.

You just have to do this, unequivocally and with no reservations. You are moving forward with the most important relationship you have. Your relationship with yourself!

2. Remove negative influences that may restrict your changes from taking full effect.

I understand that you can't just divorce your husband or wife if they won't "get on a diet" with you, but the truth is most people that use this as a reason not to change for the better don't sit their partner down for a good 30 minutes and explain to them WHY this is so important to you.

3. Don't build the healthy lifestyle up to be more difficult than it really is.

A good analogy for this is that person you were interested in romantically maybe in high school or college that you placed on a pedestal as being perfect. Every time you got around them you seemed to not know what to say and became a nervous mess, but if you acted like they were not a big deal they would be much more receptive to your request for a date.

4. Do about 2 hours worth of research.

Another analogy for you: How did you feel when you had to give a 5 minute speech without being fully prepared? Yeah, I'm sure it didn't feel great. I know I was an absolute train wreck. My point is you will feel a ton more confident about new weight loss program by learning some basics such as the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates, or the difference between slow boring cardio and high intensity interval training. You will just feel much more equipped for your journey.

5. Seek out some help!

I am obviously very biased when it comes to this point because I am a Fitness Professional, but it is seriously important. This could be a friend who is very into fitness, a personal trainer, a dietitian, etc. Have someone help you with your plan at least at the onset. When two people agree on something research shows that your likelihood of success is doubled. This is is called accountability my friend.

Let's get back to Regina. She has, after exactly 35 days lost about 7 pounds and for some reason "feels different" this time. There is a simple reason for this. This reason not only determines if you will be able to lose weight and keep it off, but it also determines how much money you make, what kind of relationships you have, and how much success you will enjoy during your beautiful life. This is all due to Regina operating from a different paradigm (or frame of reference). She truly has a deep understanding that this is permanent so there is no pressure to "lose 40 pounds in 2 months" or any other ridiculous goals.

It is really ironic, but when you relax into a lifestyle change it becomes too easy!

Patrick M Williams is the Owner/Head Trainer of Fuel Rx Fitness in Sherman Oaks, CA. He is "The valley's fat loss expert" and has helped hundreds of people accomplish their fitness goals. Go to http://gripdownload.com/109794 to download his "weight loss secrets revealed" report.

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Different Ways to Fast for Weight Reduction

Ever since we as humans got into the concept of dieting to lose weight, there have been literally dozens of different ways to approach weight loss. It seems like almost everyone has an angle, be it high carb or low carb diets, fat-free or healthy fats, and on and on it goes. Some so-called experts claim their diet works for everyone, and then some other expert comes along and advocates something totally opposite. Clearly it can get very confusing.

But probably the one thing that holds true for any diet to work could be broken down into one word: compliance. Most diets will work, at least to some degree, if the person doing the dieting can keep to it on a regular and long term basis. And I suppose I should add, with the caveat that the diet truly is going to keep the person healthy and strong.

So perhaps the first thing that we should take in consideration with the diet is to choose one we can we live with. With the high amounts of wonderful food that we have available to us now, it is rather difficult just to stop eating. But if we could indulge in those foods we love, provided they are healthy, but then "postpone" eating those foods, maybe that is the best way to lose weight.

That's where we get into fasting. The concept of going for periods of time of near famine conditions and then give the body large quantities of nourishment has been part of the human way for dieting for most of our existence, at least until recently when food for most people on earth has become more abundant. It could be the fact that the human body is really hardwired for this sort of diet. So perhaps if we could use some concepts for fasting, as long as they were healthy, it might be a way for us who love food to get our way without putting on enormous quantities of weight.

Many health experts are now getting into fasting as perhaps the best answer for weight loss. There are a couple of main categories for fasting that people should look at, and both if done in the right way could be at a very good option for many people.

1. Intermittent fasting. This is where you limit the food you eat during a day into a 6 to 8 hour window.

2. Alternate day fasting. There are a few variations of this. One is where a person will fast the entire day, only drinking water. This might be done a couple of times a week, and then you would eat your normal diet during the other days. This for most people is quite harsh, so another alternative is to eat one meal during that fast day of perhaps 500 cal.

It has been found that the compliance for this type of fasting is the highest. Some have tried during their fasting days to spread the 500 calorie meal into a few small meals spread throughout the day, but this only seems to encourage cheating.

Fasting does seem to have a lot of promise for many people because it makes the body reset itself, encouraging it to burn more fat from storage. Similar to exercising the body, when the person does routines over and over every day the body adjusts and workout results diminish. With fasting we push the body into a fat burning mode and then, prior to going into starvation mode (which is longer than two days) we provided it nourishment. In a subsequent post I would like to get more into this, but I think it's an interesting concept that people who really want to lose weight should look into.

Our goal is to inform those people who are trying to lose weight on comprehensive, realistic programs for weight loss. We are definitely not into quick-fixes, but programs that involve proper diet, cardio work, and muscle tone. Rich Carroll is a writer and health advocate now living in Chicago.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8603826

The 5 Keys To Guarantee You Reach Your Weight Loss Targets

The 5 activities that guarantee weight loss fall into 3 different categories - motivation, nutrition, and increased physical activity (this could be formal exercise or lifestyle changes - more about his later).

Commit to doing these 5 activities if you want to ensure you achieve your weight loss targets. You can ease into the activities one by one, but doing them all is mandatory for optimal weight loss.

The Most Important Key

By far the most important key to weight loss is how you think about achieving your ideal body image.Since you are what you think about most, if you think obsessively about being overweight, you'll not lose weight. Changing your mindset and decreasing your stress about being overweight drives the process of losing weight.

Aligning your mindset so that you are in the proper frame of mind requires effort and commitment. Daily visualization (with emotion) and meditation are 2 ways to achieve the best weight loss mindset.

Three Critical Nutritional Changes

The 3 must-do dietary activities for weight loss are as follows:

Limit sugar to 15 - 25 grams a day. Excessive sugar creates disease (diabetes, kidney disease) and sets the stage for excessive body fat, especially around mid-body.

Limit carbs to 120 grams per day as well as eliminating bad carbs (white rice, white bread). Bad carbs supply no nutritional value; instead, they create unneeded caloric intake.

Increase your fiber intake to at least 30 grams per day (some of this can be as supplement taken before meals). Thirty grams of fiber a day acts as a weight loss accelerator as well as improving digestive functioning.

These activities can help considerably with weight loss efforts. Many people who have done the first two have lost more than 20 pounds in 1 month.

Note that it is not necessary to count calories.

Increased Physical Activity

Increasing your physical activity makes it easier to lose weight. And if you are increasing your muscle mass by strength training, your metabolic rate amps up. The result is faster fat burning.

For those of you who hate formal exercise routines (like frequent visits to the fitness club), find a hobby requiring physical exertion. You'll need a hobby that you are passionate about.

For example, I had a landscape designer prepare a plan for my yard. The area is small, but the process of planting and caring for the plants means lifting, carrying, and moving rocks. I can always find a landscape/gardening project that requires physical effort.

Another example - say you love photography. Get creative and take nature walks. You'll find plenty of photo ops and get exercise at the same time.

Love to walk your dog? Walk for an hour a day up and hills and soon the weight will come off easily.

To summarize, the 5 mandatory activities for optimal weight loss are as follows:

* Prepare mentally.

* Limit sugar to 15 - 25 grams per day.

* Limit carbs to 120 grams per day (no bad carbs).

* Increase fiber to 30+ grams per day with supplementation

* Increase physical activity (especially strength training).

The Best Resources

Click here for an excellent way to prepare mentally for weight loss.

Click here for strength training information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8597352

Successful Weight Loss Now - Prime Yourself For Results

Priming is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus influences a response to another stimulus.

So what on earth does this have to do with weight loss. Priming for weight loss results may not be something you have considered.

But have you realised you have been priming yourself to not succeed for years. You haven't done this consciously but every time you struggle with your weight, or feel dejected, or when you feel down looking at air brushed photos of supermodels in glossy magazines.

So let's put the past aside and focus on how you can use this powerful method to help you succeed. Some of the steps you are taking may seem positive, such as buying the latest diet book or video, or cleaning out the pantry and discarding any threats to weight gain.

But you have done this before, maybe many times, so the very act of trying to help yourself could be just another cream bun on the thighs of disappointment.

So how do you start to prime yourself in the right direction. Firstly the desire is to get fast results, but deep down you know that doesn't work, so let's take it a step at a time.

Say you want to lose ten kilos. Let's focus on just 2 kilos to start with. Imagine having already achieved your result. How would you move and breathe and think and feel if you had. Prime your imagination to lead you to live as if you are already successful at weight loss.

Next sit down and make a list of words which express your desires. i.e. thin, light, healthy, happy, quick, energetic, slim, sexy, etc. It's important that you make the list to fit your feelings. These are now your priming words.

Perhaps you could make a few short statements, such as I'm feeling slim fit and healthy, or I feel light, energetic and sexy. These statements repeated soon filter into your subconscious and become the default feeling and belief.

Of course this process can be speed up dramatically with hypnosis. This overcomes having to chip away at your subconscious resistance.

Other ways you can prime your unconscious mind is to place sticky notes in obvious places with your words on each. Seeing these words even in your periphery will keep the process moving forward.

It's easy to dismiss simple ideas, but it doesn't have to be complicated, after all simple messages such as eat up all your food, what about the starving children, or if you are a good child you can have dessert, were easily implanted in your subconscious.

And now if you would like to discover the missing key to weight loss Ian Newton invites you to go to http://www.successfulweightlossnow.com/

Keep healthy and happy

Ian Newton



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8602398

Low Carb Vs Low Fat Diet - Which Is Right For You?

Trying to decide between a low carb vs low fat diet? Which one is right for you?

The diet industry is like a pendulum, swinging back and forth. About 10 years ago, all we heard about is low fat, low fat, low fat. Fat makes you fat!

Now it seems we're hearing a lot more about low carb, low carb, low carb. Carbs make you fat!

What? It can be completely confusing for you as a dieter. So which one really works?

Well, the good news is that both diets work - but it depends on YOU!

Yes, you are the deciding factor. Before we get to that though, let's back up and define what I mean by a low carb diet vs a low fat diet.

There are basically 3 types of energy/fuel units that make up your diet - protein, fats and carbs (there are micronutrients and vitamins, minerals, etc, but we won't get into that for this article).

So in a low carb diet, you're decreasing the ratio of carbs and increasing the ratio of protein or fat - or both depending on the kind of low carb diet you're following.

Most low carb diets generally try to keep your daily carbs around 30 grams a day. The idea behind the diet is this: carbs require your body to release insulin. Insulin keeps your blood sugar under control. But it's also a fat storage hormone, signalling your body to store fat.

So when you eat too many carbs, your body goes into fat-storage mode and you store the extra carbs as fat due to the hormone insulin.

A lower carb diet also forces your body into burning fat for energy - instead of carbs (a process called ketosis). So if you're burning fat for energy, the theory is that you'll lose fat faster.

Now for the low fat diet. Using the ratio example above, a low fat diet reduces your ratio of fat calories and increases your amount of either carbs or protein - usually both.

The reasoning behind this diet is that fat contains 9 calories per gram whereas carbs contain about 4 calories per gram - so by decreasing your fat, you naturally decrease your calories and lose weight.

Another reasoning behind this is that our body's don't need to do much to process the fat we eat. So it easily gets placed in our fat stores. However protein and carbs do take energy to digest and process - so less of these calories get stored as fat.

Obviously, there's a lot more details about these two diets we could cover, but that's a general overview.

Now let's talk about you. You are unique and your body works in it's own way with unique needs.

So it will actually tell you which diet is best. How? With results and energy. For example, the first few days of any diet, you'll probably be a bit tired. But if you're still tired after a week - that's not a good sign.

Another way your body talks to you is by the weight loss results you're getting. So for example, if you aren't losing weight after a week on your diet (especially the first week!) and you've stuck to it faithfully, that's a sign the diet isn't right for you.

I'll give you an example. I've tried both low carb and low fat diets.

For a while I was convinced that low carb was the way to go. And I did lose weight on a low carb plan.. But after a while I noticed that I felt awful on a low carb program. I had no energy and was really down. I felt apathetic and didn't want to do anything!

But once I started adding carbs into my diet (and cutting the fat), I not only lost weight but I started feeling more energetic and happier. Now I didn't go overboard with the carbs, but I definitely increased them and noticed a big difference.

So my body obviously needed more carbs than the 30 - 40 grams a day I was giving it.

Another thing I noticed is that when I ate more fat (from the low carb diet), I felt really tired. So that told me that my body wasn't so good at digesting fats - whereas someone else might be fine with that level of fat in their diet and not feel tired.

So the bottom line is that you have to find out what works for your body. I would suggest you try both types of diets for at least a week if not a month - and see what happens. Your body will give you feedback on what it likes and what it doesn't like. And then you'll have found the best weight loss plan for you!

Want the easiest way to try a safe, low carb or low fat diet? Check out this diet delivery service which has both a low carb plan or a low fat plan. You can even switch plans with them if you want!

Or visit this list of diet delivery services that delivery low fat or low carb diets nationwide!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8602089

Flat Belly Solution-Is There Really a Solution to Achieve a Flat Belly?

I know how frustrating it can be to live your life the best you know how and try so hard to reach a goal but results seem so far away. Or maybe you just don't know HOW to reach that goal. Rest assured, I am here to help you do just that. There IS a simple solution for a flat belly and you WILL discover it and get exactly what you are looking for.

There are three things that are crucial when aiming for a flat belly; diet, exercise, & mindset. When these 3 things are balanced and working together to reach your goal, you will reap the benefits.

There are so many different diets out there and it can be so confusing what to eat verses what not to eat. I like to keep it as simple as possible. First of all, I think of it as a lifestyle, not a diet. I believe food is fuel for our body. If the ingredients are pure and grounded from nature, it will benefit your body. If it comes from a box and has been stored on a shelf, those ingredients will get stored in your body and turn to fat. This happens because your body does not recognize ingredients such as artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Sugar is also hidden in so many things and it's so important to read labels. In addition, drinking half your body weight in water daily will help assist you to reach your flat belly.

Exercise is also so important when you want to achieve a flat belly. I'm not referring to countless sit-ups, either. I suggest raising your heart rate for at least 30 minutes 4-5 days per week. When you raise your heart rate, you burn more calories, which will burn fat.

You have to truly make up your mind that you absolutely believe 100% that you can achieve a flat belly. Sometimes limiting thoughts creep up in our mind and we believe it just won't happen. Sometimes we think once we have children our body just won't ever get back to where it was, or sometimes we think if we don't exercise 4 hours a day like celebrities do, it will never happen to us. Whatever self-defeating thoughts you have about achieving your results are, get rid of them. Replace them with thoughts that will get you your results.

When your mindset is in the right place and your daily habits change even a little bit, you will soon begin to achieve the flat belly you are striving for.

FLAT BELLY SOLUTION HERE!!

Christine Mazza is a Certified Health Professional. Her mission is to assist you in your health and wellness goals in order for you to look and feel your best. She transforms lives bodies one individual at a time and looks forward to working with you.
ACHIEVE FLAT BELLY HERE!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8591769