Steps to weight loss...

Here are several, easy steps that will help you lose weight:
1. Buy a Scale
2. Clean out Your Cupboards
3. Keep a Journal
4. Tell Everyone
5. Eat Several Small Meals a Day
6. Give Yourself Treats
7. Start an Exercise Plan

How do you lose fat?

In a nutshell, it's a simple law of energy intake and expenditure. Eating more than you are using means you gain weight. Burning more than your eating means you lose weight... Unfortunately the real outworking of this is not so simple. Losing fat (for most people) is hard -- get used to the idea then you won't struggle so much with disappointment.
There are 5 principles to keep in mind - Diet (Nutrition), Cardio (Exercise), Dedication (Consistency), Goals, Weight training. It is possible to lose fat with correct diet alone (for some people) - but the best chance of success will be to apply all these principles. Even the perfect diet plan can fail if you cannot stick to it.

Good Diet vs "Fad" Diet

Fad Diet: The diet that promotes a restricted eating-plan or certain liquid foods lacking sufficient food value is termed as Fad Diet. The fad diets are very low in calories so they cause quite fast weight loss. However, quick weight loss may not be healthy and - in most cases - is not fat loss. It is actually water-loss which is quickly regained when the dieter resumes normal eating. The fad diets can cause weight cycling, so fad dieting is also dubbed as ‘Yo-Yo dieting’, which means a continuing pattern of gaining and losing weight. The fad diets are considered unhealthy. The common examples of Fad diets include the Cabbage Soup Diet and the Grapefruit Diet.

Good Weight Loss Diet: The diet that helps losing weight in a positive manner is a good Weight Loss Diet. It does not reduce the energy. A balanced low fat diet is considered as the best weight loss diet. A balanced low fat diet is high in healthy carbohydrates, low in fat and moderate in protein.

A good Weight Loss Diet should be rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are specially recommended for weight control and preventing diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Doctor Prescribed Program

My boss just started a weight loss program that is prescribed by a local doctor. It is called Fat Busters or something like that. She got a shot and is taking pills that is supposed to increase her metabolism and curb her appetite. You guys know me. I usually promote natural weight loss through burning more calories than you take in, but I know that is not for everyone. I'll try to get more information about the program and keep you informed of her results.

Reason why calorie-restrictive diets are unhealthy...

Here are some reasons why you should stay away from traditional calorie restrictive diets:


1. Calories restrictive diets make you lose muscle.

Since your body is in starvation mode, it will draw it’s energy from other sources such as muscle.


2. Calorie restrictive diets increases the chance that you will gain the weight back.

Studies have shown time and time again that almost everyone who goes on a calorie restrictive diet gains the weight back. 3. Calorie restrictive diets slow down your metabolism.

3. Studies have shown that when calories are restricted, your metabolism decreases by 20% to 30%. This is the bodies response to the lack of food being consumed.

By decreasing the amount of calories you consume, the body will adjust the amount work it does. When you eat less, the body burns less calories.

4. Calorie restrictive diets increase cravings and appetite.

The less you eat the more your body will crave food.

5. Calorie restrictive diets decreases your energy.

The body needs a certain amount of calories to use as energy.

Walking...

That sounds simple enought, right? Well it is, but there are ways you can walk that makes exercising more effective and efficient. You can't walk with the intentions of toning and losing weight the same way you casually walk around the house or the office. I've put together a list of techniques that you can do to help when you're walking for exercise. You may think these are crazy, but here they are.
-Bend your elbows. This will cause your arms to swing faster which in return will help your legs to move faster.
-Keep your stride short. Don't take long strides that feel awkward.
-Think heal-to-toe. Push-off with your heal. Toes should leave the ground last.
-Keep your abs pulled in and tight.
-Include interval training walks that include periods of very brisk walking followed by slower, recovery times.
-Remember to always stretch and warm-up.

Sweat the Weight Off

I bet I've lost five pounds in sweat in the past couple of days. No, I didn't go to a suana unless that's what you call central Georgia. I've been helping my dad tear down an old outbuilding he had in his backyard. It was over thirty years old and was about half rotted down. At least it was cooler this week. The heat index was only around 95 to 97 instead of the 105 to 107 it was last week. Still with 100% humidity you do a lot of sweating. It was good exercise and it made up for the lack of good eating and activities that I have left off due to being extremely busy at work. Anyway, my dad appreciated the help and that reminds me, Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there.

Stressed Out

Well, I hate to sound like I'm whining to you guys, but I'm a little stressed out. As you might remember from one my previous posts, one of our employees left us for another job last Friday. Well, another employee has now given her resignation. That cuts our office staff in half. It is the busy time of the month on top of all that. We all know what stress does to one's eating habits. I've caught myself snacking when I'm not even really hungry. I've got to do better. I'm going to start trying breathing exercises and just take it one day at a time. Please keep me in mind and I hope things start looking up here at work.

Consumer Reports Diet Ratings

The June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports has a really great article that rates several of the latest diet books and plans. The article summizes that the basic rule of weight loss (take in fewer calories than you burn) has not changed but the techniques to achieve this put forth by the different plans and books do differ.

The article reviews seven diet books. Since most of them are new and haven't been put to a clinical trial, the books were rated on an expert-panel questionnaire and analysis of nutritional quality. All the books offered healthful menus but differed in the restrictiveness of the diets and the quality of exercise and nutritional science information. The books reviewed in order of their overall score are The Best Life Diet; Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less; You On A Diet; The Abs Diet; The South Beach Diet; The Sonoma Diet; and Ultra-Metabolism. Please read the article or go to www.ConsumerReports.org to read the detailed analysis of the diet books.

The article also reviews eight diet plans. All the plans reviewed have been tested in clinical trials and published in scientific journals. However, they have generally produced less than 10% weight loss after a year and have had dropout rates of more than 20%. The diet plans were scored on adherence to nutritional guidelines and the results of published clinical studies. The plans reviewed in order of their overall score are Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Slim-Fast, eDiets, The Zone Diet, Ornish Diet, and Atkins Diet. Please read the article or go to www.ConsumerReports.org to read the detailed analysis of the diet plans.

Finally, the article offers some general strategies that are fairly common to all successful diets: choose and limit your fats, eat healthfully but sparingly, cut out simple or refined carbs, and fill up on low-density foods. It also warns that there is no silver bullet to weight loss and quick fixes such as diet pills can actually do more harm than good.

This article is very well written and researched. I suggest everyone read it especially those of us who are trying to lose weight or are considering buying one of these diet books or starting one of the reviewed diet plans.