Sunday, June 8, 2008

10 Top Weight Loss Essentials

If there are so many diets that promise to help you lose weight and keep it off, then why are there still so many over weight people? Fad diets that you start over and over again without success simply do not work. Here are ten things you can do that are proven to help you lose weight.

1.) Lifting Weights Means Burning More Fat
Your metabolism is determined by the amount of muscle that comprises your body. This is one of the reasons men burn more fat and lose weight quicker than women. Many women do not want to begin lifting weights due to the fear of becoming masculine. This will not happen, women simply do not have the genetic make up to become naturally large and muscular. What weight lifting can do is replace some of the muscle fibers that have been lost due to crash dieting. Our bodies break down over time, the only way to fight the is to build your muscles contantly!

2.) Throw Away Your Scale
A scale is not going to tell you what you truly want to know about your body. They do not let you know how much fat you are storing, and do not indicate how much fluid your body is containing. Even more important is a scale will not tell you how much muscle you have, or have gained as you work out. Yes your overall weight is important, but it is not the be all and end all of fitness.

3.) Muscle vs. Fat
The muscle in your body weighs twice as much as the fat, yet it only takes up half as much room. Muscle is small and tight compared to fat, and you will never see extra sagging muscle. Fat is soft and takes up a lot of space, and weighs far less as the muscle on your body.

4.) Eat Breakfast Every Day
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. When you are sleeping your metabolism slows, and one of the first things you want to do when you awake is to get some food in your system and get your body going. You also want to try and consume fiber at breakfast, which helps you keep your blood sugar levels even.

5.) Don't Cut Your Calories To Much
Food makes your body heat up, and also speeds up your metabolic rate. You want to consume at least 1200 calories every day so that your body is not thrown into starvation mode. If you do cut your calories, make sure your nutrient intake is still high.

6.) Eat smaller and more frequently
Spread your meals out throughout the day into small portions. This will always keep your body knowing that if it needs some food, it is on its way soon. This will also aid in your metabolism to keep burning throughout the day.

7.) Keep Track Of Your Calories
Keep a journal of everything you eat so that it is all laid out in front of you every day. This will allow you to see exactly what you are consuming, and will help you see that you are forming good habits, not just fad dieting.

8.) Don't Repeat Diet
Don’t stop dieting and then start again. Instead of dieting establish healthy eating and exercise habits that become part of your daily routine. If you are constantly seeking the next weight loss fad, you will never keep the weight off.

9.) Track Your Fats
You may think this would be tough to keep track of, but it is not as tough of a task as you may think. Nearly every food product has the nutritional information on the label, so you may see what you are taking in. Stay with foods low in fat, and you are sure to lose weight.

10.) What You Need To Know About Fats
Fat is like a storage pod of energy waiting to be used. It has been said that those people who binge eat may actually stimulate fat cells to multiply. If you are constantly adding fat, your body does not have a chance to burn it.

These are ten simple principles you can apply to life every day, and apply to your current diet and exercise program. People tend to make weight loss harder than it needs to be, keep it simple for great results!


by Colleen Roche

Related : 3 Secrets to a Successful Weight Loss Workout Plan

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