Saturday, November 3, 2012

Men--Want To Lose Weight? Here's How

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A lot of times, weight loss tips are geared toward women. However, even men can benefit from weight loss tips. Losing weight is something that is really good for anyone, particularly if you are getting older. Read these easy tips, and you'll be able to drop some weight sooner rather than later.
1. Do not get into any food contests. That goes for buffets where you can eat everything as well. If you are thinking about losing weight, you need to get serious about it. When you pig out on foods in this way, you are packing on fat and calories that your body simply does not need, and it stays on your body as palpable fat.
2. Forget about "man size" portions. Many men feel that this is manly in some way. Really, it is just fattening and unwise. Have regular portions, and you can enjoy your food without feeling like it is too much.
3. If you can't cook, cook simply in the microwave. For almost every recipe, there is an easy microwave alternative. Therefore, take the time to examine healthy microwave meals when you become hungry.
4. Take one day to cheat. One day a week, feel free to throw out all the rules and eat to your heart's content. However, one sign that you are getting healthier is that you 'cheat' less and less and start to realize that you do not feel so good on days after you cheat on your diet.
5. Trim down your consumption of beer and alcohol. Alcohol has empty calories and can contribute to weight gain. If you don't mind your lovehandles, keep on having those beers every night. However, if you want to be serious, you are going to have to cut down.
6. Avoid soda and high calorie drinks. A lot of people who want to lose weight figure that it's a good idea for them to drink diet colas, but this is a bad idea. The chemicals and sugars in those drinks do not help you lose weight. Not only that, you have to be careful of juice drinks too, since they can have a lot of sugar in them, which can cause cravings.
7. Talk to at least one person who is losing weight as well. You may not want to have a group of friends around chatting about losing weight, but you can join an anonymous online forum and get support and advice from other men who are doing the same thing you are doing.
8. Keep going until you get fit. It can be frustrating to make changes to your lifestyle, but if you continue with it, you will find that the weight does come off. Avoid getting discouraged and you will get fit.
After reading this article, hopefully you now are aware of what kinds of things you need to do to keep your weight under control Use the information in this article to help you make healthy decisions, and you will find that your weight starts to come off.

Beginning an Exercise and Diet Plan

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A lot of people who want to lose weight simply want to stop eating bad food and cut down on their food intake. But anyone who has lost weight knows that you are going to need exercise. Even a little bit of exercise can kick-start weight loss. Here are just a few tips to help you start moving your body so you can drop the weight.
Talk to your doctor about what you can do. Sometimes, depending on your medical history, your doctor may not want you exercising and exerting yourself as hard as you want to. Listen to your doctor's recommendations; exercising can cause you to hurt yourself if you are doing routines that are too advanced.
Do some cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio, is a great way for you to get the pounds to melt off. Cardio exercise raise your heart rate, which is great for weight loss. You don't have to do too much. You can simply exercise about an hour three to four days a week.
Find something you enjoy doing. Cardio is important, but you need to find the program you like. Maybe you enjoy Zumba, or perhaps you prefer yoga. There are so many exercises and programs out there that you are sure to find something you can do well with.
Think about going to a gym. You don't need to go to a gym to lose weight. However, as someone who has not exercised at this level before, you may find that you need personal guidance about how to use the proper form when exercising. 
Do not overdo it. It can be great to exercise, but don't become obsessive. Make sure you give your body the time it needs to rest, but more than that do your best to give yourself time not to worry about losing weight. Give yourself time to have fun and take your mind off this for a little while.
Think about starting a hiking club or sports club. You might simply run a walking class after work. You may find that encouraging other people to lose weight will help you, and the exercise you get yourself will be great.
Find small ways to exercise that do not include a gym. For example, park far away from the store. Take the stairs. Look for ways you can exercise when you're at work. Perhaps you can even take a walk during your lunch period everyday.
Stick with it. It can be hard to exercise at first, particularly if you are not used to it. Rely on your friends and family to keep you going, and remember the reason you are doing all this working out. If you persevere, you will do it.
Now that you have read this article, you should be much more aware of what you can do to lose weight. Losing weight is helped along by exercising, and once you start putting the tips in this article into practice, you will find out how true that is. 

A Few Helpful Hints For Healthy Weight Loss

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Most people could stand to lose a few pounds, but most don't really put in the effort to do so. If you've got some weight loss to commit to, look over the following article; it can help point you in the right direction and keep you there.
1. Set realistic goals. You may read about amazing miracles in weight loss in magazines or online, but in reality, it's a long road. Set your sights on a manageable number and break that down into healthy and manageable goals you can work toward every week.
2. Adhere to a high-quality healthy diet. Stock your home with fresh fruits and vegetables and other items that contribute to a healthy and trim body. Plan meals a week in advance so you don't ever end up ad libbing at the last minute with something high in fat and calories. The healthier your intentions are to begin with, the more likely you are to eat well wherever you are, and it all contributes to greater weight loss.
3. Cut out everything bad for you. You already know the foods you eat too much of or shouldn't be having at all: soda, chips, prepared foods and other things high in fat, sugar and calories. Avoid turning to food for emotional-sustenance too; people tend to reach for those types of foods when they are feeling down or have reasons to feel sorry for themselves. Hold your head higher and raise the standard!
4. Don't stay still for too long; move around once an hour. Regular exercise is crucial to weight loss efforts, but so is sitting around all day. Even if you hit the gym three or four times a week, the time you spend idle can counteract all your healthy efforts. If you sit at a computer all day for work, get up and stretch frequently. If you are going to allow yourself to watch TV or play video games for any length of time, break it up with a few laps around the living room.
5. Try nuts for snacks and replace sandwiches with soup. Little things will add up big; try eliminating as much bread from your menu as possible. Soup is a great substitute for sandwiches and contains a lot of wholesome and nutritious ingredients. Snacking on things that pack a healthy punch like almonds will not only reduce caloric-intake, but they will make it easier for your body to manage weight. Think of different ways you can change-up your eating habits that will work with your dieting efforts instead of against it. 
6. Stay committed to your plan and end-goal. No matter how painful it may seem to keep resisting cheesecake, it's really worth it for you in the end. Every once in a while, it's okay to nibble a little bit of something decadent, but limit your indulgences and eventually you will see results. It is really unfair that all the best tasting foods are the highest in calories, but your self-discipline with food will pay off beautifully when you finally reach your desired size in jeans!
Don't sell yourself short: you deserve to be a healthy weight and stop hating the way you look in the mirror! Make a plan and a promise to yourself to see it through. Before long you will be wondering how you ever survived on Rocky Road and pizza for all those years and finally be happy with who you are!

Easily Forgotten Weight Loss Tips

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With such a vast selection of fad diets, magic pills and guaranteed exercise programs out there, we often forget some of the most basic information when it comes to losing weight. While some of the products mentioned above may work for some people, there are fundamental weight loss tips that everyone can implement to ensure that they lose weight safely and keep that weight off.  Read the following article for some basic yet often overlooked weight loss tips that will reduce your waist line and promote good health at the same time.
No matter how you look at it, losing weight isn't going to be effortless. You are going to have to work hard if you are truly serious about shedding that extra baggage you've been carrying around all these years. That having been said, you are not going to lose any weight unless you start exercising. Exercise allows us to burn excess calories and more importantly increases our metabolism so that our bodies are constantly in a fat burning state. At a minimum you should strive to work out between 3 and 5 hours each week. While many of you interpret this to mean spending all that time on the treadmill working on cardio, strength training is equally important. When you lift weights, your body builds more muscle which actually promotes increased fat loss. 
Whether you diet or not, the bottom line is that you are going to have to consume less calories than you take in in order to lose weight. It's simply arithmetic. You can't lose weight if you are eating more calories than your body burns each day. It is important that you track your caloric intake and that at the end of the day you are working at a caloric deficit. 
This next tip is probably one that you've heard a thousand times, yet chances are you still don't follow it. Drink plenty of water! Drinking water has numerous health benefits, and it is a great way to keep you feeling full throughout the day. You'd be surprised how many calories you can cut back on if you substitute a cold glass of water for the can of soda or serving of juice. At a minimum, try and drink 8 cups of water daily and even more on days that you work out. 
Lastly, don't get discouraged when you hit a plateau or lull in your weight loss. Too many times people will give up on a nutrition plan simply because they aren't getting the results they want on the scale. These are the most crucial times in your weight loss journey as you can either choose to give in to your temptation, or find a way to motivate yourself and work past the hardship.
None of the tips mentioned above are tips that are new to you, but how many of you actually use all of them when trying to lose weight? If you implement the advice mentioned above, you will not only lose weight, but you will do so in a way that will keep it off permanently.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Weight Loss As A Senior

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The process of aging can bring a multitude of health problems to seniors. Even though maintaining a healthy weight can be more difficult as the years go by, it is not impossible. This article provides some valuable information to help older people get healthy and stay healthy.
Just because a person qualifies as a senior does not mean they are unable to do any exercises. Even if the individual is somewhat overweight, they are usually able to participate in walking, swimming and some other simple exercises. Many gyms and YMCA's have special programs for seniors, and some of them are available without cost through Medicare. By using these facilities, seniors are able to exercise in all seasons without needing to worry about cold, snow and ice.
By the time someone has reached their senior years, they are usually aware of the foods that make up a healthy diet. They no longer enjoy the deep fried foods that teenagers do, mostly because they can cause heartburn and other digestive upsets. Comfort foods like roasted vegetables and grilled chicken are among the healthy foods that seniors are most likely to enjoy.
Many times a senior can find information about weight loss groups in their area through their doctor or clinic. Since being overweight can bring on age related illnesses, it is important for seniors to reduce their weight to a healthy level and maintain it. That can be difficult with the less demanding lifestyle that retirement brings, so it is important to connect with other seniors who have the same weight loss goals.
Vitamins cannot bring about weight loss, but weight loss will probably occur if an individual has more energy. This is an important connection between good nutrition and losing weight, so seniors should investigate which supplements will give them an energy boost. Nutritional supplements are important to nearly everyone in our modern world because most foods are over-processed and have lost the nutritional value they should have.
While seniors may not have the desire to play the more strenuous sports that younger people do, they may want to join a sports team made up of seniors only. These groups plan activities that seniors can easily handle, and the activity gets them moving and helps them maintain their mobility.
Older people usually do not have the same kind of appetite that younger people do. Because of their lower level of activity, they do not need to take in the same number of calories they used to. Meals should be planned around this fact, and foods with a lower calorie content should be prepared.
Once an individual reaches the point where they can be considered a senior, it is more difficult to lose weight. Old eating habits are ingrained and difficult to change. Seniors should concentrate on eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and less high protein foods. While grandma may enjoy baking cookies for her grandkids, she should probably resist eating very many of them.

You may already be aware of how difficult it can be to lose weight as you grow older. With a little planning and commitment, it can be done. Use the tips in this article to be a healthy senior, and enjoy your golden years more.

Healthy Weight Loss through Portion Control

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If you're like millions of other people in this country, you wouldn't mind if you lost a couple of pounds here and there. But doesn't the thought of dieting alone make you want to dive into a piece of chocolate cake? Fortunately for all of us, we can safely shed our excess weight without subjecting ourselves to fad diets and extreme exercise regimens. How, you ask? Simple, through portion control. Read on and learn how you can start losing weight immediately with some key tips and tricks that will teach you how to control your meal portions.
In our society today, portions are as big as they ever have been. Other countries often make fun of Americans and how much they eat. They find the size of our meals ridiculous as well as gluttonous. The fact of the matter is, they are right. We eat far more than we need to, and as a result, we weigh much more than we should. The first thing that needs to be established is how many calories our bodies need in order to maintain a healthy weight. The widely accepted number is approximately 2000 calories each day. This means that if we are eating 3 square meals every day, they should average to about 650-700 calories per meal. This seems straight forward enough, but you'd be surprised how quickly those calories can add up. A typical fast food meal is well over 1000 calories, and that is just one serving. 
As a general rule you are going to want to cut fast food out altogether. Making your own meals is by far the best way to make sure that you not only are getting the right amount of calories but that those calories are coming from the right foods. Each of your meals should consist of equal parts protein and carbohydrates and minimal fat. What fat you do consume should generally be healthy fat, that is mono and polyunsaturated fats. Before you go counting calories and reading food labels, understand that it isn't too difficult to just eyeball these amounts. Strive to have a fist sized protein source, such as a lean meat, with each meal and about a palm sized portion or carbohydrates. This simple formula will be enough to make sure that your calories are coming from the right place. 

You are also going to want to stay away from empty calories. These are foods that are packed with calories but add little nutritional value. This is typically your junk foods, candies and the like. Now, this doesn't mean you don't ever get to indulge, but you shouldn't make them a part of your everyday diet. Rather use this as a treat every once in a while. A popular method is to use the 80-20 method. That is, about 80 percent of the foods you eat should be healthy and work towards your weight loss, while the remaining 20 can be used for cheat meals and other food cravings you may get.

Losing weight doesn't have to be hard. All it takes is a little preparation and willpower and before you know it, you'll be fitting into clothes you haven't worn since college. Just make sure to implement the advice given into your everyday routine, and you are sure to be dropping pounds before you know it.

Why is Losing Weight Such A Hard Thing To Do?

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There are a million reasons for you to lose weight, and you obviously have taken account of those reasons or you wouldn't be trying to lose weight in the first place. The problem is that even though you know you want to lose weight, you can't seem to do it. It is very hard! The only solace you can take is that it is hard for everybody, not just you. If you want to know why weight loss is so difficult, this article will give you a couple reasons.
Weight loss is hard because it requires you not just to diet but to change your attitude about food. A diet is just a temporary thing, meant for people who are a certain weight but want to lose a couple pounds to fit into a dress or look their best for a special occasion and then go back to their normal eating habits. If your aim is to lose weight and keep it off for the long term, you need to change your attitude about food. Changing anything about yourself and your personality is going to be extremely hard and require constant effort until it becomes habit.
Weight loss is hard because it requires that constant effort just mentioned. It is easy to diet, and losing a couple pounds keeps you motivated, but to stay true to new healthy eating habits requires you to find motivations that are not registered on the scale. If you are not constantly shedding pounds, you need to find other sources of motivation, and that is a very difficult thing to do.
Weight loss is hard because it requires you to be patient. If you want to lose 50 pounds, you have to start with losing one or two pounds a week. This makes you feel like you are never going to get to your goal, so it is easy to give up. In order to lose weight permanently, you have to be patient and make you commitment to the lifestyle, not to the reward of losing weight.
Weight loss is hard because it requires you to start new habits like working out. You may never have done this before, and now you are thrust into a work out routine. It is a strange and foreign thing, and you have to do it to lose it. 
Weight loss is hard because it requires you to give up the unhealthy habits you love so much. Whether it be hot wings or ice cream, those things you loved need to be enjoyed far fewer times in your new lifestyle. Sacrifice is hard.
Because of all these factors and others, weight loss is a very difficult thing. The truth of the matter is that even though it may seem like the most difficult thing you have ever done, the rewards are worth the sacrifice. You will live a longer and healthier life, and that life will be filled with more exciting things than it would have been otherwise. Remember that other people have done this before you, and no one else is any stronger than you are!

Some Slightly Unconventional Weight Loss Advice

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An extraordinary amount of weight loss advice can be found through any number of sources, whether online, on television, in books or in magazines.  At a certain point, weight loss tips tend to blend into a homogenous clump.  Fortunately, the article below contains some slightly unusual weight loss advice that might not have occurred to you before today.
A great tip for staying on top of your weight loss goals, even when you feel discouraged, is to come up with a series of active things in which you can engage during lulls in your schedule.  All too often, when leisure time presents itself, the only thing people think to do is sit on their sofas, remote control in hand.  However, by making a list of calorie-burning activities that can serve as substitutes, down time can serve a greater purpose.  By spending your free time running, cycling or even just walking, you can use excess calories, burn fat and reach your weight loss goals that much faster.
Just because you love watching television, there is no reason you cannot get lots of exercise as well.  The key is to blend the two activities into something productive.  Rather than using chips and soda as your television companions, consider using a treadmill instead.  In the time you would normally spend catching up on the latest episodes of your favorite sitcom, you have the ability to simultaneously burn hundreds of calories through running or walking briskly.  Not only can you kill two birds with one stone, many people find exercise to be far more enjoyable, and actually physically easier, when accompanied by visual entertainment.
To really kick your weight loss program into high gear, it is critical to identify the types of exercise you actually enjoy doing.  Trying to force yourself to stick to a workout regimen that you consider to be little more than extreme drudgery is a recipe for failure.  Spend some time analyzing your interests, find something you love to do and adapt that activity to provide the type of rigorous routine you need to shed excess pounds.  
Another weight loss tip of which you might not be aware is the notion that you should keep your thermostat set at a temperature that is cooler than you might normally like.  The reason is that your body will actually burn additional calories working to warm itself up than it would if kept at a consistently comfortable temperature.
Finally, an effective weight loss technique that may have eluded you previously is that of splitting meals with a dining partner.  This is particularly useful advice when eating in restaurants, where portion sizes are typically unnecessarily large.  Dividing your plate with someone else drastically cuts the calories you may be tempted to eat and limits you to sensible meals throughout the course of your weight loss journey.  The method has the added benefit of reducing your tab at the end of the meal.

It may be true that the weight loss tips above are somewhat out of the normal range of conventional advice.  However, by applying the information in this piece, you may just start noticing that your pants fit looser, your face looks thinner and the scale is registering some impressive results.