Easy Diet

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Counting Calories To Lose Weight Sensibly

Scientifically, every pound of body fat represents approximately 3500 calories. Based on this, to lose 1 pound per week you will need to reduce your calorie intake by 3500 calories per week. So, for each pound you want to lose every week, you need to subtract 500 calories per day, from your current consumption level.

Generally, less than 1200 calories daily are not recommended and weight loss of more than 2 pounds per week is also not recommended.

On diet alone, you can see how it won't be possible to lose a pound a day unless of course you already have a considerable calorie intake and the reduction will still leave you with sufficient food and nutrition to remain healthy.

For a more balanced approach to a 1 pound per week weight loss, increase your activity. Decrease your calorie intake by 250 calories per day and exercising to expend the other 250 calories. This approach prevents a decrease in your metabolic rate and promotes increased lean muscle mass, which in turn is the most effective fat consumer. Yes, muscle eats fat, by default.

For a loss of two pounds per week, do the math: 1000 calories per week less, preferably by consuming 500 calories less on a daily basis, and burning 500 by a vigorous exercise routine.

But, sensibly, you only need to reduce your calorie intake by 100 calories per day to make a substantial effect on your weight over the period of the year. By reducing your calories by only 100 calories per day over the course of the year you would have consumed 36,500 less calories and that converts to a weight reduction of almost 10.5 pounds.

That is an easily accomplished weight reduction with very little change to your lifestyle and habits.

Get your free copies of "A Guide To Fat Burning Foods" and "The Original Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workout" at WeightLossDietSecrets.net, and discover how to increase your metabolism by making the right food choices, and how to exercise for fat loss, at home for only 20 minutes, 3 times a week, using only bodyweight!.

Are You Fat, Broke, & Sick? Here's Why

What's worse, getting paid less because you are overweight, or not getting paid at all because you're sick from being overweight and can't make it into work?

I'm sure you wouldn't want either option, but the bad news is that many overweight people are dealing with both situations.

A study from Europe, published in the prestigious journal, Obesity, found being overweight and obese were accurate predictors of sick days from work.

Obese individuals were found to have more long sickness-related absences from work even in young men and women. Chronic obesity resulted in the longest sick leaves, particularly in men.

In order to avoid missing work and sacrificing profits, it's a good idea to control your weight with exercise and nutrition. I truly believe nutrition is the most important factor in determining fat loss, and in terms of improving your health.

Fortunately, it's easy to eat for fat loss and health. Stick to...

1) Whole, natural foods, avoiding any processed foods that come in a bag or a box

2) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

3) Don't avoid healthy fats, so eat almonds, walnuts, fish, and olive oil to get healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

4) Substitute green tea and water in place of sodas, juices, and other high- calorie beverages.

5) Exercise with strength training and short interval training workouts. Don't waste your time on long cardio workouts that just leave you weaker and hurt from overuse injuries. Strengthen your body the right way.

This simple nutrition guideline will keep you lean and alert at work, so that you won't miss any crucial workdays due to illness.

Obesity 15:1554-1564 (2007)
BMI, Obesity, and Sickness Absence in the Whitehall II Study
Jane E. Ferrie*, et al.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked bodysculpting workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig Ballantynes fast fat burning workouts help you lose fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's home exercise programs help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Secrets Of The Biggest Loser

The other night I was watching a special on Larry King Live about the hit T.V show "The Biggest Loser." The winner, Bill Germanakos, along with his twin brother Jim were both guests on the show after each lost about 150 lbs and completely changed his life forever.

The show was truly powerful and inspiring.

Something that Bill said struck me as very interesting.

He said, "I didn't really understand how to eat healthy. What I thought was healthy really wasn't."

Then he went on to discuss how the whole team of experts on the show educated and helped him to make the dramatic changes in his life.

He was thrilled that he not only made these dramatic changes in his life but he now knew how to make them permanent.

Now let me ask you:

Do you REALLY know how to eat healthy?

Now, I hope I'm not being overly direct but I've got tell you... Nowadays it seems like everyone knows how to eat healthy.

Wouldn't you agree?

But the reality that no one can deny is that by in large, we kept getting fatter.

One of the biggest problems here is that as Bill mentioned, most people have no clue how to eat healthy. More specifically, it's obvious that millions of people have become brainwashed by the marketing of large companies that advertise that their products are "healthy" when in fact they are anything but.

Whenever I go to the supermarket it seems to me that almost everyone is buying foods that are advertised as "healthy" or "heart-healthy" or "low fat" or "low carb"...etc

Ironically, it seems like most people fail to acknowledge the foundation of "nutritional intelligence," which is:

Healthy foods don't say it on the package!

In other words, the ultimate brand of premium quality fuel is "natural."

Robert Van Gardner is the Founder and CEO of Vitality Publishing LLC, a company that helps people eliminate excess fat, while making breakthrough transformations in their physical vitality and overall quality of life. He's the author of "Living Life Lean: Discover How to Transform Your Body and Your Life -Quickly, Naturally and Permanently." To learn more and sign up for his popular 10 day course visit http://www.LivingLifeLean.com

How To Lose 10 Pounds Within 30 Days?

Do you think you can lose 10 pounds within 30 days? Yes, you can. I see there are lots of people who say you can lose more than 10 pounds within 10 days but I suggest you to stay away from that kind of article. I think it's almost impossible for you to lose that much unless you stop eating and take exercises at least 2 hours per day.

Weight loss is not only about how to lose weight but the most important thing is to eat properly. The answer to your question "how to lose 10 pounds" is your dedication. So do you have enough dedication to lose 10 pounds within 30 days? If yes, then read these steps:

1. Take a calorie shifting method. For you who do not know, calorie shifting is a method which tells you to eat four or even five times a day (not three times). However, you will eat less every time. For example: You usually eat 800 calories in breakfast, dinner, and lunch. With calorie shifting, you will eat less, maybe around 550 calories each meal. But remember, you will eat more often, about four times per day. This will help you to consume less and keep you away from hunger.

2. If you do not have time to go to fitness centre, you must learn to walk or jog. Spend around 40 minutes per day to jog or run. If you also do not have time for this, then try to walk. You can go walking to your office instead of using your car. You can also use stairs instead of elevator. There are plenty of choices to help your body metabolism. Don't be lazy. Remember, 40 minutes per day is needed.

3. It's almost impossible to lose 10 pounds within 30 days unless you take a diet pill. What I mean diet pill is a product which can absolutely helps you in a healthy way. There are plenty of useless pills out there so I suggest you to be careful about this. You might want to talk with me about the best diet pill.

In overall, it's not hard to lose 10 pounds but you need dedication to do that. A dedication to eat less, a dedication to work more, and a dedication to stay healthy. If you follow my steps, you maybe will say bye, bye to your old question: "How to lose 10 pounds within 30 days?"

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Simple Weight Loss Tips - Misinformation About Simple Weight Loss Revealed

Everyday, magazines give out new simple weight loss tips that are dramatically supposed to reinvent your life and have the fat running away from you. True, some of these tips are extremely valuable and often overlooked because they seem like common sense and obvious, but it is often times the most valuable simple weight loss tip that is also the simplest (how ironic). Today, there will be no discussion about simple weight loss tips in the sense of a top 5 or a quick outline into a specific path, but instead, we will shed some light on myths that permeate throughout the industry and cause people to build diets, routines, and lifestyles on top of a faulty foundation.

There are three myths, three ideologies that are simply destructive to the ill-informed. Myths that promise to cut fat, build muscle, and lose weight can simply add to that stubborn, excessive belly fat or cause your biceps to remain stagnant, growing flabby instead of granite-like.

Simple Weight Loss Tip Myth #1: Spot Reduction does NOT work.... So forget about simply getting rid of only that excessive belly fat or that spare tire, fat loss comes as a collective whole. What this translates into is that simply doing crunches and leg lifts and more crunches and more leg lifts will NOT reduce the fat on your stomach; it simply works out the muscles underneath. Now, in order to see these muscles, one must develop a diet that reduces the overall body fat % or all the crunches and workouts will go to waste.

Which leads us to our second Simple Weight Loss Tip Myth: Less Calories means less Weight/Fat! Not necessarily. Once you starve your body of calories it has a tendency to go into starvation mode and slow the metabolism. The slowing of the metabolism causes you to use your resources less (ie burn calories slower) allowing you to live off the current cache of fat you have. In other words, an intuitive simple weight loss tip that is as widely distributed as this one can have serious effects on your progress if misused. A very popular, up-and-coming weight loss diet and fat loss program that utilizes online meal planning (in which you get to buy your own, fresh food) and a revolutionary style of calorie manipulation (called Calorie Shifting) to completely counteract this process. Although this is relevant, it is out of the scope of this article and more information can be found at my blog... Here.

Final Simple Weight Loss Tip Myth: Cardio workouts makes you lose weight faster than working out. True and not true. Aerobic exercise allows one to lose weight while they are doing it and shortly after. The benefits of 45 minutes on the treadmill will last that 45 minutes and only slightly after. The flipside is weightlifting, which burns calories and fat during it while beefing up your metabolism to work for you afterwards burning calories and fat. It's the difference between a part-time employee and a full-time employee.

Conrad is a long-time athlete and a fitness fiend who has decided to share his practical and realistic experience and knowledge with the world. Conrad played football, baseball, and even golf for well over 10 years throughout college and highschool and even as a little tyke. If you liked this article, be sure to check out http://conrad1cal.blogspot.com

For more great, practical information and links to even more helpful articles, along with http://www.squidoo.com/simpleweightlosssteps for effective and simple weight loss steps and tips.

The Magic Weight Loss Button

Have you noticed how so many people are looking for "the magic weight loss" button? Something instant. Something magical. Something that produces MASSIVE change with NO time or effort. Whenever I go to the supermarket I always grab the National Inquirer and read it while I'm in line. It usually sparks some fun conversation with the cashier. I use to ridicule these type of magazines, but more recently I began reading (not buying) them with a watchful eye. Here's why: these magazines reflect human behavior in it's rawest most primitive form.

The truth is that these magazines are HUGE sellers. It costs TONS of money to advertise in these magazines and the only way any company is going to advertise in these magazines and CONTINUE to advertise in these magazines is if they're making lots of money. Makes sense right? Well, what kind of weight loss ads will you find in there? Magic button ads. That's what sells right? NO effort, no time, but BIG, life changing results. These are the magazines that the masses of people are buying. And by the way, I don't mean to sound condescending like I'm "too good" for these magazines. Truth is, I think they're kind of funny but I guess we all have a little bit of, shall we say..."curiosity" (nosiness) in us.

HERE'S THE POINT: Look at the bodies of the masses of people. The people who are buying these magazines and buying what's advertised in them. It fascinates me how people well into their 40's and 50's will still blindly purchases these products off of t.v that promise overnight results. Do you want to know what the REAL secret is? It's continued (forever) learning. It's applying that knowledge through action and continuing to change that action until you get a desired outcome.

This is when you begin to KNOW, with absolute certainty, exactly how to be in 100% control of the way your body looks and feels. Look, I'm not implying that losing weight is extremely hard and time consuming. Not at all. But there is no magic button. And if you believe there is (instead of truly educating yourself with the facts - that you KNOW work) then you'll be like the millions who simply continue to deny reality but get no results. It's like continuing to buy get rich quick schemes that promise overnight riches with no work.

Am I being harsh? Maybe.

Am I being honest, because I TRULY want you to breakthrough to the body you deserve?

Always.

Look at the show "the Biggest Loser" for example. Are you familiar with it? I really haven't seen too many episodes and quite frankly I think it's actually kind of boring (even though I think the stories are very inspiring.) But, take a look at these people. Are they making these dramatic changes by exercising 7 minutes a day three times a week?

I don't think so.

Here's the best part: once you know EXACTLY what needs to be done to live in your ultimate body, then you can make the journey as fun as enjoyable as possible. You can make the exercise as short as possible. You can make the food taste as good as possible. You can splurge and eat unhealthy as much as possible. Do you understand what I'm saying?

When you know (through personal education) exactly what needs to be done then you know exactly what you can get away with.

And then you're not stressed out in the least. It's like a big game and you already know that your going to win. After all, you know the rules. This is what living life lean is all about. And trust me, it's easier than might you think. And it's a ton of fun.

But you don't get here by pushing a button.

To learn more visit http://www.LivingLifeLean.com to sign up for a free 10 Day eCourse and discover how you too can live in a lean, strong and energetic body.

10 Common Mistakes You Should Know When Trying To Lose Weight

Losing weight is not always an easy task. In reality, it can prove to be a very hard challenge to most people. So, read these 10 tips to avoiding some mistakes that could make you lose control and start storing those stubborn fats again. These are the 10 common mistakes people do when trying to lose unwanted weight:

1. Never rush into the hardest weight loss program you can find.

Many people decide in a moment of desperation to follow a super-strict diet program and fail. Especially, if you never have any dieting experience and are not 100% sure you can stick with it. Choose other program that you feel most suitable for your current condition and make sure you can stick with the program.

2. It won't happen overnight!

This is a common mistake. You can not realistically expect things to happen overnight. When setting your goal, start with small; however be prepared to go far. If you ever heard someone saying that he/she lost pounds in short amount of time, don't make it your goal to match his/her performance. Every person achieved very different results.

3. Don't go exercising everyday.

Another common mistake is to exercise too often, as it will not help you at all. Your body needs time to rest and expand the muscle mass after each training session. Give your body a chance to re-group itself. A 2 days rest after 5 days training is great for your body

4. Cutting down too many calories is really a bad idea.

Everybody knows cutting down calories is one of the basic foundations of all diets. However, you have to be extremely careful about cutting down your calories intake. Cut too many of it and your body will start storing anything it possibly can. This is not a very good way to lose weight.

5. Never, ever skip meals.

This is the most common mistake people do. Some people think that skipping one or two meals could help them achieve their goal faster. They don't understand that diet is all about controlling the food that you want to eat and not starving yourself. If you skip meals, your body will reacted with lowering your metabolism rate and string more fats during this process.

6. You don't have to check your weight everyday.

Every people are eager to see some results of his or her efforts in the shape of lost pounds. However, you should not let this drive you to checking your weight everyday. The daily fluctuations of your weight will eventually have you depressed and soon you will find that you are ready to quit your diet program. This is very bad!

7. Never let emotions drive you.

Aside from the eagerness, there are other emotions that influence dieting. If you find yourself used to reaching out for ice cream or snacks when you are in the bad mood, than you should overcome these issues and never allow them to interfere with your goal.

8. Seek as much help as you can.

Not everyone was born with iron will and nerves of steel. Never hesitate to ask from your friends or from instructors and don't try to solve all the problems you might encounter by yourself.

9. You should eat your favorite foods.

This is also the common mistake people do when dieting. There is nothing wrong with eating your favorite foods. Diets are just food control methods, not jails! Is okay to eat foods you liked once in a while though it's considered forbidden. If such treats are not frequent, then they will make no difference in the long run.

10. Write everything and analyze it.

If you wish to know how much you eat, then write everything down and analyze the list for things that should not be there. Sometimes, your hunger will drive you to eat something that you should not eat. Just be honest with your self.

Losing weight will requires a lot of dedication and motivation on your end. However, if you follow this guide, I believe you will have a successful diet in no time.

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Lose Weight By Simply Walking

Imagine being able to lose weight simply by walking.

It's true. By adding this natural and inexpensive exercise to your agenda, you can lose weight and keep it off. The key is to be persistent, stick to a regular program and make it interesting.

Just this morning, I caught Sanjay Gupta of CNN talking about this very subject. Research has proven that walking as little as once a week is enough to at least keep you from gaining as much weight as you would otherwise.

Do you have a dog? Maybe you should get one.

Sanjay's research revealed that people with dogs are even more likely to lose weight by walking than people who walk without a dog. Not exactly sure why that is, but my suspicion is that an active dog forces you to take that walk whether you want to or not. Besides, dogs make walking a far more interesting and creative adventure.

I've always had dogs, but I didn't walk much with my last one. And guess what? For the first time in my life I gained weight. Since getting my new dog, who happens to be a Belgian Shepherd so you can imagine how active he is, I've shed a few pounds.

Recently, we discovered a new park that actually has exercise stops. That's where you are given various stationary "equipment" and a sign with instructions on how to use them. For instance, you can do chin ups on a raised bar. You can walk the balance beam. You can do step-ups. You can do 10 pushups. You can climb up and over a 4 or 5 foot wall.

Of course, you can do sit-ups, abs crunches, and various stretches, too.

Obviously your dog can't do most of those exercises, but he probably doesn't need to. You do.

There are a number of reasons why it's good to take advantage of those exercise stations.

  1. They take the boredom out of just walking
  2. They give you a more complete workout
  3. They boost your heart rate more so than walking
  4. They will help sculpt your body
  5. They help you to lose weight

The best way to exercise to lose weight is to walk in intervals of fast walking and slow walking. You can even add short jogs if you like. You do this by alternating and giving each variation one or two minutes, and repeat the cycle 10-15 times. This type of exercising, called interval training, helps boost your metabolism while giving you a good fitness workout.

When you add in those exercise stations, your magnify your results.

Believe it or not, you will reach the point that you will look forward to taking these walks. On your very first day, you will come back feeling revived and energized. You will breathe easier. Your mind will be clearer.

And you will feel less stressed, which makes walking the perfect end to a day at work.

If you want to learn more weight loss and fitness exercise routines, download your free copy of The Original 4-Week Bodyweight Turbulence Training Workout.

Want a Challenge? The 300 Movie Workout

Today I did the 300 movie workout. You might have heard of the 300 workout from the 300 movie promotions. The actors trained hardcore, using kettlebells, weights, bodyweight, tires, and more.

The 300 workout is a challenging 300 repetition workout put together by a trainer for the lead actor in the 300 movie. This isn't how they did their workouts...it was just a test of his strength-endurance.

Here's the workout...all exercises are done without rest. Just go, go, go.

Pullups - 25
Deadlifts with 135lbs - 50
Pushups - 50
24-inch Box jumps - 50
Floor wipers - 50
1-arm 36lbs Kettlebell Clean n Press - 50 reps
Pullups - 25

One actor, Andrew Pleavin, completed the workout in 18:11.

Remember, he didn't practice this workout...and neither did I.

My time: 19:07

My butt was kicked by a hollywood actor. It was a brutal workout, starting out strong and slowing down, finishing at a crawl. And I don't plan on doing that any time soon, or really, ever again.

Obviously this is an advanced workout...you shouldn't do it unless you are as fit as a college athlete.

Fortunately, this can easily be changed. Appropriate exercises should be subbed in, and you should drop down to 100 total reps - or as .: recommends - 4-6 exercises of 15-25 reps each.

For example, you might do a 150-repetition workout - this is great for a man with moderate fitness:

15 bodyweight rows
25 bodyweight squats
15 pushups
50 jumping jacks
20 mountain climbers
10 close grip pushups
15 bodyweight rows

An intermediate woman could do a 100 rep workout:

5 bodyweight rows
15 bodyweight squats
5 pushups
50 jumping jacks
10 mountain climbers
10 lunges
5 bodyweight rows

Those are some challenging workouts. Work with a trainer to come up with other ideas. And always, train safe.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked home fat burning workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig Ballantyne's TT Members workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's beginner bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Exercise Equipment

The importance of regular exercise is obvious to everyone today. However, most people have a busy schedule into which they have to squeeze in the time for exercise. Therefore, they prefer the of use exercise equipments that helps to maximize the benefits of exercise within a limited time frame. For instance, a person who does three sets of twelve repetitions of sit-ups may benefit equally or, perhaps more from working for three to five minutes on an abdominal machine. Thus, these equipments not only help in increasing the quality of the work out, but also reduce the time required for a desired effect. This enables people to fit in more variety into their exercise plan

There are many different types of exercise equipments and each one is designed to target specific areas of the body. Exercise equipments provide intensity, resistance and support to a workout. Elliptical machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, inversion machines, leg machines, free weights, balls and back braces are some of the more popular exercise equipment.

Treadmills and exercise bikes are primarily used for cardiovascular workouts. One drawback with the usage of either equipment is that it can easily become monotonous for the exerciser. Additionally, wind resistance is missing in both treadmills and exercise bikes.

Elliptical machines are generally used for a full-body work out. Free weights are excellent for weight training. Back braces are exercise equipment used to support the back and helps with avoiding injury.

People who want to start an exercise schedule have a choice between buying the exercise equipments and joining a gym that will provide all the facilities. Affluent people prefer to set up private gyms in their homes.

Exercise equipment helps bring professionalism and a scientific pattern into a persons fitness plan. It can be fun to work out inside the home or in a gym with friends. It is important to consult a fitness expert while deciding the right equipment, as each individuals body condition and need for exercise are different.

Exercise provides detailed information on Exercise, Exercise Equipment, Exercise Programs, Exercise Videos and more. Exercise is affiliated with Fitness Tips.

The Real Key To Weight Loss Success

Goal setting is a highly important part of any training program and especially weight loss and getting six pack abs, in fact it could be the most important part. By having goals it gives us something to work towards and helps us to maintain our motivation. There are certain things you need to consider when setting goals however. You should follow the acronym SMARTER principles of goal setting.

Specific - goals should be specific, such as exact weight loss figures.

Measurable - progress should be able to be measured. To do this you will need to perform some baseline tests or measurements before you begin your training programme.

Agreed - if you have a coach, then make sure you and your coach agree upon the goals that you have set for yourself, or that your coach has set for you.

Realistic - there's no point setting goals that are unachievable. If you don't reach them you'll become demotivated. Make sure your goals are within reach; not too hard, but not too easy.

Time based - give yourself a specific time period to achieve your goals. If your goal is to lose 10lbs, then give yourself 3 weeks to achieve this goal. It's much more effective to give yourself a time period, it keeps you focussed.

Exciting - make your goals exciting and the way you plan to achieve them exciting. It helps to maintain your motivation.

Recorded - make sure progress is recorded. Nothing aids motivation like physically seeing your progress recorded, or seeing your progress in a mirror!

These were the SMARTER principles of goal setting. Make sure you use them before starting your weight loss programme.

Download your free report today and discover the SHOCKINGLY simple abdominal workouts, exercises and nutritional advice that will shed pounds from your stomach & transform your flabby belly into firm & flat six pack abs. Visit http://www.firmupyourabs.com to download your free copy.

Are Your Loved Ones Hindering Your Weight Loss Efforts?

Sometimes our loved ones can hinder our weight loss goals. Often times their intention is not to hinder us.

For example, I love donuts. There was a time in my life when I simply could not say "no" to them. I would wind up binging on them - I could eat 4 to 6 donuts with no problem at all.

I began a weight loss program. I was following my plan to the tee. Then on Saturday morning, my husband brought home some donuts. "Here honey, I thought you'd enjoy these." I devoured every last crumb.

My husbands intention was not to make me go off plan. He wasn't even thinking that I was trying to lose weight. He simply wanted to do something nice for me.

Your loved ones could be hindering you by tempting you with seconds, cooking your favorite foods, or buying your favorite ice cream.

Here's what you need to do:

  1. Identify your loved ones behavior that is sabotaging your weight loss efforts.
  2. Identify your loved ones reasons for that behavior.
    • Are they trying to do something nice for you?
    • Do they feel appreciated when you eat their cooking?
    • Are they bringing in the ice cream for themselves, not realizing that is making you lose track of your goals?
  3. Tell your loved one what you need from him/her.

You need to be assertive. Tell them exactly what you need from him/her and why. I told my husband ...

"I really appreciate the fact that you love me so much, that you brought donuts home. However as I can't seem to say "no" to them, I would appreciate it even more if you could restrain from bringing them home. A hug from you lets me know how much you care and appreciate me."

I told him in exactly what I needed and why. I showed him I appreciated his gesture, and gave him an alternative action so that his needs would be met as well.

If you are a little apprehensive about approaching your loved one, ask yourself why. It's probably one of two reasons:

  1. You like having someone to blame for your failures. It's easy to say, "I keep blowing it because my wife is such a good cook and demands I eat seconds." Or "My husband is so nice to me he keeps buying me donuts, if I tell him to stop, he may never buy me anything again." If this is you, you need to decide how important reaching your goal really is. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop blaming others.

  2. You don't know how to approach them or you don't want to hurt their feelings. If this is the case then you need to practice ... in front of the mirror, to a friend, or even to the dog. Picture yourself telling your loved one exactly what you need from him/her to help you achieve your goals.

Remember, more than anything else, your loved ones want YOU to be HAPPY and HEALTHY, and will do anything in their power to help you achieve your goals.

Cindy Holbrook has been interested in fitness and nutrition most of her life. Visit her website http://HonestDietReviews.com For a variety of weight loss articles, tips and tricks. Read Diet Reviews to find the right diet for you. Don't forget to read http://honestdietreviews.com Mikes Story - Cindys husband and the inspiration for her website. Mike has lost over One Hundred Pounds!

Getting in Shape For Lazy Bastards

Okay so let me get this straight... You dont feel like making exercise a daily habit, you dont like the feeling of being out-of-breath, and youd rather stay the way you are if it means being comfortable...even if you do become an even fatter and lazier bastard in the process?

Ladies and Gentlemen - what youve just read above is the exact mindset that most out-of-shape people have when attempting to get in shape. And when they fail, they actually ask the obvious question of why they have failed... Sad isnt it?

As opposed to those types of people, I have come in contact and trained people who did have the desire to change their daily habits with the goal of getting in shape and being healthier. Now this is the mindset of a few select people who want to get in shape - and its a good mindset to have. But again, Ive also seen people fail to get in shape with this wonderful mindset...

The reasons: Okay, for the lazy mindset - its obvious why they fail. If you go into any activity with the I dont feel like it mood, guess what, you most likely will fail and you wont get anywhere because all of your energy will be focused on not wanting to be there doing whatever is it youre doing. Or for some fat and lazy people, their energy will be focused on which flavored donut theyll purchase when the training is over. Whatever it is you focus on while physically training, if youre focus is not centered on progression and self-improvement - you are doomed to fail.

As for the pre-motivated types, the reason why some of them fail is because they lack consistency after they start training. To give you a more clear vision on what I mean, Ill tell you about a particular client I began to train recently...

A friend of mine heard about my fitness training services one day and decided that he wanted me to help him get in shape. He called me up and we met at a location. He was so worked up and was motivated to get in shape and have more daily energy - and with this mindset, he couldnt possibly fail, could he? Well, for the first few days he used my advice and trained really hard and actually started to make progress. However, one day, a day in which he scheduled physical training for himself, he decided to slack off and take a break. So he did take a break for that one day... And soon, that one day off turned into 5 days off!

Can you believe that? He quit training for one day and resumed back to his old habits...and all the progress he made from improving his stamina to increasing his muscle base all disappeared within a week. He basically threw every little progress he made out the window. And after that, he simply forgot about training.

Of course, being the persistent S.O.B. I am, I pushed him forward after hearing about his fall and he did achieve his fitness goals after about a month of consistent training (powered by me).

But the main lesson to learn here is this: No matter what shape, size, or physical state you are in, if you train consistently, you will succeed at getting in shape and achieving your goals in a reasonable amount of time.

Ryan Dodson - Personal Fitness Instructor

I guess you're wondering how I took an out-of-shape "couch-potato" like him and turned him into a living, breathing, fitness machine. Well, I've put all of my knowledge and exercise methods into one downloadable.pdf file and you can instantly download it from the *new and improved* InhumanStamina website (coming soon)

Weight Loss And Fad Diets

Fad diets encompass a whole range of methods to temporarily lose weight. Many of diets are unsafe. We constantly hear about new fad diets in the market. Fad diets generally work as follows:

For a period of time you are instructed to restrict you diet to a select group of foods or to purchase prepared foods from the diet company. You may also be told to restrict your eating or to count calories. These diets vary but it is not uncommon for fats to be eliminated in these diets. The reaction to this starvation diet is that your body eliminates excess water. You'll also experience a rapid loss of weight. This initial weight loss is due to water weight.

As you continue to starve your body, after the initial water loss, you'll start to burn muscle mass. At this point it still is not burning fat. Of course, the excess fat is the problem behind your weight problem. The truth is that while you continue to avoid fats, your system will try to preserve the fat that it has stored. If you stay on this fad diet for a month your body will have no alternative but to start burning fat. This is where the difficulty begins. The dieter will get weaker, lethargic and not able to perform well at this initial fat loss stage. Burning fat requires more effort and time to produce energy from fat than it does from muscle.

Usually at this point something gives. You find it difficult to function under these conditions and return to your earlier dietary habits. The problem is that your body has difficulty adjusting to you former eating pattern. Before the body returns to restructuring your muscle, it will store most of your nourishment as excess fat.

Surprise, you're back to your pre-diet weight and possibly a bit more. This is how fad diets fail. It is not possible to lose weight with fad diets and to keep that weight off. This approach to losing weight is flawed from inception. It will never be successful in your weight loss goals.

If you're like most individuals, then chances are, you have not successfully achieved your weight loss goal yet and still looking for a weight loss plan that can lead you to a permanently slim body. There is only one approach that will work permanently. Simple lifestyle changes that you incorporate into you day to day life.

Kathryn Soloff is the mother of 8 children and a natural foods cook for over 30 years. She is co-publisher of http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/fatburnerreviews/herbal_fat_burners.html where she provides additional advice, tips and hard to find information on Weight Loss

Sign up for our free ecourse: 10 Steps To Lose Weight Without Dieting

Achieve Good Health and Weight Loss through Walking Exercises

Many people are encountering problems with their excess weight. There are those who are suffering from obesity which is really alarming and dangerous to their health. Fitness experts recommend walking as a good way to lose excess weight and maintain a physically fit body.

Of course, there are far more effective ways on how to lose the unwanted calories in your body. You can engage yourself to a more intense workouts and diet programs which have shown fast results in achieving your goals to lose weight.

Many fitness experts say that walking is the simplest way to lose weight. Walking is a form of exercise that we can do everyday. There are people who do not like the thought of engaging themselves on intense workouts and physical trainings. Some people also like the thought of paying expensive fees on gyms and weigh loss programs.

Walking as a form of exercise can help you with that. You do not need to pay fees to do walking. Generally speaking, walking is inexpensive. You do not need to buy diet pills, pay workouts and trainings and get new exercise gears and equipments for your exercises.

Aside from being a great way to lose weight, walking is also great with your entire fitness and health. It is the primary step to get you motivated and be more dedicated in losing weight. You may set long distance walking in the morning. This is a great way to keep the body active and alive. Now that you have decided to be more active and lose weight through walking, you may need to remember some important things that can help you to be motivated during your walking sessions.

1. It is recommended that you do your walking slowly. You may set long distance training if you are already through with short distance walks. You may start off walking a mile and then add more miles. Five to six miles of added walk would be beneficial for a healthy heart.

2. You should always keep track of your body's reaction. Observe how your body reacts with long distance walking. Walking can also be a great warm up before you engage with intense exercises like running and marathon.

3. To see great results on weight loss, it is recommended that you allot 20 to 30 minutes of walking. This will get your heart rate up and will maintain a good blood circulation. Make walking your daily routine to achieve quick results. If you have a busy schedule, you can at least do it 4 times a week.

4. It is recommended that you keep pace of yourself while you are walking. If you are feeling a little tired and getting bored with your walk, you may stop for a while and take a short rest to refresh yourself for another mile of walk.

Aside from walking, proper diet and exercises are interrelated to one another when it comes to weight loss. Even when you are doing high intense work outs, without proper diet, you cannot get positive results with your weight loss. It is also important that you are properly motivated and dedicated with your desire to lose that unwanted weight.

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Dieting. For more information regarding Walking And Weight Loss please drop by at http://www.loseweightcontrol.com.

What Are The Pros and Cons of Low Carb Diets?

Before starting a low carb diet, you're probably curious what the actual pros and cons of low carb diets are, right? Looking at both pros and cons can help you make a more informed, educated decision as to whether a low carb diet is right for you, so let's summarize some of the common pros and cons of low carb diets here...

Pros: The pros of low carb diets are fairly easy to list, and they include things like: Quick weight loss, never going hungry, eating really great foods, still having sweets, and it's easy to get started.

Cons: The cons of low carb diets are also fairly easy to list off, and these include: Giving up bread, giving up pasta, giving up real sugar, pastries, cakes, cookies and other common snacks. Other cons of low carb diets can include having bad breath, seemingly bland or boring food choices, and going through withdrawals.

Now that we've summarized those pros and cons though, let's look at some of them in detail.

1. Pro: It's easy to start low carb diets, but Con: It can get a little expensive. Unfortunately buying lots of meat and fresh veggies can be hard on the budget. High carb and high starch foods are cheaper to buy, but you will pay the price eventually with obesity and associated health problems.

2. Pro: You never go hungry on low carb diets, but Con: You can't always eat what you're craving. One of the best reasons to choose a low carb diet is because part of the goal is to never allow yourself to go hungry. You don't usually restrict how much food is eaten, just what kinds. The downside of course is that you can't always eat anything you want on a low carb diet. But this is true of any kind of sensible eating plan. If you want to lose weight, you have to be willing to give up certain types of food. And with low carb diets, you give up major sources of bad starches and sugars.

3. Pro: Going on a low carb diet will finally get your daily cravings under control. But Con: You have to go through withdrawals first. When you first start a low carb diet, you will experience sugar withdrawals - usually in the first three to five days. And these can be difficult to wait out. You'll have headaches, sometimes a bit of dizziness, and you might be a bit lethargic too. You'll also have severe sugar cravings.

Once you get past those initial days though, you get to experience a wonderful thing: You no longer have massive sugar cravings. You no longer get the urge to grab some candy or a soda at two or three in the afternoon, and you no longer feel bloated and gassy every time you eat. Many people also experience much more energy at this point, and of course they're thrilled to see the weight is already starting to come off by now too.

So now that you know some of the biggest pros and cons of low carb diets, you might find it easier to decide whether starting a diet of this type is something you feel would be right for your personal lifestyle and preferences.

For more Pro and Cons of Low Carb Diets, visit http://www.lowcarb.healthanddiettips.com

Budgeting For Healthy Weight Loss

Imagine for a moment that you've been given a $1,000 gift certificate to spend as you wish.

Now that I have you excited, think about how you would spend that money. Would you buy a single expensive item or a number of less expensive items?

Would your purchases reflect your "needs," such as items for your home and family, or would you treat yourself to some "wants" that you've had your eye on?

More than likely, you would end up with a mixture of all of the above. This would be a result of some careful planning, price checking and prioritizing so that you are ultimately satisfied with your purchases.

Our financial friends might call this budgeting. Certainly this kind of conduct wouldn't fit under the term "impulse buys."

The budgeting concept can be applied to our daily caloric intake. Each of us has a daily budget of calories required to maintain a healthy body weight and in order to stay within our budget we must carefully balance our "wants" and "needs" through planning, label reading and prioritizing.

Why is it so hard to budget our daily calorie intake?

The greatest challenge is that our caloric bank account has, for lack of a better term, substantial overdraft protection.

Thus, exceeding our daily budget usually goes overlooked until our clothing feels a bit snug or the scale has increased another few pounds. Add to this the availability of calorie expensive foods, huge portion sizes and lack of regular deposits in the form of physical activity -- no wonder many of us are well over our calorie budget.

You can find out your daily caloric budget at HealthyWeights.ca/calc.php

So if it comes down to budgeting calories, why is it so difficult to lose weight or prevent weight gain? The answer is two-fold.

One, the invention of labour-saving devices has reduced our caloric budget to extremely low levels. Think of the amount of physical labour you perform in a day both at work and at home with that of your grandparents when they were your age. Our generation doesn't have to do physically intensive jobs in order to survive, so our budget of calories is much lower. Secondly, we are surrounded by foods that are calorie expensive.

Being stingy with our calories is nearly impossible when eating at restaurants, eating on the run or choosing prepackaged foods. Thus even our best intentions can be thwarted by the temptation of taking the elevator and having a sweet snack with our coffee.

Much like spending money can be increased with opportunity, so can eating of calorie-dense foods. Think of the last time you made an "impulse" buy. Was it during a period of high or low emotional circumstances? Was it in response to something negative that happened in your life, such as a stressful event or argument with a friend or family member?

This concept also applies to eating. For example, during an office meeting you may rarely be tempted by the doughnuts brought in by coworkers, however, if you feel pressure or anxiety because it's your turn to present at the meeting that day, your ability to say no to the temptation may be diminished or distracted.

Determining triggers and chains of events that lead to overeating are an important part of a healthy weight loss program.

So what can you do to bypass these temptations?

First, you have to become aware of what you're eating. Ask yourself before succumbing to that temptation, Am I hungry? Is this going to fulfill my needs?

Does this food fit into my daily nutritional plan? Is this what I want to spend my calories on or is there something better?

It's perfectly fine to determine that a temptation or treat is warranted. If you decide a food or treat fits your budget then savour it and enjoy every bite. Take your time, chew every bite, do whatever it takes to slow down.

Developing a plan to deal with temptations and managing your food and physical activity budget is not something you have to do on your own. Programs that provide support, encouragement and education can make this process much more enjoyable and ultimately more successful.

Decide if you are a solo or social "changer" and develop your plan using any resources you see fit.

Drew Harvey is the founder and director of Healthy Weights.
He is a kinesiology professor and has helped thousands at his research and weight loss clinic.
http://www.healthyweights.ca

Tips On Fast Weight Loss For Special Occasions

If you are like me, you have probably been through all this before, the family wedding is coming up next month and you can't seem to fit into that suit or dress because you have put on too much weight. So you must lose at least ten or more pounds quickly.

Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.

But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let's look at that first, you all know that diets don't work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.

Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.

Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories.

Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.

Knowing this, you really don't want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting.

To do this you will have to perform a "Strength Training" workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.

The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked.

One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.

While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.

The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.

Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.

Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.

As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can't, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.

Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.

Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.

Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.

Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.

Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.

Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn't recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.

I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 - 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.

In conclusion remember, think long term here and that's between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' weight loss e-course.

Mind Blowing Exercises Which Would Give You Rock Hard Abs Within Days - Achieve Stunning Results

Nothing can be more sexier on a body than a strong, flat, rock hard six packs. Every person wants to get abs as fast as possible yet only a few know how. You see there are exercises designed to help you attain the kind of results you desire with your stomach. There are two way of doing things- The hard way and the smart way. The hard way involves the old patterns of exercise which take a lot of time and produce results with time, and than we have the smart of exercising, This kind of exercising is the most effective and produces quick results. Read on to discover some of the most smart exercises you can do right now and achieve earth shattering results with your abs.

The situps- This might seem like a traditional exercise but you can do wonders with it if you know how to do it right. Now lets do this old traditional exercise the smart way. One of the best ways to get the maximum results with situps with minimum efforts it to put some weights on your chest. This would not only help you get better results within no time it would reduce the number of reps too thus saving you a lot of time.

The bent over row- This is another extremely effective way to build your abs and add definition to them too. Bend over slightly with your feet shoulder width apart. Make it a point to keep your back a bit arched and lean a bit forward, Now get a bar or weights and pull them up and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you life it up. This can be done only 5 minutes a day and you would see instant results within no time.

What you don't know yet- But this is just the tip of an iceberg. There are stunning other exercising benefits which you were never aware of before. It's strange to know that most people don't even know this. This is something you simply can't afford to miss- Click Here

To Know More Visit- http://www.perfecthowto.com

How To Do Pushups And Build Beautiful Arms

If you want sexy arms and defined triceps, you need to do pushups, not triceps pushdowns. This will help you get nice arms, and avoid batwings.

You want nice arms, master the pushup.

You want to pass your physical recruitment test for the police academy or military, master the pushup.

You want to push other athletes around on the court or field (within the rules, of course!), master the push-up.

You want to be mobile, athletic, lean, and sexy? Master the advanced pushup variations.

If you can't do a pushup, start with these 3 basic steps. If you can do a bunch and want to take it to the next level, see the 3 advanced steps below.

Beginner 3-step progression for push-ups.

i) Kneeling Pushups
Start with 1 set of 8 if you are a beginner. Add 2 reps each workout for the first week, so that you are at 1 set of 12 after 3 workouts.

In the next week, add 1 set each workout, so that you are at 3 sets of 12 by the end of the week. Then try for 3 sets of 15 the next workout.

The problem with kneeling pushups is that you can only get so strong. Eventually, you'll be able to do 15 kneeling pushups, but you still won't be able to do a full pushup...so onto the Incline Pushup.

ii) Incline Pushups on Smith Machine
Set the smith machine bar at chest height. Stand about 2-3 feet away from the bar. Lean forward and grab the bar with an overhand grip. Keep the balls of your feet on the ground and lower your chest to the bar.

Do 3 sets of 8 repetitions per workout.

Each workout, lower the bar one notch on the Smith Machine until you get to the lowest rung. You're almost at full pushups now!

iii) Push up Holds
But you still might not be able to do more than 1 or 2. So let's get stronger where we are weaker - at the bottom.

From the top of the pushup position, lower your body slowly (for 2 seconds) to the bottom position.

Hold this position for 5 seconds.

Then slowly lower your body all the way to the floor, drop to your knees and then get back up to the full pushup position.

Do 3 sets of 3 repetitions of the 5 second hold.

Add 1 repetition each workout until you are up to 3 sets of 6. By now, you should be able to crank out quite a few pushups.

Advanced Pushups

Here's a progression to build you up to the Spiderman Pushups...

i) Pushups with Your Feet on the Ball

ii) T-Pushups

iii) Spiderman Pushups

These are advanced pushups, and will require photos, video, or personal instruction.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Calorie Restriction - A No Win Proposition!

We have a very advanced and intricate array of metabolic checks and balances. Among these is something called the survival mechanism, which is responsible for the regulation of your metabolic rate in response to caloric intake.

Your body has unique capabilities

The human body is much more sophisticated than many people realize. In order to survive through food shortages, extreme weather conditions, the constant attack of viruses and bacteria, and other threats to human existence, we have developed a very advanced and intricate array of checks and balances. Among these survival mechanisms is regulation of metabolic rate in response to caloric intake.

Natural Safety Mechanism

When caloric intake is restricted, the body compensates by reducing metabolic

rate. Consequently, fewer calories and less fat is burned.

Much obesity research has been directed at defining the physiological mechanisms involved in fat regain subsequent to fat loss, because researchers believe that this avenue of investigation may yield treatments or a cure for obesity.

Leptin has generated more questions than answers

Along this same thought, the discovery of the hormone-like substance Leptin, produced by fat cells under the direction the "ob" gene, created quite a stir in the research community a several years ago. Since then, a profusion of studies have been performed, which have generated more questions than answers about this puzzling substance.

Leptin levels are higher in obese individuals and are altered by weight loss.

However, while it's highly probable that leptln plays an important role in body fat regulation generally, lipoprotein lipase and thyroid hormones appear to be more instrumental in regulating metabolism in response to short-term changes in caloric intake.

- Lipoprotein lipase, a lipogenic (fat-storing) enzyme, increases markedly when calories are restricted.

- At the same time, production of the thyroid hormone (T3) decreases.

The down regulation of T3 slows metabolism, resulting in preservation of muscle mass but also body fat.

The metabolic adjustments to reduced caloric intake make sense from the standpoint of survival: the slower one's metabolism, the more "mileage" one gets out of a given quantity of stored energy (fat), and the longer one remains alive during a famine (and the longer one remains alive during a famine, the greater the likelihood that conditions will change, food will be found, and death will be averted).

What happens when you increase your caloriic intake?

When you resume normal eating, lipoprotein lipase activity remains elevated and metabolic rate remains depressed, causing you to quickly regain the lost fat, and maybe even a little extra fat as insurance against the next "famine."

Stated differently, the rate of fat storage is increased after a period of calorie restriction, and it stays that way until the pre-diet level of body fat is re-established.

This demonstrates the futility of trying to achieve permanent fat loss solely by means of calorie restriction.

In addition, you invariably lose precious muscle tissue. This further retards metabolism and adversely affects the shape, tone, and functional ability of the body, muscle loss resulting from restrictive dieting ranges from 20% - 40% of total weight.

With this muscle loss to fat loss ratio, body composition may only improve marginally while on the diet. And when the diet ends, and the fat returns but the muscle does not, body composition worsens.

Bottom Line:

In this vicious cycle, you go from being fat and flabby, to being less fat but more flabby, to ultimately becoming fatter and flabbier than ever.

http://www.carbohydrate-guide.com

Death by Jogging

I am going to say this upfront... I absolutely hate those long, endurance cardio such as jogging and marathons...

Not only they are incredibly boring... they can also kill you!

And sure, the boring part is my opinion... I still have friends who swear by jogging.

One of them died several years ago. Man, this guy was the fittest person you would ever know. I mean, he was in shape! He died doing a five mile jog -- from a heart attack. A former NBA basketball player by the name of Dennis Johnson died after finishing his jog -- from a heart attack last year. The head coach of Wake Forest's college basketball team, Skip Prosser, died last year while jogging. It was ruled a heart attack.

And let's not forget Jim Fixx, the guy who pioneered jogging as an health benefit. He died at the age of 52 from a massive heart attack on his daily run over twenty years ago.

And all these men that I mentioned are not the first or the last to die from jogging or running a marathon.

Then there is another friend of mine... and boy, is he healthy for his age -- around fifty! He runs all the time... And I talked with his wife the other day, and it is the usual... if it isn't his knees, it's his ankles. If it isn't his ankles, it's his feet. And now he got incredibly painful, bone spurs in his feet.

Doesn't sound like a lot of fun?

I don't think so!

My personal opinion is that the human body wasn't designed for long distance running. If the saber tooth tiger doesn't get the caveman in the first 30 seconds... then he is probably too far away or up in the tree. No need to "train" your body to run 5-10 miles because that big cat ain't gonna be interested in you that long!

So why run for long distance in the first place? Too push yourself beyond human endurance? Well, you have a lot to lose so why put your heart at risk? Why not save yourself and your loved ones from the pain when you are gone by selecting much better exercise choices?

Here are the "benefits" (sic) that I see so far for long distance running:

* Long hours pounding the pavement that you could spend with your family and friends

* Sore knees, back pain and foot problems

* Expensive visits to the specialists to repair your worn out body

* Weak body -- have you ever seen those skinny, emaciated long distance runners on TV or the sports magazines? Just say no thanks!

So if you HAVE to run marathons and jog for long distances... DO get a full physical from your family doctor. Pay attention to your body while running -- use a hr monitor -- be moderately hydrated during the run.

And then there is another fat loss myth created by jogging...

That myth is probably responsible for most of the misinformation about what exactly you need to do to lose body fat. You see, most of the information we have for cardio is based on the studies on jogging back in the 70s and 80s when jogging was king.

And the message was... to lose that body fat, you must include those long, slow endurance jogging or cardio. Nowadays, we know that is a false message but many folks still believe in it...

Sigh...

And to top that myth, many folks believe you must eat a low-fat, high carbs diet (which incidentally was the rage during the 90s). It meant eating lots of sugary foods with flour. And again, many folks believe this type of diet still holds true...

Sigh...

And now we see the results of these mixed messages -- rising obesity and running injuries... every. single. year!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel... The media is starting to pick up on proven and effective workout methods that are healthy for our heart and burn fat from our bodies.

And those workouts incorporate strength training and interval exercises for muscle power and heart endurance.

We shouldn't leave out the most important thing and that would be (drum roll please...) NUTRITION!

Getting your nutrition right is the key to fat loss...

* Mom was right... eating lots of fruits and vegetables is good for you!

* Good quality and lean source of proteins

* Eating fiber rich carbohydrates that are in the low end of the glycemic index

In short, good nutrition and good exercise choices will give you the body you want without the injuries and fat. And you get to live longer too...

But watch out for the speeding bus anyway, huh?

If you are looking for an effective workout program no matter if you are a beginner or at an advanced fitness level... that is guaranteed to get you in the best shape of your life... then be sure to head over here to find out how you can transform your body into one that will be slim, toned and muscular here:

http://www.healthy-weight-loss-fitness-program.com/turbulence-training-weight-loss-programs.html

Recommended fat loss program that rocks!