How to loose weight

August 22nd, 2009

In America alone, 58 million people are overweight and 40 million are obese. 3 million are classified as morbidly obese. Being overweight or obese is linked to many conditions like diabetes or heart problems.

With these kind of statistics it’s no wonder that lots of people are wanting to loose weight. The good news is that it isn’t that hard to loose weight – it is a very simple matter of taking more energy out of your body than you put in. We will look at this on more detail but by eating healthy food and getting some exercise you are almost guaranteed to lose weight. Without following any crazy diets or taking any weight loss pills or anything like that I lost 30 pounds a few years ago and I feel much healthier for it. Of course, it’s easy to say to eat healthy but a lot of people just don’t know enough about what healthy food is so finding out how to loose weight is quite difficult for them. There are so many ads and claims made by big companies In this blog I am going to tell you about what foods you should eat, what foods you should stay away from, and also look at different types of exercise and how much you should get to help you loose weight for good!

How caloric intake works

You might hear the word calorie used a lot when reading about dieting. A calorie is just a way to measure energy, and the term kilojoule is also used. There are about 4 kilojoules to the calorie so if you plan how many calories to eat but find a food listed in kilojoules only, just divide by 4.

When you are planning your weight loss diet you need to figure out how many calories to eat in your diet. There are lots of places where you can do this on the internet but a good rule of thumb is to aim for around 1500 calories a day while you are actively losing weight, and a bit more than this once you are at your goal weight.

Once you have figured out how many calories to eat each day to loose weight, you need to start reading the labels of everything you buy. You can also get good books with lists of how many calories in different foods. Once you start to see how much energy is in your food you will no be surprised how many people are overweight! The most challenging part of dieting is motivation. You can read more about staying motivated in my post about weight loss goals.

Basic exercise tips

Exercise really helps speed up your weight loss because exercising burns fat that you have stored in your body. Most doctors agree that everyone should get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. This doesn’t mean you have to do anything crazy, even a brisk walk every day is a great start.

Loosing weight doesn’t have to be an impossible task. If you stick to a plan, eat healthy food, and get some exercise, you will see the pounds melting away in no time!

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Exercise Tips

August 23rd, 2009

Making exercise a part of your everyday routine takes focus and practical pointers to stick with the regime. Loosing weight is a goal for most Americans, young and old. The means to support weight loss is a combination of eating properly and burning calories. Aerobic exercise is aimed at burning fat through rhythm and music. This style of exercise was popularized decades ago using home videos and working out with well known exercise gurus. Today’s exercise routines are advertising practical, lightweight machines that can be stored in small spaces when not used. The method you choose to assist in the weight loss effort needs to fit your lifestyle in order to gain long term success.

A great method of beginning to get in shape and loose weight is counting steps. There is claim that 10,000 steps a day will help shed extra pounds. A pedometer is an inexpensive step counter that you can clip on a pocket or waistband. At the end of the day, you will be amazed at the number of steps you have taken through regular habits. Adding a few more will be easy to accomplish the 10,000 mark. Using gaming systems that provide fitness routines is a fun way to enjoy good weight loss exercises. Most homes have a system that is available for use with boxing, running, and step programs. Joining a local exercise group that meets at churches and community centers are affordable and connect you with others who are working on the same goal. Having an exercise partner is a proven method of losing weight and continuing your chosen exercise routine.

Exercise can become an integral part of your daily routine. Choose the style of exercise that fits with your personality and lifestyle. Try out several exercise activities or change routines often to keep the interest alive. Loosing weight is a battle that most people are waging war against. Be on the winning side and keep working out.

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Sticking to your weight loss goals

August 22nd, 2009

Losing weight is not an easy thing to do and yet everyone seems to be trying to do it. The biggest struggle with weight loss isn’t in deciding to loose weight, it isn’t in learning to count calories or cut out fat, it isn’t in walking 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes–the biggest struggle is in sticking to your weight loss plan and maintaining your motivation.

Let’s face it, for most of us, losing weight is strongly desired yet not instantly gratifying and because of this we give up or we cheat and then because we cheated we give up. It is a vicious cycle. So, what do we do? How can we set goals and stick with them even if the results come slowly? One trick of the trade is to enlist a buddy-find a friend who is trying to loose a few pounds too and make a pact that you will check in with each other daily, call, email or text encouragement, plan meals and exercise together.

Studies have shown that it helps tremendously to have someone there for moral support. Even if you don’t know someone who is also trying to loose pounds find a friend or significant other who you can count on to talk you out of eating your way through the entire menu at your local ice cream shop, someone who can get you up off the couch and moving even when it is the last thing you want to do. Another way to maintain motivation is to set smaller goals for yourself–baby steps. Start by setting smaller, weekly weight loss goals. With exercise don’t jump into a crazy routine, start with walking a few times a week. Gradually, increase your goals.

Finally, reward yourself! Give yourself rewards for reaching certain goals (as long as the rewards aren’t food!). Get a manicure or massage for every 5 pounds kept off. Put $1, $5, or $10 in a jar for each pound you loose and use the money on your new wardrobe! Rewarding yourself along the way will keep you excited and motivated enough to keep going.

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