Weight Loss Can Be Torture Or Easy

By Mike True

Most of us on this planet have to think of our weight at some point. It is to bad that usually when we do it is after we have gained so many pounds that it takes a while to get them off. Some of us panic and want to lose it all overnight. You might have a special occasion to go to and find that your clothes you want to wear don't fit anymore. Or maybe someone says to you something like, "You look like you have been eating good".

There is a solution. It is not as hard as most people make it out to be. It does not have to be torturous either. In fact it should not be a struggle to lose weight and get healthy. Weight loss is a combination of mind, spirit, and common sense. When you panic is when it becomes hard and a chore. It took many years for me to figure that out. It wasn't until I was between diets, or weight loss plans that I did. I found that just using common sense and not overeating took the pounds off.

I do not want to make this sound too simple though. It actually isn't. Like I said it took me many years of weight loss plans to learn this. Those plans taught me how to eat properly. I should say some of them did. Most of them cut off the foods my body needed to function properly. Sure they took off some unwanted pounds, but it was a slow torture and of course my body needed the nourishment and nutrients of those foods, so after a while I craved those foods and gained the weight right back.

You have heard this before, but it is the honest to god's truth. A well balanced diet and exercise. Not all of us think of that the same way though and it is not that simple either. That is not a simple thing unless you go about it in the right way. You and I are different. So is every one on this planet. You have a different life style and activities than I do.

This is the first thing you need: A plan. You also need some guidance. It is much easier to accomplish a task with a little help and support. The plan is to become healthy and feel better. If you eat right and add a helping of some physical activities you will accomplish that.

Eating right is a matter of eating everything you like in all the food groups. You need to cut back on the saturated fats, eat 3 meals a day, and snack between the meals. Add in a little exercise and you will be on the right track. It will take a while to change your routine though. You should not try to do it overnight. It has to be learned and your mind and body have to process the new way of life. Like I said earlier you need a plan. The plan is to become healthy and feel better. To accomplish this you need to cut back on your calorie intake and burn more calories a day than you consume. Your fuel to do this is a mixture of the right carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You need all of those for your body to function properly. Too much or too little and your body will not run at the optimal speed to achieve you goal. Your mind plays a big part also, so you need to make sure your carbohydrates are at the right level because they play a major part in fueling your brain. You are almost like a car. A car needs oil, spark, fuel, and water to run properly. You need carbohydrates, proteins, fats, nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and water to run properly.

So what you need to do is figure out what your proper levels are. In other words, what is the proper calorie intake for your body weight, height, age and sex. There are calculators on a few sites that will help you with this. Mine will even tell you the proper levels of fat, protein, and carbohydrates you need. Of coarse they are not completely accurate but will be close, depending on the amount of muscle and exercise you do on any given day. Then with that number, and a good chart of what the food calories per serving are you can cut your intake one to two hundred calories below that number.

A pound is 3500 calories. If you lower your intake of calories by a little each day, and throw in a little extra activity each day, a pound a week is good, you might even burn off 2. Slowly is the best way to maintain and stick with a weight loss plan or diet. I like to think of it as a new way of life.

Mike True is an ex-overweight person that has been on almost every weight loss plan for the past 20 years. He has learned a lot and is now teaching others how to live a healthy and better life while still eating all the foods they enjoy and still lose weight. Learn more at http://www.truellybetter.com

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The Four Basic Components to Weight Loss

By Llewelyn D'silva

Weight loss is not just about eating less or eating right, or even about an exercise program. There are four basic components to weight loss that determine the level of success.

1. The mind set.

2. The lifestyle.

3. The diet

4. The exercise.

1. The Mind Set.

First off, one must develop the right mind set. Think of the journey as a pleasant trip with a rewarding goal at the end. Thinking of weight loss as a chore, a task or even a prison sentence puts a negative connotation on all related activities. Make the journey fun and enjoyable. Add some music to your activity, take your iPod along when going for a run or bike ride. Join a recreational center with a gym and a pool. Make new friends who share the same interest. All of a sudden it's no longer a task that must get done, it turns into an enjoyable time with friends. A positive attitude will definitely boost you fat loss effort.

2. The Life Style.

Losing weight and keeping it off requires a change to one's lifestyle, obviously the current lifestyle is not working so well and by now you are desperate to lose weight. The change doesn't have to be drastic, it can be gradual. Small things like, taking the stairs to the office and no it doesn't have to be all the way to the 20th floor. At first you can take the stairs to the second or third floor and then the elevator up. Another easy change is, at a restaurant, eat a large bowl of salad before the meal. Wait about 20 minutes after eating the salads before the main course. Give your brain time to catch up to the amount of food you have just consumed. Try this a few times and you'll notice a difference. You will start eating smaller portions of the main entrée and that is OK, because now you have leftovers for next day's lunch. The reason why most of us put on weight is because we do not give our brain a chance to direct our actions. It takes time for the brain to receive signals back and analyze them. So take your time, don't rush the meal, and put you cutlery down from time to time.

3. The Diet.

It's time to get back to basics. Stop snacking on chips, Candy bars, popcorn drenched in butter. Start snacking more on fruits and veggies. Start with 2 servings a day and work your way up to 10 servings a day. Each serving can be the size of your fist. Go for the fiber-rich fruits and veggies (organic if possible). Stay clear of alcohol, it has sugar. Sodas and sports drinks are just liquid sugar, avoid them like the plague. Earlier we talked about a change in lifestyle? Diet is one of the biggest challenges we face going through a fat loss program. If you are desperate to lose weight then its time to analyze each and everything that enters your mouth.

4. The Exercise.

If you're a beginner at fitness or returning after a prolonged absence, then it's time to introduce your body to fitness. Get your runners on and go for a brisk walk, not a Sunday stroll around the neighborhood. Each day walk a little further, try to work up a sweat. These walks will help you burn calories and they will begin to build your cardiovascular endurance. Think of joining the neighborhood fitness center, there you'll find different ways to lose weight. At the center you can make some new friends who share similar interest. The distraction will help you take your mind of the main reason you are there.

Three vital Points to keep in mind:

1. Before you start your program, discuss your plan with your physician and know the limitations of your body.

2. Make it a habit, before any kind of workout, do some warm-up exercises. It is important to stretch before and after.

3. What ever you decide to do, go for walks, workout at a gym or buy a fitness program, you must be consistent with you schedule. Consistency will help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Do you know why you are not losing weight? Do you know all what it takes to lose weight besides diet and exercise? No? Then find out RIGHT NOW. Read all you need to know before you start any program RIGHT NOW.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Llewelyn_D'silva

Losing Weight Now Is Easier Than You Think

By Rob Jacobs

Some people think looking thin and attractive means giving up the food we love forever. Rather, you can lose weight now, just like you had in mind by following a few simple guidelines, not rigorous, ball-and-chain rules. The best first step you can take here to lose weight now, is no more strict diets. A nutritionist friend of mine put it best when he said he didn't believe in extremes in any area of life, including low-carb diets. These types of diets are often so rigid and uncomfortable that sustaining long-term results is nearly impossible. That's no way to lose weight now. If you make any kind of all-encompassing decisions about your diet and health, the best one to let you lose weight now, is to go all-natural. And there are a few ways to do this, and it's easier to stick to.

So, if you're trying to lose weight now, and you'd rather not have the old problems resurface shortly thereafter, you need to change your habits regarding eating, not just your diet. Getting this into practice, may be a little slow to start, since you don't want to risk your health by changing too much too fast. One good way to do this is start to cut unhealthy foods from your diet, one type at a time. Red meat, for instance; can be removed from your diet and replaced with more vegetables, without causing any major nervewreck. Family can be slow to adopt these changes, butin the long run you'll realize you're making tremendous progress to lose weight now.

Another way to lose weight now is find a sport. You have two main options really. You can starve yourself, or do something you really like. People that are the most successful with recreational weight loss are the ones that did a great job of looking back through their childhood to find the activities they loved. More often then not, they love them just as much, twenty, even thirty years later as they did when they were children. So it's pretty clear: a sport or physical activity you love is a great way to lose weight now. But don't be let down if you don't see results overnight. If you're looking to lose weight now, you're going to have to step it up several notches and really push yourself, in a short time-frame. You can pick any activity you like really: going for a jog, a swim, or a more team-oriented sport. Put in just a few weeks of this, and other people will notice before you do, but you'll be thinner. But more importantly you'll have that stronger, youthful look.

So, just consider, if you lose weight now, but just make some bad decisions soonafter and put it all back on, what did you do all that hard work for? The best way to do it is change your lifestyle completely. Seek every opportunity you can to be more active and energetic. The benefits of that postiive change will serve you for quite a while. People tried to lose weight now and suceeded with this approach report having a more "positive spirit" in addition to the physical benefits.

Bottom line, don't put this off any longer! You can lose weight now, and make a better life for yourself than you probably realized. Sure, like all things, it may take some time to adapt, but once you start to see the benefits, you'll wish you'd started sooner.

Rob Jacobs is a fitness coach and nutrition expert of 20 years. He consults with world class bodybuilders and casual dieters on lifetsyle improvement. For more information on Rob's approach, please visit Lose weight now

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Jacobs