Small changes that help you lose weight: by Silas Dume

Getting to know weight loss takes time but it is necessary to have less energy than you used to lose extra pounds. The best method to be sure you lose more than you eat everyday is to focus on small changes each day.

1. Start by having a food diary. It will make you aware of the amount of food you consume. By having a record, you will get to pinpoint the calorie intake and where you should cut back.

2. Swap some of the foods you eat If you snack on a mars bar, swap it with about 8 strawberries and you will get 70 less calories and more fiber.

3. Read the labels of the food. By reading on the labels, you will know the calories content and have the chance to swap it with other brands of the same product. Like, by just changing your breakfast cereal you could lower down calories by 50 or 100 by getting a salsa instead of a sour cream.

4. Boost your metabolism and energy by eating about 5 to 6 times a day including snacks. The process of digestion burns up fat so it boosts metabolism. 5. Work out to keep weight off and stay that way. It is from exercise that the body is trimmed and the muscles toned. The weight loss will be from lean muscle tissues if there will be no workouts. Exercise will improve metabolism. When incorporating exercise with your daily routine, start slowly. Doing workouts for 30 minutes is better than nothing. Exercises comes in all forms like gardening, walking the dog, playing with the children or housework.

5. Drink lots of water to hold off appetite and help burn the stored fat. Water also cleanses the body during weight loss process. When you're hungry, have a glass of water first and wait about 10 minutes before eating.

6. Ask friends and family for support. With support and an open sharing of goals, you can start small and change your lifestyle to a healthier you.

An Easy Way To Count Calories

Anyone who is serious about losing weight and getting into better shape needs to realize that some important nutritional decisions will need to be made with the many choices in regards to food and drink on a daily basis.

Each time you are confronted with food or beverages, you have the potential to consume too much and this is when the majority of weight gain occurs. Therefore if you want to make this process much easier and increase the likelihood of being successful, one of the best ways to get started tackling your daily nutrition is to count calories.

In the past, it was a bit cumbersome to count calories since you had to lug around a notepad and pen to actually write down everything you ate and drank during the day. Now with the Internet and smartphones that can run applications, counting calories has now become easier than ever. You can now simply whip out your phone, tap a few buttons and your calorie amount is automatically tabulated.

Before you jump to the conclusion that to count calories is obnoxious and takes weight loss too serious just look at the benefits it can provide you if losing weight is something you truly want to achieve. Really consider this especially if you haven't been successful in the past.

In a nutshell, counting calories allows you to get a clear picture of exactly how much fuel you are putting into your body every day. When you focus on putting just the correct amount of food in your body and exercise a bit, the weight steadily falls off. That's as simple as it can be put.

One of the main reasons people gain an excessive amount of weight is because they do not control how much they eat or drink on a regular basis. When you also throw in the fact that little or no exercise is enjoyed, this is an easy one-two combination that quickly leads to weight gain. Unless some changes are made, obesity is likely the only outcome.

Sure there are surgical options along with some diet fads that may or may not work, but if you want to do this on your own for free and are willing to try something new and stick with it for at least a month, then there's no reason why you can't be successful with weight loss.

Just remember, consistent nutritional changes will need to be made if you want to have any chance of improving your situation. In other words, eating healthy one day then flipping the switch and eating unhealthy the next three days is not going to do your body any good nor will you shed those excess pounds.

Naturally changing the types and amounts of food you eat is often an extremely difficult feat to accomplish and the number one reason why folks fail. But by using a free calorie counting application you will have an ally that will help you as you redevelop your eating habits. You want to put nutrition at the forefront of your thoughts on a daily basis from the moment you wake until you go to sleep. Throughout this time all choices regarding your nutrition should be regulated.

Once you get your hands on one of these free tools to help you count calories, and set up your profile (in literally 2 minutes) you will see how powerful an ally this can be in your fight to get fit.

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

The Top Best Quick Weight Loss Diet

Are you looking for the best quick weight loss diet? There are so many options competing for your attention and they are all offering something different. What can you do to narrow down your choices? When looking for a quick weight loss diet you want to keep a few things in mind.

1.) Is this weight loss regimen the best plan for me? Will it fit my lifestyle and diet? How can I be sure I won't hate it half way through...or a few days in?

2.) Do I need to buy special food for this diet? Will I have to spend more money to shop for groceries? Keep this in mind when you go to find a weight loss program so you can make sure you know what you're getting.

3.) How fast will I lose weight? Will you lose weight within a few days? A few months? Keep this in mind as well since "fast" is a very relative term to use.

4.) Is this quick weight loss diet the "real deal"? There are tons of imitators out there - make sure it's the best fit for you.

Those are four main things to keep in mind when you go to find your quick weight loss diet. It is important you weigh your options before choosing a diet since no matter the weight loss diet, you will have to stick to it to see results. Otherwise you may never see any weight loss from simply trying a bunch of different weight loss diets.

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

The King of Lower Body Exercises

The Squat has been called the King of Lower body Exercises - for good reason. It works the largest muscle groups in the body which include the front of the thighs (quadriceps), the back thigh muscles (hamstrings), the muscles of your behind (glutes), your lower back and helps your overall musculature as well as revving up your metabolism.

For men it helps to add extra muscle mass over the entire body due to the numerous chemical pathways and muscles involved, while for women it can help to give you strong, shapely legs as well as a firm and curvaceous “booty”. So how do you perform this most beneficial of all exercises?

You need a barbell in a rack (although dumbbells in your hand can also work). Step under the barbell so that it rests across the back of your shoulders. Hold onto the bar to balance it. Take a deep breath then raise up to lift it off the rack and step back. The feet should be flat on the floor. Holding your breath keep your head up and back straight, then bend your knees and lower yourself until the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor. From this point push yourself back up into the starting position while breathing out.

Your actual technique will vary a lot depending on your physical proportions. Those with longer legs tend to find going to parallel or below to be a bit difficult. Those with shorter legs in proportion to their body tend to find it easier. Whatever your size though, keep a squat routine going and you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Get flatter Abs with “vacuuming”

Here’s a weird little trick that will get you flatter abdominal muscles (abs) that will give the appearance of a slimmer waistline. You need to do “vacuuming” - and we are not talking about going around with a vacuum cleaner!

This trick works equally well for men or women, young or old.

What you need to do is to create a vacuum in your abdominal area, hold for about 10 seconds at a time, and then relax. Being able to produce and hold a vacuum actually reduces the size of your waistline but it take consistent practice.

To do this exercise you need to bend forward at the waist and lean on a table with your hands outstretched. Take a deep breath so that you can visibly see your stomach puffing out. Then slowly blow it all out while sucking in your belly button towards your spine. Hold for as long as possible then slowly breathe back in. That’s it. This exercise can be done while sitting in your car, at your desk, around the house and all over. Before you know it you will be automatically sucking in your waist giving a taller slimmer appearance and over time the size of your waist will actually shrink.

Take a look at the video below to give you a better idea of how exactly to do this great, simple exercise.

How to do a Stomach Vacuum

Losing Weight In A Week - Is it Possible?

Weight loss is such a popular subject that sometimes you come across statements with fantastic claims on losing weight.

What will be your reaction if someone says that you can reduce your weight in a week's time? You may be skeptical at first. But if you want to evaluate this claim, then you need to ask two questions to evaluate this claim. The first question is: How much weight I could lose in a week? The second question will be: Will the reduction in my weight be long lasting or will it be short-lived?

The answer to your first question is that you can lose about one kilogram of your weight in a week. But if you want to achieve a more substantial weight loss, you will have to take some specific steps. I will outline these steps here. I have not forgotten the second question. I will answer it at the end.

Sacrifice your evening snacks:
Many people are in the habit of talking certain food items like cookies, pasta and desserts in the evening. If you are one of them, please realize that these snacks will have the effect of increasing the fluid content in your body and make you fat. Avoid taking snacks in the evening since your body doesn't need to be fed in the evening. But if you feel hungry, take something light and nutritious like the vegetable sandwich.

Reduce your consumption of salt:
Decrease in salt intake can help you lose weight considerably. Reducing the intake of Sodium, the main ingredient of salt will enable the body to rid itself of some the fluids retained by it. Salt has to be consumed but in small quantities. You can make a conscious effort to reduce the salt consumption by ensuring that the salt added to dishes when they are cooked is reduced. This will also be good for your other family members who may not feel the need to lose weight. As is well known, reducing salt consumption will also help in keeping your blood pressure under control.

Say no to Diet Drinks:
Diet drinks, contrary to what their name implies, will not help you lose weight. Many of these drinks contain Sodium, a substance that causes fluids to accumulate in your body, You can lose weight only by avoiding them. In fact, if you have been taking diet drinks, you will see quick results, if you stop drinking them.

Have a dinner free from Carbohydrates:
Taking carbohydrate rich foods for dinner will be one of the biggest obstacles for your efforts to lose weight quickly. Keep such foods away from your night meal. Taking a light dinner made of vegetable salads alone can do miracles. You can include a piece of lean meat in your dinner once or twice a week, if you want to make the dinner more substantial.

Following the tips given above will definitely help you lose a few kilograms within a week But if you want the weight loss to remain with you for a long time, you should develop a weight loss plan on a long term basis.

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

Spot reduction is a myth

So many people want to lose weight in only a certain area of the body. the most common area is around the mid-section but I have also heard of people wanting to lose weight from their thighs, face and even fingers. 

Spot reduction does not work. Sorry but you need an overall programme of diet, fitness and a healthy lifestyle to achieve your fat loss goals. 

The video below explains why spot reduction for fat loss just does not work. 

Spot Reduction - Is it Possible?

Are Diet Drinks Making You Gain Weight?

Let's get right to the point, soda does not do the body good. "Pop", as it is popularly known as, is becoming the drink of the past, not of the future generations. Most people falsely believe that diet soda is helping them lose weight, but in fact, it is sabotaging their weight loss efforts.

I just read a study recently that stated that there is evidence that diet soda drinkers gain more weight than regular soda drinkers. This idea may be a shock to some diet soda lovers.

One of the first problems with diet sodas is the artificial sweeteners. These should be avoided at all costs, regardless of what they are in product wise. Some of these artificial sweeteners are used to kill lab animals in order to get body count ratio to humans to be within the "legal limit" for human consumption.

Artificial sweeteners fool your body into craving more carbohydrate based foods, which in turn makes you eat more carbs later, thus gaining more weight. Plus, one may think, since they have consumed zero calories, there is room for more. Not true! Studies show that diet soda drinkers eat more food because they subconciously believe that they saved on calories with a diet drink.

There is hope though in today's world for lots of alternatives. The first, most obvious healthy alternative to drink is pure water. If you don't however like the taste of plain water, you might put lemon in it. Lemon is the best cleanser on the planet, if you ask me. I once had the flu for 3 days. By day 2, I still couldn't keep anything down. I opted to start the master cleanser with lemon, grade A or B maple syrup, pure water, and a pinch of cayenne pepper, for the circulation, and some mint tea. I followed this for 7 to 10 days, without hunger pangs because my stomach was already so small because of not keeping any food down with the flu. I lost 20 pounds of water weight in 10 days. This can be modified, of course to upon waking, just drink a glass of fresh squeezed lemon water.

My favorite alternative to diet drinks is green tea, slightly steeped. I have found leaving the tea bag in for more than 3 minutes creates less of medicinal tang to it. I don't even wring out the tea bags, for it makes too srong of a flavor. I enjoy also some combos of black, green, red, and white teas, especially because of their antioxidant properties.

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

Why is it So Hard to Lose Weight?

When was the last time someone said "Have you lost weight"?

Losing weight is probably the hardest thing to do. You see our bodies are designed to gain weight and hold on to it as a defence against times of famine. That is the challenge facing anyone who wants to lose weight - you are fighting against your own body's defence mechanism, which has been fine tuned over the generations.

You have to fight smart and this is where theleanermachine comes in. 

Here you will find the tips and techniques to help you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals. So let's start on this exciting journey