The Healthusiast Daily

The Most Effective Weight Loss Workouts I Ever Did

2012-02-17T11:36:00.001+05:30

I have wandered around for a long time to find out a good workout routine for weight loss.

It all ended up being messy; and it left me with a lot of guilt about wasting all that time instead of burning that fat.

Then I decided not to stumble around in my life and figure out what's best for me, instead of looking for an ideal workout that everybody else like to do.

Going back to the basics, I figured out many fat burning workouts that hide in plain sight. It's deceptively simple.

Let me warn you, I do not go for fat-burning alone. I also incorporate muscle building workouts as well. Here are some of them.

Swimming - The Best Workout Ever

It's simply the best fat-burning workout ever. Plus, it works your whole body. Guys, it's not just Rocky that admires swimming.

I have to admit, I like this workout because it's simple and can be done in a relatively cool environment after all. Swimming literally wrings out the fat from your body.

Jumping Rope - A Great Cardio Workout

Jumping rope is only for the most advanced guys because if you have severe weight issues, your joints will start to flare up eventually and it might result in injuries as well.

Nonetheless, if you can do this, it's the best cardio workout you can do in the comfort of your room.

Step Aerobics

It might sound like a little childish to many, but trust me about this. When it comes to cardio and weight loss, people make many wild mistakes. I too made this mistake.

I too thought that all those simple step aerobics in the YouTube videos were too simple. Well, wait till you do it. Steady cardio always deceives people. Do it and you'll understand.

Water Aerobics

Another workout that tends to deceive most of us. The key to this sort of workout is the resistance you have to face in each movement.

You'll find many fun-to-do water aerobic workouts in YouTube. The only problem is that you'll have to have access to a pool and it involves swimming.

Burpee - A Strength Training Workout

Burpees are one of my favorite strength training workouts as well as cardio. This is one of those exercises you can include in a circuit training session.

First, begin in a standing position. Drop into a squat position with your hands placed on the floor. Then, kick back quickly into a push-up stance. Finally, go back to the squat position and return to the standing position.

This is a very hard workout for beginners. Never underestimate it.

There you have it. It's a simple set of workouts that might have made many of you guys laugh. But wait till you do it.

A circuit training session of twenty five burpees combined with ten minutes of jump-roping and twenty minutes of swimming without any rest will burn you up like hell.

I only made a rough post out of workouts I used to do for a long time. I look forward to writing some more posts about these workouts. So stay tuned.

Image credit: Lululemon Athletica

Losing Weight with the Power of a Single Minute

2012-02-05T20:18:00.000+05:30

Let's get one thing clear before we begin - This post is not for those who have already started losing weight. Sorry.

If you are one of those people out there who can't even think about working out, you have come to the right place.

I too was one of you guys until something changed my life. It happened when one of my close friends decided to teach me a simple technique to get around my laziness.

He's no miracle worker for sure.

What he taught me was perhaps something that I already knew. But he made me do it. I hope to help you guys do that as well. Here we go.

One Minute Can Change Everything

The first thing that he taught me was the power of a single minute. When I thought about it, he was right. Most often, we think about hours of training to lose weight, which makes everything much more terrifying.

He made me start out with just a single minute of cardio everyday.

Being a 5'9'' (235 lbs!) guy, I couldn't even jog for ten minutes without my joints starting to flare up. But that's where this "start slow" approach changes everything.

Think about this, when an average 5'9'' 170lbs guy runs for a minute nothing happens, add 65lbs to that guy and everything about his endurance just hits the ground. He will be sweating like crazy by the end of a minute.

If you have a hard time starting workouts, start with a minute and take plenty of rest before starting another minute of cardio.

The key is to help your body adapt to this new routine. As your endurance level increases, you can increase your overall workout routine and lower the rest periods.

Of course, this might sound ridiculous to many others. But it's not.

Cardio. . .?

You do not have to own an expensive treadmill or a gym membership to get a good cardiovascular exercise.

What you need is a little out of the box creative thinking.

Any physical activity that gets your heartrate above at least 150 beats per minute can be your cardio. Boxing, kickboxing, running, swimming, biking, walking, sprinting, circuit training....

Discuss this new routine with your doctor if you think you are not fit to do this, just in case.

Why This Technique Can Get You Started

It's simple. I used to be afraid of working out because it was too much hard work. I was a really huge guy for my age. And I knew how much I had to train to burn all that fat.

To make matters worse, I had never ever done any physical exercise at all (not even a single push-up).

I know that there are many guys like me who would do anything to avoid working out because they think they can't push themselves to that "1 hour of cardio" routine for weight loss.

The whole point of this post is to get you started. To tell you that you do not have to push for hours of training to lose weight.

You have to crawl before you can walk.

A Little Advice for Total Beginners

I hate to write it twice - You have to crawl before you can walk.

I know that patience is something that we cannot accept when it comes to losing weight, but it's the only way. Losing weight fast with all those cheesy celebrity routines and diets do not produce any lasting changes.

Choose the natural way to lose weight. It took me more than a year or so to lose all that weight and gain some muscle.

So, take it slow and enjoy the journey to fitness.

Image credit: FBellon

2011 Year in Review: A Fantastic Year

2012-01-12T11:25:00.000+05:30

I know this post comes out a bit late, but last year was so great for me in many ways. It's easy to forget how time passes by so fast nowadays.

Last year, I finally got my weight under control. This was the most biggest health issue I had for years.

It was my dream for more than eight years because I had weight management issues throughout my childhood. It's true what they say about health - All is lost without health.

You should also remember the fact that losing weight is a slow process and it took me years to lose all that weight. Regardless of all that, 2011 marked a turning point in my life. It took me more than 8 years to even make up my mind to get out of this rut. Everything turned out better than expected!

2011 Year in Review

- Lost weight: Yes, losing weight was my biggest achievement in 2011. I still remember those days I suffered to do a single pull-up. Cardio was even more difficult. However, I decided to go for boxing and walking because running was hard on my knees. All that work finally paid off. Last week, one of our family friends visited us after a few years. I was surprised to see how excited they were to see how much I've changed so far. The change must have been astonishing; losing all this weight really opened up some positive energy.

- Gained some muscle: I just thought it would be nice to just shed some weight and gain some muscle at the same time. Then I did some research on the topic. Since our body needs to burn a lot of fat just to maintain our muscles, I started real muscle building workout routines instead of doing only cardio. It worked, I gained 30lbs. of muscle in the last couple of years. It's like an illusion. When you lose some weight and gain muscle, you look more healthy and muscular. It felt liberating. Of course, gaining muscle is not as hard as losing all that weight.

- Vegetarianism: I am not a vegan by any standards. However, I have reduced the amount eggs, meat, fish and almost every other dairy products I have used in the past. I admit, there was something more to it that just a simple lifestyle change. I was cursed with the luck of living near a slaughter house for some time. As you can assume, all that slaughtering and screaming animals made me change my attitude. The change was awesome. I am definitely on my way to become a full-fledged vegan, but it's going to take some getting used to. That's okay. So far, the advantages of this diet really succeeded in convincing me to stick with it.

- Redesigned this blog: I tried my luck with a lot of blogs in the past. The Healthusiast Daily is the only blog I plan to stick with for a long time. I started this blog back in December, 2010. Last year, I made 288 (useless) blog posts. It was a huge waste of time. So, I just deleted everything useless and found a new template to use. It was really hard to customize the whole thing. It took me a month to make this template work, but it was worth the effort. This is my first blog post after all that hard work. I hope for the best!

- Organized my life: I was lazy. I used to throw all my stuff around after I got home because it felt like a burden to organize everything. The room was like a crazy zoo; I never threw stuff away after its use. Then, it happened. I had to do a major project on my own. So I had to make a choice; and by the end of the next day, I threw out everything useless and organized my wardrobe, laundry, my desk and my whole life! It's perfect now!

- My health: A healthy life means a good life. How can something go wrong when you organize everything, do workouts properly, go vegetarian and redesign everything for the greater good? I feel great, and healthy.

- Miscellaneous: Many great things happened in the last couple of years, but 2011 was great! A lot of disasters swept over the world and broke our hearts, but these simple joys have inspired me to move forward. I hope 2012 will be a great year for all of us.

Image credit: Puuikibeach

A Guide to Losing Weight Naturally

2012-01-27T19:25:00.000+05:30

Losing weight requires a lot of patience and effort. This is why we need a "game plan" of our own.

To get the maximum out of a weight loss plan, we need to have a deep understanding about the topic itself. With that purpose in mind, let's go for the key issue here - Losing weight.

You might have a plan. You might be working out, dieting hard. Still, there seems to be no real progress? Why? The basics, right?

Let's take a look into all this stuff.

Without knowing the basics, we are just searching in the dark. Alright, what is the "how, why and when" of losing weight?

How Can You Burn Fat?

Two things, diet and exercise. Fancy equipment makes no difference here. When you burn more calories and eat less, your body naturally lose weight. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that.

When the body is using more energy than it is consuming from food, it has to tap into our stored reserves from fat which leads to weight loss.

To do this, we have to exert more energy (cardio exercises like walking, jogging, step-aerobics etc.) for an extended period of time.

In any case, a 30-50 minutes of moderate-intense cardio is enough to lose weight. Another important thing to remember is to keep your heart rate above at least 150 beats per minute to ensure maximum effectiveness.

I see people in my gym doing cardio while reading newspapers. Don't be lazy like them! Don't be lousy when you do cardio, you can't burn enough calories required for weight loss if your heart rate is not around at least 150 bpm throughout the workout session.

Why Lose Weight?

To properly motivate yourself, you need to have a clear understanding about the consequences of being overweight/obese. Some of them are listed below:

Decreased longevity of life
Being overweight is identified as a cause for cancer
Poor nutrition increases the risk of infectious diseases
Sleep disorders
High blood pressure
High cholesterol levels
Less mind-body coordination
Cardiovascular diseases
Social isolation, embarrassment
Anxiety disorders
Stress issues
Decreased muscle strength
Lack of endurance, stamina and overall energy

The list never ends. Still, it's something to think about. Motivation is the key here. Be clear about why you must lose weight, and what consequences you have to face if you do not have the will to change.

When Do You Have to Lose Weight?

BMI or body mass index is one of the most accurate and commonly used measure for this purpose. To get your BMI, divide your body mass in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. [Body mass (in kg) / (height (in meters))2]

Anything above the range of 25 is overweight in terms of BMI. Going above 30 means obesity. Being underweight can be dangerous as well as well (especially if you have a BMI below 18). In this case, you have to gain weight fast.

The reason why the "when" section is so important is because most people we see around us are insecure about their figure and bodyweight.

More About Body Mass Index...

Sometimes, we can perceive ourselves to be overweight, even when we are not. This is why you need to know your BMI in the BMI chart below.

Category	BMI Range	Bodyweight Range
Severely underweight	less than 16.0	less than 51.8 kilograms
Underweight	from 16.0 to 18.5	between 51.8 and 59.9 kilograms
Normal	from 18.5 to 25	between 59.9 and 81.0 kilograms
Overweight	from 25 to 30	between 81.0 and 97.2 kilograms
Obese Class II	from 30 to 35	between 97.2 and 113.4 kilograms
Obese Class II	from 35 to 40	between 113.4 and 129.6 kilograms
Obese Class III	over 40	from 129.6 kilograms

(Thanks to Wikipedia)

This table shows you the BMI range and body mass of an average 5'11'' guy. It should give you a clear idea about your BMI. Remember that anything above 25 is not appropriate.

CalorieCount has a safe online Body Mass Index Calculator that might help you measure your BMI. You just have to enter your age, sex, height and weight there.

If you fall under the normal category, you do not have to worry much about your weight. Measuring your BMI is important because you must never lose weight unnecessarily.

Being underweight is just as dangerous as being overweight. Now you should have a clear understanding about the "basic pillars" of losing weight.

Do What You Have to

If you have to lose weight, you just have to do it. Just do not do it because of some crazy fitness frenzy. Being a skinny can be dangerous as well, perhaps even more than being overweight.

People get fooled and confused into thinking that they are somehow "fat" even when there isn't anything wrong with their figure. They diet, do extreme workouts . . . for what? For their buddies? Figure out where you are, and do what you have to!

Image credit: Thomas Hawk

10 Things to Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight

2012-01-28T16:19:00.000+05:30

It took me a long ten years to lose weight and gain back my figure. Like most people trying to lose weight, it took such a long time because I stood in my own way.

I had to struggle with my weight issues for the first eight years to even think about getting out of that rut. So I know what you guys might be going through.

And to make matters worse, I made many mistakes and ignored the core basics of weight loss. I wanted to lose too much weight too easy.

I have to admit, losing weight is a strenuous and tiresome job, especially when you have to lose so much. Because of this, we tend to make many mistakes. Let's take a look at some of them.

Irrational Expectations

Most of the time, people start off their weight loss plans with unrealistic, irrational goals and expectations. Most studies show that people who wish to lose weight fast, gain it back even faster.

It is only an illusion, and it's not healthy. It's safe to aim for losing half a pound to two pound per week. Losing 30 pounds in a week is not safe and realistic.

Crash diets are just temporary, 90 percent of people who resort to these crash diets gain the lost weight back within 18 months. The rest of these people are more prone to health issues.

Having unrealistic expectations and goals make no difference here. We need to fully understand this fact to move forward with our weight loss plans. Start with slow and realistic expectations.

Ignoring "You" And Focusing On Something Else

When making weight loss plans, you have to consider your limits and advantages. Each person is different, all of us have advantages and disadvantages.

Some people can lose a lot of weight in the first week itself, whereas others might struggle with results even after weeks.

The most frustrating thing is that even if you do everything right, you can still see no dramatic changes in your weight. Like we discussed earlier, take it slow.

In the mean time, enjoy the positive benefits of a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet and regular exercise can brighten up your life. Remember, your body might need more time, but the results are sure to come.

Taking It Too Far

Extreme measures like starvation and fad diets produce no lasting results. Some of us get frustrated easily and forget the purpose of their weight loss plans. They just want fast results.

"Eat less and you'll lose fat faster" - The most biggest mistake most people make.

You can determine your calorie range by comparing your current weight with your ideal weight after checking your BMI as stated in the basics section in the beginning of this post. The aggressiveness of your diet can only be determined after you know about your calorie range. Otherwise, you might take it too far.

Freedieting.com has a nifty Calorie Calculator tool that might help you determine your calorie requirements. All it needs is your age, sex, weight and height. No subscriptions!

Letting Your Goals Rule Your Life

Yes, being obsessed with weight loss is necessary to some extent. Still, letting those plans rule your life is not a good idea.

We do not love to do something that dominates our whole life.Sooner or later, such people quit their weight loss dreams. It's the sad truth. Don't be such a loser.

The moment we start measuring our life, the joy in this process is gone. The whole 'weight loss thing' might sound like hell. Thinking that you will eat low-calorie vegetable soups for the rest of your life can make you quit faster.

We can't measure our life with a scale. Stop checking your weight too much. Understand that this is a slow process and be proud of making it this far.

Formulating a Plan You Want Don't Want

Like I said earlier, can you quit those sugary stuff that has been a part of your life so far in a matter of days? Can you eat vegetable soups for the rest of your life? Would you run for 5 hours everyday? Could you imagine waking up at 4 am everyday for the rest of your life? No, no and a BIG no!

You need a plan you can follow with all your heart. Otherwise, you'll just find it boring. A boring plan is worse than having no plan at all, because it can make your life miserable.

Skipping Breakfast (. . . Embarrassing?)

Wow, it's a big mistake! Never skip breakfast if you can. It's the last thing you should do to lose weight fast. Mother was right about this age-old theory of skipping breakfast. Recent studies have proven something that might be of interest to you.

Researchers from the Imperial College London found out that skipping the first meal of the day tricks the brain into thinking that the body requires high-calorie foods, the foods that can make you fat.

We are more likely to eat high-calorie foods when we skip breakfasts. Metabolic disorders and concentration problems are some of the other side effects of skipping them.Still want to skip them?

Starving Yourself to Death isn't a Plan

We covered starvation and fad diets earlier. Still, putting your body through starvation has another side to it than most beginners think.

When I first started my weight loss plans, I too thought it would be cool to starve myself to death. Trust me, this method makes no difference in the "take it slow" method I have been preaching to you so far.

Our body has an in built "starvation mode" that most people who resort to these crude diets do not know. When our body is not getting enough calories from food, our metabolism slows down. The body begins to think that it is experiencing some sort of famine.

This "starvation mode" makes our body hold onto every calorie we consume. In the end of the day, this makes no difference. Lower metabolism levels mean less calories are going to be burned by your body for fuel.

No real weight loss happens here. Starvation is another no no.

Pills, Powders and Miracle Potions...

There is a multi-billion dollar industry out there that depends upon overweight people staying that way. These corporate minds want us to live in an illusion.

They need us to look for easy ways, even when there aren't any. You are wasting your time, if you have incorporated some of those costly stuff into your weight-loss plans.

To put it simply, if these miracle pills and potions worked, there will be no obesity epidemic issue in the first place. I personally know many people who went through hell because of these pills and supplements. Do not waste your time.

Here are some of the common side effects of most weight loss pills:

Severe skin reactions
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
fatigue
Headaches
High blood pressure
Elevated heart rate
Being hyperactive
Inability to concentrate
Insomnia
Dry mouth
Dental problems

These are some common side effects seen in many cases worldwide. WeightLossPillsWorld has created a chart of side effects explaining some of the most common side effects caused by these diet pills. Check it out if you want more information on this.

Being Too Rigid, Inflexible

When it comes to weight loss plans, we should be mixing it up. For instance, our body quickly adapts to the daily cardio exercises; following the same old diet for weeks create a dryness in our lives.

It's important that you keep changing your exercise routines and diet plans. Just spice it up! Even more, following the same plan for months result in a form of "weight loss plateau."

Make sure that you enjoy the whole plan, including the workout routines. If things start to get boring, don't hesitate to change.

Most people are afraid about changing their plans because they think that it might sabotage the whole thing. Challenge your mind and body, keep changing your workouts and diet plans every seven weeks or every month.

Your body needs new challenges if you want to lose weight.

Having No Plan At All?! Waiting For a Nice Day?

The biggest mistake of them all is "having no plan at all." Without a proper plan, it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Yep, starting a weight loss program is the most difficult step. You have to just make a good plan and trust yourself. Have the patience to learn from your own mistakes, that's the only way to do this.

Nobody can help you find an easy way out of this. The only thing you have to remember is to get your basics right.

Take it slow and be sure about what you are doing. Just remember to make a plan. Having a plan helps keep things under control.

Image credit: Sangudo

Top 13 Weight Loss Myths

2012-01-29T20:29:00.000+05:30

There are a lot of myths going around which might mislead us into thinking that losing weight is that easy. But we can't just do "anything" to lose weight, can we?

To properly lose weight, you have to learn how to identify these myths. But before everything else, there's one thing I can say about this - It's easy to fall for them.

And you might want to follow those ideas because it sounds so authentic, but it's not. Those who propagandize such myths want you to panic and do anything to lose weight fast. Don't fall for this sort of stupidity.

Here are some of the most popular myths:

You Can Eat Anything if You Workout

No, you can always out-eat your workout... just like I did.We have to count the calories you eat everyday, and do enough cardio exercise regularly to burn fat and lose weight.

Even after doing all that hardwork, you can always eat more than your body could burn, you could out-eat your workouts and gain weight.

Fat is "Bad": Another Big Myth

Fat make us feel full, thus it can reduce our hunger. Plus, it keeps us full longer because it prevents our stomach from emptying out easily.

So, you shouldn't avoid fats for the sake of it. Besides, fat also is needed to carry out processes like storing essential fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A and D. Also, it adds flavor to your foods as well.

Deprive Yourself of Things You Love

Big mistake.

Depriving yourself of things you love to eat is the last thing you should do to lose weight. Treat yourself to some reasonable extent. Eat what you want, but keep it under control. This is where portion control comes into the picture. Have a small portion of what you love to keep you cool.

Certain Foods Can Help "Burn" Fat

No way. There are no foods out there that can burn fat. It doesn't make any sense. This is a good example for how we are tricked into thinking there's an easy way out.

It's true that certain foods like grapefruit and cabbage soups can speed up our metabolism for some time. This feeble weight loss is not enough to produce any reasonable weight loss.

Herbal Products Are Safe

Just because something is labeled as natural or herbal doesn't mean that it is safe to use. Some of these products are not scientifically tested to prove their claims. Herbal products with ephedra can cause serious health issues as well.

There are several ephedra-free products out there, but they also have ingredients similar to ephedra.

Starches Are Bad

There are many foods high in starch, and low in fat and calories such as rice, pasta, beans, fruits, cereals, vegetables like potatoes etc. High-starch foods are an important source of energy for your body. Just remember to avoid high-fat toppings like butter or mayonnaise.

Never Eat Snacks

You can eat snacks. Studies show that most people are comfortable with having small low-calorie shacks in between their meals. What makes it so bad? - It's the number of calories in it that makes it bad.

Having low-calorie snacks like fruits and yogurt is not so bad. The key is to find the balance. Snacking often makes us lose control. So be careful with this.

Avoid Carbohydrates At All Costs

Nutrition experts say that only a tiny percentage of carbohydrates is ever converted to fat in our body. It's a known fact that starchy foods like bread and pasta contain carbohydrates that act as our body's main source of fuel.

That's why most experts recommend that at least 60 percent of our diet should be composed of this 'carb-fuel.' I'd go with this plan.

Low-Fat Means No Calories

Obviously, you should know that it's just a myth. Non-fat or low-fat foods have low amounts of fat, but that doesn't mean "zero-fat." It's a big mistake.

These low-fat processed foods might also contain added sugar, flour or other ingredients to add flavor which adds more calories. Low-calorie doesn't mean no-calorie.

Fast Foods Are Dangerous

Nothing is dangerous until we take it too far. I am surely not against fast foods. Fast foods have become a part of this modern era. We have to accept that.

I would recommend you to avoid super-combo meals or share it with your friends. And instead of soda and high-calorie drinks, go for water or non-fat milk. Plus, fried foods are not good at all, so order them only once in a while. Eat only small portions of these junk foods with small amounts of toppings. Never overindulge yourself with these.

Eating Red Meat is Bad

No, red meat is not bad. You just have to count your daily calorie intake and calculate your calorie requirements to lose weight as said in the basics section above.

Eating red meat in small portions is not bad. Just choose cuts of meat that are low in fat and remove all visible fat.

Ignore Dairy Products

Another big mistake. Dairy products contain a lot of essential nutrients for our body, and protein which is necessary to build muscles.

Moreover, dairy products contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins A, D, B12. The list of benefits doesn't end here. As for fat content, choose to use only low-fat dairy products and you'll be okay. Low-fat dairy products are just as nutritious as whole milk products.

Vegetarian Diets Are Healthy

This is another age-old theory. Calories are the problem here. No matter what diet plan you follow (vegetarian or non-veg), you have to include low-calorie foods and count your daily calorie requirements. If you make poor food choices, you'll gain weight regardless of your diet.

Nevertheless, recent studies and research show that vegetarians tend to eat fewer calories that non-vegetarians. So it's on your shoulders - make your choice.

Whatever myths we see or hear everyday, only one thing's for sure - we can always decide what to do.

I can't blame all those people for spreading these stupid myths. They do that because we are there to believe in whatever they say.

Be a skeptic, think twice and do your research.

Image credit: RiverofGod

4 Simple Tips to Motivate Your Mind for Weight Loss

2012-01-30T14:03:00.000+05:30

When it comes to losing weight, most of us just get sloppy. I'm sure you know that already.

What is the key? - Willpower and motivation. They can make a difference. Losing weight is a big goal for those of us who have severe weight-management issues.

So our mind starts convincing us to choose the "easy way" out. If you manage to take control of that part of your mind that holds you back, you can change everything.

Some of these tips from experts might help you motivate yourself for weight loss.

Make Short-Term Goals

When you think of losing weight as a long-term goal, it gives your mind a reason to quit fast. Psychologists say that having an ideal body image creates a huge struggle that makes it easier to give up fast.

Instead of making unreasonable long-term goals, make short-term goals. Short-term goals are much easier and doesn't involve too many struggles and hardships.

Also, these short-term goals give you the space analyse to yourself as you make progress until you reach your healthy weight limit.

Find Inspiration in Other People

Like I said earlier on, nobody's alone in this world. There are many people around us who had to go through the same hardships to overcome their weight issues.

Try to find some inspiration in them and observe how they did what they did. Make sure that you are not copying what they did. Each individual is unique. What worked for them, might not work for you.

Be Sure to Reward Yourself

Like we discussed earlier, nobody wants to do something this much punishing without enjoying it. Be sure to reward yourself for anything you achieve in this journey, even if it's just losing a pound or something like that.

The only thing you have to remember is that it shouldn't be anything like restaurants and fast foods. It should be a book, video game, movie or anything that doesn't compromise your goals.

These rewards motivate us to stay in the same path. This is an important part in losing weight because the journey towards a massive weight loss takes a lot; it can easily dry up your life.

Your Family and Friends

Our buddies and family might sometimes stand in the way of losing weight as well. There are these "one time" out of the way restaurant treats from our friends that might throw us off the track. Do not allow that.

Talk when you have to talk. If you plan to lose a lot of weight, you have to talk to your friends and family about that.This is important because you might have to face that pressure of enjoying a "delicious meal" with them.

These socially awkward situations might force you to compromise your weight loss plans. So, go ahead and talk to your family and friends about your plans, take their suggestions if you can.

In the end of the day, we need to figure this out on our own.

We are unique, and our weight loss plans must be unique as well. This doesn't mean that you can't help someone. Join us and help spread the information on your own. You'll never know who you are helping out!

Spread the word!

Image credit: Adrian Clark