How To Lose Weight

3 things you should know before shopping at GNC.

2011-05-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

GNC is the leading retailer of nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other health food products. They have over 5000 stores in the US alone, and many others throughout the world

Chances are you’ve heard of GNC already. Heck, you probably even have one (or two) located not too far from where you live. And, since (I assume) you’re into diet and exercise, GNC is a store you may actually be thinking of going into at some point if you haven’t already done so.

However, before you take your first (or next) step through the doors of your local GNC, there are 3 very important things you should know.

1. Most of the people who work in GNC know NOTHING about diet, fitness, bodybuilding, weight loss or health, nor do they know anything about any of the supplements, vitamins and other health products they sell.

These are not doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, supplement specialists or personal trainers. There is no real training. There is no testing. There is no certification or license. There is as much knowledge required to work at a GNC store selling you supplements as there is to work at shoe store selling you shoes.

That’s not to say that the people who work there are stupid, but it is to say that the guy assisting you in buying shoes knows just as much about nutritional supplements as the guy assisting you in buying nutritional supplements.

So, if you walk into a GNC expecting to get anything even close to qualified advice and information, you will be very let down. But that’s not even the big problem. The big problem is… you won’t even know it.

That’s because the people who work at GNC care about one thing, and one thing only… selling as much as possible. They won’t say “I don’t know” when you ask them something they really don’t know. They will just do their very best to put on whatever act they need to put on in order to get your money in the register.

And as far as the supplements go, they don’t care if you need it, if it works, if it’s safe, or if it even does what you want it to do… they just know how much it costs and that you should buy it.

If you are fat, they will push whatever the popular fat burning supplements of that week are. If you are skinny, they will push the popular weight gain and muscle building supplements. That’s it… that’s the extent of their knowledge of nutritional supplements.

The fat person probably wants a supplement with words like “fat burner” or “ripped” on the label, and the skinny person probably wants something with words like “huge” or “mass” or “gainer” on the label.

Of course, it is entirely possible that someone working there has picked up some type of useful knowledge on their own time. Maybe they workout. Maybe they’ve lost weight. Maybe they’ve gained muscle. Maybe they have personal experience using some of the supplements you are looking to buy. While rare, I will admit it’s possible. But unfortunately, the rare GNC employee who actually knows something will sound exactly like the majority of the employees who know absolutely nothing.

I can fill a seemingly infinite amount of blog posts with hilarious tales of the misinformation I’ve heard first hand in a GNC store, not to mention the countless posts I’ve read on various diet and exercise forums from people who have experienced the exact same thing at their local GNC.

2. The only thing a GNC employee is trained to do is get you to buy things. More specifically, they are REQUIRED to do everything in their power to get you to buy their own brand of multivitamins, no matter how much they have to lie to do it.

Those of you who have already been inside of a GNC store are probably nodding in agreement right now. “Yeah… come to think of it… GNC seems to really push their Mega Man/Woman Multivitamin. What’s that about?” Let me tell you…

I have known people who work/have worked in GNC, and one of the more interesting things they’ve told me is that there is actually a quota they have to meet in regard to the sales of GNC’s own brand of multivitamins. Last I heard, a certain amount needs to be sold per hour. Seriously.

This is why when you walk into a GNC, there is usually a 100% chance someone will at some point do their best used car salesman impression and try to get you to buy their multivitamin. No matter what you came in there for, no matter what type of shape you’re in, no matter what you tell them… someone in that GNC store will practically demand you buy their multivitamin.

You can go in there for some protein powder, and an employee will actually say “You know, you should really buy our multivitamin if you’re going to buy this protein powder.” When you ask why, they will, with a straight face, lie their way through an explanation about how the protein powder won’t be as “useful” or “effective” without a multivitamin.

I’ve been a part of this exact conversation more than once.

The same thing will take place no matter what product you are in there to buy. No matter what it is, a multivitamin will somehow make it better. And not just any multivitamin, GNC’s brand of multivitamin. If you say you already take a multivitamin, they will ask what brand. If your answer isn’t GNC, they will then go into their speech about why their brand is somehow better than every other brand in existence.

If you’re overweight, you can expect to hear “You know, you’ll burn more fat if you take a multivitamin.” And if you’re skinny, look out for “You know, you’ll gain more muscle faster if you take a multivitamin.”

Basically, you can go in there with the sole purpose of getting change of a dollar, and they will probably say “You know, these 4 quarters will be worth more than 1 dollar if you buy our multivitamin.”

Another interesting thing I’ve heard is that (at least) some GNC employees are paid commissions. I’ve heard this varies from store to store. Some claim there are always commissions, some claim there aren’t, and I’ve actually heard someone claim that there are, and that you’re told to answer “no” if anyone ever asks if you get paid commissions.

Basically what this would mean is that the more supplements and vitamins the uninformed kid behind the counter can ~~trick~~ talk you into buying, the more money that employee will make. So, when the GNC employee is recommending products to you, it’s very likely because those are the ones they get the highest commissions from that month. This is a good thing to keep in mind when you think you’re getting helpful, qualified advice.

3. Just about everything in GNC is overpriced and can be found online for much cheaper.

But really, if you’re planning on shopping at GNC, the high prices are the least of your concerns.

Counterpoints and final thoughts…

I just want to make it clear that I didn’t write this to portray GNC as the one evil company that only cares about making money. Really, every company only cares about making money.I also realize a lot of stores pay their employees commission, and that the staff of a completely different type of store is just as unlikely to have any real knowledge about the products they sell as the employees of GNC are to have any real knowledge about the products they sell.I do think there is a difference though. The person in the shoe store is only selling you something you’ll wear on your feet. The person in GNC is selling you something you’re going to put into your body. Not to mention, it’s pretty hard to get a customer to buy shoes they don’t want or don’t need because people tend to know enough about shoes to make good decisions. Nutritional supplements and vitamins on the other hand are things a lot of people walk into a store completely clueless about. These are usually the same people who aren’t aware that the person behind the counter of this store may know just as little as they do.I’m also fully aware that a lot of the products sold in stores are overpriced and can be found online much cheaper. It’s not just GNC. They just happen to be one of the many.And finally, like I said, I didn’t write this to get people to hate GNC. They are a store just like any other store. However, I did feel that there were 3 pretty important things everyone should know before they decide to walk into this specific store. And now… you know them.

***NEW*** After years of people requesting it, I have finally put together the ultimate guide to losing fat. It contains all of the details, all of the specifics, and all of the answers you will need to lose fat as quickly and effectively as possible.

Please allow me to introduce… aCalorieCounter.com

2011-04-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

I haven’t been blogging much lately, and there was a reason. It’s now finally time to share this reason with you guys.

After a whole lot of thinking, planning, designing, programming, fixing, changing, and even some real life actual money spent on a fantastic programmer, I am now happy to introduce to you… a Calorie Counter.

a Calorie Counter (aCalorieCounter.com) is my own version of all of the “calorie counter” type sites currently around. Type in the name of your food, hit search, and see that food’s complete nutrition facts instantly. See calories, protein, carbs, fat, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, vitamins, and a whole lot more. And, as if it even needed to be mentioned, a Calorie Counter is 100% free.

After years of using other similar sites to get the nutritional information of the foods I eat, I decided it was time to make my own better version. There’s no clutter, and there’s no nonsense. What there is though is what I am fairly certain may be the USDA Food Nutrient Database made available in the quickest and cleanest format it has ever been made available in before.

Think of a Calorie Counter as the equally literally named side-kick to The Lose Weight Diet. Use it, bookmark it, and then use it again. Tell your friends to use it. Tell your family to use it. Tell your pets to use it. Tell your pet’s friends and family to use it. If you have your own site or blog, feel free to link to it. If your pets have their own site or blog, tell them to link to it too. Basically… enjoy.

You may also notice that I’ve already written a bunch of articles for a Calorie Counter, all of which will most definitely be of interest to anyone who finds The Lose Weight Diet useful. So, be sure to check those out as well.

Other than that, let me know what you think. Like it? Hate it? Have any suggestions for something you’d like to see on there? Notice something not working correctly? Comments, feedback and suggestions are more than welcome. Just leave ‘em in the comments of this post.

So um, go check it out already: a Calorie Counter

Dumb Weight Loss Thing: Exercise at your desk.

2011-04-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

It was 1999 when I first made any effort to learn about any aspect of weight loss, nutrition, exercise and really just diet and fitness in general. Since that time, I’ve heard/read/seen some REALLY dumb things. Here now is one of those things…

Dumb Weight Loss Thing #8,304:

That you can workout at your desk.

Seriously, how many “5 simple exercises you can do while sitting at your desk at work” articles can one human being read before they never want to read ANY article of ANY kind EVER again.

Yes, I know that a lot of the people who want to lose weight and get in shape happen to spend most of their days sitting in a chair in an office and are just looking to make the best of this situation. I understand.

But, come on… “20 butt clenches” every half hour is not going to make any real significant difference. In fact, it’s not even going to make half of a real significant difference. In fact, the only real difference “20 butt clenches” will make is causing your co-workers to think you may have crapped your pants.

If you really want to make something real happen, make time for a real workout routine. None of the exercises I’ve seen in any of these crazy “how to exercise at your desk” articles are enough to make anything happen. Something as simple as going to bed at 10:30 instead of 11:00 and then waking up 6:00 instead of 6:30 is all it takes to get a REALLY REAL 30 minute workout in before you even get to work.

If you sit down and think about it and make a real effort, there are probably a dozen (or a few dozen) other ways you can rearrange your own personal daily/weekly schedule that will allow you to make time for real workouts. Whether it’s at a gym, inside your house, or just walking/jogging around your block… EVERYONE can make time for at least 3 or 4 real workouts a week.

Anyone who claims they can’t just isn’t trying hard enough. To you people, I have this message… we will all be laughing at you when you do your butt clenches.

This has been Dumb Weight Loss Thing #8,304.

100% whole wheat bread is good about 10% of the time.

2011-04-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

Back when I first started learning about diet and nutrition, I heard a lot about “good” carbs and “bad” carbs. Good means complex, bad means simple. The difference between the two lies mostly in how they are digested. Good carbs (such as vegetables) digest slowly, bad carbs (such as sugar) digest quickly.

In the war between good and bad carbs, something I came across over and over again were lists of which carbs were good, and which were bad. Back when the low carb diet was even more popular than it is today, everyone and their grandma wrote their own good carb/bad carb list.

For the most part, these lists were fine and good. People learned that brown rice is better than white rice. Sweet potatoes are better than white potatoes. And whole wheat bread is better than white bread.

Wait… hold it right there.

Upon learning that whole wheat bread was the better bread, I was first in line at my grocery store the next day to pick up some whole wheat bread. No more “bad” bread for me. So, I walked down the bread aisle… white bread, more white bread, more white bread, wait, here we go… whole wheat bread!

I bought it. I ate it. I bought more. I ate more. Every single piece of bread I ate from that point on was whole wheat. I felt good knowing I was eating the “better” food.

Cut to a little while later. Whole wheat bread wasn’t on the “good” carb lists anymore. See, it had now been replaced by “100%” whole wheat bread. Oh no, it seems as if the lists I’ve been reading weren’t specific enough. Apparently, the whole wheat bread I was currently eating may not have been 100%. Who knew there was anything less than 100%?

So, I went back to the store. White bread, white bread, whole wheat bread, ah, here we go… 100% whole wheat bread. NOW I got the right one. Screw you white bread, and screw you too ordinary whole wheat bread, you’ve both been replaced by the much more healthy 100% whole wheat bread.

Cut to a little while later. This was when I learned the point of this post. Just like there are “good” and “bad” carbs, there also happens to be “good” and “bad” whole wheat bread… and the “100%” has nothing to do with it.

In order to understand the difference, the first thing you need to do is ignore that “100%” part. Just ignore it completely. It means nothing to you. Think of it more like a marketing slogan than a nutritional fact. You know what, just ignore the entire front side of the package of bread altogether. There’s nothing important there anyway.

What you need to do is turn all of your attention to the back. Specifically, the ingredients. This is where you will find out if you really have selected the “good” whole wheat bread.

To help show the difference between “good” and “bad,” here is the list of ingredients on a package of Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

“Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Gluten, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Cracked Wheat, Salt, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Molasses, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Ethoxylated Mono-And Diglycerides Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Honey, Soy Lecithin.”

Here is the list of ingredients on the back of a package of another Arnold brand bread, this time called Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

“Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Folic Acid], Water, Cracked Wheat, Whole Wheat Flour, Yeast, Barley, Honey, Fructose, Wheat Gluten, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Wheat Bran, Malt, Ethoxylated Mono-And Diglycerides, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Caramel Color, Whey, Soy Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Soy Lecithin, Nonfat Milk.”

And now, here are the ingredients on the back of the package of whole wheat pita bread I ate today:

Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt, Calcium Propionate

Catch any differences? I bet you did. Some of the ingredients that stand out the most in the first two are High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil. Both are junk. The second bread also lists Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour, which is almost like saying “Borderline Fake Whole Wheat Bread.”

These are things you do NOT want to see anywhere near the list of ingredients of the whole wheat bread you buy. This of course will eliminate about 90% of the whole wheat breads on the market for you, because 90% of them contain one or more of these ingredients. And, as you can see from the first two breads, the fact that it says “100% whole wheat bread” or “natural” on the package means very little.

In fact, I was in my grocery store yesterday, and knowing I was going to blog about this today, I took a minute in the bread aisle to check ingredients. Literally every single 100% whole wheat bread in the store contained High Fructose Corn Syrup.

So, now that you know all about the “bad” whole wheat breads, you may be wondering what brands make up the 10% of the “good” breads. Interestingly enough, I don’t have any brands to list for you off the top of my head. The brand I eat is just some small local brand that you won’t find anywhere else except for a few small stores in my neighborhood.

Now, while it’s possible that you may be able to find your own “good” small local whole wheat bread brand near you, there is one place where you’re almost guaranteed to find one… a health food store.

Most (if not all) of the breads you find in your grocery store will contain one or more of the “bad” ingredients mentioned before. The breads in a health food store are made specifically to be the complete opposite of those junky breads.

You’ll still want to double check the ingredients of the whole wheat bread before you buy it, but your chances of finding a “good” bread in a health food store are MUCH higher than finding one in a grocery store.

And, just so you know, your bread’s ingredients do not have to identically match my bread’s ingredients in order to be “good.” For example, some organic whole wheat breads will have a huge list of stuff in it that mine doesn’t have and it will still be perfectly fine.

You’re mainly checking to make sure certain things are NOT in it. Specifically, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and any mention of the words “Unbleached” and/or “Enriched.” If you do spot something on there that looks a little funny, feel free to come home and look that ingredient up before you buy it or eat it. Or, leave a comment here with the ingredients and I’ll take a peek at it.

In conclusion (it took me 5 minutes to come up with a phrase to start this sentence with, by the way), whenever you see 100% whole wheat bread on some kind of healthy food list, just keep in mind that this is the additional explanation that is meant to go with it.

Lose weight AND build muscle?

2011-04-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I’m going to answer a series of questions with either “yes” or “no.” After all the questions have been answered, I will explain.

1. Should I lose weight first and then build muscle?
No.

2. If I want to lose weight and build muscle, should I wait until all of the weight is lost and then work on building muscle?
No.

3. I have some fat that I want to lose and then I want to work on building muscle. But, my friend told me I should just work on turning my fat into muscle. Is that possible?
Hell no.

There is a noticeable theme to these questions… the goal of wanting to both lose weight AND build muscle. I’ve noticed this to be the cause of a lot of confusion, so let’s get it all straightened out. Question #1 and #2 are basically the same question with a different wording. Either way, the answer is still no. Here’s why…

If you want to both lose weight and build muscle, there are absolutely no reasons to first ONLY lose weight, and then, when the weight is finally gone, first begin to build muscle.

On the other hand, there ARE many reasons to work on building muscle at the same time you are trying to lose weight. Some include:

Weight loss happens when you put your body into a calorie deficit either by eating less of them, burning more of them, or a combination of both. And, huge surprise, weight training burns calories. It might not be equal to jogging on a treadmill, but it still burns a significant amount of calories.Not only does the actual act of weight training burn calories, but the results you get from weight training (increased muscle) ALSO burns calories. Yes, muscle literally burns calories. You know that whole calorie maintenance level thing? Well, that is the number of calories that your body naturally burns each day just functioning. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn. You don’t even have to do anything. You just build muscle, and it takes care of the rest. Adding muscle to your body really is the closest thing to a weight loss miracle.HELLO… you start building muscle sooner! If you just sit around waiting until you lose weight before you finally try to build muscle, you will have wasted precious muscle building time. Both could have been getting done at the same time. (More on that later.)

So, to sum up, if you want to both lose weight and build muscle… you’d be pretty silly to not start off doing both at the same time.

On to question #3. The infamous “turn fat into muscle” idea. This, of course, is not possible. As mentioned above, you should start to both lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but you should also keep in mind that these are two separate things being lost and gained separately.

You’ve got your muscle, and you’ve got your fat. These are the only forms they come in. They can’t magically transform into the other. You can only gain and lose muscle, or gain and lose fat. That’s it. Those are the only tricks they do. Of course, you can lose 5lbs of fat and then gain 5lbs of muscle. But, one did not turn into the other. Case closed.

And now, one more related question:

I’ve heard that it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Is this true?
Sometimes

As someone whose goal was always to both lose fat and gain muscle, I know exactly how confusing that “sometimes” answer may appear. But, it’s really not. Let me explain.

In order to lose a significant amount of fat, you have to consume less calories than your body needs each day. In order to build a significant amount of muscle, you have to consume more calories than your body needs each day. As you can see, they are counterproductive opposites. If I currently tried to do both at the same time, I would fail at both.

However, don’t give up hope. There are two groups of people that could actually succeed at doing both at the same time, and I’m not one of them. These two groups of people are:

People with “assistance.” Specifically, a word that starts with “ste” and ends with “roids.”Beginners. It truly is an amazing thing, and you’d be just plain stupid to not try to take advantage of it. See, when you are first starting to build muscle (aka, a beginner), very little is required for it to work. Don’t get me wrong, it will still take tons of effort and the correct information, but all of the other aspects that would cause a non-beginner to fail to build muscle does not apply to the person who is a beginner. Their body will, for the most part, build muscle either way. I’ve heard this borderline miracle described as “newbie gains,” “beginner’s gains” and the “honeymoon period.” None of these are scientific terms, by the way.

You remember that whole thing I said before about having to eat more calories than your body needs in order to gain a significant amount of muscle? And that the reason most people can’t do both at the same time is because losing fat requires consuming less calories (the opposite)? Well, this doesn’t really apply to the beginner. Yes, they will need to be in some kind of calorie deficit in order to lose weight. But, because they are a beginner, this won’t stop them from building muscle as it would a non-beginner.

And it is because of this reason that a beginner is able to both lose weight and build muscle at the same time. Amazing, isn’t it?

Obviously at some point you won’t be a beginner anymore and successfully doing both at the same time will become much harder (or near impossible). But until then, you might as well pretend you have temporary super powers and just enjoy it. In my opinion, the last thing you’d want to do is have this ability and not use it. That’s why the idea of waiting until you first lose weight before trying to build muscle is… well… dumb. It would be like Superman taking the bus to Lex Luther’s hideout.

You have the ability… use it while you can. As for how exactly to do this, it’s pretty simple. Follow The Lose Weight Diet (takes care of the weight loss part of the goal) and combine it with a proper weight training routine (takes care of the muscle building part of the goal). That’s it.

(Oh, and just to clarify something… any mention of the word “beginner” in this post refers to a weight training beginner, not a weight loss beginner. You could have been trying to lose weight for 10 years and have done all kinds of cardio and been on all kinds of diets, but unless you have been weight training consistently for the last 6-12 months, you are still considered a muscle building beginner who will most likely be able to take advantage of these “beginner gains.” Even if you worked out all the time when you were in college 5 years ago, unless you were doing it over the course of the last year, you too are still considered a beginner.)

How Many Calories Per Day To Lose Weight? Daily Calorie Intake

2011-04-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight? If so, congrats. Asking about your daily calorie intake is something only a smart person who truly understands weight loss would do.

What I mean is, losing weight is literally ALL about eating the right total number of calories per day. Protein, fat and carbs are certainly important as well (as are the food sources of those nutrients), but above all else, your total daily calorie intake is the key factor in allowing you to lose weight.

So, let’s figure out what your ideal daily calorie intake should be. All it takes is two simple steps…

Fat loss basically works like this…

There is a certain number of calories that each person needs to eat per day in order to maintain their current weight. This is what’s known as your calorie maintenance level. To lose weight, all you need to do is eat less calories per day than your “maintenance” amount.

Doing so creates a caloric deficit, and this causes your body to burn your own stored body fat for energy instead.

This is of course the scientifically proven fact that The Lose Weight Diet (and any other intelligent diet) is based on… just eating below your maintenance level on a daily basis.

So, that means that in order to answer the almighty question of how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight, you first need to figure out what your daily calorie maintenance level is.

This maintenance level amount is based on a ton of factors specific to you and your body.

These factors include:

WeightHeightGenderAgeActivity LevelAnd a whole host of factors that are purely genetic.

To get a pretty close estimate of what yours is, just use the quick and simple calorie maintenance level calculator I’ve included right here. Don’t forget to come back here for step 2 right after.

Alright, half way done. Now that you have an estimate of how many calories you need to eat per day to MAINTAIN your current weight, it’s time to figure out the daily calorie intake that will allow you to LOSE weight.

Which means… it’s time to create the deficit.

To do this, just subtract 500 calories from your estimated daily calorie maintenance level.

So, for example, if your estimated maintenance level was 3000 calories, you’d now start eating 2500 calories per day. Simple as that.

Doing so should cause you to lose weight at a rate of about 1-2lbs per week, which of course is the ideal recommended rate for safe, healthy, effective (and permanent) weight loss.

To double check and make sure this is indeed the ideal calorie intake for you, just weigh yourself once per week (always first thing in the morning before eating or drinking) and keep track of what your weight does.

If you’re losing 1-2lbs per week, you’re perfect. If you’re losing more or less than that (or not losing anything at all), just add or subtract an additional 250 calories and see if you end up losing weight at the ideal rate over the next couple of weeks. If you are, perfect! If you’re not, keep adjusting like that until you are.

And then… that’s it. You’re done.

Now you know how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight.

If you have any questions, I just created a quick and simple new site that covers just this topic in a lot more detail. It’s here: How Many Calories A Day

Best Fat Loss For Women

2011-04-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

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Milk: The Weight Loss Miracle Drink

2011-04-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

Ah yes, milk. A good source of calcium, a good source of certain vitamins, and it’s even a good source of protein. But apparently, that’s not all. Milk also happens to be THE miracle weight loss drink.

Apparently.

I’ve been seeing this commercial lately for milk, or more specifically, the web site 2424milk.com. Maybe you’ve seen it? The “2424? stands for “24 ounces of low fat or fat free milk every 24 hours.”

Every commercial states pretty much the same thing their web site states. And, that is that drinking milk, as part of a reduced calorie diet, will make you lose weight.

Hold on. Let me repeat that.

If you reduce the number of calories in your diet… and THEN drink 24 ounces of low fat/fat free milk per day… it will lead to weight loss.

I don’t know who is behind this whole ad campaign, but I’d put my money on it being the same geniuses who brought us Special K Cereal: The Miracle Diet Food. Their whole thing was that eating Special K cereal, as part of a reduced calorie diet, helps your weight loss.

Well, guess what? Eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger, as part of a reduced calorie diet, will make you lose weight.

Banging your head against a wall, as part of a reduced calorie diet, will make you lose weight.

It’s not the milk, it’s not the Special K, it’s not the cheeseburger, and it’s not the head banging… it’s the “reduced calorie diet” part. That’s it. Consume less calories than your body needs and you lose weight.

Every food and drink on the planet could make the exact same claim that milk is making here. Really, McDonald’s would be just plain crazy not to register 2424cheeseburger.com.

And just to clarify, I’m not anti-milk. Milk is far from bad. I’m just, ya know, anti-BS. And this 2424milk thing is pure BS. Actually, mentioning anything besides “exercise” and “reduced calorie diet” when discussing weight loss is BS pretty much every time.

Oh my God, do you know what I just realized? What if you eat your Special K cereal… IN A BOWL OF MILK? Holy crap, you may drop 50lbs instantaneously! There should really be some kind of warning about combining these products. “May cause extreme amounts of weight loss… as part of a reduced calorie diet.”

101 Practical Weight Loss Tips

2011-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

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The “other” weight loss food log.

2011-03-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Stop me if you’ve heard this one… if weight loss is your goal, one of the most important things you can possibly do is keep track of everything you eat each day.

Nothing new there, right?

The reason you’d do this is because, as you know by now, the key to a successful weight loss diet is eating the right number of calories (and getting those calories from good sources) and keeping some kind of log, list, or journal of what you eat every day is the only real way of doing this.

While I fully agree with everything above, I feel there is actually a completely different weight loss food log that should also be kept.

Like I’ve mentioned other times in this blog, most people fail to lose weight because of the mental aspect of weight loss. Knowing what to do and deciding to start doing it is easy. It’s the motivation, dedication, and will power to keep doing it, and doing it correctly, that causes most of the problems.

Keeping the type of food log I mentioned above and knowing exactly what you’re eating every day is really one of the keys for making the physical aspect of weight loss happen.

But, it does absolutely nothing for the mental aspect.

That’s why I’m proposing that everyone who’s ever had a diet setback due to a lack of will power or motivation should start keeping a SECOND log…

A log of everything you didn’t eat.

Everything you wanted to eat that day, but didn’t. Every bag of potato chips, every candy bar, every french fry, every cookie, every fast food hamburger, every can of soda, every food you wanted to eat but didn’t because you know you shouldn’t.

Each food in that log is one victory for your will power. Looking at a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly log of every piece of junk food you were mentally strong enough to keep out of your body would be nothing but motivating.

The next time your favorite junk food is just sitting there calling your name, instead of eating it, write it down. Write them all down. If you’re up to it, you can even take the time to figure out the nutritional information of it (calories, grams of fat, etc.) just to get an even better idea of the junk you just avoided eating.

As motivating as that would be, it will be even more motivating when you watch this log become smaller and smaller over time as your desire and interest in eating these types of foods gradually fade away.

Not to mention, the actual act of writing/typing the food down rather than eating it could act as enough of a distraction to make the desire to eat it just pass.

So, while adopting this idea won’t actually cause you to lose any weight, it will serve as a way of improving your will power and keeping you motivated. And, without that, you probably won’t be losing any weight anyway.

The big trans fat lie on your food’s nutrition facts label.

2011-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

So, I don’t know how else to say this, but, food companies are lying to you. Yes, YOU. The really strange part is that they are actually allowed to lie to you… by law.

I’m not even joking. It’s plain old crazy.

The lying takes place on the nutrition facts label of whatever kind of box or package or container your food came in. You know, where the ingredients are listed, along with other nutritional information like how many calories or carbs there are per serving. All of that information is usually true and accurate. However, when you get to trans fat, that all changes.

First and foremost, for anyone who doesn’t know what trans fat is, let me give you a very quick and simple description. It’s one of the “bad” types of fat. In fact, trans fat is the baddest of them all, and that’s “horrible” bad, not “hip and cool” bad. How bad? Well, think of a health problem someone could have. Go ahead, any health problem. Got it? Ok. There is a very good chance that whatever you thought of is one of the many health problems and diseases caused by eating a diet high in trans fat.

See… bad.

But, most people are already aware of how terrible trans fat is for you. Most of these people became aware of this around January 1, 2006, which is the date that the FDA started requiring that trans fat content be included on the nutrition facts label of all foods. Yup, they meant business. Trans fat is borderline poison, and now we can feel safe knowing that all we need to do is take a peek at the nutrition facts label of our food to make sure we aren’t eating any of it.

Well, not quite. This is where the lying is happening.

See, there is a largely unknown loophole in the FDA’s trans fat requirement. Instead of telling you what this loophole is, I’ll let the FDA explain it for me. Here is a direct quote from a “question and answer” page on the official web site of the Food and Drug Administration.

Q: How will the nutrition label be different?

A: The FDA final rule on trans fatty acids (also called “trans fat”) requires that the amount of trans fat in a serving be listed on a separate line under saturated fat on the Nutrition Facts panel (see figure). However, trans fat does not have to be listed if the total fat in a food is less than 0.5 gram (or 1/2 gram) per serving and no claims are made about fat, fatty acids or cholesterol content.

Get all that? I bolded the important part for you. Basically, here’s what they’re saying. If a food has 1 gram of trans fat per serving, it will say “Trans Fat: 1 gram” on the nutrition facts label of that food. If that food has 0 grams of trans fat per serving, it will say “Trans Fat: 0 grams” on the label. However, if a food has exactly 0.49 grams of trans fat per serving, it will say “Trans Fat: 0 grams” on the label.

Let that one sink in for a second. Food companies are allowed by law to tell you that there is “0 grams” of trans fat in the food you are eating even though there actually IS trans fat in that food. Insane, isn’t it?

So now, the food you eat will mention trans fat ONLY if there is more than 0.5 grams of it per serving. If there are 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, or 0.49999999 grams, it will still say there is no trans fat in the food. There’s really no other way to look at that… it’s a lie. Plain and simple.

There is of course an excuse for this insanity. The FDA claims that anything below 0.5 grams is considered a “very small amount” of trans fat. So, by that logic, if a certain amount of poison will kill me, I’ll be just fine consuming 0.4 grams since that would be a “very small amount” of poison. Mmmm, fantastic.

ANY trans fat is too much trans fat, no matter what the amount. It’s one of the worst possible things you can possibly put into your body. 0.4 grams, 0.5 grams, or 10 grams, I don’t care. I don’t want any of it, and anyone who cares at all about their health shouldn’t want ANY of it either. Unfortunately though, food companies are telling you that you aren’t eating any, even though you are.

Another key thing to keep in mind here is the term “serving size.” Food companies only need to report how much trans fat there is in one serving of there food. Did you ever pay attention to what “one serving” of most foods is? For example, for most cereals, one serving is usually 3/4 of a cup. Chances are there is at least double that amount in one average sized bowl of cereal. Another serving size might be “3 crackers.” How many people only eat exactly 3 crackers? Not many.

My point here is that most people eat more than “one serving” of most foods. And since trans fat only needs to be mentioned on food labels if there is 0.5 grams or more trans fat per serving, that means that if the food contained 0.4 grams, and you eat 4 servings of it, there’s 1.6 grams of trans fat. 1.6 is well above 0.5, yet the label will still only say 0 grams per serving. And, if you eat 4 servings of that food, 4 x 0 still equals 0 grams of trans fat. You continue to think you didn’t eat any, when in reality you ate 1.6 grams. How wonderful.

And don’t think food companies don’t take complete advantage of this loophole. I’m sure there are plenty of foods that are now purposely made with exactly 0.49 grams of trans fat per serving for the sole purpose of being allowed to put “Trans Fat: 0 grams” on their nutrition facts label. I’m also sure plenty of foods have seen a reduction in their serving size. If one serving used to be 1 full cup, and that contained 0.8 grams, all they need to do is change their serving size to half a cup, and the trans fat per serving drops down to magic number 0.4, which to them translates into “Trans Fat: 0 grams.”

Now that you fully understand this nonsense, let me show you how to spot it on your foods so you can avoid being tricked, and avoid eating that food. I actually mentioned this briefly when explaining another lie, 100% whole wheat bread. The key to finding out for sure if there is any trans fat in your food even when the label reads “Trans Fat: 0 grams” is by reading through the list of ingredients of that food.

The keywords you are looking for in those ingredients are “shortening” and the MUCH more common “hydrogenated.” If you see either of those words used in any way, there is trans fat in your food. Hydrogenated is used to describe an oil, as in “hydrongenated soybean oil” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil.” A lot of times it may use the words “partially hydrogenated.” As in, “partially hydrogenated soybean oil.” Partially hydrogenated or not, it’s still trans fat just the same.

Oh, and in case anyone thinks I’m making this stuff up, here’s another quote from the FDA web site:

Q: Is it possible for a food product to list the amount of trans fat as 0 g on the Nutrition Facts panel if the ingredient list indicates that it contains “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil?”

A: Yes. Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts panel. As a result, consumers may see a few products that list 0 gram trans fat on the label, while the ingredient list will have “shortening” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on it. This means the food contains very small amounts (less than 0.5 g) of trans fat per serving.

How lovely.

If any of those words I mentioned above make an appearance in your food’s ingredient list, then it contains some amount of trans fat.

So, there you go. You’ll still be lied to about the trans fat in your food, only now you’ll be able to catch it and avoid it.

Weight Loss Rate Per Week – How fast should you lose weight?

2011-03-23T01:42:00.001-07:00

Now here’s a topic people seem to be absolutely obsessed with… the ideal weight loss rate per week. Meaning, how fast should you lose weight?
And it’s pretty obvious why people are so interested in getting this question answered. Quite simply, knowing how slow or fast you should lose weight will allow you to estimate when you can expect to finally reach your goal and have the body you want.
People are super obsessed with reaching that point (especially early on), so it would only make sense that they’d be obsessed with figuring out when they will finally be there.
So, let’s answer that question right now.
To do this, I want to take a look at the two recommendations I give most often when it comes to the ideal weight loss rate per week…
This right here is the most basic and common weight loss speed recommendation you will see. Losing 1 pound per week is basically the textbook definition of safe, simple and healthy weight loss.
It’s not too slow (which is discouraging) and it’s not too fast (which is unnecessarily hard and potentially dangerous). This is right smack in the middle, which seems to be just right for most people.
In addition to being the most commonly recommended weight loss rate per week, it’s also the most generic. It really doesn’t take any outside factors into account at all (like you, your body, your preferences, your situation, how much weight you need to lose, etc.).
It’s just a solid universal recommendation for how fast the average person should lose weight. I like it.
However, despite the fact that I do like it and I have given this exact recommendation countless times before, it’s no longer the first recommendation I give. This is…
That’s right, I think your ideal weight loss rate per week should depend on you.
What I mean is, I think someone who has more weight to lose should lose it faster than someone who has less weight to lose, and vice-versa.
This makes sense for a ton of reasons. For example, people with more fat to lose are less likely to lose muscle due to the higher abundance of fat on their body. Therefore, they can handle losing weight faster without the same risk of muscle loss.
On the other hand, people who are leaner or just have less fat to lose are at a higher risk of losing muscle. Because of this they SHOULD have a slower rate of weight loss.
Plus, this also takes into account how easy or hard it will be. Meaning, it’s a lot easier for a person with 100lbs to lose to lose it faster than someone with 10lbs to lose. They should take advantage of that fact, especially early on.
Let me throw some numbers out there to show you exactly what I mean…
A person with an above average amount of weight to lose (example: 100lbs) should lose it at a rate of 2lbs (or more) per week.A person with an average amount of weight to lose (example: 30lbs) should lose it at a rate of 1-2lbs per week.A person with a below average amount of weight to lose (example: 10lbs) should lose it at a rate of 0.5-1lb per week.
I explain these recommendations in much more detail (along with the best way of actually making them happen) in The Ultimate Fat Loss Program.
So, while the standard “lose a pound per week” recommendation is still a perfectly fine middle-of-the-road goal to aim for, I think how slow or fast a person loses weight should depend more on them and be a little more personalized based on the exact amount they need to lose.
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Weight Loss Surgery: Is It Worth the Money?

2010-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, how much weight would you like to lose? If you are looking to lose eighty pounds or more in weight, did you know that you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery?
Although it is nice to hear that you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery, you may be wondering if weight loss surgery is right for you. More importantly, you may be wondering if weight loss surgery is worth the money. If that is a question that you would like answered, you will want to continue reading on.
In short, the question as to whether or not weight loss surgery is worth the money has a simple answer; it all depends. While that may not have necessarily been the answer that you were looking for, it is the truth. For many individuals, weight loss surgery is well worth it; however, there are others who don’t end up benefiting from weight loss surgery. To determine if weight loss surgery is worth the cost to you, personally, you will want to take a number of factors into consideration.
One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when determining if weight loss surgery is worth the cost for you, is your weight. You will find that many weight loss surgeons require that you are at least eighty pounds overweight to undergo weight loss surgery. With that in mind, you may be able to find a surgeon who will make an exception, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should opt for surgery. If you are able to try to lose the weight on your own, through the use of exercise, eating healthy, or diet pills, you may find it more affordable to do so.
Your health is another factor that you should take into consideration, when trying to determine if weight loss surgery is right for you. weight loss surgery is commonly referred to as a lifesaving medical procedure. Those who are severely obese put their health at risk and may experience an early death. If you are severely obese, your physician may recommend weight loss surgery. If that is the case, weight loss surgery is more than worth the costs, as you cannot put a price tag on your health and wellbeing.
Your ability to set goals and stay with them is another factor to consider, when determining if weight loss surgery is worth the cost to you. weight loss surgery may help you lose weight right away, but the surgery alone will not help you lose weight. With a reduced stomach pouch, which is how most weight loss surgeries work, you must limit the amount of food that you eat. If you do not do so, you may gain your weight back and possibly endanger your health. If you do not think that you can follow all of the instructions given to you, following a weight loss surgery, surgery may not be the best option for you.
The above mentioned factors are just a few of the many that can help you decide if weight loss surgery is right for you or if it is worth the cost. As a reminder, it is important that you take the time to first consult with your doctor. Not all individuals are candidates for weight loss surgery.

Weight Loss Exercise Products You May Want to Buy

2010-08-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in losing weight and improving your appearance? If you are, you should know the importance of exercise. Exercise burns off calories, which reduces your calorie intake, which, in turn, makes it possible for you to lose weight.
If this is the first time that you have decided to seriously try to lose weight, you may be looking to buy exercise equipment for yourself. If you are, you will want to continue reading on. Below, a few popular pieces of exercise equipment that you may look into buying are outlined.
One piece of exercise equipment that you may want to look into buying is that of a treadmill. Treadmills are, perhaps, the most well-known piece of exercise equipment available. What is nice about treadmills is that they come in a number of different styles. For instance, you can find treadmills that are powdered by electricity and then treadmills that are powdered by your own walking. This is nice as it often results in treadmills being available for a wide range of prices. Whether you have one hundred dollars to spend on a treadmill or one thousand dollars, you should be able to find a treadmill for your home weight loss plan.
Another piece of exercise equipment that you may want to look into buying, for your at-home weight loss plan, is that of an elliptical machine. Elliptical machines are nice, as they often combine multiple exercises. More advanced elliptical machines, also commonly referred to as deluxe elliptical machines, often given you an upper body workout and a lower body workout as well. Elliptical machines are often referred to as combination stair climbers and ski machines.
An exercise bike is another popular piece of exercise equipment that you may want to think about buying for your at-home weight loss program. Like an elliptical machine, there are many exercise bikes that give you an upper body and a lower body workout. These are points to take into consideration, should you decide to buy an exercise bike for yourself. Like treadmills, exercise bikes come in a number of different formats and styles; therefore, they are sold for a wide range of prices.
One piece of exercise equipment that you may not necessarily think about buying, but one that you should examine is that of a trampoline. When it comes to trampolines, you will find that they come in a number of different formats. For instance, it is possible to find larger size trampolines, ones that are ideal for backyards and often associated with recreational play. While these trampolines can also be used for exercise, there are smaller, mini trampolines that are designed for exercises, as well as indoor use. These types of trampolines are often fun, exciting, and affordable.
The above mentioned pieces of exercise equipment are ones that are often larger in size and occasionally more expensive. If you are looking for more affordable pieces of exercise equipment or more compact pieces, you still have an unlimited number of products to choose from. For instance, there are yoga and Pilates items that are often affordable and small in size. Exercise balls and resistance bands are popular items that you may want to take the time to examine. There are also weight sets that you can buy or you can buy a few individuals weights to use at home. When it comes to exercising at home, your options are, literally, unlimited.
When it comes to buying exercise equipment for yourself, you will find that you have a number of different options. You can shop locally or online. Exercise equipment is sold at sports stores, as well as traditional department stores. If you are on a budget, you may want to look into buying used exercise equipment. Used exercise equipment can often be found on online auction websites, in thrift stores, and at yard sales.
As outlined above, there are a number of different exercise equipment pieces that you can use to help you lose weight at home. Whether you choose to buy some of the pieces outlined above or something else, you are sure to have a fun and exciting time working to achieve your weight loss goal.

Weight Loss Pills: Should You Use Them?

2010-08-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Have you been trying to lose weight with the use of exercise and healthy eating? If you have, have you still been coming up short on your weight loss goal? If you have, you may be interested in seeking help through the use of weight loss products, namely weight loss pills. Although you may be thinking about giving weight loss pills a chance, you may be wondering if you should.
When it comes to determining whether or not weight loss pills are right for you, there are a number of different questions that you will want to ask yourself. These questions can help you truly determine if weight loss pills are right for you. A few of the many questions that you may want to ask yourself, concerning weight loss pills, are outlined below.
One of the many questions that you will want to ask yourself is if you have really tired losing weight. Losing weight “naturally,” often involves exercise and healthy eating. Have you been exercising? Exercising can involve visiting your local fitness center, putting an exercise video in your DVD player, or something as simple as taking a nightly walk. Eating healthy involves cutting all sweets from your diet or at least significantly reducing them. If you haven’t taken these steps yet, you may want to first try losing weight naturally. If that doesn’t work, weight loss diet pills may be something for you to consider.

Although there are a number of reasons for weight gain, one of the most common reasons involves eating too much food. If you regularly find yourself eating more food than you should or more food than you need to, why do you think that you do so? Are you just eating because you are bored or does your body sense that you are hungry? This is important question that you need to answer, as many weight loss pills are designed to suppress your hunger. While this can help many individuals reduce the amount of food that they eat and the number of calories they take in, it will only help you if you think that your body is telling you that you are still hungry. If you are what is commonly referred to as a “bored eater,” there is a good chance that you will still continue to eat.
Another question that you need to ask yourself is if you can afford the costs of weight loss pills. When examining the cost of weight loss pills, you will find that they are sold for a wide range of prices. Although it is important to make sure that you can afford the cost of weight loss pills, it is important that you do not comprise quality for costs. If you cannot afford the weight loss pills that come highly rated and recommend, you may just end up wasting your money on weight loss pills that may not necessarily work. That is why it is advised that you consult with your doctor or search for weight loss diet pill reviews online, before making any purchases.
The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you may want to ask yourself, before you automatically go out and buy weight loss pills for yourself. As a reminder, it is important that you do the proper amount of research before you buy weight loss pills, should you decide to do so. weight loss diet pills are not all created equally; therefore, they have varying results.

Weight Loss Tips

2010-08-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to lose weight to improve your appearance, your health, or even both? If you are, you may be looking for advice. The good news is that there are a number of tips that you can use to help you successfully lose weight and hopefully achieve your weight loss goal.
When it comes to losing weight, the best thing that you can do is eat healthy. Eating healthy involves watching the foods that you eat, not necessarily how much food you eat. Of course, you may want to restrict the amount of foods that you eat, when on a diet, but it is more important to focus on the foods that you do eat. For instance, if you were to eat fruit instead of chips, you could have more fruit snacks with your meals than you would be able to if you were just to eat junk food.
Since eating healthy is an important component of losing weight, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. One of the first things that you should do is find and familiarize yourself with healthy meals. You can do this by way of standard internet search or by buying a collection of healthy eating recipe books. To reduce the boredom often associated with healthy eating, especially if you are not use to it, it is important that you “spice,” up your foods and try to not eat the same meals over and over again each week.
In connection with healthy eating, regular exercise is also important to weight loss. If you are looking to lose weight, you should start an exercise plan for yourself. Exercise is important as it burns off calories. When you burn calories, the amount of calories that your body absorbs decreases. This is, essentially, what makes it possible for you to lose weight. If you haven’t been exercising regularly in the past, it is important that you take it slow. Exercise is a great way to lose weight, but you do not want to overdo it, especially at first.
If you don’t currently have an exercise plan or program in place, you may be wondering more about what you can do. One of the many ways that you can go about finding exercises or workouts to do is by buying a collection of fitness magazines. Many fitness magazines have detailed exercises outlined in them, often accompanied by pictures. You may also be able to find free instructional workout videos or exercise moves online. As a reminder, it is important to start out slow or at least start with exercises that would be easy for you to.
Eating healthy and regular exercise are both important components of losing weight, but there are additional tips that you can use to help you lose weight. One of those tips involves finding a workout partner or a workout buddy. This is a person who can exercise with you, whether your exercise involves visiting a local gym or just going for a walk at a local shopping center. Having a workout partner may help to keep you motivated and it may help to keep exercising and losing weight fun and exciting for you.
Another way that you can go about successfully achieving your weight loss goal is by “spicing,” up your exercises. As previously mentioned, you can use the internet or fitness magazines to find workouts for you to do at home. To help reduce the boredom often associated with exercising you will want to change up your exercises, often on a daily basis. For instance, one day you may want to use a treadmill, the next day you may want to lift weights, and the next day you may want to do an exercise DVD, and so forth.
You should also consider making exercise and healthy eating logs or journals for yourself. These items can be used to track your progress. If you have a good week, like one where you completed all of your exercises, you may want to think about rewarding yourself. Your reward doesn’t have to include food; it can be something as simple as a sticker or treating yourself to a movie. Journals and logs have been known to help many individuals looking to lose weight and it may be able to do the same for you.

Online Weight Loss Programs: Are They Worth the Money?

2010-08-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of an online weight loss program before? Online weight loss programs are designed to assist individuals, possibly just like you, who want to lose weight. What it nice about online weight loss programs is that they are operated online, which is nice for those who have busy schedules; schedules that may not allow them to join locally operated weight loss programs.
If you have never joined an online weight loss program before, you may be wondering if one is right for you. Better yet, you may be wondering if an online weight loss program is worth the cost. In all honestly, you will typically find that online weight loss programs are well worth their costs, but it all depends. To ensure that your money is wisely spent, you will want to make sure that you choose the online weight loss program that is perfect for you and your needs.
When finding an online weight loss program that is more than worth the costs, you will want to examine the features that you have access to. Features are also commonly referred to as membership benefits or membership perks. The program features that you have access to plays a large part in determining whether or not the online weight loss program that you want to join is worth the money. A few of the many online weight loss features or member perks that you will want access to are outlined below.

One of the many features or membership benefits that would make an online weight loss program well worth the cost is that of healthy eating tips. As you likely already know, healthy eating is an important part of any weight loss plan. Many online weight loss programs have healthy eating sections that include easy to make recipes for foods and drinks, as well as shopping tips and much more. As previously stated, healthy eating is an important part of losing weight; therefore, you should look for an online weight loss program that does have a healthy eating or a healthy foods section.
Another feature that would make an online weight loss program more than worth the costs is that of an exercise program. It has been said that exercise and healthy eating are the two most important components of losing weight. You should be able to find an online weight loss program that has an exercise section for you to access. This section may outline workouts that you should try, which may be accompanied by pictures, videos, or at least detailed directions. You may also find charts that outline how many calories are burned with common exercises, and much more.
One feature that you may not necessarily think of, but one that is important, is that of an online message boards or a community section. Community sections are often comprised of online message boards. These sections often allow you to communicate with other online weight loss program members or group leaders. This communication is nice as it may help to give you motivation. You may even find an online weight loss buddy or partner to help you on your journey.
Guaranteed results or free trial periods are another sign that an online weight loss program may be worth the money. Often times, many individuals are unsure as to whether or not they should pay to join an online weight loss program, as they do not know for sure that they will lose weight. A large number of online weight loss programs give you the ability to test out their programs free of charge and then there are others that give you guaranteed results. With guarantees like these, online weight loss programs are more then worth their costs.
The above mentioned points are just a few of the many that may be able to help you decide whether or not joining an online weight loss program is worth the cost. If you are able to find an online weight loss program with a free trial period or even just one with affordable membership rates, you may want to think about giving it a shot.

What to Consider When Choosing an Exercise Video

2010-08-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be interested in starting your own weight loss program. Of course, you can join a local weight loss program or even an online weight loss program, but many individuals prefer to do their own, at-home weight loss programs. If you are one of those individuals, you may be interested in buying exercise videos. Exercise videos, also commonly referred to as workout videos, are a great addition to any weight loss program.
Although you may have bought workout videos before, have you even done so when seriously trying to lose weight? In the United States, a large number of individuals buy exercise videos just because. Just because exercise videos are a lot different than exercise videos that are a part of a weight loss plan. That is why you should shop for them differently.
When it comes to buying exercise videos for yourself, as a part of your weight loss program, there are number of important factors that you may want to take into consideration. These factors will not only make buying exercise videos for yourself easier, but they will also help to ensure that you choose the exercise video or videos that are best for you and your own personal needs. A few of the many factors that you should take into consideration, when buying an exercise video are outlined below.
One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when buying exercise videos as a part of your weight loss plan, is the type of exercises that you want to do. For instance, you often get to choose between traditional aerobic videos, yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, and so forth. To spice up your weight loss plan and to keep it fun and exciting, you may want to think about buying a collection of exercise videos, particularly a mixture of them.
Another one of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when buying an exercise video for your weight loss program, is difficulty. What you need to remember is that many workout videos come in sessions. For instance, it is possible to find kickboxing videos that are designed for beginners, those at the intermediate level, as well as those at an advanced level. You want to make sure that you choose the right video for yourself. If you are not careful, you may end up with an advanced workout video that you cannot even use, as you are unable to keep up with the instructor.
Cost is another factor that you may want to take into consideration, when buying workout videos or exercise videos for yourself. In your search for exercise videos, you will find that they are sold for a wide range of prices. Some are affordable, others are a little bit more costly, and many are downright expensive. Of course, the expensive workout videos may be worth the cost, but you never really know until you order them. One way to help make sure that you are spending your money wisely is to search for exercise video reviews online. This can often be done with a standard internet search.
The above mentioned factors are just a few of the many that you may want to take into consideration, when buying exercise videos to incorporate into your at-home weight loss program. Most times, you will find that any exercise video is better than no video at all, but taking the time to find the perfect one will likely make your weight loss program much more enjoyable.

Is Weight Loss Surgery Your Best Option?

2010-08-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, there is a good chance that you have heard of weight loss surgery before. weight loss surgery is how many individuals lose weight. Although weight loss surgery has helped thousands of Americans lose weight, improve their appearance, and improve their health, weight loss surgery may not be for you.
When it comes to determining if weight loss surgery is right for you, there are a number of factors that you will need to take into consideration. One of those factors is your current weight. Most of the time, you will find that weight loss surgeons require their patients to be at least eighty pounds overweight. If you are not as overweight as recommend, you may not even be able to undergo a weight loss surgery. If that is the case, you should keep in mind that there are a number of different weight loss approaches that you can take.

Speaking of alternative weight loss methods, have you tried any other approaches? Many individuals are able to successfully lose weight with healthy eating, exercise, and weight loss products, like diet pills. While there are some individuals who opt for weight loss surgery right away, there are others who only use it as a last resort. Although weight loss surgery, like gastric bypass surgery or lap-band surgery, is more than worth it, you may be able to lose your excess weight without having to spend a large amount of money doing so.
Another factor that you should take into consideration, when determining if weight loss surgery is right for you, is your health. If you are overweight, have you been noticing any other health problems or has your doctor outlined the importance of losing weight for your health? If this has happened, you may not have a choice when it comes to undergoing weight loss surgery. For some individuals, weight loss surgery is, literally, lifesaving.
As it was previously mentioned, two popular weight loss surgeries include gastric bypass surgery and lap-band surgery. While there additional weight loss surgeries that you can undergo, these two are the most popular ones. The surgery that you would like to undergo is also important when determining whether or not weight loss surgery is your best option. For instance, gastric bypass surgery requires the stapling of the stomach, whereas lap-band surgery involves an adjustable or removable band. When deciding which weight loss surgery you should undergo, your decision will need to be made in conjunction with a healthcare professional.
When examining weight loss surgeries, you will find that most surgeries reduce the stomach pouch size. For that reason, your ability to follow all instructions given to you is important. After undergoing a weight loss surgery, like lap-band surgery or gastric bypass surgery, your healthcare professional will likely request that you develop yourself an exercise plan, as well as eat healthy. It is important that you follow all advice given to you. With weight loss surgeries that involve the reduction of the stomach pouch, an over consumption of food can be harmful to your weight loss, as well as dangerous to your health.
The above mentioned factors are factors that may help you determine whether or not weight loss surgery is right for you. As a reminder, it is important to remember that weight loss surgery is not your only option, when looking to lose weight, but it is a method that you should explore.

Weight Loss: Why Exercise Is Important

2010-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be in the process of developing a weight loss plan for yourself. For many individuals, a weight loss plan is a guide that they can follow and one that may help to give them motivation. If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, it is important that you place a focus on exercise, as exercise is important component of weight loss.

Although it is nice to hear that exercise is an important part of a weight loss plan, you may be wondering exactly why that is. For your body to lose weight, you must see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of calories that you need to reduce, in order to lose weight, will all depend on your current weight and your hopeful weight loss goal. Unfortunately, this is where many individuals automatically assume that they can’t eat three meals a day and many actually just stop eating. This is not only dangerous to your health, but it can be deadly.

Instead of reducing your calorie intake by solely limiting the amount of foods that you eat, you can use exercise to your advantage. By exercising, you burn off calories. These are calories in which your body can use to help you lose weight. If you have a specific weight loss goal, like one that involves losing at least twenty pounds, you may want to focus on fun exercises or workouts, but also ones that burn the most calories. Adding exercise to your weight loss plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.
Since it is important to incorporate to exercise into your weight loss plan, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. In all honestly, there are an unlimited number of ways that you can go about using exercise to help you lose weight. For starters, you can buy a collection, even just a small collection, of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment can include items such as exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even if you have limited financial resources, you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces that are within your budget.
Although you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces, including instructional workout DVDs, for affordable prices, you may be looking to limit your weight loss plan investments. If that is the case, you may want to take the time to examine your local gyms or fitness clubs. While some fitness clubs and gyms have relatively high membership fees, you can also find a number of them with affordable membership rates. It is also important to mention that many fitness clubs and gyms are open accommodating hours, often making it easy to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.
Despite the fact that exercise is often associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that is not all that exercise is about. Exercise can also involve something simple like going for a walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. If you would prefer to exercise, for free, in your spare time, you may want to consider finding an exercise buddy. This is a person who can workout with you, even if it just involves walking around your local shopping mall. Not only can you make a new friend or strengthen your relationship with one of your current friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise partners often means that you are more likely to stick with your weight loss plan and achieve your weight loss goals.
As outlined above, it is extremely important that you incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan, especially if you are serious about losing weight and wish to do so in a healthy matter. With multiple ways to go about incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.

Colon Cleanses to Lose Weight: Do They Really Work?

2010-08-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, you may have used the internet to research weight loss products. When many of us think of weight loss product, diet pill are often the first thing that comes to mind. While diet pills may be able to help you achieve your weight loss goals, diet pills are not the only weight loss product that you may want to look into. A large number of individuals have successfully used colon cleanses, also commonly referred to as weight loss cleanses, to lose weight and you may want to think about doing the same.
When it comes to using colon cleanses to lose weight, there are many individuals, possibly just like you, who wonder how the whole process works. Before understanding how colon cleanses may help you lose weight, it is important to remember that there may be a variance. There are some colon cleanses that advertise that they are designed to help you lose weight. These types of colon cleanses are also commonly referred to as weight loss cleanses. With that in mind, there are colon cleanses that advertise that they are not guaranteed to help you lose weight, even though some of them may.
When using a colon cleanse, it is important that you follow all of the instructions given to you. For instance, there are some colon cleanses that require that you do not eat anything for one or two days. These types of colon cleanses are often ones that are in liquid format. The colon cleanses in pill format may request that you only eat and drink certain products, like fruits and vegetables. If you buy a colon cleanse that asks to you restrict your diet, you are advised to do so. This diet restriction is what makes it possible for you to lose weight, as well as allow the colon cleanse to properly work.
When you use a colon cleanse, you are essentially detoxifying, your body. The colon cleanse will work to push toxins out from your colon and sometimes even your intestines. This is not only ideal to promote a healthy wellbeing, but it can also help you lose weight. It has been said that the average person has anywhere from four to eight pounds of stored waste in their body. When using a colon cleanse, that extra waste will be expelled from your body. This is why many individuals are able to lose weight with a colon cleanse.
If you are able to use a rapid colon cleanse, like one that works in three to seven days, you may notice a rapid weight loss. There are some individuals who use colon cleanses to quickly lose weight before a special event like a wedding or a vacation. While you may be able to achieve rapid weight loss with a colon cleanse, it is important that you proceed with caution. If you do not change the way that you eat or add exercise to your daily activities, you may see your weight add back on it as little as a few weeks or a few days. This typically happens if you were asked to restrict your diet when using a colon cleanse. While you do not have to keep up with your restricted diet, you are advised to reduce your junk food intake and start a daily or at least a weekly exercise program.
Since it is more than possible for you to lose weight with a colon cleanse, you may be interested in giving one a try. When looking to buy a colon cleanse, you may be able to find them available for sale in traditional department stores, fitness stores, and health stores, both on and offline. Before buying a colon cleanse, you may want to search for product reviews online or speak with a healthcare professional. This will help to ensure that you if you do buy a colon cleanse that your money is well spent.

Fast Weight Loss Tips

2010-08-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, are you in a hurry to do so? While it is advised that you do not rely heavily on fast weight loss, also commonly referred to as rapid weight loss, there are many individuals who do. If you are interested in losing weight, as quickly as possible, you will want to continue reading on.
One of the many ways that you can go about achieving a fat weight loss or rapid weight loss is by reducing the foods that you eat. When reducing your food consumption, it is important that you only reduce your consumption a little bit. Unfortunately, many individuals who want to achieve fast weight loss think that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for two or three days. That is something that you do not want to do. Once you resume eating again, you will likely gain all of your weight back, almost automatically. It is also important to mention that starving yourself is dangerous to your health.

In conjunction with reducing your food intake, it is advised that you reduce the amount of sweets or junk food that you eat. For fast weight loss, you will want to completely eliminate junk food from your diet, even if it is only for a short period of time. This means that if you want a snack, you should grab an apple or an orange instead of a chocolate bar or a bag of chips. With candy and other sweets being high in calories, you may see a significant decrease in your calorie consumption by eliminating them from your diet.
Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast weight loss. The thing about using exercise to achieve fast weight loss is that it is a little bit tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a significant weight loss right away. For instance, it typically takes most individuals at least a week or two to notice an improvement in their appearance with the use of exercise. With that in mind, the more overweight you are, the sooner you may see a decrease in your weight, often quickly.
In keeping with exercise to lose weight, exercise is important to losing weight, as it helps to limit your calorie intake. When you burn off calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight. Although your first though may be to start exercising as much as possible, right away, you may want to refrain from doing so. If you aren’t usually physically active, it is best to start out slow. This should significantly reduce your risk of injuries.
Another one of the many ways that you may be able to achieve fasts weight loss or rapid weight loss is with the use of a cleanse. These cleanses are commonly referred to as colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses. Cleanses work by removing toxins and extra weight, actually waste, from your body. It has been said that most individuals have at least seven or eight pounds of waste stored in their bodies. A weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse should help remove those toxins from your body.
Should you decide to try a colon cleanse or a weight loss cleanse, to help you achieve a fast weight loss, it is important that you read all directions given to you. Some cleanses have a strict diet that you must follow. For the fastest weight loss, you may want to examine liquid cleanses, instead of those in pill formats, as they often produce the quickest results.
The above mentioned fast weight loss tips may help you achieve fast weight loss, even if it is only a small weight loss. As a reminder, it is important to proceed with caution. While it is more that possible for you to achieve your fast weight loss goal, it can also be dangerous to you and your health.

Using the Internet to Develop Your Own Weight Loss Plan

2010-08-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in developing your own weight loss plan? If you are looking to lose weight, there is a good chance that you may be interested in doing so. Although you can pay to have a weight loss plan supplied to you or you can choose to join an existing weight loss program, you may find the cost of doing so a little bit difficult, especially if you are on a budget. That is why many choose to develop their own weight loss plans.
If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, you may not necessarily know how you should proceed. What is nice about developing a weight loss plan for yourself is that you have freedom. With that in mind, you will still want to make sure that your weight loss plan is one that you can benefit from and one that you can lose weight while on. For that reason, you may want to think about turning to the internet, when looking to develop your own weight loss plan or weight loss program.
When it comes to using the internet to help you develop your own weight loss plan, there are a number of different ways that the internet can offer you assistance. For starters, a good part of a weight loss program involves eating healthy. For many individuals, eating healthy is something that is difficult to do, as they are unsure as to what they should cook or how they should cook it. There are a number of websites that you can find online, many of which are free to use, that give you access to healthy foods and recipes. Many of these recipes are accompanied by pictures; therefore, you should be able to tell right away whether or not the food in question is something that you would eat.
Another part of losing weight involves exercise. For some individuals, taking a simple walk is enough to help them lose weight, but others must participate in more active exercise activities. If you are one of those individuals, you can find a number of websites that outline exercises that you should be able to do. You will likely find a number of fitness websites that come with detailed pictures or videos, which outline each step of the workout in question.
You can also use the internet to order weight loss resources, like weight loss books or exercise equipment. One piece of exercise equipment that you may want to look into buy is that of an exercise video. What is nice about using the internet to find an exercise video, which you can incorporate into your at-home weight loss program, is that you can not only buy videos online, but you can also find product reviews online. Product reviews are a great way to determine if the exercise video you are interested in buying is really worth the money.
Once you have found a number of exercises that you would like to do or a number of healthy meals that you would like to make for yourself, you are advised to develop yourself a list, in writing or on the computer. This list can act as a schedule for yourself. For instance, you could outline each workout that you would like to do on Monday’s, as well as which meals you would like to eat on that same day. Having a detailed weight loss plan for each day of the week is likely to improve the chances of you following your own plan.

As you can see, the internet is a nice tool to have, when looking to create you own weight loss plan. For the best results, with finding what you need online, you may want to perform a standard internet search. As a reminder, not everyone is able to develop their own at-home weight loss plans and follow them. If you find that you are having a difficult time with staying on track, you may want to think about joining one of your local weight loss programs or even an online weight loss program.

How to Find a Local Weight Loss Center

2010-08-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, have you ever though about joining a weight loss center? A weight loss center membership is a nice way to help you achieve your goal of losing weight. If you have never been a member of a weight loss center before, you may be wondering how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join.
Before examining how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join, it is first important to know what weight loss centers are. When examining weight loss centers, you will find that weight loss centers come in a number of different formats. Most commonly, weight loss centers are used to describe local weight loss programs, where you attend group meetings at the “center.” There are some weight loss centers that have weekly or biweekly meetings, like for weigh-ins. There are also weight loss centers where your membership fees give you access to onsite exercise equipment or the ability to attend an aerobics class.
Now that you know exactly what weight loss centers are, you are better prepared to go about finding one to join. One of the many ways that you can go about finding a weight loss center to become a member at is by using your local phone book. When using your local phone book, you will want to checkout the business directory section, which is also commonly referred to as the yellow pages. You may be able to find the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of local weight loss centers by looking under the headings of “weight loss,” or “health and fitness.”
In addition to using your local phone book, you can also use the internet to help you find a local weight loss center to join. When using the internet, you can use online business directories or online phone books. These online resources are nice, but they are similar to what you would find in your local phone book. Often times, you only get the name, address, and telephone number of a weight loss center. If you were to use an online business directory, you may also get the address to an online website, if the weight loss center in question has one.
In keeping with using the internet to help you find a local weight loss center, you can also use standard internet searches to your advantage. When performing a standard internet search, you may want to search with phrases like “weight loss centers,” or “weight loss programs.” This generalized search may return results for nationally operated weight loss centers. If you are looking for a local center, you may want to incorporate your city or your state into your standard internet search as well.
Another great way that you can go about finding a local weight loss center to join is by asking those that you know for recommendations. This includes your friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or your doctors. Whether the individual in question was or still is a member of the weight loss center in question or they know someone who was, you may be able to get a lot information by speaking to those that you know. It is also nice, as you often don’t just get the name, address, or telephone number of a local weight loss center; you also should get personal recommendations and constructive criticism as well.
The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many ways that you can go about finding local weight loss centers to join. Although it is nice to hear recommendations from those that you know or use the internet to help you familiarize yourself with all of your options, it is important that you take the time to find the perfect weight loss center for you and needs. This should involve examining the membership features that you have access to, the cost of becoming a member, and so forth.

Your Weight Loss Surgery Options

2010-08-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, you likely already know that you have a number of different options. For instance, you can go about losing weight naturally, with the use of exercise and healthy eating. You can also lose weight with the assistance of weight loss products, like diet pills. Another option that you have is weight loss surgery. Although all of the previous weight loss methods are popular, weight loss surgery is rapidly increasing in popularity.
If you are interested in undergoing weight loss surgery, you are not alone. As previously mentioned, weight loss surgery is increasing in popularity. If you have never considered weight loss surgery before, you may be wondering what all of your options are. While there are a number of different weight loss surgical procedures that you can undergo, you will find that there are two main procedures. These procedures, which include gastric bypass surgery and lap-band surgery, are outlined below.
Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss surgery that involves the stapling of the stomach. That is why this procedure is also commonly referred to as stomach stapling. When undergoing gastric bypass surgery, your surgeon will portion off some of your stomach, making a smaller pouch. Your intestine will then be rerouted, making it so that your food consumption only impacts a portion of your stomach. This is what makes it possible for you lose weight with gastric bypass surgery.
Although gastric bypass surgery is a great weight loss surgery to undergo, it isn’t right for everyone. Most physicians require their patients to be around eighty pounds or more overweight. In some rare instances, those who are less than eighty pounds overweight are able to undergo gastric bypass surgery if their health is at risk or if they have other medical problems, such as diabetes.
As previously stated, lap-band surgery is another weight loss surgery that is increasing in popularity. Lap-band surgery is similar to gastric bypass surgery. When undergoing lap-band surgery, your stomach pouch is made smaller. One of the few differences is that your stomach is not stapled, but an adjustable band is used. That is one of the reasons why lap-band surgery is so popular, as the band used can be completely removed or easily adjusted.
Lap-band surgery and gastric bypass surgery are not the only weight loss surgeries available to you, but they are two of the most popular. Thousands of Americans have undergone these two weight loss surgeries. For many individuals, weight loss surgery is a last resort. Many who undergo weight loss surgery have not had success with losing weight any other way. If you are interested in undergoing a weight loss surgical procedure, you will want to speak with your physician.
One of the many reasons why it is important to speak with your doctor or another healthcare professional is because weight loss surgery isn’t right for everyone. In addition to being at the “right,” weight, you also need to have the willpower to reduce your food consumption. If you eat too much food, namely too much food for your stomach to hold, you can not only harm your weight loss progress, but you can also put your health at risk. That is why your weight loss surgery decision is not one that you can make alone; it is one that must be made in conjunction with a healthcare professional.