Posts Tagged ‘Fat’
Losing Weight
The food that you eat will contain a certain number of calories. You will need a certain amount of calories to maintain your bodyweight as it stands at the present time. This is called your maintenance level.
If the amount of calories that you consume goes over your maintenance level, then you will put on more weight. If the amount of calories that you consume goes under your maintenance level, then you will lose weight.
In theory it sounds a simple and straightforward method towards losing weight. However things are never as simple as they appear. Weight loss can be a bit more complex, if it wasn’t then nobody would be overweight.
The first thing that you have to know is that not all calories are created equal. A gram of protein and a gram of carbohydrates each contain 4 calories. A gram of fat on the other hand contains 9 calories. When you check on food labels as to the amount of fat that is contained, always remember the amount of calories which are coming from fat.
Another thing to keep in mind is that certain types of calories are more prone to be stored as fat than others. Especially calories that are consumed from foods that contain high levels of sugar. So it’s not just a question of how many calories you eat, but what types of calories you eat.
While it’s true that cutting back on calories will help you lose a certain amount of weight. What you need to consider is the quality of weight that you are losing and not just the quantity. Weight, just like calories comes in different forms. If you lost a limb in an accident, you will have lost some weight. However this would not be the type of weight you would be happy losing.
Much of the weight that people lose when they cut back drastically on calories comes from muscle. Muscle loss is something that you will want to avoid at all costs.
Let’s face it; you haven’t become overweight by carrying too much muscle on your body. It is the amount of fat that your body is carrying that has led to you becoming overweight. So it makes sense to focus on losing the fat and holding onto any muscle that you can.
Everyone has the same amount of muscles on their bodies. The only difference is the size of the muscles. The bigger the muscle the more calories your body will burn to keep that muscle. Don’t think for one minute that you will begin to look like some bodybuilder, because you won’t. Not unless you train your muscles for many years. However if you are trying to lose weight, you will reach your goal quicker if you do some form of resistance training (weight training).
Fat can be very stubborn to shift and nobody is more aware of that than you. The key to losing fat and holding onto muscle, apart from a healthy diet, is to have a good exercise programme. A good mix of cardiovascular and resistance training is the perfect cocktail. Cardiovascular training will help you burn fat and resistance training will help you to keep your muscle weight.
You may be under the impression that resistance training will consist of grunting and groaning with heavy weights in gym full of steroid injecting hulks. This is not the reality of the situation. All you need to do is to focus on what is going to be challenging for you. Don’t be concerned about how much weight you use; as long as it’s working your muscles and you are feeling it, then you are doing it right.
If you only do cardiovascular exercise you will lose some weight. However because you are losing muscle as well, it can leave your body looking loose and flabby. Using a weight training routine will result in your body becoming firmer and more toned, not to mention the benefits f becoming stronger.
As for your diet, it will not just be a question of what you eat but when you eat. This is a hugely important issue that is at times overlooked.
Your body is designed in such a way that it is only capable of using a certain amount of food at any given time. How much your body can use depends on the life you lead. If you are very active your body will be able to assimilate more food. If however you are not active your body will only use a certain amount of food and store the rest as fat.
The mistake many people make when they are trying to lose weight is that they often cut back on the amount of meals that they eat. Most people will often cut down to 1 or 2 meals a day and sometimes one of those meals will contain more calories than their bodies will be able to use. On top of this, leaving long gaps between meals slows down your metabolism resulting in fewer calories being burned.
Most people trying to lose weight unknowingly do everything that will prevent them from losing weight on a permanent basis. Because they will not get the results that they want by eating fewer meals less frequently, they give up trying to lose weight under the impression that they are not capable of doing so.
The secret is to eat small amounts of food more often. If your body is fed small amounts of food every 3 or 4 hours, your body will be able to use this food more effectively. Plus because you are getting a food intake on a regular basis, your metabolism will speed up knowing it is getting calories regularly and that it can afford to burn calories as it will be getting some more in a few hours.
Eating in this way not only speeds up your metabolism, it also allows your body to use the food that you eat in a way that it is happy with. Because you are eating smaller amounts there are no extra calories to be stored as fat.
Traditionally our last meal of the day also tends to be our biggest one. This can also be problematic when it comes to losing weight. Eating a large meal in the evening is counterproductive to weight loss, simply because you will be less active in the evening and will not burn off as many calories. So a fair amount of the food that you eat can be stored as fat.
If your biggest meal of the day was eaten in the morning or at lunch time, much of the calories would be used up through your daily activities. It can be difficult to change the eating habits of a lifetime, but if you are serious about losing weight then it has to be something that you must consider.
It is a fact that some people are more prone to putting on weight than others. Your genetics and body shape will play a role in how easy it is for you to gain or lose weight. Although this can be a setback you must remember that it is still only one part of the equation. There are many other things that will affect whether you lose weight, so do not focus just on the genetics that you have been given.
If you find it easy to put on weight you may have to work a little harder than some other people to keep it off. Don’t think that your genetics will be a huge obstacle in losing weight. If you want to do it bad enough then you will succeed in doing so. Besides think of how much prouder you will be when you do succeed, as you would have done it without certain advantages.
Some of the things you will need to think about are:
Watching what you eat Watching how much you eat Exercise on a regular basis Become more active in other areas of your life Be more determined Be more persistent Remember why you are doing it
Thousands of people lose weight successfully, if you really want to you can become one of them!
How To Lose Weight From Your Midsection In 7 Days – You May Not Believe How Easy It Is
Most people will do absolutely anything just to look good all the time and so do you. If you are looking for ways to lose weight from your midsection, then you have come to the right place. Listed here several ways you can do right now and you may not believe how easy it is going to be.
1) Exercise
The number one step is always exercise. The flabby area in your midsection will not lose by itself and you have to do something to really cure it. One good exercise that totally concentrated on those area is ab crunches or sit-ups. You don’t have to do this all the time. 20 sit-ups per day for 1 week will definitely make your midsection look good.
2) Drinking Water
Water can help improve your digestion system in your stomach and the best thing of all, if you drink enough water, it can make you feel less hungry in between two heavy meals. Also, water will make your liver and kidney inside your body function much better thus increase your metabolism system. The best way to do this is by drinking plenty of water everyday and make sure the water that you drink is a plain and clean water.
3) Proper Diet
Always make a habit to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. These type of food has lots of minerals and vitamins which are essential for your body. Meat is also good but try not to eat it to much. Take food or drink with less sugar and salt. Whatever it is, having a proper diet can really help you lose weight from your midsection.
4) Change Your Routine
Whenever after eating your heavy meal, try to stay active so that the food you take will burn inside your body and it will not turn into fat. Never ever sit or lie down after a heavy meal and don’t go to bed just yet.
5) Know Your Calorie Intake Per Day
Having a small body does not mean you need to eat food with lots of calories and vise verca. It all depends on what you do everyday. For example, bodybuilders need to take lots of calories because they need a lot of energy to do their exercise and training. While a person who work inside an office only need to eat sufficient calories.
There you have it. If you follow the above steps carefully, then there is no doubt whatsoever that you can quickly lose weight from your midsection in 7 days or even less.
Daiting With a Busy Schedule? 15 Great Ways to Lose Weight Fast
Want to lose weight fast? It’s easy to say goodbye to 10 pounds of unwanted fat with these easy diet tips. Just pay attention to what you eat and be sure to have good tasting, fresh and healthy food including snacks, fill up on vegetables and keep your taste buds happy with fruit.
No need to make sacrifices! Just follow these simple guidelines to lose your first 10 pounds, last 10 pounds or give your weight loss program a boost when it seems to have stuttered to a halt. This is a balanced and flexible plan that you can use for as long as you want.
1. Keep a note of everything that you eat and drink. You do not need to estimate calories. Just write down what it was that you had and the approximate quantity. You will find that being more aware of what you are eating helps you to plan healthy meals and snacks.
2. Halve your intake of all pure or added fats. This means using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes; half the usual amount of mayonnaise or sauce on your salad; and half the oil in the frypan every time.
3. Limit treats containing sugar to three times per week. This includes chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc.
4. Include a lower fat source of protein at most meals: chicken, fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt. Have eggs, nuts and red meat occasionally but not every day.
5. Plan at least one lunch and dinner every week without meat or cheese. Build those meals around whole grains, vegetables and beans to increase fiber and reduce fat.
6. Reduce the fat content in your milk products. If you are currently drinking whole milk, reduce to 2% fat. From 2% reduce to 1%. Choose lower fat cheese and yogurt. When you buy yogurt, also check that it does not contain sugar.
7. Have at least two servings of fruit every day. This can be for dessert or snacks. Choose fruit that is in season.
8. Drink water instead of sodas, juices, milky drinks or alcohol. Avoid diet soda – the sweet taste only encourages you to crave sugar. Hot water with a slice of lemon can be very refreshing in the morning.
9. Include at least two servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner. If you are getting hungry, have more.
10. Eat slowly. The body is slow to register when you are full and it is easy to eat too much if you are racing through your meals.
11. Grated carrot makes a great snack. You will find that a grated carrot is much more filling than a whole carrot. Strange but true.
12. Use whole grains wherever possible. The fiber will give you a fuller feeling and also help your digestion.
13. Choose food that you can chew. Again this will increase your fiber intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied too. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make sure it is chunky.
14. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your shopping too – make a list of what you need and stick to it. If you just grab something when you are feeling hungry, you will probably choose high calorie food.
15. Always switch off the TV when you eat. That includes snacks as well as meals. Studies have proved that we eat larger portions in front of the TV, probably because we are much less aware of what we are eating. When you eat, only eat if you want to lose weight fast.