As many of us feel that the New Year offers us a fresh start to meet our goals, it is no surprise that huge numbers of men and women choose to take part in a New Year weight loss challenge. If you are thinking about losing weight this year, here is a guide to the pros and cons.
When you take part in a New Year weight loss challenge nothing is more encouraging than having the support of people who are trying to do the same. Many challenges take place online, which makes it easy to stay in touch with other participants. If you are feeling down one day, you can get in touch with others who understand how you feel and can encourage you to keep going.
Many people set themselves a resolution to lose weight but most of us fail to stick to it. When you take part in a New Year weight loss challenge you will find that you have something to tell other people in your situation. This makes you motivated to succeed by keeping you accountable and increasing the chances of sticking to your goal.
One of the major downsides of taking part in a New Year weight loss challenge is that you will start to compare yourself to others. Although seeing their success could help you, it can unfortunately have the opposite effect. We are all different so it is important to realize that we will lose weight at different rates. But when you are watching people around you lose it faster than you, it can be demoralizing to say the least.
Another possible drawback to losing weight is that you may not be doing it for the right reasons. Many people set New Year resolutions simply because of the date, rather than down to the fact that it is right for them. Although it's definitely true that you do need to just start and stop letting things get in your way, sometimes you can start at the wrong time and it leaves you thinking why you bothered. Losing weight is a means to an end - figure out what that end is before you start.
If you do think a New Year weight loss could be right for you then set yourself up the right way - learn all you can about a healthy diet, the exercises you should be doing and, of course, find a suitable challenge online.
Monday, 27 December 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
How to Still Eat Your Favorite Foods While Losing Weight
This is an article by my friend John Benson which I think you will find interesting.
What makes a diet stop working? What causes a man or a woman go on a diet, full of good intentions, only to discard the diet in a few weeks or months?
Is it discipline? Frustration? A lack of effectiveness? According to nutrition and fitness author Jon Benson, it comes down to one word: "Love."
"Love is the key to staying on a diet, a workout plan... anything that requires a change of lifestyle. It may seem obvious, but unless you actually 'love' the diet you are on, there is little chance of you staying on it for very long," says Benson. "All diets require a change in how you look at food, how you consume food, and even how you think about food. The problem is most diets make too many demands of the dieter right off the bat. They tell you not to eat certain foods, sometimes making that a permanent restriction, while allowing perhaps a day per week to 'overeat' your favorite foods."
"This is a disaster waiting to happen... and there is a much more balanced, healthy and effective way to diet than this," states Benson.
Ten years ago Benson was a somewhat typical American male: Overworked, over-stressed, and overweight. Benson's weight put him officially into the "obese" category and brought with it all the associated disease states such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides (a type of blood fat) and of course massive amounts of "stress fat" around the belly and chest region.
When Benson decided enough was enough, he, like so many others who are truly ready to change their body and their life, went a bit overboard. "Oh sure, I ate the typical dry chicken, oatmeal with nothing on it, bland rice, and tried to never eat anything I actually enjoyed. Lucky for me I actually love chicken, but most of my diet was composed of what I call my "hate foods", not my love foods -- foods I truly enjoyed eating. But my thinking was just like that of the typical dieter: 'If I eat (fill-in-the-blank favorite food) I'll get fatter and never lose weight!' How wrong I was... and after I started and stopped my diet at least ten times during a course of three years I finally got the message."
Benson decided to use his nutritional knowledge and his background in body shaping to his advantage. "I started thinking, 'Why not focus on progress rather than perfection?' Again, this seems like common sense, but most dieters are focused on being perfect all the time. So I began applying some old body shaping tricks to my dietary plan. For example, I started cycling my calories. I would eat more on one day, less on another. This kept my metabolism guessing and never allowed my body to hit that dreaded 'no more weight loss' plateau."
"Then I decided to push the envelope. I started experimenting with including my favorite foods -- pizza, pasta, and even desserts, all in reasonable quantities -- on my higher-calorie food days. At first it didn't work out too well. But then I used what I now call my "Caveman Principle" which involves strategically eating protein at specific times with a bit less food volume (and this allowed me to stop counting calories too!) and then including my favorite foods on specific days and, most important, specific times. Timing in this case is everything."
Benson says this timing includes both time of day as well as eating higher-calorie, higher-fat, higher-carbohydrate foods only after exercise. "Specific exercise, done for short periods of time, can set the body up to receive additional calories and carbohydrates more effectively without storing them as body fat. You just have to have to know when to do it. Do it right and it works like a charm."
"The end result was a loss of over 70 pounds of fat, and I never gave up eating my favorite foods... not once, but at least three times a week."
A study conducted at the University of Phoenix could shed some light on why this approach to dieting may work better than traditional "calorie-counting" and overly-restrictive foods plans. People given the option of eating more frequently versus three meals a day ended up eating smaller servings of both healthy foods and, on some days, "junk foods" yet still lost more weight than the three-meals-per-day group. The evidence pointed toward the elevation of the metabolic rate through frequent eating and the psychological ease of being less restrictive regarding foods consumed.
"I believe food should be enjoyed, and in my opinion life is way too short to worry about eating perfect all the time," says Benson. "When I crafted this approach into what is now known as "The Every Other Day Diet", it became an overnight smash, and for good reason... it gave people a chance to have a life while they are losing weight. Let's face it: Anyone can diet for a day or two, and that's basically what The Every Other Day Diet asks of its users. Of course you cannot go hog wild on your Feed Days (the higher-calories favorite food meals) but just knowing your favorite foods are always just around the corner keeps you on the weight loss track."
"The end result is a diet that just about everyone can fall in love with. Loving your diet is the key to dietary success, as I said. And I do happen to love me some pizza! I just use that pizza now to actually help me lose weight rather than gain it, all while staying in good health."
Click Here To Visit His Website
What makes a diet stop working? What causes a man or a woman go on a diet, full of good intentions, only to discard the diet in a few weeks or months?
Is it discipline? Frustration? A lack of effectiveness? According to nutrition and fitness author Jon Benson, it comes down to one word: "Love."
"Love is the key to staying on a diet, a workout plan... anything that requires a change of lifestyle. It may seem obvious, but unless you actually 'love' the diet you are on, there is little chance of you staying on it for very long," says Benson. "All diets require a change in how you look at food, how you consume food, and even how you think about food. The problem is most diets make too many demands of the dieter right off the bat. They tell you not to eat certain foods, sometimes making that a permanent restriction, while allowing perhaps a day per week to 'overeat' your favorite foods."
"This is a disaster waiting to happen... and there is a much more balanced, healthy and effective way to diet than this," states Benson.
Ten years ago Benson was a somewhat typical American male: Overworked, over-stressed, and overweight. Benson's weight put him officially into the "obese" category and brought with it all the associated disease states such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides (a type of blood fat) and of course massive amounts of "stress fat" around the belly and chest region.
When Benson decided enough was enough, he, like so many others who are truly ready to change their body and their life, went a bit overboard. "Oh sure, I ate the typical dry chicken, oatmeal with nothing on it, bland rice, and tried to never eat anything I actually enjoyed. Lucky for me I actually love chicken, but most of my diet was composed of what I call my "hate foods", not my love foods -- foods I truly enjoyed eating. But my thinking was just like that of the typical dieter: 'If I eat (fill-in-the-blank favorite food) I'll get fatter and never lose weight!' How wrong I was... and after I started and stopped my diet at least ten times during a course of three years I finally got the message."
Benson decided to use his nutritional knowledge and his background in body shaping to his advantage. "I started thinking, 'Why not focus on progress rather than perfection?' Again, this seems like common sense, but most dieters are focused on being perfect all the time. So I began applying some old body shaping tricks to my dietary plan. For example, I started cycling my calories. I would eat more on one day, less on another. This kept my metabolism guessing and never allowed my body to hit that dreaded 'no more weight loss' plateau."
"Then I decided to push the envelope. I started experimenting with including my favorite foods -- pizza, pasta, and even desserts, all in reasonable quantities -- on my higher-calorie food days. At first it didn't work out too well. But then I used what I now call my "Caveman Principle" which involves strategically eating protein at specific times with a bit less food volume (and this allowed me to stop counting calories too!) and then including my favorite foods on specific days and, most important, specific times. Timing in this case is everything."
Benson says this timing includes both time of day as well as eating higher-calorie, higher-fat, higher-carbohydrate foods only after exercise. "Specific exercise, done for short periods of time, can set the body up to receive additional calories and carbohydrates more effectively without storing them as body fat. You just have to have to know when to do it. Do it right and it works like a charm."
"The end result was a loss of over 70 pounds of fat, and I never gave up eating my favorite foods... not once, but at least three times a week."
A study conducted at the University of Phoenix could shed some light on why this approach to dieting may work better than traditional "calorie-counting" and overly-restrictive foods plans. People given the option of eating more frequently versus three meals a day ended up eating smaller servings of both healthy foods and, on some days, "junk foods" yet still lost more weight than the three-meals-per-day group. The evidence pointed toward the elevation of the metabolic rate through frequent eating and the psychological ease of being less restrictive regarding foods consumed.
"I believe food should be enjoyed, and in my opinion life is way too short to worry about eating perfect all the time," says Benson. "When I crafted this approach into what is now known as "The Every Other Day Diet", it became an overnight smash, and for good reason... it gave people a chance to have a life while they are losing weight. Let's face it: Anyone can diet for a day or two, and that's basically what The Every Other Day Diet asks of its users. Of course you cannot go hog wild on your Feed Days (the higher-calories favorite food meals) but just knowing your favorite foods are always just around the corner keeps you on the weight loss track."
"The end result is a diet that just about everyone can fall in love with. Loving your diet is the key to dietary success, as I said. And I do happen to love me some pizza! I just use that pizza now to actually help me lose weight rather than gain it, all while staying in good health."
Click Here To Visit His Website
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Seasonal Weight Loss
As we approach the Christmas season everyone will want to look their best for all the Christmas parties. If you have put on a few extra pounds its not too late to lose the weight safely and look fabulous on the day. Here are a few tips that may help.
Before you start your diet spring clean your fridge and cupboards throwing away the foods that will tempt you from eating healthy.
Replace high fat foods with foods that are lower in fat like fruit and vegetables. If you are a meat eater cut away all visible fat from joints before cooking. Remove skin from chicken and cook on a rack if possible to drain the fat away from the joints. Buy a separator jug to drain away the fat from the juices of the meat, using the juices to make a delicious gravy. If using oil use a spray to minimise the amount you use. Cut out sugar laden fruit drinks and choose water, as this will stop you getting dehydrated. If you need to use spreads, use a low fat variety with just a scraping. It is most important to avoid the high fat crisps and chocolate bars, so replace them with a low fat snack of between 50 and 100 calories.
Do not eat food you do not like as your diet will be short-lived, but look for lower fat alternatives of your favourite foods. While out and about keep a piece of fruit in your bag or pocket so you are not tempted to pop in the shop for a chocolate bar.
Try to keep a food diary of what you eat as sometimes we eat things without being conscious of doing so.
Many people who lose weight tend to gain some back, but you can minimise the chances of this happening by making permanent changes to your diet. Losing weight requires determination, but can be a life changing experience.
Before you start your diet spring clean your fridge and cupboards throwing away the foods that will tempt you from eating healthy.
Replace high fat foods with foods that are lower in fat like fruit and vegetables. If you are a meat eater cut away all visible fat from joints before cooking. Remove skin from chicken and cook on a rack if possible to drain the fat away from the joints. Buy a separator jug to drain away the fat from the juices of the meat, using the juices to make a delicious gravy. If using oil use a spray to minimise the amount you use. Cut out sugar laden fruit drinks and choose water, as this will stop you getting dehydrated. If you need to use spreads, use a low fat variety with just a scraping. It is most important to avoid the high fat crisps and chocolate bars, so replace them with a low fat snack of between 50 and 100 calories.
Do not eat food you do not like as your diet will be short-lived, but look for lower fat alternatives of your favourite foods. While out and about keep a piece of fruit in your bag or pocket so you are not tempted to pop in the shop for a chocolate bar.
Try to keep a food diary of what you eat as sometimes we eat things without being conscious of doing so.
Many people who lose weight tend to gain some back, but you can minimise the chances of this happening by making permanent changes to your diet. Losing weight requires determination, but can be a life changing experience.
Do You Gain Weight At Work
Do you spend your working day sitting at a desk? If you do, I'll bet you are slowly gaining weight Then there are the office lunches. Isn't it funny how it always seems to be a colleague's birthday or anniversary? Where I work, that means he or she treats his or her colleagues to sticky cakes and maybe even alcoholic drinks. There are alternatives to these dietary distractions!!
Drink lots of water. This will help to make you feel full, keeping those cravings at bay. We often mistake thirst for hunger thereby eating when in reality we should be drinking water. Drinking water helps to suppress appetite, so is particularly good for you when you are dieting.
Eating snacks that are rated at 100 calories or less can help to boost your metabolism, but remember, these should only be healthy snacks!! Keep some low fat snacks or fresh fruit or raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks in your desk, and pick at these instead of chocolate bars.
Spend a few minutes making yourself a healthy packed lunch. Make sure that you get away from your desk at lunch time. A walk outside in the fresh air will increase your energy level, and invigorating your mind too.
Anticipating your evening meal is almost as much fun as actually eating it, especially if you have planned it yourself. You will be less tempted to spoil your appetite if you are involved in the planning of the meal, but remember, try to avoid using the deep fat fryer, as baking, grilling or micro-waving your food is so better, as less fat is used in the process.
Good quality sleep is important, so make sue you get sufficient sleep for the day ahead.
Drink lots of water. This will help to make you feel full, keeping those cravings at bay. We often mistake thirst for hunger thereby eating when in reality we should be drinking water. Drinking water helps to suppress appetite, so is particularly good for you when you are dieting.
Eating snacks that are rated at 100 calories or less can help to boost your metabolism, but remember, these should only be healthy snacks!! Keep some low fat snacks or fresh fruit or raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks in your desk, and pick at these instead of chocolate bars.
Spend a few minutes making yourself a healthy packed lunch. Make sure that you get away from your desk at lunch time. A walk outside in the fresh air will increase your energy level, and invigorating your mind too.
Anticipating your evening meal is almost as much fun as actually eating it, especially if you have planned it yourself. You will be less tempted to spoil your appetite if you are involved in the planning of the meal, but remember, try to avoid using the deep fat fryer, as baking, grilling or micro-waving your food is so better, as less fat is used in the process.
Good quality sleep is important, so make sue you get sufficient sleep for the day ahead.
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