1. Don’t expect to lose 50 lbs in one month!

Set a realistic goal for yourself, or you will be disappointed. And what could be less motivating than disappointment?

If you are continually searching for the miracle ‘quick weight loss diet’, you’re never going to lose weight. It doesn’t exist! Not in a healthy world anyway. Losing around 2 lbs each week is ideal.

Choosing a proper diet and exercise regime is the best solution for weight loss. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

2. Drink water.

I’m not going to list the many reasons why everybody should be drinking a gallon of water each day. I will say however, that drinking enough water can make or break a successful weight loss program.

Drinking more water will leave you less bloated and start getting your body ready for weight loss. Everything in your body will run more efficiently by getting at least 10 8 ounce glasses of water each day.

It is also thought that drinking ice cold water will increase the amount of calories burnt each day due to your body having to heat the water to use it properly.

3. Don’t forget that drinks count as calories!

A lot of people count their calories each day when trying to lose weight. But are they counting the sodas and coffees they are drinking with their food? If you drink one can of coca-cola in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, you’ve just consumed 750 calories!

And if you’re really serious about losing weight, staying away from alcohol is a must. You won’t tip the scale if you have one drink now and then, but remember that just one beer can have anywhere from 100 - 175 calories, depending on the brand and amount of alcohol in it.

The best strategy - drink water.

4. Find a ‘weight loss buddy’.

Having someone to lose weight with can actually help you reach your weight loss goal. A weight loss buddy will provide support and encouragement, and maybe even a little friendly competition.

Weight loss buddies can be found online, or you can recruit a friend or family member to go for walks or jogs with you. They can also make your weight loss experience much more enjoyable.

5. Stay motivated.

I know what it’s like to feel really pumped to start losing weight. For the first few weeks (or in my case a few days) you feel really good and you take your weight loss goal seriously.

Then, something happens and you just don’t feel like doing it anymore. The reason for this is lack of motivation.

There are so many sources of motivation, you just have to find one - and keep it. This could be a weight loss buddy as mentioned earlier, a picture of yourself 30 lbs lighter taped to the fridge, or a little black dress hung up in plain view in your bedroom. Use your imagination and come up with something inspiring.

Cassandra Germsheid is the author of RealWeightLossInfo.com where she shares her knowledge about weight loss. You can learn more about healthy lifestyle habits at http://realweightlossinfo.com and don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter to receive a free special weight loss report.

Tags: healthy ways to lose weight, lose weight, weight losshealthy ways to lose weight, lose weight, weight loss

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Now that it’s summer, it’s almost impossible to avoid the ever-popular summer BBQ. Some of our favorite meals are cooked over charcoal, but we still need to be aware that many of the traditional ’summer’ foods are packed with fat and calories!

Isn’t it ironic that some of the ‘fattest’ foods make their debut in the summer when we’re all trying to fit into that bathing suit?

So which traditional summer foods will break the belt?

HOT DOGS. Although they’re small, the typical hot dog contains about 30% of your daily saturated fat intake! At about 180 calories each, hot dogs may seem quite harmless until we realize that 140 of those calories are from FAT. Don’t forget that the average hot dog bun has 110 calories, which boosts the total to 250 calories per hot dog.

HAMBURGERS. Ground beef comes in all sorts of varieties, from ‘full-fat’ to ‘low-fat’. You’ll pay more for the low-fat version, but it’s worth it. The average hamburger has about 275 calories and 12 grams of fat (includes the bun). That’s slightly less fat than the hot dog, but more calories. “The secret to keeping the burger lean is to avoid the high fat toppings such as mayonnaise, bacon, cheese or sauces and instead, garnish simply with ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, onions and relishes” (Source: Ontario Cattlemen’s Association). Pile on the high-calories toppings and you’ll boost the calorie count to 800 or even higher!!

POTATO CHIPS. A summer BBQ just wouldn’t be a BBQ without the chips! But while we’re enjoying the crunch, we’re putting on the pounds. Many brands of potato chips contain about 150 calories per serving. Doesn’t sound like much? Consider that what they call a ’serving’ is really one ounce…..11 chips. Here’s another way to look at it: each SINGLE potato chip provides a bit more than 1% of your daily recommended fat intake!

So what’s a summer-BBQ-lovin’ person to do? Relax! There’s no need to avoid the fun this summer! By just making a few creative adjustments to the menu, we can enjoy the family picnic while keeping our diet under control.

Try fruits, veggies and baked beans instead of chips. We all know the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, so focus on those instead of full-fat potato chips. High in fiber and low in calories, these choices will help us feel full without putting on the pounds.

Try a ground turkey patty instead of a hamburger. It will save you more than 100 calories, and it’s really not bad tasting! Be sure to look for SKINLESS ground turkey, which has far fewer calores than just ‘ground turkey’.

Consider putting some boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the BBQ instead of beef. Lower in calories and fat, chicken breasts are a good choice for any event.

Don’t forget about fish! The choices are almost endless, and the health benefits are overwhelming. Put some salmon on the BBQ and enjoy! “We recommend eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week. Fish is a good source of protein and doesn’t have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do” (Source: www.americanheart.org).

Finally, watch the drinks. High-calorie beverages like lemonade and Kool-Aid boast between 60 and 100 calories per glass, and sometimes even more. A single can of soda usually contains about 160 calories. Choose low-calorie drinks like iced tea (unsweetened) or just plain old water.

With just a little effort, the summer BBQ doesn’t have to add inches or pounds! Choose healthy, low-fat and low-calorie foods instead of the traditional fare and keep those pounds off!

Have a GREAT summer!

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

Tags: diet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weightdiet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weight

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Losing more than a pound or two a week is not healthy. Fast weight loss is bad for two main reasons.

Lose weight fast and you will lose muscle

Firstly, if you lose weight quickly you lose muscle along with fat. This is bad when it comes to weight loss.

Muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn and this applies to when you’re not doing anything strenuous. Losing muscle is therefore not a good idea.

Lose weight fast and you slow your metabolism

Secondly, if you lose weight too quickly your body will slow down your metabolism.

When we skip meals or crash diet, our body is programmed to think it’s starving and slows down our metabolism to conserve energy.

What is conserved is our fat stores; our weight loss comes from water and muscle.

A Graphic example

For example, studies show that when dieting, the weight we lose is approximately 75 percent fat and 25 percent muscle.

In addition, a relatively high percentage of this weight loss is likely to be water.

Keep in mind, water accounts for about 70 percent of the total body weight of an average person, with muscle tissue containing approximately 75 percent water and body fat containing about 50 percent water.

Losing weight quickly is therefore very difficult as we are
simply losing water in the sort term.

The dangers of crash dieting

Crash dieting refers is a method in which we lose weight simply by restricting the number of calories consumed.

This method of losing weight fast is considered unhealthy, and it is rare that people who do it keep weight off.

They cannot adjust to these new unhealthy eating habits and then put the weight straight back on.

Your goal should be long term weight loss

Consider this, if you only lost a pound a week that would be 52 pounds a year and that is a lot of weight.

If you lose weight slowly you will remain healthy and also stand a good chance of keeping it off.

The maximum amount of body fat a healthy person can lose is about 1 or 2 pounds per week.

The human body is simply not designed to lose weight quickly and this is a healthy amount of weight loss to aim for.

Reasons why losing weight fast is difficult and unhealthy

Our bodies are programmed to help us survive in times of
starvation.

Our basic body reactions have been set since man first walked the earth and in those days food was not just a phone call, or short walk away.

In times gone by, famine was the biggest threat to mans survival and your body is programmed to protect you.

This is why it won’t ever lose excessive amounts of fat in a short period of time; your body is programmed to conserve fat.

If you drastically reduce your calorie intake, you slow down your metabolism, in order to conserve calories, as we discussed earlier.

This is one reason why we encounter a weight loss quickly is, so difficult as your body actively fights to conserve weight, it’s a survival reflex.

Side Effects of Losing Weight quickly

In addition losing weight quickly has serious side affects that can harm us

Appearance of Loose Skin

If you shed weight too quickly, your skin does not have time to shrink to your new body dimensions.

The only effective treatment for this is to fix the lose skin with surgery.

Gallstones

Studies have shown that people who lose weight quickly, have a greater risk of developing gallstones.

Lack of energy and illness

Depending on the diet there are a host of other complications including lack of energy and nausea for those who cut out carbs and a general feeling of ill health and lack of energy as you deprive your body of food.

Lose weight slowly

Don’t be taken in by quick fix weight loss, its not possible aim for longer term weight loss.

You will lose weight, keep it off and feel both healthier and happier.

For more sensible nitrition and diet tips visit
http://www.net-planet.org/health.html.

Tag: fast weight lossfast weight loss

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