Archive for November, 2009

I know, most people will probably think “I’m just not the physical type of guy” or “Exercise is pain and there’s no room for pain in my life.”  Well, guess what exercise, along with a proper diet are necessities to fat loss.  There is just no way of getting around it.  True, subscribing to a crash diet plan will get you shedding those unwanted pounds.  However, sooner or later, you will realize that the pounds will slowly creep back, with a vengeance.  Millions have become disillusioned with seeing huge numbers weeks after getting off a fad diet that did have them lose some pounds.

Permanent fat loss ultimately involves exercising. Along with exercising should come a shift in perception of exercise.  You do not need to immerse yourself in 2 hours of gym sessions right away.  Start slow with a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood every other day.  Moreover, the perception of exercise being so strenuous and not fit for everyone should be junked.  Incorporate exercise in your beloved activities.  Walk through stores and carry all your purchases for an hour when shopping is your thing.  Get into yoga if you are the serene type who goes for relaxation and mediation.  If you love water, then there’s swimming or even water aerobics.  There will always be a physical activity suited for every person, no matter how “un-physcially coordinated” or geeky a person is.  It’s all a matter of a change in outlook.

So, here is the deal: if you’re pressed for time and need to show off a rocking body for the beach or to fit in a dress for a special occasion, then go ahead and jump into the “diet” bandwagon.  But do not expect for the results to last you forever.  Also, don’t get into a fad diet and stick to it forever just so you’ll permanently loss weight.  That is just not healthy.  For permanent weight loss, you need to eat properly and exercise.

I know, you may think proper diet is too cliché when talking about fat loss.  Thoughts of “Not again!” and “Do we really have to go there?” cross your mind.  The truth is, yes.  There’s just no getting around this indispensable constants in permanent fat loss.

With a proper diet, another seemingly cliché-ic couple surfaces – fruits and vegetables.   You can’t go wrong with millions of people testifying to the proven and tested benefits of this nutritious duo.  Sitting to a plate of freshly cut vegetables or a fruit salad will not only reduce the number of calories you put in your body, you’ll also get the necessary vitamins and minerals for your body to function properly.  Reducing meat in your diet and increasing your intake of fruits and veggies will have an effect in every aspect of your being.  You’ll feel lighter, less bloated, and you’ll even notice your sweat and other bodily excrements smelling less odorous.  This is not to say that you need to go vegetarian and shun meat altogether (although if you do, congratulations!).  More fruits and veggies with a little meat is definitely healthier than the other way around.

Yes, you read the sentence in the first paragraph right, permanent.  If you plan to shed unsightly pounds to fit into a wedding gown in 2 weeks, then I’ll give you some leeway in following that crazy fad diet.  But then, if you are really serious in having weight loss that will last you longer and give you health benefits, than believe me: there is NO way of escaping adhering to a proper diet.

A lot of people get frustrated with their fat loss regimen because it seems that when they already lose weight one week, they gain the same amount, or worse, more weight the next week.  It is irritating to see those pounds reflected back in the weighing scale after working your butt off every week.  Or did you really?

Fat loss involves a permanent commitment which involves sticking to something more than a one-week exercise regiment or a 3-day diet.  With losing weight permanently, certain changes in lifestyle and perceptions have to be done.  Here are some tips to get you into really getting rid of unwanted pounds for life:

•    Eat before going grocery shopping.  A healthy snack before heading to the grocery store will reduce your propensity to grab just about anything in the shelf as opposed to when you go to the grocery on an empty stomach.
•    Foods high in fat content have higher calorie content than regular food.  Thus, reducing your intake of fats will also result in a reduction of calories.
•    Think of “health” instead of “diet.”  Dieting conjures images of sacrifice and struggle.  Thinking of health is more a reward of feeling young, having healthy skin and not getting aches or pains every so often.  A shift in thinking will get you more pumped up easier than you’ve imagined.

The results when following these tips may come gradually, but surely.  Remember, permanent weight loss is different than following fad diets that can show fast, but also very temporary results.  Stick to these tips and feel a change that gives you more contentment and happiness.

Anyone who had to do a serious fat loss program would advise you that physical activity should be included for its success.  Without doing anything physical a person trying to lose weight will just feel weak and lethargic.  But with exercise, the person will feel more energized and active.  He or she will soon notice faster fat loss and a gradual but healthy change in lifestyle and outlook in life.

For optimum weight loss, why don’t you try these exercise that will sure rev up your energy and at the same time aid in speeding up the entire process of shedding unwanted fat and pounds? Combining exercise with Zero Friction Fat Loss will drive your unwanted fat to oblivion.

Rowing
Rowing is a great exercise for weight loss because it promotes activity in all areas of the body – the legs and the core muscles for stability and the arms and shoulders for the actual rowing action.  You do not need to go to a lake or river to row, although it would be nice to have some fresh air and calming sites while you get into the rowing groove.  You can actually do this exercise in a gym or at home with a rowing machine.  Not only does it burn a lot of calories, but also promotes the building of lean muscles, so you won’t look like a steroid-crazy bodybuilder.

Running
When done properly, running can burn more calories for the same amount of time done than any other physical activity.  This can be achieved with interval running, where you run, for say 3 minutes, then walk or jog for 3 minutes and then repeat the procedure.

Squat Presses
This exercise involves having a pair of dumbbells or barbells which you press above your head as you come to the top of your squat and bring down as you squat again.  The exercise targets the large muscle groups of your body and increases you heart rate, making it an ideal cardio exercise.

With proper diet and these exercises done at least three times a week, your fat and weight loss goals should be a reality in less time than you originally aimed for. Zero Friction Fat Loss is the best weight loss program I’ve ever come across.

Be very wary of fad or celebrity diets that restrict or remove food groups or types from your diet. To be healthy you require well balanced meals each and every day. So you will have to include lean meats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and grains. (these can be in the form of breads, cereal etc)

By doing this and making sure you include enough low glycemic index foods like proteins you will ensure you don’t feel hungry through the day. This is of course a great benefit as you don’t feel like snacking during the day.

The mistake of restricting foods or skipping meals will mean you’ll tend to binge later on in the day. So you win at the start but lose later in your fat loss goal.

A good help for you is to keep a diary of what you eat as well as how you are feeling as regards your hunger. This will quickly show any patterns to your eating and diet control.

If you’ve been eating a bad diet for a while you may think it is hopeless to try and change. Yet all you need to be is dedicated to making some changes. These small changes… one per week will change your lifestyle of eating and soon you’ll be looking and feeling much better.

Parties are where you can fall off your fat loss campaign. They are also major source of peer pressure, especially with alcohol and high calorie, high fat, foods everywhere.

What you need to remember is that alcohol contains hundreds of empty calories in just one drink. So even if you aren’t snacking on those high calorie nibbles you are still making it hard on yourself to continue losing weight.

When at a party, people might be pressuring you to have a good time, to drink and relax. After all… that is what parties are for and it can be difficult to stay strong and say no to the peer pressure.

One way that you could possibly get around this is to offer to drive to the party instead. This way, you’re nominating yourself as the designated driver. Your friends won’t want you to drink and probably they’ll be purchasing you waters and maybe even helping to pay for your gas.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, and other special events can all wreak havoc on your fat loss regime. So… even if you can easily resist temptation when by yourself it’s hard when someone’s pushing cake into your hand and they won’t take no for an answer.

Perhaps it’s time to tell a small fib. Maybe you could say that your stomach is a little upset so you don’t want to eat at the moment. Another one could be to pretend to have
a chocolate allergy. Little things like this will help you remain un-hassled if just telling the truth doesn’t work.

Remember… the people pressuring you are probably doing it out of misplaced concern for you. They just want you to have a good time. By being polite and letting them know you will only feel worse if you do indulge you can survive many a party and continue to lose weight.

If you know there will be no good foods for you at a party take along a health snack to nibble on so you aren’t tempted to indulge.

You should get you hands on Zero Friction Fat Loss so you can be in control and lose all the weight you want.

If you are on your path to regaining your life by proper nutrition and fat loss then you probably have already experienced peer pressure to eat foods you know are not good for you.

What you need to remember as you experience this pressure is that in most cases it is not meant to harm you… rather it’s mostly through ignorance or thoughtlessness. They just don’t understand the importance of your decisions.

Don’t worry if or when this happens to you… there are ways to overcome peer pressure and all it takes is a little know-how to get people off your back!

First – Do you like to eat out? This can be a real trap for fat loss if you have friends or family constantly asking you out to eat.

The trick for you is to go out less often… and when you do, to make healthy choices of what to eat and how much to eat. This comes down to being well informed as to what you can eat and what is full of bad fats and calories.

One easy option is not to drink alcohol when dining out. These drinks are full of empty calories (especially cocktails and beer) and will be no help in your fat loss quest. One option is to have one small wine, red is best, as it is full of antioxidants and other health giving properties.

Also… skip over the entrée’s and appetizers (unless it’s a side salad). These are usually high in fat which will not fill you up but instead have you craving more of the same.

By getting your family and friends onside you’ll be encouraged to make wise food choices and will continue to lose fat and you’ll not pressured to eat what they are eating.

For you to achieve easy fat loss you simply need to replace at least one of your meals with a balanced snack or even a meal replacement.

Then make sure you replace your soda or sugared coffee or tea with plain, simple water. Many folks can’t even lose fat without they drink at least 2 quarts of water daily. (make sure it is pure – you don’t want to poison your body while losing the fat)

Next… replace those candy bars you snack on with a piece of fruit.

Make these changes one at a time giving you a few days to get used to each change before implementing the next change. This will give your mind and body time to accept the change… and it’s not too much at once.

These small changes will produce big changes in fat loss over time. You will also grow in your confidence as you successfully make these changes in diet and you’ll start to see small things happen.

For example those favorite jeans will become easier to get into.

This is a good point to understand. Measure yourself… don’t weight yourself. Often you’ll see the results in size change before you see changes in your weight. Stick with these simple changes and your fat loss goals will become achievable.

There are a number of myths promoted by weight loss companies which need to be dispelled.

1/You need to spend endless hours in the gym. For most of us this is totally impractical.
2/ You need to cut out all fat and carbohydrates from your diet.

These two myths alone are responsible for more failures in weight loss than I can count.

Take the first myth, exercise. Yes it is good for you… but just climbing the stairs or parking your car just a little further away and walking the rest is all you really need.

It is better for you to eat the right combination of foods as these will boost your metabolism and you will actually burn fat while feeding your body.

Myth number two.

All carbs and fats are bad for you.  Wrong, wrong, wrong! You need good carbs for your body to function at its proper rate. Good, non processed carbs are a life saver yet they have been lumped in with all the not so good processed carbs and labelled as bad for you.

Fats are another group badly labelled. Yes many fats do fall into the bad category and these are mostly the processed fats and trans fats. I bet you didn’t know that many people simply cannot lose weight unless they eat fats… usually up to 20% of their calorie requirement each day.

So don’t just accept what you read. Inform yourself and rid yourself of excess fat now.