At first glance, keeping a food journal doesn't really seem to be a great way to lose weight fast. Writing doesn't burn a lot of calories and it isn't reducing the calories eaten. But let's think about this a little bit more because I would say to you that a food journal is the most effective of all the fast ways to lose weight that I have ever heard.
Can you remember what you ate yesterday? Everything you ate? Are you leaving something out or skipping over how much of something you ate? I bet you are, even if you don't realize it. Now write it down. Take five minutes or so and really think about it. Make sure to include all snacks, meals and drinks throughout the day. Surprised at how big the list is? I know I was the first time I did it. Bet you didn't think you ate that much. Now, look over your list again and write down beside each item how much of each item you ate or drank. Use whatever measurements work for you. Now look at your list again. Mentally picture all that food and drink together on one table. Can you believe you ate all of that yesterday? If you were to repeat your day yesterday, would you now eat and drink everything the same? Probably not because now you are looking at things from the big picture, not just "one little bite".
Keeping a food journal will keep you honest about how much you are eating every day. And you will start to think about it when you are making your food choices. You will stand in front of the vending machine and instead of thinking about that chocolate bar you crave, you will think about having to write down and admit to yourself that you did not have the willpower to resist, again.
Very quickly, you will change your eating habits as you become more aware of what you are putting in your body.
As you become more adept at completing your food journal, your measurements can get more specific. They can include a number of servings to track your consumption, they can include the approximate number of calories consumed. It will also give you an opportunity to plan your diet and what you will eat each day, not only as far as caloric intake but also from an overall health viewpoint - making sure you get all your fruits and vegetables for example.
No other weight loss tool will force you to look at your diet and be honest with yourself like this will. It is free and you can even download programs online to help you monitor your diet. Now get started!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Exercise - One Of The Fast Ways To Lose Weight
Exercise, the daunting word when looking at weight loss. This is the step that is most dreaded by legions of weight loss hopefuls. It is the most intimidating, the easiest to make excuses to skip and the hardest to create a habit of. But you will not have fast, successful weight loss without it. No blog about fast ways to lose weight can ignore the benefits of exercise. To get you started, here are some exercise basics, stated here to help relieve the pressure and intimidation about getting started.
Exercise can be divided into two major categories: aerobic or cardio and strength or resistance training. An aerobic program usually consists of cardio exercise performed three to six days per week. Each session should last 30 minutes and if you work at a moderate intensity, you should burn about 300 calories per session. The more challenging the cardio and the higher intensity at which you work, the more calories you will burn. A strength training session will burn roughly half the calories of the cardio session.
After learning that, it seems like cardio is the only way to go. When looking at fast ways to lose weight, the answer is clearly yes. But in order to help you lose more weight over time, you should certainly consider adding resistance training to your repertoire. Why? Because strength training will help increase your muscle mass and muscle burns more calories which will help you lose more weight in the long term.
When starting an exercise program, be sure to choose activities that you enjoy. It takes 21 repetitions to make something a habit, which is you exercise everyday is three weeks. That's a long time to continue to do something you dislike. If you don't know what exercise you would like, try something new each day, recumbent bike, treadmill, an exercise class etc. Once you create the habit, you are well on your way to not only fast weight loss, but also keeping the weight off over time!
Exercise can be divided into two major categories: aerobic or cardio and strength or resistance training. An aerobic program usually consists of cardio exercise performed three to six days per week. Each session should last 30 minutes and if you work at a moderate intensity, you should burn about 300 calories per session. The more challenging the cardio and the higher intensity at which you work, the more calories you will burn. A strength training session will burn roughly half the calories of the cardio session.
After learning that, it seems like cardio is the only way to go. When looking at fast ways to lose weight, the answer is clearly yes. But in order to help you lose more weight over time, you should certainly consider adding resistance training to your repertoire. Why? Because strength training will help increase your muscle mass and muscle burns more calories which will help you lose more weight in the long term.
When starting an exercise program, be sure to choose activities that you enjoy. It takes 21 repetitions to make something a habit, which is you exercise everyday is three weeks. That's a long time to continue to do something you dislike. If you don't know what exercise you would like, try something new each day, recumbent bike, treadmill, an exercise class etc. Once you create the habit, you are well on your way to not only fast weight loss, but also keeping the weight off over time!
5 Diets To Lose Weight Fast
A large percentage of our society is overweight and it is difficult to find your way back from it. As a society, we are always looking for fast ways to lose weight. Below are five diets that can help you lose weight quickly.
Low Carb Diet
This diet focuses on limiting carbohydrates and consuming a lot of protein. Generally, one can eat as much lean meat and protein as they like but cannot eat carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and potatoes. Individuals are able to trick their bodies into burning more fat and this can result in quick weight loss. The most well known diet of this type is the Atkins diet.
Calorie Alternating Diet
This diet consists of eating normally for two days, then cutting your calories for two days and repeating the cycle. The body burns calories based on collected data and this tricks the body into burning more calories and results in fat burning.
5 Day Diet
This diet was originally created for individuals who were headed for heart surgery, to help them slim down before the operation. This diet provides all essential vitamins and minerals but restricts calories to under 1500 per day.
Metabolism Boosting Diet
This diet works by helping to boost an individuals metabolism. The trick is to eat more than three meals a day but the meals must be very small. For example, one could eat six meals a day but would be restricted to 200 calories per meal. This will help you build up your metabolism and digest the food easily. It will also help you to feel fuller longer by spreading the meals out over the course of the day.
Cabbage Soup Diet
This diet is designed to allow you to feel full while losing weight quickly. You can eat as much of the cabbage soup as you like on any day and certain other foods are assigned to different days in addition to the soup. For example, fruit one day, steak one day etc. But beware, your coworkers may not be big fans of this diet. Cabbage soup smell in the office is less than appetizing.
These are a few diets that can help you get started on your weight loss. Once you have completed these diets, in order to keep the weight off, you will have to alter your regular eating habits. But that is a topic for another post!
Low Carb Diet
This diet focuses on limiting carbohydrates and consuming a lot of protein. Generally, one can eat as much lean meat and protein as they like but cannot eat carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and potatoes. Individuals are able to trick their bodies into burning more fat and this can result in quick weight loss. The most well known diet of this type is the Atkins diet.
This diet consists of eating normally for two days, then cutting your calories for two days and repeating the cycle. The body burns calories based on collected data and this tricks the body into burning more calories and results in fat burning.
5 Day Diet
This diet was originally created for individuals who were headed for heart surgery, to help them slim down before the operation. This diet provides all essential vitamins and minerals but restricts calories to under 1500 per day.
Metabolism Boosting Diet
This diet works by helping to boost an individuals metabolism. The trick is to eat more than three meals a day but the meals must be very small. For example, one could eat six meals a day but would be restricted to 200 calories per meal. This will help you build up your metabolism and digest the food easily. It will also help you to feel fuller longer by spreading the meals out over the course of the day.
Cabbage Soup Diet
This diet is designed to allow you to feel full while losing weight quickly. You can eat as much of the cabbage soup as you like on any day and certain other foods are assigned to different days in addition to the soup. For example, fruit one day, steak one day etc. But beware, your coworkers may not be big fans of this diet. Cabbage soup smell in the office is less than appetizing.
These are a few diets that can help you get started on your weight loss. Once you have completed these diets, in order to keep the weight off, you will have to alter your regular eating habits. But that is a topic for another post!
10 Foods to Help You Lose Weight Fast
The right foods can help you drop pounds by revving up your calorie burn and helping to curb your cravings. Below are ten of the top picks to help you slim down in no time.
1. Eggs, yolk and all. Egg protein is filling and it will help you eat less later in the day. Omelets and scrambled eggs are obvious choices but if you don't have time to cook during the week, cook up a frittata on the weekend and warm it up throughout the week.
2. Oats. Oatmeal is the most satisfying food out there. It digests slowly and helps you feel fuller, longer. All oats are healthy but steal cut and rolled are minimally processed and can have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving.
3. Lentils. These are a belly flattener. They are high in protein and fiber and eating them will help to prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the belly area.
4. Apples. Apples are high in fiber, 4 to 5 grams each, which makes them filling. They are also easy to prepare and take with you on the go, making them an ideal snack.
5. Salmon. Fish fats help to keep your heart healthy but they can also help shrink your waist. Omega 3 fatty acids improve insulin sensitivity, which helps you to build muscle and decrease belly fat. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. If you have the choice, choose wild salmon which may contain fewer pollutants.
6. Blueberries. All berries are good for you, but blueberries are the best. They have the highest antioxidant level of all commonly consumed fruit. They also have 3.6 grams of fiber per cup. Why is fiber so important? It may actually prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed because it helps to pull fat through the digestive tract quickly.
7. Pomegranates. Both teh juice and the seeds are healthy. They have lots of disease fighting antioxidants and they are low in calories but high in fiber. They will satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet. You can eat the seeds on their own in a snack, use them in salads or add the juice to your morning smoothie.
8. Chiles. Chiles will help crank up your metabolism. It will cause the body to burn extra calories for about 20 minutes after eating. It will also increase the spicy factor of your food which will in turn slow down your eating. After all, you can't gulp down spicy food! This will give your brain time to register the fact that you are full, making sure you don't overeat.
9. Yogurt. We've all seen the commercials touting yogurt as an integral part of a feel good diet. It is a good mix of carbs, protein and fat and it can help stave off hunger by keeping your blood sugar levels steady.
10. Olive oil. Olive oil has healthy fat that increases your satisfaction and makes you feel full. This will help curb your appetite.
Manage to incorporate a few of these into your regular diet and you will be well on your way to losing weight fast!
1. Eggs, yolk and all. Egg protein is filling and it will help you eat less later in the day. Omelets and scrambled eggs are obvious choices but if you don't have time to cook during the week, cook up a frittata on the weekend and warm it up throughout the week.
2. Oats. Oatmeal is the most satisfying food out there. It digests slowly and helps you feel fuller, longer. All oats are healthy but steal cut and rolled are minimally processed and can have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving.
3. Lentils. These are a belly flattener. They are high in protein and fiber and eating them will help to prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the belly area.
4. Apples. Apples are high in fiber, 4 to 5 grams each, which makes them filling. They are also easy to prepare and take with you on the go, making them an ideal snack.
5. Salmon. Fish fats help to keep your heart healthy but they can also help shrink your waist. Omega 3 fatty acids improve insulin sensitivity, which helps you to build muscle and decrease belly fat. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. If you have the choice, choose wild salmon which may contain fewer pollutants.
6. Blueberries. All berries are good for you, but blueberries are the best. They have the highest antioxidant level of all commonly consumed fruit. They also have 3.6 grams of fiber per cup. Why is fiber so important? It may actually prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed because it helps to pull fat through the digestive tract quickly.
7. Pomegranates. Both teh juice and the seeds are healthy. They have lots of disease fighting antioxidants and they are low in calories but high in fiber. They will satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet. You can eat the seeds on their own in a snack, use them in salads or add the juice to your morning smoothie.
8. Chiles. Chiles will help crank up your metabolism. It will cause the body to burn extra calories for about 20 minutes after eating. It will also increase the spicy factor of your food which will in turn slow down your eating. After all, you can't gulp down spicy food! This will give your brain time to register the fact that you are full, making sure you don't overeat.
9. Yogurt. We've all seen the commercials touting yogurt as an integral part of a feel good diet. It is a good mix of carbs, protein and fat and it can help stave off hunger by keeping your blood sugar levels steady.
10. Olive oil. Olive oil has healthy fat that increases your satisfaction and makes you feel full. This will help curb your appetite.
Manage to incorporate a few of these into your regular diet and you will be well on your way to losing weight fast!
5 Fast Ways To Lose Weight
Losing weight is tough. It is hard to get started, it is hard to keep going and it is hard to keep the weight off. There is no quick fix for it all, you need to make a lifestyle change. And while a lifestyle change won't happen all at once, you can get started right away, you will start to see results right away and you will be able to keep the weight off forever. Here are 10 fast ways to get started losing weight.
1. Buy a pedometer and start walking. You should take at least 10,000 steps per day. It sounds daunting, but it isn't at all. You may not be able to continue your couch potato, elevator taking, parking close to the entrance lifestyle but with a few easy changes you will easily reach 10,000.
2. Drink more water. You should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. Do not go overboard and drink 20 glasses, it will not help you. But I am willing to bet that you are currently drinking more like 2 to 4 glasses of water per day right now. Increasing your water intake will increase your metabolism, it will give you a feeling of fullness in your stomach and help you eat less.
3. Replace soda, coffee, tea and juice with water. This will certainly help you achieve #2, drink more water. As a culture, we consume approximately 1/3 of all our calories in liquid form. Imagine, removing 1/3 of your caloric intake instantly and the effect that could have on your weight loss. This is one of the easiest steps to take and it will have a huge impact.
4. Exercise portion control. Portion size in North American society is out of control. You could feed a family of four with one meal served in a restaurant these days. It's not healthy but it is difficult to control. Portion size is not just a physical problem, it is also a social and mental hurdle. It is hard to convince yourself you are full or that you have enough food when your plate looks empty. It is hard to explain an empty plate to family, friends and coworkers. To mitigate all of this, use smaller plates. Your plate will look full, allowing you to feel like you are eating your fill while controlling your portion size and no one will think you are "skimping" on food.
5. Stand for 10 minutes every hour. Easy enough and it will even give you a break from your work, television, kids or whatever you are doing. It will get your body moving again, increase your metabolism and help move you out of couch potato mode! If you find standing tedious, go for a short walk, visit the water cooler, pick up your photocopies, ask someone a question in person instead of calling or sending an email.
It is easy to start taking steps in the right direction and once you have taken them, it is easy and fast to lose weight.
1. Buy a pedometer and start walking. You should take at least 10,000 steps per day. It sounds daunting, but it isn't at all. You may not be able to continue your couch potato, elevator taking, parking close to the entrance lifestyle but with a few easy changes you will easily reach 10,000.
2. Drink more water. You should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. Do not go overboard and drink 20 glasses, it will not help you. But I am willing to bet that you are currently drinking more like 2 to 4 glasses of water per day right now. Increasing your water intake will increase your metabolism, it will give you a feeling of fullness in your stomach and help you eat less.
3. Replace soda, coffee, tea and juice with water. This will certainly help you achieve #2, drink more water. As a culture, we consume approximately 1/3 of all our calories in liquid form. Imagine, removing 1/3 of your caloric intake instantly and the effect that could have on your weight loss. This is one of the easiest steps to take and it will have a huge impact.
4. Exercise portion control. Portion size in North American society is out of control. You could feed a family of four with one meal served in a restaurant these days. It's not healthy but it is difficult to control. Portion size is not just a physical problem, it is also a social and mental hurdle. It is hard to convince yourself you are full or that you have enough food when your plate looks empty. It is hard to explain an empty plate to family, friends and coworkers. To mitigate all of this, use smaller plates. Your plate will look full, allowing you to feel like you are eating your fill while controlling your portion size and no one will think you are "skimping" on food.
5. Stand for 10 minutes every hour. Easy enough and it will even give you a break from your work, television, kids or whatever you are doing. It will get your body moving again, increase your metabolism and help move you out of couch potato mode! If you find standing tedious, go for a short walk, visit the water cooler, pick up your photocopies, ask someone a question in person instead of calling or sending an email.
It is easy to start taking steps in the right direction and once you have taken them, it is easy and fast to lose weight.
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