Blog on weight, How to Lose Fat on the Cheap

In my last post, I talked about Americans poor food choices and how we can substitute other foods to make a healthier choice. But it's not just about eating different foods, portion control plays an equally important part in controlling your weight. This is the hardest part, we've super-sized our meals in some cases all our lives and now we have to shrink our stomach so we can eat less and still feel full. O.K., I'm not blaming over weight solely on over-eating, Bad food choices and to many sugary drinks will cause excess body fat over time. That type of diet may not affect you during your school years, but as you mature even into your late 20's and you settle into a desk job, your activity level starts to go down. And even if you work out three or four times a week, you still don't have the same level of activity you had in your teens or earlier. That activity level you use to have burned all those calories you consumed while in school. Kids do eat poorly during th...

It's no secret: The American diet needs to change. Fast foods, high-calorie desserts, sweet drinks, and more have filled us up -- and out. Most adults and 1 in 3 children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Some people don’t really understand the term obese, they thing that it means your gigantic. Not that’s not what they mean. It’s a term that health care experts use when your excess body weight is large enough to cause you health problems. Changing the way you eat is pretty easy if you follow a few tips. To start, learn about some of the worst food offenders and how to replace them with healthier choices. Then try some portion-control tricks. Most of our calories come from foods high in fat and sugar. Sweets like cookies and cakes, along with yeast breads, top the list. We also load up on calories in chicken dishes (often breaded and fried), sodas, and energy and sports drinks. Pizza, alcohol, pasta, tortilla dishes, and beef dishes pile on more calories. Except for fries and...

Most of Americans say, “What’s the big deal, I barely use the salt shaker.” Read on and you’ll learn why salt maybe causing your health problems. Americans' love of salt has continued unabated in the 21st century, putting people at risk for high blood pressure, the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke, U.S. health officials said Thursday. In 2010, more than 90 percent of U.S. teenagers and adults consumed more than the recommended levels of salt -- about the same number as in 2003, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. "Salt intake in the U.S. has changed very little in the last decade," said CDC medical officer and report co-author Dr. Niu Tian. And despite a slight drop in salt consumption among kids younger than 13, the researchers found 80 percent to 90 percent of kids still consume more than the amount recommended by the Institute of Medicine. "There are many organizations that are focused on reducing dietary salt intake," sai...

I've gotten many email asking about the changes in our healthcare policies next year and a quick answer is that it will depend on your state. Now, having said that, I found an article of interest. The Q & A in the following article may answer some of your questions about the changes in your health insurance policy next year and if your trying to lose weight your insurance may help you with the doctor or counselor. Does health care reform cover obesity screenings and counseling? Yes. Starting in January 2014, any insurance plan you can buy in your state’s Marketplace includes a free obesity screening test. Your health care provider will use your weight and height to find your body mass index, called your BMI. A BMI of 25 or higher is overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is obese. If you get the screening test and are obese, you'll qualify for free counseling to help you lose weight. You'll get between 12 to 26 sessions. The type of counseling differs depending on the pl...

We’re finding more and more that our body will do the healing if we eat the proper foods. For instance, on the Today Show Dr. Oz was demonstrating how cancer grows in your body and that we all have these cancer cells but because some people aren’t getting a proper amount of certain foods, the cancer cells will grow and keep growing until we can detect them. Celery, onions and Leeks will stop cancer cells from growing, but you need to eat them 5 times a week. Remember we all have these cells, we need to stop them before they are large enough to be detected. And He also said that medicine has nothing that will do this. Similar remedies can solve most of our bodies problems. Some problems we know how to solve, but we still have to rely on medicine for most of the remedies. Today we’ve gotten away from eating the way our grandparents ate. In countries where people still eat fresh foods everyday, you don’t have the large amount of illness that we see in our urban cities. Maybe medicin...

Losing weight is a balancing act between the amount of calories you eat and the amount of calories you burn. For example, a women depending on height should stay in a range of 1500 to 2000 calories a day. A man depending on height can consume say 1800 to 2500 calories. Those estimates will depend on your age and activity levels ( how much you workout ). Weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you eat. This is important, you can’t exercise away a lot of calories. A normal workout, say a combination of running and walking for an hour, will only burn about 300 calories and that’s based on someone who is experienced at this type of workout. Someone new at this type of routine, you might only burn 100 calories. If your counting your calorie intake and don’t forget the drinks, You can balance the "consumption to burn" ratio by cutting back on sugary beverages or maybe snacks. Once you understand the equation, you’re ready to set your goals. Remember you don’t ...

In the 90’s, protein diets were all the rage. The idea behind them is to build muscle mass. Your body weight itself will burn calories, but muscle weight burns much more calories then the weight of fat and the muscle will also burn the fat you have because you’re not eating enough fat to feed the muscle. O.K., I know that might seem a little confusing but if your body is mostly muscle, the muscle will eat the fat your consuming. Your body really does need some fat. But there’s good fat and bad fat and it’s the bad fats that are stored and never seem to get burned up. Bad fats are what you have to avoid. So, the idea is to eat large amounts of protein and very little amounts of carbs or fat. Which might be great for those who like to take supplements. This type of diet, and there were many like this one, were labeled “Fad Diets” because you can’t stay on the diet indefinitely. Your not getting enough nutrition, it’s not a balanced diet. So you end up taking supplements and that doesn’...

You will want to read this. I wrote a post yesterday about exercise and rebounding, today I found this blog while I was surfing for new exercises. Personally, I like rebounding as an exercise because I feel that it jolts your circulation, gets your blood pumping and that feeds all parts of the body especially areas where you might have poor circulation. You see I feel that poor circulation or just a slow-down in circulation over the years will cause or just speed up aging. The author of this article has a completely different reason for rebounding, one I never thought of. Seniors in particular, will loss strength in the Immune System as they age, mainly because they become less mobile. Read this article about how this guy opted to exercise in place of Chemo. Let’s be honest about the immune system, most of us really have no idea what it is, or exactly how it works, we’re just glad we have one. The immune system is incredibly complex because your body has many lines of defense to...

Not just to lose weight. I exercise to firm up. If you lose several pounds quick, without exercise, you can end up pear shaped. I’m sure you’ve seen people walking on the street and it seems to happen to women more, but the first pounds that they loss always seems to be above the waist. The face, shoulders, arms and chest always lose fat first. Why, you might ask? I think it’s because no matter how much time you spend sitting or standing without moving, your arms and shoulder are still usually moving. When you spend time at a desk you are generally moving from the waist up even though your just sitting. That’s one reason that walking for exercise is the best exercise you can get. Basically, that’s your problem in this country, the reason obesity is at an all time high. We as Americans don’t walk enough. I don’t talk much about exercise, but it’s an important part of getting healthy. Most of us don’t want to take the time, we feel that we’re neglecting something more important. Actua...

Many factors can impact the success or failure of a new diet or exercise program, so we often spend a lot of time researching and choosing the best weight loss program, finding the most effective workout routine or eating the right foods. But there are also a mental attitude that can affect whether or not you lose weight. One of these factors is self-efficacy, and it’s easy to change. What is Self-Efficacy? Self-efficacy is your belief that you can successfully carry out a specific task. Simply said, You have to believe you can do it. If you start your weight loss journal with the words, “I can lose weight!”, your self-efficacy with regards to weight loss is probably high. You noticed I said weight lose journal, I know most of us don’t keep a journal, but today it’s easy. The traditional way would be to buy a book with blank pages and write everyday about the goal you have. Today, you can start a journal on your computer or tablet by using any text writer that comes with your compu...

This author has nailed it for me. She says everything I wanted to say. Losing weight is all about changing the way your living and the food your eating. Remember, there’s no quick fix. You didn’t put on the weight in a week and your not going to lose it in a week. Exercise will tone and firm the body, but to lose weight you have to change your diet. I've posted this before but it's an important post and others who write about weight loss feel the same way. Take a minute, if you never remember anything else I post, this you should remember. 5 Great Ways to Change up Your Diet You don't have to overhaul your entire diet to get a big health boost. Here are five simple changes you can put into action today for high-impact results. 1. Load Up on Fruits and Veggies You know fruits and vegetables are good for you, but did you know they should fill half your plate at every meal? That's what the the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends, and for good reason: P...

When it comes to food labels, manufacturers are very good at finding the loopholes in labeling laws and requirements, and subsequently very good at pulling the wool over YOUR eyes. One such loophole is the manufacturer's ability to claim "zero" grams of fat, or zero grams of trans fat, or zero calories on the label, when in fact the product does indeed contain plenty of fat, trans fat, and/or calories. Here's the law, and how food manufacturers get around it: Zero grams of fat or zero grams of trans fat: As long as the food item has less than .5g of fat or trans fat, respectively, the label does not need to claim their existence on the label. In fact, the product can even legally market "Zero grams of fat!" or "0g of trans fat per serving!" More on why this is a HUGE problem, and how food manfacturers deepen this loophole in just a minute. Zero calories per serving: As long as the food item has less than 5 calories per serving, it can be r...

I know all of us will usually find something else to do instead of exercise, but if you have a weight problem exercise even in moderation can be the answer to your problem. We don’t always realize that we’re inactive. We think that the work we do around the house or on the job is all the activity we need, but the amount of food you eat has a direct affect on the amount of exercise you need. You must burn all the calories you eat or you will add body fat. Seniors have the same problem. You can’t stop exercising because you have a few aches or pains. Actually, I do moderate exercise to reduce my pain. I have arthritis in my hands and knees and by doing a few stretching exercises, I don’t have to take any pain killers. Read this part of an article I found about exercise. It applies to anyone who’s inactive. Research found exercise increases the odds of healthy aging as much as sevenfold. And apparently it's never too late to start: Even adults who don't begin exercising until...