Blog on weight, How to Lose Fat on the Cheap

Forget counting calories. Your ticket to a lean, healthy body is “eating clean,” says Tosca Reno, author of The Eat-Clean Diet series. She means eating foods -- like lean protein, good-for-you carbs and fats, fresh fruits, and vegetables -- six times a day in the right amounts. Do that, drink lots of water, and exercise regularly, and Reno says you’ll turn your sluggish metabolism into a fat-burning machine. Dedicate yourself to the clean eating lifestyle, and you’ll lose about 3 pounds a week, Reno says. The benefits go beyond weight loss. You'll stay healthy and have more energy. Your eyes will look bright and alert. Your teeth and gums will be healthier. Your skin will glow. Oh, and did we mention you won't be hungry? “When you Eat Clean, the benefits are visible (and perceptible to you on the inside, too) from the top of your head to the tips of your toes,” Reno writes in The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged! The Eat-Clean philosophy is that nutrition is far more important ...

Yoga is a great way to work on your flexibility and strength. Just about everyone can do it, too -- it's not just for people who can touch their toes or want to meditate. Yoga is exercise and anything that's going to increase your activity level will help your body. Some  types of yoga  are about relaxation. In others, you move more. Most types focus on learning poses, called asanas. They also usually include attention to breathing. Yoga for Flexibility Yoga poses work by  stretching  your muscles. They can help you move better and feel less stiff or tired. At any level of yoga, you'll probably start to notice benefits soon. In one study, people improved their flexibility by up to 35% after only 8 weeks of yoga. Strike a Pose for Strength Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga and power yoga, are very physical. Practicing one of these styles will help you improve muscle tone. But even less vigorous styles of yoga, such as Iyengar or hatha, can...

It's not a weight-loss plan, it's the way the Mediterranean people have been eating for thousands of years. Back in the 1980's the medical community became very interested in the Mediterranean people. They had less health problems than other Europeans, Americans, and the rest of the Western World.  At first, they thought it might be the wine they drink every day. Like the French, they have far less cases of cancer and heart disease. So if it's not the red wine what is causing the difference. Now we know it's the diet, that makes the difference. Yes, red wine is good for your blood but it's the whole diet that gives them the good health they enjoy. There’s no calories to count or cutting out major food groups. You swap the bad fats for heart-healthy fats like olive oil. You’ll eat fish and poultry instead of red meat. And eat fruit instead of fancy desserts. You’ll eat more veggies and beans. Nuts are a mainstay, but only one handful a day. You can also ...

Did you know that there are 3 letters on food labels that you MUST avoid, especially if they're at the beginning of the list of ingredients? Those letters are OSE. Let me explain. You see, spotting sugar on food labels isn't quite as easy as it once was. Yep, now that food manufacturers are aware that consumers of the current day are much more discerning than those of yesteryear, they're doing everything they can to disguise sugar on their lists of ingredients. These days, it's not likely that you'll see "sugar" at the forefront of an ingredients list, but instead you'll see these code names: fructose maltose glucose sucrose And the worst of the worst, high fructose corn syrup. If you see any of the above -ose words in the first 3 or 4 ingredients on a food label, rest assured that product is LOADED with sugar and you should be avoiding it. The reason to avoid them is because these are sugar substitutes and there a lot more dangerous to yo...

Exercise is a big part of losing weight, but I don’t mean you have to sweat it off. You can lose weight without any exercise just by maintaining a proper diet. But if you don’t want to look like a pear, you need exercise, not any large quantity, but 30 minutes every other day is good. Losing weight is still 80% diet, 20% exercise. Exercise helps you to keep your strength. Losing weight can sap the energy from your body and exercising can keep that from happening. Without exercise you will lose your muscle tone along with some fat. Usually about 50% muscle and 50% fat. That's the reason professional trainers want you to eat a high-protein diet when your trying to lose weight. It helps you retain muscle, but you still need some exercise to keep your muscle tone. Your muscles will burn body fat. Losing muscle mass when you diet will only work against you. There are plenty of ways to be active in summer, fall and winter, even if the weather turns cold. You can stay in shape and hav...

Good for you: You’ve achieved your desired weight. Next up? Keeping it off. Yes, you need a positive attitude. The changes you made can stick. Most people who have lost weight put the weight back on, and that’s why they lose the willingness to diet again. Even those who diet again and again always seem to put the weight back. You can keep the weight off. People who gain the weight back are those who return to their old way of eating; there old lifestyle. They seem to thing this time they can beat the odds. This time they can keep the weight off. You can but there’s some simple rules to follow. Use these five tips to help you stay on track: Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals can slow your metabolism down; that means you'll burn less calories.  Skipping meals can also cause overeating later in the day. Weigh yourself daily. A daily weight-in may seem like overkill but research shows the method is more effective than getting on the scales less frequently. If  your keep...

When you're looking for a weight loss program, it's wise to look for one that will meet your needs and set you up for long-term success. In general, look for programs that focus on steady weight loss -- about 1-2 pounds a week. While you're choosing a program, ask these questions: Does the staff include qualified counselors and health professionals such as registered dietitians, doctors, and exercise physiologists? How limited are the food choices? Who sets your weight loss goal: you, or someone else? What percentage of people complete the program? What is the average weight loss among people who finish the program and at one year? What percentage of people have problems or side effects? What are those problems? Is there a maintenance program to help keep the weight off once you lose it? Maintaining weight loss is important, so there should be a plan for this. What is the total cost, including any foods or supplements that are required? If you plan to...

Dieting is hard. But avoiding "empty" calories helps you reach a healthy weight without feeling like you're dieting. If your trying to lose weight and you're trying to stick to 1600 or 1800 calories, make those calories count. Your body needs a certain amount of energy each day. Energy comes from food in the form of calories. Calories let you function and keep doing your daily activities. But after your body meets its needs, it stores extra calories as fat. Most of us get plenty of calories in our diet—often too many. Foods with empty calories have lots of calories but very few nutrients like vitamins and minerals. If you're cutting back to lose weight everything you eat has to give you energy. "Convenience foods," like packaged snacks, chips, and sodas, are common sources of empty calories. Nutrient-rich foods, on the other hand, have a lot more nutrients in relation to their calories. A few examples are vegetables, peanuts, fruit, and fish, chicken,...

I really don't write enough about "how technology can help you lose weight". If you're a busy person who lives that rush, rush lifestyle you need to look into fitness trackers. Wouldn't it be nice if you knew exactly what to do to lose weight successfully? What you need is a fitness tracker and a smart goal! S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym to remind you how to set a goal that maps out exactly what you need to do. These goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Don't just stack up data you get from a fitness device. Use the info you track, your calories burned, food eaten, and hours slept to shape S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself. Here's one example of how to do it. Look at your fitness device to see how many calories you burn a week by exercising. Let's say it's 1,000 calories. Use that data to bump up your calorie burn. For example, a S.M.A.R.T. goal is “I will walk enough to burn at least 1,250 calories through exercise ...