A Cheat Day May Be Good For Your Diet Plan

On a diet plan? Personally I feel diets don’t work because they have too many impractical restrictions. No wonder so many dieters give up and fail to lose weight. I mean what do you expect?

However, if you are on a diet plan and it is working for you, I say stick with it. On the other hand, if from time to time you are cheating on your diet plan well…it’s OK.

That’s right. Having a cheat day is OK.

As a matter of fact, having a cheat day may actually help you stick with your diet plan until you slim down to your desired size and weight.

Sounds unreasonable?

Not really.

Here are my 3 personal reasons why every dieter should have a cheat day on their diet plan.

Forbidding a Cheat Day on a Restrictive Diet is Unrealistic

As I mentioned before, I don’t like diet plans because I find them too restrictive. Not only are diet plans restrictive, but they are unrealistic telling people ‘they can’t eat this’ and ‘they can’t eat that’ where many dieters completely give up the foods they love.

First of all, most diet plans don’t teach people how to eat healthy as part of a lifestyle change. Diet plans like the 7 Day diet, Atkins Diet, Cabbage Diet, Banana Diet, Zone Diet, South Beach Diet and more are full of if with their promises to “lose 10 pounds in a week” or “lose 20 pounds in a month.”

Losing weight is not about dieting based off diet plans that only offer short term results. Losing weight is about making healthy lifestyle changes where long-term weight loss and weight maintenance takes time, patience, and hard work.

Besides, do you intend to stay on a diet plan forever where you’re not going to eat a slice of pizza or a slice of chocolate cake for the rest of your life?

That’s just plain unrealistic.

Instead, why not figure out how many calories you need to lose weight and try to stick within your daily calories? That way you won’t have to give up the “bad foods” you love and still lose weight.

As long as you can stay within your daily calories and be discerning of the types of “bad foods” you choose to eat, you can have a cheat day without sabotaging your diet.

 

A Cheat Day Can Teach You Self-Discipline

Another reason why I say it’s good for dieters to have a cheat day is because doing so can teach dieters self-discipline when it comes to eating bad foods.

Portion control, meal planning, moderation, and weight control are all part of self-discipline that’s crucial to losing weight for long term results and weight maintenance.

Again, diet plans don’t teach people how to properly eat healthy as part of a lifestyle change. However, dieters are expected to eat a “clean diet” free of bad foods forever. Then when dieters go to holiday functions, family gatherings, or hang out with friends, they don’t know how to practice self-discipline when the bad foods are in front of them and consequently they “cheat” on their diet.

Likewise, what do you suspect happens when dieters stops dieting?
Unfortunately, dieters return to their old eating habits that made them overweight in the first place.

Therefore, if you can learn self-discipline by having a cheat day, once you stop “dieting” you will be in a better position to maintain your new weight.

 

A Cheat Day Can Fight Off Mind Games That Diet Plans Play

The last reason why a cheat day may be good for your diet plan is because it can help dieters to realize they are not perfect and that they are only human.

Ever notice the bad foods you can’t have you want the most? Then if you eat the bad foods you feel guilty because you “failed” on your diet plan.

That’s the psychological mind games the weight loss industry plays on dieters. Dare to go off your diet plan for just one minute and SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!

Rubbish.

To reiterate once more, diet plans don’t teach people how to properly eat healthy as part of a lifestyle change.

That said…and to be rather blunt, if you are a dieter who has had little success on diet plans, there is no one to blame, but yourself because you chose a temporary solution to losing weight.

I can't stress this enough; losing weight is not about dieting. Losing weight is about making a lifestyle change…and a permanent change at that.

While there are dieters who do have some success on diet plans, they typically gain all the weight back plus more simply because they didn’t learn how to eat healthy as a new way of living.

In any event, if you want or have a cheat day on your diet plan, don’t feel guilty about it! Unless you plan to stay on a diet plan forever, I suggest to stop dieting and instead learn how to eat healthy as part of a lifestyle change.

And remember portion control, meal planning, moderation, and weight control for self-discipline. If you can do this when it comes to the bad foods, it’s totally fine to have a cheat day where you can still lose weight and have the lasting results you want.

Good Luck!

Foods That Burn Fat: The Top 10 Lists

Here a guest post from strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), certified personal trainer (CPT), and author Tom Venuto explaining the types of food dieters should eat to burn fat. For more info about "how to burn fat", check out Mr. Venuto's site BurnTheFat.com

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
BurnTheFat.com

Tom Venuto

Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest. It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs. That’s why I decided to put together four separate “top 10” lists of healthy foods that burn fat and build muscle.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats.

This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

* How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

* How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories?

* How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here’s one good answer: Eat a wide variety of high nutrient density, low calorie density foods that you enjoy which still fit within healthy, fat-burning, muscle-building guidelines!

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

Last but not least, I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want (stuff that is NOT on these lists - like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods you enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term. In the fruits and vegetables categories alone, there are hundreds of other choices out there, so enjoy them all!

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: BurnTheFat.com

Are Weight Loss Diet Plans Keeping You Fat?

The Yo-Yo Cycle of Weight Loss Diet Plans

There is nothing wrong with diets or dieting, but people should only need to go on a weight loss diet plan just once. Instead, there are people out there who go from one weight loss diet plan to another only to still be overweight.

No wonder why diets fail!

If you happen to be a dieter who has been yo-yo dieting for years, let’s face it, “dieting” has been keeping you fat!

Losing Weight is NOT About Dieting on a Weight Loss Diet Plan

Losing weight on a weight loss diet plan is not about dieting, but is about making lifestyle changes that includes eating right and regularly exercising with a fitness program. That’s it. Just those two actions alone will help any dieter slim down to a healthier size and weight.

So what is the problem?

I’ve said it once in my other articles and I’ll say it again…too many dieters look for easy ways to lose weight fast when it fact, losing weight takes time and consistency. That means if you have 20 lbs or more to lose, it may very well take 3 months or longer to lose the weight. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, like 50 lbs or more, it could take up to 1 year…or longer.

Choose An "Eating Plan", Not a Weight Loss Diet Plan

While there are several weight loss diet plans on the market, I always say to choose an eating plan that will work for you and that you can commit to long term (i.e. make it a part of your lifestyle).

Btw, crash diets and fad diet are not options for eating plans.

I’m referring to the types of weight loss diet plans that actually can be long term eating plans and work for people to lose and maintain weight. That said, eating healthy to lose weight on the right weight loss diet plan will be easier once you select an eating plan that you can realistically strict to.

Therefore, which eating plan do you think you can adopt as part of your new lifestyle?

Low-Carb Diet Plan: Limits (not excludes) carbohydrates like breads, pasta, and sugar while opting for a diet high in protein, vegetables, soy products, dairy products, and nuts.

Low-Calorie Diet Plan: Limits daily caloric intake to around 1,500-1,800 calories per day where the emphasis is placed on counting calories for fat loss. Never go below 1,200 calories per day! Using a calorie calculator for your age, height, weight, and how often you plan to workout on a fitness program is best to determine how many calories you need to lose weight.

Low-Fat Diet Plan: Intake of fat is strictly limited to about 30% or lower. Trans fat is completely avoided, as well as the majority of processed foods and foods high in sugar. Saturated fat is limited to about 10% of your daily caloric intake. “Good fats” like monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3 are preferred and are found in foods such as canola oil, olive oil, olives, nuts, fish, and avocados.

Raw Food Diet Plan: Fruit and plant base diet consisting of 75% or more in raw foods (uncooked and unprocessed). Many raw food dieters are strict vegans (no animal meat, diary products, fish, or eggs of any kind).

Vegetarian Diet Plan-Vegetable based diet consisting of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables while avoiding animal products other than dairy and eggs.

Remember, losing weight to slim down is not about “dieting” on a weight loss diet plan. Just simply choose an eating plan that you can realistic stick to and make it a part of your new lifestyle.

While eating healthy is key to losing weight, so is incorporating a regular fitness program for overall fat loss. If you can change your lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising regularly with a fitness program, along with giving yourself time to slim down and be consistent, you will get the body you want once and for all.


Good Luck!



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Weight Control

Start Taking Responsibility for Your Weight

Weight control is a problem for many dieters, but how much of this problem is the fault of the dieter? Yes I know there are people out there who have problems with their weight due to a health condition, but what about the rest of the dieters? Why are they overweight?

In order to get thin and stay thin, one has to first take accountability for getting and being overweight. To put it bluntly, unless you have a medical condition, being overweight is your fault. That may sound harsh and in your face, but it’s time to be honest with yourself; how did you let yourself get to your undesired weight?

In my article Don’t Be Afraid to Weigh Yourself, I mentioned how thin people are extremely cautious about gaining weight. There’s no such thing with a thin person to go from 130lbs to 140lbs and then to 160, 180, or over 200lbs because they lack weight control. Thin people are always in control of their weight.

That’s why I say being overweight is mainly the fault of the dieter because again to be frank, at what point did you realize you were overweight? By no means am I trying to make anyone feel bad about themselves or to point fingers, but what I am saying is that if you can accept being overweight as being your fault, you will be half way there to getting the body you want and finally have weight control. Honest!
 
For your next step, start getting proactive about stopping additional weight gain. Again, thin people are always, always in control of their weight. Now it’s time for you to have weight control too. While there will be things in life you can’t control, you can control your weight like being meticulous about what you put into your mouth and control the number of times you exercise per week.

Do you have to become a slave to the gym or fitness? Of course not. However, if you led an inactive lifestyle for many years, you will now need to do some form of physical activity regularly in order to slim down. With that said, workout with a fitness routine at your own pace and be realistic about how much weight you can expect to lose weekly.

Don’t fool yourself into exercising 5-6 days per week if you know you won’t stick with it or fool yourself into thinking you can lose 10 pounds in a week or lose 20 pounds in a month. If you can honestly only workout 2-3 days per week, that’s OK.

You will still lose weight, but it might take you a little longer to slim down to the size you want. Big deal. The key here is to not lose weight quickly, but to lose weight naturally and again, at your own pace so you are not stressing or obsessing about losing weight.

If you can lose weight naturally through eating healthy, counting calories, and exercising, you will be more successful at keeping the weight off long term. Dieters who rely on diet pills and extreme fad diets to slim down and get thin will only set themselves up for failure. Sure they may have some weight loss at first, but it will only temporary.

To lose weight for good and finally have weight control, you will need to make eating healthy and physical fitness a part of your new lifestyle. It’s that simple. Once you can commit to a lifestyle that’s healthy and adopt a habit or two from thin people, slimming down and getting the body you want won’t be so hard. I promise!

Good Luck!

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How to Maintain Weight

Maintain Weight by Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle!

I have had many friends and family members who were able to lose weight quickly using various diet plans and weight loss supplements, but to be honest, I can count on one hand the number of those people who were able to keep the weight off permanently.

That said, if you are not taking the proper steps on how to maintain weight once you slimmed down, you risk the chance of gaining all the weight back, plus more, as quickly as you lost it. Weight control will have to be your number one priority if you want your weight loss results to be long term.

Unfortunately, many dieters don’t have lasting results once they get thin because of this crucial reason:

"Healthy Eating Has to be a Part of Your New Lifestyle for Weight Management"

Diets don’t work! They just simply don’t because fad diets and weight loss supplements don’t teach dieters anything about weight management and how to keep the weight off long term. To be successful at keeping the weight off for good once you slimmed down, you absolutely must change your eating habits and make eating healthy a part of your new lifestyle. Only then will you be able to have true, lasting results after getting the body you want.

Finding easy ways to lose weight fast is not the hard part. Weight management is. If you lose weight naturally by eating healthy, counting calories, and working out regularly with a fitness routine, managing your weight will be a lot easier. However, if you are losing or lost weight through fad diets or weight loss supplements, managing your weight will be more of a challenge because to be frank, you took the easy way to lose weight.

Losing weight fast, especially too fast, only provides a temporary solution to your weight problems because again, fad diets and diet pills don’t teach dieters anything about good eating habits and exercising as a lifestyle.

To maintain your weight, I suggest using a calorie calculator to determine how many calories you need for weight control. What you don’t want to do is go back to your old eating habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place. If you lead an inactive lifestyle, counting calories will be extremely beneficial to help prevent you from consuming useless, extra calories that will turn into fat and cause you to gain weight.

I highly suggest you workout regularly with a fitness routine, but if you choose not to, then make sure to not consume extra calories that you won’t burn due to inactivity. As mentioned earlier, eating healthy for weight control should be your number one priority.

Therefore, avoid foods that are processed, and high in calories, sugar and fat. Does that mean you have to give up junk food and sweets forever? Of course not. However, moderation is key. That’s the main weight loss secret on how to get thin and stay thin!

Accordingly, if you can make eating healthy, counting calories, and exercising part of your new lifestyle, you will be one of the few dieters that will be successful with weight management.

Good Luck!

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“I Want to Lose Weight”

Want to Lose Weight? EAT!

I could never understand the concept of not eating for people who desire to lose weight. This idea is not only just plain wrong, but losing weight can actually become harder because consuming too few calories can lower the body's metabolism.

That said, if you find yourself constantly saying “I want to lose weight,” then start eating now.

Of course eating healthy should be your main goal, but my point is to eat. Ideally, you should be eating 6 small meals a day to help keep your body's metabolism elevated. If you feel that eating so many meals a day won’t help you with your weight loss goals, you should read my article How to Lose 10 Pounds.

In that article I explained how I was able to lose weight on the Special K Challenge, but my twin sister on the very same diet plan didn’t lose anything because she was not eating enough. Notice I didn’t say that my sister was not “eating healthy.” I said my sister was not “eating enough.”

In general, not eating due to deliberate starvation or being on one of those restrictive fad diets will keep any dieter overweight. As I stated in my other articles, the weight loss formula is pretty straightforward: consume fewer calories than you burn. This is especially true if you lead an inactive lifestyle.

Naturally, it’s recommended that you workout with a regular fitness routine to help you drop those extra unwanted pounds and get thin, but I wouldn’t exactly proclaim that you have to workout in order to lose weight. Exercising certainly helps, primarily if you want to build lean muscle or get a bikini body, but if you don’t have the extra time to exercise with a weight loss workout plan or maybe you dislike exercising (like I do), then the only other way to lose weight quickly is to simply eat less or count calories for fat loss.

At first counting calories may seem like an inconvenience, but once you get the gist of it, you will be able to make a "mental note" of your daily caloric intake and slim down without much effort. Also, when done consistently, not only will you lose weight naturally, but you will also be able to enjoy the foods you love and still lose weight without having to rely on diet pills or fad diets for fat loss. 

That’s the premise behind weight loss programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and why they are so successful for many dieters. It’s not about being on a “diet," but about being accountable of the foods you eat and the number of daily calories you consume.

Any extras calories your body does not need leads to weight gain.

Once you take control of what you eat and learn how to portion control your meals, you will start to slim down and get the body you want. If you feel you need weight loss help to achieve your goals, I recommend joining Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Again, many dieters have been very successful on these weight loss programs.

Remember….if you want to lose weight, EAT!

Eating 6 small meals a day along with counting calories will help you with your weight loss goals.  If you want to lose weight quickly, then exercise regularly with a fitness routine at least 2-3 times per week.

Lastly, while I am not a fan of fad diets, I do like the Special K diet and I would recommend dieters to try this diet plan because it is not restrictive and it helps dieters to gradually ease into the habit of eating 6 small meals a day while counting calories with little effort.

However, keep in mind that the Special K diet is a diet plan that's  meant for people with less than 10 pounds to lose. To add, this is not a diet plan meant to be on long-term.

Once you complete the Special K Challenge, develop the habit of eating a well balanced diet and watch your daily caloric intake until you reach your desired weight. For permanent and lasting weight loss results, combine all three habits as part of your new lifestyle: eat 6 small meals a day, count calories, and exercise at least 2-3 times per week.

Good Luck!

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How to Lose 10 Pounds

Easiest Way to Lose Weight

Want to know how to lose 10 pounds? Well here’s a case study using myself and my twin sister where we both wanted to lose 10 pounds. Now before I begin, if you read some of my articles you will know that I’m not a fan of diet plans, or using crazy tactics like starvation or weight loss diet pills to lose weight fast.

However, one diet plan that I do like and recommend that helped me to lose 7 pounds in two weeks is the Special K Diet Plan. My sister tried the Special K challenge as well, but she substituted the cereal for oatmeal (not instant) which is totally fine. OK…here goes the case study:

Me

I started the Special K diet plan for the two weeks and as stated in the challenge, I ate 5-6 meals per day, which I had no problem doing because I was definitely hungry all the time. Also, I drank lots of water and I exercised with a weight loss workout plan on an average of 3 times per week. However, by no means do you have to a fitness routine in order for the Special K challenge to work.

My Twin Sister

She started the Special K diet plan the same time as I did. As mentioned, she used oatmeal instead of the cereal because she found the cereal to be too bland (oatmeal helps you to feel full and actually has fewer calories). My sister used the P90X as her weight loss workout plan for the two weeks and worked out every single day. However, she would only eat 2 meals per day because she claims that she wasn’t hungry.

Results

I lost 7 pounds after the two weeks. My twin sister….she didn’t lose anything (although with the P90X she lost inches and has more muscle definition)

After I got off the Special K diet, I continued to watch what I ate, I made sure I would count calories, and I exercised with a weight loss workout plan at least twice per week where I lost an additional 3 pounds. Overall, I was able to lose 10 pounds in four months.

The reason why it took me four months to lose 10 pounds is because I was not trying to lose 10 pounds in a week or lose 10 pounds in a month. I’m wanted to be realistic with my weight loss goals because I knew I would quickly gain all the weight back once I resumed my regular eating habits.

Here’s the Reason Why I Lost Weight and My Twin Sister Didn’t

The reason why I was able to lose 10 pounds and my sister nothing is because I aimed to lose weight naturally, but most importantly, I ate 5-6 smaller meals every day. Where this myth comes from that you have to skip meals or starve yourself in order to lose weight I have no idea.

Skipping meals, starving yourself, crash diets, and diet pills are the worst ways to lose weight! Whether your desire is to lose 10 pounds or lose 50 pounds, the key to shedding those unwanted pounds is to actually eat and lose weight naturally over time. I know many dieters don’t want to hear this because they are looking for ways on how to get thin fast, but the truth of the matter is that in order to get the body you want and have lasting results, you can’t try to lose weight quickly.

Would I have liked to lose 10 pounds in a month or two? Sure, but I didn’t want to stress about it and I wanted to slim down with little effort while still eating the foods I enjoy. That means, I portioned controlled my meals; I made sure to count calories of everything I put in my mouth, including beverages;  I ate 5-6 smaller meals everyday; and I stayed active with a fitness routine at least twice per week.

My sister is going to start the Special K diet plan all over again for two weeks to initially lose 5-7 pounds.  At my suggestion, she will eat oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, cereal for lunch, and healthy snacks in between meals. For dinner she will eat what she wants by making sure she portion controls and count calories, and she will drink lots of water throughout the day.

If you follow what I’m suggesting to my sister or do what I did in my Special K diet review, you too will be able to initially lose 5-7 pounds in two weeks. After that, continue eating healthy to lose weight, eat 5-6 smaller meals including breakfast, and make exercising a regularly part of your lifestyle. If you follow these tips and lose weight naturally without trying to slim down using crash diets, diet pills, or starvation, you will get the body you want and have lasting results.

Good luck!

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Increase Metabolism

Increase Metabolism, Burn More Calories, Lose Weight!

Are you dieting, but seem as if you are not losing the weight you want? There is such a thing as dieting wrong and unfortunately many dieters go about losing weight incorrectly. One of the reasons you may not be losing weight is because your metabolism needs to be higher.  If you can increase metabolism, you will be able to burn more calories than you eat and shed those extra unwanted pounds. That’s the weight loss formula and it is pretty straightforward.

However if you are dieting, but lead an inactive lifestyle, losing weight will be challenging because you will need to eat fewer calories than you burn. While there are many weight loss plans out there to help you get the body you want, if you want to lose weight quickly, be sure to increase metabolism by doing the following:

Exercise with a Regular Fitness Routine

Exercising is one the fastest ways to increase metabolism if you workout for at least 30 minutes or longer. Best of all, after you have completed your workout, you will be still burning calories while at rest. If you incorporate strength training with weights into your fitness routine, you can burn even more calories because muscle burns fat.

By far strength training is one of the best ways to lose weight. Therefore, if you are looking for healthy ways to shed pounds, start working out with a fitness routine, lift weights, and make exercising part of your regular lifestyle.

Eat More During the Day

Most dieters make the mistake of skipping meals or eating too few calories. Skipping meals or eating too few calories causes your metabolism to slow down. To boost your metabolism, start eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day.

However, to shed those extra unwanted pounds the right way, count calories to lose weight. Counting calories to lose weight can work well for you if you are consistent and meticulous about writing down everything you eat and drink. To find out the calories needed to lose weight just for you, look online for a calorie calculator to determine your daily caloric intake.

Eating Healthy to Lose Weight

While you can certainly eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, you will want to choose healthier food options that are lower in fat calories. One of the ways to do this is to eliminate or cut back on processed foods.

Processed foods can cause unnecessary weight gain because these kinds of foods are loaded with sugar, calories, and fat. If you can make it a habit to select healthier meals, food will no longer be seen as something you should avoid, but something you can enjoy that will provide your body the nutrition it needs.

To get the body you want and ditch those unwanted pounds for good, increase metabolism, burn more calories, and lose weight by following the three weight loss tips above. Not only will you get the body you always dreamed of, but you will be one of the few dieters who will be losing weight the right way.

Good Luck!

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Lose Weight Successfully!

Losing weight quickly seems to be the goal for most dieters and for obvious reasons, it is completely understandable. However for successful weight loss, it’s important that you shed those extra unwanted pounds safely and be realistic about your weight loss goals.

For example, trying to “lose 20 pounds in a week” or “lose 50 pounds in a month” is unrealistic where it’s easy to set yourself up for failure where you won’t achieve the weight loss results you want. If you believe such weight loss goals is not unrealistic, then ask yourself, how many people do you know have been successful with that kind of rapid weight loss in such a short period of time and have been able to keep the weight off?

It is impractical weight loss goals like losing 20 pounds or more in a week why so many dieters fail and never experience any real, permanent weight loss.

If you want to shed pound and keep the weight off for good, then the best way to lose weight and be successful is to set small weight loss goals that are achievable, yet realistic. For instance, say you weigh 230 pounds and you want to weigh 170 pounds. Well, instead of setting an unrealistic weight loss goal by saying “I want to lose 20 pounds in a week”, start off with something more achievable and set out to lose 2 pounds in a week or lose 5 pounds in a week.

Once you achieve dropping a few pounds, set another weight loss goal by losing another 2 pounds in a week or another 5 pounds in a week. Before you know it, you will slim down to your desired weight and experience successful weight loss. Not to mention, by setting realistic and achievable weight loss goals in small increments, you are more likely to stay motivated to lose weight until you get the body you want.

If you lose weight naturally where you are not experiencing rapid weight loss due to crash diets or weight loss diet pills…and you work out regularly with a fitness routine, plus you eat healthier as part of your new lifestyle, you are certain to be successful with permanent weight loss.

Otherwise, if you find it hard to lose weight or you can’t lose weight, re-evaluate what you are doing and see if you can pinpoint why you are not shedding the pounds you want. It could be because you are not counting calories to lose weight or you haven’t found a weight loss workout plan that’s right for you. Either way, if you are looking for ways to lose weight and get the body you want, adopt a habit or two from the Secrets of Thin People and jump start your weight loss journey.

Good Luck!

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Weighing Yourself

Don't Be Afraid to Weigh Yourself

Are you afraid of weighing yourself because you fear to acknowledge how much you truly weigh or fear you didn’t lose any weight while dieting? Getting on the scale is important if you are searching for the weight loss secrets of thin people and wish to figure out how thin people always manage to stay thin.

In my article Secrets of Thin People, one of the habits that thin people practice is weighing themselves on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, thin people weigh themselves weekly, if not a few times per week. The reason why thin people weigh themselves so often is because they are very cautious about gaining weight.

If a thin person notices that he or she has gained weight, they don’t just sit around and do nothing while they gain even more weight year after year. Thin people take immediate action fast to lose the extra pounds because they are always in constant control of their weight. That’s the weight loss secret of thin people and how they stay thin.

When to Weigh Yourself

The best time to weigh yourself is in the morning on an empty stomach to get an idea of how much you really weigh (I like using a digital scale). As you embark on the road to fitness to get the body you want, take a tip from thin people and get into the habit of weighing yourself regularly.

What you don’t want to do here is get obsessed about your weight and start weighing yourself every day. Weighing yourself once or twice a week is more than enough. If you are afraid to get on the scale because you feel you might get discouraged, then weigh yourself every other week. However, the idea is to weigh yourself regularly and make it a habit.

How to Get Thin

As much as I hate to say it, while you are working out with a

weight loss workout plan and counting calories to lose weight, there may be times when you will notice that you haven’t lost any weight. This is nothing to get upset about or to get discouraged because actually that’s great news. How is not losing weight great news as you try to achieve your weight loss goals? Well…you didn’t gain any weight right?

One of the main reasons why a person is overweight is because they are not in control of their weight. By monitoring and weighing yourself on a regular basis, this will put you in the position of controlling your weight because you will be one of the few dieters who have made a point to stop weight gain.

Even if you do gain a few pounds as you try to lose weight, just keep doing what you are doing like being consistent with your workouts, counting calories, and watching what you eat. Eventually, you will start to see the numbers on the scale get lower and lower and you will achieve your weight loss goals.

Remember…weigh yourself regularly and get in control of your weight. That’s the weight loss secret of thin people and how to can get thin and stay thin.

Good Luck!

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Daily Food Journal

Lose Weight Fast and Easy With a Daily Food Diary

If you are counting calories to lose weight and tracking your meals with a food diary, you may notice that you are eating less food, but more meals during the day. However, best of all you are losing the weight you want! If you are not using a food diary, ask yourself why not?

Studies have shown that dieters who count calories and track their food with the use of a food diary lose more weight than dieters who don’t. If you are someone who is looking for easy ways to lose weight or maybe you are someone who can’t lose weight, utilizing a food diary can help you get the results you want.

Food Diaries Are Simple to Use!

Food diaries are simple to use because all you have to do is write down your calorie consumption and everything you eat each day in a notebook or food journal. Some online food diaries even offer mobile apps that you can download to your iPhone iPad, Android, Blackberry, or Palm where you can easily record and track your meals right into your device.

That way, counting calories to lose weight will be trouble-free while dining out or eating on the run. Without a doubt, knowing how many calories you need to consume in a day to lose weight and working out with a weight loss workout plan is by far the best way to lose unwanted pounds if you use a food dairy.

The weight loss formula is simple: it’s all about burning more calories than you eat to get the body you want. Even if you can’t find the time to workout as much as you like, you can still lose weight if you eat fewer calories for your age, height, and weight.

Otherwise, without a food diary you may find it is hard to lose weight because while you may try to portion control your meals, are you accurately consuming the right amount of calories you need to lose weight? Don’t fall into the trap believing that smaller food portions mean you are eating fewer calories. To lose weight fast and easy, you need to count calories and do so correctly.

My Food Diary

Don’t you want to be one of those weight loss success stories as seen on T.V. and inside fitness magazines? Why not use a food diary to help you achieve your desired body weight? A food diary can be as straightforward as using a notebook or as easy as logging into an online food diary where you can gain access to tools like an exercise log, a calorie calculator, diet recipes, weight loss success stories, member forums, weight loss articles and more!

My Food Diary and My Net Diary are two online food diaries I recommend because I love the tools they offer to help dieters to be successful and I love the weight loss success stories from real people who lost significant amounts of weight just by using an online food diary.

Reading these weight loss success stories alone is a great way to help you stay motivated to lose weight! Another way to help you stay motivated to lose weight is to check out the community forums. There you can interact with dieters who are trying to achieve their weight loss goals just like you and you can interact with successful dieters who are willing to share valuable weight loss tips and advice.

It Works!

To lose weight fast and easy to get the body you have always dreamed of, try recording what you eat everyday by using a food journal like a notebook or sign up for an online food diary. Only by using a food journal can you see in black in white exactly what you are eating and the number or calories you are consuming each day. Remember…to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in.

Find out more information about My Food Diary to see if an online food diary is right for you or use a daily food journal to help you get the weight loss results you want!

Good Luck!

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Eating Healthy Foods

Eating Healthy on a Budget

Nothing gets me more annoyed than reading articles from health and fitness experts stating that eating healthy is not expensive. Umm….yes it is. Then again, eating out like at fast food restaurants, can be just as expensive or even more. With that said, if your quest is to lose weight and get thin, you will have to learn how to eat healthier and make eating healthy your number one priority. While eating healthy to lose weight may not be cheap, here are some tips on how to eat healthy on a budget.

Eat Less Processed Foods

Thin people rarely eat or buy processed food because thin people know that those types of foods are not good for your body. If you are looking to lose weight faster, then the next time you go grocery shopping, try to get into the habit to not buy processed foods. I will be honest, you may find learning how to eat less processed foods to be a bit of a challenge because you will realize how much processed foods you actually eat. However, once you stop buying processed foods and start selecting healthier choices, you will find yourself saving some money because you will be eliminating soda, junk food, and frozen food from your diet.

The trick is look for sales at your neighborhood grocery stores on fruits and vegetable (yup, that means looking at the store circulars) and checking out the farmers market if you have one nearby your home. Another trick to eating healthy on a budget is to make it a point to bring your lunch to work or school instead of eating out. If you are spending anywhere from $5-$10 a day on food out in the street, that really adds up. Besides, you will be in more control of the calories you consume if you bring your food from home and will be able to stay on track with your weight loss goals to get the body you want.

Preparing and Cooking your Meals

Hope this is not a shocker to you, but yes, one of the ways to eating healthy on a budget is to prepare and cook your own meals. Again, if you are someone who eats out daily, particularly during lunchtime, you can save more money if you bring your food from home where you will be in control of your diet plan to lose weight. Therefore, a quick way to lose weight is knowing exactly what you put into your mouth and knowing how many calories you are ingesting during a particular meal.  

To get into the habit of eating healthy to lose weight and eating healthy on a budget, try to plan out your meals weekly or at the very least, plan out your meals for the next 1-2 days. That way when you go grocery shopping, you will have a list of the foods you need to buy for the week and be diligent about not buying food that’s not on your list. Watch…you will save more money with a  shopping list, but also a grocery shopping list will prevent you from buying foods you don’t need, especially foods that are high in calories, sugar, and preservatives.

While at the grocery store, focus on buying food in bulk like a 3-5lb bag of brown rice, dried beans, whole wheat pasta when it is on sale, and a bag of potatoes.  Also, instead of buying boxed cereal which can get expensive, buy oatmeal (not the instant kind, the one you have to cook) or cream of wheat. Lastly, since you will be eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, you may have to stop by your local supermarket an extra 1-2 times per week.


Again, check your weekly circular for sales because certain produce can get quite costly when they are not in season. However, if you see an item on sale that you like, get it! Remember, have a grocery shopping list when you go to the supermarket and check your circulars for sales. Keep in mind though that if you prefer to eat organic, you will be spending a little more on food.

See…eating healthy on a budget isn't so hard!

Good Luck!

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