Free list of weight loss tips. The purpose here isn't to just give you a big list of tips, but to also help you separate the useful tips from the useless ones.
I consider a weight loss tip to be anything that could in any way be helpful to a person looking to lose weight. It could have something to do with your diet plan or workout program, or maybe just the mental aspect of weight loss such as staying motivated and sticking to your diet. It could just be some way of improving your lifestyle so that it becomes more ideal for losing weight.
Really, any piece of information that could positively benefit someone trying to lose weight will be included on this list. Also, along with each weight loss tip will be sort of a "tip review." By that I mean I will include my own common sense opinion of the usefulness of that tip. You're welcome to disagree with this opinion of course, however in most cases you'll probably be thinking the exact same thing.
This list of weight loss tips will be updated on an ongoing basis, by the way. So, whenever something new pops into my head or somehow comes to my attention, I'll be sure to add it to this list.
Tip rating system:
A - Would probably be useful to everyone, and I myself do it.
B - Could be useful to some people.
F - Useless, or stupid, or unsafe, or any combination of the three.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
This is one of the most popular weight loss tips on this list. I've seen this one everywhere. But, let's be honest here... unless you live or work on the 400th floor, taking the stairs instead of the elevator isn't going to do much for you in terms of losing weight. Sure, you'll walk a little extra, and that's obviously always good. But uh, 1 or 2 flights of stairs a few times a week won't have much (if any) effect on the weight loss of most people.
Tip Rating: B
I gave this one a B instead of an F because I don't want to sound like I'm discouraging extra walking of any kind. Yes, walking is great for everyone. However, don't expect an occasional flight of stairs to make 20 pounds disappear.
Workout early in the day so there is less chance of missing your workout.
I do this, but not out of fear that I may miss my workout. However, I can see how this would happen to people. Something might come up, you might get tired, you might forget, who knows. What I do know is that there are more possible reasons for why a person would miss a workout at 6pm than there would be at 6am. Your alarm clock rings off, you eat, and you go workout. There's very little time in there for something to get in the way or for you to come up with an excuse. So...
Tip Rating: B
This weight loss tip has a lot to do with your schedule, though. I realize that a lot of people workout in the afternoon or at night because they just can't workout any other time. This tip is more for the people who have the option of getting their workout in early if they wanted to.
Keep a workout and diet log or journal.
I'm a big fan of this one. Progress is made by improving upon what you've already done. This applies to workout progress, too. Want to get stronger? Want to increase muscle? If so, you're going to need to make progress. To do that you're going to need to keep track of how much weight you lifted and how many sets and reps you lifted it for on each exercise. By knowing this information, you'll know exactly what you need to do in your workout the next time in order to improve on it.
Were you able to do a certain exercise for a certain weight for 8 reps? Next time try doing 10 reps of the same weight, or try adding 5 pounds and getting the same 8 reps. This type of progress is what causes muscle and strength gains, and it is only possible when you know exactly what you did the previous workout so you can improve it.
As you learned throughout The Lose Weight Diet, one of the most important parts of your weight loss diet plan is keeping track of how many calories and grams of protein, carbs and fat you're eating each day. No matter how great you think your memory is, keeping a log of it all (on paper, on the computer, on fitday.com, etc.) is the only way you'll be able to keep track of it as accurately as possible.
Tip Rating: A
There is no reason to not do this one.
Plan and prepare your meals in advance.
You know what makes sticking to your diet real easy? When you plan what you're going to eat in advance and, if possible, have it ready for you. For example, I know I'll be eating egg whites as part of my breakfast every single morning. By knowing this I can figure out how often I need to buy eggs so they're always in the house. I never wake up wondering what I'm going to eat or if I'm going to find something I SHOULD be eating. I also know I'm going to eat tuna fish, whole wheat bread, brown rice, chicken breasts, nuts, vegetables, etc. every single day. I have it all ready and waiting at all times.
By planning what you're going to eat in advance and having it prepared for you when possible, you greatly lower your chances of eating something you shouldn't be eating.
Tip Rating: A
Everyone reading this needs to stay as strict and consistent as they can with their diet plan, and this tip helps that happen.
Sleep enough!
Hold on. If you're thinking "Wait, are you saying I can lose weight just by sleeping? AWESOME!!!!" you'd be slightly mistaken. Sleep alone will not cause weight loss. It will however help. There are a bunch of science-y reasons for this, and if you are in the 1% of people reading this who want to know those reasons, email me and I'll explain. If you're in the other 99%, just know that sleeping enough will indeed help your weight loss.
That's not all though. You know what it feels like when you're tired? You become lazy. You don't feel like doing anything. Well, when you're goal is losing weight, you can't be lazy and you can't feel like not doing anything. Sleeping enough will eliminate this problem.
Tip Rating: A
Yes, you just read "sleep enough" on a list of weight loss tips. This one is really as easy as they get. You have no excuse.
Keep junk food out of your house.
You know all of that really tasty junk food that is high in saturated fat and useless calories that serves no positive purpose other than being yummy? Good. Then you also probably know you shouldn't be eating any of it. One way to stop eating junk food is to stop putting yourself in a position to eat junk food. By having these types of foods in your house you are obviously going to be much more likely to eat it than if they weren't there. So... throw out/give away whatever junk food you have in your house now and don't buy anymore.
Tip Rating: B
This tip isn't for everyone. It's mainly for 3 types of people... those a little low in the will power department, those who eat when they're bored, and those who live alone or live with people who don't eat junk food. I mentioned the 3rd type because I know a lot of people live with family/friends who eat junk food all the time therefore making it impossible for you to just stop having it in the house. I know what that's like.
For me, I have the will power to not care or let it bother me at all. If you're like that too, great. If not, you have 2 choices. TRY to get like that, or try to convince the other people in the house to cut down on the junk food. Even if they don't care about weight loss, junk food is still unhealthy for them whether they are trying to lose weight or not.
Drink hot water.
They say drinking hot water instead of cold water will help speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories.
Tip Rating: F
Stupid, stupid, stupid AND useless. I'm not saying that this isn't true. I'm not saying that hot water won't have a different effect on your metabolism than cold water. What I am saying is that any supposed benefit would be so slight that it would be a complete waste of time and effort to even give it another second of thought. These are weight loss tips, not time loss tips. If you want to lose weight, focus on your diet and your workout. If you want to burn your tongue, drink hot water.
Eat right AND workout.
It is technically possible to lose weight through JUST your diet plan or JUST your workout. However, for best weight loss results and for best all around health, you should do it through a combination of both. This will also make it easier to keep the weight off once it's gone.
Tip Rating: A
What more needs to be said? Do both.
Set realistic goals.
No one wants to just lose weight, they want to lose it FAST. They want huge results... quickly. The only problem is, weight loss doesn't happen fast. Results don't come quickly. The reason you need to know this is because setting goals that can't be reached will make you very depressed and discouraged when you realize you didn't reach them. You are basically setting yourself up to fail.
Forget everything you've ever seen or heard. Every advertisement for a weight loss program, pill, machine, or product of any kind is lying to you. The people who claim to have lost huge amounts of weight in insanely short periods of time are lying to you. Those amazing before and after pictures are lies. Yes, really. Like I mentioned in the article, the only way you are going to lose 40 pounds in 1 month is if you have some sort of chainsaw accident.
When you set realistic goals, like losing 1 pound a week or losing 6 pounds a month or losing 60 pounds a year, goals that can actually be reached, you are setting yourself up to succeed.
(I'll admit that whole "setting yourself up to succeed" line was pretty lame, but really, it's true.)
Tip Rating: A
Weight loss is all about persistence. And, setting crazy goals that you can't reach and then not reaching them is an extremely common reason for a person to give up. To avoid that, set realistic goals.
Change how you eat your food.
This one is actually a compilation of similar weight loss tips all revolving around ways people trying to lose weight should eat their food to almost "trick" themselves into not eating more than they should.
For example, eat slower. The faster you finish your food, the more likely you are to eat extra food. Chew slowly. Put your fork down after every mouthful. Take a minute break in the middle of eating. Take smaller bites. Drink water before/during eating so you get full faster. Instead of starting off with your full serving amount, take half a serving and then go back for seconds. Use smaller plates. Etc., etc., etc..
Tip Rating: B
As much as I really want to give this one a giant F, I can't. You see, to me, this tip is stupid and useless. I know there are people out there who feel the same way. But, for every person like us there is probably someone else thinking "Yes I know, if I took smaller bites it probably would feel like I ate more than I actually did." I can't really argue with that. If you think something will help you, go for it.
Workout on the same days, at the same times.
Working out is obviously an important part of weight loss. And, the best way to stick to your workout is to turn your workout into something that just gets done without really thinking about it. Make it a regular part of your life. You know how you just know to brush your teeth after you wake up? In that same way you should just know to workout. It needs to become part of your normal routine. The best way to accomplish this is to workout at the same times, on the same days.
If you workout on random days at random times you become more likely to miss a workout. If you train yourself to workout on a strict schedule, it will become much harder for you to break from that schedule. That of course means you won't miss workouts.
Tip Rating: A
This one obviously depends on your own personal schedule, but no matter what kind of schedule you have, you should try to workout on the same days of the week at the same times of the day. For me it's to the point now where I know what day it is by what I did in the gym that day. "What day is it? Oh right, I did chest and triceps. It's Monday." When your workout becomes such a regular part of your life, you'll see how hard to becomes to miss one.
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Free Weight Loss Tips
How to compare juicers so you get the best juice machine for your needs
When you start to compare juicers, it is best to first start out with a list of your needs and how you plan to use it. If you want to start juicing for health reasons or for weight loss you will have a different set of needs than if you just want fresh orange juice when you wake up in the morning. Also, if you have a large family or plan to make a large quantity of juice, you will be better suited to a different machine than if you are single or only want to make a glass of juice per day. Lastly, when comparing juicers, think about your time, budget and physical arm strength. Some of the more effective machines require some strength to use.
When I first began to research juicers, I was amazed at the different technologies available. A juice machine can be based on one of 3 main technologies. First are manually operated crushing or auguring types. These are mounted to a flat surface with a clamp or suction cup. They are good for juicing wheat grass and other heat sensitive living foods. When you use these, a lot of arm strength is required so be ware. They are also only good for small amounts of juice making because they are slower to operate. Next are the electric juicers.
When you learn about juicers that are electrically operated, you are going to come across in 2 distinct technologies. The first is the centrifugal type. These juice machines have a spinning basket the cuts up the produce into tiny tiny pieces. They spin very fast to separate the pulp from the liquid. The newer models have an automatic pulp ejection system. If you are juicing more than 1 pint at a time, make sure to invest in this feature. If not, the drawback is you will have to stop the machine to clean the basket. The other technology is the masticating type. These juice extractors chew and grind the produce through a set of gears and augers to extract the juice from the plant. The advantage to them is higher quality juice, a dryer pulp (when juicing tough vegetables like wheat grass and broccoli), and more juice from the produce. The disadvantage is they are usually more expensive and operate slower than centrifugal models.
When you compare juicers, think about ease of use and reliability.
No matter which type of juicing technology you choose, there are 2 more features you should consider. First is the warranty. This will range from 90 days to over 5 years, depending on the manufacturer you choose. It addition, find out the size of the feeder tube on the machine. If you plan on juicing apples, carrots, and other large living foods or fruits, you will want to get the largest feeder tube possible. The reason is the convenience factor. If you have to cut up each and every carrot or apple you want to juice, it can be very laborious. You will have to decide which is right for you. If you take all these things into consideration, you will be much more informed when you decide to purchase a juicer you should be able to make the best choice for your circumstances.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Some Fundamental Principles & Concepts
1. Not Eating Enough:
Not consuming enough food, or enough of the right foods will hinder your fat loss goals in many ways. The fewer calories you consume, the more efficient your metabolism becomes. In most cases, efficiency is a good thing. In this case, it is not. A more efficient metabolism basically means that your body burns fewer total calories, and less total fat as a result. If calories levels are too low, your muscle tissue stands a much bigger chance of being burned for energy. Decreased calories can also significantly reduce performance in the gym.
2. Eating Too Much:
Eating too many calories, or too much of the wrong foods is just as bad. On one hand, eating more will cause your body to burn more total calories, and will make your metabolism more inefficient. However, this is a tool which must be used intelligently; it does not mean you can eat as much as you want.
3. Not Eating Frequently Enough:
Nearly every bodybuilder understands on some level that eating smaller, more frequent meals is important. There are some that know it is helpful, but are unaware of just how important it really is. Even worse, there are some who stubbornly believe that it does not matter. The first, and most well known reason is to provide the body with a steady supply of protein. Maintaining a supply of protein is crucial for building muscle, and it is very important for fat loss & preventing muscle loss as well. The body cannot store protein for future use, so providing a steady stream of amino acids is extremely important. The next reason involves hourly energy balance. Too many people think in terms of daily energy balance. They think of calorie per day, or grams of protein per day, which is plain silly. Why not count in calories per 2 and half days, or grams of protein per week? It makes just as little sense. Eating frequently is important for providing your body with just enough nutrients it needs at that given moment.
4. Thinking In Terms Of 24-Hour Energy Balance:
Too many people think in calories per day, total carbs per day, or grams of protein per day. Your body however, does not share this same though process. When you consume food at any time, your body will use what it can, and store the rest as fat. Amazingly, many people who know this still pay little attention to moment-to-moment energy balance. Imagine that someone needs 300 grams of carbohydrate per day, and is trying to lose weight. They consume a large part of those during the time of day when they are less needed. A large portion of those ends up being stored as fat. Later on, when their body needs, and can use carbohydrates, less are consumed. Glycogen stores do not get replenished to the same degree. Some protein ends up being burned as energy, because sufficient carbs were not available at that moment. At the end of the day, weight was lost, because calories burned exceeded calories eaten. However, extra muscle tissue was lost, and less fat was burned. Possibly little to no fat may have been burned. Moment-to-moment, or hourly energy balance is much more important that daily energy balance. Some people say that this is not necessary. Their reasoning behind this is that 'lots of people' 'get results', by only eating 2-3 meals per day. This is ridiculous, and is like saying that because some people can score decent grades on tests without studying, that studying is not important for doing well.
5. Not Paying Attention To Meal & Nutrient Timing:
As mentioned before, the amount of food consumed at any particular time is an important concept. Similar to calorie needs at any given moment, the body has specific needs for certain macronutrients at any given movement. There are times when carbohydrates are more ideal, and there are times when fats are more ideal.
Protein is needed just about all the time, but there are times when even more of it is needed. Not paying attention to this, and thinking that you are good to go just because you met your macro. Quotas, is another mistake.
6. Consuming Too Few Carbohydrates:
Very low carb, orketogenic diets are a fairly popular method of weight loss. While people do get results with these types of diets, they are neither necessary, nor ideal for fat loss. Again, something may 'work' for some people. A few people may even get better than average results. But that does not mean it is ideal, or without serious drawbacks. Carbohydrates are crucial for ideal performance in the gym. Having optimum performance is very important for losing fat. Having a certain level of carbohydrates in the body is also important for sparing muscle tissue from catabolism. A slight reduction of carbs can be beneficial. Carb cycling can be an excellent method, if used intelligently. But drastically reducing carbs yields many more drawbacks than possible benefits.
7. Not Consuming Enough Fats:
Even people who understand the importance of fats in the diet sometimes unknowingly reduce fats way too much when cutting. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to fat intake to ensure that you are getting the optimal quantity and types of fat. Fats are essential for the production of nearly every hormone, including testosterone. They are important for metabolic function, skin health, immune health, and many other things. Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids, are largely responsible for many of these benefits. Fish oil, which contains the omega-3 acids DHA and EPA, can provide some outstanding benefits for anyone trying to get the best possible body for summertime. More information on that will be given later.
8. Not Drinking Enough Water:
It would be hard to find a bodybuilder who did not know the importance of consuming sufficient amounts of water. However, it would be rather easy to find one who did not actually consume enough. When effort is not made to drink enough water, it is easy to fall far short of the optimal amount. The biggest reason this happens comes from relying on thirst. In many people, the thirst mechanism is not a reliable measure of when water is needed. I have had this happen to me in the past, and did not notice until my performance began to drastically drop, and I lost over 8 pounds. As a general rule, your urine should stay clear or a very light yellow. If it starts to significantly darken, it could be a sign of dehydration.
Easiest Method Of Detoxification!
Types of Saunas
The traditional sauna is electric, wood or gas fired. Preheating to 150-200 degrees is required for copious sweating. The intense heat is difficult for many to tolerate, especially when ill.
Far-infrared heats the body, the air remaining cool. Sweating begins quickly and the experience is rather pleasant. Preheating is unnecessary which saves electricity. Most use ceramic elements to generate gentle heat. Excellent, but costly, another option is to use infrared bulbs. The latter also provide warming and stimulating color therapy.
According to research, far-infrared is more cleansing than traditional saunas. The deep penetration of the infrared energy allows the cells to eliminate better.
Sauna Detoxification
Many cultures use sauna cleansing as a regular part of detoxification and cleansing. It is a powerful method of eliminating environmental chemicals that are stored in fat cells.
Instructions
1. Find a dry heat sauna that has not been treated with toxic chemicals.
2. You should not be hungry, have just eaten, or feel weak.
3. Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes. Cardiovascular exercise, such as running or using a treadmill or exercise bicycle, is necessary to stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph to the deep tissues.
4. The recommended length of time in the sauna varies according to the condition. Sittings of about 15 minutes at a time are recommended in a low temperature sauna. In advanced sauna cleanses, up to 45 minutes at a time are recommended, but it is essential that the sauna be low temperature and the person stays hydrated with water and minerals. Heavy sweating after 10 to 15 minutes is a sign that the sauna is too warm.
5. In order to increase circulation and mobilize chemicals from fat tissue, niacin supplements are sometimes recommended for 2 to 3 weeks with daily sauna therapy. A health care practitioner should be consulted to ensure the safety and efficacy of the detox. (see Sauna Detox)
Pain Management with Sauna
Pain is also at times related to ischemia due to tension or spasm which can be improved by the hyperemia that heat-induced vasodilatation produces, thus breaking the feedback loop, in which the is chemia leads to further spasm and then more pain. Heat has been shown to reduce pain sensation by direct action on both free-nerve endings in tissues and on peripheral nerves. In one dental study, repeated heat applications led finally to abolishment of the whole nerve responsible for pain arising from dental pulp.
