How to Lose Weight

Although there are many ways to lose weight, from cabbage soup diets and detox fasts to intensive cardio training and military boot camps, the basic rules remain the same. Weight loss is not rocket science. You do not need a personal nutritionist to create your menu or a fitness instructor to take you through the moves (although it can help). In fact, a study a few years ago proved that published by Foxnews.com showed that the only weight loss program with proven results was the weight watchers program. All others could not guarantee success. So forget those fad diets and get fit quick schemes, and focus on losing weight the right way - slowly, carefully, with exercise and healthy eating. Here are our simple tips for losing weight. 1. Reduce the size of your portions No matter whether you are healthy or have a medical conditional, you can only ever put on weight as a result of overeating. Apart from a few very rare conditions which make maintaining a balanced diet very difficult to achieve, weight loss results from curbing your appetite. One trick though is to reduce the size of your serving plate. Simply by eating from a 10 inch plate instead of a 12 inch plate, subjects under test conditions eat 22% less food in a sitting. 2. Count your calories As energy in minus energy out equals surplus energy leading to fat, counting calories (energy in food) allows you to balance what you are eating against energy used. Women on average only require 2000 calories a day, men average 2500. If you are very active you will require more, but for most people this guideline works well. 3. Eat a balanced diet Eating more protein for breakfast helps us to feel fuller for longer, meaning less mid-morning snacks. Also, lunch portions can be reduced if a healthy breakfast is eaten. Avoid traditional cooked breakfasts of sausage, bacon and fried eggs though, as this can result in too much salt and saturated fat. Drink milk, eat cereals with milk, oatmeal, yoghurt and poached or scrambled eggs. The old rule of eating breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and supper like a pauper still applies. 4. Eat more dairy and calcium Dairy actually helps the body to eliminate fats more easily, as shown by research by the NationalDairyCouncil.org: “We conclude that dairy-rich diets markedly augment weight loss by targeting the fat compartment during energy restriction.” 5. Exercise more Not only does exercise burn more energy, you continue to burn extra calories for 24 hours after exercising. Also, each time you exercise, you get fitter, which means that you can exercise more the next time. The fitter you are, the more energy and fat you can burn off during exercise. 6. Be more active As well as exercising and set times, get more active generally. Take the stairs instead of elevator, walk more when you can, leave the car at home, get off the bus sooner. Find fun activities to do with the family, play in the park, go skiing, swim etc. Just be more active in your day to day life. It is essential to make every effort to lose weight and get fit. Visceral fat, the fat that surrounds the internal organs, is the most dangerous form of fat. It leads to various diseases, including heart disease, as well as cancers and other internal diseases. So many people say that they have tried everything to lose weight. Almost all of them are living in denial. About 80% of people asked to keep a food diary actually lie in their journal, omitting snacks, chocolate, calories laden drinks. The key to losing weight is to be true to yourself, do it for you and your family, stick to the plan, never give up. Consider weight loss a battle that you must win. Fight for your life, do not let lethargy, green and obesity kill you. Source: MotleyHealth.com Weight Loss Articles

How to Lose Stomach Fat for Firm Abs

If you wish to lose weight and slim your belly, then follow these rules. Please note that "spot reduction", that is reduction of fat from one body part, is not possible. So knowing how to lose belly fat is actually knowing how to lose weight, as the only way to lose belly fat is to reduce your overall fat content. Whether you are very overweight, or if you just have a stubborn layer of fat left to shift before you can display a set of six pack abs, these tips should solve your problems. Before we continue, please note that performing hundreds of abdominal exercises everyday does not help to reduce fat. Crunches and sit ups, although intensive on the stomach, will not alone shift fat - and building bigger abdominals could actually make your stomach look bigger if it is still covered in a layer of fat. Why are we focussing on belly fat? Two reasons - to show of our abs, and also to be healthy. Modern thought concerning weight issues is that simply measuring body mass index does not provide a good indicator of health. Size of waist circumference is a better measure of health. Even a small amout of fat carried in the abdominal region is unhealthy. We have broken the process of losing belly fat down into five simple rules: First Rule of Weight Loss: Get Fit The most important change you must make if you wish to lose you belly fat and get a flat stomach is to start working out. But simply jogging a few miles twice a week, or playing some tennis at the weekend, will not shift stubborn belly fat. The best way to lose weight is a combination of intensive interval training and resistance training, ideally in the form of compound weight training. You do not need to join a gym to start getting fit, as we can provide several home exercise routines and as well as weight training routines. However for motivation and support, being a member of a gym can help. One of the best ways to get some intensive interval training is in a martial arts class. Kickboxing, karate, judo, kung-fu - they are all excellent choices. Also new popular methods include spinning, kick-boxercise as well as more traditional step aerobics. You need to be working in the fat burning zone, so invest in a heart rate monitor, and learn how to use it! For weight training, one of the celebrity workouts will be ideal. We recommended either following a workout similar to Matt Damon or Daniel Craig, if you wish to build some awesome muscles, or for a leaner look, follow the Brad Pitt workout. All of these focus on compound weight training exercises which are designed to burn fat and build muscle. If these do not tickle your fancy we have a growing selection of advice and articles to help you get fit here at Motley Health. You should aim to do two intensive weight training sessions and two intensive circuit training sessions each week. Always plan a good rest day at the weekend, plus have a day of "active rest", which means moderate light activity, such as golf, swimming or walking, on the other day. Read our abs exercise tips to get you going, also learning how the celebrities get fit can give you inspiration, and we have workouts and diet tips from some of our favourite celebs to help you. Second Rule of Weight Loss - Sugar, Saturated Fat and Belly Fat After exercising, the most important rule for losing belly fat is to stop eating junk food, period. Some nutritionists say that junk food can be eaten in moderation, however, moderation often leads to excess with little effort. Do not take the risk. From now on junk food in any form should not be allowed into your home. So no more takeaways, no more double whoppers with cheese, no more cookies, sweets, candy, soda or other sugar laden snacks. Also it is important to cut back on processed meats - so say no to hot dogs, sausages, chips, salami and and other form of processed meat. These meats are high in saturated fats. Third Rule of Weight Loss - Eat The Right Carbohydrates Not all carbs are equal. Refined flours and the foods that they create, such as white bread, pasta, donuts, cakes and biscuits should be avoided. They can cause bloating, poor digestion, and lead to accumulation of fat. "Good carbs", such as fresh fruits and vegetables, should be eaten instead. A diet that takes most of its carbs from fruits and vegetables, as opposed to flours, is healthier. Ideally granary or wholemeal bread should be eaten instead of white bread, and biscuits and cakes should be avoided. Consuming too much carbohydrate can bump up your insulin level which can slow down your metabolism. Your body cannot metabolize too much carbohydrate at once because the body doesn't need so much energy at once. The excess sugar will just turn into belly fat. Slow release carbs are also beneficial, such as oats, brown rice, some pulses and sweet potato. Much research has shown that adopting the Atkins Nutritional Approach, i.e. a high fat/protein diet, is the way ahead. Avoiding carbs increases fat burning metabolism (lipolysis) which helps to reduce stomach fat. Third Rule of Weight Loss - Binge Eating Try not to binge in the evening. Often people eat out of boredom, frustration or stress. And when at home, binging is very easy to do. The main problem with binging in the evening is that there is not much activity done afterwards. You go to bed afterwards, so causes high sugar levels in the blood stream and no energy spent after that. The excess sugar turns into fat. So, DO NOT BINGE!. Also, try to consume you last meal around 2-3 hours before your bedtime. If you are hungry during late nights, consume a small meal rather than binge. Fifth Rule of Weight Loss - Drink Less Alcohol, or Go On The Wagon Decrease alcohol consumption, or better still, give up drinking altogether. There is a good reason why a beer belly is called a beer belly! There are two reasons to give up alcohol. Firstly, alcoholic drinks contain a lot of calories, especially those that are sweetened. Beer is stacked with carbohydrates and sugars. If you are in the habit of having a few drinks in the evening, these calories really add up, and the fat is generally accumulated around the waist. The other reason is a metabolic one. When you consume alcohol, your body stops burning fat and sugars while using the alcohol for energy. Alcohol is a source of energy. This means that if you spend an evening drinking, you will not be in a state off lipolysis (fat burning) or glucosis (sugar/carbohydrate burning) and any food eaten will be stored as fat. Only once all the alcohol has been utilised will you start to burn fat again. Losing belly fat and getting a flat stomach is a long term goal for most people, so persevere, stick to te plan, don't give up. In addition to these tips, look to enhance your fitness training by following specific routines and schedules. Organising your weekly routine makes it much easiey for you to follow. After a while it will become second nature to get out and exercise. If you do not have to think about what you are going to do, then that saves precious time. To keep a diary, write up your training goals and progress in an exercise log, and just do it!

Exercise routine to target cellulite

Exercise plan that will help you get rid of unwanted cellulite for good. Step 1 – Cardio Exercises A health diet can help you prevent cellulite, but it will not get rid of it. The only way you can remove cellulite and have a smooth bum, tummy and thighs is by exercising regularly! Exercise will not only help you to remove cellulites, but it will also help you to lose some inches on the waist and hip area and get you toned, fit and slimmer. The more you sweat better results you will get! When you exercise your body circulation speeds up and increases the levels of oxygen in your blood. This stimulates the lymphatic system to work and dispose of internal body waste more effectively, helping to break down the fatty deposits that can cause cellulite. Exercise regime targeted to fight cellulite Go running - To help the body to remove cellulite you have to do some cardiovascular exercise to boost the circulation. So, you can do a 20 minutes session of intensive running on a treadmill three times a week. Start the session according to your fitness and increase the intensity of the running each time, as you get fitter. If you can talk comfortably while exercising you are pacing yourself correctly. At the end of each session do a quick sprint for the last couple of minutes until talking becomes difficult. Aerobic exercise – Start a cardiovascular activity that you enjoy such as running (as above), dancing, skipping, cycling or brisk walking. The idea is to improve your cardiovascular fitness, helping the body to tackle cellulite. Aerobic workouts – Choose a workout that you like and go for it. Some breath-taking exercises include: Kick Boxing: This exercise is great to shape the bum and burn some calories. Cross Trainer: Go for a 3 to 5 percent incline to really work on the bum and legs and switch direction every 5 min if you can to work the muscles all around. Power Yoga: If you are into yoga, practice the Sun Salutation, as this will keep you moving and help your body to detox and help to improve bumpy skin due to cellulite. Also try poses such as the warrior and the chair to work your thighs. Step 2 – Dynamic Exercise Routine After each 20 minutes cardiovascular session, start a five exercise routine workout with 10 to 20 repetitions each, as follows: Shrinking Squat – Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold a 5lbs weight on each hand, toes pointing forward. Bend your knees down into a squat position, keeping the body weight on your heels, leaning forward slightly and keeping the back straight. As you straighten the legs and stand up from the squat, lift one foot and extend one leg at a time sideways in a slow movement, tensing your bum muscles as you do it. Dead Lift – Stand with your knees slightly bent and feet hip width apart. Hold a 5lbs weight in each hand, clutch the tummy muscles in and lean forward hanging down the arms by the outer thighs, rolling the shoulders back and bending from the hips. Stand back up again in a slow movement. Side Lunge – Stand upright, bend the elbows and hold the weights pulled in against the chest. Bend the right knee and take a long step straight out to the side with the left leg, toes turned out. Pressing the hip back and leaning forward slightly, lunging down to the right. Pelvic Tilt – Lie down on your back, bend the knees creating a 90 degree angle to the floor. Keep the arms straight by your sides, palms facing down and touching the floor. Tilt the pelvis up and raise the hips, then open the left thigh out to the side, with a step movement bring the knee back in line with the hip, repeat with the other leg. Stepping – Stand behind a low bench or step, position the right foot flat on the step, keeping the hand by the sides. Clutch the right bum and stand up onto the step. As you go up lift your left leg out to the side with a slow and controlled movement. Return to the initial position and switch sides after completing a set. These five exercises should be performed with a slow and controlled movement to work the muscles correctly. In case you don’t have 5lbs hand weights, you can use two half-litre bottles of water.