I think one of the most important things when it comes to weight loss is following a program that works for you. No one knows your body better than you. Many people get caught up in following different programs that people post on the internet, and end up failing at reaching their goals. Reading different plans is a great starting point and you can try out different things that people suggest, but don't be afraid to modify plans to fit you.
When starting out it is important to know your limits. If you have never worked out or haven't in a very long time, do not go to the gym and place your treadmill on an incline of 10 at a speed of 4 because you read that's a good workout. All you are going to end up doing is 5 minutes if that and getting off the machine and going home feeling discourage. Yes it is important to push yourself, but you must know how. You want to be able to do your cardio workout for at least 30 mins with an elevated heart rate, (there are several sites that will tell you what your heart rate range should be based on age). So if no incline at a speed of 3 does that for you then start there. After a week or two your body will adjust and you can start to increase inclines and speeds.
This is also important when it comes to your diet plan. Drastically cutting calories is a great way to lose weight fast however you won't stick with it, or once you reach your goal old eating habits come back and you gain all the weight back and some. At my largest with no exercise my body burned around 2100 cals just functioning so cutting my diet down to 1500 a day was enough to start stimulating weight loss. We all know to lose weight we must burn more calories than we take in. 1500 cals a day was reasonable and allowed me to find many foods to eat without starving. Also, learning to split it up into 5 or 6 meals a day kept me from having crazy hunger pains. By not going crazy and cutting down to a 1000 calories a day diet I was able to stick with my plan and learned better eating habits. I suggest that everyone goes online and use one of the BMR calculators to give them an idea on what they burn. However if you just started going to the gym the day before I wouldn't suggest putting in that you are active quiet yet.
Combine a healthy diet with an exercise program that works for you pounds will come off. You are not magically going to lose 20lbs in a week. You didn't gain the weight that fast so there is no point in thinking you are going to lose it that fast. Losing weight takes time and dedication.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Diet Pills
So many people when overweight turn to diet pills. They see commercials and ads promising fast weight loss. Some go as far to tell people that they don't even have to change their diet and the weight will still come off. This is far from true. If it was that easy doctors would not have developed surgeries like gastric bypass and lap band procedures.
When you read the labels on all diet pills it says that it should be combine with a healthy diet and exercise program. Even when doctors prescribe them they advise their patients to change their diet and lifestyle for the desired results.
I'm not anti-diet pills by any means. I believe with the right choice they can actually aid in weight loss and help people meet their goals. When first starting dieting and exercising it can be hard to get motivated and handle the food cravings. I know this was very true for me when I first started working out. After being overweight for so many years and having no healthy habits I needed a little boost. Some diet pills like Lipo 6 Black is great for helping with that. It gives you the boost of energy needed to get through a workout and help curb hunger. This is not a miracle pill, but is really great at getting you going when you first start trying to lose weight.
After you have trained yourself on proper eating and get into the habit of working out the diet pill can be completely removed from your program, and a cup of coffee or Redbull in the morning is enough to get you going. Most diet pills are full of large amounts of caffeine which we all know provides energy and suppresses hunger.
So if you do plan on using a diet pill keep in mind that it is just an aid in weight loss. You are not going to get skinny and fit by just taking a pill. Use it to give you that extra boost you need if you require it. There's no sense in taking a pill and not capitalizing on the effects.
When you read the labels on all diet pills it says that it should be combine with a healthy diet and exercise program. Even when doctors prescribe them they advise their patients to change their diet and lifestyle for the desired results.
I'm not anti-diet pills by any means. I believe with the right choice they can actually aid in weight loss and help people meet their goals. When first starting dieting and exercising it can be hard to get motivated and handle the food cravings. I know this was very true for me when I first started working out. After being overweight for so many years and having no healthy habits I needed a little boost. Some diet pills like Lipo 6 Black is great for helping with that. It gives you the boost of energy needed to get through a workout and help curb hunger. This is not a miracle pill, but is really great at getting you going when you first start trying to lose weight.
After you have trained yourself on proper eating and get into the habit of working out the diet pill can be completely removed from your program, and a cup of coffee or Redbull in the morning is enough to get you going. Most diet pills are full of large amounts of caffeine which we all know provides energy and suppresses hunger.
So if you do plan on using a diet pill keep in mind that it is just an aid in weight loss. You are not going to get skinny and fit by just taking a pill. Use it to give you that extra boost you need if you require it. There's no sense in taking a pill and not capitalizing on the effects.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Weighing in after the holidays
Very first blog. Kind of exciting to think that maybe some one will read it. So this morning I got on the scale. I was very afraid to due the Thanksgiving holiday passing and having two days without sticking to my normal diet put fear in my heart. I was sure I was going to see a number that I wouldn't like. Yes I know that I ate more than I normally would have, but not enough to gain weight, but as we all know the weight loss mind doesn't allow for sound reasoning like that. So stepping on the scale to see that I didn't gain weight and was still able to lose weight left me more than relieved. Having the holiday pass and not gain weight has left me feeling a little empowered.
Since ten pounds ago weight loss mind has been turned on and was starting to bother me. I hadn't been bothered with it for maybe 30lbs prior and had gotten use to not having it around again. Maybe I need to explain what weight loss mind is.
Weight loss mind is the stages when your mind switches from feeling great about the weight loss and starts creating doubt in you. For example it makes you think that you aren't losing any weight and makes it hard for you to see it in the mirror. Even though the scale clearly shows that you have, clothes fit better, and friends and family can see it, you some how can't. Weight loss mind does everything to try and convince you otherwise so that you give up and go back to old habits. I think this is one of the main reason people quit dieting and exercising. I don't think they gave into temptation it's just that weight loss mind kicks in and they can't handle it. I mean think about if you are convince that you aren't losing any weight and not looking better why would you stick with the workout plan. I know through these 150lbs of loss I have had my share of weight loss mind. For me it tends to come every 20 or 30 lbs now.
Seeing that I still managed to lose weight was just what I needed to get rid of this mindset. I shouldn't been concerned at all because I have built in cheat days anyway. No cheat days does not mean go over thousands of calories, but between 200-400 calories is okay. It keeps sticking to dieting easy. I tend to have maybe 2 or 3 days a month when I go over my allowed calorie intake. I will say I do not suggest having cheat days the first couple of months of dieting because it cause set backs because you haven't trained yourself to have control yet. LOL This was my case at the beginning.
Well I'm feeling good now 160lbs, only 35lbs to go. I will use this blog to post my diet, my workouts, and my mood. Maybe it'll help others or maybe it'll just make me feel good to see it written down. Let's start a new journey.
Since ten pounds ago weight loss mind has been turned on and was starting to bother me. I hadn't been bothered with it for maybe 30lbs prior and had gotten use to not having it around again. Maybe I need to explain what weight loss mind is.
Weight loss mind is the stages when your mind switches from feeling great about the weight loss and starts creating doubt in you. For example it makes you think that you aren't losing any weight and makes it hard for you to see it in the mirror. Even though the scale clearly shows that you have, clothes fit better, and friends and family can see it, you some how can't. Weight loss mind does everything to try and convince you otherwise so that you give up and go back to old habits. I think this is one of the main reason people quit dieting and exercising. I don't think they gave into temptation it's just that weight loss mind kicks in and they can't handle it. I mean think about if you are convince that you aren't losing any weight and not looking better why would you stick with the workout plan. I know through these 150lbs of loss I have had my share of weight loss mind. For me it tends to come every 20 or 30 lbs now.
Seeing that I still managed to lose weight was just what I needed to get rid of this mindset. I shouldn't been concerned at all because I have built in cheat days anyway. No cheat days does not mean go over thousands of calories, but between 200-400 calories is okay. It keeps sticking to dieting easy. I tend to have maybe 2 or 3 days a month when I go over my allowed calorie intake. I will say I do not suggest having cheat days the first couple of months of dieting because it cause set backs because you haven't trained yourself to have control yet. LOL This was my case at the beginning.
Well I'm feeling good now 160lbs, only 35lbs to go. I will use this blog to post my diet, my workouts, and my mood. Maybe it'll help others or maybe it'll just make me feel good to see it written down. Let's start a new journey.
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