Monday, May 12, 2008

Weight Loss Discipline

Weight loss discipline requires willpower for most diets with one exception: The Calorie Shifting Diet.

In order to lose weight on most diet plans, you are expected to eat in such a way that is completely counter to what you are accustomed to, and thus requires a great deal of adjustment, sacrifice, and willpower. The calorie shifting diet, on the other hand, is a very easy and very simple diet plan to follow.

The calorie shifting diet plan allows you to eat as much food as you want from all of the four major food groups. You are required to eat four full meals every day, leaving at least a 2.5 to 3 hour gap in between meals. The only catch is that you must adhere to a meal plan that, while it may appear to be counter to the way you normally eat, leaves you feeling completely satisfied, motivated, and requires less commitment of your willpower to adhere to.

The theory behind shifting calories to lose weight is that it is entirely possible to manipulate your body's metabolism at will using the foods that you already eat on a daily basis. There is no need to take any diet pills. There is no need to starve. There is no need to sacrifice any types of foods.

What does "shifting calories" exactly mean? It means that you shift the types of calories that you consume from meal to meal, from day to day, on a rotational basis. In other words, you get to eat everything in abundant quantity, but you must group your foods together differently at each meal according to a set pattern as prescribed by this diet plan. Doing so in the right combination will trigger the appropriate metabolic response in your body that will accelerate the fat burning process, even though you are eating to your satisfaction.

There is one other distinguishing feature of this diet. There is a general consensus among dieticians and nutritionists alike , that rapid weight loss is not good for you in the long-term. That is why this diet plan requires you to take a mandatory 3-day break every 2 weeks, to give your body a chance to stabilize and rest from the rapid weight loss you will have been exhibiting. After the 3 days is over, you may resume the diet again for another 11 consecutive days. During this 3-day break, you should plan to eat sensibly, just as you would if you had reached your goal weight and were trying to maintain your weight loss.

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Facts About Weight Loss Pills

Are you battling with your weight? You need not worry too much because you aren't the only one facing these issues. Thousands across the world are trying hard to lose weight. It is true that our rate of metabolism does not maintain balance with our urges for the food we relish. Since there are many ways to get rid of this dilemma it shouldnt be an irritating thought that worries you day and night. If you feel its time to lose those excess fat have a look at your diet, consider fitness regimes and weight loss pills.

People who are over weight turn to weight loss pills, because they badly want to shed their excess pounds. A large number of Americans have resorted to weight loss pills. It is not true that all weight loss pills helps you to reduce weight. There are many which can do harm than good. It is important to have an idea of which one is good and which one is not.

The ideal step would be to consult your doctor. Probably he or she will advice you to restrict your diet and to have regular exercises. Even they it is not a bad idea many prefer to choose weight lose pills, as they fear that restricting diet and regular exercises will not help. . The internet is a good source to learn about weight loss pills. Advertisements and commercial documentaries on weight loss pills are restlessly been shown on medias. I would prefer to stay away from them because they do more harm than good.

Many of them simply drain the necessary fluid content of your body making you feel thin. The unnecessary body fats are still there and so this does not prove to be a proper solution. Some other pills curb your hunger and your cravings will automatically disappear. Any way the better option is to consult your doctor before going for weight loss pills. This will help to ensure that you are losing weight in a healthy manner. After all losing weight is not that easy.

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Weight Loss Questions Answered

Here are probably more myths and misconceptions about weight loss than there are solid facts. Let's take a look at some of the questionable claims about weight loss made in other diet books and on weight-loss products, and try to separate fact from fiction.

Can you boost metabolism?

You learned about metabolism and the role it plays in eating and weight loss. You know that the thyroid gland is your body's metabolism meter. Although there are metabolism boosters on the market, the only safe way to speed up your metabolism is through exercise.

Unsafe metabolism boosters

There are several diet supplements sold in health food and vitamin stores, through the mail, and on the Internet that claim to speed up metabolism. Some of these are just plain useless, others are downright dangerous.

The trouble with these preparations is that they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency that verifies the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs. As long as they do not make claims to cure a disease, the manufacturers of these products can advertise and sell them to gullible consumers. From time to time, enough cases of harm come to the attention of authorities that a product is taken off the market - but others soon take its place.

Some over-the-counter weight-loss supplements contain thyroid extract from animals or other substances that act like the thyroid hormone. These speed metabolism by artificially, producing hyperthyroidism. People who take these preparations do lose weight, but they also develop other symptoms of an overactive thyroid, including nervousness and tremor, diarrhea, bulging eyes, racing heartbeat, excessive sweating, and heat intolerance. The FDA is trying to get at least one these products off the market, warning that it can cause heart attack, stroke, and other serious medical problems.

Do not swallow anything - not the claim, not the product that says it will speed your metabolism. You are wasting your money or jeopardizing your health or both!

A safe alternative

The only way to safely and effectively increase your metabolic rate is with exercise. The harder you work, the faster your metabolic rate. This is nature's, way of responding to increased energy demand. A vigorous exercise session will raise your BMR for many hours. There are so many health and weight-loss benefits to this approach that it's hard to understand why anyone would try anything else.

Am i Losing weight or water?

You are losing both. When stored glycogen is converted to glucose for energy, it releases three parts water for every one part glucose. The glucose is used for energy and the water is excreted in urine.

Water is pretty heavy stuff. Every fluid ounce weighs about an ounce, so a cup weighs about half a pound. (That makes it simple to remember!)

But if you are losing a lot of water weight, you have to be sure to replace it. Drinking more water won't make you fat, but it will replace the water lost during the "breakdown" phase of metabolism. And it will help carry away the waste products. Drinking lots of water is especially important when weight loss is rapid, or when you are increasing activity and losing additional water through sweat. But it is a good idea for everyone.

What about genetics?

"Fat just seems to run in my family", "Everyone on my mother side is thin, but my father side of the family is overweight." "I can't do their anything about my weight. It's genetic!" You've undoubtedly heard people blame their overweight on genetics, and maybe you've done this yourself.

Although it is true that genes contribute to BMR, body type, and other factors that influence weight, no one is doomed to obesity by genetics.

Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits also "run in families," but they have nothing to do with genes. These are behaviors children pick up and carry into adulthood, and then pass along to their children. If your family has a history of sitting around and eating junk food, that probably explains the "family fat." If, on the other hand, your family history includes sports and other outdoor activities, you and your relatives may all be slim and trim.

You cannot change your genes, but you can change your eating and exercise habits.

Especially if there is a tendency to overweight or weightrelated health problems in your family, you should cut down on fats, eat a balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrates, and incorporate a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise into every day.

If you are overweight, you should begin a program to lose weight and maintain that loss. And if you have children you should set a good example. Simply put: Healthy living, including eating wisely and being active, can run in families too.

Read more on How to lose weight. Check out for daily diet plans and diet supplements.

What's The Best Way To Lose Weight Fast?

Many of us who are somewhat overweight feel we'd be happy if we could just lose about 25 lbs (give or take!). But - we want to lose weight fast, and in the right places...Is this a realistic goal, or does it only happen in TV ads?

Well it is possible but not overnight, - if you want to keep healthy. Too rapid a weight loss can be very harmful to your body, so you have to pick a safe goal. This is normally a maximum of 3lbs per week. So losing 21 lbs is going to take you almost two months.

Not fast enough? Well check with your doctor before you embark on a more ambitious program to lose weight fast. Remember, you really have two goals:

- Lose the weight

- Avoid regaining it

Some diet plans are quite aggressive. The Atkins diet (in phase 1) can cause you to lose weight quite quickly. Meal replacement products like Ensure also help. Of course reducing portion sizes, and eating smaller amounts more often can help a lot in achieving your weight loss goal.One problem is, once you are on a restricted food type of diet you may well be missing out on important nutrients that you body needs. You should be taking vitamin supplements and choosing the foods you eat very carefully to get the maximum nutritional value.

Another key factor is water. Any weight loss program has a risk of dehydration. You need to drink the well-known '8 glasses of water per day' - at least.

Strength training exercises are a must if you are trying to burn off excess fat. This type of exercise will cause your body to get the energy it needs from stored fat reserves. Other exercise like aerobics, walking or cycling are good for burning calories, so you will not end up each day with an excess that can get converted to fat. Finally, stretching exercises like Yoga are excellent for toning your body and increasing the flexibility in your muscles and joints.

Now if this all sounds like a lot of work - it is! But if you want to lose quickly (and safely) then you don't have much choice. Ask yourself - "how motivated am I"? If you are really serious about getting in shape then this is a good way to start. However, losing weight is kind of like quitting smoking. You can't go back to your old habits. Like the famous coach Yogi Berra said 'baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical!'. In other words a lot of this stuff is in your head. If you can't get around this, then you are in trouble from day one.

The best way is to start off with a diet program that will cause you to lose weight fast. After you've lost some initial pounds you should be motivated to continue. Then it's time to ease off into a more gradual type of diet and exercise routine that will lead to long-term weight loss and a significant change in your lifestyle.

Remember, it is possible and lots of people do it - and you'll feel better not only physically, but mentally as well.

Author Bio:
Mike is a fitness enthusiast, runner and walker. He is a contributing editor for the Get In Shape web site. Learn more weight loss tips on their page Can You Really Lose Weight Fast?