Weight Loss - How Do I Achieve It?

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Lose Your Weight: Simple & Practical Ways

Eat right & on-time

Weight loss is a critical issue in today's society with obesity on the rise and people finally realizing what being overweight is doing to their bodies, their health and eventually their lifestyles.

Weight loss is good for many conditions. It is of real benefit in diabetes, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, joint problems and raised cholesterol.

Weight loss is possible with exercise and healthy meals alone, but including good-quality protein and building lean muscle mass will help you lose more quickly, helping you to keep the weight off and stay healthy.

Weight loss is virtually guaranteed if one sticks to the regulations of the diet.

Weight Loss basics: eat more calories than you use & you'll put on weight; use more than you eat and you'll lose it. Weight Loss is now a goal which can be reached really easily if we stick to a training regime, diet plan. But for some, surgery may be the only hope.

Surgical techniques have evolved over the past few decades, and most are effective, in the sense that they do typically lead to substantial weight loss.

However, all experts do agree that the best way to maintain weight loss is to follow a healthy lifestyle. Whichever approach you prefer, the key to long-term success is a slow steady weight loss. It is proven that it is important to prepare yourself mentally for your weight loss journey and the lifestyle changes you are about to undergo.

For individuals who are morbidly obese, surgery to bypass portions of the stomach and small intestine may at times be the only effective means of producing sustained and significant weight loss.
The primary factor in achieving and maintaining weight loss is a lifelong commitment to regular exercise and sensible eating habits. You will find that all levels of your life are improved with weight loss which brings you so much personal satisfaction.

If eating habits are not completely and permanently changed, the weight loss provided by a diet is not going to last long. If you suffer from, or think you may suffer from, a medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting a weight loss and / or exercise regime.

Drinking water is one of the most rapid weight loss tips that dieticians suggest to people and leads to 100+ calories extra burned a day. Every twenty soft drinks you skip from your normal intake equates to about one pound of weight loss.

Fasting: While fasting plays a major part in some diets, it is generally not recommended for safe weight loss.

 

Diet

Dietitians are nutritionists who work directly with clients or patients regarding their nutritional needs. Dieting reduces your caloric intake but exercising helps you burn more calories. DIET Weight loss is vital if obesity is present. Dieting is easier than you ever imagined. On a vegetarian diet, weight loss is not supposed to be a problem.

A well balanced reduced calorie diet containing moderate fat is recommended. The inclusion of different kinds of fruits into weight-loss diets is a healthy way of dealing with starvation, as well as providing the body those nutrients and vitamins it needs to function properly.

Exercise While You Diet: Weight loss is all about reducing your caloric intake while you increase the calories you burn. First of all decide how much weight you want to lose, and set yourself a realistic target, ideally with the help of your dietitian or doctor.

A diet that works for some people does not work for others. A healthy breakfast is one of the key elements of a healthy diet and consequential weight loss. Most fad diets, if followed closely, will result in weight loss-as a result of caloric restriction.

Moreover, dieters who fail to adopt better exercise and eating habits will regain the lost weight-and possibly more. As it begins, large amounts of water will be shed, leading the dieter to think that significant weight reduction is taking place.

Consult your doctor, for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.
Much of the early weight loss on a very low calorie diet represents loss of muscle tissue rather than loss of fat.

As many as 85% of dieters who do not exercise on a regular basis regain their lost weight within two years. Repeatedly losing and regaining weight (yo-yo dieting) encourages the body to store fat and may increase a patient's risk of developing heart disease.

Eating three balanced, moderate-portion meals a day-with the main meal at mid-day-is a more effective way to prevent obesity than fasting or crash diets, which convince the body that there is an ongoing famine. Modern medicine has found ways to extend our lifespan through dietary restriction.
For the sake of your health, always consult your doctor before making any significant dietary, nutritional or lifestyle changes. The American Heart Association (AHA) generally recommends a diet with less than 30% fat.

Individual's lifestyle, food preferences, preparation abilities, snack habits, cravings, etc, should all be considered when developing a dietary plan. It is important that the nutrition counselor tailor the diet to the individual as opposed to adopting a "one-size-fits-all" approach. After weight loss, lower-fat diets may be the best. For most people, being overweight is a result of an insufficient amount of exercise, an inadequate lifestyle routine and a poorly balanced diet.

Most high-fiber foods are also high in water and low in calories, making them must-have diet foods. Soluble fiber can help to lower cholesterol; insoluble contains indigestible fibers that add bulk to our diets.

Some experts believe dieters have better control if they eat several mini-meals throughout the day. Exercise and a balanced diet are the key factors in fat loss and weight reduction.
Drinking water is one of the most rapid weight loss tips that dieticians suggest to people and leads to 100+ calories extra burned a day.

The ultimate tip to eventual success: regular exercise and a balanced diet. Add one cheat day to your diet to rid yourself of cravings.

Eat a healthy diet filled with lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products.

Fasting: While fasting plays a major part in some diets, it is generally not recommended for safe weight loss.

Surgery

But for many in this situation, weight loss surgery is the only hope. One of the earliest forms was gastric bypass surgery. There are many forms of surgery these days and all have pros and cons.
There are still substantial risks, however, as with any major surgery. For those who believe surgery is the best option, consulting with an experienced physician is essential.

For individuals who are morbidly obese, surgery to bypass portions of the stomach and small intestine may at times be the only effective means of producing sustained and significant weight loss.
Such obesity surgery, however, can be risky, and it is performed only on patients for whom other strategies have failed and whose obesity seriously threatens health. If hiatus hernia symptoms are chronic and do not respond to diet and medication, surgery may become necessary.
Today, most surgeons elect to perform laparoscopic surgery, because it is minimally invasive and recovery time is reduced.

Burn

If you imagine yourself losing weight and burning up calories during normal daily activity, you will lose weight and body fat. It has a cellular effect on the body, causing fat cells to release their stored fat to be burned as energy. The food you eat during the day should be burned off through activity.
Exercise While You Diet: Weight loss is all about reducing your caloric intake while you increase the calories you burn. Dieting reduces your caloric intake but exercising helps you burn more calories.

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We all know that to achieve a healthy weight loss we need to burn more calories than what we take in. Exercise increases the metabolic rate by creating muscle, which burns more calories than fat.
When regular exercise is combined with consistent, healthful meals, calories continue to burn at an accelerated rate for several hours. Calories burned depending on your activity level.

Not only does fat provide a sense of fullness, eating enough of a healthy fat called omega-3 fatty acids may cause your metabolism to burn fat more efficiently. If your weight remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories you burn each day.

If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.

The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions and our level of physical activity.

Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labor will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job).

For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.

To lose one pound, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. If you're eating fewer calories than you're burning, you'll lose weight.

As it is well known when the body does not get enough calories it starts to burn the fat that was deposited in the fat tissue.

Exercise will help you burn excess calories and fat, and will also help to tone and build muscle. Retaining muscle is the key to optimal fat burning metabolism.

Disclaimer: Consult your doctor before starting any diet / weight loss program. Information in this article is for educational purpose only.

Do you want to learn more about the current topic & other related articles? Visit http://www.health-fitness-wellness.com for practically useful information on health & healthy lifestyles.
Pradeep Mahajan is a health enthusiast. He researches, studies & writes on health & fitness topics.
You can reprint this article provided it is not changed and you include the author's web-site address.

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The 411 on Calories

Find out how many calories you need to keep your body fueled and fit.

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If you're interested in nutrition or weight loss, you no doubt pay a lot of attention to calories. But do you know what exactly calories are, and how many you really need?

Calories: The Good, the Bad, and the Empty
 
There is really no such thing as "good" or "bad" calories. "Your body processes each calorie the same," says Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas. But Lummus adds that some foods are far more nutritious than others. "We strive to make our calories the most nutrient-dense that we can, meaning that we are packing in a lot of nutrition for a very small amount of calories. You are optimizing your calorie budget, so to speak."
While calories get a negative rap when it comes to weight control, calories are actually an important source of fuel you cannot live without. "Your body needs calories for energy," says Lummus. Calories are the force behind everything we do, including eating, sleeping, and breathing.

"Calories are how much energy your body gets from the food and beverages that it consumes," says Lummus. Most food sources are composed of some combination of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and each of these nutrients contains calories. Yet it's important to stay away from "empty" calories in foods like sweets and soda, warns Lummus.

Calories: Finding Your Magic Number

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You must find the right balance of calories every day, depending on your overall goals. "Eating too many calories and not burning enough through physical activities would yield a weight gain, while not eating enough calories [to keep up with your calorie burn] would yield a weight loss," says Lummus.

The number of calories a person needs depends on many individual factors, including age, weight, height, and activity level. When dieticians counsel clients on calorie needs, they take all of these facts into consideration and come up with a suggestion for how many calories are needed to maintain, lose, or gain weight.

In general, men need between 2,000 to 2,400 calories and woman between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. Consuming less than 1,200 calories per day can be harmful to your health, notes Lummus, since it may trigger your body to go into starvation mode, causing your body to actually hold onto calories.

Teenagers' caloric needs can vary considerably. For example, teenage boys may require up to 3,000 calories per day, while teenage girls usually need around 2,200 calories each day. "For children, calorie needs are going to change a lot more because they are growing so rapidly," Lummus continues. She says that infants 5 to 12 months of age need around 850 calories daily, 1- to 3-year-olds need roughly 1,300 calories daily, 4- to 6-year-olds need about 1,800 calories daily, and 7- to 10-year-olds require 2,000 calories daily.

"Counting calories is usually not necessary for children," says Lummus. "You just want to make sure that your child is getting all of the requirements from all of the food groups."
Both children and adults should get the bulk of their calories from a variety of healthful foods, including low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources — the building blocks of a nutritious diet.
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HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT!

What is your favourite tip?

Boost Your Metabolism With Mini-Meals

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Spreading your calories throughout the day may help you stick to your diet and keep off the weight.

                 

"This time I am going to stick to my diet," you tell yourself. You make every effort to follow a healthful eating plan, but in a moment of weakness, hunger strikes and you find yourself indulging in a feeding frenzy.

Is there any way to break this vicious cycle and lose weight for good? It might be time to consider not only looking at what you eat, but also when you eat.

Skip Meals Now, Overeat Later

If you are trying to lose weight, you probably know the importance of keeping an eye on the number of calories you're consuming. But you may not know that how many calories you eat at each sitting can make a difference in your weight-loss efforts, too.
There is evidence that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer, larger meals during the day tend to weigh more than people who eat a healthy breakfast and four or five smaller meals. This may be because they end up feeling hungrier, which makes it easy to give into temptation. "When you skip meals you will [eventually] overeat," says Pete McCall, MS, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise.
    
When you go for hours without eating, your blood sugar levels dip, which can leave you feeling hungry and shaky. A drop in blood sugar can also trigger people to lose their willpower and reach for a calorie-laden treat.

    

Smaller Meals, More Often

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If you eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day, your appetite may be better controlled, helping you adhere to your weight-loss plan. By consistently fueling your body with calories — even limited calories — you avoid the feeling of starvation that derails so many diets.
"The idea is that if you have three meals and a couple of snacks throughout the day, you are regulating your blood sugar and maintaining your body chemistry," notes McCall.
When you are consuming fewer calories every day as part of a weight-loss plan, it's even more important to eat consistently throughout the day to reassure your body that you are not starving. According to Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, when you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation mode and actually holds onto calories, which can sabotage weight loss.

Managing Your Calorie Intake

Switching from two or three large meals to five or six "mini-meals" may help keep both your blood sugar and metabolism steady. McCall recommends restructuring the day's intake into smaller meals plus more substantial snacks. For someone who plans to eat about 2,000 calories per day, for example, he suggests eating three meals of 500 to 600 calories each and two 100- to 200-calorie snacks.

If eating larger meals is working for you and you're meeting your weight-loss goals, there is no reason to switch to smaller meals. Spreading your calories out may simply help you better control your appetite and perhaps increase your diet success, especially if you reach a weight-loss plateau.

Remember that the bottom line for weight loss remains the same: "Monitor your caloric consumption," advises McCall. "Do not over-consume."

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Calories: How to Know if You Go Too Low

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Eating too few calories may actually hamper your weight-loss goals. Here's how to tell if your calorie counting is counterproductive.

Cutting calories is the approach most dieters must take to meet their weight-loss goals. But every once in a while people take calorie restriction too far, ultimately making weight loss slower and more difficult by slowing your metabolism.

Figuring out the right number of calories for you on a daily basis depends on your age, gender, and activity level. In general, the younger and more active you are, the more calories you can consume. And men are able to eat more calories daily than women. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines says that women 19 to 30 years old should consume 2,000 calories if they have a sedentary lifestyle or 2,400 calories if they have an active one; for men of the same age the range is 2,400 to 3,000 calories.

Defining the Low-Calorie Diet

It seems logical that if calories are the problem, you would want to eat as few of them as possible to speed weight loss. As a general rule, people need a minimum of 1,200 calories daily to stay healthy. People who have a strenuous fitness routine or perform many daily activities need more calories. If you have reduced your calorie intake below 1,200 calories a day, you could be hurting your body in addition to your weight-loss plans.

“The big picture is to consume enough calories with a balance of nutrients and engage in physical activity for good health management to achieve one’s weight goals. Consuming less than 1,200 calories per day may make it difficult to meet vitamin and mineral needs via food,” says nutrition therapist Andrea Spivack, MA, RD, LDN, with Penn Behavioral Health at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Tempting as it may be to continue with your low-calorie weight-loss plan and simply take a supplement, Spivack points out that there are some key nutrients which are only available through your diet.

Occasionally, obese people will go on a very low-calorie diet — 800 to 1,000 calories per day — for a brief period of time in order to achieve a specific weight-loss goal, but then will switch to a diet with more calories to reach and maintain their desired weight. Such a diet is usually supervised by a doctor or nutritionist so that it is nutritionally balanced. Unfortunately, weight regain is common after these restricted calorie diets end.

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Why Low-Calorie Diets Slow Your Metabolism

If you are on a very low-calorie diet, you may wonder why the numbers on your scale aren’t budging, but your diet buddy is slimmer by the month.

The reality is that different people respond differently to low-calorie diets. When your body senses that food may not be in plentiful supply, it may slow down your metabolism as protection against the possibility of starvation, even if you are obese and deliberately trying to lose weight.

“In some people, the metabolic rate [how fast the body burns calories] is only slightly reduced to make up the shortfall in energy difference, while in others it is far greater. It is this variability in the metabolic rate with energy restriction that causes much of the variability in weight loss between people,” explains Leanne M. Redman, PhD, an instructor of human physiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Redman and colleagues have been studying the impact of very low-calorie diets on weight loss and other measures of health.

Calories: Are You Getting Enough?
 
Here are signs that you are not getting enough calories:

• You are having a hard time sticking to your diet plan. It's hard to stick to extremely low-calorie diets, which can hurt your long-term success. Boredom and hunger can both undermine your weight-loss goals.
• Your weight loss is stalling. A study of 48 overweight people compared the results of a calorie restriction diet, diet and exercise, and a normal diet over six months and found that many of those eating the lower amount of calories had increasingly slow metabolisms as time went by. This translates into slowed weight loss.

You can use online tools, such as My Calorie Counter, to help you track your daily calorie intake. MCC allows you to set a target for daily calorie consumption and can tell you throughout the day how you are doing.

If you are still interested in a low-calorie diet, consult a doctor or dietitian who can help you create a nutritionally balanced diet that won’t leave you hungry and frustrated.

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