August 25, 2008

Create An Amazing Exercise Workout Plan

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jump rope workout planAs much as you've probably been trying to avoid it, the summer has slithered up to nip us in the bud yet again. If you're like most of us, in order to hit the beach (or pool) this summer feeling fit and confident, you'll definitely need to lose some weight.

In order to help you achieve your fitness related goals, I have outlined the process of creating an amazing, effective exercise workout plan. If followed, this process will certainly increase your chances of hitting the beach this summer feeling great about the way you look!

Clearly Define Your Goals

The first step, (and arguably most important), step in the process is simply taking the time to clearly identify your goals.

If you have no idea of where you are going, how can you possibly expect to get there?

Broad goals like, "I want to lose some weight" or "I want to finally get into shape", are not nearly as defined as they need to be. Take the time to think about what it is that you really want to accomplish. If you want to lose weight, define exactly how much. If you want to lose fat, define the exact amount that you would like to lose. As simple as this seems, you would be surprised at the amount of people who do not take the time to clearly think this through before jumping into the fire.

Choose Your Fitness Activity

After you have clearly defined your goals, you will need to decide upon the best method for you to accomplish them. This is not an easy task as everyone is different and has different preferences, tolerances and requirements. If your goal is fitness related, it usually goes without saying that you will need to add some sort of exercise or fitness related activity to your everyday life.

This is the time to explore different types of fitness activities. There are literally thousands of possibilities ranging from Pilates, Yoga and Spinning classes in a commercial gym, to simply jumping rope or lifting weights in your garage or basement. None of the options out there are completely worthless, just as none of the options out there are a do-all, be-all solution for everybody.

It is true that some types of exercises and activities are better suited for certain goals, but the focus should not only be on progress, but enjoyment and usability. In my opinion, the only totally worthless exercise workout plan on the face of the planet is an exercise plan that you do not follow!

Learn How To Prepare Your Mind For Your Exercise Workout Plan!

Plan Your Schedule

Now that you know exactly where you are going and what form of exercise you are going to use to get there, you will need to take the time to schedule your new fitness related activity.

Set aside time each day to perform a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity. As your goals expand a bit, you will need to rearrange your schedule accordingly. Someone who desires to lose 2 lbs in 3 weeks can plan a fairly conservative approach to their exercise workout plan, while someone who desires to lose 25 lbs in 2 months; will need to take a more aggressive approach.

Some people prefer to exercise in the morning prior to starting their day while others enjoy sleeping in until they absolutely have to get up. Again, it simply does not matter when you perform your exercise. Running at high intensity in the morning will burn just as many calories as running at high intensity in the evening. The most important thing here is that you create a schedule that you will be able to stick with in the long run.

Put Your Plan Into Action

Put your new plan of attack into action. It does not matter how well you design an exercise workout plan, if you never follow it. The only way that you will see any results is by taking your exercise plan and following it religiously. Many of the results that you desire will not come until you have put in the time to perform your workouts on a consistent basis.

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August 24, 2008

What Is The Best Quick Weight Loss Diet

The Best Quick Weight Loss DietWhen it comes to losing weight quickly, easily and safely most people have no idea where to begin. Most start by committing to some sort of gimmicky weight loss diet. While eating healthy foods in moderation is certainly a great place to begin your weight loss efforts, the truth of the matter is that most fad diets simply don't promote healthy weight loss habits.

As with many of the fad diets on the market today, you will initially begin to see some exciting results as you begin any new weight loss plan. This initial weight loss can be attributed to a few factors such as excitement over starting a new diet, beginning to monitor your calorie or food intake, and increasing water consumption to name a few.

The majority of these diets implement principles that are proven to aid in weight loss, but lead you to believe that you will only lose weight due to their "revolutionary weight loss secrets".

If you truly want to lose some quick weight and keep it off for good, follow the tips outlined below!

Weight Loss Diet Tip #1 - Drink More Water

This is more of an overall health tip that will help your body feel better, recover quicker from exercise and stress, flush out toxins produced in your body and keep you from becoming dehydrated. Try to shoot for 1 gallon of water a day. Not only will you feel better, but this will also help you to feel fuller while restricting your calorie intake.

Weight Loss Diet Tip #2 - Monitor What You Currently Eat

In order to get where you want to go, you must first have a clear idea of where you are. Log everything that you eat throughout a 2 day period. Get a calorie counter at your local bookstore, or go online and visit : http://www.nutritiondata.com/.

Look up the calorie content, protein content, fat content, and carbohydrate content of each food that you eat on a daily basis. Total up the fat, carbohydrate, protein and calories that you are currently consuming each day and average the values.

Weight Loss Diet Tip #3 - Eliminate Unnecessary Junk Food and Other Empty Calories From Your Diet

For some people, this simple step is all that it will take to lose some quick weight. Look for anything that has minimal nutritional value and make the choice not to eat it on a daily basis anymore. In order to keep weight off long-term, adopt the motto: "eat to live, don't live to eat".

Make the commitment to yourself to eat only for nutritional value and energy, not to feel better emotionally.

Weight Loss Diet Tip #4 - Lower Your Daily Calorie Intake By 500 Calories

This should be enough of a reduction to allow for some immediate results in weight loss, but not so much that you throw your body into a state of shock. In order to lose weight and keep it off, the key is consistently and gradually lowering you calorie intake, while increasing your calorie expenditure.

Do not try to completely eliminate food from your life. If you take this approach, you will not lose weight! For some people, step #3 will eliminate enough calories that they will consume 500 calories less just by eliminating junk food from their diets.

"People who take a long term approach and focus on steady consistent progress, are the ones who will be able to permanently change their eating habits and consequently keep the lost weight off for good!"

Weight Loss Diet Tip # 5 - Eat Smaller More Frequent Meals Spread Out Every 2 - 3 Hours Throughout The Day

This will help to boost your metabolism while keeping you full of energy throughout the day. By eating smaller more frequent meals, you are forcing your body to process the foods that you eat when you eat them. This supplies a steady stream of energy throughout the day. As your body begins to process these more frequent meals, it also burns more calories adding to your calorie deficit.

Weight Loss Diet Tip # 6 - Perform Moderate Intensity Cardiovascular Exercise 4 Days Per Week For 20 -30 Minutes Per Session

This will cause your body to burn more calories, while increasing your cardiovascular (heart) and cardio pulmonary (heart and lung) health. By adding regular cardiovascular exercise to your regular routine, you will also improve your mood and sense of well being and take a huge step towards feeling better about yourself.

For More Great Fat Loss Tips Read The Body Fat Guide!

As you can see, permanent weight loss is not easy to achieve. It requires a consistent commitment to regular exercise, intelligent eating habits and determination to see your plan through to the end!

Put these weight loss diet tips to use and combine them with a fat loss workout program, you'll be amazed by how quickly the pounds begin to melt off!

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August 17, 2008

List of Aerobic Activities For Fat Loss

As each new year begins, many people have diets and fat loss on their minds.  Hopefully, most people realize that in order to lose body fat the best approach is to incorporate fitness and sensible nutritional practices into their lives to create a fat burning lifestyle.

In order to help distinguish between all of the gimmicky aerobic exercise fads floating around, I have compiled  a list of aerobic activities that I personally feel are the absolute best for fat loss.

Before we dive into the list, I know that there are a few questions that my clients regularly ask regarding aerobic activity. I would like to take the time to provide answers to some of the more common questions.

What is the definition of aerobic exercise?

In order to define aerobic exercise, we will need to take a look at the meaning of the word aerobic.  In it's simplest form, the word aerobic means 'with oxygen".  So, aerobic exercise is simply exercise that requires the use of oxygen.  Think back to the last time you performed any type of aerobic workout, I would imagine that you were breathing heavily? right?  That is because during aerobic exercise, your body uses oxygen to create energy for you to complete the exercise session.  In essence, you are exercising "with oxygen".

What are the health benefits of aerobic exercise?

There are many reported health benefits associated with aerobic exercise. Some of the most common are:  Reduced blood pressure, increased HDL (good) cholesterol, decrease in total cholesterol, decrease in body fat, increased aerobic work capacity, decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety and increased heart function.

With those common questions answered, here is my short list of aerobic activities for fat loss…

Aerobic Activity #1 - Jogging

I know that this seems obvious and boring, but that is exactly why I believe that it is one of the best.

Many people simply ignore this type of exercise, thinking that a fancy elliptical trainer or exercise bike is better.  This is simply not true.  The other main benefit of walking or jogging, is that you can perform it anywhere in the world. There is no need for fancy equipment. Just buy some comfortable walking / running shoes and your off.

Aerobic Activity #2 - Swimming

Many people simply can not walk or jog without pain and discomfort due to joint troubles.  This is where the benefits of swimming as an aerobic exercise come in to focus.

Swimming is one of the only non weight bearing exercises that provides an adequate cardiovascular workout. Not only that, but sometimes it's just plain fun to swim on a hot summers day.

Aerobic Activity #3 - Walking

The benefits of walking at a brisk pace have recently come to light in the medical and fitness communities.  Studies suggest that you can get many of helath benefits associate with jogging by simply walking at brisk pace a few days a week.

The main benefit of this type of exercise, is that while it is still weight bearing.  The stress placed on the joints is not as intense as in jogging.  This opens the door to people who otherwise would not be able to participate in any kind of aerobic activity.

Aerobic Activity #4 - Biking

Whether mountain biking, street biking or simply riding an exercise bike in your local gym, biking can add variety and excitement to your aerobic fitness program.  As with some of the other aerobic activities listed above, while somewhat weight bearing, biking traditionally places less stress on the joints of the lower body.

Aerobic Activity #5 - Roller blading, roller skating or ice skating are all great aerobic activities that can add variety and fun to your exercise routine.

While thoughts of graceful figre skaters may not conjure up images of aerobic exercise, ice skating, roller blading and roller skating will not only get your heart pumping, but will make you work muscles that you never knew existed!

While this list will get you moving in the right direction, it is important to spice up your weight loss exercise programs by regularly performing a variety of new and more challenging cardiovascular activities!

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August 14, 2008

How Much Water Do I Need To Drink To Lose Weight?

When it comes to permanent or sustained weight loss, it is important to understand that no single factor will cause you to lose weight.

In order for a weight loss or fat loss program to be successful, you must implement a number of time-proven weight loss principles that include:

  • Eating a well balanced diet,
  • Performing some type of regular weight loss exercise program
  • Paying attention to proper rest and recovery
  • Drinking enough water each day…

…And maintaining an active lifestyle away from the gym!

All of these things in unison create the environment for permanent fat loss.

No principle alone will allow you to lose weight and keep it off!

So to answer the question: " How much water do I need to drink to lose weight ?"
My answer is somewhere between drinking as much as you can and 1 gallon a day.

If you can, drink 1 gallon a day. If 1 gallon is simply too much for your body, focus on consuming as much water as you can throughout the day.

If you are serious about weight loss, you should be eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. Drink 1 glass/ bottle of water with every meal and 1 large glass/bottle in between every meal throughout the day.

If you are performing regular exercise, drink water before, during and immediately following any workout. This will help to ensure that you are replacing any water lost during exercise sessions.

As far as weight loss is concerned, drinking water alone will not cause fat to fall off of your body.

What consuming water will do is allow for proper hydration. You will be able to feel a difference in your skin, joints and overall level of health.

Water will allow you to replenish what you lose during exercise and day to day life. Water will also help your body rid itself of toxins and waste.

Hopefully you can see the importance of consuming adequate amounts of water throughout the day.

Not only will you feel better, but your body will be able to function more efficiently.

As far as weight loss is concerned, drinking water throughout the day will help you to feel fuller while on a restricted, balanced diet.

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Weight Training Diet Tips

10 Weight Training Diet Tips
For Unbelievable Fat Loss!

Weight Training Diet FoodHave you recently begun a free weights workout program for fat loss only to find that you simply are not progressing toward your goals as quickly as you would like? If so, it may be time to consider fine tuning your nutritional strategy.

While some people certainly can achieve impressive fat loss results by simply adding exercise to their daily lives, the honest truth is that most of us also need to pay close attention to what we eat in order to achieve any lasting fat loss.

This article outlines 10 weight training diet tips that are geared toward fat loss. Read them, take them in and make it your goal to implement a few these weight training diet tips each week. Before you know it, you'll be shedding body fat and feeling great!

Weight Training Diet Tips For Fat Loss

Diet Tip #1 - Keep a food diary of everything you eat. This is the first step to acquiring a new, healthier life style. Lets be honest here, if you don't know exactly what you are currently eating, how can you expect to make any significant changes to you lifestyle and diet?

Start by writing down everything that you eat for one week. Look up and record the nutritional values of each food on the list. By following through with this exercise, you should know exactly how many calories, grams of fat, grams of carbohydrate and grams of protein you have consumed during the previous week. Now you have a place to start.

Diet Tip #2 - Wait no more than two hours between meals or snacks. This will help to stabilize your metabolism. ideally, you will want to eat every two to three hours throughout the day. This will help to provide you with sustained energy levels throughout the day as well kicks tart your metabolism.

Diet Tip #3 - Beware of misleading claims. Reduced fat merely means that the item has 25% less fat. Use common sense. If something “normally” contains 300 fat grams, then reduced fat means it still has over 200 grams of fat!

Diet Tip #4 - When eating in a restaurant, ask for a child’s portion or ask to have the meal split and have the second half packaged as takeout. Simply put, pay attention to what you are eating.

Diet Tip #5 - To making certain you are getting the right nutrition from your vegetables, alternate the colors from day to day. One day eat fresh yellow and orange vegetables like squash, pumpkin, and carrots then switch to green the next day, like spinach, or dark leafy lettuces.

Diet Tip #6 - If you frequent a specific restaurant, ask to take a menu home so you can study what they offer and plan your meals out.

Diet Tip #7 - Ask yourself if you really tasted and enjoyed that last bite of food. If your answer is no, it’s time to slow down.

Diet Tip #8 - Steer Clear of fast food restaurants. Most of their food is 40 to 50 percent fat. Many are finally wising up, however, and you can get salads, plain hamburgers or grilled chicken. You can also ask for the restaurant’s nutritional information.

Diet Tip #9 - If you enjoy eating pizza, visit restaurants that offer salads and pizza by the slice. Don’t order pizza with meat. Stick with vegetable toppings and, if possible, a wheat crust. Some pizza places do offer that option.

Diet Tip #10 - Low fat foods may seem less flavorful when you first try them, but you will find yourself getting used to them after some time. Add zip to your meals with lots of herbs and spices like basil, garlic, ginger, onion powder tarragon and oregano. Vary the spices and come up with your own combinations.

If you are serious about shedding unwanted body fat, implementing just a handful of these weight training diet tips can help you achieve remarkable fat loss success. Start slowly by trying out a few tips a week until they become second nature to you. Before you know it, you'll be living a healthier lifestyle and enjoying your learn muscular body!

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August 12, 2008

How Does Aerobic Activity Help The Cardiovascular System?

Is Aerobic Exercise Good For Your Heart?

So…What Is Aerobic Activity Anyway?

In it's most simplistic definition, aerobic activity is defined as any activity that is performed "with oxygen".

Aerobic exercise therefore encompasses a wide range of activities that all require the use of oxygen to create energy for the body to complete the exercise.

Aerobic conditioning is the cornerstone of most weight loss and fat loss fitness programs, because it causes your body to burn more calories, thereby increasing your metabolic rate. This increased metabolic rate, combined with a well balanced nutrition plan, will force your body into a calorie deficit and promote natural, healthy fat loss.

Some common aerobic exercises include walking at a brisk pace, jogging, swimming, step aerobics, jumping rope, running on a treadmill, or performing an elliptical cross trainer workout.

Some important things to keep in mind when trying to put together an aerobic conditioning program include duration of exercise, intensity of exercise and frequency of exercise. (how long, how fast, and how often).

Aerobic exercise routines have been around for many years, but were popularized and brought to the mainstream in the early 1980's. Since then many people have wondered exactly how aerobic activity can help the cardiovascular system.

The Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, blood, and blood vessels. The cardiovascular system is your body' s delivery system. Blood moving from the heart, delivers oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body. On the return trip, the blood picks up waste products so that your body can get rid of them.

So exactly how does aerobic activity help the cardiovascular system?

Aerobic activity helps the cardiovascular system in a number of ways…

First it increases the workload of the cardiovascular system as a whole. This increased workload conditions the muscles and organs of the cardiovascular system, making them more efficient. This increased efficiency results in the muscles of your cardiovascular system having to perform less work to transport more blood and oxygen to your body at rest.

One of the health benefits of aerobic exercise is the fact that regular aerobic exercise causes your heart to enlarge. As a result, the heart increases its blood stroke volume. With increased blood stroke volume, comes greater oxygen uptake. Greater oxygen uptake causes Oxygen to be utilized by your body more efficiently.

When oxygen is utilized by your body more efficiently, you will…

  • Burn more fat during any type of exercise. Again, as your body becomes more efficient at utilizing oxygen, you will begin to notice a positive body composition change, more muscle and less fat.
  • Increase you endurance and allow for faster recovery from exercise, allowing you to perform more intense aerobic workouts, at more frequent intervals.
  • Lower your blood pressure and resting heart rate, increase in good cholesterol and decrease in bad cholesterol, and a reduced risk in developing diabetes and other diseases. These are major reasons why regular cardiovascular conditioning is promoted so often throughout the health, fitness and medical fields.

When your cardiovascular system is in good condition, your resting heart rate,(number of times your heart beats at rest), slows. A resting heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute is an indicator of good health.

There are many other reported health benefits of aerobic exercise. Some of the most common are: Reduced blood pressure, increased HDL (good) cholesterol, decrease in total cholesterol, decrease in body fat, increased aerobic work capacity, decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety and increased heart function.

Regular aerobic conditioning can also help people who are coping with emotional and psychological stresses. As you perform a cardiovascular workout, your body releases endorphins into your blood stream. A high concentration of endorphins in the blood, has been shown to increase your mood and overall sense of wellbeing, typically leading to an improved self image.

So what are you waiting for…Put on your shorts and go for a jog today!

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July 30, 2008

Diets For Quick Weight Loss

10 Tips To Help You Burn Fat &
Keep It Off For Good!

Diet Food For Quick Weight LossHave you tried all of the new diets for quick weight loss only to find that you haven't lost any weight at all?

Rest assured…you're not alone!

With obesity rates rising and new diets for quick weight loss popping up every day, confusion about healthy fat loss is at an all time high.

If you're one of the thousands of people out there who is simply trying to discover what works and what doesn't when it comes to safe, healthy weight loss, here are ten tips to get you moving toward your goals!

New Diets For Quick Weight Loss Tips

1. Use fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, instead of canned or processed veggies. Canned vegetables are alright if you don't have any other options, but generally include more sodium than you will want to consume. By the time they are canned and processed, they have lost much of their nutritional value.

2. Eat more yogurt. Yogurt contains quality protein and when mixed with fresh fruit, contains carbohydrate. This gives you the muscle building power of quality protein as well as sustained energy levels throughout the day!

3. Focus on consuming healthy lean protein sources like boneless skinless chicken breast, skinless turkey breast, tuna, salmon, skim milk and low fat cottage cheese. These foods contain an amazing amount of quality protein with very little excess fat.

4. You don’t have to give up dessert, just get more creative with it. Try mixing fresh fruits with low fat yogurt. Strawberries and blueberries mixed with vanilla yogurt is my personal favorite!

5. Eat more vegetables. Try mixing and matching fresh vegetables for variety. Not only do vegetables contain valuable nutrients, but the contain very few calories. This means that you can eat more of them without blowing your diet!

6. Steam your veggies instead of boiling them. They’ll taste better and you’ll retain more of their nutritional value.

7. When baking, applesauce makes a great substitute for shortening. Not only does applesauce moisten baked goods, but it also ads unique flavor.

8. Prepare foods in different ways. Instead of traditional frying, try stir-fry and use a low fat spray or a non-stick pan.

9. Make your own potato chips. It’s simple. Thinly slice a large baking potato and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet sprayed with low fat aerosol spray. Spray the slices lightly as well. Sprinkle with paprika and any other spice of your choosing. Bake in a 400 degree oven for thirty minutes making sure to turn once. ‘Voila! Your own home baked potato chips and a great snack.

10. Switch from cream of wheat cereal to oatmeal. The whole grain in oatmeal is much better for you and won’t leave you hungry an hour later like the cream of wheat. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate. This means that it provides slow released sustained energy throughout the day, rather than the fast fading quick bursts of energy that you get from simple carbohydrates.

If you're getting ready to begin a fat loss diet, a great place to start is by implementing a few of these quick weight loss diet tips into your daily routine. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to lasting fat loss!

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July 29, 2008

Healthy Eating Tips To Lose Fat

How To Choose The Right Diet Fat Loss
Foods At Your Favorite Restaurants!

Did you know that it is possible to lose fat and get into amazing shape without having to give up everything that you enjoy?

Most people think that in order to achieve fat loss success, they must give up nearly everything in their lives is fun! While it is true that lasting fat loss requires some sacrifice, it is usually unnecessary to completely stop eating the foods that you love.

If you enjoy eating at restaurants, your fat loss plan should not have to suffer! There is no reason that you should not be able to stick with healthy diet fat loss foods rather than the typical fat filled fried foods found at most restaurants.  Listed below are a few healthy eating tips to lose fat that can help you stick with your fat loss plan, even when you eat at your favorite restaurant.

Healthy Eating Tips To Lose Fat

1. Burger Kings BI Veggie Burger with reduced fat mayonnaise contains 340 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.  It's better than just about any burger at any other food chain.

2.  Subway's 7 subs with 6 grams of fat or less include ham, roast beef, chicken and turkey and range from 200 to 300 calories for a six inch sub.

3.  Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Garden Sensation Salad is a creative salad alternative of mixed greens, with chicken and mandarin orange sections, roasted almonds and a half packet of oriental sesame dressing. It is a great alternative at just 470 calories.

4.  McDonald's Fruit and Yogurt Parfait is low fat vanilla yogurt layered with berries and topped with granola. It's a nutrient rich bargain at only 380 calories.

5.  A 12 ounce cola has 150 calories, two tablespoons of full fat salad dressing 150, a glazed doughnut 250 and a four ounce bagel, 300.  Just eliminating these items will help you to lose weight.

6.  Eliminate tartar sauce.  If you order a fish fillet sandwich ask that the tartar sauce be left off the bun.

7.  If a restaurant won't split a portion in half for you, preparing half of it "to go," request a doggie bag or box be delivered with your meal and split it yourself immediately before you begin to eat.

8.  Avoid the high fat temptations when dining out.  Call ahead.  Many high quality restaurants will accommodate your needs if you give them sufficient time beforehand.  Explain that you are on a    low fat diet and ask if they can prepare your food without frying.

9. While dining out, ask your waiter lots of questions and don't stop until you are satisfied with the answer.  How is the fish grilled?  If it is in butter, ask for it dry.  If a fried food is offered on the menu, ask if the chef can bake it, broil it, grill it or steam it to cut down on the fat.  Make sure the follow up.  It's your meal and your money paying for it and within reason you should be able to get it the way you want it.

10.  Eat slowly.  Savor each bite.  Take your time and enjoy eating.  If you eat too fast, your stomach will be full long before the message to stop chowing down reaches your brain.

A hectic schedule can quickly shoot a hole in even the best laid fitness plans. When this happens, sometimes fast food is unavoidable. If  you find yourself in a position where fast food is all that you can eat, you owe it to yourself to at least make an informed decision.  These healthy eating tips to lose fat can help you navigate the restaurant world without completely undermining all of the hard work you are putting in at the gym.

While most of these tips are really just common sense, you would be surprised at how many people let everyday hiccups in their schedule completely destroy their fitness plans.  Make a commitment to stick with your plan as much as possible.

The next time things begin to spiral out of control…relax! Just remember to put these tips to the test, and you should escape relatively unscathed.

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July 3, 2008

Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Are you confused about what really works when it comes to permanent weight  loss? Maybe you have tried one of the numerous fad diets flooding the  infomercials and magazines only to realize that the weight loss was not  permanent.  Many fad diets list certain foods that help you lose weight, but  they don't explain that no matter how healthy the food is...if you eat too much  of it, it will turn to body fat!

In order to help you on your journey to permanent fat loss, I have compiled a list of 10 foods that help you lose weight when they are added in moderation to a healthy balanced diet.

Foods That Help You Lose Weight

1. Plain nonfat or low fat yogurt is a great replacement for sour cream. Use it to make salad dressings. It’s also good as an add-on to breakfast cereals and desserts. Any way you stack it, yogurt is a very healthy lean protein choice. Just be sure to avoid pre packaged yogurt that contains fruit. ( these yogurts contain a lot of added sugar!) If you like fruit in your yogurt, get in the habit of adding fresh fruit to plain yogurt sweetened with honey.

2. Dairy products such as yogurt, milk and cheese can help you lose weight while protecting muscle. A recent study of overweight people who ate three servings of yogurt daily for 12 weeks lost 22% more weight, 61% more body fat and 81% more abdominal fat than people who ate a similar number of calories but no dairy products.

3. Pass up peanuts for snacking. Two ounces of salted peanuts has 328 calories. Nibble on pretzels instead. 20 small pretzels have as little as 80 calories and most are fat free.

4. When planning your meals for the week, look for baked, roasted or grilled meats like fish, chicken, turkey or lean roast beef.

5. Avoid the breaded fish or fried chicken. These foods are high in unnecessary fat…avoid them at all costs!

6. Spicy foods curb appetite as noted in a recent study. People who ate a sauce containing capsaicin (the compound that makes hot pepper spicy), consumed an average of 200 fewer calories over the next three hours than those who didn’t eat the sauce. Consider eating more spicy foods.

7. All salads are not created equal. A taco salad is served in a fried taco shell filled with ground beef, cheese, sour cream and guacamole (just to name a few of the artery clogging ingredients). Generally, they contain about 1,100 calories and more than a full day’s quota of saturated fats! Yuck!

8. Not only is a single order of Fettuccine Alfredo an artery clogger, it also weighs in at a whopping 1,500 calories! When eating Italian food, opt for pasta topped with marinara or meat sauce (skip the meatballs), red or white clam sauce or chicken Marsala.

9. Eat fish at least twice a week. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish have been shown to reduce heart attack and stroke risk in addition to helping you maintain a healthy diet. If you are eating a well balanced calorie restricted diet, the natural fats in cold water fish will help provide sustained energy throughout the day. This should help to eliminate the all too common "energy crash" associated with most diets.

If you are just beginning your fat loss program, try to add a few of the foods listed above to your fat loss nutrition plan. When combined with a smart balanced nutritional approach, these foods that help you lose weight can lead to some impressive, permanent fat loss in a short amount of time!

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What Is The Fastest Way To Lose Weight

What is the fastest way to lose weight?

If you're like most people, you have absolutely no idea!

Everybody knows someone who has tried the latest fad diet only to discover that it was not as simple as advertised.

The fact is, in order to lose weight, you will need to leave your comfort zone and do some things that will permanently change your habits revolving around nutrition.

Even though it is uncomfortable at first, after time the new nutritional habits will be ingrained in your everyday life. Managing your weight and body composition will be a thing of the past!

In it's simplest form, losing weight is nothing more than a simple math game. In order to lose weight, you must consume less calories than you expend.

There are two ways to successfully approach the goal of losing weight.

The first approach is to think of the traditional diet.

People who focus on nutrition typically try to consume less calories than they are currently expending in order to accomplish the goal of creating a calorie deficit. This method is sound, and it will certainly get you moving in the right direction, but it is difficult for most people to live their lives restricting what they eat day after day.

The second method that is utilized to burn body fat is to focus exclusively on performing more exercise and thereby burning more calories than previously burned.

Proponents of this method claim that it is easier to add a weight loss exercise program to their daily activities rather than struggle with limiting what they eat. The problem with relying on this method exclusively, is that you will often times need to perform long duration exercise bouts to accomplish your energy deficit goals.

For some people this is impractical and often not very enjoyable.

So, What is the fastest way to lose weight?

While both of the above mentioned weight loss methods will work on their own, the absolute best approach is to combine the two to create fat burning synergy!

This will allow you to have your cake and eat it too (literally).

You will be consuming less calories, but because of the added exercise you will not be restricting your caloric intake too severely.

Conversely, you will not need to perform marathon exercise routines to create a caloric deficit because you will also be restricting your caloric intake.

This approach represents a healthy balance that is often more comfortable for people to stick with than trying to achieve weight loss goals by increasing exercise duration or limiting calorie intake alone.

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