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So you want to lose weight? The issue is not can you, for you can. The issue is how, and how effectively and easily.

I agree there are probably countless quick fix programmes around that may work for a few, but how many can you trust? Bear in mind that amongst these quick fixes there are genuine weight loss programs that with the right attitude will keep you fit, trim and healthy.

My aim is a series of articles explaining reasons for weight gain and ways to lose weight naturally and keep it lost.

You may try, lose some, then, it comes back with a rage. There are reasons why weight loss programmes fail. Knowing a bit about the nature of our body can help understand these reasons.

Most diet programs rely on the fact you stop eating so much. In a way this is right, but it does not address correctly the energy balance. As crazy as it sounds the key to losing weight is to actually eat more. In fact, many experts are now coming round to the idea that the three main meals should be supplemented with snacks. Healthy snacks!

The following equation is the essence of nature:

Energy In (calories) – Energy Out (calories) = Energy Gain (calories)

If EO is less than EI the gain is positive. If EO is greater then there is a loss. However, nature does not like this imbalance, for energy cannot be created or destroyed. The Law of Energy Conservation states that the equation must equal zero. So, if you burn more than you eat you have an energy deficit. The body must make this up so will burn what you have stored, to make up this energy loss, in the order, sugars, proteins, then fats. Conversely, if you eat more than what your body’s resting balance can cope with, to maintain the equation at zero, you need to increase your energy out by exercising to raise the resting metabolism. Otherwise, if not used it has to be converted into material for storage.

It must then seem strange that you should eat more to lose weight. Consider this, even when resting, the metabolism is working. It takes energy to burn what you eat. It takes energy to release energy for all the body’s processes whether external physical activity or internal biological. If you keep the body fuelled regularly your metabolism will stay high creating a high energy out. Coupled with light exercise this could cause excess energy out such that your stored substances, fat, starts getting used.

Also, diets that actually restrict how much you eat do more harm than good because you are effectively starving your body not only of energy but also essential nutrients. By doing this you actually end up storing more fat as your body attempts to conserve its energy. If the body is led to believe it is in famine status then it will horde for later. This is a legacy from our prehistory, from which we have not yet evolved out of. Thus we carry extra weight combined with a lack of nutrients that are involved in metabolism.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is skipping meals and stuffing themselves in the evening to feed their hunger. Sometimes this can’t be helped. You may have to work a long day and not have the chance to eat. However, that is tough, as it will still result in unwanted fat.

Rather than having three large meals a day break them up into six smaller meals two to three hours apart. This will not only give you more energy throughout the day but it will enable your body to process the food in good time and therefore you will be able to burn calories naturally throughout the day. It will also help if the meals get smaller throughout the day. Big meals early to fuel the body while active, smaller meals for less fuelling while sleeping. Also, the less hungry you are through the day the less you’ll feel the need to reach for a chocolate bar after you haven’t eaten for a few hours.

The key here is not how much you eat but what you eat. Eating a burger and chocolate six times a day is not going to do you any good. But, by knowing the right foods, you can actually eat more and weigh less. A common observation of westerners is that Asians are always eating. We average six healthy meals a day, and, we are mostly slim.

There is, perhaps, a psychology issue when it comes to diet programs in that the choices of what you have to eat are often boring. They need not be. As long as you eat healthy and varied foods the odd little snack of your favourite food will not do too much harm. Eat healthily all week and occasionally have your favourite food no matter what it may be.

It is useless following a diet plan that makes you unhappy. Most of these fad diets focus on quick results by ensuring you hardly ever eat and when you do it might as well be rabbit food. This will just make you unhappy and lacking in energy. Instead focus on eating regularly and having the odd treat here and there. By doing this, coupled with a simple exercise plan, you will soon notice that you actually eat more and lose weight at the same time as increasing your energy levels throughout the day.

Too many people think that exercise and fitness means going to a gym, getting on the treadmill and lifting weights. While these forms of exercise do work- and I use them 4-5 times per week – they are NOT the only ways to get fit!

I always advocate DIVERSITY and TIME EFFICIENT workouts- especially if you are a BUSY MOM! Your responsibilities are endless. For example:

Getting kids ready for school
Packing lunch
Work and career demands
After school activities with the kids
Dance rehearsal, soccer practice, cooking, cleaning

The list seems endless!

No wonder you feel overwhelmed by the thought of going to the gym and exercising on a regular basis! With a short yet effective workout, you will be able to work your heart and muscles to help you achieve weight loss and keep it off!

Another way I encourage Mom’s to get fit is through physical activities that also serve as leisure activities! These can be done with the family, alone or with friends! The use of exercise as fun and relaxation is a great way to get two important tasks done at the same time!

I always tell my clients – think outside of the box!!

What do you love to do?

What activity brings you great happiness- so much that you are forced to smile when you think about it?

You have rock climbing, horseback riding, surfing, swimming, boating, kayaking, hiking, flying trapeze, golf and tennis. The list is endless!!!!

Maybe you like working out outside in a park during break time – feeling the morning or afternoon sun on your face! Or maybe snow shoeing in a blizzard!

These are all great ways to get fit and have FUN! You just have to follow some simple health and exercise principles I set forth for you

Are You Following the 3 “C’s” of Weight Loss Success?

There are three very important factors that MUST be present in ANY fitness plan you choose if you want to be successful in losing weight. Without the 3 “C’s” below, your attempts at health and wellness will be short lived.

1. COMMITMENT: In order to be successful at anything – you must be committed. You must make a decision on a given day that you are going to change your life, decide how you are going to change your life, understand why you want to embark on this change and go ahead and be committed to the change no matter how busy are.

Know and understand that your commitment to a healthy lifestyle- is 80% MENTAL. While you are changing your body, becoming more fit, exercising, changing the food you eat- know these are all mental changes as your mind controls your body. Without mental strength and commitment, your life change will not last.

See, I often hear clients say – “I can’t!” That is not true – what they are really saying is “I don’t want to.” And, that is fine. You don’t have to. But let’s be honest with each other and say it like it is—YOU CAN and YOU WILL once you make up your mind to do it!

2. CONSISTENCY: After you have made your commitment to your new life change- the next element that naturally follows is consistency. You must be consistent with the changes you make in your life. You must be consistent with your healthy lifestyle to see and feel improvement. Without consistency – you are failing in your commitment to your health and your new self.

This means you must follow a healthy lifestyle for a long period of time- even if you are frustrated, tired and even cranky. Forge ahead, push on, you will feel better for it.

3. CONTROL: Finally- know this- without control, you will not be successful in your life change. When I refer to control – I am talking about the self-control you need to ensure you eat good fresh foods, lean proteins, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and whole grains whether you’re traveling, busy running around with your family and kids, or going from client to client. Even though it may be easier to buy a McDonald’s hamburger that will not help you with your weight loss efforts.

When I talk about control I am talking about the ability to say NO to things that take you away from achieving your weight loss goals. I am talking about the need to control the forces in your life to ensure you have time to sleep, rest, exercise and enjoy the basic human rights of eating, resting and exercising.

Take CONTROL of Yourself and Your Life Today and Start Enjoying a New You!

So start planning, preparing and customizing your consistent fitness plan that gives you full control! And, don’t forget to stay committed. If you need help, check out my new free audio workout that will allow even the busiest moms to workout anytime, anywhere – and achieve your dream body with just 15 minutes of exercise per day.

Body fat percentage shows how much fat your body contains. People, who suffer from excess weight, should know and control their body fat percentage. As a rule, there are two main factors that people should be focused on when trying to achieve great weight loss results. These are correct eating and physical exercises. So, for people, who have problems with excess weight and high body fat percentage, doctors often recommend special diets and exercises. In fact, it is one of the safest and most effective ways to lose excess weight. Statistics shows that a great deal of people suffer from excess weight in the United States of America and other countries all over the world. About 66% of US citizens follow different diets. Nevertheless, not all diets are useful for health of people and provide good excess weight results. For example, so called crash diets may have a negative impact on your body. Crash diets are intended for decreasing the amount of calories in food that people eat. So, people, who follow such diets, can lose up to 10 pounds. Nevertheless, crash diets are not as effective as they may seem to be from the very beginning. Weight loss results are obvious only when you start the diet. The problem is that such diets slow down the metabolism process in human body. So, when the amount of calories increases more fat begins to accumulate in your body in the end. Many people give a preference to low carbohydrate diets or decide to sweat for losing excess weight. However, this weight loss method has its own disadvantages as well. The problem is that weight loss effect is achieved due to the fact that the amount of water in your body decreases. So, when you either follow a low carbohydrate diet or sweat, you body loses water, but not fat. This means that you will have results at the beginning of weight loss process only. Once water returns back to your body you will have the same weight that you had before a low carbohydrate diet or sweating. That is the main problem that people, who choose low carbohydrate diets for loosing excess weight, face. In order to have effective and permanent weight loss results you should focus on lowering the body fat percentage. If your body fat percentage decreases during weight loss process this means that you are losing fat, but not water. You task is to limit the number of calories in your food and choose the products, which will give your body the energy that it needs. Physical exercises will result in improving strength of your muscles and decreasing fat in your body. You should always make sure that you are losing fat! In this case, you will have permanent weight loss results. Losing excess weight by decreasing your body fat percentage you will not regain it again in the future. That’s why it is so important to control the ratio of fat to fat free weight throughout your weight loss treatment program.

We all need motivation to make changes in our lives. But some motivations can have short-term effects whilst other motivations can have long-lasting, life changing effects. This article takes a very quick look at how we can cut to the core of making the long-lasting, life changing decisions easier.

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Why do you want to lose weight? Do you want to make someone else happy? Your kids, your husband? The only way to lose weight in the long-term is to lose weight for you.

While some or most of this article might sound like pointless new-age psycho-babble, at its core are valid, solid ways of changing your life. Do not give in, it may well be a life changing experience.

Whilst these are all valid reasons for losing weight they may actually be the reasons why so many people fail to lose weight or lose weight but then put it all back on with a little extra just for desert. In order to understand long term weight loss we need to look at the nitty-gritty at how the mind works and how we become, and remain motivated, to do something.

When we want to change something about ourselves we need to look deep. Not just “Because the doc said I need to lose a few pounds” deep or “I want to look nice when I lie by the pool” deep. We need to look at where we are now, where we want to be and the difference between the two. That is where the deepness lies.

Ok, let’s take any weight measurements out of the equation and look at body size and shape. We might imagine ourselves to look a long way from the way we want to look. But how does that make us feel? Pretty miserable right. But that’s where your change begins – connect with the feelings caused by the difference between the two you’s. The discrepancy between the you now and the person you want to be is the reality and sometimes the reality hurts! The difference between where we are and where we need to get to needs to be bridged.

You need to imagine what it would feel like to be the person you want to be. Stop for a second and think about it. Close your eyes. Really think about it. Think about the person you want to change for. Because this is only a short article I will give you the answer you need to come up with.

The only person you want to change for is you. There are just so many reasons you could have come up with for changing. Kids, husbands, wives, parents, friends, pets, teams – the list is endless.

The only person you need to change for is you. If this sounds too selfish and self-centred for you then I’m sorry. However, the chance of you changing long-term for anybody other than yourself are minimal. If you think about it another way, what would make the person you are changing for happy? Would they be happier to see YOU happy or would they be happier watching you trying to make THEM happy? So if we want to change we have to look at ourselves and see ourselves as we really are. We need to look to the person we want to be. From then on the person you want to be is going to be the person you are.

If you want to lose weight you need to do it for yourself, no-one else. Not only do you get to be the person you want to be but everybody else gets the benefit of basking in the glow of your happiness and success.

Are you interested in formulating an exercise plan that will assist you to remain trim and help you to get thin? Studies regularly show that there are two basic types of exercise that are both extremely efficient and successful. Of course, it stands to reason that you must be motivated in the first place, and that is why therapeutic hypnosis can help solve your problems.

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If you’re like most people, you are interested in creating an exercise system that will assist you to remain healthy and slim. It may shock you to find out that research studies usually demonstrate that only two core kinds of exercise are useful — which suggests that you can’t just choose any type of exercise to become trim.

Due to the fact that so many people have trouble with the motivation to exercise, performing the most efficient kinds of exercise is imperative, since the less time you spend exercising – and the less time you waste on low efficiency exercise – the more likely it is that you will persist in your exercise routine and therefore achieve your personal weight and strength target.

Our first type of exercise which has been regularly proven to aid people to lose weight and get trim is progressive resistance. In brief, progressive resistance is one type of strength training. It functions by progressively ramping up the pounds lifted, the number of sets, and number of repetitions performed. As a result, your muscles are never strained or subjected to damage – instead, they slowly and steadily strengthen without any setbacks.

Our second type of exercise that has been scientifically studied is cardiovascular training. This is any type of exercise that gets the heart rate up to 60 – 85 percent of its maximum rate. Some kinds of cardio training may involve jogging, jumping rope, aerobics, or treadmill, among other types of exercise, but it is your choice.

Although progressive resistance and cardio training by themselves have been found to be very efficient forms of exercise, scientists now know that performing both of these types of exercise is the best bet for success. If you combine both progressive resistance and cardio training, you will increase the strength of your muscle groups and increase overall endurance. According to a recent scientific study, exercisers who used both cardio and progressive resistance during a two month time period lost 45 percent more weight than exercisers who did cardio training or progressive resistance alone.

Just as important as the type of exercise you perform is, the way in which you exercise is also important. It probably will be unsurprising that being consistent is the name of the game. Exercising inconsistently may strain your muscles and will probably not aid you to build strength and endurance. In addition, it is unlikely to improve your whole-body health. According to most scientists, the best regime is to exercise for forty minutes to an hour three to five times per week.

Unfortunately, it turns out that for a significantly sized subset of the population, getting sufficient exercise is not as easy as attending the health club a few times every week or listening to what scientists claim. For this group of people, the motivation to exercise is the primary issue – this group of people simply doesn’t have the motivation to go to the gym. Actually, they might resist any and all exercise, to the point of severe anxiety.

Nobody knows what percentage of the population suffers from problems with the motivation to exercise, but scientists say that up to 20 to 40 percent of people claim that they “hate” or “dread” exercise. An even larger percentage of people might have more mild problems with the motivation to exercise, finding that even though it is simple enough to commit themselves to an exercise regime for a week or two, motivation eventually degrades, leaving them where they were initially – unhealthy and heavy.

If you are one of these people who struggles with the motivation to exercise, the good news is that there are some easy strategies to deal with the struggle. In a recent research study, volunteers who needed to start an exercise program were provided with a brief learning program that aided them to decide on the right kinds of exercise, were provided with a therapist who specialized in exercise motivation, and were given a brief course in hypnosis. After six months, they were asked to evaluate their progress. It turns out that over 85 percent of the participants had adhered to an exercise program throughout the whole six months. Even better, they generally lost an average of fifteen more pounds than the control group.

If you have an interest in this study, it might make sense to look into locating a motivational therapist, habit control therapist, or therapist who deals with hypnotherapy. These therapists are provided with special training in helping people to transcend anxieties, build the motivation to exercise, and reinforce the creation of good habits. One more choice for exercise motivation is self-hypnosis – which is a simple and inexpensive process that often helps people take control of their own inborn abilities to be motivated.

Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis are risk-free ways of increasing motivation that have been proven to provide success in the case of exercise motivation. Hypnosis works by using hypnotic relaxation to enhance the powers of the unconscious mind to influence the modification of behavior and habit development. Hypnotherapy is a good choice for the exercise adverse because it can help increase the drive to get trim and lose weight easily and effectively.

Are you tired of the yo yo effect? These simple 5 steps can help you KEEP the weight off once you do lose it

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Why do some dieters suffer the endless frustration of losing and then gaining weight again and again, while others lose weight and keep it off forever?

And we know you don’t want to be the latter group?

Here are 5 very simple tips successful dieters implement – and you can easily adapt these good habits yourself.

1.) You know that old conventional wisdom that goes “The scale doesn’t matter when you’re dieting”? For a long time experts scorned the idea of frequent weigh ins, pointing out that the scale can be inaccurate because of fluctuations caused by water weight. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. So if you’re exercising you may be gaining muscle and that will throw the scale off.

However, it turns out that weighing yourself every day is actually an excellent motivator for dieters. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that dieters who weighed themselves every day lost the most weight, and kept it off more successfully, compared to a group of dieters who did not weigh themselves regularly.

2.) Keep a log of everything you eat. When you log everything you eat you will feel MUCH more guilty when you cheat because you have to see it and read it.

3.) Do at least 1 15 minute activity everyday. ANYTHING. Walk your dog, go jogging, do tae bo. Most of us work at desks and sit at home all day – then do it at least three times a week. You will lose weight quicker and this is one of the big contributors of keeping the weight off.

4.) Plan ahead. If you are going out to dinner with friends or to a holiday office party or even to the movies, what are you going to do when hunger pangs hit? Eat something before you go and decide BEFORE you get to the party or movies.

5.) Schedule the occasional indulgence. Most weight loss experts suggest and encourage a cheating day. When you get to eat some pizza, brownie or some ice cream at some time in the week your chances of ditching your plan is much less likely. This can also be a day when you throw in some more activity.

For those of you out there who believe that you can only lose weight through fasting, you cannot be more wrong! Facts have shown that it is not how much you eat but actually what you eat that results in weight gain in most people. If you decide to eat correctly, you will surely be eating your way to weight loss naturally.

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In the developed world today, a whole lot of people seem to be struggling with a particular challenge common to them all and that is the issue of how to lose weight so as to live a healthier life. In the same vein, a good number of the people concerned tend to believe that the only way to lose that excess fat is by starving themselves or fasting. Nothing can be further than the truth in this case. It has been proven by the experts that one can achieve weight loss naturally through correct dieting.

In order to lose weight naturally, the main thing one has to keep in mind and practice is to eat wisely, take enough water and do some regular exercise. This combination of actions will surely help you get rid of that unwanted fat as well as give you a fitter and sexier physique.

It is pertinent at this stage to note that when I talk of losing weight naturally through correct dieting, I am not talking about some very strict diet but simple ones that can be found in some cook books such as the Metabolic Cooking. I am also not talking about a particular diet for the whole day but an intelligent mix of recommended diets that will end up giving you a healthier body through weight loss.

I suppose that at this stage some of you out will want to know exactly how to eat wise and reap the benefits of losing weight naturally in the shortest possible time. It is not rocket science but simply doing what is right as already suggested. For an example, the diet experts claim that our ability to shed fats is eighty percent correct dieting and twenty percent how much exercise we give to our body. This also means that you need to steer clear of that attractive and sweet junk foodstuff you have been destroying your system with only to go back to the gym to try to burn the fat you got from wrong dieting practice.

Another important aspect of correct dieting is the issue of the water intake level. It is a fact that taking a good amount of water on a daily basis helps in ensuring a clean body system. As a matter of fact, the experts have made it abundantly clear that in order to keep our body system in a clean condition we need to take as much as sixty ounces of water daily. This is much better than the sugary drinks that many people use to replace water in their diet. It is recommended by medical experts that every adult should drink at least eight glasses of water in order to enjoy a healthier life devoid of obesity.

In summary therefore, anyone who wishes to enjoy the benefits weight loss simply needs to combine a correct diet with a good water intake and do some exercise. That also means such a person needs to as well avoid taking junk food and replace that with the consumption of lots of fruit and vegetables. When fruits are added to your meals, it is easier for you to ward off the cravings for sweet since you are ingesting natural sugar instead of the artificial one. You are advised to take fruits such as oranges and or apples in between your meals as a means of eating your way to weight loss and good health.

You can begin to lose weight by reducing your stress level. Here’s how!

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There may be many reasons why you engage in the behavior of overeating. Overeating helps some people gain a sense of control over their lives. Other people overeat when they are stressed or upset. Think about the times that you have had a binge eating session? What was the motivation behind it? Do you turn to food when you are upset or have a stressful day? Do you find a sense of comfort in the food that you eat? If stress is a major factor in your eating habits, finding ways to help reduce stress can help you lose weight.

1. Find a Support System

Having people that you can rely on is a great way to start reducing stress. Call on your friends or family when you are in a stressful situation. They can be a great source of advice or just a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes going out with work friends after a long stressful day can work wonders to melt the stress that you feel. We all need to rely on our friends and family at some point. Being able to talk about your stress is a health alternative to overeating.

2. Post Positive Mantras

Think about the negative comments you make about yourself when you are feeling stressed. Most people struggle with negative self-talk at sometime in their lives. Begin to challenge your old ways of thinking. Replace those old thoughts with positive thoughts that will help you push through stressful times. If a long stressful day at work leaves you thinking that you are “no good at my job”, change your thoughts. Think about how hard you worked today. You put in your all and achieved a goal you had set. Whatever your new thoughts are going to be, post them around your house. This will help you stay focused on them even when you are headed for a stress out moment. Thinking positively can help curb overeating.

3. Find Time to Relax

It is important that you take a few minutes everyday for relaxtion. There are many different things you can do in order to relax. If you had a busy day at work and spent the evening running errands, take a long soak in a tub. If you find yourself working late one night, close your office door and read a chapter in a book. On the weekends, go for a walk around a nature trail. The activity can last five minutes or five hours; the important thing is to take some time to relax.

4. Meditate or Journal

Another great way to reduce stress is to be alone with your thoughts. This can help you sort out what is going on in your life in a healthy way. One way to do this is to meditate. Another way is to write in a journal. Writing in a journal is a great way to begin organizing your thoughts about the stresses in your life. Dealing with your stress in this productive way makes it less likely that you will overeat.

5. Listen to Your Body

Stop beating yourself up for overeating. Move forward into a new way of thinking about eating and food. By listening to your body, you will learn when your body is telling you it is full or hungry. Know the signals that your body gives off in order to begin recognizing the difference between hunger and emotional eating. You can pull through this struggle and be on your way towards a natural weight loss.