Don’t be fooled by all these fluctuating temperatures as of late. The cold weather will be here before you know it. This is no excuse to skip out on your weight loss exercise routines though. While the temperatures maybe frigid outdoors, there are some simple steps you can take to keep your weight loss jog both warm and comfortable like:
Wear a darn cap – You lose a majority of your body heat out of the top of your noggin. This is where a good head warmer comes into play. This is not the time to think your favorite ball cap is going to be enough to keep you warm either. You want your head covered in something warm like wool, or even a fur lined hat. Make sure your ears are covered as well. You may want to consider something that will more easily fit in your pocket so you can take it off when you get to warm. The key to staying warm while working on your weight loss exercise outdoors start with your head.
Gloves are full of win – Ever notice how much colder you feel when your fingers are numb? A good pair of gloves will go a long way to keeping you outside and working on your weight loss. Just as the head cover needs to be more than some skimpy hat, your gloves should be more than the white gloves people wear when inspecting for dust.
Layer those clothes – The key to keeping the core of your body warm is in layering your clothes. Your weight loss achievements will thank you if you can even layer in some quality long johns as well. This maybe the perfect time to Continue reading →
You are prepped and ready for days upon days of holiday cooking, yet you are worried about your weight loss goals. Have no fear; there are a few things you can do in the kitchen to keep those goals in sight. Your weight loss goals will thank you if you only do just a few things like:
Skip the sugar – Sugar and the holidays go hand in hand, or so it seems. Despite what would seem like a perfect pair, nothing can destroy some weight loss goals quite like gobs and gobs of sugar. This is the perfect time to start looking for some sugar substitutes.
You can often replace sugar with honey. Do keep in mind that honey can raise a persons blood sugar levels higher than that of cane sugar. The advantage to honey is that it is much healthier for you. You can also look at things like sugar substitutes known as Splenda, Stevia, and NutraSweet just to name a few. Do your research on these before you use them, as some people do not like how some of these are manufactured sweeteners.
Reduce butter and oil – Have you ever noticed how many of grandpa’s best winter recipes call for hordes of butter and oil? Most winter foods are made in a way to help tack on a layer of body fat as insulation in the cold months. Nothing will decimate your weight loss goals quicker than Continue reading →
One of the most important components to any successful weight loss program is your diet. Being able to keep a tight rein on the amount of calories that you take into your body will determine, to a large degree, whether you succeed at weight loss or not. Learning to control your portions is an integral part of sticking with your diet plan, and you’ve got to get familiar with what a serving amount of any given food actually is if you expect to lose weight.
Here are some basic rules of thumb on portion control for common types of food:
- One fist = One Cup. An average fist size is roughly the volume of one cup of dry goods. If you’re getting ready to eat a bowl of cereal, make some rice, or measure out some pasta, look at your fist. That’s about how much of that given food you should be measuring out. (Obviously, if you have particularly dainty hands or hands that would make Bigfoot jealous, you should adjust the amount of food up or down accordingly.
- Your Palm = 3 ounces. One of the hardest things for many people to do is to measure meat. We’re so used to eating 20 ounce porterhouse steaks or even an 8 ounce sirloin that we can’t even begin to fathom a “normal” serving of meat, which is Continue reading →
One of the most difficult things about losing weight can be deciding whether a particular product, diet plan or food is really any good for weight loss. We all want to meet our weight loss goals, but we’d prefer to do it in rapid fashion and with as little work and self-denial as possible. Weight loss products are one way to try to make that happen, but you need to be careful about what kinds of products you look at. In some cases, you’re really just deciding whether or not to buy snake oil, or in some cases a product that can actually be harmful to your health and that can prevent weight loss.
Here are some things you should keep in mind when you’re evaluating the weight loss claims of any given product:
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are no proven miracle cures when it comes to weight loss. The fact of the matter is that weight loss takes work. If a product promises a weight loss shortcut and does so in a way that claims you can eat anything you want whenever you want, it’s probably false.
- Weight loss products aren’t regulated by the FDA. Unless a medication has gone through clinical trials and had the approval of the Food and Drug Administration, you can’t Continue reading →
If you’re serious about your weight loss, you know you need to change your habits. It isn’t just learning how to exercise or dieting, in many ways it’s more about actually bringing habits into your life that are more healthy, and that just so happen to also be good for weight loss. Part of that process is figuring out what foods are conducive to weight loss, and which foods aren’t as helpful.
Here are three foods that you need to add into your diet and always have on hand if you want to get a handle on your weight loss:
- Salmon. Fish in general is good for you, and an important part of getting a balanced diet. It’s a great way to get protein without having to rely on red meat. Salmon, in particular, is especially healthy. It’s chock full of Omega-3 fatty acids which, along with that protein, will help keep hunger at bay. If you purchase canned salmon you can use it as a replacement for tuna on a sandwich. (Just make sure that you choose a low-fat and low-calorie salad dressing, otherwise you’re defeating the purpose.) Canned wild salmon is not that expensive, and is a great way to get those important nutrients for just a few calories.
- Sweet potatoes. Technically, these aren’t a potato at all, but a different sort of root vegetable. That’s a good thing, too, because potatoes are full of starch and carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin C, and they’re also a great place to get fiber. You can replace potatoes in many setting with Continue reading →
No matter who you are or what kind of diet plan you’re on, the key to weight loss is all in the calories. While not all weight loss programs actually make you sit down and figure out the calories in the food you eat, most of them are based on the idea of taking in fewer calories than what you burn off during any given day. That simple equation – the deficit between the number of calories you burn and the number of calories you take in – is the single most important factor in your weight loss. Other things, such as your metabolism and things like the composition of food affect it, but that calorie deficit is key.
It’s important, first of all, to understand what a calorie is and how it applies to weight loss. A calorie is, in the most basic sense, a unit of energy measurement. It measures the amount of energy that you’ll find in a given food. Your body takes the food and drink that you consume and turns it into energy in order to perform just about any bodily function. Simply breathing burns calories, as does jogging through the park.
Everyone has a certain caloric requirement in order to keep at your current weight. Essentially, if you take in less calories or burn more calories than that requirement, you’re going to experience weight loss. On average, burning around 3,500 calories more than what you take in will lead to Continue reading →
If you’re in the middle of a weight loss program, you probably know that you’re about to face the most difficult time of the year. The period from Thanksgiving through Christmas can be rough for many people in terms of their weight loss goals. In particular, Thanksgiving is known for its tendency to encourage gluttony, and it can be a challenge to approach the day with a healthy attitude.
Still, if weight loss is truly your goal, you need to make it your goal on Thanksgiving just as much as any other day of the year. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the day’s many wonderful tastes, it just means that you need to exercise a little bit of control.
Here are things you can do to make sure that Thanksgiving doesn’t entirely destroy your weight loss progress:
- Don’t save up your calories. If you skip breakfast and lunch in preparation for dinner on Thanksgiving, you’re going to overeat. Continue your regular routine of having a healthy breakfast, lunch and even your afternoon snack. This will help you to Continue reading →
It starts every year with the kids’ Halloween candy calling out to you from the pantry. You have a few candy bars or caramel apples, and you can almost feel the weight loss achievements you’ve made over the course of the year slipping into oblivion. Weight loss during the holidays is tough, but you need to realize something from the start:
Weight loss during the holidays is possible.
You don’t have to pack on the pounds going into the end of the year. There are some things you can do to keep from gaining weight during the holiday season and, believe it or not, continue toward your weight loss goals.
Here are some basic principles to keep in mind to control your weight during the holidays:
- Portion control is key. If you can control your portions throughout the rest of the year, doing it during the holidays isn’t so tough. Granted, you’re likely to be more tempted to have that second helping of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving than you are in April, but you need to stand firm. Get a taste of all the good things you want to taste, just do it in portion amounts that are in line with your weight loss goals.
- Keep active. With the weather getting colder, the fact of the matter is that it can be difficult to keep up with your exercise routines. Don’t let it get in the way. While you probably can’t take a half-hour walk at 6 AM in late December anymore, you can certainly Continue reading →
One of the things about weight loss is that, to truly be successful, you have to be consistent. You need to be on top of things, day in and day out. While you don’t want to beat yourself up over a single bad choice, the fact of the matter is that you need to make good choices much more often than not if you’re going to keep up with your weight loss.
An area of struggle for many folks is weekend weight gain. You get to feeling like you’ve done so well all week with your weight loss plan, and so you relax on the weekends. Soon, the weekends become something of a free-for-all, and before you know it you’re packing on the pounds every Saturday and Sunday, then struggling all week to try to lose those same two or three pounds over and over again.
Here are some things you can do to combat weekend weight gain:
- Keep stocked with healthy foods. If you don’t have food in your pantry to make a healthy meal on a Friday night, chances are you’re going to go out or to call the pizza delivery guy. Stop on the way home from work on Fridays to get loaded up on your staple healthy foods and snacks.
- Don’t save up calories. If you skip breakfast and lunch in anticipation of a night out in the evening, you’re going to face an insatiable appetite and you’re going to totally pig out at dinner. Eat your normal meals earlier in the day, and make sure you focus on Continue reading →
Weight loss can be challenging at times. Sure, when you’re eating at home and can control exactly what goes into your body in terms of portions and composition, it’s easier to hit your calorie goals. However, weight loss isn’t nearly as easy when you’re eating out, as there are often too many unknowns and variables. To make matters worse, most locally-owned restaurants don’t post their menus or their nutritional information online. Many don’t even have that kind of information to give you on request.
If you’re working on weight loss goals and want to go to a Chinese restaurant, for example, you’re in something of a bind. You can’t be reasonably sure what ingredients are used in various menu items. However, there are some guidelines you can follow to stay within your weight loss goals when you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant:
- Choose the right soup. Egg drop soup isn’t always terribly high in calories or fat, but it is at some Chinese restaurants. Err on the side of caution here, and go for a hot and sour soup or a wonton soup.
- Drop the egg roll. Egg rolls are fried and full of saturated fats. Instead, order a steamed spring roll. Not all spring rolls are steamed, so make sure to ask about how the particular Chinese restaurant prepares their spring rolls.
- Steaming is your friend. You want to avoid fried rice. Steamed rice can have Continue reading →
