How Much Water Should I Drink to Lose Weight?

Archive for October, 2009

I want to lose my belly fat!

How to lose belly fat for men is a question that men have begged an answer for years. Thankfully, there are things that can be done to trim the fat around your biggest problem area.

There are exercises that men can do to help with fat loss around the belly and chest, the two biggest problem spots on men. Too much fat around the tummy and chest area can be cause for greater health risks for men, including heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. While there is some truth that a person gains weight in areas that are predisposed by genetics, a man does not have to live with what he inherited.

Here are a few ideas for losing the unhealthy fat and gaining a tighter chest and stomach.

If you know how to lose belly fat for men, you can use your knowledge to keep your belly fat under control. While you are working on strengthening your stomach and chest muscles, be sure to do cardiovascular exercises as well. Your cardio is what is going to raise your metabolism to burn the fat in your stomach area. This is an important step because, until you lose the fat, you will not be able to see the stomach and chest muscles that you are toning underneath.

Some say, when asked how to lose belly fat for men, that running is the fastest way to melt the fat, but most men who have belly fat have other issues related to weight as well, and running might not be the best answer. By all means though, if you enjoy running, then run!

Other great cardiovascular exercises are walking at a brisk pace, biking, swimming, and even aerobics. There are many exercise videos available on the market that are geared specifically toward men and are actually fun to do. Doing at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise three to five times a week is enough to see results.

Of course, if you want to know how to lose belly fat for men, you will need to understand that cardio is not enough. You will need to add muscle building exercises to your work out routine as well.

While your main focus will be your abs and chest muscles, working all of the muscles in your body will help to increase the muscle mass in your body. Increasing muscle mass will allow your body to burn more calories each day, therefore making it easier to lose the extra pounds. Some great examples of muscle building exercises to help build stomach and chest exercises are push ups, leg raises, and lower body crunches. Obviously there are many more exercises that target those areas, but these are simple enough for most men to do and have been proven to give results.

If you are having problems getting rid of your belly fat, know that it can be done. With a little effort and diligence, you can take control of your body.

To lose 5 pounds in a week, you need to develop a consistent approach to weight loss. The objective of your weight loss plan is to reduce the overall fat in your body, thus giving you a leaner stomach and slimmer waist line.
A consistent weight loss plan requires your focus, dedication and discipline. These 3 elements are extremely important if you want to see promising results in a week. Therefore, what you need to do now is to prepare both your mind and body, and get ready for action. When you start any weight loss program, it is advisable to stay positive to work for results. If you are the type who gets impatient easily, you will tend to give up too soon.
Before we touch on the weekly plan, let me remind you that you need to stretch and warm your body up before any exercises. Before you set out to work out your muscles, a little stretching is needed in order to prevent you from getting any injury. If you feel that you have gone way beyond your limit, stop immediately. Everything should be done in moderation and you should find the right level of exercise that suits you. Now having said this, let us get on to the weekly weight loss program.
1. First day. For the first day, take a long and steady walk for at least 3 minutes. Remember to do some stretching before and after the walk. This simple exercise will take up very little of your time for the day. With less than an hour, you have taken a good first step to an effective weight loss program.
2. Second day. On the second day, you need to do exercise that focus on your upper body. By building up your upper body strength, it will help you to go through the whole program for the week. Good upper body exercise includes push-ups, and lifting weights which focus on biceps, triceps, and shoulders.
3. Third day. For the third day, you will jog for at least 20 minutes. Do not be too worried about how fast you run. The objective here is do slow jog for at least 20 minutes, and if you need to jog really slowly, do it. Then, perform some lower body workout in the evenings.
4. Fourth day. Have a good rest! Stretch frequently on this day and use this rest day wisely to sort out any negative thoughts in your mind. No junk food!
5. Fifth day. Start the fifth day with a good 15 minutes walk. Then exercise your lower body in four sessions of workouts, follow this up with another 15 minute walk, and another four sessions of lower body workout.
6. Sixth day. This is a good day to do some sports such as badminton or football. Just be careful not to injure yourself. If you want to do some low impact exercise, swimming is a good choice.
7. Last day. The last day of the week is a time for you to solicit the support of the people you care about. Have them to enjoy a brisk walk in the park. With their support, you will be able to stay positive to your goal of slimming down.
If by the first week you are able to stick to your weight loss plan, you stand a good chance to achieve your weight loss objective. Patience is a virtue. As long as you stay dedicated and focused on your weight loss plan weekly, you will soon be able to dress confidently again without the embarrassment of having a protruding tummy.

Here’s the best diet to lose weight weekly with. I’m sure you’ve tried a few fad diets before and felt like you were suffering just to lose some weight.

Well, with this diet, you won’t feel like you’re suffering, you won’t feel tired, you won’t feel deprived, and you won’t even feel like you’re on a diet at all.

1. Eat eggs for breakfast

Eggs are the best breakfast you can possibly have. Forget all that negative information you heard about eggs in the late 1980’s and 1990’s… that was proven to be completely wrong.

So I suggest you eat 3-4 scrambled eggs. To make this breakfast even better, add 1/2 can of black beans… they’re high in protein and fiber.

Remember this… 80% of fat people skip breakfast regularly while 80% of lean and skinny people eat a good breakfast regularly.

2. Eat a salad with a protein for lunch

This doesn’t have to be boring. People mess up with salads… I see it all the time. The key to having a salad for a meal is adding over 20 grams of protein to it… to make it a meal.

So use lettuce and whatever other vegetables you want as the basis for the salad and then add either 1 can of tuna, 1 can of black beans, 1 hamburger patty, or 1 chicken breast. Or mix in a combination of those proteins. Use spices to change up the flavoring so you don’t get bored with this.

3. For dinner, eat a lean meat with 8 ounces of broccoli and or cauliflower

So you get your protein and some vegetables again. I use the frozen 1 pound bags of a broccoli/cauliflower mix that cost about $1.

So those are your 3 meals. Now you need to work around them. Don’t drink empty calories… stick with water, protein shakes, and teas… nothing else. For snacks, stick with apples and low calorie yogurts… more protein and more fiber.

Stick with this outline and play around with it to fit your personal diet needs. I don’t expect you to follow this to the letter, although that would be great!

In my opinion, that’s the best diet to lose weight weekly with.

Are you planning to lose weight in 2 weeks and achieve the ideal weight you always wanted? Then, you should put some active planning into your weight loss program before you start so you will definitely have a better chance of reaching your weight goal. Here are four important tips: 1) Know how much weight you want to lose. This is very important because unless you have a solid goal in your mind then it makes it more difficult to achieve your 2 weeks weight loss plan. 2) Get professional advice before starting on any fat loss program for important safety and health concerns. If you are obese then you must absolutely do this! If you have any health problems, it is essential to discuss things with your doctor before starting any weight loss program as significant changes in nutrition and exercise can place additional loads on your body. 3) Request support of your friends and family to help you with your goal to lose weight. You should understand that it is very important to distance yourself from negative people and those who do not really offer you any support because there are always people around who do not want to see you improve in your life and reach your goal to lose weight. Let the world see that you can lose weight in just 2 weeks! 4) Take a photo of your body at the start of your weight loss program. Stand in front of a mirror and look at your body while visualizing how you want it to look. Usually, we often forget how much progress we make. But with a photo, you can look back and it offers you the encouragement you need when there are times you feel like the going might be a little more tough. You can start your two weeks weight loss program now by comparing the best weight loss products here: Natural Herbal Weight Loss Products

If you are looking in to a lose weight quick program, there are a few things that you should keep in mind when making your decision:

A weight loss program should include all of the foods recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture and should allow the dieter to eat enough calories to keep their metabolism working full force.

Set goals- If the program you are looking in to wants you to write down your weight loss goals, you may have found the right diet plan. Studies have shown that by setting goals for yourself, and writing them down, you are more apt to stick with your diet and reach your goals. Try setting small goals each week (such as to eat less fat or lose 1.5 pounds), these mini goals are not as overwhelming as larger goals, like losing 50 pounds in three months, or whatever your final goal may be. Also, by achieving these smaller goals, we see that we are making progress and are more likely to continue trying than if we don’t set any.

Calories are good- Yes, all quick weight loss program rules will tell you that you should limit your calorie intake per day if you are going to lose weight. But, cutting your calories too much can actually stall weight loss just as much as consuming too many calories per day. A good rule of thumb is to eat no less than 1,600 calories per day for men and 1,200 calories per day for women. Beware that some of these “lose weight fast” diets can be very unhealthy and can cause health problems of their own.

Exercise to speed losing weight – For our bodies to gain one pound, we must consume 3,500 more calories than our bodies burn. So, for every pound we want to lose, we must take 3,500 calories from our bodies. This can be achieved by either consuming fewer calories, or by raising our metabolism by exercise. A smart dieter on a quick weight loss program will cut calories to a healthy level and incorporate more exercise into their every day routines to flush more calories from their bodies. Of course, you can overdo exercise, so moderation is key for healthy weight loss.

A quick weight loss program must be healthy and allow the dieter to make healthy choices. Any diet that claims that a person can lose an unbelievable amount of calories in a very short amount of time is probably going to give unsound and unhealthy advice. A dieter should not have to cut out entire food groups from their diet to lose weight. Remember that our bodies work like machines, and all food groups serve a purpose in keeping our bodies functioning at an optimal level. By cutting calories too low, doing extreme amounts of exercising and/or only eating certain foods we can actually cause our bodies to shut down and stop working correctly. Don’t fall for the gimmicks. Work hard, set goals, and believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Body Brushing: A wonderful way to detox your body, great for your lymph system, nervous and circulatory systems, dry body brushing is best done once a day to three times a week, preferably before taking a bath or shower. Using a loofah or natural bristle brush, and start at your feet. Brush toward the heart in circular movements for five minutes. After a few sessions you will notice a more natural glow to your skin, increased vitality, and a sense of invigoration, especially if done in the morning.

Masks: Our skin loves good food. Some wonderful masks that help nourish the face:

For dry/ sensitive skin: 1/2 an avocado mashed and mixed with ground oatmeal. The fat from the avocado nourishes the skin while the oatmeal soothes it.

For oily skin: a mixture of french green clay and pulverized strawberries or cranberries act to draw out impurities while giving your skin the astringent benefits it so needs.

For normal skin: A pina colada for the face! crushed pineapple and banana work wonders–the acid in the pineapple exfoliates the skin while the banana soothes and tightens.

Sea Salt Scrubs: These are yet another great exfolient for all skin types. Adding a bit of almond oil to the salt keeps it smooth and glowing. The salt helps relax muscles and detoxes the skin. Adding herbs to the scrub is great too–lavender to soothe, lemon or mint to invigorate, a pinch of cayenne on a cold day to warm you up, rosemary or calendula flowers to heal rashes or other skin problems.

Bug Spray: As the summer months approach, our thoughts turn to mosquitoes and how to prevent their nasty little bites. Most bug repellents are literally awful for you. Natural prevention is the best recourse–taking 3 or 4 capsules of garlic and 100mg of vitamin B1 create a smell that repels mosquitoes while avoiding sugar and fruit juice, to which mosquitoes are naturally attracted can cut down on your victimization. Using certain essential oils—such as eucalyptus, lemon balm, pennyroyal, citronella, tea tree, and geranium also makes effective bug sprays. Simply add a mixture of the above to a water/witch hazel (3 parts water to 1 part witch hazel) solution and transfer to a spray bottle. Several naturopaths say using these oils works as well as commercial mosquito repellent.

Baths: Warm baths are highly underrated. They soften the skin, relax the muscles and release stress from the body, mind, and emotions. Plus you can add all sorts of wonderful things to them– milk to soften skin, sea salt to soothe sore muscles, a tea of herbs such as lavender, mint, rose petals, chamomile, lemongrass, orange rinds to leave you smelling sweet and and all natural.

A slim fast diet plan is what most dieters are looking for. We obviously want to change the way we look and feel about ourselves, but most of us do not want to wait forever to see the results we so desperately want to see. The good news is that there are ways to shed the pounds quickly without killing ourselves with hours of exercise and cutting calories to unsustainable amounts.

It is important to remember that one pound equals 3500 calories. Therefore, to lose one pound on a slim fast diet plan, you must somehow expel 3500 calories from your body, either by diet or by physical activity, or a combination of both. By making small changes in your daily routine, you can easily cut 250-500 calories out of your diet without even noticing that they are even missing. Here are a few ideas of easy ways to cut calories from your diet each day:

* Cutting just one can of soda per day equals 150 calories saved. If you drink a lot of soda, this can mean huge calorie savings throughout a day! * Drinking regular coffee with low-cal sweetener instead of a late saves up to 400 calories. * Eat meals on a salad plate. You will automatically eat about 15% less than eating on a larger plate. * Eat Fruit instead of chocolate. The average candy bar has around 150 calories. Substitute a piece of fruit to satisfy that sweet tooth and save 100 calories.

Add a little more activity to your slim fast diet plan and your calories burned can really add up, too. You do not have to work out for hours per day at a gym to see results. By making simple changes in your daily routine can add up at the end of the week:

* Stand while you work for just two hours per day and burn an extra 100 calories. * Mowing the lawn for just fifteen minutes will also burn an extra 100 calories. * Vacuuming will not only make your house cleaner, but will burn 100 calories per half hour! * Other housework will burn about 100 calories per twenty minutes of cleaning. * Finding a parking spot that is a five minute walk from the door can burn up to 100 extra calories per day if you walk to and from your car just three times! * Take the stairs for just 15 minutes per day instead of the elevator and calories will melt away!

As you can see, with just a little bit of effort, you can easily delete 250-500 calories per day. It does not take a lot of planning and effort to lose weight on a slim fast diet plan. If you have the desire to lose the weight and get healthy, you will find ways to make better food choices and to fit physical activity into your everyday life. By tweaking your activity level and eating habits ever so slightly, you can quickly lose one to two pounds per week! This type of slim fast diet plan is excellent for people who do not have time to spend their days worrying about what they are going to eat and when they are going to find time for the gym.

The 2-Pounds A Week Weight Loss Rule – Will It Hurt If I Stretch That to 10 Pounds?

For those of you who don’t know it, or this is your first time to seriously try to manage your weight, you might have not heard of the 2-pounds a week rule. And most likely your main concern is if it’s possible to lose 10 pounds in 1 week.

The 2 pounds a week weight loss rule is actually recognized and recommended by the government and most health organizations as the safest way to lose weight in a weekly basis. But if you were to do your due diligence, it’s nothing more than math and statistics. It is based on a practical number of calories the average person consumes every day and how much calories can the average person cut in a day. The rule is basically taken as an average number (2) which any individual can follow and safely lose weight.

So does this mean that it won’t hurt me if I decide to stretch the “average” and try to lose 10 pounds in 1 week?

Well, yes and no.

You can lose 10 pounds in a week. But you must take into consideration the safety and risk factors involved that are mainly dependent on your body and situation. This is the reason why many diet and fitness professionals recommend only losing 2 pounds a week.

However, you can accomplish this feat of losing 10 pounds in 1 week if you are able to take note and discuss with your trainer details such as your fat to muscle ratio, body composition, and even your water weight. This is so you will determine if your present physical condition is capable of safely shedding off all those unwanted pounds. Take note as well that it is possible to lose that much amount of weight in a week, especially at the start. It often gets harder as your own diet progresses.

So if you’re after losing 10 pounds in 1 week, taking all the advice in consideration… the general rule to follow is “extraordinary efforts produce extraordinary results”. The questions you should now be asking yourself would be: Are you willing to tolerate all the high exercise, low calories, and the hunger that it will create? Do you have the work ethic that can make it possible? When your weight loss program is over, do you have the restraint to control yourself from putting back all that weight again?

Answer it in the privacy of your stomach.

Do you want to lose weight and love longer? Try Mediterranean diet plan.

This special plan emphasizes the basics of eating healthy like eating lots of fish, vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and incorporates unconventional components such as olive oil and red wine. By adding these variations to a diet that has been proven successful, a person can lose weight and fight heart disease. The Mediterranean diet plan is said to not only be an excellent way to lose weight, but it is supposed to do a great job at drastically reducing your risk of heart disease and some cancers.

Traditional Mediterranean diet plans are chock full of whole grain pastas, brown and wild rice, and other whole grains, including whole grain breads. As many fruits and veggies as possible should also be eaten each day. If meat is eaten, people on the Mediterranean diet mostly eat fish. Very rarely is red meat consumed on this plan. Nuts are also enjoyed in small quantities with this diet, as nuts are high in good fats and can produce added protein. A small amount of olive or canola oil can also be enjoyed on the Mediterranean diet plan.

The main components of the Mediterranean diet plan are:

* Eating little or no red meat * Consuming fish at least two or three times per week * Eating small amounts of nuts each day * Eating mostly fruits and vegetables every day * Only eat health fats such as olive oil * Avoid using salt. Instead flavor your foods using spices and herbs * Exercise at least 30 minutes per day

The plan puts a lot of emphasis on eating healthy fats. That is why fish is the main meat in this diet. Fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which lower triglycerides, which improve the function of the blood vessels in our bodies. Nuts are also laden with omega-3s, and are encouraged on this diet as well. Just make sure that you are not eating nuts with lots of salt or sprinkled with sugars.

Wine is also allowed on this diet, in moderation, because studies have shown that consuming small amounts of wine on a regular basis may contribute to a reduced risk of heart disease. Typically, no more than 8 ounces of whine should be consumed on a daily basis.

If following the Mediterranean diet plan, you will want to avoid harmful fats such as hydrogenated oils and saturated fats as these are major contributors of heart disease. Red meat is also heavily associated with heart disease and should be cut completely out of the diet or should be limited to very small amounts per week.

Living a lifestyle by following the plan is very healthy and enjoyable. By choosing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting your red meat consumption, eating plenty of fish and small amounts of healthy fats and wine, you can not only lose weight, you can reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.

2 week weight loss is easy to achieve nowadays and can be done safely! To successfully lose weight in 2 weeks you will need to cut out the junk food altogether (including sugary drinks). Your reasons for needing to strip off the lbs so quickly may vary from being health related to just wanting to slim down to look good and feel better about yourself or for an event like a wedding.

It is possible to drop 2lbs of PURE FAT every week if you stick to your diet. Your overall weight can go down by 10lbs in 14 days or even more using a 2 week weight loss plan. You should be striving to eat more fresh wholesome foods including the famous 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables. When you need a snack between meals, always choose either fruit or vegetables! Steam your veg so that you keep all the vitamins and nutrients. Change your bread to the wholegrain variety which is full of fibre. It will also help you to feel satisfied for longer and keep the hunger cravings at bay. Make sure when drinking or using milk that it’s skimmed milk. It may take a bit of getting used to because it so so thin and watery but it will really help and is the healthy choice.

Always grill any meats that you are cooking, this will greatly reduce the fat that is stored in them. It’s common sense when you think about all the fat the meat is swimming in when being fried in the pan. 2 week weight loss will be boosted greatly by jogging for just 20 minutes a day but if your can’t run the length of yourself, a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day will create the same results.

DO NOT just try to starve yourself or go on a detox by using a juice diet. Remember you want to lose weight…not become ill in the process!! Be sure to have breakfast every morning. No doubt you have already heard that eating breakfast goes a long way towards slimming down (this is a fact). A boiled egg, cereal or of course some wholegrain toast for breakfast will do the job.

Stick to eating breakfast, having two meals a day and snacking healthily (not forgetting cutting out the junk food and sugary drinks) and you will have no problem achieving a satisfying 2 week weight loss.