How Much Water Should I Drink to Lose Weight?

Posts Tagged ‘Fat Loss’

I am a huge believer in having goals. While some people spend too much time setting goals and not enough time achieving them, most people do not put much thought into goal-setting. When it comes to weight loss, it is especially important to set realistic goals.
By realistic, I do not mean “I want to lose 30 pounds in 30 days.” Oh, I’ve seen those claims many times. I’ve seen the claims of marketers that say their products can do that for you. I’ve also seen the claims of people that have said they can accomplish that feat. Can you lose 30 pounds in 30 days? Sure, but it is not healthy at all and will almost certainly return at some point in the near future. A good portion of this extreme weight loss will be in the form of muscle and that will kill your metabolic rate. For more on this, check my article on “Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss”.
So, what is a realistic amount of fat one can lose in 30 days? I would say, stick to the mantra of 1-2 pounds per week. That would mean about 4-8 pounds per month. Now, that may not sound like much, but let’s put it into a bit of perspective. Say you were to only lose one pound of fat each week. After one year, that would be 52 pounds! What if you had started losing one pound per week a year ago? Now imagine yourself this time next year at 52 pounds lighter. You may not even need to lose that much weight.
The key to weight loss goals is patience, realism, and a constant effort toward achieving them. At two pounds of body fat per week, after 13 weeks (3 months), you will have lost 26 pounds of body fat. That is very significant. It requires a lot of effort over the course of three months, but it is definitely attainable. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, this would be a good goal to start with. Close to 30 pounds in three months is much more realistic that 30 pounds in 30 days.
One note that I should make is concerning detoxification diets. I am actually a big proponent of the detoxification process as long as it is done properly. I will deal with this subject in a future article, but for now you should know that it involves eliminating certain foods from your diet (while sometimes adding certain natural supplements) in order to rid your body of toxins that have been stored over time. The detoxification process can lead to a large drop in excess water weight in a short period of time. This would mean that you may lose an additional 5-10 pounds of weight on top of the 1-2 pounds per week of body fat in the first 2-4 weeks. It is not an easy process, but it is definitely healthy and certainly worth the effort.
Other than that, I would recommend sticking to two pounds per week for a short-term aggressive approach and about 1.5 pounds per week for a longer-term goal. Remember that these pounds add up over time. Don’t check the scale every day as you will get discouraged quickly. Rather, stick to checking every two to four weeks. Also, take some measurement of your body and take note of how your clothes are fitting. Often, these are better indications of how your body is changing. Take pride in these accomplishments and don’t stress over the numbers.
Set goals. Make them aggressive but attainable. Set both short and long term goals and then go take action on them. Most importantly, be consistent because your efforts really will add up all the time. That will make you very happy in the end.

If you are like me, you have probably been through all this before, the family wedding is coming up next month and you can’t seem to fit into that suit or dress because you have put on too much weight. So you must lose at least ten or more pounds quickly.

Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.

But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let’s look at that first, you all know that diets don’t work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.

Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.

Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories.

Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.

Knowing this, you really don’t want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting.

To do this you will have to perform a “Strength Training” workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.

The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked.

One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.

While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.

The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.

Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.

Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.

As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.

Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.

Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.

Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.

Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.

Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.

Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn’t recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.

I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 – 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.

In conclusion remember, think long term here and that’s between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.

Many beginner athletes start exercising to lose fat. They workout 4 or 5 times each week, for 30-60 minutes per session. After 6 weeks or so they evaluate their progress and realize that they weigh roughly the same weight, and their total body fat has only dropped 1-3%. Surely after all that exercise they would have made a profound impact on their body composition, losing inches and pounds of fat, right? WRONG!
Why You Will Not Lose Fat With Exercise Alone
Why? Your diet is responsible for 75-80% of your progress when trying to drop fat.
The one, simple rule that you must remember is this:
total calories consumed – total calories burned = total calories stored as lard
The fact of the matter is that if you consume more calories in a day than you burn off, you will store them all. The caveman in you says, “Oh boy, extra energy that I can store for later, when there’s a drought or a shortage of animals to kill and eat!” Your body doesn’t understand that you’d rather see those calories floating around in a toilet than floating around on your midsection and buttocks.
A recent study actually demonstrated this exact problem. Two groups of people eat roughly the same diet, some junk food, some healthy food… a decent mix. The study lasted for a respectable 10 weeks. Half of the group did not exercise, while the other half exercised 5 times a week for 30 minutes. The group who exercised ended up losing little weight, if any, and their total fat mass only changed by about 1%. This means exactly what I am trying to tell you: unless you have your diet under control, no amount of exercise will optimally give you the results you want.
You could go on an exercise bender by working out 7 days a week for 5 hours a day, but unless you are genetic freak Olympian Josh Phelps, you will just get sick and injured. Besides he eats 12,000 calories a day. Trust me when I say you don’t even want to know what this man is capable of eating in one meal.
How You Can Use This Knowledge to Finally Lose Weight
Apply strict diet principles to lose weight fast, or adopt a healthy lifestyle eating regimen to lose weight slowly. Depending on your goals you can cut fat by dieting like a bodybuilder for a month or two, or you can move straight into a healthy eating phase, which you will need to adhere to for 99% of the rest of your mortal life.
Calculate your average maintenance calorie intake by multiplying your current weight in pounds by 14. If you burn more calories than this number in a day, you will lose weight. If you burn less calories than this number in a day, you will gain weight. Does it get any easier?
Simply take this number and add or subtract 100-200 calories each week based on number of pounds you lost the previous week. If you lost more than 3% of your bodyweight, you should add 100 calories to maintenance. (Ex: if a 200 lb man lost more than 6 lbs.) If you lost 1% of your bodyweight or less, or gained weight, you should subtract 100 from maintenance. (Ex: if a 200 man only lost 1 lb or less.) This way you won’t have to adjust exercise at all, you can simply base your weight loss on dietary changes only. Of course, adding additional exercise will speed up the process, but remember not too lose too much weight at once or you will end up sacrificing precious muscle mass.
Don’t bother justifying eating a whole pizza today by saying, “I will start my serious diet on Monday.” Just start today by considering each piece of food that you put in your mouth. If it’s bad for you, start today by just not eating it. Good luck!

Do you want to lose 20 lbs? You can with your own weight loss program.

Weight loss is one of the most prominent things on everybody’s mind, especially at this time of the year. Christmas and New Years is over and everybody feels they have ate and drank to excess and now is when people start thinking and feeling guilty about their weight.

I was in the same position last year. I had put on 40 lbs over the festive season and made all my New Years resolutions that I will lose all the weight and then some. I started to exercise and tried to eat healthier but one thing led to another and I was back on the slippery slope again of everyday life interrupting my weight loss plan.

Does this story sound familiar to you? I am sure everyone can relate to this sort of scenario. What I am going to do is explain to you how I lost 20 lbs in 28 days.

Firstly I started to do a lot of research on the subject on the internet as I was determined that I was going to succeed. What better way to get a weight loss plan than starting it with a solid amount of research. I came across a number of useful sites that taught me different things about diet, exercise and healthy living. I eventually decided on a site and a weight loss program after numerous days researching, you can view this site at the end of this article which I will go into in more detail.

After I had chosen the company and weight loss program that was going to get me my goal I had to work closely with them in order to set out a plan of action. How was I going to work this around my schedule and not fall off the wagon?

My main concern was that I would only be able to eat salad and would not be able to have a social drink, I was very wrong on this score. I was able to eat a lot of good food and be able to drink as well. What I did not understand was that it is all about moderation. You can eat and drink as normal but you have to integrate exercise into your weight loss program.

After 7 days on this program I started to see results. In 7 days I lost 3 lbs. After my first week I was on target to my 20 lbs in 28 days.

The Second week I must admit was the hardest as I was doing everything I asked of myself but there were other outlaying factors that I had not considered. I had a hen night on the second week of my program which completely slipped my mind. I thought I would definitely mess up this week. I spoke to my trainer and we worked out a way around the problem by changing the weight loss plan a bit to allow me to go to the hen night and not to worry.

After 14 days my weight loss was now 9 lbs. After the 2nd week everything was more or less plain sailing. At the end of the 28 days I had lost 21 lbs.

In summary I would recommend that if you are looking to lose 20 lbs or more on a weight loss program then do your research and make sure you have a product that is going to work for you. The one I chose was perfect for me. It will be perfect for a lot of you looking to lose weight but always research and make sure you are comfortable with the company that you are going to be working with because it is a close partnership and you have to feel as if you are getting the most out of it.

Are you tired of trying to figure out the perfect combination to lose weight? Overwhelmed and confused by conflicting information and the never-ending parade of fad diets and magic pills that are going to help you lose 10 pounds in 3 days? With all the information out there, it is nearly impossible to sort through it all and figure out what actually works.

That’s where I come in. I am going to give you 12 straightforward tips that will help you lose weight and get rid of that extra fat. I will simplify all the information that took me over a decade to learn, so that you can make your goals a reality for once and for all.

However, before you even start this journey, you have to WANT it! I am a personal trainer and in my business I have heard every feasible excuse as to why my client CAN’T lose weight. They can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong which usually comes under the heading “making excuses”. I’ve heard every one ranging from “it was the weekend” to “I can’t control myself in the late afternoon” to “I HAVE to have a snack before bed”. I’ve heard them all and the bottom line is you are either committed to losing fat and getting fit or not! Let’s face it—every week there is a weekend and if you blow it during the weekend, that is HALF of your week. Do you realize that? Still wondering why you can’t lose weight? I know this sounds harsh, but the truth is anyone can find a reason NOT to do something and somehow, justify it. You must come to terms with the fact that the only effective way to lose body fat is to put in the effort, nothing else.

That being said, I am going to give you no nonsense, realistic tips on how to do this.

1. Set realistic goals

First and foremost, you need to set realistic, attainable goals. I’m not talking about planning to lose 20 pounds for the wedding in three weeks. That’s not going to happen, atleast not in a healthy capacity that will result in true weight loss. You need to set specific goals with a set time frame and continue to change them as you accomplish each one. For example, plan to lose 1-2 pounds a week for the next month. That means by the end of the month you should have accomplished a weight loss of approximately 8 pounds. Make that your goal and then next month modify it or just continue on that path.

Whatever your goal is, the most important thing is that your goal is attainable so you don’t set yourself up for failure right from the start.

2. Gradual Changes get BIG results

I believe making changes over time is the key to achieving your weight loss goals. If you decide one day you’re going to change everything, you will fail! You may be motivated for a little while, but within a short time, you will feel miserable and deprived and eventually give up. This is the problem with going on a “diet”. It is short lived and whatever you lost, you will ultimately gain back.

It is about a lifestyle change that can be accomplished by making small changes over time. These small changes will bring on big results, as well as become a way of life.

For example:

Week 1: Try cutting out anything “white”, meaning white flour product, white rice and white sugar. Replace white flour products with whole-wheat flour products. Include whole grains and lots of vegetables with meals.

Week 2: Modify your behavior at one specific time, that is particularly difficult for you. For example, if you know you always blow it at dinner, make some changes. I know when I’m sitting at the table with my family, I often grab for seconds just simply because the food is there. So what I try to do now is measure out what I’m going to eat and stop when my plate is empty. I even go as far as clearing my plate from the table. Believe me, it’s difficult to eat when I don’t have a plate or silverware (although my 10 year old son might disagree!). My point is, identify your biggest challenge and make a change that will enable you to gain control over it.  

Week 3: Cut out all sugary/high caloric beverages. These are empty calories that add up. Try water, green tea, etc.

Get the picture? This way by the end of a couple weeks you’ve cut out 10 things without even realizing it. Now you are on your way to eating healthier and losing weight with out feeling deprived because nothing was drastic.

3. DON’T Starve Yourself

The worst thing you could do is decide you want to lose weight and stop eating. You cannot starve yourself and expect to melt the pounds away. I don’t care what common sense says, it does not work! Your body adapts to circumstances and the bottom line is if you suddenly reduce calories, your body goes into starvation mode and hoards the excess calories you’ve already stored in your fat cells. It also slows down your metabolism, which means that when you go off the diet, you will likely gain back all the weight, plus excess weight you wouldn’t have gained had you not gone on the diet in the first place.

4. Eat More to Weigh Less

How can eating more help you lose weight? It’s simple. Our bodies perform much better on a more frequent feeding schedule. Instead of spreading your daily intake over three meals, I am going to tell you to eat 4-6 small meals a day, every 3-4 1/2 hours, which will keep your metabolism charged and help you burn off more calories. The key being SMALL meals. I often hesitate telling people to eat this often, because if you don’t understand portions, eating this often can backfire when you’re trying to lose weight.

A good gauge of how much a portion is, is as follows:

 

The easiest way I know to follow the 4-6 meals a day plan is to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner and then have a mid morning snack and mid afternoon snack. The meals should be small and packed with high quality, nutrient dense food, including lean protein, fruits and vegetables. I don’t suggest eating before you go to bed, but if you must, try to keep it healthy and try to have it at least two hours before you go to bed.

5. Never Skip Breakfast

The biggest consequence to skipping breakfast or any meal is your metabolism slows down. Your body needs calories to function efficiently and it functions best when it is refueled first thing in the morning. If you don’t, your body will downshift and your metabolism will slow down, as previously mentioned. So, if you are trying to lose weight or even maintain, the last thing you want is a slower metabolism!

6. Write Down EVERYTHING You Eat

At some point in time, I have told most, if not all of my clients, to write down EVERYTHING they put in their mouth. Many of them tried it for a little while, while some couldn’t be bothered. I am now here to tell you, in the struggle to lose weight, picking up a pen might be just as useful as putting down the fork. In fact, a recent study was done showing that people who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight or more as those who didn’t keep a tally of their meals.

The reasons for the success are as follows:

 

A free website, I highly recommend, is FitDay.com. I find it extremely user friendly and very eye opening. Each day you must enter exactly what you eat and it actually determines calories, as well as percentage of protein, carbs and fat you’ve consumed during the day. It is not only very interesting to see what you ACTUALLY eat in a day, but also very educational. I think it gives people a real understanding of how they eat, as opposed to how they think they eat. It makes it easy to see where changes need to be made in order to get results.

7. Eat Enough Quality Protein

What I mean by quality protein, is lean protein; chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, eggs, egg whites, etc. Not only does it burn more calories digesting it than carbs or fat, but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer.

In addition, protein is a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle and it is important to understand that the more lean muscle you carry, the more calories you burn even while you sleep.

8. Consume Fiber

It is important to consume fiber, as there are numerous benefits, which include lower cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and improved absorption of minerals and other nutrients. In addition, fiber also slows down the digestion process, which helps you control your appetite and cravings, as well as it helps you feel more full delaying hunger from one meal to the next.

9. Cut out processed foods

You need to get rid of processed or junk foods, period. In a nutshell, processed food lacks nutrients, causes fat gain and cellulite, weakens the immune system, weakens organ function, raises your risk of cancer, etc. Need I say more?

Be weary of the foods that are labeled, “diet”, “healthy”, “low-fat”, or “fat-free.” If you look at the ingredients you will likely find many that you can’t even pronounce, not to mention, in order to make all those foods “low-fat” or “fat-free”, they must replace the fat with something. That something is SUGAR! The truth is, you’re better of eating some fat, as opposed to all the chemicals and sugar in processed low-fat or fat-free food.

Sugar is poison! Aside from it depressing your immune system, contributing to hyperactivity, depression and anxiety, reducing HDL’s (good cholesterol) and elevating LDL’s (bad cholesterol), as well as numerous other problems, it also contributes to weight gain and obesity. So, if you’re going to do anything today, focus on cutting out sugar. Start paying attention to labels and steer clear of the “fat-free” processed foods.

10. Drink Water

Water is the most important element to total health and fitness. After all, your body is 65-70% water and your muscles are over 70% water. But the best thing about water when it comes to weight loss is its ability to curb your appetite and hunger. I suggest 6-8 8 oz. glasses for the average person, but if you’re trying to lose fat and maximize body leanness, I would consider doubling that. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, to drink. It means you’ve waited too long.

11. Exercise: Cardio

I can’t stress enough how important it is to get some form of cardio in. If you are currently sedentary or have not exercised in some time, it is important to start off slow. Talk to your doctor and figure out a program that will work for you and try to perform it 3-5 days a week. Walking is a great way to get yourself up and moving so you can start seeing results.

However, if you are already in some sort of exercise routine, I suggest “interval training” which is the most effective way to burn calories and lose fat. Interval training is defined as short, high intensity exercise periods alternated with periods of rest.

An example on a treadmill (individual in good shape) would be as follows:

 

The total workout should be 15-20 minutes in duration. Keep in mind, the key to burning fat is intensity! So based on your individual fitness level, push yourself on the “high” intervals to a subjective 8-9 out of a level of 10 and on the “low” intervals a level of 3-4 out of 10.

12. Exercise: Strength Training

Incorporating some form of resistance training is not only an extremely important factor for weight loss, it has numerous other benefits which include: reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol, strengthening of bones, as well as it increases calories burned which promotes weight loss. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. Even while you sleep, muscles are responsible for more than 25% of one’s calorie use. So, in short, an increase in muscle tissue will in turn increase your metabolic rate.

I hope these tips were helpful. If you would like additional information on “interval training” or “resistance training” check out my website at www.NewBeginnings-PersonalTraining.com

Feel free to contact me anytime if you would like further suggestions or workout ideas. Good luck and keep in mind that I am always here to help!

Irvingia gabonensis is the newest supplement to hit the weight loss marketplace, saturate the internet with ads and light up the discussion forums. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? In the fat loss marketplace, this may gain the dubious distinction of becoming the next hoodia or acai berry (scam).

Irvingia comes from a West African tree known as the wild mango or bush mango. The trees bear edible fruits, and they’re well known for their dika nuts. Like other nuts and seeds, Irvingia is high in fat (50%), and oil can be extracted from them. Irvingia also contains 14% fiber. Dietary fibers are often recommended to help with weight loss as well as for their health benefits.

Due to its customary use in African cuisine and folk reputation as a health food, a research group from Cameroon (Western Africa) set up a randomized double blind study in 2005 to see if Irvingia gabonensis could help with weight loss. 40 obese subjects were divided into placebo and experimental groups. The experimental group received 1.05 grams of Irvingia seed extract 3 times a day (total 3.15 grams) for 30 days.

Subjects were examined weekly and tested for body weight, body fat and hip/waist circumferences. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples were also collected after an overnight fast and tested for total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol and glucose. The subjects were interviewed about their physical activity and food intake during the trial and were instructed to follow a low fat diet of 1800 calories per day and keep a food record for seven days.

At the end of the 30 day trial, the Irvingia group had lost an average of 5.26 kilos (11.5 lbs) and the placebo group had lost only 1.32 kilos (2.9 lbs). The group receiving Irvingia also experienced a decrease in systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol increased.

This was the first study that suggested a weight loss benefit from Irvingia. Why did the Irvingia group lose more weight? It’s not clear, but in studies of free-living subjects, increased weight loss often means that the experimental group ate less, not necessarily from a direct action on metabolism, hormones or physiology.

In March 2008, the same research group published the results of their second study about Irvingia and weight loss. This time, Irvingia was combined with Cissus quadrangularis, a succulent vine native to West Africa and Southeast Asia. 72 subjects were divided into three groups, placebo, Cissus extract only (150 mg 2X/day) and Cissus-Irvingia combination (250 mg combined Cissus-Irvingia 2X/day).

All the same tests and measurements were taken as in the 2005 study. After 10 weeks, improvements were seen in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose. The placebo group lost 2.1 kg (4.6 lbs), the cissus group lost 8.82 kg (19.4 lbs) and the Cissus-Irvingia group lost 11.86 kg (26.1 lbs).

Attributing 26 pounds lost in 10 weeks solely to a fiber supplement is highly unlikely if not impossible, so the researchers (Oben and Ngondi) thought there was something else going on. They proposed that PPAR gamma, leptin, adiponectin or glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase could all be potential mechanisms through which Irvingia gabonensis might affect body weight in overweight humans.

They set up another 10 week randomized double blind placebo-controlled study to investigate these possibilities. 120 subjects were divided into two groups; a placebo group and an Irvingia gabonensis group, which received 150 mg of Irvingia gabonensis extract twice a day.

Again, total and LDL cholesterol levels fell more in the Irvingia group than the placebo group (27% vs 4.8%). In the Irvingia gabonensis group, body fat decreased by 6.3% versus 1.9% in the placebo group. Weight decreased by 12.8 kg (28.1) pounds in the Irvingia gabonensis group vs 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs) in the placebo group.

Favorable changes were also seen in Leptin (anti starvation hormone that signals brain & body about fat stores), adiponectin (protein secreted from fat cells; higher levels improve insulin sensitivity), C-reactive protein (marker of inflammation and cardiac risk) and fasting glucose.

To the lay person, this 28-pound weight loss (12.8 kilos) looks incredible. To someone familiar with research methods and weight loss research, these results look IN-credible, meaning NOT credible. To the informed and discriminating, results like these do not send you running to the health food store, they raise red flags, prompt more questions and demand more and better-controlled research.

The subjects were advised not to alter their diet or activity, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t alter it anyways. These were free-living subjects, free to eat whatever they wanted and the only way the researchers knew how much the subjects ate or how active they were was from self-reported food and activity records. That’s another way of saying the study was NOT controlled.

A true tightly-controlled weight loss study means that the subjects stay in a hospital or research center metabolic ward where all their food is prepared and delivered to them, which is the ONLY way to guarantee we actually know how much they ate. It also means that activity and exercise levels are monitored. Alas, none of these controls were used in this study and we have no way of knowing the true caloric intake or caloric expenditure of these subjects.

If these results are questionable, then how do we explain them? I mean, we’re not saying the researchers are frauds, we’re only suggesting that there were some anomalous findings which were parlayed into the latest supplement craze and a thriving business.

The main problem is that self-reporting of food intake is highly inaccurate and makes long term weight loss research very difficult to do. It’s even possible that some subjects may have experienced a sort of “12 week fitness contest” type of effect, whereupon enrolling in the study, they wanted to impress anyone who saw the results. Therefore, they increased their exercise or activity in spite of instructions otherwise. Perhaps some of the subjects got sick and lost lean body mass. Maybe some were bloated and water retentive and simply dropped a lot of water weight. The explanations are endless.

But the story doesn’t end here. There’s another twist! It turns out that one person has done ALL the research to date and the same person owns the product rights.

Am I being overly skeptical? Sure, I’m skeptical of weight loss supplements. That’s because I’m intimately familiar with their sordid history (about 95% don’t work or don’t do what advertisements claim) and because I read the research. In case anyone thinks I’m just trying to pick part this particular research only because I’m a diet pill party pooper and supplement skeptic, then think about the magnitude of the claim for a moment and decide for yourself:

The Dubious claim: “28 pounds of fat loss in 10 weeks with NO CHANGE IN DIET OR EXERCISE.”

Let’s do some math, shall we? 28 pounds of fat loss in 10 weeks = 98,000 calories, or 9,800 calories per week, or 1400 calories per day. So, the researchers and makers of this supplement are claiming that this product will raise metabolic rate by 1400 calories per day.

Is it a more reasonable assumption that an over-the-counter plant extract from an African tree caused astronomical increase in metabolism that not even drugs come close to, or that the research is flawed?

Consumers in the weight loss marketplace have such short memories. Doesn’t anyone remember that last African wonder pill, hoodia? What happened to that one? And why another? How many of these products are already buried in the supplement graveyard? Haven’t we learned our lessons from the past?

With an objective look at the evidence, we can probably conclude that Irvingia is a good source of fiber. Fiber can provide numerous health benefits and play a role in body fat control, but there are cheaper ways to get fiber than expensive African supplements, (starting with your food!) A 30-day supply of Irvingia (60 softgels at 150 mg each) currently retails for $42 to $72.

Future research might show that Irvingia Gabonensis and or an Irvingia and Cissus combination may provide significant health benefits. Existing research already suggests health benefits including cholesterol improvements, glycemic control, antibacterial actions and antioxidant properties. It’s possible that some of the proposed anti-obesity benefits may also be confirmed. But at this time, the evidence is too thin to recommend Irvingia Gabonensis for weight loss beyond what you could get from any fiber product.

Being overweight expose you to a lot oh health risk such as heart diseases and diabetes. Therefore every time when it comes to a New Year, a lot of people will want to lose weight and set it as one of their New Year resolutions.
A lot of people who are excessively overweight tend to think that losing those pounds of stomach fat is not possible for them. But as long as you have a plan to achieve your goals, you will be able to achieve it sooner or later. What is important here is to know what are your long term goals and short term goals. By determining the duration of your goals, you will stand a higher chance to lose those pounds of stomach fat that have been with you for years.
Let me share with you some tips on how you can lose weight with proper planning and goal setting:
1. Setting realistic goals
When it comes to weight loss, most people set goals which are too ambitious. For example, if you are currently weighing 200 pounds and you set a short term plan to shed 100 pounds, this is not a realistic goal.
To lose weight effectively, you need to have a sensible weight loss plan that will guide you step by step to achieve your target weight.
2. Determining your objectives to lose weight
To succeed in doing something, you need to have a very compelling objective or reason so that you will not lose track of your goal. Losing weight just for vanity’s sake is usually less helpful than losing weight to improve health.
Other than just exercising, you need to have a healthy diet so that you will have a better body and more energy to be positive throughout the day.
3. Focus on doing, not how much you are going to lose
By focusing on how many times you are going to exercise per week rather than setting how much pounds you going to lose per week, you will definitely be able to come out with a more effective weight loss plan.
As long as you have the discipline to attend all the exercise session that you have plan out per week, weight loss will come naturally.
4. Losing fat step by step.
Let say if you have set a goal to lose 20 pounds after 1 month, you need to break down to how much pounds you are going to lose per week. Then plan out how many times you are going to exercise per week and what are the foods that you need to take to achieve your 1 week goal. By achieving weekly goals, you will definitely be able to achieve your final goal.
5. Having self-motivation
You need to always encourage yourself to achieve the goals that you have set. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fail to achieve your target for the week, find out why is it so. Is it because you have missed a jogging session? Or you have been eating junk food for one of the days?
After evaluating, look ahead to next week and try your best to stick to your plan.

Trying to lose weight fast and safely can be a difficult task, for many it can be one that they have tried several times without success. Those weight loss TV shows such as the biggest loser, and the before and after photos of unbearably smug weight loss “champions” serve only to show that it can be done, but at the same time underline our failure. This can often lead to endless “diet-hopping” and despair as the weight just doesn’t seem to shift. The following 3 Tips will help you re-focus and start heading in the right direction towards the new, slimmer you:

Tip 1:This may sound obvious, but the first thing is to make the mental commitment to lose weight. Accept the fact that it not going to happen overnight, but that in 1, 3, 6 or 12 months you will look and feel a whole lot better. Keep a mental picture of the new you in your mind and use it to spur yourself on when you need encouragement (or in some circumstances discouragement!). Make sure that the weight loss goals you have set are reasonable and achievable, but accept the fact that there will be good weeks and bad weeks. As long as over time you are moving in the right direction, and you know your destination, you will get there – remember this is a marathon not a sprint.

Tip 2:We can’t all afford a fancy personal trainer, or find enough time to spend hours a day in the gym, but we can start by making small changes, which when combined can have a large impact on our weight loss and fitness. Start by trying to walk a little further every day, perhaps by parking further from work, or walking those extra yards to the next stop before getting on the bus. If you work in an office, don’t spend your lunch hour sat at your desk, even walking once around the block or even around the building is better than nothing. Try to make a conscious effort to try out low fat options instead of your favourite calorie laden snacks – you may well find something you like.

Tip 3Now that you have made the mental commitment, and started to make some small, but valuable changes, select a proven sensible weight loss plan and make sure you stick to the diet and exercise routine. Remember the goal of the “new you” we looked at in Tip 1 and remember that you will get there if you persevere. You will not always experience massive weekly weight loss, your body will have its own say on how much fat it is willing to burn, but don’t let this sway you from your diet, dropping it at the first sign of problems and swapping to the next “best thing”. Always remain focused on your final goal, and whether it is 6 months, a year or more from now, remember how it will be worth it in the end.