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Well, my three-week vacation is rapidly winding up. I think I have made it to new levels of being relaxed that I’ve never achieved before, but as glorious as all this is, it is starting to feel like time to go home. I was lying in bed this morning thinking about some to-do’s when I return when I realized that I haven’t even turned on my mobile phone for over two weeks. Be it, I have had my computer with me and internet access so I haven’t been completely out of touch with my world, but I haven’t even thought about my phone. All of a sudden I wish I could stay here forever – having almost no responsibilities is freeing.
 While on vacation my mobile phone has only been used as a bookmark (shown here), but it can also be used for more important purposes such as losing weight. Many of us are really attached to our mobile phones now. With all the gadgetry of iPhones, texting, downloads and music it is no wonder that almost everyone I know is almost surgically attached to these little pieces of technology. There is no doubt that mobile phones are becoming one of the most important means of communication in our lives and their usefulness doesn’t stop there. With so many applications for download these days it should not surprise you that Weight Loss by Mobile Phone is a rapidly growing trend.
You may already know that weight loss has gone high tech, but you may not know the extent of it. Many are aware that the Wii video game system has a weight loss program that makes exercise fun, but do you know there are other toys and gadgets that can help too? There are quite a few things you can do with your mobile phone, or that your mobile phone can do for you. Some things are on specific phones, but some are useful on any phone. It may depend on what type of services you get for your phone and how much you pay for such services.
Some new phones (like – but not limited to – the iPhone) come with applications that can do just about anything. Some come with the phone at first, and some are downloadable. You can find applications that help you to keep track of each and every calorie that you take in each day, and how much exercise that you are getting. You can find these types of programs online, but having them on your phone – which is with you every single day – means you are more likely to input the information immediately and will continue to do so. Some newer phones also have things that can help you monitor your heart rate.
Apart from applications, weight loss by mobile phone can also take the form of text messaging. A number of people find that getting inspirational and gently reminding text messages regarding dieting and weight loss is helpful throughout the day. These could be from a friend (or group of friends) you have rallied to support you, a company that offers you support, tips, and inspiration to keep you on the right track, or a social media that sends out updates to your phone, such as Twitter. Your phone can be your link to anyone or anything that can help you with your goals. How nice would it be to be standing in front of your fridge at midnight while fighting off a food craving and having someone text you an inspirational message to resist these temptations?
According to a recent study, a group using mobile technology to help with weight loss was compared to a group losing weight without such aid. The intervals of the study were 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Those with support through mobile devices lost more weight both short and long term in the study. Not only did they lose, they improved areas in life like food choices and family relations that can help a dieter maintain weight loss in the future. The study is very promising for those seeking extra help and support through unconventional means and shows a bright future for weight loss by mobile phone.
When a person thinks about weight loss the first thing that usually comes to mind is dieting. The fact that one will have to deal with the tasteless, raw or low calorie foods in place of the tasty foods they were eating before poses quite a challenge and can be a source of great stress for some people. Losing weight is essential and at the same time can be quite involving and downright hard work. With all these thoughts into what you must remove from your diet, it can be easy to overlook some essential items that you should be supplementing your diet with. One of these essential items, at least where health and weight loss are concerned, are some essential vitamins and minerals.
 A number of vitamins, such as Vitamin C, are not only essential for good health, but can improve your weight loss efforts by optimizing your metabolism and curbing hunger. When I was growing up my mother would lay out our daily vitamins for us each morning with our breakfast. Of course as soon as I stopped eating breakfast with my mother I also stopped taking vitamins and it was only last year that I went back to supplementing my diet with calcium, vitamin D, vitamin Bs, and vitamin C. I am a firm believer that you should try to get most of your vitamins and minerals from your diet. I do not think that taking vitamin and mineral supplements should be a green light for having a nutritionally-deficient diet, however depending upon your family history and body type (e.g. most women in my family have developed osteoporosis) vitamin supplements can help you obtain and maintain optimum health.
Although it might be surprising to hear that there is such a thing as “weight loss vitamins”, it is true that weight can be controlled and efficiently maintained using vitamins. Most food contains some form of vitamins and it is possible to get vitamin supplements from the pharmacy or a convenience store. Without the necessary vitamins in the body, its survival would be compromised. This can also lead to unhealthy living and disease. However, not all vitamins act the same way and not all would contribute to weight loss. The way in which some vitamins aid weight loss is simple. First, if a person is seriously trying to lose weight then food cravings have to be prevented. Food cravings for indulgences such as chocolate, cake or fried food can also be a sign of nutritional deficiency.
A healthy diet plan involves eating small meals early morning and at mid-day instead of having three large meals. To get enough nutrition and curb some of the cravings, spreading the consumption of small potions between three to four times in a day becomes very helpful. Boosting a person’s weight loss by focusing on additional doses of minerals, taking mineral water when feeling hungry and eating the right vitamins is a good idea. One of the best weight loss vitamins that helps to boost weight loss efforts is vitamin B2, also known as Riboflavin. This is essential for better thyroid function and metabolism. The best sources are milk, liver, hard cheese eggs, kidney, green vegetables, marmite, wheat germ and almonds.
Vitamin B3 plays a major role in thyroid production and plays a vital part in stabilizing blood sugar levels. This vitamin can be found in large amounts from brown rice, cheese, dried fruit, barley, wheat flakes, salmon, oats, mackerel, meat, eggs, turkey chicken, tuna, liver and wheat bran. Another essential vitamin is vitamin B5, which is essential in the body for burning fat and energy production. It also assists in normal adrenaline function. Another important B vitamin that helps in weight loss is vitamin B6 that assists in the regulation of thyroid hormone production. This vitamin can be found in foods such as brown rice, avocado, bananas, cabbage, eggs, dried fruit, sardines, poultry, brewer’s wheat germ, beef, mackerel, and oats. Choline, which is part of the vitamin B group, is produced inside the liver. The vitamin helps in fat metabolism and deficiency of this vitamin causes fat to be trapped in the liver.
Another common vitamin that is often overlooked for its weight loss enhancement abilities is vitamin C. Most of us just break out the vitamin C when we have a cold, but it is actually a vitamin that should be a regular addition to your diet. Vitamin C has strong antioxidant properties in the body and helps to oxidize (burn) body fat during periods of physical activity. If you eat a lot of citrus fruit then you will be already getting plenty of vitamin C from your diet, but if you don’t eat these foods very often then taking 500mg of vitamin C a day can be very beneficial. Don’t take more thinking that you’ll be skinny in no time because that is not the way this vitamin works. Vitamin C is water soluble so any more than the amount your body can use, which is about 500mg, will be eliminated when you pee.
Finally, as I mentioned before, due to the incidence of osteoporosis in my family I have been taking calcium supplements combined with vitamin D supplements (vitamin D is essential for your body to be able to use calcium). According to a recently published article in the British Journal of Nutrition, calcium may improve weight loss, but only in people whose diets are already calcium-deficient. It is thought that the brain can detect when the body does not have enough calcium. To try to correct this, the brain signals to the body that more food should be eaten. Thus, it is thought that calcium supplementation in some people may help to curb hunger and decrease appetite. See “Daily Calcium Requirements” for more information about calcium and health.
Weight Loss Center has a wonderful section on their website dedicated to information about all types of vitamins and minerals. For more indepth information about any of these or ones that I may have not discussed, please visit the section here: Vitamins, Minerals & Antioxidants.
 Try adding these three simple, low calorie dinner ideas to your weekly meals. Most people consider dinner to be the biggest meal of the day, but for dieters, having a huge meal at any time is a problem. You do not have to eat celery all day to lose weight, and you should make sure your dinner is satisfying or you could be snacking away later in the night. That will throw your diet off track in record time. Instead, think about some lower calorie dinner ideas that work well for you. They do not have to come from the freezer section of the super market, though that is a good suggestion on occasion.
Instead of frozen, think of fresh foods that are lower in calories and good for you too. When thinking about fitting dinner into your diet, try to eat right around 600 calories. That leaves room for a snack later before bed if you need one. Mix and match items you love and remember to keep a keen eye on your serving size when adding calories up for your meals. You don’t want to eat more than you think because your serving sizes were not right.
Here are three low calorie dinner ideas that are all around 600 calories. I cook these dinners for me and my husband on a regular basis and can vouch for their tastiness and simplicity.
Soup and Sandwich: this meal idea is great any time of the year. There are many great varieties of soups out today that are lower calorie and lower in sodium. You can pair these with sandwiches made with low calorie wheat bread, healthy deli meats, low fat cheese, lettuce, tomato, and low fat mayo. You add a piece of fruit and skim milk, you have a great filling yet low calorie meal each and every time.
Tacos with lettuce, tomato, low fat cheese, and seasoned chicken breast, cup of cottage cheese, half a cup of berries, and skim milk or 100 percent unsweetened fruit juice. This meal will fall within the 600-700 if you keep an eye on your portions and count all calories as you make your tacos. If you add taco sauce, don’t forget to count those calories too.
You can turn any salad into a dinner by adding meat or another source of protein. Start with a basic salad of your choosing, remembering to keep items low fat and low calorie, and add a meat of your choice. Baked chicken breast and seasoned low fat hamburger are two options if you do not go overboard. You can add a piece of fruit to this dinner and the low calorie but healthy drink of your choice.
Of course there are a limitless number of recipes that are healthy and low calorie. If you are just starting to learn how to prepare these types of meals, I stongly suggest that you go to a book store and buy a low-calorie cookbook. This was how I started and now I have quite a collection of recipes that I use on a regular basis. I also encourage our blog visitors to share their own favorite recipes for either Low Calorie Dinner Ideas, Low Calorie Lunch Ideas or Low Calorie Breakfast Ideas.
 Try these three nutritious, low calorie lunch ideas that contain approximately 400 calories each. I was tweeting with a friend of mine last night as I lay on my bed and soothed my sun-kissed skin with aloe gel. She has been trying to lose weight, but finds that she gets very bored of the same diet foods that she eats over and over. Like many people, she has fallen into the diet doldrums. Variety is after all the spice of life, and when you are dieting it is even more important to keep things interesting otherwise you will quickly lose interest as I have blogged about in my post “Diet Boredom Leads to Diet Failure“. I sent my friend a number of low calorie lunch ideas that I use and also encouraged her to read my blog post about “Low Calorie Breakfast Ideas“. I’m also know working on a list of low calorie dinner ideas and hope to have those for a post tomorrow.
Dieting can be rough, especially if you have to eat away from home while at work. You can either take your chances with finding a fast food meal that fits into your diet, or you can bring something from home that stays within your diet and still tastes good. How many calories you want to take in each day depends on your diet plan, but staying around a 400 calorie lunch time is a great idea. That, along with a 200 calorie breakfast, gives you room for a good dinner and a few small snacks as well.
Try to balance your lunches with what you had in your breakfast. At least one of these meals should have a source of protein to keep you full, and some good carbohydrates to give you the energy you need to get through the afternoon. Remember to also include at least one source of calcium in both, or at least one of these meals. This nutritious, low calorie lunch, along with a small afternoon snack, should carry you through to dinner with very little hunger to contend with.
Here are three low calorie lunch ideas near 400 calories to get you started:
One cup of soup (keep serving size approx 100 calories), 1 cup carrot and celery sticks, 1 cup of skim milk or unsweetened juice. If you have calories left, try a cheese stick. When choosing your soup, low sodium is best, as well as a broth instead of a cream. Celery and carrot sticks can be bought already cut and washed for convenience. For the cheese, try sticks of low fat mozzarella.
1 and a half cups of salad (including lettuce, tomato slice, 2 tablespoons low fat dressing, onion, pepper, and/or hard boiled egg. Also, include 1 cup of cottage cheese, and a low calorie drink of your choice. You can adjust the serving sizes to bring your calorie count to or near 400 calories. Remember to watch your salad dressing and skip the croûtons.
Two slices of whole wheat bread with mustard (or other low calorie spread), slice of baked turkey or chicken breast, and a slice of low fat cheese. Add to this a piece of fresh fruit, and the low calorie drink of your choice, preferably skim milk. If you add the calories for this lunch and find you have a few extra with which to work, you can add a slice of tomato to your sandwich, or some low fat mayo if that is what you prefer.
As you can see from these three low calorie lunch ideas, there is an unlimited number of foods that you can combine together to make a delicious and low-cal, noon-time meal. These meals will help to keep you full until dinner, perhaps with only one small snack in between, and give you energy for work and exercise. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water with your meals and in between as this will improve your metabolism and decrease hunger.
As those of you who have traveled know, the preparation of foods you eat for your meals can be very different that what your body is used to back home. Although generally I have very few difficulties with Mexican foods, this morning I would have given anything for a big bowl of plain yogurt to ease the digestive system. Back at home I eat yogurt every day. I try to have a couple of tablespoons before every meal or eat a small bowl as a snack or with breakfast. Either way, I have found that my digestive system has functioned better with the addition of yogurt in my daily diet.
 Probiotics, which are bacteria commonly found in yogurt, improve digestive health and metabolism making them an excellent addition to any weight loss diet. There are many health benefits to eating yogurt, but the most important one is that it is an excellent source of probiotics. Probiotics are bacteria that are known to help with health and they can also help with weight loss as well. You may not want to think about it, but there are bacteria inside of your body that work with and against your system. Probiotic bacteria, generally either of the Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium genera of bacteria, are the good guys that work to improve digestive health. If you do not have enough of the good bacteria in your digestive system (or in other areas of the body where they are welcome) you could suffer as a result. Your system is not going to work correctly as it is overrun with unhealthy bacteria. Some people find that eating foods or supplements with probiotics helps them feel more balanced and healthy. You can also find probiotics under the name of acidophilus in some stores. These supplements should be taken as directed and will work to kill off and balance out the bad bacteria you have in your system for better overall health as well as the benefit of easier weight loss.
While probiotics were first only thought to help the digestive system when things were not as they should be, some now believe that a weight loss diet using probiotics can be a healthy approach to losing weight. In fact, the weight loss someone experiences with probiotics is actually because those good bacteria are doing their job as they should. Not only does the digestive system work more efficiently and in tune with the body, but the operation of the thyroid is optimized, which improves metabolism making it even easier to lose extra weight.
When shopping around for probiotic foods or supplements to buy you will likely come across the terms CFU, prebiotics and synbiotics. CFU stands for “colony forming unit” and is a term used to describe one live bacteria cell that has been made dormant and must be reactivated following ingestion. CFU’s are most commonly used in probiotic supplements that come in pill form. Prebiotics are ingredients in foods that assist the growth of probiotic bacteria and also their activity. The most common forms of prebiotics are inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Finally, synbiotics are foods or supplements that contain both a prebiotic and a probiotic.
If you want to start a weight loss diet using probiotics, all you have to do is to eat the right foods or find the right supplement. Many foods naturally contain probiotics, however the processing of these foods for human consumption often kills these helpful bacteria. One of the best sources of probiotics has always been yogurt. Keep in mind, however, that probiotics are bacteria that can be harmed when products are processed with heat and for this reason many brandname yogurts contain very few beneficial bacteria. Also, many yogurts contain high amounts of sugar that will negatively impact your weight loss plans. For both of these reasons, it is recommended that you buy natural or organic yogurt that contains “live active cultures” of bacteria and is either not sweetened or contains very little sugar.
Probiotics are most commonly found in fermented foods and drinks. Other than yogurt and other cultured dairy products, probiotics can be found in Kefir (a fermented milk drink), cultured butter, unpasteurized miso, and Kombucha that is a fermented tea. Natural sources of prebiotics include whole grains, onions, garlic, leeks, artichokes, bananas and honey. These days there are also a number of foods supplemented with probiotics and prebiotics, although the actual health benefit that comes from eating these foods verses their non-supplemented counterparts is questionable.
Until yesterday, I never thought that I had much in common with Janet Jackson, but now we are very much like bosom buddies. After about half-an-hour of bobbing happily in the ocean a group of large waves came and swept me up on shore. No problem, I’ll just get up, shake the sand out of my bottoms and go back out. To my utter embarrassment, however, the large waves had caused a most revealing “wardrobe malfunction”. Yes, I was standing there with my pale white chest exposed for all to see. I crouched quickly back into the water, but I’m pretty sure the glow of my white skin had attracted the attention of most of the people on the beach and took down a couple of planes flying overhead. My husband thought this was the funniest thing he had ever seen, and if there were any people left on the beach who hadn’t just seen me mostly naked they too were now looking over to see why this gringo was laughing his fool head off. I couldn’t help but start laughing myself, it was quite the sight. I vowed then and there, however, that I would go out that afternoon and buy myself a new bathing suit that fit me properly and get rid of the one I had been wearing through my previous vacations when I was heavier.
 Buying an outfit for your new size is an excellent way to celebrate your weight loss successes. There are ups and downs with dieting. Your weight should be going down, while your self-esteem should be going up. Another thing that is going to be going down is the size of your clothing. Some people wonder about when it is a good time to buy new clothes when they are dieting and losing weight. Should you even bother to buy clothes that will not fit in two months? My answer to this is now yes, at least when bathing suits are concerned.
Buying a couple new items of clothing when you reach one of your weight loss goals can be a rewarding experience. You may have spent your life celebrating your successes with food, but that is probably one reason why you are dieting in the first place. You can instead find other ways to celebrate reaching your weight loss goals and one of those ways may be to go out and get yourself a new outfit in your new size. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but it can be the very best way to reward yourself for your hard work and your dedication. Get something that looks good and fits to show off where you are in your dieting path.
Some people stay in their large size clothing until they think they have gone down as far as they can or want to go. There are a few problems with this, but there are also a few bonuses. You may enjoy wearing jeans that are too big a few times as a reminder of how much weight you have lost and so other people can ask you if you have lost weight. It might seem vain, but it is nice to hear that someone noticed and that your hard work has paid off. However, if you keep those clothes, you may grow back into them. The best thing to do with your old, oversized clothing is to donate them or throw them out. You want to make it as hard as possible for yourself to go back to the weight you were.
You don’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe for each new size, but do get a few outfits to get you through. Get rid of clothes that are too big as you go, and remember that you should always dress for your size. Don’t go overboard even if you are feeling so much better. Going from a size twenty to a size fourteen is a huge accomplishment, and you should celebrate and feel good, but you should still shy away from the belly shirts and tank tops. It is possible to look sexy without revealing a lot of skin, and you can do that at any size. Take a friend with you and find what you love and what loves you back when you look in the mirror. Also, you can use these helpful Fashion Tips for Looking Thinner when choosing your next outfit.
Well, here I am blogging away on my laptop from my villa in Mexico. My husband and I left on Sunday to come here and we are really glad we did, despite the worries about the flu epidemic. The villa we stay at is in a small, gated community in the province of Nayarit. Other than being the most beautiful place I have ever stayed at, the fact that this community is so isolated gives us peace of mind that we are safe. (You can go to the villa’s website here dreamvillamexico.com if you would like to see pictures or get booking info.)
 When so many of us are spending money to lose weight, it makes sense to also help support charities that combat hunger and improve the lives of others. Whenever I travel to countries that are less developed than the U.S. I am often overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt. How is it that some of us can have so much and never be happy with what we have, when so many other people in the world have so much less and seem content. I also feel terrible about my own tendencies to indulge and overeat when there are so many millions of people in the world who are starving. It is a really difficult thing to wrap my brain around. So many of us are spending countless dollars on foods, pills and programs to help us eat less and lose weight, meanwhile people in our world are starving. As someone who struggles to lose weight because I have too much, I can’t help feeling embarrassed about my predicament and lack of action to help others who are not as fortunate.
Of all the benefits of travel outside of my own country, I think the one I grow to appreciate the most is how it opens my eyes to how other people are living in our world. Many of us become so engrossed in our own lives that we fail to look outwards and seek ways to help others. For this reason, today, because I realize that I have so much and should be giving back much more, I would like to explore some charities that fight hunger.
There are few things in the world worse than watching a child or an animal suffer. Abuse aside, hunger is probably the biggest problem that these children and animals must endure. We know there are many charities that help save animals and make sure they have the food that they need, but how much do you know about charities that fight hunger for children and adults alike? There are many, and they do a good job with what they have. If you are considering donating to a cause in the future, fighting hunger is certainly a very important one.
Save the Children is one of the largest charities that fight hunger and has been around for a very long time. With this charity, you can make a straight donation or you can sponsor a child for a set price. Save the Children is very honest about where their money is going, which can help you rest easy about where your donation is going to go. They state on their web site that 90 percent goes towards their programs with the other ten percent going towards administrative and fund raising needs. That is a great ratio for a charity.
Christian Children’s Fund is something like Save the Children in that you can make a donation of any amount, or you can pay to fund a specific child for a set price. You can do both too. This organization has a good background and a good history. Their ratio for funds is a bit different, however. About 83 percent goes to programs while the remaining goes towards fund raising and management of the charity – as stated on their web site. That does not mean they are a bad charity, it just means they use more money to raise funds and run the charity than Save the Children does.
Share Our Strength is a charity that helps feed children and families in America. Many do not realize how many children within the US are hungry, as are their parents and neighbors. This charity sponsors many great events to raise money to feed the hungry, and will accept straight donations through their web site. They have many partners in American commerce to help with with their goals.
Remember that because the economy is in recession at the moment, more families are losing jobs, going hungry, and relying on food stamps for meals. Even though you may not worry about having food on your table, your neighbour many not be so lucky. One in ten families needs help with food and these charities that fight hunger do what they can, but they can not do everything. There are other great charities out there, and you can always find some in your local area to help kids and families in your immediate neighborhood if you feel your money is best spent in that direction. Also, there are places that you can make donations of food, such as the Food Bank. Just check to see if the charity is legitimate first and then give what you can.
The popularity of many weight loss supplements is based on the claim that they can burn fat. Fat burners are meant to boost the body’s metabolism and focus energy on burning fat as opposed to other fuel sources. The faster the metabolic rate, the faster the body is able to eliminate excess fat storage. Ideally, this process should go hand in hand with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Fat burners are considered more effective when incorporated with a healthy lifestyle. The action of fat burners in the body varies.
 Fat burners raise your metabolic rate and help you to lose fat from stubborn areas such as abdomen and thighs. Even after extensive weight loss, some people still have to contend with stubborn fat, especially in areas such as the abdomen, thighs and upper arms. This is why the market for fat burners continues to thrive. The success of weight loss with fat burners is still debatable but some brands have produced results. It is difficult to decide on which weight loss product would be the best choice because there are so many to choose from. They all promise triumph over weight gain but many fail to meet expectations. The common misconception is that these products work miraculously without the need for any effort as far as dieting or exercise.
There are various types of fat burners. Some of these have been entrenched firmly in the world of weight loss and bodybuilding. They include thermogenic fat burners, stimulant-free fat burners, appetite suppressants, and thyroid regulating fat burners. Thermogenic fat burners are usually a mixture of many ingredients, including the controversial ephedra. They work by speeding up the metabolic rate and increasing the temperature of the body. In fact, most fat burners contain some type of stimulant compound that raises blood pressure, heart rate and metabolism. A popular ephedra-free fat burner is Phentramin-d, which contains the stimulant caffeine combined with an extract from geranium oil called geranamine that also has a stimulating effect.
People who have uncontrollable or abnormal appetites turn to appetite suppressants that reduce the desire to eat. The concept of excessive cravings and hunger is attributed to psychological factors that are influenced by scent, touch and sight (read this related post “Insulin Response to Sight and Smell of Sweet Foods“). For example, the mere sight of a picture of food can send some individuals racing towards the fridge. Despite being called fat burners and not appetite suppressants, reduced appetite is a common side effect when taking these types of diet pills and can be helpful in lowering the amount of calories you consume each day. Another common type of fat burner is the thyroid regulator. This is sought by people who have a thyroid disorder. When the thyroid does not produce enough hormones, the metabolic rate slows down. A thyroid regulator stimulates the production of those vital hormones.
If you are hoping to experience rapid weight loss with fat burners then your approach to losing weight is already dooming you to failure. It is true that some fat burners can help you to lose more weight, but they are only a temporary weight loss method. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to develop a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular exercise. If you make these lifestyle changes while taking a fat burner then you are much less likely to gain weight when you stop taking the pills.
Since reaching my goal to lose 30 pounds in 90 days, I have been taking time to visualize my new weight loss goal. This is a very exciting time for me because I have never been so successful at losing weight before and thinking ahead to a new low for my weight seems more and more attainable every day.
 The best time to start a diet is the moment you decide you would like to lose weight. Don't wait or put it off as that often just results in added pounds. Last night I dug around and found my old weight loss journal. It is a really basic and boring notebook and when I read the entries I had made during my last weight loss attempts I see a million different places where I should have done things differently, including being consistent in keeping my journal. Over three years ago, I had written in my journal a weight loss goal that, as you may have guessed, I never reached. There it was, written in red pen, capitalized and made less daunting with little drawn flowers on either side, “MY GOAL WEIGHT IS 180 LBS”. At the time I weighed 203 pounds. Right away I could see a huge error that I made in setting this weight loss goal for myself… I didn’t give myself a time frame.
As it happens, I’m now very close to the weight I was when I wrote that goal three years ago so I figured it would be a good to goal to set again, but this time I would aim even bigger. So today I would like to announce to the world that my new weight loss goal is 170 pounds and I will achieve this in four months starting right now. At this week’s weigh in I was 206 lbs, so I intend to lose 36 pounds in 16 weeks, which is a realistic goal of losing 2.25 lbs each week. Here we go!
For those of you who are wondering when the best time to start a diet is, and when to set a weight loss goal for yourself, the answer is RIGHT NOW! How many times have you looked in the mirror and promised yourself that you are going to start your diet on Monday, after Thanksgiving, when New Years Day has arrived, or even after you have had a few weeks to enjoy your favorite foods? This is something that dieters do all of the time and can be a huge problem. While having a start date is the only way to get started, that day should be the very second you decide you want to lose weight.
One of the biggest reasons why putting off the start of your diet till another day is because you are going to go nuts eating all the wrong things until the day and time of your diet arrives. Those that say they are going to start on Monday mean well, but they spend that entire weekend feasting on all of the unhealthy and high calorie foods that they think they are going to miss the most on their diet plan. That leads to packing on a few more pounds before starting, which is the opposite of what the dieter seeks.
Another problem when putting off your diet for another date is that you may not have the same motivation when you get to that day. You may decide you want to push it back even further and you have had even more time to make excuses as to why you should wait or why now is not the best time for you to be on a diet. Some put diets off until New Years because they figure they are going to gain weight during the holidays anyway, and there is no point. Actually, there is no better reason than that to start right away!
New Years Day is one of the biggest ‘I’m going to start my diet on’ days of the year. This is why you see so many weight loss products advertised on television during the month of January. What most don’t realize, until they have failed time and time again, is that most people rarely keep resolutions. Once they fall of the wagon, so to speak, they just shrug and say they will try again next year. Think of all the extra pounds you could add if you did that each year.
Do your body and yourself a favor. Once you decide a diet is right for you, and you have all the facts and the tools that you need, start right away. Don’t wait for New Years, Monday, or even tomorrow. Start the moment you have made the decision. If you don’t, you may find that you never get started. Even more importantly, don’t let failure stop you. Everyone messes up. Think of mistakes as just mistakes, not the end of the road. Pick right up where you left off and your chances of success are much higher.
When you have good health you tend to take it for granted. Despite the fact that I am quite a heavy woman and have been for many years, I have just assumed that I can exercise and my body will just take it. Well, last night my body finally said NO! Well, actually it said OUCH first and then no.
If you can believe it, I actually went to exercise with my friend last night who plays in a recreational indoor soccer league. I have never really been a sports person and I know that I am very uncoordinated when it comes to kicking a ball, but when she said it would be the cardio workout of my life I couldn’t refuse. I welcomed a break from going to the gym as that can be quite monotonous after a while. So there I was, me and my large body, surrounded by crazy fit people zipping about me like flies. I tried my absolute best to get that darn ball and let me tell you it was one hell of a workout. Finally, an hour into the game I got the ball in front of the net and channeled David Beckham. I visualized making the goal, everyone cheering and giving me high-fives. Wooo, it was amazing… no, it didn’t happen. Instead I managed to step on the ball and roll over onto my ankle. The good news is that my ankle is only sprained, the bad news is that it still hurts a lot and I’m going to have to explore ways of exercising that won’t irritate it for the next few days. So last night when I got home I went online to see what types of exercises you can do while sitting.
 There are many exercises you can do while sitting that will help to increase your activity level no matter what your physical condition may be. Sometimes, getting up and moving for exercise is out of the question, either because of injury or chronic pain. It also could be that you sit in a chair all day to work like many of us do, and you want to get some exercise in while doing that (another good post to check out “Exercises You can Do at Work“). You could also be in poor health or very overweight and standing or running is not a good option for you. Whatever the case, there are some exercises you can do while sitting in a chair that are great for your health and can mean a higher fitness level. This can help you move towards a more active and fit lifestyle.
Stretching is important, but you should do it the right way. Take a few moments to close your eyes and relax your entire body. You can do this by visualizing each part of your body from your toes up to your head. Relax each part as you move up your body. Once you have done this, then start to gently stretch your muscles until you feel a pulling, but no pain. Stretching should feel good, not painful.
You can do small amounts of strength training exercises while sitting in a chair. You must have hand and ankle weights for this, but they can be as light as one pound if you are starting from the beginning. You can do simple sets of 10 or twenty lifts by arm or by leg. Rest in between and try to do these a few times a day a few days a week. As this gets easier, try to hold the weight in the upright position for longer periods of time, and then add weight when that is easier as well.
It is possible to improve more than arm and leg tone and strength in a chair as well. You can clench the muscles in your buttocks and your stomach while you are sitting. You should clench and hold for three seconds to start, doing this about five times. Then move up to ten repetitions and hold your clenched muscles for ten seconds or longer if you can. This might not seem like much, but it can work wonders when other types of exercise are out of the question.
Yoga is an exercise that promotes muscle growth and strength. You may picture people on the floor or standing up doing yoga poses, but there are some you can do right from your seat. There are some positions made just for chair sitting, and others that can be adjusted so that they can be done while sitting. You may want to find an instructor for this, or perhaps a good book to guide you through. Another terrific option is to check out this Free Sitting Yoga routine that takes about 15 minutes to complete. It has videos for all of the poses and would be a perfect break-time activity to do at your desk at work or between hockey periods at home on the couch. Not only can you get exercise with yoga, you can get peace of mind and relaxation as well.
Finally, my personal favorite exercise you can do while sitting is using a pedal exerciser. This is a small contraption with pedals like a bike that is small and sits at your feet wherever you may be seated. Just put your feet on the pedals and get going. You can also put the pedal exerciser on a table in front of you and use it to exercise your arms. My aunt was the first person to show me how great one of these could be. She and my cousin drove across the country to come for a visit a couple of summers ago. As my cousin drove she would sit in the back seat of the van and use her pedal exerciser. She did this across the country and back and was in terrific shape when she got home. I thought that was so smart that I went out and bought one right away. I don’t use it as much as I should, but when I remember I try to pedal while I watch TV. There are many different types of pedal exercisers you can buy, and I recommend buying one that you can adjust the resistance on so that you can get as good a workout as you can.
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