If you have been over weight for most of your life than you have more than likely asked yourself, can I lose pounds? Will I ever lose pounds? Youre not alone; people who have or had weight problems ask themselves this every day.

There are millions of people around the world that are overweight and feel like there is no end in sight, and they are stuck like this forever. Well I am here to tell you you can lose pounds! You can lose weight! One more time for good measure; You will lose those pounds.

First things first, you have to stop asking yourself if you can lose weight and start telling yourself you will lose weight, you will beat this, you will overcome. We are often our own worst enemy and to overcome our on weakness is our greatest battle.

However, to win your battle over your weight issue, you have to win the battle against yourself first. Once you have done this, then there is not much standing in your way of accomplishing and conquering your goals.

Next step is to get the people around you that are for you and not against you. It may be hard to believe, but there are people close to you that may not want you to do this. You have to recognizes the signs of that and eliminate those people from this process.

Once you have done this, you get the people around you that you know they would kick you in the butt when you needed to be kicked in the butt. You know there are going to be days when you are not at your strongest, and you are going to need support to get you through that rough spot.

Even though you are the one who makes the ultimate decision on rather you win this battle or not. You have to have a good team around you to do this. No great champion has ever won any battle alone; he or she has always had a great team around them. This is no different than any other competition. Except the stakes higher: your peace of mind and your life.

Now that you have your mind right and your team around you, now is the time to put in an exercise program to go along with your diet. Thats right I said exercise, dieting alone just doesnt get it done, you have to be ready to work your butt off.

Cutting back on your calorie intake and fat intake is great, and you can lose plenty of weight doing those things. However, if you had an exercise program where you were burning those calories, as well as your diet, then you will be where you want to be in no time at all.

Its up to you, you have the plan, you have the right frame of mind, and you have the team around you. Now its time to go get what you deserve and get what you want, just keep your eye on the prize and let nothing stand in your way and you will come out on top.

Tags: Bet, Butt, Calories, Champion, Exercise Program, Good Measure, Healthy Diet, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Own Worst Enemy, Peace Of Mind, People Around The World, Rough Spot, Signs —

A friend of ours wants to have an abdominoplasty procedure done. When she first told us about this, all we could do was look at each other. Afterwards, when we were by ourselves and were able to discuss it more, I made the comment that I thought she was nuts to want to have anything done.

Why? Because she weighs about 100 lbs soaking wet and works out like a fiend every single day. How could she possibly need to have a tummy tuck? Well, I was wrong to jump to any conclusion like that. She explained at a later date that even though she works out like a fiend, she is still getting older and the skin around her middle is starting to get saggy. It is because she works out so diligently that she wants to continue to look her best.

Can’t blame a woman for that now can you?

The procedure she will have is called a mini-tuck where an incision is made, minimal liposuction performed if any is needed, and the skin tightened, then stitched closed. The belly button does not require relocation with a mini-tuck. A drain tube is inserted into the incision to drain excess fluid. The lower abdomen is then wrapped with a compression dressing. Pain control using a prescribed narcotic or, if the pain is minimal, then over the counter pain relievers may be used. Recovery time is 2-3 weeks with a mini-tuck.

So, I learned my lesson. I learned that even someone who is in great shape and has incredible muscle tone can still be in need of firmer skin in certain areas of her body.

I have another friend who had an abdominoplasty procedure after having two pregnancies which resulted in two very big babies, 10 lbs and 11 lbs, respectively. She lost all the baby weight but since both the babies had to be taken Cesarean and were so big to begin with she ended up with a lot of excess skin in that area and she was told the muscles of her abdomen would never recover.

Obviously, the procedure she had done was a full tummy tuck which involved “baseball stitching” the damaged muscles, removing any fat remaining with liposuction, stretching the skin taut, trimming off the excess, relocating the belly button and closing the incision. Drain tubes were inserted to help keep fluid from accumulating and aid recovery. The area is then wrapped tightly with a compression dressing to help support the muscles. A narcotic analgesic will be prescribed to control the pain and discomfort associated with the procedure. Recovery time is approximately six weeks with a full tummy tuck.

So, if you are looking for a toned, flat belly, check out board-certified plastic surgeons in your area and call for a consult. Ask what your options are and if they think you are a good candidate for surgery. You may find that you are making one of the smartest decisions you have ever made in your life. Just think, no more battle of the bulge!

Although not recommended as a substitute for a weight loss or diet regimen, an abdominoplasty procedure can help correct the problem areas left behind when all is said and done.

Tags: Abdominoplasty, Baby Weight, Baseball Stitching, Belly Button, candidate for surgery, Damag, Drain Tube, Excess Fluid, Excess Skin, Fiend, Firmer Skin, Great Shape, Healthy Diet, Incision, Incredible Muscle, Liposuction, Losing Weight, Lower Abdomen, Muscle Tone, Pain Relievers, Pregnancies, Recovery Time, Single Day, surgery, Tummy Tuck —

In the nearly eternal quest to lose weight, people seem willing to do just about anything. It has been that way ever since people felt societal pressure to lose weight, and is sure to continue for many years to come. They will submit themselves to food they don’t like, brutal exercise regimens, and the downright bizarre. But there’s one thing very few of them do, and it can greatly increase their odds of permanent weight loss. What is it? Documenting their progress with before and after photos.

Huh? Does that sound like a dumb idea to you? Don’t laugh. It can have a major psychological impact; before, during and after your weight loss. It has the same effect as writing down your goals. Just by doing this step, you will increase your odds of success.

Look at it this way, you will be working hard, eating right and exercising to lose weight. Before and after weight loss photos won’t make the weight come off, but they are another tool in your arsenal in the battle of the bulge.

If you have children, then you’ve heard comments from relatives who haven’t seen them for a while. They say, “oh, they’ve gotten so tall”, or something similar. That’s one of the reasons for doing before and after weight loss photos, it’s not always easy to see your own weight coming off because you see yourself every day. But when you can look back at the visual evidence, it’s a game changer. It’s motivational.

Here’s the best way to do it to maximize your results. Take a photo every so many days, but with no more than a week between. Try for the same pose, in the same clothes, in the same location in your house. This next part will be harder at first. Expose as much of your body as decency allows. If you’re a female a sports bra and shorts; if you’re a male then just a pair of shorts. You want to see the bigger picture (pardon the pun). And don’t forget to do one picture for each a front and side view.

Refer to the photos later to see how far you have come. Put them up in the trouble spots around your home. For example, on the door of your refrigerator to keep you from binging, or on your weight bench to encourage to do a few reps.

It’s up to you whether or not you will share them with anybody else. But there’s a good chance that your desire to share will increase with the number of pounds you lose. So, be sure to eat right, get moving and get healthy. And while your at it, go ahead and keep a visual record of your progress, you’ll be glad you did.

Tags: Arsenal, Battle Of The Bulge, Decency, Dumb Idea, Eating Habits, Eternal Quest, Exercise Regimens, Exercising To Lose Weight, food;, Huh, Laugh, Look At It This Way, Losing Weight, Odds, Pose, Psychological Impact, Pun, Relatives, Societal Pressure, Sports Bra, Trou, Visual Evidence, Weight Loss —

So, you want to lose weight. That’s wonderful news! Have you heard about the new diet that everybody’s doing? If so, forget about it. It won’t work…trust me. I got news for all of the charlatans promoting fad diets, they’re nonsense is doing more harm than good. Don’t worry, this isn’t just a rant against the hucksters out there, some real tips that actually work are coming up.

There is no question that the people who following them can some amazing results, often in a short amount of time. People than see how well others are doing on the latest fad diet, and decide to try it for themselves. Pretty soon the person who created the fad diet is filthy rich from selling the modern version of snake oil. Their fortune always seems to reach its peak at about the same time all of the dieters start packing on the pounds again. Okay…so, what does work? Let’s find out, shall we?

Fill up. You will never lose weight if you’re feeling hungry all the time. If you do, then when you get around the foods that temp you most, you won’t be able to control yourself. To combat this, practice what some people refer to as grazing. Instead of eating three big meals, spread out your eating in smaller mini-meals throughout the day. By doing this you won’t get too hungry, and as a bonus…your metabolic rate will remain higher.

Get moving. I’ll be honest with you, I never liked the word “exercise”. The very thought of it just sounds too much like work. So, I fooled myself into doing it by never referring to it as exercise. I call it “activity”, “movement” or say, “time to get moving”. Regardless of what you call it, you need to incorporate more movement into your daily routine. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to burn more calories than you take in. You can do this by reducing the calories in the foods you eat and by burning them off through some sort of movement. Simple.

Do it together. Finding a friend to lose weight with makes it so much more enjoyable. You’ll have somebody to eat at healthier restaurants with, and an exercise buddy. Even more importantly, you will be able to encourage each other when you don’t feel like doing what it takes. While the way to lose weight is simple, it’s not always easy and having somebody there when you need it most will greatly increase your chances of success. There will also be somebody that you will feel accountable to. Even if it’s never spoken, you don’t want to feel like you’re letting your friend down.

So, there you have it. It really isn’t that complicated. Stick with it. Make the changes mentioned above, and add a few more. Don’t follow what the newest fad diet says. It won’t work. Look for something that’s been around for at least a few years. That’s the way to do it. Just think about how great you will look and feel as those pounds start melting away.

Tags: Amount Of Time, Calories, Charlatans, Daily Routine, Diet Weight Loss, Dieters, Eating Habits, Fad Diet, Fad Diets, Feeling Hungry All The Time, Finding A Friend, Fortune, Healthy Diet, Hucksters, Latest Fad, Losing Weight, Metabolic Rate, Nonsense, Rant, Snake Oil, Wonderful News, Word Exercise, Work Trust —