Many people have difficulty losing their fat belly, nothing is more frustrating than to get your motivation up, find the perfect diet and exercise program for you and then not lose and ounce. Some people may actually have a metabolic issue that makes it virtually impossible to lose weight, but not many.

For most of us the harsh reality is that we are just not being as good as we think we are. There are a few simple things you can do that will help keep you honest in your weight loss journey.

For one thing, it’s amazingly easy to lie about what we have eaten in any given day. There have been times when I would have sworn I was good, until my spouse will remind me of that pastry I had at lunch or all the cream and sugar I put in my coffee. We do not mean to lie to ourselves, we just are so busy we do not pay attention.

To keep yourself on track, simply keep a food journal. This is a very real way to keep tabs on yourself. For the next fourteen days, write down every single thing that you eat or drink. You have to be honest and you have to write down every last bit. Even that second glass of soda at lunch and the two pats of margarine you put on your toast.

If you do this for two weeks, you will quickly be able to spot the times of the day and the areas in your diet where you always screw up. Once you pinpoint the reasons you have difficulty losing your fat belly you can make changes that will help you achieve your goals much more quickly.

The same principle can apply to when you work out. Again, it is easy to think that you are working harder than you really are. Just like the food journal, keep a workout journal so it is harder to convince yourself that you have done something you really haven’t. Not only can you track the number of times you go to the gym but you can also track how long you spent on the treadmill or rode the stationary bike. Write down how many exercises you did for your upper body, how many you did for your lower body, etc.

You can also keep track of how much weight you used for each exercise. Ideally, you should increase your weight after every few workouts. It is important to challenge yourself so you do not get bored. By changing up the weights you lift as well as the exercises you do, you will keep your body guessing. This will help you get better results in a shorter time frame.

Working all of the major muscle groups with more than one exercise is ideal. By mixing up the exercises you do for each group you are keeping your toning efforts in high gear. Another benefit is that the different exercises will target each muscle group in a slightly different way which can also decrease many of the repetitive motion types of injuries to your body.

I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but usually when someone has difficulty losing their fat belly it really is more about what they are doing, or not doing, than about any metabolic issue with their body.

Tags: Cream And Sugar, Exercise Program, Exercises, Food Journal, Fourteen Days, Harsh Reality, Healthy Diet, Losing Weight, Lunch, Margarine, Motivation, Ounce, Pastry, Pats, Principle, Single Thing, Soda, Stationary Bike, Toast, Treadmill, Weight Loss Journey, Workout Journal —

Being overweight is bad. It is bad for your health it is bad for your self esteem and feelings of self worth. When you are a teenager you have enough other things going on that are hard to deal with, adding obesity and the resultant feelings of insecurity to the mix is not a good thing. The good news is that there are weight loss plans for the youth of today that can help anyone get on a more healthy road.

Virtually anything is harder when you are overweight. It is harder to move, it is harder to meet new people and strike up a conversation. Not to mention the very real toll being overweight takes on your overall health.

Finding the best weight loss plans for the youth of today can really be a fairly simple process, here are some ideas of how to go about it:

1. If you are trying to help your teenager get in better shape, why not lead by example? Do you eat a healthy diet? Do you get enough exercise? If not why not use this as an opportunity to help both your child and yourself?

2. For some who are morbidly obese the best solution may be some sort of weight loss surgery. It is important to get all the facts first though. Your teen must understand that even with weight loss surgery, lifestyle changes will need to be made.

They will need to watch what they eat and they will need to start, and stick with, an exercise plan. Of course, every type of surgery does present risks so this is another thing to consider.

3. For a teen who is only “a little” overweight, say 20 -50 lbs. it can be relatively easy for them to lose that weight them self. Just eating less calories, eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking more water and getting more exercise can make a big impact in a relatively shore amount of time.

Some people find that just changing one small bad habit can make a ton of difference. I have a friend who just gave up drinking soda for a month (and she didn’t even really drink that much, just a couple of cans a day. There are people who drink a lot more than that) and she lost 10 lbs. in just about 30 days.

Think of your habits, is there one thing that really stands out that you may be able to change pretty easily? Even if that one thing isn’t enough to help you lose all the weight you need to lose, it can be a great way to jump start your efforts.

Any journey will require you to take the first step. There are a lot of weight loss plans for the youth of today that are available to anyone who needs a little help. Just find one that appeals to you and go for it. It will take time and there may be times when you get discouraged, but you can do it!

Tags: Amount Of Time, Bad Habit, Being Overweight, Best Solution, Calories, Cans, Eating Habits, Exercise Plan, Feelings, Fresh Fruit And Vegetables, Fruit And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Healthy Diet, Insecurity, Lifestyle Changes, Losing Weight, obesity;, Self Esteem, Self Worth, Soda, Weight Loss Plans, Weight Loss Surgery, Youth Of Today —

Healthy Eating Facts – Trans Fat And Soda Wake Up Tips

Regardless of the type of diet you may be on, or what your current lifestyle is, there are definitely some healthy eating facts that always stay the same. Saturated fat, for example, is not healthy for you, and it doesn’t matter how active or sedentary you are, nor does it matter how much you weight or how many calories you eat per day. Facts are facts. Man-made trans fats are always unhealthy. Another fact is that restricting your calories too severely can take its toll on your body.

One thing that people didn’t need to concern themselves with several years ago was trans fats; to be more specific, man-made trans fats, as there are some naturally occurring trans fats which aren’t a major health issue. The good news is that trans fats are easy to spot on food labels, but only when you know how. The most recent labeling guidelines say that food manufacturers have to show how much trans fats are in each serving of their food. However, if it’s under a certain amount, thy are allowed to show it as 0 grams of trans fat, even if there is some of it in the food. While this is playing dirty with your health, there is a way you can know for sure. Simply read the full list of ingredients. If you see the word ‘hydrogenated’, then it contains man-made trans fats and you should leave it on the shelf.

Researchers first brought hydrogenated fats and oils to the market in 1911. At the time they solved a big problem: spoilage. Refrigeration was still fairly new, and a lot of homes had no way of keeping their food cool. This meant that most foods that contained fats would turn rancid on the shelf. Trans fats changed that. All of a sudden, people could have margarine, shortening, instant cocoa and various mixes at home.

Refrigeration is no longer a problem, but trans fats are. That’s because researchers have found a link between hydrogenated fats and various diseases. This is most likely due to the fact that hydrogenation changes the molecular properties of otherwise natural fats. Even the government is starting to change the way it looks at trans fats.

Healthy eating facts don’t end with trans fats, though. Another thing to avoid is carbonated soft drinks. If they are sweetened with sugar, then they can have up to 3 tablespoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can! And it’s all empty calories. Even those soft drinks that have added nutrients aren’t that great for you, because you are still getting way too many simple carbohydrates.

Most such beverages also contain artificial flavors, caffeine, artificial colors and other things that aren’t any good for you. But what about sodas that use artificial sweeteners? They aren’t good for you either. The jury is still out on various sweeteners, but so far it looks they are not worth the risk. Even if they aren’t that bad for you, there are enough other bad things in carbonated beverages to make steering clear of them another one of the healthy eating facts you can rely on.

Tags: Calories, Cocoa, Diet, Diseases, Eating Habits, Fats And Oils, Fats Oils, Food Labels, Food Manufacturers, Health Issue, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, How Many Calories, Hydrogenated Fats, Lifestyle, Losing Weight, Lot, Major Health, Margarine, Refrigeration, Saturated Fat, Soda, Spoilage, Trans Fats —

We all know that being overweight can produce many negative side effects on your physical and mental health. Heart attack, stroke and diabetes are three of the most common. Some of the other less talked about but equally damaging are stress on your muscles and joints. It’s a fact: weight loss reduces physical stress.

Getting rid of some stress can actually make it easier to loss weight too. Stress and weight loss are intricately wound together. If you are under a lot of stress your body tends to hold on to the weight. Nothing works as well as it should. Your metabolism slows down and it is much harder to lose the weight.

As you can see it is a real catch 22. Being overweight puts stress on your body and being under too much stress encourages weight gain (or at least discourages weight loss).

OK, I know I’ve made it all sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Even though weight loss reduces physical stress and stress makes it more difficult to lose weight, it’s not impossible.

The best way to start is with simple day to day changes. Don’t try to change your whole world all at once, instead pick one area to work on and then go for it. Once you’ve conquered that first obstacle, pick another.

Keep doing that and before you know it you will be at your proper weight, which will diminish the abuse your joints and muscles will take and you will have less stress in your life.

For many people a good first obstacle to try and work on is their eating habits. Again, don’t think you have to do it all at once. how about starting small? Maybe take a week and concentrate just on drinking more water every day. Or eating more fruits and vegetables daily. how about cutting down on the soda you drink?

Simple, one step at a time. Don’t expect huge changes quickly. It takes time to see changes and it takes time to let the momentum build. Once you start with one thing, successfully add another and so on, the whole process will begin to pick up steam. From that point on it will seem extremely easy to do.

If you can combine some diet changes along with a little more physical activity you can greatly speed up the process. Again, start small. While it’s commendable to join a gym and resolve to spend 30 minutes every single day on the treadmill, it is also a big change and it may be harder to stick with.

If you find that you can stick to it, great, more power to you. But for many people over reaching on their goals is a great way to fail and get discouraged.

Something as simple as parking a little further from the door so you have to walk more every day is a great place to start. How about taking the stairs in stead of the elevator at least once a day? Maybe take the dog for a walk at least twice a week, etc.

You get the idea. Just start making changes, simple changes that you know you can stick with, and the rest will follow.

True weight loss reduces physical stress but it can also help alleviate a lot of emotional stress as well.

Tags: Being Overweight, Catch 22, Eating Habits, Fruits And Vegetables, Health Heart, Healthy Diet, heart attack;, Joints, Losing Weight, Loss Weight, Mental Health, Metabolism, Momentum, Muscles, Obstacle, One Step At A Time, Physical Stress, Soda, Step At A Time, Time Don, Weight Gain, Weight Loss —