Are There Any Weight Loss Wonders?

Almost everyone in the Western world (and it is growing in the East too, especially in Asia) either has gone on a diet themselves or known someone who has. In other words, weight loss is in everyoneÆs mind and has been now for decades. Unfortunately, it would appear that certainly in North America, more people are having weight issues than ever before. Nowadays even babies can be obese!



If weight loss is an issue for you, there are so many æsolutionsÆ out there that there must be one thatÆs just right for you. There are diets based on calorie counting, based on the reduced size of meals, more protein and hardly any or no carbs. You name it, there is a diet about it. The weight loss industry is a billion dollar enterprise. No wonder, when diets donÆt work! In fact in the end, after initially losing weight, you gain it back and probably add a bit more. The circle starts again.



There is also a huge industry dealing with weight loss supplements. Sprinkle this on your food to lose pounds while eating what you wantà. Take this magic pill and you will get your ideal figure. Again, some people have had success with this approach but the majority of people give up when it doesnÆt work for them.



Exercising is also touted as a weight loss wonder. Unfortunately, while exercise in moderation can give your body an overall better tone and is definitely good for you, it often falls short of shedding those pounds you so want to lose.



Hypnosis and guided meditation are also now becoming very popular in weight loss circles. While this makes perfect sense û, after all, we basically always do what our subconscious mind suggests û this approach is not for everyone. Many people think this is plain ridiculous and will not even consider it. Others buy CDS and digital downloads and listen to them before going to sleep and claim it has helped them. The basic message these programs offer is that healthy food in moderation is the way to go. The subconscious then embraces this and you are drawn towards healthier food alternatives and maybe your appetite will be somewhat suppressed.



Continuing with this vain there are also people out there that claim we should simply listen to what bodies tell us and only eat when we feel hungry and stop when we have had enough. Today this is a novel approach as hardly anyone remembers what it is like to be hungry as we are inundated with food choices all the time. Our appetite nowadays has more to do with what we fancy than address actual hunger. While this is a great way to go, it needs a lot of discipline. It is also often inconvenient as you might feel hungry when no-one else is which could make meals with your family a problem.



All these approaches need persistence for them to work. Then, if you lose the weight, you have to be diligent and stay with the program to keep the weight off.

A Quick Guide To Weight Loss For Beginners

Losing weight can seem very hard, especially if you tried several methods in the past and did not get the results you expected. You can actually reach a healthy weight by simply adopting better habits. Keep reading if you want to learn more about weight loss methods that work.

Forget crash diets, intensive exercise programs and counting calories. These weight loss programs can help you lose a few pounds but you will not be able to follow these unusual diets or exercise programs for very long. The best way to lose weight is to adopt better habits for good. Your goal is to transform your lifestyle, not to go on a crash diet for a few weeks before going back to your old habits.

Transforming your habits can take some time. It is best to take small steps so you can work on getting used to your new lifestyle rather than expecting to transform the way you eat and organize your time overnight. You will get better results if you take as much time as you need, even if you do not progress toward your ideal weight as quickly as you were hoping to.

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Find new foods you really enjoy. You should introduce a couple of new foods in your diet on a weekly basis. Try cooking new foods in different ways or combine them with spices. Replacing all your favorite unhealthy foods with better alternatives you enjoy just as much will make adopting a healthy diet a lot easier. You can still eat your favorite unhealthy foods as long as you eat very small quantities once in a while.

Adopt a more regular schedule. Try getting up early and have a healthy breakfast to start your day. Have three meals at fixed hours during your day or try eating five smaller meals if you always feel hungry between your meals. Organizing your time more efficiently will help you find some free time to exercise regularly. If you do not have time to work out, try being more active, for instance by walking for thirty minutes a day or by riding your bike to work.


Exercising regularly is a great way to tone your body and reach a healthy weight. Start working out for twenty minutes a day or have two or three longer workout sessions on a weekly basis. Look for exercises you really enjoy so your fitness program stays fun and interesting. You could for instance join a team so you can practice a sport you enjoy or sign up for a martial art class if you want to acquire some new skills. Fun exercises such as dancing, practicing aerobics in the water or even playing in the back yard with your children are also great ways to get some exercise on a regular basis.

Losing weight is not as hard as it seems if you focus on adopting a healthier lifestyle rather than counting calories. Follow the tips you just read and you will soon get the results you always wanted.

Common Myths About Weight Loss

There is so much talk about how to lose weight that it can be sometimes a little difficult to decide which the facts are and which is pure fiction.  Here are a few of the most common myths about weight loss.

The only way to lose weight is with a radical exercise program - myth. The best way to lose weight and maintain your healthy weight is to make small changes to your diet and lifestyle which you can adopt for the future. Losing weight begins in the kitchen not in the gym. By all means you should incorporate some activity into your life but you've still got to watch what you eat. Eat less, move more, lose weight and feel great.

Healthy foods cost more than unhealthy foods; I can't afford to lose weight - myth. The truth is that it is often cheap to eat a healthy diet than it is to buy pre-packed, processed foods. You will pay a lot more for a ready meal which is high in salt and fat than you would have to pay to buy the ingredients fresh and make it yourself.

The best way to lose weight is by starving yourself - myth. The fact is that you are unlikely to sustain any weight lost due to a crash diet, as soon as you start eating again you are likely to pile the weight back on again plus a few extra pounds. Crash diets are so difficult to maintain that as soon as you start to eat again you often eat more than you actually need. The best way to lose weight is to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle whereby you can lose weight slowly and keep it off without ever feeling hungry.

You must stop snacking to lose weight - myth. It isn't the fact that people take a snack that's the problem; the real problem is what they choose to snack on. Lots of people need to snack between meals to keep their energy levels up, particularly those people with an active lifestyle. Many snacks are high in sugar and fat so avoiding things like chips, cookies and chocolate and replacing them with things like fruit or vegetables means that you can enjoy a snack without gaining excess weight.

Drinking lots of water will help you to lose weight - myth. Although this one is almost true! What happens is that the water keeps you hydrated (very important for your health) which stops you from getting the urge to snack. People who are thirsty can often mistake the signs for hunger and reach for something to eat when in actual fact a calorie free glass of water would have done the trick.

There are many more weight loss myths which I'm sure you've heard of, this is just a snapshot of some of the most popular misconceptions which people have about how to lose a few pounds. Remember that adopting a healthy eating and exercise program is really the only way to lose weight healthily and maintain the new you.

Burning Calories for Weight Loss

Weight loss can be really made to be quicker and easier if you help your body to burn more calories by increasing your own metabolic rate. Basically the metabolic rate (or MR) is the rate at which your body is able to burn the calories youÆve eaten. If you eat 2500 calories each day and burn 2500 calories each day your weight will remain the same. If, however, you eat 2500 calories each day and burn only 2000 calories each day you weight will increase by about 1 pound each week.

The speed of your metabolic rate is not set in stone û there are ways and means of speeding it up to help reach your weight loss targets faster.

How to Burn Calories Faster

Speeding up the metabolic rate will help your body to burn calories faster and you to lose weight. One of the ways in which this can be achieved is by building muscle. Every extra pound of muscle you have will increase the rate that your body uses up calories by 50 per day û regular exercise like weight training can help to increase the metabolic rate by up to 15%. Metabolically active muscle burns up more calories than other types of body tissue even when youÆre not doing anything. Burning calories whilst youÆre sitting down û that sounds good to me!

Three twenty minute weight training sessions per week will not only help you to build muscle and burn calories faster, it will also help you to tone up and look better.

Another way to speed up the metabolic rate is to simply move more. Moving at each and every opportunity to help to increase the metabolic rate and burn those calories faster even after you have stopped moving.  Increasing your movement throughout the day doesnÆt only mean walking to work or taking up running. There are plenty of ways in which you can simply move more when taking part in your daily activities and help to boost your calorie burning power;

ò Swinging your legs instead of sitting still can help

ò Tapping your feet can help too

ò Drumming your fingers can even help to increase your metabolic rate

ò Standing up and having a good stretch every now and then can help

ò Changing position

ò Moving your head back and forth, side to side

ò Making the effort to use the toilet up the stairs

ò Taking the stairs instead of the elevator

ò Walking around whilst talking on the telephone

ò Getting into the habit of clenching and releasing your muscles periodically throughout the day

ò Parking further away from work û maybe just in the furthest corner of the parking lot instead of the closed space

Other ways in which your metabolic rate can be increased to help with weight loss include eating more spicy food, particularly chilli  - your metabolic rate may increase by as much as 50% for the couple of hours following a spicy chilli, and if you do take part in more strenuous exercise like running or cycling youÆll be happy to know that your metabolic rate will increase and continue to burn calories long after your exercise session has finished.

Being in the Mood for Weight Loss

Many people eat because they are bored or they eat because they are stressed. Many people spend their lives either stressed or bored so they really find themselves in a no win situation, and gaining weight can make people become even more stressed and self conscious so they lock themselves away, become bored and keep on munching.

In order to really achieve their weight loss goals they've got to get out of this destructive routine.

Being overweight can very often start in the mind so it stands to reason that if you can get your mind healthy then a nice, slim body may follow. Aromatherapy can do a lot to help lift the mood and become less stressed, it can also help to suppress the urge of reaching to the fridge for a pick me up - you won't need a pick me up at all.

When thinking about aromatherapy and the different oils which can help your weight loss efforts it is important to remember that we are all different. Different people do react very differently to different oils - there is no one size meets all solution. Just because particular oil works for one person it really doesn't follow that it will work for everybody else.

Different oils also react differently depending upon how you use them. Oils can be inhaled, added to bathwater, massaged or burned, all of which can help to affect our moods.

The Oils Which Help Your Mood for Weight Loss

" Cravings - if you have a sweet tooth and are constantly craving candies and cookies try the sweet smell of Vanilla oil - the sweet smell should satisfy your craving for something sweet to eat.

" Stress - there are a number of different oils which may help to relax and calm the mind to combat stress. These include frankincense, jasmine, ylang ylang, lavender, grapefruit, geranium, rose, sandalwood, benzoin, bergamot, mandarin, vetiver and roman chamomile.

" Uplifting - if your spirits are in need of a boost then the sunny smell of jasmine oil can really help.

" Emotional baggage - there is nothing more likely to bring your mood down than a hefty portion of emotional baggage; many people carry it through their daily lives without even realizing that it's there. If you are bogged down with emotional baggage which is hampering your weight loss aspirations try juniper berry - it should help any baggage return firmly to where it belongs, in the past.

" Depression - can lead to over-eating, and over-weight can very often lead to depression. The oils which can help to combat depression and therefore weight loss include lemon, grapefruit, frankincense, clary sage, jasmine, ylang ylang, orange, geranium, sandalwood, helichrysum and orange blossom.

" Confidence - people who suffer from weight problems very often have problems with confidence issues too. Oils which may help include bay laurel, cypress, bergamot, rosemary and orange.

If you have been battling with any of these symptoms and you feel that it's hampering your weight loss goals then why not try giving some of these aromatherapy oils a go. The only thing you have to lose is those extra pounds.

Beginning Your Weight Loss Journey

Losing weight is something many people struggle to do for various reasons. While body image and self-esteem are certainly oft-cited reasons, there are also many heath benefits to losing weight. The most common are reductions in risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Losing weight helps lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure, all of which are beneficial when regulated. Fortunately, there are several easy steps that anyone can do to begin their weight loss journey. These are small changes that anyone can make to their life which will help them skip the crash diets and begin to nourish and feed their bodies.



First, recognize that food is fuel. For many people, food has emotional stigma attached to it, which often triggers cravings. Starchy foods like pasta and sweet foods like cake are good examples of this idea. The emotional release that accompanies these foods can overshadow the detrimental affect that they have on health and wellbeing. By recognizing that food is simply fuel for your body, food ceases to have an emotional hold on you and your mind.



If you are trying to lose weight quickly, the best food to nourish your body with has been proven to be lean sources of protein, cruciferous vegetables, and complex carbohydrates like brown rice.  Since making all of these changes to your diet at once can be overwhelming and daunting, make small changes instead. A few easy swaps include brown rice instead of white rice, wheat bread instead of white, and sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Remember, anything that is overly processed or contains lots of added ingredients is not going to fuel your body, itÆs going to take longer to process and put more strain on the organs responsible for filtering. The most important thing to remember during this phase is that you donÆt have to be perfect. In fact, most healthy eaters recommend an 80/20 split between healthy eating and splurges. If you really want a cookie, go for it, because moderation is the key here.



Now, lets talk about some easy tips for weight loss. The most common tip is to drink water. Water is an invaluable resource to the human body, as it is made up of roughly 70% water. Drinking a glass of water anytime you feel hungry can help ensure that your body isnÆt confusing dehydration with hunger, which is a common problem. Another good idea is drinking water before and after a meal, which aids in digestion and helps you to feel fuller. Another tip that really seems to help dieters is to swap out large plates for smaller dishware. When plates are smaller, it appears that you have more food, and you arenÆt tempted to take more to fill in the gaps on your plate. This advice is simple but can do wonders for tricking your brain.



Perhaps the most important part of beginning your weight loss journey is to find a like-minded community to join. The Internet is a great resource for this. Finding support has been proven to up your chances of success in a weight loss journey. The most important thing is to stick with it and not give up.

A Simple Solution for Quick Weight Loss

There are effective methods for losing weight quickly. Typically, a dieter will often use the formula of consuming fewer calories each day, in an effort to lose weight. However, this brings with it many of the effects that can cause long-lasting problems.



Some of these issues include an increase in hunger pangs, which tends to increase the cravings for sugar and food. Often times this type of method will leave the individual weak because their levels of energy are extremely low. As a result, they will tend to start binging uncontrollably, which can cause more problems, in the end. Simply reducing the amount of calories consumed every day will slow down the metabolism, and cause the body to store additional fat.



Losing weight properly requires a better understanding of exactly how the body works. If the individual consumes the right amount of calories (typically 1500-2500 calories each day), of the right types of food, they can quickly lose weight. This includes eating the right types of protein, complex carbohydrates (not sugary foods) and essential fats.



By consuming the proper amount of calories each day, the body will not gain weight, or lose weight. It requires an additional trigger for weight loss to begin. This can be easily accomplished, by requiring that the body burn more calories than it consumes. This happens through routine exercise.



Exercising the Body



There is an inherent genetic predisposition for the body not to want to physically move, when it does not have to. Every individual is fully aware that they would rather sit in front of the TV, watching a movie, than to go out for a long exhausting walk. However, the body can be trained to circumvent this natural desire to stay at rest. The entire process does not take long, and produces amazing results.



Starting Slowly



If all an individual does is eat the right amount of foods they are supposed to every day, with the diet of highly nutritious foods, and adds minimal exercise, they will start losing weight. By eating the right amount of foods, the individual can start slowly, and go for a simple 15 minute walk during the lunch hour, or after dinner. 15 minutes of walking at a steady pace can burn off a couple hundred calories every time.



Research indicates that one pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, meaning if a person can burn off an additional 200 calories every day, it would take just under three weeks to lose 1 pound. Now imagine that the individual walks twice as much each day. They can now burn off that same one pound of fat at half that time, and lose a pound of unwanted ugly fat in just over a week.



There is a simple solution for quick weight loss that does not include dieting. With a simple change in the foods that are consumed every day, along with adding a minimal exercise routine each day, the individual can lose upwards of four or five pounds each month, which represents 50 to 60 pounds in a year.