Weightloss-Resolutions.com

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It’s not easy to stay motivated to lose weight, especially when progress seems slow. If the scale isn’t moving as quickly as you want it to and you need a little distraction to keep you on track, you may want to start rewarding yourself.

You may have heard about rewarding yourself for weight milestones as you reach them (10 pounds, 25 pounds, etc.) but that won’t make you feel better if you haven’t yet reached those milestones, or if you still have a long way to go to reach your goal.

Instead, you can easily stay motivated to lose weight by rewarding yourself for the actions you take each day. For example, set a mini-goal to drink 10 small glasses of water today, and if you do it, you get to buy yourself a new book. Or, set a goal to walk 2 miles after dinner, and if you do it, you will treat yourself to a manicure.

The rewards don’t always have to be things to buy either; you can create fun free rewards like an hour of alone time to soak in a bubble bath, or inviting a friend to your home for lunch, or asking your spouse to watch the kids while you relax for awhile.

If you find that you’re struggling to meet your mini-goals each day and you’re just getting more frustrated, start smaller! Commit to avoiding sugar for the morning; or decide that you will skip your usual glass of soda with dinner and instead drink water or unsweetened iced tea. As you achieve the mini-mini-goals, you’ll feel stronger in tackling the bigger ones eventually.

Also come up with some bigger rewards you can use for those weight milestones we mentioned earlier; perhaps buying a new outfit or taking a day trip somewhere fun. Look forward to those events and know that you will get there soon.

In the meantime, these small rewards will help you stay motivated to lose weight and steadily move toward your bigger goals.

Obesity is a chronic condition where a person?s body fat percentage is above normal. Men are considered obese of their body is more than thirty percent fat. Women are considered obese if their body is more than twenty-five percent fat.
Most often, a doctor uses BMI or Body Mass Index to determine if a person is obese. Body mass is calculated by comparing the height and weight of a person. It?s a simple calculation. You can do the math yourself. Multiply your weight by 703. Divide that number by your height in inches multiplied by itself.

If you weigh 200 pounds and are six feet tall then the equation is 200 x 703/72 x 72. Or 140600/5184 or 27.12. Obesity is defined as someone with a BMI over thirty. This means the person in this example is not considered obese.

While the math is easy to do, losing the weight isn?t always as easy. It takes a lot of hard work and support to get to a healthy weight. This challenge combined with many other causes has led to an epidemic. Among both children and adults, obesity has become extremely common.

How Common is Obesity?

You might be surprised to learn how common obesity is. In the United States one in three adults is obese. That?s more than thirty percent of the adult population. What?s perhaps more disheartening is the fact that obesity is skyrocketing amongst children. Approximately one in four or twenty-five percent of children are obese. These numbers have doubled in the past ten years. The Surgeon General reported that about 300,000 people in the United States die annually from conditions related to obesity.

According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity seems to affect minorities more often than whites. It?s also more common in the Southern United States and the Midwest than other areas of the country. However, obesity is not limited to the United States. It is growing at an alarming rate across the globe.

What Causes Obesity?

There are actually several causes for obesity. They include but are not limited to:

* Genetics
* Overeating
* Poor eating and dietary habits
* Not enough physical activity
* Medications
* Psychological factors like depression
* Diseases
* Environment ? parents have poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle
* Hormones and metabolism

Studies have shown that no single element affects weight more than diet and activity. Burning more calories than you eat trumps genetics, medication and other factors. This is good news. It means that even if the cards are stacked against you, you can control your weight. If you?re overweight and want to avoid obesity and all the health complications you can take control of your health. Because obesity is so prevalent, there?s a lot of help available. Consult your physician. Change your habits to support a healthy lifestyle. Join a weight loss group or support group. Obesity is common but it doesn?t have to be your life.

Many people hate counting calories to lose weight, mostly because it seems like a lot of work. Every time you eat something you need to figure out how many calories it has, and keep adding up your total all day long.

One of the most challenging parts of counting calories to lose weight is that you often have to hunt for the calorie count. If you use a calorie count book, not every food may be listed, so you have to look it up online, which can be challenging since so many of these resources vary.

If you want to streamline this process, set aside a few hours to create a “calorie count cheat sheet”.

Start by making a list of all of the foods you normally eat while dieting. Include meals, snacks, desserts and treats, beverages, fruit, vegetables, grains and bread, condiments, dairy products, meat – whatever you would typically eat each day, put it on the list. Then, find out what the calorie count would be for a serving (and how big a serving is) and jot down the calorie count next to that item.

Next, think about foods you typically eat while you are out, and add them to the list. Include specialty coffee drinks, bagels, muffins, salads, sandwiches, soups, and other items you would eat at restaurants and delis. Then find out the calorie counts for them. You may need to pick up nutritional information for some of the establishments because they won’t have it available online. Some calorie count books include restaurants, but not all of them will be included, especially those local to you.

Finally, once your list is as complete as you can make it, type and print it to keep nearby so you can reference it quickly. This may seem like a lot of work at first – but think about all of the time you’ll save later. Every time you eat something, you don’t have to figure out the calorie count; you simply look it up on your list and the calories are already figured out for you.

As you try new foods, you can add them to your list and keep expanding it as you go along. An added bonus: if you ever aren’t sure what you want to eat for a snack or meal, you can simply read down this list and choose something that sounds good to you but also fits within your calorie count for the day.

Keep this cheat sheet handy. You may want to print a few copies for easy reference. Hang one on your refrigerator; tuck another inside your food journal; and perhaps another in your purse or wallet so you can reference it while you are out. Having this handy reference gives you a head start in counting calories to lose weight – no more hunting for calorie counts of common foods you eat; you’ve already got it figured out!

You’re dying for something chocolate and gooey, but you’re trying to keep your calorie count low. What do you do? Suffer in silence? Sigh dramatically and proclaim that beauty comes with a terrible price? No – try one of these low-calorie, delicious chocolate treats to satisfy your craving without ruining your healthy eating plan.

Heavenly Hot Cocoa

Start with a 12 ounce mug of boiling water. Add one tablespoon of plain, unsweetened cocoa powder (10 calories). Stir well until dissolved. Add one packet of stevia powder (all natural sweetener – zero calories), and one ounce of skim milk (that’s about 2 tablespoons – 10 calories). Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, and 10 mini-marshmallows on top (22 calories). Only 42 calories for a cup of chocolate goodness – this makes a great after dinner dessert.

Chocolate and Crunch

SpecialK® Cereal has a flavor called “Chocolatey Delight” that has a good chocolate taste. A 3/4 cup serving has only 120 calories. Adding one cup of skim milk adds 90 calories, that’s just over 200 calories for a chocolate treat that is satisfying and filling.

Chocolate Pudding

Those small cups of prepared chocolate pudding are creamy and chocolatey, and the regular varieties have between 130 and 150 calories. The low-fat and sugar free varieties are usually around 60 to 80 calories each.

Chocolate Candy

No, not candy bars; those are much higher in calories and fat. A chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop has only 60 calories, and takes a long time to eat unless you crunch it up. There are also sugar-free chocolates available in most stores – sugar-free may not mean low-calorie, so be sure to read the labels.

Chocolate What?

Rice cakes! Yes, they come in chocolate flavor, and they are actually very tasty. Only 60 calories for one regular-sized rice cake, or 7 mini-cakes. Spread a thin smear of peanut butter or cream cheese on it if you like.

On the Run Chocolate

If you’re on the run throughout the day and you want a low-calorie chocolate treat, you can get a Tall Skinny Mocha (12 oz.) from Starbucks that has only 90 calories.

The Real Thing

If chocolate drinks and other snacks just won’t do it and you need that creamy texture of real chocolate, a 1 ounce square of dark chocolate contains 170 calories.

There you go; 7 delicious options to satisfy your chocolate cravings without killing your diet.

One of the biggest dangers in dieting is getting bored with the menu and gravitating back toward unhealthy (though tasty) foods. If you keep your weight loss food plan interesting and new, it will be easier to stick to week after week. Here are a few good ways to do that:

Try New Recipes

If you eat the same meals day after day, you will get bored. Be sure to hunt down new recipes that interest you. Online there are dozens of free recipe websites with thousands of recipes to try. Find a few that interest you, and try a new one at least once a week.

Alter Old Recipes

You may really like some of your existing recipes, and that’s fine! But find ways to alter them a bit so they seem new. Like substitute a different kind of meat, noodle, rice, or vegetable. Add ingredients or remove ingredients. Present the dish in a new way – for example, turn a stew recipe into a casserole, or vice versa. Serve it over a bed of rice, or in a sandwich. There are plenty of ways to make a recipe seem brand new, even if the basic ingredients are the same.

Add a Burst of New Flavor

Another good way to make a recipe seem new is to add different flavors. Experiment with new spices and herbs. Try some new stir-fry or marinating sauces. Most supermarkets now have a large selection of bottled sauces or sauce mixes. Just be sure to check the labels for nutritional information; some of them could be high in sugar, fat, or sodium.

With a little creative inspiration, it’s possible to keep every meal interesting, fun, and delicious so you never get bored. And if you never get bored with your eating plan, you are much more likely to stick with it and achieve your weight loss goals.

Exercise workouts for beginners are a great way to gradually work up to physical fitness. If you have never worked out before, or if you have been avoiding exercise for years, you’ll want to start very slowly to avoid injury. First things first; be sure to check with your doctor to be sure exercise is safe for you. Once that’s done, consider what kind of exercise would be best for you:

Beginner Exercise Workout – Walking

Walking is a popular beginner workout because it’s very low-impact and you can go at your own pace. You can do it virtually anywhere, alone or with a friend. You can even do it inside if you have a treadmill or belong to a gym. Most beginners start by walking one mile daily, and gradually increasing their speed and distance once they get strong enough. Be sure to warm up by walking slowly for the first 5 minutes, then increase your speed until you are walking briskly. Stay at that pace through most of the mile, then slow your pace again for the last 5 minutes to cool down. Afterwards, gently stretch your legs, arms, and back.

Beginner Exercise Workout – Strength Training

Walking is a great cardiovascular exercise for beginners, and strength training is a great way to tone and strengthen your muscles. Most beginners will want to start with light dumbbell weights; 1-pound weights are good, but you can even start with 3-pound weights if you’re strong enough. Strength training workouts are exactly what they sound like, you lift the weights in various positions to strengthen your muscles. Here is a common strength training move:

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, and holding one dumbbell in each hand, slowly raise your arms out to the sides, coming up to shoulder height, and with the backs of your hands facing up toward the ceiling. Then lower your arms slowly back to your sides, and repeat. Ten repetitions of this move is a good start for beginners.

There are many more strength training exercises than I can describe in this article; your best bet is to join a class or buy a DVD that will demonstrate how to safely perform strength training exercises.

Beginner Exercise Workout – Swimming

Swimming is unique because it’s really a cardio workout and a strength training workout in one! As you swim laps, you are using your arms and legs to move through the water, which provides resistance to strengthen your muscles and gets your heart rate up at the same time. If you don’t have a pool of your own, you might consider joining a gym with a pool. Another option is to find out if there is a YMCA or YWCA near you; their memberships are reasonably priced and most of them have a pool for public use. Some of them even hold water aerobic classes you could participate in.

There are many more exercise workouts for beginners available – dance classes, aerobic classes, various exercise machines and more. Think about the kinds of exercise that appeal to you most, and go from there.

We all know that our overall calorie intake vs. energy expenditure is what counts in weight loss, but sometimes we greatly underestimate how many calories are in the foods and beverages we consume each day.

Some of the worst offenders are prepared foods that can be found in virtually every restaurant, coffee shop, and grocery store. For example, did you know that the average muffin from a coffee shop contains a whopping 400 to 600 calories? A plain bagel has over 300 calories – and that’s if you don’t add cream cheese to it (add another 190 calories for that).

Even foods that you would think are healthy may not be what they appear. A crispy chicken salad often contains 400 calories, and dressing will add another 100 calories or more.

Beverages are just as bad; a large latte contains nearly 300 calories, and even a small can contain 150 calories or more. A large glass of sweetened iced tea can contain over 200 calories, while an 12-ounce serving of soda can have over 150 calories.

Part of the problem with these prepared foods is that the portion sizes are often 2 or 3 times larger than they should be. Compare the size of coffee shop muffins to those you make at home. The coffee shop muffins are easily 2 or 3 times larger, so they will contain 2 or 3 times as many calories.

Being aware of these hidden calories is as simple as educating yourself. Look up the nutritional information for the foods and beverages you usually eat and drink. Write down the calorie content so you can reference it whenever you need to.

Just because some of these foods are higher in calories doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them occasionally, but you may want to eat 1/2 or even 1/3 of the item to fit within your daily calorie requirements. Many beverages can be altered to make them more diet-friendly; for example, some coffee shops offer light versions of their flavored coffees and lattes. You can enjoy a small, non-fat, sugar-free latte for only 90 calories or so (this varies depending on the store or restaurant and the type and size of drink).

This handy checklist will help you determine whether a food or drink contains excessive calories:

- Portion size. If it’s a “big” anything, chances are it contains a lot of calories.

- Cream added. Cream or creamy sauce in beverages, pasta, meat dishes, or desserts is bound to have more fat and calories.

- Sugar added. All muffins, pastries, desserts and sweetened beverages are probably higher in calories than you think.

- Starchy foods. Potatoes, french fries, bagels, and bread.

- Most prepared foods. There are exceptions, but most of the prepared foods available today are high in calories, fat, sodium, sugar, and probably plenty of chemicals and preservatives. Read labels carefully to know what you’re really getting.

Technology makes our lives easier. It makes it possible to have a face to face conversation with someone thousands of miles away. It helps doctors diagnose. It entertains us too. All of this amazing technology can also help fight obesity. Here are a few fun and interesting technologies to help fight obesity.

Body fat scales. Body fat scales have been around for quite some time. However, they’re more accurate now. You can literally stand on your bathroom scale and know your body fat percentage. This is important. As a person adds activity to their life they may not lose weight. They may gain muscle instead. On a regular scale this can be disheartening. However, with a body fat scale you can tell if you’re making progress. If your body fat percentage is decreasing, you’re getting healthier.

Fitness gadgets. There are now more fitness gadgets on the market than ever before. These gadgets can tell you your heart rate. They can track your steps throughout the day. They can even tell you if you?re getting quality sleep. Many of these fitness tools also integrate with software. You can use this software to track your progress over time.

For example, one fitness gadget, the FitBit, tracks your steps for the day. When you log onto the website you can then enter what you’ve eaten that day. The FitBit then reports how many calories you’ve consumed. It also tells you how many calories you’ve burned. The goal? To burn more than you consume.

The iPod/iPad also offers a number of calorie and activity tracking tools. You can sit down at a restaurant. Open your application. Make menu choices based on nutrition information provided by the application.

Games. Another new recent technology are the video games available. You can now exercise while you play with your friends and family. The Wii Fit has made quite an impact.

The internet. Finally, there are some truly amazing websites available. There are online support groups to support weight loss. There are information based websites to help guide diet and lifestyle decisions. There are also membership sites and social networking sites to motivate weight loss.

Some of these sites integrate with mainstream social networking. The result? Powerful motivation! You can now make your progress public. For any that is incredibly motivating. There’s nothing better than being cheered on by hundreds of your online friends and family.

We haven’t even discussed some of the recent advances in the medical field. A decade ago gastric bypass and the Lap Band didn’t exist. These two surgeries have changed people?s lives.

Technology will continue to evolve. As obesity continues to grow we can expect more technology devoted to helping combat it. If you’re struggling with obesity, embrace technology to help you get healthy.

Have you ever wondered which are the best vegetables for weight loss? Are all vegetables beneficial for losing weight, or are some more effective than others?

Almost always, the best vegetables for weight loss are those with a lot of fiber, few calories, and the plentiful nutrients.

For example:

Leafy Greens

Leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, lettuce, and collard greens. Most of these leafy green vegetables are super low in calories, but have a lot of Vitamins A and C, plus a substantial amount of fiber. That makes them excellent weight loss foods – in fact, many of them are considered to be “negative calorie foods,” which means your body burns more calories digesting them than it absorbs by consuming them!

Watery Vegetables

Other options among the best vegetables for weight loss would be any vegetable that has a high water content. Good examples are tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and yellow summer squash, eggplant, and pale green lettuce like iceberg and romaine. Eating plenty of vegetables with high water content is a sure way to add to the water you drink and keep your body fully hydrated, which helps you lose more weight.

High-Protein Vegetables

One of THE best vegetables for weight loss really isn’t a vegetable at all, but a legume. That’s right, beans! Beans are excellent weight loss foods because they contain good amounts of protein and fiber and they are low in calories while providing a lot of energy. Some of the best beans for weight loss (according to calorie and fat content) are:

- Black beans

- White beans

- Chili beans

- Kidney beans

- Lima beans

- Lentils

When it comes right down to it, eating any vegetable is better than eating none at all. However, if you’re looking to lose weight faster and easier, you can’t go wrong by including more of these delicious vegetables in your eating plan.

Most of us equate “cheating” on our diets with failure, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it’s possible to “cheat your way” to a slender, healthy new you – IF you do it right. The most important thing to do is change your perception of what a “cheat” really is.

Right now you may think of cheating as eating something you are not allowed to have – those “forbidden” foods that tempt you oh so much! The problem with making foods completely forbidden is that it will only intensify your desire for them if you know you can’t have them.

Instead, why not change your perception of forbidden foods and instead call them “occasional yummy indulgences” or “treats worth waiting for”? If you know that you can have some of these goodies now and then, you won’t feel such a strong wave of temptation every time you see them, smell them, or hear about them. You’ll know that you can indulge occasionally, so the urgency to have them right now will fade somewhat.

The Challenges

The first big challenge is in not making these cheats a daily occurrence, because that’s what got you into trouble weight-wise in the first place. Decide ahead of time how often you will cheat. It’s very feasible to cheat once a week, or twice a month and still continue to lose weight very steadily and easily. Do what would work best for you. If you notice that a weekly cheat slows down your weight loss too much, push it out to every 2 or 3 weeks and see if that works better.

The second challenge is in keeping serving sizes modest. A cheat does NOT have to be a 3-scoop hot fudge sundae with all the fixings. In fact, if you gorge on your treats you will only reinforce the perception that you are out of control and can’t enjoy treats.

On the other hand, if you firmly stick to having just a small serving of whatever goody you wish to enjoy, you will keep reinforcing your perception that you CAN trust yourself with food and you CAN lose weight while still eating foods you enjoy.

Keep in mind that this approach may be more challenging for some people than others. If you have a strong habit of eating for emotional reasons, you may find that cheating becomes a convenient excuse to overdo it and sabotage your weight loss. Not good. If you struggle with this, it might be a better idea to space out the treats more, like once every 3 months. As you gain better control over your eating habits, you should be able to enjoy a treat now and then without slipping into old destructive habits again.