How Portion Control Is Important To Lose Weight

Most Americans have been trained since childhood that leaving food on your plate at the end of a meal is impolite; we are admonished repeatedly to “clean your plate”. Only, far too often, there is far too much food on our plates. Based on current recommended health guidelines, a plate of food served in a restaurant is statistically between 4 and 6 times larger than necessary. Eating half that much at home is still 2 to 4 times more than a recommended, healthy portion. The simple fact of it is: our portions are too big.

Researchers call the “clean your plate” phenomenon the “completion compulsion”, which views foods in units that need to be consumed in their entirety in order for us to experience fullness. It’s what leads us to eat a whole candy bar instead of a bite, or an entire bag of potato chips (the small “snack” size you’d get in a vending machine) instead of a small handful of chips.

The completion compulsion was validated in a test that showed people given a smaller plate of food reporting feeling just as full as people given a larger plate of food, showing that people gauged their sense of fullness not on the amount of food they ate but on the emptiness of their plates. But if we’re so conditioned to view food as units, we already have a healthy unit of food in place, and it’s called a ‘serving’. A single serving of any food is ordinarily somewhere from 90 to 160 calories. This means a food dense in calories will have a small portion size relative to foods light in calories.

The nutritional labeling on packaged foods includes the recommended number of servings. In many cases, however, we eat the entire package without noticing realizing we’ve just eaten 2, 3, 4, or more servings at once. That means if there are 250 calories in a serving and 3 servings in the package, eating all of it at once would give you 750 calories.

The intention of denoting a serving on the label is to help you devise the right portions for your meals. One serving ought to be one portion, but how often do we do it that way? Tips for reducing your portion sizes overall include serving your food on smaller plates and serving food in the kitchen rather than at the table where the leftovers are sitting in front of you so temptingly.

Healthy dieting to lose weight need not involve depriving yourself of any of the foods you enjoy – not one – if you resolve yourself to reducing the amount of everything that you eat into healthier portions. This way, you can eat any food you like, if you eat a responsible portion of it. This also means you don’t have to reduce your portions of all that you eat uniformly; you don’t have to starve yourself. To compensate for the hunger you may feel after
reducing portion sizes of your favorite decadent, calorie-rich foods, you can eat a sizable portion of a food light in calories and feel just as full. And by having allowed yourself at least some of the calorie-dense yummy, your taste buds will be just as happy as your waistline.

Natural Weight Loss Tip - Eat Slower

You've heard for years that you should eat slower if you want to lose weight. But is this good advice? Yes, and I'll show you why.

Stress is so much a part of daily life that most of us don't even notice it even more, at least consciously. However, there are certainly parts of your body that do notice, and one important part is our digestive system. Eating a meal on the run is a signal to many organs and glands in your body that you are under stress. Eating fast can mean chomping down a sandwich or burger during lunch, eating a bagel while driving to work, or just rushing through your evening meal so you can go watch your favorite TV show. Because you're in a hurry, your body will think you're under stress at the same time that the food hits the stomach.

So imagine that food sitting there in your tummy, while at the same time your heart rate is speeding up, your blood pressure is rising, and certain hormones that are
released in response to stress begin coursing through your body.

In addition to the adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortisol that is now flooding your system, your blood flow is also redirected away from your digestive system to give more blood to your brain and muscles. Why does all this happen? Because the physical parts of your body can't tell the difference between a real threat, (lion charging, bus running a red light, etc.), and a false threat (your class starts in five minutes so you grab a hot dog and eat it on the way to school).

Being late, not having enough time, and feeling under pressure to do something more important than eating are all real problems, no doubt about it. But they are not life-threatening problems. Unfortunately, your body doesn't know that, so it shuts down your digestive processes to save energy for the all-important fight or flight response. Of course, you aren't going to fight - or flee. However, you might end up with a high risk of heartburn or other digestive upset, and your metabolism is going to slow down. And sadly for those of us who are trying to lose weight, the stress hormones we talked about earlier will make you fatter, even if you don't eat more.

One of the key stress hormones is cortisol. Cortisol is not a "bad" hormone - your body needs it for a variety of important functions, such as regulating your blood sugar level, keeping your energy level up and your immune system functioning well, and helping your body heal. However, chronically high levels of this hormone, will tell the body to store more fat - especially around your middle. And many Americans complain of chronic stress. That's one of the reasons why there is such a strong connection between obesity and stress.

Chronic stress can also release higher levels of insulin than your body needs, and some diet authors believe this can also lead to more fat deposits, although this has not yet been proven.

Worrying about what you eat can also increase your stress level. It seems unfair, but a constant anxiety about what you should be eating - or whether or not you already ate too much, or about how "bad" you're being because you're now eating some potato chips or ice cream - will bring on all those metabolism-slowing stress hormones.

So if you do eat something that isn't "on your diet," be sure to enjoy it! Simple pleasure and taking your time will reduce the number of extra calories that end up on your butt.

So, if you want a quick way to get your body burning that extra fat, just slow down when you eat. Take some deep breaths before you begin eating and let go of any issues or problems that are plaguing you. Chew slowly, and pay attention to the flavors and textures of your food. Be sure to enjoy the process of eating. (Eating is supposed to be enjoyable, remember?) Then you won't have a stress response telling your digestive system to shut down, and your hormones won't be working against your weight loss goals.

Healthy Eating Tips For Losing Weight

Making small changes in the way you eat can help you shed unwanted pounds and lead to long term success in managing your weight. Try to incorporate the following healthy eating tips into your day and you will be amazed at what a difference these small changes can make in helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

1. Portion control is a highly effective way for you to control the calories you consume while still being able to enjoy the foods you love. Enjoying the foods you love in healthy portions and in moderation prevents feelings of deprivations. When you do not feel deprived, you can stick to your healthy eating plans for the long term.

2. Do not skip meals to try to lose weight. All this does is slow your metabolism and could lead to you consuming more calories at your next meal because you are so hungry by then. Instead focus on eating smaller meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism going all day long.

3. Do not consume too few calories. Your body becomes more efficient at surviving at the lower calorie intake making it even harder for you to lose weight.

4. Do not be afraid of having some fat in your diet. Your body needs some fat daily and it will help you feel fuller longer. Instead, switch to reduced fat products such as reduced fat dairy products and use healthy fats in cooking such as olive oil. Also check the nutrition label of fat free foods. Sometimes you find they have increased the sugar content to make up for the fat.

5. Do not be afraid of carbohydrates. You need a balanced diet for proper nutrition. If you eliminate an entire food group you also remove essential nutrients from your diet. You give yourself the highest chances of success when you do not cut out total food groups. Instead switch to healthier carbohydrate options such as whole grains and high fiber choices.

6. Do not restrict yourself to only eating at certain times of the day. Eating a healthy snack at 10:00 p.m. if you really need one is better than mindlessly snacking on empty calories at 4:00 p.m. The quality and quantity of the food you are eating in addition to how active you are throughout the day are much more important.

7. Track the food you are eating each day in a journal. Research has shown that the people who write down everything they eat have more success at weight loss than people who do not. The act of monitoring your food intake helps you to become more aware of the food choices you are making.

Weight Loss For Healthy Living

A healthy life style is paramount to ensure overall well-being, and reduce the likelihood of any number of illnesses and diseases, including heart disease and strokes.
Additionally, it can bring remarkable psychological benefits, improving self-esteem and boosting confidence. However, losing weight is easier said than done, and in this article, we'll look at some of the ways in which you can make the process slightly easier.

Before you begin any weight loss programmed, it is always a good idea to consult your local medical practitioner. This should allow you to discuss your plan with a medical professional, who should be able to offer you advice and guidance on the most effective ways for you to lose weight. It is also a good idea to consider your weight loss strategy. Remember to set realistic targets which should allow you to see a marked improvement, without affecting morale.

Any weight loss programme should combine two elements, both of which are equally important. Firstly, weight loss demands a course of exercise. This requires a course of moderate physical activity regularly to improve all round fitness and burn excess calories. By walking briskly for just one hour every day, you can dramatically improve your health and reduce the risks of heart disease and strokes. Again it is important to discuss any exercise schedule with a medical professional, to ensure there are no underlying health problems, which could add an additional risk factor.

Secondly, and equally importantly, it is essential to combine any course of exercise with a healthy, balanced diet. A balanced diet benefits weight loss by providing the necessary nutrition to fuel exercise, as well as providing the correct balance of healthy calories. This in effect enables the body to run through calories rather than storing them as stubborn fat, which ultimately makes the weight loss process significantly easier, and more permanent. In addition to that, by eating healthily, we can benefit from improved nutrient content in our diets, leaving a healthier body which can ultimately increase immunity to disease and increase life expectancy.

Losing weight is an all round beneficial pursuit, decreasing the likelihood of a number of serious diseases in later life. Additionally, it is an important all round process for ensuring a healthy body and a healthy mind. By combining a healthy balanced diet with a course of regular exercise, you should benefit from gradual, safe and permanent weight loss whilst improving your health and overall fitness.

10 Easy Weight Loss Diet Tips

Want to lose weight effortlessly but healthily? It's easy to lose weight with these easy diet tips. Pay close attention to what you eat and drink, but no need to make dramatic sacrifices! Just follow these simple guidelines to start your weight loss program or give your diet a boost when it seems to have stuttered to a halt.

1. Keep a food diary. Make a note of everything that you eat and drink. You do not need to count calories. Just write down what it was that you had and the approximate quantity. You will find that being more aware of what you are eating helps you to plan healthy meals and snacks.

2. Halve your intake of all pure or added fats. This means using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes. Reduce the fat content in your milk products. If you are currently drinking whole milk, reduce to 2% fat. From 2% reduce to 1%.

3. Limit treats containing sugar to three times per week. This includes chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc.

4. Include a lower fat source of protein at most meals: chicken, fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt. Have eggs, nuts and red meat occasionally but not every day.

5. Plan at least one lunch and dinner every week without meat or cheese. Build those meals around whole grains, vegetables and beans to increase fibre and reduce fat.

6. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your shopping too - make a list of what you need and stick to it. If you just grab something when you are feeling
hungry, you will probably choose high calorie food.

7. Include at least two servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner. If you are getting hungry, have more. Have at least two servings of fruit every day. This can be for dessert or snacks. Choose fruit that is in season.

8. Drink water instead of sodas, juices, milky drinks or alcohol. Avoid diet soda - the sweet taste only encourages you to crave sugar. Hot water with a slice of lemon can be very refreshing in the morning.

9. Use whole grains wherever possible. The fibre will give you a fuller feeling and also help your digestion.

10. Eat slowly. The body is slow to register when you are full and it is easy to eat too much if you are racing through your meals. Choose food that you must chew. Again this will increase your fibre intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied too. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make sure it is chunky.

Making gradual changes is easier for both your mind and your body to accept and get used to. If you follow these easy weight loss diet tips you will not feel deprived, and you may even find that is all you need to do to reach your target weight.

Just How Deadly IS Excess Abdominal Fat?

It is so sad to look outside and see nothing but fat overweight Americans. Well to be honest, most of the world is now begining to become overweight. Isn't just sad that over 60 % of our populations are carrying around too much fat on their stomachs? I really wish that America would wake up and smell the coffee. Serously today more than ever are Americans at risk for obesity related diseases. In the next few minutes I want to share with you how deadly stomach fat can be and how you can lose stomach fat in 10 weeks.

First we need to come to an understanding that stomach fat is nasty to have but it is also scientifically proven to be unhealthy. Now that we got that fact clear we can begin our lesson on how to get rid of deadly stomach fat. In your abs there are two different types of fat. The first kind that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles. This is the fat that you see when you stand naked in front of the mirror.

The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a function in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels kind of hard if you force on it. Science shows that both types of fat are very harmful to our health but it is clear that visceral fat takes home the cake when it comes to being the most unhealthy. Both of them deeply multiply the threat your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, assorted forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

One of the major reasons that visceral fat is much more deadly than subcutaneous is that it seems to release more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis. If you do not take action today there very well may not be a tomorow. How much do you enjoy spending time with your loved ones? I hope you value that time and invest into your health by eliminating extra fat from your body.

So what gets rid of all this nasty belly bulge? Is there actually a REAL solution beyond all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for "miracle" fat loss products?

The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can't spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn't work that way.

The ONLY solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right.

I've actually even seen a particular analysis that separated thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise & diet combined group. While both groups in this analysis made good development, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group.

Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not necessarily do the job. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the loss of stubborn abdominal fat. I see this everyday at the gym.

Infact if we were to take a visit to my gym right now I can almost gurantee that we would see atleast 20 people who have been starving themselves, running hard for hours on the treadmill and working out like a monster while doing tons of crunches. However I am sure that these same 20 people will be frustrated due to lack of results.

Well, the good news is that I've spent over a decade researching this topic, analyzing the science, and applying it "in the trenches" with myself as well as thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really stimulate abdominal fat loss. I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS.

Don't waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for MAJOR diseases.

The only grounds on that most people bomb in their fitness goals is that they have good intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they abandon their good intentions and fall right back into their old bad habits that gave them the excess body fat in the first place. Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this abdominal fat obstacle by reading more details in the free report below.

Make Positive Changes - Avoid Dieting

Why is it that merely saying the word "diet" immediately fills your head with thoughts of failure? Maybe it's because we've all learned through trial and error that diets
simply don't work for most people? You're probably thinking "isn't this an article about dieting?" Yes and no. For many people dieting seems like the kiss of death, but for others a lifestyle adjustment like changing your diet could be just the thing that will mean success for you and your fitness and health goals.

Let's admit it, the majority of us love to eat. For some people, eating is an addiction. We don't like to feel deprived and a diet that never allows us to have a cookie of piece of cake can be pure totrue. Eating stuff that tastes like cardboard can make you not want to eat at all. Unfortunately, you can't exactly give up eating all together. You have to eat to survive. This means that if food is a problem in your life, you should probably find a healthier way of viewing food.

Isn't this where diets generally come in handy? The short answer is no. This is where diets often fail. Diets do very little to change how we view food. In fact, most diets only serve to tell us which foods are good, which foods are bad, and which foods (typically most of the foods we enjoy most) are strictly taboo. Diets begin by forcing people to feel deprived or punished. And no one likes to feel either of these things.

Even worse however, is that we punish ourselves further when we slip up and stray off the straight and very narrow pathways upon which our diets place us. Then we wallow in guilt over every little misstep we take until we give up and decide to over indulge once again, completely ignoring the guilt.

In order to have real success you must make a lifestyle change. This is the only way that you will be able to shed those unwanted pounds without experiencing the horrible guilt that so many dieters go through each and every step of the way. Set goals for yourself. Keep them aggressive but realistic for fitness, dropping pounds, and eating new healthy foods. Even if your goal is as simple as eating 5 vegetable servings a day it is a great place to start. Taking baby steps is easier than running a marathon from day one.

Change your way of eating. Then change your way of seeing food and you will experience amazing changes in your attitudes toward your health, your body, and even your fitness level. As the first pounds begin to drop, you'll start to feel more energetic. You'll probably even feel pain when you're exercising. This should help keep you motivated to do even more as time goes by.

Long term weight is not easy. Meeting your weight loss goals will take commitment and discipline. The first five or ten pounds might come off quickly and easily. After that, the weight comes off more slowly and this is where most people get discouraged. Consistency is vitally important when making lifestyle changes. Take each day as it comes and begin again the very next day. This means that even if you fall completely "off the wagon" today, you can start over tomorrow. The trick is in staying the course and learning moderation and balance when it comes to trying not to stray from the straight and narrow.

There are numerous ways to mess up when it comes to dieting. Most of us will slip up from time to time and we have to remember that it's ok and we can get back on course pretty easily. Keep in mind that there no such thing as failure when you're making positive changes in your life that are getting positive results. It may take weeks, months, or even years to reach your goal. As long as you are making steady and continuous efforts and progress, you are doing many great things for your health and well being. Stick with it!

How to lose fat easy

The first thing you need to know if you want to lose fat is that you need to BURN calories. Burning fat is all about using up more calories than you take in. If you eat more calories than your body uses throughout the day, these additional calories will be stored as body fat. To prevent a build up of body fat you need to either reduce your calorie intake or increase your daily activity levels - doing both will have the best effect on reducing body fat.

This simply means that the more fat you want to lose then the greater the amount of calories you have to burn off. To help you achieve and speed up your fat loss, here are few things that helps.

Speed up your metabolism—Exercise speeds up metabolism. The more active your lifestyle the more likely you are to have a quick metabolism and lose fat.

Metabolism does control fat, this is true. What most people don’t know is that they do in fact have the ability to control and adjust their metabolisms and thereby control their fat. Exercise does speed the metabolism up. The more active your lifestyle the more likely you are to have a fast metabolism and lose fat. It may not be healthy for all of us to get into a highly active lifestyle all at once but it is possible to get there as quickly as you safely can as an individual.

Eat healthy balanced diet— Be sure to eat a variety of foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products. Also include low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, and legumes. Drink lots of water and go easy on the salt, sugar, alcohol, and saturated fat. A large part of the battle in fighting fat and a slow metabolic rate is the western world’s view of food as entertainment. In addition to taking on an active lifestyle you will need to stop looking at food consumption as a means of gratification. This is what causes us to be gluttons. Instead of stopping when our hunger is sated we continue on until we are stuffed to get more enjoyment out of it.

Get plenty of rest and sleep— Sleep and other lifestyle patterns can help or hinder the rate at which we metabolize foods. An active lifestyle should lead eventually to being able to exercise to exhaustion; this in turn should keep your metabolism fast and your fat content low. By extending oneself to ones limits you fully utilize the lungs, heart, and muscles and burn fat most efficiently.

Be strong mentally—Try not to be obsessed by your weight. Everyone has a bad day. Do not punish yourself. Try to lose any guilt feelings towards the mistakes you have made. Instead, just move on, start again and enjoy life as it comes.

Healthy Weight - Discover All About It

According to the US FDA “Healthy weight is a body weight that is appropriate for your height and benefits your health.” The healthy weight theory is also commonly known as the “Set-Point Theory”.

Living in a body considerably heavier than its healthy weight promotes increased risk of asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure/hypertension, osteoporosis and arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, stroke, and certain types of cancer (esp. colon, breast, and female reproductive system). Obesity has also been associated with increased risk of problems with anxiety and depression.

As much as we may desire to be more slender than our healthy weight, it is not in alignment with our ideal health and overall wellness. The foundation of a successful weight loss program is a shift in consciousness towards a proper weight management program geared, one focused on reaching and sustaining an individual body’s healthy weight.

BMI - The FDA recommends a measuring tool called the BMI or Body Mass Index for helping determine whether you are at a healthy weight for you or if are underweight or overweight. The BMI is based on a person’s height and weight. A BMI of 19-24 is considered a healthy weight, under 19 is considered underweight, 24-29 is considered overweight, and 30+ is considered obese. The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans references a BMI chart for adults over the age of 20 to use in identifying where they fall in this spectrum.

One important component of a healthy weight that the Body Mass Index doesn’t account for, however, is the body’s percentage of body fat to muscle mass. An easy way to estimate your body fat percentage is to measure your waist with a tape measure. This measurement approximates your body’s amount of visceral fat. Generally speaking, and according to the National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, a male with a waist circumference more than 40 in. (101.6 cm) and a female with a waist circumference more than 35 in. (88.9 cm) is at greater risk of disease than those with waist circumferences less than that.

Design your weight objectives, then, not around those pants you want to fit into, but around your ideal BMI-range and body fat percentage. The formula from there is simple: Consume more energy (calories in food) than you burn (through activity and exercise) to gain weight; Burn more energy than you consume to lose weight; Strike a balance between how much energy you consume and how much you burn to maintain your existing weight.

Many factors influence your healthy weight – age, genetics, metabolism, diet, and lifestyle (that’s your habits and behaviors) – but only certain of those factors can you do anything about. There’s no sense bemoaning age or genetic history, but you can effect enormous changes in your metabolism (and thus your weight) by making changes in your diet and lifestyle.

When you’re at your healthy weight, you feel good and have all the energy you need (and more) for your work and leisure activities.

Discover How To Increase Your Metabolism

A person’s metabolic rate is a measurement of how fast their body burns calories which are, in turn, a measurement of energy. Burn more calories than your body consumes and you lose weight; burn more calories than your body consumes and you gain weight. Another way to say that is this: consume less calories than your body burns and you lose weight; consume more calories than your body burns and you gain weight.

The way to use your body’s metabolism to lose weight, then, is twofold: Consume less calories than you burn (as in dieting);Burn more calories than you consume (as in exercising);

The average body’s metabolic rate, and the rate at which the Percentage Daily Values of the nutrients on a food’s nutrition label are based, is 2000 calories per day. Your body burns a certain number of calories per day just by virtue of you being alive – I other words, no exercise necessary. The process of breathing, for example, burns calories. As does the circulating of blood. All forms of burning calories based on nothing other than the act of being alive make up what’s called you Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Interestingly enough, a person’s BMR makes up about 60% of the calories their bodies burn in a given day. The remaining 10% of the calories burned in a day are burned by what’s called Dietary Thermongenesis, comprising the heat-producing acts of eating and internally processing food.

It is entirely possible to boost your body’s natural metabolism, in other words: burn more calories in a shorter period of time, or burn calories faster. Strength training (as in lifting weights) is one way to achieve remarkable effects. When you lift weights, the muscles tear and must be repaired by the body’s natural healing processes. Those processes require the body burn more calories. The body with a bigger muscle mass burns more at rest calories in any given span of time. As a general rule, we burn 50 extra calories a day for each extra pound of muscle.

Beyond weight training, the other tried-and-true method for boosting your metabolism is simply remaining active. The mere act of moving around burns calories, so logically the more you move around the more calories you burn. Take walks on your breaks at work. Park one or two streets over. Tidy up around the house while you chat on the phone. None of these require a gym membership or an unscheduleable block of time. A little bit over a long time adds up to a lot.

Lastly, there are dietary measures you can take to help boost your metabolism. Caffeinated beverages (green tea being one of the healthier choices) and spicy foods have both been shown to increase the body’s metabolic rate. Also, if you start having more frequent smaller meals rather than jus 2 or 3 large ones (“grazing” throughout the day, so to speak), your metabolism will be in a constant state of activity breaking down and processing your many small meals.