Monday, April 28, 2008

Free Calorie Shifting Menu

Why are you unable to stay motivated to follow a diet? Is it because you get headaches? Is it because you are constantly waging an uphill battle against your cravings? Is it because you always feel hungry and are on the brink of starvation while dieting? Is it because you feel lethargic due to the lack of energy from the foods you used to eat?

There is a new type of diet out there, known as calorie shifting, that addresses these issues. You can eat as much as you want on this diet, from all four major food groups, over the course of four full meals every day. What kind of results can you expect on this diet? Most typically, you can expect to lose about 9 pounds for every 11 days. That is just shy of 1 pound per day!

Calorie shifting gives you a great deal of flexibility in terms of the foods you can eat. You devise your own customized meal plans within the context of the calorie shifting dietary structure. Basically, what calorie shifting means is that you lose weight by shifting the types, not the quantity, of the foods you eat, from meal to meal. In doing so on a rotational basis continuously over the course of several days, you are simulating a sustained nutritional deficit which triggers your body's metabolism to go into fat-burning mode as a means of "self-preservation". Of course, you aren't really depriving yourself of any nutrients. You are merely shuffling your calories around so as to simulate the effect with every food groups, rather than with one food group.

One noteworthy feature of this diet plan is that you are required to take a 3-day break from the diet every 2 weeks, during which you can eat anything you want. So for every 14 days on the diet, you spend the first 11 actually dieting, and the remaining 3 days eating normally.

Essentially, if you lose 9 pounds in 11 days, take a 3-day break, and then lose 9 pounds during the next 11 days, before taking another 3-day break, that's a total of 18 pounds in 28 days. In a 31-day month, you can easily burn off at least 20 pounds!

10 Fat Smashing Health Benefits To Losing Weight

1. If you haven't eaten in 3 or 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping and that's why you are feeling wiped out. Eating a small amount of nutrient-dense food like yogurt, will give your brain and body a boost of energy.

2. Make just a few changes to your kitchen and pantry shelves. Just a few changes can get you closer to your weight loss goals. Here's an example: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil

3. More changes you can make in your kitchen is changing from white bread to whole wheat bread.

4. Why not trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them with canned tuna, sliced turkey breast, lean ham and lean roast beef.

5. Why not trade your whole milk to 1% milk or low-fat soy milk. If you are using 2% milk transition down to 1%. I don't believe in fat-free milk but if you choose to, then eventually transition down to fat-free milk.

6. Frozen vegetables store much better than finding mushy vegetables in your crisper drawer because you didn't have time to make them or you just forgot they were there.

7. Did you know that food suppliers typically freeze veggies just a few hours after they harvest them, which locks in the nutrients. Therefore, frozen veggies just may have greater nutritional value than fresh unless you grow them yourself. Fresh veggies often spend days in the back of a truck even before they reach your supermarket.

8. Worried about transfat in peanut butter. Look for the brands that state there is no trans fats on the label.

9. Worried about trans fats when cooking in margarine. Smart Balance has no trans fats and other margarines may be coming out since people are hearing trans fats are not good for our bodies.

10. Fresh fruits are a great way of getting fiber and calming that sweet tooth. Too much can cause a sweet craving.

Extremely Effective Diet

Are you looking for an extremely effective diet? Are you tired of those fad diets that promise rapid results but leave you feeling discouraged, grouchy, lethargic, and hungry? If you have ever followed one of these diets, then you know how precarious your situation is. One stressful day or one bout with temptation, and you falter from the diet.

What constitutes an extremely effective diet worth following? Which, out of the myriad of diets out there, will help you stay motivated and get you to your goal quickly and effectively, with the least amount of effort or sacrifice?

One approach is a diet that has come to be known as the calorie shifting diet. On this diet, you are allowed to eat as much food as you want from a variety of foods, from each of the four food groups, for a total of four full meals, every day. This diet operates in 14-day cycles. You diet for 11 days, and then you take a break from the diet for 3 days, before you repeat the cycle again for another 14 days.

How is it possible to lose weight on a diet like this? Calorie shifting is the theory that it is possible to manipulate your body's metabolism, at will, to burn your body's fat stores, simply by shifting the types of calories that you consume, from meal to meal, from day to day, creating a sustained cycle of simulated nutritional deficiency.

If followed properly, this diet will yield weight loss results quite rapidly: at the rate of about 9 pounds for every 11 days. That is just shy of about 1 pound per day. That equates to over 20 pounds per month, even if you include the two 3-day breaks during the 30-day period.

What makes calorie shifting an extremely effective diet is the fact that it caters to your cravings very well, while allowing you to lose weight rapidly. You are able to eat food in unlimited quantity, four times a day. You are able to eat food from all four food groups. You even get to take a 3-day break from the diet every 2 weeks, to give your body a chance to rest from the rapid weight loss you will have been experiencing.

Most diets are considered to be painful exercises in masochism. Such is not the case with calorie shifting. Calorie shifting aims to help you lose weight without any of the pain. So, if you have been discouraged by other, ineffective diets, then you would do well to consider the approach that calorie shifting has to offer.

Very Effective Diet

Calorie shifting is a very effective diet that is both safe and easy to follow.

Be prepared for some rapid weight loss! You can plan to lose at least 9 pounds every 11 days, or just under 1 pound per day.

How will you achieve this? By eating as much as you want at each one of four daily meals, with a diverse menu plan that requires you to eat food from all four food groups over the course of 11 days.

Calorie shifting is based on the principle that you can trigger the release of your body's fat burning hormones simply by shifting the types of calories you consume from meal to meal, from day to day, regardless of the quantity of the food you eat. By withholding certain nutrients from your body, your body's metabolism lapses into fat-burning mode, which is its natural self-defense mechanism against hunger. You are, in effect, simulating a "nutritional deficiency". By the time your body goes into fat-burning mode, you reintroduce that nutrient back into your body. But before your body's metabolism has time to readjust, you begin to withhold yet another nutrient from your body. So you are able to sustain a prolonged state of fat loss, even though you are actually eating plentiful food from all food groups!

Another distinguishing feature of this diet is that you are required to take a mandatoryI 3-day break from the diet every 2 weeks. Most dieticians and nutritionists agree that too much rapid weight loss for prolonged periods of time is unsafe. Therefore, to allay this concern, the calorie shifting diet requires you to take this 3-day break. Not only does it give your body a chance to rest from the rapid weight loss you will have been experiencing, but it also gives you a psychological boost. Just think about it: As a reward for following the diet, you are granted a 3-day reprieve every 2 weeks.

If you start your diet on a Tuesday, then every other Friday through Sunday, you can take a break from the diet and eat whatever you want! What a boon for motivation!

So, what makes calorie shifting a very effective diet? It is definitely the motivation of knowing that you can eat as much food as you want without fear of starving or having your cravings go unfulfilled. It is also without a doubt the incentive of being able to look forward to taking a 3-day break literally twice a month from the diet, and still lose at least 20 pounds per month!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Something Every Exercise Program Should Have

Here is one exercise that many people fail to realize is one of the most beneficial single exercises you can do. It helps tone your bum, strengthen your legs and core muscles, and also helps with your balance, coordination and endurance. The best part is you can do this in the comfort of your own home!

Many people ask me the question, isn't there just one easy exercise that I can do to lose weight? The truth is, if you're exercising to lose weight you should always vary the exercise regime to get the maximum benefits out of your workout. But there is one exercise that does a great deal to working your legs, hips, lower back and also tones your bum. Here is simple exercise that not only saves you time but gets you better results than doing almost any other single exercise!

THE SQUAT

Keeping your upper body nice and straight bring your arms out in front with the hands at shoulder height.

Place your feet shoulder width apart Lower your body down by bending your knees slowly until your upper leg is parallel to the ground (You will have to bring your bum back to keep from falling!) Make sure you keep your knees behind your toes Come up slowly driving up with the chest and hips till you are in your starting position NOTE: Conduct 3 sets of this exercise making each set 25+ repititions with a minutes' rest in between or until you get tired. Keep your technique strict throughout the movement to ensure best results!

2 Simple Ideas To Help You Lose Fat!

The variety of food available today is so much greater than it was many years ago. There really isn't much limit to what you can purchase as far as food goes but unfortunately with this wide range of food products also came the increased amount of additives, preservatives and sugars within our foods. The amount of 'junk' food available has increased significantly over recent years also and with that the problem of obesity has also increased.

Although there are many 'low fat' foods on the supermarket shelves, this 'low fat' labels itself can be quite deceiving. Often the ingredients that are used to replace the fatty elements of a product will contain more calories than the original fat. So if you are eating foods labeled 'low fat' and still can't seem to lose weight then this is the reason. Let's face it, the only real way to lose weight it to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly.

Pre-packed weight loss meals are also not that healthy a solution for losing weight. Although they may be convenient and alleviate the hassle of purchasing healthy ingredients, these foods may contain added preservatives that are really not that good for your health.

Here are my two simple ideas that helped me to lose weight.

1. Create a healthy, nutritious eating plan. You can still have some of the foods you enjoy but limit them to once a week or once a fortnight and definitely not every day. If you need to purchase a good healthy eating book that will give you recipes and let you know which foods are best for your body.

I know what you're thinking right now..... A healthy diet sounds good but haven't you tried that a thousand times before and just haven't succeeded? The reason most people cannot change to a healthy diet is because when they change their eating habits they just feel hungry all the time. That is where Hoodia is a life saver. Hoodia diet pills are an appetite suppressant and stop the hunger feeling. That is all that they do, just stop you from feeling hungry and therefore making it so much easier to stick to a healthy diet.

2. Create an exercise plan. Now this doesn't have to be a strenuous exercise plan like you see on shows like 'The Biggest Loser'. You can just start by walking for 20 minutes a day. If you can't manage every day at least try to walk three or four times a week. Surely 20 minutes a day isn't too much time to take out of your schedule for the sake of your health.

Once you start getting into a walking routine and start feeling a little more energetic then you can maybe build up your exercise and take on something that will increase your heart rate a little more such as bike riding or aerobics.

So I'm not suggesting any big fad diet, no carbohydrates, no sugar or any of those types of diets that come and go. The best way to lose weight is a healthy diet and exercise; unfortunately this can sometimes be the hardest way to lose weight or at least in the beginning before you get into a good routine.

If you can get rid of that hunger feeling by using Hoodia Gordonii diet pills then you will have a massive head start and it will make the job a whole lot easier. Hoodia has had scientific testing and clinical testing and has proven to be very safe and very effective for weight loss and has no side effects. It is also a completely natural product and so is good for your health.

If you can't stick to a diet due to hunger then give Hoodia Gordonii a try, it really is worth it.

Male vs Female Fat Loss - Who Has It Easier?

The Top 5 Reasons Why It's Hard for Women & Men to Burn Body Fat

Men and women both have a hard time losing body fat, but for different reasons.

Here are the top 5 reasons why it's hard for men and women to lose body fat, and gives the 3 proven diet and exercise techniques for losing as much fat as possible in only 12 weeks.

Men and women struggle with fat loss for different reasons, but does one sex have an easier time with weight loss?

Here are 5 reasons men and women struggle with weight, and the 3 essential techniques everyone must follow in order to burn fat and boost their metabolism.

#1) The number one reason men and women have a hard time losing weight is because of poor nutrition.

Advantage: Women

Most women are better educated on food choices, but men continue to eat as if they were still playing college football. As a result, men will have a harder time losing weight because no matter how much they exercise, they are still eating too many calories. You can't "out-train a bad diet".

#2) The second reason men and women struggle with weight loss is because their metabolism decreases over time due to muscle loss and reduced activity.

Advantage: Men

Most men have more muscle mass and get more exercise than women. Plus, more men do strength training while women neglect this key element of the fat burning equation.

In fact, a recent study showed that both men and women can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time with strength training - even at age 60!

Without strength training and interval training, women will continue to burn fewer calories per day with each passing year and will have a harder and harder time with fat loss.

#3) Men and women will struggle with weight loss if they only rely on slow, boring cardio.

Advantage: Men

More men do interval training, and that is better than slow cardio for fat loss.

In a recent study, men and women on a year-long cardio program lost only 6-8 pounds, even though they exercised 6 days per week.

In another study, a group of women did not lose weight after 15 weeks of cardio (3x's per week). In contrast, a group of women in the same study that did interval training were able to lose belly fat.

#4) Men and women have a hard time with weight loss if they don't have social support.

Advantage: Women

Most men try to do everything on their own, but weight loss is easier if you have social support. On the other hand, most women are more willing to recruit help from friends and family when on a weight loss program.

Men and women can get social support from friends at work, from their family, from people at the gym, or even in an online fat loss forum.

#5) Men and women struggle with weight loss because of poor exercise choices.

Advantage: Tie.

Most guys and gals just show up at the gym without a plan - or they just go for a jog and do some crunches. But without a professional plan, both men and women will not lose weight, but only waste time.

To lose the most amount of fat in the least amount of time, both men and women should follow a program containing the following three essential elements...

A) A reduced-calorie diet of whole, natural foods.

No one needs an extreme eating plan. Just focus on eating 10-20% fewer calories than you need, focusing on vegetables, fruits, nuts, and sources of protein and healthy fats. Stay away from anything in a bag or a box.

B) Resistance training (Strength training)

Resistance training, using dumbells, bodyweight exercises, or barbells help men and women burn fat and build muscle.

C) Interval training

Short bursts of exercise, as done in interval training, work better than slow, boring cardio, and get results in half the time.

In a recent transformation contest, both men and women using a fat loss program of resistance training and interval training were able to lose up to 33 pounds of fat in only 12 weeks.

The Transformation Contest winner was a female, while second place went to a man who lost 33 pounds in only 12 weeks - this proves that both men and women can burn belly fat with resistance training and interval training for fat loss.

Do You Have What it Takes to Lose Weight?

Some people have been down the weight loss road so many times without success that they stop believing they are capable of losing weight and keeping it off. They feel like they just don't have what it takes to lose weight.

But the truth is that inside you, you already have everything you need to succeed. You might find it hard to believe but you already possess the right body, the right mind, adequate knowledge, strength and determination to change. You simply need to bring these qualities to the surface so you can use them.

Now I am not saying that thinking different alone can allow you to lose weight, you certainly need a proper diet-and-exercise regimen; but if you rely only on the diet and exercise you will never achieve the life-long results you want. How can I be sure? Statistics show that 95% of dieters will gain the weight back. They worked hard; they followed the diet; they went to the gym; they lost the weight, and then gained it back. Why?

The answer is simple; they ate differently; they moved differently; but they never thought differently. They used willpower to make the change, but willpower never lasts a lifetime. To truly change course in your life, you must reprogram your mindset and start to believe in yourself and your ability to change. Without this belief change will not happen.

It is easy to tell if you are sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Simply take a day and tune in to the things you tell yourself about your weight, food, the bathroom scale, your reflection in the mirror and all other related things. Are you telling yourself negative things, berating yourself or calling yourself names? These are symptoms of a faulty weight mindset and they have the power to prevent you from losing weight.

When you use negative self-talk you cover up the qualities that help you succeed and prevent them from coming to the surface. You need to start telling yourself a new story, you need to start believing in yourself and your ability to change and build a high sense of self-worth. You do have what it takes to lose weight and by simply shifting your attention toward the positive qualities you already possess you will find losing weight can be a reality for you.

Learning How To Increase Metabolism For Faster Weight Loss

A little secret you should know about is that if you can speed up your metabolism you can lose weight and look and feel healthier. Being born with a fast metabolism, capable of burning fat and calories effortlessly, is not something everyone gets. If you want to learn how to increase metabolism, you must study your eating habits as well as your lifestyle.

First of all, recognize that you absolutely must exercise regularly if you want to increase your metabolism. Because of this, you should never take up an exercise program you don't enjoy. The secret to easily burning calories and increasing muscle mass is to really love your exercise regimen. When you work out, you'll not only lose weight, but increase your metabolic rate, as well. Keeping slim is important for staying active and healthy as well as avoiding type two diabetes.

Furthermore, you might want to be more aware of muscle mass when learning how to increase metabolism. The mass of your muscles has a direct relationship with your metabolic rate - more muscle = higher metabolism. More muscle doesn't just make you stronger it also helps to maintain a slim figure. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn - even while resting.

An essential component of increasing metabolism is a strategy for healthy eating. Do you know how much the functioning of your metabolism is affected by the food you eat each day? Metabolic increase is improved when vegetables, fruits, and lean meats are a regular part of the diet. Diets high in fat, salt and cholesterol may cause the metabolic rate to slow. Sugary, fatty foods or snacks is to be avoided because it can lead to a slow metabolic rate. If you are serious about increasing your metabolism, it is important to change your diet, start an exercise program and be active. Vitamin supplements may be helpful to increase your metabolism. An increase in your metabolic rate will make it easier for you to stay thin and healthy.

Become knowledgeable regarding how to increase metabolism and you'll increase your ability to stay thin and healthy. This is because there is a direct link between what will boost your metabolism and make you healthier overall. Don't put off looking and feeling better: begin exercising and eating the right foods today.

Crash Diets - Why They Never Work

When it comes to losing weight, most people will try just about anything, including the good old crash diet. Here's a look at why these diets never work and how you can avoid the frustration of trying to lose weight this way.

Naturally, we all see those TV and magazine ads showing how sexy you can look in only a few days or weeks with that "new" diet plan. It sounds so good and so tempting, but the weight you are losing is nothing more than water weight and some carbs. It is not fat loss, which is what you need to lose in order to slim down.

What happens when you starve the body is that your metabolism slows down. Your body goes into "emergency" status and lives longer on less energy so to speak. Then, when you quit this new crash diet plan and start eating again, your body decides to protect itself by storing more food in case of another "emergency" in the future. It not only is useless in losing weight, but it is not healthy as well.

Forget the crash diets, instead, think about modifying your behavior towards eating. By changing just a few simple behavior patterns you can experience the weight loss success you've been looking for.

Fat Loss For Idiots can help you dramatically in this area. So, stay away from the crash diets. You will only be disappointed and frustrated, not to mention being left with more weight to have to try and lose afterwards.

Will Fat Loss 4 Idiots

Fat Loss 4 Idiots is creating quite a buzz in the world of web-based diet programs. It's being talked about all over the Internet and people everywhere seem to be singing its praises as one of the best ways to lose weight fast.

Well, it caught my attention a few months ago based on a good friend of mine who was trying it and having some success with it. She said the program was really working for her, so I decided to give it a try myself since I have always battled a weight problem. I have been on the program for 60 days now and I want to share a full review of my experience and the results I've gotten thus far.

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet plan is a comprehensive program that also includes an optional upgrade of getting "Beyond Calories". (I discuss that in another post), You'll get immediate access to their website which contains the entire program. There, you can print out the "Idiot-proof diet handbook" as well as use the "Diet Generator" to generate and print off your daily meal plans for 11 day periods.

The signup for the program is pretty straightforward and simple. I do like the colorful graphics. It's a nice change of pace so to speak. Although I found the name to be somewhat strange, I really don't care what they want to call it as long as it works. I'm sure you probably feel the same way. You can view the site here at Fat Loss For Idiots


Program Basics

The basics of Fat Loss 4 Idiots is that by following their system you can lose 9 pounds every 11 days. When I first looked at it I immediately thought it was all hype. It is certainly hard for most people to believe, myself included. It would be difficult to keep losing that amount of weight in that amount of time. But, I decided to keep an open mind. (I will go into my actual results later in this review)

While I admit that it is possible to lose the first 9 pounds in 11 days for most anyone since it will usually be water loss at first, to keep it up would be extremely tough.


Although I can not divulge the exact details of the Idiot Proof Diet Handbook for legal and copyright reasons, I can go through the basics and show you a sample day's diet plan.

The Fat Loss For Idiots
plan allows you to either use a vegetarian meal plan or a regular meal plan. (I chose the regular)

The Diet Generator then asks you to choose 14 of your favorite foods, which is quite nice, and input them into the generator. It will be these 14 favorites which will help go into designing your meals for the 11 day plan.

Next, your plan will give you 4 meals per day that make up your diet plan, and they stress that you maintain a time frame of at least 2.5 hours apart from each meal.

Why an 11 day meal plan?

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots plan requires you to eat meals according to your individual 11 day plan. After 11 days the plan allows you to eat whatever you want for the next 3 days after that. (In moderation of course) Then, you start back on your 11 day meal plan once again.

Once you get use to it, you'll find it to be a nice way to not only stay on your diet, but to also be able to eat foods you love after a while. It's unlike anything I have seen. It lets you look forward to something special every 11 days instead of having to struggle through the same old monotenous diet plan for months at a time. I've been there and done that.

Sample day's meal plan

Depending upon your choices of your 14 favorite foods, a sample day may look like this: (This is only a sample from hundreds of different combinations)

Meal 1: fruit salad
Meal 2: tuna salad
Meal 3: boneless/skinless chicken breast
Meal 4: banana milk shake

One of the important points here is that you can cook your food any way you want it. For example, the chicken breast can be grilled, baked, and you can even add barbeque sauce to it, etc. It takes the blandness out of the food.

The
Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet system does not count calories or limit portion sizes. There is no carb counting or watching proteins. This makes the plan so simple to follow, hence the name for it. So, what this means for you is that you could have a huge chicken breast or a big bowl of fruit salad. You will find yourself getting filled up, but not overly full if that makes sense to you.

The plan essentially eliminates the starchy carbs such as breads and potatoes and also limits alcohol consumption to 1 glass of wine a day, if this is something you enjoy to begin with.

One thing I do like about the plan is the fact that this system does not force you to buy special foods or certain brands such as Nutri System or Jenny Craig that prove to be quite costly. You simply purchase the food you like at your groocery store which saves you money over the long run.

What are my results?

As I mentioned earlier I have followed the plan for 60 days now and closely tracked my results.

When I started the plan I weighed in at 218 pounds and my pants size was a fairly tight 38. After 60 days I weighed in at 192 pounds and my pants size has been reduced to a somewhat loose 34. I have lost a total of 26 pounds and counting. Not only am I very pleased, but the results have been quite surprising to say the least.


Will Fat Loss 4 Idiots work for everyone?

No. That may be surprising to hear, but it will only work if you follow the plan. Fat Loss 4 Idiots doesn't require you to check in every week at a diet center or be accountable to anyone, and therein lies the problem. Some people will naturally not stick to this plan, or any other diet plan for that matter when they know that no one is looking. So, if you have difficulty in trying to lose weight without checking in to a weekly weight loss center I would not advise the program.

For those who do follow this system and have struggled with weight loss over the years, I can say that it will most likely work for you.Fat Loss For Idiots is a simple, inexpensive, easy to follow diet plan that produces results. There is no starving yourself every day to see results and the food choices are good since they are based on what you like.

Lose Weight While Having Some Fun

How would you like the feeling of waking up one morning and feeling light and proud of yourself? You will be able to wear whatever attire you choose because now, you have the freedom to flaunt your body. There is nothing to be ashamed of anymore and you can say good bye to those unsightly bulges and lumps. Instead, they will see attractive and sexy humps that will definitely make you an apple of the eye of the crowd. Well, now is the time to make this a reality. Shed pounds, lose weight and have a great time! Here are some simple weight loss tips that will help deliver the results you have been wanting.

Set a Goal

It goes without saying that you need to have a goal of how much weight you want to lose before starting. Next, make a commitment that you are going to stick to this until you meet your goal. Then, have some fun with it. You need to be having some fun in order to achieve a goal. If you feel like dragging yourself when doing something then you will probably stop even before you reach your target goal.

Get an iPod

Don't you know that music has the ability to manipulate our moods? For example, when you hear some of your old favorite songs, you begin to feel nostalgic. And if you hear upbeat songs you begin to feel more energetic. Thus, it is important that you select a set of songs for your work out routine or even a long walk. This will make you feel more lively, energetic and alert. If you want, you can even ask for some song lists from an aerobic or gym instructor.

Take a Friend Along With You

If you want to workout, take an aerobics class, walk briskly, etc, you can do it with a friend who has also the same goal with you in terms of losing weight. Talk about your progress or about some tips you have recently discovered about weight loss. You can have a group. Numbers really don't matter because the important thing is that you enjoy their company.

These are only a few tips to help you get started. There are many more on our site that will help you develop a plan of action and get you on your way to losing weight and feeling better.