Americans now eat two out of three meals outside the home. That can mean trouble if you're on a weight loss program. How can you enjoy your restaurant experience and still lose weight?
Follow some basics rules no matter what type of cuisine you're about to enjoy.
Send the bread and butter back to the kitchen. You can consume 200 to 300 calories munching on bread before you even get to the entrée.
Have a low fat, low calorie appetizer. It will stave off hunger pains and give you more will power or maybe that should be 'won't power', when it comes to dessert. Pick a seafood cocktail, clear soup, or vegetable dish.
Order a salad and have the dressing on the side. Dip the tines of your fork in the salad dressing and then spear the salad. You'll taste the dressing but eat less of it. Olive oil and vinegar is your best bet for dressing.
Choose fish or chicken instead of red meat or pork.
Select grilled, broiled, or roasted instead of fried.
Ask for an extra vegetable instead of potato or other starch.
Sauces on the side always.
Select a dish that follows your diet guidelines but that you wouldn't normally prepare at home.
There are other ways to save on calories when you're dining out. Have an appetizer, soup or salad, and split the entrée and dessert. If no one will split it with you, split it with yourself. Ask the waiter to immediately pack up half for you to take home.
If you like wine with your meal order it by the glass. It's cheaper by the bottle but it's easier to keep pouring rather than ask the waiter for a new glass of wine. Treat yourself to a more expensive wine than you'd normally order by the bottle. Many restaurants these days have a nice list of wines they offer by the glass.
Drink at least one full glass of water with your meal. It will slow down how fast you're eating, because you'll stop to drink.
Have fruit for dessert if you must have dessert. Fruit may not be on the menu but the kitchen will probably oblige. A dish of fresh raspberries can be just as satisfying as a slice of cake.
Don't put your diet strategy on hold when you dine out and you'll continue to lose weight
Shape Up And Have Fun Losing Weight!
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| Photo By VA State Park Staff CC BY 2.0 |
Whether your next season is Spring or Autumn, a change in season is a great time to renew your commitment to weight management and shape up and have fun doing so!
Who said losing weight needs to be boring! No so. Here are three fun ways to get in shape that are more enjoyable in the cooler seasons, but somewhat impractical for most people in the height of winter and summer months.
Yard Workout - Spring is the perfect time to get into the garden before the hot days of summer. If you are just finishing your summer, now is the perfect time to do all those last minute pruning and weeding that was just too hot to do a few weeks ago. There's nothing like gardening to help tone muscles and burn up additional calories.
Weekend Rambling - forget sleepy Sundays, get out and about on a walk with family and friends. Find an opening and play some lively games like football, frisbee or cricket! Get the bikes out for a regular leisurely ride or if you feel more energetic, join a cycling club. Spend more time playing with the kids in the yard. Take up action cricket or soccer and meet new people in the process.
Walking Holiday - if you normally take 'lazy beach breaks' it's time for a change. There are so many beautiful places to visit that you may never have considered before. Forego hotel niceties and enjoy weekends away camping. Get out and explore....and your legs will get a terrific tone-up!
Why Not.... Participate in vigorous voluntary work. Give a few hours a week to a good cause. There are plenty of charities that need help with gardening and odd jobs such as painting, handiwork and maintenance.
Start today! If you focus on having energetic fun, you'll lose weight effortlessly!
Helpful Weight Loss Tips
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| Photo By David Long CC BY 2.0 |
One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to make sure that your body stays hydrated. When your body lacks water, it will affect the way that you eat, the energy that you have, and your overall weight. The first thing you should do every morning is drink a bottle of water with a little bit of lemon. This will support your body's natural detoxification process and it will help to flush your system before you start your day of eating. One of the many benefits of detoxing your body is that you will feel more alert and energetic.
If you are looking for fast weight loss, it is essential that you understand the power of doing cardio workouts. These workouts don't have to be hard, just a simple brisk walk in the morning will be enough to raise your heart rate and get your blood pumping. When this happens, you will discover that you have more energy and more mental clarity. As you start to lose weight, try to add two more brisk 10 minute walks to your day. For instance, you could walk in the morning, at lunch, and after dinner. Out of any weight loss tips that you find, this one will give you better results than you could have ever dreamed of.
You also want to remember to plan everything. When people are looking for helpful weight loss tips, sometimes they get so focused on the end result that they forget about the steps they need to take to get there. The result is that they never reach their weight loss goals and they walk away feeling frustrated. Don't let this happen to you. You should be planning your meals, when you are going to make them, and what you are going to eat at certain times. In addition, you also need to plan your exercise routine. If you don't have a plan for these things, you are setting yourself up for failure.
The best thing that you can do when you are trying to lose weight is to keep a journal for everything. A journal is the best way to know if your weight loss plans are working and if you are succeeding in your weight loss goals. In addition, a journal will let you know which foods you like and which foods you do not care for. Over time, you will be able to look at your journal and see just how far you have come.
None of these weight loss tips will help you though If you don't reward yourself. You need to make sure that you reward yourself often. Obviously, rewarding yourself with unhealthy food is not going to help you reach your overall weight loss goals. But if you reward yourself with things like new clothes, a new gadget, or a trip you will find that you are more inspired to keep going. The more weight you lose, the bigger your reward. For instance, when you lose 5 pounds, you get a new book, when you lose 15 pounds, you get a new outfit, and when you lose 50 pounds, you get to go on vacation. Make sure that your rewards increase over time and make sure that you reward yourself as much as you possibly can.
Remember changing your lifestyle is hard. When you are used to living a certain way, making the choice to live in a different way is a struggle. As long as you make these simple changes and reward yourself often you will not only change your body, you will change your life.
3 Quick Weight Loss Tips
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| Photo By Wojtek Pruchnicki CC BY 2.0 |
Here are some quick weight loss tips that will guarantee losing about two inches of flabby belly fat after 30 days. These quick weight loss tips should be taken seriously. First, you should start by psychologically preparing for the task and getting your mind set to accomplishing your goals.
Get Eight Hours Of Sleep A Day
Some people think that sleeping can cause fats to accumulate more. This is one of the greatest myths that have been proven wrong. Many quick weight loss tips today recommend regular and complete eight hours sleep to people who are on weight loss programs. Even doctors highly recommend sleeping as a great quick weight loss tip for their clients. Studies show that a certain hormone that balances your appetite is generated while sleeping. This is the same hormone that tells you that you are full. This hormone is called Leptin. If you do not sleep, your Leptin level goes down. Then your brain tells you to eat more.
Eat Healthier
Junk food and sweets are irresistible. However, these are the food that puts those nasty calories in your diet and messes up your look! Instead of eating chips, munch on carrot sticks or cucumber. Instead of dipping your spoon on ice cream, get those non-fat fruit yogurts. A little sacrifice will go a long way for you to achieve your weight loss target. If you want sweets, go visit your fruit and vegetable shop and pick up fresh fruits. These are great substitutes to relieve your cravings for sweets.
Sweat It Out
Some people just do not have the time to go to a gym or even jog in the park. Simple home exercises can do great things.
Try crunches. This simple exercise can do wonders in flattening out your bulging tummy. Here is a quick weight loss tip focusing on your abdomen:
Lay flat on your back on and lift your knees while your feet are flat on the floor. Start lifting your torso tying to get your forehead close to your knees. Begin with 5-10 lifts a day. The trick is to do this continuously and regularly. As days go by, you will feel that it gets easier. Set a goal for the number of crunches you do each day. Increase the number as you get used to it.
Running up and down your stairs will also help you sweat it out. This exercise has been known to work wonders for your lungs and toning your legs. If you do not have stairs, get a ledge or a stool that is about 6 inches in height. Step up and down alternating your left and right foot. Try 50 steps first and increase the number day by day.
Finally, tell yourself you look good and that you are doing great! The brain needs to be convinced that this is working. Keep this quick weight loss tip in mind and you should see considerable changes in 30 days.
Food Calorie Counters Help Shed The Pounds
Food calorie counters may be the secret weapon in your weight loss arsenal. There is no doubt that losing weight is hard. The deck is stacked against you these days. Portions get bigger and bigger, and there is continually more calories being pushed into our faces. We are constantly bombarded with ads encouraging us to eat, and our foods are filled with trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.
Frankly, it’s a miracle that anyone ever manages to lose weight and, not surprisingly, most people don’t. You can, though, and food calorie counters can be a real help in getting you there. All it takes is a little knowledge, a little willpower and some help from one of the food calorie counters.
Essentially, most diets work under the same premise. They may claim to have special biological properties or work by some strange mixture of foods, but really, all any diet does is cause you to eat less. Eat enough less, and you will start losing weight. It really is that simple.
Many diets work by omitting one of the three macronutrients, usually either fat or carbohydrates. If the diet restricts carbs, the natural satiating properties of fat and protein will keep you fuller and reduce your calories. If they reduce fat and have you focus on complex carbs, the sheer bulk of the food will automatically reduce your calories.
This can be effective, but it necessarily means that you have to omit a lot of foods you really like, and this is something that food calorie counters can help you avoid. They allow you to have the knowledge of calories and nutrients that will allow you to lose weight permanently, quickly and easily.
Food calorie counters are pretty much exactly what they sound like: books or computer programs that allow you to look up the caloric content of any food you eat. With the arrival of the internet, this has become much easier than it ever was before. Now all you need to do is select your foods from a pull-down menu and the food calorie counters will calculate the levels for you. This allows you to lose weight by putting the power in your hands. What you have to do is take in fewer calories than you are burning. The easiest way to do this is by making certain food substitutions. If you know, for example, that the mac and cheese you’re eating contains 700 calories, the food calorie counters can tell you about a number of alternate foods that can half that amount.
The food calorie counters can also allow you to tailor your portion size. By properly adjusting your meals, you can have the best of both worlds: you can eat what you want and still lose weight. The thing to remember is that it doesn’t take a huge amount of calories to lose weight; even dropping 200 calories from your daily menu will have you losing 20 pounds over the course of the year. If used properly, food calorie counters can be a powerful weapon in the war against fat.
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| Photo By Re.group - CC BY 2.0 |
Frankly, it’s a miracle that anyone ever manages to lose weight and, not surprisingly, most people don’t. You can, though, and food calorie counters can be a real help in getting you there. All it takes is a little knowledge, a little willpower and some help from one of the food calorie counters.
Essentially, most diets work under the same premise. They may claim to have special biological properties or work by some strange mixture of foods, but really, all any diet does is cause you to eat less. Eat enough less, and you will start losing weight. It really is that simple.
Many diets work by omitting one of the three macronutrients, usually either fat or carbohydrates. If the diet restricts carbs, the natural satiating properties of fat and protein will keep you fuller and reduce your calories. If they reduce fat and have you focus on complex carbs, the sheer bulk of the food will automatically reduce your calories.
This can be effective, but it necessarily means that you have to omit a lot of foods you really like, and this is something that food calorie counters can help you avoid. They allow you to have the knowledge of calories and nutrients that will allow you to lose weight permanently, quickly and easily.
Food calorie counters are pretty much exactly what they sound like: books or computer programs that allow you to look up the caloric content of any food you eat. With the arrival of the internet, this has become much easier than it ever was before. Now all you need to do is select your foods from a pull-down menu and the food calorie counters will calculate the levels for you. This allows you to lose weight by putting the power in your hands. What you have to do is take in fewer calories than you are burning. The easiest way to do this is by making certain food substitutions. If you know, for example, that the mac and cheese you’re eating contains 700 calories, the food calorie counters can tell you about a number of alternate foods that can half that amount.
The food calorie counters can also allow you to tailor your portion size. By properly adjusting your meals, you can have the best of both worlds: you can eat what you want and still lose weight. The thing to remember is that it doesn’t take a huge amount of calories to lose weight; even dropping 200 calories from your daily menu will have you losing 20 pounds over the course of the year. If used properly, food calorie counters can be a powerful weapon in the war against fat.
The Benefits Of Exercising: 10 Reasons Why You Should Make A Commitment To Fitness Today
We all know about certain benefits of exercising - above all, that it's good for us. But this isn't always enough to get us motivated into actually doing it. If you're looking for a little inspiration to get started on your new year's resolution then here are 10 reasons why exercise can improve your life.
1. More Energy: Although exercise in itself may be tiring, one of the major benefits of exercising is the fact that it'll ultimately leave you feeling more energized. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps to reduce fatigue.
2. Increase Your Mood: Every time you exercise your body will release endorphins that help to make you feel good. Exercise really will give you a natural high!
3. Improve Your Health: There are so many health benefits of losing weight that it's impossible to list them all here! By getting fit you'll reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and much more.
4. Improve Your Appearance: If being overweight or not being toned leaves you feeling unhappy about yourself then losing weight can help you to look and feel better.
5. Play With Your Kids: It takes a lot of energy to keep up with your kids. By losing weight and getting fit, you'll be able to run around with them without constantly getting out of breath. This can be one of the most rewarding benefits of exercising: it helps you to enjoy life more.
6. Sleep Better: When you exercise more you'll start to find it easier to get a good night's rest. This adds to the energy boost that you'll get from exercise in the long term.
7. Increase Your Strength and Stamina: Do you find it hard to go on long walks, even though you want to? Or maybe even carrying shopping bags up the stairs is a struggle? Exercise more and you'll eventually be able to handle these activities with ease.
8. Reduce Stress: Exercise can hugely reduce stress levels. If you regularly suffer from stress - or even mental heath issues such as depression and anxiety - regular exercise can help to reduce your symptoms.
9. A Sense Of Achievement: When you start to exercise and see the improvements you're making week on week, you'll really get the feeling that you've achieved something worthwhile!
10. Keep Your Independence Later In Life: The more you can exercise now, while you're still able, the more you can reduce the impact of certain health problems later in life. In short, keeping fit and healthy will help you to keep your independence as late into life as possible.
So how much will you need to work out to feel these benefits of exercising? That all depends on your current fitness levels. The good news is that just 30 minutes of exercise a day is enough to improve your health drastically. So what are you waiting for?!
1. More Energy: Although exercise in itself may be tiring, one of the major benefits of exercising is the fact that it'll ultimately leave you feeling more energized. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps to reduce fatigue.
2. Increase Your Mood: Every time you exercise your body will release endorphins that help to make you feel good. Exercise really will give you a natural high!
3. Improve Your Health: There are so many health benefits of losing weight that it's impossible to list them all here! By getting fit you'll reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and much more.
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| Photo By Phillip - CC BY 2.0 |
4. Improve Your Appearance: If being overweight or not being toned leaves you feeling unhappy about yourself then losing weight can help you to look and feel better.
5. Play With Your Kids: It takes a lot of energy to keep up with your kids. By losing weight and getting fit, you'll be able to run around with them without constantly getting out of breath. This can be one of the most rewarding benefits of exercising: it helps you to enjoy life more.
6. Sleep Better: When you exercise more you'll start to find it easier to get a good night's rest. This adds to the energy boost that you'll get from exercise in the long term.
7. Increase Your Strength and Stamina: Do you find it hard to go on long walks, even though you want to? Or maybe even carrying shopping bags up the stairs is a struggle? Exercise more and you'll eventually be able to handle these activities with ease.
8. Reduce Stress: Exercise can hugely reduce stress levels. If you regularly suffer from stress - or even mental heath issues such as depression and anxiety - regular exercise can help to reduce your symptoms.
9. A Sense Of Achievement: When you start to exercise and see the improvements you're making week on week, you'll really get the feeling that you've achieved something worthwhile!
10. Keep Your Independence Later In Life: The more you can exercise now, while you're still able, the more you can reduce the impact of certain health problems later in life. In short, keeping fit and healthy will help you to keep your independence as late into life as possible.
So how much will you need to work out to feel these benefits of exercising? That all depends on your current fitness levels. The good news is that just 30 minutes of exercise a day is enough to improve your health drastically. So what are you waiting for?!
How To Stay Gym Fit Without A Gym Membership
If the global recession is affecting you and you’re trying to cut costs then finding ways to stay fit without going to the gym might help. Regularly going to the gym can cost quite a bit of money and might be one of your single biggest monthly expenses.
While you may not want to stop going to the gym forever, one temporary cost-cutting measure is to try and keep fit from home. Here are a few exercise ideas and tips on how to give your home workout program a running start!
Cycling
If you’ve got a bike then it’s pretty easy to keep fit – just head out for a ride! If you usually use an exercise bike at the gym then this is a great alternative, and can be much more fun too. You get to set your own route, so you can see what you want to see as you get your exercise. You can even vary your route to keep things interesting.
Bench and weights
If you’ve got a bit of spare cash you can buy a bench and weights for a home workout. You can pick these up pretty cheap – probably for the same price as a single month of gym membership, and maybe even less! With these you can do nearly all of the exercises that your gym weights machines do, without paying a single penny more than it cost to buy them. Not only that, but you can use them any time you want – not just during gym opening times.
Yoga
One of the cheapest forms of exercise to do from home is yoga. Although yoga isn’t for everyone, it’s incredibly popular and is a great way to stay healthy when taken seriously. To do yoga you really need nothing more than your body, but you might want to get a yoga mat too. That’s all you’ll need to start doing your own home yoga program.
If you’re not already familiar with yoga practice, then you can pick up DVDs on yoga instruction for next to nothing, and the internet offers loads of free yoga explanations too. There’s no reason to spend loads of money on yoga classes if you haven’t got the cash!
Exercise with no equipment
The most obvious kind of exercise that requires no equipment is running. However, there are a variety of other exercises that are easy to do with nothing besides your own body. Press-ups and sit-ups are classic examples. Pull-ups are another. Using exercises like these it’s possible to cover nearly every muscle in your body.
It’s also possible to use makeshift equipment in place of the “real” thing. For example, you don’t actually need dumbbells to do weights. All you need are heavy objects that are easy to lift. For light aerobic training you can just use food tins like baked beans. For heavier weights, try using large bottles of mineral water. Both are just as good as real weights but cost nothing extra than your shopping bill!
Tip 1: If the gym forms a central part of your social life, then stopping your regular gym attendance might not seem like much of an option. But it is possible to get your gym buddies to come and train with you from home, so don’t rule it out altogether.
Tip 2: Staying motivated during home workouts is one of the toughest things. However, there are loads of ways to keep your motivation up. One of the best ways is to find buddies to work out with from home – go for a run with your gym pals or get a friend over for a yoga session.
Another great way to stay motivated is to reward yourself for every workout (as though your own personal fitness and wellbeing wasn’t enough of a reward!). You can do this with food (careful not to undo all your hard work with this one though) or with small gifts.
Exercising from home also means that, if you’ve got music or a TV on hand, it’s your choice what to watch or listen to as you exercise. Together, these things should be able to keep you motivated and maintain your fitness even without heading to the gym regularly. Just remember not to let yourself start slipping!
If you are looking to start workout out at home check out the blog Total At Home Fitness for more fitness & diet articles.
While you may not want to stop going to the gym forever, one temporary cost-cutting measure is to try and keep fit from home. Here are a few exercise ideas and tips on how to give your home workout program a running start!
Cycling
If you’ve got a bike then it’s pretty easy to keep fit – just head out for a ride! If you usually use an exercise bike at the gym then this is a great alternative, and can be much more fun too. You get to set your own route, so you can see what you want to see as you get your exercise. You can even vary your route to keep things interesting.
Bench and weights
If you’ve got a bit of spare cash you can buy a bench and weights for a home workout. You can pick these up pretty cheap – probably for the same price as a single month of gym membership, and maybe even less! With these you can do nearly all of the exercises that your gym weights machines do, without paying a single penny more than it cost to buy them. Not only that, but you can use them any time you want – not just during gym opening times.
Yoga
One of the cheapest forms of exercise to do from home is yoga. Although yoga isn’t for everyone, it’s incredibly popular and is a great way to stay healthy when taken seriously. To do yoga you really need nothing more than your body, but you might want to get a yoga mat too. That’s all you’ll need to start doing your own home yoga program.
If you’re not already familiar with yoga practice, then you can pick up DVDs on yoga instruction for next to nothing, and the internet offers loads of free yoga explanations too. There’s no reason to spend loads of money on yoga classes if you haven’t got the cash!
Exercise with no equipment
The most obvious kind of exercise that requires no equipment is running. However, there are a variety of other exercises that are easy to do with nothing besides your own body. Press-ups and sit-ups are classic examples. Pull-ups are another. Using exercises like these it’s possible to cover nearly every muscle in your body.
It’s also possible to use makeshift equipment in place of the “real” thing. For example, you don’t actually need dumbbells to do weights. All you need are heavy objects that are easy to lift. For light aerobic training you can just use food tins like baked beans. For heavier weights, try using large bottles of mineral water. Both are just as good as real weights but cost nothing extra than your shopping bill!
Tip 1: If the gym forms a central part of your social life, then stopping your regular gym attendance might not seem like much of an option. But it is possible to get your gym buddies to come and train with you from home, so don’t rule it out altogether.
Tip 2: Staying motivated during home workouts is one of the toughest things. However, there are loads of ways to keep your motivation up. One of the best ways is to find buddies to work out with from home – go for a run with your gym pals or get a friend over for a yoga session.
Another great way to stay motivated is to reward yourself for every workout (as though your own personal fitness and wellbeing wasn’t enough of a reward!). You can do this with food (careful not to undo all your hard work with this one though) or with small gifts.
Exercising from home also means that, if you’ve got music or a TV on hand, it’s your choice what to watch or listen to as you exercise. Together, these things should be able to keep you motivated and maintain your fitness even without heading to the gym regularly. Just remember not to let yourself start slipping!
If you are looking to start workout out at home check out the blog Total At Home Fitness for more fitness & diet articles.
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