Free Weight Loss Tips: 4 Positive Ways To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals

In order to lose weight successfully, you first have to realize that losing weight is a journey with a specific destination. Right now, you’re at the very beginning and about to take the first step towards changing your eating and lifestyle habits, so that you can have the body you really want.

Of course, this isn’t going to be easy – nothing worthwhile ever is. You should pat yourself on the back for making a commitment to yourself that you’re finally ready to do this. So many people can’t even make it this far. So, in a sense, you’re already ahead of the game.

Your goal should be to lose one or two pounds a week, if you lose more than that, great, but don’t push for it. You want to stay mentally focused, healthy and determined. If you push too hard, or try to force your body to lose big numbers, then you’ll eventually stress yourself out and hit a wall that may lead to failure.

Here’s some suggestions that you can use to create a successful weight loss plan:

Set a Reasonable Goal

Your first step should be to decide how much weight you want to lose. Get some 3x5 index cards and write one goal or positive statement down on each one. Start by writing down your ideal weight, this is your ultimate big goal.

Next, you want to set smaller goals for yourself. Write down a goal for losing five pounds, then ten pounds, twenty pounds, etc.

Write down some positive motivational statements about yourself.

“I love myself unconditionally”

“I’m a great person inside and outside”

“I’m going to smile and laugh today”

“I deserve this and I’m worth it”

Keep these cards where you’ll be able to look at them every day.

Eat Smaller Portions More Often

Growing up you were probably taught to eat three meals a day. You were also probably taught to clean your plate. While this schedule of eating meals is well-intentioned, the fact is that you are going to get hungry between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner.

Not only are you probably having a large portion for each meal, but you are also snacking on junk food in between. Unfortunately, this way of eating leads to a lot of weight gain. It’s been proven that if you eat several small meals during the day, you won’t get hungry between meals and when you do, it’s easier to snack on something that has less calories.

Plan to eat five small meals a day, instead of three, and see if that helps to curb your food cravings.

Keep a Food Journal

Just like a diary is a snippet of events that happen in your life, a food journal helps you to keep track of what you’re really putting into your mouth on a daily basis. You probably have a mental picture of what you normally eat, but when you see it in writing, you may be surprised at all the extra foods you’re eating without even thinking about it.

Write down what you ate, what time you ate it, and how you felt when you ate that particular food. Sometimes when we eat certain “comfort foods” we’re really trying to use food to fill up an emotional hole in our hearts.

Feelings of loneliness, boredom, stress, anger and low-self esteem are often triggers for food binging. Write it down and you can go back and evaluate it later.

Treat Yourself

When you reach one of your weight loss goals, go ahead and treat yourself to something special. The only catch is that your reward cannot be a food item. That’s right, you will not have a bowl of ice cream or a big slice of pizza.

You want to mentally get away from thinking of food as a reward or a security blanket. So, think of some other things that will put a smile on your face. Money is always a good reward. Maybe you can create a reward jar and pay yourself five dollars for every milestone achieved. You could go on a nice shopping spree after you’ve reached your final goal weight.

You could also buy yourself some fresh flowers, a nice pair of earrings, a new video game, a new tie, etc.

Another great idea is to make up your own reward coupon books.

I hope these tips are helpful and that you are successful in creating a healthier and happier new you.

Weight Loss Or Fat Loss - Important Differences To Lose Weight And Fat Healthily

Some people used the term “weight loss” while others call it “fat loss” whilst many use the terms weight loss and fat loss interchangeably. Do they mean the same thing? To many people, they do mean the same thing. But the terms may be entirely different in meaning. You must know the difference if you want to lose weight or lose fat effectively and healthily.

When you step onto your bathroom scale every morning, what you will be reading from the scale is weight loss and not fat loss. Bath room scales are never accurate in determining fat loss.

Why? Because it measures your overall weight and not your body fat per se. If you weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast after your bowel movement, you will probably get your lowest reading of the day because your body is dehydrated through hours of non fluid replenishment when you were sleeping and after emptying your bowels, more water and wastes are flushed away so much so that you are you are lighter. After a night of sleep and not eating anything, your carbohydrate store is running low and therefore you are even lighter without the stored carbohydrate known as glycogen. What happened then? You just loss weight not loss fat! Your body fat is still there while the weight of other substances such as glycogen, wastes, water etc are depleted.

Now go weigh yourself again after dinner when you are fully replenished through meals and consumption of water and it may surprised you that you may probably weigh 2kg or more heavier and that is at least 4.4 pounds! You just gained weight and may even gained fat! Now you can see that it is such a misnomer when people think weight loss and fat loss are the same thing.

Why must you know the difference? Because for most of us, especially those who are on the fat side want to lose fat and not necessarily want to lose weight. Getting the drift?

Now for the more important part. Mere weight loss may cause you to lose muscle and in turn, make you gain body fat later. Yes, it is ironical. That is because the more muscle mass you have, the more you burn fat efficiently because muscle is an active tissue and it requires calories to function. Body fat just sit there doing nothing and thus do not burn calories on its own. So the less muscle mass you have, the less calories your body will burn. The fewer calories your body burn, the more calories ended up being stored as body fat! Therefore it is important to lose fat but not merely lose weight which may include the loss of muscle tissues.

How is it that a person may lose muscle on a weight loss program? Well for starters, we commonly hear about people going on this diet and that diet. Most diets demand a severe restriction of food or calorie intake. Your body will then signal to your mind that you are in a starvation mode and the body is designed to store fat for the impending famine and will use up your muscle for energy in your daily activities.

Some diets advocate a severe cut in carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is your body's first source of energy. When your body is depleted of carbohydrate, it turns to your protein (muscles) and body fat indiscriminately for energy. Now to make matters worse, because of the restricted carbohydrate consumed, there will be fewer carbohydrate calories to be used as energy calories and that again will signal the onset of starvation mode again. The vicious cycle of your body cannibalizing its own muscle is set in motion again. The same applies to people on slimming pills or salon fat loss programs.

So some people say ok, Chris, I see your point, so I will just do plenty of cardio exercises to lose weight. Another grave mistake. Have you ever wondered why marathon runners, those who run many kilometers often and are doing cardio exercises almost everyday are so skinny with no muscle tone? Because your body is a wonderful machine. It is designed to adapt. When you run or skip or swim long enough, it will say, look, I better get lighter so that I can take the stress better and improve the endurance. Guess what? Your muscles are heavier than fats and what will your body shed more when it wants to get lighter? Muscle or fat? Your body will shed both but more muscles than fats.

Anyway, why would you want to lose weight only to become a smaller you with the same body shape without any muscle tone? Why would you want to be on a weight loss program that eats your muscles and lower your fat burning rate so much so that when you are off the program, the fats come piling back on again?

Therefore, while you are on a lose weight program, you must also be on a build muscle program. That will mean a combination of correct dietary habit, cardio exercises and weightlifting exercises to maintain muscle preservation and a fat loss result.

From now on tell people you are on a fat loss program and not a weight loss program. That you are on a correct eating habit instead of just simply dieting.

With the distinction clearly in mind, you will then know how to lose fat effectively, preserve and grow your muscles and at the same time losing weight on your bathroom scale. That would be an ideal way to achieve your weight loss objective because you will lose body fat instead of muscle and mere body wastes.

5 Weight Loss Tips on Apples Can Accelerate Healthy Weight Loss

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We have all heard this a million times in our lives, but for some reason we would rather grab a double stuffed OREO when we feel like a snack. Would we be more inclined to eat this all-natural food if the saying was An Apple A Day Keeps The Fat Away? I think we would. We are a nation that puts quick weight loss fixes at the top of our priorities instead of focusing on our overall health.

Living a healthy lifestyle is essential for not only losing weight, but maintaining an ideal weight so you do not need to trying fad diets. Apples have a variety of advantages that will keep us living healthy and fat free. Ever wonder why there are so many varieties of apples in the grocery store? It is because they are a perfect addition to your weight-loss plan and well-being for a number of reasons, and our earth wants us to be reminded of it.

Weight Loss Tips #1: Apples are Low In Calories And Fat

Calories are calories, whether they are from healthy fruits and vegetables or a plate of fettucini alfredo. Since you lose weight when you burn off more calories than you consume, it is best to eat foods that will make you feel full without the calories. That is why an apple as a snack will not hurt your weight loss efforts like so many fat-free snack foods that are on the market. These foods contain lots of calories even though they are low in fat. Apples do not, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Weight Loss Tips #2: Apples Contain Carbohydrates

Yes, you read that right. Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates are not detrimental to weight loss. I am not recommending you go out and eat a box of Cheez-Its to get carbohydrates, however. Unlike packaged snack foods, apples will not trigger you to eat more than you need. Carbohydrates will give you lots of energy, and the more active you are the more calories you will burn. Since you want the fuel without preservatives and other artificial ingredients, apples are perfect.

Weight Loss Tips #3: Apples Are A Good Source Of Fiber, Vitamins And Minerals

The healthier you are, the easier it is to lose weight. Your body can perform miracles when you provide it with proper nutrition. Fiber is a good way to curb your appetite, so eating an apple before a big meal will eliminate your desire to eat too much. Even though it's not bursting with nutrients like some of the other fruits, apples are a good source of vitamin C, which in a round about way help prevent heart disease and the formation of some cancers.

Weight Loss Tips #4: Apples Have A High Water Content

When a person is trying to lose weight, it is always best to focus on a diet of water-rich foods. Water is an extremely important part of weight loss, but not everyone likes to drink their share of it or they forget to. Eating water-rich foods like apples and other fruits will at least solve part of the problem if you have trouble remembering to drink enough liquids. Not only does water make you feel more full, but it does so without giving your body more calories.

Weight Loss Tips #5: Apples Detoxifying The Body

Apples contain enzymes that help your body digest food more efficiently. When your body is able to get rid of toxins, it becomes a healthier host for proper nutrition to do its magic. Apples are much cheaper than any detox program you will ever find, but you must remember that one apple is not going to make much of a difference. You need to make a habit of eating apples on a weekly basis if not daily, along with other foods that accelerate weight loss and promote good health.

Since apples are low in calories and fat, and contain carbohydrates as well as fiber, vitamins and minerals, it is no wonder they can help you lose weight in different ways. Did I forget to mention that the fiber from apples helps you feel full longer because it expands in your stomach? Forgetting that probably has something to do with the fact that apples have even more advantages than our minds can remember.

The most important part of losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is developing the mindset to support good habits like eating an apple instead of a Hershey bar. You have to be the kind of person who really believes that eating an apple will help you in all of these positive ways, and that the junk foods you are giving up as a consequence really are bad for you. Believing leads to action and action gets results. The kind of results you need for any healthy weight loss program all boils down to your beliefs.