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A Healthier Me 101 – are You an Idiot About Weight Loss?

 

If you are like me, you have tried everything in the book to lose weight. There are so many variations on the weight loss theme, I have trouble remembering what goes with what! I might have lost a few pounds here or there, but in the end I felt like a failure, thinking “I’m an idiot for thinking this was going to be the diet to end all diets”. If you are in the same boat, jumping from one diet to another, read on to truly discover the right way to lose weight. Let me re-phrase that, read on to discover what you need to do to re-program your body and lose weight in the process. There are certain myths or false beliefs about weight loss that we should cover first.

Misconception #1: Lower Caloric Content = Lower Weight

This was one myth I was caught up in for a long time. One would think if you eat less, your caloric intake is less and subsequently you lose weight. We take our bodies for granted too often. We do not have control over our bodies in the way we might think. If you choose to eat less and take in less calories, the body says, “Whoa! Wait a second here, re-adjust, re-adjust, re-adjust!” You can almost hear the sirens and alarms ringing out. Your body makes adjustments for the lower caloric intake and holds on to the fat stores for later use. You body only sees the present, and discovers less caloric intake and slows down the burning of fat. The weight you thought you would lose by lowering your caloric intake does not occur. The body needs to protect itself. The easiest example is of your friend, thin as a rail, that eats 3 times as much as you do and doesn’t gain an ounce. Your first thought is to call her the “B” word, and concede that she has a tape worm or something, maybe a hollow leg! In fact, she is probably eating the amount she needs and in turns burns it off. Now you, on a third of the food, requiring more likely as much as she eats, are being blocked by your body in losing fat stores.

Misconception #2: The Skinny On Fat-Burning Foods

You have heard about the foods that help increase metabolism and in turn speed up losing weight. Research cannot substantiate this completely. Some research has even come to conclude you could GAIN weight eating fat-burning foods! One dieting web site went as far as to say that eating fat-burning foods was only a part of the solution, you still needed regular exercise, lower caloric intake and better food choices. Wait a second. Read that again if you need to. If fat-burning foods is only part of the solution, then they are NOT the solution. There are no true short cuts to dieting, and fat-burning foods is just another diet fad collective trying to get your money. Sure, eat the foods they suggest are fat-burning foods, they are usually good choices anyways, but if you eat too many of them, you are only going to up your caloric content and lose less weight.

Misconception #3: Diet Pills Are Magic

Millions and millions AND millions are spent annually on diet pills and supplements, each claiming they are the magic pill to weight loss. Embarrassingly I have to admit, I was one of those blinded-by-wonder suckers that decided to give them a go. You know that saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”? It is appropriate when we talk about diet pills. When you start any diet, there can be noticeable weight loss to begin with, usually associated with water weight loss. Most people think that the increased weight loss must be the diet pills – WOW! – and continue to take them. Suddenly the body checks in and slams the door on water weight loss to protect itself and any weight loss you observed comes to a screeching halt. The body is going to protect itself at all costs. Did you know that these so called diet wonder drugs can have some serious side effects? Is a diet pill worth the chances for heart failure? I probably could deal with the diarrhea and headaches, but when it comes to heart failure and death I have to put my foot down.

You have to realize that your body is not going to allow for drastic changes. Dieting and losing weight is a combination of many aspects that come together. Eating properly and knowing when and how to eat properly are your starting points to a healthier you. More information on how to proceed in a safe and moderated way can be found below. Don’t procrastinate and say you will start your weight loss after the next holiday. Why wait? Your healthy life depends on it.

Forget about all the diet failures of your past. There is finally a program you can follow to change your body for good – not until the next fad comes along. Learn what to eat, when to eat and get your body back on your side by visiting my website: http://fat-loss-idiots-help.blogspot.com/

Depression and Weight Loss

Depression and weight gain are closely related, because very often people want to relieve the stress and bad feeling by eating. Being on a weight loss program during a depression period can be very demanding, but if successful, can be a tremendous boost to self confidence and help with depression also. On the other hand, being over weighted can contribute to depression because we easily lose our self confidence and have a bad self image, which can trigger depressive and negative thoughts and feelings.

What is depression really?

The word depression stems from two words; “de” and “pressure”. We feel like we’re pressed down by a force bigger than our willpower, like a big cloud hanging over us. Eventually this depressed feeling takes over so much, it’s hard to get up from bed sometimes. We lose our zeal for life, nothing inspires us and our life force seems to be totally gone. Sometimes a person can suffer from depression without anybody noticing it. Nobody sees inside of you, not your family, your friends nor workmates. In these situations one feels helpless and alone.

These are the symptoms but what are the reasons? Why do people suffer from depression? Can and should depression be treated medically?

Depression occurs when our life force is weakened and this can have several causes.  We all have different ability to handle difficult situations and when for a long period of time things seem to go wrong, this can be enough to trigger depression. Depression is emotional, but negative thoughts make it worse.  Life force is what keeps our spirits up and gets us going. This life force is mostly in our spine, but we feel it in our body as vigor, strength and inspiration. Being depressed means we have somehow lost our natural life force and fallen into a psychological well.

Medication can help relieve some pain and remove some symptoms temporally, but it is never a long term solution.  It is very important to understand that depression has its roots inside us, it is not coming from outside. Best treatment is positive thinking, different hobbies and support from friends and family.

As I said earlier, depression and weight loss are closely related.  Many people feel that one reason they are depressed is because they are over weighted.  If you feel this is so, you are most probably right. The weight problem is one reason that makes the life situation worse.  But how can one lose weight when all the energy goes to just live from day to day?

Actually what is needed in these situations is action. If we just wait for depression to go away, it might take a much longer time. A healthy diet program that checks our condition frequently is very good and can help boost our confidence and generate a forward going feeling in life. This feeling will eventually remove the depressed emotions and our life force will be free to flow again.

Depression is enemy and we need to face our enemy and conquer it. It is done by taking action and losing weight is a good action to take, but we must not be too strict and hard to ourselves. Allow one feast meal per week, don’s skip meals and eat healthy foods. If it gets unbearable, call someone, talk about it, share it – take action. This will help you take the all important first step.  Do things you like that in the past have given you enjoyment. Start something new and move yourself. Life is movement, death is motionless, and depression makes you feel you are dead inside, so the best treatment is to move on like there never was any depression – and soon your system will follow and you have won one very important battle. 

Lose The Weight And Keep It Off With These Tips For Safe Weight Loss

Excessive weight is quite a common problem for many people in today’s fast-paced world. Some may have it at a very early age while some may start struggling with it after childbirth or with advancing age. Regardless of at what age a person may have weight problems, the fact remains that excessive weight is a serious problem. Not only foes it cause unflattering bulges in certain areas of the body, it is also a major health risk. Being overweight is considered as a key factor in a number of serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Being overweight and fat can also have psychological effects as one may find himself unattractive or even ugly because of his excess weight. This may be the reason why a number of techniques and diets have been developed each with a promise of easy, painless and quick weight loss.
One important thing to think about is to lose weight safely. Before embarking on any weight loss program, one must seriously consider its being safe. Weight loss foes not mean being deprived of important nutrients and energy. It is not only with the speed and ease at which weight was lost but how it will be kept off in the end. Unsuccessful attempts may simply cause one to jump from one program to another and to go though a cycle of losing and gaining weight or yo-yo dieting. Yo- yo dieting is in fact dangerous and a major health concern. The key to safely lose the excess weight is to stick to the basics and being consistent.
One step to safe weight loss is controlling your food cravings. Losing weight does not mean not eating entirely or giving up on nutrients or the pleasure of eating. Food craving can cause one to eat in a frenzy a particular food be it chocolate or chips. Stress is one key factor alogn with certain activities. Do not eat while you are doing something else like reading, watching television, or driving. Doing so makes you unaware and unmindful of the type and amount of food you are consuming.
Take time to eat. Safe weight loss does not necessarily mean giving up snacking. Hunger and deprivation can actually drive cravings so keep them at bay by having snacks in between meals. Go for healthy snacks like low fat or sugar free foods such as yogurt, bagels or pretzels. Skipping meals is a definite no-no in safe weight loss. Hunger will only cause you to eat excessively on the next meal so eat small frequent meals instead.
Drink plenty of fluids. Safe weight loss would not be complete without it. Water helps eliminate toxins and waste from the body and helps nutrients to circulate faster. It also helps your skin become clearer and more vibrant.
Safe weight loss, no matter how one may find it harrowing, still boils down to physical activity. Excessive fat would not simply melt away without doing activities. That will burn it and will keep it off. Exercise need not be a difficult activity. It can ne as easy as taking regular brisk walks, jogging or developing a love for a new sport like swimming, tennis or even dancing. Exercise releases feel-good chemicals in the brain that are also released when one eats. So it can also condition you mentally and at the same time curb your cravings. Exercise also causes you to perspire out toxins and wastes so they could also be eliminated from the body. Not only will you lose weight safely and help keep it off permanently, exercise also promotes healthy and clear skin.
Safely losing weight need not be done at a miraculous pace. The key is to see permanent and positive results without jeopardizing one’s health. Remember to lose weight is not only for the sake of looking good and h\feeling better about yourself, ot is more so for the sake of your health.

Quick Weight Loss for Women: is This Really the Best Weight Loss for Women?

Why slow weight loss is the “new” quick weight loss for women!

 

Losing weight is an ongoing struggle for many women.  But is quick weight loss for women the ultimate fix?

 

I personally have tried all the quick weight loss for wowmen diets there is out there. Yes some of them do work, but only for a short period of time.

 

Let’s look at these quick weight loss diets and understand why they work, but only for the short term.

 

How Do You Lose Weight Quickly?

 

In order to lose weight quickly you need to eat a much lower number of calories than you burn in a given day.

 

This means that you either have to calorie count or follow one of those “lose ten pounds in ten days” diets.

 

Many people say that in order to lose weight quickly you should only consume 800 calories a day. Wow – that’s not much food is it?

 

Yes you can keep this up for a short period of time and lose weight quickly, but as soon as you start eating properly again… yes you’ve guessed it – up goes your weight again.

 

Therefore you are back to square one. Six months later you have tried so many quick weight loss fixes and given up so you are still at your overweight state. Not exactly quick weight loss now is it!

 

I know this from first hand experience, time and time again. Before I know it a whole year has passed and I still have not lost any weight even though I have spent money on many quick weight loss fixes!

 

Why Losing Weight Slowly Is The Way To Go

 

Now that we’ve established that quick weight loss is not the best way to go, let’s look at why losing 1-2 lb a week is actually the “new” quick weight loss for women routine.

 

You see giving yourself enough calories to live off will give you a slow steady weight loss which is much more manageable to stick to and attain. After all you can eat a good amount of food plus have treats such as wine and the odd pizza slice etc.. This is just so much more natural making it much more achievable to stick to it and lose 1-2lb week.

 

You still have to watch what you eat and go down the healthy route with plenty of fruit, vegetables and fibre, but you can also fit in foods you like so you won’t cheat.

 

So in the same six months you are much more likely to be able to stick to the higher calorie diet with a slower weight loss and be able to reach your goal. As opposed to keep trying quick fix fads which are practically humanly impossible to stick to so you give up and you are back to square one.

 

I finally realised this a few months ago when I was still 21lbs overweight after being on a ‘diet’ for about two years! So I set a target of losing only 1lb a week. This was so easy to stick to by being able to have the odd glass of red wine and a few treats. I ate healthy most of the week and introduced some exercise in the form of swimming. I am now half way to losing my 21lb but if I had stuck to my quick weight loss diet fads, I would still be 21lb overweight!

The Anti Toxin Diet – Drink Juice and Lose Weight

This diet is the best if you want to get rid of the extra toxins in your body. The juice diet not only detoxifies your body, but also does magic to your facial and physical appearance. Not only will you be shedding off pounds your face would glow. Your typical day should include a glass of low fat or skim milk In the morning as breakfast.

After a couple of hours you should have a cucumber juice with lemon. Make sure you do not drink half glasses, try having a big glass of these juices have a lot of water in between. for lunch have a big glass of orange juice with two boiled eggs. For your mid evening snack have a glass of banana, carrot, kiwi, grapefruit, orange, apple, mango, juice you can make a juice out of these fruits and veggies, or you can make a smoothie. The smoothie should be made in low fat yogurt and no extra sugar should be added.

Let’s say you are a veggie hater and only resort to eating meats and eggs. so you can stick to drinking fruit juices rather than vegetable juices. Try drinking the broccoli and mint juice. Not only will your system be purified, you will get all the required nutrients in your body. You can also drink tomato juice, as long as you do not have uric acid. But do not have a lot of tomato juice since the sugar in tomato can be problematic with the weight loss. a lot of people follow the orange juice diet, but a variety of juices made with fresh veggies and fruits can be healthier.

Make sure you check with your doctor before doing the juice diet. Once you have lost all the desired weight on the juice diet. Adding solid food should be done slowly and you should only introduce the easily digested foods first. For instance yogurt, cereal, salads etc. do not start your solid food diet until you have fully lost your desired weight. Drink a lot of water while doing the diet.

Before And After Weight Loss Pictures Exposed

Almost every weight loss diet, pill, program, juice or drink, or regime will be sold to you with some form of before and after pictures. You see these pictures in newspapers, billboards at the roadside, and any other form of advertising. The question is whether you can really believe them?
In weight-loss clinics and in some gyms you might get to see before and after pictures of weight-loss that you can easily recognize as real people having lost real weight.
These institutions normally display testimonies from their clients on the walls. These are verifiable cases where you can talk to the actual individuals involved. If it is a gym you can often see the people featured in the pictures doing their cardio or attending an aerobics class.
When you find these before and after pictures they can serve as a huge motivational factor for you.
The same can not always be said of the professional before and after pictures that are attached to many advertising campaigns.
The same can also not be said of before and after pictures of celebrities who have lost weight.
The trouble with these before and after pictures of weight-loss is that one never knows whether the person featured in the picture used only the product that is being promoted. One also does not know the exact period of time that it took that person to lose that the amount of weight.
Celebrity weight loss can rarely be taken as the norm and as something that the average person in the street can achieve.
These people have the money and the time to employ professionals and to concentrate several methods on their weight-loss effort.
Next time you want to see before and after weight loss pictures to help you motivate yourself in your own weight-loss efforts, look for the pictures of everyday people. These pictures should also provide you with more information about the person’s weight-loss such as what they did, what they used, and how long it took them to lose the weight.

An Easy Method To Lose Weight And Improve Your Life

Over the next few pages I will help you to understand a few pointers that will hopefully promote your efforts to shed pounds in a nutritious and effectual manner.
The first thing I’d like to see you do is to assess the amount of food that you are eating on an average day right now. Start out when you wake up in the morning and just follow through with your day without changing anything. You should make a strong attempt to eat the same foods as you would ordinarily be eating on any other day, and keep track of precisely what you are consuming plus the exact quantities that you consume. Most people agree that this activity calls for a high amount of seriousness on the part of the dieter. It is very important that you remind yourself that you have decided to lose weight the healthy way, and to abide by a sensible weight loss system.
This will end up being a great deal better for you over the long term than the newest crash diet program or weight loss pill. In all honestly, the entire activity will take no longer than a few minutes total, for the powerful long-term advantages that it will extend. While you are getting ready to go to sleep that evening, you will want to count up the actual number of carbs, protein, fat, and calories that you managed to eat during an average day. You need to be as precise as possible so that you will have an accurate perception of where you are at presently and what details of your present diet would likely be the most advantageous areas to get to work on.
There are same basic, simple, natural maneuvers that you should follow that will help you to drop the amount of food-energy that you are taking in in an ordinary day so that you can start losing weight.
The thing you’ll do can be to actually increase the quantity of protein that you consume in an average day. Medical research has proven that increasing your daily protein consumption without changing anything else will often cause significant fat loss, due to the fact that protein-rich foods are quite a bit more satisfying than anything else you could eat. As you start eating more protein, you should work on gently minimizing the amount of sugar and carbohydrates you are eating. Clinical studies have demonstrated that starch makes you feel less satisfied. This is why you will find that you usually eat a bigger portion of food for lunch if you have a glass of soda together with your lunch.
In addition to making these changes in your diet, you can dramatically improve your ability to burn calories by increasing your total muscle mass. The best way to do this is by lifting weights. Weight training can be extremely enjoyable since you don’t have to do it more than a couple times a week and the benefits can be seen and felt pretty quickly. The best way to do weight training is to do nice, slow exercises just a few times until your muscles are unable to continue. Drink a strong protein shake before and after each workout to speed up the rate at which your body builds muscle.
Doing cardio is simply not an effective way to lose weight. The reason for this is that you are not actually burning as many calories as you would expect to burn doing these exercises. Also, this type of exercise mostly burns off the sugars in your blood, quickly increasing your appetite and thus causing you to consume more calories after your workout. For this reason, doing cardio is not recommended unless you just really happen to enjoy it.
After one week of following this simple plan, you will likely be pleased to find that you have lost a pound or two. This is a nice easy pace to lose weight at, and it is good to keep this in mind so you will not get caught in the trap of crash dieting. The latest fad diet would probably take the pounds off more quickly, but you would likely damage your health and regain all the weight after a short period of time. If you continue to lose weight at this rate of just a pound or two per week, you will soon find that a year has gone by and you have lost a huge amount of weight–more than 50 pounds–by barely even trying.

An Enlightened Program For Losing Weight

Over the course of this article I hope to introduce you to some ideas that may increase your ability to reach your target weight in a salubrious and effectual manner.
An excellent way to start is to measure the amount of calories that you are eating in a single day. Begin when you wake up in the morning and just live out your day without making any special considerations. I want you to make a real effort to eat exactly the same as you would normally eat on any other ordinary day without changing anything, and take down a record of precisely what you put in your mouth plus the quantities that you consume. You’ll agree that this assignment requires a lot of seriousness on the part of the dieter. It is extremely important that you remind yourself of your decision to improve your health while losing weight, and to follow a level-headed weight loss system.
This type of system will end up being a lot more beneficial as time goes by than some new instant-gratification diet program or weight loss supplement. The fact is, the entire exercise will take no longer than 10-15 minutes out of your day, even for the many long-lasting benefits that it will extend. When it is time to hit the hay, take a moment to count up the total amount of calories, carbohydrate, protein, and fat that you consumed as the day went on. It is necessary to as precise as it is possible for you to be so that you will have a reliable picture of where you are starting out from and which characteristics of your present eating habits will end up being the most useful targets to work on.
Next, there are a few natural, easy actions that you need to follow if you are to diminish the number of calories that you are putting into yourself in an average day in order to initiate weight loss.
The tactic you can employ will be to actually raise the number of grams of protein that you consume in an average day. Scientific studies have demonstrated that increasing your daily protein levels in your diet without changing anything else frequently results in significant weight loss, due to the fact that proteins are a lot more filling than other foods. As you increase the amount of protein you are eating, try slowly lessening the amount of other carbohydrates that you are eating. Clinical studies have demonstrated that sugar can actually increase your appetite. It is a common experience that you usually eat a larger serving of food if you have a glass of soda pop along with your lunch.
In addition to making these changes in your diet, you will also want to increase your body’s ability to burn fat by gaining new lean muscle mass. This is done through weight training. Weight training can be extremely enjoyable due to the fact that you don’t have to do it every day and the benefits can be seen and felt pretty quickly. The best weight training technique is to do nice, slow exercises just a few times until your muscles are unable to continue. Load up on protein, and especially glutamine immediately after you finish working out to get the best recovery times.
Cardiovascular exercises have not been shown to be effective in promoting weight loss. The reason for this is that you are not actually burning as many calories as you would expect to burn doing these exercises. Additionally, cardio tends to reduce your blood sugar levels, quickly increasing your appetite and making you likely to eat more food than you otherwise would have. Because of this, doing cardio is not recommended unless you just really happen to enjoy it.
after just 7 days of following this plan, you will typically have lost a couple of pounds! This is a nice easy pace to lose weight at, and it is good to keep this in mind so you will not get caught in the trap of crash dieting. Of course you can lose weight more quickly using less sound methods, but you would likely damage your health and most likely stop losing weight very quickly. As you continue to steadily lose just one to two pounds per week by following this plan, you will soon find that a year has gone by and you have lost more than fifty pounds with very little effort!

Before You Consider The Next Weight Loss Fad You Need To Consider A Lifestyle Change

The twenty-first century has taught us that we can get anything we want in the time that we want it if we just find the right solution, and thanks to “science”, the solution does exist. But many times when we try to find the quick fix to a problem, we never really deal with the heart of the problem. The weight loss community has demonstrated this principle more than any other group in our world.

Consider this: hundreds of commercials and ads promise fast weight loss. Overweight or seemingly overweight individuals dream about becoming the slender girl on the commercial who claims, “I lost 50 pounds with (insert product) and you can too!” In the end, though, even when the weight has come off the side effects of whatever drug taken have waned, the now skinny individual still has the same core problem.

We need to focus on two specific things instead of just weight loss: self nurturing and limitations. A lack of both of these causes not only weight gain but immeasurable psychological problems which many attribute to their overweight status. They think, “If only I could lose 20 pounds, I would feel better about myself”. While the loss of 20 pounds could certainly lead to a physically healthier person, that person’s mental health suffers all the more for going untreated.

So what do we mean when we say “self nurturing” and “limitations”? An individual focused on self nurturing understands the need to look inward, to consider motives for his actions. Why does he really want to lose weight? What purpose does he have? What end does he want to attain? What will he feel like once he has lost the weight? Will it change his perspective? Self nurturing results in an emotionally balanced and connected individual, ready to take on all of life’s challenges, be they physical or emotional weight.

Limitations seem pretty obvious when we talk about weight gain and loss, but in actuality, these refer to more than just food intake. They refer to the limitations of life. Those focusing on their limitations will ask themselves if their expectations are reasonable, if their thinking is powerful and positive, and if the reward is ultimately worth the pain they must go through to get to it. This final question matters the most when considering a weight loss program. Many who seek quick solutions do not consider the pain, the side effects of their weight loss. They just jump right on the diet train. Even if they seek logical lifestyle changes that will help them lose weight healthfully, they often do not consider the full gamut of pain they must experience to get to that particular weight they desire.

Those who focus on these two skills will discover some amazing things, primarily, personal strength. They will have the desire to not only lose weight, but they will lose the desire to overeat. And in the end, they will end up happier and healthier overall, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Weight Loss Vs. Fat Loss: Discover Why Your Scale May Be Your Worst Enemy

In your pursuit of a leaner body, you know doubt utilized a bathroom scale to chronicle your progress. However, you may have been doing yourself a grave disservice. As you know, a scale measures how much weight you have lost, but it will never tell you where this weight was lost from. This is where the problem lies. When dieting, your combined weight loss could potentially come from fat loss, water loss, or muscle loss. Obviously, the former is what we all want to achieve, and the latter two are what we need to try and avoid whenever dieting. Unfortunately, many of the fad diets claiming rapid weight loss are often achieving this at the expense of water loss and/or muscle loss. Generally speaking, if you are losing greater than two pounds per week you are likely losing muscle as well.
The best way to monitor your progress when embarking on a new diet is to measure your body fat percentage and your lean body mass. Lean body mass is your weight excluding fat. Lean body mass includes bone, muscle, and other fat free tissues with the majority of this being muscle. By measuring these two items, you will be able to determine how much fat you are losing and whether or not you are losing any muscle. The simplest way to measure your body fat percentage is through skinfold testing. If you know a personal trainer or other fitness professional in your area, they will likely be able to take these measurements for you. However, self skinfold testing is available with the use of the “Accu-Mesure”, which can by found easily online.
Once you have determined your body fat percentage, you are ready to calculate your fat weight and lean body mass. To calculate your fat weight, multiply your total weight by your body fat percentage. Remember to convert your body fat percentage to decimal form before multiplying. I.e. 11% body fat would be converted to .11 Once you have calculated your pounds of fat, subtract your pounds of fat from your total weight in pounds, which will give you your lean body mass.
Armed with these simple equations, you will be able to track your weight loss much more accurately than by simply using a scale alone. You will know exactly where your weight loss is coming from, so you can quickly make adjustments to your caloric intake to maximize your results. For example, if your lean body mass decreases and your body fat decreases, this should tell you there is to much of a calorie deficit and you should increase your daily calorie intake slightly to prevent the loss in lean body mass. Whenever you’re on a calorie restricted diet, some loss in lean body mass and therefore muscle is hard to avoid. However, this loss in lean body mass should be limited to a few tenths of a pound per week. Initially, when first starting a diet program, you will likely notice a larger drop in lean body mass due to water loss. Don’t get alarmed by this. An obvious downward trend in your lean body mass over time is definitely a concern.
It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss proper nutrition and how to calculate daily caloric needs for weight loss; however, I will mention a simple formula that can be utilized to get you in the ballpark if you have average or better body fat percentages. To calculate your total daily calories needed for fat loss, multiply your total weight by 12-13. This will give you a good starting point. I will also mention that spreading your calories out over 5-6 meals per day with each meal consisting of approximately 55% complex carbohydrate, 30% lean protein, and 15% fat will give you the best chance of permanent fat loss. Obviously, these percentages may not work for everyone, but they are a great place to start. If you want to maintain your hard earned muscle, it is also imperative you maintain a weight lifting routine, while dieting.
I hope this information will help you achieve all your weight loss goals and help you understand exactly how your nutrition and diet program is affecting your body. There is certainly still a place for the bathroom scale, but unless you’re also measuring the items above, you will never fully realize the affect of your diet program and reaching your full potential may be difficult. I wish you the best of luck.