Keep Your Visits to the Weight Loss Clinic a Secret

Anita Mills was 382 pounds when her doctor gave her two rules to lose weight:

Rule #1 - Eat healthy & don't skip meals.

Rule #2 - Don't tell anyone that you're trying to lose weight.

After losing a whopping 242 pounds, Anita credits the second tip for her success.

Here's why.... By not having someone questioning what she ate or trying to get her to relax on weekends kept her focused on the goal.

Anita said that having people ask "Hey, did you do something different?" was so much better than announcing "I'm on a diet" and have people watching you.

At first the "don't tell" advice seems counter-intuitive. After all, Weight Watchers and others claim that their support groups are key to your success.

But a growing number of experts now say that telling family, friends and Facebook about that your involved with the local weight loss clinic may well have a negative effect.

Dr. Jon Walz, Anita's doctor, gives all his weight loss patients the same rules. He claims that - ever since we were young children - we look for people who look like and act like us. However, when we're obese, that puts us in a circle of friends where we'd rather not be from a physical standpoint anyway

The trouble with having many obese friends is that obesity becomes OK, along with the habits that support it. And, if we're going to break free from our weight problem, we also need to change our "obesity-oriented" habits and behaviors for a "naturally-thin" lifestyle.

The doctor was right. When Anita Mills started losing the pounds and couldn't hide her diet anymore, her more obese friends also started drifting away.

"People are mean -- people who you would normally think would be supportive. One friend told me she liked it better when I was the fat friend. That hurt," Mills said.

Dr. Peter Gollwitzer, a  professor of psychology at New York University, agrees.

His research "When Intentions Go Public," describes how gaining praise on achieving a goal - like a diet - gives us recognition from friends and others, even before we may have finished. We then mark this as a sense of accomplishment and then start telling ourselves that "we did it" even before we are done.

"The danger is that you feel that you have already reached the goal and because of that you don't have to act on it any more," Gollwitzer says.

Gollwitzer added that it may be OK to tell a couple of very close friends - who also want to see you thin - so that they can hold you accountable and help keep focus on your ultimate goal, not just the day-to-day process.

But until you reach your goal, just sidestep the questions about your new shape and don't tell anyone about your visits to the weight loss clinic until you're done the program.

The doctors at the WeightWorks weight loss clinics have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering 50% off the initial doctor consultation to help you as well. To hear how our weight loss clinics can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online and take the first step to your weight loss success! Enter EZINE50 as the discount code when prompted to receive your 50% off. Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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The Truth Behind Holiday Weight Gain and What You Can Do About It

For many of us, the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day is often a continuous parade of holiday parties, family dinners, and social hours.

Even if you can keep your weight on target for the rest of the year, by the time we get through the holidays, we're left talking about the "Christmas 5" or the "Holiday 7" and again wondering what weight loss program to start with in January.

The year-end holiday season is definitely where most of us struggle with weight management. But even worse news is that weight gained during this time tends to stick with us, so that even slight gains of the season add up.

The most-quoted research in this area was completed by the doctors at the National Institutes of Health. In that study, 195 people were tracked in detail before and after the holiday period, with further weight tracking at intervals up to one year later.

That study shows that the "average" weight gain of all study participants over the 6-week holiday period was just less than 1 pound.

That sounds good, but digging a bit deeper, the study shows that those who were already overweight posted bigger weight gains. In fact, almost 10% of the study participants recorded a whopping 5 pounds or more gained over the 6-week holiday season!

Comparing these seasonal weight gains with weight measurements made one year later highlighted a good news / bad news story.

The bad news was that any weight gained over the 6-week holiday period tended to stick around for the whole year and form the basis for new weight gains in the next year. Despite the average weight gain of just 0.8 lbs during the holidays, that average gain increased to 1.4 lbs by the time the holidays rolled around again the next year.

As bad as it sounds, there is good news in this data - it shows that most of our weight gain for the entire year is packed on in the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's. This means that if we can avoid the problem of holiday weight gain, then we have eliminated most of the weight gain problem - all in one fell swoop!

But eliminating the holiday weight gain - even if it is just over a 6-week period - is no small feat.

The most typical advice given is just that - advice: someone else telling you what to do and what not to do. The big tips that come around as advice pretty much every year include: 

• Watch your serving sizes
• Avoid sugary or fatty snacks
• Alcohol calories count too
• Don't forget to exercise
• Etc., etc.

All of it is just advice - do this, don't do that.

However, another group of scientists have found that relaxation therapy with embedded messaging for the reinforcement of healthy eating has been highly effective.

Randy Clusiau agrees. He recently lost 170 lbs just by using this type of relaxation therapy.

We agree too, and recommend that you check it out for yourself. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it works.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering free access to their Holiday Season Success Therapy to help you as well. Sign up for free access by clicking here. Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Don't Exercise to Lose Weight

Here's what an exercise-based weight loss program looks like:

Monday is cardio day - 20 minutes of stair climbing to nowhere, followed by 30 minutes of slightly uphill walking back that also doesn't go anywhere.

Wednesday is personal trainer day - a whole hour of being worked like a farm animal by someone whom I am paying for the privilege of telling me so.

Then, on Fridays, it's off to my body shaping class to bend, flex and jump around with a roomful of others, hoping that I will come out looking different than when I went in.

Isn't that how most of us do it?

We grunt and sweat through our workouts, smugly satisfied that our efforts are burning up more calories than the piece of chocolate cake we had for dessert last night.

Despite our best efforts, however, our weight and shape seem stuck at the very place we're trying to escape.

Eventually we give up hope on losing those last 20-30-40 pounds and the exercise routine becomes just another part of our social circle, or we quit the program altogether.

Well, as a doctor, I'm here to tell you that the common belief that exercise is THE WAY to lose your excess weight is false.

Your inner couch potato can rejoice, because, while exercise is a good thing to do for many other healthy reasons, it is not your #1 tool to losing weight.

The basic problem is that, even though exercise burns off the calories, it also stimulates hunger. That causes us to eat more, and unless we're very controlled in how much or what we eat, this will wipe out any weight loss advantage from working out.

In other words, in most cases, exercise makes your weight loss challenge even more difficult than it already is.

Check out the results of this study...

In 2009, researchers at Louisiana State University followed the weight loss progress of 464 overweight women for six months. They found no significant difference between women who exercised and those who did not.

Dr. Timothy Church, chair in health wisdom at LSU, pins the lack of an exercise bonus on "compensation". By that, he specifically means that those women who worked out rewarded themselves in one of two ways later that day: eating more or doing less.

Even just a brief stop at Starbucks for a coffee and muffin for a little "treat" wipes out 300-400 calories of workout time.

Colleague Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism and a prominent exercise researcher at LSU, agrees: "In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless."

For those of you who are more mathematically inclined, chew on this the next time you come back from the gym... Our bodies need 6 calories daily to sustain a pound of muscle, but only 2 calories per pound of fat.

This means that when you finally manage to convert 10lb of fat to muscle - which is a major achievement - you can eat an extra 40 calories per day without weight gain effect.

Wow!

Exercise is good for many reasons, but the exercise that is best for weight loss is just plain, old self-control. We did write an article on that a while back - The #1 Reason for Weight Loss Failure - but if you missed that, just drop us an email and I'm happy to send you a copy.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering free consultations to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Why Lasting Weight Loss Is So Hard

Losing weight is hard work, but keeping the weight off is even harder.

Take Claudia Hallblom of the Los Angeles area. By her own estimation, she has lost and regained about 1,000 pounds in her 39 years.

While many of us may not go up and down by 1,000 pounds, the gain/loss cycle one that is all-too-common.

But why?

Like many of us, Claudia's success at weight loss was generally motivated by a specific goal - a wedding, a graduation or other event.

To lose the weight, Claudia would get focused and go on a strict diet - counting calories and closely watching what she ate. Her dieting usually met with success, but after reaching her goal and passing the event, the weight would just come back on.

According to Claudia. "I didn't know how to lose weight and keep it off."

TWO REASONS WHY WEIGHT LOSS REBOUND OCCURS

In this article, we will fill you in on the two best tools to help keep the weight off, but first, let's have a look at why this is so hard.

When you lose weight, two changes take place that work against your new, thinner self. First, your lighter body needs fewer calories to maintain itself. Second, your cravings for food become more intense.

Research shows that when you lose weight, you need about eight fewer calories per day for each pound of weight that was lost. That means someone who loses 40 pounds will require about 320 calories fewer each day than they did before the weight loss.

A change like that is significant and requires a corresponding permanent change in what you eat. Not just while you are losing the weight, but for the rest of your life.

Also working against you after losing weight is your appetite. Weight loss brings about a change in hormones that leave you feeling hungrier.

Studies also show that, after a weight loss, levels of the appetite-regulating hormone leptin are lower than what they used to be. Similarly, the levels of ghrelin, another hormone which stimulates food intake, rise after weight loss.

Keeping the weight off is therefore a battle of the mind against your hormones and metabolism - both of which want to put the weight back on.

According to Paul MacLean, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, "The big problem is keeping it off. The recent estimates are that only 5% to 10% of people are successful at keeping weight off on a long-term basis."

Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of nutrition and metabolic research at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego adds: "You lose 10% of your body weight. All of a sudden all these systems kick in to try to keep you from losing weight. People are mad at themselves or depressed after they regain the weight. But I explain: It's not you. Biology has kicked in now.... You are hungry all the time. You think about food all the time."

Discouraging, to say the least!

TWO WAYS TO BEAT THE 95% FAILURE RATE

However, the good news is that there are two tools which can help you overcome the problem of weight re-gain.

First - and no surprise to most of you - is exercise. Exercise buffers the body against regaining weight, in ways that researchers of the physical body are just starting to comprehend. "Everyone thinks exercise is about burning calories," Dr. Fujioka says. "But you are actually returning the system to more like what it should be."

Second - and a much easier way - is the re-training of old habits through therapies developed by decades of research of the mind and its influence on the physical body. Leading research psychologist Dr. Patrick Porter says "The most powerful force within our bodies resides in our minds. This has been the source of all great achievement throughout mankind and is the single most effective tool to support lasting weight loss."

So, the next time you work on losing your way up to 1,000 pounds, remember that it doesn't have to be so.

JOIN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE!

In fact, you may want to set your goal to join the National Weight Control Registry - an honor roll of those who lose 30+ pounds and keep it off for at least one year.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering free consultations to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Is Lack of Sleep Behind Your Weight Gain?

If you've ever tossed and turned at night because you can't sleep, you might end up being more than just tired in the morning.

A recent report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides evidence that a lack of sleep can promote weight gain.

Apparently, there are two factors that tie lack of sleep to increased weight - increased hunger and a slower metabolism.

When we don't sleep right or sleep enough, our bodies spend more time in an "awake" state, meaning that we don't really relax or shut down for the night like we should. In this state, the hormone balance in our bodies leaves us feeling more hungry during the day after.

On the other hand, we also feel more sluggish when we do finally rise out of bed, reflecting less energy and a lower metabolism rate. This means that we will be less effective in burning calories in the day ahead.

Increased hunger and lower metabolism are bad news for anyone trying to lose weight. In fact, for losing weight we want just the opposite - less hunger and a higher metabolism!

The latest study, led by Christian Benedict of Uppsala University in Sweden, put the study subjects through a series of sleep "conditions" -- curtailed sleep, no sleep, and normal sleep. During the study, food intake was tracked while changes in blood sugars, hormone levels and other indicators of their metabolic rate were recorded.

What they found was astonishing. Even a single night of missed sleep slowed metabolism in the next day, reducing energy expenditure for basic tasks like breathing and digestion by up to 20 percent, compared with the morning after a good night's sleep.

Exactly how a lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones.

The key hormones is ghrelin. With a lack of sleep, our bodies end up with more ghrelin, the hunger-stimulating hormone that tells you when to eat.

Couple the increased ghrelin and a reduced metabolism, we eat more with a slower metabolism - a great setup for weight gain and bad news for those wanting to lose weight.

Unfortunately, in this country, not getting enough sleep is almost a badge of honor - we even boast about pulling an all-nighter, or working late.

Oftentimes, our lack of sleep may be due to higher levels of stress (the all-time #2 weight loss killer - see prior article), but in all cases, getting less than 7-9 hours of sleep is not helping us live vibrant and healthy lives - at the normal weight we should easily be able to maintain.

Maintaining our weight without enough sleep is hard work. On those days, we're likely to skip breakfast, grab an extra coffee (with an extra donut?) at work, skip the gym and generally follow the leadings by the "hormone upset" in our bodies - all things that help us gain weight.

The good news is this - you are likely to lose weight if you shift from a 5-hour-per-night sleep pattern to one of 7 or 8 hours per night.

Getting enough sleep is not a weight loss solution - but not getting enough sleep is often a first step to unnecessary weight gain.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering free consultations to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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The Doctor's Top 7 Insights Why You May Be Overweight

Based on our years of dealing with weight loss patients, we have compiled a list of our top 7 insights as to why people actually are overweight.

Here's my list - eliminate any one of these from your life and watch the pounds start to fall away...

#7 - We Don't Read Labels

"Low-fat" is not enough. Many low-fat foods are high in sugars and additives which affect the insulin balance and digestive effectiveness.

Better than low-fat are foods with lower sugar content and natural ingredients. Even healthy fats are better than much of what is in the "low-fat" diet food.

#6 - We Eat Out Too Often

Let's face it - eating out is fast & easy, and not that expensive either.

But eating out generally involves less healthy food than if we prepared something at home. Pizza, burgers & fried foods may come from different restaurants but are common enemies when it comes to weight gain.

Many of us claim not to have the time or skills to cook at home, but there are many websites out there that can make it easy for any beginner to succeed.

#5 - Over-sized Portions

Whether we're at a restaurant, grandma's house or just at home, it's super-easy to eat more than we need.

We start with large portions and then even treat ourselves to second helpings and eat much more than we need.

The trick to get past this one is to start with a smaller portion and then avoid second helpings, or include only a small dessert.

#4 - Too Much Sugar

As Americans, we consume more sugary soda drinks than any other country in the world.

A super-size fountain drink tastes so good going down, but it brings in as many calories as an entire meal! Not only that, but sugars are easier to store as fat than protein or other foods.

Try drinking diet soda to avoid the extra sugars, or even better, switch to non-fizzy drinks - unsweetened green tea and water are especially good for weight management!

#3 - Not Enough Sleep

Most of us get 5-6 hours of sleep per night. We may stay up late with the TV or get up early for work, but in either case, we're getting less than the 7-8 hours our bodies need.

When we sleep too little, our bodies don't have the chance to recover and set our hormones back in balance.

Too little sleep leaves us more lethargic with a slower metabolism, plus the out-of-balance hormones leave us hungrier too.

#2 - Too Much Stress

This is the only one of my 7 insights that was also included on the list of reasons (excuses) for excess weight given by those we have met.

As it turns out, excess stress is actually worse than eating chocolate when it comes to weight gain.

Excess stress messes with our hormones (just like too little sleep), but it also exaggerates our eating and inability to correctly process those foods. Bad news, indeed.

#1 - Bad Habits

Even worse than all the insights provided so far, is Weight Gain Enemy #1 - - our own bad habits.

While our good habits promote good health (like brushing our teeth), our bad habits promote and accelerate our weight gain.

Eating ice cream and cake or having a few drinks may feel good at the time of stress, but are killers when it comes to weight management.

Changing out our bad habits is the single most effective way to lose those extra pounds - - and lose them for life!

Although the words may be hard, the message of this article is simple - - eliminate the impact of one or more of these insights from your life and watch your weight drop.

Just pick one and do it.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering $75 off a personal weight loss consultation to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online using discount code "EZINE75" and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Top 7 Reasons Why I Am Overweight

If you're reading this article, chances are that you or someone in your immediate family is overweight.

But why are we overweight?

From all the people we've met, people have given me a range of reasons why they are overweight, but some "most popular" reasons emerge...

Here are the "Top 7 Reasons" that people give, plus our insights on why these reasons are so true. But read the entire article to learn that each of these excuses can be beat!

#7 - It Runs In My Family

People often tell me they can't help being overweight, since most of their family is overweight as well.

Unfortunately, we are social animals. Being overweight is rarely a solo adventure, and it is so easy to eat, snack and be lazy with the ones we love.

It is possible to be the "skinny one" in the family, but it takes both focus and support from some of your thinner friends.

#6 - Baby Fat Won't Come Off

Almost every Mom points to this as one of the reasons for being overweight. We gain weight when pregnant and then it just won't come off afterwards.

Baby fat is so easy to come by and then so hard to lose. No matter what we do, that baby fat just seems to hang in there.

Can you lose it? With long-term persistence or a little medical "help" even those lasts few pounds can melt away.

#5 - My Metabolism Is Too Slow

Many of us without overweight families or baby fat of our own, point to our "metabolism" not working right.

Our "metabolism" is a technical-sounding term that nobody can argue with.

But aside from a very small minority, our "metabolism" is rarely a reason for being overweight. Generally, we are just eating more than our body needs. Oops.

#4 - It's My Medication

Many times the medications we  take for high blood pressure or other commonailments come with the side-effect of some weight gain.

Unfortunately, many of us use that side-effect as an excuse to justify why we are carrying around the extra pounds.

About a year ago, we wrote an article about how drugs that cause weight gain and alternative medications that can give the same result, but without the weight gain. Contact me if you want a copy.

#3 - I Like Eating Too Much

Ok, so now we're getting down to the real truth. Ouch.

Eating too much or too much of the wrong foods always brings about weight gain.

Once we honestly recognize that we might be killing ourselves with our eating habits, then we're ready to take the weight off for life with some simple changes. Until then, we're doomed.

#2 - Too Much Stress

Many of us do not relate stress to excess weight, but this is the #2 reason why most people are overweight.

Excess stress is actually worse than eating chocolate when it comes to weight gain. It has to do with hormones and body chemistry. Excess stress upsets the hormone balance and more, making it public enemy #2 for any weight loss program.

#1 - I Am Lazy (But Don't Tell)

OK, now we're making progress... This is the #1 reason for excess weight, and the one that we hate to admit most of all.

It's us - we're just too lazy to get around to keeping the weight off.

Our mindset, our habits and our motivation (or lack thereof) are all part this - and in the end it comes down to being too lazy to change.

The conclusion?

Reasons for being overweight are all around us. But if we're honest enough, then we should call our personal; "reasons" what they really are: Excuses.

Sorry for the bad news, but please do yourself a favor and look at your situation... Can you continue carrying the extra weight? Will you keep gaining? How does that affect your health? Or your quality of life?

Hopefully this article has spurred you to action. Now, to make that action stick, tell someone about your (today) and ask them to help hold you accountable.

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering $75 off a personal weight loss consultation to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online using discount code "EZINE75" and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Why Weight Loss Is Your Best Christmas Gift Ever!

Christmas, besides all the commercialism and rushing about, is still mainly a season of giving and of love.

Christmas is a time for togetherness, laughing, relaxation and fun. It's also a time to tell our families and others how much we love them.

This year, when you think of how best to love your husband, wife, children, grandchildren and others - consider this: The best gift you can give them is YOU.

That's why so many of us travel to see family and friends over the holidays - it's a time of sharing our lives, sharing ourselves with those we love.

Not sure that's true?

Then think of the first year that you celebrate the holidays after your Mom or Dad - or Grandpa or Grandma - has died. If only they could be back - even for a short time...

That would be the best Christmas gift ever, wouldn't it? Just to have one more day with our spouse, parent or grandparent.

Unfortunately, we can't bring them back and so we move on as best we can.

But what about us? If spending one more Christmas with our loved ones is the greatest gift we can give, then what are we doing to help make that a reality.

Recently, researchers at Oxford University completed analysis of almost one million people from around the world to find that weight loss can add up to 10 years -- so 10 more Christmas seasons with family -- to your life.

Their research found that even moderate obesity reduces life expectancy by about 3 years, while severe obesity shortens a person's life by 10 years!

While obesity does increase death rates for some types of cancer, life expectancy is reduced primarily through heart disease and stroke. In fact, 1 in 3 heart attack / stroke deaths and 1 in 12 cancer deaths in the US are related to being overweight or obese.

This is not quite the happy message that you want to hear at this time of year, but it is the truth.

This Christmas tell those you love that you want to see them for as many Christmases as you can and that you plan to do that by losing some weight.

Being around for those extra Christmases is the best Christmas gift that you can give!

To give this gift, be sure to tell those you love most what you plan to do and then ask them to check with you in the new year to see how its going.

Don't be afraid - just remember that you are giving the best gift ever!

The doctors at WeightWorks have helped many people overcome their prior weight loss failures to get back to their naturally-thin selves. For a limited time, they are offering $75 off a personal weight loss consultation to help you as well. To hear how the doctors at WeightWorks can help you, fill out this no-obligation application online using discount code "EZINE75" and take the first step to your weight loss success! Read additional detail about the WeightWorks weight loss program here.

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Weight Loss - The Importance of Alkalinity

This very well may be the most important article that you ever read in your life. I realize that may sound arrogant, but just read on and you will see why I feel so strongly about it. When I refer to alkalinity, I am referring to the alkalinity of your blood. Whether you are looking to achieve weight loss or just improve your general wellbeing, alkalinity is the key. Let me explain why.

First of all, the opposite of alkalinity is acidity. For those of you who remember science class all those years ago, you will know what I am referring to. But for the sake of this article, all you need to know is that alkalinity is vitally important and that every single thing you eat will have either an alkalizing or an acidic effect on the body.

The more alkalized you are, the more energy you have. The more acidic you are, the less energy you have. What's more, people with highly acidic diets are much more susceptible to disease and ill health than those who do not.

When your body is alkalized (from eating enough alkalizing foods and drinks) your body will perform as nature intended it to do so, and nature intended for our bodies to be strong, fat-burning machines that are highly resistant to disease.

Therefore, the more alkalized you are, the faster weight loss will occur.

Now, you are probably wondering what you need to do in order to achieve this. Well, there are 2 things that you need to do:

1) Consume a large amount of alkalizing foods and drinks; and

2) Avoid consuming acidic foods and drinks.

Sounds simple, right? Good. That's because it is.

I recommend that you do a quick Google search in your own time in order to become familiar with which foods to eat and which foods to ditch, but for now let me list the best and worst foods of all time when it comes to achieving an alkaline body:

Alkaline

- Green Tea
- Lemons
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Almonds

Acidic

- Cola 
- Red Meat 
- Sodas 
-White Pasta 

- Artificial Sweeteners

Alkalinity is such a huge topic to cover, but I hope that I have given you all a satisfactory introduction here in this article. So do your research and next time you are shopping for weight loss foods, try to make sure that the ones you pick have an alkalizing effect on your body.

Remember, this is about more than weight loss: This is about your health and vitality.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus receive free eBooks, reports and updates for life at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Fat Loss Diet - 3 More Myths That You Need To Know About

In a previous article I covered 2 diet myths that may be holding you back from achieving your fat loss dreams. Well, I have 3 more here for you. When going on any sort of fat loss diet it is important to keep these myths in mind and to understand that food is your friend and not the enemy. Some of these may sound strange to you, but just trust me and apply them to your diet.

1. Eliminating Carbohydrates - Many of my clients come to me while midway through some form of low carbohydrate diet. They are usually lacking energy, lacking mental focus and find it difficult to maintain the energy to workout. You need to understand that carbohydrates are necessary to losing weight, but you have to be eating the right ones. If your goal is weight loss, forget about simple carbs, such as white rice and white bread. Stick to complex carbs, such as wholegrain bread and wholegrain pasta. Simple carbs are almost guaranteed to spike your insulin hormone and lead to unnecessary weight gain. Also, try to stay clear of carbs after dark, as any of them that aren't used throughout the day will be stored for the day after (and stored as fat).

2. Starving Yourself - This does make sense at some rudimentary level, but this is the absolute worst way to lose weight possible. Every single person who tries this who does not have an abnormally high metabolism will end up weighing more than they did when they started. If you have read any of my previous articles, you will know that I am a big advocate of raising metabolism for fat loss. By starving yourself, you are shutting down your metabolism. When your metabolism is shut down, you will store almost anything you eat as body fat. You must avoid this at all costs.

3. All Chocolate is Bad - Not all chocolate is bad. It is true that the majority of chocolates found at your local convenience store are bad, but that is because they aren't real chocolate. When I refer to chocolate, I am referring to Cacao chocolate. The higher the Cacao percentage, the better for you. Cacao is an incredibly potent fat burner, as it will push your metabolism into overdrive, due to its high zinc content and other vital minerals. Aim to purchase chocolate that has a Cacao content of 80% or more. These can be found at any reputable health store and are the perfect addition to your fat loss diet.

By combining this article with my other article on diet myths, you will never be fooled again when it comes to nutrition. So now that you know the truth, you can feel free to add complex carbohydrates and Cacao chocolate to your fat loss diet, knowing that they are doing you a world of good, not harm.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus receive free eBooks, reports and updates for life at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Fat Loss Diet - 2 Myths Finally Explained

If I had a dollar for every time that I have heard one of these myths, I would have retired to some secluded island in the Pacific Ocean a long time ago. I want to explain some of the most common myths that I come across so that you can put the knowledge to good use in your own fat loss diet. In fact some of these myths may even be holding you back from achieving your potential: So read on and take notes.

1. Swapping Sugar for Artificial Sweeteners - Now I don't blame people for believing this one, as a zero calorie drink does sound quite alluring to someone who is trying to lose weight. However, artificial sweeteners come with their own price: And it is a hefty price. Apart from the fact that artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame and Equal, wreak havoc on the nervous system, they also contribute to weight gain. That's right, weight gain. When you consume an artificial sweetener, your brain expects sugars to be provided to the body. However, when they don't arrive, your body begins to crave for these sugars. This will make you want to consume sugars and therefore far more likely to do so.

2. Eliminating Fats - It is common sense to assume that if you eat fat, you will get fat. To a degree this is very true. If you were to go to McDonald's and consume a large fatty meal, you will put on fat. However, this is assuming that all fats are created equal: Which they certainly are not. Taking in a moderate amount of healthy fats is absolutely essential if you are looking to lose weight because the human body finds it very difficult to burn body fat without it. What's more, our brains are composed primarily of fat. Therefore without an intake of healthy fats, our brains cannot perform as they should. The fats that you want to stay away from are saturated fats and trans-fats. The body finds it very hard to break down these fats and they are usually stored as excess body fat as a result. The fats that you need to add to your fat loss diet are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Fresh fish and pecan nuts are perfect sources of these.

I hope that you have learned a lot from this article and now understand that these myths are simply that: Myths. Stay away from artificial sweeteners at all costs and understand that healthy fats are an essential component to any fat loss diet.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus receive free eBooks, reports and updates for life at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Weight Loss - 3 Nasty Habits That May Be Hindering Your Progress

Everybody has habits that they wish they didn't have. It is no different when it comes to losing weight. Weight loss requires complete dedication and therefore it is imperative that if you have any such habits, you do something about them immediately. Here are 3 of the most common bad habits that I come across in relation to losing weight and what you can do about them.

1. Combining Food and Television - I am not going to lie, there is something very relaxing about sitting your butt down in front of the television and eating whatever you feel like. However, unfortunately this kind of behaviour has got to go if you are going to achieve weight loss goals. The reason why this is so dangerous is because most people fall into a relaxed state while watching television, and as such, they lose track of how much food they have eaten. Do yourself a favour and make sure that from now on you only eat healthy food while watching television and when that food is gone, you don't go back for seconds. I personally like to relax with a cup of green tea while I am on the couch: I recommend that you try this too.

2. Overeating - It makes sense that somebody who has put on a lot of weight has gotten themselves into the habit of eating too much food. However, this habit can still remain a problem even when that person has decided to change to a healthy diet. As healthy as a food may be, every food still contains calories and if we eat more calories than we burn, we will put on excess fat. This is often quite a hard habit to break, but there is an upside. As you start eating smaller portions of food, your stomach will gradually start to shrink. After a period of weeks, what seemed at first to be a small portion, will make you feel full.

3. Alcohol - This might sound contradictory, but there is a healthy and an unhealthy way to consume alcohol. Well, I guess you could say that there is a healthier way. Just because you are trying to lose weight, doesn't mean that you have to give away your social life. The trick with alcohol is to drink your drinks as neat as possible and never purchase premixed drinks, such as vodka and lemonade. When we combine alcohol with sugar, this is a very dangerous combination and will make you put on weight very quickly. So do your research: Try to find lower calorie versions of your favourite drinks. For example, if you love vodka and lemonade, try drinking a vodka martini for a change.

Seeing as you now know about these habits and what to do about them, you won't have to worry about them impeding your weight loss. You will be the person in the gym that improves every single week because you will have nothing holding you back. But most of all, you will fast track your progress to the body that you deserve.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus receive free eBooks, reports and updates for life at:http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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How To Lose Weight - 3 Mistakes That May Be Holding You Back

If you were to ask most people for their opinion on how to lose weight, they would probably tell you to eat healthy food and to exercise. And if they did tell you this, they would be right. However, there are millions of people who do this, but don't seem to make any progress whatsoever. After observing my own clients, I would like to share with you the 4 fundamental mistakes that people make and how to correct them.

1. Forgetting Breakfast - There's a reason why we have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: That's because it is. You have a golden opportunity when you wake up to provide your body with all of the nutrients that it needs and you must take advantage of this opportunity. You know, they call it 'break-fast' for a reason. You are essentially breaking the fast of not eating until morning. Your body is craving healthy nutrition when you wake up. The perfect foolproof breakfast for someone looking to lose weight would be to include a low GI carbohydrate source, such as oats, fresh fruits that are high in vitamin C, such as oranges and plenty of water to hydrate your body. Combine this with a protein shake with some added healthy fats and you have a complete fat-burning breakfast.

2. Eating Too Quickly - Depending on the person, it takes approximately 15 minutes for your brain to recognize that you are full. So therefore if we eat too fast, we run the risk of overeating. The remedy to this problem is obviously to eat slowly. Eating slowly has another added benefit, in that your food is more easily digested by your body and used as energy more efficiently. If you want a real life example of this, take a look at French cuisine. French food should be fattening, but if you have ever watched a French person eat, they savour every last bite. Therefore, they end up eating less food.

3. Emotional Eating - Some people instinctively seek food when going through any kind of emotional situation. This may quell the emotional pain for the time being, but if this practice is repeated often, weight gain is just around the corner. If you are such a person, my advice to you on how to lose weight is to channel your emotions into something productive, such as exercising. Exercise is the best stress relief in the world and should be your first choice, rather than food.

Now that you know of these 3 mistakes and how to correct them, you know how to lose weight and keep that weight off for good. Now, I don't expect you to be perfect, as nobody is. But keep these mistakes in mind and next time you are in such a situation, you will know the right choices to make.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus receive free eBooks, reports and updates for life at: 

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Quick Fat Loss - 3 Ways To Lose Weight Faster

If you want quick fat loss results, and we all do, then you are going to have to make some slight changes to your workout and diet plan. If you take a look around the gym, you will notice that there are people who look better every single week, while others seem to never change. I am going to share with you here why this is and what you can do to ensure that you are always going in the right direction.

1. Make Exercise a Must - This may sound obvious, but that's because it is. However, how many people do you know that actually view their exercise routine in this way? You must understand that consistency is the single most important factor when it comes to losing weight. Therefore, it is vitally important we all remain consistent! If you make exercise just as important as brushing your teeth in the morning (which it is), you won't have to drag yourself to the gym any longer: You will want to go to the gym. If you make exercise a must, there is nothing stopping you from losing weight. It will just be a matter of time.

2. Get a Training Partner - Would you enjoy watching a one-man race at the Olympics? I don't think that anybody would. This is because as human beings, we instinctively crave competition and love to watch others compete. You should use this instinct to your own advantage by teaming up with a training partner who will push you beyond your usual limitations. Knowing that someone else will hold you accountable apart from yourself is a very powerful thing. When you have a training partner, it isn't just yourself that you are letting down if you don't show up to the gym.

3. Find a Role Model - You have a lot of variety when it comes to the decision of who to choose. This person could be your training partner or could be your favourite movie star: It really doesn't matter. But make sure that you pick someone who has achieved what you want, not what somebody else wants. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger had role models and you should have one too if you want quick fat loss results.

So now that you know how to achieve quick fat loss, from today on, make exercising a must, find a training partner and find a fitness role model that you can emulate. These 3 gems of wisdom will help you to stay focused on what is important, and when it comes to burning fat, focus is everything.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus much more at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Get In Shape - 3 Ways to Make Eating Healthy More Convenient

Whether you want to get in shape for summer, or just want to for the hell of it, you will soon realize, if you haven't already, that your diet will play a big role in achieving this goal. You need to be eating the right amount of the right things and at the right time. This can seem overwhelming to people at times, so I have prepared 3 tips to help make dieting more convenient.

People love convenience (myself included), but this is unfortunately one of the primary reasons why people put on weight in the first place. Rather than prepare meals, many people simply visit the 'convenience' store and pick up something processed off of the shelf.

This behaviour might be harmless if performed occasionally, but if left unchecked, it is only a matter of time before you start to get fatter. You basically want to place yourself in a position where it is difficult to be lazy. Here are 3 methods that I personally use myself to help ensure that I am always providing my body with what it needs.

1. Use a Blender - There is nothing more convenient than having a blender. Just add the ingredients that you want, wait 5 seconds, and you have yourself a liquid meal. Using a blender is a great way to help ensure that you are getting enough fruit and vegetables each day, as you don't have to bother yourself with chewing.

A good way to give yourself a complete meal is to combine protein powder, rolled oats and flaxseed oil. This will give you all of the lean protein, low GI carbs and healthy fats that you need to get in shape and power through your workouts.

2. Cook Meals the Night Before - First off, you will need to buy a number of small containers to store the food in for work or whatever else. Not only will cooking your food the night before save you time, you also know exactly what you are eating. This is of such vital importance when you really think about it. When you dine out for example, you are essentially gambling with your weight, as you do not know all of the ingredients that went into making your meal.

3. Prepare Basic Ingredients - This involves chopping up all of the basic ingredients that you use and storing them in separate containers for use when needed. For example, you could chop up a bag of peppers and then store them in a single container in your fridge. That way then you need them, they are ready to go. The more foods that you do this with, the more time you will save overall.

If you have read this entire article, I assume that you genuinely want to get in shape and you want it to happen fast. Well, the fastest way to get there is by making everything that pertains to your health as efficient as possible. These 3 tips will definitely help you do just that.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus much more at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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Fat Loss - 3 Key Factors to Consider

Achieving fat loss and getting in shape are similar to baking a cake. Both require key ingredients and a process that needs to be adhered to. We subconsciously know what these ingredients are, but many of us forget to utilize them. So here they are: The 3 key factors to consider with respect to fat loss.

1. A Reason - This is by far the most important thing to take into account. Without a strong enough reason to workout and eat right, you will not be able to maintain your efforts for long enough to see results. You can pick whatever reason in the world you want, but make sure that is a strong enough reason. My advice to you would be to find a reason outside of yourself, such as your partner or your children. I find that when my clients find a reason outside of themselves to change their bodies, they are much more consistent with their progress.

2. Motivation - Now that you have a reason, you need to ensure that you are constantly keeping yourself motivated and working towards your goal. For this reason, you should surround yourself with things and people that keep you feeling motivated. For example, put pictures up on your fridge of fit people who have the same body that you want to have, or exercise at the gym with healthy people that you know so that you can learn from them as well. I would also recommend that if you live near the beach, that you go as often as you can. The beach is a great place for showing off the results of your hard work in the gym and in the kitchen. Use this as a motivational tool and try to improve your body every single week.

3. Education - Because the human body is such a complex machine, nobody knows everything about fat loss, or even about health in general. This is why you need to be constantly educating yourself and learning new information that you can apply to your life with respect to diet and exercise. Making small tweaks to your routine can result in massive changes down the track. So therefore listen to every piece of advice that comes your way, as you never know how it might benefit you.

Think of these 3 factors above as being your intangible ingredients when it comes to achieving fat loss. You can't buy them at a shop and you can't have them given to you, but they are vitally important for any person who truly wants to succeed.

John Stamford is a personal trainer, nutritionist and an expert in everything relating to fat loss. Visit John's website in order to discover "One Tip That May Be Preventing You From Losing Fat", plus much more at:

http://www.FatLossEnigma.com

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