This is a guest post by Louise Baker.

With the recent release of the iPhone 4 software, fitness nuts have even more reasons to keep their phones with them while pumping iron or hitting the trail. Now that iPhones can multitask, health gurus can simultaneously track calories, as they count their daily steps and plan their next cycling route.

Here’s a list of 5 must-have iPhone apps for fitness lovers.

1. iFitness

Considered the #1 fitness app for the iPhone, iFitness is packed with the information exercise enthusiasts need when working out. It comes with full color photos and step-by-step instructions for hundreds of different exercises, and it allows users to follow its preset fitness routines or create their own. After completing an exercise, users can input the amount of weight lifted and reps completed, so the app can track the user’s progress over time.

2. Tap & Track-Calorie, Weight, and Exercise Tracker

Health conscious people are always watching what they eat, and counting calories has never been easier with the help of Tap & Track. This app has logged the menus of over 700 popular restaurants and has nutritional information on more than 250,000 different food items. Whether eating out or cooking at home, tracking calories, fat, protein, and carbs are only a few taps away. The app even works offline, if the iPhone were to lose service, which has happened from time to time.

3. All-in Pedometer

To a fitness nut, a walk in the mall or a day on the job simply means another opportunity to burn calories and stay fit. The All-in Pedometer app works while you work: counting steps, tracking distance, and calculating calories burned. Its smart technology recognizes when the user is running, jogging, or walking and records the most accurate step-count when compared to similar apps. An added bonus allows users to listen to and edit iPod playlists, right from the app.

4. iMapMyRide

Cycling and mountain bike lovers will go gaga when they see what iMapMyRide can do. This must-have app gives riders instant access to important stats throughout their ride. Bikers get trip times, current and average speeds, distance, and elevation changes, all while they can track their route in real-time on an interactive map. iMapMyRide also automatically records the results of previous trips, and can upload personal records and trip information to an online training log on the MapMyRide website.

5. Couch to 5k

Novice athletes have to start somewhere. Often, people get burnt out too quickly when beginning a fitness routine because they do not know how to pace themselves. The Couch to 5k app is designed for individuals who are serious about getting in shape by preparing them to run 5km without having to stop or walk. Using carefully planned 30 minute workouts over the course of 9 weeks, Couch to 5k prepares amateur athletes to run like an all-star.

Check out this list of fitness gadgets John is Fit readers have been buying this quarter.

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5 iPhone Apps for Fitness Nuts

This is a guest post by Tory McBroom.

Working out is boring. And trying to cook “healthy” isn’t fun either.

We’ve all heard these excuses and are probably even guilty of using them once or twice (or more) as a way to get out of exercising and eating right.

The “getting fit isn’t fun” complaint is a popular one. It’s right up there with “I don’t have time”. But, this excuse doesn’t have to be true.

In fact, if those looking to get fit would spice up their workouts and make them fun, it would be a lot easier to stick with their exercise program for the long run.

That means not only losing the weight and improving their health, but most importantly keeping the weight off and living a healthy life.

So, disregard everything you think you know about exercise and how boring it is, and let’s look at a few ways we can spice up your workouts and make them fun again.

Pick An Activity

Instead of putting yourself through the same boring exercise routine day after day, pick a fun activity that yields the same results. There’s plenty of options like hiking, biking, nature walks, swimming or playing basketball, for example. If you don’t look at it as exercise, but rather a fun activity then you are more likely to stick with it.

Play Some Tunes

Listening to music is a great way to add a little entertainment value to your workout’s. A study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that listening to music increased the comfort level of doing the exercise. It doesn’t matter what type of music it is just as long as it’s something you like.

Find A Friend

Exercising with a friend, family member or group can be a fun way to get fit. It also increases accountability, making it less likely that you will skip workouts because you don’t want to let the other person down. Find a friend or family member with similar goals in mind and make an oath to workout with each other. If you prefer groups then sign-up for a fitness class or join a mall walking club.

Choose The Right Intensity

Just because your workout DVD says you have to keep up an intense pace doesn’t mean it’s right for you. When starting out, exercise at a pace that you are comfortable with. Then slowly set goals to elevate that pace as you progress. You will find that your workouts are less emotionally stressful and you will be more apt to continue with your workout plan.

TV

The TV is typically thought of as one of the main reasons many American’s are overweight. And this can be true to an extent. But, watching television while working out at the gym can help keep you from staring at the clock and take your mind off the task at hand. Most gyms have at least one TV going at all times and some treadmills even have them built in. Try planning your workout around your favorite show and you’ll notice your workout is over before you know it.

Wii Fit by Nintendo is another popular way to use your TV to get healthy. This game allows you to take part in 40+ activities, set goals, etc and it’s perfect for both adults and children.

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5 Ways To Get Fit And Have Fun Doing It

This is a guest post by Andrew Salmon.

Money may make the world go round but it will also kill you if you’re not careful. Bills, mortgages, debts… these are the things money protects us against and our pursuit of the all-mighty dollar can keep us healthy and active. However, when fate or bad luck steps in and money doesn’t seem quite so readily available, we can become obsessed with the fear of never having enough to get by. This fear can take a terrible toll on our bodies.

Here are six health problems associated with money:

1. Stress

   No surprise here. In fact, one could make the claim that the word ‘money’ could easily be replaced with the word ‘stress’ as the two often go hand-in-hand. Money worries cause stress. Stress affects us mentally and physically, putting us on edge while planting the seed for heart and cardiovascular problems down the road.

2. Addiction

   Robin Williams once said: “cocaine is God's way of telling you, you're making too much money” and truer words were never spoken. I don’t have to go into the dangers of the multitude of narcotics only money can buy and everyone knows these addictions could cost you your life. If you’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket, give it to charity and forego the conspicuous consumption.

3. Depression

   Often born out of feelings of helplessness, being broke or living below the poverty line can make us depressed. In the case of the latter, helpful drugs are beyond one’s monetary grasp which can lead to hopelessness. Keeping money in its proper perspective is essential in keeping balance in our lives.

4. Obesity

   The other side of the coin here, having too much money often means living large – sometimes too large. Rich, fattening food at the finest restaurants over time can have us carrying our wealth around on our waists and not in a money belt. Like addiction, this can become a form of conspicuous consumption where we wear that spare tire like a badge of honor to show the world that we never go hungry.

5. Exhaustion

   The hunt for money can become an obsession in itself. Whether it is out of necessity, greed or some psychological fear, chasing a dollar at the expense of proper rest and recreation can burn us out. Exhaustion, both mental and physical, can be debilitating and tough to bounce back from.

   It’s important to remember that money doesn’t buy happiness.

6. Shorter Lifespan

   Fixating on money can make you a workaholic and you’ll miss out on the restorative benefits of a vacation or indulging in hobbies. These are components of a healthy, well-balanced life. Turning away from these essential ingredients to our well-being will shave years off our lives. Chase a buck to the exclusion of all else and you won’t be chasing long. Just make sure you’ve set aside enough to cover your funeral expenses.

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6 Health Problems Associated With Money

There are many secrets to losing weight. One of these secrets is discovering fat burning foods. So what exactly are fat burning foods? These foods help tame your appetite and help to slim your torso. Now that you know this information, you probably want to know what they are, don’t you? The good news is I am going to tell you what they are. The best news is that they are all easily available to you at your favorite store.

Food that Burns Fat #1: Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids, also known as EFA’s, are derived from foods like fish. Here is what is interesting about this acid; studies have shown that women who eat fish on a regular basis have lower levels of a protein hormone.

This protein hormone is called leptin and it is linked to obesity and a sluggish metabolism. One way you can supply your body with EFA’s is through supplements. The best supplements include fresh tuna and wild salmon. You can also eat fresh fish a few times a week.

Food that Burns Fat #2: Spices and Food Flavorings

The USDA discovered that ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon helps the body metabolize sugar up to 20 times faster. It also helps to lower blood sugar levels.

Cayenne pepper can really help to speed up your metabolism. This same philosophy can be applied to chili pepper. Recent studies have shown by sprinkling your food with chili pepper can help you lose up to 5 lbs every four weeks!

Garlic also helps with thermogenic energy within the body, which raises metabolism. It helps lower insulin levels, which helps with burning fat.

Ginger helps to increase body heat by expanding blood vessels. It has actually been shown to help boost metabolism by 20%. It is also seen as an excellent all natural ingredient, which helps cleanse body toxins and helps increase blood circulation.

Foods that Burns fat #3: Fat Burning Fruits

Berries and apples both contain pectin, which is known for its water binding properties, which helps to prevent fat from being absorbed within the body.

Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits have high amounts of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important in weight loss because it helps to dilute fat within the body. When fat is diluted, it is much easier to be excreted from the body. Vitamin C also has been shown to boost the metabolism.

Foods that Burn Fat #4: Calcium Rich Foods

A study in 2005, published in the International Journal of Obesity concluded that both calcium and protein when combined in low fat foods actually help promote weight loss. Both of these components also help with maintaining muscle mass. So try eating at least three servings a day in order to get the full benefits of low fat calcium and protein-enriched foods.

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Foods That Really Help to Burn Fat

This is a guest post by Matthew Dinnos.

Nuts Are High In Fat
Ummm… It's hard to stop eating nuts once you begin munching on them! Those crunchy and scrumptious little morsels of nature have been wrongly accused of adding pounds to your body. It's not their fault! But, it's not your fault either – nuts do contain lots of calories. It's only natural for people with a weight problem to shun nuts and tag them as fattening foods.

But Wait…
Don't all food articles contain calories? Should you then completely stop eating food!? The trick to effective weight loss is eating everything in moderation, and that includes nuts. Yes! You cannot expect to remain healthy by banishing entire food categories from your menu. You may face nutritional deficiencies by doing that. Anyway, once you learn about the health benefits of nuts, you will go crazy over them! Do you know that fat is essential for your body? So, even while you're trying to shed pounds, you cannot ban fat completely from your diet. Fat keeps hunger pangs at bay, which is important for losing weight. Nuts like peanuts, cashew nuts and Brazil nuts are not actually nuts; they are seeds. And they are high in fat. Yet, we can safely call them fat-fighting foods. You might be wondering if we've gone nuts talking about nuts! Well, let's see what science says.

Won't Nuts Make Me Fat?
Studies have shown that people who include nuts in their daily diet have a lower BMI compared to those who do not eat nuts. In addition, people who want to lose weight are more likely to adhere to a moderate-fat, nut-containing diet, than a low fat, nut-free diet. Back in 1992, when Fraser and his research group first examined the protective effect of nuts on the risk of heart disease, they were surprised to find a negative association between consumption of nuts and obesity. They reported: "the higher nut consumers in this population were less obese" [1].

Since then, many studies have confirmed that nut eaters have a lower BMI than non-nut eaters. And that's without any other change in diet or physical activity. For example, in one trial, healthy adults received 15% of their daily energy needs from almonds, for a period of 6 months. Given the high calorie content of almonds, it was expected that the participants' weight would increase by 14lb. Instead, the measured change was less than 1.5lb for men and 0.3lb for women [2].

In a more recent 10-week trial, 20 women were required to consume almonds without any advice on how to include them in their diet. The researchers noted that the daily almond consumption did not cause any change in body weight and concluded that "a daily 60g (344 calories) serving of almonds, sufficient to provide beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, may be included in the diet with limited risk of weight gain" [3].

Can Nuts Be Part of a Weight Loss Diet?

Here is the question: Nuts can be consumed without fearing weight gain, but can they be used in a diet that is designed to promote weight loss? To put it in a different way, which diet is more effective; one that includes nuts or one that is nut-free? Numerous studies have compared the effectiveness of nut-containing versus nut-free weight reduction programs. In a 2003 study, 65 obese adults participated in a 24-week weight loss program that featured either an almond enriched low calorie diet (84g/day) or a carbohydrate enriched low calorie diet. Both diets contained the same amount of calories. Yet, the almond diet brought about 62% greater reductions in weight, 50% greater reduction in waist circumference and 56% greater reduction in fat mass. Total body water and systolic blood pressure were lower as well. [4]

In addition to losing more weight, almost 3 times more dieters were able to follow a moderate-fat diet that included nuts than a low-fat diet without nuts, as revealed in a study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders [5].

These data demonstrate that at least that "nuts can be included in a weight loss diet without compromising efficacy", notes Dr Mattes R.D., professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue.

3 Reasons To Include Nuts In A Weight Loss Diet

Why is it that daily intake of a high energy density food like nuts does not lead to weight gain and can even increase the effectiveness of a weight loss program? The following 3 reasons have been proposed:

• Nuts promote satiety. The consumption of a fixed amount of nuts, including chestnuts, peanuts and almonds, leads to a drastic reduction in hunger pangs. The calorie load of nuts is counter balanced by the less food consumed in subsequent meals.
• Chronic nut consumption, particularly of peanuts and almonds, increases resting energy expenditure (REE) or basal metabolic rate (BMR). This means that you burn more calories while resting and can easily "eat" those calories without worrying about gaining extra weight. An increased BMR leads to weight loss, providing that you do not compensate by increasing your calorie intake.
• The calories contained in nuts are not readily absorbed in the small intestine. Studies show that about 18% of the fat content is lost in the stool following the consumption of whole nuts.

The Nut Diet For Weight Loss

Here is a nut diet a learned from a friend. Unlike crash diets or other forms of diets, the nut diet is balanced. But, the condition is: each meal portion should be less than nine ounces. This diet is for ten days, and I was told I may lose about seven pounds. During the diet, you must avoid sugar and sweets completely.

BREAKFAST (Choose One Of The Three Menus)

• A salad of tomatoes and chopped almonds, topped with olive oil + black coffee
• Small slice of pizza loaded with tomatoes, goat cheese, green peppers, and crushed cashew nuts as toppings.
• A casserole of cottage cheese with sauce from orange juice, topped with almond bits + tea

LUNCH (Choose One Of The Three Menus)

• An apple with a handful of nuts
• A handful of raisins and nuts
• A handful of dates and nuts

DINNER (Choose One Of The Three Menus)

• Tomato soup containing basil, roasted potato salad with a green vegetable, a cup of yogurt (sugar-free)
• Broccoli and white mushroom soup with sour low-fat cream, a handful of prunes or raisins and walnuts, a glass of strawberry or cherry or currant juice
• Potato and fennel soup, chopped nuts with lettuce leaves and olive oil, a glass of carrot or tomato or pumpkin juice

SUPPER (Choose One Of The Three Menus)

• Scalded spinach topped with olive oil and a veggie salad sprinkled with cheese
• Grated carrot salad with low-fat cream, dried apricots, stewed prunes
• Herbal tea – lemon tea, mint tea, chamomile tea

So, the next time you are tempted to grab a handful of nuts from the bowl at a party, DO IT! You're on a weight loss program, guys; you need nuts to get thin!

References

1. A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease. The Adventist Health Study. Fraser GE, Sabaté J, Beeson WL, Strahan TM. Arch Intern Med. 1992 Jul;152(7):1416-24.
2. Effect on body weight of a free 76 Kilojoule (320 calorie) daily supplement of almonds for six months. Fraser GE, Bennett HW, Jaceldo KB, Sabaté J. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Jun;21(3):275-83.
3. Effect of chronic consumption of almonds on body weight in healthy humans. Hollis J, Mattes R. Br J Nutr. 2007 Sep;98(3):651-6. Epub 2007 Apr 20.
4. Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in a weight reduction program. Wien MA, Sabaté JM, Iklé DN, Cole SE, Kandeel FR. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Nov;27(11):1365-72. Erratum in: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004
   Mar;28(3):459.
5. A randomized controlled trial of a moderate-fat, low-energy diet compared with a low fat, low-energy diet for weight loss in overweight adults. McManus K, Antinoro L, Sacks F. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Oct;25(10):1503-11.

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Nuts and Weight Loss: Can These Two Go Together?

This is a guest post by Genevieve.

When I weighed over 300 lbs, I didn’t want to swim.

Not because I didn’t know how, I used to be on a swim team.

Not because it wasn’t good exercise, it is.

But because I was embarrassed.

Thankfully, I changed my mind. Working out in an exercise pool became a wonderful and soothing part of my weekly regime and helped me to lose over 120 lbs. I’m sure there are many overweight people like me who do not want to be seen in a bathing suit or take the long walk (regardless of actual length) from the locker room to the swimming pool. I’m here to tell you that it’s worth it. The truth is that people will look at you as you move around the gym. Some may even be critical. But they are only critical because they are trying to make themselves feel better about their own bodies.

And the benefits of working out in water, especially if you are obese or infirm, are enormous.

• Take Off the Pressure – The support and buoyancy of the water helps to support your body, taking the pressure off of muscles, bones and joints. Water will support up to 80% of your weight seriously reducing strain.
• Cardiovascular Conditioning – Your heart rate will stay in the fat burning zone longer. Every cardio machine shows you that optimal fat burning zone. Exercising in the water often leads to prolonged exercise in that target zone, which improves your fat burning potential and your cardiovascular fitness.
• Keep Cool – I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of feeling hot and sticky. Especially in the summer time. Exercising in water is a great way to get in your exercise and keep cool. Just getting into a pool on a hot, muggy day can be a great motivator.
• Resistance Training – Working out in water increases the resistance of each move. That dragging feeling you get when you walk in water? That is increased resistance! This will help you build up your strength and work on your balance.

There are many different ways in which you can enjoy working out in water, either by yourself or with others. If your local gym or recreation center has a pool, they may offer water aerobics or dance if you would like to work out with others. These same pools are generally blocked off for parts of the day for swimming and exercise. There are even places where you can walk on an underwater treadmill!

Particularly when trying to lose weight, working out in water is something that should be included in your weekly regimen. Forget about your embarrassment and others around you. You are doing something to change your life! Be proud of that and hold on to anything that helps to get you to your goals.

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Swimming to Fitness

This is a guest post by Sarah Harris.

The fact that you are reading this article implies that you already have the motivation to get fit – or fitter – but the way in which you approach developing and maintaining your fitness routine is the key to kindling this initial spark of enthusiasm into a roaring success. Planning is all important, and in order to prepare yourself for what may be a significant lifestyle change, you need to consider “What, Why, When, Where and How”.

What are you trying to achieve? Define to yourself what aspect of being fitter appeals to you. It may be weight loss, cardiovascular health, body toning or to build strength and stamina. If you select the area of your fitness that you want to improve, then you can build your fitness routine around it. As well as your ultimate aim, set yourself mini goals at various stages throughout your intended program, as these will break up a long term discipline, and give you cause for celebrating when you achieve them.

Why do you want to get fit? This is your main motivation and ought to be considered carefully to determine the driving force behind your desire to develop a fitness routine. Investigate the reasons that you want to get fit. It could be that you have an event to attend that you want to look your best for. Possibly you have just noticed that you cannot see your toes because of the large gut you have acquired. It may be that your objective is to play a sport at a higher level or even just play a sport at all!

When are you going to do your routine? A big part of accomplishing your fitness target is having the time to regularly participate in your routine. If you have to make time for a program, which part of the day are you allocating to it? What will you have to sacrifice in order to clear the time you require, and is it going to be available in the future? Good time management is essential and vowing to get out of bed 30 minutes earlier each day will probably not be good enough!

Where are you going to do it? Are you the sort of person that needs to go out to a pool, gym or running track in order to make sure that you maintain your routine? If you are planning on exercising at home, do you have the space and the right equipment to enable you to perform your fitness regime? If you intend to jog your way to fitness, you may have to consider the neighborhood – not just whether it is a safe area, but also how many hills there are and what volume of traffic is there at the time that you have allocated for your run.

How are you going to get fit? Now you have the answers to all the previous questions, you are in a better place to take your first steps. You have your targets and motivation, know what time you have available to follow your program and where you are going to do it. There are a few “Do's and Don'ts” you should consider as well – Take care that you are not starting your fitness routine at too strenuous a level, take it easy in the early stages and build up as you get stronger and fitter. Make sure that you “warm up” and “cool down” either side of your exercises and wear suitable clothing. Finally, don’t procrastinate! The sooner you get started, the sooner you will feel more vibrant, healthier and fitter!

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How to Develop a Fitness Routine

This is a guest post by Jack Straw.

Most people are aware that losing weight is all about getting fit. If you increase the amount of exercise you do as well as cut out junk food from your diet then you should start to see results relatively quickly. There’s definitely a right and wrong way to try and get fit though. Here are some fitness tips for losing weight.

1. Losing weight is largely about your mindset. Try not to think of exercising as a way to get skinny because you may not see results straight away. Instead you should be exercising to get healthy and consider weight loss as a bonus. It might sound like a strange tip for someone that wants to lose weight but it’s a very important one.




2. Recent studies have shown that you need to be doing around 150 minutes of exercise a week to stay healthy and 250 minutes to lose weight. From these figures you can immediately see why a lot of people find it hard to lose weight. You shouldn’t feel you have to go from no exercise to 250 minutes a week straight away but that should be your goal.




3. Choosing exercises that you enjoy is vital for your long term success. A great way to have more fun at the gym or while exercising is to find a partner to do it with. You could also help each other to stay motivated. The best thing about exercise is that once you start doing it regularly you’ll begin to find it fun. Exercise releases endorphins into the body which make us feel happy and hence it can become addictive to a certain extent.




4. Keeping track of everything you’re doing to get fit is also important because you need some way of tracking your progress other than how much weight you’ve lost. If you keep a journal a quick glance will tell you how far you’ve progressed and how far you have to go to meet your targets.

At its most basic level losing weight isn’t difficult – just don’t eat as much and exercise more. The hard part is keeping an exercise program going for long enough to see real weight loss results. Finding something you enjoy that burns calories is key for this reason. You could even consider joining an online support group where people give each other advice and encouragement as this can help you to stay focused. If you have to report your exercise achievements each week it’s a lot more difficult to skip a session.

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4 Fitness Tips for Losing Weight

This is a guest post by Nathan Joynt.

Losing weight always seems like a battle between the foods you like to eat and the foods you shouldn’t eat. But healthy weight loss doesn’t have to be the knock-down, drag-out fight to the death with calories! It’s possible to keep all the flavor while cutting calories on your road to weight loss with a few simple tips and tricks. Feel sated and stop depriving yourself. These low-calorie ideas will have you on the road to meeting your weight loss goals and enjoying every meal along the way.

1. The New Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
   

   Skip the reduced fat peanut butter, “light” preserves and “light” bread. None offer any significant nutritional benefits, as reduced fat peanut butter makes up for it in added sugar, “light” preserves are sweetened with chemical, unnatural sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose and “light” bread is still a high glycemic bomb that will leave you craving more. Make a lower-calorie, high-nutritional value treat with an organic, gluten-free bread like Udi’s and add whole fruit spread (available in many flavors) and a delicious peanut butter spread like Better-N-Peanut Butter. The delicious peanut butter substitute tastes like a blend of Nutella and peanut butter and has a mere 100 calories per two tablespoons (that’s half the calories of regular peanut butter!).

2. Skip the Salad Dressing
   

   Stop spending hours reading labels in the salad dressing section at the grocery store. Give your salad some pizzazz by getting a mister. These misters can be filled with olive oil or your favorite vinegar and allow you to mist salad lightly while saving calories and keeping your flavor. Typical “diet” dressings are filled with preservatives whereas a simple organic olive oil and vinegar combination is both highly nutritional and packs a lot of flavor in a small serving.

3. Croutons? Just Say No
   

   Crunchy toasted bread packs yet another high-glycemic punch. Try adding a ½ tablespoon of dry roasted sunflower seeds. (1 oz of croutons has 116 calories and almost 200g of sodium, ½ oz of dry roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds is not only enough to cover an entire salad, but has only 82 calories and 4 grams of polyunsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids).

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3 Ways to Reduce Calories While Keeping Flavor

This is a guest post by Erin.

I eat very little, yet I can’t seem to lose this weight! This is a common concern for many people. It can be so frustrating to feel like you eat less and less all the time, but the weight won’t come off or is continuing to build. There is no need to give up on your weight loss efforts, but here are some important weight loss destroyers to consider that may be keeping you from your goals.

1. You eat less than three times per day. Eating less often does not help you win the weight-loss battle! Eating often is the key! Think of your body like a furnace; you have to feed it something in order to burn. Your metabolism starts to slow if you do not eat at least every three to five hours. Many people are afraid to eat more often if they are having difficulty losing weight; however, I promise that you are only making it harder on yourself if you eat infrequently. It is common that people who skip meals eat extremely large meals when they do finally sit down to satisfy their hunger. This large meal may consist of several thousand calories and will make up for all of the meals you skipped earlier.




2. You eat several meals per week at restaurants. Even if you make an effort to order healthy items, there are often hundreds to thousands of calories hiding in your food. In general people walk out of a restaurant usually consuming many more calories and fat than they planned or were aware of. Keep in mind that even a well-meaning salad can contain over 1000 calories.




3. You graze all day on vending machine fare, but don’t count it in your total calories because it was just “a bite here and a bite there”. Little bits of high calorie foods eaten throughout the day can really add up and be a major diet buster. Choose your nibbles wisely. Allow yourself some; however, you’re better off to put a small serving on a plate and enjoy it rather than graze all day. Make an effort to plan for healthy snacks throughout the day.




4. You eat well all week, but overdo it on the weekends. Think about this idea. If you reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories per day, five days per week, you are cutting out a total of 2500 calories. That is great and it almost equals a pound of fat (3500 calories = 1 pound of fat). However, what if you eat an extra 1500 calories on Saturday and 1500 calories on Sunday. Ouch! You have now negated your entire weeks worth of work, plus 500 more calories. Keep this up for a year and you’ll gain almost 7.5 pounds.




5. You don’t exercise. Exercise is so important for an endless number of reasons. Even though exercise alone is unlikely to help you lose weight, it’s an important component to weight control. It is possible to lose weight without exercise; however, it is more difficult, and even more difficult to maintain your weight loss.




6. You sip on soda, fruit juice, or sweet tea. These drinks contain so much sugar and so many calories that you can easily be sabotaging your weight loss efforts by pouring these in your glass.

If the title of this article is true for you, I would like to challenge you to think about these points and decide if they are derailing your weight loss efforts!

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I Eat Very Little, Yet I Can't Seem To Lose This Weight!

This is a guest post by Amanda.

The backbone of Michelle Obama's new campaign to fight obesity began about a year ago when she broke ground on the White House Kitchen Garden with students from a local elementary school. The "Let's Move" campaign was launched in February of this year, and includes four goals:

• Spread information about healthy options
• Create healthier schools
• Establish access to affordable healthy foods
• Increase physical activity and education in schools

The facts are unmistakable; obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years. For the first time in United States history, childrens' life expectancies may be shorter than their parents'. Obesity is a very real and serious issue, and bad health and weight issues have been linked to poor performance on standardized tests and in other areas of life. As First Lady Obama says, the time to make these changes is now.

One of the most promising factors in altering the health of our children is increased physical activity. Starting with preschool physical activity all the way up to high school gym classes, kids will be encouraged and required to partake in exercises. The idea of starting early will establish good habits for youth. Looking at the overall picture of American History, many people are much busier now than they once were, but as a result, physical activity has been put on the back burner.

Organized sports will also take a forefront in Lady Obama's campaign, as this is one of the best ways to get kids involved during extracurricular hours. The hours spent practicing during the week, and the games on the weekends will make a tremendous difference on the physical states of many children. Organized sports are able to increase after school activity for children, as well. This becomes the responsibility of parents and extracurricular organizers.

There are certainly many obstacles to this new campaign. For instance, more sports and increased physical education participation necessitates more physical education resources. At a time when finances are low, and school budgets are being cut, it is difficult to say who will be responsible for finding the money to fund these new resources.

Furthermore, many states have established policies limiting food availability at schools, namely bake sale products. While seemingly beneficial, this eliminates a large portion of funds that would otherwise benefit sports teams and clubs. New York schools recently banned homemade goods at bake sales, which means these fundraisers will now have processed items such as Multigrain Pop-Tarts and Baked Doritos at higher than market prices instead. These wellness policies are also monitoring the items in vending machines, school stores, and school cafeterias, which has the potential of harming the school's profits.

Many are upset about some of these schoolwide changes, but budgetary issues are not the only impediments for school officials. There is only so much that schools can do to establish healthy habits and increase physical activity among children. Parents are a huge impediment as they often fuel unhealthy lifestyles. They may not have the time, the desire, or the means to take children to afterschool activities, practices and games. Since a good portion of external activity is out of the control of school officials, internal physical education is becoming one of the only ways to monitor and increase exercise among schoolchildren.

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

Physical Activity and Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Campaign

This is a guest post by Sarah Harris.

Any and all brides want to look their best. Scratch that. They want to look spectacular for their big day. What can you do to accomplish that? The most important advice is to plan. Plan out your diet and workouts. You need to maximize your benefits, but remember to check yourself regularly so that you’re not overdoing it and compromising your body in the meantime.

When creating your plan, figure out what your most important components are. Do you want to lose weight overall or just tone some problem areas? Remember two things: Healthy and Variety. You want a healthy eating plan, not a crash diet. You want variety in your workout plan so you don’t burnout. You’ve got a lot of stress in your life already from planning a wedding, so you need the energy and stamina that comes from a healthy plan.

Assess where you are and how much time you have. Be realistic about your starting point, and go from there. NO ONE can perfect their body in two weeks. Look at the time you have, and be realistic. The last thing you want is fad crash dieting, that’s a recipe for looking your worst. With a healthy diet and exercise routine you can lose one to two pounds a week. So start counting back on the calendar to see how much time you need.

What are your options in getting fit? One great option is a personal trainer. You have an end date in mind, and the personal trainer can help you determine your realistic results, help you plan your attack, and push you a little further than you would go on your own. In addition, since it’s a pricier alternative, your motivation will be monetary as well.

Pilates is a great option. Combining flexibility and strength with cardiovascular exercise and resistance, you get an all over workout with the added benefits of toning. Pilates is a great stress reliever as well, which is something a bride needs a lot of. It’s also flexible in that there are a ton of DVDs to do it yourself, or you can go to a studio to get some professional Pilates workouts.

Yoga is another option. It can help you tone up and calm down all at once. Using controlled breathing, moving your body, and meditation in yoga a couple times a week can benefit your overall routine, your overall health and your overall sanity.
The bottom line is while you want to look fabulous in your dress, the best way to do that is by being healthy in your choices. Be steady. Be committed. By the time your big wedding day comes, you’ll look absolutely stunning.

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

Get in Shape for Your Wedding

This is a guest post by Sarah Harris.

Living in Los Angeles, I have the unique opportunity to see fads come and go. Everything from fashion to diets passes through these gilded streets. There are some new fad workouts around here and the question is, are they worth it?

First up, Billy Blanks of Tae Bo fame. Blanks created Tae Bo over 20 years ago. So, I would say that while his popularity goes into fad mode in waves – he’s around for the long haul. Tae Bo is a sort of cardio kickboxing. They have both classes as well as DVD’s. Tae Bo in incredibly intensive. If you’re a beginner – begin slowly. It’s great because it’s a real fat burner. In addition, you hone your reflexes and balance with the kickboxing thrown in. Blanks’ latest release is called Amped, “ because it AMPLIFIES TAE BO's power to sculpt long, lean muscle, firm abs, and attack fat for maximum results in minimum time.” You can find classes at Blanks’ own studio in Sherman Oaks, as well as classes in gyms around the country, or you can participate from home using DVDs.

Next, we have Yoga Booty Ballet. Created by Gillian Clark and Teigh McDonough, Yoga Booty Ballet, “is a fun, sexy and spirited workout that gets your SWERVE on!” It’s a mix of meditation, dance, ballet, Kindalini, and hatha yoga. VERY L.A. It’s meant to transform, exhilarate, and empower. You can attend classes at Swerve in L.A., classes taught around the nation, and by DVD.

And finally, the Burlesque Workout. This, of course, has the potential to be the most fun of the bunch. Dakota Ferreiro, “Miss Dakota,” has a workout out using the art of burlesque. Miss Dakota is a headliner at the Forty Deuce Burlesque Club in Hollywood and Las Vegas. She’s taken her act to a workout that’s fun and sexy, and created to slim and tone. Her wish is for you to learn to love your body in the process. The workout, The Burlesque Body, can be found all over L.A. She’s hoping to take it nationwide and to DVD. In the meantime, however, there are plenty of other burlesque workout DVDs to choose from.

Yes, fad workouts are worth it. Why? Because anything that gets you moving is better than a sedentary life. The key to staying moving is variety. So have fun when the fads blow through town!

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

Fitness Trends in Hollywood: Do They Really Work?

This is a guest post by Raw Andrew.

Here are 7 healthy weight loss tips to help you lose weight in a healthy way:

1. The decision to lose weight should be one that belongs entirely to you. If you are determined to lose weight this year you have to do 100% changes in your lifestyle and in your diet. If you took this decision just to please someone, you destroyed any chances of success. Never think that if your girlfriend lost weight with a specific diet you will lose weight the same way. No! When you are ready to make these changes, focus on your eating habits and weigh them to find a solution right for your body.
2. Do not blame yourself if you are not perfect! If the first attempt to lose weight was a total failure, do not think that you are not able to follow a diet. Don’t give up the idea of losing weight. Accept that you made a wrong choice and do not let a single “lost battle” destroy your will to lose weight. The same "recipe" can be applied for your workout routine: if you postpone your daily scheduled exercises or simply you were lazy to do them, it does not mean that you lost perspective. Losing weight does not involve perfect decisions every time, but rather constant attempts. You have adopt the right solutions and avoid the inappropriate ones as much as possible at each step of the way.
3. Try to avoid the places where the temptation to give in to your bad eating habits is super high. Each of us has a moment of the day when they are more “weak” or less resistant to the temptation of food: whether it is the morning, while you enjoy your coffee, or after working long hours or maybe when you are out with your friends. What should you do in these situations? Try to change the activities you have reserved for those times of the day or think of ways that you can divert attention from food and follow them closely when you feel it is necessary.
4. Hang around people who support you in your efforts to lose weight and do not push you to inappropriate food choices. Even best friends can sometimes sabotage your efforts to lose weight intentionally or unintentionally. Stay away from them if you find this is the case.
5. Every time you reach a weight loss goal make yourself a gift, but make sure it does not consist of candy or other fattening foods. For example, at the end of the first week in which you have adopted a balanced and healthy diet or after you lost your first 1o pounds buy a CD or a book you desire a lot. You can also treat yourself to a movie or go see a play at the local theatre.
6. Fill your fridge only with healthy foods. Snacks and sweets have no business being around you. But remember to keep skimmed yogurt, lots of fruit, pudding (sugar free) and vegetables close to you. They can help you lose weight and are the perfect healthy snack.
7. Set clearly defined weight loss goals and try to focus on them. Do not look at things this way "I must lose 10-15 pounds to look good". Your goal shouldn’t be to lose a certain number of pounds to look good. Your goal should be to look a certain way and keep losing weight until you reach your desired outcome. But be careful and set realistic weight loss goals and try to achieve them without putting your life and health in danger.

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

7 Healthy Weight Loss Tips

This is a guest post by Dr. Kal from Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Tips.

Photo credit: Ian Sane

So, you want to lose weight? We all have our reasons for taking the plunge. You may believe that you had one too many slices of cake at your sister's wedding, or perhaps you just want to be able to fit into that outfit that was on sale and hard to resist. But you cannot reach your goal of permanent weight loss if you do not have discipline to go along with it. It can be hard, but you will need to be a little hard on yourself without making everything seem hopeless and unacceptable.

Fun Exercises

Number one, it is important to make the process of losing weight a pleasant one. Do not make yourself run three laps around the block if you do not think you're ready for it. Do not start swimming if you hate being in the water. I dislike running and much prefer speed walking with a weighted vest.

Associate your exercises with something good, which could be achieved in several ways. You could pick out an mp3 player for yourself or turn on the radio and listen to it as you work out. However, be sure to choose music that is upbeat; you can't exactly get your groove on to a violin solo.

You could also try making your exercise sessions a group activity by inviting friends and family over on certain days of the week. When you aren't doing it alone it doesn't feel so difficult.

Rewards

Keep yourself motivated by offering rewards when certain goals are reached. Tell yourself that if you do twenty push ups you will take a scented bubble bath, or go see a movie when you have lost five pounds. You pick the reward and the goal. It's all up to you. After all, if you don't feel motivated then how can you expect to work towards losing weight with stability?

Slow and Steady

Remember above all to take things slowly. If you try to take on the schedule of an Olympic champion on the first day you are just asking to become discouraged and quit before you have even really started. Know your limits, and never be afraid to ask for help when it's needed.

Small permanent lifestyle changes lead to slow permanent weight loss. Large temporary lifestyle changes lead to fast temporary weight loss. Which do you want?

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

Where's Your Discipline?

This is a guest post by Felipa.

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. For the past year and a half I have lost 41 pounds and have kept them off. When I began this most recent attempt to get healthy it seemed as if the weight just melted off and then my progress slowed down a little, but was still there…now it's coming off at a slow almost un-measurable rate.

I get at least 4 hours of intense cardio a week. Although, it seems that I have abandoned my weight training and the diligence I once had over my food choices.
Why? That's a good question and while it's easy to say, "oh I'm just too busy" or some equally un-genuine answer…I made myself really think about why. I once had a friend ask me, why I let myself get fat…yes a friend asked me that. While most of us would be quick to say…we don't want to be this way, and it's not our fault, or our choice the reality is unless we have a medical condition which makes us unable to control our weight somehow, we did manage to get here.

So I'm left to ponder…why am I here, why did I chose this, why didn't I prevent this, how would I benefit from letting myself get here? That's a lot of whys for someone who on the surface is carefree to the point of immaturity.

But I sit here forcing my self to face them.

While most high school girls are self-conscious about their bodies and try to look like the skinny 'in crowd' I did not. My freshman year, I had several meetings with detectives from our local police department in my principals office and sat waiting in the hallways of the court house while the detectives testified on my behalf. I was a size 14.

My sophomore year left me with a lot of emotions to deal with, along with finding a place to live, going to school and maintaining a job. I was between a size 14-16. My junior year…was odd, I went to live back home. Size 14 no longer fit. My senior year, was very similar to the last.

In my adult life, I topped out at a size 20.

Looking back, I think maybe I subconsciously felt that being fat would protect me. For that to make sense I need to share this with you: I was molested, for the first time at the age of 6 and it continued until I moved out. So I think by not looking as good as others I thought maybe I wouldn't be appealing, as you can see, that didn't work. At the age of 14 someone else attempted to rape me, to this the counselors said, it must be something I was doing.

So I kept eating. Apparently trying to prevent this from happening again.

While counseling got me nowhere, eating was comforting and as best as I can remember there were no instances of sexual abuse my junior and senior year. While the actions that got me to this place were not my fault I am fulling responsible for how I responded to them.

I’m hoping now that I've been able to admit to myself that my actions are what got me here I’ll be able to speed up the reversal process.

With sharing all that I have, I would hope I would stir something up in others to face their own "Whys".

My name is Felipa, I’m a 31 year old wife & mother who works in a call center. I moonlight as a Zumba instructor and a Top Health Blogger at I'm Getting Fit.

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Facing the "Whys" of What You Do

This is a guest post by love2eatinpa.

I am a 42-yr old happily married mother of two, but for over 30 years I led a secret life of a compulsive overeater and binge eater.

Sadly, I didn't know until a little over two years ago that I was a binger and compulsive overeater. I thought I just had a sweet tooth and loved to eat a lot of junk food.

I went on "diets" off and on through junior high and high school. No brand-name diets, just lowering my calorie intake drastically. Fortunately, I played sports all through school, so my eating was offset by being active. Nonetheless, at 5'3" I graduated high school weighing in at about 150 lbs.

Then I was off to college. Freshman 15? Nope, Freshman 20 for me. When I came home for Thanksgiving break, I weighed 172. None of my jeans fit, I mostly wore sweats all the time because my regular clothes didn't fit.

My weight fluctuated with my compulsive eating through my 20's. When I met my husband at the age of 26, I weighed about 143. (Scary how I can recall important moments in my life via my weight at the time! Ask me about a certain time in my life and I can always tell you what I weighed.)

I didn't eat to live, I lived to eat. When we went to parties or events together, I had little interest in talking to people; my head was solely focused on the dessert table. When we entertained, after people left, I would gorge myself on the leftover desserts. I would shovel it down without even really tasting the food. I wouldn't even swallow what was in my mouth before the next mouthful went in.

It was very shameful. I would always feel so full and bloated and just plain disgusted with myself afterward. I'd often vow that the next day I would "be good." Sometimes I pulled it off, but most often I could not. Still, I had no idea I had an eating disorder. All I knew is that when faced with desserts and some other starches that a switch in my brain would go off and I would go into a feeding frenzy.

I could offset some of the calories by working out, which thankfully I did regularly even though most of the time I felt like a bloated slug, uncomfortable in my own skin.

At the end of December 2007, for some reason the words "compulsive overeating" popped into my head. I hopped onto my laptop and started googling. I eventually ended up at the website for Overeaters Anonymous. They have a section that is titled something like "are you one of us?" and has a list of questions. I answered yes to almost all of them. It wasn't until that moment that the reality of it hit me – I have an eating disorder and if they have a website about it, apparently I'm not the only one who has this crazy relationship with food.

So I wrote a very long letter to my husband, telling him what I recently learned about myself and told him about all of the shameful secrets I had regarding my intake of food. It was a huge catharsis and I shed many many tears. It was so good to get that enormous weight off my chest. I had no idea these feelings were buried inside me all this time.

I embraced that I had an eating disorder, found a therapist, started going to Overeaters Anonymous meetings and have been binge-free for a little over two years now. I weigh the lowest I've ever weighed as an adult and have been maintaining this weight for about a year and a half. I go to the gym four days a week and I'm a calorie counter. I weigh and measure my food. Yes, those are all compulsive behaviors, but it's what I need to do right now.

I'm working on following my hunger cues and becoming an intuitive eater, but it's hard to undo 30+ years of messed up thinking that began as a young child with my parents. My therapist rocks and helps me to discover awarenesses about my eating and food behaviors. He helps me to see that if I expand other parts of my life, the part of my life that is focused on food will get smaller.

So while I still struggle to some degree every day, there are more easy days than hard days. I know that I will probably have food issues for the rest of my life, but my goal is to become as close to a 'normal eater' as I can via therapy, my blog and the wonderful community of support I get through my blog.

I feel good about how my body looks. I'm not sure I've ever said that about myself before. I'm strong and fit and I feel confident at the gym. I've come a long way from someone who used to feel disgusted with how I felt both physically and mentally. I still struggle with my self-esteem and self-confidence, but I'm slowly working on learning that I am worthy and have value.

Discovering I was a compulsive overeater/binger a couple of years ago ended up being a blessing. It has helped me to learn and grow as a person. I learned it's never too late to improve yourself both physically and mentally.

love2eatinpa is a recovering compulsive overeater. If you would like to read more about her daily struggles of being a compulsive eater, check out her blog Confessions of a Compulsive Eater.

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

Confessions of a Compulsive Eater

This is a guest post by Suzie Parker.

I you're like me, you love eating out. Not just the food, but the whole experience. The waiter serving you, the cook preparing your food, and best of all, no cleaning up afterward! And when I decided that I had to start living more healthily, it was also the last thing that I wanted to give up. And luckily, I didn't have to, and neither do you.

You don't have to avoid restaurants when on a diet, or when you are watching your weight. You can eat out while still maintaining (or building) your figure. You just have to know which foods to choose (and which to avoid). Here are a few tips to get you eating out like a lean person:

When you are having red meat

Choose: Fillet steak (200g), grilled vegetables or salad and/or baked potato, and a low-fat non creamy sauce (like soy or peri-peri).

Fillet is lower in fat than the other red meat varieties, and eating salad or vegetables with it is a great way to fill you up. And having a non-creamy sauce will also help cut down on the fat content of your meal.

Ditch: A huge rump steak with potato fries and a creamy sauce.

Rump is one of the cuts of meat with the highest fat content, and combining it with a creamy sauce and fries will increase the fat content even more, without increasing the nutritional value of your meal.

When you are having Italian food

Choose: Pizza with vegetable topping and a thin crust.

Choosing a thin crust over a thicker one will save you lots of calories, and opting for veggies will ensure that you limit your fat content. You can also eat a salad with it if you choose.

Ditch: Meat and cheese pizza with a thick crust.

The type of meat and cheese that you stack on a pizza are usually very high in fat and calories. And a thick crust will increase the calorie content and fat content even more.

When you are having seafood

Choose: Lean sushi or steamed/grilled seafood.

Steaming and grilling food makes for a much lower fat content. Choosing sushi is also always a good idea, as it usually contains fatty fish (which contains omega-3 fats, which are good for your skin and brain) and vegetables (which are just generally good).

Ditch: Deep fried fish, with lemon butter or a creamy-mayo dressing.

Deep frying food increases the fat content drastically, and adding lemon butter will do even more so. Rather opt for something grilled or steamed, and skip the creamy sauce.

As you can see, eating out can be delicious, nutritious and healthy. You just have to know which foods to ditch, and which foods to choose. If you stick to the guidelines I gave you, you will ensure that you stay (or get) lean and healthy. Just remember to also include regular exercise and to follow a balanced and healthy eating plan.

My name is Suzie Parker, and I'm a seasoned health and fitness writer. I've researched and written about many different fitness topics, and I've experimented with most of them too. If you are interested in more tips and guidance to help you get fit and burn stomach fat, then be sure to check out my website at How To Lose Love Handles.

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Post from: John Is Fit - Personal Weight Loss Blog

How To Eat Out Like a Lean Person

This is a guest post by Duncan.

A couple of years back I worked as a personal trainer after completing my sports sciences degree at university. Admittedly this wasn't a very original career choice for a sports scientist, but I really wanted to see if I could apply theory to practice. To my amazement, after about two months working as a personal trainer, I learned a very important lesson that I hadn't really be taught in my three years at uni. This was the idea of gradually tipping the food/exercise scales in favour of weight loss.

One of the first things you get taught in sports science education, and indeed something that is now very much in the public's consciousness, is that if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. This is a simple enough idea for most exercise professionals to grasp, and you might think that the average Joe could run with this as well, but the truth is most people just don't get it. This is not down to stupidly or lack of commitment etc, but instead down to the vague nature of the statement.

Most of the clients I had did not know what a calorie was, let alone how to use them up, in what quantity to use them and how many this was in relation to the amount they were consuming. I would go as far as to say it was pointless me passing this theory on to clients, as it didn't give them a starting point or anything to work with. I would often get clients saying things like "I only ate a couple of potatoes and then ran 5 miles, why haven't I lost any weight?" or "If I do 15 minutes cardio vascular exercise per day, how many beers can I have at the weekend?". Of course there are too many variables for me to give an accurate answer. How big were the potatoes? When were they eaten? What conditions were they running in? What was the CV exercise and how intense was it? What type of beer? Etc etc. I found this very frustrating because although I could carefully monitor the calorie intake and usage of my own body, I couldn't hope to do the same for my clients, and I wasn't getting results for them.

Then one day it hit me and I realised that I needed to change the advice I was giving. I told my clients to start thinking about food and exercise as elements on either side of a pair of scales. Currently, the amount of food they ate was outweighing the amount of exercise, causing the scales to tip in favour of the food and so they were putting on weight (or at least not losing any). I told them to slowly start reducing the amount they ate and increase the amount they exercised, to try and tip the balance in favour of exercise. If their weight didn't start to come off, I told them not to worry, but just to adjust the amounts of food and exercise again to move closer to the tipping point on the scales. A couple of months of using this idea and hey presto, almost all my clients reached their tipping points, the exercise outweighed the food intake, and they started to lose weight.

I put this success down to two things. Firstly the clients stopped thinking about specifics such as trying to match their calorie intakes and usage with complicated equations, and started listening to their bodies more for feedback. Secondly, the clients were given a psycho-physical concept (the scales) to attach their weight loss and gain to. Trying to lose weight was no longer seen as a wishful attempt with uncertain consequences, but instead they knew that once they reached that tipping point on the scales they would have reached the top of their mountain and would see the sun on the other side.

Duncan is an exercise professional and a digital marketer who represents a London health spa. He believes that health and fitness is a journey, not a destination.

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Tipping the Scales In Favour Of Weight Loss

This is a guest post by Greg Hayes.

Kick Buttowski is a daredevil skateboarder on DisneyXD. My boys love this guy. He’s a rebel who bucks the trend, and quite frankly, I just love the name. Kick. Buttowski. Inspiration for weight loss? How to buck the trend…

Most of us know that losing weight is hard.

Losing weight requires us to give up things like red meat in favor of tofu and rabbit food, or start eating that Jenny Craig diet crud. No more tasty foods. No more sinfully delightful sugary treats.

No.

Despite what the weight loss "experts" would have us believe, weight loss doesn't require you to live as a shell of your former self. The truth is that, for most of us, a few small changes to our lifestyle can net us big gains in weight loss. So, instead of following the diet crowd, try these 7 daredevil tips for weight loss.

Go out to dinner. And when you do, have the steak. In fact, skip the salad and have the best cut of meat on the menu. Go for the 6-ounce filet instead of the 24-ounce porterhouse, and choose the mixed vegetables instead of the loaded potato. Everyone will think you're more sophisticated for having the best cut of meat on the menu, and they'll scratch their heads when you skip the salad. You're dieting, remember? Never mind you just cut your total calories by over 80%.

Never skip a meal. Ever. Missing meals is one of the best ways to guarantee you'll binge later. Instead, eat all day long. Eat small portions every few hours.

Eat sweets. Pick your favorite treat and indulge one time each day. Figure out what serving size equates to 250-calories, measure it out, and eat it. Once each day. It'll give you something to look forward to. Mine's ice cream. I eat half-a-cup every night.

Have some fat. Pass on the peanuts and have a handful of almonds or walnuts every day. Go for the avocado. They're loaded with fat. Guaranteed way to improve your heart health.

Make eggs a part of your regular diet. They're loaded with protein and you need cholesterol for things like the production of testosterone.

Sugar is good. Fruit is loaded with sugar. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and melons are loaded with sugar. They just also happen to be
loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.

Have some bread. Swap out your bland white bread for whole wheat white bread, or go for something more adventurous. Stone ground whole wheat. Your body needs about 30-grams of fiber each day, and without grains, it’s very hard to get there.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be an exercise in agonizingly painful self-loathing. Nor does it require you to starve yourself, denying the things you enjoy eating. The truth is most of us can achieve basic weight loss goals by making small changes in the way we approach our relationship with food. So, be a rebel.

Eat well.

Greg Hayes is the author of Live Fit Blog,, where he writes about fitness, weight loss, and balanced living. To read more, be sure to check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter.

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The Kick Buttowski Guide To Losing Weight