You see ads everyday in the papers, the Internet and especially on TV claiming that you can lose x amounts of pounds in just a week. With all the money spent on advertising and those before and after pictures, you get tempted to pick up the telephone and call to order their "magic" product. But the truth is those are all just a bunch of marketing scam. The "diets" seen in those advertisements will mostly give you short term results and as soon as you stop doing what's advertised you'll just return to your old self. Not to mention all the damage you're doing to your metabolism. The truth is everyone wants an easy way out, a pill they can take, well I hate to tell you this, but you didn't get fat in a week, so how do you expect to get slim in that amount of time?
The best way to lose weight and by weight I mean fat, is to calculate your daily calorie consumption. The body needs a certain amount of calories to survive and the extra calories are for your extra activities. So in order to lose weight you need to burn more calories then you consume: either by consuming fewer calories or increasing the amount of calories burnt. Simple, no? Well actually the human metabolism is an extremely complex process, but it's best not to over think on some matters and do what works best.
First, you need to start by calculating how many calories you're consuming each day. I know you're thinking that it's not easy but once you get the hang of it, it'll become second nature. There are numerous calorie counting sites on net and a simple Google search will provide the answer. Just log in all your daily foods and it'll give you your total number of calories with all the macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. I won't go into detail for each macronutrient, but to sum it up look at it this way. Protein is for repairing your skin tissues and building strong muscles, nails and hair. Carbohydrates (carbs for short) are your body's primary energy source. And fat is your reserve energy tank.
Second, clean up your diet. Remove all the junk food and processed crap and replace it with whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats. Whole foods (especially foods with high protein) have a thing called a thermal effect, which basically means it takes more energy for your body to burn the food, so you burn more calories. Not to mention that they're much healthier and will give you an overall better result. Try to spread the food evenly throughout the day. Example: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack and Dinner. This way your metabolism will be active all day and you'll be burning fat.
And finally, remove about 500 calories worth of food each day (1 lb of fat is about 3500 calories) or do extra cardio exercises to match that amount of calories so you'll lose around 1-2 pounds a week. And there you have it. Always remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint.
According to Bonnie Pfiester, personal/fitness trainer and owner of Longevity Fitness health club, the only way for you to know exactly the food that you're eating is to make a journal of it. This means writing down everything you eat and then documenting the calorie number of each item.
Calories for You
Every person's caloric allowance varies. Your daily calorie needs would depend on your metabolism, weight, and daily activity.
In order to lose weight, you should consume fewer calories than what your body can burn. The greater deficit between your caloric intake and calorie-burning ability, the greater will be your weight loss.
It would take a deficit of 3,500 calories in a week to lose 1 pound. This means that if you have a reduction of 500 calories per day, you can lose a pound per week. Or if you want to lose 2 pounds in a week, you have to reduce 1,000 calories per day.
Checking Calorie Labels
The average American actually eats around 3,790 calories a day. This doesn't really happen on a daily basis. For example, a typical person would eat 2,000 calories on weekdays but consume huge restaurant meals on weekends. Therefore, it increases their daily overall average.
That's why it is important to check the label of everything you buy in the grocery store and know how many calories you are about to put in your mouth. If you don't, you will be on a never-ending diet.
In the same manner, fast-food restaurants should also post calorie information in their menu. This way, the people will know what they're getting. This is according to Mark Peterson, the mayor of Concord.
He is aware that restaurants post these statistics in their websites or keep it behind their counters, but he says that's not enough. Since he is known for pushing fitness programs and healthy living, he proposed a new city mandate stating that nutrition information should be right in front of the customer as they order. This will make it hard to ignore.
Low-Calorie Diet
If you want a low-calorie diet, you can try the Cabbage Soup Diet plan. This diet is used in fast weight loss because it is low in calories. It's like a modified fast.
Basically, this diet will require you a set of foods to eat per day. When you're still hungry, you can eat all the cabbage soup that you like.
The Cabbage Soup Diet is considered to be a miracle diet because it will allow you to lose around 10-15 pounds in only 7 days. When you follow it, you will consume only about 800-1,000 calories in a day. However, you need to terminate it after the 7th day because it is not made for long-term use.
When you go back to your regular eating habits, you can eat everything in moderation yet still lose weight. To achieve this, you have to be diligent in keeping records of your calorie consumption.
Both Michael Russell & W. Darren - are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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