a guide to losing weight the healthy way Options

[iheartjohn]

Mmmhmmm.

Please note that the ONLY way you will lose weight if you burn more calories than you eat.

Example:

I ate 1200 calories today.
I burned 2400 calories. Thus, I lost 2 pounds.

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Got it? Okay, onwards.


Step 1. Eat right.

Don't cut out your carbs, okay? You're young. Don't screw with your metabolism.

The essentials: vegetables (crrots, lettuce, broccoli); fruits (apples, oranges, bananas); grains (cereal, bread, pasta); dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) and iron (meats, fish, nuts)

Here are some eating tips.


Instead of French Fries, consider baked potato chips.

Instead of sugar, try Splenda or brown sugar.

(more suggestions coming soon)



Cutting these out of your regular diet will cut MAJOR calories.

Eliminate ALL soda.
Eliminate anything salty.
Cut out junk food ALL TOGETHER.



9 Rules of Eating

1.Prepare a balanced meal plan and stick to it.

2.Try to stick to regular meal times the best you can.

3.Eat slowly and chew each bite completely to decrease your appetite.

4.Avoid eating while you're watching TV or preparing a meal. It is far too easy to overeat when you are distracted or surrounded by food.

5.Cutout a picture of someone whose figure you admire, to keep you motivated.

6.Eat the most filling, least fattening foods first (for example salad before the pizza, soup before the meal) so you fill up faster and consume fewer calories.

7.People that eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.

8.Drink four to six glasses of water each day, especially before meals. Water has no calories and it will help you to feel full.

9.Remember it takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that you are full, so eat slowly and chew your food as long as you can.


Boost your metabolism
Why? To keep your energy pulsating and your body in shape.

1.Drinking hot water as apposed to cold water can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.

2.Do not skip breakfast. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.

3.Avoid stress. Physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism.

4.Sleep. Research shows that people who don't sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain.

5.Be positive! The more you feel good about yourself the easier and faster it is to lose weight.



Now on to being active.

Firstly, don't automatically run like hell everyday for the next two weeks to shed some weight. Start yourself off in moderation, so you don't get tired.

Start with a modest goal, like 15 to 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.

Gradually extend the duration and the speed.

Walk up one or two gentle slopes.

Your walk should be comprised of three segments: warm-up, exercise pace and cool-down.


How to walk:
That's right. You're probably doing it wrong.

Walk with your chin up and your shoulders held slightly back.

The heel of your foot should touch the ground first. Roll your weight forward.

Swing your arms as you walk.

To avoid stiff or sore muscles or joints, start gradually. Over several weeks, begin walking faster, going further, and walking for longer periods of time.

Walk on soft ground.

Rehydrate yourself -- drink 8-10 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of activity.


More information.

The more you walk, the better you will feel. You also use more calories.

Walking will give you more energy, make you feel good, help you to relax, reduce stress, help you sleep better, tone your muscles, help control your appetite, increase the number of calories your body uses.

To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed.

Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - leading to more miles and more calories spent on a regular basis.

Make walking a daily habit or at least 3-5 times a week depending on your schedule.




If you want to add some tips of your own, you're very welcome to. I will add more of my own later.

[clarity]

Here's a tip if not said already.

WATCH YOUR FAT!
You know they do give you nutritional information on the food boxes for a reason. Your supposed to only have 20 fat grams per day. I found it helpful if you limit your self to 12 fat grams per day.

WATCH YOUR CALORIES!
Try limiting yourself to either 1,500 calories - 2,000 calories a day.

GET EXERCISE!
Put in AT LEAST an hour of moderate exercise everyday. It helps burn off calories.

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU EAT!
It's helpful to write down what you eat and put down the calorie and fat content down.


For you're biggest meal of the day you should allow yourself to have 800 calories and 8 grams of fat. But remember just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

SNACKING
For snacking, limit a snack to 100-120 calories and 3 or less grams of fat.


You're day of food should consist of breakfast, 2 snacks, lunch, and dinner.

The best time to use your snacks would be to have one between breakfast and lunch and then the other one between lunch and dinner. Also in between, drink lots of water! It will help you feel full.

"BUT... BUT... I'M GONNA MISS MY OLD FOOD! "
Remember, just because you're cutting out all fatty foods doesn't mean your giving out great tasting food.

Instead of french fries try sweet potatoes fries!
Instead of regular chips try baked chips!
Instead of peanut butter try "Better N` Butter"!
Instead of regular brownies try "No Pudge Brownies"!

You can also find many fat free cookbooks online!

Remember, if it comes in fat free, go for it! Taste it. Try something new, you never know you may end up enjoying it.


WATER TIP
For water, use a nalgene. It really helps control how much water you drink. For me I try to drink 3 full nalgenes a day.

SODA TIP
Those who may wonder, "What's wrong with soda" or "Okay I cut out regular soda what about diet soda?"

With regular soda, your drinking your calories. Don't do that if you can help it! What's wrong with diet soda is, since your loading yourself with splenda it makes you hungry. Your body thinks when you drink diet soda that your preparing yourself to eat right afterward.

"NO SODA? THEN WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO DRINK? "
Get those "on the go" crystal light packets. They're only 5 calories and are a great way to get some taste in your drink!



Hope this all helps.