The 2 Reasons You are NOT Losing Weight

#1 You Aren't Working "Hard Enough"

Remember: It's Called A 'Work'out! You aren't pushing yourself. People who aren’t used to working out, don’t really know what it feels like to push themselves.  So, when they exercise they simply ‘go through the motions’.   Simply put - you have to exert yourself. For instance; walking or running on a treadmill; or going for a run – while talking on a cell phone or talking with your workout partner is an example of NOT exerting yourself. The rate of oxygen to carbon dioxide exchange should be high enough to the point of you only being able to do one or the other – not do both.

This is why when you see people ‘giving it their all’ they ‘gasp, yell, grunt, or make some kind of exclamation’.  It takes oxygen to talk.  It also takes oxygen to exercise.  To divide your oxygen consumption is to divide your efforts.

Another example would be to imagine yourself trying to carry on a conversation … while holding something heavy above your head, trying not to let it fall on you.  You can’t do it.  You can’t do it, because your muscles need oxygenated blood in order to be useful.   If you were holding a 50lbs to 100lbs brick above your head while someone was asking you 50 questions – sooner or later, you’d stop answering (and probably tell them to shut-up) because you answering is using precious oxygen; oxygen your muscles need to keep that brick in the air.   Most often, people think when they are “out of breath” they are pushing too hard and they ease up.  But that is actually how you break your ‘plateau’.   You have to hit your peak EVERYTIME you work out.  Otherwise, you’re merely wasting your time. The human body adapts to whatever demands you put on in. If the demand you put upon your body in the gym (strolling) is the same as you do during your day to day life (strolling) your body will not change!

#2 You simply refuse to  change your eating habits    Look- Do the Math! Many people believe that since they are working out, they can continue eating the way they always have.  This belief comes from tv, movies, magazines and etc  – catering to ‘what you want to hear’. Simply put.    We don’t get fat due to not working out.  We get fat because we eat more calories than we burn. Ponder that.  Say it out loud. Here it is again. We don’t get fat due to not working out.  We get fat because we eat more calories than we burn.

A calorie is made up of Carbs, Fats, & Protein.  Every calorie is different due to the percentage of each of these items.  You could eat a calorie that is 50% Carb, 25% Fat & 25% Protein.  Or, 10% Carb, 0% Fat, 90% Protein.  You get the idea. When you have bad eating habits and you get big, you’re eating more calories than you’re burning, and you’re putting on body fat.  This is because the majority of the calories you’re eating are high in Carbs and high in Fat. When you have good eating habits and you get big; you’re still eating more calories than your burning, but you’re putting on muscle.  This is because the majority of the calories you’re eating are high in Protein. When you have good eating habits and you’re staying the same size; you’re eating the same amount of calories that you’re burning, so you’re staying the same size.

Conclusion!

Eating ‘healthy’ is not the same as eating for weight loss.  The key is to eat healthy while eating for weight loss.

Your Caloric burn has to be higher than your caloric intake.  When people ‘go through the motions’ in the gym AND they refuse to change their eating habits … they are literally just wasting time, money, and effort because they will NEVER reach their goal of losing weight.

Drinking Water And Weight Loss - Does It Work?

Is there a link between drinking water and weight loss? 

Yes, and one that has been scientifically proven. 

Drinking water with or after food helps to bulk out our food, sending messages to the brain to say that we are full so we will eat less.

Water also helps in aiding the absorption of vitamins and minerals in our food. For example, fat needs water in order to be broken down and used by the body. Water also helps to flush out the waste material in our bodies and thus helps keep us in optimum health.

So how much should you be drinking and when. You should aim to drink at least half you weight in ounces (140lbs person = 70oz water a day) more on hot days, more if you drink dehydrating drinks such as coffee, tea, and/or alcohol.   

You should spread your consumption throughout the day. There is no need to drink bottled water as in most areas tap water is perfectly safe.  If you do prefer the bottled variety, steer clear of the flavored ones. These products contain sweeteners.

If you do not drink sufficient water, you will feel lethargic, tried and confused. Your body may misinterpret your feelings of thirst as hunger and thus you can over eat. In fact by the time you feel thirsty your body is already starting to dehydrate hence why should drink regularly. You may find that initially you have to go to the bathroom more often but your body will soon adapt to the increased volume.

Drinking water on its own won’t win your weight loss battle. You need to make changes in other areas as well including your diet and the level of exercise you undertake. You should aim to be doing at least twenty minutes of exercise per day.  Remember, exercise isn’t exercise if you are not pushing yourself.  If you aren’t maximizing your exercise – then you’re just participating in an activity and your body will not respond as if you’re working out. 

There is no point in drinking loads of water and taking exercise if you are still eating junk food every day. You need to retrain your palate and make your diet healthier. Do it gradually. Replace your favorite bad food with something healthy.  Swap your chicken nuggets for a salad.  Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption while decreasing the amount of cakes, candy and bad fats you eat. Not only will you lose weight but your skin will love you too.

The link between drinking water and weight loss will also help to give you glowing skin and you will soon become the envy of your friends when you show off your new slimmer figure at the next social occasion.

Free List Of Negative Calorie Foods

You will find a free list of “negative” calorie foods below, but first let's consider what this means. 

There is no such thing as a “negative” calorie - a calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. 

However, when people talk about “negative” calorie foods, they're referring to foods whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains.

For example, if you consider water to be a food, then cold water is certainly a negative calorie food. It contains no calories at all and the body has to expend energy to bring it up to blood temperature. So every time we drink a glass of cold water we burn up a couple of calories. But there are very few foods like this. 

Most foods that are on the list do not really use more calories than they add, or if they do the effect is negligible. Celery for example, does not give us enough calories to cover. So that is why people call it a negative calorie food.

 

Negative calorie foods are most attractive to anorexics. A negative calorie diet would obviously result in starvation in the long term and nutritional deficiencies can occur over time.  Once the body has lost excess fat, the calories burnt then come from muscle mass.  With this, the result is debility and wasting.

A more healthy way to use a negative calorie diet is as a form of fasting or detox.

It is something you can do for one to three days right after the Christmas season or another time when you have been eating an over-rich diet. Provided you are otherwise healthy it can be a great way to clean out the system. However it is still best to take medical advice before attempting this.

If you decide to use a negative calorie detox, keep the following points in mind:

1. It is never a good idea to eat huge quantities of one type of food, especially fruits. A lot of foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed to excess. For example, the acid in grapefruit and pineapple can damage your stomach lining. Other foods put an excessive burden on the liver or may cause diarrhea. So try to use all the different foods in small quantities.

2. Do not spend all day just eating to be eating. You will become bloated and ‘heavy’.  You’d probably make yourself feel sick. If you are only doing this for a couple days, you should not feel too hungry. Plan four or five salad meals each day, and let your digestion rest at other times.

3. You will feel more satisfied if you eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. You will also use more calories that way. So if the foods can be eaten raw, that will be more effective than cooking them. Foods like carrots and beets will also be more satisfying if you eat them grated.

4. Schedule time when you do not have any important commitments. As with fasting or any kind of detox, you may suffer some uncomfortable symptoms including headaches, tiredness, depression and irritability. If these become severe, stop the diet and see a doctor; otherwise, tough it out.

5. When you end the detox, plan a gradual return to normal eating.

If all the above points are checked and passed, let's move on to the list of foods.

    * Apples

    * Asparagus

    * Beets

    * Blueberries

    * Broccoli

    * Cantaloupes

    * Carrot

    * Cauliflower

    * Celery stalk

    * Celery root

    * Cranberries

    * Cucumbers

    * Eggplant

    * Endives

    * Garden cress

    * Garlic

    * Grapefruit

    * Green beans

    * Green cabbage

    * Lamb's lettuce

    * Lemons

    * Lettuce

    * Onions

    * Papayas

    * Pineapples

    * Prunes

    * Radishes

    * Raspberries

    * Spinach

    * Strawberries

    * Tangerines

    * Tomatoes

    * Turnips

    * Zucchini

Please use this free list of negative calorie foods wisely.

The Meal Plan Mind Set

When it comes to losing weight, far too many people set themselves up for failure before they even begin the process. They literally dread going on their meal plan and before they start the process, they are planning their mishaps along the way. Sad to say but true, far too many people are planning their first rocky road mishap while eating their last bowl of Rocky Road ... thinking; : “I can’t have any more to this” – as if it’s a punishment.

I have no idea why people tend to do this to themselves but it is something I see far too often.   If you are honest with yourself, you will realize that moderation is the key.  It’s a simple concept that many people loathe and refuse to embrace.

You must change your way of thinking about food and your personal enjoyment of food in order for any meal plan you embrace to be successful. Food isn't the enemy. And that is something that not enough people really understand. Even the 'tasty' foods aren't the enemy. The enemy is your personal inability to properly portion the foods you eat. The problem is that the vast majority of us eat the wrong foods far more often than we eat the right foods. This is where the problems lie.

Our bodies need the nutrients we are lacking by not eating the five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit each day that we should consume. Our bodies know that something is missing and we feel hungry or deprived. If we were actually consuming the proper balance of fruits and veggies each day we would find that we were far less likely to feel hungry and desire those foods that aren't as healthy. This means we would be much more likely to enjoy them in moderation as they should be enjoyed.

 

Portion control is another problem that we have. We live in a society of "up selling". Super-sized fries and empty calories by the gallon of your favorite cola are offered with almost every fast food meal that can be bought. You must learn to say no to these things and avoid situations in which you may feel tempted to partake in these ‘up sized’ orders.

To be truly successful when meal planning you need to embrace the process of building a healthier you, rather than depriving yourself of s ‘happy you’.

Do not think of your weight loss plan as something negative but rather a positive force in your life to make changes for the better. When you have negative thoughts, do not direct them at your meal plan. When you feel deprived, remind yourself that you are depriving your bones of carrying around that excess weight.

 

Remind yourself that you are depriving your wardrobe of those bulky clothes that are designed to hide the bulges.

Remind yourself that you are depriving your body of years of bulges and bringing back the body of your youth.

Do not get so caught up in the meal planning process that you forget to enjoy some of the goodies that life has to offer. Watching your weight and counting your calories does not mean that you can never go over your allotment. The goal however is to find balance. If you learn to portion your food correctly, indulge in moderation, and incorporate enjoyable high calorie burning activities into your daily routine you may be amazed at the results.

Meal Portion Control Tool

Planning for weight loss and health is only depriving if you allow it to be. If you cannot control yourself when it comes to indulging then by all means … avoid indulging. (Can you say: “recovering alcoholic?”) However, if you can learn to incorporate those small treats into your routine in moderation and burn those extra calories as well, then you should find yourself a much happier and more successful

than you have ever managed to be in the past.