What You Need To Know To Succeed In Weight Loss

This is part one in a series of articles that might help you understand why you have not been successful in your dieting efforts until now. You need to understand what the body requires and how it utilizes food sources we take in. Let's take a look at calories, carbohydrates, fats and protein, primary players in the weight control program.

You may well be aware of this fact but never gave it much thought. Some foods make you feel full faster, and keep you feeling full longer. These are foods that you must consider part of your diet. Additionally, you will need to consider the calorie value that food source represents.

Calories are always mentioned in dieting plans. The three classes of calories include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. While there are three basic types of calories, surprisingly you need to direct your efforts at controlling the first two.

The fuel source for your body activity is the calorie. Each food type will be a source of energy that is relative to the amount of calories the body absorbs from that food source. Each person requires a distinct quantity of calories that is relative to a number of factors.These factors include age, height, weight, gender, and the energy that particular person will expend in a normal day of activity. The bottom line here obviously is that if you consume more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight.

Carbohydrates are a major source of energy and should account for 50% to 60% of calories consumed each day. These include carbohydrates of sugars found in fruits (sucrose, glucose, fructose), milk (lactose), and soft drinks and sweets and complex carbohydrates found in whole grain cereals, flour, bread, rice, corn, oats, potatoes, and legumes.

Calories from protein and carbohydrates when not required to meet your energy requirements, are convert to fat and get stored by your body. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. It takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat.

Fat should account for 30% or less of the calories consumed daily, with saturated fats accounting for no more than 10% of the total fat intake. We do need some fats in our body to maintain body temperature, and physically protect body tissues and organs. Fat also benefits our body by transporting the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K.

We will find several classes of fats in our daily diet. Saturated fat found mostly in meat and dairy products can be a cause of increased blood cholesterol levels. Conversely polyunsaturated fat helps to promote lower blood cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fat found in both plant and animal products aids in lowering LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)

Protein should provide ten to twenty percent of the calories consumed each day. Protein is required to maintain a strong count of red blood cells and adequate functioning of antibodies to provide a strong front against infection. It is also a primary element in normal growth and tissue repair.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are found in a variety of foods. Meat, milk, cheese, and egg are complete proteins that have all the essential amino acids. Other sources of protein include whole grains, rice, corn, beans, legumes, oatmeal, peas, and peanut butter. For those who do not eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products, it is important to eat a variety of these meat free foods in order to get enough protein.

These will be the primary elements involved in the weight management and food sources discussions.

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The Top 7 Foods To Lose Belly Fat Lightning Fast

Are you struggling to lose belly fat? The answer may lie right with the foods you are eating. In this article, I will show you the most powerful 7 foods you should be having on a daily basis to lose belly fat...lightning fast!

First, you must understand that in order to lose belly fat and get that tight stomach and/or chiseled six pack abs, it takes a combination of four components to experience success.

1. Get plenty of sleep

2. Drink plenty of water (Make sure it is ice cold water. Ice cold water triggers your body to burn calories to get it to body temperature.)

3. Exercise

4. Eat the correct foods

The following are the best 7 foods to lose belly fat:

1. Monounsaturated Fats: Monounsaturated fats are vital to not just loosing belly fat, but also to your overall health. Some examples of monounsaturated fat would be Olive Oil, Olives, Avocado, Nuts, and so much more.

2. Protein Shakes: You see muscle builders around the gym chugging protein down like water...and for a good reason. Protein shakes are loaded with 20-36+ grams of protein. Protein is very important for your health, fat burning, and muscle building. Protein also repairs tissues in your muscles after working out, making it vitally important to drink or eat some form of protein at least within 30 minutes after working out. Although protein is very important for your body, you should take it in moderation.

3. Whole Grain Foods: Oatmeal (If you have oatmeal, make sure it is rolled oats and that you make it with water, soy milk, or skim milk.), whole grain cereals, whole wheat, brown rice, wild rice, pop corn (light to no salt & butter), quinoa, & whole grain corn just to name a few.

4. Fresh Fruits (Duh!): If you don't know by now that eating plenty of fruits daily will shed off pounds and reveal those much desired abs, then I would like to ask you for a discount on a round trip ticket to your home planet Mars! :) The #1 fruit to eat is Apples since they are high in fiber, low in calories and more. A little trick would be to consume an apple before you eat a meal, this way because of the fiber in apples, you will get full quicker when you eat your meal.

5. Fresh Veggies (Duh, again!): Vegetables are loaded with different vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals are important for your health and losing belly fat. Here's a tip for you: Pack some sliced vegetables to take with you or at home to have as a quick snack. This will obviously help in deterring your desire for bad snacks.

6. Poultry Meats: Lean cuts of chicken (breast) & turkey are the best. They are packed with protein, niacin, selenium, B6 vitamins and more. It is recommended that you cook these meats by grilling, baking or roasting.

7. Seafood: Containing all eight essential amino acids, seafood is an excellent source of protein. Fish also contains omega 3 fatty acids which are vitally important for your health. The two best types to eat are salmon and tuna (if canned - light tuna in water).

Remember, you have to follow those four steps above (sleep, water, exercise, eat right) in order to successfully lose belly fat and lose weight for that matter. Don't get fooled into thinking that all you have to do is lay down and crank out 50-100 crunches a day to get a sexy stomach.

Are you you ready to "lose belly fat" now? I recommend for you to take a look at this powerful "fat burning program". This program is straight to the point and is not your typical "low calorie", "no carb", "don't eat anything all day" type of diet.

I wish you the best of success in getting yourself in better health and getting yourself those much desired six pack abs! Good Luck!

Avy Barnes is a long time health and fitness enthusiast. Being someone who once struggled in weight loss, muscle building, and overall health improvement, you will be able to connect more to all the information he provides through articles and his site. If you're looking for more free valuable tips, tricks, and secrets about weight loss & fitness, then be sure to visit Conquer Weight Loss, and enjoy a healthier and happier life.

Weight Loss For The Busy Woman

"Weight Loss Basics & You"

There are so many things to juggle today: career, family, continued education, down time, spiritual life and more. To find time to focus on weight loss, here are some basic tips to help:

1) First, congratulate yourself for getting this far and seeking this information. Cheers! You've made the first step towards healthy self-improvement - yeah!

2) The basic rate of weight loss for long-term is only two to three pounds per week. So don't try to lose too much too fast.

3) Talk with your healthcare provider before you begin any weight loss program or plan of action to get approval.

4) Review popular options today to find a plan that not only fits your needs but your budget. It needs to include a balanced meal plan, not focusing on only a few food items. And it needs to incorporate exercise or some type of physical fitness into your week regularly. No need for expensive fitness clubs, fancy equipment to buy, special foods to purchase, etc. either. Easy does it for the long haul.

5) No matter which plan you choose or how you may design your own program, if you mess up, move on and continue anyway. No one is perfect in any program. Pick yourself up and keep at it! Journal along the way, too, to find out what triggers your stress and overeating.

"Self Assessment"

Learning more about your self will help you to learn more about how best to handle your own weight loss and juggling. You need to know that:

1) Your weight loss needs to be done now. And realize that unless you decide to take control of your life, you will consistently gain weight again once you go off any diet or exercise regime you decide to follow.

2) In the time it takes for you to order a meal, stand around waiting for it and then eat it - sometimes with music you can't stand blaring in the background of a noisy fast food joint with babies crying around you, too, it is entirely possible that you could have found a more nutritious meal elsewhere - like at home, cheaper.

3) You may actually enjoy making and choosing your own healthy foods if you get rid of some of the other activities you do in your life and stay home more.

"Food & Cravings Basics"

If life were so simple, we could eat what we want, when we want. But let's get realistic. We all need food and we all suffer cravings at one time or another. But enjoy weight loss anyway, with these tips:

1) A good diet, one approved by your healthcare provider, is a must for everyone. You need a good variety of nutritional foods from all the food groups.

2) If you're thinking about a diet plan that only offers a selection of foods from one or two food groups (like a grapefruit-only diet), don't try this. You can't do it long term and will only harm yourself, your body more.

3) Don't go food shopping when you're hungry. At least have a snack before your go out or consider fortifying yourself with a cup of tea or coffee just before you go.

"Quick Meals"

There's nothing better for busy schedules than quick recipes and meal ideas.
So enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Salad

Serves: 1 person
Preparation time: 10 minutes

You will need:1 Apple of your choice
1 peeled and sectioned Orange
A handful of fresh Strawberries (if in season)
A handful of other berries if no Strawberries
1 medium sized Banana
A handful of raisins
A handful of grapes
Cantaloupe if in season, or Watermelon
4-6oz. Orange juice or other juice of your choice

Method: Start with the cantaloupe or watermelon and work your way upwards. (A melon baller comes in very handy if you like to have a morning fruit salad, and makes things look nice.)

Go on to the grapes, the unseeded variety is the best, proceed with the berry variety that you have and work your way to the orange.

From the orange, go next to the apple, and then the banana. All your fruits should be of bite sized and manageable portions. Add a drop of vanilla for a heavenly smell, along with the orange juice for added zest.

I have found this to create a very hearty breakfast all by itself, and the smell of the fruits is a wonderful way to greet the day with. A cup of coffee washes this lot down very nicely and you will find that a piece of toast never goes wrong either!

"Exercises"

Regardless of which weight loss plan or program you tackle, you need regular activity or exercise in your day. No need for expensive gyms, equipment and memberships, though. Get busy with these exercise and activity ideas:

1) Before you begin any fitness plan, check with your healthcare provider for approval ?

2) Exercise while you're watching television and stop being just a couch potato! YOU can do basic push ups, sit ups and more during commercials. Or plug in a video and move it, dude?

3) Forget about driving anywhere. Grab your bike or walk! Increase length of activity and intensity over time, too.

4) Buddy up for fun. Grab your spouse, kids, neighbors, relatives - and get healthy together!

5) Log your activity regularly in a personal journal. Also note your weight loss efforts, favorite foods, special recipes and meals and other cool weight loss info. This is your special personal journal, so enjoy it - add stickers, use high lighters, colored markers and pencils. Jot down your goals and progress so you'll have a keepsake.

Shivanna is the creator of the site Weight Loss For The Busy Women. If you liked these Weight Loss For The Busy Woman tips, why not get remaining Weight Loss For The Busy Woman tips to help yourself, your friends, family, neighbors and others? Just click here to grab those hot tips now: Weight Loss For The Busy Woman.

A Daily Checklist for Fast, Healthy Weight Loss

All weight loss success comes down to doing the same things over and over again, on a consistent basis. Simply put, when you replace bad habits with good ones, you'll lose weight. The more bad habits you replace with good ones, the sooner you'll see results.

In order to truly achieve fast, healthy weight loss you'll need to replace nearly all of your bad habits with good ones. Below you'll find a "checklist" of the 7 things you'll need to do every single day to lose weight and look better fast. You might want to print it out and keep it with you as a simple reminder of what it really takes to drop your unwanted body fat quickly and safely.

In a very short amount of time you'll see that the following 7 habits can make a huge difference in the way you look and feel!

1. Review your goals.

Set goals and review them daily. This helps you stay motivated and on the fast-track to weight loss success.

2. Eat mostly natural foods.

Cut out processed foods from your diet and replace them with fresh, natural whole foods. Here's a good rule-of-thumb: if it can't be found somewhere in nature, don't eat it!

3. Eat 5 or 6 six small, healthy meals per day.

This serves two purposes: it keeps you from getting hungry and overeating at any one meal... and it keeps your metabolism elevated, helping you to burn more fat throughout the day.

4. Limit sugar intake.

Avoid all foods with high sugar content. This includes "natural" foods like pure fruit juice and honey. If you need to sweeten something, use the natural, low-calorie sweeteners stevia and xylitol. Both can be found in health-food stores.

5. Drink water throughout the day.

Drinking lots of water is a "must" for fast, healthy weight loss. It'll keep your energy levels up, help you avoid hunger cravings, and greatly assist the fat-burning process. If you don't like drinking plain water, try sugar-free teas and flavored sparkling water drinks.

6. Do some form of vigorous exercise.

Exercise at a moderate intensity level for 30 minutes to an hour most days of the week. Do something you enjoy so it won't seem like a chore. Both aerobic exercise and strength training are vital to any good fitness program so be sure to do both.

7. Have fun.

Find ways to increase the enjoyment level of everything you do. Try healthy new foods and recipes, partner-up with a friend, join some form of sports or fitness group, take part in online weight loss communities, etc. This is the key component to long-term weight loss success because if you're not having fun, you won't stick with it!

By the way, for a complete guide to losing fat and looking better fast and in a healthy way I highly suggest the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program located here:

http://www.fat-burning-guide.com/

Jamie Clark is a long-time health and fitness writer. He's co-editor of FreshHealthyUseful.com. Get more healthy weight loss tips at http://freshhealthyuseful.com/guides/weight-loss and sign-up for the fast, healthy weight loss report at http://www.LookGreatFast.com today!