August 31, 2008
When dieting, it helps to have a good idea about calorie intake for weight loss. However, it’s not a one-formula-fit-all approach. Age, weight sex and your level of fitness all play a part, and given the wide variety of humans on this planet, a standard 1200 calorie diet is not going to work for everyone.
To go about finding the amount of calories you need, you should start by knowing your basal metabolic rate, BMR- sometime referred to as as your resting metabolic rate. This value determines the total amount of calories you need when your are completely resting. To determine this value check out this BMR calculator.
Since you don’t go through your day at complete rest, you need to know how many calories are burned during your normal daily activities. Given that your daily activities can range from sitting several hours at your desk to spending 30 minutes on a treadmill, trying to calculate each and every activity would be tedious.
A good estimate for your BMR plus your daily intake of calories comes from your total daily energy expenditure, TDEE. This value takes into consideration several functions including if you lead a: very active, somewhat active, little active, or sedentary lifestyle. To calculate your TDEE, check out this calculator.
Once you determine TDEE, you’re going to want to determine your calorie intake for weight loss. Since you need to burn more calories than you take in, you can start by subtracting 100 to 200 calories from this value. By subtracting this amount, you insure for yourself that you’re burning more calories than you are taking in.
August 31, 2008
Seing abdominal weight loss signals that you are losing weight quicker than seeing it on any other part of your body. It’s not surprising that this is where most of you would like fat loss to first occur. To achieve this, you undoubtedly commence to perform sit-ups.
Great as sit-ups are, they will not cause you to lose weight in just your abdominal area. They will however strengthen your abs, which is of course a good thing.
To experience weight loss around your abdominal area, you first need to know how weight loss occurs. When you start losing weight -hopefully just fat- your body doesn’t pick certain areas to lose it from. Your body burns fat my making use of all its fat cells. Even though you may notice fat loss in your stomach before other areas in your body, the reality is that you are actually losing fat from all over. This includes your chest, arms, thighs and your gluteus maximus.
So if you want to speed up abdominal weight loss, you should incorporate a diet and exercise program into your lifestyle. Why? Because this is the only proven method for quickly losing weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. To do this as quickly as possible you need to eat foods that help to fuel the fat burning process- whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. And you need to participate in activities that gets your heart in its fat burning zone- aerobics, jogging, swimming, and bike riding.
Gimmicks that you see on tv or in the print media will not cause you to lose fat around your waist faster than a good diet and exercise program. The only benefit that they may offer is a convenient way to tone and strengthen your abs. Other than that, don’t expect miracles.
So if you want to experience quick abdominal weight loss, stick to your diet and exercise program. Not only will you lose weight around your adominal area, you’ll also improve your overall health.
August 31, 2008
Losing weight can be trying. Yet, the 4 keys to weight loss success are actually simple and straight forward. And regardless of what you may have been told no special concoction, no magic pill, and no divine intervention is needed. Just follow these keys and true magic will occur.
Key 1: Diet. The saying you are what you eat has never been more truer than it is today. High fat foods bring about high fat bodies. Therefore, a key to losing weight is eating foods that are nutritious and effective at burning fat. Only when this practice becomes a mainstay in your life will you start to see those excess pounds melt away.
Key 2: Exercise. Before we got to the point where most of our jobs revolve around sitting at a desk, we had to get outside and perform physical work to provide for ourselves. Since those times have long past, you need to make a conscious effort to get your body moving. This is why exercise is a key to losing weight.
Key 3: Positive Attitude. Read any book about accomplished people and they will each say one of the keys to success is to keep a positive attitude. And this is equally true with weight loss. One reason that it is necessary is that losing 20 or more pounds doesn’t happen overnight. In a ” I want it now” society it can be unsettling to have to wait weeks or even months to reach your weight loss goal. Staying positive about the process and reminding yourself that you will eventually reach your goal is crucial to your success.
Key 4: Planning. Someone once said that without a plan, life can be like trying to guide a rudderless boat. Unless you have a plan for weight loss, your attempt to lose weight will be like guiding your own rudderless boat. With a plan, you have direction and with direction you chances of reaching your goal skyrockets. So to gain the upper-hand in your effort to lose weight, plan.
In short, the 4 keys to successful weight loss require diet, exercise, a positive attitude and planning. By following these 4 keys, you will eventually start to see the results you want.