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Category Archives: Weight Loss
7 Easy Tips for Faster Weight Loss
7 Easy Tips for Faster Weight Loss
When we decide to lose weight – we want to lose it FAST! Fast weight loss isn’t always best for our health, simply because some of the methods used for fast weight loss are unhealthy or difficult to keep doing for a long enough period of time.
However, there are a few key things that are known to help speed up weight loss without harming your health:
1. Drink More Water
Drinking plenty of water is an excellent way to help your body burn more fat, as well as release excess water you may have been retaining. Experts recommend a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily. It’s probably safe to drink more as long as you don’t overdo it.
2. Avoid Sugar — one of your biggest enemies
Refined white cane sugar has a detrimental effect on the body, namely because of the way it sharply elevates blood glucose levels. This causes your pancreas to secrete insulin to bring blood glucose back to normal levels, and too much of this up-and-down fluctuation can wreak havoc on your body.
For losing weight quickly, there are few actions more powerful than eliminating white refined sugar (and its cousin, high fructose corn syrup) from your diet. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll find that fruit is a great alternative, and so is low-glycemic agave nectar.
You don’t necessarily have to give up sweets completely – just choose healthier options to satisfy your sweet tooth.
3. Reduce Sodium Intake
Reducing your sodium intake is another way to help speed up weight loss, simply because eating high amounts of sodium makes most people retain excess water weight. Not to mention that a diet high in sodium can contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure).
4. Avoid Starvation
People often think that reducing their caloric intake down to almost nothing is a great way to lose weight quickly, but all it does is kick their bodies into self-preservation mode and slow down their metabolism.
A much better approach is to eat lean, low-calorie foods frequently throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism running strong, burning fat and losing weight. Not to mention you’ll have more energy and feel more satisfied all day long. Also including a moderate amount of heart-healthy fats (like those found in olive oil and avacados) can keep you from feeling hungry.
5. Burn More Calories
Cardio exercises are known for their calorie-burning power, and effective weight loss plans will focus on creating a “calorie deficit”. To lose one pound, you need to either reduce your calorie intake by 3500 calories, or burn off 3500 calories with cardio exercise.
Doing a combination of both has been proven to be most effective; for example reducing your daily caloric intake, AND burning calories via cardio exercise. So, if you reduced your calories by 250 daily (1750 weekly), and burned off 250 calories daily (1750 weekly), you would lose 1 pound that week.
Keep in mind that other factors can come into play so some weeks you may lose more and other weeks you may lose less.
6. Become a Friend of Fiber
Increasing your fiber intake is another good way to speed weight loss, for a few reasons. First, eating high-fiber foods helps you feel fuller longer so you aren’t tempted to overeat. Fiber is also helpful in slowing the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, which reduces the impact of high-glycemic foods and minimizes fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
Finally, a fiber rich diet helps “keep things moving” in your digestive tract so you clean your colon and eliminate waste more easily.
7. Reduce Stress
Last but not least, managing your stress better can help you lose weight more quickly. The hormone cortisol is prevalent in the stressed-out body, and cortisol contributes to the accumulation of belly fat. It’s virtually impossible to lead a completely stress-free life, but there are endless ways to better manage your stress so it doesn’t wreak havoc on your body. Try meditating daily for 10-15 minutes, deep breathing exercises, or a soothing exercise like yoga.
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Posted in Health, Healthy Eating, Miscellaneous, Weight Loss
Tagged Christian weight loss, weight loss tips
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Is it time to cut out the calorie counting?
Is it time to cut out the calorie counting?
There seems to be many false ideas today regarding the practice of counting calories. Everyone seems to think that consuming less is how to lose fat.
In fact, many solely judge the health value of food based on how many calories it contains.
What is this theory based on?
Basically it’s that you need to take in less energy than you put out. Although this part is true, the problem lies in the methods most people use to do it.
In many instances, severely restricting your calorie intake does work at first. But it’s very difficult to maintain over the long haul. Typically these eating plans involve starving the body with an unsustainable restrictive diet leaving it nutritionally deficient.
It’s easy to see where such a diet could go wrong…
These highly restrictive diets will result in frequent binging due to both hunger issues and lack of variety. But that’s not the only reason “low calorie” diets don’t work.
When you eliminate the calories, your body basically goes into “famine mode.” This causes it to reduce its metabolism speed and store the calories as body fat, anticipating a shortage of food.
This happens because your body is used to consuming more calories. When you instantly eliminate half of them, your body will essentially begin storing up fat to make sure you have enough to survive on.
Not only will this INCREASE your body fat, but your energy will go down as well. Your body needs calories to thrive, after all. It’s also time consuming. Who wants to measure out every meal? For another thing, it’s very difficult to do when eating out.
But that’s not even the WORST part of low calorie diets. The biggest hindrance is that they totally ignore the nutritional value of food outside of calories. Just because the foods you eat are low in calories doesn’t mean you’re getting a nutritionally, well-balanced intake of foods.
So another question to consider, “Should you eat as many calories as you want?”
Of course not. If you overdo it, you are still going to gain weight. But in general, eating a well-balanced diet with enough healthy fats, carbs and proteins along with plenty of fruits and vegetables is probably your best option.
When you are full, stop eating. Simple but effective.
So how do you reduce calories while still feeling full?
One method of doing this is to focus on eating more filling foods to reduce your overall consumption. This way you reduce your caloric intake while still making sure you have enough energy.
The bottom line is, reducing your caloric intake shouldn’t be your main focus. In fact, overdoing it can have the opposite effect — it can actually make you gain fat. Eat a variety of high nutrient foods along with filling foods to keep you satisfied. If you’re hungry all the time, then this is a clue that you need to eat more filling foods with your meals.
Some examples of filling foods:
- Brown rice, beans & whole wheat pasta has higher fiber, making you feel full faster and longer.
- Broth-based (not cream-based) vegetable soups
- Oatmeal is very filling and satisfying
- Apples and oranges are packed with fiber
- Popcorn - Nice when you’re in the mood for munching. No need for tons of butter to be satisfying, get creative with spices…such as lemon pepper seasoning.
- Walnuts and almonds
- Meat proteins: turkey and chicken breast and fish.
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Battle the Tummy Bulge with Blueberries
Battle the Tummy Bulge with Blueberries
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, consider that some studies are showing that sugar is making more people fat, than fat is! So choose wisely on your sweet indulgences.
A can of cola can have around 155-170 calories. As for brownies, chocolate fudge and pie…well, we won’t even go there! You know they can pack some hefty calories. I love these sweet treats, but they shouldn’t be on my menu every day. They would be more suitable for special occasions or perhaps on one special day of the week where you allow yourself an extra treat.
When you’re cutting back on sugar, try to replace that “sweet craving” with something more natural and nutritious. Considering the fact that one cup of blueberries have only about 82 calories make them a perfect treat for a snack.
Here’s some other health benefits of blueberries:
- Blueberries also contain less water making them more nutrient-dense when comparing equal volumes.
- Blueberries are rich in phytochemicals (phenolic acid, anthocyanins and ellagic acid, a natural compound that may inhibit tumor growth) *Fresh and frozen are recommended. Dried forms contain very little anthocyanins.
- Blueberries have the possibility to improve balance, coordination and memory.
- Blueberries have the possibility to inhibit cancer, prevent bacteria that’s responsible for urinary tract infections and also help protect against cardiovascular disease.
*Researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada found that rats which were fed diets containing wild blueberries for six weeks experienced a decrease in stroke-induced brain damage.
Weekly Motivational Pep Talk:
Are you getting enough sleep? Women seem to struggle in this area. Schedule your bed time to allow sufficient rest. For the average person, that means around eight hours. I realize most of us have literally hundreds of things to get done, but our health is a little more important than having the house in perfect order.
Not only are we more alert mentally when we get sufficient rest, but we also have more energy. You’re going to be more active which means burning more calories. You’re going to have more positive thoughts with increased mental alertness (and less melt downs), which means you won’t drown your sorrows with chocolate fudge all day.
Try purposing yourself to get more rest. I realize there are always going to be those rough nights when your hubby or kids keep you awake, but by making rest a higher priority, you should hopefully keep a fairly well-balanced, rested body.
(Go ahead and comment below to update us on your goals and accomplishments! I would love to hear from you!)
Healthy Recipe of the Week:
Almost every single morning I start my day with blueberries…and I’m pretty alert and ready to roll by the time I get to school. This breakfast cuts out additives and added sugars and a lot of junk that I simply don’t need. I usually manage pretty well with this breakfast and two hours later I have a snack that tides me over until lunchtime.
Blueberry Breakfast
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Sprinkle generously with ground flaxseed
Let it set for about 15 min. while the blueberries thaw a little. Then, pour a little milk on top just like cereal. I’ve been using rice milk to avoid more dairy products.
Information: Some information and studies have been gathered from the book, 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life
Disclaimer: I would like to clarify the fact that I’m not a certified dietician. I rely on health-focused research and learned experiences. Any major diet changes should be consulted with your own doctor. Some people are diabetic and others have food allergies. This is something to always consider when making any changes in your own diet.
