November 21st, 2008 — Book Review, Meals, Weight Loss Journal, diet, recipe
Montel Williams is a pretty popular talk show host with a rabid following, and given his journey with his own personal health, it is not surprising to see a book from him. This was actually a fascinating read that will provoke a lot of thought and we were not prepared to like it as much as we did. While the suggestions in this book are not for everyone, they do offer an alternative to getting healthy and losing weight.
The main premise of this diet plan is that you have three weeks to rethink your food choices and how much exercise you get. Montel provides food and exercise diaries that are designed to guide you and help you track your progress over these three weeks. Diet diaries are already known to be very effective when it comes to losing weight, so this is solid advice that anyone can benefit from.
He lost us a bit when it came to the “green drink,” which is a bit nasty in our opinion. Basically, it contains a bunch of what Montel calls “superfoods” that are designed to help you get your health on track. The ingredients are always changing so you run a low risk of getting bored, but we just couldn’t get past the whole yuck factor with this drink. That said, even if you aren’t brave enough to try the drink, the advice in this book is pretty sound and should be beneficial to most readers.
The main problem facing Montel is that he is not a diet expert or guru, but then again, that hasn’t stopped thousands of authors from hitting the best seller lists. While he may not have a lot of training, the book comes off more as a personal journey, with tips that worked for him. Considering that he does have Multiple Sclerosis and has managed to stay pretty healthy despite that, it does seem as though his personal diet and fitness plan is working for him.
This is one of the few diet books on the market that is really geared towards men, although women can still get a lot out of it. The recipes and food suggestions are perfect for guys that are used to filling meals and eating a lot. The recipes should help men stay full and still get the benefits of eating healthy. There are a few issues with his recommendations, and many of the foods are not perfect, but when looking at the big picture here, it is clear that this is a diet plan that may actually work for most people.
We really didn’t think that we would like this book, but it managed to avoid the pitfalls that so many celebrity diet books have. There are a few problem areas, but overall we found the diet advice sound, the fitness principles largely accurate and the recipes delicious. If you are stuck with diets that are not working for you, this may be the answer to your problems.
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November 18th, 2008 — activities, alternative ideas, exercise, goals, motivation
If you are ready to make that commitment towards getting healthy and losing weight, you'll need to come up with a fitness plan that works for you. While it's great to set really high goals, it's all too easy to become discouraged and give up if you can't reach them. In order to build a fitness plan that is going to work for you, you'll need to keep the following considerations in mind.
1. What are you physically capable of handling?
If you are just starting out, there is no way you're going to be able to run a marathon. Instead of setting sky high goals, try for the more reasonable ones. For example, start with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every other day. This makes it much easier to begin and you run much less risk of being disillusioned.
2. What type of exercise fits your personality the best?
If aerobics make you homicidal, then don't pick this type of plan. It's all too easy to give up if you're ready to wring your instructor's neck. If you like to keep to yourself, try spinning instead. If weight lifting is more your scene, don't waste your time on exercises you won't be interested in. The key is finding what fits you, not forcing yourself to fit into something.
3. What will your schedule allow?
It is all too easy to claim that you're too busy to exercise. Work can get in the way, but there are ways around this. Don't schedule your exercise for parts of the day that you won't be motivated to keep. For example, if you are not a morning person, an exercise plan that starts at 7am every day is not for you. It's just too much to ask to reinvent your whole life. Pick a time that is convenient and you'll be much less likely to skip it.
4. What exercise do you enjoy?
It's pretty easy to say none, but there are creative ways that you can exercise and have fun while you're doing it. Try a couple of different methods and see which ones you enjoy the most. Then, stick with those, at least at first, so that you'll be able to stay motivated.
5. Find an exercise buddy.
We can always shirk off exercise time when it's just us, but if you have a committed buddy, it gets a lot harder. Just make sure that your buddy is really motivated. It won't do you much good to pick a partner in crime, since the temptation to cheat will be too high.
Once you have figured out what type of exercise is right for you, start slowly. You can't climb Mount Everest today! Start small and then gradually add in more time each. As you start to see the results, you'll be more motivated to keep going. If you fall, get back up again and start over. By sticking with your plan, you will get results.
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November 17th, 2008 — Book Review
Many of you that watch The Biggest Loser are already familiar with the author of this book, Bob Harper. He's one of the trainers on the show and has already provided millions of dieters with inspiration and advice on getting fit and losing weight. Let's see how well his book stacks up against the competition and whether it's really worth the cover price.
From the start, we were hooked with this book. Harper starts off with dealing with the emotional issues that affect so many of us that are overweight. For the vast majority of dieters, unless these issues are addressed, diets are an exercise in futility. The first major benchmark that Harper passed was also his emphasis on changing your lifestyle, changing the way you eat and changing your future. This is the standard by which we judge all diet books, and unlike so many out there, Harper included all of these points in his book.
This is certainly not a fad diet, and if you're going in hoping to lose ten pounds a week, chances are you're going to be disappointed. What it is - is a healthy alternative that will help you lose a lot of weight and keep it off for the rest of your life. When you read the book with the right mindset, it becomes so much more useful than the legions of other books, fad diets and miracle plans. Sure, the results are going to take a tiny bit longer, but you're going to be able to enjoy them a lot longer.
The book contains twenty different sample menus that will provide you with more than enough variety to keep losing weight without getting bored. Harper did a great job picking the right balance of foods for each menu so that dieters don't feel deprived. There are some really great suggestions and for this alone, the book is well worth its cost. However, there is a downside and one that probably should have been thought out before the book went to press.
There are no recipes, which for those of us that are lucky to boil water, this is a definite drawback. You can't provide someone with a plan for the future and then fall short when it comes with the blueprints they're going to need. Thankfully, most of the recipes can be found online or in most cookbooks, so this wasn't enough for the book to get a black mark against it.
If you're looking for a solid diet plan that really works and has documented proof of working, this is certainly a book that you need to read. For anyone that wants to make that commitment of losing weight and keeping it off, this is certainly one of the best on the market.
It's easy to see why the contestants on The Biggest Loser get such fabulous results. When they're working with a trainer like this, they can't help but succeed. We highly recommend this book to anyone looking to lose weight or just get healthier.
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November 17th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, diet, exercise, food, goals, gym, motivation, review
Most of look at dieting as a drudgery, as something that should be dreaded, and as such, many of us either fail at getting started, or can’t stick to it. What if you could change that mindset and look at dieting as being fun? How would that impact how you feel about losing weight? Chances are, it would make it a lot easier and you’d be surprised at how simple it can be to change your mindset and get some great results. Let’s look at just a few ways that you can make dieting fun.
1. Set up some great rewards.
When you’re working towards something that is really exciting, it’s just a whole lot easier to get there. Try setting up fun rewards for yourself for reaching specific milestones. Whether it’s losing ten pounds, or getting healthier, you need to find a way to reward yourself in a fun way. Just remember that this fun should not include food rewards, or you’ll be sabotaging all of your efforts. Try to stick with fun rewards that involve some sort of activity, or even relaxation. You’ll be much more likely to want to stick to your goals if you set yourself up for success.
2. Make it an adventure in learning new ways to prepare food.
This is a great way to make dieting a lot more fun and you’ll be bolstering your cooking skills while you’re at it. Get some new cook books and try out brand new recipes that you normally wouldn’t even touch. Make it an adventure to try out new food from different countries, and challenge yourself to find healthy ways to start preparing your regular food. Once again, by putting an element of fun into your daily food regime, you can easily start looking forward to eating healthier and that right there can mean big success.
3. Join a fun exercise class.
Exercise is hard for many people due to repletion, as well as the physical effort that goes into it. However, if you can find an exercise class that is also fun, you may find that you end up looking forward to going. Sweating to the Oldies is successful for a reason – the participants have fun, even though they are working out. Look into belly dancing classes, hoop dancing or other fun ways to get active and burn calories. You’ll undoubtedly find that getting to the gym is a whole lot easier when you do.
4. Have a friend join you for some competitive fun.
When you’re held to accountability by a challenge it’s a lot easier to have fun with what you’re doing and to stick to your goals. Try racing a friend to see who can lose weight faster, or reach certain fitness goals. You’ll be having fun while you stay competitive and for many, this is just the right motivation to help them lose weight and get healthier.
These are just a few ways that you can introduce an element of fun to losing weight. Get creative and see how many you can come up with!
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November 11th, 2008 — Meals, calories, diet, exercise, food, goals, healthy eating
There has been a lot of buzz lately about calorie cycling and whether or not it is an effective means of losing weight. For some, it has enabled them to lose massive amounts of weight. For others, it may just not work. Let’s take a look at the theories behind calorie cycling and go further into depth on how this particular diet plan works.
First, the main theory behind calorie cycling is that dieting trains our bodies to need less calories. That means that as soon as you eat a little more, you may gain weight. Calorie cycling promotes changing up the amount of calories you eat every single day so that your body never really knows what is going on. For example, on a Monday you may eat 1500 calories, on Tuesday 2000 calories and on Wednesday 2500 calories, before dropping back down to 1500 on Thursday.
This diet is very popular due to the fact that you’re able to eat more and you don’t necessarily have to give up the food that you like. Exercise is also an important component of calorie cycling, but it will depend on the plan that you are following as to how much you’ll need to do. This is one of the more interesting diets out there and since some of the results are so dramatic, it has certainly become very popular.
The main concern over calorie cycling is the focus on being able to eat whatever you want, just as long as you are within your set calories for the day. While that sounds great in theory, over time it may lead to problems. Yes, it’s fine to stick within calorie guidelines, but some may be tempted to take that advice a little too far. It’s one thing to eat your set amount of calories, it’s another to get them from fried chicken.
Calorie cycling can be an effective means of losing weight, but it should not be viewed as your ticket to eat whatever you want. Smart food choices are essential, no matter what kind of diet you are on and food that is unhealthy is simply that – unhealthy. Eat a little fried chicken now and then, but only occasionally and in moderation. Otherwise, you won’t be doing your arteries any favors.
Unlike many fad diets, calorie cycling does appear to work well, at least over the short term. However, unless you introduce lifestyle changes and a healthy exercise plan into the mix, those results may be short lived. If you do decide to follow one of these diet plans, don’t lose sight of your goals beyond weight loss, such as better health and a greater level of fitness.
By keeping your eyes on these goals, as well as the numbers on the scale, you’ll be well on your way to permanent weight loss, and you’ll feel better too. Give calorie cycling a try, but don’t use it as a license to remain unhealthy.
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November 5th, 2008 — Meals, Weight Loss Journal, alternative ideas, food, goals, healthy eating, wellness
For many dieters, the biggest problem they face isn’t necessarily their own lifestyle change, but rather the fact that the people around them refuse to go along with the idea. It can be nearly impossible to focus on eating the right way when you eat out or are sitting across from other people that are relishing the food you can’t have. This is a frustrating issue that kills many diets, but it doesn’t have to. Here are some great tips to stay the course even when your own family won’t help you.
First, you may want to consider eating in another room.
It sounds horribly anti social, but if sitting in the living room will keep you from going off your diet, it is worth it. This works in two ways. First, you are giving yourself the help you need to keep eating the food you need to be eating. Second, by depriving your family of your companionship at meals, they’ll start to question their decision to eat the foods you can’t.
This kind of psychological ploy can actually work quite well, but it may take a week or two to have the full effect. When your family sees that you are committed enough to your diet to avoid them, they may start to question their own food choices. As a result, they may even decide to join you in the diet.
Next, you can try running through a list of the nasty diseases and problems that can occur by eating that food and keeping them at the forefront of your mind.
It’s a lot harder to drool over a cheeseburger when you’re thinking about what that cheese can do to your arteries. This technique will be most effective if you are truly committed to losing weight for the sake of your health, not just your appearance.
It may be impossible to get your family to switch their eating habits at first, but with time, if you can stick with it, you’ll be benefiting everyone. They’ll notice your increased energy and how good you look, and they may start to think twice about what they are putting into their own bodies. Again, it takes time, but you should start to see them get a little more interested in healthy food, a little bit at a time.
One word of caution. No one likes a food nazi!
If you are eating right, and your family isn’t there is no need to lord it over them. Simply state your case, stick to your diet and let your actions, your state of mind and your improved health do the talking. Everyone needs to find their own lifestyle changes on their own, and beating them up for food choices may backfire.
It’s not easy when you are trying to go it alone, but there are steps you can take to make sure that you do stick to your diet. Try to find at least one friend that supports you to make your journey easier.
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October 23rd, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, food, food labels, goals, healthy eating
If you are focusing on losing weight and making lifestyle changes, the first two weeks are undoubtedly the hardest. Your body and your mind need time to adjust to your diet, and this initial period requires a lot of motivation and a desire to stick to your new plan. Anytime you make lifestyle changes, it is difficult to know which foods you should be eating, and what foods you may never be able to eat again. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Remove all the food you can’t eat from your house.
This is the first step in picking the right foods. When you don’t have the temptation sitting within easy grasp, it is a lot easier to keep on the right track. If your family eats those foods, they will need to learn to adjust, at least for a few weeks, until you are safely on the road to your changes. It is so much easier to make that healthy choice when you don’t have the chocolate cake in the fridge whispering at you.
2. Learn about the harmful effects of the chemicals in processed foods.
This is one easy way to guarantee that those tasty processed foods will never appeal to you again. Start learning about the chemicals and additives in your food and chances are, you will want to avoid them at all costs. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can learn more about the food we eat, and the additives that are included.
3. Find ways to make good foods taste better.
It’s a sad fact that until your palate gets adjusted, healthy food can actually nasty pretty nasty. However, by learning more about how to prepare that food you can make it taste better. Avoid adding dressings and sauces, but learn about different seasonings and different preparation techniques that can make any food taste better.
4. Reward yourself for the good choices.
Since it can take a week or two to start seeing real results on the scale, it is important to set up small rewards that will keep you going until you do reach that point. Avoid food rewards, but set up a system where you either do something you enjoy, or indulge in a little pampering, as a way of telling yourself “good job.” It is a lot easier to keep motivated when you make it an enjoyable experience to pick the right foods.
5. Take every day at a time.
Looking at a week’s worth of healthy food choices can be intimidating for everyone. Focus on the food choices you are going to make today, not tomorrow and not next week. Break it down so that you are only focusing on the choices that have to be made right now, and let everything else fall into place.
It will get easier to make the right food choices, and you can look at this initial phase as a training period that will make everything that is to come easier to accomplish.
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October 16th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, exercise, motivation
It is a lot easier to stick with a diet plan when you are motivated, but for many, that is easier said than done. Often, it is quite simple to make that first step and become motivated, but if you can’t stay that way, chances are your diet will not be as successful as it could be. While each person needs to find their own motivator, there are some tips that can help you find the right motivation and keep your momentum going.
First, it is important to find a motivation that is based on more than just “losing weight.” This is probably the first motivator that many people turn to, but when faced with deprivation of their favorite foods, and lots of exercise, it’s all too easy to fall back and lose that motivation. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having this motivation, it may be necessary to break it down a little more than that to help you find a way to keep your motivation going full steam ahead.
One of the easies ways to do this is to look beyond that nebulous “lose weight” phrase and break it down. Why do you want to lose weight? What do you hope to accomplish by losing weight? By breaking it down you can begin to develop weight loss goals that go beyond numbers, and these are powerful tools that can help you stay motivated for the long term. Each time you reach one of those goals, you’ll feel that rush and the desire to stay on track to reach the next one.
Write down everything that you hope to achieve by losing weight. If the phrase “so people will like me more,” or a variant of that crops up, immediately delete it. So many people use this as a motivator and are crushed when they find that they are no more attractive to others thin than they were when they are heavy. This is the time to be selfish – to take everyone else out of the equation. You need to focus on you since at the end of the day, you are going to be the only one holding the Ben and Jerry’s and facing temptation.
Once you are firmly in your own corner and you have your list of goals, you need to place them in a prominent spot. That way you can easily be reminded of what you are striving for, and you will be more likely to keep moving ahead. Cross off each one as you reach it and you’ll find that the desire to get to the next goal increases with every single check mark.
Motivation is a powerful tool and when used properly, it can be the best way to lose weight. Without the right motivation and the desire to meet your goals, dieting is not only unpleasant, but it can be fruitless. Write up your goals today and then start to put into motion your plan to reach them.
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October 14th, 2008 — about, diet, trigger food
Once you're ready to take that step and go on a diet, there will literally be thousands of options available to you. There are a myriad of different diets out there and most claim that they have the secret to fast weight loss. It can be very frustrating to keep trying these different diets, only to find that they don't deliver on their promises.
Not all diets are created equal and they will not work for everyone. Each one of us has a unique metabolism and genetic makeup that determines how we respond to different types of diets. For example, there are people that genetically don't need a lot of protein and they do best on diets that are centered around eating a lot of whole grain foods and vegetables.
On the other hand, there are people who naturally have an issue with eating carbohydrate laden foods. In order to determine which diet is going to work for you, there are a few questions you'll need to answer. First and foremost, you'll need to figure out what your danger foods are, or which foods always cause you to gain the most weight.
For example, some people find that they can eat all the bread they want, but when they eat chocolate, they instantly gain weight. By determining your "danger" foods, you can select the right diet that specifically avoids them.
Next, you will need to ask yourself how determined and committed you are to losing weight. There are very extreme diets that require a lot of willpower. If you honestly do not think that you could see yourself on the same diet three weeks from now, it's best to find one that you can actually stick too. While extreme diets do get results quickly, they are usually so intense that it is nearly impossible to keep up with their rigors.
Lastly, you'll need to ask yourself if a traditional diet is the way that you want to go. You can read all the books you want and try all the different programs out there but at the end of the day, the basic formula for weight loss is reduce the intake of calories and increase the amount of exercise. If you feel that you have the capability of monitoring your own food intake, you don't need to go on a special diet. You can simply use this formula and change the way you eat.
There is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. However, by finding the diet that is best suited for you, you are greatly increasing your chances for success. It is never easy to commit to losing weight, but you can make it a lot less stressful and increase your chances for success by choosing a diet that won't doom you to failure.
In some cases, it may take some trial and error to find the plan that works best for you. The most important thing to remember is that you are making that effort and it will pay off if you stick to it.
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October 9th, 2008 — Meals, Weight Loss Journal, alternative ideas, diet, drink, food, goals, healthy eating, nutrition, sodium, sugar
For many of us, trying to consume fewer calories can be very difficult. If you are someone that has a hard time feeling satisfied on little meals, or you just can’t seem to make any headway with your calorie count, there are a few ways that you can dramatically reduce how many calories you are eating without feeling the pinch. These tips are about some small switches that you can make to get some big weight loss results.
1. Remove temptation.
If you are someone that will go through an entire bag of chips without thinking, it’s difficult to look at that big bag and not keep reaching in. One of the easiest ways to control this is to make use of the smaller kid’s size bags. You’ll still be able to eat chips, but you will have that automatic portion control already figured out for you. The key is to keep as few of these bags around as possible, so that you don’t make up for what you’re missing by eating a bunch of small bags. Possible calories cut: 150 – 600.
2. Try tasty replacements.
If you just have to have those salty snacks and the little bags aren’t cutting it, it’s time to find a different way to get your salt fix without eating too many calories. One of the easiest switches to make is to try some air popped popcorn, lightly salted. You can have three popped cups of this for what nine potato chips would cost calorie wise. This is an easy way to feel more satisfied and you won’t have to worry about eating unhealthy oils. If you can’t do without butter, try a light 1 second spray of butter flavored spray oil. It’s a lot easier to replace chips with popcorn than it is with celery. Possible calories cut: 150 - 600
3. Get that dressing on the side.
If you are eating restaurant salads and wondering why you’re not losing weight, the dressing is usually too blame. Restaurants slather salads with high calorie dressings. Look for a non-cream based dressing, or better yet, go with a vinaigrette. Get your dressing on the side, and dip in the lettuce. You’ll be surprised at just how much is left over. Possible calories cut: 50 to 500 depending on the dressing.
4. Forego the cheese and mayo based toppings.
If you must eat out, get a plain hamburger instead of a cheeseburger. Use plain ketchup and mustard and forget about any special sauces. You’ll still be eating something you enjoy, but you’ll also be saving on calories. Possible calories cut: 50 to 250.
5. Replace soda with flavored sparkling water.
Sparkling water still has that zing of carbonation, without all the empty calories of soda. There are some great flavors out there and once you get past the caffeine issue, you’ll be on track towards losing a lot of weight. Possible calories cut: 100 to 600 (depending on the amount of soda you drink)
All told, these are five easy ways to carve anywhere from 500 to 2550 calories a day. Now that’s significant!
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