How to lose weight and keep it off with Slimming World

If you’ve decided that you want to lose weight it’s tempting to opt for one of the quick-fix fad diets which promise a rapid weight loss such as the ‘Master Cleanse’ or ‘Cabbage Soup Diet’; however these regimes are not a sensible, healthy option and any weight loss is likely to be regained with interest as soon as you resume your previous eating habits.

Food Optimising - a healthy approach to eating

The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight and maintain the loss you need to alter your eating habits for the better, stick to them for life and introduce some form of exercise into your daily routine.

Joining a slimming group can help to give you a kick-start to form healthy eating-habits, providing support and guidance throughout the weight-loss journey. There are many slimming classes around but I would recommend Slimming World, having been a member myself, finding it effective and easy to adapt to suit the whole family.

Food Optimising - a healthy approach to eating

Slimming World is all about ‘Food Optimising’, basically this means eating an abundance of ‘free foods’ which are unrefined and unprocessed foods such as fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, rice, pasta, pulses, eggs, fat-free yogurts and very low fat cottage cheese - literally as much as you like; keeping to a daily allowance of bread, cereals and dairy foods; and counting everything else as a ‘Syn’.  When you join you are given a booklet which lists all foods and explains how to go about optimising what you eat and if you are unsure about anything your consultant is on hand to guide you.

Eat plenty of healthy foods

Each day you decide if you are going to follow Green, Red or Extra-Easy...

Green - unlimited eggs, rice, pasta, pulses, baked beans, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, salad, fat-free yogurts, very low fat cottage cheese; plus two A choices (dairy) and two B choices (lean meat, fish, poultry, bread, cereal).

This option is for vegetarians and also suits anyone who is not a big meat eater but loves to fill up on carbs such as pasta and rice.

Red - unlimited eggs, lean meat, fish, poultry, fruit, vegetables, salad, fat-free yogurts, very low fat cottage cheese; plus two ‘Healthy Extra’ A choices (dairy) and two ‘Healthy Extra’ B choices (rice, pasta, pulses, potatoes, bread, cereal).

This option is great for carnivores, most men seem to prefer it!

Extra Easy - unlimited lean meat, fish, poultry, rice, pasta, pulses, potatoes, fruit, vegetables and salad, eggs and fat-free yogurts; plus one ‘Healthy Extra’ A choice (dairy) and one ‘Healthy Extra’ B choice (bread, cereal).

This is ideal for anyone who loves their meat and carbs together, but you have to take into account that you can only have one A and one B Healthy Extra, so either milk or cheese not both and bread or cereal not both. Personally I’d recommend getting to grips with Red and Green days to start with before moving onto this plan, but you can chose this plan if you prefer, or, go extra-easy at weekends as it allows you a bit more freedom of choice.

Healthy Extras

It’s important to try to use up your A and B allowances as they can’t be carried over to the next day.  I drink a lot of tea, so I use my milk allowance in cuppas throughout the day; or with my cereal allowance if I don’t fancy a cooked breakfast and I like to use my cheese allowance grated on top of pasta and vegetable sauce.  I would use my bread allowance if I wanted to take a sandwich to work for lunch.  You should eat regularly and until you feel fully satisfied, it’s not a deprivation diet.  If you’ve been on fad diets in the past it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you should be feeling hungry all the time.

Be a 'Synner'

Be a 'Synner'

Of course sticking to the ‘good’ foods might get a bit boring and you would be liable to fall off the wagon, so you’re allowed between 5-15 ‘Syns’ per day, this can any type of food or drink you like. Your booklet lists all the ‘Syn’ values; you can either include them as part of a meal, e.g. a sauce or gravy to go with your meat and vegetables, or as a treat such as chocolate or a G&T! If you can manage without ‘Syns’ for a few days they can be saved up which is great if you like to have a few glasses of wine on a Saturday night, or Sunday lunch with the family.

Its not rocket science

Obviously this diet works because you are cutting out all processed and fatty foods, unless you include them as ‘Syns’; and the high ‘Syn’ value of ‘goodie’ foods means that they can’t be consumed in large quantity. The emphasis is on cooking meals from scratch with free foods; you could make a delicious homemade soup which would be free, but a tin of vegetable soup could be 15 ‘Syns’ (depending on make/size), therefore being organised and making homemade soup will save your ‘Syns’.

How do I join

Slimming World classes are held all over the UK and Ireland and there are now groups in the US. There’s a joining fee of around £10 although special offers are often available, you pay a weekly fee, of around £5, to attend class. You have to pay for weeks that you don’t turn up, although you can book up to six weeks ‘holiday’ each year. When you reach your target you can attend classes free of charge as long as you keep the weight off.

Slimming World is suitable for everyone, no matter how much or little weight you have to lose. You receive an award (sticker and certificate) for each half-stone lost and there is a ‘Club 10’ award when you’ve lost 10% of your starting weight. You decide your target weight, but this has to be within a healthy BMI range. At each meeting you are weighed, which can take a little time if a lot of people attend the class, but gives you time to have a chat and a cuppa with the other members. After weighing you can stay for the ‘Body Image’ session; the consultant reads out each person’s loss/gain that week and to date (your actual weight is never divulged) and asks you to share what seems to be working, or, where you may have gone wrong. Prizes are given to the slimmer of the week; usually a selection of healthy foods such as fruit brought along by members.

Body Magic

Lose weight more quickly

Slimming World encourages members to incorporate gentle exercise into daily routine and there is a Body Magic progress chart included in your joining pack, where you can record any physical activity you complete, however I found that exercise was not the main focus of the meetings and was only discussed in passing, in fact ‘no exercise required’ is a selling point. I think this is a great shame because exercise is without doubt key to aiding weight loss and living a healthy life.

Slimming World - Pros and Cons

Pros

• It’s a great way to start to eat healthily with the emphasis on cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients.
• There is limited weighing/measuring of certain foods and free foods can be consumed freely.
• ‘Syn’ values make you aware of what is good to eat and what should be avoided, although most is common sense, seeing the ‘Syn’ value of your favourite ‘junk’ foods makes you think twice about eating them.
• If you find it difficult to diet on your own a group might offer the additional support you need.

Cons

• If you and a partner are attending each week it can be expensive (around £40 per month), but still may be cheaper than buying lots of take-away food!
• It can be expensive to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, but this shouldn’t be a problem if you learn to buy what’s in season and shop at markets instead of supermarkets.
• There is not enough emphasis on exercise and physical activity,
• There can be a lot of waiting around after weighing in for Image Therapy to start, especially at peak times e.g. New Year.
• You need to be organised, decide what you plan to eat and stick to it; you can’t start on a Red day and change to a Green day at lunchtime.
• If you don’t stick to the plan and go back to your old eating habits you will regain the weight.

I think that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and if you ‘Food Optimise’ for a few weeks you will definitely see results and feel more energised without ever feeling hungry.

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W E I G H T L O S S

Positive thoughts produce positive results. The only problem is that some of our most persistent, self-

defeating beliefs are stored deep in the unconscious, where they have the power to undermine our

happiness and sabotage our success. Now you can effortlessly change those negative beliefs to produce

the results you want.

Special combinations of brain wave frequencies are harmonically layered in soothing music to trigger

heightened states of receptivity. Here the unconscious is primed to receive and act on a new set of ideas.

Subliminal messages are deeply absorbed by the unconscious to immediately impact your sense of self,

your creativity and the dynamic expression of your power in the world.

Instructions for Listening

Listen to this program every day for six weeks. Be on the look-out for “coincidences” and acknowledge

even the smallest synchronicity as they occur. Once your subconscious has fully absorbed and

integrated the subliminal messages, reality conforms to what your subconscious mind believes. The results

are profound.

Track 1 can be used anytime and anyplace; while working, relaxing, exercising, reading or even sleeping.

The subconscious mind has the capacity to absorb subliminal messages without special attention from

the conscious mind.

Track 2  is designed to be used with stereo headphones to maximise the benefits of the brain wave

frequencies. When listening with headphones, find a time and place where you are not likely to be

disturbed. Position yourself comfortably with your spine straight and breathe deeply. This posture allows

your natural channels of energy to open and flow freely. Using headphones while consciously relaxing

enhances your receptivity to the brain wave frequencies and subliminal suggestions.

Subliminal Messages

I am active, attractive and in demand

I love myself, I feel great

I am healthy, I look great

I eat what is good for me

Every cell of my body exudes beauty and health

I respect myself, I control my weight

I enjoy my body, my body is great

I relax into my perfect weight

I let my slim self emerge

I am nourished, I am satisfied

I burn fat

I am active and full of energy

I love exercise

I achieve my goals with ease

I surrender to appreciation

I Honor myself, I Honor my body

I respect the integrity and wisdom of my body

I eat less, I weigh less

I feel light

I am whole, complete and satisfied

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Muscle Recovery

Very interesting research lately provides new insight on how to recover quicker from sore muscles. It was found that low-intensity exercise on your days away from the gym actually help quicken the healing process.

The reason here is that light exercise such as walking or biking for about 15-20 minutes helps improve blood flow to your muscles all over your body. This improved blood flow in turn carries nutrients which are essential in muscle tissue recovery.

Makes sense doesn’t it? Now many people who take a rest day or two but then end up falling out of their routine have something new to consider. If you just add a quick walk to the grocery store or give yourself a break and get out of the house to relax your mind you are doing your body extra good.

This is also interesting for those who over-train at the gym and don’t get enough rest. Just keeping a one day on, one day off routine for best results can now be enhanced by doing light cardio on the off day.

Here are some extra ideas you may want to consider to help muscle recovery:

• Nutrition: Notice that in the statement above it is stated that improved blood flow carries nutrients to aid in muscle recovery. This means that you should pay special attention to eating extra healthy when you are sore so that you get all the adequate minerals, vitamins and amino acids (found in protein).
• Warm-Up/Cool Down: Leaving enough time before and after your workout for warming up and cooling down is an absolute must to allow your body to prepare for workouts and then to slow down and bring your heart rate back to normal
• Flexibility Training: Also allowing 10-15 minutes after your workout for training your flexibility is really important for relaxing your muscles and re-aligning everything.
• Adequate Sleep: You should be aiming for 7-8 hours a night, no exceptions! Sleep is absolutely essential to muscle recovery.
• Massage Therapy: I can’t stress enough how much massage therapy has helped me with muscle recovery. A registered massage therapist will know exactly where your trouble spots are and allow them to massage out all the knots. This will also improve blood flow to that area and increase recovery speed.
• Adequate water intake: Aiming for 2 liters of water a day is best practice for anyone exercising, and increasing this especially on cardio days is very smart.
• Yoga/Meditation/Relaxation: Reducing stress in your life is made easy if you practice any of these…just get rid of all your hang-ups and try them already!

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Post Workout Nutrition

Post Workout Nutrition

Post workout nutrition is a very important part of any diet and training regimen and I believe it gets missed a lot even by professional athletes and trainers. It’s important to understand the science behind this to really get the big picture, so let me start with that…

During exercise our body breaks down glycogen (sugar molecules which we get from food), as well as some fat and some protein. Glycogen of course is the most readily available in most cases and is the fuel for us to not only exercise but to also allow us to really pushes through to the next level.

If our training intensity is high enough and we are exercising for about an hour our glycogen stores are diminished substantially and our body turns to protein and then fat for fuel. This is unfortunate because it means that we actually break down muscle sooner than our body breaks down fat for energy. From an evolutionary standpoint this makes sense because our bodies learned to store fat for times when food was lacking (picture a bear hibernating during winter). Pretty interesting if you look at it in this point of view isn’t it?

Your Post Workout Nutrition Focus:
But, here is the golden nugget…after our exercise routine our bodies ability to restore our glycogen stores are at its highest. Researchers believe that this time is usually limited to within 30 to 60 minutes after exercise. Thus, you want to make sure you save your high glycemic foods to this time period (as well as pre-workout but that will be in another article!).

Many of you may think that if you starve your body after exercise that you will begin to burn fat and therefore make you eliminate body fat. Unfortunately, the complete opposite is true!!!

If you starve your body after exercise you are going to be hit by a number of negative consequences.

Firstly, if you don’t get enough high quality carbohydrates within 60 minutes post-workout then your glycogen stores will not be at their optimal level next time you workout. This means that you won’t have maximal energy and will feel drained and unmotivated next time your exercising. Can we all relate?

Secondly, you are telling your body that it may not get food again for quite a while. Our body takes this to heart and reduces our metabolism to compensate and also begins to store food as fat as much as it can just in case it doesn’t get food again.

Pretty much a double whammy right? So now that you know the science behind post workout nutrition what are some healthy examples of foods to eat?

Post Workout Foods:
Fruit especially those extra sweet ones such as ripe bananas, apples, pears, watermelon are fantastic solutions for post-workout nutrition.

New research however shows that your body also has greater uptake of essential amino acids which are found in proteins right after your workout. So having a full meal like a bowl of brown rice with chicken, vegetables and cashews with light teriyaki sauce would be perfect. Of course, you can be creative with this and substitute fish, lean beef or even prawns. Something like roasted or steamed yam with a tablespoon of organic butter and spices sprinkled on top is also very smart.

For those seeking weight loss: carrots, chocolate milk, honey on whole wheat toast, steamed nugget potatoes, lentil soup, whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, fruit salad, yogurt and oats.

For those seeking muscle gain: your favorite pasta with low fat sauces and extra veggies, cereal with skim milk, dark chocolate, gatorade, chili.

Have any questions about your post workout nutrition? Please leave a comment below…

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Weight Loss Motivation

The most common question I get is “how do you stay motivated?” So here are some great tips on being successful in your goals:

- Set weekly goals.

- For extra motivation train with a partner or join a group.

- Swimming is an excellent way to get you started, switch things up a bit and to reduce impact on your body.

- Seek the advice of a certified fitness professional and make sure it’s someone you feel comfortable with.

- If you don’t get time to the gym one day or you are traveling you can do a heck of a lot at home with stability balls, resistance bands and videos

- In the beginning, aim for 3 exercise sessions/week with no more than two days rest in between. Increase duration of each session as your fitness level improves. 
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- Add a lot of variety into your workouts. If you find you are getting bored of running on the treadmill for 30mins, switch it up! Try 10mins run, 10mins eliptical trainer, 10mins stairmaster. For weight training, never do the same workout! Just mix it up as you go and make sure you challenge yourself.

- Start slowly and build up to fitness programs and better eating habits. Really enjoy that feeling you get after your workout. Try to relax, free yourself from stress and most importantly have fun!

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Fat Loss Secret

Fat Loss Secret

When it comes to fat loss you may think that there really is no secret. Highly intense training and super strict diet is all it takes right?

Well the answer may be a little more surprising than you think. In fact, there are a ton of secrets that I have come across and researched along the way of training for over 18 years now and when you combine them together they create a dramatic and powerful change.

Lately I’ve been having a ton of feedback with visitors of this blog leaving comments as well as our Facebook & Twitter page and the topic of fat loss is almost always the most asked about question. So I thought it was time to try a new series of articles out where I talk about the latest interesting research that is being discovered and talked about when it comes to fat loss.

Fat Loss Secret

One of the most fascinating of these a study at the Wayne State university which found that slowing down the time it takes to lower a weight can actually boost your metabolism!

This is a pretty cool secret to fat loss which I think is as easy as pie, and I’ve actually come across this ideology in training when reading some exercise routines which have been discovered in bodybuilding quite a few years ago.

Back to the secret, the study was specific in finding that taking just 3 seconds to lower a heavy weight can actually boost metabolism for as long as 72 hours after lifting the weights. Researchers have hypothesized that the reason that this occurs is based on negative resistance. When we do workouts which focus on the lowering or negative resistance part of an exercise our muscles see greater damage, and the body then elevates metabolism to help with the repair process.

In this case, the study was done with heavy weights where the maximum repetitions used was just 6, but testing this ideology with higher reps is definitely worth a try if it can help you lose fat a little quicker, doesn’t it?

Top 3 Fat Loss Supplements

Since we’re talking about muscle damage it then makes sense to include natural supplements which can help our body with recovery. Without a doubt the top 3 supplements would be:

Gluatmine (Try: Optimum Glutamine)
BCAA’s (Try: Optimum BCAA 1000 Caps)
Whey Protein (Try: 100% Natural Whey)

Fat Loss Secret Conclusion

Whatever advantage you can get for knowing more and more fat loss secrets the quicker you will be able to attain your beach body 6 pack goals, and little secrets like this one are pretty sweet especially since you don’t really have to do any more work. Throw this type of slow negative resistance exercises at least once a week in your routine to see how much it affects your physique and try and if you’re diet isn’t always 100% then the above mentioned supplements will really help your body recover and show better results.

If you like this secret and want to know more fat loss secrets please leave a comment below, as I always I appreciate your feedback…

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Good Foods

We all know that what we eat can help us prevent certain illnesses. We see on television all the time about people who are ill because of their diet.

Well, maybe we should say lack of a diet. These people tend to be at risk of disease because they don't have the right things to eat. When people think of health and prevention, I think some of them think about pills and their doctor.

To some people, they think these are the only tools they have. That isn't true. In fact, there are more important tools for you to use.Our diet is important not just for our appearance. A good diet will decrease your chance of getting cancer and other diseases. I know that it is hard to believe that just what we eat can play such a big role, but it does. 

Think of it like this. As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. That is true. Your body needs many things to survive. Over the long term you realize that diet is more important than ever before. I probably just like you have known many people who have had cancer. Also, we see on television all the time famous people getting cancer. A lot of these people don't smoke. They don't do drugs, rarely drink alcohol.

Why are they getting cancer? I'm sure some of it has to do with genetics and some of it has to do with pollution. While up to 1/3 of it, is due to diet. 

That's right, they get cancer because what they eat. Perhaps it could be said better by saying, what they don't eat. Let's talk about some of the foods you should eat to prevent cancer and other illness. This is an important article, so I would bookmark it and come back when you have any questions.

Apples. It was once said, an apple a day will keep the doctor away. This is true. These are loaded with vitamins A and C. They also help lower cholesterol and they lower your chance of getting cancer. 

Broccoli. Just because a former president didn't eat his, doesn't mean you should avoid yours. Actually, this is one of my favorite veggies. One serving has 97% of your vitamin C for the day. Also, it is a good source of calcium. 

Oranges. Not only do these babies taste good, but they are good for you as well.

They do help in preventing colds and flues. They also help prevent many forms of cancer. They are one of my favorite fruits. 

Onions. Half an onion a day will lower your cholesterol. Also, if you ever notice how you tear up when you cut an onion. They are good for people with asthma or other breathing problems. They open up the head so to speak. Also they fight cancer such as stomach cancer. You might not know it, but onions were once believed to be sent from god. They were believed to make people live longer and healthier. One thing you might not know is, onions reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Maybe there is some truth to all of that god stuff after all. 

Carrots. Carrots have beta carotene which has been known for a long time to fight cancer. Remember when you were a kid and were told to eat your carrots or you will go blind? Well, that isn't true, but they are good for the eyes. 

Salmon. Out of all the fatty fish, this one is best for you. It contains omega-3 fat, which is very good for your heart. People who eat salmon at least once per week are said to have a 50% lower chance of heart attack. 

Beans. You know these little devils. I used to eat them the night before going to school so I could fart all day long. Not only are these good for prostate cancer, but they also are a good source of fiber. 

Seaweed. No, I don't mean a joint that you smoke while at sea. I mean the stuff that comes from the ocean. This is loaded with iodine and other things. It has calcium, magnesium, and iron. This is very good for fighting cancer. 

Lemons. All you have to do is go to the supermarket and see how many lemon flavored cold remedies there are to see the potential of this citrus fruit. 

Lemons are a great way to prevent a cold, the punch of vitamin C will keep you healthy. It is also good for sore throats. 

Garlic. What doesn't this stuff do? Well, while it might not be a cure all like once believed. It does prevent almost everything under the sun. From heart disease to cancer, this is great stuff. I suggest that you study up on garlic so that you understand all of the good things it does. It would take an article the

length of a book to go into great detail. 

There you have it. Though I'm sure you are some what surprised, I'm sure that you will be able to absorb all the info in this article. If you can't, just bookmark it and read where you left off. 

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The Best Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

For anyone looking to loose weight regardless of age, be prepared for the hardest mental battle of your life. Loosing weight is part science (picking the right weight loss exercises , right foods, etc.) and part art (motivation, determination, and perseverance) For most people the art side of things is what seems to be the deciding factor in whether or not they will actually end up loosing weight at the end of the process. The sad thing however is that the traits of motivation, determination, and perseverance can not be taught by a weight loss coach, or a personal trainer, rather they must be instilled into the person, and that will only happen if he or she is truly ready to make a serious change for the better. One thing that can be sculpted however is the idea of which weight loss exercises to do and which foods to eat. Particularity I would like to discuss the different variation of weight loss exercises and how you should approach them for proper weight loss.

Starting out on a new weight loss plan can be tough, however you will find that after several weeks you start getting into a routine of sorts which allows you to continue running, walking, and exercising without feeling as if you are doing any of those things. In the mean time however it is important to note that some people decide to work out to hard to fast, and end up getting burned out and quitting, do not let this happen to you! Take an approach that will allow you to stay consistent and not get depressed along the way.

To help you reach your weight loss goals here are some solid weight loss exercises that have helped people to loose weight and stand the test of time.

Stair master: For most people the idea of continually walking up stairs sounds scary, boring, and pretty tough. Let me be the first to tell you that it is! However the game of weight loss when it comes to science is very specific and in reality it is not about what you think is fun, rather it is about what brings the results the fastest. Exercising on the stair master three to four times per week at a rate of twenty to thirty minutes will burn calories at a rate that you simply cannot believe. The reasoning is the fact that anything you do uphill or on an incline burns calories at a rate much faster than on flat land.

Treadmill at Incline: Going along the same lines as exercising with the stair master. Running/Walking on the treadmill at an incline will increase the about of calories burned exponentially. Most people think that running on the treadmill is the best way to burn calories, and although this is better for your cardiovascular system, the best way to burn fat fast is by doing incline exercises. For instance try to start out three to four days per week, twenty to thirty minutes per day walking at 3.5MPH at a 5 degree incline. Increase the incline by one degree per week until you are at incline of 10. From their go back to 5 degrees and increase the speed to 4.0MPH. Eventually you will be able to run up the incline which will help to increase your cardiovascular health as well as burn calories and fat fast.

Other weight loss exercises that everyone should be doing every single day include body weight exercises such as push ups, and sit ups. Start with 20 per day and gradually work your way up to doing 100 per day. If you plan on doing any sort of weight training be sure to use weights that you can perform three sets of 8-10 repetitions with.

In the end these weight loss exercises are only a stepping stone to help you achieve proper weight loss. You must also have a clean diet, and eventually work a weight loss supplement into your given routine.

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Help with Weight Loss Motivation

Weight Loss Motivation

You can see it now, you are on your way home from a stressful day at work, and all you can think about is a cheeseburger and fries to make the worries of a stressful day go away. Though how could you? You have been dieting for weeks, running daily, eating salad, drinking water etc. you cannot blow it now, but somehow you do. At first it tastes good and you feel as if it is exactly what you needed, but after wards you realize the fact that you have set yourself back a day or two, and feel extremely guilty.

The fact of the matter is, no matter how strong your will power, chances are there are going to be times when you are on a diet that all you can think about is eating something that you know would be detrimental to your goal of loosing weight. So rather than have a friend near by with a hammer waiting to hit you on the head each and every time you desire something other than watermelon and spinach, here are some ways that you can help yourself to stay positive and fight the urges naturally.

1. Keep pictures of the “old” you nearby
   Although it may be hard for some people the reality is that you are trying to make a change due to the fact that you are unhappy with yourself or who you used to be, and truthfully the best way to keep yourself from reverting to that old self is to keep pictures around. These will act as a constant reminder of who you used to be, and act as a motivating factor never to get back their. So next time you are ready to hit the drive thru window at Taco Bell just open your glove compartment and look at the picture of you +the pounds and see if its worth it to eat a taco as opposed to staying committed to the new you.
2. Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels^TM
   Im sure you have all heard that before, but say it 5-10 times and truly think about it, it is the best advice I was ever given when it comes to weight loss. No matter how hungry you think you are, or how bad you think you want a Big Mac just think about how great you will feel, and how much healthier you will be when the weight is gone. I can positively assure you that the feel no longer being overweight is much more satisfying than the taste of some cookie dough ice cream.
3. Tell your friends and family your goals
   When it comes down to it, the people that are going to truly be their for us in life are those in our immediate family, and our very close friends. These are the people that will be their to motivate and to keep us on the right track when all we feel like doing is giving up. So be sure to fill in your family on your goals and what you hope to achieve, because if you are considering eating an extra piece of bread at dinner or a glass of soda instead of water, you can rest assured that those closest to you will be their to help guide you through those rough times.
4. Keep a journal of your exercise routines
   The most invigorating thing can be looking at your past five trips to the gym on a piece of paper and looking at the improvements that you have made. 30 seconds off my mile time, 10 more pounds on the bench, 20 more crunches unassisted, etc. Looking at these small feats of success will help to keep you going even if you do not feel like going to the gym that day.

If you take all of these different techniques and put them into action, I firmly believe that you will be in a far greater position than if you decided not to. The harsh reality is that we all fall off the wagon sometimes, but for the true champions its about who can bounce back from that one bad meal, and hit the gym harder than ever the next day. Let yourself be that person!

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The Best Weight Loss Supplement

The Weight Loss Supplement War

Have you tried to loose weight in the past and either failed miserably or came so close you could taste it, but could never manage those last 10 pounds for whatever reason? Odds are that you were following a nice and clean diet, coupled with a solid cardiovascular workout routine, and some strength training to boot. However as we have come to realize in the world we live in, sometimes the bare essentials are not good enough, or and sometimes not even remotely close. So for the topic of weight loss it is important to consider the upside and downside to the world of weight loss supplements. In particular the top three which are Lipo 6, Green Tea, and Hydroxycut Hardcore. By the end of this article you should be able to determine whether or not you are ready for a fat burning product, and which one of these three will suit you the best.

To kick things off, we should talk about the top of the line product, Lipo 6 by Nutrex. This product has been recognized as the top fat burner by the top body building website several years in a row. Inside the revolutionary v cap design of these weight loss pills users should be ready for a quick shot of caffeine meant to have you pumping through your workout at record speeds with more intensity than ever before. However this product contains an ingredient that is sometimes frowned upon in the community of weight loss and bodybuilding. This is a nutrient known as Guggulesterones which should be researched by the user before taking the product to determine whether or not this product is truly for you. Besides that, this product has been recommended by weight enthusiasts all over the world for various reasons. Moving on we have the more natural method known as green tea weight loss.

Green tea has been around for centuries, and for good reason. The product developed and first used by the Chinese has been said to have the ability to cure and prevent ailments such as tooth decay and cancer, and has been linked to the world of weight loss as well. The person who decides to use green tea as his/her method of weight loss is most likely looking for the most natural way to help shed extra weight, and while this is honorable, it is not always the best scenario. Green tea contains various extracts which have been shown in clinical studies to help increase a persons metabolism and in turn allowing that person to burn more calories at a faster rate. The product is also known to help energize the user upon ingestion. The only issue with this product is the fact that in order to see some very staggering results, users are urged to drink on average of six glasses per day, which sounds like a lot to me! However for the beginner who is not looking to introduce any foreign nutrients into his/her system this product seems like a winner.

Lastly we have the product of hydroxycut hardcore, which is just as hardcore as the name implies. This product is very similar to that of Lipo 6 except for the fact that it does not contain any trace of the Guggulesterones, which makes it “healthier” than the Lipo 6 version. Though in the end these weight loss products all level out in terms of delivering caffeine to help speed up your heart rate as well as enable you to workout with more intensity at a longer time period. For the serious weight loss enthusiast this product should do the trick.

If you think that weight loss supplements are the route that you are interested in taking, it is important to note that no one under 18 should ever take these products. You should also not take these products if you have any sort of heart condition or malfunction. In the end there is no substitue for hard work, a balanced diet, and an exercise routine, but for those of you looking for that extra edge, be sure to give a weight loss product of your liking a try today.

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