Weight Loss Drinks

Over the past 3 or 4 decades, the Atkins diet has had a huge impact on the weight loss field. This phenomenon came from a book called “The Atkins Diet” written by Dr. Robert C. Atkins. The concept of weight loss in the book is that we need to be concerned with the amount of carbohydrates that we consume, and not the fat. So many people have lost weight, and achieved outstanding results. But this diet is not for everyone.

The Atkins diet does not consist of counting your calorie intake, (but it will eliminate your junk food and processed food intake). You will instead reduce the amounts of carbohydrates, and increase the amount of protein rich food.

The theory behind the low-carb diet found with the Atkins diet is that by reducing your intake of these foods, you will enter a phase in your body called Ketosis. During this phase, your body will be burning fat to create energy, instead of burning the food your eating. This will stop the production of insulin and it will prevent or stop more fat from being stored.

This diet program consists of 4 phases:

• Phase 1 is known as the induction phase. During this phase it is estimated that you will lose up to 15 pounds in two weeks. This is because your carbohydrate intake is cut down to 20 grams a day. You will be eating low-carb vegetables, but the amount is very limited.

• Phase 2 is the ongoing weight loss phase. During this phase you will start to add more food types & more carbs back to your diet. The goal here is to get to know your body food intake limits, so that you can eat more and still lose weight.

• Phase 3 is the Pre-Maintenance phase. During this phase you are now adding more carbs to your diet, and you keep losing weight. This gives you more awareness of what you are eating and how much, the goal here is to eat more than in phase 2, all while still losing weight.

• Phase 4 is the final phase, and it is known as the Lifetime Maintenance. After you’ve reached your weight loss goals, you can eat all good carbs, but the goal behind the diet plan is that you will not want to eat these foods anymore, and choosing healthy meals with good carbs will become your way of life.

I have visited their website, and they do have some amazing testimonials. The only thing I don’t like about this diet is not being able to eat what I want to eat. I understand that I can’t expect to lose weight if all I  eat is junk food, but this is the reason why so many people fail (including myself) at following through with a diet. We love to eat, period.

My point here is that there are too many choices if you want to lose weight, the idea is to find the one that works for you and that gives you results while you still have a healthy nutrition plan.

Talk soon,

-Octavio Tomas

P.S. Have you tried the Atkins diet? What results did you achieve?

I have a couple of friends that do not exercise, this could be because it is not considered one of the top favorite pastimes for many people. Exercising is a crucial part in a persons lifestyle, without it you will gain weight and develop various health problems. I would like to give you some ideas so you can make exercising fun for you:

Find Some Exercises That You Like

Really. Find some exercises that you like. Just because you don’t like to do crunches doesn’t mean you can’t have a lean stomach. If you absolutely hate doing one kind of exercise, try replacing it for one that could take its place. If you hate running, you can replace it with cycling or swimming, try it out, think of what you don’t like to do, and see how you can replace it with a different exercise.

Find Activities That You Like To Do

The key here is to find activities that you like and make them work for your body. If you enjoy the outdoors, try going for a walk just to get out of the house. If you enjoy the beach, get a couple a friends and put together a volleyball game. If you like video games, think about getting a Wii, this console carries some games that really make you sweat. When you think about exercising like this, your possibilities are endless.

Find a Training Partner.

I’ve covered this in a previous post, but I can’t stress the benefit of finding a partner that shares the same or similar goals as you. It is much easier (and fun) to workout with a partner. They are a great source of motivation and they will keep you motivated even if you don’t like exercising.

Find Exercising Classes

You will meet new people at these classes, learn new ways to exercise, stay motivated, and have fun. The majority of the gyms offer free classes that you can attend, make it a goal to check one out.

I know it is tough to keep a regular exercising routine if you don’t like to exercise, but you need to set goals, and don’t quit. If you really want to lose weight, and I mean really want to, you need to exercise and follow a diet. Try to make your exercise routine fun, and it won’t seem so bad.

Come back and share. I would love to know what fun activities you come up with:)

I came across a video on YouTube that shows the procedure of a Gastric Bypass Surgery. It was not pretty, and it’s definitely something I would want to avoid. But, what are your options when your tipping the scale at over 600lbs? The honest answer is not many, you probably suffer from various health problems such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, you’re probably stressed and at your wits with your weight.

Gastric Bypass Surgery is an easy option to lose weight, you don’t have to do any excessive exercise for months to shed a few unwanted pounds, but you must understand that it is a very serious weight loss method. It is not considered to be the best option to lose weight. This method is to be considered only by those people that are very significantly overweight and need to lose weight for medical reason and not just to look skinnier.

This type of procedure is also known as “stapling one’s stomach”, it works by lowering the amount of food your stomach can hold. The weight loss happens when you eat, the food bypasses a part of your small intestine and decreases your stomach size. This prevents you from overeating, you don’t absorb calories as fast as you used to, which allows the food you eat to leave your body naturally.

Don’t choose this method of loosing weight lightly, consider what your other options are. You can try losing weight by trying out a diet and some exercise. I know this is not easy, and it requires a lot of will power, but it is much safer than Gastric Bypass Surgery. You should also talk to your doctor about any other medications that you could take to help you lose weight, ask about therapy techniques, like acupuncture and hypnosis. There are some great weight loss drinks, that could help you loose the weight.

If you and your doctor agree that you do need the surgery, you need to start preparing for it. Try losing some weight on your own, the more weight you can lose the easier the surgery will be on your body. Listen and follow your doctors instructions to the letter from this point forward.

Going through the surgery is only half the battle. After surgery you have to continue a diet control, you must exercise, take physical therapy, and take your prescriptions. You must follow this routine because this will help you to lose the weight you want to lose, and (you guessed it) this is not by any means a walk in the park.

Gastric Bypass Surgery is not for everyone. You must understand the risks you face. Statistics show that as many as 10% of people that go through Gastric Bypass Surgery have complications. Even though technology is decreasing these risks, the danger is still there. Some side effects are infection, ulcers, complications during the surgery, hernia, blood clots, and even death. If you want to learn more about the risk involved visit http://www.obeseinfo.com/gastric_bypass_surgery_risks.htm

It’s amazing how a video can bring about such research, I have to be honest with you guys, I’ve didn’t even know about this type of procedure until recently (about a week ago or so). But I think it is important to talk about it because there are people that are thinking about going through this. Being obese is not an easy thing to cope with, it takes a massive toll in your human spirit. There are many ways to lose weight, Gastric Bypass Surgery is an extreme way of losing weight and it should not be taken lightly.

Have you ever thought about Gastric Bypass Surgery as an alternative to lose weight? Tell me what happened, did you got through with it?

*** DISCLAIMER *** I am not a doctor so please do not take this post as medical advise. The purpose of this article is to express my opinion on the subject of Gastric Bypass Surgery, and to start a discussion of the same. If you want more information you can visit http://www.obeseinfo.com or consult with your doctor. There is also a video that is 63 minutes long that goes more into detail about gastric bypass surgery. You can check out this video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8636464984047127563#

While trying to lose weight, one of the most frustrating things to do is to keep track of your food intake. But luckily you can keep track and stay on top of what you are eating with a food diary.

A good advise given to me by a fitness trainer at my local gym is:

“You have to split your food intake and calorie intake into 6 different meals. Each one with equal amounts of calories so that you are reaching your total daily calorie intake.” – Some Trainer.

[*** Side Note *** You can see what your current calorie intake should be by checking out this site http://calculators.hpathy.com/calories-need.asp]

A food diary will help you keep track of the foods you eat and the amounts of calories each one of them has, helping you to sort out your food intake. This will allow you to prepare 6 different meals for the day with the correct amount of calories in them so that you don’t exceed your calorie intake for the day.

The amount of information you can record in a food diary is endless. You can list your daily menu, proteins, weight loss drinks, calories, fiber, fat, and all the other nutrients. Start out by listing your daily menu, this will help you see what you are eating, and you will start to see your unhealthy eating habits that you didn’t notice before.

Keep what you like and next to those items you can write down the nutritional facts such as proteins, calories, fiber, fat, trans fat, etc… This will let you break down your meals by sections that are proportioned according to your desired calorie intake for the day.

You might be thinking of going out and buying the usual diary… you know, the one you keep by your bed, and keep under a lock and key. Right???

Allow me to set you free, you can use any kind of recording or writing tool of your choosing. Some people will find that using a traditional journal or just a notebook will work best because of the convenience and simplicity of use it provides.

Others will find that using a computer or laptop will be much more easier because they can open a word document, or a spreadsheet, and begin recording their food intake and make changes in the same file. You can use a laptop, a PC, a notebook, a journal, plain sheets of paper in a binder, or whatever catches your fancy. The goal is to write down what your eating.

You want to update your food diary everyday so that you can review and check your progress on a weekly basis. You can use your diary to write down any goals you have, and make sure you note on it when you accomplish them, or when you fall short of achieving it. This will give you an insight of what you are doing, and you can show it to a professional for advice should you need help.

So go on and start your food diary today.

I recently read an article in a magazine that talked about how about 50% of the youth between 18-25 years old are obese, and how this problem is taking a massive toll in many places, in particular the armed forces. It is not a mystery that Americans are trying to lose weight, but many of them are not seeing success.

Losing weight is hard, it requires discipline, effort (sometimes a lot of effort), time, patience, and consistency. Without these, even the best weight loss plans will fail miserably. It is important to learn the reasons why so many weight loss plans fail so that we do not make these mistakes in our effort to lose weight.

The majority of weight loss plans fail because people concentrate on lowering their calorie intake (food). They implement a strict diet to achieve this, but at the end they still have the weight, and a big head ache. The idea is to cut back on the calories to a point where you won’t overdue what your daily intake should be. You are to eat only a certain amount of food at one time, but you still have to meet the standard calorie intake, if you cut down on this, you will not lose any weight because your metabolism will slow down. You also run a risk of putting yourself in danger for not getting enough vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients your body needs to function properly.

In my High School years, in gym class, it was not hard to exercise because it became a competition with my friends. This brings me to another reason why people fail to lose weight. They try to do it alone. If you want to lose weight, find somebody with the same goals, and use each other as support. When one feels like giving up, the other can step in and encourage the other to keep on going. You should also let your family members know of your intentions to lose weight so they can support you and help you to achieve your goals. Be sure to consult with a doctor, or a physical trainer if you feel you need help.

Keep your goals realistic. Don’t set your goals too high, I know this sounds counterproductive, but if you weigh 200lbs, it is very unlikely that you will lose 50 or 60 pounds in a month. A good way to determine an attainable goal is to take into account what you are doing to lose weight, are you going to the gym? are you taking weight loss drinks? are you limiting your food intake? are you taking vitamins? based on that you can calculate a realistic goal to set, and you can be sure that you will reach it if you stay consistent and follow a set plan. This will give you confidence and you will move towards your next fitness goal with ease.

Probably the most important reason why people fail to lose weight is they don’t know their limits. When you begin the journey to lose weight, always be conscious of who you are (you must be happy with who you are inside before you can change the outside) and what you can do, don’t try to run an 18 mile marathon if you haven’t ran in years. Start slow, and build on top of the progress your making. Don’t give up on your goals to lose weight. Take one step at a time and you will get there.

What other obstacles have you encounter on your journey to losing weight? How have you gotten over them? If your stuck, let us know, maybe we can help:)