The Perfect Day of Weight Loss

You can always use your time better. Boost metabolism, burn calories, and torch your belly for 24 hours with these secrets.




7:00 a.m.
Wake up and do 2 minutes of jumping jacks, high knee skips, pushups, or crunches.

7:15 a.m.
Have two scrambled eggs and a slice of Canadian bacon. A 2009 Purdue University study found that a high-protein breakfast makes people feel fuller throughout the day, so they're less likely to overeat.

7:45 a.m.
Hit the gym, and lower weights slowly. Taking 3 seconds to lower weights during full-body resistance training can rev your metabolism for up to 3 days, according to a Wayne State University study. (Study participants used a challenging weight for 5 sets of 6 reps for each exercise.)

9:00 a.m.
Chug some milk. A diet with plenty of calcium-rich dairy can enhance weight loss, according to a 2007 study of overweight people.

10:00 a.m.
Grab a protein-rich snack, like half a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with Swiss cheese. In a Georgia State University study, athletes who ate three 250-calorie snacks a day were more likely to lose body fat and have more energy than those who didn't.

11:00 a.m.
Walk briskly around the office for a while. A recent Mayo Clinic study found that lean people walk an average of 3.5 miles per day more than obese people do.

1:00 p.m.
For lunch, eat a spinach salad with grilled halibut and almond slices. All contain magnesium, a metabolism-friendly mineral.

2:00 p.m.
If your meeting is with just one or two people, do it West Wing style, walking the halls as you talk.

4:00 p.m.
Down a glass of iced green tea. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, the catechins in green tea decrease body fat.

5:00 p.m.
Have another mini-meal—and make it fiery. According to a 2006 study review, spicy foods help burn fat and calories.

7:00 p.m.
Take a short walk before dinner.

7:30 p.m.
Eat dinner. If you ate lightly today, don't worry about a heavier meal now: "It doesn't matter when you fuel up; it's how many gallons you put in the tank," says Gary Foster, Ph.D., director of Temple University's center for obesity research and education.

9:30 p.m.
Grab a good book (or magazine!), pop in some tunes, and relax. Stress jacks up your levels of cortisol, a chemical that boosts abdominal fat.

10:30 p.m.
Draw your shades so the sun won't rouse you early. According to a 2008 review, losing sleep affects the hormones that turn your appetite on and off, making you feel less satiated by food and hungrier overall.

6 Steps to Losing Fat

1 MEASURE UP
So your waist is on the wrong side of 40 inches. That’s bad. An increase in waist girth has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, according to a study from the journal Circulation. The ideal height-to-waist ratio you should maintain to minimise the risk of cardiovascular disease: 1:0.5, according to the journal Obesity.

2 STICK TO IT
Make losing flab part of your lifestyle. Peg your motivation to a short-term goal, like shaping up for your wedding, and you’ll likely yo-yo back right after, says Mitch Chilson, Men’s Health advisory board member. After the event or goal is reached, you’ll be less likely to continue your efforts because there’s no need to.

3 DITCH YOUR FAT FRIENDS
Not literally, but a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that people tend to be obese if they’re surrounded with fat friends. So surround yourself with active folk: Hook up with that army mate who’s still getting IPPT Golds – even better, rope your portly buddies in.

4 EAT BREAKFAST
A study in the journal Public Health Nutrition suggests that breakfast helps to regulate energy intake distribution across meals throughout the day. Aim for low-glycaemic carbs like wholemeal bread and include some protein into your meal. But if you only eat out, get the kopi kaya toast set (ask for less butter and less sugar in the coffee) for a muscle-boosting 18g protein meal. Just try not to eat more than four eggs a week.

5 START RUNNING
One of the most convenient ways to shed flab is to run. You can motivate yourself to start by going shoe shopping, suggests personal trainer Sam Ng. As a general guideline, overpronators (where your foot rolls too far towards the inner ankle) should get motion control shoes, and underpronators (not enough foot roll, so the outer area of the foot takes more impact) should get cushioned shoes. Neutral-footed? Lucky you – you can wear any kind of shoe, says Ng.

6 WORK OUT AT NIGHT
Research in the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that study participants performed at their peak at 11pm. Still, it varies according to individuals, so alter your times accordingly.

Ditch The Spare Tyre

THE FORMULA
A 3,500-calorie decrease results in a 0.5kg reduction in body fat. Here’s how you can painlessly reduce the bulge.

Remote Control
A nightly side dish of television can leave you gutted. University of Pittsburgh researchers found watching TV during dinner twice a week results in 3.5kg of weight gain over a year. This is because you’re more likely to overeat and chew food less. An eight-week TV ban will reduce your weight by 0.5kg.
• 8 weeks = 0.5kg gone.

Walk The Talk
It’s called a mobile for a reason. Next time it rings, stand up. “Standing obviously uses more muscles and requires more effort,” says personal trainer Pat Leahy. “Walking burns even more calories” (precisely 48 in a 10-minute walk-as-you-talk call). So, thrice a day for a month means 3,500 calories.
• 1 month = 0.5kg gone.

Train Less
Decreasing your reps and increasing the weight by 5 to 10 per cent will fire your calorie-burning furnace. Ohio University found heavy training increases your metabolic rate over the subsequent two days, helping you burn 600 more calories than lighter training. Two workouts a week means 3,600 calories in three weeks.
• 9 weeks = 1.5kg gone.

Dress Down
After centuries of dieting, women have learnt a trick or two. They know what Penn State University recently found: Consuming a salad with low-cal vinaigrette before a meal tips the scales in your favour. This will decrease your calorie consumption by 10 per cent over the day, thanks to the filling effects of acetic acid in the dressing. Two salads a week means 3,600 calories.
• 12 weeks = 1kg gone

Eat More
It sounds as convincing as an election promise, but eating more the right way sheds fat. The University of Illinois found that men who consumed half the carbs but twice the protein of an average eater lost 1kg more than those on other 10-week diets.
• 10 weeks = 1kg gone

10 Easy Diet Tips That Will Work For You!

Losing weight is often one of the best things a person can do for optimal health and wellness. Being overweight can damage to the heart, contribute to high blood pressure and be hard on the joints, to name just a few of the problems that may be caused by carrying around excess weight day after day. Dropping even a few pounds can pay off handsomely in increased health and energy.

While losing weight is extremely important for the overweight or obese, dieting can be intimidating and is difficult for many people. Successful, permanent weight loss requires diligence and a workable plan. When contemplating weight loss, choose a nutritionally sound diet plan. Regardless of which diet is being pursued, try these helpful tips to make the whole dieting experience easier.

Diet Tip #1 – Eat Less, Move More
Excess weight is simply excess calories stored on the body. To get rid of excess weight, eat fewer calories than are consumed and get some exercise. While this may seem elementary, too many dieters do not adhere to this basic principle. The added advantage of eating less and moving more is that exercise will increase fitness while simultaneously burning calories, which in turn will increase the metabolism and cause the body to use more calories even while at rest.

Diet Tip #2 – Try Diet Friendly Substitutes
Consider where calorie-saving food substitutions can be made. Read labels or do some research online to determine where significant savings can be achieved. For instance, replace whole milk with low fat milk, or better yet, fat-free milk. In recipes, substitute plain yogurt for sour cream. For a snack, choose raw vegetables over chips or crackers. To get the salt to stick on popcorn, use a light coating of cooking spray rather than melted butter.

Diet Tip #3 – Beware of Low Fat or Fat Free Foods
Carefully read the label on any item claiming to be low fat or fat free. High calorie substitutes, such as high fructose corn syrup, are often used to enhance flavor and texture in low fat or fat free foods. In addition, to increase palatability, many of these items rely on chemical substitutions that may be undesirable.

Diet Tip #4 – Become Familiar with Portion Sizes
Use a measuring cup and diet scale to determine exact portions. Correct portion size is often difficult to estimate, leading to over consumption of the food in question. After portion estimation proficiency is achieved, periodically recheck portion weights or measures to ensure continued accuracy.

Diet Tip #5 – Use Small Plates and Cups
Make portion control easier by using smaller plates and cups. Having food arranged so that the plate appears full eases feelings of deprivation. Use a measuring cup to determine the exact volume of various cups or glasses. Use a permanent marker to indicate specific measurements on frequently used items. Purchase a toddler or child-size divided plate to help control food portions at meals or when snacking.

Diet Tip #6 – Forego Second Helpings
Limit meals to one helping of each food. Eat slowly, putting the fork down between each bite. Drink plenty of water and extend mealtime as long as necessary to ensure that satiety is reached without indulging in a second helping. Include raw vegetables with each meal to provide a healthy, low calorie option if the temptation for seconds cannot be resisted.

Diet Tip #7 – Control the Environment
Make dieting as easy as possible. Stock the pantry and refrigerator with diet friendly foods. To avoid relapse in times of weakness, get rid of all high calorie foods or any item that may lead to uncontrolled consumption. Have appropriate snacks on hand at work or in the car. Make wise food choices easy by preparing meals at home and taking a lunch each day rather than eating out and relying on willpower.

Diet Tip #8 – Eat on Purpose
Don’t be afraid to get in touch with hunger. Discover what true hunger really feels like. Treat this as research and document all findings. Observe what happens to the body as hunger approaches and how long it takes the physical feeling of hunger to subside even when no food is consumed. Also, pay attention to any emotional reactions that may arise. Strive to develop a sense of actual hunger so that eating becomes a purposeful activity designed to sustain the body only rather than fill other needs.

Diet Tip #9 – Treat Yourself Well
Dieting can be hard work. Pamper yourself during this time by getting enough sleep and enjoying non-food-related treats. If a slip occurs, it is not the end of the world and should not be the end of the diet. A slip is nothing more than a momentary failure. Simply forgive yourself and move on without recrimination.

Diet Tip #10 – Drink Water Before Meals
Drinking a glass of water 15 minutes before you eat makes it easier to feel full sooner, and makes it harder to eat as much.

Losing Weight Takes Effort

"The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night."
~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In order to take advantage of losing weight and being successful, you must be prepared--that means " paying your dues."

Nothing is more frustrating than to see that you are gaining weight again.

Be in a position to benefit from your failure. It pays to be prepared, and that comes down to plain, hard work. It's not usually glamorous. It's not always exciting. It's not always fun. It is, however, always necessary.

By being prepared, you have to create a game plan to get back on track right away without beating yourself up and devastating your self-esteem. My game plan is taking it a bite at a time. What's your's? Maybe it's taking it a day at a time, going back to your diet tomorrow. Maybe it's getting angry and becoming more determined then ever to succeed.

Have you ever been at a Weight Watchers or TOPS meeting and noticed several people there who are slim and trim? What about those Jenny Craig and Nutri/System ad's with their before and after pictures? They make losing weight look so effortless, but remember, in reality, these people have been dieting for years.

Without effort and action, you will not succeed. You can't wish your weight away. You have to work at it and be prepared for those times when you slip, so you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on...

Losing weight demands preparation, effort and commitment to come to fruition.

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Is It Time to Exercise, Yet?

A lot of the listeners to my audio podcast “Being Healthy for Busy People” have told me that I’ve motivated them to get off the couch and start moving. And some of them have told me that they’re excited to start an exercise program, but wanted to know what the best time of day to exercise was to get the best results.

Since, there are different opinions on this subject, I’m dedicating this show to helping you figure out when the best time is for you to exercise. So, sit back and enjoy the show!

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe through iTunes.

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Happiness is Medicine for the Heart

February 24, 2010 at 12:26 pm · Filed under Heart Health

According to a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, happier people may have healthier hearts. The study indicated that people who reported being generally happy and content were less likely to develop heart disease. In fact, it seemed that as a person’s level of happiness increased, their risk to develop heart disease decreased.

It isn’t clear exactly the reason why happier people may have healthier hearts, but adding a little happiness to your life certainly couldn’t hurt. To improve your overall happiness and help your heart, try some of these strategies:

Spend some time every day doing something you enjoy. Don’t stress yourself out trying to squeeze something else in, but make your favorite activities a priority–even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes a day. If you like to read, set aside some time for that book you’ve been wanting to read. Miss knitting? Pull out the yarn and needles and finish a few rows.Get physical. You’ve heard it before, but exercise improves mood. Get those endorphins pumping with a brisk walk, some power yoga or your favorite workout DVD. It doesn’t take much time–just 10 minutes or so, to reap the mood-boosting benefits.Just relax. Don’t wait for your yearly vacation or the infamous “someday” to take a break. Make regular time to relax, whether it’s by soaking in a bath, getting a massage, meditating, or watching your favorite television show. Whatever it is you choose to do, be present and savor the time.Have a good laugh. Put in a funny movie, have lunch with a friend who always makes you laugh, or read the Sunday comics. It’s hard to NOT be happy when you’re laughing so hard your belly hurts.Spin it. When something has you down, try seeing the experience from a positive angle. There’s always a silver lining, you just need to locate it and put your focus on it. It may not eliminate the negative, but it might make it a little more bearable.

Don’t worry, be happy. Have some fun. Try new things. Accentuate the positive whenever you can. Happiness just might be medicine for your heart.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

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