Beating The Weight Loss Plateau

Among diet experts, there is a rarely mentioned adaptation of the body that prevents a diet program from achieving the maximum results. This adaptation, the weight loss plateau, can be tackled in a variety of ways, most of which involve changes to the training or diet regimen of a person. While circumventing the metabolic rate can be a difficult process, it can be done.

The typical human form is capable of achieving a number of incredible feats that seem to suspend or defy the way science tells us things work. Athletes, through sheer willpower, can end up lifting something that their bodies should not be able to without suffering anything worse than muscle spasms.

People can adapt to extreme physical trauma caused by a car accident and defy predictions that they'll never walk again. While, in general, these amazing feats are useful in a number of situations, there are physical reactions that some people look upon with quite a bit of disbelief. Among these is the dreaded weight loss plateau, when attempting to lose weight.

Essentially, the plateau is a term used to describe a situation where the body has become incapable of losing any further weight, usually due to developing a tolerance for the weight loss pills and methods being used.

Essentially, the plateau is hit when the body develops tolerance for the regimen's limitations and practices, thus allowing the metabolic rate of the body to adjust to whatever weight loss pills or techniques were being used. Most diet books decidedly ignore the existence of the plateau, primarily because it can be seen as negating the purpose of the diet and is, therefore, bad for marketing.

There are, however, ways to counteract the human body building a tolerance for training regimens and weight loss pills.

The human metabolism, when presented with a pattern, will eventually adapt to that pattern. It is this natural adaptability of the human body that can cause the weight loss plateau, particularly if the person's diet and eating habits have been altered for weight loss.

As such, changing the pattern will, once a sufficient amount of time has passed, allow your diet plan or weight loss pills to become effective again. This trick essentially involves confusing the human metabolism, and is often taken as a rather drastic way to get the body back in the diet mode.

There are, of course, several ways to effectively alter that pattern without causing the body permanent harm.

Adding strength and weight training and modifying one's exercise program can also help someone get past the plateau, in most cases. The body will still burn through nutrients during physical activity, though the digestive system's metabolic rate can adapt such that more weight is retained rather than burned during exercise.

Increasing the difficulty of the exercises, or changing the movements to target less-developed muscle areas, can effectively force the body to re-adapt. While the body is busy adapting to the changes, it can also start losing weight again. This method is best used with alterations to the person's diet, however, to maximize the effectiveness.

Another trick used to circumvent the problem of the plateau is to make changes to the time frame between meals. The internal clock that the human body's digestive system operates on can be altered to suit one's purposes, provided one executes the proper alterations to one's diet and eating habits.

A simple action like altering the schedule of the meals, such as adding more meals but reducing the bulk of each, can have an appreciable effect on altering the metabolic rate. The key concept of this method is to fool the body into burning the food faster, thus getting one's weight loss program and diet back on track.

When considering the options, it is helpful to keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another person. Some slower metabolisms may require combination of diet program and exercise regimen modifications, while others can get by with merely shortening the break between meals. The critical point is to find a method that works and is effective for a specific metabolism, which can be a time-consuming process.

1 Pound Of Fat

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. Thus, if you cut back or work off just 3,500 calories, you will lose an entire pound of fat.

While it is possible to cut back on your calorie intake and increase your exercise regimen in order to lose pounds quickly, it is important to note that doctors recommend that you lose no more than 2 pounds of weight per week in order to ensure that your body properly adjusts to the weight loss.

Here are some tips to help you safely drop 3,500 from your regular routine:

Run

Running for about 1 hour at a slow pace will help you lose approximately 350 calories, depending on your body type, speed and terrain. Thus, if you run for one hour five days a week while maintaining a consistent diet, you will safely lose one pound.

It is important to understand that many people who just begin running will eat pasta and other foods high in carbohydrates in order to compensate for the exertion. They think that because they worked out so hard, they deserve a treat. After all, they justify, the pasta will help to keep their energy levels high.

However, what they may not realize is that while they are justified in thinking that the carbohydrates will infuse their workout routine with energy, they are not actually setting their bodies up to lose weight. When you burn 350 calories but intake 450 over a high-carbohydrate pasta dish, you are adding more calories to your body than you otherwise would have.

Running does, however, help to boost our metabolism and change your muscle tone so that you burn calories more efficiently. Instead of inhaling a pasta dish after a run, select instead to have a large salad and splurge for the carbohydrate-rich croutons.

Eat In

When you eat out at a restaurant, not only are you subjecting your body to an array of high fat, high calorie foods, but you are also tempting yourself to eat a larger portion than you might normally eat.

Therefore, what could be a simple 500 calories meal can easily turn into a 1500-calorie fat fest. In order to lose weight by cutting calories, it is essential that you are aware of exactly what you are putting into your body. Especially in the beginning of your new routine, it is important that you prepare your meals and monitor your level of hunger.

When eating out, generally you are in a social situation where food is not a priority, whereas spending time with your friends is. For this reason, people tend to eat more than they normally would. Non-dessert eaters often even spring for the extra round of calories. If you must eat out, help yourself avoid temptation by selecting a salad rather than a plate of pasta or burger. You will be amazed at the difference in the amount of calories you intake when you make simple choices such as meal option.

By reducing your overall calorie intake and increasing your level of physical activity, you will be able to lose those 3,500 calories without much trouble. Make sure that you stay focused, motivated and on task. You will shed unwanted weight in no time!

See also Diet -vs- Exercise.

Learn How To Use Your Mind To Change What You Crave, And Lose The Weight

Are cravings controlling your eating habits? Well, they don't have to anymore. Cravings are overrated. Learn how to use your mind to change what you crave, to help you lose weight.

If I were to ask you which foods temp you, most likely they would not be ones that are very healthy. I bet they would be ice cream, potato chips, pizza, or something along those lines. In fact, in your mind right now as you are reading, you are probably thinking about a food that is not healthy.

Well, are you? Stop for a moment and think about it........ The point Im going to make in this article is that you can change what you crave by changing how you think.

Every new customer that I speak to about weight-loss has a craving problem. But I don't see it as a problem at all. I see it as a solution. Cravings are over-rated in my opinion, and we don't have to feel tempted by ice cream, cookies or 20-ounce prime ribs. Instead, we can be tempted by watermelon, pineapple, oranges or apples; foods like that. Think that sounds crazy? Well its not and you will see why.

When I first speak with customers about their eating habits, I gather everything I need to know about exactly what they eat and how they eat. The culprit to their weight problem always boils down to snacking, picking, and eating foods that are unhealthy or just plain over-eating. Then I ask what fruits and vegetables they like. I have yet to come across someone who hates fruit or hates every vegetable under the sun. Finally I ask them how often they eat fruits or vegetables and it's always a lot less often than the unhealthy stuff, thats for sure.

After Ive gathered my arsenal of information, we do our thing. I next help in directing their mind to a peaceful place, and within minutes they are relaxed like never before. Then I start talking about their favorite fruits and vegetables. I ask them to imagine taking a bite of their favorite juicy, ripe fruit and to feel the juices tickling their taste buds. I say to their mind, from now on anytime you have a craving for food, you will think of a juicy, ripe piece of fruit. And bingo!!!

Next thing you know these are exactly the kinds of foods they start desiring. Why? Because anytime you close your eyes and bring yourself to a calm, relaxed place, your subconscious mind emerges, and it is this part of the mind that controls what you crave. Change your thoughts and you will change what you crave. Simple.

Lets look at this from another perspective. Let say pineapple is your favorite fruit. Now, if you were sitting with me right now and I gave you a juicy chunk of it, you would enjoy it thoroughly. And you might want more, right? Of course. Now, lets say I reached into my refrigerator, whipped-out a piece of chocolate cake and said, choose one. Most likely you would opt for the pineapple because you just had a teaser-piece, which would make your mind want more. The fact of the matter is this: you enjoy your favorite fruits just as much as you enjoy your favorite junk foods, you just believe otherwise.

Again, cravings are over-rated. The mere mention of that devilish word always seems to conjure-up images of high calorie, high fat foods only because these are the foods you are most exposed to in our media driven world. Your subconscious gets accustomed to this and do not know any better. Change your minds images and you will change your cravings. Here is a quick 5 minute mental exercise you can begin doing now to help you start changing the way you crave food.

Step 1: Find a comfortable, quiet place where there are no distractions. Begin breathing deeply until you are quite relaxed. Next, count backwards from 10-1, slowly. With each count, imagine that your mind is drifting deeper and deeper.

Step 2: After you have finished counting, imagine that you are relaxing by yourself in your favorite place. A secluded beach or a log cabin in the woods will do the trick. Imagine yourself feeling so very relaxed and peaceful.

Step 3: Next, imagine a basket full of your favorite fresh picked fruit sitting right next to you. See it clearly in your mind, the color, the feel, everything about that fruit. Imagine taking a bite of that juicy fruit and enjoying it like never before.

Step 4: Repeat the following suggestion to yourself 10 times: From now on, anytime you think of eating junk food, you will immediately feel a craving for fruit.

Step 5: Count from 1 to 5, slowly, and when you reach 5 open your eyes.

Introduce Yoga To Your Weight Loss Journey

Many people today are trying all sorts of things in their pursuit of a more healthy, permanent weight loss goal, or change for a healthier lifestyle.  Unfortunately, many seem to fall all to often for fad diets, diet pills, or celebrity diets, just to name a few .

While someone might temporarily lose a few pounds with a "diet", diets are not successful when it comes to permanent weight loss and healthy weight loss. To achieve long lasting results, require more than a diet, it requires you changing , or switching to a long lasting healthier lifestyle. In other ways, its a way of living.

Now, as my mother use to tell me, I have good news, and bad news......

The good news is that there is a known and proven way to achieve significant, healthy, permanent weight loss, and even more good news is that, although some modification to what you presently like to eat will be necessary, extremely drastic changes are seldom required.

Of course you might have to learn to substitute something you don't like that much right now for something you do like, but, in time, you can get accustomed to this, and even learn to like the new flavors and foods.  I know.  I've been there.

The bad news is that, along with modifications to your eating habits, you are going to have to become more active.  Dare I say it....?

You will have to exercise!

The benefits of exercise is an article in itself, and I have written elsewhere about how exercise can take many forms, so there is no need to lock yourself into an unpleasant or painful exercise regimen.  What I really want to do here is give a small pitch for the practice of yoga as my exercise program of choice.  Remember, however, my exercise program of choice might not be yours.  As much as I like yoga, you will have to decide if yoga is right for you.

Before I speak specifically about yoga, let's just list some of the known benefits of regular exercise in general.

Exercise...

>Reduces the risk or affects of many illnesses and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis to name a few.  Some studies even show possible reductions in the risk for some cancers.

>Elevates mood and reduces depression.

>Helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, joints, and nervous system.

>Delays affects of aging, making seniors more mobile and self sufficient and less likely to fall prey to injury or illness.

>Reduces risk of premature death (sounds like a big one to me).

>Helps maintain a healthy weight.

Okay, since any good exercise program can provide these benefits, what does yoga have to offer that makes it special?

In addition to providing the basic benefits of exercise in general, yoga does have a few specific things going for it.

Despite the apparently agonizing contortions seen in every yoga book, the benefit is in the attempt to achieve the position.  The models in the books arrived at their present level of ability over time, and many a skilled practitioner of yoga today began in the same shape you're in right now.  It is okay to modify a position or to come out of it a little early if your body is not ready yet.  The regular practice of your best version of the movement or position (asana), combined with yoga breathing techniques (easily learned) will produce progress over time.

No personal trainer or special equipment is needed, nor is it necessary to go to the gym or even out in public at all.  You can do yoga naked if you don't have a pair of gym shorts, and a carpet is just as good as a yoga mat...at least at first.  Yoga is actually so simple that it can be learned from a book, although it certainly wouldn't hurt to get guidance or training from a certified instructor.

Yoga is relaxing and relieves stress.  Not only is this of great personal value in today's world, but if any part of your weight loss problem is stress related, and I can almost guarantee some relationship, the stress relief offered by yoga can ease that portion of your weight loss journey.

In addition to being good for your health for several reasons, simply learning yoga breathing and practicing it regularly can help you burn fat.

As you begin to progress in your ability to better perform yoga poses (asanas) you will notice a sense of control, of mastery of life and self, which will become more evident.  This new inner strength will aid you in facing difficulties, including temptations concerning eating and your new eating behaviors.  You will also find yourself more forgiving, not only of others, but of yourself as well, and when you slide a little, you will be better able to shrug it off and get back on your path to success.

With more progress in your yoga practice, you will begin to experience new feelings of health, strength, and well-being.  These feelings will in turn motivate you to take even more control of your life so that you can continue your progress with no desire or temptation to return to the way things used to be.

Nothing is perfect for everyone, but, as you can see, the practice of yoga does have some benefits to offer which may make it valuable in the pursuit of healthy, permanent weight loss, and a healthier lifestyle.

Back To School 24 Day Weight Loss Challenge And Cleanse

The idea of the Back To School 24 Day Weight Loss Challenge And Cleanse is for you to develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well, and more importantly assist in you in your lifestyle change.  The weight loss challenge objective is to get rid of the excesses in your body, the excess fat, and other stuff we have taken into our system over the summer months.  Not the healthy and lean muscle tissues and body fluids.

After all the summer fun, vacationing, celebrating, and at times eating anything and everything we wanted, its time to get back to business.

The challenge requires your focus and dedication, so therefore you need to be prepared in both mind and and body.  It is advised that you first visit your doctor for a check-up before embarking on any weight loss program, or diet.

It is important that when starting the challenge, that you remain positive, and dedicated enough to work for the desired results.

Often times we become impatient, but long term effects can be accomplished depending on you, your diet, as well as a number of other factors, such as current health.

If you have been inactive for some time, be sure to stretch and stretch some more before starting any activity.  Before actually doing any exercise and working out those muscles, a little stretching is needed in order to avoid any injury or soreness in your body.

Everything should be done in moderation.  Find the level of exercise and training that suits you.  It should be enough for you to be comfortable, but not too convenient that it will not be much of a challenge.

To assist you with your cleanse, you can find everything you need for  the challenge below.

Now that you have joined, here are a few tips to assist you along the way.

The first week

The first week of the cleanse take long and steady walks for a little over twenty to thirty minutes. After the walk, follow it up with a good stretch.  This takes so little of your time for the first week.
In less than two and a half hours you have taken that first step to a healthier lifestyle that could work to your advantage.

By the second week, it is good to focus on strengthening your upper body.  This maintains your strength to be able to go through the whole cleanse, and conditioning you will be doing, throughout the challenge.  During the third week,  start walking briskly or jog for 15 - 20 minutes.

The fourth week should be spent on a low impact exercise such as swimming.  To avoid boredom, do not be afraid to try something new.  The last day of the fourth week is a time to solicit the support of the people you care about.  Spend time with them or get them to be with you in your long walks. Remember, follow up your walks, and low impact exercises with a light upper body workout.

This is just the start of your life changes, and the greater good to come because of those changes.  If by this first week you are able to stick to the  24-Day Challenge, you have a greater chance to further boost your weight loss with the steps Ive provided above and stay with the program until you achieve your desired result.

Try as much as possible to be unlike the people who give up easily just because they could not see the result they want at the time they wanted!   Patience is a virtue.  The same way it took your body time to gain all that weight, it will need time to exert itself to get rid of it. Stick to the weight loss program and you will lose weight. Just as I did, and continue to do.

The ideal of the Back To School 24 Day Weight Loss Challenge And Cleanse is to help .you develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well as assist you in becoming a healthier you.

Written by,

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

I Don't Eat Meat, So How Do I Get Enough Protein?

The picture above is just one of the many of foods that contain a lot of protein.  You can easily find other foods high in protein just by reading the nutrition facts on the label.  There are many breakfast cereals that contain a lot of protein.  Also, oatmeal is usually fairly high in protein.

Or, if you choose not to eat cereal, you can have yogurt or granola.  Greek yogurt is thicker and contains a greater amount of protein than regular yogurt.  Or, you can even make a smoothie with juice or milk, fruit and protein powder.

For your lunch and dinner entrees, instead of eating meat, consider having some baked or sautéed tofu.  You can mix it with vegetables, or even bake it with breadcrumbs like you would with meat.  There are so many meat substitutes available, too.  There are all different kinds of burgers, veggie dogs, veggie bacon, and even chicken less chicken nuggets.

So, if you still enjoy meat, but are just trying to cut down on the amount of meat you eat, it is very likely that you will be able to find a meatless version of it.  Many of these products are made out of soy and are processed, so if you want to eat more whole foods and avoid processed foods, there are still many different options.

You can have beans as your entrée, and if you eat it with rice, it will form a complete protein.  Or, you can enjoy a dish that consists of a high protein grain.  Quinoa can be made into many different recipes; it can even be made into a burger.  Even whole wheat pasta is very high in protein.

Nuts or seeds make a great snack and will also add some protein to your diet.  You can even get protein from your beverages.  Milk contains adequate protein.  Kefir is like a yogurt smoothie and is very high in protein.

In What Foods Can I Find Amino Acids?

Amino acids can be found in most foods.  Foods that contain all 9 essential amino acids are called complete proteins.  Meat, poultry and fish are complete protein sources.  But, if you are trying to eat less meat, you can obtain complete proteins from other animal products, such as, dairy and eggs.

Soybeans and quinoa are the only plant sources that are considered a complete protein.  If you want to eat foods which are not complete proteins, you can eat those foods in combination with other foods to form a complete protein.

Foods are considered incomplete proteins because they don’t contain all 9 essential amino acids, but are still great sources of protein.  These would include legumes, other grains, nuts and seeds.  

Some examples of combining incomplete proteins include rice and beans, bulgur wheat and dried beans, barley and dried beans, corn and peas, soybeans and seeds, peanuts, rice and dried beans, seeds and green peas.  These foods don’t necessarily have to be eaten at the same meal, but should be eaten at some point during the same day.

What is protein?

Protein is made up of amino acids, which are called the “building blocks” of protein.  When you consume something that contains protein, it is broken down in the digestive system into amino acids, which are then absorbed by the body.

There are 20 amino acids, including 9 which are essential and 11 which are nonessential.  The nonessential amino acids can be produced from different components of the diet.  The essential amino acids either can’t be produced by the body, or the body can’t produce adequate amounts of them.  That means that we need to eat foods that contain all of the essential amino acids.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Lean Meats

Lean meat is lower in saturated fats than other meats, which is beneficial for heart health.  Meats are a rich source of iron, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins.  These nutrients help form new red blood cells, build strong bones and support immune health.

Lean meats are a complete protein, providing all essential amino acids.  Protein is the macronutrient highest in satiety, meaning high protein foods keep you feeling full the longest after eating.

It is good to have variety in any food group, including proteins.  Diversify your protein selections with lean red meats, white meat, eggs, seafood and vegetarian sources of protein like beans, nuts and soy.  

Conclusion

Lean meats have less than 10 gm of fat per 3.5 ounce serving.  You can get lean meats from any type of animal, as certain cuts of meat like loins are leaner cuts of meat than others.  Processed red meats are not usually considered lean, but white meats are almost always considered lean without the skin.

Grass fed or wild animals are leaner choices than commercially fed animals from feed lots.  To make any meat leaner, cut away excess fat before cooking and cook the meat so the fat drips away from the meat.  Examples include grilling, broiling or roasting.