Weight Loss Comments !!!

1. Enough is enough and this chick's had it. I'm moving forward. I guess it's a "do over" or maybe it's a continuation… whatever it is, whatever label you want to stick on it… I'm doing it… again.

   
   

   Sarah @ Weighing in with my .02
   

2. Truth is, you either pay now, or you pay later. Lose the weight quick and then take your time keeping it off, or lose it slow, learn about yourself, and settle in a better maintenance role.

   
   

   Tony @ The Anti-Jared
   

3. There have been days when I've thought to myself, I have no self control over food. No matter how you define it when you look at it in terms of our daily lives its impact is profound.
   Diana @ Scale Junkie
   

4. I have been teetering on the brink of that edge all week long. I haven't gone over it, but I have only just been holding on. The cravings have been especially fierce. I am not kidding when I say that I ache from wanting to stuff my face with bad crap that I KNOW I CANNOT EAT. I haven't eaten any of it, but I have really been deeply longing for it.
   Kimberly @ The Woman Inside Me
   

5. Getting started had always been my problem. I knew what to do, I just couldn’t seem to do it. The last time I began my weight loss journey I started with a completely different mindset. Instead of thinking about losing weight as a negative proposition, I turned it around and thought of it as a positive change.

   
   

   Diane @ Fit to the Finish
   

6. The reason there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Because the rainbow never ends. Let me repeat that: THE RAINBOW NEVER ENDS. Am I happier? Oh hell yes. I am more present today than I have ever been in my entire life.
   Tara @ 263 and Counting
   

7. I decided that I would go the calorie counting road and see what happened, I dusted off some of my old nutrition books a short time after starting and I have lost more than 200 pounds so far without the help of anything with the word "diet" pasted to it.
   Zeusmeatball @ One Man's Trip to the Half
   

8. I've been thinking about goals lately. I desperately want to set big, sweeping goals that lay out my fitness plan for the next 6 months, with the ultimate result being a strong, fast, chiseled me. But I have to fight that urge, because that kind of stuff doesn't really work for me.

   
   

   Geoff @ Building A Fitter Me
   

9. How did I let it get so bad? Well, I guess the same way I let my weight get out of control. I didn’t think about it, I was selfish, and irresponsible.
   Steve @ the Blog of Steve
   

Drinking Milk Helps Weight Loss

We've got all sorts of things for weight loss: pills, diet books, surgery, and even vibrating machines you strap around your belly. But, who would have thought the answer would be as simple as drinking milk.

A new study claims consuming milk and calcium helped people lose more weight, regardless of diet.

But, before you go out and buy your own personal dairy cow, take a look at who sponsored the study.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, experts found study participants (300 overweight men and women, ages 40 to 65, on either a low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carb diet) with the highest dairy calcium intake, 12 ounces of milk - equal to 580 milligrams of dairy calcium - lost 12 pounds at the end of two years, regardless of the diet style.

On the flipside, people with the lowest dairy calcium intake, 150 milligrams of dairy calcium, about half a glass of milk, only lost seven pounds.

The magic might not just be in the milk or the calcium. The researchers say vitamin D levels were higher in the people who lost the most weight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that acts like a hormone, and helps facilitate calcium absorption. Other sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and algae supplements.

But, the research has a fatal, and sadly all too common flaw, it was supported by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Research Foundation, i.e. a fad diet company. Atkins advocates a high-fat diet for weight-loss, eating foods like bacon, steak, eggs, and of course milk, so you've got to raise an eyebrow. It's the same as a cigarette maker backing research that claims inhaling tobacco smoke actually improves lung health. Fail.

7 Surprising Secrets of Successful Weight Loss

Ever wanted to know the techniques and tricks used by those who successfully lost weight, and kept it off?

Thanks to a scintillating survey conducted by popular weight loss site SparkPeople - we've now got some road-tested tips to give you the best chance at managing weight.

As part of an updated paperback version of the bestselling book The Spark, (new edition here), the authors at Sparkpeople undertook a comprehensive survey of over 2,000 members. Why do 50% of people report losing momentum within 2 weeks of starting a diet? And why do 18% fizz out within just 3 days?

The answer is the 'strong start'. These strong starters lost twice as much weight in the first two weeks, and were five times more likely to reach goals than the false starters.

Secrets of the Strong Start

1. Track Food and Calories

Both strong and false starters ranked "food tracking" as the one action that made the biggest difference in their programs. 82% of strong starters tracked food every day vs. 65% of false starters, and strong starters were twice as likely to track their calories.

2. Don't put certain foods off limits

Strong starters were less likely to label foods "good" or "bad" and forsake certain foods, and were three times more likely to use portion control techniques that supported consumption of unhealthier foods in moderation.

3. Spend LESS time exercising

On average, strong starters exercised for 30 minutes during the first two weeks; false starters for 60 minutes, suggesting that false starters burned themselves out.

4. Focus on both diet and exercise

74 percent of false starters made both fitness and dietary changes from the outset, compared to 50 percent offalse starters.

5. Engage more with others/have a support network

Strong starters were more than twice as likely to communicate with other members online.

6. Weigh yourself weekly, not daily

Most strong starters weighed themselves weekly, while the majority of false starters did so daily.

7. Focus first and foremost on developing healthy habits, not losing weight

Most strong starters viewed their #1 goal as "building a strong foundation of healthy habits." A majority of false starters made losing 3-4 pounds in their first two weeks their #1 goal, which backfired.

1-Minute Total Body Fat Burning Exercise

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you had a great time. Some of you are probably worried about gaining weight after a very festive dinner. But don’t panic, you can lose all of them with just a minute’s exercise.

This exercise includes all of your body’s major muscle groups including your abs and butt. All you need is a pair of dumbbells. Watch this video to see how it is done.

More Exercise - Weight Loss - TRY IT - Just do it

Do we need more studies to tell us that exercise is good? Yes, I think. Especially for those who want to lose weight (women, especially, and men, increasingly).

Weight management, is always a hot topic. I remember one of my previous post mentioned about which type of diet is good for losing weight, and having additional health benefits. Now, there's another study about weight loss, and it's EXERCISING!

201 overweight and obese women (body mass index: 27 to 40; age range: 21-45 years) with no contraindications to weight loss or physical activity were recruited in this study. At the start, all of the participants were sedentary.

Participants were divided into 4 groups with different behavioral weight loss intervention. They were randomly assigned to groups based on physical activity energy expenditure (1000 vs 2000 kcal/week) and intensity (moderate vs vigorous).

Participants also were told to reduce intake to 1200 to 1500 kcal per day.

Then, surveys of in-person conversations and telephone calls were conducted during the 2 years study period to collect the results.

At the end of the two-year study, women who had lost 10% or more of their initial body weight reported that they had done more physical activity compared with those who did not lose as much weight.

During the first 6 months, women in all four groups had lost an average of 8% to 10% of their initial body weight. But the hard part was keeping that weight off. Most of them regained the weight.

Nearly 25% of the participants managed to maintain 10% or more of the weight loss over the 2 years.
Those women exercised about 275 minutes a week more over their baseline activity levels.

So, what's the conclusion of the study?

The addition of 275 mins/week of physical activity, in combination with a reduction in energy intake, is important in allowing overweight women to sustain a weight loss of more than 10%.

You might need to change the statement now

So, next time, when you want to counsel people (those diabetic, or having cardiovascular diseases and need to lose weight) about lifestyle modification, the previous advice to them, "Exercise 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week", might be outdated.

As 55 minutes per day might sound odd, the duration can be changed to 1 hour per day (well, extra 5 minutes do more good than harm, right?).

Plus, it doesn't matter what type of exercising you are doing, as long as it can burn your calories!

Although this study conducted on women, I think, it's applicable for men, too. Well, exercising, is never a bad thing, for both men and women, right?

And I believe that the benefits of exercising 1 hour per day, 5 days per week, are beyond weight loss.

Trainning programme:

* The treadmill burns the most calories of standard aerobic machines. It may be particularly effective when used in short multiple bouts during the day. Exercise sessions as short as 10 minutes in duration that are done frequently (about four times a day) may be the most successful program for obese people.
   
* The more strenuous the exercise, the longer the metabolism continues to burn calories before returning to its resting level. This state of elevated metabolism can last for as little as a few minutes after light exercise to as long as several hours after prolonged or heavy exercise.
   
* Resistance, or strength, training is excellent for replacing fat with muscles. It should be performed two or three times a week.
   
* Fidgeting may be very helpful in keeping pounds off. Regular exercise is certainly the best course, but for people who must sit for hours at work, frequently shifting positions while sitting may have some benefit.
   
* It is important to realize that as people slim down, their initial level of physical activity becomes easier and they burn fewer calories per mile of walking or jogging. The rate of weight loss slows down, sometimes discouragingly so, after an initial dramatic head start using diet and exercise combinations. People should be aware of this phenomenon and keep adding to their daily exercise regimen.
   
* As people age, they also need to exercise more to keep off the same amount of weight.
   
* Changes in fat and muscle distribution may differ between men and women as they exercise. Men tend to lose abdominal fat (which lowers their risk for heart disease faster than reducing general body fat). Exercise, however, does not appear to have the same effect on weight distribution in women. A study of women who underwent aerobic and strength training resulted in fat loss in their arms and trunk, but no gain in muscle tissue.

Motivation :

Motivation, or a lack thereof, is one reason may people stop exercising. Here are some tips for avoiding burn out:

* Think of exercise as a menu rather than a diet. Choose a number of different physical activities that are personally enjoyable such as sports, dancing, or biking. Although experts say you should get 30 minutes of aerobic exercises at least five times a week, those times can be divided into shorter periods -- such as 10 minute sessions. In addition, people can achieve health benefits from other exercise programs, including weight training, yoga, or tai chi.
   
* Stick to a prepared schedule and record progress.
   
* Develop an interest or hobby that requires physical activity.
   
* Adopt simple routines such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, walking instead of driving to the local newsstand, or canoeing instead of zooming along in a powerboat.
   
* Try cross training (regularly switching from one type of exercise to another). Studies suggest it is more beneficial than focusing only on one form of exercise.
   
* Exercise with friends.
   
* Join a gym or take classes. Many affordable programs are available.
   
* For those who can afford them, personal trainers can be very helpful and are available in many gyms and exercise clubs. Personal trainers without any connection to a well-reputed gym or fitness club should be certified by a major fitness organization, such as the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) or the American Council on Exercise.
   
* Exercise videos may also be helpful, but people should be sure they are suited to individual age and health needs and bear the seal of the AFAA.
   
* Consider getting a dog. A study in the February 2006 American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that dog owners in Canada walk almost twice as much as those who don’t own a dog. Regular walking is a good way to improve health.

Differences in Motivation Between Men and Women. Motivation factors may differ by gender and women appear to have a harder time. In one study weight loss was the greatest motivator to exercise for women and muscle tone was the primary motivator for men. Unfortunately, cosmetic effects may take a long time to become apparent, discouraging people from continuing even though their health is improving.

Trainning methods