Reactions to My Weight Loss

I just returned from a week-long conference in Florida. My husband and I have been going to this conference for about 38 years and I've made many friends. But some of the comments I received about my recent weight loss weren't friendly at all.

"Are you anorexic?" one friend asked. The question shocked me. She didn't even say "hello" or that it was good to see me again. I'm not anorexic; I've worked hard to lose 25 pounds and get back to my college weight.

"You don't eat much, do you?" another friend queried. This question also shocked me. What I eat is my decision. Believe me, I eat lots of food, and I've learned to make good food choices. I've also learned to judge restaurant serving sizes and leave food on my plate or take leftovers home.

"Do you diet all the time?" someone asked. No, I'm not on a diet, I'm on a personal fitness program that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, normal protein servings, and daily walks. Right now I'm trying to incorporate more stretches into my fitness routine.

Fortunately, the questions I was asked were balanced with positive comments. Several friends told me how good I looked. Others asked for eating tips and recipes. Of course I was asked what size I wore. (I usually wear size eight.) The positive comments led to discussions about obesity in America.

During the conference my husband and I went to a theme park with friends. The theme park shows were spectacular. The number of obese people we saw was also spectacular. There were hundreds of people on motorized carts and, to facilitate traffic flow, the park staff had them park in rows. "I've never seen so many obese people!" a friend from Australia exclaimed. Neither had I.

Americans are so used to seeing overweight and obese people we seem to have lost the concept of normal weight. Clothing manufacturers are making "relaxed fit" clothing for kids. Many health experts say we're in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but we're actually in the midst of an endemic - a physical condition confined to a population or region.

Corrective health measures have not halted the American obesity endemic.

I think we should cheer for the folks who achieve a healthy weight. My doctor is cheering for me, I know that. When I had my last checkup she praised me for the steps I had taken. "You did everything I recommended," she said, "and it shows." Though I'm a grandma, I'm in better condition than many teens.

What can you say to someone who has lost weight? You may ask them why they did it. In my case, my blood sugar was slightly elevated and my doctor told me to lose a few pounds to prevent diabetes. Depending on how well you know the person, you may ask them how many pounds they lost and how they did it. Their tips may help you.

You may also praise the person for taking responsibility for his or her health. When all is said and done, reaching a healthy weight and maintaining that weight is up to you. Nobody can do it for you. Many health resources have been developed to help you achieve your health goals. Small steps, such as drinking water instead of soda pop, can have significant results.

The next time you talk with someone who has lost weight I hope you will be supportive. I also hope you maintain a healthy weight. Here's to you and your good health!

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from http://www.amazon.com. A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You'll find another review on the American Hospice Foundation website under the "School Corner" heading.

Fake Weight Loss Products

The spread of the problem of obesity across the world has lead to the inventions of new products that can be put to use to get rid of the problem of obesity. There are a number of researches that are carried out every year in search of the weight loss product that can help you reduce weight in the shortest possible time. There are a number of companies as well that are providing this facility. If you want to check out the different products that are available with the different weight loss products manufacturers then you can take the help of Internet for the same. Weight loss products are not only safe to use but also are very helpful in reducing the amount of effort that is required for reduction of weight. There are a number of people who have been using these weight loss products. You can take the help of the internet to check out the reviews of the different brands that are associated with the weight loss products. The weight loss products are also different. There are diet pills, weight loss pills, fat burner and other supplements that are taken help of for reduction of body weight. You can select a particular weight loss product depending on your body's requirement.

Weight loss products should be carefully chosen after doing a detailed research work. There are not many people who are aware of the fake products that are available in the market. One of the best brands that come under the category of weight loss products manufacturers and suppliers is Lida Daidaihua. You can get number of weight loss solutions from this brand. If you are aware of the different weight loss products that are coming up in the market then you must also be aware of the best brands. One of the problems that have recently been faced is the availability of fake lida products. There are a number of suppliers who are providing fake lida products to their customer in order to earn more profit. To curb this problem Lida has introduced a new inner packing. Lida new inner packing is a concept that has lately been introduced by this company for the customers benefit. You can check the lida products for their new inner packing for deciding whether the products are genuine or spurious. For further details on the new packing you can visit their official website.

Read more on Fake Lida. Check out the Lida new inner packing and Lida DaiDaihua.

Help With Weight Loss

Losing weight can be a constant battle. And for many of us it's a never ending battle. First you have to decide how you are going to achieve the weight loss you want. Am I going to achieve the results by dieting alone, or a combination of dieting/exercise?

There are many fad diets floating around and you can waste a lot of time and money chasing the next easy weight loss fix. Weight loss really comes down to just 2 important factors, a sensible diet and regular exercise. You can purchase and follow the latest fad diet, and you will probably lose a few pounds but the moment you stop following it you can bet you will pile the pounds back on and probably with interest.

To achieve the weight loss you desire you don't have to spend countless hours working out at the gym leaving you without any spare time to pursue your other leisure time activities.

You do not have to avoid the foods you love and you definitely do not have to starve yourself. Two things you have to do straight away to lose weight is eat sensibly and exercise. Before you tuck into that piece of cake ask yourself do I need it? when did I last eat?, how much have I already consumed today?. With food you are better off having 4 to 5 small meals per day with a balanced nutritional mix. Don't have 5 meals of fried chicken if you do I do not believe you will see any benefit from you new eating plan.

Exercise, I for one like the gym but always seem to over do it and within a couple of weeks my training regime at the gym comes to an end. What does work for me is breaking my exercise into two parts AM and PM.

20 minutes of light exercise twice a day should be enough to start peeling off that excess weight.

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The Secret To Permanent Weight Loss

AND SAVE MONEY IN THE PROCESS. The secret is simple and basic. Just three little words --- DON'T BUY IT! If you don't buy it, you won't eat it. If you don't eat it, you won't get fat. So your problem starts at the store or restaurant.

Since your diet starts at the store, were you ever taught how to shop for food? Probably not. The grocery store can destroy your diet and get into your pocketbook . First you need to check the layout of the store, ---where everything is. Leave the produce for last, so it will be as fresh as you can get it.

REMEMBER: 70% of the products are there just to take your money. Notice how many rows they have of soda, cereal, and snacks. Look what they've done to the potato--instant potatoes, mashed potatoes, french fries, tater tots, shoe string, chips, twice baked. Notice the shelves along the aisles. Everything is conveniently displayed close to your reach--a ploy by the store to buy those products. On the lower shelves are products aimed at kids. Look lower or higher, and you will find the same products--for less. If nature didn't make it, you don't need it. Stay away from processed and imitation foods. Try to stay away from canned food (you never know what's in the can). Stick with the fresh & frozen foods.

Check out the PACKAGES carefully. That box or package may not be full. 1 -Solids are measured by weight-- ounces, pounds. . 2 -Liquids are measured by volume-- gallon, quart, pint. 3- Price -5% of the price for the product is for the product it itself. 95% of the price is for; packaging, manufacturing, transportation, middlemen, salaries, insurance, utilities, etc. Let's say a gallon of milk cost $2.00. The milk is 10 cents, the rest is $1.90.

According to the FDA, LABELS must be specific and truthful. If the label says "Kraft Pasteurized Processed Cheese Food," it is not cheese. If it says "Breakfast Orange Drink"--it is not juice. Check out the nutritional values, particularly fat---stay away from saturated fat. INGREDIENTS must be listed in dominance order. If sugar or water is listed first, it is mostly sugar or water. The last ingredient is least significant. Anything after salt is of little use. Do you know what those ingredients are? Can you pronounce them? And you want to feed this to your family?

COUPONS are a gimmick to get you to buy something you don't need in the first place. Save 50 cents on chips, when you can save $3 if you didn't buy it. Do you ever find coupons for REAL food? Marketers know you need the basics. Nature didn't make snickers, it made nuts. Nature didn't make chips, it made potatoes. Nature didn't make soda pop, it made water and juice. Nature didn't make wieners, it made fish. Nature didn't make Snickers, it made raisins. Nature didn't make fritoes, it made corn. Our society is food oriented. On every corner there is a restaurant, fast food, and everything in between. You are bombarded with ads from the media. Your body knows what it needs. It knows when to stop eating apples, not candy. Once you start eating Mother Nature's diet you can lose weight, and feel much better about yourself Listen to your body.

Add exercise to your lifestyle, and you can add years to your life. Do something every day, even if its walking, climbing stairs, playing with the kids. A good exercise program should include aerobics (running, swimming, jump rope, fast dancing), endurance (working with weights), and flexibility ( calisthenics, yoga). Your body was meant to be used, not abused. You deserve it.

About The Author

Kathy Thompson, Writer, Speaker, Coach with 25 years of researching health and fitness. "The Secret to Permanent Weight Loss" Program is now available to help you live a happier, healthier, and longer life. http://www.words4-u.com/newu.html

To Contact Kathy: healthyu@words4-u.com

Weight Loss Support - Tips That Can Help You Succeed

Whether you are just a few pounds overweight, or obese, you know how important it is that you lose the extra weight, not only for your self-esteem, but for your physical health as well. While losing weight is important, don't let yourself get sidetracked and fall for unhealthy weight loss tactics, devise your plan, and stick to it.

Some people often just want to lose a few pounds to look good for a particular event, such as a wedding, prom, or pool party. The easiest way to lose a few pounds in this case is to rid your system of all the excess fat it has stored. About a week before the big event, cut out foods that contain lots of carbohydrates, such as pasta and bread. Eat more fresh, raw vegetables, drinking water rather than soda, coffee, juice, milk, or tea. Not only will you lose those few pounds, but you will feel a lot better, and have more energy as well. This is something that is good to do every few months anyway, to help your body rid itself of junk, and make yourself feel better. It is much like giving your car an oil change, and is really something everyone should occasionally do.

Many of us know that we need to lose weight, but really don't want to do the whole diet thing. In that case, depending on the amount of weight you need to lose, you may find that you can just increase the amount of time you spend exercising each day, to lose the extra pounds. The extra exercise will increase your body's metabolism, burning more calories in a shorter amount of time.

In some cases, skipping one meal a day is also a simple diet solution, so long as the meal you skip is NOT breakfast. Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day, as it provides your body with the fuel it needs to function. If you want to cut out some extra calories at breakfast, opt for fresh fruit, grain cereal, skim milk, and maybe a glass of juice. Dinner is probably the best meal to skip, if you decide to go this route.

Taking vitamins really is a good idea, no matter how old you are, or how healthy you think your diet is. It is virtually impossible to get all of the daily vitamins and minerals your body needs just from the food you eat, so it is important to supplement. When choosing a vitamin supplement, look for one that contains vitamin K, C, E, B6, A, and B12.

Weight loss can also be boosted by eating lots of leafy green veggies, and you will physically feel better thanks to the extra nutrients they provide. You may not love them at first, but sooner or later, your taste buds will adjust!

William Saul is the webmaster of Weight Loss Support - A full featured Weight Loss Support Article related site that includes a wide variety of other useful articles on the subject. Visit Today!

Weight Loss Exercise Programs - The Single Best One You Can Do Bar None

When it comes to losing weight, there is no quicker way than combining diet with exercise but then I'm sure you already know that. What you might not know is that there is only one single best way to lose weight bar none. Discover this great technique in this article.

I'll get straight to the point - the single fastest weight loss exercise is HIIT, also known as High Impact Interval Training. Let's dissect this - the "high impact" means that this is at rapid pace, not a walk in the park. The "interval training" means that this is not a constant rate, you keep varying it.

So What Does HIIT Look Like Then?

First of all you should start in the morning on an empty stomach, this way you'll be burning fat only and not food. Then jog quickly (not slowly) for 20 seconds. Then run as fast as you can i.e. sprint, for 20 seconds. And when I say as fast as you can, I mean as if you were running for your life and no matter what, you cannot run any faster. The go back to jogging and repeat between this and sprinting. This sounds really tough doesn't it? Read on and you'll realise that it isn't.

Well there are two great bonuses to HIIT. First of all, you only need to do it for a total of 15 minute per day. Yes, only 15 minutes! Although you push yourself hard, there is no need to work out for any longer than you need to. Sure beats a one hour workout doesn't it? The next great thing is that not only do you burn fat whilst doing the exercise but you also continue to burn fat during the day and at a much greater rate than for any other type of exercise.

So how does HIIT work? Well obviously, the "high impact" aspect means you burn more but the "interval training" aspect means that your body and its metabolism never quite gets used to the exercise and is always trying to react but never can. The result is that you burn a ton of weight.

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Fast Weight Loss Tips - 4 Tips To Get You Losing Weight Fast

Fast weight loss tips can be very useful to anyone looking to lose weight on a consistent basis or even if you are just looking to drop the odd pound or two. Even if you are currently losing weight well with the methods you are using, you may find one or two of these tips can help you speed up the process. Read on for 4 of the best fast weight loss tips.

Tip 1

A fundamental fast weight loss tip is to listen to music while you exercise. Okay, now you know that exercising is the best way to loss weight, but the trouble is that it can be a real drag right? The reason for that is that if you are concentrating on the exercise, the time is going to drag like you won't believe. The key to getting the most from every activity session or workout session is to be able to take your mind off it. The easiest way to do that is with your iPod or some other kind of music device.

Tip 2

Tailor your weight loss goals to yourself. For instance, these fast weight loss tips may seem great, but only you know your own mind and body. You know how much you want to lose, and you know how well motivated you can be. There is no point setting a regime of running for 30 minutes each day when you can't run for more than 30 seconds without stopping for breath. Make your goals realistic, and this will help you achieve much more in the long run.

Tip 3

Okay this is kind of unethical, but it works - get yourself one of those machines that clips on to your stomach and tenses the muscles while you watch tv or whatever. It's not as good as running or skipping or whatever, but it's a great way to keep the calories burning while you are otherwise relaxing. Also, it will help your new body develop some kind of muscle tone, which is very important. Hey, I never said these fast weight loss tips were going to be traditional!

Tip 4

On the other side of the fence from the last tip are sit ups. Sit ups are a traditional fast weight loss tip. Okay, sit ups in themselves aren't going to knock the weight off, unless you plan to do hundreds each day. On the other hand though, situps can be a great way of confusing the nerves in your stomach. One of the worst things about starting to eat healthy can be the hunger pangs. Food with less fat doesn't bloat your stomach as much, and if that's what you are used to you will get hunger pangs, even though you aren't REALLY hungry. So next time you get that feeling, hit the deck for 30 sit ups, and you'll soon forget about being hungry.

I hope the fast weight loss tips above will help you in your goals. Check out the links below for some more great tips, and good luck!

CLICK HERE to start dropping the weight right away - it's right here, and it's fast and easy

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Do Saunas Help With Weight Loss?

Saunas have been a popular tool for relaxation for a very long time. When saunas were first introduced, they were used primarily for relaxation of muscles and relieving the stress and tension that build up throughout life. As saunas became more and more popular and widespread, the people who used them regularly began to notice some very desirable side effects. Specifically, people began noticing weight loss as a result of using saunas.

Weight Loss Myth or Fact

Many people are still incredulous about the reported weight loss through sauna use. However, the increased popularity of saunas all over the world cannot and does not lie. Studies have shown that frequent sauna use does indeed help in weight loss as the high temperature acts not only on the muscle tissue but also on the fatty tissues of the body.

Many people agree that saunas have indeed helped them with weight reduction. The question is how? It is not true that the heat of the sauna helps in melting fat. Saunas - natural or infrared - are unable to melt fat with the help of heat. What a sauna actually does is help the body get rid of its excess salt through sweating.

What does salt have to do with weight loss? Plenty there are many medical reports which explain the connection of salt and gain of weight. This gain is not fat gain but water retention gain. When a person consumes excess salt, this is deposited under the skin and in order for it to stay non-toxic it will demand water. The more salt you collect under the skin, the more water your body will demand and retain.

The sauna helps you get rid of this extra salt and thereby gets you rid of the water weight that you have gained. If you want to maintain the weight loss you enjoy from visiting the sauna, you need to keep salt consumption to a minimum in your diet.

Hence, the sauna does indeed help you loose weight though not in the regular way of melting fat. The heat usually forces the body sweat out the excess salt and toxins and thereby reduced a great deal of your water weight. Combined with a healthy and salt free (or reduced salt) diet, you could enjoy the new found way of staying trim and healthy.

Those who have studied the effectiveness of saunas for weight loss have observed that side by side with the relaxation benefits of saunas, they do help with detoxification of the body and with weight loss, when used frequently. What could be a better combination? One takes a sauna for relaxation and relief from stress and ends up with weight loss and body detoxification.

Improve your health and experience the benefits of an Infrared sauna. Saunafin offers a great selection of saunas that will fit your space and home decor.

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Lose Weight Foods: Do They Work?

Lose weight foods are on market shelves everywhere. Many of them are designed to provide a specific tool. For some, that means helping to speed up the metabolism. For others, it means helping to add protein to your diet. No matter what their goal is, the question is, do they work? Many of these foods do have specific goals and should only be used when you want to achieve those specific goals. Yet, even then, you should be aware of several things.

Lose weight foods are designed to provide a specific reaction. For example, you may be on a diet and exercise regimen in which you need to consume a large amount of protein early in the day to help you to gain muscle mass as you workout. Since muscle burns fat faster, you may actually have an effective plan. But, if you go to a replacement meal bar that has extra protein to get this additional protein, several things can happen. If you select one that is well designed, you may get your desired effect. On the other hand, if you select one that has too many sugars, you may actually be putting back the fat that your muscles take off. Therefore, find out the quality of the foods first.

Another problem with some lose weight foods is their taste. If you are on a diet and the only thing you are consuming is a very bad tasting frozen meal, you won't be able to keep yourself on that diet very long. For cases like this, it may make sense to look towards another solution for weight loss instead.

Yet if you purchase good quality lose weight foods, eat them correctly and learn how to eat from them, then you could be giving yourself an extra advantage. Looking for these characteristics will set you apart from the problems that you could face otherwise.

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Master Cleanser Weight Loss - Make it Last

The Master Cleanser weight loss plan has gotten a lot of hype lately, but it's actually been around a long time. With some Hollywood starlets extolling its virtues, many everyday folks are now giving the Lemonade Diet a try. Weight loss is fast and furious when you are consuming only this spicy lemonade concoction. The obvious question then is does the weight loss last?

If you are doing this particular lemonade fast just for weight loss you must be aware of a few key points. First and foremost look at the Master Cleanser weight loss as the first step. If you in need of dropping some weight, you'll notice a pretty substantial loss once you've completed the program. Your clothes will be looser and you'll have a smile on your face when you step on the scale. If you want to reap these weight loss benefits into the future you've got to make a promise to yourself not to go back to your unhealthy eating habits. The weight loss you enjoy while you are on the Master Cleanse can be permanent if you adopt a new healthier lifestyle.

A big part of success with the Master Cleanser comes from a new attitude. Once you've experienced the initial weight loss from drinking only the lemonade you should design a healthy eating plan that you know you can stick to long term. For most people this means a good balance between fresh ingredients and lean protein. It can be difficult to exercise while you are following the Master Cleanse Detox, but afterwards try your best to make exercise a part of your weekly routine. If you're not one for heading to the gym, take a walk around the block, or purchase a treadmill to use at home. Dancing is even a great form of exercise and all you need for that is some of your favorite music.

In addition to the maple syrup, cayenne pepper and fresh lemons, water makes up the biggest component of the program. Keep the habit of drinking water throughout the day even when the cleanser is over. Water is essential to helping flush out fat and toxins. If you tire easily of plain water, a little twist of lemon juice and you've got a great refreshing and familiar treat.

Once you've experienced the Master Cleanser weight loss you'll be pumped and ready to continue to lose weight. Nothing feels quite as fulfilling as looking in the mirror and seeing your body shrinking. Long term, we all want to be healthy, and being at our optimal weight is a great first step towards that.

On average, you can expect to lose between 15-20 lbs in just 14 days on the Master Cleanse. You can change the way your body looks and the way you feel. To find out how to get the best results possible from this proven weight loss method visit How to Succeed on the Master Cleanse.

It's not just about drinking lemonade!

Weight Loss - I Still Crave Chocolate & Alcohol

Here is a life changing fact. Transforming your diet from unbalanced junk food into a healthy and balanced one does not, in fact, have to be a struggle.

Let's face it. It takes years to become obese. As a matter of fact, just gaining those extra ten or fifteen pounds takes time. Getting fat does not happen in a vacuum. You reasonably can't think that one can reverse long term gains overnight.

There is some good news. Just implementing some small changes in your diet will produce dramatic effects on both with your weight and your health. Reducing your caloric intake of about a hundred calories daily can actually generate from visible results.

You can accomplish this by simply eating a little less at each meal. If you discover that this makes you more hungry than usual, just chew your food better. Chewing your food well will enable to you be satisfied much sooner. Another thing that you can do is replace poor quality foods with foods that are good quality.

By taking this approach you will soon find out that you will begin to enjoy the better quality foods. You can replace desserts with fresh fruit.

A big mistake that many people make is skipping meals. It is not necessary to skip meals to lose weight. As a matter of fact, it is harmful. You need good nutrition. It is important to replace overly processed foods with wholesome, good food. Your diet should include whole grains, vegetables, nuts, beans and fruit.

Learn how to avoid emotional eating. Find some constructive way to deal with your emotions without indulging in overeating.

The other aspect of losing weight is to incorporate regular workouts into your daily routine. You can start with some aerobic exercise. Any regular exercise program will help you burn fat by increasing your metabolism. You will also experience a boost in your energy level as well.

Do you really want to lose weight? Or is it something that you just give lip service. Take stock of your life and make up your mind. Determination and perseverance are the two traits that will enable you to win.

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Burn The Fat - How Diets and Eating Plans Can Help You

The word diet has been given negative connotations over the years, as people would go days without eating anything except for the occasional salad, claiming they were on a diet. The truth of the matter is however, that a diet is simply a pre-planned eating habit. And if you plan ahead to eat the right foods in the right quantities, you just might be on your way to diet success.

If you're tired of the fad diets and serious about weight loss there are plenty of legitimate diets and eating plans that can lead you to success. Some of the more popular programs are the Weight watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim fast plans. These diets have been around for some time and have numerous testimonies to their success. The only downside would be the cost of the food which is more expensive than the alternatives.

If you'd like to go it alone, which should save you some money, there are some basic rules to keep in mind. First, watch out for simple carbohydrate foods which are known to raise insulin which ends up stored as fat. These aren't just the cakes, cookies, and donuts that we find so hard to resist, but foods like bread and pasta as well. While you don't want to give up on these foods altogether, it's possible to offset the rise in insulin that they cause by eating complex carbohydrate foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains which keep insulin levels low.

Another way to aid your diet is to be careful with fat-free foods. This one catches a lot of dieters off-guard as they believe they can eat as much of them as they want. Unfortunately, many times these foods may be low fat, but high in calories as they replace the fat with sugar. Again, fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat.

A great rule for weight loss diets is more daily meals, but smaller portions. It is the norm in our culture today to eat until we get full every meal of the day. This really wreaks havoc on our weight loss program, especially when we're eating the wrong foods. The importance of eating only until we feel content cannot be overstressed, especially when super sizing a meal can cost just a little bit more. These excess calories are just going to be stored as fat.

Asking the advice of your physician is also a great place to start. Your doctor can provide you with handouts that will be a great guide to improving your diet and losing weight. What makes this a wise decision is that your physician can tailor your diet plan to meet your specific needs.

Watch for hidden fats by carefully reading the nutrition label of every product you buy. Simple everyday foods like milk, meat, and even salad dressings contain fat. Cut down your intake of these high fat foods, by examining the calorie count which is in direct relation to the fat content.

Kelly Lester is commited to one thing, and that's helping YOU lose weight. Visit his website right now at Guide To Weight Loss for some great information on losing weight. Or, want to see the #1 weight loss course online? Visit the Burn The Fat Review section of Kelly's website.

Weight Loss Resolution

Having a weight loss resolution is sometimes harder than resolving to earn more money. But if that's really what you want or need to do then here are a couple of suggestions to get you started.

Be clear about your situation.

Know your weight and body mass index. Know exactly how many pounds you need to lose. Visit your doctor to see if there are any other health conditions you have and should be aware of. You may already be in danger of having diabetes or hypertension and must therefore further reduce intake of foods rich in sugar, oils, and fats. Respiratory problems may also make strenuous exercises unacceptable for your health. It's better to know all these things before you start working on keeping your weight loss resolution.

Design a diet plan.

Diligent research can easily help you formulate the ideal diet plan for your health and needs. But if you don't think you're up to the task, consult a doctor, fitness expert, or nutritionist to help you come up with the right diet regime. When making a diet plan on your own, remember to take into consideration your level of self-control as well as the amount of money and time needed to stick to the diet plan.

Design an exercise plan.

The ideal exercise plan combines routines to develop your strength, stamina, and flexibility. Of course, you're welcome to increase more repetitions or types for any of the three if that's what you feel you should concentrate more on. Exercise always accompanies diet and vice versa. Diet may help you lose weight but it won't help in making your body adjust properly to the changes it undergoes. Exercise can, however, ensure that you won't end up having loose flabby skin when the pounds fall off your body.

Get a pedometer.

Studies show that people with generally inactive lifestyles only walk about two or three thousand steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps to that figure will only help you maintain your weight. Only if you go beyond that will walking help you lose weight. A pedometer can let you know how you're doing everyday. This is especially helpful if you're always on the go and have no time for stationary exercises. When shopping for a pedometer, remember to test it out first. If you take a hundred steps, an accurate pedometer could give you a reading ranging between eighty-five to a hundred five steps. If your pedometer shows otherwise, try changing its position before retesting it.

Find other ways to exercise.

If you find yourself getting bored with your solitary forms of exercise, consider other alternatives like picking up a new sport or any physical hobby. Call up your friends and have them join you for a weekly running session. Explore your spirit of adventure. Rock climbing is, for instance, exciting and challenging but it's a good way to exercise your heart and body as well.

Eat more small meals than fewer big meals.

Restricting yourself to breakfast, lunch, and dinner makes it easier for you to rationalize eating more than you should. Rather than make yourself open to temptation, just eat more but smaller meals each day.

Nibble only as a last resort.

Resist the urge to nibble! It's easy to tell ourselves that no harm can come from nibbling but the next thing you know is that one nibble has become the equivalent of a hundred nibbles for the whole day! If there's no actual and urgent need for you to nibble, don't!

Have an emergency healthy snack ready.

There will be times that you'll get stuck in a place where there's no food considered acceptable by your diet regime. As such, the next logical choice is to eat what's available rather than starve to death, right? That's true...but only if you haven't an emergency healthy snack tucked away. Always be prepared! You might have no way of predicting when such emergencies will occur but you're at least prepared to meet them head on.

Drink lots of water.

Water will not only detoxify your body, but it can also keep you feel full far longer than usual. Drink water as well instead of sodas or any other beverage. Water won't make you gain weight but the same can't be said for other drinks.

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Weight Lifting Machines for Weight Loss?

New resort style mega health clubs are popping up all over North America. These clubs are packed full of expensive fitness and weight machines that offer hundreds of different ways to workout. You could go to one of these clubs and find a different machine to work the muscles of your arms or legs every day for 3 weeks and never repeat what youve done. Now that sounds very interesting and enticing, but is all of this variety necessary? It certainly is expensive. But do any of these machines help us lose weight? What are they really designed for anyway?

Some of the newer weight lifting machines can cost upwards of $5000 per machine. Each of these machines target specific muscles without affecting any other muscles. This is a technique called muscle isolation. Bodybuilders began doing isolation style exercises to make specific muscles bigger without affecting the other muscles around them. They do this because in competitions they are judged on the specific way they look and how big each muscle is compared to other muscles.

The average gym going person is never, in a million years, going to be in a position where they actually need to make their shoulders slightly larger without affecting their arms or chest because someone might think they look out of balance. However, most of the new gyms have countless machines that are designed to be this specific. Now unless there is a new bodybuilding revolution sweeping across North America that I am not aware of, all of these new weight lifting machines seem to be some what unnecessary.

The truth is most of the people who have a gym membership are there for general fitness and weight loss. Both of which can be accomplished with little or no machine assistance at all. In fact, the more muscles you work in each exercise the more calories you are going to burn, and the more overall change you will make to your body. These new weight machines are designed for the exact opposite effect. They are designed to only work a few specific muscles.

Weight training machines are great for advanced lifters, athletes and bodybuilders who are interested in shaping and building specific muscles. Whole body exercises that involve working the most muscles with each exercise are the quickest and most effective path to weight loss and fitness.

John Barban is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a varsity strength and conditioning coach as well as a successful entrepreneur. John has trained with world class level powerlifting teams and athletes at the professional level. Most recently he has specialized in training female varsity athletes, specifically women's ice hockey players. John has his masters in nutritional science and human physiology from the University of Guelph, and further graduate work at the University of Florida where he taught principles of strength training and conditioning in the department of health and human performance. John also has extensive experience developing and formulating nutritional sports supplements.

John write for http://www.grrlathlete.com and http://www.womensworkout.blogspot.com

How Online Weight Loss Programs Can Help You

There are many weight loss programs coming up on internet these days. Some of them are good while some can be a total waste of time. In this article I will provide review of 2 such online weight loss resources.

1. FitDay:

FitDay is one online weight loss programme which can allow you to track your diet and activities.

In order to succeed with your weight loss plan, you need to monitor your progress and pay special attention to diet and exercise regime. This is where Fitday program can help you - its an easy tool to monitor your weight loss program progress.

It is like an online journal. It also has a PC version which has advanced reporting and enhanced user interaction than the online version.

With Fitday, you can track your foods, exercises, weight loss and goals. Here is a short list of features provided by Fitday:

food journal

calorie and nutrition information for all foods

analyze you diet for calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein intake

nutritional analysis

exercise log and activity tracking

metabolism analysis

weight tracking

ideal weight chart (height weight chart)

personal weight goal

long-term diet and fitness analysis

and much more..

You can signup for a free online account at the site or download a PC software which has some additional features. However the software is not free and costs around $30.

2. BurntheFat:

Another good online weight loss plan is that of Tom Venuto. It is not exactly a training program, rather it is a hefty ebook manual consisting of 337 pages. Tom Venuto has been in bodybuilding since 1983 and competing since 1989. He has been training people in fitness since he was 20 years old.

Tom has worked as a personal trainer in various health clubs and still works as a consultant. He started his fat loss program on the internet in 1999. He as written and published a book on internet titled "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" which contains a lot of facts about fat loss. It works for both men and women.

You can download a free report where Tom Venuto is interviewed by journalist Nicoli on Dateline NBC's "Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge". You can get this free report here - Body builders fat loss diet

Simple diet changes can drastically improve your energy levels throughout the day. Find out how 3 simple diet changes can increase energy

Some Rapid Weight Loss Tips That Keep You Healthy

There are many practical ways for weight loss. The success is to find a rapid weight loss plan that is safe to your body and health. Exercising moderately three times a week is beneficial. Drinking adequate water is necessary. A well-nourished diet of low fat is preferable. It is ideal to avoid fast foods, confectioneries and red meat. The body is repaired and rejuvenated when there is a sound sleep.

Detoxification is necessary for a better reliable weight loss. Weird food and artifical meals should be avoided. Starch and sugar must be eliminated. Therefore, the body is forced to burn the stored energy. A rapid weight loss program becomes a success in the fourth day. A controlled deep breathing exercise is another tool for it. Many people do not breathe properly. It is ideal to deep breath for fifteen minutes a day. Your lungs should be filled with a slow inhalation and fast exhalation.

Weight gain is the result of added stress. Before starting a diet regime make sure it should be practical enough to follow up. Certain days might be hectic as you cannot avoid eating and may even result in overeating. There will be certain situations, like stress problems and tensions, that should be overcome without giving up. Avoid strenuous exercises. Neither should the regime be easy. It is also necessary to take a break after a week's workout. There will be many pauses while you exercise, but the power is that one should never quit.

The diet regime must be consisted with weight loss supplements. Remember always not to add sugar to you favorite juice. Tomato juice and skimmed milk would be a good choice for a rapid weight loss. Ph level should be balanced as an over acid pH can restrict weight loss. Never get satisfied with the weight that you have targeted. Always try loosing five pounds extra to the target. Therefore, even if there is rapid weight gain it will not be much of a worry. Multi joint and multi muscle exercises should be performed. Group exercise would maintain healthy competition that will trigger your mind to loss weight. Follow a reputed rapid diet that is easy to follow. Add fat free foodstuffs to your diet and continue exercise even if the diet fails. Finally, the factors should be well coordinated for a reliable reduction of your body weight.

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Free Calorie Shifting Menu

Why are you unable to stay motivated to follow a diet? Is it because you get headaches? Is it because you are constantly waging an uphill battle against your cravings? Is it because you always feel hungry and are on the brink of starvation while dieting? Is it because you feel lethargic due to the lack of energy from the foods you used to eat?

There is a new type of diet out there, known as calorie shifting, that addresses these issues. You can eat as much as you want on this diet, from all four major food groups, over the course of four full meals every day. What kind of results can you expect on this diet? Most typically, you can expect to lose about 9 pounds for every 11 days. That is just shy of 1 pound per day!

Calorie shifting gives you a great deal of flexibility in terms of the foods you can eat. You devise your own customized meal plans within the context of the calorie shifting dietary structure. Basically, what calorie shifting means is that you lose weight by shifting the types, not the quantity, of the foods you eat, from meal to meal. In doing so on a rotational basis continuously over the course of several days, you are simulating a sustained nutritional deficit which triggers your body's metabolism to go into fat-burning mode as a means of "self-preservation". Of course, you aren't really depriving yourself of any nutrients. You are merely shuffling your calories around so as to simulate the effect with every food groups, rather than with one food group.

One noteworthy feature of this diet plan is that you are required to take a 3-day break from the diet every 2 weeks, during which you can eat anything you want. So for every 14 days on the diet, you spend the first 11 actually dieting, and the remaining 3 days eating normally.

Essentially, if you lose 9 pounds in 11 days, take a 3-day break, and then lose 9 pounds during the next 11 days, before taking another 3-day break, that's a total of 18 pounds in 28 days. In a 31-day month, you can easily burn off at least 20 pounds!

Download a free 11-day sample menu plan that illustrates how the diet works. You can be 20 pounds lighter this month!

10 Minute Weight Loss - A Miracle?

The miracle is not the weight loss by using the vibra trim machine for only 10 minutes daily. The miracle is that I could overcome all of the main stream beliefs about losing weight and see the vibra trim for what it is. The vibra trim is an technology advancement in weight loss/fitness. Not a another machine to take up space and gather dust in my home. It is the weight loss/fitness solution most of us seek for our lives. Most of us don't want the perfect body badly enough to spend the time, effort, or money, but we would like to look good and be healthy with ease and for all times.

The weight loss/fitness business is a big, big business. One of the reasons it is so big is that it does not work without a large amount of our effort and our desire. This effort continues to cost us money and time. We have not been able to do one thing at one cost and receive it benefits for years. The weight loss/fitness business is a renewal source of income for those who come up with a "new" trend to help you lose the weight you have gained back from the old "new" trend.

The weight loss is good. The increase flexibility, improved musical tone. and all of the other things are good but the best thing about vibra trim, is that I can easily continue this ten minute program for the rest of my life. Ten minutes is a very short time. Ten minutes is the time it takes to either shower, shave, or brush your teeth. I have made it part of my morning routine to get my exercise out of the way the way for the rest of my day. And I can easily find ten minutes in the morning.

You may be one of those people who say that they enjoy exercising for one to two hours daily. I often wonder if you really enjoy the exercise or do you get your satisfaction or enjoyment from the results.

Vibra trim is a one time investment. It will not continue costing us money monthly, such as gym fee, diet pills, special food packages, purchase of exercise equipment or clothes, or money spend on going and returning . These hidden cost are harder to recognize, but they do add up to a large investment of time and money.

The miracle is that I looked, I studied, and I decided to take another chance. So far this long shot is working. I am satisfied with the results and can see it going on for a long time with great ease. Easy weight- loss that is the miracle.

More information vibra trim, studies of vibra trim, Frequently Asked Questions of vibra trim

Solutions for Weight Loss Failure YOU Need To Know About

Why is it that no matter what you try, fancy diets, expensive supplements, you just can't seem to lose weight? Today I'm going to tackle this question and hopefully provide you with some explanations to why this is.

Perhaps the most common reason for failure is when a person starves themselves for two weeks and loses weight, only to gain it all back. This has been called yo-yo dieting or the weight loss roller coaster. What you're doing is basically tricking your metabolism into helping you lose weight, and it's not going to help you in the long run. The answer to this problem isn't as harsh as you may think. Your goal should be to eat 4 to 5 small, balanced meals a day. In our fast paced culture, this can be hard, but you will reap large benefits. Lay off the sugar and fats aim for a consistent daily calorie intake.

The second reason for weight loss failure, and we can all relate to this one, is not enough exercise! If you don't exercise, you're not going to lose weight, that's the hard truth. But the good news is that daily exercise isn't as bad as you'd think. Again, what you're aiming here for is consistency. Start out by exercising about 15 minutes a day. You'll be surprised about how easy it is and it will become almost second nature to you in no time. The best part is you don't need expensive equipment, simple exercises like walking will show you results.

Your own psychology can even work against you and lead to your failure. Sometimes you'll have unrealistic expectations and beat yourself up over it. Perhaps you start out strong and give up as soon as you forge to exercise or give into temptation. Often you'll look for immediate results and throw in the towel when you don't get them. Whatever your personal problem may be, the important thing to do is to throw out this emotional thinking and think positive. Whenever one of these ugly thoughts rears its head, replace it with a realistic, yet positive thought. Also important, when you're feeling low about not meeting your goals, do not eat in order to feel better, this is a common trap for those trying to lose weight.

A tough reason for weight loss failure to accept is our genetics. Some people are just more geared towards weight gain than others. Don't see this as something that can't be helped though. You may have to put in some extra effort, and perhaps the best thing you can do is to see a physician with experience in the weight loss field who can prescribe for you a dietary and weight management program.

These are just a few of the obstacles that lead to weight loss failure so be on the lookout for others. However, if you can keep yourself exercising, eating healthy, and maintaining a positive attitude, you're bound to only get results, but to get results that last.

Kelly Lester is commited to one thing, and that's helping YOU lose weight. Visit his website right now at Guide To Weight Loss for some great information on losing weight. Or, want to see the #1 weight loss course online? Visit the Burn The Fat Review section of Kelly's website.

Fast Weight Loss Tips - 5 Ways to Drop the Pounds and Keep Them Off

I bet you're sick and tired of carrying around those extra pounds, that's understandable. Just ten pounds of extra fat on the body can affect the way you feel physically and mentally. While losing weight fast is possible, you want to make sure that you are following a good plan that will keep you healthy.

Shedding more than one or two pounds a week can lead to health problems. While TV programs like The Biggest Loser regularly show their overweight contestants losing huge amounts of weight each week, keep in mind that those people are closely supervised by medical professionals, plus the show is heavily edited, so you don't know if it took longer for them to lose all that weight.

I'm sure it's tempting to try and copy that type of rapid weight loss, but you're much better off focusing on one or two pounds per week. That way, you won't put yourself under a lot of pressure to lose xx amount of pounds rapidly. The reality is that if you don't reach those big numbers, you'll probably just give up and think that you're a failure.

Here's some sensible ways that you can safely drop those pounds:

Eat Breakfast

A lot of people trying to lose weight assume that if they skip breakfast that means that they are going to drop weight more quickly. Actually, this is false, because when you eat breakfast in the morning, your body will burn more calories at a higher rate.

Go Low-Cal with Fast Food

Sometimes you're in a rush and simply have to stop by the fast food place for a bite to eat. This can be your worst temptation. The eating habits you have followed for so long can lure you into going the old burgers and fries route.

However, you can still eat healthy in this situation. Go ahead and order a salad, or grilled chicken sandwich, a healthy sub, fruit, yogurt, etc.

Eating a healthier lunch will make you feel energized instead of sluggish.

Go for a Walk

Studies show that 90% of people who lose weight and gain it back do not exercise regularly. Walking is an easy, low-impact exercise that you can do in the morning, during break, at lunchtime or in the evening.

Keep an extra pair of sneakers with you in the car or in your workplace so you can quickly go out for a brisk, refreshing walk. You'll not only keep the pounds off, but you'll be amazed at how exhilarated you feel afterwards.

Don't Munch While Watching TV

Put away those snacks when you go to watch your TV shows. You're way more likely to gain extra pounds by sitting in front of the TV set munching on a bowl of ice cream or bag of cookies. Don't try to convince yourself that you'll just have a little bit, because you know that by the time your shows end, one cookie will have turned into a whole bag.

Instead, try doing something else with your hands like doodling, sketching, coloring, knitting, folding socks, writing in your journal, petting your dog or cat, etc.

Drink Water

Carry around a water bottle with you. If you do feel the urge to snack or eat something fattening, you can grab your water and take a nice long drink. Water fills you up and curbs your appetite. Plus, it's good for you too.

I hope these tips are helpful and I wish you much success in reaching your weight loss goals.

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Achieving Your Weight Loss Goal

Staying on target is one of the most difficult parts of dieting. This is especially difficult during the holidays and when there is a special occasion. How can you stay on target with your weight loss without missing parties and other events? There are ways to lose weight and still not deprive yourself of having fun.

Setting Short Term Goals

One of the first things you want to do in order to assure weight loss is set some short-term goals for yourself. That mans don't focus on losing fifty pounds, but focus on losing something more realistic such as five pounds within the next two weeks. By setting more realistic goals for losing weight, there is less of a chance you will become frustrated and stop your dieting efforts. In order to stay on target, you must be able to see some accomplishments.

Have a Reward System

Another way to remain on target is to treat yourself when you meet your weight loss goals. That doesn't mean you go out and have ice cream or another high calorie food, but treat yourself to something tangible like a new piece of jewellery, bottle of perfume, or extra time at the spa. These are things that allow you the opportunity to reach for goals but do not encourage eating in order to achieve them. Many of us have become used to using food as a reward because our parents did it to us as a way to encourage us to do well in school, go to bed on time, or behave as we should. This early conditioning is one of the easiest ways to gain weight and develop poor eating habits.

Eat Healthy Snacks

When you are attempting to lose weight, it's important to learn to eat healthy snacks instead of sweets. That doesn't mean you will never be able to eat ice cream or cake again, but if you develop the habit of choosing snacks such as fresh fruit, raw vegetables, and other healthy snacks, you will seldom have a craving for those high calorie carbohydrates and sugars.

Instead of depriving yourself of the things you love, enjoy the occasional sweet in small amounts when you have reached or exceeded one of your weight loss goals. Anyone who has ever dieted can attest to the fact that derivation is not the way to stay on target with your weight loss. Knowing that if you lose ten pounds in a month you can enjoy a small dish of ice cream or a small slice or cake or pie gives you something to work toward. If that sounds contradictory to what I stated above that is because we are not talking about something you do all of the time. However, you do need to become accustomed to eating less sweets and more healthy snacks in order to lose weight and stay fit.

Enjoy Your Favourite Foods in Smaller Portions

Unless you eat a great deal of high calorie, high carbohydrate foods, there is no need to give up your favourite foods. The key is learning to eat smaller portions rather than depriving yourself of everything. Certainly for some people it may be necessary to completely eliminate some foods but if you are one of those people who are overweight because of eating too much, you need to cut your portions.

Many of us are pre-conditioned to think that we need to eat until we are stuffed. In order to remain healthy, we need only eat until we are satisfied. Taking longer to eat is one of the best ways to satisfy hunger without eating more than the body requires. Learning to eat less will put you on the track to permanent weight loss and help you stay on target while you are losing weight.

Mary Watson writes weight loss, diet plan, health, beauty and general well-being articles for the Slim Eazy website at http://www.slimeazy.com

The Real Weight Loss Secret

Look around and you will see that you are surrounded by weight loss "secrets", diet pills that imply they can do it all for you, drinks that will "help" you lose weight, doctors with "secret weight loss formulas", fad diets that promise all kinds of wonderful weight loss effects...you can't help but wonder who's telling you the truth. Then there's the biggest question of all. Is there such a thing as a weight loss secret?

Something is only a "secret" as long as no one knows about it. The "truth" about weight loss has been known for a long time, so it's not really a secret.

If you take a look at the label of most diet pills, drinks, meal substitutes, diet books, and other weight loss problem, you will begin to notice that they often have one thing in common. Again and again, they have statements that say something to the effect of "...when used with exercise and proper nutrition."

The secret is, that most, if not all of these diet products at best only ASSIST in what nature can do almost perfectly well without their help!

The basic biology and physics of weight gain and weight loss has been known for years! Even if your math wasn't too good in school, this equation is easy. Take in more calories than you burn...you gain weight. Burn more calories than you take in...you lose weight. The problem, and it's not a secret, is that we are human!

SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING HUMAN, BUD!

There is nothing wrong with BEING human. In fact, sometimes I even talk to one. I have a couple of human friends, one lives next door (I think), and I would even let my daughter marry one. The problem is that each human is, as Sister Mary Fides used to drum into our teenage human skulls, unique. This means that if I show you the perfect weight loss program and it works like a charm for you, your next door neighbor might have a problem making that exact program work for her or him.

WHY WOULD A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM WORK FOR ONE PERSON AND NOT ANOTHER?

As Shakespeare has Cassius say in Julius Caesar, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves...!"

Now, I am NOT saying that it is YOUR FAULT, per se, but the difficulty of making one magic thing, even the perfect weight loss program, lies in the very uniqueness that makes us so human.

One person inherits some genes that tend to make them fatter than others. Another person would have been a lot smaller, but they were raised in a home where a type of cooking or lifestyle was common that encouraged them to grow fatter. Someone else experiences some severe emotional ups and downs that contribute to bad eating habits that cause them to gain weight. Nature designed some chemical changes in our bodies to meet certain needs, and we changed OUR natural surroundings so that these changes now work against us rather than serving us. And if any one of those isn't enough, most people who are overweight actually have more than one of these things going on, and some of them actually increase the affect of other contributing factors!

We have other differences that make it difficult to create a one-size-fits-all weight loss program. Your brother-in-law loves to work out with weights, but that bores you to tears. Your neighbor has a Bowflex and you think it is great, but you travel a lot and can't figure out how to take a Bowflex with you! Your cousin lost a lot of weight on a certain diet, but your metabolism is different, and you didn't really lose any weight when you tried it. In fact, you tried diet after diet and actually GAINED weight! By the way, it is fairly common to gain weight when you try a lot of different diets. It's slightly complicated to go into here, but often when you go on a diet and then come back off of it, your body has learned to get by on fewer calories. Once you go back to eating like you used to, it now has extra calories to store as fat. Remember our equations up above?

There are also many people who want the "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" promise to be true. They have been so upset over their weight for so long that they want to believe that almost any claim is true, no matter how silly it seems, or how dangerous to their health it actually is!

CAN'T I JUST CUT WAY BACK ON CALORIES?

Probably, you (and I) could stand to cut some of the calories out of our daily diet. However, there is a point at which the body resets some internal bells and whistles, and we may actually begin to gain weight. Also, cutting out food means cutting out the nutritional elements our body needs to be healthy.

WELL, I CAN'T JUST SPEND MY DAY EXERCISING FROM DAWN TO DUSK!

That was the other side of the equation, wasn't it? Well, you're absolutely correct, and I would begin to worry about you if you did. You don't have to go to that extreme. There is a solution.

WHAT? YOU'LL SIGN ON AS MY PERSONAL TRAINER?

Nope! I'm too lazy for that, but YOU can sign on as your personal trainer. That is, you can do a little experimentation, find some activities you like and begin doing one or more of them on a regular basis...three or four times a week, let's say. You could garden, ride a bike, play with the kids or grandkids, take a walk, do some yoga, lift weights...the list goes on. You don't have to do all of them every day, and if you find one you really like, you can do it several times a week if you want. One thing to remember, of course, is that you should ease into any program and only increase it once you are sure that you are fine at the level you are at...and then, increase it gradually. I've seen some champion bodybuilders who started out lifting just the barbell with no weights on it at all, and I know of runners who started out by walking to the mailbox and back. In the army, I used to run six miles or more, but when I started running, I barely got a block down the road before I had to drop back to walking.

Start making some small changes to your diet as well. I am using the word "diet" in this case to mean the things you eat, not some particular diet. Start popping a multivitamin every day. You may find that helps make you feel a tiny bit more energetic. Cut out sugar. As much as I don't like artificial sweeteners, they are probably going to be better for you than sugar. If, like me, you worry about the effects of artificial sweeteners, try stevia. My wife and I have been using it for some time. It took a little getting used to, but I have noticed a definite decrease in heartburn and carb cravings.

Educate yourself about nutrition and exercise. You don't have to take a college course. If you are reading this online, you can go to webmd.com or mayoclinic.com/ and get a lot of great health, fitness, and weight loss information.

Read food labels, and start thinking about what you are putting in your mouth. Most of us can look at some foods and realize that they might not be good for us, at least not in large quantities, so cut you portion sizes. Don't know what a portion size is? Look on the label!

Stay away from prepackaged foods, junk food, fast food, or learn enough about them to make intelligent choices.

SET SOME GOALS

This is where I'm supposed to tell you to decide to lose X number of pounds in Y number of days, right? Wrong. This is where I tell you to start setting some performance goals about how you are going to try to live. I say "try" because you WILL slip from time to time, and there will be times you will just have to make do in a situation and eat that Big Mac, darn it! Go ahead, make the sacrifice and eat it, but then get back on the wagon. Don't worry about a Big Mac or a single bowl of ice cream or even a binge after you catch him/her cheating on you. The occasional dietary sin will not send you plunging back into fat hell...unless you let it.

ON THAT NOTE....

Grow up, take charge, and quit looking around for someone or something to blame. Oh, maybe there are a lot of reasons why you got fat, and maybe they are reasons that you had no control over, but the point is that losing weight is going to happen today and tomorrow, and it is going to depend on the future choices you make, not on what the past has done to you. My father, who was a good man otherwise, was an alcoholic. I cannot let that change who I am going to be today or tomorrow, unless I use it as an incentive to be better because of it.

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He developed an interest in health and fitness in the '70s after reading numerous books, including Dr. Kenneth Cooper's "Aerobics". This has led him to continue his personal research into health and fitness for over 30 years, and to pursue course work on the subjects of health and fitness, including yoga, which he practices regularly. Learn more about vitamins and weight loss.