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Saturday, March 6th, 2010
If you lose weight for only how-you-look reasons, it won’t last. There has to be a bigger “why” inside of you. True; being unhappy with how we look is likely the biggest catalyst that makes us WANT to improve, but it won’t sustain the fire. Think back to the last big change you made in your life. Was it to go back to school? Did you seek a different job? Maybe you started budgeting your money better? It has been said that almost every action is a response to seeking pleasure or avoiding pain. We have to want something badly enough to be willing to pay a price for it; we have to have some skin in the game. Regarding weight loss, will there be the pleasure of feeling and looking better or successfully avoiding the pain of feeling lousy and avoiding mirrors?
Create just one habit at a time…just a little thinking and a little working. You don’t need a complicated plan to start the snowball rolling down the mountain. Make one rule and make it your own.
• Don’t eat out for a month
• Pick one meal and make it a healthier alternative to what you’re eating now.
• Eat a vegetable or salad with lunch and dinner.
• Only eat whole-food snacks such as fruit.
• Have one protein shake per day as a snack.
• Don’t have seconds at dinner.
• Pick one late-night snack only and stick to it.
Soon you see the old habits fade and you won’t miss them! The new habit is simply standard operating procedure. You’ll see a little success and that will motivate you for more. Success really does beget success and the brain actually responds positively to the change…to the pleasure you feel by being satisfied with your progress.
The first step really is the hardest. If you make that step smaller—remember, I’m asking for one change—you’re more likely to take it. When you realize good things are happening, you may just pick up another new habit. Your brain will cement those patterns in place, making it easier to integrate the new behavior, and you’re on your way!
Move a mountain one pebble at a time…one habit at a time.
Tags: diet, Diet and Weight Loss, healthy habits, Nutrition, weight loss
Posted in diet, weight loss | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Adolescents are the fastest-growing demographic sliding into worsening cultural weight gain and as a parent, it frankly saddens me. Last week I was at an 8 year old’s birthday party. About half of the kids were overweight. When it comes to the impact I’m talking about, research suggests not so much. Irreversible health damage and personality/behavioral change can be severe. When the Surgeon General issued the Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity in 2001, multiple health agencies collaborated to produce one of the greatest summaries I believe ever presented to Congress. Of the 10 critical facets colliding with our children, marketing, schools, public environment, and even the restaurant industry aren’t number one. We are. Parents are. Over 35% of food is now consumed outside the home, close to 80% of families are either single-parent or both-parents-working, and we live in a new era. When I was a boy my mom had to hunt for us to come in for lunch after we ran out the door in the morning. She had to call neighbors when it was dark to figure out where we were. Today we have to pull kids away from cell phones, computers, cable TV, and video games while picking up empty bags of potato chips and snacks. Think of all the variables that influence your children’s eating and activity. The only thing that loops them all together is you; the parent.
Tags: child diet, child nutrition, child obesity, child weight loss, child weight loss program, child weight management, child weight problem, childhood obesity, diet for kid, diet for kids, diet for teen, diet for teens, family weight loss, fat child, fat kid, fat teen, kid diet, obese child, overweight child, overweight children, overweight teen, teen diet, teen weight loss, teenage obesity, weight loss, weight loss program
Posted in overweight kids | 2 Comments »
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
A couple of weight lifter buddies of mine in college knew that beer was a means of excess calories that were just going to give their abs that flat affect. So they had decided to cut out all food for dinner and simply replace those calories with beer to continue to lose weight and get defined. All I can say is I would love to see their livers now. Guess what happened! Even though they cut out their night calories to make room for the beer calories, they could not budge the scale and their body fat percentage was actually increasing. What was going on here?
Basically it comes down to how the beer belly happens. Because of how alcohol is metabolized, shifts occur in the body’s ability to generate energy. When consuming alcohol, the cells make fatty acids and glycerol, the building blocks of fat. A metabolic shift to producing fat lends the body to store fat in most tissues, causing that beer belly. When it is all said and done, the liver processes most alcohol. General alcohol consumption leads to synthesis of fat in the liver. The kidneys and lining of the heart can also accumulate lipids that interfere with their functioning.
So have you changed your eating habits and are still gaining weight? Well my question to you is how much alcohol are you are consuming? It may come down to the simple calorie breakdown of alcohol. Alcohol is seven calories per gram which makes it closer to fat at nine calories per gram compared to carbohydrates and proteins, which are four calories per gram. Just 12 ounces of beer, 1 ounces of hard liquor and 5 ounces of wine is 100 calories. A hundred extra calories a day beyond what you expend can lead to 10 pounds of weight gain a year. If you changed your eating habits, but are still topping off your day with a nice glass of wine, there is that extra 100 calories daily.
Tags: alcohol, beer, blood pressure, hypertension, sleep, weight loss
Posted in alcohol, weight loss | No Comments »
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
According to a recent article in the New York Times, the caffeine you get from your Starbucks fix can help your workout by as much as 5%. People not used to drinking coffee can have some effects such as frequent urination, but the positive effects keep working. However, when ingesting too much caffeine, negative effects, like elevated heart rate, can out-weigh any performance enhancing benefits. But if you’ve got a race coming up that you want to do well at, you might try a cup an hour before. The story also suggests no caffeine a week before for best results. Being a long time caffeine junkie, there is no way that I’m going to cut out coffee for a day, let alone a week.Do you use coffee before a workout now? If so, can you tell the difference?
Tags: caffeine, coffee, exercising, Nutrition, running, weight loss, work outs
Posted in caffeine | 1 Comment »
Sunday, April 12th, 2009
I had the pleasure of recently meeting (well, e-meeting) the beautiful and talented author, actress, model, and fitness expert, Louiza Patsis. I have a thing for Greek women, so I’ll admit that I’m biased. Louiza is the author of an awesome book, the Pocket Guide to Fitness: All You Need to Know to Start Working Out Effectively. The Pocket Guide to Fitness contains the most important elements of working out for aerobic, strength and flexibility for beginners and intermediates. The book shows the spirit, mind and body connection, important principles like loving your body wherever you are, and being committed to your health. A science facts chapter and a flexibility chapter are included. The book contains several exercise programs for most muscles in three-month time frames that a person dedicated to fitness can follow. The book is compact and can be carried along to the gym and while traveling as a guide to fitness. For more information about Louiza’s other books, and her extensive resume, check out www.louizapatsis.com. See Louiza’s blogs at www.louizafitness.blogspot.com.
Tags: build muscle, burn fat, diets, exercises, fitness guide, training manual, weight loss, workouts
Posted in Fitness | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
OK, it’s a shameless plug for the discussion board on my website. At OxLabs, we want our discussion board to be the best place on the internet for talk about men’s health, fitness, anti-aging, and life strategies. This is a place for us. If you have a question or something to say about fatherhood, fitness trends, fat burning, vitality, diet, sports nutrition, marriage, your hot girlfriend or your psycho boss, say it at http://www.oxlabs.com/forum/.
Tags: abdominal, Abdominal Exercises, Abs, Better Health, Biceps, BMI, Body, Body Mass Index, Bodybuilding, Building Muscle, Bulk, Burning Calories, Calories, diet, Eating Right, Energy, Exercise Programs, Exercise Routines, Fat, Fitness Programs, Flex, Gear Performances, Gear Sports, Good Health, Healthy Eating, Improve Body, Lose Weight, Men's Fitness, Men's Health Magazine, Mens health, Muscle and Fitness, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Pecs, Pectorals, personal trainer, Protein, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Performance, Shape, Six Pack, Sports Adventures, Sports Medicine, Sports Nutrition, Stamina, Strength Training, Supplements, Tone, Toning, Vitamins, weight loss, Weight Training, Weightlifting, Workout Programs, workouts
Posted in men's forum | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
I know that the winter is officially over when I start hearing those comments! It can take just a few extra bites per meal to consume an excess of calories and gain body fat. We can increase body fat quickly. However, losing that weight responsibly takes a lot more time. To lose body a pound of body fat requires a calorie deficit of about 3500 calories. Losing a pound of fat in a week would require an average daily calorie deficit of about 500 calories. At that rate, a realistic reduction in body fat is about 3 to 4 pounds/month. Statically, dieters that lose weight at a slower, but consistent pace are more likely to keep the weight off. Implement a nutritious diet and an exercise program as part of a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle. If you want to lose weight, set a realistic goal, with a focus on your overall health.
Tags: body fat, diet, exercise, health, weight loss
Posted in weight loss | 4 Comments »
