Best Way to Lose Weight

If you are in search of the best fat loss diet then here is a great summary of exactly what you need

It's the healthy eating plan that not only creates a caloric deficit but also feeds you the variety of healthy, delicious foods that keep you engaged and feeling satisfied!

Thanks to John McGran for the quote.

4 Ways to Quench the Summer thirst

Staying hydrated is very important (so important that it is one of the 6 Pillars of Nutrition - see below) but if you aren't drinking water then it is easy to mistakenly get some added calories quickly. Here are 4 good options (the first is my personal favorite - lemon not lime please)

• Plain old water. If you just don't like water, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, or a tablespoon of True Lemon powder.
• Beverages containing artificial sweeteners--but drink them in moderation and then only if they don't bother you, and if they contain no more than 10 calories per serving.
• If you're craving a refreshingly icy drink but don't want to ingest a sugar blast like my "Koffee Cooler," try putting your favorite low-calorie drink in the freezer. After you've taken it out of the freezer and scraped it with a fork to simulate an Italian ice dessert, pour it into a margarita glass to make it festive and throw in a sprig of mint.
• Sports drinks may be indicated if you're running marathons, out in the hot weather for long periods, or if you're sweating profusely. But many people may not need them, and may be just fine with plain old water instead. [Quench Your Thirst]
  

If you need a refresher here are the 6 Pillars...

The 6 Pillars of Nutrition - The 6 Pillars of Nutrition drive our day to day eating. If you want to lose weight, get healthy, ward off heart disease, or muscle up your body so you don’t feel embarrassed to take off your shirt at the beach then the 6 Pillars need to be your mantra.

i. Eat five to six times a day.
ii. Limit your consumption of sugars and processed foods.
iii. Eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
iv. Drink more water and cut out calorie-containing beverages (beer, soda, etc.).
v. Focus on consuming lean proteins throughout the day.
vi. Save starch containing foods until after a workout or for breakfast.

#1 diet tip (someone else agrees with me)

This is tip 1 from a list of 25. They are dead on (especially 1). Remember a food journal and a meal plan are two different things. Meal plans are proactive fat loss diet plans while food journals can turn into a reactive diary of your ill eating fast.

1. Create a food menu
Like most things in life, having a game plan is vital. And, weight loss is no different.

Always start your week by figuring out what meals you’ll have ahead of time, and then prepare a grocery list that will guide you in what to purchase.

When you stock only healthy foods in your home, it’ll be so much easier to stick to your program.

Here's the rest of the list - 25 tips to Get You In Shape

Salt, Weight Loss, and Health

I'm not convinced that salt is the devil. I love salt. Salt makes your food taste better. Unfortunately salt is under attack. The recent dietary guidelines have set salt recommendations so low that you can forget adding salt to your food. My argument is that if you are eating whole foods, fruit, vegetables, etc then adding a little extra salt to your diet isn't going to kill you (literally). I've never adding salt to a dish effect any of my clients fat loss. However, not everyone agrees. Here are 6 reasons why people think you need to cut out the salt

6 Reasons to Drop the Salt

1. Salt increases the number of fat cells in your body

2. It makes the fat cells you have fatter

3. Salt prevents your metabolism from burning fat as it should

4. It increases insulin resistance

5. It makes you hungrier and thirstier

6. Salt makes it more difficult for fat-burning oxygen to blast the fat in your fat stores

Read the rest on why the Nutrition Twins think salt stinks.

Maca might be useful...but tastes awful

I've never had anything contaminate the taste of a shake like this stuff

Mindful or Mindless Eating - Which do you do?

Mindful eating is a great concept.  You could be on the best fat loss diet in the world but if you are eating your meals it in the time it takes for a hulu commercial to pass only to find yourself still hungry? This is a perfect example (I know she's talking about ice cream but you get the point):

This is also very true of our eating. We eat meal after meal, snack after snack, barely aware of when and why we are eating, what we’re eating and how much we’re actually consuming. This is mindless eating and we are all guilty of it.

I remember one particular incident of mindless eating. My sister was going through a very difficult time and we were talking on the telephone. As we chatted, I took a pint of ice cream from the freezer, grabbed a spoon and dug in.  An hour later, when I hung up the phone, I realized I had eaten the entire pint of ice cream!

Read the rest of the post here http://diettogo.com/blog/eating-mindfully-weight-loss-you-can-do-it

Spice up Your Fat Loss Diet

Adding spices to your fat loss diet is essential for survival. Just because you are trying to lose weight doesn't mean that you need to suffer through bland tasteless foods. While there are countless premade spice combinations available at your local supermarket you can save a bunch of money while cutting out preservatives and additives by making your own. The Cheap Healthy Good blog has a great list of DIY spice combinations

Taco Seasoning
      
Ingredients
    * 1 tablespoon chili powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    * 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
    * 1/2 teaspoon paprika
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
    * 1 teaspoon sea salt
    * 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Rapid Weight Loss Better than Slow Weight Loss

I have long believed that for many people rapid weight loss, when done correctly is better than slow fat loss because people like results and fast results keep you motivated. Right? Here's a blurb from a study that showed just that. It is always good when science proves your point :)

   "Surprisingly, and against current beliefs, this study shows rapid weight loss appears to be superior to gradual weight loss in achieving target weight," she said of the study conducted on subjects weighing around 100 kilos.

   Her results showed that 78 per cent of those on the rapid diet achieved the target of losing 15 per cent of their body weight within the determined period, while only 48 per cent of those on the gradual diet met the target.

   One of the reasons, she said, is psychological and has to do with motivation.

   On the rapid diet, "subjects lose 1.5 kg a week and that keeps them going. On the gradual diet, when you lose 0.5 kg now and then" motivation is harder to keep, she said.

   In fact, four of the participants following the gradual diet gave up before the end of the experiment, against only one in the rapid diet group.

Read the whole article here: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Rapid+weight+loss+better+than+slow+studies+show/3276737/story.html#ixzz0wiDXUXfw