Concept of Dieting

The basic concept of dieting is to take in fewer calories and to burn off as many as you can.  To lose one pound of fat, you have to burn off 3,500 calories.  What that means is that you have to consume 3,500 calories less than your body needs in order to lose that one pound.  There are several ways that you can do this.  Let’s assume that you weigh 150 pounds and when your body is at rest, it needs 1,800 calories per day to live.  Now, in order for you to lose a pound every few days without exercising or doing anything else but rest, you would need to consume approximately 1,167 calories less than you body needs, or only 633 calories per day. 

Another thing that you could do is consume 1,800 calories per day, but jog a little more than 5 miles every day which would create the same deficit in calories to lose a pound every few days.  Wow, that sounds really hard doesn’t it?  The simple fact is however, that you have to find the best way to combine the two in order to lose the weight you want.  The whole idea behind most diets, from Weight Watchers to the grapefruit diet is simply to lower the calories every day that your body needs.

Other Things You Should Know About Diet Supplements

It is very important to understand that diet supplements are not the “catch-all solution” when it comes to losing weight or to weight loss maintenance.  Even the best diet supplements must be combined with a nutritious, balanced and healthy diet, and exercise in order for one to achieve their weight loss and weight maintenance goals. 

When it comes to diet supplements, it is important to do a little research and make sure the ones you choose have been designed to preserve lean body tissue, help curb hunger, provide you with valuable nutrients, and increase energy levels.  Additionally, it is important to choose a diet supplement that not only promotes weight loss, but helps to lower cholesterol levels. 

The FDA Warns Consumers about Diet Supplements

The FDA did issue a warning that some weight loss supplements do contain pharmaceuticals that are not listed on their labels, and this could pose health risks.  In order to be sure that the weight loss supplement you choose is the best choice, you need to find the answer to one very important question beforehand: 

v     Does the Diet Supplement work?  In other words, does the diet supplement actually provide all of the benefits that it claims to?  One way to check this out is to try and look up any clinical trials that have been published regarding the actual product itself or at the very least, the ingredients that are in it.  If you have difficulty finding clinical trial information on the product and/or the ingredients, you should at the very least try to find authoritative product reviews and information about either the product or its ingredients from people/web sites that aren’t actually selling the product.  One such place that provides such reviews and information is the US National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.

The bottom line is that when chosen properly, diet supplements can help and may even be the next best thing for not only losing weight, but helping to achieve better health.   

Healthy Weight Loss Supplements

Healthy weight loss supplements have been around for years, but how does the whole diet concept work?  Firstly, did you know that in order to lose one pound of fat, you have to burn off 3,500 calories?  That’s right!  Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  Well, it really isn’t, especially when you combine a diet plan that includes an intake of fewer calories with daily exercise.  The concept of losing weight is really simple -- you have to burn more calories than you consume.  If you can fully grasp this concept, then you are well on your way to losing weight.

How Weight Loss Supplements Can Help

You no longer have to struggle with your weight or struggle to find the best way to lose weight.  Now, while there is no magic pill for weight loss, there are weight loss supplements that can truly help you lose the weight and keep it off.  The fact of the matter is, natural supplements can and do help people lose weight and maintain weight loss.  The trick is making sure that the weight-loss supplements you choose are designed to promote weight loss and improve your health. 

There are literally hundreds of different types of weight-loss supplements on the market today.  Some weight-loss supplements work really well, while others do very little or nothing at all.  What I personally look for when it comes to weight-loss supplements are ones that are all natural and that will provide me with all of the protein and nutrients I need to burn calories, curb my appetite and improve my overall health.  More specifically, I try to find supplements that will help me achieve hormonal balance. Cortisol and collagen are two ingredients that are known to help people achieve hormonal balance.  Additionally, it is important to understand that not just any diet supplement will do when it comes to weight loss or maintaining weight loss.   

Keeping the Weight Off

There are a number of diet plans that are designed to provide immediate weight loss; however, these plans don’t have provisions that help you to keep the weight off.  The reason for the quick weight loss is that for the most part, these types of diet plans are designed so that you lose water and muscle, rather than the fat you actually need to lose.  A good diet plan will help you to lose actual fat (not muscle) and keep it off.

Keeping the Weight Off for Good

Just about anyone can follow a diet and lose weight, but the biggest challenge is keeping the weight off.  In order to be successful and maintain the weight loss, you must start by changing how you eat, what you eat, and when you eat. 

For the most part, many dieters, once they stop dieting, end up regaining the weight they lost.  It has been reported that almost 70% of individuals who lose weight while dieting most often will gain most of the weight back once they stop the diet.  It is noted that only about 10% of dieters who successfully lose weight are able to keep the weight off over the long term.  For the most part, this is because they “diet” rather than make a lifestyle change.  While there are some people who are able to easily maintain their weight, there are many people who struggle with their weight problem.  If you are one who easily gains weight and struggles to maintain your weight, then you need to make a lifestyle change.  You need to change your eating habits permanently.  Now don’t worry; that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever have a piece of cake or a bowl of ice cream.  It just means that you can’t do it every day or even every week (in some cases).  You need to, for the most part, make sure that you eat just the right amount of calories every day that you will be burning up.  If you want that piece of cake, then you either have to eat less of other things that day or the next.  The true key is to eat healthy every day as much as you possibly can, but allow yourself a treat every now and again.

Additionally, you need to move.  You need to exercise!  Now remember that when I say exercise, I mean at the very minimum that you need to walk at least 30 minutes more each day. By eating less and moving more, you will lose weight.  Moreover, when you exercise, you burn calories.  This means that when you are trying to maintain your weight, you can have that cookie because you will be burning up the calories when you exercise.  It really is as simple as that!  

Overweight America

Today, more than 130 million Americans are overweight, approximately 50+ million are obese, and an estimated 9 million Americans are considered morbidly obese.  The more you are overweight, the more health problems you tend to have and the more severe they may be.  It is noted that obesity-related health problems include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, back pain, leg pain, asthma, sleep apnea, infertility, osteoarthritis, and depression.  Just losing 15% of one’s body weight can help to improve health and prevent many of these health problems. 

Make a Diet Plan

It is important to realize that when it comes to diet plans, “one size does not fit all.”  We are all different and the ways in which we each metabolize the foods that we consume are different.  What works for one person may not necessarily work for you. The key to any successful healthy weight loss plan is to make sure that what you will be eating every day is something that you can live with doing over the long term (for the most part).  It is important to realize, when “dieting,” that you shouldn’t deprive yourself when you really want something in particular.  For instance, if you have been dieting for a couple of weeks and you end up at a party where they are serving some delicious-looking crab puffs or even cheesecake, don’t deprive yourself by not eating any, just have a little and get over the craving.  If you don’t, then you are sure to splurge later and perhaps even blow your diet altogether.  The key is to make sure you eat a little of what it is you crave, adjusting what else you had planned on eating to ensure you are still eating less than before.  This way, you don’t binge and your craving will be satisfied.

Three key things that you should keep in mind when putting your diet plan together are:

• Plan your meals one week before – Planning your meals at the beginning of each week will help to ensure that you always have something healthful to eat and that you will be lessening your daily calorie intake.  This includes snacks.

• Prepare your meals ahead of time – Preparing your meals ahead of time so that all you have to do is pop them in the oven or microwave will help you to avoid eating other things simply because you don’t feel like “cooking” and want something fast and easy.

• Keep healthful snacks around – All too often, people fail to stick with a diet nutritional plan because they get so busy in their day-to-day lives that they just grab whatever they can when they get hungry – chips, cookies, sodas, etc.  In order to avoid this from happening, keep healthful snacks with you at home, in the car, and at work.  Pieces of fruit, celery and carrot sticks are great healthful snacks. 

 

Healthy Weight Loss

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is something that needs to be done on a day-to-day basis.  Like drug addicts or alcoholics, individuals who are overweight need to “take it one day at a time.”  Losing weight and keeping it off is a real struggle for most of us.  However, no matter what anyone says, it does begin with lowering your calorie intake.  While there are a number of diet supplements and diet aids on the market today that are designed to help you with your healthy weight loss goals, you still have to put the work in (so to speak) in order to achieve the results you want.

It is well noted that in order to achieve a healthy weight you need to lower your calorie intake by eating things that provide you with the proper amount of nutrition and exercise.  For those of you who don’t like to exercise or think that you simply don’t have time, there is no cause for worry.  When I say exercise, I don’t mean you have to jump up and down for 30 minutes performing aerobically or running 5 miles a day; you simply have to do more than what you are doing now.  Simple walking for 30 minutes extra a day will suffice.  You can take a walk around the mall, your neighborhood, or in a park.  Just make sure you get out and move at least 30 minutes more than you do now.  

One Day at a Time Healthy Weight Loss

If you start a diet by thinking of what you are going to eat a month from now or during the holidays when everyone else is eating pie, you are going to fail.  It is as simple as that.  You need to think of your diet not as a diet, but as a new way of life.  Don’t worry about what might happen tomorrow or down the road; worry about what you are going to do today to improve your health and achieve your weight loss goals.  You need to start each day by deciding what it is you are going to eat and ensure that things you will be eating will provide you with all the valuable nutrients your body needs.  In addition, you need to take note of how many calories you will be consuming.  As I’ve already said, you need to make sure that you eat fewer calories than you normally do. 

Now most diets will provide for anywhere from 1500 calories or fewer.  Keeping this in mind, I’m not telling you to eat 1500 calories or fewer a day.  If you already have been consuming 3000 calories a day on a regular basis and pretty much maintain your weight, if you lower your calorie intake to 2000 or even 2500, and “exercise,” you will lose weight.  The key is not to consume as many calories as you have been, but consume fewer.  Your body is already used to your eating 3000 calories so when you start eating fewer, it will start burning up the fat.  Of course over a period of time you may stop dropping the pounds as your body gets used to the new amount.  Hence, you will need to lessen your calorie intake at that point in order to continue with your healthy weight loss program. 

Lastly, for those of you who need appetite suppressants to curb the hunger pains or weight loss supplements to provide you with added weight loss nutrients, you want to be sure to choose supplements that are made from all-natural ingredients.  Be sure to stay away from appetite suppressants that contain caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, or Ephedra.