Five Tips to Avoid Weight Gain During the Holidays

With the holiday season fast approaching, it's easy to fret about gaining back the weight you've spent significant time and effort into losing. Here are some tips to help you avoid putting on much, if any, weight during your holiday celebrations.

1. FILL UP ON MORE SENSIBLE FOODS
Foods that are high in fiber or water fill you up quickly and help keep you from overindulging on the "bad" stuff. Take an extra scoop of vegetables and fruit when filling your plate, and by the time you finish, you won't have room for the other foods which are higher in calories and more likely to cause you to gain weight.

2. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS
No doubt, everything at the table looks good, and it's all you can do to keep from filling your plate 2-3 times so that you can sample everything. An easy way to combat this urge is to simply take a smaller portion than you normally would of those dishes you're most interested in, especially belt-bursting desserts. Split a piece of pie or cake with your spouse, child, or another family member who may be watching his or her waistline.

3. DRINK AROUND, DURING, AND BETWEEN MEALS
Drink a fair amount of water or other unsweetened beverage before each meal, as well as during and between them. The liquid in your stomach will help trick your mind into not feeling as hungry, which reduces the tendency to gorge yourself on potentially fattening foods.

4. POSITION YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE SNACKS
If you take a seat within an arm's reach of the snack table, you're going to have a tough time keeping yourself from unconsciously grabbing handfuls of party mix, candies, and the like and picking at them all day. By sitting on the other side of the room, getting to the snacks involves a conscious effort into getting up and walking over to get at the snacks.

5. TAKE AN EXERCISE BREAK
If the weather permits it, go out and take a quick walk around the house or block. If your celebration is taking place in a colder climate, you'll be more inspired to quicken your pace and burn a few extra calories in the process. If the weather is bad, do 10-20 squats, stretches, or other brief exercise each time you go to the restroom. You only want to do just enough to elevate your heart rate, but not break out into a sweat. Chances are, no one will know what you're doing, and you won't have to feel self-conscious about trying to maintain your figure.

Finally, if you still manage to put on a few extra pounds, don't stress over it. If you've been following a sensible diet and exercise plan, the chances are good that any weight you do gain is going to come off shortly after the holidays are over. 

Author: pilkster

Source: Free Articles

7 Calorie Burning Tips

These are just a few habits you can embrace to start revving your metabolism right away. You may have heard stories about people who have lost dozens of pounds simply switching to diet soda or walking a few minutes each day. These are all small habits that contribute to a big difference and increase your metabolism over time.  You will make weight loss quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.
1) Move More
Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day.  By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories.  The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word ‘move’ on post-it notes and put them in places you’ll notice them when you’re sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move – here’s some ideas for burning extra calories:
Tap your feet
Swing your legs
Stand up and stretch
Move your head from side to side
Change position
Wriggle and fidget
Pace up and down
Use the restroom upstairs
Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
Stand up when you’re on the phone and step from side to side
Clench and release your muscles
2) Eat Little and Often
Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy. 
3) Eat Fat
If you want feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in.  Fat not only tastes good our bodies need it to work efficiently.  By consuming several servings of ‘healthy’ fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential.  Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.
4) Drink Cold Water
Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages. And overall being well hydrated will help your body’s metabolic processes burn quicker.
5) Exercise With Weights
Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue. And muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and so it helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.

6) Spice up
Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism.  Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Can’t stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi.
7) Eat More Protein
Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process.   Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time  and this can help you to not overeat later in the day.  Eat a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks and you will increase the total number of calories you burn each day.

Author: LaMarion Ziegler

Article Source: http://www.approvedarticles.com

You Are In Control

In large part, you’re in control of your health, not your doctor. And taking control of your health doesn’t really depend on whether or not you ha...

Dianne Ronnow

In large part, you’re in control of your health, not your doctor. And taking control of your health doesn’t really depend on whether or not you have medical conditions. Taking control means developing habits and discipline.

 The most important thing you can do is educate yourself. Learn about your health problems and how you can take care of your body. What do the latest studies say? The Internet is an excellent place to research health issues. Sometimes just finding different ways of doing things can help.

 Now, take the time to decide what your health goals for the next year will be. Write the goal(s) down. Some examples of goals might be:

  - to stop yo-yo dieting and focus on get healthier.

  - to start exercising regularly.

  - to move toward my perfect weight.

  - to find alternative ways to control diabetes.

 Then list specific ways you can accomplish these goals. For instance, try a new healthy dinner recipe once a week, go to the gym five days a week, or research nutrition on the Internet 10 minutes a day.

 Work on your mind and thought patterns. You have to believe that you can become healthy and reach your ideal weight before you will be able to do so. Learning to accept what you can’t change, but striving to change what you can, is key. A large part of succeeding in health improvement is being comfortable with yourself to begin with.

 Find time to do something good to reward yourself for making this commitment to improve your health. Reward yourself each week as you find yourself accomplishing your goals.


 From "The Enzyme Health Diet Plan" by Dianne Ronnow, © 2005 Mohave Publishing. Enzyme-Health.com.

What is Calorie Counting?

Understanding calorie counting will help you on your quest for weight loss. 

WOW! It is easier to lose weight when you understand the necessity for calorie counting.

A calorie is a unit of energy which is released from the food you eat in order to power your body.

Generally speaking, when you eat more calories than you burn, you will put on weight. Moreoer, when you eat around the same as you burn, you should maintain your weight. However, for weight loss it is necessary to eat less and burn more.

Calorie Counting for Weight Loss

First, you must determine your daily calorie needs.

Your basic bodily functions require energy. For example: digestion, circulation, respiration, temperature regulation, cell construction and every other metabolic process in your body. This daily calorie requirement is called Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle will give you the formula for your BMR. Your BMR does not include physical activity.

If your BMR is around 2200 calories and you participate in moderate exercise, then your daily calorie needs would be around 3000 calories. If you are wanting to lose weight, you will need to reduce your calorie intake by 15% - 20%. Therefore, your caloric intake would be around 2400 calories.

Second, set out your calorie intake for the day.

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle suggests that you eat at reqular intervals during the day.

For example, you may follow this meal schedule.

• #1 Meal - 600 Calories
• Snack - 200 Calories
• #2 Meal - 600 Calories
• Snack - 200 Calories
• #3 Meal - 600 Calories
• Snack - 200 Calories

The total calorie intake for the day would be 2400 calories.

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle will help you formulate your daily calorie needs. Calorie Counting for weight loss is necessary for getting into shape and healthy living.

Of course, there is much more to learn about calorie counting for weight loss. Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle will give you all the information you need to loss weight by choosing the right foods to eat and making exercise a part of your day.

Author: Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach