Comments on: How to Lose Weight

on 11/22/2005 Mix up your exercise routine between running and walking. It's the combination of these two forms of exercise that are the key to losing weight. Break up the workouts to suit your schedule, but the minimum workout should 30 minutes, and maximum 60 minutes. For best results, do 60 minutes of power walking with no rests.
Alternate between walking and running, e.g. - on Monday run, Tuesday walk, Wednesday run, Thursday walk, Friday run, Saturday walk, Sunday is an off day. Repeat the cycle. Running is the best way to increase aerobic fitness, but it's hard on the body. Too much high-intensity training can cause the body to move into panic mode and hold onto weight. This is why you should mix it up with low-intensity workouts, like walking, to help the body relax.

on 11/22/2005 1. Try to eat early in the morning, in the middle of the day, and before you get ready for bed. These times would be 7:00 in the morning, 12:00 at noon, and between 5 to 6 o' clock each night.
2. Don't push yourself too hard. If you're doing a workout video or working outside, take a break when you start getting tired.
3. Do not drink water while you work out. If you do, you'll cramp.
4. Before and after working out, try to stretch out your legs, arms, head, shoulders and waist. Do daily exercises like jumping jacks, sit ups, and push ups.
5. Lift your hands after exercising. It will allow your lungs to breathe easier and your heart to go back to a steady beat.

on 11/22/2005 When trying to lose weight, remember it is what you do every day that makes a difference, not once in a while indulgences. If you fall off your diet regimen, get right back on the next day. Don't let your weak moment be an excuse to stop trying.

on 11/22/2005 I've lost weight by chewing very small mouthfuls of food until it turns to liquid. If it doesn't go thin enough to liquid, just spit it out. It works.

on 11/22/2005 For me, it's all about will power. If you are having a bad day, a weak moment or just a plain old craving, having the item staring at you in the face is just setting yourself up for failure. I have had moments of complete weakness where I would have eaten a gallon of Ben and Jerry's - tearing through the cupboards looking for something, anything bad and not on my diet, but there was nothing! 10 minutes later, the craving was gone and I grabbed an apple. If you take the steps to rid yourself of these foods, they won't even be there for you to eat!

on 11/22/2005 People make fun of you when you're big. Well, you show them! Keep in mind what they say about you and use that as your motivation to get in shape.

on 11/22/2005 If you want fast food, never order in. Ever. Make it yourself. That way, you can control what goes in, it's cheaper (surprisingly), and you spend time making it and you put thought into what you're eating. If you don't have the ingredients on hand, forget about it, but if you still want fast food, then walk to the place you want to go. Chances are, by the time you get there, you won't want it any more. If you still manage to eat it, order a smaller portion (forget about the upgrades) and walk back home.

on 11/22/2005 Caspician or hot food (spiciness) suppresses your hunger. When dieting you should try and add red hot peppers, or pepper sauce to your food. This will help you to achieve a satisfied, full feeling after your meals. Exercise is a much better cure than any miracle diet. High protein diets definitely work (biochemically), yet one of the main ways is by making the person feel ill. The high ketones in the blood make your feel bad. Eat foods that taste good, and that you have prepared yourself. High fat and sugary foods are addictive. Think about why you are eating something.

on 11/22/2005 Wear a pedometer. Don't put it in your pocket, it won't count your steps like that. You have to firmly clip it to your belt or your wristband for it to work properly. Research shows that a person should walk 10,000 steps each day to be healthy and in shape. 10,000 steps might be impossible to you right now, but just try it. If you think 10,000 is a small number, you can do more. First you have to leave your couch and turn off the TV that you're glued to every day. Get up and start running and walking around the neighborhood. I did. Now, I take 10,000 or more steps each day. Sometimes 8 or 9 thousand steps, but rarely, I know that moving is the key. The best way to do it is to use a jump rope and when you're tired, start walking.

on 11/22/2005 Find a picture of a celebrity, model or other person that has a body type you admire. Every day when you wake up, look at that picture and think - "I want to look like that!" This will help to motivate yourself to look like that. Look at your body, and look at theirs, and then you will have the motivation you need to exercise, and eat healthy constantly.

on 11/22/2005 Choose carefully what you eat and how much you eat it. The right choice of foods matters. They say to eat 6 meals a day. I do that, but I eat health food. I have protein bars or shakes in between meals. I also have some almonds, vegetables, and even cereal (cereal isn't only eaten in the morning with milk). Pick cereals like Total or Special K, not the bad kiddy cereals. Keep your meals simple. No fried foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables, white meat, if you like bread - stick with wheat bread (keep that to a limit as well). Be careful with other breads and rice and pasta. Actually, stay away from them. While you're at it, exercise. Even walking helps. If you want to pick up the pace, go to a gym. Bottom line, losing weight is mental. You have to want to lose weight!! If you don't, none of ideas will help.

on 11/22/2005 As it's been said a lot of times before, drink a lot of water. Exercise, even if it's only for a few minutes at time. It adds up. Do not push yourself if you feel like you can not go on. Don't worry if you can't keep up with what's going on, just do your best. It's okay if you cheat every once in a while. It keeps you from bingeing later on.

on 11/22/2005 If you feel a little hungry, and don't want to eat, just pop a piece of gum into your mouth! I satisfies my craving for sugar, and I keep my mouth busy!

on 11/22/2005 I find that sometimes when I'm hungry, and I finally get the chance to fix something, I eat everything in sight really fast. When you eat fast your body does not get the time it needs to compute that you have eaten enough. By the time your body figures out it's not hungry anymore, it's too late and you've already eaten way more than you need to - leading to weight gain. Eat slow and train yourself to enjoy each bite.

on 11/22/2005 I found that a good substitute for sweet snacks is diet Coke, especially the flavored varieties. It also fills you up between meals. I got quite addicted to it, so be careful to wean yourself off once you have lost the weight.