Understand the causes of obesity, and find solutions for a healthy balance

When you take in more calories than you burn off in a day, you gain weight. Sounds simple enough, right? Eat too much, the body stores what it can’t use as fat and, voila! You’ve just added another inch to your waistline.

Ah, but wait! What if you only ate one meal that day? Naturally, a person would think they had not consumed too many calories. So, let’s step back a bit more. Caloric control does not imply skipping meals! In fact, skipping meals may cause serious health problems and weight rebound.

Balancing food intake with daily burn off requires some key components. Not only are portion control and a more efficient metabolism essential, but so is your balance of proteins, carbs and fats. Sounding a bit more complicated? Actually, it’s still very simple. Especially, once you understand what, and how much you should put into your body. But first, let’s get a basic understanding of obesity. Click here to get the full report on understanding obesity and how to take control of it.

Develop a drinking problem...with water!

When it comes to following a weight loss plan, there is one topic of discussion that tends to get overlooked. Hydration. You need to develop a drinking problem...with water.No matter which weight loss plan you follow, water is the one thing they all have in common. And it seems to be the thing most dieters dread.

The mere sound of the word has an effect on most that puts a grimace on their face. That's not unreasonable. To some people, water is boring and flavorless.

But, let's take a look at why water is so important. And maybe, the next time you hear the word, you won't roll your eyes.

Water is the source of life. It surrounds two-thirds of our planet. And if you remember from science class, our bodies are made up of about 60% of it.

So, if we are more than half full of water already, why do we need to drink more? Well, there are several reasons why and you can find them out here, along with just how much water you should be drinking for your weight.

Weight Loss Motivation Strategies and Tips to Keep You On Track

A wise man once said, “Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it”. Although most people seek a weight loss program to improve their appearance, good health is really the most important goal of all. Fortunately, those who lose weight by following a realistic diet and exercise plan experience improved health and body composition as a side effect.

With improved health and appearance as the promised outcome, it’s no wonder people sign up in droves for the latest plans offering quick weight loss. However, slow and steady always wins the race when it comes to "dieting". That being said, how do you sustain your motivation when things seem to be moving at the proverbial snail’s pace?

Here are some strategies and tips to keep you focused and motivated:

1. First and foremost, set realistic goals for yourself and always monitor your progress – if you set impossible targets, you will not be able to achieve them and your motivation will go right out of the window.

2. Secondly, always choose weight loss programs by consulting with a nutritionist, nutrition coach, weight loss counselor or an experienced  fitness expert first. Once you and your health professional have chosen the best plan for you, make a commitment to stick to it. This is your goal and you’re going to do everything necessary to achieve it.

3. You obviously decided to go on a diet to shed stubborn body fat and become fit. Start thinking of excess body fat as the villain who is preventing you from reaching your goal (a healthy and fit body). Thinking of your fat as a villain will put you in command-mode and you will aggressively begin fighting your fat.

4. Follow success stories of people who have reduced their weight and become fit by following a prove fitness routine and a healthy diet plan. And realize that we all have the same capabilities – if they can do it, so can you. Successful people possess certain qualities that have made them successful at weight loss. Discover these qualities and emulate them. Develop "healthy" habits to replace the "unhealthy" habits that are hindering your success. Positive thinking is a must during your program.
 

5. Visualize how you will look after you shed that extra flab – let this picture guide you into a positive frame of mind and keep you focused on your goal. Visulize yourself taking the necessary daily actions that will enable you to reach your weight loss goal.

7. Develop a ruthless frame of mind when it comes to sticking to your plan – remember, your plan will only work if you follow it consistently. For example, if you’re going to a party, fill up on water a large salad before leaving home and you’ll be less likely to splurge later on. When you arrive at the party, fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables first, then opt for a portion of lean protein and more vegetables.

8. Think of unhealthy foods (fatty, sugary and starchy) as the weapons used by the villains in tip 3 above and stay away from them. If you get a strong craving, try having just a bite. If a particular food seems to be a trigger for you, just keep it out of your home – the last thing you need is to be needlessly tempted. Instead, keep plenty of healthy snacks at hand such a fruit, yogurt and nuts and you’ll be more likely to eat them.

9. A monotonous fitness routine can become difficult to stick to. To stay motivated, add variety into your fitness regime. If you’re bored of jogging, start biking or swimming, or join a supportive fitness class to add variety to your workout regimen. That way you won’t get stuck in a groove and will look forward to being active.

10. Make friends while working out. Friends are a great motivational factor – you will enjoy their company and the cameraderie as you exercise. That’s like increasing your social circle while getting fitter at the same time – two birds with one stone!

11. If jogging or going to the gym is not your cup of tea, switch to a sport. Sports feature that competitive factor that makes them more fun and motivating.

12. Do little things that enhance your fitness plan – reward yourself with small gifts when you achieve a certain target, for instance. Also, turn daily routines such as walking to the store or climbing the stairs at home small add-on workouts.

Most of all, don’t beat yourself up – when you slip off track, just get right back on again. By eating a healthy meal and doing a workout, you’ll be right back on track with your weight loss program.

How to Keep a Food Diary for Faster Weight Loss

A food diary is one of the most powerful proven aids for weight control. Research shows keeping a food diary is one of the most important determinants in whether lost weight will be kept off. Many studies show that persons who keep a food diary not only lose more weight than those who do not keep one, but they also keep the weight off longer. The results of one study of thirty-eight participants who had been following a weight loss program showed the following patterns:

Those who were most consistent about keeping a food diary lost an average of seven pounds more than what they had already lost before the study. Those who were not as watchful about their record keeping gained back an average of three pounds.

You learn to identify your personal vulnerable situations and emotions that may trigger overeating, such as loneliness, boredom, stress or even the mere sight or smell of a particular food. A food diary also helps you identify your personal food weaknesses or "trigger foods."

You transform previously unconscious behaviors into conscious choices. Usually when we eat, it is a mindless, unconscious, conditioned response to a vast mixture of cues, hardly any of which have to do with true biological hunger. For example, until you write it down, perhaps you didn't realize that you unconsciously eat a half a bag of cookies while you watch TV several nights a week. By writing down everything you eat, you transform unconscious behaviors into full awareness. Then, the next time you go for the cookies, you can make a better, more conscious decision about whether you will have them and how many you will have.

You can better evaluate the nutritional balance in your diet. Perhaps before starting to keep a food diary, you honestly felt that you included a good number of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Then, after reviewing a week of entries, you realize you took in only 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day on average. Now, you know to make corrections that add better balance the nutritional adequacy of your diet.

You will naturally attain greater self-discipline with your food choices. Are you really going to have that second scoop of ice cream if you have to write it down later and face it point blank?

A food diary allows you to keep track of your exercise and activity (or lack thereof) and re-examine your fitness goals.

You become more in tune with your body's cues and signals of biological hunger. You can also differentiate whether you eat because of hunger, because of emotions, or because of your appetite.

You create personal territory for 100% non-judgmental exploration of feelings. A food diary is one of the few places where you can really be alone with yourself and make previously unknown personal discoveries. You can use it as a place to explore feelings and thoughts you usually keep hidden.

When you journal, you can really delve into your deeper emotions and things you may not be fully aware of on a conscious level. Writing out your feelings is an effective tool to identifying the emotional reasons behind overeating, as well as coping with the emotions that drive us to overeat in the first place.