The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide Part 2
Lize11e
Posts: 419
As with Part 1, I would suggest copying this and opening up the Word file you saved under The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide Part 1 and pasting this text just after Part 1 left off.
Exercise
As if this is going to come as a surprise, you should exercise. Want some reasons why? Here you go...
•It burns calories. As you've already learned, this is helpful for weight loss. It's also equally helpful for avoiding weight gain.
•It improves your physical abilities. Strength, endurance, flexibility, you name it, exercise will improve it. Get better at a specific sport, or just get better at carrying bags from your car to your house. Think of every single physical task you perform over the course of the day. Got 'em? Exercising will most likely improve your ability to do every single one of them.
•It increases muscle. (More on this below.)
•It improves your health. There is an almost infinite amount of research showing the positive effects that exercise has on everything from your heart to your back to your bones to your joints to your brain.
Convinced yet? Good.
For the most part, there's really just two types of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic. Every single person reading this weight loss guide should be doing one of them at the very least. Both, of course, would be even better.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise refers to activities that are also commonly referred to as "cardio," which of course is short for cardiovascular. This is due to the fact that aerobic exercises focus on cardiovascular endurance and are performed for longer periods of time at low-to-moderate intensities. As you probably know, it provides a variety of health benefits. Some examples of this type of exercise include:
•Walking
•Jogging
•Skating
•Biking
•Swimming
•Ellipticaling (What do you call what you do on an elliptical machine? I'm going with "ellipticaling.")
Which one should you do?
There's two different points of view to have when answering this question. The first is to go with the one that burns the most calories. I mean, sure, it makes a ton of sense. When you understand the One Fact and that weight loss (and gain/maintenance) revolves around calories, going with the type of exercise that burns the most calories is obviously the right idea. Speaking from just that point of view, this is definitely the right answer. (You can see estimations of the "calories burned" during specific activities here, here and here.)
However, there is another point of view that must be taken into account. Let's say, for example, that the activity that burns the most calories is something you absolutely hate doing. It will put you in the best position to burn the most calories, but it also puts you in the worst position to actually perform this exercise on a regular basis since it is something you are going to dread doing. See what I mean? It might burn the most calories, but that won't do much for you when you quit doing it because you can't stand that activity.
That's why I think the best aerobic exercise tip on the planet is this; pick the activity you are going to be most likely to perform regularly. If you like skating, skate. If you like riding your bike, ride your bike. If you like jogging on a treadmill while watching TV, jog on a treadmill while you watch TV. If you like swimming and have access to a pool, swim. If you like them all, then definitely feel free to pick your favorites and alternate between them.
You know that career saying that if you love what you do, you're not really working? It definitely applies to exercise. Sure you're burning calories and helping your weight loss and greatly improving your health all at the same time. But, if you're having fun... that's really all you need to care about.
Duration and Frequency
You're probably also wondering how many days per week aerobic exercise should be performed, and for how many minutes each time. This is nearly impossible for me to answer because everyone reading this is at a different level physically, with different goals (some want to lose 5lbs, others 105lbs), different ages and so on. Some of you may be able to jump on the treadmill tomorrow and jog 30 minutes with no problem. Some may only be able to do 15 minutes. Others will probably have to stop before hitting the 2 minute mark.
See what I mean? But, since I know people like seeing cold hard numbers, if you do need a number to work towards, 30 minutes is probably a good, typical duration to shoot for when doing most aerobic exercise. Of course, if you happen to be enjoying what you are doing and aren't killing yourself to continue, you definitely don't need to stop when you reach the 30 minute point. But, if you're just the average person wondering how long they should stay on the treadmill or bike for, 30 minutes is a pretty typical number.
As for the number of days per week to perform aerobic exercise, I'd recommend a minimum of 3 days per week, and a maximum of 6 days per week. While any amount of exercise is obviously a good thing, I think 3 days per week is a good minimum recommendation as any less probably won't have much of a significant effect (weight loss-wise, at least). As for the 6 day maximum, working out on that 7th day certainly won't kill you. But, a lot of smart people feel that while exercise should definitely be done often, the body still needs to be able to rest and recover from this exercise. For this reason, I like the idea of 1 full day off per week from all exercise (aerobic and anaerobic).
Aerobic Exercise Progress
Since your goal is weight loss, let's pretend you clicked one of the above links to see some estimations for "calories burned" during different types of exercise and saw that 30 minutes of your activity is exactly what you'd like to do. Now, let's also pretend that as of today, you can only do about 5 minutes of that activity before having to stop. What do you do? Simple... you progress.
A large number of the people reading this probably aren't in the best of shape and therefore performing aerobic exercise isn't going to be a thing of beauty at first. That is why an effort must be made to progress. If you can only jog for 1 minute before having to stop and walk, make it your goal to jog for 1 minute and 30 seconds the next time before stopping to walk. The time after that? 2 minutes. This is progress. And, if there is no progress, all you are doing is maintaining your current state. Progress of any form, no matter how slow, small or gradual, is the key.
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise refers to activities that focus on increasing strength and/or muscle. Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic activities are performed for short periods and at high intensities. Some examples include:
•Weight Training
•Resistance Machines
•Calisthenics (Pushups, pullups, etc.)
Since your goal here is weight loss, you may be wondering why you should even bother with anaerobic exercise. Well, besides improved strength, bone density, flexibility, and more, there are 3 other important reasons you definitely need to be aware of, 2 of which have a direct impact on losing weight and keeping it off.
1.The activity itself burns calories. While it may not be as big of a calorie burner as some aerobic activities are, anaerobic exercise such as weight training burns a significant amount of calories. And, as you've learned, burning more calories is one of the ways of making the One Fact happen.
2.The result of the activity burns calories, too. Sure, anaerobic exercise leads to increased strength, but one of the other benefits is increased muscle. And, one of the benefits of increased muscle is an increase in the number of calories your body naturally burns at rest. Remember all of that BMR stuff I mentioned when discussing calorie maintenance levels? How your body burns many calories every day on its own just keeping you alive and functioning properly? Well, maintaining muscle actually burns calories. That means the more muscle you add to your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn per day.
3.It will make you look really, really good. Losing weight and being healthy are the ultimate goals here, of course. But, come on. Who doesn't want to look really, really good? Obviously losing fat will make a HUGE positive difference to your appearance, but do you know what else will make an equally huge positive difference? Adding some muscle to your body. You don't have to become a big freaky bodybuilder or anything close (and without their drug use, you won't), but just adding a few pounds of muscle to your body can make a world of difference.
It's all pretty convincing, isn't it?
Duration and Frequency
Without getting to the specifics of volume, intensity, exercise selection and program design (which would really require it's own guide), it is once again going to be tough to give cold hard numbers. However, I won't leave you hanging completely. I would say that, for most of us, strength training (be it with free weights, machines, or our own body weight) should be performed a maximum of 4 times per week. Earlier I mentioned the importance of rest and recovery from exercise. With aerobic exercise, it's a good idea. With anaerobic exercise, it's a requirement. So, I'd set a 4 day per week maximum. As for a minimum, I'd go with 2 times per week.
As for the duration of each workout, again, it's tough to just throw a number out there without getting into many other specifics. I can however give you a good maximum duration to shoot for... 60 minutes. It is the duration of time most often recommended as a maximum for a strength training workout.
I personally do anaerobic exercise (weight training) 4 days per week. Monday is upper body, Tuesday is lower body, Wednesday is a day off, Thursday is upper body, Friday is lower body, and Saturday/Sunday are days off as well. While my goals are no longer weight loss related, this type of routine is still ideal for pretty much anyone looking to increase strength and/or muscle. So, if you do choose to do anaerobic exercise (which you know you should), this is a good place to start.
(UPDATE: Hey there. After you finish reading this guide, be sure to check out my new workout-specific site, A Workout Routine, to learn everything you'll ever need to know about creating The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine.)
Myths, Lies, And Other Stuff To Ignore
When it comes to weight loss, or really any aspect of diet and fitness for that matter, there tends to be a lot of bad bits of information around. Some of them are myths, as in incorrect/inaccurate ideas that for one reason or another are believed by many people as facts. Others are flat out lies, as in the deception being used to sell products. Others are just stupid, or unnecessary, or insignificant, and will do nothing but distract people from what truly needs to be done to lose weight.
To help you avoid all of this, here are some of the most common myths, lies and other stuff to ignore:
•Spot Reduction Is Possible: Myth
Spot reduction refers to the idea of being able to "reduce" fat from one specific "spot" on your body. For example, the idea that crunches and situps are burning stomach fat, or leg exercises are burning leg fat, or back exercises are burning back fat (and so on and so on for any part of the body). This is a myth. Spot reduction is not actually possible no matter how hard you try. You can't make your body lose fat from one specific area. It can only be lost from the body as a whole. You could do 1000 crunches and situps every day for the next 10 years... it will have absolutely no direct impact on the fat on your stomach.
Here's why. Exercises work muscles. If those muscles are covered by a layer of fat, they will remain covered until that fat is lost. You could work the muscles forever. They'll get bigger and stronger, which is a good thing. However, it won't do anything to the fat covering that muscle. So, how do you lose that fat? Well, you are reading something called The Ultimate Guide To Weight Loss. And, while we all refer to it as "weight loss," it's really fat loss. So, if you make the One Fact happen, you will make fat loss happen.
As you lose weight, fat will start to come off your body in whatever way your body is genetically predisposed to losing fat. Maybe a lot from your legs first, maybe your arms, or back, or chest, or stomach. Who knows. Whatever order it is, you can't change it. I can already hear the next question. "But I thought you said exercise would help weight loss?" It will. Exercise burns calories, which will help the One Fact happen. It does not however burn fat in the specific body part you are exercising.
So, to sum up, spot reduction is impossible. Anyone who tells you anything different or just makes it seem like it may be possible is either stupid (alright, alright... "misinformed"), lying to you, or, most of the time, trying to sell you something. More on that a bit later.
•Eating Late At Night Is Bad: Myth
Ever hear that it's bad to eat after 9pm? Or maybe after 8pm? How about 7pm? Or perhaps 6pm? Whatever time you heard it was bad to eat after, it's a myth. Go back and re-read the One Fact. Was there any mention of time in the entire fact? Nope, there wasn't. Do you know why? Because the time of day that you eat plays no role in what your weight does. If you eat too much, you will gain weight. It doesn't matter if you do all of that eating early in the day or late at night. Too many total calories causes weight gain. (I talk about this myth a bit more in the Diet Myths article.)
•Eating Fat Makes You Fat/Eating Carbs Makes You Fat: Myth
Once again, go back and read the One Fact. Was there any mention of fat? How about carbs? Do you know why? Because weight loss, weight gain, and weight maintenance is all about calories, not specific nutrients. If your maintenance level is 2000 calories, and you eat 2500 calories per day, you will gain weight whether those calories came from fat, carbs or protein. Healthy food or unhealthy junk, too much of anything will have the same effect on your weight. Health-wise there is an obvious difference, of course. But, as far as weight control goes, it doesn't matter. Too many calories causes weight gain. The source of those calories (fat, carbs, protein) does not matter.
•The Grapefruit Diet/The Cabbage Soup Diet Work: Lie
In case you've been lucky enough to avoid hearing about these two idiotic (and unsafe/unhealthy) diets, let me break it down for you. These fad diets and those like them require you to eat nothing but that one food for a certain period of time and promise very fast fat loss. First of all... lie! No food possesses the magic ability to burn fat. Second... lie! At best, these diets may cause a person to temporarily lose some water weight. Go back to a normal diet and that weight will immediately return. Third... danger! As if it even needs to be pointed out, a diet consisting of just one food will cause a person to be deficient in a variety of important nutrients. Ignore any and all mention of these idiotic fad diets.
•Fast Weight Loss Is Possible: Myth & Lie
I mentioned this a bit earlier when talking about the ideal weight loss rate, so you are already aware that weight should not be lost quickly. However, since everyone wants to lose weight fast, countless products and diets continue to exist claiming "fast" results. This of course, is a lie. It just can't happen. The human body just can not lose fat as quickly as some products/diets claim they will allow you to. Not to mention, any attempt at losing weight faster than the ideal rate (1-2 pounds per week for the average person) could put you at risk for some serious health issues. So, put the idea of "fast" results out of your mind. It can not happen, and it should not be attempted. As for any product that makes it seem like it can... stay far, far away.
•You Can Turn Fat Into Muscle: Myth
I'll make this one short and sweet. Fat is fat. Muscle is muscle. One can not turn into the other. You can lose 5 pounds of fat and gain 5 pounds of muscle, but they would be two completely separate processes.
•Exercising With High Reps Makes You Toned, Low Reps Makes You Bulky: Myth
There are many people who are under the impression that if you exercise using high reps, it will make you toned/defined/cut/ripped/whatever. And, if you exercise with low reps, it will make you big/huge/bulky/whatever. These people would be wrong. First of all, here's what "tone" is. Being toned is when you have some muscle, and then have a low enough amount of fat covering that muscle so that it becomes visible. The less fat covering the muscle, the more "toned" you appear. Now, go back and read about the spot reduction myth. Right there you know that high reps or low reps, neither is "toning" anything. They are all working the muscle, not burning the fat covering the muscle. If you want to be more toned or sculpted or whatever other wacky adjective you can think of, you need to lose more fat. Whether you do 5 reps of 15 reps, it's not going to matter in terms of "tone."
•Exercising With Machines Makes You Toned, Free Weights Makes You Bulky: Myth
See above. The exact same concept applies.
•The People In The Ad Got That Body By Using THAT Product: Lie
HA! That's what I have to say if you think all of those awesome looking people in all of those product ads actually got to look that way due to the use of whatever product they are selling. These are paid models. They show up, stand around with some product that they never even knew existed until now, get their picture taken/appear in a video with the product, get their check and then go home. The worst thing you can ever think when watching a commercial or looking at an ad for some sort of weight loss product is "Hey, these people look exactly how I want to look. This product must work!" This is exactly what they want to happen. It's all part of the crazy amount of deception used in these ads to get you to buy their junk.
•Those "As Seen On TV" Ab Machines Really Work: Lie
Speaking of junk, this is as junky as it gets in this industry. The Ab Lounge, Ab Rocker, Ab Chair, Ab Roller, and the 50 million others all have something in common. They do absolutely nothing special. They sell this junk under the guise of spot reduction actually being possible. As you've already learned, it is not. These useless machines do not have ANY direct effect on the fat on your stomach no matter how much they lie to you in the ads. So, why should you buy these products? If you enjoy wasting money on something you could be doing for free on the floor, it's perfect. If you enjoy getting a less effective ab workout because most of these machines put you in positions where THEY end up doing part of the work for you, again... perfect. All kidding aside, they are all equally unnecessary.
•There Is Some Other Easy Way To Lose Weight: Myth
Sorry, but no. Want some really good advice? Don't spend a second of your time trying to find some other "easy" way. It doesn't exist. Looking will only waste your time, money, and effort and get you no where. Everything you need to know is here, in this guide, for free. Use it.
Products
It would be pretty tough to put together any sort of weight loss guide (let alone the ULTIMATE one) without mentioning products. After all, your goal just so happens to be a billion dollar industry. The funny thing about that fact is that most of those billions are being spent on useless junk. Crazy, isn't it? But, when you consider that most of the diet/fitness products on the market ARE in fact useless junk, you'd realize that it would be impossible for it to be any other way. Let's just make sure you don't add to those billions.
To help do that, here are some weight loss, diet and fitness products you should stay far, FAR away from.
Products You Should NOT Buy
• Ab Machines
See above. They do nothing special and are as unnecessary as a product can be. Save your 3 easy payments of $19.95.
• Weight Loss Pills and Supplements
Some are dangerous. Others just do absolutely nothing. All however are completely unnecessary.
• Weight Loss "Secrets"
There are many junky web sites around that sell "weight loss secrets" in the form of an eBook or manual or premium membership or even in actual book form. They will usually run down a story about how they tried this and that, and nothing ever worked... UNTIL they discovered some secret method. And, if you want to know this secret, you just have to spend some money and order it. Wanna hear a secret? There is no such thing as a weight loss secret. This guide pretty much contains it all. There is no magical method that I'm keeping from you. This is all there is. Any web site trying to sell you something else is lying and trying laughably hard to get your money.
• Anything That Makes Amazing Claims
Will the product do all of the work for you? Is diet and exercise not needed? Does it only take 10 minutes per day, 2 times per week? Can you still eat whatever you want? Will it cause you to lose weight fast? If so, save your money. It's guaranteed junk.
Products You SHOULD Buy
• Digital Food Scale
This list isn't in any kind of order, but if it was, a digital food scale would probably be #1 on the list. Diet-wise, there is no more useful tool on the planet in my opinion. I know I've already blogged about my love for the digital food scale, but I'd be insane not to re-mention it in this weight loss guide. Seriously, if you're going to spend your money on a product, spend it on this. As for a recommendation, any of these scales would be perfect.
• Gym Membership
Technically a gym membership is not really a "product," but it is a way to spend your money, and that's good enough for me. You know all of that stuff I mentioned about exercise? Well, in order to do most of it, you will need the equipment. A gym has the equipment. Sure, you may be able to buy some stuff and workout at home, but if will power is an issue for you, a gym may be the better choice. For many people it's a lot easier to blow off your workout when you can "conveniently" do it at home any time you want. "Nah, I'm not going to workout now. I'll be home all day, I'll just workout later." Then later becomes even later, and it never happens.
A gym is a place you have to get up and go to. It's a different environment, the right environment. Your house is the same environment where you eat, sleep, watch TV, sit in front of a computer and interact with your family members. Not really ideal for those lacking will power. So, if will power is an issue, a gym might be the better choice. If it's not, and you do end up working out at home and buying some equipment, you should only buy quality, useful stuff instead of fancy, unnecessary junk. Speaking of which...
• Treadmill, Bike, Elliptical Machine
As far as aerobic exercise goes, this is really the only type of stuff you need to buy if you are planning on doing it at home.
• Free Weights
As far as anaerobic exercises goes, free weights (barbells and dumbbells) are far superior to any kind of machine you could possibly find. If you're going to spend any money on this type of stuff, spend it on free weights. No matter what Chuck Norris or whatever other celebrity fitness expert tells you, their junky product is not better than or even nearly as good as plain old free weights. I workout at a gym, but if I didn't, I can tell you with absolute certainty that my home gym would be nothing but free weights and a treadmill.
• Body Weight Scale
Progress tracking is a very important aspect of weight loss, and a scale is one of the handful of ways to track this progress. I'd recommend a nice digital scale that has at least 0.5lb increments so even the smallest changes can be seen.
• Tape Measure
Same reasons as above. More about why later.
• Digital Camera & Body Fat Calipers (optional)
While none of these products are required, they can all be extremely helpful. These two however can be considered the most optional of the group. As for why, the same reason as above... progress tracking.
• Protein Powder, Multivitamin and Fish Oil Supplement
None of these are actually weight loss supplements (more just overall health and nutritional supplements), but, they are always the first three supplements I would recommend to anyone looking to improving their body or health in any way (especially those trying to lose weight). They are part of the VERY small group of supplements that I've personally used for years. Protein powder is a convenient and high quality protein source, a multivitamin can be beneficial for obvious reasons, but the fish oil may need a small explanation. Remember all of that stuff I mentioned before about healthy fat, specifically the Omega-3 fatty acid? How research shows an increasingly large number of health benefits associated with it? Well, a fish oil supplement is the ideal source of this specific fatty acid. Most protein powder and multivitamin brands are fine, but for fish oil, I'm a huge fan of Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. It's the only brand I EVER use.
The Mental Aspect Of Weight Loss
At this point, you pretty much know, well, everything. Unfortunately, that alone isn't enough. You need the motivation to start doing it, and the will power and dedication to stick to it and keep on doing it. For some people, this won't be a problem. For most people... this IS the problem.
To help it not be a problem for you, it's time to go over the stuff that could help or hurt you from the mental side of weight loss. You know... the things that will help you actually DO what needs doing as well as prevent you from failing or quitting. Let's start with your diet.
Sticking To Your Diet
Sticking to your diet will mostly be a matter of will power. However, there are quite a few tips and methods around that will certainly help. Here now are some of the better ones:
•Eat as many meals per day as you want.
At some point decades ago, everyone felt "3 square meals per day" was ideal. Then, years later, practically everyone in the nutrition field unanimously agreed that we should instead be eating 6 smaller meals per day spaced out every 2-3 hours exactly. Why? Because it "speeds up our metabolism" and does other awesome stuff that helps us lose fat or build muscle better.
Well, guess what? Countless recent studies have proven that absolutely NONE of it is true. Meal frequency just doesn't matter in terms of "speeding up metabolic rate" or anything similar. 6 meals aren't better than 3, and 3 meals aren't better than 6. As long as your total calorie and nutrient (protein, fat and carb) intake is the same by the end of the day, how many meals you eat to reach those totals just doesn't matter at all.
So, when it comes to deciding how many meals YOU should eat per day, there's only one guideline you ever need to follow: do whatever is best for you. If you like eating 6 smaller meals more frequently, do it. If you'd rather eat 3 bigger meals, do it. If you'd rather eat some other amount of times (4 meals, 5 meals, etc.), do it. As long as you're eating the right total amounts of calories, protein, fat and carbs per day, it just doesn't matter. Do what's most convenient and enjoyable for you.
•Buy, plan and prepare your meals in advance.
Planning how many meals you'll eat each day is helpful in that you'll know when you will (and won't) be eating (which helps ensure you don't eat more than you are supposed to). Actually planning what specific foods/amounts you'll eat during those meals and actually buying and/or preparing that food in advance when possible may be even more helpful. When your meals are spontaneous, anything can happen. You can be somewhere where all you can eat is junk. You can be somewhere where you can eat something good, but you can easily just eat too much of it. Planning will prevent this.
Not everyone can do it, but those who can definitely should. Those who can't should try their best to do it as often as possible. Plan tonight's dinner, plan all of today's meals, or plan a whole week's worth of meals... whatever. Plan, plan and plan some more. In my opinion, this is the best "sticking to your diet" tip there is. Do it.
•Don't buy what you shouldn't eat.
Are cookies your big problem food? If so, don't have them around you. You know exactly what you should and should not be eating. The best way to avoid eating what you shouldn't is to just not buy it. Don't have it in your house. Out of sight, out of mind. Of course, this is easy if you live alone or live with someone whose goal is also weight loss (or just being healthy), but if not, it can be tough. In these cases, here is something to keep in mind: Everyone's diet can be improved by reducing/eliminating unhealthy junk food.
Portion Control
If portion control is your biggest weight loss obstacle (you are still hungry after eating and end up eating more than you should), here are some of the more popular tips for fixing this:
•Eat slowly.
Feeling full isn't immediate. It takes time for the food you are eating to register with your brain and make you feel full. This is why eating quickly would be a bad thing. Instead, take your time. Put your fork down between bites. Chew slowly. You don't have to do any kind of weird slow motion eating or anything, just take your time and don't rush through your meal. Eating quickly will only cause you to eat more and more before your body/brain even gets a chance to realize that you are full.
•Drink water with your meal.
Don't wait until you're almost done. Drink water throughout the meal. Not only will this help fill you up and prevent you from wanting to eat more than you should, but it will also help slow down your eating which helps the above tip. Not to mention... water is what you want to be drinking.
•Use smaller plates/Take half a portion at a time.
As someone who is lucky enough to have the will power to just eat what I should eat and not want anymore, I have to admit, I find some of these tips a little, you know, hilarious. But hey, whatever works... do it. The thinking behind the smaller plates idea is that seeing your food in a smaller plate (and therefore filling it up completely) will trick your mind into thinking you are eating more than you actually are. With the half-a-portion idea, the thinking is that the act of getting up to get "seconds" will trick your mind into thinking a second serving is really being taken. Weird? Yes. Does it help some people? You bet. If you are one of these people, use these tips.
Cheat Meals & "Everything In Moderation"
Back when you learned what you should and should not eat, you may have wondered if you are really NEVER supposed to eat the stuff you shouldn't eat, or if you should allow yourself a cheat meal every once in a while. You know, "indulge in moderation." The answer to this question may play a large role in how well you are able to stick to your diet.
There's two obvious points of view to have here... for it or against it. I'll explain both sides and then leave the decision up to you.
For It
The first point of view is that everything is OK to eat in moderation. The thinking here is that there is no need to remove every not-so-great food from your diet completely and permanently, and that trying to do so only makes sticking to your diet even harder. The idea is that indulging in something you know you shouldn't regularly be eating (junk food) is perfectly fine as long as you do it in moderation. As in, not too much, and not too often. A little junk once a week, or twice a month, or just on holidays and special occassions... is fine.
Scientifically speaking, this point of view (assuming it is actually done "in moderation") will not hurt your weight loss at all, nor will it cause weight gain. You know the One Fact, right? Well, let's say for example that the number of calories you need to consume per day to lose weight is 2500 (500 below maintenance). That means that over the course of 1 full week you'd create a 3500 calorie deficit (500 calorie deficit each day x 7 days = 3500) and lose about 1 pound through diet alone.
Now, let's say your "in moderation" cheat meal is 500 additional calories worth of junk food every Sunday. Your weekly deficit of 3500 now becomes 3000. Is there a difference? Yes, but it's really tiny. A 3000 calorie weekly deficit still exists which means weight loss will still happen just fine. You'd still end up losing weight at the rate of slightly less than 1 pound per week through diet alone.
Another good way to "cheat" without it having much (if any) negative effect is by "canceling out" the additional calories. For example, if you know you will be cheating with 500 calories of junk food today, make room for these 500 calories by eating 500 less calories than you normally would that day. So, if you are supposed to be consuming 2500 calories daily, rather than consuming 500 additional "cheat" calories and making your total 3000 for the day, just make those 500 "cheat" calories a part of your normal 2500.
You could also make this happen through exercise, by burning an additional 500 calories on that "cheat" day. Either way, your daily total would still end up being the 2500 calories it's supposed to be.
While the first way would just barely make a tiny, almost insignificant difference to your weight loss, the second way would make virtually no difference at all.
What this all means is that in the end, as long as it is done correctly (meaning you're not "cheating" too often or too much), this whole "everything in moderation" idea is fantastic. Weight loss still happens (and weight gain is still prevented) and you still get to occasionally eat some yummy junk food. It's a win/win situation.
Well, for some people, at least. Let me explain.
Against It
Picture this. You've smoked a whole bunch of cigarettes every single day since you were 14 years old. You tried to quit many times, but never had the will power to do it. However, you've finally just about done it. You haven't smoked at all in a couple of weeks and you're doing great. And now... you decide that instead of giving up smoking completely, you are going to have a "cheat" cigarette once per week.
What do you think happens next? I'd guess that some of the people who do this go on for the rest of their lives smoking 1 cigarette per week. I'd also guess that the majority of the people end up smoking regularly all over again.
Now, replace "smoking" with "eating" and "cigarettes" with "junk food" and you could understand why there is an "against it" point of view.
This is the point of view that feels that all cheating does is keep your interest in these foods alive. If you completely avoid something you crave, the cravings will fade away. If you instead give in and practically tease yourself with it, the cravings stay alive and strong and if anything... grow and grow until you are giving in on a regular basis.
From the weight loss side of things, this would be as bad as can be. Think about it. Remember earlier when I mentioned that too many total calories is what causes weight gain? And that the most common sources of these excess calories for most people was some form of junk food? This would mean that you are "cheating" with the very same foods that caused your weight gain in the first place. You'd be indulging in the original cause of your problem.
It is for this reason that for a large number of people, "cheating" and "indulging in moderation" only leads to negative results.
One other "against it" reason should also be mentioned here, one that has nothing to do with weight loss. What sometimes gets lost in this to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat argument is the fact that the foods most often being "cheated" with are unhealthy junk. It's only once in a while, sure, but it's still unhealthy junk. I mean, health-wise, there is nothing good about someone indulging in a trans fat filled, high sodium fast food item, even if it is just once per week. Cheating like this may not hurt your weight, but it can still hurt your health.
So, What Should You Do?
That's a good question, and one I really can't answer for you. This is a personal thing based on nothing but your own will power or lack thereof. Do you think you can cheat only in moderation, or will doing so only remind you of how much you miss these foods and cause you to go back to your old eating habits? Only you can answer that, because only you know what's truly right for you.
Tracking Weight Loss Progress
Accurately tracking your progress is going to be a huge part of your weight loss as well as a huge part of making sure the weight stays lost. There's two reasons for this:
1.It will allow you to know for sure that what you are doing is working and that your body is doing what it should be doing (losing weight, maintaining weight, etc.)
2.There is no better motivator than your own progress.
For these reasons, you MUST keep track of your progress. Here are 3 simple ways: 1.Weigh yourself.
Do it once per week (no more, no less) and do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The key to tracking progress is consistency, so make sure you weigh yourself the same way, in the same spot, every time. If you are going to weigh yourself with a shirt on, always weigh yourself with that shirt on (or at least something similar). Pick a day and do it on the same day every week. And, as mentioned, always do it right after you wake up before eating or drinking anything. Keep a log of your weight somewhere (in a notebook, on a calendar, on the computer, wherever) and enter in each week's weight right after getting off the scale.
2.Take measurements.
Get yourself a tape measure (the kind that can be wrapped around your body) and start measuring. Do it at least once per month, and at most once per week. Measure your waist, your arms, your thighs and your chest. As for where exactly to take each measurement, it really doesn't matter too much just as long as you always take the measurements from the same spots every time. Oh, and you should be doing it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach as well.
3.Take pictures.
Watching your weight gradually decrease and the inches slowly come off will be quite motivating. The only thing even more fun to see is the actual progress itself in the form of monthly pictures. You see yourself all the time, so noticing your own weight loss progress will be the hardest for you. This is where pictures come in handy. They will remind you of exactly where you were when you started and show you exactly how far you've come. I think once per month is a good frequency for most people to see every single bit of improvement they are making.
Keeping The Weight Off Permanently
Are you wondering how to keep the weight off after you lose it? I can answer that for you in just 3 words: It Doesn't Stop
All of it. The keeping track of your calorie intake, the healthy eating, the exercising... it doesn't stop. You remember the One Fact? Well, knowing that, how can it possibly stop? If you go back to eating too many calories, you're going to gain the weight right back. I've avoided using this line through the entire weight loss guide due to how lame it sounds, but now I think I have to. It's a lifestyle change. Despite the lameness of those four words, it's 100% true. This is a new way of life. You saw what the results of your old way of life were, right? Go back to that, and those results come right back with it. So, once again... it doesn't stop.
What will have to stop at some point is the weight loss itself. When you reach your goal weight, just adjust your calorie intake (I'd recommend 250-300 calorie increments for adjustments) until you get to the point where you are maintaining the new weight you want to permanently stay at. This is your new maintenance level and is the new number of calories you'll need to consume daily to prevent yourself from both gaining weight and losing anymore weight. That's pretty much all there is to keeping the weight off permanently... continuing to do exactly what you did to lose the weight, only now you'll just be maintaining it. Simple enough.
Successful Weight Loss Guaranteed
That's right, I used the G word (guaranteed) in a weight loss article. And you know what? I mean it. Do you want to ensure that you successfully lose weight and keep it off with absolutely no problems at all? Do you want guaranteed results? Great, then I have just two final steps for you to follow:
1.Read this guide and put all of its information into effect.
2.Ignore EVERYTHING.
I'm sure #1 was obvious, but #2 might sound a bit confusing. Let me explain.
Ignore fad diets, ignore gimmicks, ignore books, ignore magazines, ignore Oprah, ignore supplements, ignore how your friends are trying to lose weight, ignore before and after pictures, ignore testimonials, ignore products, ignore ads, and heck, with the exception of this guide, you can ignore every other weight loss related thing I ever have to say.
The reason why is simple... weight loss information is finite. Everything you actually need to know about it already exists and has existed for quite some time. It's all in this guide. It has not changed, and it never will change. It will never improve. It will never become easier, it will never become harder. The way cavemen lost weight is the exact same way flying-telepathic-super-humans will lose weight in 4028.
But, that's not what anyone else in the world wants you to know. If you did, why in the world would you buy the new diet book on this week's best seller list? Why would you bother watching Oprah to see the new weight loss guru she's going to interview? Why would you even skim through the endless articles and lists of "10 Weight Loss Secrets," "20 Ways To Slim Down In Time For Summer," "15 Weight Loss Tips," "How ::insert celebrity's name here:: Lost Weight." If you know that there is nothing new to say about weight loss, then you know that all of that stuff is, well, useless.
And guess what? It all is. All of that is and always will be useless nonsense that exists for no other reason than to get you to watch, read, or buy something. Magazines have to keep putting out new issues. Web sites have to keep putting up new content (trust me, I know). Newspapers will not exist without new articles. Diet books are probably the most common books to find on best seller lists. And Oprah... she has more episodes to do. As long as the new issues come out, new articles get written, new content goes up, new episodes air and most important of all, new money gets made... it will never stop.
Unless of course... you stop.
Let all of that stuff continue to exist and be completely ignored by you. All of that stuff supposedly exists to help you. All it really does is distract, confuse and prevent. How can you stay focused on your diet plan when a newer, better, faster, easier diet comes out every other day? Last month's issue of Waste Of Time Magazine was all about losing weight through Diet A. They had lists of reasons and it all made sense. You FINALLY got it. But then... next month's issue showed up, and it was all about the wonders of Diet B. Does that really help people lose weight, or does it give them a reason to quit Diet A, become confused, buy next month's magazine and learn about Diet C, become even more confused, and then give up altogether?
This is all why in my opinion, the single best weight loss tip in existence can be explained in just two simple words... ignore everything. Stop looking for newer, better, faster, easier ways. All it will do is waste your time and effort (and probably your money) all while no weight is getting lost because you're too busy "looking" instead of "doing."
Read this guide, bookmark it, come back and read it as many times as you want, and do it all with the peace of mind of knowing that THIS IS IT. There is nothing else out there to look for. This guide is the complete compilation of all there is to safe, healthy, productive, free, expert-recommended weight loss. Look no further.
Exercise
As if this is going to come as a surprise, you should exercise. Want some reasons why? Here you go...
•It burns calories. As you've already learned, this is helpful for weight loss. It's also equally helpful for avoiding weight gain.
•It improves your physical abilities. Strength, endurance, flexibility, you name it, exercise will improve it. Get better at a specific sport, or just get better at carrying bags from your car to your house. Think of every single physical task you perform over the course of the day. Got 'em? Exercising will most likely improve your ability to do every single one of them.
•It increases muscle. (More on this below.)
•It improves your health. There is an almost infinite amount of research showing the positive effects that exercise has on everything from your heart to your back to your bones to your joints to your brain.
Convinced yet? Good.
For the most part, there's really just two types of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic. Every single person reading this weight loss guide should be doing one of them at the very least. Both, of course, would be even better.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise refers to activities that are also commonly referred to as "cardio," which of course is short for cardiovascular. This is due to the fact that aerobic exercises focus on cardiovascular endurance and are performed for longer periods of time at low-to-moderate intensities. As you probably know, it provides a variety of health benefits. Some examples of this type of exercise include:
•Walking
•Jogging
•Skating
•Biking
•Swimming
•Ellipticaling (What do you call what you do on an elliptical machine? I'm going with "ellipticaling.")
Which one should you do?
There's two different points of view to have when answering this question. The first is to go with the one that burns the most calories. I mean, sure, it makes a ton of sense. When you understand the One Fact and that weight loss (and gain/maintenance) revolves around calories, going with the type of exercise that burns the most calories is obviously the right idea. Speaking from just that point of view, this is definitely the right answer. (You can see estimations of the "calories burned" during specific activities here, here and here.)
However, there is another point of view that must be taken into account. Let's say, for example, that the activity that burns the most calories is something you absolutely hate doing. It will put you in the best position to burn the most calories, but it also puts you in the worst position to actually perform this exercise on a regular basis since it is something you are going to dread doing. See what I mean? It might burn the most calories, but that won't do much for you when you quit doing it because you can't stand that activity.
That's why I think the best aerobic exercise tip on the planet is this; pick the activity you are going to be most likely to perform regularly. If you like skating, skate. If you like riding your bike, ride your bike. If you like jogging on a treadmill while watching TV, jog on a treadmill while you watch TV. If you like swimming and have access to a pool, swim. If you like them all, then definitely feel free to pick your favorites and alternate between them.
You know that career saying that if you love what you do, you're not really working? It definitely applies to exercise. Sure you're burning calories and helping your weight loss and greatly improving your health all at the same time. But, if you're having fun... that's really all you need to care about.
Duration and Frequency
You're probably also wondering how many days per week aerobic exercise should be performed, and for how many minutes each time. This is nearly impossible for me to answer because everyone reading this is at a different level physically, with different goals (some want to lose 5lbs, others 105lbs), different ages and so on. Some of you may be able to jump on the treadmill tomorrow and jog 30 minutes with no problem. Some may only be able to do 15 minutes. Others will probably have to stop before hitting the 2 minute mark.
See what I mean? But, since I know people like seeing cold hard numbers, if you do need a number to work towards, 30 minutes is probably a good, typical duration to shoot for when doing most aerobic exercise. Of course, if you happen to be enjoying what you are doing and aren't killing yourself to continue, you definitely don't need to stop when you reach the 30 minute point. But, if you're just the average person wondering how long they should stay on the treadmill or bike for, 30 minutes is a pretty typical number.
As for the number of days per week to perform aerobic exercise, I'd recommend a minimum of 3 days per week, and a maximum of 6 days per week. While any amount of exercise is obviously a good thing, I think 3 days per week is a good minimum recommendation as any less probably won't have much of a significant effect (weight loss-wise, at least). As for the 6 day maximum, working out on that 7th day certainly won't kill you. But, a lot of smart people feel that while exercise should definitely be done often, the body still needs to be able to rest and recover from this exercise. For this reason, I like the idea of 1 full day off per week from all exercise (aerobic and anaerobic).
Aerobic Exercise Progress
Since your goal is weight loss, let's pretend you clicked one of the above links to see some estimations for "calories burned" during different types of exercise and saw that 30 minutes of your activity is exactly what you'd like to do. Now, let's also pretend that as of today, you can only do about 5 minutes of that activity before having to stop. What do you do? Simple... you progress.
A large number of the people reading this probably aren't in the best of shape and therefore performing aerobic exercise isn't going to be a thing of beauty at first. That is why an effort must be made to progress. If you can only jog for 1 minute before having to stop and walk, make it your goal to jog for 1 minute and 30 seconds the next time before stopping to walk. The time after that? 2 minutes. This is progress. And, if there is no progress, all you are doing is maintaining your current state. Progress of any form, no matter how slow, small or gradual, is the key.
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise refers to activities that focus on increasing strength and/or muscle. Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic activities are performed for short periods and at high intensities. Some examples include:
•Weight Training
•Resistance Machines
•Calisthenics (Pushups, pullups, etc.)
Since your goal here is weight loss, you may be wondering why you should even bother with anaerobic exercise. Well, besides improved strength, bone density, flexibility, and more, there are 3 other important reasons you definitely need to be aware of, 2 of which have a direct impact on losing weight and keeping it off.
1.The activity itself burns calories. While it may not be as big of a calorie burner as some aerobic activities are, anaerobic exercise such as weight training burns a significant amount of calories. And, as you've learned, burning more calories is one of the ways of making the One Fact happen.
2.The result of the activity burns calories, too. Sure, anaerobic exercise leads to increased strength, but one of the other benefits is increased muscle. And, one of the benefits of increased muscle is an increase in the number of calories your body naturally burns at rest. Remember all of that BMR stuff I mentioned when discussing calorie maintenance levels? How your body burns many calories every day on its own just keeping you alive and functioning properly? Well, maintaining muscle actually burns calories. That means the more muscle you add to your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn per day.
3.It will make you look really, really good. Losing weight and being healthy are the ultimate goals here, of course. But, come on. Who doesn't want to look really, really good? Obviously losing fat will make a HUGE positive difference to your appearance, but do you know what else will make an equally huge positive difference? Adding some muscle to your body. You don't have to become a big freaky bodybuilder or anything close (and without their drug use, you won't), but just adding a few pounds of muscle to your body can make a world of difference.
It's all pretty convincing, isn't it?
Duration and Frequency
Without getting to the specifics of volume, intensity, exercise selection and program design (which would really require it's own guide), it is once again going to be tough to give cold hard numbers. However, I won't leave you hanging completely. I would say that, for most of us, strength training (be it with free weights, machines, or our own body weight) should be performed a maximum of 4 times per week. Earlier I mentioned the importance of rest and recovery from exercise. With aerobic exercise, it's a good idea. With anaerobic exercise, it's a requirement. So, I'd set a 4 day per week maximum. As for a minimum, I'd go with 2 times per week.
As for the duration of each workout, again, it's tough to just throw a number out there without getting into many other specifics. I can however give you a good maximum duration to shoot for... 60 minutes. It is the duration of time most often recommended as a maximum for a strength training workout.
I personally do anaerobic exercise (weight training) 4 days per week. Monday is upper body, Tuesday is lower body, Wednesday is a day off, Thursday is upper body, Friday is lower body, and Saturday/Sunday are days off as well. While my goals are no longer weight loss related, this type of routine is still ideal for pretty much anyone looking to increase strength and/or muscle. So, if you do choose to do anaerobic exercise (which you know you should), this is a good place to start.
(UPDATE: Hey there. After you finish reading this guide, be sure to check out my new workout-specific site, A Workout Routine, to learn everything you'll ever need to know about creating The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine.)
Myths, Lies, And Other Stuff To Ignore
When it comes to weight loss, or really any aspect of diet and fitness for that matter, there tends to be a lot of bad bits of information around. Some of them are myths, as in incorrect/inaccurate ideas that for one reason or another are believed by many people as facts. Others are flat out lies, as in the deception being used to sell products. Others are just stupid, or unnecessary, or insignificant, and will do nothing but distract people from what truly needs to be done to lose weight.
To help you avoid all of this, here are some of the most common myths, lies and other stuff to ignore:
•Spot Reduction Is Possible: Myth
Spot reduction refers to the idea of being able to "reduce" fat from one specific "spot" on your body. For example, the idea that crunches and situps are burning stomach fat, or leg exercises are burning leg fat, or back exercises are burning back fat (and so on and so on for any part of the body). This is a myth. Spot reduction is not actually possible no matter how hard you try. You can't make your body lose fat from one specific area. It can only be lost from the body as a whole. You could do 1000 crunches and situps every day for the next 10 years... it will have absolutely no direct impact on the fat on your stomach.
Here's why. Exercises work muscles. If those muscles are covered by a layer of fat, they will remain covered until that fat is lost. You could work the muscles forever. They'll get bigger and stronger, which is a good thing. However, it won't do anything to the fat covering that muscle. So, how do you lose that fat? Well, you are reading something called The Ultimate Guide To Weight Loss. And, while we all refer to it as "weight loss," it's really fat loss. So, if you make the One Fact happen, you will make fat loss happen.
As you lose weight, fat will start to come off your body in whatever way your body is genetically predisposed to losing fat. Maybe a lot from your legs first, maybe your arms, or back, or chest, or stomach. Who knows. Whatever order it is, you can't change it. I can already hear the next question. "But I thought you said exercise would help weight loss?" It will. Exercise burns calories, which will help the One Fact happen. It does not however burn fat in the specific body part you are exercising.
So, to sum up, spot reduction is impossible. Anyone who tells you anything different or just makes it seem like it may be possible is either stupid (alright, alright... "misinformed"), lying to you, or, most of the time, trying to sell you something. More on that a bit later.
•Eating Late At Night Is Bad: Myth
Ever hear that it's bad to eat after 9pm? Or maybe after 8pm? How about 7pm? Or perhaps 6pm? Whatever time you heard it was bad to eat after, it's a myth. Go back and re-read the One Fact. Was there any mention of time in the entire fact? Nope, there wasn't. Do you know why? Because the time of day that you eat plays no role in what your weight does. If you eat too much, you will gain weight. It doesn't matter if you do all of that eating early in the day or late at night. Too many total calories causes weight gain. (I talk about this myth a bit more in the Diet Myths article.)
•Eating Fat Makes You Fat/Eating Carbs Makes You Fat: Myth
Once again, go back and read the One Fact. Was there any mention of fat? How about carbs? Do you know why? Because weight loss, weight gain, and weight maintenance is all about calories, not specific nutrients. If your maintenance level is 2000 calories, and you eat 2500 calories per day, you will gain weight whether those calories came from fat, carbs or protein. Healthy food or unhealthy junk, too much of anything will have the same effect on your weight. Health-wise there is an obvious difference, of course. But, as far as weight control goes, it doesn't matter. Too many calories causes weight gain. The source of those calories (fat, carbs, protein) does not matter.
•The Grapefruit Diet/The Cabbage Soup Diet Work: Lie
In case you've been lucky enough to avoid hearing about these two idiotic (and unsafe/unhealthy) diets, let me break it down for you. These fad diets and those like them require you to eat nothing but that one food for a certain period of time and promise very fast fat loss. First of all... lie! No food possesses the magic ability to burn fat. Second... lie! At best, these diets may cause a person to temporarily lose some water weight. Go back to a normal diet and that weight will immediately return. Third... danger! As if it even needs to be pointed out, a diet consisting of just one food will cause a person to be deficient in a variety of important nutrients. Ignore any and all mention of these idiotic fad diets.
•Fast Weight Loss Is Possible: Myth & Lie
I mentioned this a bit earlier when talking about the ideal weight loss rate, so you are already aware that weight should not be lost quickly. However, since everyone wants to lose weight fast, countless products and diets continue to exist claiming "fast" results. This of course, is a lie. It just can't happen. The human body just can not lose fat as quickly as some products/diets claim they will allow you to. Not to mention, any attempt at losing weight faster than the ideal rate (1-2 pounds per week for the average person) could put you at risk for some serious health issues. So, put the idea of "fast" results out of your mind. It can not happen, and it should not be attempted. As for any product that makes it seem like it can... stay far, far away.
•You Can Turn Fat Into Muscle: Myth
I'll make this one short and sweet. Fat is fat. Muscle is muscle. One can not turn into the other. You can lose 5 pounds of fat and gain 5 pounds of muscle, but they would be two completely separate processes.
•Exercising With High Reps Makes You Toned, Low Reps Makes You Bulky: Myth
There are many people who are under the impression that if you exercise using high reps, it will make you toned/defined/cut/ripped/whatever. And, if you exercise with low reps, it will make you big/huge/bulky/whatever. These people would be wrong. First of all, here's what "tone" is. Being toned is when you have some muscle, and then have a low enough amount of fat covering that muscle so that it becomes visible. The less fat covering the muscle, the more "toned" you appear. Now, go back and read about the spot reduction myth. Right there you know that high reps or low reps, neither is "toning" anything. They are all working the muscle, not burning the fat covering the muscle. If you want to be more toned or sculpted or whatever other wacky adjective you can think of, you need to lose more fat. Whether you do 5 reps of 15 reps, it's not going to matter in terms of "tone."
•Exercising With Machines Makes You Toned, Free Weights Makes You Bulky: Myth
See above. The exact same concept applies.
•The People In The Ad Got That Body By Using THAT Product: Lie
HA! That's what I have to say if you think all of those awesome looking people in all of those product ads actually got to look that way due to the use of whatever product they are selling. These are paid models. They show up, stand around with some product that they never even knew existed until now, get their picture taken/appear in a video with the product, get their check and then go home. The worst thing you can ever think when watching a commercial or looking at an ad for some sort of weight loss product is "Hey, these people look exactly how I want to look. This product must work!" This is exactly what they want to happen. It's all part of the crazy amount of deception used in these ads to get you to buy their junk.
•Those "As Seen On TV" Ab Machines Really Work: Lie
Speaking of junk, this is as junky as it gets in this industry. The Ab Lounge, Ab Rocker, Ab Chair, Ab Roller, and the 50 million others all have something in common. They do absolutely nothing special. They sell this junk under the guise of spot reduction actually being possible. As you've already learned, it is not. These useless machines do not have ANY direct effect on the fat on your stomach no matter how much they lie to you in the ads. So, why should you buy these products? If you enjoy wasting money on something you could be doing for free on the floor, it's perfect. If you enjoy getting a less effective ab workout because most of these machines put you in positions where THEY end up doing part of the work for you, again... perfect. All kidding aside, they are all equally unnecessary.
•There Is Some Other Easy Way To Lose Weight: Myth
Sorry, but no. Want some really good advice? Don't spend a second of your time trying to find some other "easy" way. It doesn't exist. Looking will only waste your time, money, and effort and get you no where. Everything you need to know is here, in this guide, for free. Use it.
Products
It would be pretty tough to put together any sort of weight loss guide (let alone the ULTIMATE one) without mentioning products. After all, your goal just so happens to be a billion dollar industry. The funny thing about that fact is that most of those billions are being spent on useless junk. Crazy, isn't it? But, when you consider that most of the diet/fitness products on the market ARE in fact useless junk, you'd realize that it would be impossible for it to be any other way. Let's just make sure you don't add to those billions.
To help do that, here are some weight loss, diet and fitness products you should stay far, FAR away from.
Products You Should NOT Buy
• Ab Machines
See above. They do nothing special and are as unnecessary as a product can be. Save your 3 easy payments of $19.95.
• Weight Loss Pills and Supplements
Some are dangerous. Others just do absolutely nothing. All however are completely unnecessary.
• Weight Loss "Secrets"
There are many junky web sites around that sell "weight loss secrets" in the form of an eBook or manual or premium membership or even in actual book form. They will usually run down a story about how they tried this and that, and nothing ever worked... UNTIL they discovered some secret method. And, if you want to know this secret, you just have to spend some money and order it. Wanna hear a secret? There is no such thing as a weight loss secret. This guide pretty much contains it all. There is no magical method that I'm keeping from you. This is all there is. Any web site trying to sell you something else is lying and trying laughably hard to get your money.
• Anything That Makes Amazing Claims
Will the product do all of the work for you? Is diet and exercise not needed? Does it only take 10 minutes per day, 2 times per week? Can you still eat whatever you want? Will it cause you to lose weight fast? If so, save your money. It's guaranteed junk.
Products You SHOULD Buy
• Digital Food Scale
This list isn't in any kind of order, but if it was, a digital food scale would probably be #1 on the list. Diet-wise, there is no more useful tool on the planet in my opinion. I know I've already blogged about my love for the digital food scale, but I'd be insane not to re-mention it in this weight loss guide. Seriously, if you're going to spend your money on a product, spend it on this. As for a recommendation, any of these scales would be perfect.
• Gym Membership
Technically a gym membership is not really a "product," but it is a way to spend your money, and that's good enough for me. You know all of that stuff I mentioned about exercise? Well, in order to do most of it, you will need the equipment. A gym has the equipment. Sure, you may be able to buy some stuff and workout at home, but if will power is an issue for you, a gym may be the better choice. For many people it's a lot easier to blow off your workout when you can "conveniently" do it at home any time you want. "Nah, I'm not going to workout now. I'll be home all day, I'll just workout later." Then later becomes even later, and it never happens.
A gym is a place you have to get up and go to. It's a different environment, the right environment. Your house is the same environment where you eat, sleep, watch TV, sit in front of a computer and interact with your family members. Not really ideal for those lacking will power. So, if will power is an issue, a gym might be the better choice. If it's not, and you do end up working out at home and buying some equipment, you should only buy quality, useful stuff instead of fancy, unnecessary junk. Speaking of which...
• Treadmill, Bike, Elliptical Machine
As far as aerobic exercise goes, this is really the only type of stuff you need to buy if you are planning on doing it at home.
• Free Weights
As far as anaerobic exercises goes, free weights (barbells and dumbbells) are far superior to any kind of machine you could possibly find. If you're going to spend any money on this type of stuff, spend it on free weights. No matter what Chuck Norris or whatever other celebrity fitness expert tells you, their junky product is not better than or even nearly as good as plain old free weights. I workout at a gym, but if I didn't, I can tell you with absolute certainty that my home gym would be nothing but free weights and a treadmill.
• Body Weight Scale
Progress tracking is a very important aspect of weight loss, and a scale is one of the handful of ways to track this progress. I'd recommend a nice digital scale that has at least 0.5lb increments so even the smallest changes can be seen.
• Tape Measure
Same reasons as above. More about why later.
• Digital Camera & Body Fat Calipers (optional)
While none of these products are required, they can all be extremely helpful. These two however can be considered the most optional of the group. As for why, the same reason as above... progress tracking.
• Protein Powder, Multivitamin and Fish Oil Supplement
None of these are actually weight loss supplements (more just overall health and nutritional supplements), but, they are always the first three supplements I would recommend to anyone looking to improving their body or health in any way (especially those trying to lose weight). They are part of the VERY small group of supplements that I've personally used for years. Protein powder is a convenient and high quality protein source, a multivitamin can be beneficial for obvious reasons, but the fish oil may need a small explanation. Remember all of that stuff I mentioned before about healthy fat, specifically the Omega-3 fatty acid? How research shows an increasingly large number of health benefits associated with it? Well, a fish oil supplement is the ideal source of this specific fatty acid. Most protein powder and multivitamin brands are fine, but for fish oil, I'm a huge fan of Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. It's the only brand I EVER use.
The Mental Aspect Of Weight Loss
At this point, you pretty much know, well, everything. Unfortunately, that alone isn't enough. You need the motivation to start doing it, and the will power and dedication to stick to it and keep on doing it. For some people, this won't be a problem. For most people... this IS the problem.
To help it not be a problem for you, it's time to go over the stuff that could help or hurt you from the mental side of weight loss. You know... the things that will help you actually DO what needs doing as well as prevent you from failing or quitting. Let's start with your diet.
Sticking To Your Diet
Sticking to your diet will mostly be a matter of will power. However, there are quite a few tips and methods around that will certainly help. Here now are some of the better ones:
•Eat as many meals per day as you want.
At some point decades ago, everyone felt "3 square meals per day" was ideal. Then, years later, practically everyone in the nutrition field unanimously agreed that we should instead be eating 6 smaller meals per day spaced out every 2-3 hours exactly. Why? Because it "speeds up our metabolism" and does other awesome stuff that helps us lose fat or build muscle better.
Well, guess what? Countless recent studies have proven that absolutely NONE of it is true. Meal frequency just doesn't matter in terms of "speeding up metabolic rate" or anything similar. 6 meals aren't better than 3, and 3 meals aren't better than 6. As long as your total calorie and nutrient (protein, fat and carb) intake is the same by the end of the day, how many meals you eat to reach those totals just doesn't matter at all.
So, when it comes to deciding how many meals YOU should eat per day, there's only one guideline you ever need to follow: do whatever is best for you. If you like eating 6 smaller meals more frequently, do it. If you'd rather eat 3 bigger meals, do it. If you'd rather eat some other amount of times (4 meals, 5 meals, etc.), do it. As long as you're eating the right total amounts of calories, protein, fat and carbs per day, it just doesn't matter. Do what's most convenient and enjoyable for you.
•Buy, plan and prepare your meals in advance.
Planning how many meals you'll eat each day is helpful in that you'll know when you will (and won't) be eating (which helps ensure you don't eat more than you are supposed to). Actually planning what specific foods/amounts you'll eat during those meals and actually buying and/or preparing that food in advance when possible may be even more helpful. When your meals are spontaneous, anything can happen. You can be somewhere where all you can eat is junk. You can be somewhere where you can eat something good, but you can easily just eat too much of it. Planning will prevent this.
Not everyone can do it, but those who can definitely should. Those who can't should try their best to do it as often as possible. Plan tonight's dinner, plan all of today's meals, or plan a whole week's worth of meals... whatever. Plan, plan and plan some more. In my opinion, this is the best "sticking to your diet" tip there is. Do it.
•Don't buy what you shouldn't eat.
Are cookies your big problem food? If so, don't have them around you. You know exactly what you should and should not be eating. The best way to avoid eating what you shouldn't is to just not buy it. Don't have it in your house. Out of sight, out of mind. Of course, this is easy if you live alone or live with someone whose goal is also weight loss (or just being healthy), but if not, it can be tough. In these cases, here is something to keep in mind: Everyone's diet can be improved by reducing/eliminating unhealthy junk food.
Portion Control
If portion control is your biggest weight loss obstacle (you are still hungry after eating and end up eating more than you should), here are some of the more popular tips for fixing this:
•Eat slowly.
Feeling full isn't immediate. It takes time for the food you are eating to register with your brain and make you feel full. This is why eating quickly would be a bad thing. Instead, take your time. Put your fork down between bites. Chew slowly. You don't have to do any kind of weird slow motion eating or anything, just take your time and don't rush through your meal. Eating quickly will only cause you to eat more and more before your body/brain even gets a chance to realize that you are full.
•Drink water with your meal.
Don't wait until you're almost done. Drink water throughout the meal. Not only will this help fill you up and prevent you from wanting to eat more than you should, but it will also help slow down your eating which helps the above tip. Not to mention... water is what you want to be drinking.
•Use smaller plates/Take half a portion at a time.
As someone who is lucky enough to have the will power to just eat what I should eat and not want anymore, I have to admit, I find some of these tips a little, you know, hilarious. But hey, whatever works... do it. The thinking behind the smaller plates idea is that seeing your food in a smaller plate (and therefore filling it up completely) will trick your mind into thinking you are eating more than you actually are. With the half-a-portion idea, the thinking is that the act of getting up to get "seconds" will trick your mind into thinking a second serving is really being taken. Weird? Yes. Does it help some people? You bet. If you are one of these people, use these tips.
Cheat Meals & "Everything In Moderation"
Back when you learned what you should and should not eat, you may have wondered if you are really NEVER supposed to eat the stuff you shouldn't eat, or if you should allow yourself a cheat meal every once in a while. You know, "indulge in moderation." The answer to this question may play a large role in how well you are able to stick to your diet.
There's two obvious points of view to have here... for it or against it. I'll explain both sides and then leave the decision up to you.
For It
The first point of view is that everything is OK to eat in moderation. The thinking here is that there is no need to remove every not-so-great food from your diet completely and permanently, and that trying to do so only makes sticking to your diet even harder. The idea is that indulging in something you know you shouldn't regularly be eating (junk food) is perfectly fine as long as you do it in moderation. As in, not too much, and not too often. A little junk once a week, or twice a month, or just on holidays and special occassions... is fine.
Scientifically speaking, this point of view (assuming it is actually done "in moderation") will not hurt your weight loss at all, nor will it cause weight gain. You know the One Fact, right? Well, let's say for example that the number of calories you need to consume per day to lose weight is 2500 (500 below maintenance). That means that over the course of 1 full week you'd create a 3500 calorie deficit (500 calorie deficit each day x 7 days = 3500) and lose about 1 pound through diet alone.
Now, let's say your "in moderation" cheat meal is 500 additional calories worth of junk food every Sunday. Your weekly deficit of 3500 now becomes 3000. Is there a difference? Yes, but it's really tiny. A 3000 calorie weekly deficit still exists which means weight loss will still happen just fine. You'd still end up losing weight at the rate of slightly less than 1 pound per week through diet alone.
Another good way to "cheat" without it having much (if any) negative effect is by "canceling out" the additional calories. For example, if you know you will be cheating with 500 calories of junk food today, make room for these 500 calories by eating 500 less calories than you normally would that day. So, if you are supposed to be consuming 2500 calories daily, rather than consuming 500 additional "cheat" calories and making your total 3000 for the day, just make those 500 "cheat" calories a part of your normal 2500.
You could also make this happen through exercise, by burning an additional 500 calories on that "cheat" day. Either way, your daily total would still end up being the 2500 calories it's supposed to be.
While the first way would just barely make a tiny, almost insignificant difference to your weight loss, the second way would make virtually no difference at all.
What this all means is that in the end, as long as it is done correctly (meaning you're not "cheating" too often or too much), this whole "everything in moderation" idea is fantastic. Weight loss still happens (and weight gain is still prevented) and you still get to occasionally eat some yummy junk food. It's a win/win situation.
Well, for some people, at least. Let me explain.
Against It
Picture this. You've smoked a whole bunch of cigarettes every single day since you were 14 years old. You tried to quit many times, but never had the will power to do it. However, you've finally just about done it. You haven't smoked at all in a couple of weeks and you're doing great. And now... you decide that instead of giving up smoking completely, you are going to have a "cheat" cigarette once per week.
What do you think happens next? I'd guess that some of the people who do this go on for the rest of their lives smoking 1 cigarette per week. I'd also guess that the majority of the people end up smoking regularly all over again.
Now, replace "smoking" with "eating" and "cigarettes" with "junk food" and you could understand why there is an "against it" point of view.
This is the point of view that feels that all cheating does is keep your interest in these foods alive. If you completely avoid something you crave, the cravings will fade away. If you instead give in and practically tease yourself with it, the cravings stay alive and strong and if anything... grow and grow until you are giving in on a regular basis.
From the weight loss side of things, this would be as bad as can be. Think about it. Remember earlier when I mentioned that too many total calories is what causes weight gain? And that the most common sources of these excess calories for most people was some form of junk food? This would mean that you are "cheating" with the very same foods that caused your weight gain in the first place. You'd be indulging in the original cause of your problem.
It is for this reason that for a large number of people, "cheating" and "indulging in moderation" only leads to negative results.
One other "against it" reason should also be mentioned here, one that has nothing to do with weight loss. What sometimes gets lost in this to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat argument is the fact that the foods most often being "cheated" with are unhealthy junk. It's only once in a while, sure, but it's still unhealthy junk. I mean, health-wise, there is nothing good about someone indulging in a trans fat filled, high sodium fast food item, even if it is just once per week. Cheating like this may not hurt your weight, but it can still hurt your health.
So, What Should You Do?
That's a good question, and one I really can't answer for you. This is a personal thing based on nothing but your own will power or lack thereof. Do you think you can cheat only in moderation, or will doing so only remind you of how much you miss these foods and cause you to go back to your old eating habits? Only you can answer that, because only you know what's truly right for you.
Tracking Weight Loss Progress
Accurately tracking your progress is going to be a huge part of your weight loss as well as a huge part of making sure the weight stays lost. There's two reasons for this:
1.It will allow you to know for sure that what you are doing is working and that your body is doing what it should be doing (losing weight, maintaining weight, etc.)
2.There is no better motivator than your own progress.
For these reasons, you MUST keep track of your progress. Here are 3 simple ways: 1.Weigh yourself.
Do it once per week (no more, no less) and do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The key to tracking progress is consistency, so make sure you weigh yourself the same way, in the same spot, every time. If you are going to weigh yourself with a shirt on, always weigh yourself with that shirt on (or at least something similar). Pick a day and do it on the same day every week. And, as mentioned, always do it right after you wake up before eating or drinking anything. Keep a log of your weight somewhere (in a notebook, on a calendar, on the computer, wherever) and enter in each week's weight right after getting off the scale.
2.Take measurements.
Get yourself a tape measure (the kind that can be wrapped around your body) and start measuring. Do it at least once per month, and at most once per week. Measure your waist, your arms, your thighs and your chest. As for where exactly to take each measurement, it really doesn't matter too much just as long as you always take the measurements from the same spots every time. Oh, and you should be doing it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach as well.
3.Take pictures.
Watching your weight gradually decrease and the inches slowly come off will be quite motivating. The only thing even more fun to see is the actual progress itself in the form of monthly pictures. You see yourself all the time, so noticing your own weight loss progress will be the hardest for you. This is where pictures come in handy. They will remind you of exactly where you were when you started and show you exactly how far you've come. I think once per month is a good frequency for most people to see every single bit of improvement they are making.
Keeping The Weight Off Permanently
Are you wondering how to keep the weight off after you lose it? I can answer that for you in just 3 words: It Doesn't Stop
All of it. The keeping track of your calorie intake, the healthy eating, the exercising... it doesn't stop. You remember the One Fact? Well, knowing that, how can it possibly stop? If you go back to eating too many calories, you're going to gain the weight right back. I've avoided using this line through the entire weight loss guide due to how lame it sounds, but now I think I have to. It's a lifestyle change. Despite the lameness of those four words, it's 100% true. This is a new way of life. You saw what the results of your old way of life were, right? Go back to that, and those results come right back with it. So, once again... it doesn't stop.
What will have to stop at some point is the weight loss itself. When you reach your goal weight, just adjust your calorie intake (I'd recommend 250-300 calorie increments for adjustments) until you get to the point where you are maintaining the new weight you want to permanently stay at. This is your new maintenance level and is the new number of calories you'll need to consume daily to prevent yourself from both gaining weight and losing anymore weight. That's pretty much all there is to keeping the weight off permanently... continuing to do exactly what you did to lose the weight, only now you'll just be maintaining it. Simple enough.
Successful Weight Loss Guaranteed
That's right, I used the G word (guaranteed) in a weight loss article. And you know what? I mean it. Do you want to ensure that you successfully lose weight and keep it off with absolutely no problems at all? Do you want guaranteed results? Great, then I have just two final steps for you to follow:
1.Read this guide and put all of its information into effect.
2.Ignore EVERYTHING.
I'm sure #1 was obvious, but #2 might sound a bit confusing. Let me explain.
Ignore fad diets, ignore gimmicks, ignore books, ignore magazines, ignore Oprah, ignore supplements, ignore how your friends are trying to lose weight, ignore before and after pictures, ignore testimonials, ignore products, ignore ads, and heck, with the exception of this guide, you can ignore every other weight loss related thing I ever have to say.
The reason why is simple... weight loss information is finite. Everything you actually need to know about it already exists and has existed for quite some time. It's all in this guide. It has not changed, and it never will change. It will never improve. It will never become easier, it will never become harder. The way cavemen lost weight is the exact same way flying-telepathic-super-humans will lose weight in 4028.
But, that's not what anyone else in the world wants you to know. If you did, why in the world would you buy the new diet book on this week's best seller list? Why would you bother watching Oprah to see the new weight loss guru she's going to interview? Why would you even skim through the endless articles and lists of "10 Weight Loss Secrets," "20 Ways To Slim Down In Time For Summer," "15 Weight Loss Tips," "How ::insert celebrity's name here:: Lost Weight." If you know that there is nothing new to say about weight loss, then you know that all of that stuff is, well, useless.
And guess what? It all is. All of that is and always will be useless nonsense that exists for no other reason than to get you to watch, read, or buy something. Magazines have to keep putting out new issues. Web sites have to keep putting up new content (trust me, I know). Newspapers will not exist without new articles. Diet books are probably the most common books to find on best seller lists. And Oprah... she has more episodes to do. As long as the new issues come out, new articles get written, new content goes up, new episodes air and most important of all, new money gets made... it will never stop.
Unless of course... you stop.
Let all of that stuff continue to exist and be completely ignored by you. All of that stuff supposedly exists to help you. All it really does is distract, confuse and prevent. How can you stay focused on your diet plan when a newer, better, faster, easier diet comes out every other day? Last month's issue of Waste Of Time Magazine was all about losing weight through Diet A. They had lists of reasons and it all made sense. You FINALLY got it. But then... next month's issue showed up, and it was all about the wonders of Diet B. Does that really help people lose weight, or does it give them a reason to quit Diet A, become confused, buy next month's magazine and learn about Diet C, become even more confused, and then give up altogether?
This is all why in my opinion, the single best weight loss tip in existence can be explained in just two simple words... ignore everything. Stop looking for newer, better, faster, easier ways. All it will do is waste your time and effort (and probably your money) all while no weight is getting lost because you're too busy "looking" instead of "doing."
Read this guide, bookmark it, come back and read it as many times as you want, and do it all with the peace of mind of knowing that THIS IS IT. There is nothing else out there to look for. This guide is the complete compilation of all there is to safe, healthy, productive, free, expert-recommended weight loss. Look no further.
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I have to admit - I opened this thread expecting to see a bunch of broscience and silly fad junk. Instead, it is good, solid, truthful information and a good read for anybody trying to lose weight sensibly and sustainably. Kudos!0
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Loved it all
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I really appreciate you posting this.. MFP is the first site I have seen that really is focused on STAYING Healthy no matter shape you are in - trying to get motivated to get fit, the journey to get fit, or maintaining fitness.0
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Bump. Off to find Part 1!0
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