Scales lie-eat to carve your physique

I don't know about ya'll but there's one thing that I learned to be true. You can never trust what the scale says. Sometimes we are so quick to feel good or bad or frustrated because of what the scale says. When I first got back into my routine after taking a year off...the first couple weeks were so frustrating. I didn't get it...I was working out, I had changed my diet, I was burning more calories but my weight didn't drop drastically like I thought it would. I totally thought I was going to immediately drop 10 lbs.
What I did notice was that my clothes were starting to feel looser so...I knew that I was losing weight...but where was it? How come It didn't show on the scale.
Finally after 3-4 weeks, my weight started dropping and since I have been on track of about a pound a week.
The key to a healthy weight loss is about a 1 or 2lbs a week. That is for a healthy for long term weight loss. I have learned that if you drop weight drastically, you are more likely to gain it back quickly. It's important to not gauge your progress on what the scale says. Doesn't it feel better to gauge it on putting on a pair or pants and know they feel loser or even noticing a difference in what you see in the mirror?
Whatever the goal is, try not to get discouraged too quickly if you don't see the number dropping. Also, keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat.
1 lb of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So you need to burn that much to burn a lb. That is why calorie intake is so important...there needs to be a deficit in order for your body to start burning fat. Even if you are working out but not changing eating habits, then it's pretty much a wash. Just like most things in life, there needs to be balance and moderation.

There is a guideline I go by that puts food into 5 tiers. If you pretty much ate from Tiers 1 & 2 you would have a near perfect diet. This is not me making stuff up, but cames from one of many resources out there. It's called Michi's ladder and suggests sticking with foods that are on the top 1-2 tiers. It's available on BeachBody.com.

Tier 1: The absolute Best Foods
Artichokes, beans, beets, blueberries, bran, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cereal (whole grain) Citrus guices, egg whites, fish, kale, kiwi, mangoes, milk (nonfat) mushrooms, necatarines, oatmeal, papayas, peas, peppers, prunes, brown rice, spinach, sweet potatoes, tofu, green tea.

Tier 2: Excellent Food that should be a part of your diet
Almonds, apples, asparagus, bananas, celery, cherries, chicken (skiness white meat), black coffee, corn, low fat cottage cheese, cucumbers, eggplant, Melos, Oysters, peaches, pears, plums, raisins, raspberries, soy milk, strawberries, sunflower seeds, tomoratoes, turkey breast, veggie burgers, walnuts, watermelon, red wine, yorgurt low fat, zucchini

Tier 3 "Swiss food" meaning Neutral- Benefits and Hazzards
Animal crackers, applesauce, bagels, baked beans, beff, canola oil, chocolate, whole eggs, english muffins, baked french fries, dried fruit, granola bars, jam and marmelade, margarine, mustards, nuts, olives, pasta plain, peanut oil, pork tenderloin, potatoes white, pretzels, refried beans, rice cakes, sauerkraut, veal, white wine, yogurt,

Tier 4 CAREFUL (eat in moderation)
Beef ( Filet mignon, lean ground, sirloin, bbq) BEER, Butter, caesar salad, bacon, cheese, chefs salad, chili, chinese food, coffee cake, crackers, cream cheese, duck, granola or energy bar, grilled cheese sandwich, ham, hawaiian pizza, honey, iceberg lettuce, sweetened juice, lamb chops, lasagna, lunch meat, hot dogs, macaroni and chesse, mayo, meat loaf, mexican food, 2 % milk, muffins, peanut butter, popcorn, pork chops, potato or macaroni salad, pudding, reuben sandwich, sherbert, sloppy joe, soy sauce, sub sandwich, taco salad, tuna or chicken salad,

Tier 5: What's tastes great may not always be the best. Try not too eat too much of.
bacon, beef (ground regular, beef taco), breakfast sandwiches, fast food, cakes, candy, sugared cereal, charred or blackened food, chicken wings or nuggets, fried sandwiches, chips potato or corn, cinnamon buns, clams, cookies, crab, cream cheese, creamed veggies, creamer, doughnuts, french fries, gracy, hamburger fast food, hot dogs, ice cream, latter with whole milk, lobster, mayo, whole milk, nacho chips, onion rings, pastries, pies, fried potatos, pot pie, refried beans, creamy salad dressing, sausage, shrimp fried, sugared soft drinks, spareribs, tator tots, toaster pastries...just to name a few.

It's amazing the things that we think are healthy because they are considred protein or natural and they really aren't. The best and ideal diet is no dairy, no processed foods, meat on a rare occassion, and mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, and getting protein from tofu, beans or legumes fish or chicken. I've tried this and it works, but it takes discipline. It doesn't mean you can't cheat, but I allow myself one CHEAT MEAL A WEEK! and I have cut out beer vodka drinks and only drink red wine. Trust me, the results are amazing...no bloating, you feel leaner and you immediately start seeing yourself getting more toned. You have more energy and you just have a good healthier overall well being. So if you feel up to it, try it for 7 days only eating the top 2 tiers and see how you feel. I tried for 7 days and actually enjoyed it that I 3 months later am still doing it.