With our fast pace economic growth, more and more people are putting on weight. This is not surprising given that our diets consist of more processed food that contain more fat and sugar and we are getting little or no regular exercise. Jobs that used to require physical movement are replaced with those that require only buttons to be pushed while watching television, playing video games and surfing the Internet are becoming our main past times.

Fortunately, this is balanced by people being more aware of their health. As a result, people are constantly looking out for quick and easy ways to lose weight. Marketers saw this as a great opportunity to launch weight loss products that promised a quick fix. One of such products is the weight loss patch. Sometimes they are also known as the diet patch.

Weight Loss Patch
You can say that the weight loss patch is a dream come true for people who are looking to lose weight or to go on a diet. Imagine all you need to do is to put on such a patch and you will be able to make your fats melt away.

Advertisers claimed that by using weight loss patches, you will experience lessened hunger pangs and other symptoms generally associated with weight reduction and this will help to jump-start your metabolism, dramatically increasing your body’s ability to burn fat.

Sounds interesting, isn’t it. But do these patches really work? And are they safe?

Do They Work?
Firstly, what is inside these weight loss patches? Looking at the main ingredients, you will find that they are not exactly anything special.

Some ingredients, like chromium and guarana have subtle effects and will not lead to much weight loss without accompanying changes to diet and lifestyle. Other ingredients like hydroxycitric acid and bladderwrack do not have much going for them in the way of proven results.

So, are weight loss patches worth experimenting with? To answer that question, let us examine what the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), the watch dog agency that ensures that false advertising is kept at bay, has done. Recently, the FTC launched a campaign to help consumers spot claims that almost always signal a diet rip-off.

Weighing the evidence in diet ads, the FTC warns consumers to steer clear of diet pills, patches, creams, or other products that offer quick weight loss without diet or exercise. Products that claim to block the absorption of fat, calories, or carbohydrates; or that promise that consumers can eat all they want of high-calorie foods and still lose weight are being targeted. Some advertisers had to pay claims as they were unable to provide scientifically supported evidence to support their claims.

So what is the bottom line?
The bottom line is that the only thing that is going to lose weight when you buy those magic patches is your wallet. You need to know that weight loss experts all agree on one thing- if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight and if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. It is that simple.

We all wish for a magic pill that will make losing weight a simple and painless task. However, until the arrival of such a miracle pill, a sensible, well-balanced diet coupled with a reasonable exercise program is, always has been and always will be the surest and safest way to lose weight permanently.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

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Staying motivated can often be the most difficult part of losing weight. Oftentimes, distractions can cause a person to put back all the pounds that they lost, or cause a person to lose no pounds at all. Motivation is the key to losing weight.

Motivation is key to a successful weight loss program. Weight loss requires a proper nutritious diet and regular physical activity. How do we keep motivated to follow this lifestyle change so we can change our lifestyle?

When beginning a weight loss program, it is important to set realistic goals. If you set a large expected weight loss in the beginning, you may give up because of the slow progress. Start by trying to lose a smaller amount of weight. When you achieve this, you can set a new goal. This way by achieving goals you will feel like you are succeeding. This will keep you motivated and keep you setting new targets.

Think of reasons why weight loss will benefit you. There are numerous health reasons you can use, such as, heart disease and diabetes. In addition, think of what weight loss will enable you to do. You will look better, feel better and have more energy. If you have children, think about how much more you will be able to do with them in their daily active lives. If not for yourself, you can do it for your family. A healthier you will allow you to be with them in a more quality life and a longer life.

Enlist the help of friends and family to encourage you on your way to a healthier you. Fill them in when the scale is moving in the right direction. Share your success with them and ask for their support when you need it. When you attain a goal, reward yourself. You can put away a certain sum of money each time you lose a pound and plan to use it on something you like or enjoy. It is important to congratulate yourself on a job well done. You can even make a weight chart and watch your progress. This is a visual motivator.

Make your exercise portion of the plan something you enjoy doing. Try new exercises to avoid boredom. You can even use distractions such as a Walkman, IPOD or television to while away the time you spend on a treadmill or doing crunches. The time will go by faster, and you will not feel like you are doing a chore. Remember how good you feel after a workout and this will motivate you before your next one.

If you need more support, there are support groups, counseling and dieticians available to help you meet your goals.

The first few pounds you lose will come off pretty easy. Then weight loss will most likely slow down. This is when you need the motivation to keep going. It can come from others or from inside yourself. The key is to find it somewhere. If all else fails, put on a pair of your fat jeans. If they are no longer tight fitting, this may be one of the best motivators around.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

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The hallmark of a successful diet is one on which you are able to lose weight, while still feeling as if you are getting enough to eat. While that may sound impossible, making healthy choices about what to eat is just as important as how much you consume. Learning to diet sensibly can help you to lose or maintain your current weight, while getting all the nourishment and emotional satisfaction that your body needs. Following are some expert tips to help you get the most out of your diet.

Diet Tips for Losing Weight
Dieting is never easy, but knowing how to avoid some common dieting traps can help you to stick to your resolve.

1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast Every Day. While many dieters opt to skip breakfast, doing so actually hurts your attempt to lose weight. If you wait until lunch to eat, your bodys metabolism will slow down and any calories you consume for the rest of the day will take extra time to burn. Even a piece of fruit or a slice of whole wheat toast can give your metabolism the boost that it needs.

2. Get a Diet Buddy. If you have a friend who is also trying to lose weight, team up to keep each other honest and provide moral support. Knowing that there is someone else you can turn to for encouragement can help you to stay true to your diet plans.

3. Read About Ingredients. Instead of just finding out how many calories a certain product contains, look at the complete nutritional value of the item. Reading the label can tell you how much sodium, fat and carbohydrates are loaded into your meal. Calories are very important to weight loss, but they are not everything.

4. Supplement Your Diet with Vitamins. When you are trying to lose weight by reducing certain types of food, you may be unconsciously limiting important nutrients and vitamins from your diet. Adding a vitamin supplement to your plan will help you to keep balanced and healthy.

5. Plan Ahead When Eating Out. Knowing what you want to order before you even arrive at the restaurant can help you to avoid looking at the menu and giving in to temptation. Try to frequent restaurants that have fresh salads and offer a variety of low calorie choices.

6. Stop Eating When You Are Full. It may seem like common sense, but many people feel the need to finish everything on their plate, or eat until they feel stuffed. It also helps to eat slowly since the brain can take up to 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full.

7. Add an Exercise Program. Combining a sensible, healthy diet with even a moderate exercise regime will significantly enhance the results you see on your waistline.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Wendy Wood is a full-time mom in the process of losing extra pounds and loves to show other moms how they can lose weight and be healthier as well. Sign up for your free healthy recipes at www.DietMamma.com

Losing 6 stone was sweet revenge towards the bullies who tormented my life for five years; now it is me who has the last laugh!

The last straw came in October 2002 when I had a severe case of sunburn while on holiday in Cyprus. I was close to 15 stone and as a result of sunburn on my legs they swelled up to such an extent that I was a cause for concern to my family, especially my mum. I knew the reason was down to one thing, which was my size. I hadn’t been that overweight until I had gone to University and by the time I graduated I weighed a hefty 14 stone. I joined Weight Watchers before I left for University but as you can imagine student diets weren’t exactly friendly to someone who was trying to slim. For three years I probably lived on a diet of junk food, fry ups and pizzas. Even though exercise wasn’t a problem – I walked every day – I wasn’t burning off all those calories I was consuming. I could sit in my room and easily finish off a pack of Penguins and chocolate biscuits. Bread was a downfall too.

Although I knew I had to do something about my weight, it was another 8 months before I did anything about it.

In University I had tried to slim down and I managed to lose a stone on the Slim Fast plan. But it soon piled back again along with more on top of that for good measure. I attended Weight Watchers when I was home between terms but going back and forth wasn’t setting up a good routine for me to be able to lose weight. When I finally graduated in 2000 I thought that I might be able to control my eating better, but I had picked up so many bad habits that they had stuck. I was still polishing off that loaf of bread a day as well as three or four bars of chocolate;in fact my addiction to chocolate and crisps had grown to such an extent that I was making special trips to the supermarket just to get my fix. A lot of the time I would hide my eating, waiting until everyone had gone to bed before tucking in to chocolate and crisps, and also toast swimming in butter. I wasn’t proud of the fact I was eating so much, but the addiction was too much. Between 2000 and 2003 it was an up and down struggle to lose weight, but the weight just came back on each time. This was purely because I didn’t have the strength of mind to carry it through. During this period I had joined and re-joined Weight Watchers and there was no wonder that I had begun to believe that I would never lose all this weight.

I attended Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time in September 2002 with the same determination as every person I suppose goes through at the beginning of a diet, and to begin with I did quite well – I was losing the weight and by Christmas I had lost about 2 stone. When January came I had lost control (yet again)and my eating habits had returned to how they were. I was eating more than ever. I managed to put on the 2 stone I had lost as well as the stone and a half extra taking me up to 15 st 5 by June 2003. By this time I was beginning to get fed up of being unable to find fashionable clothes that fitted me in the shops and I was going to specialist shops to find nice clothes to fit my size 20-22 frame. Something inside my head clicked, and I knew that I had to do something once and for all to change my eating habits and to look good. I also knew that if I told anybody they would just scoff and say that they had heard it all before and I knew deep down that they didn’t believe that I was able to lose weight and keep it off.

To begin with I decided to start gradually; cutting one thing out every day so my body wouldn’t have too much of a shock when I decided to cut down altogether on fatty foods. It was easy for me by this stage as I had done it all before for many years. But this time was different; this time I knew that I had to work hard for that fiver I was spending every week in my weigh in. One week it hit me. I decided there and then to go back to Weight Watchers and stay there until all my weight had come off.

I had one incentive which was the fear of failure. I just knew that I couldn’t fail to lose weight again. This time I had to get down to my target weight and to keep it off. I didn’t tell a soul that I was going to Weight Watchers; although my dad guessed in the end as the butter wasn’t disappearing as fast as it used to! I think that was the thing that helped me (the fact that no one knew) and therefore there would be no pressure. There was also the fact that I was doing it purely for myself and not for anybody else.

That was in June 2003. I had a fantastic leader, Sue who helped me along the way and also my current leader Karen has been the most fantastic support. I truly believe that without them I wouldn’t have been able to do it. Thank you guys for being there for me and believing in me. You have no idea how much this means to me.

I got off to the best possible start by losing 6lbs in my first week. I knew then that I had to keep going. Week after week I pushed and pushed myself, telling myself that I would not fail this time. This time it was going to be different. Week after week as a result, I lost weight, sometimes 2lbs, sometimes 3lbs, sometimes only half a pound; but as long as it was going in the right direction I didn’t care how much it was. By June 2004 I had got to my target weight of 10st 5; 5 stone lighter. But it didn’t end there. I kept going, knowing that I wanted to be that size 10 I always craved to be. By August 2004 I was 9st 8lbs; a weight I haven’t been since I was 11 years old. Imagine my joy when I walked into a shop and tried a size 10 denim skirt. When it slipped on easily past my now slender hips my jaw hit the floor!

My diet has now completely changed. Instead of all the bacon rolls, chocolates, crisps and junk that I used to eat, I was eating healthy casseroles, jacket potato and tuna, and a lot of fruit and vegetables. One day a week (normally after my weigh in) I would treat myself to jumbo sausage and chips from the local chip shop. I knew that if I were depriving myself of everything that I enjoyed then I would crave for them even more. Tuesday has now become known in my home as Treat Day, a day where four hours of a Tuesday evening would be cast aside for me to enjoy the things I had left behind. They taste better now knowing that they are a treat, not an everyday occurrence. Every day of the week is dedicated to my healthy eating; therefore a couple of hours on a Tuesday evening wouldn’t even make a dent in my diet.

I also knew that I needed to exercise to keep the weight loss going and to tone my muscles. I have taken to walk to and from work every day, and I also walk two miles in my lunch hour. As a result I am walking 20 miles a week. That has helped enormously. A couple of years ago I couldn’t even walk across a road! I have saved huge amounts of money on petrol!

This time round I have found losing the weight very easy; even though I did have the odd off week. But the off weeks only made me more determined. I believe that was the key to my success: determination. I believe that willpower does not exist if you want to succeed at something. Willpower means that you’re willing yourself to do something, but if you do not have that drive, that determination in your heart of hearts, then willpower is not going to help you in the long run.

I have lost count of all the people who are in disbelief at how much I have lost. I have never had so many compliments thrown at me and it is always difficult to know what to say! But it does feel lovely knowing that people are staring at you for all the right reasons! My wardrobe is now in need of a complete overhaul as nearly everything is size 18 or above! Shopping has become my new addiction!

This has completely transformed my life. My self esteem has rocketed to such an extent that I hardly recognise myself. I was bullied at high school and my self esteem had reached an all time low. My confidence has soared to new heights and it has meant such a lot to me as in the past I was so afraid of speaking to people because I was always wondering what they were thinking of me. When someone told me I was beautiful I hardly dared to believe them; I thought they were just saying it. Now I DO believe it – although I still can’t quite get used to my new frame of body and frame of mind! Sometimes I find myself in tears because I can’t believe that it was possible for me to be this happy. Now all I need is a man on my arm! But at least now I have the confidence to go and get him!

This is my revenge to the bullies at my school who had made my life at school a living hell. I didn’t deserve to be treated that way. All I did was go to school like any normal teenager and all I got in return was being picked on. I can honestly say that this revenge is very sweet indeed; because with the help of Weight Watchers and my sheer determination, I have managed to beat the bullies and come out of an extremely dark tunnel smiling. I only hope that my story will be a message to all bullying victims out there: there is light at the end of the tunnel, you have just got to keep fighting for it.

My biggest achievement since losing the weight is that I won the first prize in my local newspaper and became the Slimmer of the Year 2006 in the South Wales Echo, Cardiff, United Kingdom. My prize was a Christmas shopping trip to New York City. What an incentive to keep the weight off!

Look at me now guys – it is now me laughing – and it feels extremely good.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

My name is Sian Couch and I am 28 years old. I come from Cardiff, Wales. I am an independent writer and my wish is to share my success with all the readers. My web address that I represent is www.weightwatchers.co.uk not endorsed by Weight Watchers Ltd in any way.

There are many different benefits that you can get from participating in these weight loss programs, and if you understand about all of these different benefits before you even start, then you are going to want to push even harder because you will be able to see just how great exercise weight loss programs really are.

More About It

If you are wondering about these weight loss programs, then one of the first things that you are going to want to know that you are going to have to do is create a program for you that is personalized to your specific needs, and you can do this by using the basic exercise weight loss programs as examples.

If you do not even know where to begin, then you can hire a personal trainer, who will be able to work with you, figure out the key areas that you want to work on, and then they will be able to design a program that will work perfectly for you and your particular situation.

For instance, if you only have a couple days a week that you have available for working out, then the trainer will most likely pack several high stress workouts into the few days that you do have available. As well, if there are target areas that you want to work on, such as your thighs or buttocks, then they will be able to let you know what exercises you are going to want to include in order for you to be able to lose the weight on those specific areas.

You want to understand that if you are just starting off on an exercise program, most likely it will take you a bit of time to be able to get accustomed to it and so that you can start enjoying it. However this is absolutely normal and so you really should not be worried at all. Just make sure that you put the most into it as you can, right from the start.

One great idea is to get one of your friends or family members to do this with you, so that you have someone there that will be able to keep you company and keep you motivated, and you can do the same for them. It is always great to have someone else there with you after all, and so you will definitely want to consider this idea.

In fact most bodybuilders and fitness instructors have training partners that they use to help them keep motivated. This way you will and your partner will be able to feed off each others energy and in the long run you will both see the results clearly.

Cardio Or Muscle Strength Training?

It is a question that most women usually ask before they begin any weight loss program. Generally if you are trying to put on muscle, you are going to also put on fat, however, this does not mean that you should only do cardio training if you are a woman.

It is important to build some muscle in order to keep your body stabilized. Without muscle we are just skin and bone without the strength to support our body weight. Also most people do not realize it but muscle exercise increases your heart rate, which intern helps the body to burn fat.

You will probably notice that most bodybuilders have a very low percentage of fat, therefore that means you still have the ability to put on muscle and lose fat. Most people find it easier to put on muscle first and then cut back the fat at a later stage. So if you are just starting an exercise program make sure you incorporate some kind of strength training routine into it.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

Yu Chung Leong is an experienced and motivated personal trainer for many years. He is passionate about health and fitness and enjoys helping people achieve their fitness goals. He writes many free weight loss tips at www.lose-fat-tips.com“>www.lose-fat-tips.com

You truly can’t believe everything you read, and you most especially can’t believe everything you see on television. If you are under the impression that you can, and you just so happen to be on a diet, struggling to lose weight on the guidelines you learned from some diet commercial or ad in either of these media outlets, then there’s a good chance that you’re going about dieting the wrong way, or at the very least you have picked up many of the common misconceptions preached about on television and in books, which set most people who are dieting up for
failure.

The following are some of the more common isconceptions you may wrongly believe.

Common Myth That Leads to Failing at Living Healthy #1 Skipping meals will help lose weight

Wrong. Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism, which means that when you do finally eat again your metabolism will not be running optimally enough to properly process the calories and nutrients you’re eating.

Common Myth That Leads to Failing at Living Healthy #2 Carbohydrates cause weight gain

We can thank the Atkins diet for this myth. This misconception is both true and false. You see, when you eat a large amount of food that is saturated with carbohydrates your body uses it for energy. However, if you’re not a very active person and don’t exercise, then your body is not using up the carbohydrates you ingested. This creates an excess of carbohydrates in your body, and your digestive system, not knowing what to do with this excess, converts it to fat. This is what has lead to the general belief that carbohydrates cause fat. Carbohydrates are needed for energy. Eating the right amount, combined with a decent amount of exercise will ensure that you don’t have problems with excess carbohydrates.

Common Myth That Leads to Failing at Living Healthy #3 Eating only fat-free foods will help you lose weight

The next time you buy a box of fat-free cookies take a look at the nutrient label and see how many calories are in a serving. You will be surprised to see that the calorie content is probably in the triple digits and that a serving is somewhere around one or two cookies. Just because a product is fat free does not mean you can eat as much of it as you want.

Common Myth That Leads to Failing at Living Healthy #4 All fat is bad for you

This is not true. Your body needs fat for energy in order to be well balanced. However, your fat intake should only constitute 15% of your daily diet. Most people get two or three times this amount, which is why they gain weight, and which is why some self proclaimed fitness experts have latched on to this as being the only cause of weight gain.

This is just a short list of the most common myths, but there are plenty more, lesser known ones circulating. These just happen to be the most detrimental to the success of those individuals striving to live a healthier lifestyle. Always make sure and get the facts about your diet from a credible medical source. Just because you see something on television, the Internet or in print
does not make it true. Always look at everything with an ounce of skepticism when the source is one you’re unfamiliar with.

Article Source: http://www.dietarticles.info

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