Loose skin and stretch marks!!!

Anytime someone loses weight, whether it's a small or large amount, there's always the chance of having loose skin and/or stretch marks. Loose skin and stretch marks occur when our skin is stretched more than normal due to weight gain. How  your skin "bounces back" afterwards is dependent on your skin elasticity. Skin elasticity is basically  how far ones skin can stretch out and then return to its original state.

While stretch marks are hard to avoid, its possible to manage the amount of loose skin that occurs during weight loss. Here are some tips that will help to avoid too much loose skin:

•  Try not to loose it too fast!!  Our bodies cannot keep up with the major changes of extreme weight loss. (a topic I spoke about in an earlier post)   http://exercisesmarter.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-much-weight-do-you-want-to-lose.html

•  Start working out today!!  As we age, our skin loses some of  it's elasticity.  Needles to say, "procrastination" increases your chances of having loose skin.

• Avoid to smoking!! There are a million reasons not to smoke, and loose skin and wrinkles in the face and hands are just one more.

• Avoid excessive amounts of sunlight. Too much sunlight, without protection from the sun speeds up the aging process in the face and other uncovered areas of the body.

How much weight do you want to lose?

How much weight do you want to lose? 50 lbs? 75 lbs? 100 lbs?  What's your goal? If you're trying to lose a large amount of weight and keep it off, its always best to lose it slow........

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Over the long term, it's best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds a week, although initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting.

The reason why health experts recommend 1-2 pounds per week  for healthy weight loss is because our bodies need time to adjust to the "new" weight, or the "new you". Gradual weight loss gives our body a opportunity to reset itself. On the flip side, when an individual loses, say "15 pounds in a week", its a major shock to the body!! And whenever you stop doing whatever it was that you done to lose the weight, you will most certainly gain it all back and maybe a little more. 


In some cases, an individual will start a diet plan and lose a lot more than 1-2 pounds per week. Especially if the individual is over 200 lbs. However, if one continues to lose weight at a rapid pace, they will eventually "plateau" or slow down. This gives the body a chance to adjust.

What to look for when starting a diet

In my short time on this earth,  I've noticed that two of THE HARDEST things to do is to control what comes out of our mouths (the things we say) and what goes into our mouths (the things we eat). For now I  want to focus on what goes into our mouths.

It takes a lot of self control to make healthy eating choices on a regular basis. And when people ask me what should they eat, I am quick to say "eat according to the goals that you're trying to reach"..
Below are a three examples of what to eat in relation to the goal:


1. Goal (weight loss)- Studies show that when trying to lose weight its best to cut back on foods that contain a large amount of refined or simple carbohydrates. Flour, sugar, rice, white bread, potatoes, are  some of the main culprits that are keeping individuals from losing weight. Also, increasing the amount of protein is beneficial for keeping one satisfied.

2. Goal (weight gain)- trying to gain weight is almost the opposite of weight loss. A moderate increase in starchy carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, and flour has shown to help with weight gain.

3. Goal (increasing risk of diabetes and heart attack)- when trying to increase the risk of developing diabetes and/or heart attack, studies show that consuming large amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated/trans fats will definitely do the trick. Lots of sodas,candy and 95% of fast foods help increase ones risk of diabetes and heart attack.

10 foods that help shed pounds!!

When it comes to reaching  health and fitness goals, the one factor that will either MAKE or BREAK you is going to be "What you eat". If we did a percentage of how important eating habits is to overall health and fitness the equation would look something like this:
70% (Eating) + 30% Exercise = Health/Fitness


Since what we eat plays such a big factor in the results that we get from our exercise routines,  I want to share what has and still works for me. Here are 10 foods I constantly eat that have helped me to lose and maintain my weight.

Apples           (medium size)       81 calories                 21  carbohydrates           

Grapefruit   (medium size)       74 calories                 19  carbohydrates

Peaches         (medium size)       37 calories                 10  carbohydrates

Plums            (medium size)       36 calories                   8  carbohydrates

Oranges        (medium)               67 calories                 16  carbohydrates

Broccoli        1 cup                        24 calories                   5 carbohydrates

Cabbage         1 cup                        16 calories                   4 carbohydrates

Green beans  1 cup                        44 calories                 10 carbohydrates

Lettuce           1 cup                        10 calories                    2 carbohydrates

Spinach          1 cup                        12 calories                    2 carbohydrates

**All the foods listed here are low in carbohydrate and contain fiber. Foods that contain lower carbs and high fiber digest much slower, which means that they are less likely to be stored as fat. These foods also keep me satisfied and feeling full for longer periods of time. So I'm less likely to overeat.