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.

Do you invest in yourself?

Whether you're an employee or you own a business, most of us work  40+ hours a week. In return for our time/efforts, we earn enough income to sustain us for one week; maybe two.....depending on the hourly rate/salary. With all the time we put into work, I oftentimes wonder what would happen if we started investing time into our health/fitness the same way we invest time into our jobs and/or businesses..........

It's no secret that we invest the bulk of our time on making a living. Which is completely understandable.

As the old saying goes,"If a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat". However, at some point, we must stop and ask ourselves "can we really keep being productive if we don't take care of the body that allows us to perform the work............

Oftentimes we neglect our own health in an effort to keep our bills payed. When working long hours; its easy to convince ourselves that "exercising is "too time consuming"; or that "it's too hard". Yet, the truth of the matter is that exercising doesn't require much time and it actually gets easier the more you do it. A small investment of 3-6 hours per week is all it takes to reap the health benefits.

It's important for us to keep in mind that we only get ONE body.....If it breaks, we don't get another. Regardless of how much money we make or wealth we create; we cannot buy another body. Good health is a blessing and cannot be purchased the same way we buy cars, houses and clothes. We have to invest our time............Now I may not be the "smartest investor", but exercise is THE only personal investment that I know of where one can invest small amounts (3-6 hrs) and reap MAJOR benefits. And by investing in our health, we indirectly become more effective/productive at everything we do.

Calorie Estimate.

The number that you come up with is is a rough estimate of how many calories it will take to
maintain your current weight. If your goal is to lose or gain weight; enter in your target weight. 


*** It takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose one pound.

Look at the numbers!! Obesity Statistics

 Did you know that the US. is the leading nation for obesity rates and that

• 66% over 20 are overweight
• 33% over 20 are obese
• $145,645,000 Spent on Weight-Loss (Jan. 1st to May 6th 2013)
• $240,000,000 Spent on Healthcare Stemming from Obesity
• In 2011, Southern States had the highest prevalence of obesity (29.5%), followed by the Midwest (29.0%), the Northeast (25.3%) and the West (24.3%).

 Did you know that some groups of people have a higher obesity rate than others

•  Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity (49.5%) compared with Mexican Americans (40.4%), all Hispanics (39.1%) and non-Hispanic whites (34.3%) 

• African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups. About four out of five African American women are overweight or obese. 

•  In 2010, African American women were 70% more likely to be obese than Non-Hispanic White women.

•  The Office of Minority Health has found that adults are not the only ones affected by this epidemic, as data from the Centers for Disease Control from 2007 through 2010 found that 23.3% of African American boys, aged 6 – 11, and 24.5 % African American girls, ages 6 – 11 were obese.

Of course you know that

• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death. 

• In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. 

And of we most certainly know that

We can avoid becoming one of these statistics by simply eating a little less and incorporating regular (3-4 days) exercise into our schedules........


Sources include:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html#Prevalence

mexicobariatriccenter.com/obesity-statistics-2013-usa-world/

Why should you eat healthy and exercise?

Our primary reason for eating healthy and exercise should be lowering our body fat percentage.

Body Fat Ranges for Adults:

  Female     Age           Low %     Normal %           High %  
                  20-39         21            21- 32.9             33- 38.9
                  40-59         23            23- 33.9             34- 39.9
                  60-79         24            24- 35.9             36- 41.9

  Male          Age            Low %      Normal %         High %
                   20-39          8                8- 19.9            20- 24.9
                   40-59         11              11- 21.9           22- 27.9
                   60-79         13              13- 24.9           25- 29.9


The lower our body fat%, the lower our risk of:

-diabetes                              -joint problems
-high blood pressure           -high cholesterol
-various cancers                  -gallbladder problems
-breathing difficulties         -coronary artery disease



If we stop for a moment and observe those around us.....I'm pretty sure that we can think of at least 3 or more family members who are battling one or more of the issues above. It may even be you! 

I completely understand that some individuals have medical ailments and issues that they have no control over. Yet there are many health problems that we can easily avoid by simply eating better and exercising. Don't wait until your doctor tells you  "If you don't start eating better and exercising ________ will happen". Save yourself the trouble, start now !!



"Insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results".