Both of these are frequently asked questions when it come to weight loss. Fist of all if you are looking for how to lose weight fast at home remedies, then you will find several FREE and NATURAL Proven Weight loss tips here.

Let’s talk about Water. It is absolutely essential that you drink enough water to support the liver’s ability to burn fat. And when you are lacking in the H2O department, your kidneys will actually force your liver to pick up the slack. And that takes away from your liver’s ability to metabolize stored fat.

There are two basic schools of thought when wondering how many cups of water a day to drink to lose weight fast. The first is the generic 8 glasses of 8 ounce servings. I would say that this is an absolute minimum; but right on the money for a person that weighs about 125 pounds. The other school of though is this: you need to drink half of your weight in ounces of water every day. So Simply put, a person weighing 150 pounds would need to drink 75 ounces of water a day. This is about 9 servings at 8 ounces each. Or 9 glasses of water.

If you can get anywhere from 8 to 10 eight ounce cups of water a day you are probably doing great, but do give you weight some consideration. Drinking water is very important if you want to lose weight fast, but more importantly it will actually HELP you get rid of excess water weight! What? How can that be?

Well, quite the contrary– the reason that your body is retaining water is because it is trying to tell you something! Your body is in crisis mode and is hoarding every ounce it can because you are not giving it enough! Bottom line– to stop retaining water you must start drinking more per day.

I know, when you and your toilet become best buddies during frequent visits, most people call it quits. This is but a brief period when your body is regaining trust in your ability to give it the water it needs.

Great news! The more frequent your visits to the bathroom become, the MORE water you are getting rid of around your belly, ankles and hips. Your body is realizing that it doesn’t need to hold onto that water anymore. Finally, you are giving yourself just what you need. So please don’t stop now. You are on the verge of your breakthrough point. Eventually, you’re body will settle down and frequent toilet breaks will become less often and more manageable. Even better, You will see weight loss results like never before if you stick to a good water regime.

You will also notice something else, less cravings! Sometimes dehydration can cause you to crave more food. Not only will you be full because of your water intake, you body will stop sending those false alarms to your brain! If you can add a lemon to your water you are doing your digestive system a huge favor. The proper amount of lemon juice a day will aid in the digestive process and symptoms like heartburn, burping and bloating will start to disappear.

Lemons are high in two essentials that your body needs–Vitamin C and Potassium. The vitamin C will boost your immune system and help clean out your blood. The Potassium in lemons will also help people with heart conditions.

Recent studies have indicated that Cancer thrives in an acidic environment. Believe it or not even though lemons are an acidic fruit, they are a great ph/alkaline equalizer. Lemons will actually help your body become LESS acidic.

How much lemon juice should you have? Well if you weigh under 150 pounds you should have an ounce a day or the equivalent of one lemon. Weigh more than 150 pounds? Just double it and have 2 ounces of lemon juice a day. Try to make it from Organic lemons if you can. Just sip your lemon water throughout the day with your spring water and you will reap the rewards of Fast Weight Loss and Healthy Liver, Kidney, Digestive and Heart Health!

Discover the incredible weight loss benefits of swiss chard, how to best prepare it and how much you should eat to get maximum benefit from swiss chard – one of nature’s amazing fat burning foods.

The veggie known as swiss chard resembles beets or spinach in taste. Along with kale, collard and mustard greens, it is a leafy green vegetable that is commonly referred to simply as “greens”. You can purchase it throughout the year, but its peak harvest time starts in June and ends in August.

This leafy green veggie has a wide, crunchy stalk colored white, red or yellow. The leaves are a dark green color, very wide, and are spread out in the shape of a fan. You can eat the stalk as well as the leafy parts.

Fat Burning Benefits of Swiss Chard

It contains anthocyans and fiber that give special protection against cancer of the digestive tract, especially cancer of the colon. There is recent scientific evidence suggesting that Swiss chard may protect the kidneys of diabetic patients, because the serum urea and creatinine levels are reduced.

It is also very high in the following substances: Vitamin A, C, E and K, dietary fiber, magnesium, manganese, iron and potassium.

This vegetable additionally contains reliable amounts of Vitamins B-1, B-2 and B-6, plus folic acid, biotin, niacin, Pantothenic acid, copper, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and copper, as well as protein.

The vitamin K content helps to keep your bones healthy.

Beta carotene is a cancer-fighting nutrient that is also an antioxidant. Beta carotene belongs to the carotenoid family, and might be able to protect the body against skin cancer and various other kinds of cancer.

Vitamin A is helpful in the reduction of negative effects cigarette smoke has on the body, plus it helps to guard the body against emphysema.

Magnesium is helpful in regulating the body’s nerve and muscle tone by regulating the effect of calcium on the body.

Vitamin C helps fight inflammation as an antioxidant that dissolves in water. It provides the energy needed to raise the metabolism of your body in order to burn off excess fat. Swiss chard contains Vitamin C, which is helpful in the prevention of free radical damage to cells, plus it provides additional protection against cancer of the colon. Vitamin C is also very helpful in maintaining a healthy immune system, fending off colds and helping to cure infections.

It also contains potassium, which is helpful in lowering blood levels, as well as cholesterol levels.

The iron content of the vegetable is helpful in producing the body’s energy and also manufactures hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen everywhere in the body.

This vegetable contains manganese, a trace mineral that is helpful in producing energy that comes from proteins and carbohydrates, as well as synthesizing fatty acids. In addition, manganese protects the body against free radical damage that occurs when energy is produced.

Proper Way to Prepare Swiss Chard

Look for fresh Swiss chard in your supermarket’s fresh produce section; this section is one of the store’s refrigerated areas. Find the most vibrant green leafy produce, without yellowed or discolored leaves. Be certain that you pick out crisp stalks and crispy leaves that do not contain any visible spots.

You can refrigerate unwashed Swiss chard leaves in a plastic bag for a few days. Blanched Swiss chard leaves may be frozen for future meals. Before cooking the Swiss chard, rinse it off very carefully in order to remove all of the dirt and sand. Immerse the leaves and stalks in a container filled with cold water, swoosh them around, then finish cleaning by rinsing them in cold, running water. Trim off the bottom ends of the vegetable. If the fibers are too plentiful, you can peel them off in the same manner that you peel off excess fibers from celery stalks.

Do not cook this vegetable in an aluminum pot, because the aluminum will, cause your Swiss chard to lose its green color. It is better to quick boil your Swiss chard, as opposed to steaming it, since the quick boil method frees the oxalic acids found in the leaves, and helps it to not taste quite as bitter.

Substitute Swiss chard in lieu of spinach when you cook a vegetarian lasagna. Substitute it for cabbage when preparing stuffed veggie dishes. You can use the leaves as a sandwich wrap, stuffing them with your favorite tuna fish, chicken or turkey fillings. You can also add cooked this vegetable to a penne pasta dish, with the addition of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and chopped garlic cloves. Try adding some steamed Swiss chard to a frittata or an omelet.

The Amount to Eat

The recommended portion size of Swiss chard is the equivalent of one cup.

Are you interested in the Pilates workout chair but you can’t make your mind up yet? Then I have just the article for you! I will share with you the pros and the cons of using a Pilates chair in order to help you decide if it’s the Pilates equipment for you or not. Let’s have a look at them now:

Pros of using a Pilates chair

Here is why you might say YES to a Pilates chair

Tones the entire body and offers a light cardio workout

A Pilates exercise chair is excellent for toning the entire body and it also gives the user a light cardio workout. It also stretches and lengthens the muscles while strengthening the core (the muscles of your lower back, abs and hip flexors).

Get a professional Pilates workout

The Pilates chair gives a workout that can be compared to a professional Pilates workout if you use the Pilates chair correctly.

Relatively inexpensive

The chair won’t cost you an arm and a leg and is much less expensive that a Pilates machine – making it a great choice for when you are on a budget. The only Pilates equipment that is even less expensive is the Pilates band.

Portable

You can pack the Pilates exercise chair up and take it wherever you go – making it one of the most portable Pilates equipments yet (along with a Pilates band and ring).

Convenient

You can use the Pilates workout chair to exercise in the comfort of your own home, office or wherever you want and you don’t even have to step a foot out of the house to use it.

Cons of using a Pilates chair

Here is why you might say NO to a Pilates chair

Can be uncomfortable

If you use the Pilates exercise chair with the wrong way, it can be quite uncomfortable. So make sure to read or watch the instruction booklet/DVD to make sure that you use it the right way.

Pilates beginner

IF you are a Pilates beginner, you are better off getting a proper Pilates machine or by taking a few classes first before using the Pilates chair as it can be quite advanced.

Not best for weight loss

If your main aim is to lose weight, the Pilates exercise chair might not be for you. The Pilates workout chair might help you lose a little bit of weight, but you are more likely to gain a few pounds (because muscle weighs more than fat). You will however have more muscle definition and you will get leaner.

Need storage space

If you are short on space, you should rather use smaller Pilates equipment like the ring or the band, because although the Pilates chair is not too big, it still needs space.

To lose love handles fast doesn’t take as much sacrifice or effort as you might think. Skinny Asian women have perfected several easy methods to reduce these trouble areas quickly and without going hungry or spending years on a treadmill. Let’s lose that muffin top ladies!:)

Lose Love Handles Fast – 2 Easy Tips

1. Cut out the liquid calories immediately.

Asian women tend to stay away from soda, wine, fruit juice, energy drinks, milk, and any other calorie-rich liquids when looking for a fast fix to shrinking their hips down.

Sugar is always enemy #1 in our battle to get and stay thin, and over the last few years the market has been saturated with massive numbers of sugar-filled energy drinks, fruit juices, so-called “sport” drinks, and everything else under the Sun.

Cut your intake of any of these to ZERO and within a few days you’ll see a quick water-retention lowering throughout your body. Many of these drinks contain salt as well as sugar (hence why they’re so addictive) and water-retention is prevalent in those who drink them.

2. Rub out the fat…literally.

I’ve covered this Asian technique in previous articles, but it’s good to repeat it here.

Use your hands to massage and break down the stuck fat tissue that makes up your love handles. It’s a lot like a deep massage from a professional at a spa, that’s how much pressure I want you to use when attacking the love handles. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get the blood flowing and the fat to break loose for absorption back into the bloodstream.

Do two sessions per day, approximately 5-10 minutes per session, preferably once before lunch and once before dinner. You should see results within a couple weeks, stay with it.

3. The truth is that everyone I know is sick of the typical diet programs, where you’re either STARVING or trying to live through BRUTAL workouts. Instead…

Slimming tea has become the latest diet fad sweeping the nation. There are scientifically proven benefits to drinking pure teas, including weight loss. However, there are health risks that come from abuse and sometimes from occasional use of slimming tea.

The first question one should ask before purchasing or using any beverage or pill is if it is pure or if it contains herbal laxatives. Many of the herbal varieties touted as fat burning or those that claim remarkable weight loss properties often contain senna, a product that is primarily used as a laxative.

Just because a tea product states that it is all natural or all herbal does not make it safe. The use of senna for weight loss can be highly dangerous. In fact, this particular herb is often a prescribed laxative for those people who are severely constipated and have found no relief from stool softeners. Most prescriptions are for a duration of no more than seven days to prevent further damage to one’s health.

Over use and abuse of laxatives, herbal or manufactured, for fat burning or weight loss can cause the person to become dehydrated and can create problems in the gastric-intestinal tract. In fact, abuse can cause death.

Of particular concern is the abuse of such products when used by those who suffer from anorexia or bulimia. Laxatives have become the hidden ingredient in many products on the market today. Friends and family may be led to believe that the use of some beverages are healthy while, in fact, those drinks can be secretly causing physical damage or quietly killing the user. Those who suffer from anorexia or bulimia or are obsessed with losing weight will often tell about the health benefits while hiding the fact that they are using the product for its “cleansing” benefits. Even when attempting to remove toxins from the body, this is not a safe method, especially if used for extended periods.

While no one will dispute the value of green, white, black, oolong, or any other pure tea product, one should be very wary of any product that hypes itself as a slimming product. Read the ingredients on the side of the package. Research the benefits and the dangers before use.

With so much emphasis on obesity in the nation today, many are becoming obsessed with knocking off the pounds as quickly as possible and with as little effort as possible. While weight loss is a major concern for many, it is far more beneficial to look for health benefits and a healthy lifestyle.

Regardless of this latest diet fad or any that have come before it or will follow, there is absolutely no replacement for eating a balanced diet and engaging in exercise. The best method and the safest method to burn fat is to eat five or six small well balanced meals a day and to engage in physical activity for at least thirty minutes a day.

We should all remember that it took several years to pack on the extra pounds and it may take several years to get rid of them, although a reduction in calorie intake in combination with a daily walk for half an hour can speed up the process.

For those who want to burn fat and lose weight, consider the following:

• See your doctor and discuss your concerns
• Join a gym or create a group to walk together
• Eat a well balanced diet of small meals throughout the day
• Avoid weight loss products, tea or pills, that contain laxatives

Regardless of your shape or size, it is more important to be healthy than to kill yourself trying to be thin.

Remember how we were taught ‘Energy can neither be created nor destroyed – It can only be transformed’?

“Energy balance refers to the tendency for total energy in a system to stay in equilibrium.

Any difference or delta between total energy input and total energy expenditure, over a set period of time, will change the energy stores of the body by an equal amount.”

Mathematically speaking,

Energy Input = Energy Output + Stored Energy

• If Energy Input is GREATER THAN Energy Output, then Stored Energy increases.
• If Energy Input is LOWER THAN Energy Output, then Stored Energy decreases.
• If Energy Input is EQUAL TO Energy Output, then there is NO CHANGE to Stored Energy.

Whew. Easy, right?

So what does this have to do with losing weight or building muscle?

Actually, it has everything to do with it. Your body’s appearance – the muscle and fat distribution on your body, is heavily influenced by your state of energy balance.

When your energy input is higher than energy output…

You are in an energy surplus or a caloric surplus. What does your body do with this surplus energy? Any energy that it cannot burn off through activity or body heat – will be stored on the body for use at a later time. It can be stored either as muscle or as fat, or a combination of both. We’ll get back to this in a second.

When your energy input is lower than energy output…

You are in an energy deficit or a caloric deficit. This means, that your body is not receiving enough energy or calories to support all the calorie-expending-activity that is being asked of it (exercise, physiological functioning, fidgeting, flicking the remote, etc.). In these cases – the body looks to it’s existing reserves – the fat and muscle that is stored on your body – to supply the extra energy that is required to make up this deficit.

So, basically, now you begin to see why energy, and therefore calories (the basic measure of energy, for those of you who forgot your Physics), are so important when it comes to changing the way your body looks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if you want to make a change to the way you look, you HAVE to start manipulating calories.

You don’t have to count them – You don’t even have to know what they are all the time – but you sure as hell have to ensure you’re managing that calorie balance, or you’re just wasting your time.

Energy Input

So – Energy Input – is basically all the energy that you consume, in the form of food and beverages. This includes anything and everything that you ingest – so we’re talking food, juice, beverages and alcohol. Every single thing that you consume contributes to the total energy intake – everything except water. Water has NO calories and therefore you could drink a billion liters of water and have no added calories on the Energy input side.

All the food and beverages that you consume basically come from one of four components, or a combination thereof.

• Carbohydrates, which produce 4 calories per gram
• Proteins that produce 4 calories per gram
• Fats that produce 9 calories per gram
• Alcohol that produces 7 calories per gram.

So if you were to analyze the macros (that’s what the components above are) in everything you ate, and added up the calories produced by each of them, you’d get your total energy intake., or Energy Input.

Energy Output

Energy Output – refers to the total energy that is burnt by the body, expressed in calories. There are four major ways in which the body burns calories.

1. Body Maintenance – called BMR or RMR: The body is the biggest consumer of calories – no surprise – and this is referred to as BMR (basal metabolic rate) or RMR (resting metabolic rate). This is basically the energy that is required by the body to stay alive and keep standard physiological functions running. It makes sense, right? Your brain, your heart, your kidneys, etc – even the blood flow through your arteries – all of this requires energy, nothing happens automatically – and all of this energy consumption is collectively referred to as BMR/RMR. The bigger your body, the more your RMR – again, this makes sense – because bigger things require more energy to perform the same function.

2. Digestion of Food: The process of breaking down food requires enough energy to be called out on it’s own. Basically, the body will require energy to facilitate the breakdown, digestion, absorption and excretion of food – and the amount of energy required varies quite a bit depending on what you eat. This is referred to as the Thermic Effect of Food. Typically, highly refined and processed food requires very little energy for digestion, and so they get absorbed quite easily. Natural food has more fiber and therefore requires more energy to process. And, among macros, fat has the lowest thermic effect while protein has the highest thermic effect. What this means is that you can manipulate the amount of energy you expend – simply by controlling what you eat. This is why when you try to lose weight, you are told to eat natural food that’s high in protein, because you are forcing your body to burn more energy to digest the food – and therefore leaving less energy for storage as fat.

3. Exercise Activity: This is the most straight-forward component – it refers to the energy that you burn off during exercise. Any form of exercise – whether running or swimming or lifting weights – will burn calories – and this is what most people focus on when trying to lose weight.

4. Non-Exercise Activity: This is the fourth and final part of the energy output side of the equation. And it’s the most commonly overlooked piece of the puzzle – it refers to all the energy that we burn outside the gym! We tend to forget that before and after we’re at the gym or wherever it is that we exercise – we still have lives to live. And all of that requires energy – this could include walking up stairs, cleaning the house, doing things at the office – and many unconscious activities like fidgeting, shaking your legs while reading a book, etc. This varies tremendously from individual to individual – some people are fairly sedentary and don’t burn a whole lot of calories this way, but small, hyperactive, skinny people tend to burn MASSIVE amounts of energy this way – these are the people who seem to eat a lot of food, don’t work out, but seemingly NEVER PUT ON WEIGHT. It’s because their non-exercise activity levels are through the roof.

Okay, Great – So What?

So now that all the theory is out of the way – what this mean for you? Simple. If you want to change the way your body looks, you need to make changes to the energy balance.

If you want to lose weight – decrease energy input or increase energy output or do both. So that means eat less food (energy input) and/or move more (energy output). Doing this will force the body to use it’s existing stored energy (stored as fat & muscle tissue) to restore energy balance.

If you want to gain weight – increase energy input or decrease energy output or do both. What does that mean? – Eat more food (energy input) and/or move less (energy output). Doing this will force the body to convert the extra/excess energy as stored energy (stored as fat & muscle tissue) to restore energy balance – because energy cannot be destroyed or created, just transformed!

Now, when losing weight, you only want to lose fat, not muscle. I mean, you could lose both if you wanted to but:

1. It’s less aesthetically pleasing to be just skinny – most people want to be lean and look fit, not like a bag of bones.

2. The more muscle you maintain on your body, the higher your RMR (energy output) will be, which allows you to eat more, which is always nice, right?

So, in order to get your body to focus on burning fat instead of muscle – you have to let your body know that the muscle is important – you do this by exercising and by eating protein. Exercising requires muscle tissue, and your body will realize that it needs to keep the muscle tissue intact to keep lifting loads (exercise) – and any muscle that IS lost to energy, will be replaced with the protein you consume. Now, you begin to see why people say it’s so important to LIFT WEIGHTS when trying to lose weight, and not just do cardio all the time. It’s to preserve muscle tissue.

Similarly – When gaining weight, you want to gain muscle, not fat.

You do this by exercising and eating protein. Same principle at work – the energy surplus that comes into the body will be preferentially directed towards muscle growth, to support all the heavy lifting you’re trying to do with your body.

Exceptions to the rule

Okay – so remember how, at the beginning of the article, I said the energy balance rule would work for 99% of all people? Who does it NOT work for?

Typically, the only people who seem to have an issue with losing/gaining weight while manipulating the energy balance – are people with some sort of larger issues with their hormonal functioning. One of the biggest culprits is improper Thyroid functioning, but there are others as well. For example, when people are subject to high levels of stress, they produce a hormone called cortisol, which also messes up stuff. Having said that, it’s not that the Energy Balance equation doesn’t apply to them (because it does, it’s a basic law of thermodynamics) – it’s just that there are other factors at play that alter the efficiency of the energy in/energy out model.

Another situation is where you see extremely obese people who seem to eat very little and still get bigger. Why? Because they’re special snowflakes, like their Mamas always told them?

Nope – it’s because these people are so sedentary and their bodies are covered with so much fat, that their energy output is STILL lower than their seemingly small energy input. Think about it. If you ate 1000 calories in a day (not a lot) and burnt only 800 calories during the day through the various channels (RMR, digestion, etc.) – YOU WOULD STILL GAIN WEIGHT.

To quote someone who’s work I read recently,

“Physics isn’t just a good idea, kids. It’s the Law.”

Final Words

So – if you’re trying to lose weight in the new year – before you try any new-fangled diet or supplement or shell out big bucks for some special program or spend hours at the gym…

• Think about your energy balance. Are you staying in a deficit?
• Are you working out (and burning 200-300 calories) but eliminating that deficit by eating shit that adds up to 1000 additional calories?
• Are you paying lots of money for special supplements and protein powders and fat-loss pills, but still eating so much food that you are staying calorie neutral?
• Are you swapping out 1 glass of cola (140 calories, primarily from sugar carbs) for 2 glasses of orange juice (220 calories, also from sugar carbs) and still not losing weight? What a surprise (sarcasm, in case you missed it)

For the guy who’s trying to build muscle…

• Are you killing it in the gym and pounding protein shakes but staying in calorie deficit or neutral? Remember that protein, in addition to only providing 4 calories per gram, is also very expensive to digest and so your body is burning more energy just digesting it – thereby impacting your calorie balance.
• Are you constantly complaining about how you’re eating a lot but actually it’s all low calorie high volume food?
• Are you eating enough and working out – but then you’re burning a bunch of calories cycling around the place or playing basketball for 2 hours after the gym – and then wondering why you’re not growing?

So – to summarize – if you’re trying to lose weight or build muscle – your first goal should be to get your energy balance in the right place – in a place that supports your goal.

Once you have that under control, THEN and ONLY THEN should you start to think about the other stuff like type of food, type of exercise, frequency of workouts, supplements, etc.

And even then – when it comes to food and exercise – there’s an order of importance to things – don’t focus on the small stuff and ignore the bigger, more important things. Read the articles I have written (links in the resource box, below) so you can learn exactly what you need to focus on to get results.

That’s it – this is the simple math behind physique transformation, and it’s what works for 99% of you.

And chances are that you’re in the 99%, even though your mom told you you were special.

Peace.

People all around the globe want to have a flat stomach desperately, and this is why they are increasingly opting for all natural weight loss supplements that promise quick results without any side effects.

You can also find several diet pills that are useless as they increase the risk of heart attacks and diabetes. No matter how strongly a pill claims to reduce your weight fast, you must understand that there is no magic pill that will melt away the pounds.

A natural supplement is a good alternative for those people who want to stay away from chemical-based, harmful weight loss supplements that damage heart valves. Thus, all natural weight loss supplements are safer alternative to losing body weight. It is also important that you are positive towards losing weight if you want the natural supplement to work fast.

Selling natural supplements to lose those extra pounds is a big business in the U.S. as Americans spend billions of dollars on such remedies. Even Hollywood celebrities promote all natural weight loss supplements and programs. However, one key aspect of herbal weight loss supplement is that the FDA department that is responsible for drug safety does not check natural supplements. Thus, as a consumer, you need to be extra careful before you buy any weight loss supplement as the claims made by the manufacturer can be false.

Medical research suggests that the topmost method to attain flat stomach is by restricting the calorie intake and increasing the physical activity. Turning to diet pills that artificially stimulate the metabolism to lose weight can do more harm than good. So, always trust only natural supplements.

There are several natural ingredients used in natural weight loss supplements, so when buying one you must look for them. Take a look.

• Green tea extract is commonly used in herbal supplements as it helps to speed up your metabolism and burn fat. It is a powerful supplement to kick-start slow metabolism. According to research, green tea can increase burning of calories while you are resting by 4%.

• Another natural ingredient is Hoodia that is a natural appetite suppressant.

• Glucomannan (extracted from the Konjac plant) is yet another ingredient that slows the rate of absorption of carbohydrates and also works as an appetite suppressant.

• The two effective natural supplements that are used to reduce blood sugar are l-arabinose and chromium. Both help decrease blood sugar by reducing sugar enzyme action and removing glucose from the blood by shifting it to the cells where it is transformed to energy.

• More natural supplements that help lose weight are white bean extract and irvingia. They help in managing diabetes and reducing weight.

Turning to dangerous fad diets and pills to lose weight can result in serious consequences. So it is best to eat a healthy diet and follow regular exercise regime combined with ONLY all natural weight loss supplements to get the body of your dreams.

The good news is that you don’t need a diet program to tell you how to lose weight. We have really complicated life by allowing ourselves to be sucked into the general “diet” beliefs, such as counting calories to lose weight, low-fat foods to lose weight, sugar-free foods to lose weight – the list goes on. But all you really need to know to lose weight naturally and effortlessly is what foods to eat, what exercise to do, and how to change the way you think about food.

What food should you eat to lose weight?

I once went on a 3 month natural raw food diet. The only cooked food I ate was a little feta cheese and chickpeas. I lost a lot of weight and felt really good! It was so liberating being on this raw food diet, because I stopped thinking about dieting and losing weight, and just ate whatever I wanted – as long as it was raw and natural. I can say quite comfortably, that you can eat the following in any amount whatsoever, as long as you stick to what’s on this list – the rule of thumb is that it simply has to be any unprocessed, unrefined food, so I may have left off a few foods, but be your own judge.

Food combining (not eating specific foods together) also works well, because it ensures fast digestion, which influences weight loss.

But the most important aspect to losing weight naturally, is to eat what God intended the human body to consume – natural, whole foods free of additives and other toxins. In other words, the best foods to eat are those which rot in a couple of days. This of course, does not include tinned veggies which can last for years! Please understand that if something has a long shelf-life, you have to ask yourself what’s been added to it to make it last!

Here is a list of what’s good for your body, and which will help you lose weight almost automatically:

Vegetables:

Gem squash, peas, corn, onion, garlic, broccoli, baby marrows (zucchini), cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, peppers, carrots, butternut, pumpkin, pattie pans, baby gems, rhubarb, asparagus, mushrooms, artichokes, beetroot, celery, collard greens, spinach, cucumbers, eggplant, ginger, green beans, kale, leeks, spring onions, lettuce, olives, tomatoes

Herbs:

Dill, fennel, rocket, parsley, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme

Nuts: (must be raw, never salted)

Almonds, cashews, macadamias, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts

Seeds: (must be raw, never salted)

Flax seeds (preferably crushed or the body cannot make use fully of all their goodness), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds

Fruit:

Figs, grapefruit, naartjies, apples, lemons, grapes, kiwis, limes, oranges, papayas, pears, pineapples, cherries, plums, prunes, raisins, mango, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, bananas, apricots, peaches, cranberries

Fats:

Cold pressed olive oil, cold pressed sunflower oil, cold pressed flax seed oil, hemp seed oil

Herbal teas:

All herbal teas – check that nothing processed has been added (like flavourants)

Sweeteners:

Honey, stevia, agave syrup, xylitol

Sprouts:

All sprouts

Carbohydrates:

Sweet potatoes, brown rice, unrefined oats, potatoes

Beans and legumes:

Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, soybeans

Use sparingly, if at all:

Meat, chicken, fish, dressings, sauces, butter, cow’s milk, cheese

Do not use:

All processed foods (sweets, savoury snacks, chips, cereal bars, white bread, white flour, fatty meats, processed meats, margarines, artificial sweeteners (aspartame)

What exercise should you be doing to lose weight?

Different exercises do different things for the body. Ideally, you need a combination of cardio (anything that makes your heart beat faster), as well as weights and stretching. You should be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, and you should be exerting your body in these exercises, which means a bit of heavy breathing and perspiration!

Changing the way you think about food:

This is key for permanent weight loss. Food needs to be thought of as necessary for survival. It should not be used to fulfil an emptiness inside, or as entertainment when bored, or for comfort. As I mentioned, I went on a 3 month raw food diet, but I had not addressed the way I related to food, so when I ended the raw food diet, I put on all the weight I had lost, and more. Without addressing this vital aspect, you are not likely to lose weight permanently.

Once you have grasped the simplicity of eating for nutritional value, together with portion control, your life will be made far more simple and instead of counting calories for each meal, you can begin to start living your life and doing far more important things than measuring fat grams!

In this article I would like to talk about 4 powerful spices and herbs that you should add to your diet to help lose belly fat faster.

To lose weight, lose belly fat, gain lean muscle, and improve your overall health, it is obviously very important to make sure you are getting plenty of water daily, plenty of sleep every night, exercising (cardio + weight training), eat several small meals daily, and eat the proper foods. The proper foods in general categories would be fiber, complex carbohydrates, fruits & veggies, protein, and healthy fats. However, to amp up those foods for an even more powerful belly fat burning effect, you should add these 4 herbs and spices a long with some of your foods.

Here are the 4 herbs & spices in no particular order:

1. Ginger: Causes your tissues to use more energy thus burning more calories. Ginger is also good for improving joint functionality, controlling cholesterol, and several other health conditions.

2. Cinnamon: Mm mm! I do not eat one bowl of oatmeal without adding cinnamon! Studies have shown that cinnamon has a positive effect on your blood sugar level. It also is a great source of fiber and calcium which are highly important in your efforts to lose weight and build muscle. Here is a little tip. Now this may take some getting used to, but, to substitute sugar in your coffee, try adding one teaspoon of cinnamon instead. Your coffee may not have that sweet flavor you were used to, however, cinnamon will remove the bitter taste of plain coffee and you are reducing your sugar intake.

3. Cayenne Pepper: I love cayenne pepper on grilled chicken! Studies have indicated that cayenne pepper (also known as chili pepper, red pepper, or paprika) has the ability to boost your metabolism to burn off fat. It is also proven that cayenne pepper can also help in reducing your appetite. It is recommended to get about 20-30 grams a day for maximum benefits.

4. Ginseng: A powerful substance that can increase energy, boost your metabolism, increase strength, and increase endurance. This substance is highly recommended for people who are overweight and suffer from excessive water weight. Ginseng can also be used as a remedy for several other health conditions such as high blood pressure and so much more.

Add those spices to your current health foods and experience an extra boost in how quickly you can lose belly fat, lose weight, and improve your complete overall health!

Use the benefit of jogging exercise to lose love handles

If you are anything like I was many years ago you might describe yourself as ‘cuddly’ or ‘huggable’. Anything to disguise the fact that you’re a little overweight and have a few rolls of unsightly fat around your middle. If this is you then you might want to learn the secret of how to get rid of love handles.

Sorry, there’s no secret way to eliminate love handles but I can tell you about how I managed to lose my love handle fat. It didn’t happen overnight and I did have to work at it but slowly the fat around my middle and other parts of my body started to melt away and I’ve managed to stay reasonably lean for many years now.

Nutrition and exercise is the key to losing love handles

I didn’t know much about nutrition and exercise at the time and I still don’t know that much but I did know that you need to do some exercise. Any exercise is better than none right? I also knew that the more calories you eat the more fat accumulates on your body. I’ve no idea why it all seems to go on around your middle first but it seems to be very common.

The first thing I did was cut down the size of my meals to reduce my calorie intake. This is very difficult to do if you have a low metabolism like I do because you don’t have to eat much before you start putting on weight. This means that you probably don’t eat much to start with. You can also make adjustments to the things you eat to help you lose fat. For more about nutrition see this article: Food To Help You Lose Weight.

The next step is to introduce some regular exercise. This will burn off some of the calories that you consume allowing you to at least eat something. When you decide what type of exercise you are going to do you should pick something that you’ll enjoy doing and can see yourself doing regularly and consistently. That way you’ll be able to keep it up for a long time to come.

Jogging to lose weight

I chose to start jogging. I wanted to lose body fat all over but I was most concerned about my love handles. I also knew that I would enjoy jogging in the park along the riverbank. Pleasant surroundings is a definite bonus and incentive to keep going as are the occasions when I happen to meet a girl jogging and swap weight loss notes.

Your weight loss from jogging

Exactly how many calories you’ll burn by jogging depends on a number of factors. The heavier you are and the faster you run, the more calories you’ll burn. A rule of thumb estimate suggests that jogging for weight loss will burn off roughly 10 calories per minute. You can use this estimate to work out how much jogging you are going to need to do.

The calorie burned jogging in 30-minutes 6 times a week will be roughly 1800 calories a week. Another rough rule of thumb suggests that 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories. At this rate you should lose about 1 pound of weight every 2 weeks, which is a very slow but healthy way to lose weight. This assumes of course that your weight was stable before you took up the exercise and that you don’t eat more than you did before.

It was a slow process but over time it did show me how to get rid of love handles because they eventually disappeared. I still enjoy the jogging to this day and my love handles have never returned.