This is the Workout I Did For 1 Year That Finally Helped Me Lose My Belly Fat

Last July, I only signed up for a month of CrossFit so I could write a post about how stupid I thought it was. Coming from a running and yoga background, and never once setting foot in a gym, I thought those people doing countless burpees, flipping tires, and grunting while lifting weights were nuts. I'm the first to admit that I was absolutely wrong. After just one month, CrossFit jump-started the most life-changing physical and mostly mental transformation I have ever experienced (aside from becoming a mom).

I decided to commit to CrossFit for an entire year, going four to six times per week, to see what would happen. I just hit my one-year CrossFitversary (fist bump to me!) and feel compelled to share my experiences in the hopes that it might inspire someone else thinking about trying CrossFit to finally take the (box)jump!

Before: July 2016

My journey actually didn't really go as planned, so I wanted to map out each month so you can see that progress wasn't all uphill for me. There were a few times when I actually lost faith in CrossFit and wanted to throw in the
kettlebell towel — sorry, these puns are just too easy! I think anyone on any sort of fitness or weight-loss journey will be able to relate to this.

Throughout the 12 months, I weighed myself regularly and took monthly photos, just because I'm a science nerd and wanted to have actual data to compare from month to month. The numbers actually kind of shocked me.

Month 1, July: Starting weight: 122 pounds. Feeling awesome, I just wanted to get into the groove of learning all the different exercises and the correct form. I gave up running for CrossFit — bye-bye hour-long runs and hello seven- to 12-minute WODs! Goal number one: do a pull-up.

Month 2, August: Weight: 118 pounds. Still on my CrossFit high, I was actually bummed that I had to miss about two weeks worth of classes because of traveling, but I tried to do workouts while on the road, like this 200-rep bodyweight workout.

Month 3, September: Weight: 121 pounds. I climbed a frickin' 15-foot rope! Enough said. I also hurt my back in the middle of the month, putting too much weight on the bar when doing front squats (I was trying to keep up with the 50-year-old woman next to me!). So I took a little break, worried that maybe people were right about CrossFit causing injuries. But after a few days, I felt fine. It was a good lesson in not allowing my ego to get the best of me, and to pay more attention to my body and my ability level.

After: July 2017

Month 4, October: Weight: 122 pounds. The weather was starting to get chilly and the mornings a little darker, but I still stuck with getting up at 4:40 a.m. for those 5:45 workouts. I was really starting to get to know my CrossFit community, and every night these two women and I would text each other: "Class tomorrow?" It helped motivate me to go, even when I was insanely tired or sore.

Month 5, November: Weight: 123 pounds. After four months, my arms and back started getting thicker, my sports bras and jeans felt tighter, and I actually wanted to quit CrossFit and stopped going for few days. I was pissed that I was getting up so goddamn early every day, working my ass off, and eating clean . . . and still had my baby belly. My husband was actually the one who convinced me to stick with it, knowing how happy it made me, and how strong and confident I was feeling. Other women at my gym also made me feel better about my muscles bulking up a little, reminding me not to focus on how I looked, but at what I could accomplish. They also said that for them, nine months was when they started to lose weight, so I stuck with it.

Month 6, December: Weight: 124 pounds. For some reason, I thought the six-month mark would be monumental and I would finally have the slim and ripped body I was convinced CrossFit would offer me. So when I compared photos from Month 1 to Month 6, I was embarrassed that my body wasn't there yet. I had to remind myself that any progress was still progress, no matter how small, and it motivated me even more to push myself during those workouts and stick to eating healthy.

After: July 2017

Month 7, January: Weight: 126 pounds. Holidays + my birthday = tons of cookies, overeating, not exercising much, and feeling like crap. Oh well. I did finally get two strict pull-ups — goal crushed! I didn't think it'd take me seven months, but better late than never.

I also had conflicting emotions about adding weight to my bar because I was worried that lifting heavier would make me bulk up even more. So I started to back off on the weight. One day, my coach, Kristi, joked a little and said, "Sugar, your bar is looking a little light." So I told her my concerns, and she admitted to having the same thoughts when she started CrossFit six years ago. She basically threw out her scale and slowly started to fall in love with feeling strong, and now she loves her big muscles. "I wish mine were bigger," she said. So that started to change my perspective about how I felt women were supposed to look and how I thought I wanted to look. I said, "F*ck it!" and started adding more weight and really challenging myself. It's an amazing feeling to press a heavy bar over your head!

Month 8, February: Weight: 123 pounds. After seven months of doing CrossFit, I felt like I was gaining muscle, but I still had a layer of fat that wouldn't budge. I knew it had everything to do with me eating too much! Aside from giving up sugar for the month of January, about halfway through the month, I started doing intermittent fasting (IF) to see if it would help.

Month 9, March: Weight: 123 pounds. I did three ring pull-ups! I also completed one month of intermittent fasting and noticed my belly getting a little slimmer. Woot!

After: July 2017

Month 10, April: Weight: 123 pounds. This is the month I noticed my upper-body strength coming in handy during yoga. I could now hold handstands for over 20 seconds. And with two months of IF under my belt, I was starting to see some definition in my abs! Lifting heavier and pushing myself more during workouts coupled with getting a handle on my diet are what really started to make my body transform.

Month 11, May: Weight: 124 pounds. I pressed into a handstand, crushing a goal I've had ever since I started yoga in 1999. And after three months of continuing with IF, I was pretty psyched that my baby belly fat started to shrink more, even though the scale showed weight gain. I was also drinking more water (like a gallon a day), which helped with eating less and belly bloat.

Month 12, June: Weight: 122 pounds. The final month of my year-long CrossFit journey, I experimented a little more with my diet to try to solve some bloating issues, and I committed to a two-week fruit, veggie, and nut diet, which helped reveal my first glimpses of a real six-pack. I actually wore a bikini at a public pool for the first time ever, which for me was a HUGE deal. But even huger was the fact that from kettlebell swings to wall balls to overhead squats, I was lifting way more than I was when I started. I not only looked stronger; I WAS stronger!

Final Thoughts

I drank the CrossFit Kool-Aid and now I'm hooked. I am so grateful for the inner strength and confidence I feel every day, in the gym and in my life. The absolute greatest benefit is the freedom I feel from the constant negative thoughts I used to have about my body, of always trying to lose weight and get leaner and more toned. Of incessantly thinking about food: what I should eat, what I shouldn't eat, feeling bad when I ate too much, and worrying about when I was going to fit in my next workout. And what I was doing wasn't working at all, so it's an amazing feeling to put in the effort and actually see results. And I'm not done yet. I just signed up for a year-long membership so I can crush some more goals — muscle up; I'm coming for ya!

I know what you're thinking — that CrossFit is cult-like, or too extreme, or "not your thing" — because I was there, too. I thought it was only for burly men, or athletic women, or 20-year-olds, or people who are already crazy-fit. But anyone can benefit from CrossFit, no matter their ability level or age (there's a 72-year-old woman in my class who can deadlift as much as me!). Everyone has to start somewhere, and I'm so glad I took the plunge a year ago. CrossFit is hands down one of the best things that's ever happened to me, because it's helped me love myself in a way that I never thought possible, and that love spreads out into every aspect of my life. It could be the same for you, but you'll never know unless you try. So what are you waiting for?

source : PopSugar 

How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

What motivates you to lose weight?

Finding a reason to drop a few pounds is not all that hard. We all start with a lot of enthusiasm, but when the going gets tough, it gets hard to keep the desire to improve ourselves. Usually it's a simple thing that gets us started down this path.

Do you want to feel more attractive or enjoy life more? Do you want to be fit and strong, lower your blood pressure or take pressure off your joints. You are the only one who knows if your reason is enough to motivate you. Finding motivation to lose weight might be the easy part. The hard part is staying enthusiastic and motivated.

How to stay motivated to lose weight?

It is not rocket science and there is nothing new. It all starts with a plan. Like anything you try, it takes some preparation if you want to be successful. It is important to look ahead and plan how to overcome obstacles along the way. Take control of the weight loss process and you greatly increase your chances of a successful lifestyle change.

Unfortunately, most people don't plan ahead. Instead, they rely upon two things: their initial enthusiasm, and when this wears off, their willpower. But these may not be enough to overcome temptations and difficulties faced when we try to change our eating habits and lifestyle.

Here are some things you can do that might help you stay motivated to lose weight;

1. Write your weight loss plan. There is nothing that helps us stay on track better than having a plan to follow. Put the main reason for losing weight at the top in big bold letters. Think about the What, Why, How of your weight loss goal but make it realistic and achievable.

2. Make a list of the things you want to gain by losing weight. Gaining something is always more motivational than losing something. But, here's the deal, the list must be something YOU want for yourself, not what you think other people want for you. Motivation and desire are personal things and come from within.

3. Decide how you are going to lose the weight. There are three ways that generally work. You can do this by changing what you eat, exercise or changing what you eat and exercise. Changes in what we eat and how active we become to lose weight must become a permanent part of our lives if we want to keep the weight off.

4. Make some goals but keep them small. Achieving a small goal is more motivational that missing a bigger one. If your goal is to change your lifestyle by eliminating 3500 calories a week from what you eat, write down how you will eliminate the 3500 calories. At one pound every week you could conceivably drop 52 pounds a year with one easy step. Pride in achieving a goal is a great motivator.

5. Reward yourself when you achieve a goal. Provide an incentive to keep working at it but don't use food as a reward for losing weight. The idea is that celebrating your weight loss success will motivate you and increase your resolve to continue.

6. Get a buddy. Someone to support and encourage you. Working with other people who are interested in losing weight or getting fit can help encourage you and greatly increase your chance of success. Whether it's family, friends or on-line chat room, having support can make a lot of difference for your success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8961458

How Do You Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight?

Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

This article series is going to empower you to eat yourself lean! You read that right. There are actually foods that jumpstart metabolism, clear your body of fat-storing toxins and that trigger hormones that release fat. This is the second of an 8 article series focusing on what foods you can eat to optimize essential hormones that help burn body fat.

Some hormones are classified as adipokine. Adipokines are cell-signaling proteins secreted by adipose (fat) tissue. Cell signalling is vital to the communication process that is responsible for coordinating and governing cellular activities, including fat metabolization. When cell signalling breaks down misinformation between cells occurs and leads to the development of diseases like: obesity, cancer, autoimmunity and diabetes.

Adiponectin is a fat-releasing hormone that is classified as an adipokine. It modulates glucose regulation and fatty acid oxidation. Glucose is a very important energy source in the body, but when there's too much it is stored as fat. Fatty acids are molecules found in fat cell membranes. They are another important source of energy for the body and as free fatty acids are released from fat cells, the fat cells shrink and the body becomes leaner.

So we can see how the hormone, adiponectin, plays a big role in how much fat is stored by the body. Adiponectin does 2 huge things to boost metabolism and help you burn stubborn fat:

• It improves the ability of muscles to use glucose for energy so that it won't be stored as fat.
• It increases the rate at which the body breaks down fat.

And as a bonus, adiponectin also helps curb appetite so that you can avoid excess snacking and overeating.

So right about now you are probably wondering how you can optimize adiponectin levels in your body so that you can burn fat fast. The first thing you need to do is get moving, because the leaner your body gets, the more adiponectin is utilized in the body. Second, replace some of your daily carbohydrate intake with healthy monounsaturated fats.

Our three featured fat burning foods are great sources of monounsaturated fats that will help adiponectin do it's job in the body:

1. Avocados: Avocados are so easy to eat and pack a powerful nutrient punch. Slice one up and eat it on a piece of toast for breakfast or make a quick guacamole as a snack by mashing one avocado with a little lime juice and garlic salt.
2. Olives: Pile them onto your pizza, include them in your next salad or use olive oil instead of vegetable oil when cooking.
3. Nuts like almonds, pecans and cashews: It's as easy as grabbing a handful of nuts to munch on or make a good ol' fashioned PB&J with your favorite natural nut butter.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9032197

Eat Yourself Lean: 3 Super Fat Burning Foods

5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

If you want to lose weight, sooner or later you are going to need to start a fat loss workout program. This does not mean that you need to be spending hours in the gym everyday, but you should plan on exercising regularly. These 5 tips will help you to face your fat loss workout positively.

1. Begin Slowly.

You will need to start your fat loss training program slowly. If you make it too tough at the outset you may strain a muscle not able to exercise for a couple of days or even weeks. Your body will need time to get used to the extra exercise. Get started with a slow and gradual pace and then increase the intensity as you become comfortable with your new regime.

2. Weight Training.

An effective fat loss workout will need to include an element of resistance training, or weight training. Your body will create muscle when you workout with weights and because muscles help to burn calories and fat, the more muscle mass you have the better. If you are working out with weights 2 to 3 times a week you can reach your weight loss goal much faster. If you don't have access to weights, use cans or water bottles.

3. Cardiovascular Exercise.

Most fat loss training programs include some type of cardiovascular exercise. Any exercise that raises your heart rate and keeps it up can be considered cardio exercise like cycling, running, walking or swimming. In addition to increasing your heart rate, it also conditions your lungs, and burns fat. To get the maximum results from your cardio exercises, use interval training where you swap between higher intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods.

4. Don't Want To Go To the Gym? No Problem!

There are many good ways to exercise at home to stay fit and healthy if you don't want to go to the gym. There are some great pieces of equipment that provide good ways to exercise at home that do not cost the earth to buy. Simple things like free weights, an exercise ball, resistance bands and a yoga mat are generally low cost and you can often pick up second hand exercise bikes, elliptical trainers and treadmills in your local classified ads or car-boot sales.

5. Be Regular And Be Patient.

Just doing one fat loss workout is not going suddenly make the excess weight drop off. Successful weight loss requires regular exercise and a healthy diet. You need to burn more calories that you consume and combining regular exercise with a healthy diet plan will give you weight loss success. But it will take time. Remember it took years to gain all that fat and it could take a year or more to lose it all. With determination, focus and motivation you will succeed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9003932

5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

14 WAYS TO WAKE UP WITH ZERO BELLY

I’m impatient.

If I buy something online, I want it delivered immediately. If I order at the drive through, I don’t want to idle while it’s being whipped up.

And if I take some steps to flatten my belly, I want to see results—fast.

While researching my new book, I stumbled upon a fascinating study showing rapid weight loss is the key to permanent weight loss. Slow and steady may win the race, but most of us drop out long before the race is run. That’s why, compliments of Zero Belly Diet, I developed these 14 things you can do today to wake up thinner tomorrow.

Are you going to lose 10 pounds in the next 24 hours? Of course not. But you can take steps today that will give you visible results tomorrow. Don’t believe me? Then ask Rosie O’Donnell. I took her through a brief Zero Belly workout and two days later doctors told her that her stomach muscles had tightened dramatically. “I’ll look like Pink in about three weeks,” she jokingly exclaimed on The View.

14- BLEND A PLANT-
PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

Zero Belly Diet test panelist Bryan Wilson, a 29-year-old accountant, lost 19 pounds and an astounding 6 inches from his waist in just six weeks on the program, and he attributes his success to the Zero Belly shake recipes in the program. "I love the shakes. I added them to my diet, and almost immediately I lost the bloat,” Bryan said. "I'm a sweet craver, and the shakes were an awesome alternative to bowls and bowls of ice cream I would have had."

Protein drinks are great ways to get a monster dose of belly-busting nutrition into a delicious, simple snack. But most commercial drinks are filled with unpronounceable chemicals that can upset our gut health and cause inflammation and bloat. And the high doses of whey used to boost protein levels can amplify the belly-bloating effect. The Zero Belly solution: Try vegan protein, which will give you the same fat-burning, hunger-squelching, muscle-building benefits, without the bloat.

13- MIX UP A
MAGIC ELIXIR

Start each day by making a large pitcher of “spa water”—that’s water filled with sliced whole lemons, oranges or grapefruits—and make a point of sipping your way through at least 8 glasses before bedtime. Citrus fruits are rich in the antioxidant delimonene, a powerful compound found in the peel that stimulates liver enzymes to help flush toxins from the body and gives sluggish bowels a kick, according to the World Health Organization. (It's also one of the vital components to our exclusive one day detox.)

12- GO WILD
WITH SALMON

Lean protein like fish is a great way to fight fat and boost your metabolism. But the salmon you get at the local market might not be the best bet for your belly. The cold-water fish has a well-deserved reputation for packing plenty of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids—1,253 mg of the good stuff, and just 114 mg of inflammatory, belly-busting omega 6s. But the farmed variety—and 90 percent of what we eat today is farmed—has a very different story to tell. It packs a whopping 1,900 mg of unhealthy omega-6s.

11 - CRUNCH THE
RIGHT NUTS

Nuts are high in fat, which may seem counterproductive if you’re trying to lose it; but eating a moderate portion of monounsaturated fat, like the kind found in Blue Diamond’s 100-calorie packs of whole almonds, can ward off the munchies and keep you full. A recent study found that participants who ate about 7 grams of monounsaturated fat with a meal reported a 40 percent decreased desire to eat for hours afterwards. The saving grace here is the calorie-controlled serving, which stops you from overindulging.

10 - DO THE
FRUIT LOOP

Nature’s candy, dried fruit can be a great source of nutrients and fiber. But it can also be a source of gas for those who suffer from fructose malabsorption, which occurs when the body has difficulty absorbing the natural sugar. Dried fruits are particularly high in fructose; fresh stone fruits, citrus fruits, and berries are safer options for those with sensitivity. (Bonus: they also make our list of best fruit for weight loss.)

9 - BUY THE RIGHT
ALMOND MILK

Almond milk is a better option than cow’s milk for those with lactose sensitivity, which is why I recommend it as a great base for Zero Belly drinks. But you may be undermining your goals if you’re buying a brand with the thickening agent carrageenan. Derived from seaweed, carrageenan has been linked to ulcers, inflammation, and other gastrointestinal problems. If you notice bloating after drinking almond milk, consider switching brands. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods 365, and Westsoy make versions without carrageenan.

8 - CAN THE
CANNED SOUP

Good for the soul but potentially bad for the stomach, soup can hide sky-high sodium counts that may lead to water retention and temporary weight gain. (Canned chilis in particular can have more than 800 mg of sodium per serving.) When you overload your system with salt, your kidneys can’t keep up; salt that would otherwise be flushed away has to sit in your bloodstream, where it attracts water, causing increased blood pressure and bloating. Look to stay under 500 mg if possible; Campbell’s Healthy Request, Progresso Light and V8 all make reasonable options.

7 - DO THE
THRUSTER

This is the exercise I took Rosie through. It’s a simple, full-body exercise you need to do for just 8 minutes. But once you do it, you’ll discover a tightening around your core that proves to you it’s working. You’ll look and feel leaner the next day, but over time you’ll really begin to drop serious pounds.

Step one:
Standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a pair of dumbbells by your shoulders, your palms facing each other.

Step two:
Lower your hips into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. In one motion, extend your legs to stand up tall while driving the dumbbells overhead. Pause, then lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Do as many as you can until you start to get tired—then pause, and then keep going until you hit the 8-minute mark. Be sure to take it slowly at first. Over time, try to improve your number of total reps—or use slightly heavier dumbbells—with this full-body workout that gets your heart pumping, too!

6 - TAKE A SHOWER
BEFORE BED

Sleep is induced in part by the process of your body cooling down; that’s why we don’t sleep too well when the weather’s hot and muggy. When you take a shower before bed, you activate your body’s thermostat, causing you to fall asleep faster. Better sleep means lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol—which also happens to be a fat-storage hormone. (Cooling down also helps stimulate brown fat, a kind of fat found at the back of the neck that helps your body burn more calories—up to 275 in three hours, in fact!)

5 - HAVE THIS
DECADENT BREAKFAST

Cook up some quick oats, the toss in some dark chocolate shavings, some berries, some nuts, and a dash of cinnamon. Together these ingredients work with the happy bacteria in your colon to produce butyrate, a fatty acid your body needs. Higher levels of butyrate reduce inflammation in your body, and help reduce insulin resistance as well. Less inflammation means less bloating and a slimmer you.

4 - TOSS THE
CHINESE MENU

I love a handful of salty popcorn or the occasional chicken wing blowout, but some of the foods out there are so laden with salt, you can’t help but wake up bloated and feeling fat tomorrow. At P.F. Chang’s, an order of Dan Dan Noodles and some Hot & Sour Soup will cost you—gird your arteries—14,170 milligrams of sodium. That’s 7 days’ worth, assuming you ate absolutely nothing else the rest of the week. Chinese and Mexican food are the worst offenders. If you have a big day tomorrow, use Zero Belly to cook at home—or master P.F.’s menu. (Swap the hot & sour for P.F. Chang’s Egg Drop Soup and you’ll save 7,390 milligrams of sodium alone!)

3 - CHECK
YOUR GUMS

No, not the pink things that hold your teeth in place. Your sugarless gum may be causing your belly to swell. Studies show that sorbitol, a sugar alcohol used in most sugarless gums, takes a relatively long time to digest, and undigested sorbitol in your small intestine acts as a hothouse for the fermentation of bacteria, causing bloating and flatulence. Additionally, each chomp sends a signal to your brain, triggering hunger hormones. Stick to just a few pieces a day, or try a product like Simply Gum, which is made with only 6 ingredients, none of them artificial.

2 - STOP WITH THE
“ENERGY BARS”!

Why don’t they just call them what they really are—calorie bars? Energy bars cause you to gain weight fast in four ways. First, they often contain lots of whey, which can cause bloating in those with lactose issues. Second, many are packed with soybeans, which some folks find just as gas-inducing as the other magical fruits. Third, a lot of chemicals go into many brands, and studies show that people who eat processed foods gain more weight than people who eat whole foods, even when calories are equal. And of course, they carry the health halo when most of them are just glorified candy bars. Cut these 300 or more calories and you’ll look leaner and meaner tomorrow.

1 - DROP THAT
YOGURT!

I cut yogurt out of my diet for several reasons. First, while yogurt has a reputation for fostering healthy belly bacteria, the reality is quite different. Most yogurts are so high in added sugar that they actually feed the bad bacteria in your gut. They’re also high in lactose, a natural sugar found in dairy that many of us have trouble breaking down. The combination of the two can cause bloating and inflammation that can make you look and feel fatter than you are. Don’t eat yogurt today, wake up thinner tomorrow. Or if you must eat yogurt, look for one with 8 g of sugar or less, such as Chobani Simply 100’s blueberry flavor, one of my favorites.

src : http://www.eatthis.com/14-ways-wake-up-with-zero-belly

Slim for Life: 10 Strategies to Lose Fat and Keep It Off

Slim for Life: 10 Strategies to Lose Fat and Keep It Off

No crazy gimmicks or deprivation diets here. These 10 smart new strategies will help you shed fat and keep it off.



JAY SULLIVAN


Use fat to burn fat.


Trying yet again to lose those last 10 pounds? We hear you. In fact, 50 percent of women say that within six months they gain back any weight they've managed to ditch. And more than a quarter have dieted so many times they've lost track of the number. Well, get ready to stop the endless yo-yoing: Science has finally come up with simple, groundbreaking solutions for lasting weight loss. We checked in with the top experts in the field and scoured the latest research to bring you the skinny on everything you need to reach your slim-down goals and stay there.


Make your fat burn fat.


Seriously: Your flab can help you shed pounds. How? Just as there's more than one kind of fat in food, there's more than one type in your body. White fat is the bad stuff you want to zap. But a second kind, brown fat, actually torches calories. "Up to 80 percent of adults have brown fat deposits in their bodies," says Aaron M. Cypess, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School. This good fat is powerful because it's packed with mitochondria, the parts of cells that generate heat. When activated, as little as two ounces of brown fat can gobble up as much as 20 percent of your body's calories.


Exercise is one of the best ways to get your brown fat in gear. In a study, scientists at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute discovered that working out releases a hormone called irisin, which converts white fat to brown. Exercise for a half hour at least five days a week to turn up the burn.
Pop some vitamin D.


Taking this vitamin daily may help you drop pounds. A study at the University of Minnesota found that people who started a weight-loss program with higher levels of D lost more than those who weren't getting enough of the nutrient. Other research suggested that vitamin D appears to boost the effectiveness of leptin, a hormone that signals the brain that you're full. Because it's difficult to get D from food, Shalamar Sibley, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the university, says you may need to take a vitamin D3 supplement. Many experts now recommend 1,000 international units every day.
Get in the mood to lose.

You don't really want dessert, but your friends are having some, and they're urging you to join them. So you give in and order a piece of tiramisu. Sorry to say it, but you've just committed sociotropy, aka people pleasing, a behavior that can make you gain weight. In a recent study, women and men who regularly experienced negative emotions like guilt, anxiety, and anger, and were impulsive and disorganized, tended to be heavier than those who were more even-keeled. "Women score slightly higher than men on people-pleasing measures," says Julie Exline, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University. That may be because guys are raised to be assertive while women are socialized to value relationships and "basically to be nicer," Exline explains. In other words, we're inclined to go along with what the rest of the group wants to do, which includes digging into the tiramisu after dinner. If you feel pressured to pig out, "tell your friends politely but firmly that you're fine with what you have and that you're not hungry for more right now," Exline advises. Hold your ground and your pals will get the message.



Revoke your license to splurge.

Talk about a catch-22: Doing something healthy, like eating a low-cal meal, can make you less likely to exercise and more likely to gorge yourself with food later on. This is because of a phenomenon scientists call licensing, which happens when we feel that we've earned the right to be self-indulgent. Most people have a tendency to want to balance things out, says Kathleen Vohs, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. So when we do one thing that's good for our health, which often requires exerting plenty of discipline and self-control, we like to follow it up with something that lets us indulge ourselves.


So how do you lose your license to overeat? Being alert to the fact that good choices can trigger bad behavior is a smart start. Next time you're tempted, think of an instance in the past when you failed to resist; recent research found that you'll want to improve on your previous performance.
Chew on this.


Most of us eat quickly, chewing each bite just a few times, which means we consume more food than we realize. Slow down and you'll slim down: In a recent study, people who chewed each bite 40 times ate almost 12 percent less than those who chewed just 15 times. When we chew longer, our bodies produce less ghrelin, a hormone that boosts appetite, and more of the peptide hormones that are believed to curb hunger. "Chewing seems to stimulate the gut to make appetite-suppressing peptide hormones," Dr. Cypess explains. Plus, the more you chew, the more thoroughly you break down food, which may release nutrients into your blood faster and give your brain time to register that you're full. From now on, focus on eating slowly at every meal. Put down your fork between bites and work your way up to 40 chews per mouthful of food.
outsmart your appetite.


Don't blame your chocolate craving on a lack of willpower.
 Turns out, there's a physiological reason ice cream, french fries, and cupcakes are so hard to resist: Our bodies are wired to crave rich food. Studies have shown that the taste of fat can give us the munchies by triggering a release of chemicals similar to those experienced by drug addicts. "Some people are hypersensitive to food," says Eric Stice, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Oregon Research Institute. "They find things like chocolate cake orgasmic, so they tend to overeat it."


The trick to keeping your appetite in check is avoiding foods that make you lose control. That's tough to do when you're surrounded by mouthwatering choices everywhere you go, but Stice says that a technique called mindful resistance can help. "If you're tempted to have a scone with your coffee at Starbucks, instead of thinking about how delicious it will taste, tell yourself you'll get health benefits such as a smaller waist or a healthier heart from not having it," he says. "Doing this actually changes your brain by strengthening the area that helps you resist things and weakening the region that makes you think of treats as a reward."


In addition, eat healthy foods throughout the day to keep your glucose, which fuels your body, at a high level so that you feel energized and satisfied. You'll also be better able to resist cravings when you snack on nutritious choices like fruits and vegetables, low-fat yogurt, and whole-grain bread topped with a little peanut butter, according to a recent study that showed that eating consistently helps us control our impulses.

Get back to nature.

You're more likely to stay slim if the view out your window includes hills, water, a park, or a street that leads to one of those things. In a North Carolina study, counties with more natural amenities, including mountains and lakes, had lower obesity rates. "It could be that there's something healing and calming about simply being outside," says Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, PhD, an assistant professor at East Carolina University. For instance, research has shown that people tend to be happier walking outdoors than inside. They also stride faster, yet feel less exertion, than they do on a treadmill. Not only that, hoofing it outside curbs cravings along with calories: In a study, regular chocolate eaters who took a brisk 15-minute stroll consumed about half as much of their favorite treat as those who didn't go for a walk. So take your workout outdoors. If your neighborhood isn't made for exercising, find a park nearby and head there as often as you can to bike, run, or hike.

Pudge-proof your cells.

Sitting around can make you flabby. No surprise there, but despite what you may think, the culprit is not just a lack of exercise. In fact, the physical act of sitting or lying down may actually speed up your body's production of fat. When we lounge on a sofa or in a chair, we exert forces on our cells that cause them to become stretched out and to generate flab, researchers say. Glued to your desk every day for eight hours or more? You need to take action, says Richard Atkinson, MD, a clinical professor of pathology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Get up and walk around for five minutes at least once an hour. Take a stroll around the office. Go talk to a coworker rather than sending her an e-mail. Pace back and forth while talking on the phone. "Just standing — even if you're not moving — uses significantly more muscles than sitting down," Dr. Atkinson says. At home, when you're watching TV, get up and jog in place or do jumping jacks during commercials. These short bursts of exercise can help you burn 148 calories an hour and keep your cells slim, not flabby.

Sip green tea.

This healthy brew acts like a diet drug in a mug, but without the negative side effects. A review of studies concluded that regularly sipping green tea can help you drop pounds. This weight loss is the result of EGCG, a compound known to reduce fat absorption, according to new research from Penn State. But that's not all this magic drink does: As it's reducing fat absorption, "green tea also increases the amount of fat that your body eliminates," explains study author Joshua D. Lambert, PhD, an assistant professor of food science at the university. So think about trading your usual afternoon java for green tea instead. Experts say that drinking three to five cups of the regular or decaf variety every day may help you lose weight.

Beat your weight fate.

First, the bad news: Three-quarters of Americans have a "fat gene" associated with a 20 to 30 percent higher risk for obesity. But that doesn't mean you're destined to be heavy. A recent British review found that exercise can trump your genetics. Physically active people with the fat gene are 27 percent less likely to become obese than couch potatoes who have it. We're not talking about training for a triathlon; the active people got just one hour or more of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a week. Aim for the recommended five hours a week (three days of cardio and two days of strength training) and you'll rev your weight-loss results even more.

 src:http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/tips/how-to-lose-fat-for-good/?socsrc=fitfb1504187

Pete Evans' slim food tips

Pete Evans' slim food tips

Learn how to make healthy food choices at restaurants and cafés with Pete Evans' top tips.

1. Beware of portion size

Portion size is extremely important. Humans are often guilty of overeating and eating too fast as well. 

2. Avoid sugar

I don’t tend to count calories, but I do avoid sugar, whether it be honey, agave or anything that says ‘sweet’ on the menu, as fructose is the real enemy that we should all be trying to avoid.  

3. Go easy on the sauce

Choose dishes without sauces, or ask for them to serve it on the side, as that’s where many of the hidden calories reside.  

4. Watch out for 'low fat' labels

I look for very low sugar, high saturated fats and low polyunsaturated fats – watch out for low fat labels, which usually mean higher sugar levels and hidden calories.  

5. Choose grilled not fried

I always choose for my fish to be grilled, and I ask for a wedge of lemon and no sauce.

6. 'Fresh' is your best friend

I look for ‘freshly’ made salads, with the dressing on the side, and I avoid ingredients like croutons, crumbed chicken, or crumbed fish.

If the salads on the menu aren’t tickling your fancy, order a basic one along with a side of freshly cooked vegetables. Broccoli is great in a salad as are snow peas, asparagus, and cauliflower.

Pete Evans' slim food tips

sorce:http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/weight-loss/fat-loss/1287-6-weight-loss-tips-from-pete-evans?showall=&start=5

10 ways to melt more FAT

10 ways to melt more FAT

We turn to the latest science for fat-burning tips

1. Lift heavier weights
The theory that lifting light and furiously fast burns more fat than heavy weights is harder to kill than a cockroach. Here’s why it’s hogwash: fewer reps with heavier weights equals a metabolic boost that outlives the increase from high rep, light weight workouts according to the Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education. To maximise the calories burned long after you and your gym bag have left the change room, shoot for three to seven reps.

2. Mix it up
Don’t put your light weights out for hard rubbish. While lifting low and heavy burns more kJs later, lighter weights may burn more calories during your session, according to researchers from the College of New Jersey. Hedge your bets by splicing heavy and light routines – three to seven reps with heavy weights one day, 10 to 20 with light weights the next. If you want to get tricky, do both in one session: two sets light, two sets heavy.

3. Cut rest time
Sleep is critical; research consistently shows that skipping your kip can undermine intensity. But yourworkout isn’t the time to be loafing. You’ll torch 50 per cent more calories if you cut rests between sets from three minutes to 30 seconds, a College of New Jersey study found.

4. Speed demons inc.
Yes, you need slow, controlled reps. But don’t ditch the fast moves. Instead, make your reps rapid and explosive and reap the calorie burn rewards. The fast twitch muscle fibres engaged during fast lifts are less energy efficient than their slower cousins, meaning they chew through more fuel, according to Ball State University researchers. You’ll need a weight about 30 per cent of your one-rep max (1RM), which means being able to lift it for 15 to 35 reps per exercise. Aim for four to five sets comprising two fast sets of three to eight reps, and two to three at normal pace.

5. Listen to your favourite tunes
Cranking the tunes before you hit the treadmill is a free hit in the fat-loss stakes, with listening to your favourite playlist linked to greater intensity and fat loss according to a study presented to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The headphone set registered significantly more reps than those listening to the purr of the treadmill engine.

6. Put resistance training before cardio
Burning more fat is as simple as switching the order of your workout components according to Japanese researchers. By putting your resistance training before your cardio workout, you can seriously boost your fat burn. The better news is that the fat burn was highest in the first 15 minutes of cardio, so say arrivederci to hours on the elliptical and set your stopwatch for quarter of an hour.

7. HIIT
To burn fat with cardio, you can’t go past intervals. Commonly shortened to HIIT, high intensity interval training demands intervals at 90 per cent of your maximum heart rate (MHR) interspersed with bouts at walking pace. For the record, most steady-state cardio hangs around the 60 to 70 MHR mark. A good rule of thumb for HIIT is 20 seconds/10 seconds (sprint for 20, walk or jog for 10).

8. Try intermittent cardio
In the vein of HIIT, intermittent cardio burns more fat than continuous movement. A study pitting subjects doing steady cardio for 30 minutes against those doing three 10-minute bursts broken by 20-minute rests, found the staggered group burned more fat, with the bonus of greater calorie burn after the fact.

9. Exercise after work
Good news for night owls – exercising after work raises your metabolic rate more than morning sessions. Subjects who cycled for 30 minutes between 5 and 7pm got a greater spike in post-workout calorie burn than their early-rising counterparts, said University of Wisconsin researchers. The after-work window also trumped lunchtime workouts for efficiency.

10. All in the preparation
Just two weeks of strategic exercise may reduce blood glucose and insulin, leading to greater fat burning and less fat storage, say scientists at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh. A two-week schedule of four to six 30-second sprints divided by four-minute rests was linked to reduced blood glucose (15 per cent) and insulin (40 per cent), and correlated with a 25 per cent drop in insulin resistance.

10 ways to melt more FAT

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sorce:http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/weight-loss/fat-loss/901-10-ways-to-melt-more-fat

How to lose weight in your 30s

In your 30s, your hormones change and you burn 100 calories less per day than in your 20s.

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1. Increase your muscle bulk

Your waistline starts to expand as your total body fat increases, and muscle mass and body water decrease. This is why you’re likely to see an increase in body weight and lose some of your youthful muscle tone, and why it’s important to increase your muscle bulk now – to promote greater fat burning during exercise and higher calorie burn around the clock.

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2. Eat cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli
As oestrogen levels drop in this decade, eating cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and bok choy can help because they contain a nutrient called indole-3-carbinol, which has been shown to help reduce excess oestrogen and may drop the risk of breast and cervical cancers.

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3. Fill up on insoluble fibre

Insoluble fibre, found in whole wheat and brown rice, is also good because it binds itself to oestrogen in the digestive tract and has a laxative effect.

4. Don't use pregnancy as an excuse to overeat

Grosse warns against using pregnancy as an excuse to overeat. “While you do have increased nutrient needs, the quality of the food you eat is more important then the quantity,” she explains. “Gaining more than the recommended 11 to 16 kg can be counterproductive and harder to lose in the future.”

sorce:http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/weight-loss/fat-loss/1085-weight-loss-in-your-30s?showall=&start=3