The 7 Fat Loss Fundamentals

1. Resistance training

This is the best way to transform your body - hands down. Strength training changes your body composition like no other exercise. Resistance training (any exercise which provides resistance to the muscles to work against - ie training with weights or using your own bodyweight) causes tearing of the muscle fibers and when your body re-builds them, they are rebuilt stronger than they previously were. You are actually impacting your body positively by introducing newer, stronger muscle, which means your body metabolism increases, resulting in you becoming more efficient at burning fat at all times.

2. Interval Conditioning

Also known as Interval training or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) this is intense cardio training in short, sharp bursts that revs up your metabolism and fat burning capability as far as it can go. Any exercise that is high intensity such as sprinting or jumping rope qualifies as interval training, as long as the intensity is kept up consistently for a few minutes, then decreased for a few minutes (not slowed down to a walk) then again sped up to the maximum. The main advantages of this type of exercise is that you burn calories at the work rate not only while exercising, but for many hours afterwards, even when resting.

3. Drink water - and plenty of it

This is so important, yet so often overlooked. Your body is made up of 60-70% water, your blood is almost 90% water - so your body needs this vital ingredient to function correctly, for any number of functions such as regulating temperature, transporting nutrients, for digestion, lubrication of joints, to name just a few. So replenishing lost fluids is vital for not only your body to function correctly, but also to maintain performance. Dehydration is one of your body's main enemies. Even a slight drop in your hydration levels decreases muscular and aerobic endurance significantly. It doesn't take much. Look at it this way - if you lose more than 10-12% of your body weight in water, you could die. How much should you drink? 65-80oz a day.

4. Don't skip breakfast

With our busy lifestyles, breakfast is probably the easiest meal of the day to skip. With so much to do in the mornings and the tendency to get up at the last minute as we feel so tired, it is tempting to do this on a regular basis. But this only results in hampering our attempts at losing weight. If you skip breakfast, you slow your body's metabolic process down, resulting in less efficient fat burning at rest during the day. Remember that you haven't eaten anything for 7-8 hours, so not giving your body those much needed nutrients early can result in you overeating during the day. A good breakfast made up of complex-carbs and protein will give your body the start to the day it needs to feel energized and full.

5. Use multi-joint exercises

I'm a big believer in multi-joint exercises. For fat burning, you get so much more for your 'money' (ie time) when you perform exercises that are multi-joint, than isolation exercises. Squats, lunges, push-ups, upright-rows, kettle-bell movements, any multi-joint exercise revs up your metabolism so much faster as so many more muscles in your body are engaged in one exercise, than say an isolation exercise like bicep-curls. Using these exercises frequently will result in lean, toned muscles, high calorie burn during and after the training session.

6. Don't worry over weight loss

'Obsessive scale disorder' is commonplace when many people start a fitness and weight loss program. Weighing yourself too often is not going to give you a fair indication of your progress. If you need to weigh yourself, do it only once a week, no more. Remember, its fat loss that's important, not weight loss. Weight loss is only important when the weight you've actually lost is fat - not weight loss through losing water or muscle. Concentrate on your physique, how you look and feel in your clothes and your body composition. If you are going to measure something, measure your body fat composition every few weeks - this is a far more accurate and representative measure of your fat loss progress.

7. Eat frequently

Eat every 3-4 hours. Starving yourself and restricting calories only results in your body slowing down its metabolism to conserve energy - a standard reaction of your body's survival mechanism - not very efficient for fat-burning. Fire up your metabolism by eating regularly, so your body has to work to digest your frequent food intake. Foods that are of course nutritionally rich, lean protein, low fat dairy and healthy fats.

Ultimately, to lose fat, you have to commit yourself to a complete process - You must strength-train, eat the correct foods in the correct quantities at the right times, perform high intensity interval conditioning, and drink plenty of water. If any of these elements are lacking, your progress and results will suffer.

The goal here is to make your body a fat-burning machine, to burn calories and burn fat all over the body at a higher rate than normal, even when not exercising.

A design engineer, sports coach, father of two, husband, son, brother, amongst many other roles, like many men, George finds he needs to play many of these roles on most days - and on others, perhaps one or two. Not only does George understand what it takes to be a working Dad with a successful career, he also lives the life, and recognises the daily challenges that come with balancing these roles. GeorgeVlismas is the founder of OnlyMensHealth.com, a newsletter and website dedicated to helping men of all ages achieve more of what they want and deserve in life, in all the roles they have to fulfil today.

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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.

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5 Steps For An Effective Fat Loss Workout Program

5 Ways To Start A Healthy Diet Meal Plan

A healthy diet plan is not only about what you eat but also how you can modify your lifestyle to get into a regular healthy eating routine. The 5 tips below will help you love your healthy diet meal plan instead of hating it because of the hassle or guilt you feel if you don't follow it.

1. You've Got Nothing Prepared For A Healthy Meal.

After a busy day, nobody want to come home feeling tired and hungry and then having to start preparing something healthy to eat. To get around this problem, you can cook a range of healthy meals at the weekend and refrigerate or freeze these meals so they'll be ready to heat up at the end of a busy workday.

2. All The Drinks In The Vending Machine Are Sugar Filled Sodas.

Often all the drinks in vending machines are unhealthy sodas or other sugar loaded refreshments. Watch out too for diet sodas that have no calories. They contain countless chemicals to make them calorie free, they are not a healthy alternative. Smoothies are an excellent fresh healthy drink for any time of the day. They only take a couple of minutes to make, they are simple to carry around and can stay fresh for up to 2 days when kept in the right container.

3. I Want To Eat A Healthy Meal But I Don't Want To Spend Hours Preparing It.

Once you've mastered how to put together a few quick and healthy dishes, you can prepare delicious and nutritious meals in minutes rather than hours. Omelets, stir frys and salads are a few quick and easy meals that you can include in your weight loss meal plans which can be prepared in less than 20 minutes.

4. Convenience Foods Are Quick And Easy.

Obviously convenience foods offer a quick and easy solution to mealtimes but they are not the best things to have as part of your healthy diet meal plan. If you can't find the time to prepare yourself healthy meals, opt for convenience foods that are nutritious like canned beans, canned tuna, fresh fruits, Greek yogurt, nuts and seeds. These foods don't need to be cooked and provide a quick meal or snack when you're on the go.

5. I Buy All The Wrong Stuff At The Store.

If you don't have a clear idea of what you are going to buy when you go into the grocery store or what you are going to eat for the coming week, you'll end up buying foods you don't need or ingredients for meals that are complicated to prepare. Make a list before you go of all the things you need so you know exactly what you want when you go shopping for food. Also, don't shop for food when your hungry. Those high calorie fast foods will be too tempting to ignore if you've got an empty stomach.

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The Top Two Vegetables To Balance A Weight Loss Diet

As we move forward to the future, more and more ways to lose weight are introduced to unsuspecting health buffs-from magic pills to diet plans and highly overrated gym gadgets and paraphernalia. What many people do not realize is that a healthy body, and longevity, for that matter, does not have any unknown secrets. All it takes, really, is to have a solid weight loss plan. In this article, we will be presenting three types of food that will help you achieve your weight loss goals, which is essentially a chunk of what we call a Mediterranean diet.

Asparagus
Probably one of the most balanced foods out there, asparagus may make your urine smell fouler than usual. For every 3.5 ounces or 100 grams of asparagus, your body will receive only 20 kilocalories of carbohydrates. This amount is little compared to what nutrition experts recommend, which is 300 grams. A simple diet for a weight loss plan that includes asparagus gives you a boost in Thiamine or vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin, Vitamin B3 or Niacin, Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid, and Folate or Vitamin B9.

A wholesome diet for a weight loss plan, should be rich in Vitamin B because this vitamin family is essentially responsible for good metabolism. These vitamins increase the rate of metabolism, thus burning fat faster and making the cells grow and heal faster. With this, you can expect healthier skin, better muscle tone, a boosted immunity system, and improved red blood cell count to fight anemia.

Broccoli
Cultivated as early as 2000 years ago, this vegetable was a highly valued source of nutrition among Italians but was not fully known around the world until the 1920s. Very similar to cauliflower, this is one of the must-haves on your dinner plate if you want the best simple diet for weight loss plan. Evolved from a wild variety of cabbage, this veggie dates back to the roman Empire then later on spread to the Mediterranean areas and was later introduced to the United States.

There are basically three main types of broccoli: the Romanesco, the Calabrese, and the Sprouting type. The Calabrese is found mostly in Great Britain and it is distinct because of its large head which measures up to 20 centimetres in diameter. The Romanesco has a fractal look and is kind of yellow green. The Sprouting Broccoli has thin stalks but similarly large heads with the Calabrese.

A well balanced weight loss plan must include, broccoli because it is very rich in carbohydrates, giving about 6.64 grams for every 100 gram serving. On top of that, it has a fair amount of dietary fiber which is a very important component of the digestive system. This prevents you from experiencing headaches and constipation.

As you know, a solid weight loss plan must include a good amount of carbohydrates to provide the body enough energy to burn. This also regulates sugar in the blood and is a good substitute for protein. What this does is to burn fats and prevent them from clogging the arteries and thereby avoid cardiovascular diseases.

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How to Get Extreme Weight Loss and Stay Safe

If you're on a fat loss program at the moment, one of the first things you might be questioned is how fast you can lose weight and stay safe while you do it.

So you will always get people who just want to lose weight and do not really give a care about how they do. They just want it gone now, most people do not realize that health should be a priority.

Moreover, there is no need to jeopardize your future health just to get into your skinny jeans in a week - not to mention the torture, even while you do it.

Instead, you want to take a moderate approach and lose weight quickly, but your body without causing too much trouble in the process.

So how can you lose weight quickly? What is the most extreme rate of weight loss that you should even consider? Let's have a look at what you need to know regarding this subject.

Schedule your diet

The first thing you need to think about is how long you plan to use the power. Are you just a diet for a week or two?

If this is the case, you can probably find a slightly faster rate of loss of total fat, because you will not be starving your body for too long. Remember, all plans are essentially starve yourself to some extent. How much depends on the severity of the food really is.

If you plan to power for more than a few weeks, you're better off accepting a slower weight loss and make it rest for good.

How much weight you have to lose

Moving along, you also ask how much weight you have to lose. Is it a couple of pounds here? Or are we talking about 20-40?

If you have more than 10 pounds to lose, you will not be using the plans extreme weight loss and stay safe.

If you have a few pounds to shed, then fine, you can probably do so without danger. Get the intense regimen and down just as quickly. The more intense the power is, the faster you will lose the weight anyway, so you can come off as quickly. But if you have many pounds to lose, you just never going to lose their "fast".

Your body's tendency

Finally, think of your body trend. Do you tend to store fat easily? If so, your body will not give up so easily. In this situation, you can not perform as well on the extreme weight loss diets. A more moderate approach will likely result you better.

So there you have the main points to keep in mind as you go about your diet program. The extreme weight loss may be possible in some cases, but in many cases there is more weight to lose, a moderate approach is the safest bet.

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3 Delicious Grilled Vegetable Recipes Perfect for Weight Loss

If you want to take a break from the usual salads and steamed vegetables, fire up your grill! Grilling lets you do more with the food you have, plus it won't get in the way of your weight loss journey because it's yet another healthy way of preparing food. If you want to stick to a fruit and vegetable diet plus other weight loss friendly foods like chicken breast and fish, throw them into your grill - you won't even feel like you're on a diet!

Here are 3 mouth-watering grilled vegetable dishes for weight loss that you can't afford to miss:

1. Mediterranean Style Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

What you need:

• 1 loaf focaccia bread
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into strips
• 2 Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsps. mayonnaise
• 2 tbsps. Olive oil, divided

Preparation:

Place eggplant strips, mushroom slices and red bell peppers in a grill rack. Brush with olive oil then cook in a pre-heated grill over medium-high heat. Grill until eggplant and mushrooms are tender and bell peppers are blackened. Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes. Slice bread loaf lengthwise. Combine crushed garlic and mayonnaise to make the sauce and spread the mixture on each half of the focaccia bread. Peel, core and slice cooled bell peppers then arrange it on the bread together with the eggplant and mushrooms.

2. Grilled Chicken and Greens

What you need:

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
• 4 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 tsps. masala, divided
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine 4 tsps. masala, garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Place each chicken breast half in an aluminum foil about 12 x 18 inches, then coat each with the mixture and sprinkle each piece with 1/2 tsp. masala. Place onion and zucchini slices on top of the chicken. Seal packets but leave room for heat circulation. Cook on a pre-heated grill over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Serve topped with yogurt.

3. Classic Barbecue Grilled Vegetables

What you need:

• 1 eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch thick slices
• 6 mushrooms, stems removed
• 3 zucchinis, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation:

Place eggplant slices, mushrooms, zucchini slices and red bell peppers in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine garlic, basil, lemon juice and olive oil. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. When ready, cook on a pre-heated grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through. Allow to cool before serving.

Aiming for weight loss is now a lot easier with these healthy and delicious grilled vegetable dishes!

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7 Quick Tips On How To Lose Weight Without Exercise

Want to know how to lose weight fast without exercise? Well, exercise is better, but there are a few tricks you can do without breaking a sweat and can help shed the pounds.

You can do it by making a few healthy changes to your daily diet and lifestyle. In fact, "To speed your results, research shows that what you do when you're not exercising is nearly as important as the workout itself", says Stacy Sims, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at the Stanford School of Medicine's Prevention-Research Center in Palo Alto, California.

Let's cut to the chase and talk about how to lose weight fast without exercise.

How and What to eat.

Drink a couple glasses of water or herbal tea before each meal. Sometimes we are confused between hunger and thirst, so drink a glass or two of water and wait for a few minutes to make sure you're really hungry before you dig in.

Eat foods that take some time to digest. You will feel full for longer if you eat foods that take longer to break down in your stomach. Focus on foods that are high in fiber, such as: particular fruits (raspberries, pears and apples..), Vegetables (peas, artichokes and broccoli) and Grains (like whole-wheat spaghetti, bran flakes and barley).

Eat slow and take smaller bites. By dividing your meal into more crumbs, this helps you eat slower which in turn can stretch out your meal and make it easier for you to identify when you're full.

Breakfast in the morning. Studies show that eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism and gets it working for the day. Skipping this meal will not help you lose more weight. Giving your metabolism something to do first thing in the morning gets it burning calories. When you don't eat for long periods of time, your body functions as if you're fasting because food is scarce, and accordingly burns less energy, and this doesn't help if you want to know how to lose weight fast without exercise.

Eat on a regular schedule. If your eating times are unpredictable or you tend to skip meals, your body will hang onto calories for an emergency, so try to have your meals at the same time each day if you can.

Turn off your TV and Computer when you're eating. Don't eat while you're watching a show. Instead of having the right amount that you need, you run the risk of eating until the program is over or you hit a commercial break, which might be well past the point of feeling full.

Avoid stress eating and midnight snacks. Instead of eating for comfort, do something like meditating, exercising, playing a musical instrument, or reading. And don't eat late at night as your body doesn't burn a lot of calories while you're asleep.

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