People will spend a great deal of money to get a great body through plastic
surgery. According to the Report of the 2010 Plastic Surgery Statistics by the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons, $13.1 million was spent on cosmetic
procedures in the United States. Surgery is fast, but there are things than can go horribly wrong. So why take the chance when you have a healthier and safer
option? If you want an amazing body, you have to work for it and that is just the reality of the situation. When most people think of the ideal body, they
immediately think of a flat stomach. This is one the hardest place to lose the
weight. If the stomach is your main area of concern, then you need to find proper foods and targeted exercises that will help you with this problem.
Eliminate junk foods
If you want a flat stomach, then you have to eat foods that won’t store fat in that area. This means saying goodbye to frequent chocolate snacks, potato chips and
sodas and saying hello to healthy fruits and vegetables. Instead of ice cream, eat a fat free yogurt. Substitute a large pizza with a delicious chicken salad. Realistically, you are not expected to totally eliminate all your favorite foods from your diet, but you need to save them for special occasions or limit them overall. Fruits and vegetables are delicious and they won’t go straight to your waistline. You can eat as much as you want and you won’t gain belly fat.
Eat more fiber
Fiber has been known to help with losing weight in the stomach. Diets that are
low in fiber generally cause extra weight in the midsection. You can get fiber from eating fruits and vegetables daily. You should opt for brown or whole wheat
bread instead of white bread, and brown rice instead of white rice. Some cereals
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also contain more fiber than others so be sure to read the labels and choose one that is also low in fat and sugar.
Eat less salt
If you are trying to live healthy now, you should already be consuming less salt.
However, if you want a flat stomach, salt consumption can be problematic as too much salt causes bloating. The signs are more prominent on the stomach than
anywhere else on the body. Salts can also cause high blood pressure which can
lead to other health problems, so it is beneficial to reduce your salt intake for several reasons.
Drink lots of liquid
Liquids you should drink do not include sodas, alcohol or drinks that are filled with sugar; you need to either opt for natural fruit juices, green tea or water. Green tea has been used in weight loss plans for many years because it is known for
burning fat and boosting metabolism. Water is certainly the healthiest drink you could opt for in your efforts to lose weight and achieve a flat stomach. It can help to flush out salt or sodium from the body and reduce the possibility of bloating.
Focus on abdominal exercises
If your main goal is to lose weight, then you will undoubtedly need to incorporate some type of exercise routine into your daily life. Along with cardiovascular
exercise, there are a variety of exercises from which to choose that target the different muscles in the stomach. Some of the most effective abdominal exercises are:
Obliques
Reverse crunch
Exercise ball crunch
Torso twist/rotation
Side bends
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Bicycle exercise
Chair leg raise
Vertical leg crunch
Sit ups
Weight loss tips for busy professionals
In order to lose weight, one must make a few lifestyle changes as well as a total commitment. What happens if you’re too just too busy? No matter how busy you
might be, you can never be too busy to lose weight. You have to approach weight loss the way you approach your business; this means:
Total commitment to the cause
Failure is not an option
Never give up until you reach your goal
If you put as much effort into your weight loss plan as you do your job, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t be just as successful. If you are truly dedicated to losing the extra pounds, then you must understand that this requires a few
lifestyle changes. There is nothing too drastic, just small changes that will benefit you in the future because you will look and feel better.
Find time to do some form of physical activity each day
The first task is to find time for physical activity. It is best to find something that you enjoy doing or even rotate between of different activities so that you don’t get bored. However, if you choose a regular exercise routine, it is best to do it first thing in the morning and schedule a time each day for this. The great thing about doing your exercise in the morning is that it makes you feel good throughout the day. Once you get home from a long day of work, you won’t have the excuse of
being too exhausted to get it done.
Eliminate sweet treats from your daily diet
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Once you have established an exercise plan, it is time to change your diet. The first thing you need to do is replace all the junk food in your home with healthy options including fresh fruits and vegetables. You also need to plan what you are going to eat at work each day. If there are no healthy options available at work, then you need to bring your own food to work so that you can still stick to your diet. Many people have issues with snacking. You can still snack at work or home if you want. Instead of eating something sweet or fatty, opt for a fruit plate or some delicious nuts such as almonds, peanuts, or sunflower seeds.
Drink at least eight glasses of water each day
Water is an essential component in living healthy. It helps to keep your body
refreshed throughout the day, and the best part of all is that it has zero calories.
This means you can drink as much as you want and you will not gain a pound. Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. You can even have a glass before each meal so that you eat less at mealtime.
Limit your caloric intake
One final weight loss tip is to limit your caloric intake to at least 300 calories less than before starting your weight loss plan. This is not very hard to do. It simply means paying special attention to portion size. If you generally have seconds at dinner, then try to break out of that habit. If you usually have soda with your meals, replace it with water. If you eat after your dinner, then chose something healthy like a fruit plate. You will be surprised to know how these simple changes can make a big difference in your weight loss efforts.
The Most Common Reason We are Overweight
Are you one of the millions trying your hardest to lose that excess weight only to end up sorely disappointed? Are you tired of feeling like a failure? Do you want to once and for all conquer your weight loss struggles?
If you are like most individuals, losing weight has been an ongoing battle for most of your life. You are not alone in this battle. Many individuals like you struggle
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with excess weight and have tried countless numbers of weight loss programs
that have left them disillusioned and frustrated. Losing weight only to gain it all back is one of the most disheartening and discouraging things in life. In order to be able to lose weight successfully, you must first understand what brought you here in the first place.
The most basic reason that we are overweight is our relationship with food. How many times have you used food as an excuse? Do you use food to comfort
yourself? Do you eat when you’re depressed or anxious? Just about any emotion
can be connected with food and one way to break your food addiction is to find
the root cause for your overeating. Sometimes people eat out of boredom. They
watch TV and immediately just want to munch on some chips. Sometimes we
even just mistake thirst for hunger.
Our abusive relationship with food is one of the most difficult things to correct.
Unlike alcohol or drug addiction where you can take away the offending agent,
food addiction is a completely different thing. You can’t just take food away. We need food to survive. However, we should eat to live and not live to eat. We
should eat only enough to have enough energy to get us through our daily
activities. The problem is we often times overindulge ourselves, eating until we are stuffed. This overindulgence leads to the excess fat being stored in our bodies.
By realizing that we have unhealthy food habits, we can therefore make the
necessary changes. We often think that exercise is the key to losing weight.
Exercise is only a small part of losing weight. The majority of weight loss success is due to our eating habits. If we are able to control the amount of calories that we eat and if we eat the right kinds of food then we will be able to lose weight
successfully. Portion control is therefore a key factor to weight loss success.
However following a healthy eating lifestyle can be very hard especially if you’ve been used to gorging yourself. This is where the HCG diet can help. The HCG diet will allow you to break yourself of these bad food habits and food addictions. The HCG will allow you to curb your appetite so you don’t go hungry and you feel full for a longer period of time. By teaching you how to limit your calories safely, you
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will then be able to experience the weight loss that you have been working hard to achieve.
Lose weight and have fun doing it!
We cannot deny the fact that the mind is a powerful thing, but sometimes the
mind can prevent us from reaching our goals. If you tell yourself that losing
weight is unrealistic, then of course your weight loss efforts will fail. Although there are many things that contribute to weight loss, a positive attitude is high on the list. Rather than telling yourself that you cannot lose weight, tell yourself that you will lose weight. The feelings of failure occurs when people go on crash diets, lose large amounts of weight, then, in a short span of time, they gain the weight back. This becomes an unending cycle and, ultimately, they give up entirely. If you chose a quick fix method, the results will not last. For best results, you need a lifestyle change that will make you look better and feel better.
Set realistic goals
In order to see the results of your weight loss journey, you must to set goals that you can achieve. If you set a goal that you are going to lose 20 pounds in one
week, you will feel disappointed and unmotivated at the end of the week when
you are not able to meet the unrealistic goal. Those who commit to losing five
pounds in two weeks and work hard toward achieving that goal are more likely to reach that goal. People tend to lose more weight during the initial stages of their diet so chances are you might even lose more in those two weeks than you
planned, but five pounds in two weeks is a realistic goal. Once you have achieved your two week goal you will feel so motivated that you will want to continue to work hard and set new realistic goals.
Get active the fun way
Today there are so many options ways to get active that it is hard to pick one. Try a variety of options; you can choose to hike on the weekend or swim after work
each day. If you are someone who likes to try new things, find classes in belly
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dancing, hip hop, Pilates or yoga. Find an exercise partner like a friend and family member so you can keep each other motivated. Working out does not have to
feel like work; you can lose weight, tone your body and have fun doing it. You can also make small changes throughout the day to keep active; walk to the store
instead of drive or take the stairs rather than the elevator. Small changes can make a big difference.
Eat foods that are healthy and delicious
Food can be the major downfall of many dieters; it is hard to think of life without chocolate, cake, ice cream or potato chips. In order for your diet to work, it has to be a lifestyle change which means to be thoughtful with your food choices and
portions. You can still have potato chips, but instead of the oily fried chips, choose the baked chips. A carton of ice cream can last a few months in the freezer, so you can eat a proper serving size once or twice a month. As for chocolate, go ahead and eat it, but portion control is very important. If you want to treat yourself for reaching your two week goal, have a small piece of chocolate.
You also need to incorporate fruits, vegetables and other healthy options into
your diet. Try a delicious vegetable salad instead of a burger or opt for sunflower seeds, almonds and peanuts if you want a snack between meals. Drink the
required 8 glasses of water each day and remember that whatever you do, just
have fun doing it.
Keeping Yourself Motivated to Lose Weight
When the New Year comes around, many of us make the resolution to lose
weight. We go on the latest fad diet and join a gym. But after just a few days, we find ourselves struggling to stick to our weight loss program. This usually happens because we start to lose our motivation to lose weight. Admit it, things happen.
Life happens and we sometimes forget to put ourselves first. However, to be
successful at weight loss, we need to keep ourselves motivated. Here are some
ways by which you can stay motivated to lose weight.
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1. Take before and after pictures of yourself. When you feel like eating
something fattening, look at your picture when you were overweight. Now
do you really want to go back to this time in your life when you were sad
and miserable and you just didn’t feel good about yourself?
2. Keep a weight loss journal. Writing down the number of pounds you have
lost over time, your daily food intake and exercise regimen will keep you
focused and on track. As you see your progress and your weight get lower
and lower, you will remain motivated to lose more weight until you reach
your goal.
3. Break down your overall weight loss goal into small, achievable goals.
Reward yourself after you have achieved these milestones. For every 10
pounds you lose, pamper yourself, go to a spa, have your hair or nails done
or buy a cute outfit. Reward yourself but make sure it is not food related.
4. Don’t forget what your purpose is for losing weight. If you are losing weight to be healthy, think about how much energy you will have afterwards or
how you can minimize your blood pressure medications when you have lost
the weight. If you are losing weight to fit into a certain size, imagine how
good you will look when you wear that particular dress you have been
wanting to fit into for so long.
5. If your budget allows, hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer will not only guide your work out sessions but he/she will be able to keep you on
track and motivated.
6. Exercise should not be a chore and painful. Find a fun exercise activity that you can stick to. Try dancing, spinning or just simply hiking outdoors. Listen
to fast-paced music that will keep you moving while working out. Find an
exercise buddy. Studies show that if you work out with somebody, you are
more likely to stick to an exercise program.
We have all the information we need to lose weight at our fingertips. But what
most people lack is the motivation in order to be successful. Motivation is a big component in weight loss success. Keeping these motivational strategies in mind will help keep you on the right path to achieving your weight loss goals.
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