Author Archive for Rowena French

Proven Goal Setting Techniques to Make a Calories Loss Diet Work

Published
by
Rowena French
on November 14, 2008
in Exercise & Fitness
. 0 Comments
by Rowena French

One of the most common mistakes that people make when it comes to weight loss is setting unrealistic expectations about how much weight they need to lose and how fast they can lose it. Setting unrealistic weight goals is really sabotaging your calories loss diet and your efforts to lose weight. That is why it is important to have some tools you can use to set realistic weight loss goals for yourself.

The end product of losing weight is a re-shaped body and to reach this goal, weight loss professionals have established one or two pounds a week as a healthy weight loss rate. Unrealistic weight losses like five pounds a week or sixty pounds by the end of winter are not only unhelpful but also potentially medically dangerous. These goals can cause disappointment and lead to you quitting the calories loss diet that drives your weight loss, so consider the tools below to make sure your weight loss goals are achieved.

Reduce the outcomes you expect of your weight loss if they are unrealistic because dropping a pound or two each week is a success that you can enjoy and continue to achieve. Celebrate this drop in weight, stick with your calories loss diet and stay focused on continuing to reach this gaol on a regular basis. A slow and steady weight loss is a great way to stay motivated and this keeps you committed even when your weight loss may slow down for a time.

Percentage weight loss of your body weight instead of pounds alone, means that you will avoid aiming for a pre-determined weight loss and give up if you do not appear to reach it. If you are carrying excess pounds now, it is likely that losing around 10-20% of your total weight is worth aiming for to reach a healthy weight. By losing 20-40 pounds a 200 pound person who is overweight is far more likely to reach a healthy weight than one who was calculated a set weight loss because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Chart your weight loss in different ways to accommodate the various body changes that following a calories loss diet and exercising will cause. This means that when your weight loss, measured in pounds slows for a time, you can still feel encouraged by the diminishing size of your hips, chest or waist. Including these different ways to measure your changing body shape not only accommodates a healthier perspective on losing weight but also helps keep you motivated as you see your weight loss from different perspectives.

Do the math because if you want to lose 25 pounds and you know that a safe weight loss rate is 2 pounds per week then you need to plan on taking 12 to 14 weeks to lose this weight. In the beginning it might make it seem more difficult to lose weight, but if you have a realistic expectation of how long it will take to lose the amount of weight that you want to shed, it will help you remain focused and stay on your calories loss diet. Weight loss goals that are ’short and furious’ generally go out with a bang soon after they have been set.

Try to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 per day either by exercising more and burning more calories or by eating less. Use a calories counter to estimate the changes you need to make to bring about this calories loss each day and use it to determine the foods that you can continue to include in your menu. Losing weight is a numbers game so get familiar with those numbers and how to use them to lose weight.

Create goals that can be achieved soon but remain focused on the ultimate goal and reflect this determination in your calories loss eating habits and your exercise program. Always include opportunities for the celebration of your weight loss successes along the way and reward yourself with special treats like clothes, CD’s, or even a night out somewhere special. Use these rewards as incentives to continue losing weight and always keep looking ahead at the final goal - the new you.

About the Author:
Rowena French sets achievable goals for her weight loss and exercise routines. Tired of dieting without results? Determined to reach your weight loss goals? My free tips show you how calories loss is the simple answer. Read my guide, hear my audio book! Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Steer Clear of Food Rewards and Lose Weight with Calories Loss

Published
by
Rowena French
on November 9, 2008
in Exercise & Fitness
. 0 Comments
by Rowena French

Many people wanting to enjoy the benefits of successful, long term weight loss find that eating food as a way of rewarding themselves is a real and present stumbling block. Their dilemma is that many of our social interactions including celebrations are associated in some way or other with eating and drinking. The food we eat in social settings is often rich in fat, sugar or carbohydrates and not the kind of food we would find on a healthy, calories loss eating plan.

Did you win a big contract at work that the boss will probably take you out to lunch to celebrate? Do you have an important anniversary coming up when your spouse will probably make reservations at a nice restaurant? As there always seems to be a reason to celebrate in our lives, it is not surprising then that people use food to reward themselves for accomplishments.

Perhaps you treat yourself to dinner at a restaurant after a frantic project at work or you may have been exercising regularly and want to acknowledge the effort this has taken with a bowl of wedges and a beer. The problem with this is that while the idea of reward is OK, even worthwhile, if you do this with food your capacity to stay committed to a calories loss menu will diminish. To alter this kind of thinking, it is important that you recognize how you are undermining your healthy eating and find other ways to celebrate in your life.

Determine what causes you to reward yourself with food, and in particular where this behaviour originated. Childhood is often the source of life long attitudes to eating especially if your parents used food high in calories like candy or ice-cream as a reward for acceptable behaviours that may have included eating other healthier foods! After you have established why you use food rewards, you will be in a better position to change this behavior either independently or with the help of a health professional.

Make a point of not rewarding yourself with food the next time you have cause to celebrate. Instead of celebrating an achievement at work, or a special event at home, instead of going for dinner, drinks or even coffee and cake, go shopping instead, pamper yourself with a spa treatment spa or even go to a movie or a play. Rewarding yourself with treats like these will help you feel pleased with yourself and you will have the added bonus of sticking with your calories loss diet and continuing to lose weight.

Search out rewards that you can enjoy for an extended time, unlike food rewards that only last as long as it takes to eat them. Spend an afternoon at the beach, go to the craft store and blow $20 on any craft supplies that look fun, treat yourself to a day at a local spa or be like me and splurge of a new bottle of perfume or pair of shoes. There are endless ways of finding longer lasting rewards than foods and every time you use them, wear them or experience them they remind you that you are achieving your work or family goals as well as your health goal; sticking with your calories loss eating plan and continuing to lose weight.

Find locations for celebrations where food is not a temptation and potentially a way to sabotage your healthy eating and weight loss progress. There are many places where families and friends can celebrate without eating; beach volleyball on the beach, touch football in the park or surfing, body boarding, or even an afternoon at the ice skating rink are fun alternatives to a day of eating. If you set the trend of fun without food, you will probably be amazed at how your friends will be attracted to this idea.

Avoid situations in which food is made the center of the celebration as much as you can and remember that your long term goal is long term weight loss. If you have no choice, on occasions like office parties or weddings, join in the celebrations by interacting with the people around you or enjoying the music, rather than concentrating on the meal itself. Look for food items that can be part of your calories loss diet and enjoy the ‘win win’ outcome of being part of the celebration without compromising your journey to a healthier body and life.

About the Author:
Rowena French avoids celebrating by eating in her weight loss and exercise routines. Tired of dieting without results? Need to reach your weight loss goals? My free gifts show you how calories loss is the simple answer. Read my guide, hear my audio book! Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Why Your Body Needs Fuel and Calories Loss for Weight Loss

Published
by
Rowena French
on November 8, 2008
in Exercise & Fitness
. 0 Comments
by Rowena French

It has been common knowledge for many years that the best way to lose weight is to create a calories loss by eating less calories than your body requires and to burn additional fat through exercise. This is accurate information and the secret to a positive outcome to any weight loss program over the long term.

Generally, we consume around 2,000 calories each day and experts suggest that this is what the average person requires. If by following a calories loss eating plan, you reduce your food intake and only eat 1,500 calories daily, your body needs to search for the energy required from the 500 calories you did not eat from another source. This source happens to be the fat your body is storing and that you want to shed!

This steady burning of additional fat does bring about weight loss unlike popular diets or even diet pills that promise to do this but can not in a healthy way or across the long term. Keeping an eye on your calories intake and the calories you need to burn is an important part of losing weight. As for example, there are about 3,500 calories in every pound of fat, you need to burn 17,500 calories to lose this weight by creating a calories loss little by little over time.

No pill can ever cause your body to burn that many additional calories. Only restricting your calories in a calories loss menu and forcing your body to burn fat for energy can cause real weight loss. Dieting is about more than just calories though and you need to maintain a sense of balance in your eating program to lose weight and remain healthy.

An unbalanced diet consisting of only salad and diet soda will not help you lose weight as this is not enough for your body to operate in a healthy way. Your body needs more than this because it needs to be fuelled by food. A healthy food program should provide this fuel and reward your body for the work it does instead of punishing it.

There is no getting around that fact, so you need to change what you give your body for fuel and that is where the common sense part comes in. It is common sense to know that your body needs whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. Most of us would agree that some of these foods are OK but how do we include them in our diet on a regular basis instead of those high calorie foods we enjoy the most?

Old eating favourites like deep fried chicken pieces and a soda are not always easy to replace but if you want to reach your weight loss goal you will need to eat grilled chicken breast and an orange juice instead. These are the small but significant modifications that you can make to your normal eating patterns that will make all the difference. They become part of your changing lifestyle and the impact they have on your overall calories loss will bring about your weight loss for good.

If you focus on the development of a healthy body you as you would be wise to do, you can use calorie counting as means of monitoring the path to your weight loss. There will be no need to penalize yourself for carrying too much weight; instead you can respect your body and provide it with foods that will help it become stronger and healthier. Along with regular exercise, a diet that contains lean meat, fruits and vegetables and whole grains is the ultimate way to guide your body to the healthy weight and shape it should be.

So, even if your eating and exercise lifestyle changes feel a little strange at first because they are new and different, persevere because in time they will seem NORMAL. The greatest challenge is surviving the time of initial calories loss. By the time this change becomes part of your new pattern of living however, your weight loss will have begun and you will feel confident and wonder how you ever lived any other way.

About the Author:
Rowena French knows that the way to a healthy life is through weight loss and exercise. Want to reshape your body and enjoy long term weight loss ? My free gifts show you how through calories loss . Read my common sense guide, hear my audio book! This and other unique content ‘weight loss’ articles are available with free reprint rights.