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Low calorie diets are probably the most basic of all diet plans. In most cases, they are straightforward and right to the point. The premise of them is that if you reduce the number of calories that you take in on a daily basis, and continue the same level of activity, you will lose weight.

Over the years, low calorie diets have been proven to work, and to work well. But, if this is the case, then why is it that there are so many different diets on the market? The reality is that most diets are simply different variations of the same idea dressed up for different purposes, mainly to sell books, or dieting plans, or fat burning pills or equipment.

Some of these different dieting books are helpful in that they provide healthy recipes and they point out healthy food choices that you can make to help you lose weight. They can also provide you with a structure and some motivation in the way of mapping out a plan and providing a series of success stories about other people who have overcome obesity by following that plan. If you feel that you need that extra support, then there is nothing wrong with buying a book and following a plan.

But, what happens more often than not is that people are looking for the "silver bullet" of low calorie diets that will make them lose weight with very little effort on their part. As a result, as soon as the dieting plan laid out looks like work, they start looking for the newest, latest and greatest diet that promises to tell them the fat burning secrets of the century. It is this attitude that the whole dieting industry thrives on, and is one of the reasons that people are gaining more weight and there is more obesity than ever in a country that has more dieting resources than ever before.

The bottom line is that a successful diet plans works when using low calorie diets to make good health choices. If you want to reach a healthy weight, you need to increase the amount of healthy food you consume and reduce the number of overall calories in take in. Eliminating sugary foods and replacing fatty food with low fat foods can make a big difference and will help you lose fat. Increasing the fat burning activities you do on a daily basis will also help.

In reality, the choice is completely yours about how you want to view and use low calorie diets. Choose now to make small changes on a daily basis. Don't go overboard and try to starve yourself. Look for healthy recipes, eat fresh and whole foods, drink lots of water and move your body. With these small changes you will feel better in no time and soon you will also lose weight. I recently wrote a review on the negative calorie diet plan that also offers low calorie foods.

Susan Pitts is a weight loss consultant, if you want to know more about diet and weight loss visit http://loseweightplans101.com

While the majority of people recognize that exercise is necessary to effective natural weight loss, many are uncertain as to what kind of exercise they should do to get the best results. Many exercise experts disagree on what kind of exercise is best. This disagreement seems to stem from a lack of complete information regarding exercise physiology coupled with the fact that different people actually have different needs when it comes to exercise.

Let's begin with what the current research on exercise physiology tells us. It is well-established that it takes approximately 30 minutes of any kind of exercise for the body to burn off its glycogen (stored sugar) reserves and begin burning fat. Because of this, many experts will recommend half an hour to an hour of exercise to produce a good amount of weight loss. Now, if you are going to be exercising for 30 to 60 minutes, or maybe more, what type of exercise would you be able to do for that length of time? It probably would have to be low to medium intensity. In other words, you're probably not going to be able to run full speed or do any other type of high-intensity exercise for 30 to 60 minutes without a rest, unless you happen to be an elite athlete, and even then you'd be struggling. So, by default, the common recommendation for exercise to lose weight has been 30 to 60 minutes of low to medium intensity aerobic exercise. Aerobic translates to "in the presence of oxygen", which in common language means that aerobic exercise is any type of activity that you can do without gasping for breath.

In recent years, some experts have changed their recommendations to using a more intense anaerobic ("without oxygen") exercise program for weight loss. This would include things like intense weight lifting, and something called "interval training". Interval training involves brief bursts of high intensity activity with periods of rest or low intensity activity in between. For example, you might run full out for 30 seconds or a minute and then walk for a minute or two until you catch your breath and then run again full out for 30 seconds to a minute, walk again, etc.. Because this kind of workout is much more strenuous, it is performed over a much shorter period of total exercise time - about 20 to 40 minutes (at least half of which is rest time), as compared to half an hour to an hour of non-stop exercise as is recommended with low to medium intensity aerobic workouts. But how do the two types of exercise stack up when it comes to fat burning?

The aerobic exercise promoters point to the research that was mentioned earlier that has shown that any exercise, no matter how intense requires at least 30 minutes to use up the body's stored glycogen (the body will normally burn glycogen before it will burn fat) before fat burning can begin. So, they say, short periods of even highly intense exercise won't burn much fat and is therefore not a good choice for promoting weight loss. But they are only seeing part of the story.

It is true that you must exercise for at least 30 minutes to begin to achieve fat burning - but that's at the time you are exercising. Brief bursts of intense anaerobic exercise does something that even quite a lot of low to medium intensity aerobic exercise does not. Intense anaerobic exercise stimulates the production of growth hormone, which is a strong stimulator of fat burning. The thing is, the release of growth hormone triggered by intense anaerobic exercise comes 24 to 48 hours AFTER the exercise, and then it produces considerably more fat burning than is possible with all but extremely long periods of low to medium intensity aerobic exercise.

Because of this effect, most people will lose weight much more easily by doing shorter periods of more intense exercise. 20 to 40 minutes of heavy weightlifting, interval training (which could be done on foot, on a bicycle, swimming, kickboxing, etc.) , wind sprints, soccer, basketball, or any other activity with quick bursts of high intensity with periods of rest or low intensity activity in between is typically much more effective in the long run for weight loss than even hours of aerobic activity.

Now, you'll notice that I said "most people". There is an exception to the rule. Anyone who is seriously emotionally or physically stressed in his or her daily life is prone to overstimulated adrenal glands. The adrenal glands do a lot of things in the body, but with regards to weight loss, they produce two hormones. Cortisol is one of the hormones, and it stimulates fat storage in the lower abdominal area. This is typically a saggy, pendulous fat held below the waistline. The other hormone the adrenals produce is adrenaline (also called epinephrine), which actually promotes fat burning. Since the adrenals produce cortisol which causes fat deposition and adrenaline which promotes fat burning, you might assume that these two hormones cancel each other out. Unfortunately, cortisol production can be carried out by a much longer time by the adrenal glands than can the production of adrenaline, so long-term, the effects of high cortisol production (deposition of fat in the lower belly), will overcome whatever fat burning might occur from the short-term adrenaline production.

The adrenals are influenced by physical stress as well as mental stress, so for someone who is under a lot of stress in general in his or her life, high-intensity exercise will only add to the total stress and will tend to make the adrenals produce a lot of cortisol, and therefore will tend to promote lower abdomen weight gain. That's right - the wrong kind of exercise in this situation can cause weight gain! This can result in the frustrating situation in which one exercises more and more and harder and harder to try to get rid of that lower abdomen stomach "pooch", but never can seem to get rid of it. Due to the fact that the intense exercise is causing even more cortisol to be produced, their efforts are counterproductive. Because of this effect, it is recommended that people under a lot of stress and/or who have most of their weight held in the lower abdomen stick to relatively low intensity aerobic exercise. This kind of activity is usually helpful for controlling stress and reducing the level of cortisol, thereby making it easier to get rid of the deposition of fat around the lower abdomen.

I hope that this article has given you a better concept of how to maximize your exercise routine for the best possible weight loss results.

Dr. George Best is a holistic healthcare provider in San Antonio, Texas. He provides information on natural weight loss through his website and is a consultant for MyFoodWithThought.com He can be reached at DrBest@trainyourbrain4weightloss.com

In this article we are going to take a quick look at incorporating a powerful but hugely important wrinkle into your dietary regimen: Simple but expeditious workouts to lose weight, and make it melt fast! So if you are one of the many who is looking for the perfect companion to your new diet, and are ready to shift gears a bit (no pun intended) conversationally, read on as we explore...

Let me first say this: Gone are the day that exercise was a tedious, time consuming chore to be performed on high school bleachers, and old dusky gymnasiums with rooms filled with spandex wearing prim donnas only interested in the show. Today, exercise is fun, fantastically easy and entertaining, and dare I say, incredibly sexy and effective as well!

Cardiovascular exercise is the quickest way that I know to accentuate and accelerate your new diet. Burning calories by simply getting your body moving is tremendously effective, cleansing and mighty therapeutic in other ways as well. If you are up to it, and are unable to make it to the gym, I recommend any number of the home DVD workouts. Ever try the Billy Blanks series of Tae Bo workouts? They are tremendous! If you are able to incorporate the resistance bands into your workout, it's tough.....but worth it as your arms, legs, chest and shoulders will be sculpted like NEVER before in no time!

How about Yoga? You would be AMAZED at how quickly you can mend your mind, body and spirit through an intense daily Yoga session. Try "Hot Yoga" to turbo charge your fat burning and sweat out all of the knots, stress and mushy spots in a hurry. Truly a transformative practice for the 21st century!

And don't forget about weights either! Studies have shown over and over again that weightlifting can literally turn back the biological clock, and in concert with your fantastically fun and fit dietary regimen, you are looking at a phenomenal NEW you in no time flat. And that is sexy...

Read On to Discover the 6 Biggest Lies About Weight Loss.....and how to avoid them like the plague!

(Not knowing them MAY be KEEPING you heavy.....watch the weight melt away like magic once you do!)

Weight loss camps for adults first materialised during the early 1980s and were based on the familiar summer camp experience. These camps, not only for adults, but teenagers alike, are an excellent choice for those looking to find healthy ways to lose weight, gain motivation, and with the added benefit of meeting and making new friends along the way. Weight loss camps for adults, or fitness holidays, are now becoming as popular as following well known diet plans.

In the early days, such activities were known as "fat farms" or "boot camp" weight loss programs. These early programs failed to address essential behavioural and emotional experiences, such as body image and body acceptance issues. True effective weight loss management is about understanding the patients emotional experiences as well as the physical problems to be overcome.

Many experts would agree that results are short-lived because true behavioural change can only occur with the understanding of healthy living principles, and how to deal with related emotions and stresses the patient may well be experiencing in everyday life. A good weight loss camp should not just be about diet and exercise but about tailoring a programme to meet individual needs.

Thankfully, weight loss camps for adults have come a long way since those early days of the 1980's. The key to successful weight loss is making changes in your eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life. A good weight loss camp will develop an exercise and nutrition program specific to each individual needs and capabilities that can be continued long after leaving the camp. The staff of a good camp should include qualified counsellors, nutritionists, registered dieticians, psychologists and exercise physiologists. Each plays a very important role in providing a complete programme to promote healthy living.

For families wanting to work together, there are weight loss and fitness camps consisting of communities of parents, children and staff working together to achieve the same fitness goals. These camps are designed to help adults and children alike embrace a healthy lifestyle, and discover just how fun and rewarding it can be for the family to get fit and stay fit together. Many families who enrol on these programs lose weight and return home feeling fitter and more motivated to continue a more healthy active lifestyle.

If you are looking for a fun but hard work way of finding much needed motivation to lose weight and get fit, then weight loss camps for adults can be an excellent starting point for losing excess body fat and starting a new healthy and fitter lifestyle.

To learn more about effective weight loss secrets and to receive a FREE weight loss secrets report please visit http://www.stuarts-ebooks.com/WeightLossSecrets.html.

Losing weight is a lot like rock climbing, For some it might be like conquering Everest, for others it's more like climbing the foothills. But it's never a walk in the woods. Let's take a look now at the size of the rock you'll be climbing and then set some goals, How far is the summit, and do you want to reach it? How fast will you climb? Will you do it in stages? What aids will you use? Will you do it alone or with a team?

Observe yourself

Before you can begin to set goals, you need to take a long hard look at where you are now. Keeping a food and activity diary is the best way to do this. If you look at the times of day or moods you're in when you exercise and eat, you may even get ideas about substituting one for the other. (Guess which one?)

It may seem like a bother, but keeping a diary will force you to see where your problem lie. Do yourself a favor and do it for a week. This diary is for you and you alone. No one else will read it.

When keeping your food diary you must promise to be honest with yourself.

Your diary should be kept in your weight-loss notebook, but if the notebook is too big to carry around, slip some index cards in your pocket or purse to note what you eat and how long you do what kind of exercise when you're away from home. You can enter this data in your notebook at the end of the day.

Your food diary

This will be an important tool for the eating side of your weight-loss plan. The food diary will show you, in black and white, why you are overweight and what eating and behavior habits you need to change. You may be surprised how much food you consume in a typical day.

You may notice that certain moods, people, or circumstances accompany pig-outs.

You may spot dangerous times of day or a pattern of increased eating as the day progresses. Weekends may be perilous, or maybe business lunches are your undoing.

You will need to fill in the number of calories of everything you eat. If what you eat comes in a package, you can get this information from the label. (Remember: 10 cookies is not a serving!) Otherwise, use a calorie-counting book or one of the online calorie counters.

Don't get hung up on details. If aren't sure about quantities, estimate. But estimate on the high side.

A sample food diary can be found on the next page. Set up something similar in your weight-loss notebook, so that you have a food diary for each day of the week. On the page for the last day of the week, make a space for your weekly calorie total.

Set aside a column or space each day for comments. Use this space to write anything that will help you understand what was going on when you ate, including triggers or moods, anything about the occasion or people you were with, feelings of guilt or triumph you experienced before, during, or afterward.

As part of your food diary, record how many glasses of water you drink. Aim for a minimum of eight glasses or 64 ounces of water each day.

It's important to keep track of how much water you drink to remind you to drink a lot of it. Monitor your water consumption by making a check mark for each 8-ounce glass you drink. It's easiest if you measure out your water in advance, but if you drink from a water fountain, for example, you can figure two swallows per ounce.

Read more on How to lose weight. Check out for daily diet plans and diet supplements.

We have all heard people say thing like, "Hey, I'm on a diet," or "I'm going on a diet." Of course, doctors don't talk this because they know that really everyone is on a diet. A diet is simply what you eat.

There are two aspects of traditional weight loss diets that are worth commenting on.

First, when you are going on a diet plan, you actually think about what you are going to eat and take control of that particular activity. You know to plan ahead so you don't have to simply eat what's there or not eat at all. Planning when and how we eat is something we should all do all of the time, even when we are not trying to lose weight.

Secondly, most people think of dieting as a temporary break from their normal eating habits when, in reality, this second assumption is what leads to so much of what is wrong in the entire diet culture. If you accept your diet as temporary, then you will likely go back to your old habits right after you have seen the slightest results.

Here's the best tip I can give you: You have to change the way you eat everyday, and it's not easy. But it is possible to create a diet that still allows you to enjoy what you eat and eat the foods you love. You just need to put together a creative diet that works for you everyday, and learn to stick to it!

Do you want to get rid of those extra pounds you packed on? Although they sure did not pile on overnight, you'd like to get rid of them overnight, wouldn't you? Have you had enough? Are you ready to do something about it? Change your thinking and you can change your body. Your Weight Loss success story can start today! Click Here to get started! More information on easy weight loss and more is available at http://www.easyweightlosscoach.com

Accepting that you are overweight is the first step. But, the more important step is choosing to do something about it. Congratulations! You are already on your way to a healthier future. The first thing to do is get a medical check-up and determine what kind of diet will suit you, and the kind of exercise you can safely undertake. Let your family and friends know your plan and ask them to stand by you and help you through the days when you find your determination faltering. Set realistic goals; dont try to lose too much weight too soon.

With food, moderation is the key. Do not deprive yourself. Eat whatever you want, but decrease the proportion. Also, eat slowly; it can make you feel full and thus prevent overeating. Include more portions of fruit and raw vegetables in your daily diet. Avoid eating out as much as possible. Instead of having three huge meals a day, have smaller meals four or five times a day. This helps lessen hunger pangs and prevents snacking. Choose water over aerated drinks, juice, and alcohol. Have a glass of water first thing in the morning, and a glass before and after every meal. If you are dehydrated, your body derives the water it needs from the food you eat, which means you could end up eating more than you should. Water also aids digestion and helps to clean out toxic substances from your system.

A regular exercise routine is an integral part of any sensible weight loss program. Walking, swimming, running, skipping, aerobics, calisthenics; pursue any of these activities for 30 minutes, three to four times a week. Go slow; give your body time to get used to the new levels of activity. Once you are used to a routine, you could try increasing the intensity or period of your workouts. Listen to your body; if you feel any sort of pain or discomfort, seek advice from a doctor or a professional trainer.

Keeping the weight off permanently requires a lifestyle change and can only be achieved through discipline, a healthy diet , and regular exercise.

Good health is not a struggle, nor it is an extraordinary feat. Healthy living is about understanding what your body needs and what is good for it. Re-discover good health in a simple way with Tania Hackner and make good health a way of living! For more information and advice on General health please visit us at http://www.whatyouneedtoknow.co.in