When you go on a diet the only thing you achieve is to slow down your metabolic rate.

Let’s say after you’ve starved yourself for 2 – 3 weeks or even 2 – 3 months and you’ve reached your goal. What do you do?

Do you go back to your old lifestyle? the lifestyle that contributed to your excess weight? Most people do and then within a few months find themselves carrying even more weight then when they started. The only thing they achieved was to slow down their metabolism.

In order to be successful at losing excess weight you need to commit to changing lifetime habits.

The only rule that works is “calories in” vs “calories out”. If you consume 1500 calories a day but you  only burn 1200 then you will have excess calories that will turn to fat. If this happens you have 2 options, eat less or exercise more.

Once you come to terms with that reality then there are a number of things you can do to make your efforts more efficient.

Far too many people jump onto a fad diet because it sounds easy. “Lose 6 kilos in 12 weeks without dieting”… Lol!

When you are serious about losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle there are a few simple things that you can do to help you achieve your goals quicker.

Get Sufficient Protein
The very first rule to note is that you absolutely must make sure that you’re consuming enough protein.  Protein is a must have with each snack and meal that you consume.

Create Balance Between Carbs And Fats
Next, you also must make sure that you create good balance between carbs and fats with your diet. There’s no need to eliminate either one of these nutrients and you may favor a lower carb or lower fat diet, but they both must be there.  Each nutrient is going to perform key tasks in your body that you simply can’t go without.

Eat Plenty Of Vegetables
Vegetables are next on the list. Vegetables will provide you with very few calories and will give you very important nutrients you need to keep healthy and to balance your sugar levels. If you aren’t eating enough vegetables throughout the day, you won’t be meeting your nutrient requirements and likely will fall short in your protein intake as well.

Don’t Starve And Then Binge
Some people tend to starve and then binge. They try and hold out until they absolutely must take in some food and when they do, they lose all self-control.  If you want to succeed, keep your food regulated instead. Eat smaller meals 5-6 times throughout the day and you’ll never feel as though you must eat uncontrollably. Don’t think of losing weight as a temporary action, your good choices will make a difference for the rest of your life.

Have a day off
Remember the 80/20 rule, if you are good 80 percent of the time you can allow yourself the forbidden food 20 percent of the time. That means that when you reach your desired weight you can have bacon and eggs for breakfast on Sunday or have a couple of slices of pizza on Friday night. Just make sure you balance your meals every other day and that you don’t destroy your hard work in one sitting.

Exercise

Yes, exercise… this doesn’t mean you need to put on your leotards and head off to the gym. There are a lot of things you can do around the house to burn off some calories. Gardening is a great calorie burner as is washing windows or vacuuming, walking or dancing are also great ways to burn fat. The point here is to increase your daily activity.

Most important of all is to enjoy what you are doing everyday

Remember

Getting in the habit of making good choices will become second nature to you and you will start making the right choices automatically so that in the end dieting becomes unnecessary. These good habits just become part of your life.

First thing to note is that there are no magical potions, any type of weight loss supplements that claim to be miraculous are probably extending the truths. However in saying that it is worth noting that Whey Protein has it’s benefits and combined with a sensible diet and exercise plan you can certainly count on achieving your weight loss goals.

Whey protein is one supplement that you must try if you are really serious about losing that excess weight.

There has been a lot of research done on Protein, here is some information for you to consider.

Whey protein is touted as the ultimate source of protein because it contains the highest quality of protein. It is a by-product formed when cow’s milk is turned into cheese. It is a good source of amino acids and it is usually found in good quality weight loss shakes, powders or bars.

Protein is not stored by the body therefore you need to make sure you get enough everyday.

TYPES

Whey Protein can be divided into the following categories:

Whey Protein Concentrate.

• It contains about 80% pure protein. It is cheaper than isolate and contains slightly higher levels of calories, lactose and fats. It is a good choice for a budget protein.

Whey Protein Isolate.

• It is the purest type with about 90% pure protein. It is processed to remove lactose, carbohydrates and fat. You get high quality protein less the calories. It is usually more expensive than concentrates.

WHO NEEDS IT

Whey protein is beneficial to different types of people such as:

• Anyone who does not get enough Protein daily
• Seniors, to maintain muscle mass and bone density
• Body builders
• Endurance athletes
• Those who want to lose weight
• Vegetarians
• Those into weight or strength training
• Sports players

BENEFITS
Here are some of the numerous benefits you can get from whey protein:

Weight loss

Coupled with exercise, it can help you develop leaner muscle tissues and lose body fat. It increases your metabolism, helping you burn more calories per day. It also makes you feel full longer.

Muscle building, strength and recovery

It is ideal for athletes because it helps increase muscle size and strength. It also speeds up recovery time and muscle repair.

Fast ingesting

It gets to where it’s needed fast which makes it essential for your post-workout regimen or that time when your body is catabolic and requires faster protein injection. It reduces the post-workout breakdown of your muscles.

Anti-oxidant

It helps boost your body’s immune system.

FINAL TIPS…

The amount of your whey protein intake depends on your current weight, level of exercise and goals, specifically your desired weight. Normally, body builders consume one to two grams of protein per kilo of body weight daily.

The time to take it also depends on your goals. Bear in mind though that it digests fast so it is ideal to take it when you need it quickly. It is commonly used in the morning, after sports or weight trainings and before exercise.

It is ideal as a snack or meal supplement for busy men and women. Helps to satisfy hunger cravings.

There’s no need to be confused on the ideal supplement you need for your weight loss program. With the help of a tried and tested supplement like whey protein, getting rid of excess weight does not have to be so difficult.

It is, therefore, important to separate the good from the bad.

Supplements are an important part of your workout but you should know the right ones from the fad. No product can be a quick fix formula and if they claim to be, you are better off avoiding them – it is as simple as that. The best that supplements can do is aid the workout – we have to do the bulk of the work ourselves. Supplements are only there to assist you to reach your goal and provide you with the edge that you need to succeed.

You have to work hard for your desired body and using the appropriate supplements is essential. In this regard, L-Carnitine is an excellent supplement to boost your workout if you are looking to get ripped. It will help you to build muscles and burn fat at the same time. It is considered an excellent weight loss supplement that will help you to truly transform your body.

Benefits of L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine helps your body produce energy by using fat. It fosters an environment inside your body that encourages the growth and development of lean muscles and the burning of body fat. It also helps you to deal with fatigue after workout and makes it easier to follow a low-calorie diet. The reason for this is that it reduces the feeling of weakness and hunger. It, therefore, allows you to burn fat, get lean, and strong, at the same time.

Apart from its capabilities of burning fat, it also has a wide range of benefits.  It is an important component for the functioning of your brain and heart along with many other processes of the body.
It is an antioxidant that is used for the treatment of many different ailments. Antioxidants are responsible for fighting the harmful components in your body that are known as free radicals. These free radicals damage your body cells and can cause problems in the DNA. They can be neutralized by antioxidants that help to reduce or prevent the damage caused by them.

This means that it helps the growth and development of your body. It is considered as a treatment for some cardiovascular, muscle, kidney, and liver diseases.

How to get the most out of L-Carnitine?

If you want to get the maximum benefit from L-Carnitine, you must make sure that your dosage is correct. You should read the instructions carefully and take it in the recommended amount.

Carbohydrates are composed of sugar molecules made out of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are commonly found in starches, fibres and sugars. You can also find them in beans, potatoes, pastas, sodas, breads and milk. Here are some tips on how they can help you lose weight.

Take Slow Carbohydrates

In the past, carbohydrates used to be classified as simple or complex. Recent studies show that this is not accurate because they can also be classified as slow-absorbing, which can either be sweet or starchy. Slow-absorbing carbs are your best bet when you want to lose weight because they are digested and absorbed longer. They make you feel full and reduce your hunger cravings. You can get them from grain breads, pastas, oats, bran cereals, plums, pears, fruit loafs, apples and grapes, among others.

Go Low

If you want to lose weight, you should not totally eliminate carbs from your diet. Rather, you should have a low-carbohydrate diet. You can achieve this by eating whole grains, vegetables and fruits daily. They contain lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients which you can’t do without. Taking them with healthy fats and proteins can even reduce risks of heart diseases and diabetes.

So how low should you go? Experts advise that you take 120 grams of carbs if you’re on a standard 1,200-calorie diet. If you want a higher intake, you can have 150 grams of carbs per day.

Pick Good Carbs

It all boils down to picking good carbohydrates. Picking the good ones can help you lose weight, avoid chronic illnesses and please your eyes and palate. Good carbs can be found in brown rice, wheat bread and whole grain pasta, among others. Here are some ways on how you can use them:

• Take steel cut oats for hot cereals. For cold ones, pick one that has whole wheat, whole oats or other whole grains. You can try muesli, porridge, wheat flakes, wheat flake biscuits or bran flakes. They’re easy and quick to prepare and their fiber content can help your bowel movement.

• In lieu of potatoes, eat brown rice, hulled barley, wheat berries, bulgur or millet. If you must eat potatoes and rice which are fast digesting, limit yourself to one medium potato or half cup of rice.

• For lunch and snacks, take whole grain breads or rye loaf. Having a slice or two daily can help you feel full and avoid unhealthy snacks.

• Beans are good sources of slow carbs.

• Take whole wheat pasta. If you find it too chewy, you can try one that’s made with half white flour and half whole wheat flour.

• Avoid junk carbohydrates found in biscuits, chips, soft drinks, cakes, and sweets etc.

• Go for starchy vegetables like corn, sweet potato, lentils, carrots, chick peas or peas.

• Take two pieces of whole fruit per day. Avoid excessive fruit juice intake since they are often too sweet with their fibre content removed.

If you’re stuck in a rut, congratulations, you’ve just reached a fat loss plateau. Fat loss plateaus are all too common among those doing weight loss workout and diet programs and unless you understand how to overcome them, they could end up being the end of your efforts.  Fortunately, with a few simple adjustments to your approach, you should easily be able to beat this plateau and get right back on to seeing the results that you’re after.  Let’s have a look at what you need to know.

Take A Three Day Diet Break

The very first method to help you beat a fat loss plateau is a simple three day break. Remember we don’t recommend anyone to “diet” this is a bad four letter word, however if you have been restricting your food intake for four weeks or longer, there’s a very good chance that your metabolic rate has slowed down because of it.

It’s only natural for the body to slow down how many calories it burns when less food is coming in as this is an essential defence reaction built in to prevent starvation.

The only way that you’re going to fix this issue however is to begin eating more calories once again so that you send a signal to the body that it’s okay to speed back up.

Do this and you’ll move one step in the right direction. Most people find after 3 days of eating at a higher calorie intake, upon going back to their reduced calorie diet, they see results much more quickly.

Assess Your Workout Program

The second must-do if you’re stuck in a fat loss plateau is to assess your workout program. When was the last time you changed something around?  Have you been going into the gym and doing the same session over and over again?

Remember, if you want your body to change, you must give it a reason to do so. Do you think that same old workout is going to do that? Definitely not. Shake things up a bit. Either add in some new and innovative exercises, increase the weight, decrease the rest time, or start adding in a few supersets into the routine.  Just do something that shocks your body so it starts responding again.
Track Your Calories More Carefully

Although we at Designer Physique are not fans of calorie counting, so to speak, we do know that one reason that some people hit a fat loss plateau in the first place is because they just aren’t keeping tabs on how many calories they’re eating throughout the day.

This is a grave mistake because without any calorie awareness, you’ll never know which direction you have to move if you aren’t seeing the results you desire.  If you’ve stopped losing weight and you’ve tried the above mentioned methods to no avail, the most likely reason is because you’re taking in too many calories, so to help solve the problem, you need to decrease your intake further.

To get weight loss moving, aim to eat around 300-500 fewer than what you have been and you’ll be seeing results in no time.
So there you have three highly effective ways that you can beat a fat loss plateau. Don’t let yourself get discouraged. Instead, take action and you’ll be right back on track to seeing success.

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Fortunately, if you structure your meal plan as best as possible, you can help to prevent yourself from feeling this way.

Certain foods offer more energizing benefits than others, so it’s important to take this into account as you plan your meals.

Let’s look at a few of the top foods to consider bringing back the life in your day.

Bananas

Bananas are a great way to boost your energy level as they are high in fast acting carbs but also supply some dietary fiber to keep your blood glucose levels under control.  In addition to this, they’ll also supply you with potassium, which is necessary for proper muscular contractions.

Bananas are about 100 calories a piece, so aren’t too difficult to add to any fat loss meal plan.

Greek Yogurt

If you are struggling with energy, it is recommended that you add Greek Yogurt as part of your regular meals.

Greek yogurt is rich in calcium and protein.

Calcium is a mineral that is deficient in many people and is required not only to promote strong bones, but also to help support proper muscular contractions.

Getting enough calcium will reduce the chance of cramping up during a work out session ensuring that you are able to perform at your best.

Protein will promote muscular repair after a workout session ensuring you recover quicker to hit the gym sooner.

Salmon

Salmon is the next recommended food for people on a fat burning program.  Salmon is especially good for you as it’s loaded with protein and is high in omega fats.  Omega fats are especially vital for helping to improve glucose utilization in the body, ensuring that your muscles are able to use all the carbs that you’re eating.

Omega three fats are one area of the diet where many people do fall short, so if you aren’t getting them from foods, supplementation will be necessary.  Salmon makes getting your needs met easy.

Oatmeal

Finally, the last food to consider that will help you boost your energy levels is oatmeal.  Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate, which is the main source of energy for the body and is going to keep you on an even keel for hours after you consume it.

While with many other carbs you’ll get an instant burst of energy but then suffer a crash shortly thereafter, with oatmeal that won’t be the case at all.

You’ll get a slow release of glucose into the blood, ensuring you feel your best for all your coming activities.

So don’t let fatigue get you down any longer.  Have a good look at your meal plan and ensure that you are adding all of these foods to your menu.

When most people start up on a healthy eating plan, they take a lot of time to figure out the perfect combination of proteins, carbs, andfats to be eating, making sure that their calorie intake is precisely where it needs to be.

This is good news because your calorie intake is one of the primary determinants of whether or not you see fat loss or not, so it cannot be overlooked.

But that said, another key element that you must make sure you’re not overlooking in your plan is hydration.  Staying well hydrated as you go about your healthy eating plan is equally as important as this will ensure that you feel your best at all times.

Those who aren’t adequately hydrated are going to suffer from slow metabolisms, increased feelings of hunger, and potentially also find that they don’t perform as well in the gym as they could.

Staying hydrated is important for not only fat loss but for overall health as well.

Let’s have a quick look at a few of the top things that you should know about hydration if you hope to see optimal progress.

Exercise Increases Your Water Need

The very first thing that you need to make sure that you fully realise is the fact that exercise is going to increase your water needs.  Most people do understand this but some forget to add extra fluid into their day when they are very active.

This is especially the case when you’re in the water.  If you’ve transferred your cardio session over to swimming, remember that you are still sweating and losing water.  Hydrating after being in the pool is important.

You Must Account For Calorie Laden Beverages

Next, you also must make sure that you account for calorie laden beverages that you take in.  This is where some people go wrong with their diets and by not thinking about the fact that they’re consuming calories here, they end up going over their intake target for the day.

Sadly, beverage calories don’t fill you up nearly as well as food calories do, so those who are downing calorie-rich beverages will often struggle to maintain their body weight.

Start making an effort to select only calorie-free drinks and you’ll do much better.

Most People Do Not Need Sports Drinks

Finally, the last thing that must be said about hydration is with regards to sports beverages.  Many people figure that these electrolyte containing drinks will help boost their sport performance and will replace lost sodium and potassium that their body needs.

The real truth however is that unless you’re training for a marathon or doing prolonged exercise that lasts over an hour, straight water will be fine.  There’s no need to add these calorie rich drinks into your day.

Unless they are calorie and sugar free, pass on them and go for water instead.

So there you have some important facts to remember about hydration.  Make sure you aren’t overlooking this element in your healthy eating plan.

When that’s the situation at hand, you don’t really care what you get as long as it’s something that will put an end to it.  Food cravings shoot through the roof and next thing you know, you’re sitting at the local drive-thru window.

If hunger is often getting the best of you on your weight loss program, it’s going to be imperative that you seek out some solutions to put an end to this before it destroys your efforts. Let’s have a quick look at a few methods to consider. Any of these should quickly calm your hunger pains and get you feeling well again.

Sip Hot Tea

One of the most effective strategies for doing away with hunger is to sip on a hot liquid such as hot tea. Dehydration itself can cause feelings of hunger to occur when what you actually are is just thirsty. In addition to that, hot beverages more than cold can help put an end to feelings of hunger as they tend to be more soothing on the stomach. So with both of these benefits acting in your favour, you really can’t go wrong with this quick tip. Try Green tea for the added antioxidant boost you get from it and the extra metabolic enhancing properties.

Shift Your Macronutrient Split

The second way to calm your hunger quickly is to consider shifting your macronutrient make-up of the diet. Lower carb diets do by nature tend to decrease the amount of hunger felt in the body so this is one very good way to gain control over it. While you definitely don’t want to avoid carbs altogether as that can cause extra hunger instead, do try and maintain a slightly elevated protein intake as well as healthy fat intake. This will ensure that you’re doing everything you can to keep yourself satiated between meals.

Get Active

Moving along, also consider getting active. Simply getting up and going for a walk can help to calm your hunger pains and as an added bonus, you’ll burn a few calories in the process. You do have to watch it with this tip however as there are limits. While some exercise can help reduce your hunger level. Too much exercise can just prompt additional hunger pains. A cardio overload especially can cause ongoing hunger that you just can’t get rid of, so listen to your body and what works best for you.

Fill Up On Fibre

Finally, the last way to combat hunger is to fill up on dietary fibre. Dietary fibre takes a long time to pass through your system and is going to quickly calm all your hunger pains. Meals that are devoid of fibre aren’t going to stick with you for a good period of time so it’s highly likely that you’ll find yourself wanting more food a short while later. Turn to foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains to get the most fibre possible. Eat these with each snack or meal and you’ll be all set, feeling a difference in no time.

So there you have the most effective strategies for combating hunger and making sure you can stick with your diet plan. Make good use of these and you should have no problem seeing the weight loss you’re after.

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 Even if you do lose weight in the short term thanks to a strict diet, you will quickly put it back on once you resume your normal eating habits. You are in fact more likely to put on lots more weight than you lost because your metabolism has slowed down due to the frequent deprivation of food. Your health and your good looks will also suffer as a result of this yo-yo dieting.

The most likely reason for this behavior is that you use food as an emotional crutch whenever you are badly stressed. Therefore the best way to start on your weight loss journey is to do some serious thinking about your emotional eating patterns first. Arm yourself with information about your habits, once you start to recognize the destructive patterns that control your eating you can start to tackle them one by one.

It is a good idea to start a diary or food and exercise journal to help you maintain motivation and hold you accountable. Most people find that they avoid excess food or eating the wrong thing when they know they have to write it down. Record the food intake, the amount of exercise and your emotional state, this will help you to gain control over your food habits and may help you to stay on schedule.

Having 6-7 meals/snacks per day will increase your metabolic rate and keep you from going hungry, therefore helping you avoid the temptation of picking up the wrong foods when you are too hungry to care.

Becoming more active helps in more ways then one, firstly there is less time to think about food. Secondly the endorphins released by the body during vigorous exercise gives a feeling of euphoria that lasts for a long time, helping to eliminate feeling blue and combating the need for emotional eating.

An exercise buddy is another great way to stay motivated and keep on track. Making yourself accountable to someone else will give you a better chance of sticking to the program.

A sensible eating plan that can be followed by the whole family is the best way to stick with it, unreasonable expectations or difficult to prepare diets will have little chance of survival.

After sticking to a sensible eating plan you also deserve a day off, one treat once a week isn’t going to damage all your good work, in fact it is recommended.

These tips will ensure that binge eating will be a thing of the past.

In order to accurately assess the different types of cardio routines it’s imperative that you take some time to factor in the pros and cons of each approach.  Let’s have a closer look into the steady state versus interval training debate so that you can learn precisely what you need to know for optimal success.

Steady State Training

First let’s take a look at steady state training.  Steady state training will be where you perform your cardio at a moderate intensity for an extended period of time.  There will be no fluctuations in that intensity level, rather, you’ll maintain it for the entire time that you do the activity.

The advantage to this type of training is that it is great for beginners as it’s not too taxing on the body and likewise, it’s also good for those who are involved in intense weight lifting programs as it will ensure that overtraining doesn’t come about.

The drawback is that many people do find it to be quite boring and it won’t do much in terms of increasing your metabolic rate.  Still, when used properly, it can be effective for assisting fat loss since it will increase your overall daily calorie burn.

Interval Training

The second type of training is interval training.  Interval training, on the other hand, will be where you’ll perform brief all out periods of intense exercise coupled with periods of much lower intensity exercise.  Typically the lower intensity periods will be performed for twice the length of the intense periods, giving you enough time to actively rest.  Interval training has the benefit of being shorter in duration as most sessions will only last around 20 minutes or so and it will also offer more overall fitness improvements.  Furthermore, this type of training will cause you to burn more calories after it is completed as your overall metabolic rate will be ten times higher.  The drawback is that since it is so stressful on the body, overtraining from it is more likely and it’s not a form of cardio that you could be doing daily.  Interval training is more advanced as well, so not suitable for the beginner exerciser.

Which Is Best For You?

So there you have the main differences between interval and steady state training.  There’s not ‘one perfect’ way to train for everyone, but you need to assess your situation, what your goals are, and your current fitness level to decide which one will be right for you.  If you do this, then you should have no problem selecting the perfect form of cardio to get you to your end goals.

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