Weight Gain Meal Plan for Women

Weight loss supplements, plans, guides, and gurus are all over the media, providing no shortage of info on how get rid of unwanted pounds. Conversely, a small percentage of the population would gladly take those extra pounds, as the additional weight gain would improve possible health deficiencies and self esteem. For underweight women (and men as well), it's an uphill battle not unlike the one faced by overweight women.

The Problem

The problem with gaining weight is usually an issue of high metabolism, although illness or body type can be culprits as well. Regardless, the approach for achieving a healthy weight remains the same: it's all about food choice.

Not being able to gain weight isn't an excuse to eat whatever one likes; just because a person can quickly metabolize fat around the waistline doesn't mean they can metabolize artery-clogging fat. Planning food choices means choosing the right macronutrient content: there are four calories per every gram of protein and carbohydrate and nine per every gram of fat, so meals should contain foods high in these nutrients.

The Solution

High metabolism is the bane of those whoh want to gain weight, so the idea is to overload it and slow it down. This can be done by consuming more daily calories than the body can burn, which generally means an extra 500 to 1,000 calories every day. As stated before, this doesn't mean taking the unhealthy path. Cold water fish such as mackerel, halibut, cod, and salmon are high in healthy fats (thus calories) as well as protein. High calorie and heart friendly olive oil can be used in lieu of vegetable or canola to lightly fry food, while veggies like avocados are fattening and flavorful. Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of energy.

Sample Meals & Exercise Tips

Since the idea of eating to gain weight is based pn consuming plenty of calories, three to five meals should be consumed daily with regular snacks. A sample meal plan would feature a portion of lightly fried halibut (in olive oil), a baked sweet potato, two or three slices of whole grain bread, and some pudding or frozen yogurt for dessert. A meal such as this provides ample calories for this meal by providing enough macronutrients like fats, protein, and carbohydrates. It should also be said that exercise plays an important part in weight gain just as much as weight loss. Besides eating properly, fewer cardio exercises and more strength exercises promote the building of lean muscle mass, and since lean muscle weighs twice as much as body fat but takes up half the space, healthy weight gain can be attained without contributing to any body fat additions.

Balanced Diet for Weight Loss

The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat a healthy, balanced diet for life. Consume the right kinds and portion sizes of food and drinks to provide energy and maintain the health of body cells, tissues and organs. Lose weight by incorporating whole grains instead of refined flour, fresh vegetables, lean meat and low fat dairy. Remove sugar and processed foods for weight loss success.

Balanced Diet Basics

Eating a balanced diet means that you provide enough nutrients to satisfy your body's needs. Eat a variety of foods from each food group and eat fewer calories, but make smarter food choices. The USDA recommends a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sugars, salt and alcohol.

Encourage weight loss by burning extra calories through exercise. Gradually decrease the number of calories you eat instead of drastically cutting calories.

Consume two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables every day for an average 2,000-calorie daily diet. Eat three ounces of whole grain foods and have three cups of fat-free or low-fat dairy every day.

Lose weight by eating less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fats and completely avoid foods with trans fatty acids. This includes most fast food, processed, refined flour products and sugary baked goods.

Restrict your fat intake to less than 35 percent of your calories per day and limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams per day. Select good fats over bad. Choose fish, nuts, lean meats, poultry, beans and low-fat dairy.

Temptations of Crash Dieting

Crash dieting is a tempting way to lose weight. Dieters see weight come off more quickly than those who follow a balanced diet plan. However, the majority of the weight loss is from water retention, and most crash dieters regain the weight just as quickly as they lost it when they return to their normal eating patterns.

Other drawbacks to following a crash or fad diet include interruption in brain and nervous system functions and body tissue development, problems with bone and muscular development and the inability to learn how to eat a healthy diet.

Tips to Maintain a Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet to lose weight may be one of the easiest diets to maintain, but any diet or weight loss plan is challenging.

Lose more weight by not rushing through meals. You tend to eat more food when you rush, so chew slowly and enjoy your meal. Avoid eating when you are stressed or distracted. Mindless eating or eating while stressed can pack on the pounds because you are unaware of how much or even what you are consuming.

Determine if you are hungry, thirsty or just bored. It's easy to confuse hunger pains with the need to hydrate, so drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that satisfies your hunger urge. Choose a hobby or play with your children instead of eating out of boredom.

Maintain blood sugar levels and keep cravings away by eating small, healthy meals throughout the day. Jump-start your metabolism in the morning with a healthy breakfast, then graze on foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy and lean meat throughout the day.

How to Lose Weight Naturally

There are many fad diets out there, but the hard truth is there is no magic. To lose weight naturally, make a few small changes to your lifestyle. This can save you the expense of fads, while giving you the benefit of making a lasting life change. Although the steps are relatively simple, completing them is challenging and requires effort on your part.

Instructions

1

Calculate your BMR, or basal metabolic rate. This will tell you how many calories you need in order to maintain your current weight. There are free online services to give you a generic number, or go to a nutritionist to get personally accurate calculations.

2

Track what you eat. In order to lose 1 pound a week, you need to eat 3500 less calories, or expend enough energy through workouts to create a calorie deficit.

3

Figure out your activity level by journaling your exercises including time spent, level of difficulty and frequency. Level of difficulty can be determined as follows; easy (can carry on conversations without losing your breath), moderate (can have a conversation, but you are short of breath) and high (cannot carry on a conversation).

4

Track your activities and approximate calories spent by completing that activity. In order to lose weight naturally, you need to increase your activity by adding more workouts, adding time to your existing workouts or increasing the level of difficulty.

5

Reevaluate your calculations every 6 to 12 weeks. As you lose weight naturally, you will need to eat less and may need to change your exercise strategy.

A Bleeding Ulcers Diet

Bleeding ulcers can cause pain and discomfort during meals, especially if someone with a bleeding ulcer eats foods that irritate the ulcer and causes it to bleed more. A bleeding ulcers diet must be a very gentle diet, a diet that keeps in mind that those who suffer from bleeding ulcers can't handle anything too harsh on the stomach.

Diet Tips

Nutritionists have not produced a diet specifically for bleeding ulcers. However, the American Gastroenterological Association advises that those with bleeding ulcers should eat a balanced diet. They should especially avoid having a large meal at one sitting, but instead should eat four or five smaller meals throughout the day. This will avoid feeling bloated and will ease the bleeding ulcer pain. They are advised to eat only correctly prepared meals and to drink only water that is clean and pure.

Avoid Spicy Foods

The myth that bleeding ulcers are caused by spicy foods is not true. What is true is that a bleeding ulcers diet should not contain any spicy foods. Those with bleeding ulcers should avoid sausages, pizza, chili and such foods that contain too many spicy ingredients or hot peppers. Rather, the bleeding ulcer sufferer should eat foods that are more bland and that have little or no peppers or spices. They should definitely stay away from chili powder, nutmeg, meat extracts, black pepper and mustard seed.

Avoid Alcohol

People with bleeding ulcers should not have alcohol or alcoholic beverages in their diet, which will cause the pain from the bleeding ulcer to worsen.

Avoid Caffeine

A bleeding ulcers diet should be caffeine-free. Caffeine makes the pain from the bleeding ulcer worse. They should refrain from drinking coffee or tea and from eating chocolate. Decaffeinated coffee, too, will increase the discomfort and pain in those with bleeding ulcers.

A Bland Diet

A diet that is free from alcohol, spicy foods and caffeine might be a bland one, but at least there are many bland foods to choose from. The bleeding ulcers diet can include turkey, chicken, macaroni, white rice, potatoes, bread, crackers, cooked fruit, applesauce, celery, carrots, green beans, pudding, cottage cheese, custard, eggs and creamy peanut butter.

How to Put Your Cat on a Diet

Your cat's optimal weight is its weight at one year of age - unless, of course, it was already obese. If your cat is 50 percent above optimal weight, it's time for a diet.

Instructions

1

Consult a veterinarian before putting any cat on a diet.

2

Have your vet help you determine the approximate number of pounds your cat needs to lose. In general, the amount will equal your cat's obese weight minus optimal weight.

3

Feed your cat food formulated specifically for weight reduction.

4

Provide dry food that contains less than 10 percent fat and more than 15 percent fiber.

5

Purchase food that has both Association of American Feeding Control Officials (AAFCO) and Animal Feeding Trials (or Animal Feeding Tests) on its label.

6

Provide weight-reducing food to your cat at every meal. Feed the allotted amount four times daily, or at least twice daily.

7

Reduce the amount of food you provide if your cat obtains additional food elsewhere - for instance, by catching mice or other small animals.

8

Weigh your cat every two weeks.

9

Play with your pet several times a day; this will help a lazy cat, in particular, get needed exercise.

How to Eat Clean for Weight Loss

The Eat-Clean Diet, developed in a book series written by Tosca Reno, is all about removing processed foods from your diet and replacing them with healthy, whole foods. The Eat-Clean diet claims to help you lose weight while giving you more energy and a healthier lifestyle. The basis of the Eat-Clean diet involves eating lean meats, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates to prevent hunger and keep you feel satisfied. The Eat-Clean diet does not require that you purchase any special foods or products.

Instructions

1

Eat real food. "Real food" means food that doesn't come out of a package or have chemicals and additives. You can have fresh fruits, veggies, organic meat and bread products while eating clean. If you love snack foods such as chips, opt for munching on natural foods like nuts or trail mix when you get a snack craving.

2

Eat small meals frequently throughout the day. The Eat-Clean Diet is about keeping yourself satisfied and not being hungry. Eating many small meals instead of three large meals helps boost your metabolism while keeping you full.

3

Drink lots of water. The recommended daily amount of water is eight eight-ounce glasses per day, but the Eat-Clean diet suggests you drink between two and three liters. Drinking plenty of water helps keep your body hydrated while flushing toxins out of your system.

4

Balance complex carbs with lean proteins. Complex carbohydrates include many fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains such as buckwheat, barley and oatmeal. Soy beans, lentils and brown rice are also complex carbohydrates. Lean meats include chicken, fish and certain cuts of red meat.

5

Cut out or avoid refined foods. Avoid refined sugar, white flour, preservatives, chemicals, coloring, additives and trans fats as much as possible, if not completely. Getting rid of these foods is one of the main principles of "eating clean."

6

Give yourself a treat once a week. Part of the Eat-Clean diet is not restricting yourself completely from the foods you love. When you stick to the diet, reward yourself once a week with a piece of chocolate, a cookie or whatever indulgence you prefer.

7

Learn your chemicals so you know what to avoid if you do have to buy packaged food. You may be in a situation where you don't have a choice and have to purchase packaged food at some point or another. Partially dehydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup are just two of the chemical products you will find on ingredient lists in mass quantities throughout your grocery store.

Coffee & Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, people tend to look for the easiest way out. Dieting pills and energy drinks promote caffeine as an answer to a faster metabolism and an ingredient to a healthier, energy-filled lifestyle. No surprise then that some people look at coffee as a possible substitute or supplement for dieting and exercising. But does coffee really help with weight loss in a significant way?

Coffee and Weight Loss

Drinking coffee can be helpful in your efforts to lose weight. The caffeine in coffee acts as a stimulant by pumping up your metabolism, which encourages your body to use more energy. This is good when trying to lose weight. A higher metabolism means you burn more calories throughout the day and have more energy when working out.

Other Benefits

According to an article by John McKenzie for ABC News, it's been suggested by research that the nutrients in coffee may help lower risks for several serious diseases and ailments including gallstones and liver cancer.

For example, the antioxidants and magnesium in coffee can help prevent type 2 diabetes by interacting with blood sugar, and caffeine may hinder Parkinson's disease. While maybe not definitive, research has shown correlation with these examples.

Other Considerations

What do you put in your coffee? Sugar? Cream? Milk? While coffee by itself does not have many calories, common ingredients that people add to their coffee do. If you're trying to lose weight but still want the energy that coffee offers, you might want to decrease the amount of stuff that gets added in with it. That sugar and dairy might add some needed flavor, but it also gives you extra carbohydrates, fat and calories, which can overshadow possible benefits.

Proceed with Caution

Coffee has some drawbacks, many of which are common knowledge. It can be addictive and can affect your mood. Too much caffeine can also make you jittery and restless, which can interfere with sleep and other activities.

According to an article by Jonny Bowden for Your Total Health, coffee directly interferes with natural adrenal activity and triggers your body to pump sugar into your blood as a "fight or flight" response even though there isn't a situation to react to. This leads to a wired and edgy feeling for a few hours. When the feeling comes to an end and your blood sugar drops, your body "crashes" and needs to be refueled again. This can lead to food cravings.

Also, coffee works as a diuretic. This means it dehydrates your body. This can be counterproductive when you are trying to lose weight and live healthier since water is essential to many of your body's processes, including fat-burning ones.

Conclusion

Yes, coffee can aid in weight loss by speeding up your metabolism, and it may also help keep some risky diseases at bay, but it isn't a miracle product or an easy way out. It's important to watch your coffee intake due to its properties as a stimulant and a diuretic and complement it with water and a healthy diet and exercise plan.

How to Make Weight Loss Body Wrap

You have heard it time and again: the best way to lose weight and keep it off is by decreasing the amount of food you eat and increasing your exercise. However, if you need a quick weight loss solution that will at least temporarily take off a few pounds and inches, then you might want to try a body wrap. You could spend $100 or more for a weight loss body wrap at a spa, but you do not have to. Instead, you can make your own at home.

Instructions

1

Place several towels or sheets on a flat area of the floor, preferably in the bathroom or some other area that is easy to clean. Place a drop cloth or shower curtain on top of the towels or sheets. You will lie on these as you use the body wrap.

2

Bring the eight cups of distilled water to a boil. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, remove the pan from heat.

3

Add the clay, salt, herbs, seaweed and oil to the water. Stir gently. Allow the mixture to steep in the boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is no longer too hot to touch.

4

Dip the strips of cotton sheet into the mixture one at a time. Starting with your feet, wrap your entire body up to your neck in strips dipped into the weight loss mixture.

5

Lie on the drop cloth or shower curtain on the floor. Cover yourself with another drop cloth or shower curtain and more sheets or towels. Remain in the body wrap for one hour to obtain weight loss benefits.

6

Remove the body wrap after one hour. Take a tepid bath or shower to wash away the mixture and toxins it has removed.

How to Start a Lactose Free Diet

Studies show that up to 70 percent of adults across the globe are lactose intolerant, lacking sufficient amounts of the enzyme, lactase, to break down lactose, a type of sugar found in milk. There are many, many reasons to start a lactose free diet. Besides the fact that eating dairy products is now associated with everything from diabetes and cancer to heart disease and high blood pressure, cutting out milk if you are sensitive to dairy or lactose can reduce or eliminate objectionable digestive problems including diarrhea, gas, abdominal cramps and bloating. Whether you are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy or dairy sensitive, or if you just dont believe humans should drink the milk intended for rapidly growing baby cows, read on.

Instructions

1

Educate yourself. Lactose is a component of all dairy products, including milk, butter, cheese and cream. Lactose is also in all variations of dairy products like ice cream, buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt, evaporated milk, lactose-reduced milk, acidophilus milk and many drink mixes, such as hot cocoa mix or instant breakfast drinks.

2

Beware of hidden sources of lactose. These can include pasta sauces with cheese or cream in them, baked goods, packaged foods, creamed or breaded vegetables, muffins, pancakes, instant cereals, dips, salad dressings, puddings, breaded meats, some luncheon meats, drink mixes, crackers, soups, dressings and dips, frozen foods and prepared meals. Always read nutrition labels to keep lactose out of your diet.

3

Focus on the positive. Try not to think about what foods you cannot have and instead enjoy tasting new foods you might not have tried if it were not for the need or want to avoid lactose. For example, there are some amazing soy ice creams out there, which are also lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than their dairy counterparts are, and are just as rich and creamy. Experiment with cheese alternatives; many made from rice, soy or almonds melt just like dairy versions. Soymilk, almond milk and oat milk are available in plain varieties, as well as many tasty flavors such as chocolate strawberry, chai or even Irish cream.

4

Be creative. Look for new twists on old favorites. Use cashews to make foods creamy. Blend up macadamia nuts with some agave nectar or other healthy sweetener for a rich and delicious whipped cream. Make creamy salad dressings using blended nuts or avocado. Dairy-free brownies, cakes and cookies are amazing and moist.

5

Be resourceful. The Internet is full of resources for lactose-free diets, but dont stop there. Search for vegan recipes all over the web. By definition, a vegan diet is free of all meat and dairy products, and there are a plethora of vegan resources and recipes available at your fingertips.

6

Try vegan, vegetarian or raw food restaurants. At vegan or raw food restaurants, enjoy the fun of ordering anything on the menu without worrying a bit about whether something will contain lactose. Even the cheese and ice cream will be lactose free. Vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurants might serve dairy products, but are often sensitive to vegan diets as well, and typically have a variety of dairy free options or are willing to keep the dairy out of the order.

Diet for Microscopic Colitis

Microscopic colitis is a chronic condition in which the lining of the colon becomes inflamed, leading to digestive issues such as continuous and watery diarrhea. Dietary alterations can be a primary weapon in your fight against the condition, as you'll avoid trigger foods that bring on and exacerbate the symptoms.

General Diet Recommendations

Consume a diet that restricts fats, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Limit your daily consumption of fats to no more than 30 percent of your total calories, spread evenly across your daily meals. Additionally, limit or eliminate foods and beverages known to irritate the lining of your stomach, such as those containing caffeine or exceptionally spicy items.

Food Allergies

Have yourself tested for possible food allergies as well. Food allergies are common, and even if you do not notice outward symptoms of one, it still could affect your body on a lesser level, triggering or amplifying colitis symptoms. People often are allergic to lactose and gluten (a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley), so you might want to eliminate these foods. Even if you do not want to test for allergies, you can still eliminate gluten and lactose to see if your symptoms abate.

Catalog Your Efforts

Keep a food journal while attempting to determine a proper microscopic colities diet. List not only the foods you consume and the time of consumption, but also record objective and subjective descriptions of your symptoms so you can draw correlations. In other words, your food journal should note something like: "Ate spicy chili with a glass of milk -- felt sick 20 minutes later and had to use the restroom." Over time, this will help you identify and eliminate specific foods that seem to worsen your microscopic colitis.

How to Achieve Ketosis in a Low-Carb Diet

The term "in ketosis" refers to a ketone-based diet. When a low carb dieter is able to significantly reduce carbohydrate intake, the liver begins to burn ketones instead of glucose. Eventually (according to most low-carbohydrate diet plans) body fat will be burned for fuel causing significant and rapid weight loss. You can learn how to achieve a state of ketosis by following these steps.

Instructions

1

Set goals. To achieve ketosis with a low carb diet you need to follow the diet very strictly. Nutritionists who work with low carb diets warn the the process depends on how carefully and stringently you obey the rules of the diet. To make the diet easier, set a weight loss goal for yourself that includes the amount of time you will stick to the low carb diet.

2

Get your diet structure. There are a few different diet structures that you can use to achieve ketosis. The best known of the diets is the Atkins Diet, named after its creator, Dr. Atkins. You should look at the kinds of foods that are permitted and forbidden and when, and how much, you can eat according to the diet.

3

Start with induction. Induction is the term that Atkins uses to refer to the first part of his low carb diet, though all diets that aim for ketosis have an induction, or introductory, process. The induction process is the first two weeks of the diet during which you need to change your eating drastically enough to alter the way your body processes calories. The induction is one of the most important and sensitive parts of the diet so follow the first two weeks of dieting to a "T."

4

Limit the period of ketosis. In order to achieve an effective level of ketosis you should stick to the low carb diet's program of carb intake so the ketosis doesn't continue for too long. If you end up in ketosis for too long the pH levels in your body will raise to the point that you start to burn muscle instead of fat. So, while you should stick to the low carb diet strictly you should do so for only the prescribed amount of time in order to keep losing fat.

How to Lose Weight by Swimming

Contrary to popular belief, swimming is not generally considered an ideal way to lose weight. Unless you are an expert, the movements and strokes are usually less efficient than land-based aerobics. On the plus side, swimming makes an excellent aerobic conditioner, and it has less impact on the body than running or other aerobics. Experts disagree on how effective swimming is as a form of weight loss, but you can make it more effective by maintaining proper form and increasing your lap speed.

Instructions

1

Improve your swimming technique and formal strokes. It sounds obvious, but studies have shown that serious swimmers--whose movements in the water are smooth and natural--burn considerably more calories than unskilled swimmers who simply paddle around. The better you get at swimming, the more effectively it helps you lose weight.

2

Alternate between more intensive swimming styles, like freestyle or butterfly, and more leisurely swimming styles, like breaststroke, backstroke or sidestroke. For instance, you could do 3 laps of freestyle and then 1 lap of breaststroke. This will increase and decrease your heart rate, helping you to burn calories more efficiently.

3

Watch the clock while you swim. Gauge the time it takes you to complete a lap and work on improving it consistently. Like running and similar activities, increasing your speed will allow you to burn more calories.

4

Start swimming slowly and build up your routine up over time. Begin with two or three swimming sessions a week--for about 60 minutes at a time--then build up to four or five sessions a week, then six or seven sessions. Similarly, work at swimming steadily for 30 seconds before taking a 30-second breather, then advance to swimming steadily for 45 seconds, then a minute. Efficient swimmers will complete a set of 20 to 30 laps without stopping.

5

Watch your appetite. Many swimmers report feeling hungry after their workout--unlike cycling or running, which tends to reduce one's appetite. Take care not to put those burned calories back on by eating a big meal after swimming.

6

Keep at it. Consistency is the biggest factor involved in weight loss. If you enjoy swimming and find it easier to exercise that way than by running or biking, then you may lose more pounds overall than you would through another form of exercise.

7

Use a partner or a swimming group to keep you motivated. Not only can they help you establish a routine and be consistent in your swimming, but trained swimmers can offer advice on improving your technique, and friendly competition can move you towards improving yourself much more quickly.

How to Use Couch-to-5K to Lose Weight

The Couch-to-5k running program is an effective way to take off extra pounds, even if you've never been a runner. The simple formula for losing weight is more calories expended than calories taken in. One way to lose weight is to decrease your caloric intake. Another way to lose weight is to increase the number of calories you use daily. Starting a running program will do this for you. The Couch-to-5k Program is a program that starts you out running for a short period of time - 90 seconds - then walking to recover. Each week the time spent running increases. The time spent walking diminishes, until it is gone entirely.

Instructions

1




Shoes, socks and a sports bra are essential runner's wardrobe items.

Obtain a good pair of running shoes. Go to a shoe store that will analyze your running gait on a treadmill in the store, to be properly fitted for the right type of shoe. Purchase a pair of running socks while you are there. The right socks make a big difference. Non-running socks cause friction and blisters as your running time increases. Women need to also purchase a well-supportive sports bra. Your breasts will rub and chafe in your regular bra. A good sports bra is a good investment. Other items to consider are running shorts or pants, a hat and running shirt.

2

Download the program from iTunes. Enter Couch-to-5K in the search box. You will see many options for the plan. There are also websites made by individual runners that provide a podcast for the plan. The podcasts and the applications play on your iPod. They cue you when it's time to walk or run. Suz's Couch to 5K Running Plan and Runningintoshape.com offer current music and upbeat encouragement along the way.

3

Plan your first three runs. You will run three days a week. Put your new socks, shoes and sports bra on, along with your iPod cued up to the program you picked. Head out the door. Any running program starts with the first step. Convince yourself that you can do what is asked of you, and you will be able to. Every day of the program starts with a five minute warm-up walk. Walk with purpose. When you are cued to run -- you are on your way -- with this nine week program.

4




A healthier you is the objective of the plan.

Schedule your first 5k to complete in. By putting the 5k on the calendar, you will be more committed to finish the program. Work for this goal by running three days every week and eating healthy foods. You will learn that eating fatty foods or a big steak dinner are not the best options prior to running. Your body will direct you to better choices, so you are able to finish your run without running for the nearest port-a-potty. By completing the plan, you will obtain a healthier fitness level, lose weight and gain self-confidence.

Homemade Body Wrap Recipe

Body wraps are a very popular, and often expensive, spa treatment. To be effective, one should receive a body wrap regularly. If it is not in your budget to pay for a body wrap at a spa, you can make your own wraps at home. Making homemade body wraps is not difficult and is fairly inexpensive, and you can tailor the recipe to your needs. Does this Spark an idea?

Tea Wraps

Body wraps containing tea can be effective at reducing the appearance of cellulite, detoxifying and improving the skin's circulation.

To make a tea body wrap, boil 8 cups of distilled water in a pot, remove the water from the heat and add 1 cup of loose tea leaves. To avoid having to strain the water, it is helpful to tie the leaves in a muslin or organza bag before adding them to the pot. Let the tea steep until the temperature decreases enough for you to comfortably stick your hand into the pot.

Dip towels into the tea mixture and begin wrapping your body with them, starting from your ankles and going up to your neck. It is fine to use older towels or rags; you will need between six and 10 towels.

Herbal Wraps

Herbal body wraps are ideal for detoxifying, mobilizing fat and helping to alleviate joint and muscle pain.

Making an herbal wrap is similar to making a tea wrap in that you begin by boiling 8 cups of distilled water in a pot. Remove the pot from the heat, then add 1 cup of Epsom salt, along with 1 cup of powdered herbs such as lavender, ginger, calendula or chamomile. Once the water is comfortable to touch but not cold, dip towels into the mixture and begin wrapping your body from ankles to neck.

Kelp and Clay Wraps

Sea kelp and clay body wraps help tone the skin, and some types of clay also can clear up acne. The type of clay you use will be determined by your needs: pink kaolin clay is good for dry or sensitive skin; yellow kaolin clay can be used for normal or balanced skin; bentonite clay works well for oily or combination skin.

After boiling 8 cups of distilled water in a pot and removing the water from the heat, add in 1 cup of sea salt, 2 cups of the clay of your choice, and 1 cup of powdered kelp or dulse (red algae). Once the mixture cools down to the point that you can comfortably put your hand in it, begin wrapping your body with towels dipped in the mixture. Always remember to work from the ankles up to the neck.

Prune Juice & Weight Loss

If you enjoy the taste of these juiced sugar plums, you can gain nutritional benefits including weight loss if you drink prune juice. A healthy, well-rounded diet and exercise routine are the best ways to lose weight, but prune juice can help regulate appetite and play a role in your overall weight loss plan.

Nutritional Value of Prune Juice

Prune juice is high in fiber, potassium and vitamin A and rich in antioxidants. FitDay gives this specific nutritional information: one cup of prune juice is high in sugar at 44 grams, provides 17 percent of vitamin C and iron, 20 percent of potassium, 28 percent of vitamin B6, and 10 percent of fiber. Many of these nutrients can help you lose weight, but your diet plan should limit your intake of sugar.

Does Prune Juice Work With Healthy Weight Loss Plans?

If you drink prune juice and eat the same foods in the same amount, prune juice will not help you lose weight. Nothing will help you lose weight except eating fewer calories and exercising. The way prune juice can assist your weight loss plan is if the juice is used as a healthy substitute for unhealthy foods. The high fiber content of prunes can help you stay fuller for longer, thereby regulating appetite, and can also help clean the digestive tract. If you currently eat foods with little or no fiber, prune juice can act as a natural laxative by regulating digestion. According to the book "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism," potassium rich foods such as prune juice can help balance metabolism. A well-balanced metabolism ensures that calories are being burned efficiently, thereby assisting with weight loss.

Considerations for Safe Weight Loss

Though prune juice offers many other health benefits, the main reason prune juice can cause weight loss is its fiber and water content. Prune juice is not to be used as a "lose weight quick" diet technique; fast, easy and safe weight loss solutions don't exist. But, by adding prune juice into your diet, you can improve your overall health, which often leads to a more stable body weight.

Weight Loss: Better Alternatives to Prune Juice

Prune juice does not offer any health benefits that are not found in regular, whole pieces of fruit. Instead of drinking a glass of prune juice before or after dinner, eating a piece of fruit such as a plum, grapes, cherries or a banana will provide fiber as well as water. Whole fruit usually contains just as many vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients. Whole fruit might be a cheaper, tastier alternative if prune juice is either unappetizing or too expensive. These alternatives can contain fewer grams of sugar than prune juice, too.

Warning for Using Prune Juice While Dieting

Those who switch from a low-fiber to a high-fiber diet can have uncomfortable side effects such as diarrhea. Prune juice, as noted by needfiber.com, contains sorbitol. Sorbitol is a natural (but potent) laxative which cannot be fully digested. Therefore, the body must expel it. Try gradually incorporating more fiber into your diet. Start with half a cup of prune juice followed by one cup of water, which can help flush the system more gently. As the body regulates itself, adding more prune juice is fine. Lastly, some prune juice contains added sugar: when purchasing any fruit juice, read the ingredients to ensure it is 100% juice.

Weight Loss Smoothies

You've probably said it. After a big summer barbecue, or following a Thanksgiving feast, we've all felt that twinge of regret and moaned, "I feel so fat." But what are we supposed to do about it? There are so many mixed messages floating around about how to lose weight, get fit and feel great. Not only is it hard to know what to do, but once we find a program that makes sense, life happens. It's just too hard to keep up the regimen.

That's where smoothies come in. If prepared right, smoothies are delicious, portable and easy to make. Best of all, they could be the key to helping you shed those extra pounds.

Do They Work?

Purdue University researchers Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson gave two groups of subjects a chocolate meal supplement for 30 days; Group A had liquid and Group B received a semi-solid. Thirty days later, Group A had gained more weight, leading Swithers and Davidson to believe that Group B more accurately identified the calories they were eating because their snack was thicker. This means our bodies recognize thicker liquids, such as smoothies, as food.

But calling a chocolate milkshake a smoothie doesn't make it healthy, and it certainly doesn't ensure weight loss. Smoothies can be packed with nutrients without all the calories, but you need to know how to make them.

Protein-Rich Smoothies

The popularity of protein powders has escalated in recent years, and with good reason. One scoop of whey protein powder adds only 120 calories to your smoothie but promises a hefty 23 g of protein. This means you'll be fuller longer. Protein powders also come in a variety of flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Don't want to pay the often steep price for powdered protein? Pour 1 cup of skim milk in your blender instead. Better yet, opt for nonfat vanilla yogurt. Steven Pratt, M.D., author of the bestseller Superfoods RX, says the protein in yogurt is more readily digestible than in milk.

Heavy on Fruit

We've all heard the "Five A Day" requirement for fruits and vegetables, but it can be difficult and expensive to consume enough fresh fruit each day. Juice is one answer, but it lacks the fiber of whole fruit, which is a critical element of sustained weight loss.

Frozen fruit is a great alternative. Make a habit of purchasing bags of frozen strawberries, mangoes, pineapples and peaches. Bananas, an excellent source of potassium, freeze well, too; just cut them up and store in a plastic bag.

Sweeter than Honey?

If you like your smoothies sweet, try honey. According to the National Honey Board, honey is rich in antioxidants, which can slow the effects of aging. Not only that, but it is all-natural and an excellent source of pure energy. It is actually sweeter than sugar, so you can use less of it.

Protein-Packed Berry Smoothie for Weight Loss

To make a berry smoothie, combine 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, half of a frozen banana, 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt and 1 tsp. honey. Mix in a blender until smooth, or about one minute.

This smoothie has 240 calories, 15.2 g of protein, 1 g of fat and 55 g of carbohydrates.

Chocoholic Power Smoothie

For chocolate lovers, try this power smoothie. Combine 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder, 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup strawberries and ice. Mix in a blender until smooth.

This smoothie has 250 calories, 30.2 g of protein, 3 g of fat and 27 g of carbohydrates.

Free Diet Plan Menus

In the age of the Internet, fortunately there are many diets you can research without going to the library or buying a book at the bookstore. At your finger tips is a plethora of diet information and menu plans from which to choose. While some diet plans cost money, there are many that are free, including personalized diets based on your size, gender and needs.

Cross Fit Journal Diet Plan

The Cross Fit Journal diet plan does not state specific meals to eat each day, although there are examples. Instead, it tells you how many proteins, carbohydrates and fats you should be eating. It is not in grams that you will be counting, but rather in "blocks," which are basically just serving sizes. You are allotted, based on your gender and size, a certain number of protein blocks, carbohydrate blocks and fat blocks to eat. For instance, a medium-size female would be allotted three blocks each of protein, carbohydrates and fats for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but only two blocks each for the two allowed snacks. There are several charts listing a variety of foods and how much one block is. For example, 1/3 c. of oatmeal is one block of carbohydrate, and five olives is one block of fat. The nice thing about this diet plan is it allows you to create your own meals and snacks without having to follow a specific meal plan.

Good Housekeeping

Good Houskeeping has a free meal plan that will help you lose 10 pounds in a month. The basic idea of this diet is to keep your caloric intake to about 1,300 calories a day. There is a specific one-week meal plan that you repeat three times. There is no exercise requirement, although exercise will boost your ability to lose weight and allow you to eat just a bit more, if desired. Examples of foods include spinach salad, sweet honey pork and an English muffin with melted cheese.

Dr. Gourmet

Dr. Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., also known as Dr. Gourmet, is a board-certified Internist with a passion for food. He has written a couple of books on healthy eating, made appearances on the Food Network channel and even hosted his own Emmy award winning show on public television. He now has an online resource that provides free diet menu plans for several popular diets. Registration is required, but it is free. You can then select which diet you are interested in: Mediterranean diet, Coumadin, GERD/Acid Reflux, low sodium, gluten sensitive, lactose intolerant or cholesterol lowering. You can search for recipes based on your diet of choice and create a meal plan just for you.

How to Lose Weight With a Cereal Diet

If you are looking for a good kick-start diet to help you lose weight, a cereal diet is a low fat, low calorie, short-term diet that can give you a good start to a longer-term weight loss program or a quick fix if you need to lose just a few pounds. Read on to learn how to lose weight with a cereal diet.

Instructions

1

Eat a healthy cereal for breakfast each day. Have one serving or about 3/4 of a cup of cereal with 1 percent or skim milk and add some fruit such as some strawberries, bananas or blueberries.

2

Have a mid-morning snack of a piece of fruit, raw vegetables or a low fat cereal bar.

3

Eat a bowl of cereal for lunch. Eat the same type of cereal as you ate for breakfast or choose another kind that you like. Add milk and fruit to the bowl as well and consider changing it around each time you eat or adding multiple fruits to the bowl of cereal to keep things interesting.

4

Eat fruit or vegetable snacks in the afternoon mid-way between lunch and dinner to thwart cravings and reduce temptations to cheat. Some suggestions include fruit, a fruit cocktail cup, raw vegetables with a low fat dip, low fat cereal bars or a single serving of a prepackaged 100 calorie snack.

5

Enjoy a sensible dinner. Because of the reduction in your overall caloric intake through the day with the cereal diet, this dinner can be just about anything you like, within reason. Protein is a good idea at this meal because a large portion of your other meals do come from carbohydrates. Eat a decent portion so you become full and enjoy your evening meal.

6

Eat a snack in the evening such as fruits, vegetables, cereal bars or even an additional bowl of cereal with fruit if you are very hungry.

7

Follow this diet for two weeks and then add more variety to your diet according to recommended daily intake of meats, fruits and vegetables, bread and cereal and dairy products to ensure you are getting adequate nutrition. While this diet can result in weight loss over a short-term period, this is not a long-term weight loss solution.

No Carb Diet Meal Plan

The Atkins Diet is what most people think of when they think of a low- or no-carb diet, but these types of diets have been around for a long time. Many people, however, don't know how to properly follow one of these diets. By doing it the right way, you can drop serious body fat.

The Foods

Meat (steak, turkey, fish, chicken)
Dairy
Nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Fish oil (cod liver with vitamin D is preferable)
Vegetables
Fiber supplement

The Method

The biggest problem when you are on a low- or no-carb diet is not eating enough. Do not simply cut out your carbs and replace them with nothing. This will only lower your metabolism, and ensure the weight comes back. You need to replace your carbs with meat, lots of meat. Do not concern yourself with calories; meet these requirements, and reap the benefits.

Consume 1.5-2g of protein per pound of bodyweight (protein, not meat). For example this means that a 200 lb person should consume between 300-400 g of protein per day, from natural sources. Keep protein shakes down to 1 per day, preferably after a workout. This is a lot of meat to consume in a day (at least you won't be hungry), try to get as close as possible, the more the better. No eggs on this plan, sorry.

Fish oil every morning with your first meal. The fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids and is great for loosing weight (among other things). Consume 1g of fish oil for every percent bodyfat. So if you are 33% bodyfat (obese) then you need 33g of fish oil per day.

Carbs are to be kept at a bare minimum, except for fiber. Therefore you are limited to 50g of carbohydrates per day, not including fiber. Some cooked or raw vegetables are a great source of fibrous veggies, and won't spike your blood sugar. Count your carbs all day long, and keep them under 50g. Most things have at least a couple carbs so watch even the foods listed above.

Fiber is essential to keep you from getting constipated on this diet. Make sure to consume a minimum of 20g of Carbs per day, preferably 30-40g. This will be hard to do, so make sure to have at least 1-2 servings of nuts or seeds per day, and it would be a good idea to supplement with a fiber powder of some kind at night before bed. Remember, fiber is a carb, but doesn't count toward your 50g, so subtract your grams of fiber from your total carbs, and keep that number under 50g.

Eat constantly. Eat at least 5-6 meals per day with plenty of protein at every one.

Closing Thoughts

It is always recommended to get your doctor's approval before starting a new diet or exercise routine. Exercise on this routine in order to see maximum benefits. Even walking will do. Do not do this diet for more than about two weeks because chronic carbohydrate depletion can be bad for the body. On this diet, you may not lose much weight, but you will lose fat and build some muscle. This diet will keep the fat off longer and help you lose more fat in the long run.

How to Find Out How Many Calories I Need to Lose Weight a Day

Humans are biological machines when it comes to weight loss. Essentially, weight loss boils down to calories in and calories out. Keep in mind that the calories you consume have to be quality calories that contribute to your overall nutritional needs. If you decide to fill your calorie needs with empty calories your health will suffer. Calculating your weekly caloric counts over the daily counts allows for more leeway, such as dinners out.

Instructions

Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate

1

Weigh yourself in pounds and record this number. Your Basic Metabolic Rate, or BMR, represents the amount of calories you need to consume daily to stay at your current weight.

2

Measure your height in inches and record this number.

3

Determine your BMR. Women should use the following equation: 655 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) - (4.7 x age). Men should use this equation: 66 + (6.25 x weight) + (12.7 x height) - (6.8 x age).

4

Multiply the number obtained in Step 3 by seven in order to obtain your weekly caloric intake.

Determine Your Weight Loss Goal by Week

5

Determine your weight loss goal by subtracting the weight you want to be at from your current weight.

6

Divide the difference between the two by the number of weeks you want to commit to the weight loss. Remember that losing two pounds a week is the upper recommended threshold.

7

Take the amount of pounds you want to lose per week and multiply that by 3500. The result will be the number of calories you need to subtract from your weekly BMR count.

8

Take your weekly BMR caloric count and subtract your weekly caloric deficit amount. This number represents the amount of calories you should consume in a week.

9

Divide this number by seven in order to figure out your optimal daily caloric consumption.

You Do Not Need to Rely on Dietary Restriction Alone

10

Supplement the caloric deficit by increasing your physical activity. Calculate the days you workout by duration and intensity to find out how many calories you expended for each day.

11

Total the calories expended per each activity for the week and subtract from your weight loss goal caloric intake.

12

If your weekly weight loss goal was two pounds a week, or 7000 calories, the physical activity caloric expenditure will complement or fulfill your caloric loss needs. Diet only or split up the caloric deficit between intake and expenditure in order to reach your weekly weight loss goals. Keep in mind that dieting will only get you so far in your weight loss journey, but daily physical activity promotes a healthier lifestyle.

How to Lose Weight in One Week

If you just change one activity everyday, you can lose weight in one week and continue to lose weight if you are disciplined and aware of the small changes you need to make. It's the little things that really make a difference. This plan takes science's best weight loss strategies and combines them with once a day common sense to shed pounds.

Instructions

1

On day one shoot pictures of your meals. Take before and after photos with you cellphone camera. Studies show that taking a picture of your meal may help you lose up to 7 percent of your weight. So- keep a visual diary of your meals!

2

On day two, take a multivitamin with 100 percent of the RDA vitamins including copper, niacin, zinc and vitamin B. Studies show that people who take multivitamins are less hungry during the day and weigh less.

3

Take up strength training and speed up the workout with less time in between your routines. Research shows that the shorter the rest period, the more calories you'll burn. Do varied exercises that utilize the whole body.

4

Take vitamin C. Research shows that people who consume 500 milligrams of vitamin C every day can help you burn 30 percent more fat when you work out. Eat oranges, cantaloupe and broccoli also.

5

Snack only on fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Eat apples, blueberries and carrots as snacks instead of chips and sweets. Eat different colored fruits and vegetables as well to get different nutrients.

6

Take up yoga and do it three times a week. Yoga and its breathing techniques will alleviate hunger and calm he body.

How to Lose Weight Without Exercising

After having a car accident and finding myself restricted from exercise, I wondered if there was a way for me to lose weight without exercising. I found a way, and so far, I have lost 10 lbs (gradually over one month) and I feel that I have a better idea of what makes me gain weight.

Instructions

1

View the Scale as a Tool, Not as your Enemy:
We come to dread the scale and what it has to say if our diet approach is unsuccessful, or if we've been unaware of what we've been putting in our mouths for days. However, using this approach, the scale will become our tool in finding the "path" to lose weight and will begin to offer positive reinforcement.

2

Familiarize Yourself with What You Eat For a Week:
Study your portion size, how you tend to prepare foods, and how many meals you tend to eat. This will be essential in the latter steps. If you need to, write down everything you eat and in how many sittings for a week. Do not weigh yourself during this week. Just study what and how you eat.

3

Beginning the 2nd week, weigh yourself when:
- You wake up
- After each meal
- Right before you go to bed
Keep track of what you weigh at these times and track what you are eating. Do this in conjunction with Step 4.

4

Beginning with that 2nd week, start to restrict your diet in one or more of the following ways without changing the quantity of food. (How you restrict your diet is up to you and will depend on your motivation level. If you think it might be difficult, start out with one of the below methods. But the best result will come with using the methods below simultaneously):
- Do not cook in any oils or fats.
If you tend to eat fried foods, eat the same foods but boiled, baked or broiled without using oil, butter, shortening, lard, etc.
Example: Instead of fried eggs, eat boiled. Or you can go for a peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread if you want something more filling.
- Cut down on extra sugar or eliminate sugar.
If you drink coffee, tea, or eat cereal and add sugar to it, decrease by 1/2 the amount of sugar you use, or if you're really motivated, eliminate that drink altogether, and switch to an alternative.
Example: Replace coffee or tea, with water or those fruit flavored waters, or dilute a little bit of orange juice with water. And most definitely, cut down on your consumption of soda by half, or replace soda altogether, with one of the substitutes above.

5

Avoid Fast Food and Try to Decrease Snacking (with the goal of eliminating if you can):
If you must eat a snack, pop fresh popcorn, buy rice cakes, or chunky peanut butter, or eat fruit or a handful of nuts (UNSALTED pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, etc) which are more filling.
Note: It's important to avoid salty snacks as salt will make you crave more.

6

Enhance the Above Method by Embracing Lean Meats or Fish That Are Prepared Without Oils and That Are Sliced or Diced.
Slice or dice meats. Serve yourself a portion visually similar to the meat as a block (before it was sliced/diced). You'll be eating less meat although visually it will look about the same.

7

Decrease Your Portion Sizes Gradually:
If you can decrease the sizes of your portions in conjunction with the above methods, you'll eventually feel less in need of eating bigger meals.

8

Take it up a Notch:
- Work in fresh veggies as part of your meals more and more, and especially as snacks.
- Explore the health food section of your grocery store. Morningstar makes great breakfast alternatives.
- Remember to try to eat smaller portions. Even if it's a 1/4 or a 1/3 smaller. You can work in baby steps if you must.

9

Most Importantly, Note How Much You Gain After Each Meal And What You Lose While You Sleep:
-You may gain 1/2 lb for a small meal and upwards to a lb and a half or more, for a larger meal.
-Become familiar with your body's rhythm with respect to digestion.
-By adjusting your intake, you'll see results.

Massage & Weight Loss

Quick-fix diets never work as well as eating right and being active. For some dieters, though, a little extra help is needed. Weight-loss massage has become very fashionable. But why and how does it work? For that matter, does it work? Let's explore how massage can aid in weight loss.

What Does Massage Do?

Dieters can gain many benefits from regular massage therapy. Massage is known to lower stress, improve circulation, improve mobility and speed recovery from overdoing it at the gym. Massage also helps break down scar tissue built up from damage to the muscles, which further helps mobility and circulation. Finally, massage helps flush toxins from the body, meaning your body can focus on the healthy foods you are eating and not the environmental toxins that build up over time.

How Does This Benefit Gym-Goers?

The purpose of going to the gym is to lose weight and feel good. You can't feel good if you can't move your body the way you should, though. Improved flexibility will help with mobility issues, especially for those who have led a sedentary lifestyle before starting to lose weight.
Massage also helps reduce soreness by stretching, kneading and rubbing the muscles and keeping them loose. This means instead of taking a couple of days off, gym-goers can get back in the gym sooner.

Massage and Body Fat

Theories abound online that regular massage helps break up the subcutaneous fat capsules, allowing the fat to be reabsorbed into the body. A search of the Touch Research Institute's archives show no research documents to support this theory. That has not stopped some salons and massage therapists from offering weight-loss massage that they claim helps burn body fat. While massage does help improve circulation, mobility and overall well-being, getting a massage does not burn body fat.
This does not mean you should overlook massage as part of your fitness routine. However, do not believe for a moment any claims that massage will burn fat.

Stress and Weight Loss

Massage is known to reduce in the body levels of cortisol, a hormone known as the "stress" hormone because it triggers the body's "fight or flight" response. When your body is in a high-stress mode, the intestines slow or stop the digestion of food, so the body can focus on coping with the stress. By halting the stress response, you allow your body to digest food properly and keep it from building up in your intestines. When your body functions properly, you feel better and look great, and weight-loss comes easier.

How to Incorporate Massage in Your Fitness Routine

Dieters should consider incorporating massage in their weight-loss routine by scheduling a bi-weekly or weekly treatment. The intent is to improve your body's function and flexibility, meaning exercise is easier. It also provides an additional set of eyes to watch for and prevent any health problems or injuries caused by diet and exercise.
Those who hit the gym particularly hard may consider getting sports-massage treatments. These brief massage sessions focus on preparing the body for physical exertion by stretching and warming the muscles prior to exercise.

Precautions

Always ensure the massage therapist you are seeing is trained, licensed and qualified to perform massage. Ask whether they have training in sports massage, stretching and mobility. Ask for references and credentials, and make sure the intake consultation is thorough. Make sure you inform your therapist that you are on a weight-loss regimen and that you want the therapist to be part of your weight-loss team.

How to Lose Weight in 10 Days

It's virtually impossible to lose real weight in only 10 days. However, you can lose a couple of pounds of water weight if you have a big event coming up that you want to look good for.

Instructions

1

Drink only water or unsweetened tea. Sodas and juices have a lot of calories, but they don't fill you up. Even diet soda has been known to trigger cravings for sweets. However, drinking water has been shown to speed up your metabolism.

2

Avoid salty foods. You should not eat anything that contains a lot of salt. You should even avoid putting salt on the foods that you do it. Salty foods cause your body to retain water, which makes you weight more and look bloated.

3

For 10 days, you should only eat fruits and vegetables, and occasionally lean meats (watch the salt content!). Do not eat any breads, pastas, dairy products, or fatty dressings. This will cause you to lose any water weight that you have been retaining, making you look and feel slimmer.

4

By exercising for at least 30 minutes every day, you can increase the amount of weight lost.

How to Figure Out How Many Calories You Need to Lose Weight

New Year, New You, but where to start? Everyone knows that in order to lose weight you need to reduce your calorie intake, but just how many calories should you be consuming? Here's an easy way to find out!

Instructions

1

To start, you'll need to weigh yourself to get your starting weight. Then decide how many pounds you want to lose and subtract that from your starting weight. You now have your goal weight. In order to lose weight you'll need to find the ideal number of calories you can consume in a day.

2

Find out which of these describes you:

Sedentary..........little or no activity..........10

Slightly active............some mild activity.......13

Moderately active.......exercise 3 to 5 times per week......15

Intensely active.......physically demanding lifestyle.....18

3

Find the description of yourself from Step 2 and locate the number associated with your description. Then multiply this number by your goal weight and you will have your total calories needed to lose weight. For example, if you are sedentary and want to weigh 140 pounds you should aim to consume 1400 calories per day (10 x 140=1400).

You should lose between a half to a pound of weight each week.

Weight Loss With Lemon & Sea Salt

The lemon and sea salt diet is very stringent and helps dieters lose weight quickly over a period of 3 to 10 days. Following this strict diet for more than 10 days is not recommended. The lemon and sea salt diet is most appropriate for people who need to quickly cleanse their system of toxins or who want to lose enough weight to fit into an outfit in time for the weekend. This diet has gained popularity since singer Beyonce famously used lemon and sea salt to lose 20 pounds for her role in the movie "Dreamgirls."

How It Works

The lemon and sea salt diet, also known as the Master Cleanse Diet and the Lemonade Diet, was originally created by natural healer Stanley Burroughs as a short-term fast to rid the body of toxins. In addition to working as a detoxifying diet, the lemon and sea salt regimen has gained worldwide attention as a quick weight loss solution. The diet is effective for fast weight loss because it eliminates solid foods, increases frequency of bowel movements and significantly decreases daily calorie intake.

Pros and Cons

As with any fad diet, there are pros and cons to losing weight with lemon and sea salt. The pros are that you can lose up to 2 lbs. per day, it is simple to make the mixtures and follow the program, and no long-term health problems have been associated with this diet. The cons are that drinking the liquid mixtures quickly becomes monotonous, you need to stay near a restroom and remaining on the diet too long may result in temporary side effects, such as fatigue and dizziness.

Warning

Although the lemon and sea salt diet is not known to cause any long-term side effects, this weight loss solution is not appropriate for everyone. Since this weight loss regimen is very strict, it is highly recommended that you check with your doctor before beginning the program. Medical professionals generally advise pregnant women, people with low blood pressure and cancer patients not to use the lemon and sea salt weight loss program.

Procedure

The lemon and sea salt diet is easy to follow. Simply mix 12 to 14 tbsp. of lemon juice, 12 to 14 tbsp. of maple syrup and 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper into 2 L of water. Whenever you feel hungry, drink this mixture. Drink the 2 L mixture completely by the end of each day that you stay on this diet. Other than the mixture, drink a salt water flush mix once daily. To make the salt water flush mix, just mix 1 tbsp. of sea salt into 1 L of water. These two mixes are the only components of the lemon and sea salt diet. You may also drink as much water as you like.

How to Create a Meal Plan to Lose Weight

You've decided you want to lose weight and get healthy. But it seems like you're always running out of time and grabbing something on the go, something like a big, greasy hamburger. A little meal planning can help you avoid these diet pitfalls.

Instructions

1

Think about foods you like to eat. Now smack yourself for saying "Big Mac and fries." Just kidding. Make a list of the foods that make you feel full, good, happy, or just that you find yourself eating often. Now make a mark beside the healthy ones. You will either need to ditch the unhealthy options or research how to make them more healthy.

2

Plan out all your meals and snacks on paper and stick to it. You need to be sure to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks in between meals. I know eating MORE sounds counterproductive, but you are going to eat smaller portions more often. This is essential to keeping your metabolism revved up and burning off excess fat. Your body is programmed to store up food to see you through lean times, and if you only feed it once a day, its going to hoard it all as fat. As you are planning the meals for the day, make sure you keep it balanced. Consult the Food Guide Pyramid in the resources to make sure you get the right number of servings of each food group and the right portion sizes.

3

Make sure that breakfast includes some carbohydrates for energy. But carbs are bad, aren't they? No, your body needs to have SOME carbs to operate, especially if you are combining your diet with exercise like you should. Go for whole wheat choices when choosing your toast, waffles, bagel, or other breakfast grains. Breakfast also needs to include calcium. Strong bones are needed to support strong muscles. But more importantly, recent research has linked calcium intake to weight loss. Have a cup of light yogurt, or a small glass of skim milk. Protein is also very important. Protein is essential to building muscle, and more muscle in your body helps to burn up the fat. Include an omelet with your breakfast. Use one whole egg and two egg whites, along with your favorite vitamin-rich veggies like green bell pepper or fresh Roma tomato. Don't like eggs? Grill up a lean hamburger steak or chicken breast.

4

For your first snack of the day, choose something small and light, but satisfying enough to keep you from reaching for other, less healthy options. Nuts make for a good burst of energy, but avoid the more fattening types such as cashews. Opt for walnuts or almonds which are good for your heart. If you normally have a soda, opt for a low sugar flavored water instead. Have a sweet tooth? Pick out a treat from the "100 calorie pack" line and stick to JUST ONE PACK.

5

Include a protein choice for lunch, such as grilled chicken breast, tuna, or a tofu burger, as well as some fruits and vegetables. Make yourself a garden salad with tomatoes, one ounce of shredded cheese, and some tuna fish. Or grill a chicken breast and have it on whole wheat with a tomato slice and some baby spinach leaves.

6

For your second snack, reach for an apple, pear, peach, or another fruit you enjoy. A few slices of sharp cheddar will go well with your snack also. Craving salty? Try a handful of mini pretzels or some popcorn with light butter.

7

Plan for dinner to be a lighter meal since you will be going to bed and not able to use up all of the calories. A protein choice, some fruit and a salad will do.

8

Look over your plan for the day and make sure you have provided for enough servings of each food group. Now make yourself another day or two of plans so that you can alternate them and avoid getting bored. Having a clear plan for your eating each day will help you avoid the temptations of unhealthy foods. Being prepared for the times when you usually give in by keeping healthy snacks on hand will help you with your weight loss goals.

Diet to Conceive a Boy