Monday, June 25, 2007

Weight Loss Journey – 45 Pounds in Less Than 2 Months?

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I have a client (Jeff) who is 42 years old and feels he has a weight problem. When he first came to me he complained he had gained extra pounds and found it very difficult to return to his previous weight. First, we looked at his diet. Jeff was consuming about 2000-2300 calories per day. He weighed 220 pounds. His goal was to reach 175 pounds in 3 months – He wanted to lose 45 pounds so he could look good in a bathing suit. Jeff was planning a trip to the Greek Islands in 3 months time. His diet didn’t really look that bad except maybe for his choice in alcoholic beverages. He was drinking 2-3 light beers a day. I advised him to substitute them with 2-3 glasses of dry white or red wine.

Beer can be very fattening especially for people with slow metabolisms. The real problem, however, did not lie with the diet. It was the exercise component that needed work. He wasn’t getting enough physical activity. Jeff had a sedentary office job which confined him to his computer desk all day long. His workouts consisted of 45 minute brisk walks 3-4 times per week.

After talking to him I learned that Jeff was once a jogger but had given it up 5 years ago. I then designed a new exercise program with increases in intensity levels, frequency and duration. Following clearance from his doctor he started the training program. The target intensity level was to train at 75-80% of the maximum heart rate (MHR) – staring first at a lower intensity and gradually increasing it over time, until the target was reached.

I gave him a 5 day training program. Day 1, 3 and 5 involved 40 minutes of weight training immediately followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer (also with an intensity goal of 80% of MHR). Days 2 and 4 consisted of a walking and jogging combination. The goal here was eventually to advance to 30 minutes of continuous jogging.

Five weeks into the program, Jeff has lost 18 pounds and has not yet reached the goal of continuous jogging. Now, however, he can see the light at the end of the tunnel and is confident he will reach his target weight at the 2-month point. I’ll keep you posted on his progress.
By: John Tiniakos


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Monday, June 18, 2007

Quick Ways To Lose Weight | Tips To Help You Lose 50 Pounds Or More

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Quick Ways To Lose Weight Tips To Help You Lose 50 Pounds Or More


By Susan Helton

Setting Goals When Dieting



As with most things in life, setting goals is very important when dieting. When you look at things truthfully and objectively you should notice that most of the things you've accomplished in life have been accomplished because you not only had a goal but also had a clearly planned and well thought out process for achieving that goal. That being said, why is goal setting so important when it comes to dieting?



First of all, it is difficult to achieve a goal if you do not have a clearly defined goal. There are times in life when it is almost impossible to tell whether you are succeeding or failing because you aren't certain exactly what the desired outcome should be. Identifying your dieting goals before you begin eliminates this particular possibility.



Second, having dieting goals gives you a measuring stick by which you can judge your process. This is important so that you know when your efforts are failing behind and when you're moving along schedule or ahead of schedule. In other words, you will know when to celebrate and when to give yourself a swift kick to the rear.



Now that we know why we set weight loss goals, let's discuss how we should go about setting those goals that are so important for dieting success. You want to set goals that are aggressive without being impossible to achieve. If you set goals that are beyond your reach you will find that frustration will be your dieting partner until you reach the point where you give up all together. In order to avoid this you should take great care to insure that your goals are possible for you to achieve.



When it comes to weight loss be specific when setting your goals. Rather than setting a total goal of 40 or 60 pounds start with a specific goal such as 10 pounds in one month. Then you can extend the goal to the next month until you've reached the overall goal of 40 or 60 pounds. It is much easier to lose 10 pounds four times than it is to lose 40 pounds at once. It's a trick of the mind but it works. Ten pounds sounds simple and achievable. Forty pounds sounds like an insurmountable obstacle.



Another thing about goals is that you want to hold yourself accountable but you shouldn't call the whole thing off if you only lose 9 pounds instead of 10. Instead, find out where you dropped the ball for the final pound and set your 10-pound goal for the next month.



You should also take great care that you are working with your personal goals and not the goals that someone else is pushing on you. The truth is that if it's personal to you, it will be much more rewarding than if you are doing this for someone else. If your heart isn't in it, there are very few goals that are going to motivate you properly.



Finally, you should establish small (non-food) rewards for accomplishing your dieting goals. Perhaps your reward will be a new accessory for your new (or new old) wardrobe or a pedicure for your new look. Make your reward something fun and frivolous and teach yourself that accomplishing your goals can be accomplished by something other than food. This is a key to dieting successfully.



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how to lose 50 pounds in 50 days



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