Getting fat can be so hard! Don’t worry, we are hear to help. Just follow these guidelines and you will be seeing rolls of flab in no time!

• Never take the stairs when there is a perfectly good elevator in the building. Seriously, some people just don’t appreciate how far we have come in technology!
• Always eat until you feel like throwing up. But don’t throw up, you will lose all those good calories down the toilet!
• Never allow anything green to pass your lips. Fiber is fat’s nemesis!
• Don’t go anywhere near the outline of your comfort zone.
• Ignore all the warnings of the health risks of obesity! They are trying to brainwash you!
• Don’t lift anything heavier than the remote control. Your wrist might get a cramp!
• There should be a visible dent the shape of your butt on the couch. When you sit down and your body immediately falls into its normal place, you know your doing good!
• Make sure the waitress at the buffet knowns you by name. Daily visits will make this happen.
• Stay up all night watching reruns and eating chips. Loss of sleep is great for a slowed metabolism.
• Never forget your midnight snack!
• Swap all your glasses of water for soda, even diet will do! This way you get in calories even when you are drinking! Oh and lots of beer and wine are great for this too!
• If you must workout, make sure to do long, boring, low energy workouts that drain your day and provide little weight loss results.
• Whatever you do, don’t hang out with health conscious people. They will warp your mind.
• Stress yourself out as much as possible. This will ensure to release cortisol to help you build a nice innertube around your waist.
• And last but not least, never believe in yourself. This can be very detrimental to your goals. If you think you can lose weight and you don’t give up, weight loss is sure to occur, and we don’t want that now, do we?

Did I leave out anything?

Understandably, whenever we want to lose weight we want to do it as quickly as possible. Who wants to be overweight longer than they have to? The anticipation of looking in the mirror and saying “Wow! I am looking foxy today!” is more than most can bear. Drastically losing a bunch of weight fast can be done somewhat easy, however, are these methods reliable, long lasting, and more importantly are they safe? Let’s take a look at how this type of weight loss can affect you.

Permanent Weight Loss or a Quick Fix?

When you lose weight quickly, sure it is a quick fix BUT you won’t be able to enjoy the benefits for long. Why is this? The human body is an extremely adaptable vessel. If you severely restrict the calories you give it for an extended amount of time, your body will adapt to survive in this environment.

In other words, your body won’t use as much energy in order to conserve the calories it does get. You may be eating less, but your body will also be burning less calories. This is called slowed metabolism. Now, once you’ve reached your desired weight loss, you will no doubt stuff your face with all the sugary, fatty, and high calorie dense foods you’ve been denying yourself for this entire crash diet. You body’s metabolism hasn’t adjusted to that yet, so you will have an abundance of calories which will be stored as fat.

Is it Worth the Risks?

Even putting aside all the money and time you will be wasting on a rapid weight loss method, is a short term weight loss worth the side effects that could possibly effect your body negatively?

This is going to sound like one of those commercials for a new prescription drug but quick weight loss can cause an onslaught of bad things such as headaches, dizziness, hair loss, muscle loss, irregular bowel movements, and irregular menstrual cycles as well as being in a generally cranky mood. But that’s not all! Serious things can come from quick weight loss that will hopefully make you stop and think. These include malnutrition and dehydration, which when severe can result in many life threatening conditions. Gallstones are also  common problems for people who drastically lose weight.

Also, when you make a habit of losing and gaining weight, you’re metabolism literally gets ruined and you have a very hard time controlling your weight for the rest of your life. And no one wants this.

Change Your Mindset

Ever heard of the saying- “Slow and Steady Wins the Race?” It is true in weightloss as well. I know it is hard to be patient, but when you lose weight slowly, you give your body time to adjust and your body will keep that weight off for good, as long as you keep a healthy lifestyle. So, to change your mindset, lose weight for good health instead of good looks. When you think of it this way, you will take the right course to get to the finish line and win the race. You don’t want to end up asleep in the hospital, like a hare of the weight loss race because you were in too much of a hurry. Channel this angst to lose weight quickly into your workouts and give it your best. In this way, you will lose weight more quickly but in a safe way. Workouts are a great addition to your nutritional plan. They will keep your metabolism up by increasing muscle mass which burns more calories than fat throughout the day.

Ever feel like a diet should come directly from a dietician with real life experience helping people lose weight? Here it is:

The Mayo Clinic Diet

This is no crash diet, it is a weight loss program that teaches you a lifestyle meant to be lived forever!

Overview

This diet uses the Mayo Clinic Food Guide Pyramid for Healthy Weight to teach its users which foods to eat more of and which to eat less in order to attain a healthy weight. This is an easy to read visual guide that can help to get the idea across easily to most readers.

It includes two phases. The first phase helps you to lose your excess weight. Once you’ve achieved your healthy weight you move onto the next phase to help you maintain your weight by living a healthy lifestyle.

Pros of the Mayo Clinic Diet

• This diet will not only help you to shed unhealthy fat but it will also help your overall health.
• It was developed by  medical professionals using research and clinical trials proven to help individuals live a healthy lifestyle.
• Targets unhealthy habits and replaces them with new healthy ones.
• Is a diet safe to use for the rest of your life
• Includes instructions on proper exercise as well
• The calorie allowance per day allows for plenty of energy
• Helps with meal planning through recipes and snack ideas

Cons of the Mayo Clinic Diet

• Works best for those 10 pounds or more overweight
• drastic cut in carbs can cause cravings
• Although most of the foods are tasty, many people dislike the taste of grapefruit juice which is a big part of the diet
• This is a gradual weight loss (but most often permanent) and some people could lose patience
• For those who have a good understanding of healthy eating and still can’t lose weight, this may not be for you.

Everyone deals with their emotions in different ways. Some people just let them all out, some go shopping, some hold it all in until they explode. Sadly, some turn to alcohol, drugs, or other dangerous vices.

Although, emotional eating isn’t as dangerous as those in the last sentence, it can turn into an unhealthy problem and for those who are trying to lose weight, it can be the one wall that stops them in their tracks.

Whether you are eating out of boredom, to fill a void, or to make yourself feel better, we usually don’t head for the produce in our refridgerator. Our emotional eating is the most unhealthy eating possible. I’m talking cakes, cookies, chips, donuts, double chili cheese corn dogs, and deep fried cheese sticks. These foods are so high in calories that we can often eat our daily allowed calories in one sitting.

Tips to Overcome Emotional Eating

• Distract Yourself- When we are reaching for a yummy chocolate brownie, we are trying to distract ourselves from the bad emotions we are experiencing. So, try to find something else to distract you instead, something that will keep your hands busy and keep your mind occupied. Knitting, gardening, painting, and model cars are great ideas to use.
• Find an Outlet- Emotions are like volcanoes, they can errupt without notice. When we have ways to let out our emotions on a regular basis, erruptions happen less often, and we are more in control. Examples of emotional outlets include journaling, singing, art, music, poetry, group therapy, or maybe even regular visits with a good friend that knows how to listen. Society can be hard on those trying to share their emotions but suppressing them will only turn you into something you are ashamed of.
• Find Inner Peace- Stress is a major contributing factor to emotional eating. Treat yourself to some ubber relaxing moments to help relieve stress without the use of food. Candlelight bubble baths, aromatherapy, yoga, massage, meditation, relaxation music; these are all wonderful ways to let loose and unwind.
• Nighty Night!- Emotional and binge eating can be at its peak when our body is lacking energy because we aren’t caught up on our sleep. Making sure you get enough sleep can not only give you more energy throughout the day, but it will also help you to resist that extra doughnut at work and order a salad instead of a cheeseburger at lunch.
• Allow for Occasional Treats- Sometimes our emotional eating comes from the fact that we are depriving ourselves of foods that we love and our minds are constantly wanting what we can’t have. Allowing for an occasional treat will help to keep you from binge eating and make you feel less deprived.
• Fat Proof Your House- When you are trying to eat healthy, don’t stock your cupboards with foods that will counteract your intentions. Don’t let temptations get the best of you, keep them away from you! “Out of sight and out of mind” fits very well into this situation.
• Get Help- Sometimes our emotional eating problem is bigger than we think. We may have some deep routed emotional issues to deal with. Don’t be ashamed of conquering those with the help of a professional.

Every once in a while you can find a great fitness company that you can trust for the best in every product they have. Smooth fitness is one of the leading treadmill, exercise bikes, and elliptical companies that offer reliable and affordable products. They also offer home gyms, supplements, and fitness accessories.

Their quality products, value and customer service has been recognized over the 25 years they have been in business by many sources including Prevention Magazine  for the “Best Treadmill Bargain”, Consumer Guide for a ”Best Buy”, About.com for a ”Best Buy”, Runner’s World for the “Top 10 Treadmill”, Epinions for a 5 Star Customer Ratings, Men’s Health for “Best Fitness Gear”, and the L. A. Times for a “Great Value.”

You can tell that Smooth fitness are proud of their products. They offer their top rated products, like the Agile DMT X2, Smooth 9.35HR Treadmill, and Smooth 7.35 Treadmill at factory direct prices with a 60 day money back guarantee and even offer a lifetime warranty. They even have free delivery!

Let’s take a look at some of the great products they offer:

Smooth Fitness Treadmill

Smooth Fitness 5.65 Treadmill- this treadmill is their basic model of folding treadmill that has all the necessary accessories to give you a great experience every time you step on the treadmill. It is available for less than $1000.

Smooth Fitness 7.35 Treadmill- If you like the 5.65, you’ll love the 7.35. This model offers everything that the basic model has plus a music system to get you motivated, a one touch incline and speed control system, and a larger running surface.

Smooth Fitness Ellipticals

Agile DMT X2 Elliptical- This machine comes with an ipod docking system, dynamic motion control, and easy to use thumb controlling.

Smooth CE 8.0LC Elliptical- This elliptical is the best in its class. With a 21 inch stride, magnetic braking system, and LCD touch screen, this model is very popular.

Smooth Fitness even has clearance specials on many products with prices so low you have to call to get pricing information! The next time you decide to upgrade your workout equipment, or maybe you are in the market now, check out smooth fitness for all your exercise needs!

This diet isn’t supposed to be a fad. This is a life change. According to the creator of this diet, Bob Greene, (who is, by the way, Oprah’s trainer. You know Oprah, the richest and one of the most powerful women in the world. If she chooses to follow this diet, there has got to be something to it!), this diet will help you feel 20 years younger and  live a healthy and happy life.

These sound like impossible claims, but maybe they have some truth to them. We all know that eating right and exercising can bring you to new vigor and energy, but 20 years younger? We’ll consider 10 years at best. But even feeling ten years younger is an amazing feat, so let’s look a little closer into this Best Life Diet.

What It Entails

There is no “miracle food” or “amazing fat loss secret” in this diet. In fact, this diet is more like a healthy philosophy on life. It sticks to what dietitians and doctors have been telling us for years; to eat right and workout regularly. However, this “diet” helps you to find out new ways to do that and doesn’t require anything from you but to educate yourself and be sensible.

It is good to find a diet that not only helps you have a physically healthy approach to dieting, but also a mentally healthy approach. There is no obsessive calorie counting, off limit foods, strange concoctions or crazy habits. All that is taught is to make wise choices according to your individual needs.

This diet takes a three phase approach that, phase by phase, you are making healthier eating choices and coming closer and closer your best life. Baby steps is a known way to success, and that is what this diet is all about. Let’s look a little deeper at these phases…

Phase 1 of the Best Life Diet

In this phase you will be taking the first steps to a healthier you by increasing your workout time, if you even work out at all, and making some healthy eating habits, like drinking plenty of water, taking vitamins and supplements, and eating four times a day with the last meal at least two hours before bed. This phase can last up to four weeks.

Phase 2 of the Best Life Diet

This phase has the bulk of the necessary diet changes you will make. Not only will you be making your workouts more frequent and intense but you will be slashing some unhealthy foods from your diet and controlling your portions. This phase will also address what many diets fail to include, and that is how to manage physical and emotional hunger. We all feel like eating at times when we know we shouldn’t and being able to control those urges to stuff our faces can be a powerful weight loss tool. Kudos to Bob Greene for that one. This phase is also four weeks long.

Phase 3 of the Best Life Diet

This phase will help you learn how to stick with all the wonderful healthy habits you have developed in the preceding two phases. This phase is what they call the maintenance phase, and you should be on it for the rest of your life. It will show you more foods that should be replaced with healthier options and improves on the ideas and suggestions made throughout the diet. Self examination may be needed to find out why you were overweight in the beginning and by conquering those obstacles, you can be at a healthy weight for many years to come.

What the Best Life Diet Won’t Do

This diet isn’t a quick fix. It will take time but it will work. This is a lifestyle change and addresses almost every single aspect of our lives that may come between us and our health. So if you are looking to drop twenty pounds by the end of the month, don’t bother with this diet. However, if you want to finally kick those bad eating habits to the curb and live a happy, healthy life (and perhaps feel 10 years younger) this diet is definitely for you!

Have you walked down the isle at your local bookstore and noticed how many different dieting books there are on the shelf? You could spend all day in that one isle looking for a dieting plan that fits your needs. Harley Pasternak is a nutrition and fitness expert who has helped many celebrities stay fit, has a great 5 Factor Diet that can accommodate almost anyone who is truly motivated to lose weight and eat more healthy.

 What Are the 5 Factors?

The 5 Factor Diet consist of eating 5 meals a day that must have these 5 ingredients in each meal, high Protein, fiber, healthy carbs and healthy fats and finally a sugar-free drink. Next is the exercise routines which are 5 times a week and are made of 5 different phases and only 5 minutes each, for a total of 25 minutes a day. They are a great set and really get you motivated for your day. Harley does encourage you to drink plenty of water throughout the diet. This helps eliminate a lot of bad toxins from your body.

The meals that are provided in the book are very easy to prepare, (usually only take about 5 minutes) and are great tasting foods. The down side that I noticed in some meals are the availability of some of the meats such as ostrich and bison. These may be hard to come by. The snacks are great, and even kids love them! One great thing about the 5 Factor diet is that you get one “Free” day a week to eat whatever you want without feeling guilty! Most people will chose this day to be on the weekend to spend it with the family. I love that part of the diet!

 Is the 5 Factor only available in a book form? No! You can actually try out the 5 Factor through their website. It costs about $4.00 a week. If you choose to try it online, you get great shopping list to help you plan your weekly meals, hundreds of great tasting recipes and even a “recipe” box to keep your favorite meals, daily and weekly meal planner, food log notebook and even an eating out guide to help you pick the best things to order when eating out.  If you are just too busy to prepare your meals, you can order pre-made meals and snacks through the website too. These are pretty expensive and run for about $450 for a one week supply.

Is the 5 Factor for Everyone?

If you are searching for an easy to follow diet plan and are looking for a diet that allows you to eat good tasting foods, this would work for you. You must follow the healthy eating habits that Harley teaches you.

 The 5 Factor may NOT work for those who have emotional eating habits, as the book and the online version fail to mention anything about this topic. Those who have a very busy lifestyle and can not eat every 3 to 4 hours may have a hard time getting through this diet plan as you are encouraged to eat 5 small healthy meals a day.

In conclusion, if you are seeking a diet plan that will allow you to eat your favorite foods and to teach you healthy eating habits, I would suggest trying out the 5 Factor diet. What have you got to loose….except maybe a few extra pounds!

Do you know that over 60% of Americans have tried thousands of weight loss programs, all without successful results? Maybe you are a part of the 60% and just are not sure about new weight loss programs on the market. Many of the programs on the market are extremely expensive, and not to mention the food that taste like cardboard as part of those programs. We all enjoy eating GOOD tasting food. Now you can eat all of your favorite foods in the new Sensa weight loss program. Sensa is a clinically tested diet system that has been studied for over 25 years of scientific research. Sensa has one of the highest records of successful weight loss studies.

How Sensa Works

Everyone has a specific area in the brain that is called the “Satiety Center” which is triggered by your sense of smell to tell your body that you are full, and that it’s time to stop eating. Sensa works by using your sense of smell to trigger that part of your brain into thinking that you are full, enabling you to take in less calories and to help you start loosing weight without starvation. Sensa comes in a crystal form which you sprinkle evenly across the surface of your meals just as you would add salt and pepper.

Sensa comes in a 6 month weight loss system. All the months are given numbers to let you know which one to start first. You are given two shakers per month, allowing you to take one with you on the go, and one for home use. After the first 30 days you move onto the next number of Sensa even if you have a left over supply. This way your body will not build up an immunity towards the product, allowing for maximum weight loss. A 6 month supply of Sensa is right around $235. The good thing about this product is that you are given a free trial offer. If you try Sensa and feel it is not right for you, you simply contact their customer service department and are refunded your money.

Sensa can be used by both men and women, although there is now a Sensa-Men weight loss series which has been clinically made for men. As men have a weaker sense of smell as women, doctors have customized this version to fit the needs of men, making only a slight enhancement where needed. Both the Sensa and Sensa-Men products have the same weight loss ability.

Sensa is a great alternative to those who have been considering weight loss drugs or surgery because Sensa has absolutely NO stimulants and NO fat blockers and Diuretics which are found in almost every form of weight loss products on the market. Sensa is made strictly from FDA-GRAS approved ingredients. Who likes swallowing pills anyway? Sensa also has NO calories, NO gluten, NO MSG, and NO sugar in it’s products, which makes it available to use by all, even those with food allergies.

The Cons of Sensa

Sensa is intended to be used for only a certain amount of time. It isn’t a permanent weight loss system like healthy eating. It is great for those who are going through a rough start and would like to see some weight loss to get them motivated. Once you get a few pounds off the gut, you might be able to lose more weight through exercise and healthy eating easier because you got through the rough spot with the help of Sensa.

Although Sensa is usually side effect free, some people have complained about upset stomach or headaches during the first few weeks of using Sensa. This went away after the body got used to it but it may not be right for some individuals. All in all, I think it is much safer than any other weight loss pill on the market today.

Billy Blanks has been a big name in fitness since the ’90s when he released his Tae-Bo workout series that took the fitness world by storm. He had everyone punching and kicking butt, from young to old, men and women.

Eventually, though, his spot at number one was taken over and he started to fade into the background. He kept making Tae-Bo videos and still had a following but nothing really new ever came from it.

I’m not surprised, though, that he has now come out with a new “Ultimate Tae-Bo” as he calls it, to keep things fresh and bring Tae-Bo back into the limelight.

Introducing PT 24/7

This new workout system is much more than just a workout DVD. Billy Blanks includes everything you need to be successful in shaping a strong and healthy body and guarantees that you will feel different within 24 hours of starting this program and see the difference in a week. Sound too good to be true?

PT 24/7 comes with 6 different workout DVDs (make that 7 with the free bonus DVD), a nutritional guide to help you eat right with a food journal and recipes included, a rotation calendar to help you keep on schedule with the correct workouts each week for the best results, and here is the real miracle bonus; the brand new cardio bands and gloves, designed by Billy Blanks himself, that allows you to get the benefit of using exercise bands with every movement, without the inconvenience of repositioning yourself with the bands. These gloves make it possible to get cardio and sculpting in one workout, which saves you time and burns major calories.

The PT 24/7 DVDs

Billy didn’t forget anything with these 7 DVDs. Everything is covered from the basics, cardiovascular fitness, lower body power, upper body power, core power and breaking through plateaus with the bonus Body Blast workout. Each DVD takes only thirty minutes to complete and is designed to be used in a rotation to keep your body challenged and taking on a beautiful form. Each workout is fun but challenging and your body will feel great after one of these workouts.

The first DVD that you will use is the Basic Training. This DVD will teach you all the signature Tae-Bo moves, get you comfortable with these and also help you learn how to use the cardio bands and gloves together with your newly learned moves. Of course, if you are a Tae-Bo veteran, you can skip this DVD!

The next three DVD’s are the Cardio Burn, Cardio, and Boot Camp Power. These three DVD’s are meant to get your heart rate up and build cardiovascular endurance as well as melt the fat off your body.

Combo Sculpt is exactly what it sounds like. Its a combination of strength and cardio to boost your metabolism. Ripped Core helps you acquire that all too elusive six pack abs and as mentioned before, the Body Blast DVD is an advanced workout that will help you break those horrible weight loss plateaus.

Revisit the World of Tae-Bo

If you’ve ever tried Tae-Bo, chances are you’ve had a good experience with it but its been a while. PT 24/7 is a good chance to pick it back up again but this time supercharged and as a complete weight loss system.

Martial arts (Tae-Bo is a fusion between boxing and Tae Kwon Do) is also an empowering and mind focusing exercise that will not only help you get fit physically but mentally as well.

Billy Blanks is also offering this program to you with easy payment options and free shipping and handling so this is a good time to jump back on the Tae-Bo bandwagon!

Funny little fact, there is a gun by the same name; it must mean that PT 24/7 is a blast! Or maybe you will be getting a killer body! Maybe you will go out with a bang! (okay, enough with the corny jokes.)

The challenge of a diet is finding a way to make it work in your life. It is not convenient to have to think about what you are going to eat before you eat it and most diet deprive you of energy. With how busy our lives are, is it a wonder why so many people fail at their diets?

This diet- The Abs Diet for Women- keeps things relatively simple. It focuses on what they call “The Power 12″ or twelve foods that you should include in each of the six meals that you eat every day. (Yes, you read right- six meals! This is the challenge of this diet but we’ll get back to that later.)

The Power 12 of the Abs Diet

These foods are an acronym that makes it very easy to remember them. The first letter of each food spells out “abs diet power”. Here is the lovely little trick to the Abs Diet food list:

Almonds and Other Nuts

Beans and Legumes

Spinach & other green Vegetables

Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt)

Instant Oatmeal (unsweetened or unflavored)

Eggs

Turkey and other lean Meats

Peanut Butter

Olive Oil

Whole Grain Breads & Cereals

Extra- Protein (whey) Powder

Rasberries and Other Berries.

These 12 foods are chosen because they keep you full, deliver all the necessary nutrients your body needs to have a great amount of energy, keep you satisfied, and metabolize your body to keep lean muscle and melt off fat, specifically on the abdomen. Sounds great, right? It’s nice to find a diet that doesn’t just restric calories and rob you of energy. Well… let’s get to the tricky part.

How to Eat Six Times a Day

For most people, planning three meals in one day is hard enough, now The Abs Diet for Women wants you to plan six. Huh.

KISS it baby! Keep it simple sweatheart! (Some say stupid but I like this version better!) You don’t have to get elegant with your meals. Three of them are actually just snacks and only require one of the 12 power foods to work. A hand full of almonds and a cheese stick would count as a meal.

The creators of the Abs Diet, including Men’s Health editor in chief, didn’t leave you hanging, however. They created a wonderful online program that does all that work for you.

All you have to do is fill in a little info about yourself and they provide a very easy to follow menu, printable with grocery list and all. Sometimes a recipe is provided but usually just a quick 20 minute prep can be done in the morning and you’ve got all you need for the day, portable and ready to go.

Another good thing about the abs diet online is that you are required to check in and tell the computer how you did by entering in the foods you ate. If you cheated, it will tell you how bad you’ve been. There is something about having a failure written in words that makes you feel very accountable. Of course, when you do succeed the program is supportive and upbuilding as well!

You can get a free 30 day trial of this helpful program here.

The Abs Diet Includes Fitness and Recipes

As with any diet, The Abs Diet for Women recommends exercising regularly to get nice sculpted abs. The book recommends both strength and cardio on different days and will explain how to do this. The online program will actually give you a set program to follow including reps, sets, and cardio types.

There are also delicious recipes in the AbsDiet Cookbook that are perfect to use while following the diet. They aren’t flavorless and there is a great variety to suite anyone’s taste.

The Abs Diet really is all encompassing program to revitalize your life and turn your body into a healthy, energetic, fat burning machine. It is one of the most scientifically sound and sensible diet that I’ve come across recently. It won’t just make you look better in the mirror, but it will make you feel healthier, too. And that- in the words of Martha Stewart- is a very good thing.