Weight Loss For Men: Best Practices

“A hugely important thing to remember is that there are no weight-loss ‘secrets’,” says Alan Aragon, M.S. and weight-loss coach for Men’s Health.

Studies show that men and women respond to weight loss very differently, in that they’re motivated by different things and enjoy different types of exercise.

Men enjoy physical activity, while women tend to focus their efforts on diets. Men usually don’t respond well to strict diets, but that’s okay - studies also show that gradual changes over time are often more effective than extreme diets because people are more likely to stick to them.

The Food

So what are the best foods for weight loss? Simple: the foods that are real and filling. Real foods are minimally processed and include plants. That doesn’t mean steak is bad for you; it just means salad is better, so make that the focus of your meal. A program like Nuval can help you determine the best foods for you.

Filling foods usually include protein. Protein will keep you full (to prevent overeating) and help build lean muscle. Starches, on the other hand, will quickly spike your blood sugar and then leave you with a slow-moving, lazy, hungry feeling.

The Exercise

“But you said men like to focus on exercise.” That’s true - so what are the best exercises for weight loss? According to Men’s Fitness, the only way to lose a gut is to build muscle, and the only way to build muscle is to lift. They have videos to show you for legs, chest, back, shoulders, and arms.

However, losing your gut and burning fat are not really the same thing. To burn fat, you need to focus on cardio, so Men’s Fitness suggests HIIT (high intensity interval training) where you go between the two.

There’s also some question about the best weight loss supplement. Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill to help the pounds melt off. A College of New Jersey study with collegiate football players studied beta-alanine, and a study in the UK followed athletes and caffeine. Taking both into account, Men’s Fitness suggests 200 mg of caffeine before your workout 2 grams of beta-alanine, both in the morning and following a workout.

Written by: Joanna Hynes

Weight Loss and Wellness Centers: Frequently Asked Questions

In today’s world, there is a lot of information about how to lose weight. Between friends, advertisements, wisdom, doctors, and wherever else you might be getting information from, knowing what to listen to when it comes to weight loss can be confusing. However, people often have similar questions about weight loss, so don’t feel alone if you aren’t entirely sure about something.

Often times it can help a lot to know the answers to these common questions, even if the question and answer are simple. With all the diet ads, scams, and misinformation, knowing the basics can definitely put you a step in the right direction. So, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about weight loss:

Q: Can I lose 5-10 pounds in a week?

A: No, losing 5-10 pounds in a week is unrealistic and very unhealthy. While many crash diets advertise that they can help you lose this, their diets are very misleading and unhealthy. As a rule of thumb for weight loss, it is healthy and most effective to aim for losing 1-2 pounds per week. Weight loss is about fixing unhealthy lifestyles and habits by creating healthier ones, and it is very unhealthy for your weight to fluctuate 10 pounds in a week for many reasons. As a tip for judging diets, you should follow the dieting rule that says if you are not able to maintain a diet for the rest of your life, then it is not a safe, healthy diet. Here’s another one of our blogs for other dieting tips and a guide on how to lose 10 pounds, and here’s more information for why it is unhealthy to lose 10 pounds fast.

Q: Can I lose weight without exercising?

A: Yes, it is possible to lose weight without exercising by creating a calorie deficit. However, while it is possible to do so, exercising is a crucial element when it comes to reaching a healthy weight as exercising will better help you achieve an appropriate calorie balance. Losing weight is about moving toward a healthier lifestyle with healthier habits, and exercising certainly helps you with such efforts. Also, people who exercise regularly are much more likely to maintaining any weight loss and preventing the weight from coming back in the future.

Q: Does eating before bed make you gain weight?

A: It depends on what you eat, but eating a snack before bed does not necessarily result in weight gain or interfere with weight loss. At the end of the day, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in, so if the bedtime snack puts you over the mark then that’s when it interferes with weight loss. However, experts say that those who tend to snack at night, tend to snack unhealthily and in larger quantities. This might be because you lose some will power as you get more tired. Regardless, effective weight loss comes down to creating better habits, so it’s almost always helpful to fight late night urges for snacks as it can easily compromise a whole day of effort.

Q: Does eating breakfast really help you lose weight?

A: Yes, eating a healthy breakfast every morning does help you lose weight. Weight loss is about living a healthy, balanced life style, and this is true of your meal spread as well. Not only will eating breakfast in the morning definitely help your appetite control throughout the day, but it also helps keep your metabolism moving. Skipping breakfast actually makes your body think that it’s possibly being starved, which causes it to conserve more by slowing down your metabolism. So, eating a daily, healthy breakfast will surely help you in your weight loss efforts.

Q: How many calories do I need to burn to lose a pound of fat?

A: A pound of fat is generally equivalent to 3,500 calories. So, in order to lose a pound of fat, you must burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Again, only 1-2 pounds of weight loss per weight is considered to be healthy and safe, so depending on your weight loss plan you should aim to burn 500-1000 calories more than you take in on a daily basis. This can either be done by eating fewer calories or burning more calories by using them up through physical activity, but it is recommended that you do a combination of both.

Q: Do I need to count calories and grams of fat in order to lose weight?

A: No, not necessarily. However, counting calories and/or fat can be extremely helpful to anyone that is trying to lose weight. Again, effective weight loss is truly about changing your life style and bettering your habits so that you can practice healthier habits. While many people might get tired of counting calories after a few weeks, or even days, you can learn a lot about your eating habits by keeping track of everything you eat during the day. Many experts recommend recording everything you eat on a daily basis in a food diary so you can learn more about your eating habits and how you need to change in order to become healthier and lose weight. 

By Russell McBurnie

Water and Weight Loss: How They Relate

Whether it’s summer and you need to get ready for the beach, or whether it’s New Year’s Eve and you need a New Year’s Resolution, there always seems to be pressure to lose weight. Of course, losing weight is often much more of a chore than we would like it to be, which is probably why it’ still on the to-do list in the first place.

It’s no secret that effective weight loss is a very difficult task. That is why people are constantly being sold different ideas and diets, all of which claiming to have a secret tip to losing weight quickly and more effectively. While there are no secret weapons to weight loss and no substitutes to decreasing your caloric intake and exercising, there are things you can do that will help you lose weight.

Fortunately for anyone interested in cutting a few pounds, not every weight loss supplement involves some costly diet subscription. Instead, one of the easiest diet aids is free, and it’s already in your home. Water might be the extra boost you need to actually meet your weight loss goals this year. While water and weight loss have always had somewhat of a connection to each other, examining their relations can help ensure that you integrate a boost from water weight loss boost into your weight loss plan. Here are some of the direct and indirect relations between water and weight loss:

1. Drinking water can increase the amount of calories that you burn.

Drinking water has always been considered a healthy habit, and it is usually recommended in diet plans, but studies from this past decade have shown that water actually increases your body’s metabolic rate. Within 10 minutes of drinking water, your body’s metabolic rate increases for about an hour at least. Studies have shown that people generally burn calories 25-30% faster after drinking water, and possibly even faster if the water is cold as the body expends caloric energy to warm the water.

So, even without a single change in your life, besides drinking an additional half a liter of water per day, you can lose an extra 5 pounds within 12 months. For only drinking one large glass of water every day, those are an easy 5 pounds.

2. Drinking water prior to a meal can help to suppress your appetite.

This is one of the more classic reasons for why you should drink more water when you are trying to lose weight. Drinking 1-2 cups of water 30 minutes before a meal has been known to suppress appetite. Reducing your appetite before meals is a great way to lose extra weight during a diet.

Studies have shown that drinking water before a meal does reduce the amount of calories people consume during that meal, which has been shown to increase weight loss by 40% during diets or an additional 4-6 pounds over a 12-week diet. These effects are increasingly more evident for individuals as they get older, but even a modest increase to weight loss makes a diet more effective at a very low cost.

3. Drinking water can decrease your caloric intake.

Drinking more water has been linked to decreases in caloric intake, especially during weight loss programs. While the link may be indirect, there are many reasons for why this happens. As explained above, drinking water before a meal can act as a very effective appetite suppressant, which will certainly decrease the amount of calories you consume. Additionally, drinking water often can, and should, take place of another drink that usually contributes to the number of calories and sugars you consume throughout the day. As a 0-calorie drink, replacing your normal drink of choice with water can certainly decrease the number of calories you consume.

Moral of the Story: Drink more water! Not only is it cheap, and probably free most of the time, but it definitely helps in some way or another with weight loss. An additional 5 pounds here and another 5 pounds there to your weight loss plan can make the difference between another diet that almost worked and the diet that all your friends will notice. Literally the only thing you need to do is drink a glass of water every time you’re thirsty, especially between 30-40 minutes before every meal.

By Russell McBurnie

7 Celebrity Weight Loss Success Stories

Everyone has at least one celebrity that they love. Whether it be because of their house, spouse, car, lifestyle, or even their character, people look up to celebrities and what they accomplishments. Of course, one of the most common celebrity influences is their appearance. We constantly strive to look just like our favorite celebrities.

Celebrities inspires people when it comes to different goals people have to look a certain way. This can especially be true when it comes to extreme weight loss. Losing weight proves to be difficult even when it’s a few pounds, so there’s no secret why people need inspiration to become motivated to lose large amounts of weight. So, weight loss success stories from some of America’s favorite celebrities might be able to provide the perfect form of inspiration for some of the people needing to lose weight. Here’s 7 stories from very different celebrities:

1.     Jonah Hill –

Known for many roles, such as 21 Jump Street and Wolf of Wall Street, Jonah Hill is a star comedy actor. While Jonah Hill came up in Hollywood by being a hilarious chubby guy, he famously dropped almost 40 pounds for his roles in Moneyball and 21 Jump Street. Although Jonah’s weight has fluctuated since then for various roles, he certainly provides many with a weight loss success story to look up to.

2.     Oprah Winfrey –

As one of the most popular and well-known celebrities in the world today, mostly from her talk show, Oprah has plenty of success stories and inspiration to offer people. Among these stories is one of successful weight loss. Most famous of her stories is when she lost 67 pounds from a four-month liquid diet. While her weight has fluctuated since then, she has never come close to her peak weight at 237 pounds, and has recently boasted a 30-pound loss through Weight Watchers from eating a lot of fish and drinking water.

3.     Jennifer Hudson –

As a Grammy-winning singer, an Oscar-winning actress, and a best-selling author, Jennifer Hudson is quite popular and very successful. In about 4 years, Jennifer Hudson managed to lose 80 pounds and drop from a size 16 to a size 6 with the help of Weight Watchers. She has shared her weight loss story with Oprah on her show as well as Ellen DeGeneres.

4.     Snooki –

Nicole Polizzi, commonly known as Snooki, is best known as one of the stars of Jersey Shore and her own reality show, Snooki & Jwoww. While Snooki is quite a bit different from Jonah Hill, Oprah, and Jennifer Hudson, she is certainly a celebrity to many with a successful weight loss story. After giving birth in 2012. Snooki boasted a 50-pound weight loss before even a year had passed. Her story surely inspired and influences many Snooki fans.

5.     Forest Whitaker –

Also an Oscar-winner, Forest Whitaker is a well-known actor starring in a profusion of movies. From The Last King of Scotland to Phone Booth, Panic Room to The Great Debators, and Vantage Point to Where the Wild Things Are, people might know Forest Whitaker from many movies. After putting on 70 pounds for his Oscar-winning role in The Last King of Scotland, he steadily lost that weight along with an extra 5-10 pounds. His weight loss can certainly help to motivate those looking to lose a lot of weight at a moderate pace.

6.     Chris Pratt –

Originally known for his television roles such as his role in Parks and Recreation, Chris Pratt has become increasingly more popular recently after a couple blockbuster movies like Jurassic World and The Guardians of the Galaxy. Going from acting in a comedy show to being an action star Chris Pratt had to change some things. Particularly, Chris Pratt cut over 60 pounds for his movie roles and showcased his new 6-pack on Instagram inspiring and impressing a lot of people.

7.     Peter Jackson –

Although Peter Jackson may not be a famous actor, the film director is definitely a considerable celebrity made famous by his Lord of the Rings movies as well as others such as Lovely Bones. Unlike the actors, Peter Jackson did not lose weight in relation to any role in a movie. Rather, he merely decided that he wanted to change his life a bit. Following this decision, which is the same choice many people are on the brink of making, Peter Jackson was able to drop 70 pounds in just 10 months. His secret was not some crash diet, but just to substitute unhealthy foods with healthy foods and better eating habits. Instead of always eating out or grabbing fast food, he started to pack his breakfast and lunches showing what a huge difference something so simple can cause.

Extreme weight loss can definitely be a daunting task, but it is most certainly not impossible. Since starting such a difficult thing can be one of the hardest parts, many people that need to lose a large amount of weight might just be waiting on the motivation to do so. Luckily, there’s motivation and inspiration everywhere, which is obvious considering how many very different celebrities offer inspiring weight loss stories.

So, if you are struggling to start your weight loss journey, and your friends and family don’t have any motivating success stories, don’t hesitate to check whether your favorite celebrities have lost a lot of weight at some point because there are plenty of celebrities who have!

By Russell McBurnie

Extreme Weight Loss: Risks of Major Weight Change

As a society, we have a large number of people who are quite overweight. With so many overweight individuals, people are often trying to lose a lot of weight as fast as they can. As a culture, we have grown to celebrate extreme weight loss as a successful achievement.

Of course, losing weight is an achievement worth celebrating as there are many health risks associated with being overweight. However, losing weight in an extreme manner also causes some difficulties for your body. Because of these difficulties, healthy diets only aim for a 1 or 2-pound loss every week.

This may seem daunting if you need to lose 20 pounds, and it may seem like an impossible plan if you need to lose even more weight than that. To avoid dieting for what may seem like endless weeks, many people just lose as much weight as they can as quickly as they can. However, it is important to know some of the risks of major weight change before pursuing major weight loss, so here they are.

Risks of Extreme Weight Loss:

Hair Loss –

Weight is not the only thing on its way out. People have shown strong tendencies to experience hair loss because of the major weight loss. In order to lose a lot of weight very quickly, dieters decrease their caloric-intake to minimal levels to ensure extreme weight loss. Because of this, the diet fails to nourish the body adequately. Specifically, a lack of adequate protein and iron commonly causes dieters to lose hair as well as weight.

Fatigue–

Again, extreme weight loss requires an extreme decrease in caloric-intake. The failure to consume a sufficient amount of calories leads dieters to chronically feel lethargic and fatigued. This compromises one of the most significant aspects of healthy weight loss, which is exercising. Making exercise impossible due to the lack of energy, dieters cannot ensure their health through exercise. The decrease in calories results in an overall decrease in your body’s metabolism, which also contributes to the lower levels of energy and makes it more difficult to maintain the weight loss.

Excess Skin –

Another issue with extreme weight loss occurs because the rest of your body has difficulties keeping up with the weight loss. Particularly, your skin can have a very difficult time adjusting to your body’s new size since tightening to your body’s new shape would have to take place slowly and steadily. So, extreme weight loss does have the risk of leaving excess skin hanging around your body. This can be especially negative for dieters that were already self-conscious of their weight, as the excess skin is usually noticeable to others furthering the risk of self-consciousness for the dieter.

Dehydration –

Although you can certainly drink water in extreme-weight-loss diets, extreme weight loss still results in risks of dehydration. By demanding your body to cut as much weight as it can as soon as it can, your body rids weight in different ways. One of the most common sources of weight loss when extreme weight loss occurs quickly is the body’s water. Much of the weight loss is then water weight, putting the body at risk of dehydration, which can be extremely dangerous.

Decreased Cognitive Ability –

 Your brain functions normally and effectively so long as your body maintains its health. Extreme weight loss often strongly limits the glucose that your brain needs to function effectively. The lack of adequate glucose for the brain will leave people in a fog as they are unable to focus as well as before. A lot of empirical research indicates that people struggle more with complicated cognitive tasks while they are dieting. This is also why eating a good breakfast can make a large difference on test performance or your work performance in general.

Poorer Moods –

When someone goes on a diet, especially one that may result in extreme weight loss, their goal must be to better their life in general to some degree. So, while people diet to feel better in some ways, extreme weight loss can cause the opposite. Many people report various feelings of depression that accompany their extreme weight loss. Additionally, one of the most commonly reported changes in mood is the decrease in sex drive. These seem to contradict some of the intentions of extreme weight loss.

Although dieting and major weight change is typically the result of people wanting to make their life, health, and well-being a bit better, extreme weight loss can surely cause more damage and issue to your body, and life, in general. In an attempt to increase your health, there is no need to create another unhealthy situation by losing weight at an extreme rate or volume. Rather, just as people tend to put on extra weight slowly and steadily, they should focus on losing weight in the same manner. Weight loss is a long-distance race and reaching your ideal weight requires a steady pace of about 1-2 pounds per week in order to avoid the risks of extreme weight loss.

By Russell McBurnie

Can You Lose Weight Without Exercising?

Do you know your ideal weight? If you do, have you reached it? Kudos to you if you’re aware of the perfect weight for you, and you deserve even more pats on the back if you’ve reached it. You’re a better person than we are. Some people are great about getting out there, about hitting the gym and exercising five times a week to help stay in shape and lose weight. There are a lot of people out there that are more like us, though, people who desperately want to make changes and lose some weight but can’t seem to get the exercising part of it down. It raises the big question: “is it still possible to lose weight without exercising?” It may surprise you to know that the answer is yes, there are a few ways to lose weight without exercise.

Not all of us have time to hit the gym or jump on that treadmill in your guest room. Some of us may even be prevented from exercising due to injury or age. We’ve got a few tips and tricks to help you lose weight in other ways.

Add some protein to your diet.

Beginning with the first meal of the day, add some protein. If you start your day with cereal, you may think about adding eggs, a good protein-rich option. In one study, overweight women who chose eggs for their morning meal ate fewer calories at lunch compared to those who ate a grain-based breakfast. They ended up eating fewer calories for the rest of the day and during the next 36 hours. One of the best things about protein is that it increases the sense of being full and keeps you from overeating.

Consider eating smaller portions.

It makes sense that if you consume less calories and carbs, the need to burn off those calories and carbs isn’t as urgent. While you’re eating less, also try to enjoy your meal without distractions. Many of us are social eaters, and if food is in front of us we can’t help from shoving it down. Turning off the TV and the computer game while you’re munching on veggies can help you focus a lot more on how quickly you’re eating. Slow down a little and you may even enjoy your meal more!

Be conscious of what you’re watching.

While we’re discussing TV as a distraction, make sure to limit those cooking shows. Research shows that women who copy those delish recipes from the smiling chefs actually weigh more than those who don’t.

Put away the scale.

Your focus should be on establishing healthier eating habits versus stressing over the number staring at you between your feet every morning. You’ll know when that new pair of pants slides on easier than it did last month.

Cool it with the late night snacks.

Let’s admit it, we all know those late night snacks, as delicious as they are, aren’t doing you any favors. Instead of using a tub of ice cream or something munchy to help wind down every evening, place those cheese crackers back on the shelf and consider a little meditation to chill out from all the stresses of your day.

Weight loss is tricky, and it’s different for everyone. Exercise is obviously a big part of serious weight loss, but while you may not be able to lose weight in a week without exercising, these tips can certainly help kick start a new path to a thinner, healthier you.

Written by: Cindy Stephens