Losing Weight Too Fast
The Pitfalls Of Losing Weight Too Fast
Losing weight is on the minds of many individuals; especially in the summer months. Several people engage in extreme measures to lose weight and keep it off. Whether it’s by fasting or engaging in the new, hottest diet plan, the dedication is real initially. Studies show 95% of people who lose weight on fad diets will gain their weight back! The key is not in losing the weight, but losing your weight in a sustainable way; you must build a weight loss lifestyle if you are going to be successful. If you cannot keep your weight off the way you took it off, you will not succeed!
What are the wrong ways to lose weight? Let’s consider a few of the most popular gimmicks that weight loss companies tend to promote.
Starvation Diets
Not to be confused with fasting, starvation diets are literally designed to drain the body of the nutrients it needs to survive. Many people mix a combination of lemon water, honey, and cayenne pepper and survive off of this concoction for an extended period of time. While this method may work for a last-minute event or wedding, it definitely isn’t practical for long-term use. Once the event is past or once you can no longer sustain this insane and impractical way to eat you will gain it back–and then some!
Diet Pills
Diet pills are widely used amongst women in the United States as a means to curb the appetite and increase metabolism. Often times, these products are marketed to appear like a “cure all” pill for every weight loss challenge that may occur. At Achieve Weight Loss we constantly receive calls asking if we sell diet pills and our answer is a resounding “No.” Why? Because diet pills have numerous side-effects plus they don’t solve the problem. Once you go off the pills (and you can’t stay on them forever) you will likely gain back your weight because you never learned how to eat correctly; you were relying on a pill to solve your weight problem!
Low-Calorie Diet
Popularized by celebrities, this diet drastically cuts down the amount of caloric intake using a point or numerical system. Depending on your weight loss goals, individuals can lose a great deal of weight simply by staying below a specific number. The problem is that you often rob yourself of one or more of the macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) so you can stay at a low calorie level. Again, this is not sustainable for a long period of time.
What Is Considered Healthy Weight Loss?
Experts suggest that individuals who are striving to lose weight should lose one to two pounds a week. Anything more than that enters an unhealthy territory.
Disadvantages of Fast Weight Loss
Contrary to popular belief, the FDA has approved a majority of the weight loss supplements on the market. However, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily safe. Nor does it mean they’re effective. It is up to each person to do their own research regarding the best weight loss program for their body.
Slow weight loss, in comparison to losing weight too fast, is ideal because it helps you keep the pounds off. If you lose 10 pounds within a two-week period, the likelihood that you’ll put them back on is high. If you’re wanting to make a complete lifestyle change, slow and steady always wins the race.
Intense cravings are also another drawback to rapid weight loss programs. Health experts recommend living a balanced life paired with diet and exercise. This doesn’t mean starving yourself of your favorite dishes every once in a while.
If a person subjects themselves to strict limits, the likelihood that they’ll stick with them are slim. This leads to binge eating and quite possibly, more weight gain.
What Really Works?
If a person is trying to lose weight fast, there are several things they can do to achieve that goal in a healthy manner. At Achieve Weight Loss we educate and empower you how to make the food in your grocery store work for you. No pills, no shots, no shakes and no required product purchases. We teach a healthy balanced lifestyle which ensures daily adequate intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates. When it comes to weight loss, slow and steady is key to reaching your long-term goals. Be patient with yourself and keep working towards meeting your fitness goals.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/rapid-weight-loss#1
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/losing-weight-too-fast#section2
The Benefits of Journaling for Weight Loss
The Benefits of Journaling for Weight Loss
If you’re trying to lose weight, one idea that you might have heard or that your doctor may have told you about is journaling for weight loss.” It’s not an idea that most people are familiar with, which is a shame. It’s useful for weight loss as well as for a number of other things. So, what is diet journaling? How does it work? How can it help you lose weight and what else is it good for?
Keeping a Diary for Weight Loss
Eating is such a natural part of our everyday lives that sometimes we do it without thinking about it. That can lead us to eat more than we realize or eat too much of certain foods.
Diet journals are a tool to help us better understand what we eat so that we can make better, more conscious decisions. Keeping a diet journal overtime can help you to better understand your eating habits but starting a diet journal is likely to make you think more carefully about what you eat in the first place.
How Does it Work?
Diet Diaries can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be – or as complex as your doctor wants them to be. A basic diet journal could just be lists of what you eat that you keep on your phone or a notebook that can fit in your pocket. For a more specific diet journal, write down the times that you ate, or use a scheduler instead of a notebook. That way, the time fields are already provided for you. Even more complex journals may include information like the carbohydrate or calorie count for the foods that you eat. This information isn’t always as readily available as it should be for certain foods, but some books or a quick internet search can find you a rough estimate for just about anything. Finally, your diet diary can include other pieces of information, like physical activity.
At Achieve Weight Loss we encourage our clients to journal so we can coach them along the way. Every time a client submits a weight loss journal it is reviewed and feedback is provided. This is one of the ways we educate and empower people how make their food work for them.
What Does it Do?
As mentioned above, starting a diet diary can help you to think more about your eating habits and keeping one can help you to better understand your diet. One great example is why you eat what you eat. A lot of people make their worst diet decisions when they’re stressed or in a hurry. You might also make different dietary decisions in different social events or when you spend time with different people. Diet journaling can help you understand these relationships so that you can plan ahead for them.
Also, we tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat. Keeping a diet diary gives you a visual account of what you have consumed for the day. You may find that you are eting too many snacks, grazing or eating the wrong kinds of foods. Again, the team at Achieve Weight loss provides feedback on what you consumed. Your coach may note that you are eating too much — or even too little!
Beyond Weight Loss
Losing weight through keeping at diet diary isn’t the only benefit. Food can affect us in many different ways that we might not be aware of. Diet journaling can help us to uncover those relationships. By keeping a diet diary you may find that you eat more when you’re stressed but you may also find other things like you tend to have headaches on days when you eat certain foods. Avoiding these foods can help you to live a more enjoyable and productive life even if it doesn’t necessarily contribute to your weight loss goals. In fact, that is why at Achieve Weight Loss we encourage our clients to journal even on a day when they choose to eat whatever they want. They may find that certain foods (e.g., sweets) may be the reason they felt lethargic, bloated or grouchy that day. In the future, they may decide to avoid those foods even on a “Junk Day” because they learned from their journalling the effects of those foods!
Conclusion
Diet journaling can help you to lose weight by giving you a better understanding of your relationship with food. However, the benefits don’t stop there. The great thing about diet journaling is that it doesn’t cost anything and you could get started right now.
Take Your First Weight Loss Course for Free!
CLICK HERE
5 Awesome Very Lower Calorie Foods
5 Awesome Lower Calorie Foods
If you’re trying to consume fewer calories to help you lose weight, you may need some guidance to find the right foods to consume. As you eat fewer calories, you’ll probably notice that your meals aren’t filling you up as much as they once were. This is easy enough to fix by eating the right low-calorie foods.
In this article, we’ll help you find the best low-calorie foods that will have you feeling full without all the calories. These foods will make awesome snacks, junk food replacements, meals, etc. to keep you feeling fuller longer and stick with your low-calorie lifestyle.
1) Eggs
Eggs are rich in vital nutrients and low in calories, making them a super nutrient-dense option for a lower calorie food. Large eggs contain about six grams of protein, a wide array of necessary and vital minerals and vitamins, and only about 72 calories. If you start your day with a serving of eggs, you can reduce your hunger and snacking throughout the day. Eggs are full of protein and other nutrients, helping you feel fuller from less, leading to less snacking. On the Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle we classify whole eggs as a Fatty Protein. We teach you how to enjoy eggs with toast!
2) Fish
The number one way to curb your hunger while eating fewer calories is getting those calories from high-protein, lower calorie foods. Fish is very rich in protein, healthy oils, and heart-healthy fats. For example, just one 3-ounce serving of cod can fill you with more than 15 grams of protein for less than 70 calories. Studies have shown that fish protein has the greatest impact on the feeling of fullness out of all the meat protein options. Swapping fish for the protein in your meal could help you curb hunger without going over your daily calorie count. On the Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle we classify most fish as a Lean Protein. We teach you many ways to enjoy how you can safely enjoy your fish with pasta, potatoes, fruit and more!
3) Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt can be a great option for a low-calorie snack, breakfast, or the perfect side, so long as you choose the right Greek yogurt. Obviously, the Greek yogurts containing tons of sugary sweet flavors or toppings are going to have a higher calorie count than plain Greek yogurt; however we will point out to you the best flavored grocery store Greek yogurts that won’t derail your weight loss! Greek yogurt is another high-protein food that can help squelch hunger and keep you fuller for longer without wasting a big chunk of your daily allotment of calories. You may even add some fruit and approved granola for a great parfait!
4) Berries
Certain berries can also help to curb your hunger without overwhelming your daily calorie count. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all loaded with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that are good for you and keep you in optimal health. These berries are also loaded with fiber that can help to increase your weight loss and reduce your hunger, keeping you fuller longer and helping to minimize your snacking throughout the day. They can also help you curb your sweet tooth as they’re a healthier sweet option. We will teach you how to enjoy fruit without going into a fat storage mode due to the natural sugars.
5) Popcorn
Everyone loves snacking on some potato chips but they’re far from healthy (although there are healthier, approved options at your grocery store!). A great low-calorie alternative to snacking on bags of potato chips is popcorn. This delicious snack has only 31 calories in one cup and has 1.2 grams of dietary fiber which is 5% of your daily fiber needs. There are several pre-popped versions which are found in grocery stores listed on our website.
Conclusion
There are so many other options at your local grocery store. At Achieve Weight Loss, we will teach you about these foods (and many other lower-calorie foods) and how them work for you. Don’t worry, we will teach you how to enjoy higher-calorie foods too!
How to Make Weight Loss Easier
How to Make Weight Loss Easier
It’s no secret that dropping pounds is a challenging feat. Between finding the time to prepare healthy meals and educating yourself about your food, time and resources are limited.
In addition, some feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive which is why at Achieve we cut through the hype and give you a realistic, practical way of eating food from your grocery store so you can live a sustainable lifestyle.
Many people also find that losing weight is a challenge for them because they can’t curb their cravings. Often times, many people set out to achieve their weight loss goals, only to give up within a few days of starting. This can be both discouraging and disappointing for those in these situations.
How can you make losing weight easier? Since losing weight is a great challenge, there are several things you can do to make this process easier and purposeful. Let’s consider a few tips you can start implementing today to tackle your weight loss journey. Let me share with you four ways how to make weight loss easier:
1. Set a Goal
Goal setting is an excellent way to kick start your loss journey. If you enter this new aspect of your life blind, you’ll easily get overwhelmed. Instead, write down your overall weight loss goal then set small milestones and focus on those only. For example, if you need to lose 75lbs then focus on losing 8-10 pounds a month. By setting your intentions and planning your goals accordingly, you’ll have a blueprint to go off of. This will help you navigate your weight loss journey easier.
2. Celebrate the “Wins”
Celebrate every small victory. If you started at 280lbs then celebrate when you cross into the 270’s! Celebrate when you lose your first 5lbs! Celebrate when you have lost 5% of your body weight, etc. At Achieve Weight Loss our online system awards you for reaching milestones. Your profile will show awards for every 5lbs lost, body percentage lost, crossing into healthier BMI’s, etc.
3. Address Cravings
If you know certain situations trigger your cravings, do your best to avoid them. For example, if you have to pass a bakery every day on your way home from work, perhaps try another route. If you know handing with certain people will drive you to overeat, limit your time with them. Identifying your triggers and doing what you can to avoid them is an excellent way to make weight loss easier.
Another way to make your weight loss easier is to find substitutes which will satisfy your cravings for chocolate, chips, sweets, etc. At Achieve Weight Loss we show you what products taste good and satisfy those cravings so you don’t have to feel deprived!
4. Don’t Starve Yourself
It’s easy to want to give up when you’re depriving yourself. There is no need to deprive yourself of a snack (or two), an extra or a freebie in addition to your three meals a day! Also, we educate you about how to make your food work for you so you will feel fuller longer.
Many people are shocked that at Achieve Weight Loss we allow people to have up to two days a week when they may eat whatever they want! Yes, you may gain a little weight on those days, but if you enjoy the occasional pizza there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself. Weight loss is a mental game and if you feel deprived of having a night out with friends, you will not succeed! Deprivation will make you hate your weight loss journey.
5. Avoid Comparison
Comparison is the enemy of happiness. If you find yourself comparing your weight loss journey to someone else’s, you’ll easily get discouraged. Avoid comparing your body to others. Remember their body is NOT your body and vice versa. Everyone’s body is different. Be proud of your body throughout all aspects of your weight loss journey. This will keep you happy and motivated to continue on your journey.
Conclusion
Instead of viewing weight loss as this insurmountable feat, look at it as a small obstacle that you can overcome. With a little motivation and guidance, you can reach your weight loss goals. The trick here is to understand that it won’t be easy. When you set yourself up for expectations, you’re sure to fail. Therefore, be patient with yourself and do all you can to keep going on your weight loss journey. You’ll find that by taking it slow and implementing these four tips, you’ll have the ammunition you need to keep going.
4 Reasons We Overeat
4 Reasons for Overeating
If you’re having a weight problem, one simple solution might be that you eat too much. After all, calories do count! Of course, it’s may be more complicated than that. Maybe activity is a problem. Maybe there are biological factors like a slow metabolism or a hormonal problem that you should be working through with your doctor. However, the best way to get progress is to get started. So, let’s keep it simple and talk about overeating. It’s easier to eat less if you know why you eat too much.
4 Possible Reasons You Eat Too Much
1. You Eat the Wrong Things
Food is food is food, right? Wrong. You may decide what to eat based on things like personal preference, what you know, and what you can afford. However, on a biological level, not all foods are created equally. As a result, what you eat can impact how much you eat. One good example is that different foods digest at different rates so they spend different lengths of time in your stomach. A lot of things can help determine when you feel hungry but stretch receptors in your stomach are one factor. Simple carbs, like those found in many prepared foods, junk foods, and snack foods digest quickly so they flood your body with energy right away and then leave you feeling hungry again. Complex carbs, like those found in whole grains, and proteins take longer to digest so they leave you feelings full longer. Don’t worry, you can eat both simple and complex carbs as part of your Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle; we will teach you how to make them work for you!
2. You Eat too Quickly
Remember those stretch receptors that we talked about? They’re about to come up again. Those stretch receptors take a little bit to send signals to your brain. That means that if you eat too quickly, the messages can get to your brain after you’ve already eaten enough to fill your stomach. In order to prevent this, one simple option is to eat slowly. Take time to enjoy your meal and you may find yourself feeling full sooner and eating less. We address this topic more in-depth in our class called “Mindful Eating.”
3. You’re Used to Eating too Much
There’s more going on in your body than just stretch receptors in the stomach walls but we’re going to keep on them for just a little bit longer. As your stomach stretches out from regularly overeating, those stretch receptors can become less effective. If the stomach gets larger, it takes more to fill so your stomach can be telling you that you’re still hungry even after you’ve eaten more than your body needs. People who address overeating early enough in their lives can adopt smaller portions and feel a little hungry while their stomachs return to a healthy state and while they learn healthier eating habits. A great part of living the Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle is that you will feel fuller longer because you are guaranteed to get an adequate proportion of carbs, fats and protein in your meals.
4. You Eat for the Wrong Reasons
Finally, you may be eating too much because you eat for the wrong reasons. Food serves a strictly biological need. However, it also serves social needs. As a result, we may eat because we’re with friends or at a party or celebrating rather than because we’re hungry. Some foods, including those high in sugar and fats, can also serve another purpose. These foods are rich in easy energy. This made them desirable for our ancient ancestors who had far more limited access to these foods than we do. As a result, our bodies release good-feeling chemicals when we eat them to encourage us to eat more making it easy for to become addicted to these foods.
Once again, there is some good news. In the Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle we will introduce you to foods/products which will satisfy your cravings for chocolate, breads, etc. but will not put you into a fat storage mode. We will teach about the best fats and ways to enjoy fruits, which have natural sugar and can help satisfy your cravings, but are also full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber!
Final Thoughts
As mentioned above, overeating may not be your only weight control problem – or it may not be a problem at all. If it is, it could be a reason other than those discussed above. Articles like this are a good place to start but if you are serious about correcting your weight problem you need to keep a healthy relationship with your healthcare provider. Together, you and your doctor can determine the causes but whatever the cause, the Achieve Weight Loss lifestyle can be a part of your solution!
Things To Look Forward To After Weight Loss
Things To Look Forward To After Weight Loss
Losing weight is hard; staying motivated when you aren’t seeing many results can be devastating and seem impossible. We’re here to help by providing you with a healthy dosage of motivation to inspire you to keep at it, despite the difficulty and the discouragement.
1) Having more energy
One great benefit to losing weight is experiencing more energy regularly. At Achieve Weight Loss as you learn how to make your food work, you will find your energy levels start to go up with in a week! You’ll find that you’re not as tired throughout your day and that you don’t get so exhausted by just basic, everyday tasks. This means you’ll be able to get more done in a day, participate in activities that used to be off limits to you, and not have to miss out on any of the fun parts of life.
After weight loss you will find you have more energy to play with your kids and work as much as you need to. Enough energy to clean the house and cook dinner. Having more energy is an amazing benefit and reward to the effort of losing weight.
2) Increased longevity
Being overweight comes with a lot of health risks and concerns and that can shorten your life expectancy and lessen your overall quality of life. When you put the effort into educating and empowering yourself how to make your food work for you, you will lose the weight lowering many health risks such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol levels, osteoarthritis and more!
All this work comes with the reward of potentially increased longevity. Of course, none of us have a guarantee, but you can greatly improve your health and lower your risks by making these changes and sticking to a healthier lifestyle.
3) Improved self-confidence
Your confidence will improve after weight loss not only by helping you feel like you look better but also by helping you feel better. The better you feel, the more confident and happier you will start to feel. At Achieve Weight Loss we constantly hear stories about how weight gain has hurt a person’s self confidence and we want you to get that confidence back!
Self-confidence does a world of good for your overall quality of life and could lead to many great benefits in your career and your personal life. Confidence is an appealing quality; it’s indicative of great leadership qualities and is sexy to those around you. Healthy confidence can get you everywhere in life and losing weight and getting healthier can help you get there!
4) Improved mood
There are a lot of reasons why losing weight can contribute to a more consistently good mood. First off, the healthier foods you’re eating to help you lose that weight are chock full of good things for you that help you feel happy and healthy. Secondly, the better you feel, the happier you’ll be. And thirdly, if you’re happier with your health and appearance, you’re going to be happier consistently.
When you lose weight, you can definitely notice a difference in your overall mood. This extends to every aspect of your life as being consistently happier makes you a joy to be around, a kinder person, and tends to make you more appealing in general to those around you.
Conclusion
It can be hard to keep motivated on your weight loss journey, especially as you reach the plateau stage that everyone finds during their diet. A good way to keep your motivation up and help you stick to your diet and healthier lifestyle is by reminding yourself of the rewards waiting for you on the other side. At Achieve Weight loss we understand the importance of motivation which is why our clients receive a daily motivational video email full of information along with an optional daily motivational text message.
We hope this article has helped to restore your motivation and inspire you to keep working hard to get healthier and lose that weight. It’s never too late for you to start trying to lose weight or for you to get yourself back on track. Give it a try today and don’t give up; the benefits are more than worth the hard work and effort.
Get Your Free Ebook!
