There you have the problem…both gaining fat AND losing muscle mass is the worst possible scneario because you not only packing on weight for extra calories and fat-laden foods, but your body also slows down burning calories as your muscles wither away. The result…

• I felt incredible tired, low energy
• Had a noticeable gut having gained the most belly fat I had ever packed on
• Had trouble bending over to put on socks and tie my shoes (now that is NOT a good feeling)
• Zero stamina, I couldn’t keep up with the kids any longer
• Noticed the muscles in my arms and legs were decreasing
• Suddenly had trouble sleeping, up many nights with indigestion

November hit and I became fed up.  That’s when I put the following plan into action and lost more than 10lbs in less than 30-days (and have regained more muscle mass than I had earlier this year which means my body continues to burn calories at a higher rate – even when I am at rest)

1. Had a check-up with my local alternative doctor to make sure my digestive tract and blood sugar were in balance.  Of course they were not, and that fact leads to terrible cravings for carbs and sugar foods.  With some adjustments and Candacin for digestive yeast overgrowth, I was back on track within a week

2. Went from a normal breakfast of 2pcs of toast, lots of cereal and orange juice to 1-piece of wheat toast, 1/2 tsp of almond butter, large glass of water and yogurt with 2-days a week a breakfast of eggs with 1-piece of toast. 

3. Made sure I exercised at least 30-minutes 5-days of the week.  At least 3 of those days needed to be cardio where I jogged, treadmill or eliptical to keep my heart rate up for 25-30-minutes followed by various core strengthening exercises 3-days a week for 20-minutes (to build muscle, tone and increase metabolism). The other two days of the week or if I couldn’t fit cardio in I went for a fast-paced, 45-minute walk

4. Lunch – I simply changed my normal lunch of processed meat and white bread sandwiches to either salad with protein such as cottage cheese, chicken or tuna or soup and a piece of fruit (apple, banana or peach were my main staples) .  Another large glass of water instead of juice or soft-drinks

5. I found with these lunches my craving for afternoon snacks pretty much went away – but if I did have a craving I made myself a smoothie or ate an protein bar if I was on the run

6. Dinners I pretty much kept the same except making sure I was getting enough protein so that I wasn’t tempted to gorge myself again before bed.

That’s it – a very simple, effective way to continually drop 10-lbs over a 30-day period.  I am already down another 5 heading into December.  Now the challenge will be to keep relatively true to this system over the Holidays…but I feel so great right now there is every motivation to stick to the plan.

The best part of this entire weight loss process is that I lost most of the visible belly fat, I have regained the size in my bicepts and legs, have strengthened my core, have healthy skin and feel like a million bucks.  Are you up for it?

I have found that the best fast loss programs are often the simplest. Fat burning techniques that can be understood clearly and can be fit easily into your schedule on a weekly basis give us the best chance of not only seeing quick fat loss results, but also sticking with the techniques that work so that we can sustain our weight loss beyond the initial phase.

Here are 5 everyday fat burning tips you can work into your schedule immediately:

1. Relaxation and Meditation:  Study after study has shown the link between weight gain and stress in our lives.   In fact, the story is even worse, not only does stress have direct implications on weight gain, it also leads to the worst kind of fat – visceral belly fat.  Stress can directly impact insulin levels and also indirectly impact our emotional state leading to poor discipline, bad choices of food and an overall depression that keeps us from getting out and enjoying life.  In other words, if you don’t deal with stress, often we fall into a ‘spiral’ of unhealthy behaviors.  Head over to this Peak Achievement Site and download your free 20-point guide to meditation and relaxation.  As someone who tried and failed at meditation for almost 10-years but then FINALLY got it and uses it everyday – I can tell you it is the most impactful thing you can do for yourself period!
2. Work activity into your day:  Exercise (both aerobic and strength training) are important to weight loss, yet everyone immediately assumes they have to go take out a $60/month gym membership or start to pay a personal trainer a couple hundred dollars a month to lose weight.  The fact is that you can work enough activity into your schedule so that you don’t have to go to a gym.  Here some ideas:  Rapid walking for 20-minutes when you first get up in the morning or after dinner, take 15-minutes out of your day if you work in an office building and go up and down the stairs, jog on the spot while you watch your favorite evening television show, or fit in 20-30 sit-ups and push-ups into a free 10-minutes here and there.   You will be amazed at how you can fit the required activity into your daily schedule with little to know interruption
3. Cleanse your system:  The majority of us are walking around with digestive, lymphatic and nervous systems that are out of whack.  I regularly visit our good friends over at Awakening Potentials to help keep a healthy gut, keep our immune systems and body filtration filters working properly.  We are all susceptible to parasites, bacteria and enzyme imbalances – when these occur it can be nearly impossible to lose weight
4. Cut down on sugar:  For most people it is not necessary to go on some crazy diet plan that you would normally not stick to anyway – in fact recent research has shown that the rollercoaster impact of losing weight fast and then gaining it back again can be harmful to your body.  So, focus on one simple change in your diet – cut out as much sugar as you can.  For instance, drinking water instead of juice, milk (there are other ways to get your calcium) and soft drinks will dramatically cut the sugar in your diet.  Do this and you can still have the odd desert indulgence and still see a big change in your overall fat burning goals
5. Discipline daily routine:  Look, we all lead crazy lives and at times we lose control of our schedule, but the more consistent we can be with our sleep (at least 6.5 hours each night), meals, meditation or other stress reduction techniques and activity the quicker and more widespread we will see our weight loss objectives be

Now, doesn’t seem so hard does it? 

Look – there are always those of us on the extreme, where a complete lifestyle change (7-days at the gym) will be the right decision, but for most of us that is not who we are, so focusing on these 5 fat burning tips will help to peel off the fat, give you more energy, improve how you look and have dramatic impact on what you can achieve in your life.

It turns out that there are nastier forms of fat that are related even more to these fat related health problems and you guessed it – first on the list is deep belly fat, otherwise known as visceral fat.

Indeed, many of these diet plans are targeted toward that “nasty” fat so that you can not only look and feel great but you can experience the health benefits of losing visceral belly fat as well.

In a recent studies outlined here, we see a group of conflicting studies on people that are considered obese (with a Body Mass Index of more than 30) further segmented into “healthy” fat people who have normal ranges of cholesterol, insulin, etc… and those that are off the charts where their fat certainly is part of a broader set of health issues. Though the studies are inconclusive, it does seem that..

I think it is only positive that we are now seeing a new range of fat burning studies to help understand the ongoing relationship between fat, weight loss and impact on health in our bodies

Diet programs that force us to radically change our eating habits, what we eat or how much we eat are pretty much doomed to failure, they rarely result in losing weight and can often lead to a rebound effect where we lose a little and gain back more fat than before.

But did you know that we average 2-3 lbs of fat each week simply based on our drinking habits?

Take a look at the sugar and fat content in the soft drinks, juices, health drinks, dairy and special coffees that we treat ourselves with – in some cases daily.

You can average anywhere from 110 calories for a small soft drink to several hundred calories in a specialty coffee…by just cutting down (or cutting them out altogether) replacing them with water or club soda we can lose at least a pound each week.

Here are 3 ways to lose that pound starting now!

1. Get rid of soft drinks altogether. I used to drink anywhere from 12 to 24 soft drinks a week when I was a teen and into my twenties, but nearly 10-years ago now I cut them out altogether and even now may have one or two a month if at all. The crazy thing is that I don’t miss them at all and feel so much better not having the sugar rush and crash associated with soft drinks. They really are empty calories and are the leading cause of obesity in Western society today.

2. Dramatically reduce your intake of juices. Many people still believe that fruit juices are healthy, full of vitamins and that you can’t go wrong drinking fruit juices…nothing could be further from the truth. Fruit juices often contain very little real fruit, are loaded with sugar, artificial coloring, often contain traces of mold since the skins are often squeezed into the juice as well and contain significant calories that add fat to your body each time you take a drink. In many cases these juices are significantly devoid of any vitamins as well. Try removing that morning glass of orange juice replacing it with water. If you are concerned about Vitamin C, then take a quality C supplement, but do away with the juice. My only exceptions now are home made smoothies where I add my own fruit and base.

3. Substitute cream in your coffee for milk. For those of you who consume 3-4 cups of coffee each day you are adding more fat into your body than you realize by pouring an ounce or two of half-and-half or coffee cream – instead opt for whole milk, or even better, skim milk. You may need a little more and may have a small adjustment to make with the flavor, but don’t worry – you will get used to it quickly and just think about that 1-2 lbs of fat you can burn without dramatically altering your diet or having to do extra exercise.

This really is one of the easiest adjustments to make in your daily routine to burn fat faster – and it really does work, so give it a try.

If you are trying to lose body fat fast, maybe lose lower belly fat or lose fat on your thighs — then try this eating technique as a way to be more satisfied with regular portions and nutritional food without binging, overeating and heading toward foods you know will hurt in your fat loss campaign.

1. First, each day start off by saying this simple affirmation to yourself (I like to do this as I’m getting ready for the day) “My body is a sacred temple, a fat burning machine and today I am only offering my body the best food, liquid and treatment and I will feel more energetic and healthy by the end of the day”

The idea here of course is to keep your mind focused on how powerful and well your body really can be if you allow it to be in it’s natural state. Your body really will become a fat burning engine if you just treat it right.

2. Next – commit to really paying attention (with all of your senses) to the food that you do eat each day. For breakfast, you may cereal high in fiber, some yogurt and strawberries (or other fruit). Before you begin eating, study your food, notice how amazing your fruit looks, imagine the vitamins just waiting to hit your body. Notice the sweet smell of the strawberries. When you take a bite, notice how the texture of the food feels in your mouth and make sure you chew it enough to notice how the food tastes as it hits different taste areas of your tongue.

3. After you have eaten your portion, simply say to yourself “I am fully satisfied with the awesome power of the food I just ate to power my body, my muscles and burn fat through the day”

This approach to lose body fat may sound silly, but by simply taking more notice and giving your mind positive reinforcement about eating right, you will notice that you binge eat less, you are more satisfied with the food you do eat and look forward to eating healthy meals instead of dreading it.

Give it a try and let us know how that works for you…I feel completely different over the last few weeks of practicing this and notice I don’t snack as much between meals and have lost 5 lbs as a result.

The study was released in the journal titled Obesity followed over 6000 adolescents into adulthood finding that married people pack on more fat and are less likely to lose weight than their single cohorts.

While reasons are not given, here are some possible explanations:

• There is more focus on food when people are married – home life becomes more structured and suddenly life is organized around meal times.  Without paying special attention to diet and nutrition, those meal times can actually be quite unhealthy and lead to weight gain
• Becoming married can come with a certain amount of stress – in fact the study found that weight gain occurred a couple of years into the marriage, when the euphoria melts off and some people can undergo increased stress feeling they are “locked” into a relationship – even if they truly do love their spouse.  As we know, there is a strong correlation between stress and gaining weight
• I didn’t see in the study accounting for children – there is also likely to be a strong correlation between having kids and gaining weight simply because stress levels go sky high, activity is minimized (especially in the first few years) and eating is often an “escape” for mothers and fathers
• Perhaps the most obvious reason, as we become more comfortable in marriage our sites get set on other things – body image doesn’t rank #1 anymore, things like being secure financially, career growth and friendships then take over as the primary focus…the result is we have less motivation and effort going into maintaining a healthy weight.

Interestingly, all is not lost given that married people tend to be more healthy in other ways, so with a little attention paid to weight loss, nutrition and continuing to be active – married people truly can have the best of both worlds.

Are you married?  Have you noticed a difference in your weight or eating habits since being married?

Especially when it comes to someone who has a high BMI (Body Mass Index) – where they are approaching or already classified as obese – losing weight has to be a great thing right?

Apparently it is not that simple.

I came across a recent research study that analyzed various races and ages across a spectrum of body mass indexes and found something quite shocking…that after 50, weight loss of more than 15% was associated with an increased mortality rate NOT the other way around.

In fact, if someone was already living with a very unhealthy weight – say they were obese – they were STILL more likely to outlive the person (assuming they were both over 50) that lost more weight…seems odd doesn’t it?

Three things immediately come to mind when I read this research…

1. We don’t yet fully understand the link between weight, weight loss and overall health – we get better each decade, but we are still largely in the dark

2. A question I had from the study was over what time period did they take into account the weight loss…follow me here, people over 50 have a much higher risk of various diseases including cancer, diabetes, etc..which may very well result in an unnatural weight loss that is certainly more than 15% of your current weight.  So it could just be that the study was simply measuring the propensity for weight loss in older people at extreme levels is associated with illness and thus, mortality?

3. In any case, we know it is not healthy to be obese.  We know that healthy and lasting weight loss needs to incorporate moderate exercise, stress management, a controlled diet and some smarter nutritional choices in addition to maintenance of muscle tone.  Weight lost following this balanced approach is much different that losing 20lbs by using one method alone.  In other words, our health will depend as much on HOW we lose our weight as on HOW MUCH weight we lose.

To get 20 of the top, most healthy and balanced weight loss tips – grab them from the right by submitting your name and email, these techniques work, are fast and painless AND they last.

What do you think, is weight loss associated to being more healthy?

Already we are faced with the prospect of wearning shorts, t-shirts and tank tops – thighs and arm fat are suddenly out in the open for all to see, not to mention the extra belly fat we are carrying from our winter indulgences.

But we all know what is really coming…the dreaded bathing suit season where suddenly our hips and belly are visible…so what is the best way to lose fat?

1. Cut down on your overall calorie intake. This doesn’t mean STOP eating…it just means that if you are eating large meals or snacking between meals, either cut those out or substituate low calorie foods. Try substituting carrot sticks for chips or 2 rice cakes for cookies, low fat yogurt for pudding or bread. By getting smarter about your calorie intake, you can set the stage to lose fat fast

2. Get Moving! Fit more movement into your day. Usually you hear that you need to exercise to lose fat — but really what you need to do is move, your body will take care of the rest. So, get up an extra 30-minutes earlier and go out for a brisk walk before your day starts. Go for a walk or job at lunchtime. Fit a game of tennis in twice this week, go out for a bike ride with your kids, or even walk up and down your stairs a few dozen times while you have a spare 15-minutes in the house or at work. Not only do these activities burn fat, they enhance the overall function of your metabolism resulting in fat loss at rest as well as while you move.

3. Drink more water. Not only do our cells require fresh, clear and pure water to function enhancing overall health and vitality, water also fends off the crappy feelings associated with de-hydration such as headaches that keep us from being more active AND they help flush toxins out of our system that impact the digestive system resulting in more fat accumulation.

4. Manage Stress – we all have stress in our lives and stress have been proven to contribute to weight gain – so learning to manage stress results in fat loss. Physiologically, when we are under chronic stress our system actually produces more sugar which gets stored as fat. So, the same person who eats 2500 calories a day with the exact same foods but has more stress will gain weight over someone else who eats the same, but knows how to manage stress.

5. Be consistent – small changes in your diet (cutting out or substituting snacks), adding more movement to your daily routine and periodic meditaton to help manage stress will work to lose fat quickly, but you must be willing to apply them consistently. Doing this for 3-days will not give you the fat loss results you seek. Stick with it for a few weeks and you will begin to see very visible and real differences though.

Remember – these 5 ways to lose fat quickly do not interfere with your lifestyle and therefore should be easy to keep up consistently which is the mark of a truly successful weight loss and fat burning system.

If you have found a way to lose fat that works for you – leave us a comment and we’ll make sure that others can benefit from it too.