Dieting is a unique experience for each individual. In my case, I found out that dieting works best if I do it with someone else. The dieting buddy system gives me comfort and assurance that weight loss is not an exclusive burden for me. I don’t feel alone in my weight loss journey.

I enjoy how I can talk with another person about a certain diet menu. We can swap recipes, tricks, and frustrations. Comparing weight loss progress, we work together towards a common goal.

So I guess for some people, dieting works best with peer power. Being around a group of people with a common goal can really help. We all eat the same food and no one can tempt anyone to sway away from the goal.

I also encountered a group of power walkers in the park and later on discovered that they were close friends who were doing the exercise to lose weight. According to one of them, the system works because they can help and encourage one another.

In the gym,  I also found some people who who workout together. They make sure to spend some time in the gym instead of eating in a coffee shop. They find the workout time more productive than walking around the mall or chatting in a coffee shop. All of these are peer groups who hang out in the gym regularly.

Then there is a group of young moms who are into some aerobic and belly dancing. I have really discovered a lot of groups who take some time to sweat it out. It seems it is more fun to lose weight with friends.

However, there is also a downside to these diet peer groups. Once exercise time is over, there might be a temptation to eat out as a group as well. There is no doubt that eating with friends is fun but there should always be some prudence in choosing the right kind of food to take in. It would be a total waste to pig out after a good workout.

The bottom line is when it comes to losing weight, stick with what works. As for me, I feel better that I am with a buddy who can encourage and help me stay away from temptation. But with a group or not, it is best to check out the healthier and safer ways to shed the pounds

Do you prefer losing weight with a friend or do you prefer to go on a weight loss journey alone? How has your experience been when you try to lose weight with a friend?

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If you find yourself going less and less to the gym or you find your exercise equipment gathering more dust, then you are just one of many people who have lost motivation in staying in shape. Well, there is really nothing to be ashamed of.  There is hope because there are ways to get you motivated to exercise.

An article on Mayo Clinic, presented key seven tips on staying motivated to exercise. These are the following:

• Set Goals. Start with simple goals and then progress to longer range goals. Remember to make your goals realistic and achievable. It’s easy to get frustrated and give up if your goals are too ambitious.

• Make it Fun. Find sports or activities that you enjoy, then vary the routine to keep you on your toes. If you’re not enjoying your workouts, try something different. Join a volleyball or softball league. Take a ballroom dancing class.

• Make Physical Activities Part Of Your Daily Routine. If it’s hard to find time for exercise, don’t fall back on excuses. Schedule workouts as you would any other important activity. You can also slip in physical activity throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Put it On Paper. Are you hoping to lose weight? Boost your energy? Sleep better? Manage a chronic condition? Write it down. Seeing the benefits of regular exercise on paper may help you stay motivated.

• Join Forces with Friends, Neighbors, or Others. You’re not in this alone. Invite friends or co-workers to join you when you exercise. Work out with your partner or other loved ones.

• Reward Yourself. After each exercise session, take a few minutes to savor the good feelings that exercise gives you. This type of internal reward can help you make a long-term commitment to regular exercise.

• Be Flexible.If you’re too busy to work out or simply don’t feel up to it, take a day or two off. Be gentle with yourself if you need a break. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as you can.

All seven tips are true and doable. The seven tips are easy to comprehend and follow. These tips can motivate anyone to start exercising again. The article addresses the most common excuses why it is hard to stay motivated to get back in shape.

Exercise can be a bonding activity with family and friends. Most importantly the tips enumerated show that exercise does not have to be regimented. Exercise is a fitting way to stay in shape or lose weight.  The good news about exercise is that it can be incorporated in your everyday activities or chores.

For those who are seriously looking for ways to lose weight then look no further. Considering all the tips to lose weight, it is quite easy to lose weight or get back to shape now.

What motivates you to keep on exercising? Any helpful tips you’d like to share with us?

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There are just too many diet programs these days. Some seem reliable but most seem almost ridiculous. Diets that over promise but don’t really guarantee consistent weight loss are categorized as a fad diet.

I have been struggling with my weight for as long as I can remember. The promise of quick weight loss results is really quite tempting. Who can blame me for wanting to looking good quickly? I have never experienced feeling and looking skinny in my life. Hence, I would not mind fast results. I had resorted to all sorts of things like drinking nothing but fruit juices for two days, eating cabbage soup for a week, swallowing tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before each meal, and eating a grapefruit everyday.  Yes, I did all that. I did lose weight but as soon as I got back to consuming normal food, I gained it all back. Unfortunately, I gained more weight.

Through the years I have discovered what is truly fabulous about fad diets. Fad diets could actually be used to jumpstart a real weight loss plan. Some fad diets are geared towards cleansing the body. This helps a lot to start diet momentum. The immediate weight loss results from fad diets should be treated as perks and not as a mainstay advantage. Reality is, there is nothing permanent about fad diets. By knowing that our bodies are capable of shedding off pounds, we must aspire to lose weight properly. By eating correctly and exercising regularly, anyone can achieve ideal body weight.

So there is really nothing wrong with fad diets. Just take them as they are but do not rely on them. They can jumpstart the weight loss but it’s better to get on a healthier and more reliable program soon as the pounds start to drop. I for one have learned my lesson with fad diets. Now, I don’t get too excited with weight loss promises. If I do get a fad diet, I make sure to complement it with a healthy exercise routine. Most importantly, I consult a doctor or a health expert to see it the fad diet is credible. I just do not believe all the promises right away.

The only time fad diets are fab is when I know I can keep the weight off for a very long time and I am in good health.

Have you ever been on a fad diet? Are you aware of any ridiculous fad diets? What’s the worst fad diet you’ve ever done? Please feel free to share your experience.

The post Should You Go On Fad Diets? appeared first on EveryoneLoseWeight.com.

I am a certified snackaholic. Anytime of the day I find myself munching on something. I enjoy all kinds of snacks ranging from cookies, chips, and shakes. I’m not surprised that my weight ballooned to almost 160 lbs; that’s pretty heavy for my petite body frame.

It does not take a rocket scientist to realize the ugly effects of my unhealthy munching. I really had to seek healthier alternatives. I had to start munching on healthy snacks.  I thought it would be hard and challenging until I saw an article on Shape.com. The article listed eight healthy late night snacks. But I figured I could munch on them during the day as well. Here they are:

• Cottage Cheese With Live Cultures
• Promegranate With Greek Yogurt
• Endangered Species Organic Dark Chocolate
• Pistachio Nuts
• Chocolate Peanut Balls
• So Delicious Original Fermented Coconut Milk
• Low-Sugar Double Chocolate Pudding
• Mounds of Joy

The healthy snack alternatives were all very easy to prepare. Take note on what the article has to say about cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese is an excellent choice for a nighttime snack because it’s low in carbohydrates and high in protein. Don’t shy away from “full-fat” cottage cheese, as 2/3 cup of full-fat cottage cheese contains less than 6 grams of fat, which will help you feel fuller and kill cravings. Look for cottage cheese with live and active cultures to get a dose of probiotics without having to take a supplement.

At times when I can’t find the right cottage cheese, I make my own. It’s actually very simple. I just heat a couple of cups of low-fat milk for fifteen minutes. Then I add some white vinegar. The low-fat milk slowly curdles looking like cottage cheese. But I’m not really sure about the calorie content of my own concoction so I eat mostly the one recommended above.

Knowing that pistachio nuts are great late-night snack alternatives, I usually munch on them during the day as well.  They are great alternatives to my bag-of-chips habit. The low-sugar double chocolate pudding are also a delicious dessert alternative.

I have not really stopped the habit of munching but I have changed the kind of food that I usually munch on. I have stayed away from greasy chips and sinful sweets. Slowly, I am feeling that my weight is slowly reducing. As a matter of fact, my jeans are getting loose and I am feeling more energized. True enough, munching on the right kind of snack makes a lot of difference and if I may say, it’s truly a safe way to lose weight.

What are your favorite healthy snacks? Are the snacks you have easy to prepare or are they pre-made? Do you have any snack tips you’d like to share?

The post Munch Away With Healthy Snacks To Lose Weight appeared first on EveryoneLoseWeight.com.

A more common reason for weight gain is impulse eating. We are all, one time or another, guilty of eating mindlessly. Most especially during special occasions, we end up eating much more than necessary, taking in an extra handful of peanuts or munching on chocolate-coated raisins.

According to this article that I found at GoodHouseKeeping.com:

You can’t count on your body to send you signals like a stomach ache to stop you from overeating. When you consume only 200 or 300 extra calories a day, your body doesn’t get upset — it just gets bigger.

It is best to be aware of the surroundings while we are eating so as not to fall into the trap of impulse eating. Eating around family and friends is a common pitfall. Families who usually enjoy chatting on the dinner table tend to munch on more food.  Somehow, a good story or two goes well with some coffee and cake. Then as the conversation gets more interesting, we think of more food to munch on. It’s a vicious cycle that we are all guilty of.

The article also speaks of helpful ways to arrest the situation without compromising our presence during family dinners. According to the article:

You don’t have to eat alone to watch your weight. When you show up at a holiday dinner, snack on some healthy veggies immediately, so you won’t be ravenous when the meal starts. Portion-control trick: Instead of waiting to accept the humongous piles of food your great-aunt dishes out, offer to serve everyone at the table.

By heeding this advice we can avoid impulse eating and at the same time not break great-aunt’s heart. Portion-control can help us avoid the extra food servings. This can also spare us from feeling over-stuffed. It is always good to remember that family time is bonding time and the best way to bond is through heartfelt conversations.

It is best to be aware of the fact that we are all capable of impulse eating. The challenge is avoiding such unhealthy habit without jeopardizing any social interaction.  But as a motivation, keep in mind that:

If you outsmart the traps that keep you nibbling, you could lose up to 10 pounds a year, without any dieting or exercising.

Knowing that we can lose about 10 pounds a year, it’s best to avoid impulse eating.

Are you guilty of impulse eating? Do you have any tips to help others control impulse eating? Feel free to share.

The post It’s Time You Do Away With Impulse Eating appeared first on EveryoneLoseWeight.com.

I have heard a lot of people say “I need to lose weight”. I have heard my friends say this often enough. And yes, I have said it twice as much. All the articles I read on losing weight and diet programs just seem to be too much bother for me, or too much for my purse. There’s just too much involved in losing weight. I sometimes envy other friends who, no matter what or how much they eat, never gain an inch of weight in years. Since we all know that not everyone is blessed with that kind of metabolism at any age, some have to really struggle with weight gain.

Good thing, I found 25 practical ways to lose weight. The article on the USA Today website is perfect for people like you and me who need to lose the weight without going through all the hassle and effort.  The 25 practical tips and ways to lose weight were drawn up by registered dieticians. They are the following: Dawn Jackson Blatner, Elizabeth Ward, Bonnie Taub-Dix, and Keith Ayoob. Their tips are really helpful. They are actually very simple. No need for yearly subscriptions to the gym, strict food group diets, or anything else that puts a dent in your pocket.

As a whole, the list subtly tells us to instill all the practical tips into our everyday life in order to keep the weight off. Needless to say, it can surely help us live a healthier lifestyle. One practical tip I am using right now is tip # 5 that simply says, “Move it to lose it.” It’s common sense. Now, I make sure to spend at least some good thirty minutes on a bike to perspire. Also, I take a couple of minutes to walk and enjoy the fresh air. I find that “moving” not only helps me feel lighter, it also makes me feel so much better.

In my opinion, the most important thing to remember about weight loss is our attitude. We hold the key in anything that we do. We know our body better than anybody else. If we take the time to discover what our body needs and address the ‘problems’, then there is no way that we cannot conquer.

Do you have other practical tips for losing weight? Would you like to share one effective tip that you think helped you lose or maintain your weight?

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