Category Weight Loss & Diet

Individuals who have been diagnosed with diabetes should make it a point to control their weight because having too much body fat makes it harder to control blood sugar. Diabetics need to watch what they eat closely, and they need to step on the scale regularly in order to be certain that they are achieving their weight loss goals or sticking with their ideal weight range.

Eating diabetes friendly foods is one way that those with diabetes can work on controlling their disease, but those same foods can also help those who haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes. Check out the following list of diabetes friendly foods that can also help you manage your weight.

Leafy Greens

One of the most nutritious foods out there is leafy green veggies, and there are so many to choose from, so you will never grow bored. Why are they good for your weight, though? Well, they’re very low in calories, yet they contain high amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Vitamin C, in particular, is capable of reducing fasting blood sugar, and it can support weight loss as well.

Nuts

According to Times Now News, nuts are some of the best diabetes friendly foods because they’re low in carbohydrates, and they can help reduce your insulin and blood sugar levels. Plus, nuts contain healthy fats and protein, so they are a wonderful addition to any diet that is aimed at reducing the number on the scale.

Greek Yogurt

Eating some Greek yogurt will help give your body a nice dose of beneficial probiotics, which can support healthy blood sugar levels. Plus, because yogurt has plenty of protein, it can help you feel full so that you can better control your appetite. Eat some yogurt to enjoy a snack that can help you slim down or maintain a healthy weight.

Consider adding the foods above to your daily diet. You might be surprised by how good they make you feel, and by how much they can help you achieve your weight loss goals, whether you have diabetes or not.

Can you eat carbs and lose weight? Yes, you can! In order to get the results that you’re after, however, you do need to follow a few smart strategies, such as the ones that are listed below.

Why You Actually Shouldn’t Cut Out Carbs

Even though you might think that you can’t eat carbs if you want to lose weight, the truth is that your body needs carbs every day. Your body considers carbohydrates its go-to source of energy because they provide glucose as a fuel for bodily processes. Even your brain relies on glucose to function at its best. Following an unhealthy low carb diet can make you feel super tired and mentally drained. Also, if you are leading an active lifestyle, eating carbs will help provide you with the energy you need to perform at your best.

Eat Less Overall

You can certainly eat carbs throughout the day, as they do serve as an important energy source for your entire body. However, make it a point to reduce the amount of calories that you are ingesting during the day. To achieve weight loss results, you need to eat fewer calories, and you need to burn more calories through exercise and other physical activity.

Choose the Right Carbs

There are a lot of carbohydrates out there, so when it comes to eating carbs as part of a healthy diet, it all boils down to choosing the right foods. While cutting out carbs completely is not a good idea, you can reduce unhealthy carbohydrates, such as white pasta and white bread. Beyond that, it is a great idea to eat carbs that are packed with nutrition and low in calories and fat, such as long-grain rice, whole grains, legumes, beans, fruits, and vegetables.

Bottom line: don’t ditch carbs completely, no matter how many fad diets come and go with claims that carbohydrates are bad for you. Not all carbs are bad, and your body relies on carbs for energy. Simply being active and choosing the right carbohydrates to consume daily is the best way to meet your body’s needs, while also sticking to your weight loss plan.

Just because you are over 40 years old certainly does not mean that you have to give up on the idea of having great abs. In fact, with the right strategy, you can sport strong, sexy abs that you will be proud to show off. Check out the tips below if you want a strategy for great abs that will work.

Be Sure to Work on Your Obliques

The obliques are the muscles on the sides of the abdominals, and a lot of people make the mistake of neglecting these while focusing on the muscles down the middle of the abs. Whenever you work on your core, don’t forget those side abs because they will help give you a firm, toned belly.

Switch Up Your Workouts

There is a wide range of core workouts that you can use to get great abs after your 40th birthday. Traditional sit-ups are a good place to start. According to Best Life, sit-ups target the muscles in the core that will help give you that 6-pack that you’re after. To get the best results, however, you need to make sure that you are using proper form at all times. Beyond sit-ups, though, there are also yoga poses, like boat pose, and you can also hang from a pull-up bar and perform leg raises to hit those lower abs, which can be hard to target.

Know What to Eat

The right foods can help you get amazing abs, particularly when you combine a great diet with a solid workout routine. But, what you thought was good for your abs might not necessarily be so. For example, you can have carbs; you just need to eat the right types of carbs. This means that eating foods like French fries or white bread is definitely a bad idea, but it also means that getting carbs from healthy foods like sweet potatoes is a smart move. Sweet potatoes, in particular, have a lot of carotenoids that can help keep calories from transforming into embarrassing fat. Plus, sweet potatoes and other healthy carbs have loads of fiber that can help you keep a lean physique to show off the abs you’re building.

As you can see, there are several ways that you can keep working on your core even in your 40s. Just be sure to eat right and exercise with consistency. Join a weight loss forum for support and accountability. You might need to be more patient and put in more effort than you used to when you were younger, but you will get great abs before you know it.

Good ol’ plain water is the best way to hydrate your body, especially during the summer season when the sun is strong and the temperature is high. Unfortunately, drinking plain water can get boring pretty quickly. That being the case, what are some weight loss friendly summer thirst quenchers that aren’t plain water, and that won’t get in the way of your beach bod? Keep reading for a few fun and tasty options you can try.

Coconut Water

When it comes to summer thirst quenchers, definitely give coconut water a try. The tropical flavor alone will pair perfectly with summer vibes, but there are plenty of other great reasons that experts recommend this drink. Compared to sports drinks, coconut water is rich in potassium, yet low in carbs. When you have an unsweetened version, you can avoid excess sugar while hydrating your body if you’re spending time in the sun or getting in a solid workout.

Iced Coffee

Need an energy boost? Reach for some iced coffee, which does act as a diuretic, but actually won’t dehydrate you, as previously thought. According to a study in PLOS ONE, moderate daily consumption of coffee will not lead to dehydration. Woohoo! You can drink your favorite cup o’ joe with some ice to get a boost in your physical and mental performance, while also hydrating your body and quenching your thirst.

Smoothies

No list of summer thirst quenchers would be complete without mentioning smoothies. Have these in moderation, as they might be high in sugar, depending upon the ingredients used. Sticking with green smoothies that combine fruits and vegetables is also a wonderful way to quench your thirst, while also giving your body a nice dose of antioxidants.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Drinking is one way to hydrate your body; eating is another. With the right foods on your place, you can quench your thirst, hydrate your body, and stick to your weight loss plan all at the same time. Try adding more lettuce, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, and celery to your summer recipes in order to ensure your body remains properly hydrated and ready for action.

With these summer thirst quenchers, you can rest assured that your body will remain hydrated even in the hottest and driest conditions, and you won’t have to worry about undoing any of your weight loss efforts either. So, go ahead and indulge!

Are you the type of person who just really loves food? Do you find yourself willing to try a variety of different foods from cultures from around the world because you just want to try out all of the flavors that are out there? Then you might be wondering about how to lose weight when you love food and you love to eat so much. Well, there’s hope, and a few tips are found below to help you get started.

Master Portion Control

When it comes to how to lose weight when you love food, it is all about mastering portion control. You could start by calculating your ideal calorie intake for the day, and then creating your meal plans and setting your portions around that calorie count. In this way, you can eat all of the foods that you love without going overboard.

Let Yourself Indulge

You don’t need to give up your favorite flavors and foods just because you are trying to lose weight. In addition to controlling your portions, you can also give yourself a treat here and there so that you can let yourself indulge. After all, many dieters end up struggling the most when they cut out entire food groups or eliminate specific foods from their diet altogether.

Stick to Healthier Cooking Methods

Finally, the way that you cook your food can also have an impact upon your ability to slim down. Swapping deep fried foods for baked foods is just one example of how you can lose weight even when you love food. You can still enjoy all of the flavors and textures that you have grown to love, and you can still experiment with new recipes, but just be sure to cook in a way that reduces your intake of fat and calories. Be sure to organize your kitchen for weight loss to make cooking healthy meals more doable.

With a better understanding of how to lose weight when you love food, you can still indulge in all of the foods and flavors that you crave without undoing your progress.

When it comes to losing weight and getting in shape, there are a lot of factors at play, and you have probably heard a lot of advice regarding what you should eat and how active you should be in order to get the best results. But what is really the biggest weight loss factor that you should be focusing on? Continue reading to learn more so that you can make the most of your weight loss efforts.

The Biggest Weight Loss Factor: Accountability

You might be surprised by the fact that experts believe that accountability is actually the biggest weight loss factor that you need to consider, not what you eat or how much you exercise. Of course, what you eat and how much you work out will definitely play a big role in just how much weight you lose and how much stronger and slimmer you become, but if you are not accountable, you will fall off course before you can achieve your results.

Accountability could be towards yourself if you are going about your weight loss journey on your own. Or you might hold yourself accountable to a fitness coach who will lead the way and make sure you stay the course. Or you might feel accountable to your workout buddy or your family who want you to get in shape so that you can be healthier and enjoy many more years with them. Being willing to put the work in and being ready to recognize when you are doing great and when you are falling short is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. This is regardless of whether you are taking weight loss supplements or to reach your goals.

Other Important Weight Loss Factors

The other factors that are associated with the greatest weight loss results include eating right and working out. But when it comes to eating right, it isn’t just about how much you eat, it’s also about the quality. If you find yourself eating a lot of junk food when you’re first starting out on your weight loss journey, take small steps until you’re eating organic, natural foods. And if you’re struggling to exercise for even just 30 minutes, start by putting in just 10 minutes per day and work your way up. Holding yourself accountable along the way will ensure you meet your milestones without giving up.

Once you know what the biggest weight loss factor really is, you could use that information to take your weight loss journey to the next level. Rather than wasting your time and energy on factors that aren’t as important, you could focus your efforts where they count the most and lose the most weight in the shortest amount of time.

If you have a certain number of pounds that you want to lose, you might be wondering just how many calories you will need to cut in order to reach your goal. So how many calories do you have to burn off in order to lose just one pound of fat? We give you all the information that you need below.

The Basic Formula

There is a basic formula that you can use to figure out how many calories you need to cut in order to lose a pound of fat each week. Put simply, in order to lose a pound of fat, you need to burn off a total of 3,500 calories.

This is a pretty well known formula that has been around for a while, so people have been using it in order to calculate how many calories they would need to cut over the course of a week so that they could lose a pound per week. But you could also try another strategy to lose more weight in the same amount of time.

The Latest Information on How to Lose Weight More Quickly

Unfortunately, if you want to lose more than just one pound per week, you need to burn more than 3,500 calories—a lot more. As you might have guessed, in order to burn off two pounds of body fat, you need to burn double the amount of calories than you previously thought: 7,000 calories! But this typically works for most people over a longer period of time than just one week. After all, it could be difficult to burn off 1,000 calories every day.

Finding the Right Balance

For the average dieter, it is a lot easier to aim to cut 3,500 calories per week, which translates to about 500 calories per day. If you want to lose a pound of fat per week, you need to stick to this strict formula. If you want to lose two pounds per week to get faster results, though, you need to aim to burn 7,000 calories over the course of that week.

Whether you choose to go with the basic 3,500 calorie formula or you aim higher with 7,000 calories per week, you should be able to start seeing results with these weight-loss plans. The key is to eat right and be active every day so that you can restrict the number of calories that you eat while also burning excess calories with your workout routine.

When you are trying to lose weight, and when you are having a lot of difficulty shedding those excess pounds, you might be tempted to start following some of the many extreme weight loss methods that are out there. But this is dangerous, and there are many reasons why you should not try losing weight by following those methods. Continue reading to learn more so you can make the appropriate choices for your overall health when you need to slim down.

Your Body Doesn’t Get the Nutrition That It Needs

Dramatically cutting back on what you eat every day is one of the most common extreme weight loss methods, but cutting all of those calories also means that you will be cutting out a lot of the nutrition that your body needs every day to be energized and to stay healthy. Also, when you cut too many calories, you could adversely affect your metabolism, and your body will basically move into starvation mode and prevent weight loss. And if you think that you can just take supplements, think again, as your body requires nutrition from food in order to function at its best.

You Will Not Have Enough Energy

Another common consequence of extreme weight loss methods is a lack of energy. Not only will you feel fatigued and moody, but you will also be unable to get through your workouts, which are important if you want to burn more calories and fat while building more muscle. Basically, if you don’t have the right amount of calories to burn and the right nutrients to use for energy, you won’t be able to go to the gym or even do yoga.

You’ll Likely Gain the Weight Back Right Away

When you lose weight too quickly, it is more likely that you will end up gaining it back just as quickly. You can’t really expect long-term weight loss when you are yo-yo dieting and when you are using extreme tactics to shock your body into slimming down. Instead, you need to consistently eat well and exercise to keep the weight off.

Following extreme weight loss methods might seem like a good idea at first, but doing so will only cause more harm than good. Instead, it really is best to be gentle with your body and to work with it so that you can slim down safely. Eat right, exercise, follow a healthy and active lifestyle, and consider getting extra weight loss support from an over-the-counter weight management product like Phentramin-D.

We all sweat. It’s necessary. It’s part of the body’s method for cooling itself down and cleaning itself out. But, boy, when you sweat, you can really stink. And that’s embarrassing. Nobody wants that. Especially when you are sweating your butt off in an intense cardio class at the gym. I’ve been there, and I know how horrifying it really is. So I knew I had to do something about it.

What did I do to finally stop stinking during cardio workouts? I outline my strategy below for those who also want to get their body odor under control.

First, Tackle the Stinky Workout Clothes

Some of the offensive odors that you experience during your workouts could be coming from your clothes rather than your body. Thankfully, there are some choices that you can make that will help reduce the stench on your clothes.

• Stick with workout clothes that are made from natural materials. Avoid synthetic fabrics that could more easily harbor the growth of bacteria.

• To prevent odors from sticking to your clothes, wash your workout gear right after you’re done exercising. Avoid letting sweaty clothes hang out on your laundry pile. You can even pre-soak your clothes in some water, vinegar, and baking soda before you throw them in the washing machine.

• Ditch the energy-sucking dryer and go eco-friendly by drying your workout clothes in the sunshine. The UV rays will destroy germs and help remove odors.

You Might Be Using the Wrong Deodorant

Deodorant might be your go-to tool when you want to stop stinking during cardio workouts, but did you know that what you use to remove body odor could actually make it worse?

There are some ingredients in body sprays, deodorants, antiperspirants, lotions, and body washes that will encourage the growth of smelly bacteria because they give the bacteria food to feast on. So if you have a body odor problem, try washing with an all-natural, minimal ingredient soap. You can also try applying apple cider vinegar or diluted lemon juice, as these contain acids that could inhibit the growth of bacteria and the smell that comes with them.

Consider Your Diet

A few of the foods that can make you stink include fish, liver, legumes, and eggs. These contain high amounts of choline, which your body might have trouble metabolizing. Plus, foods that are high in protein might also increase B.O., so experimenting with your diet might be your ticket to a stink-free workout.

So there you have it. You can stop stinking during cardio workouts and regain your confidence while you’re working out at the gym, so there’s no need to continue feeling embarrassed and out of control.

Getting to the right heart rate during your cardio workouts is the key to improving your health and stamina while also losing weight by burning the optimal amount of fat and calories. But you need to reach that target heart rate in a safe way, so keep reading for a few ways to maintain a safe heart rate range during any exercise.

Get a Heart Rate Monitor

First off, the easiest way to keep track of your heart rate, without having to check your pulse manually and do the math to count your beats per minute, is by purchasing a high quality heart rate monitor. This should be comfortable to wear during your workouts, and it will give you an easy and quick reading of what your heart is doing.

Know What Your Target Heart Rate Is

Even if you have a heart rate monitor, you will need to know what your target heart rate is in order to determine if you are able to maintain a safe heart rate or not. A simple way to calculate your target heart rate is by doing some easy math.

To determine what your maximum heart rate is, simply subtract your age from the number 220. That will give you the beats per minute that you should not exceed.

To get your target heart rate number, you need to dive into percentages, as a target heart rate is anywhere from 50-85% of your max heart rate number. So you would get a range and try to stick to that range throughout your workout.

Ease into It

Although the goal of your workout is to reach your target heart rate range, you don’t want to push your body into it too quickly, as that could cause strain and stress on your entire body, including your cardiovascular system. Instead, ease into your workout with a warm-up and then progressively make it more intense as you raise your heart rate gradually.

Once you reach your target heart rate range, you can maintain it by keeping the same level of intensity, but if you see that you start exceeding that safe range, you need to take a step back and ease up on the intensity again.

As you start to nail down the basics, it will become easier to maintain a safe heart rate during every workout routine. And doing so will ensure you are getting the most out of your exercises and really doing a good thing for your heart.