I was at the grocery store the other day, doing my weekly shopping and reading food labels like I always do, when and acquaintance came up and said, "Why are you reading labels? You can eat anything you want with all of that exercise you do!" I have to say that this is probably one of the biggest misconceptions that people have.
I talk to many people who are frustrated because they are working out and not losing weight, or not seeing the results they want. The first question I always ask them is, "Have you changed your eating habits?" The answer is usually no. I have to tell you that it takes both exercise and healthy eating habits to lose weight and shape up.
Consider this - to lose one pound, you must create a 3500 calorie deficit. That means you have to burn off 3500 MORE calories than you consume just to lose one pound. How many times have you said to yourself, "I worked out today, I can have that piece of cake, candy bar, etc"? Instead of rewarding yourself with food for working out, use it as motivation to eat better. Say to yourself, "I worked out really hard today. I don't want to blow it by eating this cake, candy bar, etc." Remember that everything you eat adds up!
Some helpful tips:
1. Read food labels!!! Know what a serving size is and how many calories it contains.
2. Educate yourself on the nutrition contents of the foods you eat.
3. Be smart about portion sizes.
4. Don't reward yourself for working out with food. Find other ways to reward yourself for meeting your short-term goals.
5. If you really want something that you know you shouldn't have, allow yourself a SMALL portion. Take one bite and throw the rest away. (I know this sounds hard, but you can do it!)
Remember - exercise is NOT a license to eat anything you want! Combine your workouts with a healthy, balanced diet and you will see the results of your hard work much faster.
Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.shapefit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life!
no-contract cleaning service Des Plaines ..It's been called the world's oldest medicine, the miracle fat... Read More
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss... Read More
More than 70% of US adults are overweight and that... Read More
A reader recently wrote to ask why I don't include... Read More
Welcome to lesson #2. First of all, I believe that... Read More
How to Estimate How Many Calories You Can Have and... Read More
New Medical Research shows high-intensity exercise can increase the body's... Read More
In order to lose weight, your body must burn more... Read More
Lose The Weight For Good With The Seven Phases of... Read More
My last article, Make Diets Work, concluded that dieting the... Read More
Losing weight can make a significant and life altering change... Read More
One of the greatest tricks that I use to stick... Read More
"I am going to start a diet tomorrow". How many... Read More
Many women want to be slim. Maybe you're one of... Read More
We are a large people. 65% of us are overweight,... Read More
Experts tell us that overweight or obese children have reached... Read More
I had some questions come in about Ephedra. So I... Read More
Infrared Radiant Heat (IRRH) is a form of radiation that... Read More
Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and... Read More
The underlying principles of low carb diets are based on... Read More
Here's what to do if you want to wear that... Read More
A state of emergency has been recently put on European... Read More
An increasing trend over the last few years has been... Read More
Recently, a Japanese study showed dramatic results of organ fat... Read More
I want to make this perfectly clear, fruits are healthy... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
Self-acceptance and body love can be tough concepts to grasp... Read More
For sometime now, you've been hearing about the Milk Diet... Read More
All of the things we tell sick people so that... Read More
In the battle to look good, there's a cosmetic treatment... Read More
It's now official. The simple act of fidgeting can mean... Read More
I've worked with hundreds of people who were interested in... Read More
Negative thoughts, symbolic protection, being who we really are ........ Read More
More and more people are turning to hypnosis or hypnotherapy... Read More
I recently received the following email:Q. Five weeks ago, I... Read More
Well we're at it again, trying to honor our promise... Read More
Dieting will continue to fail most dieters, unless personalized weight... Read More
There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
Fat Loss Tip #2) Drink More WaterI know, I know,... Read More
Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
No doubt about it, when we feel stressed we want... Read More
I had 14 weight/health-oriented newsletters in my inbox this morning.... Read More
If you are overweight and suffer from pain in your... Read More
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More
The Order of Energy UtilizationBack to our table of stored... Read More
Franchised Business Models and American Diets could be at odds.... Read More
Why have I allowed myself to get into this shape?... Read More
Gastric bypass surgeries are temporary physical fixes to a long... Read More
If you are a mom at home on a diet,... Read More
Everyone from politicians to parents is talking about fighting the... Read More
Weight Loss |