Weight Loss Information

You're familiar with all the ads, I'm sure. "LOSE 18 POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS!"

Or maybe you've just had it with people thinking you're pregnant, you can't bear to put on a swimsuit, you dread mirrors and you think "I'll just go on a starvation diet and by the time vacation rolls around, everything will be okay!"

So you go on the diet and you actually lose 25 pounds. Time to celebrate and break out the champagne, right? Not necessarily.

FAT OR MUSCLE

What if the weight loss was mostly muscle? A study done at Tufts University showed that low calorie diets done without strength training result in loss of lean muscle mass as well as fat (Combined Exercise and Dietary Intervention to Optimize Body Composition in Aging, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., November 20, 1998; 854(1): 378 - 393). That was even true of subjects that were engaging in aerobic exercise. In contrast, subjects that engaged in resistance training increased their lean muscle mass as well as decreasing losing fat.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Why should you care? Weight loss is weight loss, right? Wrong. Muscle burns more calories than fat does. One of the reasons people tend to gain weight as they get older is because people tend to lose lean muscle mass. As they lose muscle mass, their metabolism drops and it becomes easier to put on weight.

This is one of the reasons for yo-yo dieting. When someone loses weight rapidly, without the benefit of strength building exercises, they tend to lose lean muscle mass and their metabolism drops, setting them up to regain all of the weight and then some, only this time, it will ALL be fat, dropping your metabolism still lower and making it that much more difficult to lose weight the next time around. It's a vicious cycle.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

What can you do about it? Well, if you work out at a gym, you can get one of the trainers to measure your body fat percentage with calipers. Try testing every couple of weeks or even once a month. Also, try to get the same person to measure your body fat percentage each time to minimize operator error variations. Notice I said operator error. The measurement could be off by 2 or 3 percent in either direction, depending on who's doing the measuring. So, what good does the measurement do you if it's not even all that accurate?

Well, the point is, you want to tell if you are moving in the right direction. Say, for example, on the 1st of June a trainer measures your body fat percentage at 20% and you weight 180 pounds. That would mean that you have 36 pounds of fat in your body and 144 pounds of lean mass (which would include bones). A month later, the same trainer measures your body fat percentage at 18% and you weigh 182 pounds.

Before, you might have thought, what a disaster! I've been working hard and I'm actually gaining weight! But actually, you would be on the right track because now you have 33 pounds of fat and 147 pounds of lean mass. You've lost 3 pounds of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle, and increased your metabolism in the bargain.

IF YOU EXERCISE AT HOME

But what if you don't work out at a gym? Well, first of all, if you aren't working out at a gym, I hope you're doing strength exercises at home. (For more information about strength exercises, see my posts Strength Training to Promote Weight Loss and Putting Together a Home Gym.)

Fortunately, there are scales now that test for fat percentage. They are called bioelectrical impedance scales. The scale works by sending a small and completely harmless electrical current through the body. The current passes more quickly through muscle than fat. Based on the impedance reading, the scale makes a calculation and spits out the body fat percentage.

CONCLUSION

Again, it matters little if the percentage reading is 100% accurate. What's important is that the percentage reading is getting better as your diet and workout program progress.

It doesn't really matter how many pounds you lose. What matters is body composition -- how much fat you have relative to how much lean muscle mass, and the best way this is expressed is in body fat percentage.

Got a bunch of very interesting weight loss tips for women that could help you to lose up to 15 pounds in three weeks. Summer just around the corner, these quick fix tips could help you to lose weight very quickly.

1. Loss Weight Tips for Women

Now listen closely, 80% of overweight people skip their morning breakfast daily while 80% of skinny or lean people eat a good morning breakfast everyday. This one simple tip alone could correct a lot of your daily eating habits. They, eggs is the best choice for morning breakfast since eggs are high in protein an keeps you full through out the day.

2. Have one can of black beans daily

The say black beans are on the list of Super Foods and plus they are very cheap to buy just least then $1.00. Black beans have about 25 grams of protein, and also have 25 grams of fiber. That fiber intake is more then the daily amount needed on a daily basics. I would recommend you eat a half can during your morning breakfast and half can during lunch.

3. Consume three apples on daily basics

Now you probably wondering I heard that many of times. Though if you are not eating three apples a day you're missing out on some easy weight loss pounds on the table. Just eating missing apples a day you could lose 1.5 to 2.5 pounds in a month and for one to three months just doing that alone. Its one of the easiest weight loss tips that many do not know.

The to consume three apples a day would be just to eat an apple among your meals, but eating the apples before meals is even better since it makes your stomach full before eating.

Adding these three simple weight loss tips for women and you will be seeing a faster weight loss in a lot faster time better option than acomplia.

If your feed up with all the hype and boring weight loss tips for women, like eat more vegetables, fruits, drink more water, and jogging. Now you just found the right person to get you to your weight loss goals. I will make loss weight much more enjoyable.

Resources: Ezinearticles.com

I would imagine that at one point in time, over half the population has looked for a magic solution that will cause rapid weight loss. Maybe it's because summer is coming up, we want to look great for a wedding, or some other reason. We want our body to look like it did when we were twenty years old and we think a weight loss pill will do the trick. We want to lose weight quickly and easily!

Other than dangerous pills, the easiest way to lose weight is the old fashioned way. Diet and exercise. I know that sounds harsh, but there are a few programs now that show you how to do it the easy way -really. Here are some tips to help you get started

Drink lots of water - DUH! You've all heard that one before.

Water helps flush waste from your body, and speeds your metabolism. It also helps decrease your appetite. Also, when you exercise vigorously your body will lose water, so keep plenty on hand and sip while you workout.

Good Nutritious Food

As much as possible, eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to eliminate processed food that contain added salt. Salt increases blood pressure, and also causes bloating - not good for weight loss. Also try to use fresh foods when cooking. They have a better taste than canned foods, and are much healthier for you.

Eat!

I know you didn't expect to see this in an article about rapid weight loss. The funny thing is, when trying to lose weight many people skip meals and starve themselves. This does NOT work, and actually slows your metabolism, halting your weight loss efforts. You really need to eat a healthy breakfast to give your metabolism a boost in the mornings.

Eat more often, in smaller amounts. You will be surprised what a difference this will make! You will never feel hungry, and consequently will not overeat at a meal. This is a very important trick to losing weight. This is just one way you can use the foods you eat to achieve rapid weight loss.

Spice Things UP

Eating spicy foods is known to be good for your heart, as well as circulation and cholesterol. Did you know that eating foods containing capsaicin can help you lose weight? Peppers and foods such as salsa are really super-good for you, and also help boost metabolism.

Eating healthy, exercising and using common sense are very important to long term weight loss. However, when you are really in need of a rapid weight loss plan, there are a few effective ways to achieve your goal. These are some super fat-burning, metabolism boosting methods of choosing when and what kind of foods you eat. Take a look at some of these programs, and change your body as well as your life!