Health Secrets

Today I want to take a few minutes to talk about how to lose weight.

The formula is very simple – burn more calories than you take in.

That’s it.

However, if it was just that simple, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic on our hands, would we?

You see, reducing calories does work to help lose weight, and many diets are based around this simple fact. Most of them add a lot of extra window dressing to their programs so they can sell more books, but if you’re burning more calories than you take in, you’ll lose weight.

However, as many people can attest to, just reducing your calories loses its effectiveness over time. You see, your body is smart. If it thinks that you’re trying to starve it, it’s not going to use as many calories. You see, way back before we had cell phones, TVs, and even the wheel, having three square meals a day wasn’t a certainty. In fact, some days our ancestors would have to go without eating, and sometimes it was many days at a time.

To keep our bodies from withering away into nothing, our metabolisms reacted by burning fewer calories each day. In this way, we can go survive for a prolonged period of time with no or limited amounts of food (as long as water is available). So while the eat nothing method of weight loss, may seem like it’d be the quickest method to lose weight, that isn’t the case.

As you now know, not eating causes your metabolism to go into survival mode, so while you may not be getting many calories, your body will also not use many calories. To make matters worse, instead of burning off fat reserves, your body will start burning extra muscles (protein) since muscles require more function on a daily basis. What ultimately happens is that when you start eating again, you may weight less, but you’ll actually have a higher ratio of fat to muscle than when you started, and that’s not a good thing. To make matters worse, since your metabolism has been slowed, if you go back to eating normally, you’ll gain any weight you lost back quickly since your body just doesn’t use as many calories as it used to – it will adapt back, but that will take some time and in the meantime you’ll be gaining the weight your so desperately tried to lose back.

Fortunately most diets don’t require that you stop eating, so you metabolism won’t come to a screeching halt. However, your body will eventually adapt to even small reductions in calories. For example, say you’re reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories a day. Based on that, you should burn up about 3500 extra calories a week, resulting in about a pound of weight loss a week (1 lb of fat = 3600 calories). And at first you will.
But sooner or later your body will adapt and start to function off those 500 calories and your weight loss will again come to a halt. At this point, most people simply reduce their calories even further, and the weight loss starts again.

However, as you’ve probably already figured out, this reducing of calories can become a viscous downward spiral especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. There are only so many calories you can cut out of your diet, and the more calories you cut out, the more likely you are to have nutritional deficiencies since you’re get as many nutrients from food since you’re eating so much less of it.

Are you depressed yet?

I had to learn this the hard way, and it seems whenever I explain how your body adapts, they get a little depressed – after all, who wants to be fat forever with no hope of losing weight and keeping it off?

Fortunately, there is a simple solution – it’s called exercise. And any weight loss program worth anything will have you exercising. If a weight loss program doesn’t call for exercise, it’s setting you up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting.

Here’s what exercise will do for you:

Exercise raises your metabolism. Yes, that’s right, exercising will give your metabolism a boost.

Exercising burns calories.

Obvious? Yes.

But important to say anyway. So when you’re planning your diet, make sure you plan time for exercise. How often? Well, it’d be irresponsible for me to give advice without knowing what kind of shape you’re currently in, but most people can get away with exercising six days a week. Some people, myself included, will exercise everyday.

So if you want a simple guide to losing weight, here it is:
1) Reduce your calories. 500 calories is usually a good number.
2) Exercise several times a week for at least 20 minutes – 40 minutes is better. (if you burn 500 calories with your workouts everyday, that’s another pound a week you can lose)

That’s it. There’s more that you can do to lose weight than just those two things, and I’ll be providing more details about more advanced weight loss concepts in the future, but those two things right there can help you get started losing weight right now.

Note: If you want to lose fat, and not muscle (and who wants to lose muscle?), then it’s important that you don’t try to lose more than 2lbs/week. Your body can only use so much fat each week, so don’t fall for ridiculous sales gimmicks that promise you can lose 10lbs in one weekend. If you do manage to lose that weight, it’s going to be water weight, which you’ll gain back just as quickly as you lost it.

By now, everyone has heard that you’re supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. We’ve all heard it, but how many of us actually do it?

Very few.

Today, I’m going to cover why drinking enough water is so important for your health and why it’s absolutely essential if you want to lose weight.

First, let’s cover the basics. Your body is 60-70% water. Your blood is almost all water. Your muscles contain water. Heck, even your bones contain water. Water is essential to proper body function. Your body uses water to regulate its temperature, transport nutrients, build body tissue, digest food, breathe, lubricate joints, and a whole host of other tasks.

Basically, without water you die.

When you’re dehydrated, exercise becomes more difficult.

Studies have show that even mild dehydration of just 3% of your body weight can decrease your strength by 10%. And if 10-12% of your body’s weight in water is lost, death can occur. So before, during, and after exercise, be sure to drink water.

Water Is Essential For Weight Loss

I know that some people are afraid to drink too much water or they think they’ll get bloated and start retaining water. Actually, the opposite is true. When your body is dehydrated, even a little bit, your body starts to retain water to survive. When your body starts retaining water, your kidneys stop eliminating waste through urine so your body starts building up waste. Once your kidneys stop doing what they’re supposed to, the liver steps in and tries to help out. However, when the liver steps in to get rid of waste, it starts to neglect its other jobs, one of which is burning fat. So when you’re dehydrated, you’re not going to be burning fat. If you want to burn more fat, drink more water.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

The number you hear thrown out most often is that you should drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day (64oz). However, for many people, especially active people, your needs may be a gallon of water or more.

The National Research Council recommends 1-1.5 ml of water for ever calorie (kcal) you use each day. So, if you typically expend 2000 calories a day, then you should drink 66-100 ounces of water a day. If you expend 3000 calories a day, then you should drink 100-149 ounces of water each day.

It may seem like a lot of water, but keep in mind that once you feel thirsty, you’re already in a state of mild dehydration. Your goal should be to never be thirsty.

Hungry Or Thirsty?

It’s been said that the thirst mechanism is so weak in most people that it’s often mistaken for hunger. So next time you think you’re hungry, drink a glass of water first and wait 15 minutes. In many cases, you won’t be hungry anymore, but if you’re still hungry, then by all means eat. So just by drinking water you can stop yourself from overeating and this process alone may help you lose a few pounds.

Can I drink anything besides water?

Yes, but you should still make it your goal to drink mostly water. If you want to enjoy a sports drink after a workout, go ahead. If you want to have your morning cup of coffee, that’s also okay.

However, soda doesn’t count (you really shouldn’t drink soda except on special occasions) and alcohol certainly doesn’t count – alcohol actually dehydrates you and stops fat loss dead in its tracks.

Can I Drink Too Much Water?

It’s hard to, but yes. I was actually tempted not to even include this section since I don’t want to encourage people to avoid drinking water.

So yes, it is actually possible to drink too much water. It’s called water intoxication (or hyperhydration and water poisoning) and it happens when you drink more water than the body can remove (i.e. you drink too much too fast). It can also happen if you’re drinking a lot of water but not replacing electrolytes during heavy exercise (i.e. you’re running a marathon).

However, this is very rare, and almost everyone doesn’t drink enough water, so don’t be afraid to drink water. If you’re really concerned after a workout that you don’t have enough electrolytes, then have a sports drink (gatorade or powerade are acceptable) or eat a banana.

What kind of water should I drink?

I don’t like the idea of there being chlorine and fluoride in my tap water, so I don’t drink tap water if I can help it. I usually just buy spring water by the gallon at my local supermarket for about 60cents/gallon. However, if you prefer using a water filter or if you enjoy plain ole tap water, then go ahead. There are certain types of water that are slightly better for you than others, but for now, I would just concentrate on drinking the water rather than worrying about any of the other small details.

Have a great day, and bottoms up.

Losing weight isn’t just about burning more calories than you take in. If it were that simple, losing weight would be simple.

One of the most important things you can do when you’re trying to lose weight is set some goals.

Fortunately, in the world of weight loss, goal setting is fairly common so this probably isn’t some new and weird concept to you. Some common goals:
Lose 20 lbs
Look good in a swimsuit
Get rid of love handles

Goals Must Be Specific
However, one thing about goals is that they do need to be specific. The general, “I want to lose weight” goal isn’t going to help you. The people who have that goal tend to get nowhere. If you have a certain weigh you’d like to get down to, then write down the exact number. If there’s a certain size you’d like to be able to wear again, write down the number. Looking good in a swimsuit is really only something the mirror can tell you, so while goals like that are important, it’s important to have goals that are specific and measurable.

Goals Must Be Written
Verbal goals are just not as powerful as written goals. You need to take the time to write down your goals. And once you’ve written down your goals, you don’t store them away in a drawer never to be seen again. You should put them someplace prominent and review them at least everyday, multiple times a day is even better. When you’re constantly aware of your goals, it’s much easier to achiever them.

Goals Should Be Big
You should have an ultimate goal that is BIG. You want goals that are going to make you stretch to try to achieve them. While it’s important to have small daily and weekly goals, you need an ultimate goal that you’re trying to achieve down the road – make it big. Make it something you dream about.

Must Have Short Term, Medium Term, and Long Term Goals
The one problem with goals that are one year or several years in the future is that there is no immediate pressure to achieve them. You need to have shorter term goals as well – 3 month, weekly, and even daily goals, that will all help you achieve your ultimate goal. A three month goal is especially useful because there’s enough time to see some pretty good results, but there’s still a sense of urgency to work on it right away or you might not hit your target.

You should have daily goals to help you form new habits. For example, a great daily goal is to drink at least 64 ounces of water. It’s not that hard to do, but if you do it everyday, it’ll make a difference.

Goals Should Have Deadlines
John Carlton, the great copywriter, once said “The greatest invention ever, which will never be surpassed, is the deadline, for without it, there would be no other invention.”
Without a deadline on your goals, you’re making it tougher to reach your goals. That’s why you divide you deadlines up in to periods, like daily, weekly, 3 month, 1 year, and ultimate goals. This gives you a deadline so there’s some pressure on you to actually accomplish it. If your goal is to “someday” lose weight, then you’re not likely to ever accomplish it.

One program I recommend for those looking to achieve more, whether that be weight loss, make more money, or something else entirely is called Simpleology. It’s a program that you do every morning when you get up, and if you follow the program you’ll definitely find yourself accomplishing your goals faster. Oh yeah – the cool thing about it is that it’s FREE.

Okay, well that covers my crash course on setting goals.

Before I start providing tips on how to actually lose weight, I want to take some time to get you in the right frame of mind to make your weight loss successful because if your attitude is wrong, you’re going to find it difficult or impossible to lose weight, and the weight you do lose will likely be regained anyway. So while these first few blog entries aren’t the real “nuts and bolts,” they’re nonetheless essential to any program where you want to get in better health, not just weight loss.

So if you have a goal that isn’t weight loss, then just substitute your goal in whenever I say weight loss. I just want to use that topic since obesity is such a common problem these days.

When it comes to people being overweight or in bad health, the common trend these days is to blame someone or something else.

You may say that you have a genetic disadvantage or a slow metabolism. You may say that you have had no good nutritional habits built up during childhood. You may have worked at a fast food restaurant at some point and that led to bad habits. You may blame the government. Maybe you blame advertisers for programming you to crave junk food. While some of those may be true (maybe all those fast food advertisements really have programmed you to crave a burger and fries), you need to stop blaming the fact that you’re fat on someone else.

If you really want to succeed at losing weight or improving your health, you absolutlely, positively need to take responsibility for where you’re at right now.

You see, when you blame genetics, the way you were raised, or even bad luck, you’re telling yourself that you have no control over your health. When you step up and take responsibility for the state of health you’re in right now, you’re taking control. Now you can take steps to fix any problems you might have with your health or weight.

Now I know this isn’t a very popular thing to say. After all, we’re bombarded with advertisements for “magic weight loss pills” and fad diets telling us it’s not your fault.

Heck, a quick search of Amazon.com yielded two books right off the bat telling me that being fat isn’t my fault. I found:

It’s Not Your Fault You’re Fat with Gary Null

Your Fat Is Not Your Fault

A Google search shows pages and pages of articles telling you that being fat isn’t you fault. And every good sales letter for weight loss will tell you it’s not your fault.

So who am I to tell you that it really is your fault?

Well, I’m a marketer myself. I know these tricks. I study them, and use them with great results in my ads for stuff (although I don’t do much work with weight loss products since I’m not much of a believer in them).

You see, if I was advertising a weight loss product, and my goal was to sell it in large quantities, I’d probably tell you something along these lines:

“Science now proves that weight gain and obesity aren’t your fault. Hormones imbalances are to blame, but by taking Super Duper Fat Loss Product X you can correct those imbalances and lose those pounds without dieting and without exercise.”

I’m sure you’ve seen some ads or seen advertisements on TV that say something like that, right?

You see, real, lasting weight loss, involves burning more calories than you consume, exercising several times a week, and making permanent lifestyle changes. It’s hard work, and if you try to sell that, you’re going to have a lot tougher sell than if you say that you have a magic pill that will solve all their problems.

Or maybe you’re familiar with this proverb: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

Well, most people just want the fish, and since selling the fish is much more profitable than teaching you to fish, that’s what most companies are going to do.

On the other hand, I would much rather “teach you to fish” so to speak. I’m not getting paid to promote miracle weight loss products or fancy fad diets that help you lose 10 pounds in 5 days or something ridiculous like that. Instead, my purpose with this site is really to help you lose weight if you need to and help you be as healthy as you can be.

So while it may not be much fun, take responsibility for being in whatever state of health you’re in right now. If you’re fat, then accept the blame for being in that state – it’s your body after all.

Did you do that?

Great.

Now you’re ready to take the steps to fix that nasty little problem which I’ll start covering in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my health secrets blog. Before I make any specific posts, I wanted to take a few moments to let you know the purpose of this blog, what you can expect from me, and also what you won’t see me doing.

First, the purpose of this blog is to help you break through all of the clutter you see online and to help you separate marketing hype from the actual facts. I spend a lot of time online looking at different sites that are supposed to be helping people lose weight or getting healthier, and as I’m sure you’re well aware, there’s a lot of mixed messages out there.

I decided that using a blog platform would make it easy for me to update this site since if you’ve visited before, you know that in the past, I haven’t updated very often. Since it’s really easy to update a blog, you can expect me to post new articles and information a few times a week, probably not daily, but at least once a week. One hobby I have is making videos, so from time to time I may start adding videos or podcasts, but one thing you’ll always be able to count on is some good old fashioned text.

One topic that you’re going to see from me frequently is the topic of weight loss. Why? Well, considering how many Americans are currently overweight or obese, and the amount of health problems being overweight causes, I think that any site that’s going to spend time talking about optimal health ought to spend a considerable amount of time talking about how to lose weight. But for those of you who are already in good health, don’t worry, there will be plenty of information that you’ll want to read as well.

You won’t see me pushing the latest fad diets here and you won’t see me promoting every new supplement that hits the market. There are certain diets that work, and there are certain supplements that I’ve had good results with that I recommend, but I won’t recommend anything that I think is unproven or unsafe just to make a few extra bucks. This site is supported by advertising, so if you do see an ad for something that I don’t recommend, then don’t click on the ad, and the ad being there is certainly not an endorsement by me.

This site is also not like some of those magazines that you see that are nothing more than ways for drug companies to push their products as the way to stay healthy. My take on drug companies is that while they do serve a purpose, ultimately their mission is to make as much money as possible, not keep you as healthy as possible so if you’re looking for an alternative to drugs and medications, I’ll try to provide as many as I can.

My disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I’m simply one person who wants to live a long and healthy life, and I want to help others do the same. So please don’t take anything I say here as gospel, and when in doubt, consult your doctor.