Healthy Weight Loss

Enjoying food and drink is a natural way of life, but what do you do when weight begins to creep up and attach itself to your body and your once perfect stomach becomes larger? Average height men are advised to stick to an average of 2,500 calories per day and these calories include all drinks.

Metabolism

Metabolism begins to decrease in men around the average age of 40 if they have had a healthy diet. Despite this, any man can naturally and healthily increase his own metabolism with diet and exercise. Eating fresh fish, healthy-cooked chicken and beans or lentils can aid with the metabolism increasing naturally.

Exercise

Pull ups, press ups, light weights and swimming are just a few exercises which can help you to gain the perfect manly stomach you desire. If your not used to exercising, it is always best to begin exercising with stretching before moving on to cardio-type warm ups such as jogging on the spot for a few minutes. When you perform your pull up exercise movements, better physical results can be acheived if you hold each pull up for a few seconds and ensure your breathing correctly.

Diet

A healthy diet does not mean you can't have the occasional treat, but it must benefit your health and fitness levels to the best possible healthy outcome for you. If you love your meats, grill them and try to eat red meat no more than twice a week. Telling yourself you had fish even though it was fried actually can defeat the purpose. Fish can be grilled, steamed and oven-baked with healthy herbs and spices as well as with some fruit to give the taste that will satisfy your pallet. Change your cooking oil and butter to soya, organic or olive oil. This will not only help you to lose excess tummy fat but will benefit your cholesterol levels, blood pressure and overall heart and other organs. Vegetables and fruit must be eaten every day to help provide the vitamin intake your body requires to work efficiently.

Alcohol

By just having a few pints of lager with the guys, you would of already received almost a quarter of your daily suggested calorie intake without eating anything. For a list of alcoholic drinks and their calorie measurements, see Resources.

Relaxation and Detox Treatments

Excessive eating can be related to stress, boredom and comfort. If you take the time to visit a qualified holistic therapist, you can receive massage, acupuncture, reiki and other relaxing therapies which will help to eradicate these influences. Massage and alternative treatments are now quite popular with men worldwide.

While losing weight can transform your life for the better, a large amount of quick weight loss can leave some less than attractive problem areas on your body. Significant and fast weight loss after weight loss surgery can lead to flabby body areas and skin. Fortunately, the skin is a remarkable organ that has the elasticity and ability to tone after fast weight loss; however, this may take time. There are ways to help boost your body's ability to tone after weight loss surgery.

Instructions

1 Make sure to eat healthy to tone after weight loss surgery. Choose healthy fresh foods over processed foods, which contain a lot of sodium. You want food to move quickly through your system, so you will have fat loss and not muscle loss. Choose foods that promote collagen production to tone and tighten skin, like berries and soy.
2 Start a strength training program three to four days a week as soon as possible to tone after weight loss surgery. Start out slowly. Do push-ups against a wall. Use small hand weights for arm curls and extensions. Do squats and lunges. Make sure to consult a professional trainer first to avoid injury.
3 Begin cardio exercises as soon as possible. At first, start out walking. After a while, increase the duration and intensity of walks. Swimming is an excellent way to start toning after weight loss surgery. Starting a cardio exercise program right away will help you lose more fat than muscle.
4 Consider cosmetic surgery to tone after weight loss surgery. As people age, their skin's elasticity weakens. If you have considerable amounts of flabby skin after several months of healthy dieting and regular exercise, consult a cosmetic surgeon.
5 Start using body firming creams. To tone skin after weight loss surgery, buy skin cream products that boost collagen production.
6 Start wearing tight-fitting Spandex clothes and undergarments to tone after weight loss surgery. You will look and feel better. Wearing Spandex will help your skin tone quicker. You should notice results within a few months.
7 Ask your doctor about weight loss surgery support groups. Joining a support group will help you deal with your issues and get tips from others about body image and toning after weight loss surgery.

Losing weight is a huge achievement. It involves a large amount of motivation and perseverance, and depending on how much you lose, it can take years. It's also a very inspiring achievement. People enjoy reading real-life stories about how other people managed to lose weight, what foods they ate, what exercise they did. There is a large segment of the weight-loss market dedicated to printing inspiring weight loss stories, so if your story is good you can profit from your achievement easily.

Instructions

1 Make notes about your weight loss journey. Include statistics, such as your starting weight, your height and the measurements. Write about what made you realize you needed to lose weight: If this was triggered by a photograph, include the photo.
2 Make sample meal and exercise plan, and explain how fast you saw results.
3 Read through your notes and add additional details where necessary. Remember that to sell, your story needs to be exciting enough to read, and inspiring to other people hoping to lose weight. Include additional details, such as whether you tried any 'diets, and how they worked.
4 Produce a short summary of your story to give to editors. This should be a brief outline, which the editor will use to decide whether they want to publish your story. Spend time making sure this reads well, with correct spelling and grammar, as first impressions are important in writing.
5 Submit the stories to online editors. You can use companies such as Talk To The Press, who work as a middle man and distribute your story to certain publications on your behalf, for a small fee -- or you can submit your story yourself. Large publications such as Weight Watchers usually have an online contact form which you can use to contact the editors with your idea.
6 Contact local media. Your local newspaper, any weight loss groups and TV stations. Media in your local area may be running a health campaign, and want to highlight the achievements of a local person.
7 Discuss payment. Some websites will clearly display how much they will pay per article, either as a set figure or as a price per word. If you use an agency, make sure you understand how much the agency will take, and how much you will be left with.
8 Read through important documentation provided by publications. Some publications will want rights to your story, which means you cannot publish it elsewhere, and some may reserve the right to edit the story as they see fit. Make sure you read through all of the terms and understand them, so you know exactly where you stand.

It is motivating to watch the Biggest Loser while on a diet. But when I see a 400 pound guy lose 30 pounds in one week it can make me feel that my 5 pound weight loss is nothing in comparison---especially since 30 pounds is my total weight loss goal. That's why on the Biggest Loser, they calculate the contestants' weight loss percentage and compare contestants by percentage lost, not pounds lost. By following the steps below, you too can calculate your weight loss percentage and see if you are the Biggest Loser.

Instructions

1 First, write down your starting weight so that you don't forget over the next few weeks. Then when you weigh yourself again the next week, calculate your total weight change by subtracting your recent weight from your starting weight. (Hopefully, this will be a Loss and not a gain!)
2 Now that you know your pounds lost for the week, divide it by your starting weight. This will give you a fraction such as .325.
3 Multiply your answer in step 2 by 100 and round to the nearest tenth. Now you know the percentage of your weight loss and compare it with those on the Biggest Loser. A weight loss of 2 to 4% is very good. Happy dieting!

With so many diets available, it's hard to know which one is right for you. Some may fit your lifestyle better, while others might appeal to your personal eating habits. If you're not picky about food, diets that restrict you to certain foods may work. If you know you'll never be able to get over your love for ice cream, choose a diet that focuses on portion control rather than restricting you to certain foods. Stick to the main tenets of any diet -- one that favors healthy food choices and moderation. Structure your own meal strategy using these tips.

Instructions

1 Determine the amount of calories you should consume daily in order to lose weight. If you have an active lifestyle, you'll need more. If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk, you'll need less. According to the Mayo Clinic, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you take in per week to lose 1 lb. Don't shave off too many calories. According to the National Institute of Health, women shouldn't take in less than 1,200 calories per day and men no less than 1,500.
2 Set an alarm clock to go off every three to four hours. This is how frequently you should be eating to keep your metabolism burning fat and to stave off cravings and binge attacks. Set up an eating schedule and follow it every day. Though you'll be eating more frequently, you'll actually be eating less by trimming down your portion sizes.
3 Make a weekly grocery list and set aside at least one day a week for cooking. Keep low-calorie snacks available, such as fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt and butter-free popcorn. Cook a lot, even if you're only cooking for yourself. Leftovers can be a life-saver when you're running late for work and forgot to pack your lunch the night before.
4 Focus on protein and fruits and vegetables. Pack your breakfast full of protein, including black beans or eggs, and citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges that will rev up your metabolism. It's easy to grab for bread and chips when you're hungry, but try to substitute. Instead of regular french fries, bake your own sweet potato fries. Switch out pasta for brown rice.
5 Keep a food journal and list everything you eat. If you break down and have an ice cream sundae, it's not the end of the world. Make up for it with exercise and keep going. The worst thing you can do is use it as an excuse to eat everything else and start your diet again some other time. Think of a diet as a lifelong commitment, not a crash period of starvation.

Loose skin and drooping is common after people lose weight, and many seek to firm facial muscles. If you have lost a lot of weight, have dry skin or are older, you will more than likely have a problem with loose skin after losing weight. Having loose skin does not affect health, but it can be perceived as unattractive and cause self-esteem issues. Luckily, there are exercises that help firm facial muscles after weight loss. Performing a series of facial exercises and stretches will help you tone your facial muscles.

Instructions

1
Sit down comfortably in a chair. You will be staying in this chair until you complete the facial stretches and exercises. Take a deep breath.
2 Take a second deep breath by inhaling through the nose, then open your mouth wide. Stick out your tongue completely, and imagine you are trying to touch it to your chin. Squeeze your facial muscles tightly. Continue deep breathing, and while you exhale make a "ha" sound. This facial stretch may cause your eyes to water. Repeat this expression three times. Doing this facial exercise will stretch the facial muscles and relieve tension.
3
Keep your face neutral, and smile lightly, not a strained or large smile, but simply raise the corners of your mouth. Repeat this light smile three times to tone your smile lines.
4 Strengthen your forehead muscles by widening your eyes, but keep your forehead straight; you should not crease, crinkle, or show expression from your forehead. Focus your eyes on something far in front of you for at least ten seconds. Repeat this expression four times.
5 Firm your cheeks by puffing out your cheeks. Fill your cheeks with air, then switch the air from cheek to cheek. Continue switching the air from cheek to cheek until you need to breathe. Repeat this three times.
6 Smile lightly, then purse your lips. Suck in your cheeks, so your face looks like a "fish face." Continue sucking in your cheeks then drawing them out five times. This facial stretch will tone your cheeks.
7 Firm your nose and lips area by smiling widely, then use your fingertips to gently hold the area above the crease of your lips and nose. You will press up with your fingertips while lifting up with your facial muscles. This will be repeated at least 30 times.

Weight loss competitions are a good way to motivate people to lose weight. However, going strictly by pounds lost is not fair to all participants. For instance, a 350-pound individual would need to lose more than a 130-pound individual. There would be no way for the lighter person to compete against such participants, since losing comparable weight would be impractical and dangerous. Therefore, measuring the percent lost equalizes the weight differences. Forming competing teams offers support and encouragement from team members, while maintaining the competitive motivation between teams.

Instructions

1 Group members into teams of two to 10 participants. Maintaining even numbers is not as important, since ultimately you will be calculating an average percent loss among team members.
2 Set a time period for the weight loss competition, which would be sufficient to achieve results. As an example, you might state the competition will run 100 days from start to finish.
3 Weigh each individual at the beginning of the competition.
4 Weigh each individual at the end of the competition.
5 Subtract each person's ending weight from their start weight to calculate the number of pounds lost. As an example, if one member started as 180 pounds and weighed 160 pounds at the end of the competition, he or she would have lost 20 pounds.
6 Divide each person's weight loss by their original weight, and then multiply by 100 to calculate the percentage. In the example, the 180-pound member, who lost 20 pounds, would have lost 11.1 percent.
7 Average each team's weight loss percentage by adding the members' percentages and dividing by the number of members. As an example, if one team had members losing 11, 10, 20, 15 and 22 percent, you would total those figures to produce 78, and then divide by five. This results in an average weight loss of 15.6 percent. Repeat this calculation for each team.
8 Compare each team's average weight loss percentage, and declare the team with the highest average percentage the winner.

Want to get paid to lose weight? Have you watched the "Biggest Loser" on TV and wished you could find a weight-loss contest? Grab a few friends or co-workers and start your own contest. It's easy, fun and you can have prize money for a reward!

Instructions

1 Get a group of friends or co-workers to start a weight-loss contest. Find out who is interested in losing weight with you. Ask them how they'd like the contest to be run and what rules would make them join. Make sure they know it'll be a competition and there will be reward money!
2 Once you know how many people will be joining the contest, set an entrance fee. It can be anywhere from $25, $50 or more. This is a one-time fee you will pay to join the contest. Then decide how the winnings will be split up. You can reward the biggest weight loser or participants can get their money back when they lose a certain amount.
3 Pick a weekly weigh-in location and host. If it's at work, a weigh-in office or host can be chosen. If it's in your neighborhood, pick a house to weigh-in at and the host will keep track of the progress of each contestant.
4 Decide if you will measure progress each week by percentage of body weight lost, pounds lost, measurements or another method. You can track each contestants progress on paper or a computer spreadsheet (see Resources below).
5 Finish the contest within 10 to 12 weeks; any longer and too many lose interest or motivation. This is enough time to have significant weight loss. Host a final weigh-in where everyone must attend and a final winner will be announced.

Most folks feel that losing weight is a daunting task and they are unsure of the best way to lose weight. If you need to lose weight fast, all you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and dive into the weight loss process. Within a week or two you'll start feeling better and you will lose fat quickly. Here's the quickest way to lose weight fast - the healthy way:

Instructions

1 Don't eat products that contain white flour. The most important thing to do first is realize how many products you eat contain white flour. White flour is now your weight loss enemy and you must replace all white flour products with vegetables (preferably green leafy vegetables). Broccoli has protein and many health benefits so you can start with that, but don't forget the hundreds of other green leafy vegetables that are out on the market as well. Doing just this one step is the quickest way to lose weight fast - the healthy way. But wait, there's more!
2 Stop eating sugar and sugar products. Simple sugars are also your weight loss enemy. Chocolate, candies, cookies, etc are super fun while you're eating them, but they completely sabotage any healthy diet and make you fat quick. Sugar also makes you tired. If you eliminate all simple sugars from your diet, you'll soon be amazed at how much energy and sleep you'll get.
3 Be sure to eat five small meals a day. This takes some getting used to, but trust me, it's one of the best ways to lose weight. When you replace white flour products with vegetables and stop eating simple sugars, you will want that small healthy meal every 3-4 hours. If you need to lose weight fast, be sure to eat a source of protein at EVERY meal (eggs, meats, nuts, etc) since protein is the one thing that will keep you full until the next meal. If you think of your plate in thirds, one third will be protein, one third vegetables and one third complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, whole grain wild rice, etc). Eat things that look like they just came from the farm or field - the more natural it is, the healthier it is for you and the faster you will lose the weight. If you can afford organic foods, great, but it's not necessary. If you get a sweet tooth, put some blueberries/strawberries/other fruit in yogurt and sprinkle some toasted almonds on top. It will get you through the moment until your next healthy meal.
4 Drink a lot of water to help speed up your weight loss. You should drink at least 3 tall glasses of water a day. Those sugar drinks, coffees and sodas are going to get you NOWHERE - you will not lose weight fast while consuming those products. They sabotage your healthy diet just like cookies, cakes and candies. Eliminate the sugar drinks and drink water, milk and not from concentrate orange juice instead. V8's are great too if you can stand the salt.
5 Find an "exercise" you like to do if you need to lose weight fast. "Exercise" is merely a way to get the body moving. So if you hate the thought of "exercise", think of it as moving your body instead. You can still lose weight fast if you watch your favorite TV show, march in place and raise your hands up in the air repeatedly for the duration of the show (and commercials too, no cheating!). Sure, it's really exercise, but by the time your show is over, you'll feel better about yourself, you don't have to mentally endure 60 minutes without entertainment and you'll help yourself lose weight faster. If you prefer to go to a gym and do aerobics or cardiovascular equipment - GREAT! Just keep in mind that you can "move your body" anywhere at anytime and every bit of movement helps with your weight loss. Typically you should "move your body" for 30-60 minutes, 3-5 times a week for best weight loss results.
6 Don't give up when you go through the sugar and carbohydrate withdrawals. The first week is not easy I must say. You'll constantly be thinking about the white flour products and simple sugars you've given up. If you get to the point where you're going to indulge, put your walking shoes on and go walk around the block for 15 minutes. If it's raining or cold out (there is no excuse!!), turn on the tv and march for 15 minutes. While you are walking or marching, remind yourself that these cravings are the thing that got you where you are now (unhealthy and/or overweight). Also remind yourself that you deserve to be healthy and getting through the moment of 'deprivation' is key to your long-term weight loss success.
7 Allow your self some type of indulgence once a week. This doesn't mean you can go back and eat that bag of chips or cookies (ie, white flour products) - you definitely will not lose fat quickly that way. What it means is that you can have a healthier snack to keep your weight loss on track. My favorite is yogurt raisins (as an example). Don't eat the whole bag for goodness sakes. I usually have 10-15 in the morning and the same in the evening on my "off day". On this one day during the week, it's very important to indulge on something you like (it's your reward for the week!), but make sure you don't overdo it. If you need a snack with some 'junk food' substance, check out my White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie recipe listed below under "Resources". Try not to have more than 2 or three of those on your day off, then share the rest with your friends. You may want to enlist a friend or family member to keep you accountable on your 'day off' so you lose weight faster.
8 If all of the above fails because you can't do it on your own, you might want to hire a personal trainer if you need to lose weight fast. It might just be the next best way to lose weight if you find your self-motivation is limited. In this economy the trainers are actively looking for business, so I'm sure you could even find one to come to your house if you absolutely abhor the gym scene. You can sign on for 2-3 times a week if you can afford it, or if you can handle some work on your own at home, hire them for a once a week session. They can also help keep you accountable by phone when you get to the point where you're getting ready to open the bag of whatever white flour/sugar product is in your face. Determination and consistency are crucial to losing weight fast - the healthy way.
9 Be sure to check out the Resource links below for more information on exercising and staying healthy.

When weight loss occurs in an HIV-positive person, you must take care to ensure it does not develop into HIV wasting syndrome. Wasting syndrome can result in significant loss of weight and muscle mass in a short period of time, making the infected individual much weaker and unable to fight off potential infections. While weight loss associated with HIV infection can be difficult to stop, it is possible and can even be reversed if recognized and treated.

Instructions

1 Consult your doctor soon after the weight loss is noticed. Fluctuations in weight are common in HIV patients and can be caused by opportunistic infections or the loss of appetite often associated with antiretroviral treatment, so the doctor will likely want to monitor the weight loss to see if it continues.
2 Weigh yourself daily once weight loss has been noticed. This will enable you to keep track so your doctor can see whether there has been any further loss or fluctuations. If possible, take weight measurements in the early morning after using the bathroom but before eating so food in your digestive system doesn't cause incorrect measurements.
3 Modify your caloric intake to compensate for the additional energy your body uses to combat your HIV infection and the health problems that are associated with it. Instead of attempting to maintain a 2,000-calorie diet, try to consume between 17 and 20 calories per pound of body weight that you have. Should weight loss continue, increase this to 25 calories per pound.
4 Use the BRAT diet system if you begin to experience nausea and vomiting as a result of antiretroviral treatment or infection. The BRAT diet consists of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, four foods that are relatively mild to the digestive system but that offer sufficient carbohydrates and vitamins to help combat weight loss.
5 Tell your doctor immediately if weight loss begins to accelerate or if nausea and vomiting begin to worsen as a result of your antiretroviral therapy. If you are having problems keeping medication down or are experiencing severe weight loss or wasting syndrome, your doctor may wish to alter your treatment regimen to help you combat it.
6 Discuss steroid therapy with your doctor if you are unable to maintain your weight through diet, exercise and regulation of your antiretroviral medications. Your doctor may offer one of several steroid therapy options such as human growth hormone or anabolic steroids in order to stimulate the production of muscle mass and combat wasting syndrome.