Healthy Weight Loss

Losing weight is such an amazing accomplishment. But, it can be disheartening to watch your once taut skin become loose and saggy. The reason people suffer from loose skin after weight loss is due to the collagen being broken down in the skin. There is no way to determine whether or not someone will have loose skin after weight loss. It tends to be more of a factor for someone losing a lot of weight and losing it rapidly. A lot of it also simply depends on genetics and age. There are several things that can be done to prevent loose skin and keep skin taut during weight loss.

Instructions

Instructions

1 Lose weight at a steady rate. In 90 percent of cases, if weight is lost too rapidly, there will be loose skin. Aim to lose approximately two pounds per week. Skin is adaptable, but if weight loss is too rapid, it won't have time to adapt to the loss.
2 Stay hydrated. Skin is an organ that needs water to thrive. The key to improving skin elasticity is keeping it hydrated with water. If the skin becomes dehydrated, it will not adapt as well to weight loss. Drink a minimum of eight glasses of water per day.
3 Include weight training in your fitness program. It's beneficial for health and weight loss as well as for preserving skin and muscle tone. Firm muscles will improve the appearance of skin during weight loss. Make it a goal to lift weights two to three times per week. This can be done at a gym or with free weights at home.
4 Supplement your diet with lecithin. This is easiest to take in pill form. Lecithin is an excellent supplement for the skin as it assists in the regeneration of skin cells. Lecithin supplements can be purchased from most health food stores. Take 1,000 milligrams of lecithin per day for skin benefits.
5 Practice dry skin brushing several times per week. This is a natural and effective way to nurture your skin. Dry skin brushing increases blood flow throughout the body, which promotes circulation and skin regeneration. According to Doctor Paavo Airola, dry brushing the skin is integral to skin health and rejuvenation. Using a long-handled body brush, start at your feet and use long, sweeping strokes to brush the body while skin is dry.

Cayenne pepper is actually the best natural herb for weight loss. Many people would argue that Green tea is, however cayenne pepper aids in speeding up your metabolism much faster. When you take cayenne on a regular daily basis you can increase your metabolism some say as much as 25%. Many people have no clue that the benefits of cayenne pepper can actually aid in weight loss. Now, don't get me wrong - Yes, you will still have to maintain a healthy diet and exercise, but cayenne pepper will help - a lot.

Instructions

1 HOW IT WORKS: The main active ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin. It is said to be a "thermogenic chemical" which will help speed your metabolism and decrease your appetite. It's actually a wonderful herb. It not only can promote weight loss, but it does many other wonderful things such as: increase blood flow, maintains healthy blood pressure, increase your sex drive, may help reduce ulcers and promotes a healthy digestive system. Sounds good to me. Keep reading!
2 CONSUMPTION: Well, there are two main methods in consuming cayenne pepper. 1. You can buy capsules filled with the herb at your local grocery store, GNC or Wal-Mart for around 10 bucks. 2. Buy the actual spice and drink it.
3 HOW MUCH? Well, it really depends. It's a very spicy and hot herb. Taking the capsules is much easier, while drinking it is not for the faint of heart. CAPSULES: You should consume 1-3 pills a day. LIQUID: You should add about a teaspoon per glass. Start with one glass per day until you get used to it.
4 WEIGHT LOSS: Cayenne pepper alone will not make you see the results of weight loss on it's own. You must maintain a HEALTHY diet, exercise on regular basis (3-5 days per week) and you must consume water and less calories. Within a month, you will most certain see results of a healthier you.

One of the quickest tracks to weight loss is a liquid diet. While results may be rapid, improper ingredients or infrequent intake can ruin your efforts. Getting information on what works well for your goals and how to maximize efforts is always a smart choice. You can lose weight and get great results on a liquid diet with a few tips.

Choose a Self-Sustaining Liquid Solution

An incorrect assumption about liquid diets is that they must be low-calorie. This is unhealthy and will not sustain the body. Often low-calorie liquid diets lead to fatigue, collapse and unhealthy eating in the future. Choose meal-replacement liquids with the antioxidants and nutrients needed, the ones found in vegetables and fruits.

Do Not Combine With Exercise

Once your diet consists of liquids, your body if fueled correctly will sustain itself through everyday activity. But the energy exerted during exercise is exhausting on a liquid diet. Exercise periods of over 30 minutes are ill advised for those on meal replacement shakes. During liquid dieting, weight loss is rapid and unless you are dangerously overweight exercise isn't always necessary. A doctor should monitor progress if you are exercising on a low-calorie liquid diet.

Keep Up a Decent Caloric Intake

Calories are the last thing a dieter wants to ingest, but the body needs a sensible amount to function properly. Juice fasting is not recommended for long-term dieting as it has few of the calories the human body needs to live. Liquid diet solutions should carry 500 or more calories to sustain the body. Liquid diet meals under 420 calories each are dangerous and can lead to anemia, fatigue and muscle loss. The average human being needs at least 1200 calories daily to function and still be able to lose weight. Therefore, if you have three liquid meals a day, each meal should add up to be at least 400 calories.

Take a Break and Eat Solids

Liquid diets are not designed for long-term use. You should never plan a staple diet around liquid meals. There are nutrients your body needs from solid foods that don't transfer well into liquid. Liquid diets should not be followed longer than three months. Lean meats and vegetables are good break foods to add energy and strength.

Sometimes it takes a little push to lose weight. By developing a weight loss competition, you can help give others that extra incentive to exercise and eat better. If you organize the competition with teams, it will also serve as a support group. Members will gain additional motivation to lose weight by aiming for the prize. They will also have team members who will encourage healthy eating and exercise. Even the losing teams come out as winners because they will be on the road to healthier living.

Instructions

1 Write the guidelines for the contest. Let contestants know how often they are required to weigh-in and how long the competition will last. Determine if you will be calculating weight loss by pounds, inches or body fat percentages.
2 Gather a group of people who want to lose weight. You can contact friends, family, work associates or community organizations, like churches and community centers, to see who is interested in participating in the weight loss challenge. You can even try sending out a press release and post fliers.
3 Prepare samples meal plans and exercise routines. The contest is largely about education and teaching these people how to manage their weight. Design meal plans with a dietitian to give to your competition participants. Work with a personal trainer to put together exercise plans. Eating well and exercising are key weight loss factors.
4 Arrange for weekly weigh-ins for your contestants. Have a scale and location ready for weekly weigh-ins. You need to record the weight loss data throughout the competition. Make sure you choose times and places for weekly weigh-ins that are convenient for participants.
5 Ask for product donations to offer as prizes for your weight loss competition. You can ask retailers and manufacturers to donate products, trips, services or other items to give away as prizes. Don't be afraid to ask for big prizes. The bigger the prize, the more reason participants will have to lose weight. Larger prizes may also help you gain media attention.
6 Choose a winning team at the end of the competition. After tallying up all the numbers, announce winners and award prizes according your original guidelines.

If you have a big event coming up but you find that special outfit is fitting a bit too tight, relax. There are several things you can do to lose weight very quickly. With persistence and careful attention to the details, you can drop a lot of pounds fast.

Warning

Keep in mind that an optimal weight loss rate is 1 to 2 lbs. per week. While during the first week or so, you may lose up to 5 lbs., that is mainly water weight. If you continue to lose at that pace, it could lead to health problems.
Consult a doctor before starting any drastic weight loss program, especially if you have chronic health conditions such as diabetes.

Fasting

A fast is the quickest way to lose weight. During a fast, you eat absolutely nothing and drink only water or juice. (Some people do fast on bread and water.) People have used fasts for centuries, mostly for religious or spiritual reasons but often for weight loss as well. Of course, a fast is difficult and most people last only a day or two. But with persistence, it is possible to lose 5 lbs. on a 3-day fast--enough to make a noticeable difference in how your clothes fit.

Diet Pills

There are countless diet pills and similar products on the market that promise quick weight loss. Some are diuretics that help your body to get rid of excess water. Others are appetite suppressants that prevent you from feeling hungry. Others are metabolism boosters that give you more energy and help you to burn more calories. Each of these products has benefit and can help you lose weight. However, once you stop taking them, chances are all the weight will come back unless you have taken care to learn new eating and exercise habits. In addition, these products also have side effects: They can raise your heart rate to dangerous levels, cause insomnia or irritability, and may interact with other medications.

Diet

Some super quick diet tips include:
Drinking lots of water (eight 8-oz. glasses per day or more)
Limiting yourself to one serving at mealtimes
Eliminating between meal snacking
Using smaller plates
Eliminating all added sugar, salt and fats

Exercise

Another way to lose weight quickly is to exercise more. The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn. Instead of a 30-minute walk, take an hour-long walk instead, or add some jogging into your daily walk. Try some new activities, like an exercise video or a swim class. Any added exercise time or intensity will help.

Tips

Distract yourself from your bad habits. If you've been hitting the vending machine at 3 p.m., take a brisk walk in the other direction, phone a friend or tackle a job you've been putting off.
Give yourself a little reward each time you've completed a workout: Put a dollar in a piggy bank, download a new tune for your MP3 player, or think of another small, non-food reward to keep yourself motivated.
Post a picture of yourself in thinner days on your snack cabinet or refrigerator. When you're tempted to break the rules, you'll have a reminder of your goal.
Avoid buying junk food, even "for the kids." If it's not available, you won't eat it.

You have heard it time and again: the best way to lose weight and keep it off is by decreasing the amount of food you eat and increasing your exercise. However, if you need a quick weight loss solution that will at least temporarily take off a few pounds and inches, then you might want to try a body wrap. You could spend $100 or more for a weight loss body wrap at a spa, but you do not have to. Instead, you can make your own at home.

Instructions

1 Place several towels or sheets on a flat area of the floor, preferably in the bathroom or some other area that is easy to clean. Place a drop cloth or shower curtain on top of the towels or sheets. You will lie on these as you use the body wrap.
2 Bring the eight cups of distilled water to a boil. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, remove the pan from heat.
3 Add the clay, salt, herbs, seaweed and oil to the water. Stir gently. Allow the mixture to steep in the boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is no longer too hot to touch.
4 Dip the strips of cotton sheet into the mixture one at a time. Starting with your feet, wrap your entire body up to your neck in strips dipped into the weight loss mixture.
5 Lie on the drop cloth or shower curtain on the floor. Cover yourself with another drop cloth or shower curtain and more sheets or towels. Remain in the body wrap for one hour to obtain weight loss benefits.
6 Remove the body wrap after one hour. Take a tepid bath or shower to wash away the mixture and toxins it has removed.

Consuming apple cider vinegar is an old remedy for many ailments, ranging from constipation to nearsightedness. However, its popularity as a weight loss drink peaked in the 1970s and is still in use by weight loss gurus and personal trainers. Although no scientific studies back the claims that apple cider vinegar will take the pounds off, there is an indication that with regular usage, it will alkalize an acidic system and in turn, may raise a persons metabolism.

Instructions

1 Check with your doctor before beginning any long-term weight loss program. Some diet enthusiasts recommend a raw version of apple cider vinegar, the cloudy kind with tiny strands of fermented apple fibers, while others say the clear variety from the grocery store will be just fine.
2 Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a large glass of drinking water and sip on it. The simplest of all the drink versions, you will sip this water slowly three times a day, preferably before meals. The idea is to normalize an acidic stomach, reducing your cravings for food while raising a sluggish metabolism.
3 Make your weight loss drink more palatable and boost your energy level by adding 2 teaspoons of honey to a glass of vinegar-water. In addition to the weight loss benefit, this concoction appears in an Amish book of home remedies for soothing an upset stomach.
4 Squeeze a little lemon juice in your vinegar-water along with the honey for a change of pace. Lemon is popular in the dieting world for its cleansing and diuretic properties. You can also add a little ginger to spice up the drink.
5 Kick start your metabolism with the same ingredients used in the 1970s version of the weight loss drink. A pinch of cayenne pepper and dash of garlic juice adds spice to your apple cider vinegar drink and may increase your circulation. In addition, some dieters use this drink to wash down a B6 vitamin three times a day.
6 Substitute natural maple syrup for the honey for a variation in taste.