Weight Loss

What if I was to tell you that there was an easier way…
An easier way to actually lose weight.

An easier way to not lose focus and to promote discipline.

An easier way to increase your metabolism and to cut down on those calories (lets be honest, calories always seem to get a bad rep when it comes to weight loss, don’t they… ).

An easier way to keep going when the going gets tough and to pick yourself up when you initially fall down. Seriously.

Would you believe me, or would you think I was telling you a sorry tale?

Because this one thing will make or break your weight loss efforts.

Get it right, and weight loss becomes a simple process. Believe it or not!

Get it wrong, and you are wasting hours and hours of valuable time (and that is no joke. That can happen).

This is how much diet is important to weight loss. But you already knew that.

But to put it another way…
It’s simply not enough to just cutting out the junk food in your diet.

You need to be able to do more than that (and when I mean more, I mean a whole lot more).

Because your body will resist the change.

It will try to stop you in your tracks. Why wouldn’t it?

But there is a way to the win.

You need to specifically target certain foods.

But you must be careful…
It’s scary out there, and the sun is going down.

There is a lot of information out there, some conflicting each other. So many diets to choose from…
So little time.

You can spend hours online, feeding your head with all sorts of stuff…
Which could leave you even more confused, angry, or worst yet…
More weight gain!

So let me simplify this for you.

Because losing weight shouldn’t be impossible, as long as you follow the 9 basic tips.

(we all like numbers, don’t we)

Lets start with the obvious…

Vegetables

Vegetables are great for a diet (due to vitamins, minerals, etc… ).

There are hardly any vegetables that are very high in calories, and the fibre they provide will help you feel fuller while consuming fewer calories.

However, it is best to eat vegetables raw, but some of them are more tasty when they are cooked.

If you do want to cook your vegetables, try steaming them or cook them to the crisp tender stage.

Unlike Americans, many of whom were raised on squishy canned spaghetti, Italians insist that their pasta be cooked al dente, or “to the tooth,” a consistency at which it still retains some substance. It may be slightly firm at the center. The pasta is chewier this way (perhaps a little chewier than most Americans like it.) But this is a good thing. Not only does it give you something to sink your teeth into so that you enjoy the exquisite pleasure and sensation of eating something. But it’s also better for your health — and better for your weight.

Italians like to eat pasta, not pablum!

They believe that eating pasta al dente is healthier for the digestive system than squishy, overcooked mush that sits heavy in the abdomen and makes you feel sluggish. When pasta is overcooked, it means it has absorbed its maximum amount of liquid. Pasta cooked al dente, on the other hand, can still absorb more during the digestive process and therefore digests more easily.

Al dente pasta also has a lower glycemic index than overcooked pasta, so it has less of an impact on your blood sugar levels. High-quality pasta made of hard durum wheat semolina (the kind Italians like) and whole grain pastas have staying power. Their low glycemic indices mean that they give you a slow, steady supply of fuel while allowing your blood sugar levels to stay constant, which helps protect you from getting hungry between meals.

When I made pasta (with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil) a regular part of my diet, I lost the desire to snack between meals. I didn’t need to. I wasn’t hungry! It has become a cornerstone in helping me maintain my weight without having to put much effort into it. But how do you achieve that magical consistency known as al dente? It’s as simple as one-two-three!

First, you have to cook your pasta in plenty of water. Most Americans don’t use enough. Figure at least one quart of water for every quarter pound of pasta, or four quarts for a pound (the weight of a typical package of spaghetti.) All I can say is use a big pot with lots of water! This is important because you want the water to return to a boil as quickly as possible after you add your pasta, otherwise it takes forever to cook it and timing can become a problem.

Copious amounts of water also give the pasta plenty of room to move around and cook evenly. Plentiful water also prevents the separate pieces from sticking together. You also need a lot of water because the pasta is going to double in size by absorbing it as it cooks. Now for the salt. Don’t add it until after the water has started boiling. They say that if you add it before that, it could pit your cookware before it dissolves. How much salt should you use? I like what Sophia Loren says in one of her cookbooks. Use a “large pinch.” Too little leaves the pasta bland, but too much will overpower it.

I usually just pour some in my hand and take a nice pinch. You can always adjust it if it’s not right. After a while, you’ll just know. You’ll be like an Italian cook, who goes by instinct. How do you know when the pasta is done? You can follow directions on the package, but those are just approximations. You really have to taste it to know for sure. That doesn’t sound too bad!

Whatever you do, don’t go throwing a piece against the wall to see if it sticks. That’s pasta abuse! And fun as it sounds, that’s not the Italian way, because it’s not accurate. If your pasta sticks to the wall, you’re in trouble. It’s overdone. Here’s what I do. I boil a very large pot of water. I add the pasta and a little salt, then give it a swirl and set the timer according to directions on the package. But I always check before the timer goes off. The pasta should be just a little tougher than you like it, because it will continue to cook as it drains in a colander.

As for portions, in general, think of what I was told in Tuscany: nothing bigger than your fist. Typically Italians eat two, maybe three ounces of pasta as part of a meal that also includes vegetables and maybe a small amount of lean protein. And remember, go easy on the sauce. Think of it as dressing your pasta in a light summer wrap, rather than a heavy winter overcoat. A light drizzle of a thin sauce or one or two tablespoons of a chunky sauce is all you need. And even less for pesto.

Losing weight has gone from a necessity to most and a fad to many. All thanks to the media, the concept that people have of what’s healthy and what’s not is strongly associated with ‘skinny slim’ and ‘porky fat’. With all the models being required to be in the size 0 division to walk a runway, celebrities in the plus size department being criticized for their weight, and stars who used to be skinny then and gaining weight now being questioned for their curves, it’s no surprise that many people have come to believe that have to look a certain way to be considered ‘healthy’.

Because of the way people think about ‘being healthy’, different kinds of weight loss programs have sprung up here and there. Some programs have come up to offer genuine help to those who really need it. But for the most part, there are programs that just came about to juice people out of their money. Below is a list of the top three most popular weight loss programs.

South Beach Diet

This program was developed by a cardiologist name Dr. Arthur Agatstone. Instead of requiring its participants to eat low-fat or low carbohydrate diets, South Beach Diet preaches about the right carbohydrates and fats to eat. As the name implies, the center of the program is eating the right food that can greatly help in losing weight. As a result, meal planners, schedulers, nutritional tools are given to its subscribers. Each day, the people who take part in the program receive free recipes, tips, and more guidance by the diet’s maker. Things such as how not to lose track, how to keep track of your progress and what are the things you need to keep track of your weight are also given out.

Weight Watchers

Hailed as one of the top choices among its reviewers, this weight loss program encourages its participants to eat healthy. By daily eating healthy and ordinary foods that are low in calorie count plus combining these with regular exercise and a positive, the Weight Watchers have been said to be really effective. Aside from the simple requirements the program involves, its flexibility also is one of the reasons why many of its participants and subscribers stick to the program and finish it with great senses of accomplishment. The thing that holds the program together is the weigh-ins and group meetings that the participants hold every week.

Slim Fast

This is, by far, the most popular weight loss program among those who are always on the go or do not have time to exercise or make gourmet meals that are said to be healthy. This plan requires its participants to buy Slim Fast prepackaged foods such as shakes and bars that they can eat.

Aside from the ‘to go’ theme, Slim Fast gives its participants the benefit of slimming down at a fast rate. However, it has two disadvantages. One is that it can be expensive and the other is that it does not produce long term results.

There are many more popular weight loss programs that you can take part in to lose weight. Before choosing them, read about them first. In this way, you’ll be sure that it is safe and effective before taking part in it.