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Liquid Diets Or Surgery Can Make You Lose 50 Lbs…But is it Worth?

When it comes to weight loss all of us wish to come across a wonder! The dieters are willing to spend any amount of money to lose more weight is less time. Innumerable advertisements suggest that you could lose 50 pounds in a month. Using liquid diets and the surgical methods they have actually made it possible. But is this worth the gamble? We wish to become slim in order to look pretty. But can an unhealthy person look that pretty & attractive?

Here are some diets and surgical means to lose 50 pounds in a month and their side effects:

diets vs surgery

Liposuction

This is a cosmetic procedure that involves injecting some medicines & herbs in the skin. It targets specific areas like thighs, breasts, arms, belly, etc. If not done with the right medical & technical expertise, this can lead to hazardous consequences. These include bruising, swelling, pain, scars, etc. In some cases, people have even fainted with a high fever. Besides, the worst side effect is that women can not conceive after getting this done. Nursing mothers also avoid it. So, are willing to lose 50 pounds in a month at that cost?

Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty

Another wonder of science, this is a surgical process that involves a major operation. Like all major surgeries, this is risky and calls for a lot of care and attention after the process is completed. The worst part is that the moment body forms more fat, you become bulky again. That means even if one loses 50 lbs. in 30 days, it is sure to come back in another 60 days. What’s the fun then of spending a fortune and ill-treating your body for this result?

Liquid Diets

The doctor’s had devised this process to cleanse the stomach of the patients before they get operated. But the Hollywood celebrities have started using it to become super skinny. They become fat again, yet they are willing to screw their muscles & become weak. The fact is that if you stay only on a liquid diet for more than 10 days, you shall land up in a hospital. Also, the weight you lose is not the body fat, it is your water weight and the muscle mass. It can never help you reduce 50 pounds in a month.

There are healthier means of weight loss to consider. These include natural diet supplements like Acai Berry and Colon Cleansing.

Is Surgery Right For You? (Diet Vs Surgery)

Choosing to get weight loss surgery is a life-changing decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly, for people who are morbidly obese trying to lose weight without the help of surgery can feel like an almost impossible task and requires determination over a very long period of time.

Research has shown that obese individuals that undertake weight loss surgery are less likely to regain the weight compared to people who lose weight by dieting and exercise. It does seem like a quick fix but overeating and man-made foods are a hard habit to kick and almost anyone can fall into stages of weight gain very quickly.

Is Surgery right for you?

The BMI or body mass index is a commonly used measurement to diagnose morbidly obese individuals as candidates for weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, this type of measurement is very biased and does not calculate how much muscle is on your body or your body weight in relation to your height.

There are three basic types of surgery’s these are

Restrictive procedures – restrict the amount of food that your body can eat at one time, with some self-control you can do the exact same thing on a healthy diet

Malabsorptive procedure – alters your normal digestive process which causes foods to be poorly digested. This method is unpopular due to the body not absorbing nutrients needed from food and its quite similar to starving yourself.

The third type for especially severe cases is a combination of the two.

There are many factors that affect your body and how much fat you can lose with the most common reasons being

Age – as you get older your metabolism slows and you have to be more conscious of your diet and to eat healthily. Will be harder to lose weight

Sex – Men are able to burn fat faster than women, so if you are not seeing the same results as your husband on the same diet, it’s natural. They can both build muscle and burn fat and more muscle usually means more fat loss.

Ethnicity – some studies suggest that African American women do not lose as much weight as Caucasian women. This may or may not be true for everyone but its something to think about when choosing between diet and surgery we are all built differently and genetically prone to store fat in certain places.

Weight at Surgery – The heavier you are when you go in for your weight loss surgery the more fat you will be able to lose, this is just common sense and you will notice obese individuals dropping amazing numbers each week.

Which Is Best For Weight Loss? (Diet Vs Surgery)

Nowadays weight loss becomes a huge business and there are various procedures that promise results, but it is very difficult to navigate in this jungle. Almost most of these procedures are expensive and they often give varied results from one person to another, this would make it even harder to find one that works better for you.

Many people want to lose their weight, but for the persons who are overweight, surgery may be the only option to successfully do this. Some others may lose weight by making changes to diet. So, it is better to consult your doctor to find the right option that works for you.

weight loss tips dieting vs surgery

There are many points you need to consider while choosing a weight loss method, such as:

Candidates:

Most of the doctors, who perform surgery for weight loss, including bariatric surgery, only do so if a person is overweight. The candidates should have their body mass index as 40 or more to undergo weight loss surgery. If you are obese and suffering from medical problems like diabetes, but the BMI is not high, then also you are eligible for the surgery. Weight loss surgery should be considered as a last resort. If your body mass index is below 40 and you are healthy, it is better to make changes to your diet rather than going for surgery. Changes in diet can reduce your calorie intake and increasing your workout activity is a good option to lose weight and keep it off.

Time:

Having surgery to lose weight results in a larger reduction of weight in a less period of time because after weight loss surgery, your stomach is unable to take too much of food, resulting in a dramatic reduction in calorie intake. If you are obese and have surgery, you would likely reach your aim much more quickly than by reducing calorie intake. If you want to lose your excess weight by making changes to your diet and exercise habits, then it will take much more time. The amount of time this would take will depend on how much weight you want to lose, such as a 20-pound loss would take 10 to 20 weeks.

Procedure:

Different procedures are available for weight loss surgery. These procedures vary from one surgery to another surgery that depends on which surgery you choose. Each surgery needs anesthesia. The surgery takes almost four hours and after surgery, you need to stay in the hospital for at least three days. After surgery, you need to make some changes in your exercise patterns and eating habits. To avoid temptations, simply it requires perfect planning on meals and focusing on regular works.

Risks:

Mainly to reduce the health problems and injuries, you need to take suggestions from the doctor before starting a new diet and exercise. Weight loss surgery contains several risks, so before undergoing the surgery, you need to consider all those risk factors.

8 Workout Motivation Techniques That Will Boost Your Fitness

Sometimes good workout motivation techniques can be difficult to come across. Some days you just can’t find enough reason to work out, and you let yourself slow down. The problem here is that if you aren’t motivated, you won’t get results. You have to want it. Really want it.

There are so many ways to keep yourself fully motivated and doing so will put you in better shape than you’ve ever been and fast. Not only that, but you’ll enjoy the ride there much, much more. Here are some great ways to start getting motivated, break those plateaus, and get on the fast track to insane health.

Workout Motivation Techniques:

1. Remember what you’re doing it for.

The best workout motivation you can give yourself is to remember why it is you’re working out. Maybe it’s the dream weight you’ve been striving for. Maybe it’s a pant size you haven’t fit into in years. Maybe you just want the satisfaction of knowing you’re in better shape. Whatever it is that got you in the gym on the first day, think about it, and don’t let it get away.

2. Track your success.

Write down every rep and weight for each workout, and how long you ran or held a plank that day. Keep a record so when you look back at the workout from three weeks ago, then the one from yesterday, you can see the improvement. Knowing that you’re improving and being able to read the proof can be a great form of workout motivation for anyone with any fitness goal.

3. Use your favorite activities to get in shape.

If you hate running, buy a jump rope for your cardio. If you love rock climbing, find a club nearby and use it to get in shape. Use the things you like to do, and you’ll get better results from them.

4. Set short term goals.

Before you start an exercise, tell yourself what you need to do. Get a number of reps or a length of time in mind, and achieve it at all costs. If you can’t make it on the first try, take a breath, and finish. Don’t ever let yourself give up halfway.

5. Set long term goals.

Much like the short term goals, you should give yourself a time or number to reach, but set it weeks in advance. If you can hold an abdominal bridge for 32 seconds now, make it your goal to hold it for a minute by next month. This will keep you pushing as hard as possible for every abdominal exercise up until the goal date. If you reach the goal, it can be incredibly motivating to see what you can achieve with effort. Continue to set more goals and keep reaching them.

6. Reward Yourself.

Give yourself something to look forward to if you reach a goal, or just for making it through each workout for the week. If you wanted to be benching 220 lbs by a certain day, and you end up hitting 235, then let yourself take a day off, or go get a celebratory meal. Workout motivation is as simple as wanting something, and doing what it takes to get it.

7. Keep it social. Try a group fitness class.

They tend to be very full of energy and motivation. If that’s not for you, get a friend or a group of friends to work out with to keep you motivated and give you some friendly competition.

8. Surround yourself with forms of workout motivation.

There are plenty of things that can remind you to work harder. Keep some motivational pictures on your phone. Subscribe to YouTube channels or to follow social media profiles related to workout motivation. Keep yourself subjected to a constant stream of motivating materials, and soon enough, you’ll never find yourself slacking off again.

Everyone has reasons for their fitness regimens, keep yours in full view and don’t let yourself slack off anymore. Use these tips to keep yourself fully motivated and get in great shape.

Workout Motivation: How Supplements Can Help

You’re all set. You are stoked to get your workout started. You work out for a few days and then you lose motivation. What happened to the plans for that fit, six-pack abs and rippling muscles? It is easy to become discouraged or even lack inspiration especially during the early days of one’s workout plan.

In the end, you have to make exercising and getting fit a habit so that you don’t feel like it is a chore. The initial days of burning muscles and sore backs can definitely hurt, nevertheless with a few useful tips, you’ll be able to remain focused.

Straightforward Motivational Methods

Remaining motivated isn’t easy. Most people battle with it because it is so easy to miss a workout or put it off until the following day. However, it’s possible to mentally boost your inspiration levels.

Work together with an equally devoted partner. Don’t let one another down. Get a lifting partner equally as determined, or maybe more so, than you are.

Give yourself rewards as you go. Rewards shouldn’t be things which yank you back, though. A giant, fatty meal isn’t the route to take. Rather, take a day off, find tickets to a sports event or purchase something for yourself when you accomplish a goal.

Mix things up. Don’t try doing an identical routine and workout plan each day. You’ll get bored even if you are elevating reps or pounds. Repetition may bring you down quickly. You’re basically bored.

The psychological steps you take to raise your enthusiasm are crucial. You need to tell yourself it can be done. You have to provide yourself with stimulation to keep going, even if that means listening to motivational tapes!

Nutritional Supplements Will Help

There are actually supplements which can help you to ultimately stay motivated. While you will not likely discover a specific supplement available on the market for motivation, you will discover other supplements that can improve your state of mind.

Make certain you are taking the best post-workout supplements. The right supplements and protein levels following a workout will decrease the painful burn you experience the very next day. It is challenging to stay motivated while you are really hurting from a rigorous workout.

Look for natural supplements that give a boost to energy levels. Unless you possess the right energy levels, you can easily find yourself struggling to remain on top of your workout. Supplements including Asian ginseng, bitter orange, caffeine, and capsaicin, will provide you with the boost of energy you require in a healthy way.

Consider supplements to help you to get enough rest. Sleep is definitely the body’s method of restoring and healing itself. If you don’t get enough proper sleep, try taking supplements that can help. Valerian, Kava, and melatonin are among the best options available.

The most significant supplements for motivation for the muscle builder are the types that encourage muscle growth. There isn’t anything more motivational than seeing your muscles grow and develop and seeing the numbers on those weights increase. If you’d like to build motivation, give your body the nutrients it needs to build muscles fast enough.

With proper nutrition, the body can accomplish everything you want to accomplish. However, you have to take the steps to stay motivated. After you make working out a routine, you’ll feel great about it and will want to do it. Keep your motivation levels up in the meantime.

Workout Motivation

How do we find the motivation to exercise? At the end of the day when that big fluffy couch seems to be calling your name and nothing looks more appealing, what is it that keeps us on track and motivated?

What Motivates Me To Workout

The question came up today how do I motivate the individual and I started thinking about how do I motivate myself. Everyone is different and everyone needs motivation served to them on a different platter. What motivates one doesn’t necessarily motivate the next. Some people need constant encouragement, others need a kick in the ass while some need to be told specifically what to do.

There are literally hundreds of different ways to motivate yourself to exercise and I will give you a few examples of what has worked for me. Even I struggle sometimes to keep going but the most effective way to keep motivated for me is having a workout partner. Having that buddy on the same page as you challenging you to push hard and keep going always motivates me. I have had some great workout partners in the past and I miss training with them.

Writing down my program and keeping track of it is also a great method for me. I track my results and week by week I check to see my improvements, and hey what better motivation is there then seeing results.

Caloric expenditure is one that has worked for me in the past as well. I know that you read tons of weight loss articles and they say don’t count calories. Well, how are you going to get the proper amount of calories you need and burn the proper amount without keeping track? Knowing what I need to burn in the day pushes me that extra little bit or keeps me on track so I don’t expend too much.

Simple enjoyment out of exercise and having fun will keep anyone going. I wish I could workout with everyone I train all day every day. If it wasn’t for the fact that it takes away my concentration on the individual I would love to work out with them all. Having fun doing a group or boot camp class has always been motivating for me. Lately, I have been riding my new mountain bike and I love it. Doing something that keeps you moving while you are having fun can’t be bad for you.

Magazines and the models inside have been an inspiration in the past for me. Sure Photoshop works some wonders and they are usually a couple of days out from contest time but hey working hard to be that fit and having a goal is a great motivation.

Internet articles, blogs, books any type of information and reading material is interesting for me and gets me to try new things or methods and different exercises. Sometimes reading what others have done and their success stories are very inspirational.

Setting goals and when you reach them to reward yourself. It’s always nice to get to a goal and it’s even nicer to know that you are getting something for your hard work. I like to get some sort of little reward for every goal I achieve. Set your goals and set your rewards and get them often.

Keeping my “lean clothes” around makes me work hard to fit into them and want to look good. With looking good comes feeling good and having those outfits I feel stellar in keeps me on track.

Stress relief is a great motivator for me. Some days I need to blow off some steam and putting some old classic tunes on my iPod and just tearing it up in the gym really clears my mind and drains the stress from my body and mind.

Clearing my head while I have been riding my bike has worked great as well. Again it’s stress relief buy it really gives me time to think about other things and maybe just take in some scenery.

A couple of other motivators that may work for you could be signing up for a 5 or 10 km race, not feeling bad from missing workouts, extending your life expectancy and being able to run and play with your grandkids one day. Weighing yourself and keep measurements. Not every day but once a week, trust me as you see the numbers going down you will be motivated.

However, you chose to motivate yourself whether it be from taking those measurements, logging your workouts or reading motivational quotes, the feeling you get once you have reached a goal and people are noticing is priceless. Make and set your goals so they are achievable and realistic. You will reach them as long as you work at it and there is no better reward than feeling great and looking great and having others notice.

What Motivates you? I’d love to know…

Common Mistakes Most People Make When Working Out

If you want to learn about 3 major dumb mistakes people make when working out, then you’ll want to read this article. Specifically, I’ll discuss how people are wrongly expecting instant results, unproductive inconsistency, and erroneously missing the diet equation.

After reading this article, you should be able to see better workout results and more importantly, have increased workout motivation.

Most people who are starting to workout have an illusion of grandeur, wanting to look like supermodels in a week’s time. This is one of the mistakes people make, thinking that working out for a couple of hours for a few days should make them lose at least a third of their weight. This is too much of an expectation that not even God can perform a miracle. Dumb mistake number one, don’t expect instant results! Miracles do happen but not on weight issues, these you need to work hard for. Set attainable goals and work hard for each goal. Plan each step, each activity and make sure you follow your plans or this will lead you to mistake number two.

You have been sticking to your workout – getting in shape, doing more push-ups, gradually increasing running speed – until after one week you lose your workout motivation and decide to skip a day or two. Guess what? Unproductive inconsistency will pull you back in your workout and might cause it to fail. Another dumb mistake, stop being inconsistent! Stick to your routine no matter how heavy a rainy day it is or you will pay the price. Don’t expect good results when you know you have been skipping workouts.

The third dumb mistake people make when working out is missing the most important part – eating right. It is never enough to just exercise without eating healthy foods. Stick to what you know is right for your workout. Don’t tire yourself for 3 hours in the gym then eat a heavy and sinful dinner afterward. You may be working out consistently but at the same time consistently pigging out on pizzas and buckets of ice cream as well. Dumb mistake number three, don’t forget your diet!

Following a Dietician’s expert advice on what kind of diet to take coupled with good, consistent workouts will give out the best results. Remember, don’t make dumb mistakes such as expecting instant results, being inconsistent, and forgetting your diet. These will surely set you up for a failed workout. Avoid these mistakes and you’re sure to notice fewer pounds, fewer inches, and more workout motivation.

What Can Functional Fitness Do For You?

Functional fitness is a type of work out that concentrates specifically on training your body to cope with real-life situations using real-life body mechanics. This revolutionary technique takes fitness to a whole new level by combining multiple muscle groups and joint movements to work together rather than isolating them to function separately.

Working out on the machines is terrific; however, the machines don’t prepare you for everyday life. A patient, Laura came to me after a back injury and said, “I don’t understand, I went to the gym 3 times a week and felt much stronger, yet when I went on my trip and had to carry my suitcase by myself, I hurt my back. How could that be? That’s because exercising on a machine and performing functional exercise is quite different. Here’s why…

What is functional fitness

EXAMPLE OF FUNCTIONAL FITNESS EXERCISE:

Tricep extensions performed with dumbbells on a bench is a functional fitness exercise. A seated tricep extension performed on a machine is not. Exercises performed on either a bench or without the use of machines integrates muscles of the back, shoulders, arms, and legs to stabilize your body making the exercise dynamic, meaning your body is in motion. When comparing this dynamic exercise to an occupational therapist bending over to transfer a patient, or a person putting away groceries, they are similar because both functional activities require the person to use a variety of muscles.

However, if you do a seated tricep extension on a machine that isolates the tricep muscle, guess what is doing the work? The machine does most of the work and that movement doesn’t mimic real-life activities. Because in real life, when you’re carrying suitcases, bending over to retrieve something, reaching into your closet, you don’t just use one muscle group to perform functional activities.

That’s why you can train at the gym for months and even years on the machine and one day you go to put groceries in the car and ouch – you strained your back!

Machine-based exercises also limit your range of motion and therefore don’t allow your body full range of movement that is required of you when doing day to day activities.

In this tough economy there is a multitude of reasons for you to incorporate functional fitness into your exercise routine:

Benefits Include:

  • No expensive equipment.
  • Decrease back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain
  • Decrease risk of injury o Enhance joint mobility
  • Keeps you doing all the things you love and need to do
  • Can be done by virtually anyone, regardless of fitness level

How Functional Fitness Benefits Seniors

Functional fitness is all about teaching your body to handle real-life activities. It is a way of exercising that helps your body be strong in those areas that the body needs to be strong in your everyday life. This type of fitness can benefit anyone but can benefit seniors perhaps more than others.

The Idea Of Functional Fitness For Seniors

Functional Fitness for Seniors

Functional fitness involves putting your body through the paces that are necessary for everyday life. As a senior, you can lift weights or use a weight lifting machine to strengthen certain muscles of your body to the exclusion of others and may find that you are strengthening certain muscles, which leaves a deficiency in others.

Without functional fitness, you can strengthen your arms in a biceps machine but still throw out your neck when reaching for something out of your reach or throw out your back while lifting your grandchild.

Seniors especially make the mistake of exercising their arms or legs in ways that may strengthen those muscles but avoid exercising their back, for example. This can lead to back trouble that could have been avoided if you had recognized that your arms and legs are intricately connected to your back and are useless without a strong core.

As a senior, you need to use all your muscles and joints in concert with one another and not just isolating out certain muscles to the exclusion of others.

Helping Your Muscles Work Together

Many seniors make the mistake of using weight machines or free weights while at the gym. They are isolating out certain muscle groups for strengthening, strengthening some muscles more than others. They may believe that to have a good biceps bulge is a sign of good health when their triceps muscles are not exercised at all. This means that the muscles cannot work together to do the everyday lifting and stretching that needs to be done as part of your regular day.

Everyday movement is not idealized. You don’t lift or move things by isolating out your muscle groups and in fact, it takes a strong back, strong legs, and strong-arm muscles to move a box or carry groceries. If you isolate out a muscle group to the exclusion of all others, you can set yourself up for injury to those muscles you have neglected.

How To Make Functional Exercise Work For You

Functional exercise is all about integration of muscle parts. It is about showing the muscles how to work together to accomplish a task rather than isolating muscle groups that may be exercised out of proportion to the rest of your muscles.

If you like rowing machines, for example, think about the posture you are in when you do that exercise. Your back is stiff and your arms are bent repeatedly with your legs doing very little. This strengthens some muscles and not others.

A better activity is to use a free weight standing up. First, you bend over and strengthen your back in picking up the weight. Then you strengthen your legs by holding the weight with your entire body. Finally, put the weight in various motions around your body so that your latissimus dorsi muscles are activated, along with your biceps and triceps muscles. Even the small muscles of your hands are strengthened by holding the weight.

All your muscles are working in concert by that simple exercise. If you repeat it on the other side of your body, the muscles of your back, sides, legs, and arms are exercised for the other side of your body and you haven’t missed any muscles in the process.

This type of exercise better mimics the regular activities you do every day and you will have fewer injuries because your muscles have learned to work in concert.

Balance And Control

Functional exercise is all about using your body to balance yourself while having control over your muscles. For seniors, it may mean skipping lifting weights completely and instead of working on things like squats and lunges that use all your muscles and help your balance. You don’t need bulging biceps to have good functional use of your body.

Can you stand on one foot for any amount of time without falling?

If you have questions about functional exercise, talk to a trainer about those exercises that will best mimic those things you are doing in everyday life. It is a different way to exercise that will keep you balanced, strong, and free of injury.

What You Need To Know About The DASH Diet

The foods we eat can affect our overall health. A diet rich in harmful elements like saturated fats and cholesterol is a sure way to hypertension and other diseases. On the other hand, the right choice of foods can lessen your risk of acquiring such diseases.

There is a particular eating plan that has been proven to lower hypertension or high blood pressure. This diet is called the DASH or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

What is the DASH Diet

What is the DASH diet?

The DASH diet is a result of clinical studies conducted by scientists of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The researchers found out that a diet high in potassium, magnesium, calcium, protein, and fiber, and low in fat and cholesterol can drastically reduce high blood pressure.

The study showed that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products had a big effect in reducing hypertension. It also showed that the DASH diet produces fast results, sometimes in as little as two weeks after starting the diet.

The DASH diet also emphasizes three important nutrients: magnesium, calcium, and potassium. These minerals are thought to help reduce high blood pressure. A normal 2,000-calorie diet contains 500 milligrams of magnesium, 4.7 grams of potassium and 1.2 grams of calcium.

Doing the DASH Diet

Following the DASH diet is very easy and takes little time in the choice and preparation of meals. Foods rich in fats and cholesterol are avoided. The dieter is advised to eat as many vegetables, fruits, and cereals as possible.

Since the foods you eat in a DASH diet are high in fiber content, it is recommended that you slowly increase your consumption of fiber-rich food to avoid diarrhea and other digestive problems. You can gradually increase your fiber intake by eating an additional serving of fruits and vegetables in every meal.

Grains are also good sources of fiber, as well as the B-complex vitamins and minerals. Whole grains, whole wheat pieces of bread, bran, wheat germ, and low-fat breakfast cereals are some of the grain products you can eat to increase your fiber consumption.

You can choose the food you eat by looking at the product labels of processed and packaged foods. Look for foods that are low in fat, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. Meats, chocolates, chips and fast foods are the main sources of fat and cholesterol, so you should reduce your consumption of these foods.

If you decide to eat meat, limit your consumption to only six ounces a day, which is similar in size to a deck of cards. You can also eat more vegetables, cereals, pasta, and beans in your meat dishes. Low-fat milk or skim milk is also a great source of protein without excess fat and cholesterol.

For snacks, you can try canned or dried fruits, as well as fresh ones. There are also healthy snack options for those on the DASH diet such as graham crackers, unsalted nuts, and low-fat yogurt.

It’s Easy to DASH

The DASH diet is popular among many health buffs because it doesn’t require any special meals and recipes. There are no special preparations and calorie-counting to be considered as long as consume more fruits and vegetables and reduce your intake of fat- and cholesterol-rich foods. The DASH diet is a healthy eating plan that focuses more on the three important minerals that are believed to have a beneficial effect on high blood pressure.

The DASH diet is great for people who prefer convenience and ease in their eating plans. With scientific evidence to back it up, the DASH diet offers a proven and tested diet system for people looking for good health.