Work Life Tips

Susie Orbach’s Fat is a Feminist Issue – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Although Susie Orbach’s Fat is a Feminist Issue was published in 1981, it is still one of the best books that attack the issue of women’s weight loss. Some of the concepts discussed in Orbach’s book include:

* Unrealistic expectations regarding your life after weight loss: Many women believe that if they can only lose 10 pounds, they will get the guy, get rich, get a promotion, win the lottery (well, maybe not) etc. When life doesn’t automatically become amazing after weight loss, they regain the weight.
* Compulsive Overeating: One of the questions women should ask themselves is whether or not they are really healthy when they reach for something to eat. Orbach contends that women often overeat, and thus gain weight because fat is a protective mechanism.
* The Yoyo Diet Syndrome: You’ve been “good” on your diet for a few weeks, so you are rewarding yourself when you go away for a weekend. However, come Monday, you know that you are going back to the “diet jail,” so you eat everything in sight. Since your metabolic rate is probably lower due to food deprivation, you can end up gaining more weight than you have lost.
* Feeding the Clock instead of the Stomach: This is perhaps one of the biggest issues in regards to weight loss. Do you eat at noon, even if you are not hungry? Have you ever consumed hundreds of calories of salad in an attempt to avoid eating a cookie, only to eventually end up eating that cookie anyway? Orbach suggests that we eat only what we want, and only when we are hungry.

Chart Your Calorie Intake – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

If you’re counting calories, a calorie chart is one of the best ways to track what you eat. Calorie charts are easy to use, and you can find them on the Internet or at your local bookstore. Use a calorie counting chart to find out how many calories you need to lose weight and keep track of how much protein, fat and carbohydrates are in what you eat. Most calorie charts come with extensive food guides that have the nutritional values for most foods. This way, you can easily record the number of calories you eat and also plan ahead for future meals. It is important to record everything you eat for the day. Don’t skimp on any amount, as this defeats the purpose of keeping a calorie chart.

Calorie charts are also beneficial if you are trying to lose weight because people often do not realize how many calories they consume in a day. Keep track of your caloric intake for a week before starting your weight loss plans to see approximately how many calories you usually consume in a day. When you find out how many calories you usually consume, you can adjust your diet accordingly. If you usually take in 2,300 calories per day, for example, when you start your weight loss regimen you might want to cut your calorie intake by 500 calories so you consume 1,800 calories. Look up foods ahead of time to find out their nutritional value and caloric values to plan your future meals and budget you calories.

Healthy Weight Loss – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Let’s do the math: If 3500 calories equals one pound of body fat, you either need to eat 3500 calories fewer, or burn an additional 3500 calories. How much time do you think that you can realistically do this?

If a diet plan claims that you can lose seven pounds a week, that means that you will be eating 3500 calories less per day. Were you really eating that much more than 3500 calories a day? Probably not. the same applies to exercise. Consider that running burns about 100 calories per mile, even if you ran a marathon, you still would not burn up one pound of body fat. Fast weight loss is usually water loss, as opposed to fat loss.Additionally, fast weight loss slows down your metabolic rate. As soon as you return to normal eating habits, since your body has grown accustomed to less calories, you gain back the weight twice as quickly as you lost it.

For lasting results, aim for a healthy weight loss rate of one to two pounds a week.

BMI: Body Mass Index – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Today, many people are talking about BMI. What is it? BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a number that is calculated from a woman’s weight and height. Although it does not directly measure body fat, a BMI reading has been shown to correlate with body fat measuring methods such as underwater weighing. According to the Center for Disease Control, the following method is used to calculate BMI:

Formula: weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703

Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.

Example: Weight = 150 lbs, Height = 5’5” (65″)

Calculation: [150 ÷ (65)2] x 703 = 24.96

A BMI of below 18.5 is considered underweight. From 18.5 to 24.9, the BMI is considered normal. If your BMI is 25 to 25.9, you are considered overweight. Obesity begins at a BMI of 30. Although BMI can be a useful method for calculating body fat, there are some caveats. A highly muscular woman will obviously weigh more. However, this does not mean she has more body fat.

Get Your Body Moving – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

To burn fat you need to exercise. A regular treadmill workout will help you lose weight and improve your metabolic rate so you can burn calories faster. If you are on a low-calorie diet, exercise can also prevent your body from going into starvation mode, which happens when you body naturally lowers your metabolism to conserve calories. The other benefits of exercise include lower risk of weight-related problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

If you exercise you will gain muscle mass and burn fat. This may not contribute to your overall weight loss goals, but it will make you look trimmer and tighten up your “problem” areas such as your butt and thighs. Exercise also produces lean tissue, which is needed to metabolize fat.

Join a fitness gym or find an exercise buddy to help get you motivated. Exercise is one of the main components of fitness, but remember that you need to pair it with a healthy diet. Exercise is not an excuse to eat whatever you want. If you cut calories and exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week, you will be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals.

Counting Calories – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Calorie counting can be frustrating for women, but it doesn’t have to be. The amount of calories you need depends on your weight, age, height and activity level, but calorie estimates can still be helpful. To lose weight, you first need to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. This is also called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Once you know your BMR you can cut calories and factor in the amount of exercise you need in order to lose weight. The formula for BMR for women is:

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years).

If you do little to no exercise, multiply your BMR by .2. If you are lightly active, multiply your BMR by .3. If you exercise most of the days in a week, multiply your BMR by .4. If you exercise everyday at a high intensity, multiply your BMR by .5. This is your BMR and the amount of calories you need per day to maintain your weight.

One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. In order to lose one pound of weight per week, you need to cut 500 calories from your daily diet or integrate exercise into your weight loss plans to burn fat and calories. No matter what your weight goals, do not consume less than 1,200 calories a day. When you eat less than 1,200 calories per day, your body will most likely go into starvation mode and store your calories instead of burn them. Use a calorie chart to keep track of what you eat and join a fitness gym to kick your body and metabolism into shape.

Deadly Diet Sins – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Here are some surefire ways avoid those diet slip-ups that ruin your weight loss goals and get you doing an extra treadmill workout at the gym.

* Trigger foods: Your body naturally craves trigger foods that are high in fat. This is an instinct left over from pre-historic times. You may think one slice of pizza will throw off your entire diet, but it is ok to cave in to your cravings every once in a while. If you deprive your body of what you crave too often, you risk over-indulging later. Instead, go for your trigger foods in moderation.
* Nighttime snacking: If you skipped breakfast or haven’t eaten enough during the day, you run the risk of over-indulging in nighttime snacks after dinner. It is ok to have an after dinner snack, but try to keep your snacks under 150 calories. Make sure you get a full breakfast with fiber and protein.
* Social eating: If your office has coffee cake by the coffee pot or you find yourself at a holiday party with delicious, high-fat snacks, you need to have a plan of action. Eat a healthy meal before you go to a party so you will be less likely to munch on snacks. Keep emergency snacks at your office such as granola bars or fruit for when you get a hankering for some of those donuts in the meeting room. This will curb you cravings and help you stay on your diet track.
* Eating fast: It takes 20 minutes to feel full. If you eat slower at the dinner table you will notice yourself get fuller, faster. You will be tuned in with the triggers in your brain that let you know you are full, thus reducing your portions at each meal.

Portion Control – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

A calorie chart alone won’t do it! To lose weight you must consider portion control. This can be hard to do in the land of super-sized portions, but here are a few pointers to get you going in the right direction.

* Portions at restaurants are often out of control. It’s cheaper and better calorie-wise to eat at home. Only eat at restaurants on special occasions. If you usually go out to eat with friends, suggest a walk with your friends instead of a meal. This way you will avoid that extra treadmill workout you would have to do to compensate for all the calories you ate.
* The easiest way to monitor your portions is to simply eat half of your meal. Eat half of your sandwich and replace your bag of chips with crunchy carrots. If you are at a restaurant, eat half of your meal. You can even ask the waiter or chef to give you a take-out container with your meal so you can immediately put half of your meal in box when it arrives.
* Buy pre-packaged, low-cal dinners. This can make portion control easy, as microwavable or pre-made dinners are usually much smaller than your average full-sized dinner. You can find these at almost every supermarket.
* Check nutrition labels for servings sizes. Most people reach into a bag of chips absent mindedly, but those handfuls add up. A serving size of meat is only three ounces. This is the size of the palm of your hand! A serving size of cheese is about the size of two domino squares. Only one half of a small bagel is a serving size. Reference the food pyramid put out by the FDA to find out how many servings of each food group you should have.