Over the years I have seen a lot of flimsy ideas of how to get a set of six pack abs. The most common scams are special machines that will do it and sometimes some kind of drink. I remember at one point Slim Fast seemed to be showing chubby people suddenly spawning a set of six pack abs.

Anyway I wanted to put this notion to rest that there is some magic to getting a six pack. Sure there is some genetics involved in sculpting perfect abs but the two most important factors are diet and exercise.

What? Did you think there was a shortcut?

Six Pack Abs Diet

The diet part is fairly simple; you need to drop any extra fat. You have probably heard this before but there is no such thing as spot reduction when you are losing weight. You will lose weight proportionately, generally, as you lose weight. What you may find is that you have a large stomach and if that is the case of course you will lose that fat faster than you lose the fat on your legs but that is just because that is where the fat deposits will be easiest for your body to use.
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Here is a hint, water is critical to losing weight.  However, the amount of techniques available for losing weight can be quite intimidating.  Recently, there has been interest in using a single, simple element to help people lose weight.  Can water make you lose weight?

Before answering this question, it is important to understand that water is vital to all systems of the body.  As the human body is made up of 70% water, its importance to the body’s functions can only be equaled to that of oxygen.  Without the proper amount of water in your body, you will find it very difficult to lose weight at all.

Your immune system, your circulatory system, your muscular system, your nervous system, and most importantly for losing weight, your digestive system all depend on proper hydration to function.  You are handicapping your attempt to lose weight if you do not drink enough water.  You should drink between eight and ten 8 ounce glasses of water per day for optimal hydration. Read the rest of this entry »

“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”  This quote by Mark Twain may not seem to have anything to do with losing weight on its face.  However, as you progress in your weight loss program, you may find wisdom in it.

Maintaining proper motivation to continue a weight loss program can be one of the biggest hurdles when trying to lose weight.  There are, however, some tricks you can use to stay motivated.

The motivational trick that many people report working best for them is looking down at the scale and seeing actual progress.  If you are able to get off to a good start, losing those first 5 pounds can turn into a dramatic motivator.  Once you see that your program is working and it is actually possible for you to lose weight, you will be encouraged to stay with it, and the weight loss will continue. Read the rest of this entry »

As more and more scientific evidence points towards the health benefits of losing weight, people are increasingly altering their diets to achieve healthy bodies.  While maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is surely the most fundamental aspect of losing weight, there are some specific foods one can eat to dramatically improve weight loss results.  Here are five of them:

1.  It may be so simple that you have overlooked it in your diet.  Water is the number one food you can use to help you lose weight.  Not only is water vital to all your bodies systems, but many times you can stave off hunger simply by drinking a glass.  Additionally, replacing just two cans of cola with water per day can shave off almost a pound of body fat per week! Read the rest of this entry »

Fifty-five is the magic number when it comes to working out and losing weight, researchers say.

A new study has found that for overweight and obese women seeking to lose weight, fifty-five minutes of exercise a day, five days a week is needed to lose 10 per cent of overall body weight over two years.

Currently, the recommended amount is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week, totaling 150 minutes per week.

The study, conducted by University of Pittsburgh researchers, has been published in the July 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Losing weight has gotten a bad reputation. People avoid it, dread having to do it, try it and give up, and generally approach it with the idea in mind of how hard it is! But it can be much easier than that. The trick is to approach it gradually.

Don’t try to make huge changes all at once.

Make one small change at a time and give yourself some time – maybe a week or more – to get used to it. Then add on another small change. If you keep it up, which is not very hard to do, after only a few weeks you will start to notice changes in your energy, your strength, and how your clothes fit.

What kinds of things can you change? Well, we can start by remembering that weight loss or gain come from the foods you put into your body and the exercise you do with it. That gives us a lot of possibilities. One week you can add a short walk after dinner or lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of days ago my son was not eating his dinner and my daughter piped in

“Jaiden eat the chicken, it has protein, it will give you energy”

I cringed a little but this myth has gotten legs over the years. If you are tired and need energy nothing can beat a big steak.

In fact this idea is not at all true. Carbohydrates are the choice of energy sources in the body the fact is that the simpler the carb the more likely your body is to break it down and use it. The way that I look at energy sources your body will use the following in order; glycogen stores in your muscles, sugar, starch, and then equally protein and fat.

Many people on a diet will try to cut down on all of their carbs and will try to lose weight. This works initially because the body uses up all of the easy to get carbs and then will then move on to eating away at fat and protein. After a while you will get tired as your body will be really craving some kind of simple carbs for energy and it is a struggle for your body to use protein and fat as quick energy sources. This problem is even more of a problem when you exercise as there are no easy ways to get energy for your workouts.

So now you see why I am always writing about how important it is to get protein in your diet, not for the energy but more to counteract your body eating away at the protein in your muscles as well as the fat on your body when trying to lose weight. Your goal should be to look healthy not to look starved and muscleless.

So yes your body can use protein for energy buy mostly as a last resort. The problem is that when losing weight your body will use the protein in your muscles for energy as well as the fat in your body. But it will not use that steak right away.

While in Hawaii I finally had a chance to see the type of marketing that Glaxo Smith Kline are doing for the Alli weight loss pills. And wow I bet they are selling well.

First of all we all know that there are some side effects to Alli. The pills make you leach a bit of oil from your bum when you are taking them, other then that the Alli diet pills are basically a fat blocker that lets you know that you have eaten too much fat and stops your body from storing it.

Back to the marketing. Part of the problem that diet pills have had over the last few years is that they are very flash in the pan and no one trusts them, usually from good reason. I am not sure how many different diet pills there have been between Phen-fen to Hoodia and in between but there have been lots. Read the rest of this entry »

With the rise in awareness about the different diseases associated with obesity, more and more people are trying to lose weight. People can lose weight in several different ways. There are weight loss programs created by professionals which individuals can join for a fee; then there are diet pills and supplements that claim to help people lose weight.

However, as a matter of fact, not all weight loss pills and supplements are that effective and it is hard to tell which ones would really work! A better option is to start losing weight through a healthy diet plan coupled with an effective exercise program.

First of all, you need to decide what you really want from your weight loss program. Do you just want to shed off a few pounds, or lose weight? Remember there is a difference of heaven and hell between losing weight and losing just a few pounds; the former will require an entirely different approach than the latter. Read the rest of this entry »

We all know that positive thinking is good but I for one get a little irritated when I see people that apparently never have a negative thought, it makes me feel like they are tuning out some of the stuff in life just to make sure that they are not negative. I am probably not being fair though because one of the real reasons that people do not lose weight is because negative thoughts will cause them to fail before they even have a chance to lose weight.

Lets Get Positive about Weight Loss Now

If you really want to achieve any goal, you need to think positive. This is true not just of weight loss goals but of every type of goal you might have. Be it a business or a family goal, you cannot achieve it unless you succeed in overpowering negativity. Once you set a goal, there will be obvious roadblocks on your way in the form of negative thoughts and feelings that will make you depressed and de-motivated. Your job is to weed out those negative thoughts from your mind and replace them with positive ones. Read the rest of this entry »