The Joycescape Network

Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category

Weight loss exercise can be a bit of a misnomer. If you start walking on a treadmill and working out with weights, you could well gain weight. But you shouldn’t take that as a sign of failure. It’s really a sign of success, because it means you’re building up muscle, which weighs more than fat.

There are numerous Olympic level athletes who have a body mass index, or BMI that says they’re overweight. That’s one of the hazards of relying on numbers like BMI exclusively. While it can be informative, it cannot distinguish between pounds made of fat and pounds made of muscles.

Perhaps rather than worrying about what the scales say when you begin a weight loss exercise regimen, you should rely on things like how your clothing fits and how you start to look different. And you don’t have to worry about developing bulky masculine muscles. Women’s muscles stay quite feminine even with regular workout routines.

by: Jocelyn Iyog

It is incredibly easy to slip into poor eating habits and then gain weight. Junk foods are readily available and inexpensive, and face it: sometimes you feel like you really need that big chocolate chip cookie to get you through an emotionally draining day. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional treat, if they become everyday occurrences, they won’t be as special, and you’re more likely to add pounds.

One hint that works well in weight loss diet is to follow the general guidelines for people with early type 2 diabetes. The big “rule” is to consume no more than 45 grams of sugars per day. You can find this information on nutrition labels. You could divide the allotment into no more than 15 grams of sugars at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or if it’s an occasion, like a birthday, you can “bank” those 45 grams for one special dessert.

Excess sugar can result in a surge of energy followed by a crash. Cutting sugars to 45 grams or less per day is a healthy, gradual way to loss weight.

by: Jocelyn Iyog

We’ve all been there: a pair of slacks or a skirt was so beautiful, so stylish, so “on sale” that we bought it and told ourselves that we could live with the fact that it was a little too tight in the waist. And then it languished in the back of the closet until we finally admitted we weren’t going to wear them because the tight waist always made us irritable.
If you shop in the U.S., you are probably aware of this, but if you’re new to the U.S. – particularly if you are from Europe, you need to know one very important thing: size numbers on tags mean practically nothing. One designer’s size 4 may fit you perfectly, another’s may be too tight, and still another’s may be too loose. I can vouch for this personally. In my own closet is a pair of slacks that is size 14 that fits perfectly. There’s another pair that’s a size 6 that fits perfectly.
The lesson here is: always try it on. Eventually you’ll get to where you can know on sight whether a garment is going to fit or not. Don’t bother looking at the size label, just try it on. If the number on the tag bothers you, but the garment fits great, you can always cut the size tag out.

Almost every American has had a weight loss problem at least once in his or her life. Obesity is one of this century’s major illnesses. Weight loss becomes more problematic with age. Most people are waiting for the magical pill that will solve their entire weight loss problem. Complex medications and herbal treatments have been proposed in an attempt to provide an effortless weight loss solution. But, as most people ultimately discover, the weight loss through these methods always results in a relapse a few months down the line. What people have so far failed to realize that the mechanisms by which the body functions are elaborate enough by themselves to result in a sustained weight loss—if we know how to use them.

Weight loss or gain is simply the difference between the amounts of calories that are coming in versus those that are going out. If more calories are being put in than used up on a daily basis, it is clear that the person will accumulate weight. On the other hand, if fewer calories are consumed with respect to calories that are burned, then there will be weight loss. This is the crux of the natural way to weight loss.

Natural weight loss regimes can involve two aspects: decreased calorific intake in the food (i.e. a balanced diet) or more burning of calories taken in through increased physical activity. Both can be combined in the natural way to weight loss. Weight loss in this way is more sustainable and results in a healthier lifestyle.

Most women are concerned about gaining the weight while giving birth. But what about those who are concerned about gaining weight after having their child. It is known, that most women trend to lose the weight after giving birth, however, there are those who gain weight after having a baby. As many as 25 percent of women will be 11 pounds heavier after pregnancy that pre-pregnancy.

Take a look at your lifestyle habits. Women who have given birth tend to forget to take care of themselves. It is not so much that they gain weight, it is that women tend to retain the weight. They become less active, their diets change, and they become more consumed with taking care of their child than with taking care of themselves.

Watch what you eat. Most women who had a healthy perception of food and what they should be eating changes when they have given birth. They tend to eat whatever their child is eating. For example, if your child is eating chicken fingers and French fries, then that is most likely what you will be eating yourself. Being more focused on the child also makes you less aware of what you are eating yourself. Instead of grabbing the apple, you may grab the bag of potato chips, just looking for that quick fix. Be more conscious of what you are putting into your mouth before you eat it.

Women also become less active. They tend to watch television more and walk or exercise less. For each hour of television watched, women can retain 11 pounds of weight each year post partum. Each hour spent walking or doing some other form of exercise decreases that chance by 34 percent.

In short, watch what you eat and be sure to exercise more. The more you do this it will decrease your odds of keeping on or gaining any weight post partum.