We’ve grown into a society of folks with an almost insatiable appetite for instant gratification. From fast food to microwave ovens to diets and ‘get rich quick’ schemes, we want what we want, when we want it, and usually as quickly as possible.

People trying to lose weight are among some of the most impatient. Never mind that it took months, or even years to put the excess weight on, they want to see instant results and if they don’t, they’ll usually abandon the program and move on to whatever else they think may be the ‘magic bullet’ to instant weight reduction.

This article will give you some tips to help you achieve the trim, healthy body you desire. No, you won’t wake up thin tomorrow, but following these tips will help you reach your ideal weight as quickly as is safely possible.

1. Whichever program you choose, commit yourself to follow it to the letter for at least a month. Too many times dieters will do well for four or five days and then give in to cravings or try to ‘reward’ themselves by eating out, or fixing a favorite calorie-laden meal or dessert at home. They’re basically undoing all the good they’ve done all week in a single day. Give your diet plan a chance to work and be diligent for four weeks.

2. Set goals, both short-term and long-term, and be reasonable. You’re setting yourself up for failure with a goal of losing 30 pounds in a month. Understand that a consistent loss of one to two pounds a week will add up, especially if you’re not indulging in a ‘cheat day’ once or twice a week.

3. Drink water, drink some more water, and then drink a little more water. It’s absolutely true what you’ve heard about water helping to flush the body. Some overweight people are carrying many pounds of excess water because they’re not giving their body enough to drink. The body’s response is to hold onto as much water as possible.

4. If you want to accelerate your weight loss as much as possible, you have to move more. Movement in general, and exercise in particular will speed up your metabolism, which in turn burns more calories, even at rest. Don’t feel like you have to do marathon running in order to get some oxygen flowing through your body. Start out with what you can do, even if it means only walking to the mailbox and back. Consistency is the key. After a few days, or a couple of weeks, you’ll surprise yourself with how much better you feel and how much more you’re able to do.

5. Don’t be a slave to the scale. Weight loss can be measured in many other ways, and even when the scale doesn’t seem to be responding, you may be losing inches and changing your body shape. Follow your progress by using the image you see in the mirror, measuring certain body areas regularly, or trying on a favorite pair of jeans that you haven’t been able to wear for a while.

Weight loss just isn’t an easy thing to do, but it CAN be done. Be realistic about how much you need to lose and be patient with your body as it tries to accommodate your efforts. With consistent commitment, you can achieve whatever goals you set.

Despite our best efforts, we all have days we just don’t feel like going to the gym, taking a walk or doing a dance routine to get into or stay in good shape. Enjoy these 10 tips to keep you motivated and inspired!

1. Set Goals – Many people overlook this important step. Successful people don’t. Make sure your goals can be measured; set a definite date to achieve definite results. Each time you reach a goal, it kicks your motivation up a notch. Start with short-term goals that will lead you to your long-term desired results.

2. Make your workout fun to do – If you don’t enjoy ‘working out’ with weights, try walking; if walking bores you to tears; try biking or dancing or an aerobics class. You’re much more likely to stick with an exercise program doing something you like to do.

3. Partner up – Working out with a buddy is not only more fun, but you’re less likely to blow off your workout if you know someone is waiting for you to join them. It’s also good to have someone to share with when you’ve reached a goal or become discouraged.

4. Use the power of visualization – If you don’t have a photo editor, chances are you know someone who does. Give them a picture of yourself and have them touch it up so you can see what you’ll like when you reach your goals. Keep this picture somewhere you’ll see it every day. (Like the fridge!)

5. Invest in yourself – One of the best decisions you can make is to hire a personal trainer. You’d be surprised how motivated you’ll become when not only is someone waiting for you to show up, but you’re paying them whether you show up or not!

6. Try on clothes – We’ve all got a favorite article of clothing that ‘used to fit’. Keep that out and try it on a couple of times a week to keep you motivated to continue your workout routine.

7. Start a journal – Jot down a few notes describing how your feel after each workout, especially those days you feel REALLY good. These will serve to greatly inspire you on those days your motivation may be lagging.

8. Find a forum – Joining a discussion group or participating in a forum will do wonders for keeping your motivation high. You’ll find people who struggle with the same obstacles as you as well as those who have found ways to overcome them. Sharing in the success of others inspires you to create your own success story.

9. Tell your friends and family – Once you’ve announced your fitness plan, there’s an accountability factor that helps you get moving when you may not feel like it. Because they care about you, they’re bound to ask you how your workouts are going. What will you tell them?

10. Reward yourself – Most of us have no problem punishing ourselves when we having performed as well as we should. We mentally berate ourselves that we ‘should have done better’ or ‘should have gone to the gym today’. But for some reason, we don’t reward ourselves in the same way for a job well done. Go to a movie, buy something for yourself you’ve been wanting, take time off to play a favorite game or sport or listen to music you enjoy. As long as it isn’t edible…treat yourself from time to time for reaching your goals.

Have you ever wondered if low-carb diets are actually unhealthy and potentially dangerous?

Is it at all possible to maintain a low-carb diet for a lifetime? Or is it just a quick-fix?

Well, Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter has answered those questions – and a lot more. He grew tired of seeing so many new clients come to him with their metabolism slowed to a crawl by their yo-yo dieting approach. He understands people are searching for fast weight loss, but was desperately seeking a way to educate them on the devastating effects of starvation and fad diets.

The problem with fad diets is they get you immediate results. How is that a problem? Two reasons:

1) Because the methods they use are rarely based on any kind of science.

2) They fail to teach you a method of rapid weight loss that you can actually make a permanent part of your lifestyle and KEEP the weight off – forever!

And isn’t that what you’re really looking for, permanent weight loss? My guess is, if you’re anything like me that is EXACTLY what you’ve been desperately searching for. A proven – and healthy – method to help you lose weight fast that will not leave you looking for the next quick fix two months later when all the weight you lost has “magically” found its way back onto your body.

You see, Jayson Hunter is a real Registered Dietitian. Unlike so many of the “pretenders” selling snake oil on the internet, he’s actually a trained professional with years of education backing up his claims. The man has over ten years of experience helping people just like you and me to lose weight and keep it off. I’ve really been impressed with his program because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It is a scientifically proven way of eating that can help you shed up to 15 pounds in just 30 days. Again, the difference is this isn’t some sort of fad diet you have no prayer of sticking with to keep the weight off.

Not even close.

No, the bulk of his system is actually focused on taking those drastic results you see early in the program and making them PERMANENT. And isn’t that what you really want?

Look: There is no magic pill, potion or special food that will deliver the results you are searching for. Jayson explains, in language anyone can understand, the secret to fast weight loss is found in common nutrients you eat all the time. When you eat them at the correct times and quantities, well, the fat literally melts right off!

The part I like best is the fact I’m not constantly craving carbs and I’m never starving. Jayson’s 10+ years as a Registered Dietitian really show in this book as he explains everything in a step-by-step manner that is easy to understand and follow. He uses simple every day foods and explains how the nutrients in these foods are what holds the key to you losing weight.
Most importantly after you get your immediate results Jayson explains how you can eat to maintain those results for the rest of your life. It is amazing to see something that most people think is very complicated laid out in simple terminology and explanation.

Carb Rotation Diet - Customer Reviews

Have you tried this program? How did it work for you? Please share your insights and your results with the Carb Rotation Diet so everyone can benefit from your experience.

In order to lose weight, most people understand there must be some accountability to the number of calories a person takes in each day. However, there are a number of ways this can be done.

-Calories can be counted with daily food being weighed and measured on a scale or in tablespoons, by the half cup or similar detailed measurement.

-Calories can be measured as ‘approximates’. Place a handful of protein equal to the size of your clenched fist, an equal amount of starchy carbohydrates and an unlimited amount of non starchy vegetables to complete one full meal. Another popular way is to divide your plate into ¼’s. Place protein in ¼ of the plate, place a starchy carb like a potato or rice in ¼ of the plate and add other low to non caloric vegetables in the remaining ½ portion of the plate.

-Write down everything you eat for 3 days which should resemble your normal eating patterns. Calculate the typical number of calories you consume, then subtract 20% going forward.

-Eat as usual, but with an emphasis on eliminating obvious junk food like sodas, ice cream, cookies, fast food, etc. If this is a significant portion of your daily diet, by eliminating one of these key meals or more can reduce your calories by enough to begin losing weight.

You see, each of these strategies can lead to weight loss for you. The secret is in choosing a strategy that works best for your lifestyle and one you can commit to. It is the dedication and consistent adherence to your plan that will always offer the best results.

The fail safe strategy is to use pre planned menus that are already set up for your calorie range and you can just follow the menus as outlined. Here is a sample menu plan set up for fat loss.

Day 1 Menu Plan for Fat Loss

Breakfast
1/3 cup cottage cheese with 6 strawberries
1 whole wheat tortilla with a spoonful of almond butter

Snack
English Muffin Pizza-top toasted wholegrain double fiber English muffin with pizza sauce and slice of low fat cheese and melt)

Lunch
3 to 4 ounces tuna fish with a small spinach salad. Add one tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese and 4 to 5 toasted Macadamia nuts.

Snack
Fruit Kabobs dipped in yogurt

Dinner
3 to 4 ounces of Salmon
1 cup of Asparagus
¼ cup Wild Rice

Coming soon!

The Red Carpet Ready program is the highly successful program Holly wood Trainer, Valerie Waters, has used to get her clients in their best shape for the Oscars, Golden Globes, television shows and box office hits. Some of Valerie’s clients include Jennifer Garner, Poppy Montgomery and Rachel Nichols. 

Program Basics:

Valerie’s book focuses on the wide range of exercise and programs she uses with her clients. The majority of exercises are ones you may have seen before, but she adds an interesting twist. Many of the exercises incorporate the use of a Valside which is a unique exercise tool she designed. Her clients LOVE the Valside.

Red Carpet Ready - Customer Reviews

How did you like the Red Carpet Ready program? Tell us about your experience and please share your results.

The ultimate goal of stretching is to increase the functional range of motion around your joints, to improve your physical performance and decrease your risk of injury. Here are a few more reasons why you should stretch.

A flexible joint is able to move through a greater range of motion while expending less energy to do so.
 
Stretching will decrease resistance in tissue structures so you’re less likely to be injured during activities.

To reduce your muscle soreness and improve your posture.

Will help reduce muscle soreness by increasing your blood flow to the tissue, allowing it to remove more toxins while supplying more nutrients. Will help your posture by improving your muscular balance, and correcting poor postural habits.

To reduce your risk of lower back pain.

Stretching promotes relaxation in muscles, so they’re not in constant contraction requiring more energy to be wasted. Flexibility in the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors and muscles around the pelvis will reduce low back pain.

To increase blood and nutrients to tissues.

Stretching will increase tissue temperature, which increases circulation of blood and nutrients. Increased nutrients and joint synovial fluid will allow a greater range of motion and reduces joint degradation.

To improve your muscular coordination.
Stretching increases neuromuscular coordination by improving the time it takes for an impulse to travel to the brain and back (nerve-impulse velocity).

To enhance your enjoyment of physical activities.

Helps relax both mind and body and brings a heightened sense of well-being and personal gratification.

Losing weight is a math equation. While most people think that weight loss is not only elusive, but also difficult to understand, here’s how to make it easy in a most simple equation. Just one word of warning though…you will need to remember or have learned some 3rd grade math. Now, you can find out if you are smarter than a 3rd grader!

Let’s say you want to lose 10 lbs. and your current weight is 175 lbs. Here’s the math. In fact, let’s make up a fictitious name, we’ll refer to ‘her’ as Linda.

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Start with 3 questions to think of an effective exercise for your goal:

What is the goal of the motion to be performed? (Where does the muscle attach and what does it do?)

What direction is the resistance coming from?
- free-weights =  gravity =  straight down
- cable/tubing- direction the cable or tubing is applied

What position must I be in to appropriately align my goal motion against the resistance?
- Resistance should be in the same plane, directly opposing the motion.

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Sets

A set is the number of repetitions of an exercise followed by a rest interval.  The number of sets is dependent on your goal and experience.

Basic Guidelines:

1. 3-months Consistently  =  1-2 sets per exercise

2. 3-months to a Year Consistently  =  2-3 sets per exercise

3. 1+ year Consistently  =  3-4 sets per exercise

Reps

The number of full movements you complete during one set.  This is goal dependent

Reps   Training Effect

1-5     Strength increase through enhanced neural drive
6-8     Strength and hypertrophy
9-15   Significant stimulus for hypertrophy with some strength gains
16+    Strength endurance gains with lower hypertrophy gains