It’s that time of the year again. Did you make your new year’s resolutions yet? Start thinking about making some. Your first thoughts may turn to your weight. Making a new year’s resolution to lose weight and get lean is one of the most popular resolutions. It’s also a great first step to a healthy lifestyle.

 

The best way to plan on your new year’s resolution to get fit is to know where you are at today. Then set realistic goals, work on a healthy eating plan and include physical activity into your daily life.

 

Remember Bridget Jones? She began her diary writing 33 resolutions. Then 364 days later, she wrote “Number of new year’s resolutions kept 1. An excellent year’s progress.”

 

We all are trying to adopt a new year’s resolution to lose weight. But, oh well, we also know that it won’t be easy to keep our resolution this year. Many of us will give up trying in a month or so. Because we’ve failed many times before. However, because you’ve failed once, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed completely. Be positive and start working on your new year’s resolution for a successful fat loss again.

 

Ask yourself these questions:

 

Did you set the right goals?

 

Is your goal worth achieving?

 

Do you need help from others? (Most of us do…)

 

If you need to decide on what diet plan to follow, we have a Recommended Products section for you.

 

If you want to be able to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, set sensible weight loss goals. To learn how to make and keep your new year’s resolution to lose weight, download our free ebook and let it guide you through your progress.

 

Use the weekly meal planner and workout planner in our free ebook to your advantage. These two useful planners can help you keep a journal and record what foods you consume and how active you can be during the week.

 

Losing weight is a daunting task but we know you can do it!

Create your own diet menu using 5 simple recipes from our healthy diet cookbook. They are tasty, fast and cheap!

 

Appetizer / Turkey Pinwheel Appetizers

Serving Size: 3 pinwheels

Yield: 16 servings

Calories: 100

Ingredients:

1 container (8 oz) garlic and herb cream cheese, low fat 6-8 inch flour tortillas, 6 slices of turkey, 3 small Roma tomatoes, 3 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves.

Instructions:

Place tortillas on microwaveable plate; microwave uncovered on high 10 – 15 seconds to soften. Spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese over each tortilla. Put a slice of turkey, chopped tomatoes and spinach on tortillas and roll up lightly.Then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 – 3 hours to blend flavors. Cut each roll into eight 1-inch slices. Arrange with cut side down on serving plate.

Main Dish / Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Calories: 150

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice, 1 package (10 ounce) broccoli, 3 cups of chicken meat, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Instructions:

Cook rice in 2 cups of water. Prepare broccoli by washing it with fresh water. Cooked the chicken. Chicken should be off the bone. Put oil in large pan. Use broth from chicken you cooked or use canned chicken broth. Add broth to oil slowly. Stir to remove lumps. Add cheese and stir. Add rice, broccoli and chicken. Continue to stir. Put in a casserole pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Side Dish / Brussels Sprouts with Mushroom Sauce

Serving Size:1/2 of the recipe

Yield: 2 servings

Calories: 70

Ingredients:

1/2 pound brussels sprouts and broccoli, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms.

Instructions:

Cut brussels sprouts in half and steam them with broccoli until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes, or microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes. In a non-stick pot bring the broth to a boil. Mix in the lemon juice, mustard and thyme. Add the mushrooms. Boil until the broth is reduced by half, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts and broccoli. Toss well to coat with the sauce.

Salad / A Simple Salad

Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Calories: 50

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1/2 of teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 of teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Wash the cucumbers, oranges, tomatoes and lemon. Slice the cucumbers. Peel and cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Put cucumber and oranges in a medium size bowl. Add chili powder, lemon juice and salt.

Dessert / Frozen Fruit Cups

Serving Size: 1/18 of the recipe

Yield: 18 servings

Calories: 50

Ingredients:

3 bananas, 24 ounces yogurt (non-fat strawberry), 10 ounces strawberries (frozen – thawed and undrained), 8 ounces undrained, canned crushed pineapple.

Instructions:

Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper baking cups. Dice bananas and put in a large mixing bowl. Stir in other ingredients. Put into muffin-tin cups and freeze at least 3 hours or until firm.

Can all the ‘guru’ talk about miracle foods be a lie? There are some foods that are clinically proven to help you burn extra fat. These power foods simply give your body the metabolic kick and help it to burn fat in a healthier way. The best part is, they are natural and affordable.

Work some of those powerful fat burning foods into your meals. It’s easy once you learn where to find them.

For example, you can easily add garlic into any meal. Garlic contains a lot of vitamins like A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D and it also has a lot of minerals, enzymes and amino acids. If you need to lower your cholesterol level, you should consume this little power food. It can also help you speed your metabolism.

Fruits are always good for health when consumed in right amounts. You can add banana into your diet as an appetite suppressant snack. It’s a great pack of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and vitamins. It has also low sugars with very little fats.

You may not like this idea at first but you should use the power of onions. Eat plenty of them because they’re rich in Vitamins A, Vitamins B, C and E. Like bananas, onions too have lots of potassium and calcium, also sodium. It’s a natural fighter against cellulite, it helps speed up diuretic activity. Actually, onions are beneficial in many ways. They work to keep blood sugar stables. They help you control cholesterol level and protect you against many allergy types. One raw onion (medium size) has only 42 calories. There are countless ways to use onions in a regular menu. Sauté some in white wine and basil, then spread over your meal.

Berries are surely more popular than bananas and onions. What makes berries the perfect fat loss food is the fructose sugar they contain. This natural sugar type satisfies your craving for sweets. Berries also have enough fiber that can help you absorb fewer calories you take. You can choose from a wide range of this special power fruit. For example, strawberries have 45 calories per cup.

To increase your metabolism, consume corn, cereals and legumes. Eat kiwis which are a rich source of Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron and fiber. You can store them in your refrigerator up to one month. Salads are rich with fibers too.

Being rich in vitamins and low in sugar, lemons help the blood circulation and should be consumed to fight cellulite. Apples are great snacks as they contain Vitamin C and E, potassium and magnesium. Nuts are an awesome alternative for healthy snacks and they help fast fat burning.

Once you make your mind and accept the fact that you need to change your approach to foods, you’ll see that choices are almost endless. Here are more ideas:

Wheat products – Rich in amino acids, proteins, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.

Chicken meat – Low in fat and contains less sodium. Help lowering cholesterol.

Rucola salad – Great combination of vitamin A and C. Powerful metabolism booster.

Soy products – Rich in proteins and folic acid. Rebalancing metabolism and fights against unintentional weight gain.

Tea – Full of antioxidants. Stimulates metabolism. Tea leaves contain minerals and B vitamins. It’s proven that tea has fat burning caffeine.

Eggs – Rich with protein, minerals and enzymes. To help your muscles burn fat and get lean, you should add eggs into your diet plan.

Wine – Contains lots of antioxidants that can help you maintain your weight.

Pumpkin – Rich in vitamins B, C, E and contains a lot of minerals. Helps with diuretic functions. Eat pumpkin seeds as snacks.

Give power foods a chance! They’re there to help you burn fat. By changing the food types you consume daily, you can make a big change in your lifestyle. It’s really a small step but leads you to big success in the long run.

Read about these 5 proven weight loss tactics and protect your mental health. If your self-esteem may be abandoned by those extra pounds you’re carrying and you feel blamed and not helped, these may help you to make a good start.

1 – Goal setting and planning…

The very first basic step towards fat loss is to set a reachable goal and make a realistic plan. So many people are struggling with weight issues and their body image. And a lot of them are trying to lose unrealistic amounts of pounds. As a result, they fail.

When setting a goal to reduce body fat, it is better to know the reason for doing so, benefits you may get at the end of the weight loss program and the changes you are willing to make in your diet.

This kind of self-analysis will help you understand the problem the better and it will result in setting realistic goals for fat loss. Your efforts to burn fat should be reasonable and gradual.

2 – Food journals to your aid…

Once you set the goal to reduce say two pounds a week, then you can take the step of creating a food journal. It will greatly helps you to analyze and monitor what you eat for the particular week.

You can easily keep track of what you eat, or drink. Sometimes you may have a feeling towards the food you consume, and this feeling may be also jotted down. This is pretty important because it throws light on the food pattern and your habits.

The fat loss is also recorded. When you review the food pattern, you can clearly see what foods are needed to be avoided and you can replace them with healthy foods.

The key is to be very consistent with this and you will see very positive results soon.

3 – Finding the best combination…

Combine your diet with exercise. If you are willing to follow a specific weight loss program, make sure that it’s a good combination of nutritional diet and physical activity. In fact any fat loss program should include exercising.

There are many different exercise types you can do at home. Also, you can combine your diet with good exercises like walking, swimming or aerobics. Physical activities help you to burn calories faster and they also aid in building muscles.

The exercise part of your weight loss plan should be enjoyable, so choose the kind of activity which interests you a lot than slogging. Also note that, exercises you do need to be tracked in a journal. So you can see its effects with your own eyes.

4 – Choosing the right foods…

Foods are not supposed to be our enemies and any diet which treats them as they are should be forbidden!

If you want to burn fat smart way, you should choose the healthy foods you like. If the diet plan bombards you with the foods you don’t like, chances are you’re gonna quit dieting soon.

Try to eat natural foods as much as possible (but the ones you like – there are countless alternatives anyway). Natural foods are filled with nutrients. And they have a bonus for you! Natural foods make you feel full so you don’t overeat.

To achieve your best weight, your body should be given the right nutrients. You’ll also have good energy and feel great. Consuming highly processed foods may cause your body to be hungry all the time because it tries to obtain basic nutrients needed for health.

5 – Need a friend?

We live in a fast-moving world and sometimes we forget about the basic things in life. You need support and encouragement. Especially when you have goals set and plans made for a ‘better you’.

Ask your friends and family members for assistance. You never know when the best comes from them.

You may have a friend who is willing to lose weight and is having similar goals and plans as you. If your friend is free when you are, you can ask them to get the physical training together.

People are more likely to stick to an exercise plan that is not just a dull routine. Remember, it’s also a time to deepen your friendship.

It’s no secret that protein rich diets increase loss of body fat. You are trying to lose weight. You’ve already set your goals, even started healthy eating, and increased your physical activity level. Don’t forget to promote your weight loss process by adding some protein into each meal. Also, you may want to consume meal replacement protein shakes and powders.

The safety of protein supplements has been well documented in many scientific studies and there is clear proof that, taken in right quantities, these will result in decreases in body fat and will help healthy muscle gain.

Most nutrition experts, fitness trainers and bodybuilders would agree that adding protein supplements into your weight loss or muscle building plan is an important element.

Especially when you are building muscle, you need a great deal of protein. The average bodybuilder needs 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight each day.

Most popular and most recommended protein products are whey protein and soy protein. Let’s examine the facts relating to whey protein as a supplement. Here are 7 things which you should know to achieve meaningful fat loss and muscle gain.

1.Whey protein is a high quality protein powder that is derived from cow’s milk. It’s a complete protein that contains the perfect combination of amino acids. These amino acids help the body composition and serve to increase physical performance.

2.It has lots of body building benefits. When you are building muscle or working out to lose fat, your muscles may also have damage and whey protein replaces everything that has been gone from your muscles.

3.It has the highest levels of branched chain amino acids that are essential to build and maintain muscle tissue. BCAAs are really important for bodybuilding because they metabolize in the muscle tissue. When you are working out, your body will use these BCAAs directly in the muscles. They are essential to repair and rebuilt muscle tissue.

4.It is considered to be a fast protein. You can easily ingest and digest it. Your body will absorb it! It provides fast nutrient for the muscles. It is also a great source of leucine which is necessary for bodybuilders. It plays a role in muscle protein synthesis and the growth of muscles.

5.It makes your immune system stronger as well and detoxify your body by providing the body with higher levels of glutathione. It’s a powerful anti-oxidant.

6.It is also helpful for fat loss when you add it to your diet. It always takes place in most weight loss and meal replacement products. Studies show that people who use leucine rich whey protein foods in their diet have more muscle tissue and burn more calories, so lose more body fat.

7.It’s best to take whey protein in powder form. You can mix it in your choice of juice or milk. To maintain a right nitrogen balance, spread the use of it throughout the day.

How soy protein can change the face of healthy eating is a popular discussion topic in nutrition community. Health and nutrition experts are all pretty excited about the benefits of this great alternative source.

In fact, soy products have been a part of Chinese diet for many centuries. It’s been known as an awesome fighter of many dangerous diseases. It provides similar benefits to fish, eggs, meat and milk.

Soy protein is a complete protein that contains all of the eight essential amino acids. It is also one of the greatest alternative protein products for human consumption.

Learn the facts, get the tips and work some soy protein into your healthy eating plan!

1.Try to consume 25 grams of soy protein a day. This is where the health benefits really kick in. Get some roasted soy nuts to snack on, or try some soy cheese. See, it can be consumed in many forms which makes soy even more popular.

2.With the help of endless soy products on the market, you can incorporate more and more soy into your meal plans. For example, you can replace some or all of the chicken or beef in your next stir fry with tofu. You’ll see that the tofu will pick up the flavor of the other stir fry ingredients Four ounces of tofu contains 13 grams of protein.

3.It is derived from soy beans. It’s a plant protein so it’s free from steroids and antibiotics. Another reason why soy protein foods are also a healthy alternative to meat and other animal products is that those animal products may contain parasites.

4.Soy protein contains very low or no saturated fat, no cholesterol or lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, try soy shakes and drinks. This way, you can get your milkshake fix without having to suffer so.

5.If you are vegetarian, you will absolutely love soy products. Because they would perfectly fit into your lifestyle. It’s a blessing for you.

6.Since soy contains no cholesterol, it reduces the cholesterol level and protects you and your family against heart disease and cancer. Soy can be used to substitute most protein sources. In your foods, you should use soy substitutes instead of flour for a low fat alternative.

7.Soy protein also provides anti-oxidants which balance your blood pressure and boost healthy blood vessels.

8.You can consume a wide amount of soy products if you have no allergie to it. Yes, allergies to soy products exit, however cases are a few and far between. Actually, most of the other protein sources have more side effects like allergies.

9.Ever heard of tofu hot dogs and veggie burgers? You can find them in mainstream grocery stores. You can cook them just like the meat-based varieties of these foods. Try soy-based puddings, desserts, soy cream cheese and soy butter. You’ll be surprised!

10.Soy-based meal replacement products like bars and shakes are proved to be safe for your health. If your diet is a high protein one or a low carb diet, soy protein is ideal for you. You can get soy protein also from meal replacement supplements. It’s better and easier to digest.

Many people wonder why they can’t lose weight, burn that fat or why they can’t achieve their muscle building goals. Actually, the answer is so simple that it can easily be forgotten: Wrong nutrition.

So what is the best nutrition plan? What kind of nutrition plan do we need?

Remember that, healthy eating is all about balance. It is about eating a variety of foods which contain a variety of components that our bodies need in moderate amounts for good health. You can’t burn fat easily if you concentrate on eating as much of the good stuff and as little of the bad stuff.

So, here comes another question. What nutrients should we favor during our weight loss program?

Protein is the most important nutrient for those who want to lose weight, gain muscle size and strength in a healthy way. It can be found in every single one of the cells that your body is made up of. Protein’s main role is to build and repair body tissues. If you don’t support your body with this valuable nutrient, it will be physically impossible for you to have a significant amount of lean muscle mass.

Eating protein rich foods while being on diet will help to keep your body from burning muscle tissue instead of fat. If you eat properly, protein can be your best friend during weight management process. Studies show that people, who eat high protein, burn more fat than those eating a low protein diet. Adding more protein to your diet increases your metabolism so your body can more easily burn all calories.

Intake protein in your body also will give you more energy so you build muscle rapidly.

You should consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.

How can you consume that much protein in a day? You should eat foods that have protein in it and combine them with protein supplements. The best supplements are meal replacement protein shakes, protein bars and protein powders.

Some protein rich foods are given here: Eggs (only egg whites if you are on diet), fish, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, beef (lean cuts), cheese, beans, snacks such as nuts or peanuts, yoghurt, lentils.

An ideal diet should contain all of these foods. But don’t forget that you must use these with caution. If you eat too much of these foods, it can also cause body fat. You should determine how many calories you need to consume daily based on your personal diet and make sure that you aren’t over that.

Myth 1: Best way to lose weight is cutting down your portion size of meal.

Fact: Not on its own. If you don’t want to gain the weight back, don’t attempt to lose weight by just eating less. Important point in here is the types of foods you eat, not only amounts of them. You should replace your unhealthy and full calorie food types with healthy ones. This means, right food right portion size.

Myth 2: Just cut out fat and you’ll lose weight.

Fact: This method was popular in the 80s and it didn’t work for most people. Of course, you should cook your meals with no or low fat but fat free food can still be high in calories from sugar and hidden carbs. It doesn’t mean that if a food is fat free you can eat as much as you want. Fat free is not equal to calorie free. Essential fact in here is your total calorie consumption.

Myth 3: Skipping meals is a great way to burn fat.

Fact: Best and more adviced diet plans include 5-6 meals in a day. In these diets you eat more and smaller meals and consume less foods and calories. If you eat 5-6 smaller meals in a day instead of 3 bigger ones, you won’t starve or feel hungry pains. You will lose weight while staying healthy. Because skipping meal lowers your blood sugar and this makes you feel hungry all the time. Eating many small meals helps you to stabilize blood sugar and control your appetite. Studies have shown that people who skip meals during the day tend to be heavier than others who eat five small meals.

Myth 4: Exercise only plans help you lose weight.

Fact: Yes, exercise is a very important and effective way for a healthy weight loss process but losing weight by exercising only isn’t a great and the right way. Exercising burns only a moderate amount of calories. Combining exercise with a healthy diet plan is the most effective way to lose weight and keep the weight off.

Myth 5: To lose weight, you must starve yourself.

Fact: The average woman shouldn’t eat less than 1000 calories in a day and for the average man it is 1200 calories. If you don’t eat enough, your metabolic rate will slow down and your body want to store fat. Most of your initial weight loss come from water and muscle. This makes your body fat percentage go up, so you become fatter actually when you are losing weight.

Myth 6: Gaining weight is just a part of getting older.

Fact: Getting older is not an excuse to gain weight. When your age improves, you have a more sedentary lifestyle so you start to lose muscle mass. Amount of your muscle mass increases the efficiency of your metabolism directly. You should exercise in a high intensity to maintain your muscle mass and keep your metabolism from dropping.

Myth 7: Eating at late hours causes weight gain.

Fact: Weight gain and weight loss depend on what and how much you eat and how much you exercise in a day, not what time of the day you eat at. Maybe you take less calories than you should in a day, and when you eat late at night you won’t be over the limit of necessary calories. If you take more calories than you burn, extra calories will be a fat on your body even if you eat late or not.

Myth 8: If you are trying to lose weight, weight training isn’t a good idea.

Fact: Weight training, like doing exercises such as stomach crunches on a regular basis, helps you to lose and maintain weight. When you work on weight training, you build muscles and muscle building exercises are really helpful. Remember this, muscles burn more calories than body fat.

How many times in day do you wonder why you can’t lose weight? When you are on a diet, you may sometimes feel like you have no success. It usually depends on psychological factors. But you should always keep your positive attitude. There are several motivation tips to help you. To win the battle against body fat, you can apply those tips into your lifestyle. Do you know how to apply helpful change effects to your side?

 

1.Make a list of your reasons for fat loss. You will focus on your target if you make a list of why you want to lose weight. Write your list and stick it on your mirror, wall, wardrope or somewhere in your attention. Read it when you wake up in the morning, before meals, especially when being on a diet or exercising become harder for you.

 

2.Set your goals for weight loss and be realistic when you are doing this. Take a paper and write your current weight and your target weight, then determine dates. For example, on January 10th your current weight is 100, your first goal is to lose 10 pounds and give it a date like March 10th to achieve this. You will see that when you make a plan with dates, your diet will be more succesful.

 

3.Another way to motivate yourself is taking a picture of yourself in a swimsuit or something that will show your body better. Take your new picture each month on the same day (like the 1st day of the month) with the same outfit. This outfit will be baggy more and more each month and this will make you feel better and you concentrate on your future goals faster. Stick those pictures on your bathroom mirror, so see them every morning and that will remind you the best choices for you each day.

 

4.Reading success stories of other people who have lost weight will help you to decide, to determine your goals and to be passionate about your goals. Because you will see that the end of this path can be a happy end. Each diet and exercise plan may produce different results for everyone. You know someone who achieved their weight loss goals through one specific fat loss program. It doesn’t mean that the same program wil work for you. So what you read should not be the exact weight loss plan of succesful person has done. You should read the success stories to see you can achieve your goals if you want and believe.

 

5.Think how your appearance will be after you get your results and concentrate on your diet and exercise when you sink into pessimism or get bored. This will help you to continue your plan and make you more positive when you imagine yourself more beatiful or handsome, attractive and fit.

 

In conclusion there are many ways to find motivation for weight loss. All you should do is applying them and get your results in your mind firstly.

Weight loss is a popular topic within today’s community. Excess body fat is one of the main problems that millions of people share. Most people are trying hard to lose weight and get fit, at one time or another. Some of them success getting rid of those extra pounds, some don’t.

There are many factors that determine the success or failure of your fat loss plans. Actually, the path to lose extra pounds and burn fat isn’t so difficult or complicated for you to take. If you can’t achieve your weight loss plans, remember that you may just be confused or overloaded with information. And, this is more than normal in the techno world we live in.

For a successful and healthy weight loss process, all you need to do is to have a good and healthy diet plan combined with a regular exercise program. Simple, eh? Add right mindset, motivation, a bit of discipline to the list.

If you want to lose weight and build strong muscles, the most effective ways to attain your goal are having a diet plan and getting enough exercise in your ordinary routine. These are the best and fastest two ways to lose weight, get in shape and have a fit body and of course, to live a healthy lifestyle. But don’t forget that you need both of them combined to attain your goal.

So the main point is to know how to combine diet and fitness for the best fat loss results.

There are so many popular diet types around. No single fat loss program will work perfectly for everyone, but there are diet plans that might suit your individual needs. Individual diet plans really depend on each person’s health and weight loss goals. The best diet for you would be the one that will help you to eat less and healthy, and motivate you to exercise more. The right diet program for you is the one that contains the foods you like and the one that reflects your lifestyle. These diet plans should be accompanied by regular exercise.

You have lots of excuses to not to go gym. But don’t be pessimist. You can exercise at home easily. With home gyms, you can work out at any time you want. The best part of having a home gym is that you have control. So you can choose and plan the best exercise moves for your weight loss and body building goals.

Maybe you are thinking that it will be hard for your body to accept an exercise program instantly. You are wrong! When you have diet plans combined with a basic fitness program, your body will be full of energy , thanks to the healthy foods you eat. And with this energy, you will be adapt to fitness immediately. Soon you will see that exercise will be your best friend.

With these diet and exercise plans you will be healthier and full of energy. And after a while, this will be your new lifestyle.

Identify your problems, write down your goals, learn about existing weight loss programs, choose the one that you think you’ll enjoy, upgrade your plans as you process, reward yourself (but not with food!).