For those of us who have tried all sorts of weight loss diets over the years, we know that losing at least some amount of weight is relatively easy.

Especially during those first few weeks, when our confidence is high and our motivation is unflappable, the pounds slip off, the junk food goes untouched, and our daily workouts fit into our schedules perfectly. But then, inevitably a plateau hits.

We stop losing weight, and in many cases, we start gaining again. And the cycle of weight gain, lowered self-esteem, and hopelessness begins anew. So what’s the key to keeping weight off? In my personal experience, weight loss is as much a psychological activity as it is physical. Since even stress alone can lead to weight gain, it’s important to take steps to counteract stress before it derails your weight loss goals. Here are a few tips:

1. Learn to stop self-criticism in its tracks.

Self-criticism is perhaps the one biggest threat to any goal, but especially weight loss. When you cheat on your diet, or the scale hasn’t moved in weeks, there may be a tendency to blame yourself for your failure. Many believe that beating yourself up is the only way to achieve success. At the same time, however, it’s the fastest way to kill motivation.

Any time you hear your mind starting to self-criticize, become aware of this voice and negate it. Instead of telling yourself, “Why did eat that chocolate? I must have no will-power at all,” tell yourself, “I had one piece of chocolate; I enjoyed it and enjoyment is important in life. Now it’s time to get back to eating healthy.” This type of motivating self-talk is absolutely essential in any sort of weight loss regimen.

2. Take some time off from your diet and workout routine to just relax.

The reason diets fail so often is that they become boring to adhere to. Boredom is also a primary goal-killer. Every so often, take a break from your diet and even your exercise routine. Take this time not to veg out and eat junk food. Instead, use this timeout to relax deliberately. Take an aroma therapeutic bath, go for a relaxing stroll through the park, or read a good book. Whatever you do, be sure to be aware of yourself as you slip into a state of true relaxation and calm.

3. Consider taking yoga classes in addition to your normal exercise regimen.

In our modern world, it’s often difficult to even know how to relax. We are so busy with our family, job, and other daily activities, that sometimes we may need to be taught how to relax. Yoga classes are perhaps the best way to teach yourself to reduce stress and forget about all your mental preoccupations.

Even if you just purchase an instructional video, taking some time out to learn relaxation techniques inherent in yoga is an incredibly effective way to reduce stress.
Of course, reducing stress in and of itself won’t make you lose weight. But in a world in which we focus almost exclusively on crash diets and impossible exercise routines, we forget that sometimes all the body needs is a little rest to rejuvenate and replenish.

Good luck!

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

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I’ve been running this blog for more than 3 years now and I have learned a lot about losing weight and keeping it off. Yes, I’ve had my share of ups and downs as well as a few injuries along the way, but overall I’ve managed to shed most of my excess fat.

It all started when I lost my first 30 lbs over a 2 month period. The weight came off quickly because I was doing what I knew would work. It wasn’t glamorous and didn’t have a catchy diet name like “The South Beach Diet” or anything like that.

There are 7 important things that I understood which helped me lose the weight quickly. I call these the 7 Pillars To Weight Loss Success and I’ve written an ebook about them. This isn’t a novel and is only about 25 pages cover to cover, but I think it’s filled with quality information that you’ll be able to use right away.

This is available for Kindle and Kindle for PC.

7 Pillars of Weight Loss Success

I want to help people lose weight and that’s it. I know what it’s like to be overweight and it sucks. I also know how great it feels to be successful at losing weight and what a difference it can make to your life.

Once you’re finished it leave a comment and let me know what you think
Steve

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I like to catch up on my favorite tv shows (the daily show, the league, and workaholics etc..) when I’m running or walking on the treadmill. There is a groove on the display area where I can rest it, but it isn’t very stable. My ipod has fallen off a few times already with no major damage (yet).

So when I had an opportunity to try out this great little stand made for ipod touches and smartphones I jumped at the chance.

It’s called the ZHIP and I have to say it’s a pretty cool little gadget. Basically it is a fold-able smartphone and ipod stand that has a 3 foot zip cord attached to it. I took it for a test to the gym on the first day I got it. I attached it to the ipod and wrapped it around the treadmill display and locked it in place (another cool feature).

This thing didn’t move, I pushed the speed up to 10 mph for about 30 seconds just to get the treadmill shaking and it held it’s ground. I finished the rest of my run without an issue. You can see how I attached it to my home treadmill below. (sorry my camera sucks)

Pretty impressed with the Zhip so far even though I am probably not using it correctly, lol.

Great as a Stand

I was looking at recipes videos on the ipod as well and when you lay it flat on the counter-top it’s hard to see properly. I hooked it up to the Zhip and it gave me a much better viewing angle, I could actually watch the video instead of just listening to it.

I didn’t try the eye level viewing set up show in the video below but that’s pretty cool too.

I was watching a video on making homemade hamburgers which were great by the way.

Below is the promo video that they have posted on youtube if you want to see everything the Zhip can do.

Clearly I am not using it to it’s full potential!

Recommendation

I don’t promote a lot of products but the timing of the ZHIP was perfect for me, with the ipod purchases and all. It was exactly what I was looking.

If you own an Ipod, Iphone or Android device I would highly recommend that you get one of these. They are really inexpensive too just under $15 buck I think.

I have a feeling that “Santa” will be adding a couple of these to the kids stockings this year.

Where to Buy

Currently you can only buy the ZHIP online at THEZHIP.COM which is fine, they have a 100% money back guarantee and can ship anywhere.

EDIT: Apparently you can also buy the ZHIP at Amazon.com, Bestbuy.com and Newegg.com

But, You better hurry and order soon if you want to get it for Christmas though.

Buy the ZHIP Here. (No, I do not make any money from this)

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I just finished a great chest workout this afternoon and I am beat. I wanted to write a quick post to show you exactly what I did so that you can do it to. (plus I’ll forget to do it later)

I found this on Youtube.com a while ago but I put off trying it until now. One of the best things about it was how quickly I finished it. Total time was about 12 minutes (with rests).

Now, even though it is a chest workout your arms will feel the burn as well, especially your shoulders. Best of all you don’t even need weights to do it, which means you can complete it almost anywhere.

Please Note: Some of these moves might be a little hard on your wrists so make sure you are using proper form. Also don’t rush that last move, your back will thank you

Let me know what you think once you’ve finished it.

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Every one snores at one time or another, whether the cause is from the congestion of the common cold or an awkward sleeping position.  However, studies show that overweight people have a bigger tendency to snore than someone of average weight.  Along with a snoring problem, an overweight person can develop more serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and chronic fatigue that have been linked to snoring.  Although there are many different treatments for snoring, your doctor will most likely suggest weight loss as the first one.

One Step at a Time

First, you should know why overweight people have a bigger tendency to snore, disrupting not only their own sleep, but the slumber of everyone in a household. Extra fatty tissue around the neck and chest area puts pressure on the airways that can cause them to narrow, or obstruct, decreasing the amount of air you breath in.  In order to compensate for the airway narrowing, you try to take deeper breaths that cause the vibration of the tissues that makes that irritating loud noise we call snoring.  This happens when you sleep, since the muscles in the neck and upper chest are more relaxed, allowing the obstruction.

Losing the excessive fatty tissue will allow the airways to stay open during sleep, preventing or curing the snoring problem.  Not only will the quality of sleep improve in your household, but your overall health will also improve, reducing the risks of heart disease or hypertension (high blood pressure) and reducing the strain on your joints, bones and muscles.  A visit to your doctor is in order when you start your weight loss plan in order to be sure there are no underlying health conditions that can prevent or make weight loss difficult, as well as finding conditions that may have contributed to the snoring problem in the first place (such as asthma, allergies or obstructive sleep apnea, among others).  In addition, your doctor can treat or eliminate current health conditions and suggest healthy diet plans and exercise to assist you in meeting your weight loss goal.

Along with realistic weight loss goals, a healthy diet and overall body exercise, building the muscles of the throat and face to prevent airway collapse due to weak muscles is another step in your cure for snoring. There are some very basic exercises that you can do to gradually reduce and then eliminate the snoring problem as you continue your weight loss routines, adding the strength in the throat to keep airways open as you sleep.  The exercises can be done at any time of the day, such as during a commute to work or school or while taking a daily walk during your exercise routine.  In addition to setting your goals and beginning with these simple exercises to reap the reward of better quality sleep, there are other things you can do in curing a snoring problem.

Make Changes to Meet Your Goals

Since excessive weight contributes to snoring problems, it is important to reduce weight while still maintaining and improving overall health.  Eating a proper diet with portions in moderation will help in meeting your weight loss goal, but you should make some changes in your habits and then stick with them until they become second nature. Making healthier choices in the foods you eat as well limited starchy and carbohydrate loaded foods will give you a healthy and level weight loss with the feeling of hunger that drives you to eating unhealthy snacks with high fat content.  In addition to being better for you and helping in your weight loss, a healthy diet gives you more energy to power through your day as well as contributing a feeling of overall well-being.

Along with the gradual changes toward a healthier diet, gradual changes should be made for the proper exercise needed for muscle, bone and joint health.  Keeping your current physical health in mind, most people will start with stretches and then walking that increases the heart rate while protecting the muscles from strains by warming up the body and telling the muscles it is time to exercise.  A brisk walk a few times a week will help to burn off calories, improve heart health, and help you to expend pent up energy that may keep you awake at night, contributing to snoring when you do sleep. In addition to the health benefits of exercise for anyone, it helps tremendously in weight loss and overall health.

Losing weight to cure your snoring problem will not happen overnight nor over a week or two, but is an ongoing process of becoming thinner, healthier, and quieter in your better quality sleep with no snoring.  Once you reach your weight loss goal and stop the snoring, it is necessary to keep the good habits you have developed in order have a long-lasting or permanent cure for snoring.

Author’s Bio:

Andreas Henderson, MR, published author and medical researcher with more than six years experience, has dedicated himself to providing people with the knowledge they need to effectively find a snoring cure.

On his blog www.StopSnoringAdvice.com, he shares his discoveries with the rest of the world and aims to abolish snoring from the face of the earth.

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Just a quick post to show you a great video I found on making your own homemade protein bars. The video is by Kimberly Coventry from FitKim.com and these things are really easy to make.

They are no bake too which is great. I made them a couple of days ago and I have to say that they actually tasted pretty good, especially with the honey on top. Definitely try them out.

You can check out some of her other videos on her Youtube channel at FitKimTV (there are a few more quick and easy recipes) or just visit her site at FitKim.com

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This will be just a quick update. In the past few weeks I have received dozens of emails from readers. The majority of them have had what I consider to be a common theme.

Falling back into old habits

I have failed at losing weight more times than I can count. I’ve tried many diets and even though I did lose a bit of weight it would always come back.

You’ve heard it a million times before that diets don’t work over the long term. A lifestyle change is what you need and replacing old habits with new habits is the way to do it.

Easier Said?

Old habits die hard and replacing them is sometimes easier said then done.

We’ve all built unhealthy habits over many years and to think that they can be completely eliminated in just a few weeks is crazy. Falling back into your old habits is almost common place among people trying to lose weight.

Here is the Fix

There are 2 things that I did to break the cycle.

1. Small Changes

Giving up your favorite junk foods is hard, very hard. I realized this when I tried to quit Soda Pop cold turkey. My first attempt lasted 1 day. For me the fix was to make a small minor change in how often I drank them.

4 per day was the norm for me. So for the first 7 days I replaced 1 can with 1 bottle of water. I didn’t even notice the difference. After the next 7 days I was down to 2 cans and after a month I was drinking just 1 can a day.

I stayed at 1 can a day for another week and then cut back to just 2 cans per week before finally replacing them with water/juice. All told I had made those small changes over 7 weeks and in that time the cravings slooowly disappeared.

(Note that I had tried the cold turkey method a few years ago and it did work for while. The problem was that I cut it out too quickly, don’t make the same mistake)

2. Breaking The Pattern

This is where the whole concept of trusting yourself comes in. At lunchtime I couldn’t trust myself to walk by a McDonald’s without ordering something weather I was hungry or not. It was an addiction and a terrible habit.

The fix was just to not carry my wallet on my lunch break. I left it at the office or in my car so even when the urge to buy came up, I had no way of making the purchase.

After about a month of doing this my desire for a Big Mac combo dropped quite a bit and I was able to walk past the store without even looking at it. The most important thing was that I had broken the pattern of just buying regardless of hunger.

Doing whatever you can to break your normal eating patterns is such a huge part of changing your lifestyle for the better.

Conclusion

Falling back into your old habits can happen but by making small changes over a long period of time you can prevent them from coming back. Breaking your current unhealthy eating patterns is also key to your long term success.

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Simply put, weight loss tips suck. They serve almost no purpose and do not provide you with any real direction on how to actually shed the pounds and keep them off.

I’ll give you a few examples of some tips about losing weight that I have read recently and why I think they are useless.

1. How to add more fiber to your diet – “Eat a cereal with more grams of fiber per serving”

The tip above is a no brainer to most people. I mean what actionable advice are you receiving that you haven’t or couldn’t have already thought of on your own?

For a health/weight loss tip to provide any real value it should include at least some specifics or examples that you can put into practice immediately. The “How to add more fiber to your diet” tip above does none of this.

2. How to get more exercise in your day – “Take the stairs” or “buy a gym membership.”

Again this is another pointless health tip. The “Take the stairs” part although vague, does seem reasonable enough but, the “buy a gym membership” part really offers nothing to the reader. Which brings me to my next point.

Wrong Questions

While I think that most of the weight loss tips and advice offered online are a waste of time at best, they are not the real underlying problem.

The problem is in the questions that we ask or the advice that we are looking for. The most popular searches related to weight loss are around dropping weight quickly?, which diet pills work the best? or are questions based around different diets (example HGC Diet, The Mediterranean Diet etc….)

The thing they all have in common is that they’re all looking for short term fixes to a life long problem. If the information you get based on the questions above were actually helpful and useful, you would be fit and healthy by now. Odds are, if you are reading this you are most likely still looking for the real answer, the real solution to the problem.

New Focus

I am out of the “tip” business as I’ve realized that there is very little value in it for both you the reader and myself in writing them.

Instead I am focusing this blog on educating both of us on transitioning to a healthy and active lifestyle. It’s something that I think all of us strive for but don’t know how properly achieve. In my opinion this is Mainly due to the conflicting messages floating around on what we should be eating, how we should be exercising and everything in between.

I hope that I can clear up as much of the confusion as I can and that is part of the reason why I won’t be posting “tips” on this site anymore.

In the coming weeks and months most of my posts will be centered around nutrition and really understanding the importance of certain vitamins and minerals. How they affect us and the best ways to ensure that you are getting enough of them.

There will be more recipes as well. This helps to incorporate some of the ideas and habits that i hope to present. I am a big advocate of home cooked meals as I have seen the results first hand of not following my own advice. Fast food and frequent trips to my favorite restaurants have tipped the scale in the wrong direction too many times.

Getting Social

A major part of educating is making sure that the message is reaching the people that need to hear it. Social media is one of the best ways to achieve that these days. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and other SM sites are going to be part of the mix going forward so I encourage you to spread the word if you can.

Follow me, Friend me, Favorite me, Stumble me and feel free to email anything you find here to your friends and family. I’ll be adding social buttons to make the process easier (hopefully).

Follow Me on Twitter – @Steve_wlw
Friend Me on Facebook – Facebook.com/weightlossweapons

Comments

For the past few months the amount of comments on Weight Loss Weapons has dropped off, mainly due to WordPress making all comments closed on all my posts for the last 6 weeks. I have fixed that now and re-installed comment luv.

I am also planning on launching monthly comment contests and rewards for people that have downloaded my e-book as well.

You can get the book and enter the contests by entering your email in the side bar ——>

Saving Money?

The last thing I wanted to mention was around losing weight and money. Many people thing that eating healthy, losing weight and getting in shape is expensive. That just isn’t the case or at least it doesn’t have to be. There are many parallels on weight loss and debt reduction/saving money. I will be presenting different options and ways you can lose weight and save money at the same time.

Lets face it, money stress is a major cause of weight gain so getting that under control can help your weight loss efforts.

That’s it, leave a comment, or contact me thorough my contact page and let me know what you think.

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For those that haven’t heard about Heavy here is the official release from the shows producers.

“Twenty-two individuals facing extreme life-threatening health consequences as a result of their obesity experience real life change in A&E’s new original series HEAVY, premiering Monday, January 17 at 10/9c. The eleven episode one-hour series follows two participants per episode documenting their incredible transformations during a six month treatment program.

Unlike other weight loss series, “Heavy” is not a competition or stunt, but is rooted in the incredible real life day-to-day journeys of the participants during a lengthy treatment program. In order to most accurately document these multiple weight loss journeys over the course of six months and present them individually in one hour, A&E sought out two different production companies to undertake the lengthy and ambitious filming process.

The result is a never-before-seen look at the unique struggles faced by dangerously obese individuals who must learn to live healthier lifestyles and understand the root of their food addictions. Through their day-to-day struggle and the voices of their loved ones, viewers will see first hand the pain and self-doubt associated with a debilitating weight problem.”

First Impressions

When I saw Tom and Jodi my first impression was to think  ”damn, how did you get that big?” I mean these are not overweight people, these are obese people that could drop dead at any minute. They seem to have given up on trying to lose weight and kinda gave up on life.

Like most people, I used to think that “Fat people are just lazy and love to eat, that’s why they are fat” but the more I see shows like Heavy and the Biggest loser it has become very clear to me over the years that the excessive binge eating is just an outlet for other problems. Laziness has nothing to do with it.

This is exactly what Jodi is facing, a stressful marriage, problems with her mother and self esteem/control issues. It’s not about the food and as she put it,  ”Food is the only thing I can control” (or something to that effect).

Tom has a different but equally damaging problem, the enabling family. His Father and brothers are big boys too with Tom being the biggest at 638 pounds. He is the same height as I am (5’9) and was 450 lbs heavier than me. I instantly connected with that. Just thinking about carrying an extra 450lbs was enough to make me tired.

Tom admitted that he hadn’t been inside a grocery store in 5 years relying on his brothers and the Drive thru for his food. He also had a lymphatic growth on his leg making it hard to walk or exercise. In my opinion without this show he would have been dead before he hit 40.

The Trainers

At the weight loss resort (The Hilton Head Health Spa) there were 2 trainers dedicated to helping Tom and Jodi push through their personal barriers and get the results that they needed. Britny and another trainer with huge arms whose name I can’t remember right now. Sorry I was focusing on Britny. (My wife thinks her arms are a bit too muscular….trust me they are just fine the way they are )

Both are very encouraging and don’t let them give up or give in to the mental BS that we all have while doing something that isn’t easy.

Britny and David (see what I mean about the arms?? They’re huge!)

The Results

Tom and Jodi both worked their butts off and saw some really big changes. What is more impressive is that their results are more realistic as they only spent 1 month at the resort and 5 at home battling the environments that helped get them into trouble in the first place.

First Jodi Age 37

Before at 367 Lbs – After 290lbs for a Total loss of 77 lbs in 6 months

Before at 638 lbs – After at 476 lbs – For a total loss of 162 lbs in 6 months

Conclusion

The first show was a big success in my mind and I am hooked for the rest of the season. Heavy has all the real life elements that Intervention and Obsessed have without the short comings of the biggest loser (i.e too many commercials, cheesy product placements and BS voting system that contestants have to go through, I mean come on BL these are peoples lives you are playing with).

This season of Heavy looks very promising and I hope they continue this for years to come.

If you want more information about Heavy on A&E including upcoming episodes you can visit them at aetv.com/heavy they also have videos about the Cast which I can’t post here because they are ironically too big for my website

There is a Facebook fan page as well with weight loss tips at facebook.com/Heavy

Finally leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the show so far.

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It’s that time of year again when everyone and their mother is starting a new diet or workout plan. ( I am no exception). What I’ve noticed recently is the huge increase of Spam email that I’m getting for the weight loss drug Phentermine.

Normally I get the odd 1-2 emails that slip past my spam filters and make it to my inbox. In the past 5 days however, I have received no less than 25 per day.

Why so many? Simply put it’s a numbers game and my spam filters have captured 8000 spam emails, that’s a 10 fold increase over normal rates so naturally the number that are getting through would also increase.

Looking at all these wasted emails it got me thinking about Phentermine, what it is and why it is so popular. If you don’t know by now I am against diet pills and do not recommend them unless your obesity situation is extreme.

What is Phentermine?

Phentermine is an appetite suppressant that is taken orally as a tablet or in capsule form. This drug is only available by prescription (legally anyway).

Phentermine works by “stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain neurotransmitters to decrease appetite” according to the manufactures website. “The hypothalamus is the region of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system, regulating sleep cycles, body temperature, appetite, etc”

This is why many Phentermine users report insomnia, fatigue, hot flashes etc.. as you are messing with a gland that regulates all of this stuff.

Phentermine Side Effects

As with any drug Phentermine has its side effects and they can range from mild to sever to down right crazy. I am just going to list a few of the more notable ones (along with my smart ass comments).

Depression – You shouldn’t be sad when you’re losing weight!

Drowsiness/Tiredness – Usually because you are up all night or can’t sleep.

Increased blood pressure - Again, your blood pressure should be dropping as you are losing weight and becoming healthier, not the opposite.

These are listed as less common to rare:

Change in sexual desire - That could be a good thing for some of you

Clumsiness/Confusion/Blurred vision - As long as you look good does it really matter if you can’t see properly, drop stuff and have no idea where you are?

Nausea or Vomiting/Stomach pain - Lose weight by not being able eat and throwing up everything that does make it into you? Sounds a lot like my Lose 9 pounds in 4 days diet plan don’t you think?

This is my favorite one and has to do with the symptoms if you over dose on Phentermine, which is possible apparently.

Hostility with urge to attack – This is exactly the type of person I want in the gym with me when I forget to put the weights back on the rack or wipe down the treadmill!

In all seriousness, I don’t mean to make light of the serious side effects that this weight loss pill can produce. I just want you to be aware that taking Phentermine carries risks and in my opinion they are not worth the benefits of dropping a few extra pounds.

My Beef with Phentermine?

First let me be clear that I have never tried Phentermine so I am not a “user” and my experience with the drug is obviously limited. However, I do know people that have tried it and I’ve read a lot of postings in forums about the experiences that other Phentermine users have had with this weight loss pill.

What bothers me the most about Phentermine is that it is supposed to be used “in conjunction with diet, exercise, and behavior therapy” and even then it “may” help you lose weight. Which begs the question, If you are able to maintain a proper diet, a regular exercise plan and are working to change your behavior/habits then why do you need Phentermine at all?

You may be thinking, “well taking Phentermine will help me lose weight more quickly than diet and exercise alone” the answer is well yeah it probably will but not by the massive amounts you are thinking of.

Although I couldn’t find a ton of clinical studies about Phentermine and weight loss on the Pubmed government site, I did see one that showed a small amount (under 5 pounds) of additional weight loss when it was combined with another drug over a 24 week period vs. a placebo group. (do your own research though as I am not a Doctor)

The last thing I want to say about Phentermine and it’s effects follows this quote on how to take Phentermine: “Take Phentermine about 30 minutes to 1 hour before a meal” You know what else works just as well 30 minutes before a meal? Drinking a Bottle/Cup of water and it costs waaaaaay less. (Phentermine costs about $500-$600 for 180 pills, you do the math)

What are your thoughts, as I am sure there are many supporters of this weight loss pill and weight loss pills in general. Let me know in the comments below and I look forward to some interesting discussions.

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