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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According to countless testimonials and reviews, they can. So, I decided to give it a try. And guess what? It worked! The apps helped me keep track of what I was eating and how to exercise. It was like having my own personal trainer. I lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. And, as an added bonus, all of the apps I used were free.
This probably sounds like an infomercial, but, here is a summary of the free iPhone applications I would recommend using to lose weight.

First, I needed a basic iphone weight loss application that would help me keep track of calories in vs. calorie burned.

Lose It! (Rated: 4 stars)

Lose It! is similar to other diet tracking apps. It has a vast database of nutritional information and a large food bank that allows you to find your food item for purposes of determining caloric intake. But, what I liked about Lose It! was its “Friends” feature. This feature allowed me to connect with my friends and view their goals and accomplishments. We were able to encourage each other to stick to our diets and reach our goals. I really liked this personal touch.

Next, to help me insure that I lost weight in a healthy way, and not through starvation, I needed an application to help me workout.

Six Pack App (Rated: 3.5 stars)

The Six Pack App has exercises to work out my abs, chest, back, arms, shoulders, and legs. I liked the fact that the app had pictures of all exercises so that I could have a visual of what the exercise should entail. This iphone weight loss app gives general information, steps, tips, specific rules and muscle location for each exercise. My favorite part of this app is that I could incorporate a customized workout, including stretches and yoga.

Finally, I needed medical advice from time to time regarding the aches and pains I was feeling as I began working out.

WebMD Mobile (Rated: 3.5 stars)

WebMD is a unique app that allows those, like me, who are often worried about their health to save a trip to the doctor’s office. You can check your symptoms, access drug & treatment information, get first aid tips, and even check local health listings. For the symptom checker, you don’t even need to know what your symptom is called- there is a visual of a human body that you can use to locate your symptoms. The app provides warnings, uses, side effects, precautions, overdose information, and images for drugs and treatments so you can learn more about your prescriptions. In case you have a medical emergency, you can use this app to find local health listings.

If you want to lose weight, try these apps. And if they aren’t a good fit, there are many other weight loss apps available for your iPhone.
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Author Bio: Drake MacDonald is an educator. He is currently on staff at Online Schools, where he researches areas of higher learning, how to pick schools online, and education. In his spare time, he enjoys staying fit, watching football, and spending time in the outdoors.
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My first post was called…..”my first post” and that was almost 3 years ago. I remember it well as I was so excited to just to get it started. After many weeks of reading about blogging I figured I was finally ready, this post was my first attempt at it and as you can see I had big plans for this blog.

The post I enjoyed writing the most was called Being the Butt of the Joke. For me it reflected a very important lesson I had learned about setting boundaries with people and accepting abuse.

I think the best discussion that came from a post was the one where I asked a simple question and stated my opinion. The question was which is more important when first starting a weight loss plan Exercise or Diet?

The post I wish I had written was called The Fat Voice by Mary from A Merry Life. I had that same voice for a long time. It’s a good read from a great blog.

I’d like to think that all my posts are helpful in one way or another but the most helpful one in my opinion was the post about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It included a nice little 8 week schedule for doing HIIT and improving your times every week. If more people would adjust their diets and use HIIT they would see results much quicker I think.

I can’t really say that I’m proud of a post title although I think “Meet the Man Behind the Scale” was pretty good back when my logo was just the numbered part of a bathroom scale. I am however most proud of my domain name. Weight Loss Weapons – Arming you one post at a time! – Come on you have to admit, that’s pretty clever

Finally the post that I wish more people would have read was Accepting Personal Responsibility I think it has such a great message and at the time was going against the popular opinions that I had been seeing on other weight related sites. It still applies today.

OK now it’s your turn to take the challenge. If you have a blog click here to see the rules. Have fun with it and remember to leave a comment below with a link back to your own 7 link challenge post.

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On the party end of it, college involves a lot of binge drinking and late nights eating more greasy foods. “Weight loss” and “getting a job” are 2 very common stresses for recent college grads.

How to lose weight after 4 – 6 years of destroying our bodies?

While those who partied too hard may need a liver detox, most looking to get in shape will only need some time management skills and a little discipline. The 5 weight loss tips below are strictly targeted at college grads looking to lose weight.

5 Tips for Post-College Weight Loss

1. Make weight loss a priority – While many people want to lose weight, many do not put weight loss goals on a very high priority because they view weight loss as strictly cosmetic, and forget the health benefits of losing weight.

2. Schedule workout time and make a routine – Life is busy for young adults balancing a career and an active social life. There is less down time after college, so it’s important to plan out a time when you can get in a healthy workout and stick to it.

3. Get a fitness buddy – Getting in shape is often made easier if you have a friend to workout with. If you don’t have anyone near you who works out, consider joining a fitness community online. Fitness social networks can be a great way to connect with others and stay motivated to accomplish your weight loss goals.

4. Lose Unhealthy College Habits – If you didn’t live the healthiest lifestyle in college, it’s best that you try to leave those unhealthy habits behind. Excessive drinking and sleep deprivation can have serious health risks if those unhealthy habits continue throughout life.

5. Reward Yourself with those old habits – A great way to stay motivated is to reward yourself at the end of every healthy week. Did you meet all of your diet and workout goals? Meet a friend at a sports bar and have a beer and some wings at the end of the week. Moderation is important, but there’s no reason you can’t reward yourself with a beer every once and a while.

This was a Guest Post By Ryan Mayberry
Co-Founder of Fitconnect.com

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But I’ve phrased it that way for a very specific reason. Because I believe it’s true.

I have always been amazed at our ability to be comforted by false hope, this is something I have done myself hundreds of times. Let’s face it we all want to believe that there is something or someone looking out for our interests, and that “they or it” will eventually come to our rescue and solve all the problems (or at least the major ones) in our lives.

To be completely honest for the vast majority of us, there is no one coming to save us from our problems, no leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

At first you may think I’m talking about religion and while I’m sure you can apply this argument to that field, that is not what I am referring to here.

The best example that I can think of is the popularity of lotteries! Is Lady luck on your side? (don’t worry this is related to weight loss at the end)

Lotteries – Solutions for your Financial Problems

I live in Canada and we have dozens of lotteries available for us to play daily and weekly. The most popular one is lotto 6/49. Basically you pick 6 numbers between 1 and 49 and for $2 you have a chance at winning a few million dollars.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 14 million to 1. You have a 99.99% chance of not winning the jackpot. Yet, millions and millions of Canadians play it twice a week, some spending hundreds per draw on these tickets. (I’ve been stuck behind them in a line before)

The lottery for so many people is that great false hope. People know that the odds of them winning the jackpot are astronomical but they play it anyway. Why and why is it dangerous?

Besides the lost money, which can add up to thousands over a lifetime, I believe that the lottery and other games like it give people an easy way to avoid doing the necessary work needed to succeed in life. (financially speaking anyway).

Earning a comfortable living* is not an easy thing to achieve, it takes education, it takes a lot of effort on your part and if you are looking to start your own business a lot of time and money.

Add in the easy access and convenience of credit cards to debt amounts that seem to compound every month and you get many people giving up or avoiding the problem all together.

They stop taking action, instead of trying to change their habits they consoildate the debts only to have them pile up again. They are waiting to be saved rather than trying to save themselves. You think the last thing people in this position would do is throw away a few more dollars on the lottery, but believe it or not from what I have seen firsthand in some cases their “lotto budget” increases as their debt gets bigger.

Obviously I’m not a fan of the lottery, but what makes it worse and angers me is the way in which it is promoted. The Lotto 6/49 slogan is “Just Imagine” meaning just imagine what you could buy with millions of dollars, which just fuels the fantasy and imagine the bills/debts you can pay off “if” you win.

6/49 is advertised everywhere and has just become a part of our Canadian culture. While they technically promote winning the jackpot and its ability to dramatically change your life, there is always this underlying fear that goes along with it. “What if your numbers come up and you didn’t play?”

The Answer To Your Biggest Question

Ok Steve enough with the Lottery rant, how does this relate to losing weight and trying to live a healthy lifestyle?

IT relates like this: Just like the lottery people are looking for the easy out when it comes to losing weight, instead of money problems they are waiting for the “FAT” problem to be solved.

1. They want to lose fat without doing the necessary work to burn the fat.

2. They want to eat fewer calories without having to eat less food.

3. They are waiting for someone to answer their biggest weight loss question, “how do I lose weight” and give them the solution to their greatest desire “I want to lose weight”. In essence they are waiting to be saved.

The answer to solving the lottery/money problem is the same for solving the weight loss problem: YOU TAKING ACTION. You already know that you need to exercise to burn more calories, you know that you need to eat at least 1500 calories per day consisting of good healthy nutritious food like Fruits and veggies, lean meats, low fat dairy products, whole grains and indulge with the occasional treat, (1500 calories of burgers and fries won’t cut it).

(For finances I take the “curb your spending and increase your income/investments” approch)

So get off your ass and do it already, stop waiting to be saved and save yourself.

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You know when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy or doing exercise sometimes it feels like I am 2 different people. There is morning Steve, always tired but very motivated and hopeful for having a good healthy day, no junk foods, lots of walking breaks at work, drinking lots of water and looking forward to working out at night/evening etc.. I like this Steve.

Then there is night Steve or more specifically after the kids are in bed Steve. He craves the junk food and does whatever he can to get it. Night Steve is also tired but only when it comes to exercise or meal planning or making lunches/snacks for the next day. For all other activities like working on the computer until 1am, watching movies or driving to the store to get junk food he has boundless energy.

Obviously these 2 personalities clash and for some reason at night after the kids are in bed and it’s Mommy and Daddy time I forget about all the good intentions I had started the day with.

So Simple it Seems Stupid

What I do is this, in the morning before I leave for work is I write myself a note, nothing too elaborate usually just a sentence or a word.

For example yesterday’s note said this “Before turning on the computer run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, you’ll feel great” . I left this on my computer monitor, sure enough last night I came down stairs ready to hop on the computer as usual. I saw the note and immediately it brought me back to when I wrote it that morning.

45 minutes later I had run for 35 minutes and burnt 365 calories. Best of all I did feel great afterwards and I was able to work on the computer guilt free.

The key for me was not to think too much about what else I had to do that night or what else I could have done. Basically not talking myself out of it. I was listening to my motivated self and did what I knew I really wanted to do.

I Don’t Have Short Term Memory Loss

Maybe “forgetting” is the wrong word for my not following through with my good intentions, as I do not have short term memory loss. It’s more like wilful ignorance and I know I’m not alone on this.

My wife thinks it’s funny that I do this and has posted notes around the house with things like “unload the dishwasher” and “change the laundry” mocking me it seems. (Doesn’t work like that honey )

Before you just blow this off as silly or stupid, give it a try first. When you’re motivated in the morning (or anytime you’re feeling motivated) write to yourself and leave the notes somewhere you’ll be most likely to read it or need to read it. (on your fridge,TV, bathroom mirror, in your car etc…). Hopefully this will help you stay motivated or at least remind you of what you really want to do, when your motivated that is.

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I have been a calorie counter off and on for a while and it has always lead me to short term success. By that I mean I keep track of everything I eat religiously, From Breakfast to Bed every calorie is recorded and logged in my spreadsheet. The success comes by way of 5 to 10 pounds in about a month to 6 weeks or so.

That might sound Ideal but it comes at a cost. Counting calories is such a tedious task that I soon begin to resesnt it and stop it all together. Those 5 to 10 pounds come back quickly and I usually find myself in the same place I was in before.

Be Calorie Conscious

For the past few weeks now I have stopped counting calories or at least stopped recording them anyway. The approach I am taking is to be more calorie conscious with the foods I eat rather than worrying about writing down everything I eat.

Being calorie conscious is really nothing more than being informed about how many calories are in a number of given foods and then making the healthier choice.

Calorie Counting vs. Calorie Consciousness

It might sound a little confusing as to what the difference is between the 2 methods, the best I can describe it is in the example below.

When I was counting calories I would eat what I wanted and record every bite. Most times I would weigh my portions to get the most accurate number of calories.

The key was eating whatever I wanted. Yes I did make some healthier choices but for the most part I was still eating full fat versions of my favorite foods. That might sound nice but those calories add up quickly and soon I had reached my calorie limit for the day. Sometimes by 4 in the afternoon.

To me that was calorie counting.

Now that I am calorie conscious I am eating better, more healthier foods that are naturally lower in calories. I still enjoy my favorite foods but in smaller qtys and portions, I do a lot of substituing of ingredients in recipes and I’m cutting out the extras (i.e sauces).

Being aware of what adds extra unneeded calories and finding ways to reduce or replace them I think is a much more effective long term approach to weight loss than strictly counting calories.

A Calorie Conscious Choice

While counting calories I would eat something like this:

A Quarter Pounder Sandwich from McDonald’s
Calories:420
Fat:20 grams

Now I would change that to a just a regular cheeseburger
Calories:300
Fat: 12 grams

Or even better, this recipe from the biggest loser cookbook called the Almost Fast Food Burger

Anyway, I have officially stopped counting calories for good. I am finding that is it much easier and I’m not as stressed about what I am eating. The pounds are coming off at about the same rate as before, but I am in a position now where I will be able to maintain the losses. That is will be the the real measure of success.

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It all depends on how you look at them and what you are trying to accomplish. A diet is nothing more than a plan or program that either changes how you eat, how much you eat or how you workout. I am not talking about diet pills here as you can read how I feel about them at: Why diet pills are so popular. Unfortunately people look at diets as the solution to their weight issue and think that it will help them keep the fat off for good (this time).

Why Do Diets Work?

There are basically 2 types of diets one that restricts your food intake or one that makes you increase your exercise to either build muscle or burn extra calories.

The diets themselves do work when followed as designed. If people weren’t seeing results they would not be as popular as they are. Think about that for a minute. Do you know someone that has lost weight on Atkins or the South Beach Diet? I know many people that have followed these plans with great success. Many of them have gained their weight back once they went off the program, but that doesn’t mean that the diet didn’t do what it was intended to do. That is, make you lose weight.

When Diets Are Not The Answer

If you are looking to make a lifestyle change and not just lose weight that is when you should avoid diets. Making a change of that magnitude covers many areas of your life. Including how you view food (as fuel more than a comfort) and your notions of exercise as a useful tool to improve all aspects of your health.

This is what I like to promote as long term it is by far the most effective. It’s sad that there are no infomercials created to promote it though.

Popular Diets Plans

Here are some of the more popular diet plans and programs that are currently out there. Plug these into Google and You come up with 1,000,000 plus pages about them. If you do decide to follow one of these please use caution and do your research.

- Atkins
- The South Beach Diet
- The Abs Diet
- The Zone Diet
- Weight Watchers
- La Weight Loss
- Calorie Shifting

Change Your Expectations

Don’t expect a diet to be the solution. Even though it might work short term in most cases if you return to your old eating and exercise habits the weight will come back. People who experience this again and again are known as yo-yo dieters and that is not what you want to be. (hopefully)

If you change your expectations of what a diet means to you and what you hope to achieve by following it then you can save yourself the disappointment if it doesn’t deliver on it’s promises.

Hopefully you will realize that a lifestyle change is what you really need and you’ll take the necessary steps towards getting the healthy life that you want.

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When it comes to losing weight, size does matter. Portion control is essential. Many people underestimate the amount of food that they are eating per serving or even know just how much a serving size should be. Below I have outlined some of the best ways to control the amount of food you’re consuming. As well as some of the more useful items to have in your kitchen that will help accurately measure your food.

1. Stick to the serving sizes on the package. Most manufactures make the serving sizes smaller on purpose in order to keep the overall calorie and fat content as low as possible. It’s a marketing thing, but use it to your advantage.

2. Eat off of smaller plates. It’s a simple and effective trick. If you fill your smaller plate it looks like your are eating more food than normal, but in most cases it’s much less.

3. When eating at home split your dinner into 2 portions. Eat one and put the other in the fridge for lunch the next day.

4. If you absolutely have to eat out at a fast food or other type of restaurant, order the kiddie meal. You’ll usually end up saving a few hundred calories and you get a toy

5. Leave the food on the stove or counter, not at the kitchen table. You’ll be less likely to go for seconds.

6. Never eat your food out of a bag, carton or other container were you can’t see what you are eating. If you can’t see it you don’t know how much you have had or how much is left.

How much is a serving size and how do you measure it?

A serving of beef, poultry or fish is usually 3 oz (85g) or about the size of a deck of cards.

1 cup serving of milk, vegetables or yogurt is roughly the size of your fist.

A serving of cheese should be equal to the size of your thumb.

A medium sized apple or orange is the size of a tennis ball.

Top 3 measuring tools in your kitchen

1. Digital or Mechanical food scale

2. Measuring Spoons

3. Double sided measuring cup for both liquid and dry ingredients.

You can check out more of the weight loss “weapons” at weapons for weight loss

Overall if you are watching your portion sizes on a regular basis, there is no reason that you can’t enjoy your favourite foods while still losing weight.

What are your thoughts?

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