Evans Weight Loss

It can be difficult to stay motivated with any weight loss program. At every turn there may be an excuse to give up haunting you.

But don’t let these excuses get to you, and whatever you do, don’t give up and go couch-potato commando. With a few simple tips you can get and keep yourself motivated, even during the toughest times.

What is your “Why?” – Have you changed your lifestyle to watch your children grow up? Or perhaps you made the change so that you could meet someone special. Either way, reminding yourself why you made the lifestyle change you did will keep your weight loss diet looking like your best friend instead of your worst enemy. Picturing your child graduating from high school can be a great motivator. If you’re having trouble picturing it, cut out a picture of a high school graduate and put it on your vision board or take a picture of your little one in a graduation cap to remind you where you’re going on this journey.

Use your vision board to motivate and inspire yourself. Where do you see yourself in the coming week? Month? Years? Do you see yourself in a new, active lifestyle? With a new career or soulmate? Do you see yourself in a new, healthy, beautiful body? Inspire yourself!

Where is your goal? You need to know where you are at in terms of your ultimate goal every day. Keep your vision board on the refrigerator if you need to or keep it on the inside of your front door – somewhere you will see it every day and maybe even twice a day. Keeping track of where you are and where you’re going will help you stay motivated and feel good about the progress you’ve made.

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In December of 2008 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about 42 tainted weight loss products. In the four months following the FDA has updated that list twice.

The list almost doubled in size in the four months following the first FDA warning. The list of tainted diet pills includes weight loss diet products that could pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed maximum recommended dosages. Many of the products in the FDA warning are marketed as “natural” or “herbal” products.

The FDA’s continuously growing list illustrates how weight loss pills often hide ingredients from regulators and why consulting a physician is so important in any weight loss program. A physician knows what weight loss pills have established track records and ingredient lists to make sure a weight loss program will be safe and effective. As the FDA’s list grows with no end in sight consulting a physician is the best way to avoid accidentally taking weight loss pills that become the target of the FDA’s warning list.

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If you had a magic mirror that showed you your future and in it and you saw yourself looking lighter and more toned, wouldn’t that make those lunchtime salads and after-work treadmill routines easier to take? When you spend time using positive visualization techniques to assist you in maintaining your diet and exercise routine, you create that magic mirror in your own head.

The key to visualizing for success is to be reasonable about what you visualize. Remember, this is a visualization and not a fantasy; while it is fun to imagine that you could wake up 50 pounds lighter tomorrow, that is a fantasy and will result in you being disappointed at the lack of reality around this dream.

When you practice healthy visualization, you will have a goal in mind of losing a gradual amount of weight as a result of diet and exercise. You may imagine yourself six months into the future as reasonably lighter, more toned, more comfortable in your body, and able to move easier and take part in more group activities. Once you’ve created this picture and you know it can be done, it’ll be easier than ever to stay on your diet and exercise plan.

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Your body is not just an efficient machine, helping you operate on a daily basis, it is also a warehouse-like storage facility that keeps energy stores you don’t use immediately upon ingestion. Triglycerides are one form of storage.

When you consume fats from foods like carbohydrates, and you aren’t doing anything strenuous that requires their use, your body will store them as triglycerides. Once converted to triglycerides, they will go into your fat cells and stay there until they are needed. When you have too many stored triglycerides, you could be on the road to diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes), pancreatitis, and heart disease.

Keeping your exercise levels and eating in check can help you prevent having high triglycerides. When you eat fewer foods that need to be stored and you use more energy to get rid of stored fat, you can reduce your triglyceride levels.

The first line of defense for keeping your triglycerides in check is to manage your nutrition and your weight.  The lifestyle you adopt to sustain weight loss will almost always result in an improvement of the triglyceride levels in your blood.

In some cases, if your triglyceride levels are very high, your primary care physician may recommend a medication for lowering triglycerides. Even when on a medication, you must continue to eat right and exercise in order to help your triglyceride level normalize and reduce your risk of heart disease.

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Your heart is a muscle that acts like a pump. It takes in blood from your blood vessels and circulates it through your body to feed all your cells.   Each time your heart beats, it is under pressure from your blood vessels. There is a normal amount of pressure that every heart will feel, and then there is an excessive amount of pressure, which is referred to as high blood pressure.

When you have high blood pressure, it means that your arteries are constricted and the heart has to work harder to get blood through them. This puts an inordinate amount of stress on your system. For many people, there is no known cause for the constricted arteries. For others, salt, artery narrowing and kidney disorders may be causing the high blood pressure.

Because high blood pressure can cause a heart attack or stroke it is a potentially dangerous problem. Those with high blood pressure are advised to avoid caffeine, which can further constrict arteries. They are also given medication to help reduce their blood pressure. Blood pressure monitoring through the use of a home testing machine is also advised in order to identify problems.

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Tinley Park, Illinois is just a little way out from the city of Chicago, but it has amenities all its own. Experience nature at one of the many parks in town, such as Gory Park or Creekside Park, where you can walk a little bit and take in the surroundings. If you are looking for scenery to help keep you moving, try out Centennial Park for the best motivation. This 55 acre park is the largest in town and it is located on west 167th Street. A 12 acre lake is the centerpiece to this pretty spot, so if you like the water, this is the place to be.

Walk over and check out the action at the Extreme Skate Park if anyone is there, or wander down the scenic walking path. Centennial Park really is a perfect spot to take in the sights. Bring a camera with you and practice your photographic skills, or take a sketch pad and draw for a bit when you need a break from walking. The key to making this type of outing fun is to not overdo things. Mix fun with a bit of exercise and see how motivating it can be to combine the two. Add a dose of nature on top of that and before long you will look forward to visiting the park on a regular basis.

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For many of us, overweight and obesity are problems we have struggled with since we were young. Helping our kids make healthy choices now may prevent them from having to battle with their weight like we have had to.

Getting children to try new foods can be a challenge, and this is especially true when it comes to vegetables. Serving these foods on their own may not be the best way to introduce veggies to little ones. Instead, why not try blending vegetables in with other recipes so that children have the chance to get used to the taste a little bit at a time? One great way to do this is with soup. Whether you are making it from scratch or just opening a can, there are usually some veggies involved–but in smaller amounts.

Another terrific way to introduce vegetables is through ethnic cooking. Serve up a burrito dinner and include black beans inside as a nutritious addition. You can also substitute veggies in some dishes without being obvious. Try making an eggplant lasagna or spinach lasagna with skim milk mozzarella and see how it goes over. The trick is not to overdo it with the vegetables. You want to introduce tastes and flavors a little bit at a time without putting kids off.

Once you have had the chance to expose children to a variety of different vegetables you’ll have a better idea of what they gravitate toward. This can help you prepare meals where the veggies are less “hidden”; but it doesn’t mean you have to abandon your new recipes. Adding extra vegetables to your regular cooking routine can help give a healthy boost to your meals as well.

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Sometimes it is fun to go for a weekend walk. The nice part about weekends is that you can take a ride out to somewhere pretty and really take the time to enjoy the scenery. One natural area around Aurora is Silver Springs State Park, which has 2.6 miles of trails that you can try out. The Fox River runs through this park, adding to the scenery. The atmosphere here is very relaxed, so it can be a good place to get away and experience nature while getting a little exercise in. If you can enjoy the trip, you will be more likely to feel enthusiastic about exercising, so this type of escape can be a terrific motivator.

Shabbona State Park is also a little drive from Aurora–but worth the trip. Although Shabbona Lake is man-made, the scenery here is nature at its best, featuring grasslands, marsh, ponds and streams. You can see the lake for much of this hike, and it provides some nice inspiration. The trail is 4.9 miles, but don’t feel as though you need to do the entire loop. Pace yourself and do a little bit at a time. You may want to invest in a pedometer and gradually set increased step goals for yourself each weekend instead of trying to push through a large portion all at one time. That way you can track your progress and feel good about your accomplishments as you gain strength and endurance.

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Many books have been written and sold about how to lose weight, and yet the answer remains a simple mathematical equation. In order to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than you burn, or burn more calories than you take in. In other words, eat less and exercise more.

How many calories do you need to burn to lose weight?
To lose one pound, you need an expenditure of about 3,500 calories. That means that you can consume 3,500 fewer calories, burn 3,500 more calories, or do some combination of the two. If you cut out 500 calories a day from your diet every day for a full week, you should have a 3,500 calorie deficit at the end of the week and a weight loss of one pound. How much food makes up 500 calories?

• One slice original-style crust pepperoni pizza is 230 calories.
• One glass dry white wine is 160 calories.
• One can cola is 150 calories.
• One quarter-pound hamburger with cheese is 500 calories.
• One jumbo banana nut muffin is 580 calories.

The most effective way to lose weight is to modify your caloric intake and your fitness habits simultaneously.

How fast should you expect to lose weight?
A safe, healthy rate of weight loss is usually between one to two pounds per week. While starvation diets may cause you to lose weight more quickly, this type of weight loss is extremely difficult to maintain over a long period of time and may cause health complications.

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