Losing weight is simple!

So I was going to the gym the other day and it dawned on me while I was reading an article. People want a quick fix for everything right?! The magical cure for losing weight is taking pills and weighting for results or if you have enough money you can do a tummy tuck or Lipo. I was sitting here wondering why I was in the gym two hours a day trying to perfect myself when there are magical drugs out there to keep everyone skinny. So I wondered about the results and as I was of course "googling" I found many websites frowning on the effects of these diet pills. Reading further into them I was really concerned about people spending money on things that really have no effect.

What I did read is that any of them can be effective and now I am not saying that using them will not allow you the results you want. Just clearly stating in fact, the bottle even states that needs to be taken with a regular diet and workout. Why would I spend money on the diet pill for fifty dollars if I still have to go through the agony of working out? Why do we play off insecurities of others? Like I say I didn’t say they did not work but they can give you results faster as they tend to speed up your metabolism but there are things to remember:

• Have a regular diet- write it down or create your own, I don’t care but do it and stick to it. How are you supposed to loose extra weight if you are eating the same foods, makes no sense right? Lets try to look at my diet and how I was able to phase out about 6 pounds of fat in a month:

Breakfast- oatmeal with fruit and yogurt and maybe some whole grain toast. I also will eat some eggs for protein with the yolk because it has natural fat that will help. Around 400 calories would do the trick

Snack- around 2 hours later you should feel hungry but don’t sweat it. You need to energize your body and mind so reach for some fruit. With tons of vitamins and fortified nutrients it should give you enough to hold out till   your next big meal. Remembering to drink at least eight glasses a day will help you feel fuller.

Lunch- is a great way to wind down before going back to the daily grind and around 200 calories it will still keep you on your feet. Sandwiches, whole grain bread and lean turkey are not a bad way to go especially with a granola bar. Remember to think smart, losing weight is not for idiots because you have to plan. I suggest packing it and leaving the money at home.

Another snack- usually at this time you should just be about done from work. Each of these meals is about a 2.5 hour spread so try timing these or setting an alarm. Usually I like to drink a protein shake that has maximal amounts of vitamins just because it is easy and doesn’t take a lot of time to eat. Usually I would stay around 200 calories for this as well.

Dinner- the best part of the day is dinner. Man I look forward to this part because it helps me relax while I am eating. Now dinner should have at least 80% protein and 20% Carbs / Vegetables. I know a lot of people do not like the V word but it has too many vitamins to ignore.

• Think smart- we all think about it but never actually tried to do this. Common sense goes along way and with this I mean a leaner way. People in general do not practice this and that is why most people find it difficult to lose the weight because of bad habits. McDonalds and burger king is not a good choice so I suggest you bring your own lunch to work or to an outing. Don’t get me wrong food is amazing and you can eat it sometimes but not all the time.
• Cardio before and after muscle resistance-So people in general have a set thing they are going to do at the gym. A) They are going to do weights or B) they are going to run but some people don’t realize the benefit of doing both and in sequence. My buddy who is studying kinesiology was telling me about the rubber band theory. What it basically implied is asking yourself “would you stretch a rubber band that is frozen or cold” the answer of course is no right? Same as your muscles, if you are going to be ripping muscles to build on them wouldn’t you want to warm your body up first? So do at least 5- 10 minutes of cardio before. Here is the real kicker in recent studies stats have stated that you use most of the carbs stored before your workout you will use to burn during weight training so when you are done jump on the treadmill because you only have stored fat left, so guess what you will be burning?
• Use primary muscles with secondary muscles- Have you heard of this? This is an exercise that people will not follow because they cannot guess what it actually entails. Primary muscles have to do with the bigger muscles closest to your core: Chest, Back, quads, shoulders, and gluteus. What about secondary muscles? Here is a list of muscles you should be working them out together to get maximum potential:

1.      Chest with triceps

2.      Back with biceps

3.      legs with calves

Then shoulders on your final day

• Protein is power- protein is the building block of all life. You actually cannot live without it so get a nice protein shake that has 20grams or more per serving but it has to be lean!

So I said it was simple but we all have to concentrate day to day to keep it up. Try creating a calendar to help you remember because writing it down helps sub-consciously.