The 15 Best Weight Loss Tips, Ever!

By Diana Kelly, Prevention

If you've ever tried to lose weight (and who hasn't), you've got to be mindful of whose advice you take. Your colleague says you need to cut out carbs. Your gym buddy knows the secret is to stop eating after 7 p.m. Your Facebook friend swears she'll be in swimsuit shape by March if she only eats once a day. Your husband, well, he sneezes and the weight seems to fall off.

But do any of these tips really work? To help you shed those extra pounds--and keep them off--without starving yourself, ditching your social life, or eating only at odd times of the day, we talked to experienced nutritionists for real-world advice you can actually live with, day in and day out. We'll tell you how to focus on the delicious foods you can add to your diet, why you should be eating more often (yes!), the fat loss benefits of more sleep, and how even taking a few deep breaths can put you on a successful path to weight loss. Here, the 15 best diet tips of all time. Say buh-bye to hunger and hello skinny jeans.

MORE: 52 Ways To Lose A Pound A Week! 
1. Never get too hungry
You make poor decisions when your judgment is compromised. Hunger is a primal urge that's difficult to deny. When you're famished, it's hard to hold off until you can find healthy food. As a result, you end up eating anything that's not nailed down, and typically, regretting it. Planning meals and snacks works wonders to head off the intense hunger that can do a number on your best intentions to eat right. Always tote healthy snacks, such as an ounce of pistachios, a hard-cooked egg and some whole grain crackers, Greek yogurt, or 1/4 cup raisins. Don't skip meals or skimp on them, either. Here, 6 portable, protein-packed snacks that fill you up!
--Elizabeth Ward, RD, author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better

2. Be honest about your daily calorie allowance
Everyone has a calorie budget, whether you're trying to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds. I've found that people ignore this simple fact. Your calorie budget allows you to build a healthy diet, and it helps prevent frustration about weight control. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide suggested daily calorie intakes based on gender, age, and physical activity level. When you know your calorie budget, then you can plan on how many servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and other protein sources to include every day.
--Elizabeth Ward

PLUS: 8 Things You Didn't Know About Calories

3. Use the red, orange and green rule
At each meal include one food that is any of these colors. By focusing on these foods, you'll be sure to get some produce on your plate and won't have space on your plate for higher-calorie fare.
--Lyssie Lakatos, RD, and Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, authors of The Secret To Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat

4. Eat one less bite
Doing this at every meal could save about 75 calories a day which equates to nearly an 8-pound weight loss in one year!
--Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames 
5. Be a heavy drinker
Water is essential for keeping the body hydrated and we're actually more likely to retain "water weight" by not drinking enough of it rather than by having too much. The needs of each person will be different, but the general recommended daily amount is 64 ounces. It also takes up space in your stomach so you'll feel fuller while taking in less calories.
--Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames

6. Kick the salt habit
Salt is a big contributor to weight gain and often a reason why the numbers on the scale aren't going down. The average American consumes twice the amount of salt they should have each day, leading to weight gain, bloating, and the inability to lose stubborn pounds. Salt can also make you feel hungrier and thirstier, so check the nutrition labels for high sodium levels and choose fresh over packaged or restaurant foods. You'll see a puffy face and belly go down quickly just by cutting back on your sodium intake and choosing more natural foods.
--Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames

7. Spice up your food
Adding hot spices to your meals can help curb hunger, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Need another reason to add some heat? Scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that capsaicin (a compound found in chilies) triggers your brain to release feel-good endorphins. A full belly and a good mood? Pass the hot sauce!
-Christine Avanti, CN, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food

TRY THESE: 18 Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

8. Don't think diet soda will help you lose weight
A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%. Why? Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods, suggested an animal study from Purdue University. That means people who consume diet foods might be more likely to overeat, because your body is being tricked into thinking it's eating sugar, and you crave more.

A separate study found that even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, the group of symptoms including belly fat and high cholesterol that puts you at risk for heart disease. Whether that link is attributed to an ingredient in diet soda or the drinkers' eating habits is unclear. But is that one can really worth it? (Still not convinced? Check out seven more health risks associated with drinking diet soda.)

9. Focus on nutrient balance instead of calorie counting
Making sure an eating occasion has carbs, protein, and fat instead of just counting calories (like a 100-calorie pack) delivers better energy and fat loss results by giving the body what it needs, like quick- and longer-digesting nutrients so you stay full longer.
--Ashley Koff, RD, Prevention Advisory Board member

MORE: The 57 Sneaky Names of Sugar 
10. Plate food away from where you're eating
By keeping food within eyesight as you are eating, you may find yourself reaching for a second helping even if you really aren't hungry. Place the food on the kitchen counter or stove, portion out a serving on your plate and then sit down at the table and eat. This way, if you want additional servings, you'll have to get up, which helps you to be more mindful of what you are eating. 
--Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies

11. Keep a food record 
We know you've heard this time and time again. Well, that's because keeping a food record is vital to losing weight and keeping it off long term. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that those who kept regular food records lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. When keeping a food record, make sure to track what you ate, how much you ate, anything you added to the food (condiments, oils, etc.), and what you drank. Also tracking your mood and appetite can be helpful and insightful into learning about your eating patterns as well!
--Erin Palinski-Wade

12. Start with soup
People who ate a low-calorie vegetable soup before a meal consumed 20% fewer calories at the meal, according to research from Penn State Unniversity. Have a low-calorie broth-based veggie soup before your largest meal of the day to reduce calories and lose weight without feeling hungry.
--Erin Palinski-Wade

MORE: 25 Delicious Detox Meals That Jumpstart Weight Loss
13. Take your time
Rapid eaters are often heavier than slow eaters, according to research from The University of Rhode Island. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that you have eaten enough and are satisfied. If you rush your meal and eat rapidly, your body's satiety cues won't be tuned in to those feelings of fullness yet and it's easier to overeat. Try slowing down by chewing each bite at least 10 times, putting your fork down in between bites, and fostering a relaxing eating environment rather than eating on the run.
--Erin Palinski-Wade
14. Outsmart your hunger hormone
Even the most motivated and focused dieter will struggle to be successful at weight loss once hunger takes over. Our bodies secrete a hormone called ghrelin, which controls hunger and drives our appetite. If we don't understand, monitor, and control our ghrelin, we can forget about losing weight. Science tells us that the best way to control ghrelin is to eat small, balanced meals about every 3 hours or so. That's because ghrelin will spike after about 3 to 4 hours of fasting, so eating with regularity helps keep this eating trigger at bay. Ghrelin will also spike if we're deprived of carbs, so it's important to give our bodies and brains the carb fuel they need. When we skip meals or avoid carbs, we're inviting ghrelin to spike, which increases and makes us feel emotionally hungry. It makes us crave sugar and can derail even the healthiest eating routine.
--Manuel Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free: The Carb-Friendly Way to Lose Inches

15. Wear fitted clothing The elastic waistband is the dieter's fashion enemy number one. When you wear clothes that fit well and make you feel good, you have awareness gauges that give you clear signals to help you put on the brakes as you fill up. Use this as a way of staying mindful of your goals and to help keep you from overeating.
--Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet

Kelebihan Bersenam.

Haaaa..apa kaitan gambar dengan tajuk ni? mesti pelik kan?

macam tu jugak la ekspresi sesetengah orang bila diajak bersenam.

Macam kita ajak berperang pulak kan? hihi.

Ketahuilah banyak taw kelebihan jika kita bersenam ni.

Apabila kita melakukan aktiviti senaman, ianya secara tidak langsung dapat meningkatkan kecergasan fizikal seseorang berdasarkan 2 aspek; kecergasan fizikal berlandaskan kesihatan dan kecergasan fizikal berlandaskan lakuan motor. Diantara kesan senaman dari aspek fisiologi ialah:

1. Berlaku hipertrofi otot jantung.
Saiz jantung setiap individu berbeza. Jantung individu boleh bertambah besar atau mengalami hipertrofi jika individu tersebut mengamalkan gaya hidup sihat dengan melakukan latihan fizikal secara konsisten dan berterusan. Saiz jantung seseorang atlit yang aktif adalah lebih besar berbanding saiz jantung individu sedentari. Apabila hipertrofi jantung berlaku, ketumpatan kapilari juga meningkat. Hipertrofi jantung adalah kesan daripada:
(a) Penambahan saiz kaviti ventrikel-ventrikel
(b) Bertambah ketebalan dinding ventrikel.

2. Meningkatkan daya tahan kardiovaskular
Merupakan keupayaan seseorang itu melakukan aktiviti dalam masa yang lebih lama tanpa mengalami kelesuan. Daya tahan kardiovaskular ini tercapai kerana keefisyenan sistem peredaran darah. Keupayaan jantung mengepam darah dan juga keupayaan paru-paru mengoksigenkan darah kotor dan menggantikannya dengan darah yang bersih.

3. Menambahkan isipadu sedenyut jantung (stroke volume)
Hipertrofi jantung menyebabkan jantung menjadi semakin kuat disebabkan pertambahan bilangan otot-otot kardiak. Ini juga menyebabkan keupayaan jantung untuk mengepam darah keseluruh badan meningkat menyebabkan penurunan kadar nadi rehat seseorang individu. Semakin rendah kadar nadi rehat seseorang individu, menunjukkan semakin banyak isipadu sedenyut jantung.

4. Meningkatkan daya tahan otot
Keupayaan otot atau kumpulan otot melakukan penguncupan untuk mengatasi sesuatu rintangan dalam masa yang lebih lama. Daya tahan ini terbahagi kepada dua iaitu daya tahan statik dan daya tahan dinamik. Daya tahan otot statik ialah keupayaan otot atau kumpulan otot bertahan mengatasi rintangan tanpa melakukan pergerakan. Sementara semasa daya tahan dikeluarkan dalam pergerakan dinamik, otot-otot akan terlibat di dalam pergerakan sendi. Daya tahan ini diukur dengan melihat keupayaan peserta melakukan aktiviti secara berulang-ulang atau lebih lama.

Diantara kesan lain terhadap aktiviti senaman ialah:

1. dapat menguatkan ketahanan atau keimunan dari serangan penyakit
2. tingkatkan pemulihan kadar nadi jantung selepas bersenam
3. dapat mengurangkan peratusan lemak dan berat badan
4. menambahkan bahan ATP di dalam otot
5. memupuk semangat perpaduan dan akauntabiliti
6. menjadi satu sumber rekreasi
7. mendapat pendapatan kerjaya
8. menambahkan pengambilan oksigen oleh tisu-tisu tubuh badan
9. mengurangkan kecederaan dan mempercepatkan pemulihan
10. meningkatkan kestabilan emosi dan penghargaan kendiri
11. mengurangkan asid laktik dalam darah sewaktu bersenam
12. meningkatkan koordinasi psikomotor
13. meningkatkan keupayaan otot jantung dan otot-otot rangka berfungsi dengan efisien
14. meningkatkan kapasiti paru-paru
15. memperbaiki efisien kerja
16. memperbaiki serta meningkatkan kesihatan diri keseluruhannya

Overindulged This Week? Re-Start Today!!

How to Get Back on the Wagon

It happens — you over-indulged over the holidays, missed a few workouts and now you feel like you've fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It's tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start beating up on yourself, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is the Old You — get ready for the New You.

The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.

And if you miss a workout, it's not the end of the world! Get to the gym the next day and continue to focus on your short-term goals. Just because you made bad choices today doesn't mean you can't start over tomorrow. New day? New beginning. And don't you forget it!

Need tips to stay on Track During the Holidays?

 Hello there!

Making it through the holidays with your fitness and diet goals still in tact can seem like a miracle in itself, but don't let it stress you out. You can do it. The best way to make it through all those parties and family get-togethers is to plan and decide what's important. If enjoying a piece of your mother's pie is what you look forward to each year, don't fill up on all of the extras like cheese and crackers. Then, have a small piece — don't have two, or three, or four slices. Know your limits and watch those portion sizes and you will triumph!

Here's what some JillianMichaels.com members are doing to stay on track this holiday season:

I'll be completing my workouts first thing in the morning, cutting back on the goodies I make at home and trying some healthier recipes instead of the traditional. As far as Christmas parties, I snack on something healthy before I go so that I don't binge!! My biggest goal is not to give up if I mess up! I'll just pick myself up the following day and not fret too much about eating too much for the holidays! This will help me from falling off the bandwagon!

– Frog Miner

I am planning on getting a good workout before and after. I am also allowing myself to have a limited amount of snacks, that way I won't feel deprived or guilty when I reach for them. I plan on making healthier snacks. I will track the calories and count them into my daily allowance.

– sameantha

When I bake with my mom (we will spend at least a day, maybe two, baking) I will chew gum, do a whitestrip, and brush my teeth so I don't try every little bit! I will also eat my meals every 2.5-3 hrs so I stay full to keep me out of the cookie dough! I also love the pick yourself up idea! That is the most important thing to remember — don't let a bad snack turn into a bad day, and don't let a bad day turn into a bad week! Just hop back on the wagon the next day!

– kschmitt24

Kschmitt24, you are right — that is great advice and so important to remember. In fact, couldn't have said that better myself. So, what are you doing to stay on track this year?

Fight Flabby Arms With These Moves

In this August heat, I bet you want to wear less to stay cool. I'm not talking about exhibitionism but about revealing your arms in tank tops and sleeveless dresses! Not ready to bare them quite yet? Well, it's time to sculpt some sexy arms that you'll want to flaunt!

First, a brief anatomy lesson: Your biceps are the prominent muscles in the front of your upper arms, and your triceps are the horseshoe-shaped muscles located in the back of your upper arms. Biceps help you bend your arms, and they assist the muscles of your upper back in pulling and carrying.. The triceps muscle's primary function is to extend the elbow and straighten your arm, but the triceps also assist the chest and shoulder muscles in throwing and pushing.

Two great exercises for working these muscles of the upper arm are dumbbell biceps curls and triceps kickbacks. Check them out:

Dumbbell Biceps Curls 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, your palms facing forward. Exhale, and keeping your elbows locked firmly against your rib cage, curl both arms three-quarters of the way up toward your shoulders, rotating your wrists so your palms face upward.
2. Hold for a beat, focusing on squeezing your biceps. Inhale, and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position, and repeat.

Triceps Kickbacks 

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your sides, and stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a slight bend in your knees. Bend forward from the waist so that your torso is nearly parallel with the floor. Bend both elbows so that your upper arms are locked at your sides and parallel to the floor (your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor).
2. Keeping your upper arms still, straighten your forearms behind you until the ends of the dumbbells are pointing toward the floor. Hold for a beat, then inhale and slowly lower your arms to the starting position; repeat.