Owner: Weight Loss Weapons URL:www.weightlossweapons.com/blog Join Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:11:53 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Sharing my experience and advice on losing weight without the expensive pills and programs. Site statistics:Click here
Exercising while you are sick? 2007-11-04 19:37:35
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Just a quick post to ask a question. Do you exercise when you are sick?
Over the past few days I have had a cold. Dealing with the all the symptoms that go along with it is no fun. I've been struggling with weather or not I should continue my workouts, stop them all together or just do some light walking.
Which do you think is the best option?
This is the first time in about a year that I have actually had a cold. (Another benefit of exercise and a healthier lifestyle). But with all the weird weather changes plus 2 kids in 2 schools, the bug finally got me this week.
So what do you do when you're sick?
Read more:Exercising
How many times a day should you be eating? 2007-10-30 21:19:04
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I received an email question last week from a reader asking:
"How many times a day should I be eating
?, Is there a set number that is best for weight loss? How often do you eat?"
Ok it was 3 questions, but here is the best answer I could come up with.
I don't think that there is 1 specific eating schedule that is best for weight loss. It really depends on the individual and how they deal with the hunger in between meals. I’ve found that the longer I go between meals the more likely I am to go off course and eat something I’ll regret later.
I've heard a lot of people say that your body goes into "Starvation Mode" after 5-6 hours without eating. I personally don't believe that is true. Starvation mode is when your body starts to store energy (fat) in anticipation of an extended period without food. I don't think 6 hours qualifies.
Now your body will start to slip into fat storing mode if your overall daily calorie intake is constantly too
1st month of Blogging 2007-10-27 21:34:08
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Well it has officially been 1 month since I started this blog and I have to say that I am very pleased with the results so far. I thought I would take a moment to share with you what I have achieved and also what I have learned.
First a few stats that I am pretty proud of:
I have managed to reach at least 1 person in all 50 states.
As well as at least 1 person in over 50 different counties.
Below are my page views and the number of visits I have received in the last 30 days.
Not bad for a newbie
The only disappointing thing has been the RSS subscriber count. 22 as I write this and I am grateful for every one of them. I think I really need to improve on promoting my feed. Not to mention that I just figured out how to set it up properly 2 weeks ago.
Last word on the stats, since the Google page rank update I went from an N/A to a PR2. This was a nice surprise.
What have I learned?
Promoting a blog is actually quite different from promoting a static site (yes I Read more:Blogging
Top 5 Weight Loss Weapons (non-exercise) 2007-10-25 21:35:35
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These are what I consider the Top 5 non workout/exercise weapons for losing weight and keeping it off. My full list can be found at here
1.) Chicken Breast - Chicken Breast is very versatile, you can bake it, fry it, or BBQ it. It can be cut it into strips, or stuffed with your favorite veggies, you can skewer it and grill it or just eat it on a sandwich. With nearly 9 grams of protein per ounce it will help you feel full longer and is a smart choice for building or maintaining muscle.
2.) Chocolate Milk - 1% Chocolate milk is quickly emerging as a great health treat. All the benefits of milk (Calcium, low fat, high protein etc..) with the great taste of chocolate. A word of caution, the calories can add up very quickly. Keep your servings to 1 to 2 cups per day. (150-300 calories)
3.) The Food Scale - This is a great tool for controlling your portion sizes. You don’t need a fancy digital or nutritional scale. A plain old mechanical one will work just fine. You Read more:Weight
, Weapons
, Weight Loss
How to beat the midday slump 2007-10-23 21:05:42
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Does this ever happen to you?
It's midday, lunch is over and done with and there is still an hour or two before dinner. You're working away at your job, busy with school or with the kids when you start feeling tired and begin to lose focus on what you're doing. Or maybe you get a headache and the "little things" begin to get on your nerves.
This is what is known as the midday slump and it's usually caused by a rapid drop in blood sugar. Combine this with a lack of proper rest and you have a recipe for weight gain.
What you do between the hours of 2pm and 4pm can have a dramatic impact on your weight loss efforts. There is a twofold effect that happens:
1.) When the slump hits your first instinct is to eat, eat, eat and your cravings are usually not for some health fruit or vegetables either.
2.) If you're like me you make poor decisions when you're hungry and that leads to pizza for dinner or a trip out to your local restaurant.
So how do you stop th
Personal Trainers, Do you really need one? 2007-10-21 19:37:21
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What does a personal trainer do for you that you can't already do on your own, right?
I asked myself that question a year ago while I was 35 Lbs over weight. I received a lot of advice from family and friends, mostly negative. They're too expensive, not worth it, and just another way for the health club to make money was what I heard.
So naturally I signed up for some one on one sessions. I figured everyone that offered me their negative opinion was overweight and out of shape, so of course they would be against hiring a trainer.
Going in I thought I knew enough about weight lifting and cardio that this guy would be impressed. Boy was I wrong. Apparently my technique and form were really bad (that explains the shoulder and lower back injuries); currently up to 70% of people perform at least 1 weight lifting exercise incorrectly.
He also pointed out that I was missing out on all of the benefits from those last few reps that I quit on. I was "lifting for comfort Read more:Personal
, Trainers
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 2007-10-17 21:58:29 How would you like to workout for less time but still achieve the same or better results than a longer workout?
If so the answer is HIIT (High IntensityIntervalTraining
). This is a method of exercise where you alternate between going all out at maximum effort for short bursts and slowing to a more moderate "rest" pace. A typical session lasts from 15-25 minutes depending on your fitness level.
Why is it so important?
Burn baby, burn. Calories that is. You can burn more calories overall and more calories from fat versus lower intensity exercises. Which is amazing in itself but the real benefit comes after your workout is done. Studies have shown that performing HIIT keeps your metabolism raised for up to 24 hours following a session. Meaning you're burning more calories while you sleep, work and play.
Lastly, doing HIIT can help preserve the muscle mass that you already have, which you tend to lose with lower intensity activities.
How to do it
I use it while running but you can Read more:Interval Training
Going for my Six Pack 2007-10-15 05:00:53 Since I've lost all that excessive fat, my goals and my focus has changed. I have built up some pretty good strength and endurance in all the major muscle groups. My new goal may be a little vane but I deserve it. Basically I want my six pack back, not just as good as it was 7-10 years ago but even better. Stronger more defined and more functional.
I've decided to tryout some of Arnel Ricafranca's ab workout routines. Arnel is a personal trainer from New Jersey. He has appeared in and on a few local magazines, radio and online TV news stations.
He is the owner and operator of iwantsixpackabs.com a great site that shows you how to sculpt your abs in 16 weeks. This site is completely free, but you need to sign-up to gain access to his program.
I have a pretty good eating plan that is working for me right now, so I will just stick to the workouts including HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) which I am a big fan of.
This is his First Promo Video which serves as the "before" Read more:Going
The Benefits of Weight Loss Series Benefit #1 2007-10-12 11:20:23 Now whenever I have seen an article or post on the benefits of losing weight they are presented in the usual list format. Each point is not given too much detail.
Over the coming weeks I will be posting on some of the tangible and intangible benefits of losing weight. These will be based mostly on what I have witnessed and experienced during my own transformation.
Benefit # 1
Improved Self Confidence
As an overweight guy I was always embarrassed about the way I looked. Sure I’d make light of it and crack a few jokes about my gut, ” I have washboard abs, there’s just a load of laundry on them right now” or “I don’t have a six pack I have a keg“ Everyone would get a good laugh and I would use it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, which almost felt like It was expected of me.
I would also do the little things that all self concise overweight people do. Wear baggy clothes, constantly pull at my shirt so that it didn't cling to my gut for Read more:Weight
, Weight Loss
, Benefits
Exercise and Blogging 2007-11-09 10:00:50
This is a topic that I have been wanting to talk about for a while now as it’s a combination of two of my favorite activities.
There are many similarities between blogging and exercising. For example:
1. Finding time to commit to both can be challenging, and fitting it into your day is not always possible.
2. If you neglect either one for a long period of time. The odds increase that your body or your site will die sooner than you expected it to.
3. The more often you do them the quicker you will see the results you’re looking for.
Those are just a few that I like, but the real connection between exercising and blogging is this. Blogging
right after you exercise will increase the creativity and quality of your posts. Also the overall tone will tend to be more up beat and positive.
Now I am only basing this on my own blogging experience and a few other fellow bloggers. Here is why I think it works. Exercise
gets the blood flowing to your brain and stimulates the release of endor
Calorie Confidential on CBC Marketplace 2007-11-16 16:28:16 I came across this interesting show on while watching TV the other night. It’s called Marketplace
and it covers a wide range of topics that relate to consumer products and services.
This is from their website:
“Whether it is a slick scam or maddening customer service, CBC News: Marketplace weeds out wrongdoing against consumers, and puts pressure on people in power to set things right.”
This episode was about how local casual dining restaurants don’t disclose the calorie content of their dishes. As well as just how many calories are in some of your favorite meals.
Here is the trailer:
They conducted nutritional analysis of 16 different meals and their findings were pretty shocking. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but you can watch the whole episode here.
There was also a bill introduced that would have made it mandatory for these restaurants to include calorie and other nutritional information on their menus. Amazingly it was rejected.
The website also offers some great Read more:Confidential
Biggest Loser Cookbook Recipes #2 2007-11-14 04:00:57
Parmesan-pepper sweet potato fries
Here is another one of my favorite recipes from the biggest loser cookbook. These are great as a side dish or on their own. Try them out and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
½ pound of sweet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick sticks
1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese (reduced fat)
½ teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 of a teaspoon of paprika
And a pinch of the following:
Ground black pepper, cayenne and salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes on one side, then flip the potatoes and continue baking for another 10 minutes. They should be tender with some brown spotting.
Per Serving
249 Calories, 5g Protein, 49g Carbohydrates, 4g Fat, 7g Fiber and roughly 250 mg of sodium
You can get this great Cookbook
directly from Rodale or Read more:Loser
, Biggest Loser
My first site review 2007-11-13 12:35:34 Just a quick post to let you know that I received my first site review
from Technicallyeasy.net earlier this week.
I think it was a fair assessment and there were some very helpful suggestions to improve this site. You can read the whole review here.
Overall I was pretty pleased with my rating of 4 ½ stars out of 5.
Technicallyeasy.net is a great website that provides information on a variety of topics including networking and computer issues, digital cameras, digital photography as well as computer security and web design. All written so that it’s easy to understand and apply.
Click here to get your own free review.
Being healthy is a terrible goal 2007-11-20 23:12:42
When ever I hear an overweight person say this phrase “I want to be healthy
” it makes me very sad. Sad because I know that they will still be overweight and probably unhealthy 6 months down the road.
Don’t get me wrong, being healthy is something that you definitely want to achieve. But as far as a tangible goal that will help you lose weight it’s just awful.
Below are some tips to help you set and achieve realistic weight loss goals.
1. Think big. Pick a goal that gets you excited. Losing 5 lbs isn’t going to cut it.
2. Set weekly and monthly targets, review them daily.
3. Make your goals public. Announce what you want to achieve to people that will hold you accountable. This can be a great source of motivation.
4. Write it down and post it where you can’t miss it. On your fridge, your bathroom mirror or the inside of your front door.
5. Always include exercise in your plans. Weather it’s completing 20 push-ups a night or running 20 miles a week. Always include some
The number one reason for eating fast food. 2007-11-26 13:59:06
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Before I tell you what I think the number 1 reason for eating
fast food while trying to lose weight, I will tell what it isn’t.
It’s not the taste – Burgers, fries, pizza etc… may taste good but you can make healthier versions of your favourite junk foods at home. Most of these taste just as good as or better than the full fat dishes.
It’s not the cost - $5 for a combo is cheap, but you can make a healthy meal for 4 people for under $10 including drinks.
It’s not the health benefits – Fast food has some of the highest levels of fat, salt and sugar around. A single Big Mac sandwich as 29g of fat, 1020 mg of sodium and 9g of sugar. There are of course better options at most major chains, salads, chilli etc… But for the most part you’re not ordering that stuff.
Not to mention the negative after effects from eating most of that stuff. I’m not going to go into details but I think you know what I’m getting at.
The #1 reason
Lack of preparation –
The Benefits of Weight Loss Series Benefit #2 2007-11-28 21:40:55
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This is part 2 of the benefits of weight loss series. You can read part 1 here.
Benefit# 2
Increased Energy
Have you ever had a day where you just couldn’t peel your butt out of bed? And even when you did manage to get up, you still felt tired and rundown?
That was everyday of my life as an overweight guy. Sure I may have only had an extra 30-40 lbs of extra weight on me. But the negative effects of that extra weight made everyday a challenge.
Now, I still dread getting up (I love my sleep) but I know I can get up when I want to without a problem. I’m able to handle anything that is thrown at me during the day and still have plenty of energy to spend with the family.
Improving your energy levels will also improve your quality of life. There is no doubt about that.
How I increased my energy levels naturally
The first thing I did was reduce the amount of processed foods that I was eating. I was amazed to find that only 30% of my calories were coming from natural f Read more:Benefits
, Weight
, Weight Loss
Made in Canada, eh 2007-12-08 00:00:33 Here is another great episode of Marketplace on CBC.
In this episode Wendy Mesley explores foods that are labeled as “Made in Canada
” and “Product of Canada” but have sometimes been to as many as 3 other continents before landing on your plate.
Here is the trailer:
“Product of Canada” seems to be just another marketing ploy, when it comes to your food anyway. You can watch the whole episode Here.
There are some great tips on how to find out where your food comes from and how to really eat locally.
Marketplace
7 tips to beat diet burnout 2007-12-04 13:36:34
Have you ever just gotten to the point where you are tired of constantly battling your weight? You ask yourself, what is the point and feel like maybe you are just meant to be overweight for the rest of your life.
This is what I call diet burnout and it is a very common problem. I think it stems from a lack of progress with your current plan, combined with many failed attempts to lose weight in the past.
To borrow Dennis Millers line “Now, I don’t want to go off on a rant”, But this is just where the diet and weight loss industry want you to be. You are now a prime target for their latest and greatest new diet plan, pill or program. They prey on your desperation and insecurities. Hoping that you will buy the “solution” to your problem from them.
As someone that is trying to help other people actually lose weight safely and effectively, it is frustrating to see how many people fall prey to these sales tactics. The only way I know how to change this is to help you stop th
Quality over Quantity 2007-12-18 20:49:08 Just a quick update on this site and my blogging status.
I’m sure you have noticed that over the past few weeks the quantity and quality of my posts have been dropping. This is due to many factors. I have been working on a book with some trainers as well as many other new projects.
I am changing the frequency of posts and purpose of this blog. I will be posting 1 high quality post per week. These posts will be focusing on really helping you to lose weight as well as hopefully start some meaningful discussions (via comments).
Remember that this blog uses the top commentator's plugin as well as the dofollow plugin. So comments are encouraged (and moderated)
If you would like to contact me about anything weight loss related you can also email me here.
Finally, don’t forget to signup for my RSS subscription. You can do that at the top of this page or here.
*note - weightlossweapons.com will be updated frequently with fresh new content *
I’m looking forward to helping, Read more:Quality
, Quantity
The last 10 pounds bootcamp 2007-12-12 19:11:04
My new favorite weight loss related show is the Last 10 pounds bootcamp on Slice TV.
It's a Canadian show based out of Vancouver. The program is geared towards women and its goal is to help them get rid of that last 10 pounds and into a new thinner outfit.
Here is an excerpt from their site www.theeyes.ca/tenpounds
"The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp propels women through an intense fitness and nutrition regimen that dramatically resizes
them in record time. Motivated by a special event (an upcoming wedding, anniversary, vacation, or reunion) participants strive to
transform themselves physically and mentally in just four weeks. Their mission: to lose weight. Their target: to fit into a sexy
new outfit"
It's hosted by professional CFL football player Tommy Europe as the personal trainer. Tommy puts these ladies through some very tough workouts. He doesn't hold back and doesn't let them quit. Check out his personal trainer site at www.13hitz.net
His co-host is former CFL che
Exercise or Diet 2008-03-03 21:04:58 When making the change to a healthy lifestyle it can all seem overwhelming. Many of us have been inactive for years and the thought of heavy sweating, muscle soreness and the time commitments associated with working out can be enough to turn anyone away from doing it.
On the diet side of the equation it doesn’t [...] Read more:Exercise
Organization for weight loss 2008-02-17 20:56:36 One of the best ways that I’ve found to keep me focused on weight loss recently is getting organized.
Most importantly getting organized can take away some of the excuses for not working out or eating properly.
For many years my house and work space have been a complete mess. I first started with my workspace [...] Read more:Organization
A Simple Way To Eat 2008-02-09 23:18:15 What if I told you that there is a way to eat where you could lose weight and have a ton of energy without starving yourself? Would you try it?
The best part is that you don’t need to pop any pills, register for any programs or buy any books. This is a simple eating [...] Read more:Simple
Numbers are not enough for real weight loss 2008-01-30 21:55:45 advertising
When it comes to weight loss goals sometimes numbers just aren’t enough. We all have an ideal weight or waist size that we would like to be. Weather its 165 lbs or a 28 inch waist.
The problem that I see is that target goal doesn’t provide enough motivation on it’s own to [...] Read more:Numbers
The real secret of weight loss 2008-01-02 23:44:25 advertising
2008 is finally here and with the start of a new year comes tons of weight loss tips. This is the time of year when every weight loss related site posts their advice, tips and programs that promise to help you finally lose the weight for good this time.
My inbox has been flooded [...]
Back to basics 2008-04-26 22:03:24 Recently I was in a car accident. A hit from behind that had left me with pain, stiffness and very restricted range of motion. Needless to say this has knocked me off weight loss and exercise plan.
I am now just at the point of getting back on track and being able to start a regular [...]
You already own the greatest weightloss tool 2008-05-28 20:56:16 I was thinking about this the other day as I was watching an infomercial. We are constantly bombarded with sales pitches for the latest and greatest weight loss plans, pills, equipment and food. Most of them are crap in my opinion.
All of us already own the greatest weight loss tool imaginable. It’s portable, weighs [...]
Is Negative Thinking Keeping You Fat 2008-06-10 23:04:41 I caught myself doing this the other day while running in my neighborhood. Now, I have a set route that I run. It‘s a standard 5k distance but I can extend it to 7, 9, 10 or 12K by making a few small changes.
I was out for a 7k run and wanted to beat [...] Read more:Negative
Why Diet Pills Are So Popular 2008-06-15 23:07:48 With all the great weight loss information available on the internet today, I am amazed to see the popularity and high rankings of diet pills on the search engines.
A quick search on Google shows over 9 million pages related to diet pills either directly or indirectly and using the Seobook’s Keyword suggestion tool it’s [...]
Being the Butt of the Joke 2008-06-29 23:22:19 This post started as a comment that I was going to submit at Fatmanunleashed it was loosely related to being overweight and having a sense of humor about it.
Now, I consider myself to have a great sense of humor and can crack a joke about almost anything. I can take a joke as well [...]
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