How Can I Lose 10 Pounds?

"How fast can I lose 10lbs if I burn off 500 calories by running 4-5 miles a day, and eating 1200 calories?"

I get questions like this a lot via my fitness business.

I'll give you a rough guideline but I can't answer this question
with 100% accuracy because I don't know your metabolic rate (how
many calories you burn during a normal day), the type of food you
eat, how often you eat, how much sleep you get, etc.)

So let's look at some examples. If 1,700 calories a day keeps
your weight the same and you reduce your caloric intake, you'll
lose roughly 1 pound per week.

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. 7 days per week x
500 calories per day equals 3,500 calories per week. So, if you
added the running that burned 500 calories per day, this would be
another pound lost per week.

Now, keep a couple of things in mind. 1,200 calories per day may
be too low, which will cause your metabolism to slow down. This
is how people who go on a diet end up gaining all the weight back.

In addition, if you are not doing any weight training, about half
of that weight lost will be muscle, which will also slow down your
metabolism, again causing weight rebound and putting you in a worse
situation than before you lost the weight.

This is why I said roughly one pound per week up above. A pound of
muscle is only 600 calories and since you'll be losing muscle and
fat, you may lose more than a pound by burning 3,500 calories in a
week.

In addition, your body shape won't change. You'll just be a smaller
version of you, or what I call skinny fat.

You should add some weight training to your running plan, 2 to 3
times per week.

I would also reduce the amount of running you are doing, both in
number of days you run, and how far you run each day. Consider only
running that distance 2 or 3 days per week.

Consider performing high intensity interval training instead of the
running on 2 other days per week.

In addition, keep track of your calories. You only want to lose 1 - 2
pounds per week (you may lose more in the beginning. And keep in mind
that how you look is more important than the scale. If you lose 10
pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of muscle, you'll way the same as you
do now but you'll look a thousand times better.

You'll also be smaller as a pound of muscle does not take up as much
space as a pound of fat.

I hope this helps.

Good luck! I'd love to hear your results and questions (see below).

Carbohydrates Are Not The Key To Weight Loss

Carbohydrates are the body?s major source of energy which enables the many body organs to function properly. Carbohydrates taken in by the body is broken down into glucose which provides the much needed energy of the human body. With the glucose that was produced as the human body consumes carbohydrate-rich foods, the pancreas secretes an important hormone called insulin which transfers the glucose from the blood to the different cells of the human body. That in a nutshell explains how important carbohydrates are and why everyone should not totally eliminate the intake of carbohydrates through their diet plans.

To explain why carbohydrates is not the key to weight loss, it is important to know the two different types of carbohydrates contained in the food that people eat. One is the carbohydrates in its simplest raw form of sugars found in fruits and vegetables and the other one is complex carbohydrates which are found in cereals and potatoes. Both of these forms of carbohydrates have good and beneficial effect on the body because they produce energy which is badly needed by the body to function properly. However, not all foods are good supplier of carbohydrates whether simple sugar or complex carbohydrates. Sugar sources of carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables are good carbohydrates because they these sugars are unrefined and come in their simplest natural form. And aside from this fruits and vegetables also contains phyto-chemicals which make it a good source of nutritional needs.

Complex carbohydrates are also good for the body if they are taken in by eating fiber-rich carbohydrate heavy foods such as cereals, whole wheat bread and whole grains. Aside from giving the body good supply of sugar to produce energy, these foods are easily digested and are not stored in the body as fat. The bad carbohydrates rich food that should be avoided are those that come from foods made of refined sugar such as cookies, cakes, carbonated drinks and others because of the high sugar concentration in these foods which are hard to digest and most often than not remain in the body as stored fat.

Going to the question of whether carbohydrates are the key to weight loss, the answer is either a yes or no. Like any other food, anything that is taken in excess of how much the body needs is always a bad thing. The same thing is true for carbohydrates, whether it is simple or complex, good or bad carbohydrates; the important thing to remember is that, both affects weight gain, if not taken moderately. It should always be remembered that any amount of carbohydrates taken in by the body which is not consumed and converted into energy will remain in the body as stored fat, which would contribute to weight gain.

So, is a low-carb high-protein diet the best way to lose weight? The answer is still either yes or no. It would still depend on what type of protein is taken in as part of the diet. Protein like carbohydrates also contributes to weight gain if not taken at the right proportion and not consumed by the body properly. But this is not saying that low-carb high protein diet has no effect on weight loss, actually it has an effect on weight loss. However, Too much of protein and less of energy producing carbohydrates may not be good to one?s over all health. The body needs energy from carbohydrates and the nutrients from protein rich food to build up muscles and for other sustenance.

Carbohydrates intake may lead to weight loss, it is a proven fact. But to say that it is the key to weight loss is not true. Depriving the body of the much needed energy from carbohydrates may lead to weight loss, but the effect on the over all health of the body must also be considered. The best way to achieve weight loss is by attaining weigh loss objective without sacrificing total body health. To do this, the key is still moderation in the intake of the essential nutrients whether they are carbohydrates, protein among other things. And of course, ensure that these nutrients are properly utilized by the body through maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.

Quick Weight Loss Plan - 3 Ways

A quick weight loss plan shouldn't center around counting calories or endlessly figuring out fat grams. If one is concerned in losing weight quickly then they must take measures which target immediate weight loss, rather than long term weight loss. As counting calories would be important for a long term diet plan, for a quick weight loss plan to be successful one has to employ a few tricks.

1. Fasting. The most obvious and quick weight loss plan for many would be just not eating at all. There are also many danger flags which rise up when one thinks of fasting. But, fasting can be done in a safe manner, and there are even many health advocates who recommend a periodic fast every so often to cleanse out the system. Note that much of the weight you will lose will be that of water weight, and a fast should only be done for a short period of time, and must be done following proper guidelines of the particular type of fasting process you are following. The healthy fasting routines will always have you consuming some form of liquid and have you consuming plenty of vitamins. This can be a quick weight loss plan, but it can be very difficult and much of what you lose will be water weight.

2. Carb fast. This quick weight loss plan is a bit better than the complete fast, as you will lose more fat in addition to water weight loss. You essentially cut out all carbohydrates from your diet and only consume a combination of protein and fat. It will usually take from 2 to 5 days before your body switches over and begins using fat as it's primary energy source, thus your body will naturally be burning both the fat you are consuming, along with your own body fat. You must re-load on carbohydrates after the 5th or 6th day (for 1-2 days) and then resume the carb fast for another 5 days. The reason this can be considered a quick weight loss plan is that out of all the diets out there, most people report the most immediate results with the carb fast. A search should done under "keto diet" to learn the exact procedures to perform this quick weight loss plan both safely and effectively.

3. Take supplements! That's right, take supplements as part of your quick weight loss plan. Losing weight in the least amount of time possible, does require some outside assistance. The body just naturally cannot burn fat on it's own that quickly. There are effective supplements you can take. Many go by the name of fat blockers or binders or burners. Some are obviously less reliable than others so it's always important to find out for your quick weight loss plan what compounds work both safely and effectively. And always look for natural based products as your first choice, as they do exist and have numerous benefits, including acting as a perfect supplement to your quick weight loss plan!