Beware: the calories you’re drinking today may be the ones that make you fat tomorrow. Or next year.

You know that excess calories are what make you [...]]]> Photo by DeaPeaJay

Liquid Calories Are the Most Devious
What are you drinking right now? Coffee? Coke? Juice? Wine? Do you have any idea how many liquid calories you’ve consumed today?

Beware: the calories you’re drinking today may be the ones that make you fat tomorrow. Or next year.

You know that excess calories are what make you gain weight. But it’s easy to forget about the calories in the things you drink. And over time, those calories will sneak up on you.

For example, let’s assume you are following a proper diet, with the correct number of calories to maintain your desired weight. Now add four 5-oz. glasses of wine per week to the mix. By the end of the year, you will have gained 7 pounds!

Other examples:

Photo by clevercupcakes

See It for What It Is: Dessert
So, does this mean that you can never have a Coke or a flavored coffee or a glass of wine? No.

But, with the exception of drinks like milk, they tend to have little nutritional value—just like cake. So, try thinking of your high-calorie drinks as desserts.

You wouldn’t eat a giant frosted cupcake with every meal, would you? (If so, you have bigger problems).

So, be aware of how the things you’re drinking affect your weight. For example, limiting yourself to just one margarita per week can still cause you to gain 5 lbs. per year—unless you cut back elsewhere.

But the problem is: where do you cut back?

For example, a woman who wants to maintain her weight of 130 lbs. should eat no more than about 1,690 calories per day (formula: 13 calories x 130 lbs.), assuming an average level of activity. So, after having her favorite Frappuccino (see chart above) in the morning she has 1,180 calories left (1,690 – 510). It’s going to be a tough day.

Photo by Ben30

Would You Like Gravy with That?
Do you have a high-calorie drink with each meal? Consider substituting a low-calorie or no-calorie drink like water, unsweetened tea or a diet drink.

I know. Lunch is just not lunch without a 20-oz. Dr. Pepper. And you hate the taste of diet drinks.

Try thinking of it this way: having a high-calorie drink along with your meal is like pouring gravy on everything.

Just imagine this exchange between you and a waiter:

Photo by Kevin Lawver

“I’d like the grilled chicken with broccoli, and a garden salad.”

“Yes, Ma’am. And would you like your grilled chicken smothered in white cream gravy?”

You smile. “Yes, please. Sounds delicious.”

“And the garden salad comes with brown gravy. Is that okay?”

“Definitely. In fact, give me a double order of gravy. I hate it when I can taste the lettuce.”

Does that make you want to barf? Good. Maybe if you keep that image in your mind it will help you cut back on the calorie-rich drinks.

In Summary

• The calories in drinks are devious. Don’t let them fool you.
• Count the calories in everything you drink.
• The calories in drinks can go to your butt just as easily as the ones in food.
• Find alternatives to your high-calorie drinks.
• Enjoy high-calorie drinks as you would desserts—sparingly.
• Having high-calorie drinks with meals is like pouring gravy on everything you eat.

How many times have you lost pounds, only to gain them right back? Why keep trying? Everybody’s a little heavier these days. It’s just a fact of modern life.

That is [...]]]> Photo by Larry Tomlinson

In this post I’m going to give you 8 tips to help you lose fat and FINALLY keep it off FOREVER.

How many times have you lost pounds, only to gain them right back? Why keep trying? Everybody’s a little heavier these days. It’s just a fact of modern life.

That is the attitude of many people—to just be fat and happy. They’re trapped at their current weight and there’s nothing they can do about it.

And they pretend they’re fine. They delude themselves into thinking the extra pounds are not a problem. You rarely hear this conversation:

“How’s it going, John?”

“Great, Bill—except for this extra forty pounds around my gut.”

“You look fine, John.”

Photo by Ordinary Guy

“Well, I’m not fine. I’ve got gobs of fat packed around my heart. My doctor had to put me on blood pressure medicine. And he says I’m headed for diabetes. I’ll probably have to start giving myself insulin shots.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. It’s gonna be the pits. But I’ll have to do it. I sure don’t want to lose a foot or a leg. And my knee joints are starting to grind. The doc tells me the padding has just worn out. But other than that, everything is wonderful.”

No, you don’t usually hear this conversation—but you should. We should be talking about our self-inflicted weight-related problems. Maybe then we would wake up and take action before our bodies start to deteriorate.

Look at this chart and select the column you prefer.

Admittedly, things are not this clear-cut for everyone. For example, some people will still have heart trouble, at any weight. But I think you get the idea.

So, do you want to do something about that excess weight? Here are my 8 tips to help you lose the fat and keep it off forever.

Photo by KM Photography

1. Determine Your Proper Weight Range
Have you seriously thought about how much weight you need to lose? You can’t know the answer to that question until you make an honest assessment of what your weight should really be.

Back in 2004, I used to make statements like, “Yeah, I need to lose a few pounds.” I am 6-foot-4, and at that time I weighed 238 lbs.

But then I referred to the Body Mass Index Chart, and realized that I was way overweight—nearly at the obese level.

I’ve lost 33 pounds, so now I’m down to 205, which is on the line between Normal and Overweight. My goal is 185, but I already feel so much better.

Now for your moment of truth. Consult the chart below to determine the ideal weight range for your height. This chart is for men and women.

The dashed lines represent subdivisions within a major class. For instance the “Underweight” classification is further divided into “severe,” “moderate,” and “mild” subclasses. Based on World Health Organization data. Chart Source: Wikipedia.org

Photo by exfordy

2. Exercise Is NOT the Answer
“It’s okay because I’ve got a plan,” you say. “Beginning next week, I will get up early every morning and go for a five-mile run.”

Will you really do that? Will you get up early every morning and run? Or will you quit after a few days?

If you can lose weight by running or swimming or pumping iron—great. But if adding exercise is the only change you make to your routine, what happens you get tired of it and quit? And some people are ravenous after exercise. So, they eat even more than they normally would, wiping out any possibility of weight reduction.

And what about maintenance? Can you keep up your calorie-burning workout for the rest of your life? Will you still be running those laps when you’re 86? Or even next year?

I’m not trying to discourage you from exercising. Not at all. You need exercise. All I’m saying is that if the only way you can lose weight and keep it off is by jogging five miles a day, then you’d better face the fact that you’re going to gain the pounds back when you stop jogging.

So, what is the answer?

Photo by Brent & MariLynn

3. Say Goodbye to Your Bad Eating Habits
I’ve got good news and bad news.

The BAD NEWS: you’ve got to start eating less calories.

“No,” you say, “that doesn’t work for me. No matter how little I eat, I still can’t lose.”

Really? Imagine consuming nothing but water for an entire week. (I’m not suggesting that you actually do this.) Would you lose weight? Of course you would. So, now that you’ve realized you can lose weight by reducing your food intake, we’re ready to get serious.

Do you know how many calories you should be eating per day in order to reach or maintain your goal weight? If you exercise 30-60 minutes at least three days per week, you will need about 15 calories per pound per day. But if you don’t exercise regularly, you will only need 13 calories per pound per day.

Let’s assume that you do not exercise regularly. You might go for an occasional walk or golf one day a week, but that’s about it. That means if you average eating 2,000 calories a day, you will eventually weigh around 154 pounds (2,000 calories divided by 13).

Photo by exfordy

Suppose your goal weight is 130. Using the formula, 130 lbs. x 13 = 1,690 calories. Now imagine this day of eating: You skip breakfast, eat lunch at McDonald’s, dinner at Olive Garden. (I used to eat like this everyday—except I didn’t skip breakfast.)

Your Big Mac was 540 calories. And you couldn’t resist a small order of fries. Who can resist McDonald’s fries? They added another 230 calories. At least you opted for a diet drink.

For dinner, you went to Olive Garden. (I love Olive Garden.) You ate one plate of salad (280 calories) and limited yourself to just two breadsticks (300 calories).

For the entree, you selected spaghetti and meat sauce (710 calories). That put your total caloric intake for the day at 2,060 calories. Oops, almost forgot that big piece of chocolate cake at work (400 calories). You had to eat a piece. It was your best friend’s birthday.

Now you’re 770 calories over your goal for the day, and you didn’t even eat breakfast. If you do that every day, you’ll eventually weigh 189 pounds—considerably higher than your goal of 130.

So, what’s the GOOD NEWS? You can still enjoy eating. But you’ve got to be smarter about it. Read on.

Photo by krisdecurtis

4. Don’t Blow It When You Eat Out
Your menu selections can make or break your day. I’ll use another example from Olive Garden. Suppose you choose the Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno. BAM! You’ve just blown it. This meal is 1,050 calories—not including salad or breaksticks.

You could have chosen something lighter, like Chicken Giardino, which is only 408 calories.

My favorite dish at Olive Garden is Eggplant Parmigiana, which is 793 calories, which I can handle as long as I’m careful the rest of the day.

Most restaurants list nutritional information on their websites. Educate yourself. There are also books available. You might want to carry one around with you. After a while, you won’t even need the book. You’ll know exactly what you can eat and what to avoid.

5. Read Nutrition Labels
For home cooked meals, be sure to read the nutrition labels when you’re at the grocery store.

And it’s not just about watching your calories. You need to make sure you are getting good nutrition. If you’re not familiar with the U.S.D.A. Food Pyramid, you should study it.

6. Replace Your Bad Foods with Exciting New Ones
One of the challenges I have with controlling my weight is that I have hypoglycemia. And when my blood sugar drops off, I get weak, lose concentration, become irritable, and could eventually pass out if I don’t eat.

Suppose I eat a light lunch—perhaps a salad. By 3:00 p.m. I’ll be in big trouble if I don’t eat a snack. And if I eat the wrong kind of snack, like a candy bar, I’ll need something else in an hour or so. The calories can easily get out of control.

I went on a quest for a food that was low in calories and fat, high in fiber and protein. Also, it needed to be something I could carry in my pocket. What I discovered was Kashi bars. They have dozens of varieties. I love most of them.

Check out this nutrition label for the Cherry Dark Chocolate. It’s one of my favorites. Only 120 calories, 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Amazing!

And when my wife and I get a craving for delivery pizza, we just go to the freezer and grab a Kashi pizza instead. (And just so you know, I’m not getting paid to promote Kashi or any other products.)

And for lunch? A Weight Watchers “Smart Ones” frozen meal, like Santa Fe Beans and Rice, is one of our favorites. Lean Cuisine is also a great way to go. There are several companies that make wonderful frozen meals. Just don’t forget to read the nutrition labels.

7. You Don’t Have to Give Up All Desserts
I love this part. This my secret weapon.

Every night my wife and I each eat a giant ice cream fudge bar. That’s right—every night. How do we get away with it?

A few months ago we discovered Weight Watchers Giant Ice Cream Fudge Bars. These things are fantastic. They taste a lot like a Wendy’s Frosty. But check out these numbers: 110 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of fiber. The only negative is 0 grams of protein.

Let’s say you’ve eaten properly all day. You’ve kept your caloric intake under control. But it’s 8:30 p.m. and you’re starving! If you see one more fast food commercial, you’re gonna run out the door screaming for a hamburger and fries.

But wait—you have a Weight Watchers Giant Ice Cream Fudge Bar in the freezer. It’s delicious, but you’re still thinking about that burger. But then the 5 grams of fiber begins to fill you up. You don’t feel hungry anymore. A couple of hours later when you go off to bed, you’re still okay. You made it!

My wife also loves Weight Watchers Giant Latte Ice Cream Bar. They have only 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.

Photo by Army.mil

But what if you don’t like chocolate? Try Weight Watcher’s Giant Sorbet and Ice Cream Bars, in Wildberry and Orange flavors. They have 120 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

You can have higher calorie desserts too—occasionally. But don’t forget to count the calories.

8. Look Younger Without Even Trying
I’m telling you all this to encourage you to improve your health by losing excess weight forever. It’s not primarily about your looks.

However, a nice side effect of getting your weight down where it belongs is that you will probably look better—younger. And who wouldn’t want that?

So, use it to stay motivated. Remind yourself that you’re gonna look younger, cooler. That’s gotta help your will power.

In Summary

• Know what your ideal weight is.
• Know that you’ll feel better and be healthier when your weight is under control.
• Don’t go along with the overeating crowd.
• Exercise for fun and good health—not as an excuse to eat more.
• Develop good eating habits, and lose the bad ones.
• There’s no free lunch when you eat out—count the calories.
• Read nutrition labels and get the right balance of nutrients.
• The right evening snack puts the finishing touch on a successful eating day.
• Know that you’re gonna look better, but don’t use it as your only motivation.
• It’ll take some effort, but you’re worth it, Baby!

9. You Can Handle the Stress (Did you say it like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men?)

Stress is killing us. But there’s [...]]]> NOTE: I am not a yoga teacher. But I do know my way around a yoga mat. The following is based on my own experience with yoga over the past six years.

9. You Can Handle the Stress
(Did you say it like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men?)

Photo by adria.richards

Stress is killing us. But there’s an easy solution, right? Just chill. Sure, that works. Like when you’re about to make an important presentation at work. You should have spent more time preparing last night, but instead you treated yourself to a movie. The only chill you’re likely to feel is the one running up your spine.

Clearly, some stressful situations are our own fault. But others are beyond our control. The new puppy had an accident on the carpet this morning. By the time you cleaned it up, you were late getting on the road. So, you got stuck in traffic, and were late getting to the office. Your boss checks his watch and shakes his head when he sees you come in the door.

But a stressful incident here and there is not usually what kills you. It’s the 24/7 pressure on your arteries and heart that’s going to get you.

Photo by judepics

So, how does yoga help reduce stress? Through slow, methodical breathing while in various poses. What’s the big deal? Couldn’t you just take a few deep breaths a day and get the same result? No. Although, that might be an improvement over what you’re currently doing.

There’s something about being in odd and awkward positions while breathing in the special yoga way (Pranayama) that makes the difference. Yoga actually helps increase lung capacity. Some even believe it can replace all other forms of exercise.

8. Resistance is NOT Futile
You don’t have to let your body go to pot. Resist—literally.

Yoga employs isometric training, which stresses the muscles in a static position. Instead of moving a heavy object, as in weight lifting, Isometric exercises involve trying to move an immovable object.

Photo by Olivier Lejade

7. As Young As You Feel
Want to be younger? Then feel younger. Soon after I turned 52, I woke up with a terrible pain the middle of my back. I wasn’t sure what I had done to cause it, so I just took a couple of Ibuprofen and didn’t think much about it. But then it started happening several days a week. Then every day.

My doctor said the pain was caused by arthritis. ARTHRITIS? No, Doc, you don’t understand—I’m too young to have arthritis. He said he was sorry, but that’s what it was. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t expect to be hit with arthritis until my seventies or eighties. Not in my early fifties.

I had been working out with weights since my mid-forties. And I guess I thought it would help me avoid a lot of the health problems other people my age were experiencing. But apparently my workouts had done nothing to keep arthritis away.

So, I decided to give yoga a try, thinking that all that stretching might help. I honestly knew very little about it when I bought my first beginner yoga book and began to work at it. Then I watched a yoga DVD. Within a couple of months my morning back pain began to disappear. I was thrilled. After a couple more months it was completely gone!

Photo by Kristin Pfannkuchen

At the time of this writing it has been over six years since I started yoga. My morning pain in the back has never returned. Does this make me feel younger? You’d better believe it.

Another example of how yoga has made me feel younger is that my knees used to crack and pop when I walked down stairs. That’s gone too.

How much younger do I feel? Well, not young enough to try dunking the basketball like I did in high school. But if I had to give a number I’d probably say 20 years. Would you like to feel twenty years younger? Don’t say “Yes” if you’re 25.

6. Mind Over Fatter
Yoga aids in weight loss and maintenance, but not in the way you might think. It’s not generally a big calorie burner. Although, some types of yoga, like Ashtanga or Power Yoga, can get pretty intense and burn a lot of calories.

Photo by judepics

For me, the affect has been more mental. But that’s what I need the most. Because the more I exercise, the hungrier I get. I end up spinning my wheels, achieving no weight loss.

It really comes down to will power, and how to make it stronger. Can you resist that Big Mac or chocolate cake or Margarita? Just the sight of it, the aroma, may cause you to go out of your mind with desire. But, oh how you’ll regret it afterwards. With the taste of it still fresh in your mouth, you’ll tell yourself that at least you’ve learned your lesson. You won’t give in next time. Who are you kidding?

But yoga can change the way you look at food. It can help you make good choices.

Suppose your car is dirty. It hasn’t been washed in weeks. You can either take the shortcut down a muddy road or go the long way around to avoid the mud puddles. You’re in a big hurry. What will you do?

Now picture the same situation, with one exception: your car has just been washed, waxed, and detailed. Which road will you take?

It’s like that with yoga. Once you’ve been improving your body with yoga for a while—once you start to feel younger, stronger and leaner, you’ll think twice about sloshing through the mud (chocolate cake). Not that you can never have chocolate cake again. But you’ll make better decisions.

Photo by enfad

5. Wave Goodbye to the Flab
Maybe you’re already on an exercise program. You might work out with weights or jog or whatever. So, you figure you don’t need yoga.

Humor me for a moment. Take the Flab Test: Raise your hand and wave it from side to side. Look under your arm—below the bicep. Is there flab under there? Is it waving right along with your hand?

I hate flab. Who doesn’t? One time when I was in my early thirties I took up jogging. I was into it big time. I read that a serious runner should weigh only two pounds per inch of height. So, I worked and worked until I had lost 30 pounds. That was nuts! I’m 6-foot-4, yet I had dropped to 167 pounds. I couldn’t even sit in a metal chair without being in pain. I was literally skin and bones.

But you know what? I still had flab. I lost the fat and, unfortunately, a lot of muscle. But the flab was still there. In fact, I had much more flab than before I lost the weight. Stupid flab. Weight loss doesn’t get rid of it. But yoga does!

How in the world does yoga get rid of flab?

Photo by stephcarter

Our skin is attached to something called fascia. (Actually, there are several types of fasciae in our body.) Yoga gently stretches and rejuvenates the underlying fascia, making it more pliable and springy. It stretches, but springs back into place. Isn’t that what you’d like to see happening with your double chin(s)?

You won’t see the improvement overnight. It will take months to notice a real difference. But you’ll be amazed when see your new yoga body beginning to take shape before your very eyes.

So, wave goodbye to your flab.

4. Good to the Core
Why do so many people have back problems? A common misconception is that as we get older our backs get weaker, causing us more and more pain. We begin to slump over. Must be a weakness in the spine, right? Wrong.

The support for your upper body is provided by your core, not your spine. Yoga builds your core, making it easy to stand tall and relieve the pressure on your spinal column.

And which looks younger: a slumped over body, or one that stands tall and erect? It feels younger too.

Photo by stephcarter

3. Better Than a Spoonful of Sugar
You probably won’t need as much medicine because you won’t get sick as often. You might even be able to reduce or eliminate some prescriptions. (Obviously you need to consult your doctor before making any changes to your medications.)

How is this possible? It’s about fascia again, which not only connects the skin to the body, but also covers and runs throughout the organs. It’s everywhere.

It is believed that yoga stretches and invigorates these fasciae and improves their health—thus improving the health of your organs, which promotes your overall well-being. I use the term “it is believed” because modern medicine is only recently beginning to study yoga seriously.

2. Be Limber, Not Timber
Every year our bodies get stiffer. But they don’t have to. You can keep yourself limber. And with yoga, you stretch and strengthen your ligaments, tendons, and cartilage too—not just the major muscles.

You don’t want to fall victim to this scenario: somebody calls your name, you twist around and wrench your knee. Now you may need surgery and physical therapy. Ouch.

Photo by Teecycle Tim

1. Trade Your Gut for a Yoga Butt
Not only will yoga tighten your stomach—you’ll get rid of that saggy butt.

What? You don’t have a saggy butt? Not even a little? Are you sure?

Take the Saggy Butt Test: While standing naked, take a pencil, hold it parallel to the floor and place it between a butt check and the top of your thigh. Can you hold the pencil there, hands free? Or does it drop to the floor.

If the pencil fell to the floor (assuming you didn’t cheat) you passed! If not, well, sorry—you’ve got a saggy butt.

But take heart—yoga can give you a firm, unsaggy butt. People will not only be happy to see you coming—they’ll be happy to watch you go.

How about you? Have you ever tried it? Are you ready to find a yoga instructor?