Questions About The Free Weight Loss Ebook - How To Lose At Least 20 Pounds In 1 Month

I'm getting questions about the eating plan described in my free ebook, How To Lose At Least 20 Pounds In 1 Month. (In case you haven't received your copy, click HERE to get it.)

Rather than set up a separate email to answer questions, I'm directing people to this post.

So, please ask your question or comment on this post.

I'll answer your questions promptly.

I'll also let you know if I need to do research.

Here's a perfect example of a complex question that required an internet search:

QUESTION:
I'd love to commit to a low sugar/low carb diet, but I'm addicted to sweets. How do I get over this addiction?

ANSWER: 
Wow! It takes a while to turn around a sugar addiction. 
Mine still plagues me at times. 
I turned to the Internet for medically correct responses to this question.
Read this article: Beat Your Sugar Addiction NOW! from mercola.com and this webmd.com advice: 13 Ways to Fight Sugar Cravings

Bring on your questions about the low sugar/low carb eating plan by commenting on this post! 

3 Tips To Make A Sugar Restriction/Low Carb Eating Plan Work For You (And Lose Weight Fast)

37 grams (10 teaspoons) in a can

A sugar restriction/low carb eating plan is one of the best ways to get healthy AND lose weight. This is the plan recommended by a naturopath I consulted with because my sugar and cholesterol were both bordering on unhealthy levels.

Tip #1  Keep a Food Diary
When you begin a sugar/carb restriction plan to lose weight, the first hurdle is to recognize the amount of sugar in what you eat. The first activity recommended by my naturopath was to keep a food journal.

In my previous post about sugar as a health hazard, I mentioned watching this video entitled Double Your Weight Loss with a Food Journal.

Tip #2  Eliminate Soda (Diet and Regular) and Other High Sugar Drinks
Regular Coke has almost 40 grams of sugar per can. Fruit juice (including OJ) is also high in sugar. Mixed alcoholic drinks are also full of sugar. What do you drink? Coffee and tea without sugar. Water. Carbonated water.

If you find water boring (I do!), flavor it with lemon or lime. Carbonated water is very refreshing. Also, start by adding fruit juice to water. You will cut the sugar content.

Tip #3  Minimize Processed Food
Yes, they are convenient. Sometimes they taste good. But there's lots of sugar in processed foods. Find the ones with the least amount of sugar. For example, for a snack, certain Kashi nut bars contain 5 or 6 grams of sugar.

Stay with this eating plan.

My experience is that it's a keeper for both your health and for losing weight. After you've reduced sugar for a few weeks, a high sugar drink or snack will taste way too sweet.

This Simple Carb Is A Major Health Hazard (But We Still Consume It In Excess Every Day)

One food we all eat every day constitutes a major health risk.
Unfortunately, it's built into most processed foods.

It is responsible for the following:

• Losing appetite control (so that we overeat).
• Creating an environment for major disease.
• Putting on unwanted pounds, especially around the waist.
• Feeding cancer cells.

Obesity is the result of consuming food laced with this ingredient and not because people overeat and don't exercise.

Yet we keep eating and drinking it in large quantities. 

Why? It tastes good. We are used to it. We need it like a drug addict needs heroin or a smoker craves nicotine. It's a bad habit that's difficult to break.

This is a problem created a hundred years ago when food manufactures discovered that this ingredient sells food. Consumers eat processed food. They lose control of their appetite and don't realize they are overeating. 

What popular commercial boasts that ":You can't eat just one?" When's the last time you mindlessly munched through a box of cookies or crackers or a oversized bowl of ice cream.

We eat 19 times the daily amount of sugar that our ancestors consumed. 

How Do We Break This Bad Eating Habit?
First, many people need an incentive to change their eating habits. It may not be enough to say that sugar is a major health hazard (smokers still smoke even though they are committing suicide with each cigarette they light up). Listing all the problems that will likely show up at a future date will not incent some people.

If we supply a substitute every time we identify a trigger for sugar eating, that's a good start. That means we have to plan to make sugar substitutes (or foods with lower sugar content) easily available.

Sugar addiction will not disappear on its own. Gradual sugar reduction may be the answer to turn appetite control back on. Essentially, you wean yourself off sugar. We cannot be so strict that we bypass the occasional treat (especially if it's been prepared with less sugar than usual).

An example might help.
If you drink coffee or tea or lemonade with sugar, start cutting down the amount of sugar you use. I used to drink coffee with sugar. After a few weeks of eliminating sugar gradually, I got used to sugarless coffee. And a caution - do not substitute artificial sweeteners. Healthwise, that's even worse than using the real thing.

The First Step 
Keep a food diary. 

Jot down every food and drink you consume (except for water), the amount you eat, and its sugar content. This is easy for processed foods because the amounts are spelled out on package contents. It's somewhat trickier for meals that include several ingredients. You will guesstimate the sugar content. You can look up the sugar content of most individual items online.

The benefit of a food diary is that you will be aware of your daily sugar consumption. You will be surprised at the amount you do it and will start looking for substitutes. You will automatically cut back on sugar.

Double Your Weight Loss

Click HERE to view a video entitled Double Your Weight Loss with a Food Journal.

In the video, Barbara Ficarra, RN, explains how keeping a food journal can make a huge difference and help you reach your goals.

Best Way To Lose Weight Fast For The Over 50 Crowd

I have been looking for the best way to lose weight fast for over a year.

The objective - get rid of that ugly belly fat.

Finally, I stumbled onto it - at least for myself - over 50, about 15 pounds overweight, tired of the heart meds, and interested in getting fit.

Frankly, it's not a magic formula, but it makes sense. My weight loss plan, a best way to lose weight fast, is not written in a book, it's doesn't involve meds, and it requires action on the participant's end. So, here goes (all 3 parts are required for the plan to work).

Part I - The Rules

1. VERY important - See a physician before you start this weight loss plan. Heart attacks, strokes, muscle/ligament tears, and the like are to be avoided at all cost!

2. Start S-L-O-W. Do as much as you can without going overboard. YOU are the trainer, not Jillian Michaels from the biggest loser.

3. Use this plan for at least 6 months. In the beginning, you may not lose weight because you will gain muscle mass. If you quit before the 6-month period is over, YOU lose (as in not win).

Part II - Move Your Butt
Interval training on a bike or elliptical machine or by simple walking 2 - 3 times a week. I described the details in this post: http://agedefiance.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-exercise-to-lose-weight-is-not.html.

This is designed for weight loss and heart health and it does work!

Strength training 2 -3 times a week. Do a 20 minute workout for arms, legs, and core. Use dumbbells, kettle weights, free weights, machines, or stretch bands. Do not stick to the same routine, but vary it every few weeks. And learn how to do the exercises correctly so you won't get hurt and so they are effective. You cannot rush through resistance training.

The reasons for strength training are simple - people over 50 need strong muscles to continue to do the things they want to do. Let them wither and you start to act and look like an oldster. That's reason number 1. Reason number 2 - you can target problem body parts with strength training. If your abs are out of shape, the combination of interval training and building ab muscle will begin to erase that gut.

Refer to the strength training series in the right column if you want to jump start your muscle building. The more muscle fibers you build, the faster you will lose weight. My favorite is the The New Rules of Lifting for Life: An All-New Muscle-Building, Fat-Blasting Plan for Men and Women Who Want to Ace Their Midlife Exams - it is geared to those people who may have specific issues related to weight training such as knee problems.

Part III - Eat Right
Notice that it does not say to diet. I've been looking for a way to eat that will work on an ongoing basis. No dieting. A lifestyle change.

V-E-R-Y Important: Low sugar. Low carbs.

Get my free ebook to start up this restrict sugar/carb eating plan by clicking the picture below.

Free Ebook:
How To Lose 20 lbs in 1 Month

Best of luck with this eating program. Works for me and it will work for YOU!

P.S. When you do strength training, your body needs more protein for muscle growth. Use this Protein Calculator to help you select the proper nutrition for your program aimed at increasing the muscle mass of your body.