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.

The Best Exercise To Lose Weight Is NOT Aerobics

The health-conscious people who sweat through aerobics classes may be a wee bit upset to find out that aerobics may be bad for you!

The best exercise to lose weight is NOT aerobics.

Here's a quote from a well-respected doctor's website:

Researchers in the area of muscle biology and aging have been finding growing evidence that prolonged aerobics training increases the risk of oxidative damage in the muscle. This type of training causes overwhelming accumulation of free radicals in your muscle, which eventually increase the risk of oxidative damage in your tissues (myofibrils and mitochondria). And this risk of oxidative damage becomes increasingly higher as you get older.

OOPS! Maybe You Should Try . . .

The author recently tried something called Peak 8 exercise - it's intensity-based exercise of any kind.

For example, you get on a stationary bike, and warm up for 3 minutes. Then, you go all out for 30 seconds and recover for 90 seconds. Repeat 8 times (you need to build up to this) and then cool down for a few minutes.

No stationary bike? Walk fast and then slow down for the recommended times. A heart monitor helps to view your progress but is not absolutely necessary.

Anyway - it works and it costs zip. I finally lost several pounds after trying for months! And this happened over the holidays - even more impressive. I had been doing the peak 8 exercise on a stationary bike and elliptical machine 3 times a week for 2 weeks.

My disclaimer - see a doctor before you try this type of exercise - by the time you reach the 8th repetition, your heart rate gets up there, and if you are older, you don't want to exceed 80% of max (220 - age).

What Equipment Do You Need?

If you want to find out if you're doing Peak 8 exercises and raising your rate to 80% max heart rate [(220 - age) times 0.8] which is the most effective last rep, get a heart rate monitor. Pulse checks are ineffective.

Here's an inexpensive but highly-rated heart rate monitor watch: