Sagar Varma never wanted to find himself in a hospital again. The 27-year-old IT worker from Warren, Michigan, tore his ACL in 2009, but didnt get it looked at until eight years later. He required two surgeries and months of recovery, during which he couldnt do much more than sit and eat. Varma had been heavy as a kid, and at 25, he was at 63 and weighed 300 pounds.

But preparing for his surgeries, hed begun working out and dropped to 265 pounds. After surgery, though, he was stuck eating delivery fast food again. In his heavier days, it had been a familiar pattern. I used to feel bad that I was heavy, so to feel happy, I used to eat fast food, he says. Taco Bell and McDonalds a few times a week made him feel happy, until the next morning when he woke up and felt badwhich led him back to more fast food.

Having surgery had given him a reprieve from that cycle, but then, as he recovered, the weight started to creep back up. He didnt want to waste his chance. I made a promise to myself that I would never go back to a hospital again, he say. I wanted to change my lifestyle."

He started walking 30 minutes a day while his leg healed. After about six months, he felt recovered enough to start jogging, hitting 1.5 miles a day. Even through the cold Michigan wintereven in the snow;I do not recommend ithe hit his marks. Then he added weightlifting, working to build his strength. He still had a soft spot for junk food, so he tried swearing off meat; going vegan for a few months dropped his cholesterol and triglyceride levels so much that even his doctor was impressed.

He dropped down to 225 all by himself, using a free app called JeFit, talking to his trainer friend, and learning proper form from YouTube videos. He hired a trainer for more help, and with guidance on diet and workout routines, hes now down to 213 poundsin a year, hed dropped 85 pounds and added muscle.

I used to wear XXXL and I now wear M (slim fit), he says, something he thought he would never achieve. Hes more confident; working out has become a part of his routine. Hes aiming to lose the last of his love handles, then build more muscle for an aesthetic look. Im a huge fan of Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, he says.

Varma stays motivated thinking about how he felt eating junk food and recovering in the hospital. He doesnt want to go back to that. He started following weight loss stories on Instagram, and eventually posted his own photos. The supportive response from his friends and family buoyed him and kept him going.

A ton of people have already said this and I am no different, he says: the keys to success were workout, diet, and consistency. For him, it also helped to have someone hold him accountable. He told friends what he was doing, using their imagined judgment of him if he failed as a motivator. That is a weird way of pushing oneself, he says, but it helped me.

Link:
This Guy Kicked His Junk Food Habit and Lost 85 Pounds in One Year - menshealth.com

My name is Alex Beach (@theketobeach), Im 26, and I live in Georgetown, South Carolina. At almost 200 pounds, and after a miscarriage, I decided to change my eating habits and give the keto diet a try. I lost 51 pounds in the processand I couldn't be happier.

You know how people say that if youre in a toxic relationship, even when loved ones tell you to leave it, you wont until youre ready? Well, thats how my relationship used to be with emotional eating.

It all started a few months after I had my son in December 2017. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and not taking care of myself. I ate everything I could get my hands on and couldn't find the motivation to work out.

In September 2018, I found out I was pregnant again, but I had a miscarriage two weeks later. I was devastated. But my troubles didn't stop there. I learned the miscarriage was incomplete and had to have a dilation and currettage (D&C) on December 3, 2018, the day before my sons first birthday.

I made a promise to put my health first. I wanted to take control of my life in the most positive way I knew how: by prioritizing my health. For both my sweet baby Henry, and my angel that was no longer with us, I wanted to rid myself of all of my bad eating habits and be a healthier and happier version of myself.

So I did some research and decided to try the keto diet.

Keto can feel restrictive because the diet requires you to track pretty specific macros (you eat a high amount of fat, a moderate amount of protein, and few carbs). This means you have to eat many ingredients (like sugar and grains) in extreme moderation or small portions.

How To Count Macros To Lose Weight

But I actually enjoy cooking with just five ingredients or less. And I love that I can be in and out of the kitchen in such a short time. I find all of my keto recipes on Pinterest and Instagram. If its quick and simple, Ill cook it! I also drink tons of water. My mood has also improved significantly since doing keto, because my energy levels are so much higher than before. And so is my self esteem. I feel like theres nothing I cant take on now.

Before starting keto, I never exercised. I just couldn't find the motivation. I was using food to fuel my emotions and had absolutely no desire to change my body. But now I've found an easy-to-use app called Trainerize that allows me to follow along with several workouts by Morgan Morgan, an incredible fitness instructor from Charleston, South Carolina. I pay monthly for Morgan's plan which she updates weekly with new workouts and exercises. Anyone can sign up for her plan through the app and she'll individualize the workouts just for you.

Most of my life, I've spent too much time comparing myself to others. But you can't do that when you're trying to lose weight. It will only discourage you. And so I've tried to be less critical of my progress as I move along. Now, I'm just focused on being as healthy as I possibly can be, for myself and my family.

Excerpt from:
'I Used The Keto Diet And Trainerize App To Overcome My Emotional EatingAnd I Lost 51 Pounds' - Women's Health

Jessica Simpson has become an expert at dropping her baby weight fast. Now, her former diet coach Liz Josefsberg reveals the tips she shared with Jessica to help her slim down and keep it off.

Jessica Simpson, 37, welcomed baby number three, herdaughter Birdie Mae Johnson, in March 2019 and famously dropped 100 pounds of baby weight in just six months. Of course, it wasnt her first time dealing with postpartum weight loss. When she was slimming down after her first two kids Maxwell, 7, and Ace, 6, Jessica hired nutritionist Liz Josefsberg to help her learn how to eat right for her body.

The celebrity nutritionist, who spoke to HollywoodLifewhile promoting her new line of CBD products and how they may help with weight loss, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, During the time I worked with Jessica following the birth of her first two children, she was following Weight Watchers. She spent well over 6 months working off weight from her first and second pregnancies. She ate regularmeals throughout the day. Usually three times and a snack. The key forJessicawas moderation and learning to indulgeintelligently.

Liz also revealed that Jessica drank a lot of water and explained why its so important when it comes to losing weight. Hydration is a secret weapon for weight loss. In my book Target 100 I urge people to get in at least 100 ounces per day. Which might seem like a lot, but it is right for our bodies. Staying fully hydrated while losing weight is critical. Much of the overeating we do is mistaking thirst for hunger. If we can keep our bodies, which are made up of over 60% water, hydrated, they burn calories and metabolize food at an optimal rate!

According to Liz another reason that Jessica is so successful at losing her baby weight is shes found a simple way to get moving every day. Jessica loves to walk. She gets out almost every day to hit at least 10,000 steps. She loves it because she can do it anywhere, she can do it with her family and it helped her lose weight after every baby.

Liz, who works with clients across the country, has recently started using CBD, short for cannabidiol, in her practice and she explained to HL how it may help with weight loss. In my experience CBD helps my clients feel less anxious and stressed out. It takes an edge off and relaxes themto begin to feel like they are more in control and can make better food decisions. Much of the overeating that my clients do is due to stress and anxiety.

Eating food releases serotonin to reduce stress in the moment. They have created bad habits around using food to reduce stress.If I can get them to take CBD regularly they report feeling much calmer and less stressed. Less stress equals less stress eating and therefore lower body weight!CBDcan reduce muscle soreness. For my clients attempting to increase exercise to assist with weight loss, this can really help them as they push their bodies to new levels of exercise.

I also encourage clients to use CBD is for enhanced sleep. Getting better, more quality sleep leads to lower weight as well because when we dont get good sleep and feel tired all the time, we tend to overeat to try and stay awake. If I can help get clients sleep in line they will start to see more weight loss results.

Continue reading here:
Jessica Simpsons Nutritionist Shares The Exact Diet That Helped Her Lose 100 Lbs. So You Can Try It - Hollywood Life

Fitness guru Joe Wicks talks to Liz Connor about why so many New Year diets fail - and how we can create a healthy new mindset in 2020 instead.

January usually happens like clockwork: a slew of new self-help books, articles and slimming blogs encourage you to 'be your best self', often by adopting a radical new diet that promises to blitz those spare inches around your waist for good.

The problem is, many crash diets encourage periods of miserable fasting and cutting out sometimes entire good groups overnight, and demonise food to the point where you're whole relationship with eating can be under threat.

According to fitness guru Joe Wicks - who has successfully helped thousands of people to lose weight - staying on these restrictive diets for a long period of time is often unrealistic and unhealthy. Even if you do lose weight initially, it's not unusual to gain it again (plus even more, in some cases) before the spring comes around.

Thankfully, attitudes around diet culture are changing. A new survey commissioned by recipe box company Gousto (gousto.co.uk) has found two-thirds (68%) of UK adults believe the one-size-fits-all model just doesn't work.

So, how can you shed those excess pounds in a safe and effective way? We asked Wicks to give us some quick tips...

Why should people avoid restrictive diets in January?

"It's the time of year now where everyone wants to make changes to their life, whether that's with exercise or food, but the last thing you want to do - especially if you're someone who really loves food - is to go on a low-calorie diet," says Wicks, 33.

"Sure, it will work in the short-term and you'll probably lose weight on the scales, but emotionally it's going to absolutely ruin you. You're going to be so exhausted, you won't enjoy it and it's not going to be a sustainable approach.

"Try to think about a long-term vision, as opposed to a quick crash diet. Incorporate it with exercise and cooking with fresh ingredients at home; you're much more likely to succeed throughout the year."

Why do people fail at New Year's diets?

"Because they're awful, aren't they? Dieting is normally all about how little you can eat and how much exercise you can do. When you combine those two things, it effects your sleep, your mood and your energy levels.

"If I could give you one tip, it's to focus on getting yourself moving instead. I always tell people to start with 15-20 minutes a day of exercise at home; this will get your energy levels up and your self-esteem boosted. Exercising is going to have a massive effect on your food choices and your ability to go into the kitchen and cook yourself something healthy.

"Trying to do everything all at once is a bit much," he adds. "Focus on fitness first, and the rest will hopefully follow."

What other tips do you have for those looking to lose weight this year?

"Have a look at your portion control. I'm not saying to count calories, but to keep your plate to a healthy size. The good thing about exercise is that it elevates your mental health and your mood so much that you don't want to go and put junk food in your body afterwards.

"Meal prepping is one of the best things you can do too. If you leave the house without food, you're going to grab options on-the-go, which will likely be unhealthy convenience food.

"That's fine to do once or twice a week, but if you're doing it a lot, you're never going to truly know exactly how much you're consuming. The simple act of making some overnight oats for breakfast, or a salad for lunch can make a huge difference over time when it comes to staying lean."

What are you favourite ingredients for healthy eating?

"I really think it's great to have chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, spices and tins of lentils, pulses, grains and beans in your cupboard. With these key ingredients, you can make really amazing veggie curries, or you could throw some chicken in there for some extra protein. Rice is also a great staple for making quick stir-fries after work.

"There's no magic fat-loss food; it's all about getting a good balance of everything and getting lots of fruits and veg in your diet.

"It's good to be a bit intuitive with it - ask yourself what foods make you feel energised and healthy? Don't think you have to jump onto a certain diet because everyone else is doing it."

Do you follow a flexitarian diet yourself?

"Yes. I eat a lot of veggie meals and with Gousto, I get four recipe boxes delivered per week that I can make at home. Three of those will be vegetarian and one will be meat-based.

"That's a massive step for me. During the process of researching and writing my veggie cookbook, Veggie Lean in 15 (16.99, Pan Macmillan), I realised that you can get really amazing food as a vegetarian. I'm still not fully committed to going hardcore vegan though."

Many people feel like they don't have time to cook healthily, do you think that's untrue?

"I really think you have to remove that time barrier from your mind. We know full well that we can smash a Netflix series in a couple of days or watch our soaps, so we can all find half an hour to exercise or cook well - if we prioritise it.

"It doesn't need to be hours in the kitchen either. My whole philosophy with my Lean in 15 series is that you can make a really healthy and nutritious meal in just 15 minutes, and have some leftover for lunch the next day.

"It's that kind of mentality of prepping in advanced and being organised that works in the long-run."

Go here to see the original:
Food: Joe Wicks on why you shouldn't try restrictive dieting this January - The National

Terry Crews hasnt been on an NFL team in 24 years, but at the age of 51-year-old, Terry Crews looks like he could be a professional football player or even a pro bodybuilder. Crews shared a photo of his amazing physique on Twitter, and the internet was in awe.

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine flaunted his muscles on Twitter as a way to promote Americas Got Talent, which he hosts.

MY NECK, MY BACK, MY BICEPS AND MY LATS!!!!! #SweatForSuccess Heres some BACK inspo before @AGT is BACK tonight at 8!!!!!

In the mirror selfie, Crews showed off his chiseled stomach, engorged biceps and his back that looks like a mountain.

To keep in shape, Crews has been practicing intermittent fasting since 2012. He says intermittent fasting has been a bit of a fountain of youth for him. Crews doesnt eat his first meal until 2 p.m. and eats as late as 10 at night. In his 16 hours of fasting, he will allow himself to drink coffee, tea, coconut oil, or amino acid drinks.

Crews diet includes foods such as apples, vitamin shakes, protein shakes, yogurt with granola, omlets, salad, and chicken.

The Expendables actor usually wakes up before 5 a.m. to start his day his workout. Crews begins with a cardio warmup, typically on a bike or treadmill. Exercises include upright row, power clean, Romanian deadlift, incline bench press, machine press, dumbbell flye, free-weights, deadlifts, squats, and jump squats.

The 63, 245-pound Crews utilizes a 24 workout, where he does four different exercises of six reps each (which equals 24). The former NFL player focuses on shoulders, back, core, lower body, press-ups, pull-ups, and bicep curls.

For me, one of the most valuable biceps exercises is actually the pull-up, Crews told Mens Health. A lot of people spend some time on barbells. For me, when I started to master the pull-up, my biceps really, really started to show.

I do tons of press-ups, Crews adds. And not just on chest day, sometimes two or three times a week. Simply just to warm my body up. It works. And its kind of like, if it aint broke, dont fix it.

Crews said he does an hour or two lifting four times a week and runs four miles on the treadmill after each lifting session.

Now, you know the celebrity diet and workout of Terry Crews so you can get in the best shape for 2020.

[MensHealth]

See the article here:
51-Year-Old Terry Crews Flaunts Amazing Physique That Has Muscles On Muscles Learn About His Diet And Workout - BroBible

Almost three in four people in Scotland quit at least one attempt to undertake a health kick (72%) in 2019 according to new polling carried out by Diabetes UK.

The findings were revealed as January resolutions, which often revolve around diets and exercise, are in full swing.

Almost half (47%) of Scottish respondents said they were planning on going on a diet this January and over a quarter (27%) said they were considering signing up to a gym, to exercise classes or with a personal trainer in the New Year.

Nearly a quarter (24.5%) agreed that January worked best for them when it comes to making lifestyle changes that include a diet or health kick.

The charitys polling showed that more than six in 10 of those surveyed (64%) admitted they tended to gain weight with an average gain of 7lbs over the festive period. In addition, more than two in five (43%) of Scottish respondents who said they eat a larger amount of food over Christmas also said the weight gain could become uncontrollable.

However, Diabetes UK is urging the public to avoid fad diets and to approach any lifestyle changes in a healthy and sustainable way, to ensure these changes stick for the longer term.

Emma Elvin, senior clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said: Sustainable weight loss for many people is one to two pounds a week, and while we tend to lose more at the beginning of a diet, this will largely be water.

It is important any diet is safe, and helps people keep the weight off in the long term. Getting support from a healthcare professional, your family or friends can really help to keep you on track.

In Scotland, 65% adults are overweight including 29% who are obese. As obesity accounts for 85% of your risk of type 2 diabetes action to maintain a health weight could potentially see more than half of all cases prevented or delayed.

Did you start a health kick this year? Let us know in how its going in the poll below.

Continued here:
POLL: Research shows 3-in-4 people quit health kicks last year - are you trying to lose weight? - Evening Telegraph

Heres one that will make you rejoice and groan at the same time: Dieting is worse for you than being overweight. Thats right, the restrictive behavior of significantly reducing calories and eliminating entire categories of foods puts such a toll on a body, its better to simply be mildlyobese. But why? Its all due to weight-cycling, the well-established phenomenon that large shifts in eating habits lead to weight loss followed by even more weight gain. Studies show that along with excess pounds, a complex mess of changes to gut flora, metabolism, fats, and, yes, mental health all work together to make you fatter, unhealthier, and more miserable. So why should you quit your well-intentioned but altogether unhealthy diet plan? And what can you replace it with? Lets get into it.

Dieting Messes with Your Metabolism

Heres what happens when you follow a diet any diet that is restrictive compared to your everyday eating habits: Your basal metabolic rate, or the minimal amount of energy your body needs to perform simple functions at rest, drops. Put another way, when you drastically cut the number of calories you eat in a day, your body flips out and says, OK, Im going to drastically cut the number of calories I burn in a day, too. Its not doing this to spite you. Rather, it sees the massive drop in incoming energy and fears the worst: Theres a famine. Your body then launches starvation survival mode and refuses to burn any more calories than absolutely necessary, leaving you wondering why, on three slices of rye toast a day, youre still not losing weight. (The good news: You usually can reset your metabolism when you start eating like an adult again.)

Dieting Is a Nightmare for Your Gut Health

If youve ever had the experience of working hard to shed a few pounds, only to find yourself gaining back those pounds plus a few more the next time the holidays roll around, youre not alone. One of the insidious truths of weight cycling is that most people dont just lose X and gain X backthey gain X +Y back, too. A study in the journal Nature explains why: Every time you add or subtract pounds, a bunch of body-related variables change including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and the bacteria in your gut, known as your microbiome. When you gain weight, you develop more of a certain type of gut bacteria that supports the weight gain. But heres where it gets tricky: When you lose weight, changes in your microbiome are slow to follow suit. So if you begin to regain the weight you lost before your gut bacteria catch up to where youre at in your yo-yo cycle, the weight-gain-promoting bacteria still in your gut accelerates the process of packing on pounds, causing you to put on even more than before.

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Dieting Develops the Wrong Kind of Fat

Not all fat is created equal. Sure, fat of any kind will give you hell when you try to squeeze into the dress pants you bought for your cousins wedding. But under the surface, theres subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Its the latter, also referred to as deep belly fat, that begins to pile up in people who weight cycle and thats a problem because visceral fat tissue is metabolically active, meaning it plays a role in the production of hormones that contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation in your body. As your weight swings higher and lower, again and again, the amount of visceral fat continues to climb, putting you at risk for equal or greater health problems than you would face if you never lost the weight to begin with.

Dieting Is Horrible for Mental Health

Here you are trying to do the right thing for your health, and all youre managing is to make yourself feel worse. Yo-yo dieting has been linked with depression and low self-esteem as well as a decrease in the chemical production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter in your body responsible for the regulation of stuff like mood, sleep, and, the place the slippery slope begins, appetite. Depression causes its own negative feedback loop, as the worse you feel, the more food becomes a method for self-soothing, leading to weight gain, followed by more dieting, and greater depression. Theres also the less measurable but no less painful element of feeling like a failure: Regaining the weight youve worked so hard to lose makes you feel helpless and like you have no control.

So, screw dieting. When that term pertains to the restrictive behavior of significantly reducing calories and eliminating entire categories of foods in an effort to shed weight, one thing is clear: It doesnt work. But that doesnt mean you just throw in the towel. Instead and this is just as hard as dieting, but better for your mental and physical health you need to make small shifts in how you eat, exercise, and make healthy choices.

Practice Portion Control

So you know you dont want to have a wildly different or restrictive diet. But just because Atkins isnt going to work for you, doesnt mean you could do with eating a little less at every meal. Portion control is probably the number one way to lose a few pounds without messing up your body. Drop your portions by 10% each meal. It will add up and your basal metabolic rate wont know the different. So what does this look like?

Well, a serving of grilled chicken has 128 calories. A serving of steak has roughly 200. Hey, thats not so bad, youre thinking. Thats well within the 2000-calorie-a-day plan Im trying to follow. But when is the last time you ate a single serving of protein for dinner? For the record, thats 3 ounces of chicken or 3.5 ounces of red meat. What does that say there on your steakhouse menu? 16-ounce ribeye? Yeah. Take those 200 calories and multiply by 4.6, throw in a few hundred more for the sauce, and youll see the problem. Youve very nearly cleared your daily allotment with just one dinner entre (nevermind the sides).

You could, of course, order grilled fish instead. But we dont think so. When your belly is craving bloody red meat, give it the steak but give it a third as much as the menu offers. To make it easier on your judgment, ask your waiter to deliver said amount on your plate at the restaurant and doggy-bag the rest for later. If youre grilling at home, purchase smaller cuts or split the giant T-bone with your wife and kids, then load up the rest of your plate with lean greens.

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So youre a meat and potatoes person, aiming to become a gluten-free vegan in an effort to lose weight is like forcing yourself to do yoga when what you really love is football. It isnt going to work. Instead, eat your meat. And your potatoes. The secret is in how you prep them. Instead of going for the cheeseburger and fries, throw a slab of 90-percent lean meat on the grill and roast a few whole potatoes. Youll be delivering a ton more micronutrients to your body when you choose whole foods over processed while cutting your calorie consumption, ounce for ounce, in half.

Balance Your Plate

Growing up, you undoubtedly heard all about the food pyramid that wacky triangle thing with treats at the top and lettuce at the bottom. Thats still more or less the best way to think about the breakdown of your meals and overall daily food consumption. In practical terms, that means when you build your dinner plate, picture a clock face. 12 to 3 oclock should be your protein (chicken, fish, beans, or red meat); 3 to 6 oclock is your starch (rice, potatoes, pasta), the other halfor 6 to 12 oclockshould be veggies: Salad, steamed broccoli, green beans, roasted carrots, and so on. Laying out your meal this way saves you the trouble of counting every calorie, because its virtually impossible to overeat when the highest-cal foods are smallest servings on your plate.

Go for Strong

The numbers on the scale will tell you how much you weigh, but they will not tell you how big your biceps are, how strong your heart and lungs may be, or what percent of your body is made up of fat versus muscle. Quit fixating on some number you think it ideal for a guy your size, and start hitting the weights and pounding the pavement. On a vanity level, a fit body looks a hell of a lot better than a scrawny one. And on a life level, youll be buying yourself a few extra years you can use bonding with your family

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Dieting Will Kill You Faster Than Obesity. Heres What to Do Instead. - Fatherly

Is your new year's resolution is to lose belly fat and get fit? Although there's no magic bullet, there are ways to burn belly fat (or 'lose weight' as we used to call it) that are tried, trusted and true. That doesn't make them easy or quick, and this is not about telling you how to get a six pack although we have plenty of articles on that topic. No, this is just about having a healthy lifestyle and feeling comfortable with the girth of your stomach.

To that end we've got here for you proven advice and key tips to lose belly fat quickly, healthily and sustainably. As we just said, there are no quick fixes here; we want you to develop habits that ensure you'll stay trim for good.Weve also got the lowdown on the best exercises to lose belly fat, and all the gear youll need to get started although, of course, the most important 'gear' is the bit between your ears.

There's no hard-and-fast rule for slim-down success: the best way to lose belly fat is the way that works around your lifestyle. If you follow an unsustainable plan, you won't last: it's as simple as that. In this article we lay out five principles that are applicable to everyone, whether you're a total beginner starting your weight-loss journey or a seasoned pro who fell off the wagon over Christmas.

These guiding lights will keep you on the straight and narrow, whether you've got time to hit the gym every day or a shift worker looking to manage your schedule. Dont try to take on more than you can reasonably fit into one day. And, despite the name of this feature, don't fixate on 'belly fat'. It's important to reduce visceral fat, which does tend to lurk around the belly area, but that is best achieved by trying to slim down and tune up overall.

Here are five strategies to help you start losing weight.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The short answer to the question of how to lose belly fat is to burn more calories than you consume on a regular basis. In the fitness world, this is known as achieving a "calorie deficit".

If this sounds like a waking nightmare, there's a trick to it: what you need to do is ensure youre eating the correct kind of food to make sure you feel full and sated, even when consuming fewer calories than you're burning off. Certain foods are "empty calories" while others release energy slowly, keeping you fuller for longer.

But before that, you'll need to find a good way to track your calories burned and calories taken in. The free MyFitnessPal app is one of the best ways to record your calorie intake, but to track your calories burned, you'll need a dedicated fitness tracker. If you already own a smartwatch, most will offer calorie tracking as standard, but for those yet to make the plunge, the Fitbit Versa Lite is the best activity tracker you can buy right now. Check out the deal below.

Oh, and staying hydrated is crucial, as well

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Spiralizing vegetables is a great alternative to pasta

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Intermittent fasting is becoming more and more popular. Hugh Jackman's method of choice to get lean for Wolverine, it means significantly cutting calories or abstaining from food altogether for a portion of the day or week, and then cramming all your calories into a much shorter time window.

The best-known intermittent fasting plan is the 5:2 diet, where you eat as you normally would (although hopefully a bit healthier) for five days a week, then scoff no more than 600 calories two days a week.

However, for serious trainees, there's the 16:8 diet (Hugh Jackman's strategy). With this diet you have only 8 hours a day to fit all your meals in, but can only drink water (and maybe some black coffee, if you're feeling naughty) within a 16 hour fasting period. Most trainees choose to eat from 10am to 6pm, but as long as you stay within an eight hour window, you can start and finish at any time of the day.

Why do it? During the fasting period the body will run out of sugar to run on, and so will start eating up the bodys fat stores. The big negative is the adjustment period: if you're used to a big breakfast or an early dinner, a 16-hour fast feels tough at first, especially if you're exercising. You're going to get seriously cranky.

Soylent Nutrition Shake, Cacao (Chocolate), 12 Pack | was 35.00 | now 24.00 on AmazonMarketed as a 'complete meal in a bottle' soylent is a perfect on-the-go quick feed for breakfast or lunch. With 20g of plant protein - to keep you going and slow-burning carbs to help you stay full, Soylent is vegan, gluten free, nut free, dairy free and low GI. At just 2 a shake, it's an ideal replacement to your usual hurried, bland supermarket meal deal.View Deal

Weight training is a great way to tip your muscle-fat ratio the right way

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There are two main types of exercise: cardio training and weights, otherwise known as resistance training.Although cardio burns a lot of calories while you do it, weight training builds muscle which burns more than fat as you go about your day. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn even when not working out.

Resistance training may seem scary if you're doing it for the first time, especially in the gym when the area's dominated by serious lifters, but you dont have to start adding big plates to the bar right now. There's plenty of ways to get started at home with smaller weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and even medicine balls.

Were not going to list every single lifting exercise, so why not pick the body part you want to start toning up and check out some of our muscle-building how-tos. One you've done that, grab one of the best dumbbell sets on the market. They're not just for arms: you can use a dumbbell to work your core, shoulders, and even your legs with combination movements. Once you're comfortable in your own home, you can move on to more advanced equipment at the gym.

York Fitness 20 kg Cast Iron Spinlock Dumbbell | now 54.99 from AmazonYou just can't beat a good old pair of cast iron weights, and a testament to this is the fact they can be found under the beds of dads and granddads up and down the country. Get your own and they will last a lifetime and for all of their noisy, palm-chafing downsides, there is a kind of nostalgic loveliness to the spin collar set-up.View Deal

All of this aside, dont neglect cardio, as regular cardio workouts are important for fitness and stamina.

Electric Muscle Stimulation can help your muscles recover faster

(Image credit: PowerDot)

It may seem gimmicky when you unwrap your new six-pack vibrating belt, complete with a picture of Ronaldo on the box, but don't roll your eyes just yet. While you can't just sit there eating crisps and expect to get ripped, Electric Muscle Stimulators can help as part of a controlled dietary and exercise plan.

EMS can cause the muscles to contract, essentially tensing and untensing rapidly. During downtime post-workout, you can continue to encourage muscle growth with EMS, while the right bit of kit can also encourage faster recovery, allowing you to get back in the gym all the quicker. According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, EMS stimulates the muscle in the same way as a massage, prepping it for the next go-round.

It's not a bona fide shortcut to a six-pack, but it can speed up the muscle-building process with regular use. Check out our choice below: the PowerDot 2.0, a smart muscle stimulating solution you can control from your phone.

Thanks to the physical improvements wrought by SIXPAD, Ronaldo can lift suitcases with ease

(Image credit: American Tourister)

Alternatively there is always SIXPAD as used by Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who takes great pride in his body. Perhaps a little too much pride, the unkind or jealous might say. Amazon also sells all manner of abs belts by brands we have never heard of, for about 20. Needless to say we dont recommend these.

PowerDot 2.0 - Smart Electric Muscle Stimulator | now 185 at AmazonThis neat muscle stimulator works from your phone, allowing you to control intensity, stimulation and goal. Reduce your recovery time and increase muscular performance, as the PowerDot working to support your gym schedule. This model has two stimulators, but you can scale up to four for 325View Deal

Planks are a tough abs workout and a great end-of-workout finisher

(Image credit: Taco Fleur from Pixabay)

As well doing both muscle-building and cardio exercises, if you want to lose belly fat its also important to switch up the pace of your workout.

Every time you workout, you should exercise using both steady state (working hard but not at max capacity, such as during brisk jog) and high intensity (going flat out, like sprinting) to torch your abdominal fat.

Steady state or aerobic exercises include cycling, running or uphill hiking.Its a crucial part of losing belly fat because it burns through your fat stores. However, it also uses your sugar stores for energy first, so you need to do steady-state for long enough to use up all that sugar before it eats into your fat reserves.

High intensity workouts use mainly sugar for fuel, so they don't hit the fat right away, but it does help in building muscle, which will help you torch fat even on days you're not exercising. Explosive weight lifting, sprinting and HIIT-friendly exercises like mountain climbers are all great high-intensity exercises.

A good fitness tracker will help you to gauge the intensity of your workout by monitoring your heart rate. For overall fitness trackers, check out the Fitbit Versa Lite above, but for a dedicated running watch, you can't beat the Garmin Forerunner 645, the best on the market right now.

Find out more about heart rate zone training

Garmin Forerunner 645 | now 274 at AmazonGarmin dominates the running/fitness watch category so totally, it's almost embarrassing for the competition. The most recent addition to their premium line, the Garmin 645, incorporates GPS and wrist heart-rate tracking, which is good for monitoring your resting and all-day rates. The 645 crunches a lot of data to suggest recovery times, make a decent stab at estimating your VO2 Max, tell you how optimal your training load and lots, lots more.View Deal

FitBit Aria 2 smart bathroom scale | was 119.95 | now 79.88 on AmazonThis clever scaletells you your weight, BMI and body fat percentage which is all a lot of people want. It then reports this to your Fitbit account, so you can monitor your weight trends and use it alongside your Fitbit wearable's daily calorie-burn estimates. Add MyFitnessPal or Fitbit's own dietary features and you can then sync your meal-plans, daily calories consumed and weight goals, if you want.View Deal

The most important thing to bear in mind is this: losing weight takes time. You'll have setbacks and slip-ups, but if you stay committed to your goal, you'll be fitter and healthier in 2020, building up great habits for many years ahead.

Need some help to get started? Check out all the latest deals on the kit you'll need to get fit in 2020.To start with, you'll need a killer playlist and a good set of workout headphones to listen to it on:

Beats By Dre Powerbeats Pro | now 219 on AmazonPowerbeats Pro are a 'game changer' for Beats; the quality of them is over and above anything the brand has produced before. Designed for workouts and running, the clever design of these true wireless buds means they stay still in your ears during even the most arduous physical jerks. Battery life is way better than most true wireless buds at 8-9 hours and they recharge incredibly fast.View Deal

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How to lose belly fat: 5 ways to feel better and reveal your abs in 2020 - T3

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Habits are something that may start out as a chore but as we do them over and over again, they become easier and part of our lifestyle. For example, as a kid your parents taught you to brush your teeth regularly. While you may have struggled to hold a toothbrush and squeeze out the toothpaste when you were a toddler, its now something you do automatically and easily every day.

Wouldnt it be great if we could turn weight-loss goals into daily habits that can last a lifetime? Heres the good news: You CAN!

Research has shown us that the healthiest people have certain habits that they stick to. Here are six of the most important habits for you to add to your daily routine in order to kick off your healthy lifestyle and weight loss regime.

(While there are a few factors that can influence weight loss/gain outside of these six habits such as medication, and hormones, these are a good foundation to begin with.)

Here are six healthy habits you should adopt today:

Eating in the morning is important for a variety of factors, including controlling the rest of the days eating, improving brain function, and supplying the energy to power you through the day.

You should ideally aim to have a high protein, and high carbohydrate breakfast like eggs and wholegrain toast, but if youre not a morning eater, then a protein shake will do. Just make sure to have something high in protein for best results.

This will keep you feeling fuller for longer, and you wont end up with a craving for donuts or high-carb treats by 10am. Set yourself up for success at the start of every day, and youll find that sticking your diet for the rest of the day is much easier!

JSHealth Breakfast Bowl recipe

While All4Women endeavours to ensure health articles are based on scientific research, health articles should not be considered as a replacement for professional medical advice. Should you have concerns related to this content, it is advised that you discuss them with your personal healthcare provider.

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6 Healthy habits that also help you hit your weight loss goals - All4Women

Lately, Adele has been making headlines beyond her stunning voice: After stepping out looking slimmer than usual, a frenzy of reports claim that the 31-year-old Someone Like You singer lost weight by following the Sirtfood Diet, a calorie-restricting eating plan, after her breakup with her husband Simon Konecki.

This isnt the first time Adeles name has been associated with the Sirtfood Diet. Back in 2016, the New York Post claimed the singer lost 30 pounds by eating foods rich in sirtuins, a.k.a. proteins that can be found in certain foods (they also occur naturally in the body). Her former Pilates instructor Camila Goodis also told The Sun that she believed the stars weight loss was 90% diet.

Adele hasnt publicly commented on the rumors swirling around her figure (why should she?!), but her trainer Pete Geracimo (who also works with Pippa Middleton) supposedly likes to put his clients on the Sirtfood Diet.

And as the seventh most Googled diet in 2019, people clearly want to know what its all about. Here, dietitians and a doctor explain what the Sirtfood Diet entails, the foods it encourages, and whether or not its a legit way to lose weight long-term.

The Sirtfood Diet is based on the book by the same name that was written by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten. The diet focuses on eating so-called sirtfoods, a group of wonderfoods that include nutrient-rich options like kale, cocoa, strawberries, and coffee.

The idea is that certain foods activate sirtuins in your body (a type of protein found in plants) that allegedly boast a slew of benefits, like protecting cells from inflammation, kick-starting your metabolism, reversing aging, and activating your skinny gene pathways, according to the diets website.

Some research, like one 2018 review published in the journal Circulation Research, suggests that sirtuins may help prevent age-related decline (in mice, at least). Another review published in Frontiers in Endocrinology concludes that sirtuins may help prevent insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. But again, this was based on animal studies.

While sirtuins are considered healthy, theres still a lot people dont know about them. The research on sirtuins is promising but more is definitely needed, especially on humans, to determine if any of the claims can be conclusively substantiated, says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a nutrition consultant based in New York City.

The Sirtfood Diet only mentions a few sirtfoods on its website and blog, but these options make the cut, all of which are nutrient-dense and healthy to eat regularly:

The diet is divided into two phases, and followers are encouraged to do them whenever they feel like they need a weight loss boost.

This lasts for seven days and its also split up. During the first three days, youll have three sirtfood green juices and one regular meal thats rich in sirtfoodsfor a total of 1,000 calories a day. On days four through seven, youll have two green juices and two daily meals for a total of 1,500 calories a day.

This is a 14-day maintenance phase thats designed to help you lose weight at a steady pace. During this phase, youll eat three balanced meals that are rich in sirtfoods, along with one green juice. Its unclear whether this phase has a set calorie intake.

The juices usually consist of matcha, the herb lovage, and buckwheat. As for the meals, recipes include soy yogurt with berries, walnuts, and dark chocolate, an omelette with bacon, red chicory, and parsley, a pita with turkey, cheese, and hummus, and stir-fried prawns with kale and buckwheat noodles.

Once youre done with the phases, youre supposed to look at the Sirtfood Diet as a way of life. You are encouraged, once youve completed the first three weeks, to continue eating a diet rich in sirtfoods and to continue drinking your daily green juice, the diets website says.

The official site also recommends that you stop working out or cutting back on your usual routine during the first phase, since youre not taking in many calories. But, once the diet becomes a way of life for you, it encourages exercising (and eating protein an hour after you work out to repair muscles and reduce soreness).

Yes, youll probably lose weight on the diet. Most people definitely will lose weight during phase one, since they are probably consuming way fewer calories than they usually do, says Gans. While a lot of this may be water weight, its possible to lose actual body fat too.

But that doesnt mean its healthy. It seems gimmicky, says Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. Any diet where theres a cycle of super restrictive eating and maintenance isnt really sustainable.

First, phase one of the diet is a bit extreme, says Scott Keatley, R.D., of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. A 1,000 calorie-diet is below what is used in almost all human research studies because it is deemed unsafe. People can lose fluid and lean muscle mass while having a caloric intake this low, and it can mess with your metabolism, he says.

Restricting your caloric intake this heavily can only be OK for a few days, but its really not ideal, says weight loss expert Michael Russo, M.D., a bariatric surgeon at MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Its really important to pay attention to what types of calories youre getting in, he says. Getting adequate protein is crucial, because theyre the building blocks of the body.

The Mediterranean Diet Has Really Amazing Benefits

Why Intuitive Eating Is Better Than Diet Culture

The juicing part isnt exactly a hit with experts, either. Im not a huge fan of making juice out of foods, especially when were talking weight loss, as the blender is doing a lot of the work your body should be doing, Keatley says. Green juice is often much lower in gut-filling fiber than youd get if you just ate the ingredients themselves, Cording says, which is bound to leave you hungry.

The diet is also lacking an educational component of helping people better understand what foods are good for their health, and how to develop healthy eating patterns due to how restrictive it is, Cording adds. Finally, there are really no guidelines beyond the two phasesunless you buy the Sirtfood Diet books.

You should also speak with a dietitian or doctor before your dramatically reduce your calorie intake and glug a ton of juice in the name of weight loss.

Ultimately, the Sirtfood Diet isnt backed by significant research, so youre likely better off following a healthy diet you know you can stick to consistently (or a more scientifically-proven option, like the Mediterranean diet), exercising regularly, and getting plenty of sleep.

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What Is the Sirtfood Diet? Inside Adele's Reported Weight Loss Plan - Prevention.com