What, No Rice or Potatoes!!

I came across a diet plan the other day, which didn't include any rice, potatoes or any other carbohydrates with lunch and dinner. While my lunch did contain rice, my dinner consisted of fish with salad - no potatoes or rice as I would have eaten.
While I know it's not something I could or would want to stick to everyday, I will test it out 3/4 times a week.
I want to research more into a low-carb diet and Dr Atkins. That's my homework for this week.
Has anyone tried a low-carb diet? Did you lose any/much weight? Would love to hear from you.

Do I need a Diet AND Fitness Routine?

Dieting and Fitness

When it comes to living a long and healthy life, there are two necessary ingredients: diet and fitness. While some believe that they are one thing all together, nothing could be further from the truth. It is quite possible to have a perfectly healthy diet with terrible fitness habits. It is equally possible to be very physically fit with less than savory eating habits.

There's a clever little line in the Jimmy Buffet song "Fruitcakes" when his 'lady' is lamenting:
"I treat my body like a temple
 You treat yours like a tent"

I can't help but think of this line whenever I think about all the people around the world who are going on these garbage in, garbage out diet plans hoping to achieve the weight loss success of those who are endorsing these products.

To be completely honest, it is possible to shed pounds through diet alone. It is difficult but possible. It is also possible to be physically fit and have a few extra pounds hanging around. To a large degree we are what we eat. If we consume a high fat low substance diet our bodies are going to lack the fuel required to burn the fat. At the same time if we aren't providing our bodies with the tools it needs to build muscle it doesn't matter how many weights we lift.

When it comes to diet and fitness, the best results are achieved when they work together rather than separately. Use your fitness routine to burn excess calories and use your diet in order to properly provide your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to build muscle. I've heard many times in my life that a pound of muscle weighs less than a pound of fat. While this is not true at all, a pound is a pound regardless; a pound of muscle occupies less space on the body than a pound of fat. Pound for pound, I would much rather mine be composed of muscle than fat. Dieting alone does not build muscle and that is something you will do well to remember in your efforts.

You should also realize that as you are building muscle you may be shedding inches while not showing a great deal of progress on the scale. It is very important that you keep this in mind throughout the weight loss process. Do not measure your progress by the scales alone or you will achieve misleading results. The problem is that far too many people do just this and get frustrated and give up when they are actually making progress. Do not allow yourself to be a victim of the scales. Look in the mirror, try on your tight pants, and measure your waistline. Measure your success by how you feel after climbing a flight of stairs not by how many pounds fell of the scale this week.

By incorporating fitness into your diet routine you are also enabling your body to burn off any extra calories you may have consumed during the day. This means that if you want to have a small 'cheat' during your day, you can make up for it by burning a few more calories than normal in the evening. This isn't something that should happen often but an occasional occurrence isn't going to make or break your diet.

You should also look at dieting and fitness as a ball and glove type of relationship. While you can play ball without the glove, it seems to work so much better if you have both. Diet and fitness when combined can create fantastic weight loss results for those who take them both seriously. The thing to remember is that neither works as well alone and neither will work unless you are willing to do the work. You must make this a priority in your life in order to achieve the best.

Why I Need To Exercise

I want to exercise and keep fit not just to trim down. I know that the times I have done a workout (at the gym or a keep-fit DVD), I have felt on a 'natural high'. I felt good for it, my lungs felt clear, and I felt raring to go, for the rest of the day ahead.

Below, you'll find several good
reasons why you should start exercising now.

1.  Contributes to fat lossIt is well proven from scientific research all over
the world that physical exercise contributes to
weight loss.  If you burn more calories than you
consume through nutrition, you'll lose weight.  When
you exercise, you burn more calories than when you
don't.  It's really simple - the more you exercise,
the more weight or fat you'll lose.

2.  Prevent disease
The chances of developing several various diseases
has been proven to decrease when exercising.  These
diseases include heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
and the stroke. 

Around 4 out of 5 deaths caused by heart disease
and cancer, are linked to factors that include stress
and lack of exercise.  We all know that diabetes
increases the chance for heart attacks and strokes.
What this shows, is that many of the risk factors
and diseases caused by not exercising are working
in conjunction to damage your health.  To prevent
this from happening, start exercising.

3.  Improving diseaseMany severe and minor diseases can be improved or
even healed through regular exercise.  These even
include the diseases listed above.  By following
a regular plan, you can also decrease HDL
cholesterol levels, decrease triglyceride levels,
and decrease your blood pressure as well.

Exercising on a regular basis will also reduce
the risk of prostate cancer for men, breast and
uterine cancer for women, and much more.  All of
this is scientifically proven, which is why you
should start exercising today.

4.  Enhance your state of mindEveryone knows from the many scientific studies
that regular exercising will lead to an increased
release of endorphins in the body.  These chemicals
will fight depression and make you feel happy.  The
body releases these endorphins only 12 minutes
into the workout.

There is another chemical known as serotonin that
is increased during and after a workout.  The
increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous
system is associated with feelings of well being
and decreased mental depression. The chemical
can also help you sleep better at night.

5.  Enhance your wellnessWhen you are in great shape and well fit, you'll
have more energy and you'll notice that your overall
mood is improved.  You will have experienced that
you can stretch beyond your own limits and you
know that you can do more than you thought possible.

6.  PersistenceExercising regularly will give you more energy,
which can help you be more productive at home and
at work.  Exercising can help give your new goals
a sense of purpose and give you something to focus
on and aim for.  This can help you increase your
persistence and prevent you from going off track
while you aim for your goal.

7.  Social capabilitiesAfter a workout on a regular basis you can boost
your self esteem.  This can help you look better
and you'll be more comfortable as well.  Exercise
will also help you to become more active and meet
new people, which will prevent you from feeling
isolated and unsupported.  Exercise will also
increase your interests in sex, and can help you
to improve your marriage or your partner
relationship.

After knowing all of these tips and reasons to
exercise, you shouldn't hesitate to get out there
and exercise.  You can exercise at home or go out

 and join a gym.  There are several different
ways that you can exercise, all you have to do
is select a few that you like.  Take a little bit
of time out of your day and start exercising -
you'll feel better than ever before and your body
will thank you.

Welcome

After giving birth to my second (and last) child, my weight has not been as it was a) before having children b) nor is it near the weight I want it to be. I last gave birth three years and four months ago.
It's been a long time since I've fitted into a size 10 (my goodness, I don't even know what decade I last fitted into a size 10). I day I might just be able to!
But realistically, my goal is to drop two dress sizes, and look toned in the process.
How am I going to achieve this?
Answer: an adjustment to my current eating habits and an increased active lifestyle. I say increased active lifestyle, because I do quite a bit of walking, particularly during term time when I speed walk to school to pick up my daughter, and walk back. But I want to do more. I just need to give myself that push to get going.
By writing this blog, I believe it will give me the encouragement to maintain my fat-burning goal. I hope by reading this blog, you will also feel motivated and encouraged to take steps to achieve your fat-burning / weight loss goals.
Please leave comments when you can, and feel free to also inform the other readers of your fat-burning journey.
I'm ready for a new me, are you ready for a new you?
If so, let's start on our journey together.
Tracey xxx