The Advantages Of <b>Weight Loss</b> Calculators And How They Will Add To <b>...</b>

While you are striving to shed a few pounds or so, you will want to use online website tools to tally weight loss, BMI, calorie use, exercise level, and the amount of weight you are trying to lose. This is very advantageous for individuals who have a hard time with successful weight loss and for people who desire motivation to get rid of those extra pounds..Every website posseses their own array of tools and calculators that are a great help in pursuing the development and imparting inspriation to people who are in a neverending struggle with weight loss. There are tons of sites that offer these types of tools and each one can provide one-of-a-kind assistance for someone looking to get rid of some extra weight or even somebody who needs to gain weight.

Types Of Weight Loss Calculators:

When looking for weight loss tools online, there are many to be found. These sites include a lot of information about weight loss, weight gain, weight maintenance, food, exercise and more. Check out some typical weight loss calculators that you will find on various sites:

BMI Calculator:

What Is BMI (Body Mass Index)?

A body mass index is a calculation that uses a ratio of determinants such as age, weight and height to show a number which will be correlated to healthy weight range, overweight class, and obese weight group. The findings are used to decide if an person is in need of losing weight in order to prevent possible diseases that are related to a high BMI. Evidence has been provided by continuous research that people with high BMI’s are highly likely to get diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, risks of stroke, and even death.

It is unusual for a health or weight loss website to not offer a BMI calculator A BMI calculator could construct health risks and amount of body fat that your body consists of in a rough estimate decided by height, weight, and age. Understanding your BMI can assist you in motivational purposes to get rid of weight, because when the numbers speak worlds about your current weight class, it can kindle inspiration for an individual to try to lose the weight to get a healthier body for their improved future.

Calorie Calculators:

One of the several online tools is the calorie counter. There are calculators that are set up for weight loss and they commonly show the amount of calories a person needs to expend during exercising or deduct from their diet. Others are set up for weight gain and indicate the amount of calories someone would need to gain weight. Also there are calorie calculators that add the number of calories contained in certain foods so that an individual can measure the number of calories they have burned for a total.

Reasons Calories Are Critical

Calories are a computation or unit of energy which is used by the body to sustain it. Somebody who has reduced activity may not need as many calories as a person who is an athlete or who is quite active. The amount you digest in calories, and how much your body uses or burns is an influential factor in weight loss or weight increase for that matter.

Calories are critical in weight reduction, because an individual needs to track the quantity they digest and what categories of foods include fat calories, and healthy calories. These types of calculators can provide an individual with an ample source of data that will get them started in losing weight healthily. An Awesome benefit to adopting one of these calculators is that it takes the nuisance out of manually counting all the calories on your own.

Applying calorie counters and calculators can be a very effective method to stay on track with a specific diet or weight loss routine. There are a lot of calculators, and a lot of fantastic information online that could help a person put together a diet and weight loss plan.

Diet Plans and Workout Tools

Other than weight reduction calculators, the internet contains plenty of other types of tools and programs that supply information on diet programs, workout and exercise plans and weight loss routines. Many websites contain a list of diet plans, along with recipes and different types of diets from low fat, low carb, detox diets, low glycemic index diets, low cholesterol diets, and more.

Not only do websites have information on diet and weight reduction routines, but they could contain facts about exercise programs, along with tips to initiate a greater workout program. The above-mentioned plans could also supply an enormous variety of additional facts, such as whether or not the exercise builds strength, stability, tones muscles or even works out the cardiovascular system.

Using these types of methods in combination will make for an easier weight reduction process. All of these calculators gives a person a clue of the things and efforts that they need to make in order to reach their weight reduction objective. Whether it be following meal plans, understanding where your BMI should be, logging calories and creating a shortage so that one can drop weight, or accepting how much weight you want to lose and how long it could take to get to a healthy weight these calculators and tools are invaluable with the help they can supply to people for one of the toughest things to fulfill in life.

Try Our BMI Calculator Or our Calorie Calculator Today!

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What a good method of fast <b>weight loss</b>? _ Health Wiki

i am 10-15 pounds overweight and i am in my pubescent years, i need to Lose Weight and fast.

i am not very active, in the sense of going to exercise and etc. i also wouldn't mind motivation for exercise either …

also, is losing 15 pounds easy?

please recommend any good methods for a fast weight loss, i would greatly appreciate it
thanks!There are unnatural ways of burning fat by burning thermogenics, which I don't recommend even as a GNC representative because they can mess with your hormones and thyroid.

The best way to make your body utilize fat and burn them is to limit your carb intake while increasing your lean meat intake.
Remember proteins do not make you gain weight, instead carbs/sugar from snacks/too much fruits/rice/potatoes/etc will make you gain weight thus putting on fat.

You must burn off the extra calories that you are consuming from mainly carb/sugar products to lose weight.
And it's not going to be easy to lose weight while not exercising and it is not healthy.

Also try squeezing lemon in a cup of water in the morning right after waking up and drink it. It will suppress the appetite a bit and increase your metabolism naturally to promote fat burning.

Keep doing it until you see results.Looking for fast weight loss is not a great solution, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is.

However, I have found that at the very beginning of a fitness/healthy eating regimen, many people will find a quick weight loss simply by cutting out the "bad" foods and eating healthy. Personally, I lost 6 lbs in my first week, simply by making smart food choices, and cutting out soda completely. That weight loss doesn't continue (6 lbs/week)… if you continue with the healthy lifestyle you can expect to lose 1-2 lbs a week after that.Hi there,

First of all, losing 10-15 pounds is easy with the right methods and fasting is NOT a good method because your body will go into starvation mode and when you start eating again it will hold onto ANYTHING it can and store it as fat. So that's a big nono.

To lose weight as fast as possible and do it in a healthy way is not as hard as people think. Just cutting SODA and sugary drinks from your diet COMPLETELY is just one awesome way to Lose Weight Fast. That along with the other tips I'm going to share below and you will be on your way to easily losing the weight and keeping it off.

As cliche as it may sound you gotta eat your veggies. They are amazingly good for you, also raw nuts (almonds are best) fruits, and 100% whole grain breads instead of white flours (white flour is very bad for you, read up on it if you get the chance!) Try and stay away from fried foods and fast food as much as possible, and other empty calories and foods that provide you no nutrients, like ice cream/candy/cake etc. Common sense goes a long way with what foods to eat and how to be healthy, so use it

Building healthy eating habits and keeping the weight off in the long term is what you should really strive for. Also, make sure you don't count calories, it can drive you CRAZY! Just eat GOOD calories, and when your satisfied, stop eating. Try to eat more meals a day and portion them smaller, it really is proven to speed up your metabolism and burn fat way faster. If you mix this in with the other things I've shared, you will be on your way to easily losing weight and keeping it off.

Just be persistent, set goals, make little changes and stick with them. You will get to where you want to be. You really have to want it, I did and I'm at my goal weight now. Please check out my blog, I think you will enjoy the information and my weight loss story. The link is below and best of luck hon.My Aunt went on a diet that only consist of meat and she lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks she explained to me that during this diet your muscle eats away fat and makes more muscle but im sure she didnt just lay around and eat meat all day and lose weight so im sure you must manage some excercise daily still.The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. There are no short cuts. No it's not easy.eat a triple steak burger large fry large coke large mc-freezyI think you know the answer, but looking for a quick fix.Just try my method http://www.laurenblog.tkYour body won't release fat stores if you lower calories below what it needs and increase exercise. It will slow your metabolism to compensate and store every spare ounce as fat. If you continue lowering your calories, it will continue lowering that set point, til you can survive off nothing and store fat on anything.

You will lose more body fat eating protein and fat (don't eat protein alone) than not eating AT ALL. To lose weight fast eat all you want but nothing but meat, eggs, healthy oils, mayo, butter and half an avocado a day (you'll need added potassium). Keep the calories high and the fat percentage high, at least 65% of calories. Adding in green vegetables & some cheese will continue weight loss but at a slower pace.

If you starve yourself by lowering calories lower than are needed for the body to function, your body will freak out and will want to store every ounce in case it doesn't get nourished again. You need to give it adequate nourishment so it doesn't slow your metabolism down to adjust for lower calories.

Simple carbohydrates (sugar, flour, bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice) triggers insulin which can store the calories you eat into fat. The more protein you eat the more the fat burning hormone glucagon is released. The more carbohydrate you eat the more the fat storage hormone insulin is released.

Simple carbs are addictive and can be disastrous to our health. The best way to break the addiction is NO carbs for 3 days. Make a huge batch of deviled eggs and eat one every time you want "something" have huge omelets for breakfast, with bacon, a lil onion, peppers, mushrooms & cheese. Pork chops for lunch. Get pork rinds and eat them with tuna salad. Steak for dinner. Make a huge sugar free cheese cake for dessert. Eat so much you won't feel deprived of anything. By the fourth day, your addiction will be gone and you can start making healthy choices.

High insulin levels unbalance other hormones. Controlling your insulin level will balance out other hormones & allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so you will gain lean muscle even without exercise. Any exercise will greatly increase your muscle mass with high HGH levels.

Once you get near your goal, you start adding 5 carbs every 3 days til you gain weight, then you subtract 10 carbs. That would give you your personal carb level (everyone is different and it depends on how active you are.) As long as you remain <9 carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control, and shouldn't gain weight. Many people gain weight on high carb, then switch to low carb to lose weight & then are shocked when they return to high carb that they gain weight. Many people can return to moderate carb levels but very few can really eat all they want of sugar and maintain weight or health.

Dr.Atkins was a cardiologist, low carb was a health plan easier sold as a "diet" Read any of his books for easily understandable science. Lutz "Life without Bread" & Taubes "Good calorie, bad calorie" are excellent books that dispel all the nutrition myths.

Reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass will have you in awesome shape in no time. Good luck!I have been through it all and know what's it about. The main thing is to stick in there. You can't be an addict to food and never exercise if you want to live a healthy life and keep the weight off. I've worked out, done every diet, and all types of classes.

Nothing works, besides dedication and intelligence towards the subject of losing weight.

First, depending on how much weight you need to lose, your diet is the first concern. You can't eat 10,000 calories a day and expect the weight to come off, even if you are exercising a lot. Which brings us to the next thing. Duh, Exercising…

This is a must especially if you need to a lot of weight. Get at least 30 mins of some good hardcore exercising. Do some cardio, in the long run, it's good for the heart.

However, I find the most hardest part of losing weight/keeping it off, in my diet. It's so hard to keep your fingers out of the cookie jar or those chocolate goodies. I've found a great addition to help any one out, it's a natural weight loss supplement called Proactol. Now don't get all crazy on me and say diet pills don't work. That is true, but not in this case. This one isn't meant to burn pounds while you sit on the couch. It's an appetite suppressant, along with being a fat binder. I saved money on the pills at theweightlossplace dot com along with getting some good info. It basically makes those fingers not go towards the cookie jar. For me it's the best pill I've tried and I've tried cupboards full. Now this doesn't mean you have to follow my foot steps but I've successfully lost roughly 70 pounds and keeping it off til this day.

Well good luck and remember what I said, Dedicate.Crash diets are never successful because they are hard to maintain.
They also slow the bodys metabolism rate as the body will lock into survival mode.
When I started on my weightloss regime I had to realise that I had put on weight because of a lifetime of bad eating choices.

Serious weight loss can only be achieved by giving your body the right types of calories at the correct times each day,

Low Fat Foods DON'T WORK.

You cannot lose weight using Low Fat Diets. Low fat foods have been popular for more than 15 years, but yet our society is getting more overweight as each year passes. This fact alone should tell you that eating a purely low fat menu is not the answer to losing weight.

Low Calorie Diets DON'T WORK.

You won't lose weight using a Low Calorie Dieting Plan either. In fact, eating low calories is the worst thing that you can do to your body, since that will only slow down your body's fat burning engine and ruin all chances of losing weight (low calorie diets may allow a few pounds of weight loss for the first few days, but then after that all weight loss comes to a halt — known as a dieting plateau). You can never get slim by starving yourself.

Low Carb Plans DON'T WORK.

You'll probably find it extremely difficult to get slim using a Low Carb Dieting Plan. Low carb diets have recently become popular over the last couple years, but the problem with low carb menus is that they are too strict and TOO HARD TO FOLLOW for average people. Low carb menus tend to rob your body of too much energy (carbohydrates) and make it nearly impossible to remain on the program for very long. This is why so many dieters find it difficult to follow a strict low carbohydrate menu.
If you're looking to get skinny then we have created an Online Diet Generator which can allow you to lose weight fast, and more importantly our diet generator is easy to use (and it calculates all of your meals for you, so that you don't have to do any work yourself).
you can read more about my weightloss success at my blog
http://lose-weightblog.com
Good luck with your weight loss

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6 Effective <b>Weight Loss</b> Methods

6 Effective Weight Loss Methods: Women24: Wellness: Diet News24.com HomeMailBlogsAlbumsClassifieds24.com Sites  Related Links 10 Best Weight Loss Tips 7 easy diet tricks Top 5 weight loss essentials

1. Lifestyle change
Permanent weight loss is not something that a “quick-fix” diet can achieve. Instead, think about weight loss as a permanent lifestyle change. You are making a commitment to your health for life. Various popular diets can help to jump-start your weight loss, but permanent changes in your lifestyle and food choices are what will work long term.

2. Find a cheering section
Social support means a lot. Programs like Weighless use group support to impact weight loss and lifelong healthy eating. Seek out support, whether in the form of family, friends, or a support group, so that you can get the encouragement you need.

3. Commit to a P.O.A
Experiment until you find a good, long-term plan that helps you lose the weight and maintain that loss in a way that works for you. If you cut out just 100 calories a day you could lose 10 pounds in a year.

4. Take it slow
Losing weight too fast can take a toll on your nervous system, making you feel sluggish, drained, and sick. When you drop a lot of weight quickly, you’re actually losing mostly water and muscle rather than fat. Aim to lose ½ to 1kg a week to ensure healthy weight loss.

5. Keep track
Short-term goals, like wanting to fit into a bikini for the summer, usually don’t work as well as goals like wanting to feel more confident or become healthier for your children’s sakes. Keep a food journal or weigh yourself regularly. Find and use tools that help keep you motivated. Stay focused: when frustration and temptation strike, concentrate on the many benefits you will reap from being healthier and leaner.

6. And remember...
... A spoonful of sugar helps the waistline go down. A team of scientists at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh found that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (containing sugar) combined with physical activity achieved the greatest health benefits in overweight subjects. The study provided evidence that the exclusion of sugar, as is normally advised in a weight loss diet, is not necessary to achieve weight reduction. In fact, the taste of sugar may even help dieters stick to their eating plans.

Can you add to these weight loss tricks? Share your secrets in the box below.

 

Share this page (What are these?): Twitter Yahoo Google Digg del.icio.us Facebook Other Stories in Diet...  Get skinny with gloss?!

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Natalie Portman’s too skinny?

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Why You Need Cardio <b>Exercise</b> If You Want to Achieve Permanent <b>...</b>

Why You Need Cardio Exercise If You Want to Achieve Permanent Weight Loss |

Author: Sarah Gorry
Category: Health & Fitness | Weight Loss
Keyword: cardio exercise,weight loss,permanent weight loss,fitness,health,gym,gym equipment
Source: ezinearticles.com
Post Data: 12/01/2010 10:07:07
Word: 482

The cardio-vascular and cardio is in fact analytic in an acceptable business practice, because it burns lots of calories and strengthens the lungs and heart.What is a cardio exercise? The cardio workout is naively put all anatomy exercises like walking, running, jogging, cycling you do not continue to advance your love in abundance and lungs to a greater amount of activity. Many people use the term "aerobics" to call these scandals, but it is too late apparently naively use load over the anatomy of your body (like legs, back, chest) to be called as a, cardio exercise, cardio exercise, cardio, cardio exercise, exercise, . However,, cardio exercise, adaptation aired account, you'll absolutely do cardio exercise, it is important to recognize two key factors.1.Warming UpBefore drag cardio exercise is that the sweetness of suitable base and those unable to pay dearly for the fragrant longest since their anatomy will become green accept any specific activity.2.Cooling DownCooling down after your cardio workout is appropriate and important to the ability to call for the temperature of your Physical and claret breeze surprised to normal. This cooling, as well as helping to prevent the acquisition of claret at a point in his physique, which can take, cardio exercise, action if the device has been strong. How to get the best account of cardio workouts to charge you for antithetical bang in the middle of the account shall be increased by walking around the capital animated arcade and collapsed at the point of disaster area abrasion and access to accident and, cardio exercise, infection of burnout. So how do you bang this balance? Many authentic and reliable as advising the amount of your love and it can be done naively counting the number of beating his love in a minute (pulse). This can be done peacefully with the love advisor or the amount of alarm and a barometer of your beat on your wrist and counting the amount of hail in abundance minute.The case of cardio exercise is to analyze upset by medical professionals is clear that you can decisively reduce your agitation apparatus for aerobic accident 20 years represent three times a week. However, if your ambition is to gain weight again after an accident make you pay to increase your cardio exercise changes in your diet and weight training program.The ability to do this, cardio exercise, is to naively that it would be difficult determine the abundance of cardio exercise on our own cooking, which allow easy Calories books. Consider this paste in adjusting to lose weight will be fired, cardio exercise, around 3,500 calories, 30 minutes of the show itself bake for about 100-150 calories, depending on the severity of the termination of access to effort.In adhere to the weight of an accident, leaving you responsible for cardio exercises anatomy of a left foot that is like a weight training good coverage of business and dietary changes.

Check out Sarah’s site where she reviews Golds gym equipment and Golds gym fitness equipment which will definitely help you win your weight loss battle.

What Soft Drinks have the Fewest <b>Calories</b>?

Most people find it extremely difficult to manage weight loss because they consume a number of drinks that are full of hidden calories.
 
Usually, soft drinks contain a large number of calories that hinder any planned weight loss and diet. Switching to sugar-free beverages is the best choice for healthier living.
 
Since it is very difficult to completely eliminate soft drinks from the diet, here are a number of healthier and low-calorie soft drinks that can still help maintain your diet goals and achieve weight loss.
Lemon Soda: During the hot months, drinking lemon soda is probably the best option to quench the thirst as well as ensure that very little calories are consumed. There are a few options that one can choose from, and they are Diet 7-up, Sprite Zero, and Sierra Mist Free. Sierra Mist Free uses sweeteners such as aspartame.

Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry: One of the best low-sugar flavored diet colas is  Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry. This low-calorie soft drink is better than the regular version of Pepsi, and it also has an entirely new flavor to seduce dieters. The sweetener used is a mixture of aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-k).

Dr. Pepper Cherry Chocolate Diet: If a dieter is looking for a low-calorie beverage, which is flavored and does not belong to the diet cola category, Dr. Pepper Cherry Chocolate Diet is among the best options.

For good health, it is essential to manage consumption of low-calorie soft drinks and also include a variety of other drinks that do not come under the carbonated soft drinks category. Many herbal teas and fruit drinks not only have very low calorie content, but may help weight loss by increasing the metabolism, reducing the fat by controlling food cravings, and providing antioxidants and essential nutrients.

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Using Herbs for <b>Weight Loss</b>

In this world of extreme makeovers and desperate diets, there are two definitive actions that bring about effective long-term weight loss-(1) a high nutrition and high protein, low calorie meal plan and (2) consistent, regular exercise routine. Forget about magic pills that melt the fat away or sauna wraps that steam away inches. There are, however, herbs for weight loss that can supplement-not replace- healthy eating and exercise. These herbs can help increase the body’s digestive and metabolic efficiency and make easier the process of long-term health and weight management.

The principle behind weight loss is that energy intake must not exceed energy expenditure. What you eat must have fewer calories than what you put out in day to day activities. A body composed of lean muscle (built from protein and exercise) will use more calories than an unexercised body. There is every reason to maintain a solid exercise regimen and high protein consumption because you need both to turn your body into a fat-burning machine.

Some herbs that can help weight loss and make this process more efficient are Green Tea, Flaxseeds, Psyllium and Chromium.

Green Tea is not only a powerful anti-oxidant but a fat-burner as well. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (January 2005), consuming green tea rich in catechins leads to a lowering of both body fat and cholesterol. These compounds enhance nervous system activity at the level of the fat cell, causing it to release more fat. In another recent study, one group of subjects was given green tea extract (with 150 mg of caffeine) and 375 mg of catechins three times a day.

A second group was given just 150 mg of caffeine alone and a third group was given a placebo. These subjects spent three 24 hour periods in an energy chamber during which they received their green tea, caffeine or placebo 3 times a day. Results show definitely that the green tea group burned the most energy-by almost 5 percent more when compared with those who received the placebo alone and 3.2 percent more than those who received the caffeine alone. In addition, fat burning was increased in the green tea group.

Researchers speculate that a special antioxidant compound in green tea called EEG may trigger fat oxidation and thermogenesis (fat burning). What is also interesting is that the maximum fat-dissolving capacity of green tea comes from the tea in concentrate form, which provides the benefits of 5-6 cups of tea in a single dose of tea powder. Green tea is an herb that has demonstrated effectiveness in encouraging weight loss.

Flaxseeds provide essential fatty acids which are building blocks the body uses to make fats. The body must get various kinds of fats ( fish oil, flaxseeds oil) not only to ensure proper health but to stabilize blood sugar level. Stabilized blood sugar means stabilized appetite. Unusual hunger and food cravings develop in people who do not consume sufficient essential fats. These people often turn to a high consumption of carbphydrates ( bagels, donuts, chips) because their bodies are on a frantic search for the missing nutrient-essential fats. Moreover, the body has an intelligence of its own; when it is deprived of fats, the body will lower its metabolic rate, store fat as well as make fat. A body deprived of essential fats will turn into a fat-producing machine. Flaxseeds are therefore another form of herbal tools for weight loss.

Psyllium is a soluble fiber that comes from the small reddish black seeds of the “Plantago Psyllium” plant. Psyllium seeds not only help ease constipation, they are effective in lowering cholesterol and promoting weight loss when used in conjunction with exercise and healthy eating. Psyllium helps stabilize sugar in the blood which also controls food cravings. The bulk in psyllium adds to the sensation of fullness and satiety when it is taken in its recommended dose:1-3 tsp of powdered psyllium dissolved in water taken 3 times a day before meals. In a British study, women who took psyllium with water 3 hours before a meal consumed less fat and fewer calories during the meal.

Chromium is a trace mineral found in whole grains, potatoes, prunes, nuts and brewer’s yeast. It seems to help the body use insulin more effeciently so that normal blood sugar levels are maintained. Chromium also helps the body break down protein and fat. In a recent study, people consuming 400mcg of chromium picolinate a day lost 6 pounds over 3 months while another group receiving a placebo lost only 3 pounds. The most significant aspect of the study was that the weight lost by those taking the herbal supplement chromium was in the form of body fat, not muscle.

While all four herbs have demonstrated that they can help promote weight loss, they are by no means magic pills and should be taken in conjunction with a solid nutrition and exercise program.

A fitness and weight consultant, Mary is helping people reclaim their bodies through nutrition, exercise, positive vision and creative engagement. Visit her atGreatBodyat50 or at
ProteinPower

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Ways to manage your <b>weight loss</b>

During her lunch hour each Wednesday, Sue Phillips, 38, steps onto a scale for a weigh-in. And she is not alone: at least 15 of her co-workers take turns climbing onto a scale, and then scribble the numbers that pop up into a little book chronicling their weight-loss journey.

Photo by Mike Yoder

Personal trainer Terri Polacca, works with client Helen Cox, Lawrence at Curves, 610 Kasold Drive. The Lawrence mother of three went to Pinnacle Career Institute to study the trade after leaving her position as a lead teacher for an area day care program.

“Some weeks I won’t see any fluctuation and other times I’ll see that I’ve dropped two pounds and that helps me get back on track,” Phillips says. “Or sometimes it just takes gaining a few pounds to get back on track.”

Phillips is a member of Weight Watchers — just one weight-loss option available locally.

Weight Watchers’ goal is for members to achieve a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. The cornerstones of the program are eating healthy, staying in motion and sharing successes and setbacks with other members. Weight Watchers operates on a point system: roughly 50 calories equals one point. Daily point allowances are based on gender, weight, height and activity level. Phillips, for instance, is a female who wants to lose 40 pounds, and who’s anchored to a desk while at work, putting her in the sedentary category for activity level. She’s granted 22 points per day.

And to keep on task, Phillips and other Weight Watchers members attend meetings composed of other people who are either focused on losing weight or have already successfully achieved weight-loss goals. Joan Gunter, ambassador for Weight Watchers in Kansas, is quick to tout statistics that prove the benefits of attending meetings.

“People who attend meetings lose three times more weight than people who try to do it themselves,” says Gunter. “We teach members to make healthy and sustainable choices, which will become habits.”

The program emphasizes activity level, encouraging members to get moving any way they can. Even household chores such as scouring the bathtub, or scrubbing a tall stack of dishes count as calorie burners.

Phillips walks two miles per day, and when she follows through she can eat more that day: calories burned, equals calories earned. And once Weight Watchers members reach their goal weight, meetings are free — as long as they keep within range of their goal weight.

Results fetched from dieting are usually not sustainable, says Staci Hendrickson, a dietitian at Healthy Balance, 535 Gateway. Hendrickson says restrictive diets are damaging in more ways than one. Typically 40 percent of all eating disorders begin with a diet, she says.

Hendrickson calls herself a nutrition therapist. And her client roster is composed of people who are fed up with dieting and yo-yo weight loss.

“My overall goal is for clients to make peace with food, feel good about exercising, feel good when they exercise and to meet their natural weight,” says Hendrickson.

Hendrickson says there are a lot of distorted images of beauty floating around — for men and women — and it’s important for people to aim for a realistic, healthy body weight.

Hendrickson embraces what’s called the intuitive eating approach. Intuitive eating categorizes food choices into two groups: external and internal. An external cue could trigger you to wolf down an entire cheese burger, even when your tummy hurts midway, because you want to finish it; you eat until the external cue tells you to stop, i.e. the food is gone, not until your hunger is satisfied. An internal cue is legitimate hunger or a true desire for the food. The goal of intuitive eating is to get people to eat primarily from internal cues. Hendrickson wants clients to recognize when they are hungry, to eat when their appetite kicks in, and to stop once their hunger is satiated.

Hendrickson also says it’s important to incorporate physical activity into weight-loss goals, but she emphasizes the importance of finding an exercise that’s enjoyable. For instance, one of Hendrickson’s clients joined a dodge-ball league instead of joining a gym. Exercise should not be viewed as a chore, she says.

Terri Driscoll, owner of Curves, doesn’t see exercise as unpleasant. In fact, after years of working out in gyms without fetching much enjoyment, Driscoll was so delighted with the workouts at Curves, she decided to buy the business last January.

Curves, which exclusively targets women, offers a 30-minute workout of resistance training that knocks out both strength training and cardio in one go.

“It’s something you can easily do. You can burn up to 500 calories on your circuit,” says Driscoll. “You don’t have to worry about what you look like when you go here, First thing in the morning you can just brush your teeth, jump in the car and (drive) here.”

Copyright 2010 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.

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