8 Reasons Why You arent Losing Weight

You’ve been cutting down on fat, controlling carbs and exercising five days a week. So why aren’t you losing weight or even worse, Why are you gaining?

1.      You overcompensate for exercise
Many of us reward our 1hr morning jog with a big bowl of icecream and feel justified(you’ve just burned off all those calories, right?),  Or is it the other way around? We eat a whole round of pizza with the intention of Burning it off later. however, it may be that by increasing your calorie intake to fuel or reward your sessions you are actually undoing all the hard work of your workout. In fact, as we often overestimate the calories we burn through exercise, you may even be taking in more than you have actually worked off, leading to weight gain rather than loss.

2.      You rely on exercise alone.
Yes, exercising can help you lose weight (and it has so many other health benefits) because it helps you create that calorie deficit needs to drop body fat. But here's the truth: Exercise alone will not help you lose weight. For emphasis, I'll say it again. If you are relying on exercise alone to lose weight, you are fighting an uphill battle. The best way to lose weight is to cut back on what you eat and increase your burn through exercise—not one or the other.

3.      You take/drink too much sugar/sugary drinks
Did you know that 2 cubes of sugar equals a slice of wheatbread? You watch what you eat, cut back on fatty foods and don’t snack between meals, but have you considered the amount of calories you may be drinking every day? While we all know the main calorie culprit when it comes to our drinks is alcohol, you should also consider the calories in fruit juice, smoothies, soft drinks and many hot drinks. Every calorie counts towards your daily intake, so don’t forget about the liquid ones!

4.      You eat large portions
If you’re eating low fat, healthy meals but are still not losing weight, it may be worth looking at your portion sizes. While you may think that you’re only eating three meals a day, with the increasing portion sizes many of us consume you could actually be eating the equivalent of 6 or more standard serving sizes each day. It is worth remembering that although the food you’re eating may be healthy, it should still be eaten in moderation, as eating too much of anything will cause you to gain weight.

5.      You eat too little
While eating too much food can cause you to gain weight, eating too little can also make it surprisingly difficult to shed those pounds. Your body has a natural instinct to protect itself so when it is not given an adequate amount of food it will automatically go into starvation mode, causing the metabolism to slow down and the body to hoard fat and calories. As a result of this it will become much more difficult for you to lose weight.

6.      You are not consistent
Perhaps even worse for your metabolism and waistline than eating too much or too little is flitting regularly between the two extremes. If you constantly go through a process of starving yourself one minute and bingeing the next, you will play havoc with your metabolism and cause your body to store more fat. As eating too little causes the metabolism to slow down, following this period with a binge will cause your body to quickly pile on the pounds
 

7.      You think you are living health but you are not
      If you still do "the-more-the-merrier with mayonnaise or butter, or pipe down palm oil in the vegetable soup, you are Joking! You may be eating one slice of Bread but your mayonnaise has enough calories for 3 slices. A table spoon of Palm oil has 120 calories. So watch out, you may be doing all things right but ignoring the little things that matter

8.      You haven’t given it enough time.Some people get instant results from dropping carbs, grains, sugar, and vegetable oils, while others have to take a month to get acclimated and only then does the weight begin to slide off. Also, the scale doesn’t always reflect your weightloss, so chill out!. You’re in it for the long run. Approach it with the right mindset and you won’t get discouraged. 

Weekend Weight loss - What to do!

Honestly, I can’t lie, I am guilty of weekend resting. I have deserved it considering my hard work during the week, plus why should I say no when someone wants to take me to cold stone, Ahn ahn., Life shouldnt be hard na. so i take a break on saturdays

But did you know that even if you stick to a healthy diet or exercise routine all week, weekend overeating could result in an average gain of 9 pounds(4kg)?

Like me, many people stick to a routine of relatively healthy eating and maybe exercise on weekdays – until 5:00pm Friday, then all hell breaks loose

 (if you still haven’t figured out how to eat healthy on week-days, check out my work-week food table here)

It takes cutting out 3500calories to actually lose a pound.  Following my work week food table which cuts 300 calories on the average daily and hence 1500 (300 caories x 5 work days) weekly, it may take two weeks to lose that pound. so If I overeat weekends say about 1800 calories(most people eat more), it actually takes back 2-3days of work back from me, there by slowing my results.

Being a firm a believer of reward for work, I still support reward days, mine is Saturday and it sort of strengthens me and gives me a day to look forward to…While its ok to relax a bit, overdoing it may just take back the progress.

What to do?

Always eat Breakfast: IM not saying you should start your day with a big piece of burger, no, Im saying eat a regular breakfast, to be safe, eat a low fat breakfast so that youll have space for junk in your calories consummation and its going to be a looong day. Plus breakfast reduces the urge to munch everything in sight

Plan your meals: if there is any time to plan your meals, it has to be weekends. Know by Friday what you want to eat through your weekend and make it available. Keep healthy food around you so even if you go on a mindless munch spree, at least it will be healthy. Stock up your fridge with fruits and veggies as well

Plan ahead. If you're headed for a party or out to dinner, eat less that day and/or power up your physical activity

Out with the Junk: Toss out unhealthy food, if you are going to be at home, you cant have a pack of sneakers lazying about, it will end up in your stomach. do not have it around!

Ask for the smaller Size: when the Small or large question comes, ask for  Small, I know it’s a reward day but a smaller cup of ice cream doesn’t make it any less of a reward

Exercise – no matter how small, just do it, even if it just a 30s squat, youll need the extra burn

Keep Busy! – find something to do, if not, the boredom will make you think you are hungry

The one Treat rule! – it’s a reward day, only allow yourself just one reward, don’t go on a marathon Junk Consumption

Its usually good to get in a lot of exercise on weekends since you have the time and you don’t even have to go to the GYM, you can burn a significant amount of calories by doing this

Goodluck this weekend,

Leave your comments, tell me what you think!

Weightloss9ja Food Timetable: How to Lose Weight with Nigerian Food

When i tell people this is fattening or that is, it is usually followed by "Ahn ahn, so what should we then eat".
plus alot of people give regular "cant food healthy food at work" excuse so i have decided to tell you what i eat, perhaps you can pick from it. I'm one of those that believe you can eat anything so long as its in the right proportion.
 Should you eat a slice of chocolate cream cake everyday? no...Should you starve yourself? no- I'm saying there is a balance between these two extremes and you have to find it. I Wont lie to you and say i dont do occassional Sharwama's, I do, but the key word here is OCCASSIONAL.
 While I wont give you a "cast in stone" food table, given the inequality in each of our situations, i will tell you what i ate last week and i'll try to keep it as realistic as possible so its easily available and CHEAP to follow. Keep in mind that this is a work-week food table, I eat breakfast and lunch at work(i Buy my lunch most times) and Dinner when i get home.

	Breakfast	Lunch -	Dinner
Monday	- Two slices of Wheat Bread and jam  -a cup of ginger Tea(2 cubes of sugar) = 280 calories	Vegetable and boiled egg =280 calories	- Sweet potato and 1 fried egg = 320 calories
Note			The sweet potato can fill you up without the eggs, save calories

I'm fortunate to work where there is always Slice bread around the corner, you can buys yours small size and keep for perhaps 2-3 days. Regular tea would also suffice for Breakfast. also note that without the jam/butter you'll be saving 100 calories, making the breakfast only 180.

you are probably wondering WTH the lunch combo is, I wanted protein and vegetable minus the carbs. Alternatively, you can have this with Turkey or fish (not fried o), the Vegetable fills me up and i found out i dont need rice or swallow to support. But if you have to, you can support this with just 1/2 cup of rice or a FIST size of "swallow" if you like

Fry just one egg, put in all the "putables" mixed veg(N500only for a full pack), onion, pepper, etc and your 1 egg will look like 2

	Breakfast	Lunch -	Dinner
Tuesday	-Oat -2 cubes of Sugar -A Glass of milk = 345 calories	Lunch - Moi Moi and Fried Fish = 400 calories	- Sauced Spagetti and boiled turkey = 400 calories

if you are fortunate to get hot water, then oat is always an option plus its CHEAP. Note that i count everything, including sugar cause they all matter
Lunch - I know! i cant find sensible boiled fish everywhere here jor. there are both wonderful source of protein
Dinner- a serving of spagetti is 1/4 of the bag

	Breakfast	Lunch -	Dinner
Wednesday	- Two slices of Wheat Bread and jam  -a cup of ginger Tea(2 cubes of sugar) = 280 calories	Beans and egg = 400 calories	1 pack of noodles and mixed Veg = 400 calories
		*no oil

just a pack of noodles,with carrot, tiny chopped garlic, sometimes greenpea, sweet corn etc, they are all in a N500 mix veg pack. my Noodles ends up looking like 2 packs

	Breakfast	Lunch -	Dinner
Thursday	-Breakfast - Milo flakes, milk and Sugar = 400 calories	Vegetable and boiled egg =280 calories	Fish Peppersoup = 200 calories

i recently grew an addiction for milo flakes #coversface....its a whole grain cereal tho, so it qualifies for healthy right?. Anyways, you can substitute with a healthier cereal. Remember, the serving size is one cup

	Breakfast	Lunch -	Dinner
Friday	-Oat -2 cubes of Sugar -A Glass of milk = 345 calories	Vegetable and beans = 300 calories	Boiled Plaintain and stew = 300 calories

on the Average, A woman should consume 1500 calories daily to maintain your current weight, a man 2500. The diet above is about 1200 give or take which is about -300 from daily requirement and still healtyhy
. look at it this way to lose 1 pound, you have to drop 3500 calories, either from exercising or meals. foll0wing this meal plan you will lose about 2pounds in 3weeks without even realising you are on a diet.

if on the otherhand, this is too slow for you, look through the diet and hand pick the ones with the lowest calories for your weekly diet and also try this
no jam/butter with your bread,
replace full milk with skimmed milk
reduce or take out completely sugar
replace rice or spagetti with the wheat version
no fried food
At this rate your would lose atleast 1 pound a week ( which is unhealthy o! I don talk my own).

my next post will be dedicated to what to do on weekends

Till then,
Try not to eat until your belly shows the map of the food,

Leave a comment ,Tell me what you think, you can also suggest healthy meals as well ;)

Just a laugh!

lol.............................................I laughed so hard, i almost pissed my pants!



Sorry to digress :)

My top 5 Favorite Exercises

Hi guys, sorry ive been Mia recently, got a lot of things coming in at the same time.  This week we will talk about exercises.

I recently made up my mind to include more exercises in my daily routine as opposed to just sneaking it in, which includes

running up the stairs when I go to the office (5^th floor),

walking as fast as possible everytime I use my Legs

sitting up straight all the time, Pulling in my belly and Holding for 8-10 seconds, I do this so often, it has become a habit

Read more on how to sneak in exercise into ourbusy Nigeria Lifes,

These little exercises, though has helped a lot, it is suddenly not enough, I need more results!. Now im nt talking about dumbells, or running shoes, infact Driving to the gym for me sometimes can be a lot more work than working out itself, the cost sef fit make person jump off bridge.

Im talking about Bodyweight exercises! Still with the lack of motivation to go to the gym, I searched for gym alternatives and found it. These bodyweight exercises typically do not require the use of outside machines and equipment, meaning that they can be performed at home or in an area without a gym, virtually anywhere and at any time, I even do them at work. Your body becomes the tool, and the best part, you only need 15-30mins to get the same result you would for 2hours in the gym.. Who needs a gym when there’s the living room floor ehn? These gym people sef ?! Now I wake up in the mornings and workout for 15mins or evenings when I get back from work

Check out My Fav exercises

Wall sits

Who needs a chair when there’s a wall? Slowly slide your back down a wall until the thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure the knees are directly above the ankles and keep the back straight. Go for 60 seconds per set (or however long it takes to turn those legs to jelly). Either this or Just good old Squat. I love this cause I can watch TV while doing it.

 Lunge: Stand with the hands on the hips and feet hip-width apart. Step the right leg forward and slowly lower your body until the right knee is close to or touching the floor and bent at least 90 degrees. Return to the starting position and repeat with the left leg. Try stepping back into the lunge for a different variation. Another front of TV exercise.

Inchworm: Stand up tall with the legs straight,. Keeping the legs straight (but not locked!), slowly lower the torso toward the floor, and then walk the hands forward. Once in a push-up position, start taking tiny steps so the feet meet the hands. Continue bugging out for 4-6 reps.

Bicycle: Lie down with knees bent and hands behind the head. With the knees in toward the chest, straighten the right leg first (just little above the floor, but not resting on it) with the left knee still bent to your chest. Then retract the right leg just as the left leg straightens. Its just like readying a bike horizontally

Sit ups: there is a strong debate for and against sit ups but it remains one of my favs. Lie flat, knee bent, belly in, arms across the chest and pull yourself up to your knee using your stomach muscles, hold for about 2 seconds, then lean back until you are almost touching the ground, hold for 2 seconds, and pull back up, Exhale when coming up into the sit-up position and breathe in on the way back down. If you still haven’t mastered doing it by yourselves, you can find something to hold your legs.

Honestly, these exercises aren’t the easiest, but you can do it. Start small and build up, I started doing just 5-10 of each, now ive got it whipped ;)


dont forget to tell me your thoughts! 

The right way to climb Stairs!

 You probably didn’t know there was a right way and a wrong way to climb stairs

  

Most of us go out of our way to avoid stairs, so first, I will give you reasons why you should go out of your way to look for stairs, then I will tell you how to climb.

·        It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs.

·        It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we're forced to work and the more calories we burn.

·        It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness.

·        It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy.

·        It actually flattens your Belly

·        It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise.

·        It can easily be mixed with other exercises, like walking, skipping and weight training, to maximize results and stair climbing workouts are easy to build progression into.

·        It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level.

·        Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength.

·        It is low impact and safe for the knees (providing correct technique is used and a preexisting condition doesn't exist)..

How to Climb

You probably didn’t know there was a right way and a wrong way to climb stairs, did you?  Typically you just put one foot on the step in front of you, lean forward on your toes, and lift the other foot off the ground to advance to the next step.  WRONG!  You will probably have knee problems if you continue climbing stairs this way.  Instead, stand up straight and push off of your instep – NOT your toes – using the larger hip and thigh muscles to lift you to the next level.  As these muscles become more accustomed to being used, they will become stronger and more supportive, and it will be much easier for you to climb stairs.  Then, skip the elevator, and climb the stairs whenever you can..  You don’t need a stairclimbing machine to get a workout if you learn to climb properly! So get to climbing peeps!

lose weight at a buffet

Cook: How many pieces of roasted chicken do you want?
Me: How many do you give per person?

It was almost like a party every afternoon, a big hall, world continental buffet, appetizer and desert, how a company would feed its staffs this much and still make profit eludes me.  It was a 2weeks temporary job I took and every lunch hour was a feast, I would see food had only eaten in my dreams, lovely meals with names that the alphabet can’t spell, a dream come true. My first day at lunch hall went like this…

“Let me have the Spanish casserole, with the minced meat sauce and Chinese rice...ok no! Please replace it with that red thing, duck chili sauce? Yes and errmm…is that afang soup? You know what, just give me a little of everything…Thank you"

All these things spell “CALORIES!!!” but mehn, I had lost all the power and will to resist, na once is a life time o and the menu changes every day. No wonder when I first stepped in, I thought I had fallen into Giant Island, everyone looked so big! Except I wanted to change my week wardrobe within a week I either had to stay away from this hall or find a way around it.  I can’t tell you hold your breath every time you go for lunch, but I can give couple of “been there, done that” that works if you are fortunate/unfortunate to work with companies that feeding is their primary objective

Eat Breakfast: people that skip breakfast are often more vulnerable when faced with a mountain of food. Eating breakfast may reduce your hunger later in the day, which may make it easier to avoid swallowing the buffet table. Also choose a healthy breakfast.

Eat desert first: like the company I worked for, fruits or yogurts are usually in the mix, try eating your apples, yogurts first, it would fill up this space in your stomach and make you feel less hungry

Avoid fried: anything that has fried as a preface is a “no no”

Target the vegetable: if there is a vegetable option, go for it, it will help you fill up easily

Portion/plate size: a smaller plate will make you think you are eating more, a larger plate will make your plate look empty, so if you have an option use a smaller plate, remember it’s not about what you eat, it about the size of what you eat. Eat just a little, remember, there is always a tomorrow

Water Water Water! Try to take loads of water, the less inclined you’ll feel to eat more

Indulge once in a while: pick a day that you’ll allow yourself to eat without the guilt; it will give you a day to look forward to

Make healthy choices: do you have roasted potato and bread roll on the menu?, pick potato, fried or roasted fish, roasted is better, subtle changes can go a long way

Avoid a buffet if you can, but instance when you have no choice the least we can do is be smart about it. So go forth and eat and remember, all you can eat does not translate to all you SHOULD eat.

Tell me what you think, leave a comment...