Helpful Tips

These are my biggest weight loss tips for now that I would like to share with everyone. I hope they will help you out!

1.  Stay away from pre-packaged process foods! Especially the "diet" snacks like bars, cookies, candies, sweetened or fruity yogurts, etc.  If it says, "low fat" or "sugar free", etc.-- I GUARANTEE YOU it has a lot of something else. For example, when they remove the sugar, they add more fat and vise-versa. Also many of them are far too high in carbs and sodium (most are made from flour, rice, corn or potato) and contain a lot of "flavor substitute" chemicals. All of which will slow or STOP your weight loss.  Please stick to fresh meats and non-starch vegetables, as much as possible.

2.  Beware of fruit and fruit juices! Although many people consider fruit "healthy", it generally is packed full of natural sugars, which can raise insulin and cortisol, making it impossible for you to burn fat or lose weight. Keep in mind, ONE raw apple contains 19 grams of sugar. And one Snickers candy bar contains 20 grams of sugar.  So eating a whole apple is basically the same (sugar wise) as eating a Snickers! The same is true for many other fruits.  And fruit juice? Its even worse. Put it this way-- it takes 4 apples to make one small glass of apple juice.  That means a small glass of apple juice is the sugar equivalent to eating 4 Snickers candy bars! How can you lose weight consuming that much sugar? Again, the same holds true for other juices.  And remember-- this is WITHOUT any added sugar. Yes, we are talking only the sugars that naturally grow inside the fruits, on the vine. So even if the bottle says "Sugar Free" or "No Added Sugar", turn it over and look at the sugar content. They may not have ADDED any sugar. But when you read the nutrition label, you will see there is still a high amount of naturally occurring sugar. You won't lose weight drinking fruit juice, or other juices.

3. Drink plenty of water! What do you think happens to all the fat you lose? Where does it go? Well generally, it is turned to liquid and processed through your kidneys, then you urinate (pee) it out. You've GOT to keep those kidneys clean and flushed out so you can pee out all that fat. Actually for this reason,you will lose weight faster by drinking more water. If you don't you could clog things up, and end up with kidney stones, or other kidney problems.  Remember, water is your friend during weight loss.

4. Watch out for those sodas! A regular can of soda contains 39 to 40 grams of sugar! that is basically the same amount as 2 candy bars.  Wow. And even if you drink diet soda, the sodium is pretty high. Sodium makes you retain water and bloat. Plus all those chemicals can slow or stop your weight loss.  Not good.

5. Be careful of packages flavorings and sauces/condiments! Things like ranch mix, taco seasoning, gravy mix, Asian flavor packs, etc., can contain flour, corn starch or even sugar! And of course, Ketchup and BBQ sauce are packed with tons of sugar.  Same with a lot of marinades and other sauces.  Its better to use herbs, spices and marinades that you make at home, without the naughty stuff added.