Weight Loss & Diet Plans

You CAN do it. Look through the above gallery to see this bride's amazing transformation If you're looking for a reason to avoid skipping the gym today, this weight loss story is just for you. Imgur user TeaInAWineBottle recently opened up about her inspiring weight loss journey after saying "I do!" to her husband 13 months ago. The bride recalled only "being told what a beautiful FACE I have" on her special day, which she says did not make her feel good. "I spent the majority of my life being severely overweight. My turning point came on my wedding day; I felt disgusted after seeing the pictures and so began my journey," she wrote. "No nutritionist, no trainer, just pure drive and self hatred. I AM FINALLY HAPPY TO LOOK IN A MIRROR," she declared. Since marrying her high school sweetheart, the bride says through "rigorous dieting and daily workouts," and even running in a marathon, she is now the smallest she has ever ...

If you're sipping on a smoothie in the morning to lose weight, don't just throw a million healthy ingredients into the blender and hope for the best! It needs to follow this formula for weight loss . You can stray from the formula a little, but aim to keep it between 300 and 400 calories, and it should offer 13 to 20 grams of protein, at least six grams of fiber, 40 to 55 grams of carbs, 10 to 15 grams of healthy fats, and try to keep it under 36 grams of sugar. Sounds complicated? Just follow one of these recipes and it's easy (and delicious!). Related: This Is Exactly What You Need to Eat For Breakfast to Lose Weight Add These to Your Smoothie to Drop Major Pounds from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2gg6v1m

You're sick of hearing that eating smaller portions and exercising are the key to weight loss. Find out what else works - these may sound weird, but give them a try! Related: Start Losing Weight Now With These 100 Tips from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1PLqOyn

I've written twice before about the Instant Pot, an electronic pressure cooker that helps make healthy food in a time-efficient manner ( 1 , 2 ).  At some point, I'll write another review of my Instant Pot, but the gist is that it still works flawlessly and looks sharp after more than four years of frequent use.  Here are a few of the reasons why I like it so much: It increases my efficiency in the kitchen, especially with beans, beets, artichokes, and bone broth.  It's automatic, so you can do something else while it works. It's durable.  The inner pot is stainless steel without a nonstick liner, and the gaskets are silicone.  The whole thing has a solid, quality feel. It replaces multiple bulky kitchen items.  It isn't just a pressure cooker, but also a steamer, slow cooker, and rice maker.  The latest version is also a yogurt maker. Today only, Amazon is offering the Instant Pot on deep discount.  If you're considering getting one, today ...

When I started making smoothies instead of eating an enormous bowl of cereal for breakfast, it was the change I needed to start losing weight . But one ingredient in particular was the real game changer. Liquid meals can feel less filling than you need them to be. In order to make a liquid meal that keeps hunger at bay for hours, you need to add fiber. I started adding one tablespoon of flaxmeal to my blender. With just 37 calories, it adds two grams of fiber and three grams of filling fat. What is so great about flaxmeal is that when it gets wet, it expands, which makes your belly feel more full and makes it take longer to digest. Once I started adding this one simple ingredient, I didn't feel hungry until lunchtime, when normally I'd need to reach for a mid-morning snack. Skipping those 150 calories every day started to add up, and suddenly the scale started to budge. This would probably work with chia seeds , too. Try it tomorrow when you make your morning smoothie and s...

Did you know you can use the first meal of the day as a tool to lose weight? Want to know how? We've enlisted the expertise of two nutritionists - Stephanie Clarke, RD, and Willow Jarosh, RD, of C&J Nutrition - to share the perfect equation for how to make a scrumptious and satisfying breakfast that will help you lose weight. Follow their advice below to start seeing results. Calories Aim for a range between 300 and 400 calories. If you're trying to lose weight, stick with the 300 to 350 range, and if you're trying to maintain weight, especially if you're working out, shoot closer to 350 to 400 calories. Related: I Started Saying "No" and Began Losing Weight Carbs About 45 to 55 percent of your breakfast calories should be devoted to carbs, which is about 40 to 55 grams of carbs. Skip sugary and overly processed foods or those made with enriched white flour, and choose whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Protein About 15 to 20 percent of your bre...

I don't really want to share half-naked selfies of myself with the world, but I feel compelled to. Because after years and years of working out four to six days a week, running and training for half-marathons, sweating it out in yoga classes, and eating healthy, I have finally caught a glimpse of the kind of transformation I have been wanting ever since I can remember. And it's only been one month. Before This might sound like a PSA, but so what? I really do owe it all to CrossFit. I had been wanting to try it for years but through two pregnancies, working, and taking care of my two young kiddos, I just felt like I couldn't carve out the time. It was kind of a lame excuse, actually, and I realized it was high time to make the time and do something for me. So on Mother's Day 2016, I bought myself a $250 On-Ramp course for CrossFit. No it's not culty, yes the workouts are frickin' hard, and yes, the community support really is amazing and was the key to my su...

Sam was working out five to seven times a week, teaching class at her blossoming studio Cycle & Row in Michigan, and prepping to compete on Jillian Michaels's new show Sweat Inc. Still, she couldn't shed the last 15 pounds she'd been holding on to. "You know your body better than everyone else, and I knew I was bigger than I needed to be. I was thicker than I needed to be," Sam recalled. Sam had little success with dieting in the past and decided not to go at it alone this time. Instead, she linked up with Ricki Friedman, health coach and creator of Break the Weight , to determine what was holding her back. Since Sam was already incredibly active, her major lifestyle changes needed to happen in the kitchen. In a little over three months and without making a single change to her workout routine, she lost 15 pounds. Related: 80 Pounds Down and Cancer-Free: How Zumba Saved This Woman's Life A self-described "good eater," Sam dealt with quanti...

Before trainer Kit Rich became a Pilates instructor to the stars (and healthy-lifestyle ambassador for brands like Lucy ), she was just a woman trying yet another crazy, extreme, or unhealthy diet in order to lose weight. "I tried everything," she recently told us, adding that she also suffered from eating disorders and body dysmorphia. "I was desperate to lose weight. So I would do, like what most women do, those freaking crazy juice diets. I would do all these extreme things, but it always brought me back to the other extreme." Related: 30-Minute Fat-Burning Pilates Workout After years of yo-yo dieting, Kit finally hit on her problem: she was working out in a way that wasn't sustainable. Her solution was one that helped her lose 30 pounds and one that she still shares with her students today, whether she's teaching a private class in LA or going on tour with a musician client. Her tip? Make it manageable. Specifically, Kit says that her mantra of ...

This year's trendy diet is actually not a diet at all. The DASH diet, which the US News and World Report routinely marks as the best overall diet every year, is actually a healthy-eating plan that includes sensible rules to cut salt, fats, and sugar and upping fruits and veggies in order to lower bad cholesterol levels and possibly lose weight. If you're ready to try the diet that everyone's talking about, read on for DASH's highlights. Related: This Macro-Counting Formula For Weight Loss Is the Tool We've Been Missing What Is the DASH Diet? DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in order to help people lower blood pressure. While it's not a diet that promises rapid weight loss, many people do find success in dropping pounds slowly while following the DASH diet by cutting out the types of high-sugar, high-fat foods that aren't allowed on the diet. How to Do the D...

Losing weight takes a lot of sweat and discipline, but even when you're not powering through a treadmill interval workout or counting calories, there are a lot of simpler ways to see those pounds drop on the scale. Employing these 10 little tricks daily will help you lose weight, no gym or diet required. Related: Health Advice I Wish I Could Have Given to My 20-Year-Old Self Always start a meal with a glass of water: You'll stay hydrated and feel fuller instantly, which can help keep you from overeating. Make a few simple swaps at every meal: Going for a vinaigrette dressing instead of a Green Goddess dressing at lunch can save you 80 calories, while opting for fresh fruit instead of dried can save you dozens as well. Get a list of simple swaps to save calories here . Have a piece of dark chocolate for dessert: Instead of opting for the cookies in the break room, quiet your sugar cravings with a piece of dark chocolate. It may not feel quite as satisfying the first f...

Image credit: Evan Amos Thanksgiving is a special time in the United States when we gather our loved ones and celebrate the abundance of fall with a rich palette of traditional foods.  Yet a new study suggests that the 6-week holiday period that spans Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve accounts for most of our country’s weight problem ( 1 ).  Understanding this fact, and why it happens, gives us powerful insights into why we gain weight, and what to do about it. Elina Helander, a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University of Technology in Finland, and her colleagues set out to answer a simple question: how does a person’s body weight change over the course of the year?  To find out, they used internet-connected scales to collect daily body weight data from nearly 3,000 volunteers in the United States, Germany, and Japan.  After crunching the data, a striking pattern emerged: no matter what you celebrate, at any time of year, the holidays are l...

First thing's first: we aren't suggesting you diet on Thanksgiving. Enjoy yourself and the rewards of a meal that takes hours to prepare. But when you consider how easy it is eat your way well over the 2,000-calorie mark on dinner alone, it doesn't hurt to make a few small changes in your cooking. And we're not talking changes that involve dry, skinless turkey breast or a dessert the size of a thimble. These six changes will shave hundreds of calories off your Thanksgiving meal without skimping on taste. Related: Related: The Playbook on How to Pig Out But Still Stay Fit on Thanksgiving 1. Be One With Brine No need for a fat-laden butter rub to impart flavor and moistness! Instead opt to brine or smoke your bird . If you're short on time, try this easy herb-roasted solution that uses heart-healthy olive oil. 2. Choose Spuds Wisely Forget russets! Make your mashers with yukon gold and yellow finn potatoes instead. These smaller varieties are naturally cream...

From personal experience, I can tell you I have a food beast that lives inside me, who lives dormant until mid-November, at which time she comes out of hibernation and destroys all food in her path. She can't stop or slow down until sometime around December 31, at which time she returns to her state of slumber until the following holiday season (and at that point, I return to my protein-smoothie-loving, kale-salad-eating self). Who here can relate? Does Thanksgiving send you on a downward, eggnog-coated spiral into an inescapable food-infused cave from which you cannot escape? Apparently self-control (when it comes to holiday food) is not my forte, and if you can relate, you'll love these tips we put together with help from our expert dietitian (and Tone It Up 's go-to gal) Lori Zanini, RD, CDE . These tricks are simple, easy to implement, and essentially foolproof at taming the foodbeast within. Related: 8 Scary Things That Happen to Your Body After a Holiday Food Fes...

You've been trying to lose weight , but haven't had much luck because you're not sure how to get started. Even one small change can offer big results and here are over 40 ways to make it happen. Related: 29 Hacks For Weight-Loss Success Start Losing Weight Now With These 100 Tips Why It Took Me 5 Years to Lose 40 Pounds - Don't Make These Mistakes from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2gbSfaj

We asked Alicia Keys's and Pink's personal trainer Jeanette Jenkins (also known as The Hollywood Trainer) what advice she might have for a beginner on their fitness journey. She gave us an awesome (and challenging!) five-minute beginner workout and also warned us about the biggest mistake newbies make: not changing their eating habits. "I would love to be able to say you can just ignore what you eat, but you can't." "Not eating healthy is the classic, number one beginner mistake," she said. "They'll get in there [to the gym], work their ass off, and won't pay attention to calorie intake." She said her clients will become frustrated and come to her saying, "'But I'm not losing any weight!'" Jeanette said, "I would love to be able to say you can just ignore what you eat, but you can't." She also noted that "There's a very small, small percentage of the population who just has a ridiculous...

A Mediterranean diet yields a number of health benefits, and it's been recently confirmed to be the best for weight loss. Based on five Harvard Medical studies , this diet is the most effective for shedding pounds in comparison to a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet, and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet. Heavy in fruits, vegetables, grains, olive oil, and beans, and low in meat, dairy, and eggs, the Mediterranean diet is also beneficial for your heart, eyes, and brain function. Related: The Diet That Keeps You Young Nine-hundred-ninety-eight overweight trial participants who lived on the Mediterranean diet for a year lost between 9 and 22 pounds. Both the low-carb and ADA diet had similar results, while those on the low-fat diet lost between 6 and 11 pounds. Although the article doesn't determine a single diet that's ultimate for weight loss, it does conclude that the Mediterranean diet would be the closest option because of its heart-healthy benefits. Whether ...

I started running after college to lose that freshman 40 I was holding onto. I learned a lot along the way, like what socks prevent blisters and how to shop for a sports bra so you don't have to wear two . But what I struggled with was losing weight, specifically belly fat . And after 15 years of running and experiencing two pregnancies, that still-pudgy pooch - although a sweet reminder that I was my kids' first home - was always the thing I pinched and poked when standing in front of a mirror. Related: Giving Up Dairy Changed My Body in So Many Surprising Ways So I signed up for a half marathon. I was convinced that all those training runs would surely slim my middle, but when I stepped on the scale, I was completely wrong. I was gaining weight because the hunger that came with those long workouts made me want to eat all the time . After the race, although I made some changes to my eating schedule to lose the weight I'd gained during training, my squishy belly wasn...

If you're looking to sip away the pounds, juice cleanses may not be the best idea . Smoothies, however, could be your best-kept weight-loss secret: the blended beverage offers you tons of nutrition as well as protein and fiber to help keep you full until your next meal. Whipping up a smoothie for breakfast will further help you rev up your metabolism first thing in the morning, so here are 12 smoothies to fill you up as the scale ticks down. Related: 22 Breakfast Recipes That Can Help You Lose Weight from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1tB2Lrx

Anyone who watches This Is Us knows that Kate, played by Chrissy Metz, has been working hard to lose weight and her journey has become an interesting storyline on the show. Metz recently explained that her onscreen weight struggle is a "parallel" to her life; in fact, losing weight is part of her contract for the show . Metz plays a 30-something struggling with her weight, just as she is in real life, and agreeing to lose weight on paper was not only exciting for the actress, but also incredibly motivational. "In our contract, it did state that that would be a part of it, to lose the weight in the trajectory of the character as she comes to find herself," she told TV Line . "That was a win-win for me. Because it's one thing to try to do it on your own. But as human beings, it's an ego thing: We're more likely to do something for someone else." While you might be shaking your head and wondering why Metz would agree to this, she explained tha...

For anyone on a diet, Thanksgiving can be a pretty stress-inducing holiday. Anxiety sets in as you wonder if your plate has hit the 2,000-calorie mark or if you should to take that second helping of mashed potatoes, knowing they contain butter and cream. Guess what? It's OK to take that second helping. Thanksgiving is a one-day event, which means it can be sandwiched between a routine of healthy eats and workouts. While you shouldn't treat the day as an eating competition, it's definitely the time to let go of any guilt you may have based around food. So take a breath, give yourself a break, and enjoy the holiday. The last thing you want to do is deprive yourself, which can often be a catalyst for overeating later. Our advice? Start the day off with one of these healthy, high-protein breakfasts , fit in a morning workout if you can, and then enjoy all that homemade goodness when dinner rolls around. Come Friday, if you're feeling like you went a bit too overboard, y...

If you're constantly doing crunches to get a six-pack, you may be going about things the wrong way. Trainer Autumn Calabrese , creator of the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme fitness and nutrition programs, shares four effective tips to help you fight belly fat and keep it off. We love that these are basic, fundamental tips that anyone can incorporate into their lives. Eat Whole Foods Calabrese is all about fueling your body with proper nutrients through all-natural "whole foods you recognize." We're talking fresh produce, whole grains, and lean protein. For breakfast, she recommends steel-cut oatmeal with almond butter and strawberries. And for snacks, instead of reaching for crackers or chips, nosh on fresh fruit and veggies. Stay Focused Calabrese told POPSUGAR that it's so important to remain consistent with your exercise and nutrition. "By exercising three to five days per week and eating healthy, you can help fight belly bulge," she said. ...

Have a sluggish metabolism? Fight back by doing these things throughout your day to boost your metabolism from morning till night. Choose these every time you eat: Sounds crazy, but the chewiness of fruits, veggies, and whole grains makes your mouth work harder, and the high-fiber content also takes more energy to digest, which combined adds up to a 10 percent increase in calorie burn . Choose these foods in their whole, natural state to reap more of the metabolism-boosting benefits. Lean protein, too: Protein also requires more energy to digest while keeping you feeling full and satisfied, so be sure to include this essential nutrient in every meal and snack. Drop and give me 20: Right before every meal and snack, get on the floor and do 20 to 50 push-ups (choose the amount for your strength level). Short bursts of exercise can lead to an afterburn of 200 calories throughout the day , and lean muscle also burns more fat. Related: Boost Your Metabolism in Just 20 Minutes ...

Tens of thousands of people have taken on the Whole30 program , a monthlong clean-eating program that promises a bevy of health and emotional benefits. Developed by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig , a husband-and-wife team with backgrounds in sports nutrition, anatomy, and physical therapy, the program aims to reset your metabolism and reshape your relationship with food. After a co-worker read the essential Whole30 text, It Starts With Food , and took on the challenge, I was interested to see what all the hype surrounding this monthlong "diet" was really about. What Can I Eat? On the surface, the Whole30 menu looks a lot like the Paleo diet (low carb, high protein), but think of it more as an elimination diet, except there's no 80/20 balance either - no cheating, no indulgences for one month. For one month, it completely strips away "hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups," considered to be grains, sugar, dairy, alcohol, and legumes. Equa...

Are you finding yourself counting calories, sticking to your numbers, and even still not seeing results? The problem might be not about the number of calories, but the kind of calories. We chatted with certified personal trainer and nutrition coach Carrie McMahon , author of the e-book Why You Should Count Macronutrients, Not Calories . With a life revolving around calorie counting and uncontrollable cheat days (sound familiar?), McMahon was stuck in a restrict-and-binge cycle that she couldn't seem to escape. She soon realized that in order to make a change in her health, she needed to change her approach to food - so she ditched the calorie counting in favor of a less mainstream concept: macronutrient counting. "Macronutrients are what make up the caloric content of a food," says McMahon. Sometimes referred to as "macros," the three categories of macronutrients are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. The caloric combination of the macros is where that mysterio...

It may not be a secret that the best way to a six-pack is a healthy diet (even if it's no diet at all ) and regular exercise, but there's a right way and a wrong way to a flat belly. Read on for the ultimate guide to getting flat abs. Related: Your Arms and Abs Will Transform After This 2-Week Challenge from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1Ahl5Vr

Let me preface this by saying that, in general, losing weight is no easy feat. Add Latin culture - deliciously salty and carb-filled food , family members who don't understand dieting, often unrealistic body and beauty standards - into the mix, and it can feel like an uphill battle that arroz con pollo and asados are endlessly trying to derail. Know the feeling? Read on for the totally real struggles I've faced in my own personal weight loss/maintenance/just-trying-to-be-healthier journey as a Panamanian American with very persistent relatives, and a deep love for tacos. Then, take a scroll through some delightful guilt-free recipes . from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2a4Qnik

If you want to lose weight, you've got to work smarter, not harder, and that's why weight-loss hacks can make all the difference. Just add a few of these into your routine and you'll start seeing results with minimal effort. Related: Before and After: How 1 Woman Lost Half Her Size from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1O6qAww

Between its metabolism-boosting powers and ability to prevent colds, green tea is a miracle in your mug. While there are several reasons to sip it each day , many wonder if one glass alone can provide you with the acclaimed benefits. Before you go to town guzzling, learn if it's possible to have too much of a good thing (the results may surprise you). If you find yourself drinking a cup or two of green tea a day, you're doing things right! Dr. Zuo Feng Zhang , a cancer epidemiology researcher at UCLA, and the University of Maryland Medical Center recommend two to three teacups (not mugs) a day, which will prove beneficial to your health. However, drinking up to five cups a day has been shown to decrease risk for stomach cancer. In fact, if you're trying to lose weight and to boost your metabolism, the best results have been seen with drinking seven cups a day (this study, though, has not been tested directly on humans). Additionally, many other medical studies have sh...

Losing weight is a journey made up of a million healthy choices we make each day. So keep these 100 tips in mind to continue on that healthy path, little by little. Related: What to Do All Day Long to Lose Weight Fast from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1vHR826

It's not just for preschoolers! Snack time is important for adults, too, because it can satiate hunger between meals to prevent overeating and help you lose weight. Snacks can also be a way to get valuable nutrients you're missing from meals alone. But not all snacks are good ones. We've enlisted the expertise of two nutritionists - Stephanie Clarke, RD, and Willow Jarosh, RD, of C&J Nutrition - to share the perfect equation for how to choose a delicious and filling snack that will help you reach your weight-loss goals. Follow their advice below to start seeing results. Calories Aim for two 150-calorie snacks each day. Think of them as ways to fill nutrition holes in your diet, such as getting your fill of fiber or a boost of calcium. Carbs Anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of your calories at snack time should come from carbs, which works out to 14 to 20 grams. Choose high-fiber carbs such as fruit, whole grains, and starchy veggies like peas, corn, sweet potato, pu...

Whether you exercise because you want to lose weight, or are just trying to be as healthy as you can be, there are guidelines to follow that will help you get to where you want to be. And while diet plays a major part in a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly is a major part of the equation. What's your workout goal? Read on to see how many hours you should be spending on moderate or vigorous exercise every week. If you want to . . . Lose weight : Creating a calorie deficit that results in weight loss is hard work. Most recommendations say that to lose weight, you must exercise for at least an hour a day, five times a week . The type of exercise matters, too. The FDA says that the best way to exercise for weight loss is the kind that gets your heartbeat up, so light-intensity exercise - like walking or doing some household chores - won't contribute very much. Related: The Workouts That Help You See Weight-Loss Results Faster Maintain weight loss : Studies from the Ame...

If you're looking for a way to burn more calories with little effort, you've come to the right place. We've got over 27 simple ways you can boost your body's fat-burning potential, all day, the easy way. - Additional reporting by Michele Foley, Lizzie Fuhr, and Jenny Sugar Related: Boost Your Metabolism in Just 20 Minutes from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1yjH6G7

Once Fall weather rolls in, it means having to navigate a season's worth of holidays typically based on one thing - eating. It all starts with pumpkin-flavored baked goodies , moves on to bite-size chocolate morsels , then to an entire day devoted to preparing, cooking, and eating a day's worth of calories in one sitting. Then comes December with crispy latkes and those adorably shaped, irresistible iced sugar cookies and more eating. Then, of course, there's the final holiday devoted to sipping cocktails and Champagne. Before trading in your jeans for some fancy, stretchy yoga leggings, certified dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD of Whole Health Nutrition has five tips to help you enjoy the holidays without expanding your waistline. 1. Save Room For Dessert A slice of warm apple-coconut crumb pie with ice cream, those signature peanut butter kiss cookies , a classic cup of creamy eggnog - there are so many amazing desserts to look forward to this time of year....

The 80/20 principle is no diet - it's a lifestyle change that can lead to sustainable weight loss. Folks who have suffered on rigid, limiting diets in the past find that this new rule teaches them about balance and moderation, a concept that never exists in a fad diet. When you practice 80/20, you have the space to go out socially and enjoy a meal (or a cocktail!) with friends, but most importantly, it makes the whole clean-living thing feel doable for the long run. The breakdown is simple: 80 percent of the time you focus on eating clean , good-for-you foods, and 20 percent of the time you have the freedom to indulge as you please. Don't be concerned about the math, but it's simple: if you eat three square meals a day, three of those meals every week are your 20 percent cheat meals; if you eat five small meals a day, then seven of those small meals are up for grabs. Related: Why It's Good to Take a Cheat Day Each Week If you're worried about loosening the rein...