Weight Loss & Diet Plans

Sunny, warm weather wouldn't be the same without cooling off with an ice-cold beer. If grabbing a beer is your go-to beverage but you're trying to stick to a healthy diet, it's important to know the calorie counts of common brands. Check out this list of a few of the highest- and lowest-calorie beers so you can choose the one that's right for you. High-Calorie Beers Samuel Adams Boston Lager: 180 calories Guinness Extra Stout: 176 calories Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 176 calories Pete's Wicked Ale: 172 calories Anheuser-Busch Ice Pale Lager: 171 calories Harpoon IPA: 170 calories Heineken: 166 calories Long Trail: 163 calories Killian's Irish Red: 162 calories Molson Ice: 160 calories Related: Drink These Beers If You're Trying to Lose Weight Low-Calorie Beers Budweiser Select 55: 55 calories Beck's Premier Light: 63 calories Miller 64: 64 calories Amstel Light: 95 calories Anheuser-Busch Light Pale Lager: 95 calories Michelob Ultra:...

If you're looking to lose weight, it's time to skip the cold cereal and start enjoying a comforting bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It's backed by science: A small study found that those who ate oatmeal daily for six weeks had a greater decrease in cholesterol levels and waist size than those who ate the same amount of carbs in noodles over the same time period. It's proof that you can have your carbs and eat them, too! It keeps you satisfied: There's no need to reach for an unhealthy convenience snack in the morning when you've got oatmeal on your side; it offers the calories and fiber you need to stay satisfied all morning long. Unlike sugary breakfast cereals full of refined carbs, the body digests oatmeal at a slower pace, keeping blood sugar levels steady, energy up, and hunger away. Related: 12 Odd Weight-Loss Tricks That Work It helps you time carbs right: When it comes to weight loss, celebrity trainers Bob Harper and Gunnar Peterson agree: y...

If you care deeply about your health and want to try a new and delicious food that can help you drop a few pounds, you're going to want to pick up a bag of hemp hearts. These are raw hemp seeds that have the hull or shell removed, leaving a small, soft and chewy, mild-tasting, nutty seed that's easier to digest than hemp seeds. Here are three reasons these tiny gems are not only super nutritious but, as a bonus, can also help you reach your weight-loss goals. Tiny Seeds, but Huge Protein! A three-tablespoon serving of raw hemp hearts offers a whopping 10 grams of protein - and hemp seeds offer all nine essential amino acids , making it a complete protein that's also rich in iron, magnesium, and zinc. Protein helps keep energy and blood-sugar levels stable, which helps prevent cravings for high-calorie treats. Since a couple hours between meals tends to be a common crash time, adding hemp hearts to your oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, sprinkling them on your lunchtime sa...

Have you been working out, eating right, losing weight - then suddenly you hit a wall? Perhaps you've been doing all the right things and still not seeing any results. This plateau might feel like a dead end in your weight-loss journey, but there's hope in the form of new research. Related: 1 Way to Hit Your Weight-Loss Resolution Every Month Last week, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) published a 13-week study with new research about subjects they call "non-responders." The conclusion: you need a personalized balance of cardio and strength training to see results. If you suspect you are a "non-responder" and your body isn't budging despite your healthier choices, you're not alone. A separate study from the Cooper Institute found that many people - "20 to 45 percent of some populations," according to a press release - are in the same boat. ACE's study suggested that "considerable heterogeneity" in exercise can le...

As we age and our metabolisms slow, it's easy to pack on a few pounds without realizing it. But a new study has found that making consistent changes to your eating habits can lead to big weight-loss results over time. Related: The Magic Protein Formula For Weight Loss The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , followed the dietary habits of over 120,000 people for 16 years and found that those who ate foods that had a high glycemic load (which includes refined grains, starches, and sugars) gained more weight than those who ate foods with a low glycemic load (foods such as nuts, dairy, and certain fruits and vegetables). This isn't surprising or new; other research has shown that going lower on the glycemic index (GI) scale will help you lose weight . What is interesting in the new study, however, is that other key habits can mean the difference between pounds on the scale. Check out what else the researchers found about weight gain and loss: Th...

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 Tasty Breakfast Recipes That Also Promote Weight Loss from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1tB2Lrx

Would you rather have a chocolate truffle or glass of wine? How about a warm cookie out of the oven, or a zesty margarita? Let's talk about sugar and alcohol: two things that have been somewhat demonized in the wellness world yet are still big parts of many of our favorite indulgences. A good glass of wine or a delicious piece of cake is a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet; they can contribute to your overall sanity when you're eating clean! But sugar and alcohol themselves - generally speaking - are not really healthy substances you want in your diet. So is there a lesser of two evils? Related: Beat Your Food Cravings With These Tips We noticed that there's a bit of controversy over which is worse. Sugar can be like a drug and create an addiction that can lead to major health problems. The same can be said for alcohol - it's a toxin and is difficult for the liver to metabolize . Both can significantly contribute to weight gain. While some trainers suggest ...

If you're no stranger to the struggles of trying to lose weight, the solution might be a few tweaks to your regimen. We enlisted the expertise of three nutritionists - Stephanie Clarke, RD, and Willow Jarosh, RD, of C&J Nutrition , as well as Mitzi Dulan, RD, author of The Pinterest Diet: How to Pin Your Way Thin and CLIF Bar nutrition partner. Check out what they say are the biggest mistakes most people make when trying to slim down. Related: A Step-by-Step Guide to Reaching Your Goal Weight The Workouts That Help You See Weight-Loss Results Faster Start Losing Weight Now With These 100 Tips from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1uks82K

"I want to eat healthier" is a common goal we all share, so here are 10 changes you can make to your diet to help you feel more energetic and less bloated and to support your immune system and your weight goals. Don't feel like you need to make every one of these changes all at once. Choose one or two that seem the most doable, stick with those for a week or two, and make the other changes as you feel ready. Eat veggies at every meal: If you only eat veggies at dinner time, this tip is for you! Include veggies at every meal , even breakfast. Try mashed beans in your oatmeal or cucumber in your smoothie . And instead of snacking on processed carbs like crackers, go for carrot chips to satisfy crunchy, salty cravings. Include protein, fiber, and healthy fats at every meal: This is the magical trifecta to help you feel full and satisfied and to stabilize blood sugar levels. Choose lean proteins, whole grains, produce, and legumes for fiber and avocado, nuts, seeds, a...

We recently learned all about the power of counting macronutrients and why it's so much more efficient (and healthy!) for your body than simply focusing on a calorie count. By focusing on carbohydrates, protein, and fat, you can better optimize your diet for your physical and personal needs, whether you're boosting your metabolism, cutting fat, or building muscle. Many of us want to know what it takes to lose weight, right? What's the optimal diet for weight loss and fat cutting? What does that day look like? Our macro-counting expert, wellness coach Carrie McMahon , breaks it down for us and shows that slight adjustments can make huge differences in weight."[Counting macronutrients] is a concept that is fairly new to most women," said Carrie. And just like LISS workouts , macro counting has "existed in the bodybuilding world for years, but it can be applied to real, everyday life." Related : Why You Should Be Counting Macros, Not Calories Counting m...

Have you heard of the GOLO diet? To be frank - none of us at POPSUGAR Fitness had heard this term until Google shared their top diet searches for 2016 . . . and "GOLO Diet" was at the top of said list. We had a collective "wait, what?" moment, before frantically researching to see what this was about. Related: Real Women Share How They Lost 25 to 100 Pounds - Without Calorie Counting First stop: find the experts (aka, chat with our dietitian friends). They must know something about it, right? Well, RD and MPH Lisa Eberly had "No idea . . . I work with 70 RDs who chit chat all day long about new diets and research, and I've never heard it come up." Interesting. We found that "insulin resistance" was a term that came up often with "GOLO diet," so we asked Lori Zanini, RD and certified diabetes expert. "Honestly, I have never heard of it until right now . . . I have never had any clients that have tried it." Lori also men...

While excusing yourself from sugary celebrations is no fun, neither is dealing with a post-sugar-binge hangover. And on top of it, the more sugar you eat, the more you crave - it can take a few days to weeks to get over an addiction to refined sugar once you start. Not only that, but studies have shown that eating too much refined sugar can speed up your body's aging process . If you know you can't resist sweet temptations, read on to learn nutritionist-approved strategies that will keep you on the right track. Related: Stop the Sugar Bomb! How to Blend a Weight-Loss-Approved Smoothie Take Our 30-Day Squat Challenge Choose wisely: If you're going to indulge, go for seasonal sweets that you know you can't get when it's not the holidays. "You can have chocolate any time of the year," says registered dietitian, nutritionist, and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Tamara Melton. Go for a seasonal dessert you crave all year, like a treat fr...

Our next Before & After story comes from Amanda Fraijo-Tobin, who blogs about life after losing 130 pounds on her blog Friday Love Song , which is part of our POPSUGAR Select Fitness network. Below, she shares how she lost the weight and how she keeps it off. Amanda: Before Growing up, I wasn't severely overweight - sure, I had a pudgy stage, but a lot of people did! My weight wasn't something I thought much about being a kid (as it shouldn't be). My parents had good intentions, like most, but we certainly did not grow up eating very healthy. Snacks, soda, meals prepared without nutritional aspects considered. Soda became a very bad habit for me, especially as I got into my teens and didn't have anyone stopping me from drinking so many. Fast-forward to high school - like most high school girls, I thought I was fat. Even though, in retrospect, I clearly wasn't. I didn't let it consume my life, though I was a little on the chubby side (so I thought) and ...

Chock-full of protein, eggs are a quick and easy way to get this essential nutrient anytime of the day. From omelets in the morning to quiche at night, you may be shying away from the yolks to save calories and cholesterol. The yolk may contain all the fat, but it also contains most of the vitamins and nutrients. Take a look at the comparison below to see what you may be missing when you only eat the whites. 1 egg white 1 egg yolk 1 whole egg Calories 16 54 71 Total fat (g) 0 5 5 Saturated fat (g) 0 2 2 Cholesterol (mg) 0 211 211 Sodium (mg) 55 8 70 Carbs (g) 0 1 0 Fiber (g) 0 0 0 Sugars (g) 0 0 0 Protein (g) 4 3 6 Vitamin A (IU) 0 244 244 Vitamin B12 (mcg) 0 0.3 0.6 Vitamin D (IU) 0 18.2 17.5 Calcium (mg) 2.3 21.9 26.5 Folate (mcg) 1.3 24.8 23.5 Potassium (g) 53.8 18.5 67 Selenium (mcg) 6.6 9.5 15.8 Omega-3s (mg) 0 38.8 37 Related: Meet the Easiest Low-Carb, Protein-Pac...

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...

The behind-the-scenes effort it takes to become a bikini competitor is insanely hard and takes more willpower than just choosing a salad over fries to go with your burger. I spoke with Taylor Chapman, an ACE-certified personal trainer, who has four competitions under her sequined bikini bottoms, and she shared just what it takes to hit the stage in heels, a skimpy two-piece, and a spray tan. Preparing for a competition takes about three to five months, depending on how in shape you are. Taylor says if you're already in good shape, working out three to five times per week, it should take about 12 weeks. If you're not, you're looking more at 20 weeks. "You also want to be sure to allow enough time to lose the weight in a healthy manner, aiming to lose at most two pounds per week." Related: A Look at What 1 Professional Ballerina Eats All Day Strict doesn't even begin to describe her meal and workout plan. Take a look at what she eats in a day. If it's n...

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

You're trying to lose weight, so you pack a salad for lunch. But by 2 p.m., you're famished! In order for a lunch to be filling and help you lose weight, experts say to eat between 20 and 30 grams of protein and at least eight grams of fiber. These under-500-calorie lunches are perfect! Related: 22 Tasty Breakfast Recipes That Also Promote Weight Loss from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1SKICZO

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...

Get energized with the power of plants! These vegan breakfasts offer protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied all morning, which can prevent the mindless snacking that leads to weight gain. The chocolate coconut almond overnight oats and the sweet potato and kale tofu scramble are must-try recipes! Related: 4 Weight-Loss Rules For Your Morning Meal Hold the Butter and the Eggs, Please: 50+ Vegan Dessert Recipes Giving Up Dairy Changed My Body in So Many Surprising Ways from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2h9r0JY

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it's also the place that can make or break you on the weight-loss front. If you're on a quest to slim down, do these 10 things in your kitchen. Make fruits and veggies as accessible as a bag of chips: Wash, cut up, and store produce such as grapes, melon, kiwi, strawberries, carrots, peppers, and celery in reusable containers in the fridge so they're easy to grab. Make sure they're right up front at eye level so they're the first thing you see when you open the fridge door. Prepare a big container of salad: Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill you up so you eat less of the main course, but preparing a salad every night takes so much time that it's tempting to skip out. Ensure you get a bowl of greens every night by making an enormous bowl of salad at the beginning of the week. You're sure to eat a salad with dinner if it's already made - just scoop out a bowl, top with vinaigrette, and enjoy....

When Oprah Winfrey teamed up with Weight Watchers last year , we knew she was going to take her goals seriously. She believed in the program so much that she bought 10 percent of the company for $43.2 million and now we are amazed at how much it's paying off. Oprah is giving us all the hope and motivation we need to start the New Year by revealing that she lost over 40 pounds on Weight Watchers and not once felt like she couldn't eat what she loved. "I've eaten everything I love, tacos, pasta, I've never felt deprived," she says in the video above. In the two new advertisements released by the company, Oprah speaks out about finding a balance between living her life and eating the foods she enjoys - and that no one should have to pick one or the other. It's the first time Oprah's spoken about exactly how much weight she's lost , but now, she's boasting the big number with a huge smile on her face (and with a glass of wine in hand). Check...

If getting greens in your diet is always a struggle, then we're here to help. Adding more vegetables to your meals comes with a bevy of benefits - like getting essential vitamins and minerals, fighting off illness, having more energy, and even losing weight. Step one to all these great perks? Eating more greens! Here are some super sleuth (and super simple) ways to get more green into your body every day. Related: These 19 Healthy Spinach Recipes Will Give You All the Energy All Day Add a green to each meal. Throw arugula or kale into your breakfast scramble , add a side salad to your lunch, snack on brussels sprouts chips midday, and cook up some broccoli at dinnertime. Try one new veggie each month. Confession: I didn't try brussels sprouts until after college - my mom never made them, so I never ate them. A friend of mine had never eaten green beans until she ate dinner with my family once. Most of us eat foods that we're most familiar with, based on our parent...

Like most people trying to lose weight, I listened to the experts. Instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I started scheduling meals and snacks so I was eating five or six times a day. This worked out to noshing on something every couple hours - 7 a.m. breakfast, 9 a.m. snack, 12 p.m. lunch, 3 p.m. snack, 5:30 p.m. dinner, and sometimes a late-night snack. The purpose was to ensure my hunger was satiated to prevent feeling so famished at each meal that I'd overeat. But then I realized I was eating all day long and never feeling hungry. I was also not losing weight. I was watching the clock instead of listening to my body. So which is better? When I asked certified dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD of Whole Health Nutrition to answer that question, she said, "It's better to eat when you are hungry. This is the concept of mindful eating." Every time you go to put something in your mouth, ask yourself if you are hungry. She also adds that it's import...

The weight-loss goal is easily the most popular New Year's resolution of all time. Gyms flood in January , and markets are cleared out of their healthy staples like kale and quinoa. Then sometime around early February, no one remembers what a New Year's resolution even is , let alone what they're doing for their weight-loss goals. Related: 9 Things to Cut Out in 2017 to Be Healthy The best way to approach this? Make yourself a strategy. Use one of these tips for each month of the year and fill out your calendar for 2017 with what you plan to do, January through December. These weight-loss tips have been proven to be effective - and they're impossibly simple to implement. One month you'll be drinking more water, and the next trying new veggie recipes - but the common theme throughout the year is that you'll be hitting your weight-loss goals. Try these 12 tips in 2017 to have your most successful year yet . . . and don't forget about that gym membership y...