Ignite the Fat Furnace: How I Lost 11kg in 4 Months

"You mean I have to start taking those pills for life, doctor? I think I'm too young to be a pill popping coffin boffin."

In early March - a week after I was discharged from hospital and slapped with a long list of prescriptive drugs, I decided to improve my overall health. On the exact date of my birthday, I was officially diagnosed with diverticulitis, high blood pressure. Gout also made a comeback.

The prospect of popping pills for life was too grim and so, on my birthday, I promised myself that my increasingly sedentary lifestyle has got to give.

I started out by walking to work in the morning for 3 days a week. Work was about 3km away from home. This was dubbed "the Perpetua Walk" after a friend whose morning walks inspired me.

Not a brisk walk by any measure but just a lazy stroll, if you may, to help me get used to the idea of being in motion.

Once I got the hang of it after a month, I started incorporating jogging after work, each time for half an hour. Again, nothing too strenuous. Just an easy, slow jog. The kind of jog where I can still talk while running. I do this about 2 times a week, on a weekday.

As soon as I got the hang of it, I added into the regime running longer distances during the weekends. The more consistent I was at it, the better my stamina and speed.

I learned that for folks in the mid 30s like yours truly, the most important thing is not exactly weight loss, but staying healthy. Weight loss will come in naturally and eventually as a bonus.

After 2 months since the regime started, I was faced with a weight loss plateau. The plateau in weight loss is demotivating and can be crushing. But it happens and it's inevitable. My weight stayed stagnant for three weeks. Within those three weeks I even upped my runs to 4 times a week and included 2 half marathon distance runs. Still it refused to budge. But persistence is key. Finally the plateau broke and weight started decreasing again. As the weight shed, it revealed a healthier me. And that is what matters.

I also learned that watching what I eat and drink is more important than exercising. I used to use an app - MyFitnessPal - to actually count calories and try my best not to exceed my recommended calorie intake for the day.

These days I no longer use the app but just watch what I eat. Smaller portions each time. For lunch I prefer vegetables and fruits. I don't eat rice for lunch.

I also stopped eating red meats totally (due to my gout condition) but chicken remains a must. I started telling people I'm a pollotarian, much to their annoyance. I drink strictly plain water even when eating out. Boring I know. But I do not want to run risk of another debilitating gout attack. I find that sugar in drinks triggers them. So far in these 4 months I have not had another attack.

I watched my weight go down from 87kg to currently 76kg. But more importantly I feel better and more energetic.

If You Need To Lose Weight Fast, Here's Some Tips And Suggestions To Perhaps Flatten The Belly

There are numerous approaches to individual weight loss goals.

Losing too much weight too rapidly, or through unhealthy means, can actually damage your body and your objectives.

This handful of pointers will help you to experience rapid weight loss as fast as possible through healthy methods.

Lift Weights

Among the best pointers for quick reduction comes right out of the health club.

While it is important to obtain your cardio workout, it is likewise essential to raise weights.

Muscle has to burn calories, and fat, to enhance and reconstruct. The more muscle you construct, the more fat that you will burn.

Add Cardio into Your Day

If you want to lose weight rapidly, you need to start adding additional cardio into your day-to-day regimen.

You have to include additional movement to help you to burn more calories throughout the day.

If you work in a building, take the stairs rather of the elevator. Take the long way around to your destination if you are walking around the structure.

These extra steps will add up in time, and will help you to see faster results.

Cut Sugars and Fatty Foods

You need to cut bad foods from your diet plan if you want to slim down and for example, to lose belly fat fast.

They merely bring your development down, including additional calories to your everyday diet plan.

If you are seeking quick results, you have to cut out all junk foods, and all forms of soda pop.

These include calories to your diet, and will make it impossible for you to enjoy a healthy process for getting fit.

Consume a good Breakfast

Previously I discussed free helpful information available on the internet for realizing metabolism burning fruits and veggies before bed and at breakfast.

I say, "Consume," because I associate the word with 'enjoy', and if you desire to lose weight as fast as possible, you must have a healthy breakfast.

Consuming and enjoying a nice breakfast will assist to get your metabolism burning hard in the day.

This will assist you to burn more calories over the course of a day, assisting you to reach success.

Drink Water

Drink water when you feel hunger setting in. In some cases, the body is thirsty, and will offer you a signal by making you feel hungry.

You might grab a bite to eat due to the fact that you feel hungry when in reality, all you needed was some water.

These simple ideas are not going to cause you to lose 15, 18, or so pounds of weight in one week, of course not.

These quick tips will provide you the tools that you need to have your goals reached as quick as you can in a healthy and lasting way.

By altering some of your many fundamental daily routines, you can slim down faster than those who depend on crash dieting and fad dieting.

Losing too much weight too quickly, or through unhealthy ways, can really damage your body and your objectives.

This handful of tips will assist you to see success that you desire and as quickly as possible through healthy means.

Again, if you really want rapid weight loss, you need to start including additional cardio as well as some weight lifting-- even if light weights, into your day-to-day regimen.

If you desire to reach your goals as quick as possible, remember to take in and enjoy a nice breakfast.

That said, I hope these suggestions were good 'food for thought', if you will, and will give you the focus you need to get in top condition.

(Please note, I also suggest searching the web for further helpful hints on perhaps burning metabolism, and best diet choices as a mindful or mental focus approach.)

To being fit and a healthy you!

If You Don't Try You Will Never Know

Since the dramatic government interventions of the 1970's which labelled fat as the enemy we have seen dramatic and alarming blow out in many health problems.

Obesity, autoimmune conditions, diabetes to name a few plus the massively increased diagnosis of childhood allergies and AHDD and the huge increase in autism and Asperger's syndrome.

All of these serious problems aside the general populations of developed countries tend to be overweight, in pain and exhausted, and the wrong diet information is largely still being used to solve these, and in most cases making it worse.

Of course demonising fat wasn't directly responsible for all of these, it was the catalyst.

By cutting down of fat, something else had to fill the void, and it wasn't fruit and vegetables, it was processed carbohydrates of all kinds.

Most of these carbohydrates are derived from grains which have been genetically modified and sprayed to death with roundup. To say we are not affected by these is a blatant lie. There are already legal actions against roundup linking it to forms of leukemia and Parkinson's disease plus scientists have identified another 35 diseases which are tracking in exactly the same way, which included auto immune illnesses.

My recommendation to people who are suffering any of the above mentioned conditions is to slide into change with a 30 introduction to wellness. Nothing dramatic just adding a little and subtracting a little.

Admittedly this does fix big problems but it does set you up for further change. Some who have had enough will want to jump right into a more advanced change.

The goal is to eat no sugar and no grains. We increase quality saturated from meats, nuts, certain oils and avocados. The net result can be a dramatic improvement in a variety of health parameters. I did this myself for and had blood tests before and after to track my results.

In short I reduced pain, lost 4.5 kilos or about 11 pounds, cleared up a lifelong flaky scalp and slept better and had more energy, plus I improved my cholesterol ratios in spite of eating butter and coconut oils!

I don't know what you will experience but if 15 years and hundreds of thousands of people deriving benefit from such a diet is anything to go by you to will feel better.

Nobody can ever predict the outcome of dietary change, because we are all individuals with individual lives and problems, but if we continue with the low fat high carb model, which has been described as the biggest failed human experiment in our history.

I Want To Get Rid Of My Belly for Summer - What Do I Do?

As an endurance athlete folks often ask for advice as if I were some sort of personal trainer guru. I don't mind, in a way it's a complement and a testament to my physical condition and health. Not long ago, I was asked by a gal at Starbucks, who happened to be sipping on a 780 calorie Frappachino with whip cream, and extra pumps of syrup and drizzle. I was polite but firm, I didn't want to pretend what she was doing right at that moment was part of her problem with obesity. Let's talk, you see, this is the advice I gave her;

First, I hate to recommend this because I know it will be hard at first, but you have to ditch the bread, except multigrain wheat, and go easy on that even. If you drink sugary drinks or juice ditch those, sodas, cut down to only two a day. Pasta noodles, stop the flour noodles. Use real butter never margarine. Cakes, cookies and ice cream only one time per week, and try not to overdo it. Cereal -- go multigrain on that too, hot cereal, honey and cinnamon, no sugar. Y

You can eat unlimited fruits and vegetables, no limit, no juicing of fruit, only blended leaving the fruit fiber, if you have a favorite fruit juice you can mix in there. Add all the super foods into your diet, try to stay under 2500 calories per day. Walk 3.2 miles per day, then when you feel you are getting lighter, every other or third day double up on the 3.2 miles, one in morning one in evening, this way we don't blow out your knees.

Fill your refrigerator with all the Super Foods, add Tumeric spice and black pepper to your diet, if you want to use salt, don't, put those two instead in combination, this prevents inflammation, and some of that could be what you think is belly fat but isn't. Read up on Diabetes, and whatever the best foods are for onset diabetes add those into your diet too. Too many years of living outside your BMI especially with all the crap they put in foods puts you into the high-risk category. Only eat grass fed beef, or you need to take K-2 vitamin for a supplement.

And for heaven's sake - chill out on those 500+ Frappachino drinks every day - how about once a week or the small size every other day? Think on this.

I Can't Lose Belly Fat, Why?

If you can't lose belly fat, you're going to want to know why. After all, excess belly fat, apart from looking unsightly, can cause a number of serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

There are 3 main reasons why you can't lose belly fat. You can choose to ignore them and do nothing about it, or you can start taking action today and begin you journey to healthier, fitter, and ultimately, a happier you.

1. You're Eating A Poor Diet

A diet of processed and fast food is not good for you. The odd treat now and again is OK, but if you're regularly eating processed and fast food, you will not lose that unwanted fat around your waistline. A healthy diet consists of foods that are high in protein and low in simple carbohydrates. These include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein like chicken, turkey, tuna, fish and eggs.

Also, the type of food you eat is not the only reason that you can't lose belly fat. How much you eat, in other words, portion control, is also important. One trick many people use is to put food on a smaller plate. It tricks your mind into thinking you're eating more than you actually are.

2. You're Not Doing Any Exercise

A major contributor to the difficulty of losing belly fat is an inactive lifestyle. Regular exercise will help you lose unwanted fat. But, don't worry, that doesn't mean you have to sweat it out in the gym for hours everyday. There are many different exercises that you can do. You just have to find the ones that you enjoy doing.

Simple activities such as walking, jogging or swimming will start burning off excess fat. Try different activities, schedules and frequencies so that you can do exercise that you will enjoy. If you keep to a regular routine, and start to eat a healthy diet, you should start to see results in a couple of weeks.

3. You've Got Bad Genes

Your genetic makeup is the hardest to manage. If your body builds up belly fat based on your DNA structure, all you can do is try to control it the best you can through a healthy and balanced diet and regular exercise.

But don't be tempted to blame all your excess belly fat on your genes. The amount of fat in your body is also there because of the food you eat and the amount physical activity that do, or don't do, on a regular basis. It will mean you'll have to work a little harder to lose your belly fat than other people to see the same results, but it can be done through persistence and commitment.

Do you want to know more on how to get a flat belly? Are you confused about healthy eating and do you want to know the best workout techniques to get the results you want? For nutritional tips, the best exercise programs, fitness motivation and the whole recipe for fat loss with safe