I've lost approximately 80 pounds on medifast, so this article will not be your typical review of the diet. If you read any of my articles (including this one), it's pretty obvious that I'd review this diet extremely favorably, as it's worked great for me in terms of effectiveness, ease of use, convenience, taste of the food, and my ability to stick with it.
Instead of giving your standard rating, this article will focus on my observations of who medifast works best for. Many people ask me specific questions about this diet ("How Does It Work?" "How Hard Is It?", etc.) when what they are really trying to ask is "Will it work for me?" In an attempt to answer that question, I'm going to outline who I believe this diet works best for. Please note this is only my opinion based on my own observations, experience, and research. But, I've noticed that people who are successful on this diet:
Like The Convenience Of Having Decisions Made For Them: Yes, there are over 70 food choices with this diet, but I find that most people like this one because they prefer having the prepackaged foods made and chosen for them. Weight Watchers did not work for me because having so many choices (and having to calculate points myself) was a recipe for disaster. Ultimately I decided against Nutrisystem because it requires you to add your own food choices at every meal. Although I wish I had the will power or decision making skills to handle this, the truth is I don't. It's best for me if I only have to decide which "safe" choices to eat. If I'm given enough leeway, I'll only use it to make food decisions I'll later regret.
Are Able And Willing To Experiment With / Enhance The Foods: This may seem contradictory to the above paragraph, but it's really not. Before I signed on for medifast, I spent a lot of time in the forums and I noticed that the dieters who were really having huge successes enhanced the food to give themselves variety. Some ways people do this is by: adding sugar and fat free syrups to the shakes, puddings, lattes, cappuccinos and oatmeals; adding fat free cheese, salsa and sour cream to the chilis, soups, and stews; and using the pudding's dry ingredients to make muffins and cookies. This may sound like extra work, but if you consider most of the prepackaged food is grab and go or under a few minutes to assemble, you're still out the door in only a few minutes and these changes increase variety so you'll stick to the program.
Had Success With Atkins / Low Carb Diets, But Hated Them: I find that a lot of folks who are very successful on the medifast diet are those who dropped a lot of weight on low carb diets like South Beach and Atkins but eventually quit because eating meat, fats, and proteins constantly is not sustainable long term. These diets work by putting your body in ketosis and tricking it into burning it's own fat. Well, medifast works in the same way because the foods are very high in protein and low in carbs. But, you actually get to eat snack, carb, and dessert type foods so you don't really realize that you are on a low carb diet and you don't suffer all of the misery that goes with it. In my experience, you're basically getting the best of both worlds.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Average Medifast Weight Loss - How Much Weight Will I Lose on the Medifast Diet?
In this article let's address the average Medifast weight loss and see if it meets YOUR dieting targets. The simple truth is that it is impossible to really prognosticate or promise ANYONE that they will lose a specific amount of weight...and any diet that does that is not being honest! (Especially those that tell you a DEFINITE amount of weight will be lost for every "X" amount of days....very popular with some online e books of questionable quality and ethics..:-) But there ARE certainly norms and averages, and there are ALSO realistic expectations that CAN be promised if you follow the plan. With a program like Medifast, these targets are fairly easy to follow, and offer, as the diet is founded on SOUND caloric control principles.
So What is the Average Medifast Weight Loss Then?
The Medifast ad's promise 20 pounds for every 30 days is possible. Believe it or not, may exceed that number with ease. Others who are less diligent, and possibly less active to boot, should expect NO LESS than 2 pounds per week, or closer to 10 pounds per month. These are not only achievable goals, on the low side, I dare say they are relatively easy to hit as well.
More Average Weight Loss Numbers to Chew On: Medifast in a Clinical Setting:
In a clinical setting at John Hopkins Medical Center, the average weight loss of men and women on the Medifast diet well EXCEEDED 50 pounds per dieter. Wow is right! The men actually dropped MORE than 60, and the women were average a hair less than 55 pounds per person. These are indeed life changing numbers, but the kind of results any body can achieve if they follow the program the very same way. Commit to the idea of changing YOUR life, and simply use Medifast to meet, or EXCEED your goals is ALL you need to succeed - I promise!
Remember - if you HAVEN'T been able to lose weight before...it's NOT your fault! Knowledge is POWER, and the most important step on the path to a firm, fit & beautiful body is information, EDUCATION and empowerment!
So What is the Average Medifast Weight Loss Then?
The Medifast ad's promise 20 pounds for every 30 days is possible. Believe it or not, may exceed that number with ease. Others who are less diligent, and possibly less active to boot, should expect NO LESS than 2 pounds per week, or closer to 10 pounds per month. These are not only achievable goals, on the low side, I dare say they are relatively easy to hit as well.
More Average Weight Loss Numbers to Chew On: Medifast in a Clinical Setting:
In a clinical setting at John Hopkins Medical Center, the average weight loss of men and women on the Medifast diet well EXCEEDED 50 pounds per dieter. Wow is right! The men actually dropped MORE than 60, and the women were average a hair less than 55 pounds per person. These are indeed life changing numbers, but the kind of results any body can achieve if they follow the program the very same way. Commit to the idea of changing YOUR life, and simply use Medifast to meet, or EXCEED your goals is ALL you need to succeed - I promise!
Remember - if you HAVEN'T been able to lose weight before...it's NOT your fault! Knowledge is POWER, and the most important step on the path to a firm, fit & beautiful body is information, EDUCATION and empowerment!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Lose weight AND build muscle?
Ok, I’m going to answer a series of questions with either “yes” or “no.” After all the questions have been answered, I will explain.
Should I lose weight first and then build muscle?No.
If I want to lose weight and build muscle, should I wait until all of the weight is lost and then work on building muscle?No.
I have some fat that I want to lose and then I want to work on building muscle. But, my friend told me I should just work on turning my fat into muscle. Is that possible?Hell no.
There is a noticeable theme to these questions… the goal of wanting to both lose weight AND build muscle. I’ve noticed this to be the cause of a lot of confusion, so let’s get it all straightened out. Question #1 and #2 are basically the same question with a different wording. Either way, the answer is still no. Here’s why…
If you want to both lose weight and build muscle, there are absolutely no reasons to first ONLY lose weight, and then, when the weight is finally gone, first begin to build muscle.
On the other hand, there ARE many reasons to work on building muscle at the same time you are trying to lose weight. Some include:
Weight loss happens when you put your body into a calorie deficit either by eating less of them, burning more of them, or a combination of both. And, huge surprise, weight training burns calories. It might not be equal to jogging on a treadmill, but it still burns a significant amount of calories.
Not only does the actual act of weight training burn calories, but the results you get from weight training (increased muscle) ALSO burns calories. Yes, muscle literally burns calories. You know that whole calorie maintenance level thing? Well, that is the number of calories that your body naturally burns each day just functioning. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn. You don’t even have to do anything. You just build muscle, and it takes care of the rest. Adding muscle to your body really is the closest thing to a weight loss miracle.
HELLO… you start building muscle sooner! If you just sit around waiting until you lose weight before you finally try to build muscle, you will have wasted precious muscle building time. Both could have been getting done at the same time. (More on that later.)
So, to sum up, if you want to both lose weight and build muscle… you’d be pretty silly to not start off doing both at the same time.
On to question #3. The infamous “turn fat into muscle” idea. This, of course, is not possible. As mentioned above, you should start to both lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but you should also keep in mind that these are two separate things being lost and gained separately.
You’ve got your muscle, and you’ve got your fat. These are the only forms they come in. They can’t magically transform into the other. You can only gain and lose muscle, or gain and lose fat. That’s it. Those are the only tricks they do. Of course, you can lose 5lbs of fat and then gain 5lbs of muscle. But, one did not turn into the other. Case closed.
And now, one more related question:
I’ve heard that it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Is this true?Sometimes
As someone whose goal was always to both lose fat and gain muscle, I know exactly how confusing that “sometimes” answer may appear. But, it’s really not. Let me explain.
In order to lose a significant amount of fat, you have to consume less calories than your body needs each day. In order to build a significant amount of muscle, you have to consume more calories than your body needs each day. As you can see, they are counterproductive opposites. If I currently tried to do both at the same time, I would fail at both.
However, don’t give up hope. There are two groups of people that could actually succeed at doing both at the same time, and I’m not one of them. These two groups of people are:
People with “assistance.” Specifically, a word that starts with “ste” and ends with “roids.”
Beginners. It truly is an amazing thing, and you’d be just plain stupid to not try to take advantage of it. See, when you are first starting to build muscle (aka, a beginner), very little is required for it to work. Don’t get me wrong, it will still take tons of effort and the correct information, but all of the other aspects that would cause a non-beginner to fail to build muscle does not apply to the person who is a beginner. Their body will, for the most part, build muscle either way. I’ve heard this borderline miracle described as “newbie gains,” “beginner’s gains” and the “honeymoon period.” None of these are scientific terms, by the way.
You remember that whole thing I said before about having to eat more calories than your body needs in order to gain a significant amount of muscle? And that the reason most people can’t do both at the same time is because losing fat requires consuming less calories (the opposite)? Well, this doesn’t really apply to the beginner. Yes, they will need to be in some kind of calorie deficit in order to lose weight. But, because they are a beginner, this won’t stop them from building muscle as it would a non-beginner.
And it is because of this reason that a beginner is able to both lose weight and build muscle at the same time. Amazing, isn’t it?
Obviously at some point you won’t be a beginner anymore and successfully doing both at the same time will become much harder (or near impossible). But until then, you might as well pretend you have temporary super powers and just enjoy it. In my opinion, the last thing you’d want to do is have this ability and not use it. That’s why the idea of waiting until you first lose weight before trying to build muscle is… well… dumb. It would be like Superman taking the bus to Lex Luther’s hideout.
You have the ability… use it while you can. As for how exactly to do this, it’s pretty simple. Follow The Lose Weight Diet (takes care of the weight loss part of the goal) and combine it with a proper weight training routine (takes care of the muscle building part of the goal). That’s it.
(Oh, and just to clarify something… any mention of the word “beginner” in this post refers to a weight training beginner, not a weight loss beginner. You could have been trying to lose weight for 10 years and have done all kinds of cardio and been on all kinds of diets, but unless you have been weight training consistently for the last 6-12 months, you are still considered a muscle building beginner who will most likely be able to take advantage of these “beginner gains.” Even if you worked out all the time when you were in college 5 years ago, unless you were doing it over the course of the last year, you too are still considered a beginner.)
Should I lose weight first and then build muscle?No.
If I want to lose weight and build muscle, should I wait until all of the weight is lost and then work on building muscle?No.
I have some fat that I want to lose and then I want to work on building muscle. But, my friend told me I should just work on turning my fat into muscle. Is that possible?Hell no.
There is a noticeable theme to these questions… the goal of wanting to both lose weight AND build muscle. I’ve noticed this to be the cause of a lot of confusion, so let’s get it all straightened out. Question #1 and #2 are basically the same question with a different wording. Either way, the answer is still no. Here’s why…
If you want to both lose weight and build muscle, there are absolutely no reasons to first ONLY lose weight, and then, when the weight is finally gone, first begin to build muscle.
On the other hand, there ARE many reasons to work on building muscle at the same time you are trying to lose weight. Some include:
Weight loss happens when you put your body into a calorie deficit either by eating less of them, burning more of them, or a combination of both. And, huge surprise, weight training burns calories. It might not be equal to jogging on a treadmill, but it still burns a significant amount of calories.
Not only does the actual act of weight training burn calories, but the results you get from weight training (increased muscle) ALSO burns calories. Yes, muscle literally burns calories. You know that whole calorie maintenance level thing? Well, that is the number of calories that your body naturally burns each day just functioning. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn. You don’t even have to do anything. You just build muscle, and it takes care of the rest. Adding muscle to your body really is the closest thing to a weight loss miracle.
HELLO… you start building muscle sooner! If you just sit around waiting until you lose weight before you finally try to build muscle, you will have wasted precious muscle building time. Both could have been getting done at the same time. (More on that later.)
So, to sum up, if you want to both lose weight and build muscle… you’d be pretty silly to not start off doing both at the same time.
On to question #3. The infamous “turn fat into muscle” idea. This, of course, is not possible. As mentioned above, you should start to both lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but you should also keep in mind that these are two separate things being lost and gained separately.
You’ve got your muscle, and you’ve got your fat. These are the only forms they come in. They can’t magically transform into the other. You can only gain and lose muscle, or gain and lose fat. That’s it. Those are the only tricks they do. Of course, you can lose 5lbs of fat and then gain 5lbs of muscle. But, one did not turn into the other. Case closed.
And now, one more related question:
I’ve heard that it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Is this true?Sometimes
As someone whose goal was always to both lose fat and gain muscle, I know exactly how confusing that “sometimes” answer may appear. But, it’s really not. Let me explain.
In order to lose a significant amount of fat, you have to consume less calories than your body needs each day. In order to build a significant amount of muscle, you have to consume more calories than your body needs each day. As you can see, they are counterproductive opposites. If I currently tried to do both at the same time, I would fail at both.
However, don’t give up hope. There are two groups of people that could actually succeed at doing both at the same time, and I’m not one of them. These two groups of people are:
People with “assistance.” Specifically, a word that starts with “ste” and ends with “roids.”
Beginners. It truly is an amazing thing, and you’d be just plain stupid to not try to take advantage of it. See, when you are first starting to build muscle (aka, a beginner), very little is required for it to work. Don’t get me wrong, it will still take tons of effort and the correct information, but all of the other aspects that would cause a non-beginner to fail to build muscle does not apply to the person who is a beginner. Their body will, for the most part, build muscle either way. I’ve heard this borderline miracle described as “newbie gains,” “beginner’s gains” and the “honeymoon period.” None of these are scientific terms, by the way.
You remember that whole thing I said before about having to eat more calories than your body needs in order to gain a significant amount of muscle? And that the reason most people can’t do both at the same time is because losing fat requires consuming less calories (the opposite)? Well, this doesn’t really apply to the beginner. Yes, they will need to be in some kind of calorie deficit in order to lose weight. But, because they are a beginner, this won’t stop them from building muscle as it would a non-beginner.
And it is because of this reason that a beginner is able to both lose weight and build muscle at the same time. Amazing, isn’t it?
Obviously at some point you won’t be a beginner anymore and successfully doing both at the same time will become much harder (or near impossible). But until then, you might as well pretend you have temporary super powers and just enjoy it. In my opinion, the last thing you’d want to do is have this ability and not use it. That’s why the idea of waiting until you first lose weight before trying to build muscle is… well… dumb. It would be like Superman taking the bus to Lex Luther’s hideout.
You have the ability… use it while you can. As for how exactly to do this, it’s pretty simple. Follow The Lose Weight Diet (takes care of the weight loss part of the goal) and combine it with a proper weight training routine (takes care of the muscle building part of the goal). That’s it.
(Oh, and just to clarify something… any mention of the word “beginner” in this post refers to a weight training beginner, not a weight loss beginner. You could have been trying to lose weight for 10 years and have done all kinds of cardio and been on all kinds of diets, but unless you have been weight training consistently for the last 6-12 months, you are still considered a muscle building beginner who will most likely be able to take advantage of these “beginner gains.” Even if you worked out all the time when you were in college 5 years ago, unless you were doing it over the course of the last year, you too are still considered a beginner.)
The “other” weight loss food log.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one… if weight loss is your goal, one of the most important things you can possibly do is keep track of everything you eat each day.
Nothing new there, right?
The reason you’d do this is because, as you know by now, the key to a successful weight loss diet is eating the right number of calories (and getting those calories from good sources) and keeping some kind of log, list, or journal of what you eat every day is the only real way of doing this.
While I fully agree with everything above, I feel there is actually a completely different weight loss food log that should also be kept.
Like I’ve mentioned other times in this blog, most people fail to lose weight because of the mental aspect of weight loss. Knowing what to do and deciding to start doing it is easy. It’s the motivation, dedication, and will power to keep doing it, and doing it correctly, that causes most of the problems.
Keeping the type of food log I mentioned above and knowing exactly what you’re eating every day is really one of the keys for making the physical aspect of weight loss happen.
But, it does absolutely nothing for the mental aspect.
That’s why I’m proposing that everyone who’s ever had a diet setback due to a lack of will power or motivation should start keeping a SECOND log…
A log of everything you didn’t eat.
Everything you wanted to eat that day, but didn’t. Every bag of potato chips, every candy bar, every french fry, every cookie, every fast food hamburger, every can of soda, every food you wanted to eat but didn’t because you know you shouldn’t.
Each food in that log is one victory for your will power. Looking at a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly log of every piece of junk food you were mentally strong enough to keep out of your body would be nothing but motivating.
The next time your favorite junk food is just sitting there calling your name, instead of eating it, write it down. Write them all down. If you’re up to it, you can even take the time to figure out the nutritional information of it (calories, grams of fat, etc.) just to get an even better idea of the junk you just avoided eating.
As motivating as that would be, it will be even more motivating when you watch this log become smaller and smaller over time as your desire and interest in eating these types of foods gradually fade away.
Not to mention, the actual act of writing/typing the food down rather than eating it could act as enough of a distraction to make the desire to eat it just pass.
So, while adopting this idea won’t actually cause you to lose any weight, it will serve as a way of improving your will power and keeping you motivated. And, without that, you probably won’t be losing any weight anyway.
Nothing new there, right?
The reason you’d do this is because, as you know by now, the key to a successful weight loss diet is eating the right number of calories (and getting those calories from good sources) and keeping some kind of log, list, or journal of what you eat every day is the only real way of doing this.
While I fully agree with everything above, I feel there is actually a completely different weight loss food log that should also be kept.
Like I’ve mentioned other times in this blog, most people fail to lose weight because of the mental aspect of weight loss. Knowing what to do and deciding to start doing it is easy. It’s the motivation, dedication, and will power to keep doing it, and doing it correctly, that causes most of the problems.
Keeping the type of food log I mentioned above and knowing exactly what you’re eating every day is really one of the keys for making the physical aspect of weight loss happen.
But, it does absolutely nothing for the mental aspect.
That’s why I’m proposing that everyone who’s ever had a diet setback due to a lack of will power or motivation should start keeping a SECOND log…
A log of everything you didn’t eat.
Everything you wanted to eat that day, but didn’t. Every bag of potato chips, every candy bar, every french fry, every cookie, every fast food hamburger, every can of soda, every food you wanted to eat but didn’t because you know you shouldn’t.
Each food in that log is one victory for your will power. Looking at a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly log of every piece of junk food you were mentally strong enough to keep out of your body would be nothing but motivating.
The next time your favorite junk food is just sitting there calling your name, instead of eating it, write it down. Write them all down. If you’re up to it, you can even take the time to figure out the nutritional information of it (calories, grams of fat, etc.) just to get an even better idea of the junk you just avoided eating.
As motivating as that would be, it will be even more motivating when you watch this log become smaller and smaller over time as your desire and interest in eating these types of foods gradually fade away.
Not to mention, the actual act of writing/typing the food down rather than eating it could act as enough of a distraction to make the desire to eat it just pass.
So, while adopting this idea won’t actually cause you to lose any weight, it will serve as a way of improving your will power and keeping you motivated. And, without that, you probably won’t be losing any weight anyway.
The 5 Best Weight Loss Products
Weight loss doesn’t cost a thing. That’s why The Lose Weight Diet is free. There are absolutely no weight loss products that you need to buy, period.
In fact, there are actually certain products that you should purposely avoid buying at all costs. I even wrote a list detailing 10 ways to tell what those weight loss and fitness products are.
But, with all of that being said, I think there actually are certain weight loss products that you should buy. So far, I’ve conveniently come up with 5 of them, which is the perfect amount to make a pretty list out of. So, without further ado…
The 5 Best Weight Loss Products
5. Gym MembershipOk, so a gym membership isn’t really a “product.” However, it is something that can be used for the purpose of weight loss, and it does cost money. To me, that certainly qualifies it enough to appear on my list of the 5 best weight loss products. Why, what you were expecting to see here? Recommendations of diet pills and ab machines? HAHAHAHA!
Back to the list. This first recommended “weight loss product” should be no surprise… a gym membership. Working out at home would be fantastic, but most people don’t have the space or money to really provide themselves with everything they need. A gym does. Sure, maybe you can fit a treadmill in the corner of your bedroom. And maybe you can squeeze a weight bench into the basement or garage. But let’s be honest here, these options do not replace a gym.
As if that wasn’t reason enough, there is always the thought that having your home double as your gym would kind of, you know, stop you from working out. When you go to the gym, you GO to the gym. You’re away from all of your house distractions. Phone calls, doorbells, family members, TV’s, and kitchens filled with food. At a gym you’re surrounded by workout equipment and… workout equipment. The only people around you are… working out.
Not to mention, when you have the option of working out at home, you also have the option of putting off your workout until “later.” This in turn creates the option of later becoming even later, and then eventually never happening.
Working out at home seems like it would be fantastic. But, it requires a certain amount of dedication and strictness to make it work, not to mention space and money as well. My recommendation… go get a gym membership.
4. Tape Measure/Body Fat Calipers/Digital CameraYes, this is 3 weight loss products in one, but there’s a good reason for that. A subject that I bring up a lot on here is the importance of tracking your progress, and these 3 products do just that.
The reason I place so much importance on tracking your progress is because, aside from being able to see for sure if what you’re doing is actually working like you want it to, it’s extremely motivating to see cold hard numbers proving that you are getting results.
For example, a tape measure will be able to tell you how many inches you lose/gain in various areas of your body. Nothing else can do that. Yeah yeah yeah, you might think you notice your clothes fit better or feel looser, but come on… seeing the actual numbers decrease is guaranteed proof of it. It serves as a real measure of progress, and it causes the type of motivation that makes you want to keep going and keep watching that number decrease.
Body fat calipers will tell you how much of the weight you lose/gain is actually fat. Remember, your weight can change (up or down) due to fat, water, or muscle. If you gain weight but your body fat percentage stays the same (or even decreases), that will tell you that the gained weight was NOT fat. This is a good thing to know. You can find one for less than $5.00 or get a fancy digital one for $30.00.
A digital camera will act as your truly accurate memory. I’ve mentioned this before… due to the fact that you see yourself every single day, it will be very hard for you to actually see differences in your body. Obviously you’ll notice something like losing 30 pounds. But, with a digital camera, you’ll see every single difference and every single bit of progress you make. It’s motivating to look back and see how far you’ve come, and it’s just plain entertaining to look back at what you used to look like. Your memory will not be anywhere near as good as actual pictures. Trust me.
3. FoodAlright, I know what you’re thinking. What is “food” doing on a list of supposed best weight loss products? Well, maybe I should have been more specific. How about, good food? Let me explain.
Weight loss is all about calories. Whether it’s burning more of them, or eating less of them, calories control your weight. And, guess what? Food contains calories. That means if you eat the right amount of food, and eat better types of food, you will lose weight. Therefore, food can be viewed as a weight loss product. Sure, it can also be viewed as a weight gain product, but honestly, when used correctly, there is no better weight loss product on the planet than food.
2. Digital ScaleThe reason I didn’t lump this one in with the other weight loss tracking methods in #4 is because I wanted to include a little bit of extra explanation. First of all, I was really thinking of making this one just “scale.” After some extensive thought (about 15 seconds worth), I decided to go with digital scale. Yes, I have a good reason for it.
Your old fashioned bathroom scale just doesn’t cut it anymore. Don’t get me wrong here. As far as tracking your weight, it will do. But, I think if you’re going to take the time to weigh yourself on a regular basis (I recommend weekly), I say go for the best way of doing so which to me, is the digital scale.
Trying to see if the dial is nearer to the 0 line or the 5 line while standing on the scale is borderline torture. Not to mention, it could ruin the accuracy of tracking your progress. You’re not losing or gaining 10 pounds a week. You body is changing 1 pound at a time, sometimes even just half a pound at a time. If you can’t tell exactly what your weight is (and I mean EXACTLY) because you are unable to line up the stupid line with the stupid number on the stupid dial, then you can’t tell if what you’re doing is or is not working.
And as a huge fan of progress tracking, I think this is something you need to know.
Enter the digital scale. It will clearly print the numbers. Big, clear numbers. There will be no need to call a family member into the bathroom to help you figure out what your weight is. But even more important than that is the fact that most digital scales will give you your weight in half-a-pound increments. The good ones will go even smaller than that.
This may not seem so important now, but when you’re watching your weight slowly decrease each week, there is a big difference between seeing 200lbs two weeks in a row, and seeing 200lbs one week, and 199.5lbs the next. Progress is progress, but a digital scale will show it to you better and more accurately than an old fashioned analog scale will.
And if anyone is wondering, I use a Tanita brand digital scale that I bought in 2004 for $30.00.
1. Digital Food ScaleThis list isn’t really in any order. If it was, food would probably be #1. However, I purposely went out of my way to put digital food scale at #1 because I wanted it to stand out a little extra. This will honestly be one of the most useful purchases you’ve ever made. This is actually the item that gave me the idea to write this list in the first place. I bought a new food scale a couple of months ago, and I can’t emphasize enough just how useful it really is.
First of all, it’s extremely small, extremely light and extremely easy to operate. It won’t be a problem to store, and it won’t be hard to use. You put the food on it (cooked, raw, whatever), and it says what it weighs. That’s it.
But now you might be wondering what exactly makes this one of the 5 best weight loss products. You know what your food weighs… but so what? I’ll tell you what. You take that food weight, enter it in on a (free) web site such as a Calorie Counter and guess what it tells you? Exactly how many calories and grams of protein, carbs, fat (and more) you are getting from that EXACT amount of food. Knowing this information is the absolute key to weight loss.
Sure, some foods have their nutritional information right on them, but what good is that unless you’re eating exactly 1 serving size? And even then, how do you even know if you’re eating 1 serving size? Look at the back of some foods. Serving sizes are measured in grams and ounces. It just so happens that a digital food scale will tell you how many grams and/or ounces your food weighs. So really, whether there is or isn’t nutritional information right there on the food… a scale would still be needed.
And I’m not telling you this as though it’s my guess. I weigh out most of my food. I know just how useful it is. It takes a second and it lets me know exactly how much I’m eating that meal and that day. Once you know this information, you can make your weight do whatever the hell you want it to do.
I use this $30.00 Salter Kitchen Scale. I seriously rank it up there with my computer and TiVo as the three most used items in my house.
So, there’s what I think are the 5 best weight loss products. Like I mentioned at the very beginning, weight loss is free. You don’t have to buy any of these things. But then again, you’d be better off if you did.
In fact, there are actually certain products that you should purposely avoid buying at all costs. I even wrote a list detailing 10 ways to tell what those weight loss and fitness products are.
But, with all of that being said, I think there actually are certain weight loss products that you should buy. So far, I’ve conveniently come up with 5 of them, which is the perfect amount to make a pretty list out of. So, without further ado…
The 5 Best Weight Loss Products
5. Gym MembershipOk, so a gym membership isn’t really a “product.” However, it is something that can be used for the purpose of weight loss, and it does cost money. To me, that certainly qualifies it enough to appear on my list of the 5 best weight loss products. Why, what you were expecting to see here? Recommendations of diet pills and ab machines? HAHAHAHA!
Back to the list. This first recommended “weight loss product” should be no surprise… a gym membership. Working out at home would be fantastic, but most people don’t have the space or money to really provide themselves with everything they need. A gym does. Sure, maybe you can fit a treadmill in the corner of your bedroom. And maybe you can squeeze a weight bench into the basement or garage. But let’s be honest here, these options do not replace a gym.
As if that wasn’t reason enough, there is always the thought that having your home double as your gym would kind of, you know, stop you from working out. When you go to the gym, you GO to the gym. You’re away from all of your house distractions. Phone calls, doorbells, family members, TV’s, and kitchens filled with food. At a gym you’re surrounded by workout equipment and… workout equipment. The only people around you are… working out.
Not to mention, when you have the option of working out at home, you also have the option of putting off your workout until “later.” This in turn creates the option of later becoming even later, and then eventually never happening.
Working out at home seems like it would be fantastic. But, it requires a certain amount of dedication and strictness to make it work, not to mention space and money as well. My recommendation… go get a gym membership.
4. Tape Measure/Body Fat Calipers/Digital CameraYes, this is 3 weight loss products in one, but there’s a good reason for that. A subject that I bring up a lot on here is the importance of tracking your progress, and these 3 products do just that.
The reason I place so much importance on tracking your progress is because, aside from being able to see for sure if what you’re doing is actually working like you want it to, it’s extremely motivating to see cold hard numbers proving that you are getting results.
For example, a tape measure will be able to tell you how many inches you lose/gain in various areas of your body. Nothing else can do that. Yeah yeah yeah, you might think you notice your clothes fit better or feel looser, but come on… seeing the actual numbers decrease is guaranteed proof of it. It serves as a real measure of progress, and it causes the type of motivation that makes you want to keep going and keep watching that number decrease.
Body fat calipers will tell you how much of the weight you lose/gain is actually fat. Remember, your weight can change (up or down) due to fat, water, or muscle. If you gain weight but your body fat percentage stays the same (or even decreases), that will tell you that the gained weight was NOT fat. This is a good thing to know. You can find one for less than $5.00 or get a fancy digital one for $30.00.
A digital camera will act as your truly accurate memory. I’ve mentioned this before… due to the fact that you see yourself every single day, it will be very hard for you to actually see differences in your body. Obviously you’ll notice something like losing 30 pounds. But, with a digital camera, you’ll see every single difference and every single bit of progress you make. It’s motivating to look back and see how far you’ve come, and it’s just plain entertaining to look back at what you used to look like. Your memory will not be anywhere near as good as actual pictures. Trust me.
3. FoodAlright, I know what you’re thinking. What is “food” doing on a list of supposed best weight loss products? Well, maybe I should have been more specific. How about, good food? Let me explain.
Weight loss is all about calories. Whether it’s burning more of them, or eating less of them, calories control your weight. And, guess what? Food contains calories. That means if you eat the right amount of food, and eat better types of food, you will lose weight. Therefore, food can be viewed as a weight loss product. Sure, it can also be viewed as a weight gain product, but honestly, when used correctly, there is no better weight loss product on the planet than food.
2. Digital ScaleThe reason I didn’t lump this one in with the other weight loss tracking methods in #4 is because I wanted to include a little bit of extra explanation. First of all, I was really thinking of making this one just “scale.” After some extensive thought (about 15 seconds worth), I decided to go with digital scale. Yes, I have a good reason for it.
Your old fashioned bathroom scale just doesn’t cut it anymore. Don’t get me wrong here. As far as tracking your weight, it will do. But, I think if you’re going to take the time to weigh yourself on a regular basis (I recommend weekly), I say go for the best way of doing so which to me, is the digital scale.
Trying to see if the dial is nearer to the 0 line or the 5 line while standing on the scale is borderline torture. Not to mention, it could ruin the accuracy of tracking your progress. You’re not losing or gaining 10 pounds a week. You body is changing 1 pound at a time, sometimes even just half a pound at a time. If you can’t tell exactly what your weight is (and I mean EXACTLY) because you are unable to line up the stupid line with the stupid number on the stupid dial, then you can’t tell if what you’re doing is or is not working.
And as a huge fan of progress tracking, I think this is something you need to know.
Enter the digital scale. It will clearly print the numbers. Big, clear numbers. There will be no need to call a family member into the bathroom to help you figure out what your weight is. But even more important than that is the fact that most digital scales will give you your weight in half-a-pound increments. The good ones will go even smaller than that.
This may not seem so important now, but when you’re watching your weight slowly decrease each week, there is a big difference between seeing 200lbs two weeks in a row, and seeing 200lbs one week, and 199.5lbs the next. Progress is progress, but a digital scale will show it to you better and more accurately than an old fashioned analog scale will.
And if anyone is wondering, I use a Tanita brand digital scale that I bought in 2004 for $30.00.
1. Digital Food ScaleThis list isn’t really in any order. If it was, food would probably be #1. However, I purposely went out of my way to put digital food scale at #1 because I wanted it to stand out a little extra. This will honestly be one of the most useful purchases you’ve ever made. This is actually the item that gave me the idea to write this list in the first place. I bought a new food scale a couple of months ago, and I can’t emphasize enough just how useful it really is.
First of all, it’s extremely small, extremely light and extremely easy to operate. It won’t be a problem to store, and it won’t be hard to use. You put the food on it (cooked, raw, whatever), and it says what it weighs. That’s it.
But now you might be wondering what exactly makes this one of the 5 best weight loss products. You know what your food weighs… but so what? I’ll tell you what. You take that food weight, enter it in on a (free) web site such as a Calorie Counter and guess what it tells you? Exactly how many calories and grams of protein, carbs, fat (and more) you are getting from that EXACT amount of food. Knowing this information is the absolute key to weight loss.
Sure, some foods have their nutritional information right on them, but what good is that unless you’re eating exactly 1 serving size? And even then, how do you even know if you’re eating 1 serving size? Look at the back of some foods. Serving sizes are measured in grams and ounces. It just so happens that a digital food scale will tell you how many grams and/or ounces your food weighs. So really, whether there is or isn’t nutritional information right there on the food… a scale would still be needed.
And I’m not telling you this as though it’s my guess. I weigh out most of my food. I know just how useful it is. It takes a second and it lets me know exactly how much I’m eating that meal and that day. Once you know this information, you can make your weight do whatever the hell you want it to do.
I use this $30.00 Salter Kitchen Scale. I seriously rank it up there with my computer and TiVo as the three most used items in my house.
So, there’s what I think are the 5 best weight loss products. Like I mentioned at the very beginning, weight loss is free. You don’t have to buy any of these things. But then again, you’d be better off if you did.
Dumb Weight Loss Thing: Exercise at your desk.
It was 1999 when I first made any effort to learn about any aspect of weight loss, nutrition, exercise and really just diet and fitness in general. Since that time, I’ve heard/read/seen some REALLY dumb things. Here now is one of those things…
Dumb Weight Loss Thing #8,304:
That you can workout at your desk.
Seriously, how many “5 simple exercises you can do while sitting at your desk at work” articles can one human being read before they never want to read ANY article of ANY kind EVER again.
Yes, I know that a lot of the people who want to lose weight and get in shape happen to spend most of their days sitting in a chair in an office and are just looking to make the best of this situation. I understand.
But, come on… “20 butt clenches” every half hour is not going to make any real significant difference. In fact, it’s not even going to make half of a real significant difference. In fact, the only real difference “20 butt clenches” will make is causing your co-workers to think you may have crapped your pants.
If you really want to make something real happen, make time for a real workout. None of the exercises I’ve seen in any of these crazy “how to exercise at your desk” articles are enough to make anything happen. Something as simple as going to bed at 10:30 instead of 11:00 and then waking up 6:00 instead of 6:30 is all it takes to get a REALLY REAL 30 minute workout in before you even get to work.
If you sit down and think about it and make a real effort, there are probably a dozen (or a few dozen) other ways you can rearrange your own personal daily/weekly schedule that will allow you to make time for real workouts. Whether it’s at a gym, inside your house, or just walking/jogging around your block… EVERYONE can make time for at least 3 or 4 real workouts a week.
Anyone who claims they can’t just isn’t trying hard enough. To you people, I have this message… we will all be laughing at you when you do your butt clenches.
Dumb Weight Loss Thing #8,304:
That you can workout at your desk.
Seriously, how many “5 simple exercises you can do while sitting at your desk at work” articles can one human being read before they never want to read ANY article of ANY kind EVER again.
Yes, I know that a lot of the people who want to lose weight and get in shape happen to spend most of their days sitting in a chair in an office and are just looking to make the best of this situation. I understand.
But, come on… “20 butt clenches” every half hour is not going to make any real significant difference. In fact, it’s not even going to make half of a real significant difference. In fact, the only real difference “20 butt clenches” will make is causing your co-workers to think you may have crapped your pants.
If you really want to make something real happen, make time for a real workout. None of the exercises I’ve seen in any of these crazy “how to exercise at your desk” articles are enough to make anything happen. Something as simple as going to bed at 10:30 instead of 11:00 and then waking up 6:00 instead of 6:30 is all it takes to get a REALLY REAL 30 minute workout in before you even get to work.
If you sit down and think about it and make a real effort, there are probably a dozen (or a few dozen) other ways you can rearrange your own personal daily/weekly schedule that will allow you to make time for real workouts. Whether it’s at a gym, inside your house, or just walking/jogging around your block… EVERYONE can make time for at least 3 or 4 real workouts a week.
Anyone who claims they can’t just isn’t trying hard enough. To you people, I have this message… we will all be laughing at you when you do your butt clenches.
A healthy diet alone will make you lose weight
I have to be kind of careful with this one. See, by mentioning the words "healthy diet" and "weight loss myth" in the same sentence, I run the risk of causing the people who only skim through the first couple of sentences of an article (AKA "article-skimmers") to leave this page under the impression that a healthy diet being good for weight loss is nothing but a myth. This is completely untrue. It is false. It is wrong. It is not right. It is not true. It is the complete opposite of right and true.
Got that you article-skimmers? Good.
This article is about the idea that a person will lose weight solely by eating good foods and an all around healthy diet. I know, that's going to sound like the strangest weight loss myth you've ever heard. So, I figured the best way I can make it seem less strange is to reenact a conversation that I have too often been a part of. It's between me and someone who believes in this myth. We'll just call them "Someone."
Someone: I want to lose weight, but it's just not happening. I actually gained a few pounds recently. Me: Do you workout at all? Someone: Not as much as I should. But still, I don't eat any fattening foods. I certainly shouldn't be gaining weight with what I eat. My diet is pretty good. Me: What exactly is your diet like? Someone: It's really good. I don't eat anything bad. I really don't eat any junk food. I eat a lot of good healthy foods. Me: Well, it's not so much the foods themselves, it's the total amount you eat that causes weight loss or weight gain. Someone: But I eat good foods! Me: Do you happen to know how many calories you eat each day? Someone: Who has time to keep track of that? I just make sure I eat mostly good foods and very little junk food. I really do have a healthy diet. Me: I understand, but if you are eating too much of these good foods, you will still gain weight just the same. Someone: But I don't eat anything bad! Nothing I eat is fattening. I eat good foods! Me: I'll bet you do, but um, just because the foods are "good" and you may be eating what you consider to be a healthy diet, it doesn't mean you'll automatically lose weight. It is important to eat good foods, but it's the total amount you eat that determines what your weight will do. You could eat nothing but raisins and egg whites all day and still not lose weight if you're eating too much of it. As far as your weight goes, calories are calories. It doesn't matter if they come from good foods or bad foods, a healthy diet or an unhealthy diet. If you're eating too much of anything, you will gain weight just the same. Someone: But I eat good foods!!!
See what I mean?
This probably isn't usually thought of as a myth, but since it's something incorrect that a lot of people seem to believe about weight loss, I certainly consider it to be one. I have had that exact conversation many times. Some people just have a problem understanding that a healthy diet alone doesn't automatically cause weight loss.
Of course, it certainly could cause a person to lose weight. But if it does, it would be nothing more than a lucky coincidence. Why? Because if a person was normally eating 4000 calories a day worth of junk food and they switched to a diet consisting of 3000 calories worth of healthy food, they would obviously lose weight.
However, it's not the switch to the healthy diet or good foods that caused this to happen. It's the reduction in total calories from 4000 to 3000 that did it. It just so happened that this person's healthy diet ended up being less calories than their unhealthy junk food diet. If that same person switched to a diet consisting of 4000 calories worth of those same good healthy foods, they wouldn't have lost weight.
When it comes to weight loss, food quality is obviously very important. There is no doubt or disagreement about that. Your diet should be as high in good healthy foods as it can be. But it's food quantity that is most important. Specific foods aren't what causes weight loss or weight gain. It's the total amount consumed that causes changes to your weight. Eat more than your body needs and you will gain, eat less than it needs and you will lose.
So, if you happen to be one of those people who believe in this weight loss myth and are wondering why you aren't losing weight even though your diet is healthy and you eat very few bad foods, you now know that healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, too much of any food will still be too much.
Got that you article-skimmers? Good.
This article is about the idea that a person will lose weight solely by eating good foods and an all around healthy diet. I know, that's going to sound like the strangest weight loss myth you've ever heard. So, I figured the best way I can make it seem less strange is to reenact a conversation that I have too often been a part of. It's between me and someone who believes in this myth. We'll just call them "Someone."
Someone: I want to lose weight, but it's just not happening. I actually gained a few pounds recently. Me: Do you workout at all? Someone: Not as much as I should. But still, I don't eat any fattening foods. I certainly shouldn't be gaining weight with what I eat. My diet is pretty good. Me: What exactly is your diet like? Someone: It's really good. I don't eat anything bad. I really don't eat any junk food. I eat a lot of good healthy foods. Me: Well, it's not so much the foods themselves, it's the total amount you eat that causes weight loss or weight gain. Someone: But I eat good foods! Me: Do you happen to know how many calories you eat each day? Someone: Who has time to keep track of that? I just make sure I eat mostly good foods and very little junk food. I really do have a healthy diet. Me: I understand, but if you are eating too much of these good foods, you will still gain weight just the same. Someone: But I don't eat anything bad! Nothing I eat is fattening. I eat good foods! Me: I'll bet you do, but um, just because the foods are "good" and you may be eating what you consider to be a healthy diet, it doesn't mean you'll automatically lose weight. It is important to eat good foods, but it's the total amount you eat that determines what your weight will do. You could eat nothing but raisins and egg whites all day and still not lose weight if you're eating too much of it. As far as your weight goes, calories are calories. It doesn't matter if they come from good foods or bad foods, a healthy diet or an unhealthy diet. If you're eating too much of anything, you will gain weight just the same. Someone: But I eat good foods!!!
See what I mean?
This probably isn't usually thought of as a myth, but since it's something incorrect that a lot of people seem to believe about weight loss, I certainly consider it to be one. I have had that exact conversation many times. Some people just have a problem understanding that a healthy diet alone doesn't automatically cause weight loss.
Of course, it certainly could cause a person to lose weight. But if it does, it would be nothing more than a lucky coincidence. Why? Because if a person was normally eating 4000 calories a day worth of junk food and they switched to a diet consisting of 3000 calories worth of healthy food, they would obviously lose weight.
However, it's not the switch to the healthy diet or good foods that caused this to happen. It's the reduction in total calories from 4000 to 3000 that did it. It just so happened that this person's healthy diet ended up being less calories than their unhealthy junk food diet. If that same person switched to a diet consisting of 4000 calories worth of those same good healthy foods, they wouldn't have lost weight.
When it comes to weight loss, food quality is obviously very important. There is no doubt or disagreement about that. Your diet should be as high in good healthy foods as it can be. But it's food quantity that is most important. Specific foods aren't what causes weight loss or weight gain. It's the total amount consumed that causes changes to your weight. Eat more than your body needs and you will gain, eat less than it needs and you will lose.
So, if you happen to be one of those people who believe in this weight loss myth and are wondering why you aren't losing weight even though your diet is healthy and you eat very few bad foods, you now know that healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, too much of any food will still be too much.
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