Continue Losing Weight And Keep It Off

in order to lose weight safely, effectively, and oh yeah, for free. At this point, you also know what your own personal weight loss diet plan should be. You're pretty much set and ready to go. However, before you do, there's a few other things you're going to want to know.

In Phase 3 you will learn how to make sure you continue losing weight and, even more importantly, keep the weight off for good. I'm also going to give some additional pieces of weight loss information that didn't fit in anywhere in Phase 1 and 2 as well as answer a couple of questions you may have thought of throughout the course of The Lose Weight Diet.

Continue Losing Weight
What I'm about to say may scare you a little. However, it shouldn't. It is completely normal and is supposed to happen. At some point, you MAY stop losing weight. I can't tell you when exactly, but unless you have a really small amount of weight to lose, there is a chance that at some point your weight loss might come to a stop. Hang on, calm down. It's no big deal. Seriously... if it does happen, it was supposed to happen. The reason for this is because as you gradually begin to lose weight, you're body will start to change. Yeah, you'll look better, you'll be healthier, you'll feel better, but one other change will come to your calorie maintenance level.

For example, let's say you started at 200lbs and you calculated your maintenance level to be 3500 calories (these are just made up numbers). You then figured that in order to start losing weight, you'd need to eat 3000 calories per day (500 below maintenance). Since then, you've consistently lost weight and are currently down to 185lbs. But... your weight loss has stopped. It's been 3 weeks and you haven't lost even half a pound.
What this means is that your calorie maintenance level, which was 3500 calories when you were 200lbs, has changed now that you're at 185lbs. Your maintenance level has become lower. It is now 3000 calories. So, what do you do? Simple, reduce your calorie intake by an additional 250 calories. In this example, you'd start eating 2750 calories per day for now on. (3000 - 250 = 2750) OR, you could continue to eat the same number of calories (3000 in this example) per day, but just burn off the 250 calories through exercise.

Keep in mind though that this may not even happen to you. If it doesn't, cool. If it does, just make the simple 250 calorie adjustment (through diet and/or workout) to make sure you continue to lose weight.

I would recommend giving it 2-4 weeks of seeing no weight loss whatsoever before you make this adjustment just to be sure that you are indeed no longer losing weight. Sometimes your diet could have been off a little that week, or maybe you missed a workout or two. Something like this could make it appear as though you are no longer losing when in fact you just weren't as consistent as you should have been.
Weighing Yourself
Many times throughout The Lose Weight Diet I've made a reference to your weight. What I didn't do however was mention HOW you should weigh yourself. First and foremost, you should weigh yourself once a week. No more, no less. You should also keep some kind of written/typed log of your weight each week so you can properly track your progress.

The other important weighing tip is to ALWAYS weigh yourself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Weighing yourself any time later in the day is useless as there could be a 5-10 pound difference at different times during the day. Also, if possible, try to do it on the same day each week wearing the same amount of clothing (preferably as little as possible). I do it every Wednesday morning right after I wake up.
Tracking Your Progress
One of the keys to successful weight loss is accurately tracking your progress. While weighing yourself every week is one of the best ways to do so, there are 3 other ways.

One way is to have your body fat percentage tested on a somewhat regular basis. Some gyms do this, and some doctors, nutritionists, and personal trainers can do this for you as well. You can also buy body fat calipers and perform the test on yourself. A scale can only tell you if you are gaining or losing weight. Your body fat percentage can tell you if that weight is fat, muscle or water.

A second way to track your progress is with a tape measure. Measure your waist, arms, legs, chest, neck and really wherever else you want. I do this every other week and keep a written log of it. Like weighing yourself, you should also try to do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

A third way is with pictures. Once a month I take a few pictures of myself in the same few poses every time. Since you see yourself many times every single day, it's a little harder for you to notice any changes. But, with pictures, you can literally look back and compare and see every bit of progress you've made.

Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan

You learned that the key to weight loss is being in a calorie deficit, which means you are burning more calories than you are consuming. You learned that to do this, you just need be about 500 calories below your calorie maintenance level. You also learned that while this is the only real requirement of weight loss, making sure these calories are coming from the right food sources is also important.

Now, in Phase 2, you're going to learn how to put this information to use and create your own weight loss diet plan. The very first thing you're going to need to do is figure out what your calorie maintenance level is

Calculate your daily calorie maintenance level.
Your daily calorie maintenance level is the key number in creating your weight loss diet plan. It is based on many factors and is specific to each person. For example, you and your friend might be the same height and weight, but you might have maintenance levels that are hundreds of calories apart. Since the effectiveness of your weight loss diet plan depends a lot on this number, it is important that you figure it out as accurately as possible.

For the most part there are really only 2 methods of figuring out this "magic" number. The first is a pretty close estimate, and the second is as accurate as can be.

1. Here's the method for getting the "pretty close estimate" of your calorie maintenance level. It requires putting your gender, weight, height, age and activity level through a 6th grade level math formula. However, I have assumed that no one actually wants to sit around doing 6th grade math. I was right, wasn't I? So, I've included a calculator for it instead. All you need to do now is just fill out the quick form below and hit "Calculate!" and you will instantly get your estimated calorie maintenance level. Go ahead and try it.

Protein, Carbs, and Fat

You see, your total daily calorie intake is BY FAR the most important aspect of weight loss. Eat the right amount per day and you will lose weight regardless of where those calories came from. However, the foods and nutrients supplying those calories still do play many important roles in your diet and health for various reasons. As far as these "calorie suppliers" go, there's mainly just three; protein, carbs and fat. Despite what the many fad diets and commercial diet plans have scared you into thinking, your weight loss diet CAN and SHOULD contain a good amount of all three. (Exactly how much of each is coming up next.)

So, while you will definitely lose weight just as a result of being below your maintenance level, how much and what types of protein, carbs and fat you eat will indeed play many important roles in your overall weight loss results. Don't worry, I'll explain all of that next.

Calorie Deficit (Giving your body less calories than it needs)

You just learned the one simple fact that The Lose Weight Diet is based on. Pretty cool huh? I told you, weight loss is all about calories. More specifically, it's about creating a calorie deficit. You need to end up burning more calories than you consume. If your daily calorie maintenance level is 3000 calories, you will lose weight if you started eating 2500 calories a day. You would gain weight if you ate 3500 calories a day. I realize I was only supposed to explain how to lose weight, but you've also just learned how to gain weight.

Did you ever wonder how you gained weight? Now you know. You ate more than your maintenance level. To lose weight, you just need to reverse that. Simple, isn't it? You may have noticed that in the example above I subtracted 500 calories from the maintenance level. Subtracting 500 calories from your maintenance level is the magic weight loss number here. The reason for that is because there are about 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. So, if you ate 500 less calories each day for 7 days, it would equal the 3500 less calories required to lose 1 pound. (500 x 7 = 3500)

Coincidentally, there are 7 days in a week. So, by eating 500 calories below your daily maintenance level, you would lose about 1 pound per week. Now would be a good time to mention that the healthy, safe, good, smart, and all around right amount of weight to lose for most people is 1 or 2 pounds a week. That is the widely agreed upon correct weight loss speed. I am bringing this up now because some people may be thinking, "If my maintenance level was 3000 calories, why shouldn't I just go straight to eating 1000 calories a day instead of only 2500?" Here's why...

Reducing your calorie intake by so much so fast is wrong, potentially unsafe and unhealthy, bad, dumb, silly, stupid, not smart, not good, and all around super incorrect. Got that? You'd end up losing muscle along with the fat. You'd be hungry, annoyed and feel like crap. Your body would go into a state where it actually KEEPS fat. Blah blah blah, blah blah. It would just be the complete opposite of the right thing to do. Remove this idea from your mind.

Calorie Maintenance Level ( big secret )

Your calorie maintenance level is pretty useful to know. Think of it like it's your body's weight loss password, and knowing it will get you into your own private weight loss system. Once you're in, you'll be able to control your weight with ease. In fact, for anyone wondering how to lose weight, this is the number at the heart of that answer. The best way I can explain why is by telling you the big secret...

Like I said, every person's body needs a certain number of calories each day in order for them to maintain their current weight. This is your maintenance level. If your diet plan is made up of the SAME number of calories as this maintenance level, your weight will stay the same. However, if your diet is made up of MORE calories than your maintenance level, you will GAIN weight. But... get this... if your diet is made up of LESS calories than your maintenance level... YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT!

Calories

You know when you eat food and drink drinks? Well, every one of those foods and every one of those drinks contain calories. Say it with me... calories. The reason I'm mentioning calories to you as though you are 5 years old is because the answer to the almighty "how to lose weight" question all revolves around calories. Not only does everything you eat and drink contain calories, but everything you do burns calories. Literally every step you take and every move you make burns calories. In fact, your body actually burns hundreds and even thousands of calories each day on its own just functioning. You could sit still all day and your body would still burn calories.

So now you may be wondering, if everything you eat contains calories, and everything you do burns calories, shouldn't they just cancel each other out? Yes, they should... and they do. If you consume the exact same number of calories that your body burns each day, your weight would stay exactly the same. If your body naturally burns 3000 calories a day, and you happen to eat 3000 calories a day, your weight would not change. In this example, 3000 calories is what's known as a calorie maintenance level. It's the number of calories required for the body to maintain its current weight.

I should probably have you repeat "calorie maintenance level" with me, because if there's one thing more important than calories when it comes to losing weight... it's your calorie maintenance level.

The Lose Weight Diet

The idea behind this completely free weight loss diet is the ANTI-fad diet. It is the complete opposite of every borderline idiotic and completely unnecessary diet program in existence. It is based strictly on common sense and the simplest and healthiest way the human body was meant to lose weight. It is not based on fancy gimmicks and making sales. The Lose Weight Diet is free.
he Lose Weight Diet is four things:

1. Simple
2. Safe
3. Effective
4. Free

If that sounds ideal to you, then sit back and relax. You've found the right place.
he purpose of Phase 1 is going to make a ton of sense. You see, in order to successfully reach your weight loss goals, you're going to first need to understand how to lose weight. (I told you it would make sense.) That's what Phase 1 is. A complete, yet easy to understand explanation of exactly what is required for weight loss to take place. How it happens, why it happens, and most important of all... what you need to do in order to make it happen. You can not skip ahead. You will need to know this in order to create your weight loss diet plan in Phase 2.

So, to sum up, by the end of this page you're going to know how to lose weight. Sound good? Great.

Weight Loss Plan, Diet Recipes

When selecting a weight loss plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Weight Loss Plan Guidelines

1. Commit to consuming 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.

2. To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.

3. Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.

4. Eat your foods slower.

5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.

6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.

7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.

8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.