Welcome to the Weight Loss & Diet Directory

It probably shouldn't even be called weight loss anymore ... read on to find out why!

Have goals. Yes, you may have a weight goal, but if you make fitness your goal, one of the fringe benefits will be weight loss! The most important goal for weight loss should be getting into the best shape in your life for your health, not a number that you want to see on the scale. One of the best new pieces of the diet puzzle is learning that body weight and body fat are two different things. The scale merely indicates weight loss or gain. What it doesn't tell you is if the change is due to fat loss or muscle gain. Being able to measure body fat instead gives you a much more accurate progress report. Therefore, the scale is not your most important measure of progress. Achieving improved muscle tone is one of the best benefits of fitness. Turn YOUR body into a fat burning machine ... pump up the weight.

Stay motivated by using the latest technology available to us. If you're just beginning your fitness regimen, and the scale stays the same or even goes up, it just could mean that you’ve gained muscle while losing body fat. Congratulations! But you won't even know it, unless you have the technology to measure body fat and not just weight! It's hard to stay motivated if you see that higher number on the scale and think you're not seeing a change for the better. But actually, you have made progress and are exactly on course. So don't be discouraged by a weight loss plateau, and DO discover your body fat percentage. If you're unable to have body fat measured scientifically, a good alternative is to use a tape measure to take measurements of your waist, thighs, hips, and arms. If the scale goes up, but the measurements go down, that's progress.

You are what you eat. Diet is VERY important. Eat enough and don't skip meals. Starving yourself can lead to binge eating later. Take the time to formulate some tasty alternatives so you don't feel deprived. Increase your protein intake. Protein is the most filling nutrient AND it boosts your metabolism just by eating it. Eat small amounts frequently and maximize your metabolic rate. Your body will then burn more calories during the day.

Thankfully, the duration of exercise has been shown to be more important than its difficulty. This means that walking will be just as effective as running for the same amount of time. Even fidgeting while seated burns calories. Keep moving! As you become stronger and begin to reap the benefits of fitness, you'll notice that your recovery time is quicker between workouts, you can walk or run farther, perform more repetitions, lift more weight. Be able to assess yourself by paying attention to these fitness markers.