Weight Loss Tips to Boost your Mood & Lean Out your Body

The Secret

Just eat real food is the key idea of the Fit Apprentice program.

Not too earth shattering, but true nonetheless.

The more unprocessed your food is, the better chance you have that you will easily reach your ideal weight.

To keep it really simple, the Fit Apprentice can be described in just 3 words: Eat Real Food.

That’s it.

This is the big secret that you need to know.

Grocery Choice

It all comes down to the food that you choose.

You can walk into the supermarket and walk out with foods that will make you obese.

Or, you can come out with fuel for your body and mind.

In just 60 days, by August 19th of 2012, I dropped over 30 pounds.

Slow Weight Loss

Even losing 15 pounds in a month is relatively fast.

Some people might think that is is too slow.

What is the rush?

It took years to put on all the weight.

Give yourself some time to take it off.

Slowly.

Yes, I did work out as well, but I am sure that the real food I have been eating is the key.

What is real food?

Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Fish, Chicken, Eggs and sometimes Yogurt.

I am not a doctor or an expert nutritionist, I am just a person who has been struggling with these weight and depression for way too long.

It was time to do something different than I have ever done.

Ever since, I called the name of the program The Fit Apprentice™.

Because, while I am learning the essential habits and tools to lose weight and get fit.

I am grateful that I have gotten this far, 85 pounds of weight loss and 16 inches off my waist.

The purpose of this site is to share everything I have learned with you.

Fat Bastard

I was lucky enough that a friend of mine made sure to let me know I was a fat bastard.

Without him alerting me to that inconvenient truth, I would likely be the same weight or more.

Anyone who is over 40 or 50 knows that getting into shape does not get easier as we get older.

I never imagined that the core foundation of fitness is to just eat real food.

Who knew?

Just Eat Real Food Sample Menu

Here is a sample day’s Menu:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites (sometimes a yolk, but I will be checking cholesterol soon, and let you know how it has or has not been affected), greens, onions, spinach, peppers made into an omelette.

Serve with Humus and Avocado on the side and some olives.

If you don’t like eggs, have some cottage cheese and melon.

Or plain Chobani Yogurt with berries and some almonds.

Snack: cherries, blueberries or strawberries and some almonds or walnuts.

Sprinkle some raisins too if you are really hungry (which I doubt after a good hashi mashi breakfast!)

Lunch

Lunch: Have a chicken soup or if you are vegetarian, maybe a black bean soup or a chicken salad or turkey salad. Try to overdose on greens as often as possible. Keep trying to eat more vegetables than you have ever done in your life, raw peppers, cucumbers, whatever to keep yourself going.

Snack: Have an apple or peach, whatever is juicy and in season.

Dinner

Dinner: Sweet potato baked or boiled, wild salmon, broccoli or any other vegetables sautéed in olive oil.

So is that so tough?

No.

If I, a former cookie monster, who thought he could not live without chocolate chip cookies every day can do it and enjoy it, I am sure most others can as well.

I am going to start giving you recipes, no worries, but in the meantime, that is pretty much all that there is to it.

Please let me know how it is working out for you!

Remember, just eat real food and watch the pounds melt away.

Are You Sick and Tired of Being Overweight?

Do you feel guilt and shame because you are overweight?

Are you tired of the condescending looks?

Have you been overlooked for promotions or raises and you think it is because you are too fat?

Do you suspect that your husband or wife are not as attracted to you anymore because of your weight?

Are you wondering if you are just lazy or weak because you cannot get down to a normal weight?

Does your feeling fat affect your self-esteem and confidence?

Are you afraid of what your obesity might cost you in terms of your health?

Well, here is the good news for you.

Your obesity is NOT your fault.

The natural result of the current American/western lifestyle for most men and women in America is to gain weight and get fat.

75 percent of adult americans are either overweight or obese.

Today, 7 in 10 Americans are obese or overweight, but only 36 percent think they have a weight problem.¹⁾https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/01/nearly-half-of-americas-overweight-people-dont-realize-theyre-overweight/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2aa1a912eba8

The consequences of obesity are much worse than just not looking good in or out of clothing.

Now, here is even more good news:

You can easily correct the problem.

If no one has been able to tell you how, you will know how by the end of this article.

Is Food Your Friend or Foe?

You eat, but you get fatter and fatter with the years.

Think about your typical week day.

You rush off to work.

You have to give a presentation or go to a meeting.

And you have a 30 minute to one hour or more commute to the office.

Where you will sit most of the day.

While you are walking to your job, you stop off at a food cart and get a bagel and butter.

Add an orange juice and/or coffee with a muffin.

Sometimes, more often than not, you do not have time for breakfast.

Or even lunch.

Then you come home famished at the end of the day.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Do You Ever Think of Real Food?

Food like vegetables, whole grains, oatmeal, berries, eggs, legumes, fish, water, tea, nuts, fruits?

You likely have no time for real food.

If you have a slice of tomato on your bagels and lox, you think you had your vegetables for the day.

What is more convenient than processed food?

You grab a donut, a brownie, a slice of pizza, a hamburger, an egg mccMuffin.

Industrial facilities manufacture processed food.

Your average supermarket is overflowing with processed food.

You are lucky if you can find watercress, bok choy or okra in your supermarket.

Vegetables do not take center stage.

Frozen dinners, ice cream, snickers, chips, pretzels, licorice, refined grains, high sugar and/or fat processed foods, (even if they are vegan processed foods) get the center aisles.

A New Study Proves Fast Food Is The Problem

A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that people who cut back on added sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods while concentrating on eating plenty of vegetables and whole foods — without worrying about counting calories or limiting portion sizes — lost significant amounts of weight over the course of a year.

The research lends strong support to the notion that diet quality, not quantity, is what helps people lose and manage their weight most easily in the long run.

It also suggests that health authorities should shift away from telling the public to obsess over calories and instead encourage Americans to avoid processed foods that are made with refined starches and added sugar, like bagels, white bread, refined flour and sugary snacks and beverages, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

The new study stands apart from many previous weight-loss trials because it did not set extremely restrictive carbohydrate, fat or caloric limits on people and emphasized that they focus on eating whole or “real” foods — as much as they needed to avoid feeling hungry.⁴⁾https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/well/eat/counting-calories-weight-loss-diet-dieting-low-carb-low-fat.html

Fast food, junk food, processed food, leads off the 3 commonplace habits of the overweight man or woman.

If on the other hand you focus on eating real food, you will lose your excess weight, faster than you ever thought possible.

Recommended Reading:

Obesity – Is it Worth Losing Your Mind?

The Best Diet to Lose Weight Fast – Secrets You Already Know

Ultra-Processed Food Horror Show

Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight?

Weight Loss Plan and Fat to Fitness Solution

Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

Do you eat on the run?

In the car, on the subway, walking on the sidewalk.

Is it true that sometimes you have no time for meals during the day?

The only time you get to eat is when you gets home?

Have you ever said “I did not eat all day, I was so busy at work!”?

And feel a tinge of heroism for being such a hard worker.

Not realizing that your fat and flab is your body’s revenge.

Because you starved your innocent body the entire day!

So dinner will go on for hours and hours.

Endless snacking and eating while sitting and watching TV.

The only time you gets to relax.

Let’s get this straight.

During the day when your body needs food and energy to function, you starve your body.

But at night, when it is time to rest, that is when you overfeed your hungry body!

All you have to do starting today is to make sure that you have 3 meals and 1 snack every day.

For example:

Breakfast at 9 am

Lunch at 12 pm

Snack at 3 pm

Dinner at 7pm

Your train your body to expect fuel at those times.

And now your body can start releasing stored up fat.

Because you are no longer in a famine!

The number 2 usual habit of the overweight man or woman is having no set meal pattern.

Recommended Reading:

How to Lose 20 pounds in 3 Months Using 5 Simple Steps

Easiest Way to Lose Weight

Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Reversed ?

Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of

That is easy, just sit most of the day!

But hold on, you know that sitting will not build the body you want!

But do you do the following?

Sit in your car, on the bus or train to commute?

Then you sit in your office, at your desk or at meetings the rest of the day.

And then you sit once more in the car, bus or train on the way home.

Once home, you takes your seat at the dinner table.

Or on the lazy boy or couch for another 3 to 5 hours.

An entire day of sitting.

All you have to do starting today is to start moving.

At least 30 minutes a day.

Either walk to or from the bus or train for 30 minutes before your commute.

Or take a 30 minute walk break during your lunch time.

You have to start moving.

Walking alone is enough to start losing weight, you do not have to go pump iron for 2 hours.

Therefore, the third bad habit of the overweight man is Sitting. Too. Much.

3 of The Most Common Habits That Make You Fat

All you have to do is ditch these 3 typical habits of the obese western man or woman:

• Fast food
• Skipping meals
• Sitting too much

Who Is The Obese Man?

I know the story of this fat guy.

His own brother labeled him a fat bastard.

That is what brothers do, right?

His brother loved him so much, he was hoping that calling him a fat bastard might knock some sense into him.

And you know what?

It worked.

In 6 months, by ditching these 3 ordinary habits, I lost 75 pounds.

And over the course of a year and a half, I took off a total of 100 pounds.

That’s right, this obese man was me.

And I am hoping that my story will inspire you to make the same small changes.

In 2012 I was over 250 pounds with a 50 inch waist.

What Were Those 3 Common Habits?

• I ate fast food the majority of the time.
• Skipped meals regularly.
• Rarely moved.

I decided to:

• Eat real food and cut out the processed food.
• Stop skipping meals and have at least 3 meals and one snack every day.
• Start walking at least 30 minutes a day. After a few months I added pushups, squats and deadlifts a few times a week.

In 6 months, I lost 75 pounds and a total of 100 pounds over the course of a year and a half.

I ditched 3 common habits and lost 75 pounds in 6 months.

Conclusion

Ditching these 3 common habits can help rebuild your health and fitness.

Miraculously, my body responded at the age of 55 and I lost 75 pounds in 6 months.

And close to a hundred pounds in a year and a half, getting leaner and stronger than I thought possible.

I am not special.

Your body will respond in the same way.

When you start getting healthier, you will find the motivation to care and strength to train harder.

Your doctor will no longer tell you it is urgent to lose weight.

In fact, your doctor might ask you how did you lose weight?

So he/she can share it with other overweight patients.

You will become stronger in mind and body so you can survive the rat race.

Or even worse, divorce, estrangement, depression, and job loss.

You will be visible again.

Hope, confidence and a brighter future are now the portrait of your life.

A new life that you are creating by rebuilding your strength and fitness.

Start ditiching these 3 bad habits.

Let the magic begin today.

Recommended Reading:

I need to know how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months – Now!

How many times have you wondered how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months?  Or have you said in frustration to whoever will listen “It is so hard to lose weight, I hardly eat anything!” Is it really easy to lose 20 pounds in 3 months?

I know how you feel. I have struggled with overweight and obesity since the age of 10, pretty much all of my life. It took me 50 years to make some sense out of the confusion.

I’d hate for you to have to wait that long.

The shocking truth is that losing weight is not as complicated as you think. Your body is always trying to get healthier, if you just let it. You do not need any magic potions or shakes to lose 20 pounds or more. Nor do you need special meals delivered to your door step.

I will give you the simplest and best ways to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. You do have to put in effort to achieve your weight loss goals, but not as much as you think. This is the exact same plan I used to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. I developed this Hashi Mashi™ diet plan to help you do the same.

The Challenge

I imagine you have wanted to get into better shape for a long time now. For many people, each year after the age of 25 means additional pounds, and they add up.

The average American will gain about one pound of additional weight each year from age 25, or 35 additional pounds by the age of 60; because we typically also lose about a half pound of bone and muscle mass each year – unless we are physically active. If not, our body fat is increasing by 1.5 pounds each year from 25 to 60, or more than 50 pounds of fat over 35 years.¹⁾https://www.sharecare.com/health/weight-loss/how-much-weight-person-gain-lifetime

You want to get healthier and fitter, but, you have no idea where to begin. Is there a ‘recipe’ for improving your health and fitness? I believe the answer is yes, and it is not as complicated as you think. No matter what shape you are in now, do not give up.

It is never too late to get back into shape, no matter what your age.

Whether you are a beginner in fitness, or a former athlete, along the way of life, many of us put on 20, 30, 50 or more pounds over the years.  And we have no clue how to lose the weight, melt the belly fat and get back into shape.

Obesity is one of the few preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. And there are many people who do not even realize that they are obese.

What is Obesity?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines obesity as:

• A body mass index over 30, or waist measurement over 40 inches for men.
• A body mass index over 30, or waist measurement over 35 inches for women.
• Obesity is also defined by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a person who is at least 30 pounds over their recommended weight for their height.

Do you know your ideal body weight?

Here is a simple formula to help you determine the recommended weight for your height according to the Hamwi method.

For men:

• The ideal body weight formula is 106 pounds for your first 5 feet of height, plus 6 pounds for every additional inch

For women:

• The ideal body weight formula is 100 pounds for the first 5 feet of height, plus 5 pounds for each additional inch.

You can now easily calculate your approximate ideal body weight based on your height using the Hamwi method.

Exercise Is Medicine

You cannot control age or family medical history.

But you can control what you eat and if you exercise.

Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. In fact, your blood pressure rises as your body weight increases.

Losing even 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure—and losing weight has the biggest effect on those who are overweight and already have hypertension.

Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight and building up to 150 minutes of exercise a week may help you to slow or stop the progress of type 2 diabetes.

“If you sit [inactive] most of the day, 5 or 10 minutes is going to be great,” Albright says. “Walk to your mailbox. Do something that gets you moving, knowing that you’re looking to move towards 30 minutes most days of the week.”²⁾https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-2-diabetes-guide/reversing-type-2-diabetes#1

With weight loss, you can slow down or even stop the progression of type 2 diabetes.

You may be able to reduce cholesterol levels significantly by losing 5% to 10% of your body weight, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Healthy weight is so important for overall heart health, that the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology released a new report calling for physicians to create customized weight loss plans and recommend counseling with a dietitian or certified weight loss professional for at least six months.

Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, cardiovascular being one of the most prevalent and fatal. Take a look at this first graphic, an obesity map of the USA from the CDC:

Now look at the incidence of cardiovascular disease in the US as illustrated in the second graphic below. You will see a striking resemblance in the states where obesity and heart disease are most prevalent.

Why The Big Focus On Weight Loss In America?

Now we understand why we are so focused on losing weight. We know intuitively that a healthy weight is more likely to produce health. Losing weight is going to help you avoid type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and a lack of physical activity.

Once you are at a more comfortable weight, it will be much easier to exercise.

If you are a man over 45 , or a woman over 55 , then you already have one risk factor for heart disease, the main killer of men and women in the United States. This is why getting your weight under control is so critical.

Fear is a great motivator, and fear of all of the complications brought on by obesity is real.

Now that you know some of the negative effects of excess weight, there is no reason to be despondent.

The great news is that your body is always trying to attain a state of health and fitness, if you just let it.

My intention is to help you learn or relearn how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. Even losing 5 pounds of fat is a big deal – (see what 5 pounds of fat looks like in the video below). After your first 20 pound weight loss, you can repeat the cycle if you have to lose more weight. Remember, this is not a diet as in a temporary fix, the Hashi Mashi™ diet and exercise plan is a system for long term transformation, new habits that you will stick to for the rest of your life.

Recommended Reading:

Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight Over 50?

Start Small

Small steps, new lifestyle habits, one after the other will bring you to your destination. These small changes will result in a major transformation. Losing 20 pounds over the next 3 months is within the healthy guidelines of 1/2 – 2 pounds of weight loss per week.

But, do not push yourself to lose more than a pound or two each week.

As soon as you settle into this system, your body will work it’s magic and release the right amount of fat. The first step is to establish a routine of eating healthy meals 3 times a day as well as at least one snack.

Excellent eating habits means that you must establish a regular meal pattern. This is the first way how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months as I describe below.

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Hashi Mashi Is The Easiest Diet and Exercise Plan to Lose Weight Fast – Secret Sauce of Weight Loss

1. Establish a Regular Meal Routine

A foundation of consistent fat loss is having a regular meal pattern. Some people think that going low carb is the pillar of fat loss. Others think that starving themselves, such as intermittent fasting is the best way to lose weight. Everyone has an opinion on how to lose weight.

Does it make sense that weight loss seems to be more complicated than rocket science? Of course not.

So, let’s simplify the easy steps that you can take to transform your body from fat to fit.

Depending on your starting weight, you can do this in only three months. If you are only 20 or 30 pounds overweight, you can see great results in 3 to 4 months. You can absolutely lose 20 pounds in 3 months. For 50 or 60 pounds, you are looking at 6 to 7 months.

In a 12 week period, it is reasonable to lose 20 pounds in a month, which is within the guidelines of 1/2 to 2 pounds a week.

Truly, you can even lose 24 pounds in a month.

You do not want to lose more than 2 pounds a week.

One pound a week is great too!

Your first small step is to establish your meal routine.

For example:

• 8am – breakfast
• 12pm – lunch
• 3pm – snack
• 7pm – dinner

Remember, do not attempt to lose more than 2 pounds a week. Even one pound a week is a great success.

Related Post:

7 Effective Good Breakfast Tips

Why is a Regular Meal Routine so Important?

When you skip meals, your body gets distressed. Skipping meals is not the way to lose weight and certainly not fat. By skipping a meal, your body does not know when the next meal is coming. As a result, your body will hold onto your fat reserves very tightly.

Just one pound of fat in your body, stores 3,500 calories!

Your body will not release that fat if your body believes that it needs to hold onto the fat. Instead, your body will take some of your muscle reserve, which is more expendable.

Muscle is your friend, but also very expensive for the body to maintain.

One pound of body fat only requires a few calories a day to maintain, whereas a pound of muscle can require between 50 and 100 calories. As a result, your body would rather hold onto body fat instead of muscle.

Unless you teach your body that it is not necessary to hold onto your body fat.

You do this by teaching your body that it will be fueled every few hours. By eating regular meals, every day, you stabilize your blood sugar and your body gets used to your pattern. Whatever you demand from your body, your body will adapt.

Like a magic genie (within human reason of course!).

How to Release your Body Fat

If you take away one idea from this post, take this one:

Establish this regular meal pattern of healthy eating habits.

By eating regular meals, your body will be more willing to release your fat. 3 meals and a snack worked wonders for me.

I lost 20 pounds in 3 months and 75 pounds in 6 months, and a total of 100 pounds over the course of 15 months, approximately 1.5 – 2 pounds a week. Five years later in 2018, I continue to maintain this weight loss.

You have to experiment a bit to see what works for you. But clearly, having a regular meal routine is the foundation of your transformation.

You might just need 3 meals and a snack or 2 snacks. Make sure that your body gets some fuel every 3 or 4 hours.

Never Be Hungry

You should never be feeling hungry. I know the temptation to fast and stop eating, thinking this will help to really get rid of fat.

Don’t do it!

All that you accomplish by fasting is starving our poor body and not losing fat. (Even worse, you might be setting yourself up for a binge.)

You might lose some water weight, but not fat. The water weight is lost from your cells as your body uses stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in your skeletal muscles which are bound with water molecules.

So, you do not lose fat on a fast, you end up losing water and muscle tissue.

Establish a regular meal pattern, 3, 4 or 5 times a day, so your body knows what time it will get fed.

That is the first step to weight loss that is primarily from your fat.

2. Get Up and Move!

Another pillar of effective weight loss is to start moving and burning calories. You must create a calorie deficit and expend more calories than you consume in order to lose fat. In order to lose fat, let’s assume that you have already established your meal pattern, your daily eating times.

Now that you have your regular meal times, you want your body to know that you need to burn more energy.

What is the best way to do that? Is it by starving and eating less? The answer is no, because there is no reason or need to starve your body.

Your body needs energy, your brain needs glucose to think, to remember and to learn. Is it by eating protein powders and not real food?

I also say no, this is not necessary.

The amino acids from protein powders if you use them, are going to build or repair muscle tissue. That is the main rationale for protein powders and meal replacements.

And if you only use protein powders and limit carbs, you are going to be missing an important macronutrient (carbohydrates) that is the preferred energy source (carbs turn into glucose) for all the cells of your body.

The best way to burn fat then, is by demanding more from your body in the form of movement.

Your body is built to move.

Sitting around all day just tells your body that all you need to do is to sit around. But, if you do 30 minutes of cardio 5 times a week, your body will get the message to start burning fat for energy. Especially if you do moderate intensity cardio, approximately 65% to 75% of your target heart rate.

The point is that by asking your body to burn more calories through movement, this is the way to burn through your fat reserves.

At the least, make sure that you are doing some sort of exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 to 6 times a week. You need to move in order to lose 20 pounds in 3 months. Whether the physical activity be cardio, strength or weight training.

2a. Don’t Eat Less – Establish a Schedule and Move More

Some people say that every diet and exercise plan can be reduced to four words, eat less, move more. While there is a basic truth to that idea, it does not give you a proper plan. Eat less, what does that mean to a person who is 30, 50, 60 or 100 pounds overweight?

What does eating less mean to anyone is struggling with overweight, obesity and weight loss? Have you ever listened to a person who is trying to lose weight? Do you remember what they say?

“I hardly ate anything today and I still cannot lose a pound!” Have you heard that line before, or have you said it yourself?

Telling a person who thinks they are hardly eating anything all day to eat less is not productive.

But, establishing an eating and resistance training schedule is the solution. By establishing regular meals, your body already knows that it will get fuel. And now you are demanding more calories through movement, either cardio, weight training and/or stretching,

And suddenly your body says, “Ah, you are demanding more energy, no problem, I have stored fat and will release the energy from my fat reserves.” By building muscle in your strength training, you are also demanding a greater number of calories to maintain that muscle.

However, the foundation of burning fat is by having a regular meal pattern to start.

It is much more effective for your body to burn fat through movement (exercise, cardio, walking, running, lifting, swimming, stretching), than by starving your body with no food and no movement.

That is just cruel to your magnificent body that just wants to keep you alive and does so by breathing you, and circulating your blood with oxygen and beating your heart, your entire life.

So, the bottom line, is that on top of your regular meal routine pattern, now you establish a movement pattern, every day or at least 5 – 6 days a week.

It is always a good idea to rest up your body at least one day a week, take a break.

Now you have two pillars, regular meal pattern, pillar 1 and regular movement pattern – pillar 2.

In the old days, people moved around all the time, farming, hunting, building. Today, modern life does not require a lot of movement, because we have transportation, no need to move, the car, bus or train will move you from place to place. Then there is entertainment, so instead of playing, we watch others who are playing or moving around on a screen, on a stage or in a stadium.

The movement pattern that I suggest is 5 days a week of cardio, between 30 minutes to an hour maximum.

If you do 30 minutes a day, that in fact,  is the recommended guideline for an adult by NASM (the National Academy of Sports Medicine).

For muscular strength and endurance, I suggest 2 to 3 times a week of strength training, which will hit your entire body at least twice a week. You should also do stretching on a daily basis for flexibility.

Simply put, exercise is medicine.

3. Real Food is your Friend

What do you eat? Where is your fuel? The preferred source of energy for your body is carbohydrates. Classic and traditional carbohydrates in many cultures are real foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, which are great sources of carbohydrates.

For example:

• Rice is prominent all over Asia as a fuel source.
• In India, there is rice and lentils, also known as Dal Bat.
• In South America, common carbohydrates are sweet potatoes and beans or corn and beans.
• Europe survived and thrived on the white potato and buckwheat, also known as Kasha.
• The middle east has pita bread made out of wheat flour, and hummus, which is made out of chickpeas.

In every culture, all over the world, the main source of energy for thousands of years has been either grain and/or legumes. This is besides the seasonal vegetables and fruits that were available in each geographical location.

Stick to real food (as opposed to processed manufactured food) and besides exercise, food will also be your medicine.

3a. Carbs are Evil – Is That True?

News flash – carbs are not evil. How many times do you meet someone who tells you they need to lose weight. And before you say anything, they say that is why they are not eating carbs. So that they can lose weight. The sad part of that story is that removing carbs from your diet is not the answer.

I have experienced the same demonization of carbs.

When I originally began what I originally called the Hashi Mashi Diet, I swore off carbs. Yes, I lost a lot of weight, but I also felt like I was very hungry. Even starving, and that cannot be healthy. On top of that, I did not feel strong.

So, the Hashi Mashi Diet and exercise plan has evolved as I have learned more about exercise and nutrition. The solution is to have a moderate amount of food at scheduled times and move more. Yes, and even if you eat some carbs, you are still better off than the person starving him or herself from good fuel sources.

You are not bad because you like carbs. Your body likes carbs because carbs are easily transformed into fuel for energy. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose that provides energy for your cells.

Believe it or not, your brain is the most energy-demanding organ, using one-half of all the sugar energy in your body. Brain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning are closely linked to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses this fuel source. You need glucose for your mind, to think, to remember and to learn as well as feeling good.

The solution is in balance, not in extremes.

3b. Protein for What?

Protein is broken down into amino acids. Amino acids are used to either build and/or repair muscle tissue. Protein is not for fuel. Do not eat protein for fuel. Eat protein to enable your body to build and repair tissue, that is it.

Eat carbs for fuel and protein for tissue building and repair.

Your body needs about 45 to 65 percent of calories as carbohydrate and 10 to 35% of calories as protein. The rest is from fat.

You need approximately 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight.

As your exercise level increases, so do your protein requirements. You do not need a protein powder for protein if you eat regular meals every day and include protein foods.

For example, a cup of whole grain cereal like oatmeal has about 7 grams of protein, 2 tbsp of peanut butter has 8 grams of protein, a cup of lentils has about 16 grams of protein.

The average woman for example needs approximately 46 grams of protein a day.

A sedentary man on average will require 56 grams of protein a day.

You can easily get 40 to 50 grams of protein a day through real food. And you do not need a lot of food to get your protein.

Your typical protein powder gives you 20 – 30 grams of protein. Protein powders are good for convenience, but they are not required for fat loss. A cup of milk, a slice of bread and a tablespoon of peanut butter will also give you 20 grams of protein!

4. Meal Schedules and Templates for the Real World

• Between 7 – 9am have breakfast, whenever that works out.
• Somewhere between 12 – 1 have lunch.
• Between 3 and 4 have a snack.
• Somewhere between 6 and 7 have dinner.
• Stop eating after 7 or 8 pm, you do not need more food for your sleep in the evening.

Base this on your schedule…so for example:

• 9am breakfast
• 12pm lunch
• 330pm snack
• 630 dinner

What to have for these meals?

Keep it simple, for example:

Breakfast

• A cup of old fashioned oatmeal ( easy to prepare and filling ), some berries or banana.
• You can add a hard boiled egg.
• Or a banana, blueberries, grapes, walnuts ( a tablespoon or 2!) and a plain or vanilla greek yogurt (try to use a brand with low grams of sugar).
• Or a slice whole wheat toast, a tablespoon of natural peanut butter, some slices of banana or strawberries on top.

Lunch

• whole wheat pita, hummus, vegetables.
• whole wheat pita, vegetables like cucumber, tomato, pickle and a small can of tuna with tbsp of mayo.
• vegetable soup with a cup of whole grain or bean based (non-gluten) pasta.
• 1/2 cup of brown rice, a SERVING of chicken/fish/meat, a vegetable….a serving is about 4 oz or the size of a deck of cards.
• left over chulent (bean stew) and a vegetable
• tuna fish sandwich with vegetables on rye bread

Snack

• a banana
• an ounce of raw almonds (about 24 almonds)
• an apple and a few walnuts
• a plain yogurt (if you did not already have one)
• a hard boiled egg (if you did not already have one)
• a baked potato

Dinner

• Broccoli, potato, lentil soup
• Asparagus or spinach or mushrooms and tilapia or some other white fish
• Sweet potato and vegetable and salmon (4 oz)

or keep it even simpler:

• Any vegetable, including raw vegetables and a potato/sweet potato/whole wheat pasta
• sometimes there is no time to cook.
• easy to boil a sweet potato and have some vegetables and chick peas.

a. The Main Meal Template Is:

• Fruit in the morning – with a grain like oatmeal and/or if you want, a protein like an egg or yogurt.
• A vegetable and beans/chicken/fish in the afternoon, or grain and vegetable…even sushi, brown rice/avocado, rice and fish sushi.
• A fruit and/or some nuts for snack in the afternoon.

A simple dinner at night.

Do not eat after 7 or 8 latest in the evening as mentioned before.

At night, there is no reason to eat. End of the day, sun is down, time to sleep, not eat. Drink water or lemon water or tea between meals….minimize drinking with meals. Of course minimize fried food unless it is a very special occasion.

Shoot for 8 glasses of water a day.

If you drink water, believe me you will be much less hungry…and many other benefits…! Having four meals a day makes it easy to get your 8 glasses. Have a tall glass of water 30 minutes to an hour before and after meals.

That will work out to 8 glasses of water a day, perfect!

5. The Stomach is not meant to be FULL

Your stomach will let you know when your body is hungry and needs energy. But your stomach is not designed to be filled with endless quantities of food at one time.

Eat up to 2/3 fill of your stomach. Your stomach is a little bigger than the size of your fist. This is why you want to keep the size of the food that you eat of any macronutrient to the size of your palm or so, you do not need more.

If you eat a moderate amount every few hours, you will be shocked at how much your body will transform.

You just need to give your body a chance to recover from the excess processed food and amount that we usually ask the body to deal with.

The stomach is not built for a thanksgiving dinner every meal of every day.

“The stomach of an adult is about the size of a fist.”³⁾https://www.reference.com/science/big-human-stomach-2bc73162f366a298

“Overeating is like poison to your body. It is the main source of all illness. Most illnesses which afflict a person are caused by harmful foods or by filling your stomach and overeating, even of healthful foods.⁴⁾Mishneh Torah – Chapter 4, Law 15 – Moses Maimonides, 1135-1204, Spanish Rabbi, Physician & Philosopher”

How to Lose 20 Pounds in 3 Months – Summary

1. Establish a set regular meal pattern routine, 3 meals and 1 snack a day, about 3 to 4 hours apart.
2. Start moving, at least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, 5 – 6 times a week. Add deadlifts, squats, push ups and jumping rope once you have lost enough weight and can start weight training. As far as equipment goes, weightlifting requires a small area and a minimum amount of equipment available in most gyms that have free weights. Or you can set up a home gym in a small area of your basement or garage to lift weights with these tools for deadlifting and fitness.
3. Real Food (not processed) is your friend, even carbs, just stick to real food. Such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean protein, fruit, nuts and seeds.
4. Use the Meal Template to create your own menu. Instead of ‘dieting’ and ‘restricting’, ‘Crowd out’ junk food by focusing on real food.
5. Eat to 2/3 fill of your stomach. Overeating creates the state of overweight and is like poison to your body.

If you follow these 5 steps, you will be surprised how great you feel after only 30 days, let alone three months. This is how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months and help yourself maintain a healthy weight for your height long term. Please let me know of your results.

If you have other ideas and/or experiences on how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, please share. For personalized coaching how to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, please contact me.

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Why is it so hard to lose weight after 50? If you turned 50 today or ten years ago, and still wonder why it is so hard to lose weight after 50 , this post is for you. Anyone of us who has hit the milestone of 50 knows how that feels. You go to your doctor, he tells you that you are overweight or obese, have high cholesterol or high blood pressure and may be close to getting type 2 diabetes. You say, so what should I do? I have tried so many diets. How, you ask, how do I lose weight? He shrugs his shoulders and/or tells you to eat less.

You probably already think that you do not eat so much, and you are right. It seems like yesterday that you were playing on your high school baseball or football team. Or maybe you did varsity tennis or swimming. The point is that you were able to play your sport. You were in shape and it was probably the fittest time of your life.

What happened over the last 30 years? How did we go from being lean and strong to as toned as a bowl of jello? Where did all these layers of fat come from? Is there a simple, effective plan that can help you to lose weight and get back in shape, even though you are over 50?

You Sit Too Much

Why is it so hard to lose weight after 50? First of all, you do not move much. Since you got your first big time office job, you have been sitting – a lot. Think about your day. You sit at the breakfast table to have your morning coffee and muffin. Then, you get in your car or hop on a bus to commute to your job for a good thirty minutes to an hour. At the office, you sit for at least another eight hours if not more. By the end of your work day, you have already sat for a good 10 hours. And then, you go home. Back to sitting during the commute and you get home for dinner and sit some more.

At the dinner table, where most Americans have their largest and longest meal. You sit at the dinner table and then go to the lazy boy or the couch. And sit some more watching tv while snacking. This is the first reason why it is so hard to lose weight after 50. By the age of 50, you have sat for many hours of many days during your life. Lack of movement is a big problem. In fact, scientists have coined the term sitting disease. Because of your lack of movement for so many years, your body is deconditioned. You have lost muscle tone. Your body burns less calories than the younger you that had more muscle.

Start Moving

Sitting too much is one big reason why it is so hard to lose weight after 50. And now you know, that you must start moving if you want to get healthier. All you have to do is get up out of that chair that you love, and start walking. Go somewhere, take a walk, just start moving.

Related:

How Sitting Disease Hurts You Even If You Do Exercise

What’s a Cardio Workout You Never Heard Of that Shreds Fat in 12 Weeks?

Convenience Food aka Junk Food

You grew up on junk food, on convenience food. There are work and life demands. You are not a chef or do not have time to cook. Everything is a rush, to the office, to meet deadlines, to get home and even to catch that plane for vacation. There never seems to be enough time.

Well, the processed food manufacturers have you covered. Because they have formulated thousands of manufactured food items to give you short bursts of energy while keeping you addicted to their product. When you were a kid, you could not see the effects of the processed foods on your body. But now that you are 50 or more, you see the results. And at this point, it is no joke. You are facing serious consequences if you do not learn how to lose weight and get back in shape. Even your doctor has told you the same.

Not eating enough real food is a second reason why it is so hard to lose weight after 50. You do not need to blend shakes all day, count points or calories. But, you do have to start eating real food. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and for emphasis, let’s again say vegetables. There are even many vegetarians who do not eat many vegetables. They have plenty of soy based products, fake meats, breads, muffins, but where are the real fresh vegetables? The secrets of long term success in weight loss and body transformation are I hate to tell you: vegetables.

Related:

Ultra-Processed Food Horror Show

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You Think Vegetables are Decorations for Your Meals

Remember Swanson’s Fried Chicken Dinner or Chicken Pot Pie? I do not know about you, but I literally grew up on them. By the age of 50, many of us still think that the meat, chicken or fish is the main part of the meal. Yes, of course we all expect a few thin spears of asparagus with our steak, but that is to make the dish look good.

Vegetables are not decorations, vegetables are your secret weapons to losing weight after 50, and getting fitter than you ever dreamed possible. Yes, those simple vegetables which are so neglected on most American tables. If you do not believe me, just eat mostly vegetables for a week and see what happens. Add a little healthy fat like avocado and olives, as well as some lean protein like fish, and just watch. You will get results, without starvation, without shakes or counting calories.

So, next time you are in the supermarket, go to the vegetable section, and pick up a fresh vegetables like asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, zucchini, and make sure to have a lot with your dinner. You need to get into the habit of eating vegetables if you want to lose weight, get fit and really transform your body from fat to fit. And the fact that you are over 50, means nothing, it is just a bit harder to lose weight after 50 because of your habits which are ingrained. There is a super easy style of cooking vegetables which are referenced below in how to cook asparagus on the stove Nepali style. You can use this same method for just about any other green vegetable out there.

Related:

How to Cook Asparagus on the Stove Nepali Style

You Need Real Food Daily

Does this answer your question why is it so hard to lose weight after 50? Why do you think it is so hard to lose weight after 50?  Click here for a simple high cholesterol diet and exercise plan.Are you ready to try a simple and effective plan to lose weight and get fit over 50? Start the plan for free…just sign up below and get the Hashi Mashi plan, and you will see results!