The Secret of the 100 Calorie Snack

There is only one golden rule of weight loss - you eat fewer calories each day than your body burns - then you burn fat and you lose weight. But unless you have the secret of the 100 calorie snack, the chances are that you are going to fall off that low calorie wagon pretty quickly...

You have decided to lose weight. Ignore exercise for now, our daily goal is to #1 - get your metabolism firing strongly and #2 - reduce your calorie intake to as low as sensibly possible. This opens up the biggest possible "calorie gap", so your body burns as much fat as possible.

One key to keeping your metabolism going is to feed it regularly and in small amounts. If you have ever been in charge of a campfire - putting too much fuel on, smothers the fire. Too little, and it cannot burn for long. If you keep adding small amounts of fuel regularly, the fire stays burning hot and steady. Your metabolic fire is just the same!

Make yourself a daily plan. Get detailed! If you do not have a plan to run the day, then the day will run you and eating will be the first casualty! So schedule your day - when you will eat and what you will eat. You should aim to eat something about every 3-4 hours - and this is where that 100 calorie snack comes in!

Assume 3 main meals in the day, plus 3 snacks. If you eat 400 calories per meal, that's 1200 calories. Then just pick a healthy, low calorie food for your snacks - but this is where many people (me included!) fall down!! A 100 calorie snack is not always easy to find!

Take nuts for example - uncooked, unsalted, high protein healthy nuts. Did you realise that just one bag could contain over 500 calories?? That's more than breakfast - some snack!

The average adult needs around 2,000 calories to stay at the same weight. To lose a couple of pounds per week, you should eat about 1,500 calories per day - this is a good rule of thumb. With about 400 calories per meal, that leaves three 100 calorie snacks.

So here's my "top ten" 100 calorie snack ideas - there are lots more, but this should get you started:

1. One apple, raw with skin
2. Either six saltine crackers or two graham cracker squares with 2 teaspoons of peanut or other nut butter.
3. Spoon 3 tablespoons of non-fat sour cream over a small baked potato.
4. 1/2 cup of applesauce and 1 piece of toast cut into four sticks for dunking.
5. 25-30 grapes
6. One hard boiled egg
7. One 1/2 cup of fat-free ice cream
8. A half sandwich made of 1 slice reduced-calorie bread, a thin layer of mustard, 2 teaspoons of apple sauce and 1 slice of deli-style thin-sliced turkey
9. An 8 oz. low-fat yogurt or a small container of low-fat pudding
10. A cup of coffee and a small biscotti

Experiment with flavours and you will be amazed at how many 100 calorie snack ideas you can come up with! Remember, dieting doesn't mean depriving yourself - it just means being smart about what and when you eat!

Gary J Bailey - keeping the weight off and feeling great! With personal experience of what works (and what doesn't!) to lose 50lbs and keep it off, Gary is committed to sharing the tips and secrets he has learned! Learn more about 100 calorie snacks and get FREE weight loss updates today! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_J_Bailey

The Isometric Program For Muscle And Weight Management - You Have To Read This

Isometrics. What is it…and why should I care?

Well, if you already have the optimal health, body weight, and muscle tone…all you need is a definition before going on your merry way:

ISOMETRICS…according to Wikipedia: a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called isotonic movements). Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion. The joint and muscle are either worked against an immovable force (overcoming isometric) or are held in a static position while opposed by resistance (yielding isometric).

ISOMETRICS…according to Merriam-Webster: exercise or a system of exercises in which opposing muscles are so contracted that there is little shortening but a great increase in tone of muscle fibers involved.

And, thanks for stopping by. Need more info to satisfy your curiosity? A quick “google” for the term isometrics will yield a little over four million results.

Now, for the 98% of the rest of us who aren’t yet blessed with your physical attributes; we need a lot more info; but we need the more practical, applicable kind.

For a quick example: Put your palms together in front of your body at chest height. Push together with as much force as is comfortable…now just a little bit harder…and hold it to the count of seven. Little is gained by holding for more than the seven seconds, so resist the temptation…especially at the beginning.

Congratulations. You have just completed the “intro to isometrics” course. Feel the warmth coming from the muscles you just tensed? Forearms, biceps, shoulders? That indicates that those muscles are aware of the attention they have received. The warmth is due to the increased blood flow and the metabolism boost.

Repeat that simple exercise daily for a month. Your two plus minutes of “exercise” will yield some pretty dramatic results. Can’t, Don’t, Won’t believe it? Then prove it to yourself.

Take the one month, seven seconds a day challenge. You will be very, very glad that you did.

OK, so it’s not your upper body parts that are of immediate concern. Want to work on that belly? Substitute, or better yet, include in your daily routine, the following: Start with a deep breath and then exhale completely while bending forward from the waist. Don’t feel bad if you are unable to reach those toes—very few of us can.(I hadn’t even been able to see mine for years) When the exhalation is complete, hold your breath and stand up straight; but pull in those belly muscles as far as possible…and hold for that seven second count.

Now you have committed fourteen seconds a day to a powerful upper and middle body workout.
You say you could find an additional fourteen seconds a day?

Wherever you are sitting, push back, extend your legs and cross your feet. Keep them crossed as you try to pull them apart. Now, alternate feet and do again. No need to suffer, but you will want to go just a bit past casual and comfortable. Very soon you can feel free to really put some power in these exercises; especially since you will already have more power. This one is particularly fun because you can place your hands on top of your legs and actually feel what is going on.

These three simple exercises should provide you with all the proof you need. Isometrics is working for thousands of people…even those of you who have avoided exercise saying that you just don’t have even a minute to spare. How about 28 seconds?

Just take the 30 day challenge–at either the seven, fourteen, or 28 second a day pace.No matter, the results will astound you. There’s only one way to find out.

Take a look here: http://agingparentsauthority.com/2009/01/04/the-isometric-program-for-muscle-and-weight-management/ for more info