12 lbs in 2 weeks – that’s great news, nice work. I think what you’re describing above is like discovering calories for the first time, or at least paying serious attention to what you’re eating. Keeping a spreadsheet lets you keep track of your diet, and those “serious weaknesses” will jump out of the page at you when you compare calorific value against other meals.

I think the main point to take from this article is that not all calories are the same. 300 calories worth of fresh fruit and veg isn’t going to have the same effect on your body as 300 calories of pizza, a candy bar, potato chips, etc. A calorie is just a man-designed unit of measurement to classify the food we eat, but our bodies don’t work in calories at all – they’re only interested in the nutritional composition of what we’re eating.

I’m vegan and I think that combining veganism with tips like those in this article is a no fail way to lose weight. Being vegan, means consuming no animal by products or flesh. That means no cholesterol and no nasty fats, etc.

I think that it’s impossible to be overweight if you avoid any white rice, bread, etc and load up on veggies/fruits and whole grains. Try it and you’ll see the weight drop off!

Great video! Thanks!

I agree, a diet soda every now and again isn’t really a problem. But the aim of this article is to dispel the myth that diet soda is a healthy alternative to the full-sugar version.

In other words, don’t think that you can switch out your regular soda for the diet alternative and believe you’re making a healthy choice. You need to cut soda out all together if you’re really looking to make a change for the better.

Just a point on your input vs output argument. Remember, it’s about your body’s hormonal response to the things that you put in your mouth that makes the difference, not the input in terms of calories. If you’re taking in the right nutrients then you actually increase your “input” and still be in better shape (and better health) than if you consume fewer calories from junk and processed foods. Regardless of your “output”.Check out my article on calorie counting for more info.

Switching back to the best no calorie drink; water!

And the guy doing the video had a really nice voice, and therefore kept me watching so WELL DONE!

This is a REALLY good point you’ve brought up here. I think a lot of people are worrying about the cost of going organic right now. But the truth is that most fruit and veg is so heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals that they’re full of xenoestrogens – that promote stubborn belly fat. I guess it all comes down making an investment in your health and appearance. Do you think it is worth paying a little extra for organic produce to look and feel better?

Fortunately there are some foods that are safer to eat in “conventional” form. So you could spread the cost between buying some organic, and some conventional. Foods safe in conventional form are: Asparagus, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Onions, Avocado, Bananas, Kiwi, Mango, Pineapples.

Broccoli and Cauliflower are both great at reversing the effects of xenoestrogens too so it’s kind of a win-win.

I know where you’re coming from with your parents too. It is really hard when you live with somebody else and depend upon them for your meals every day. Why not try to educate your parents to cook and eat healthy. Most people that don’t have good eating habits just don’t understand the damage that poor food choices are doing to them. But us soon as they understand the foods they eat, it’s a completely different story. Don’t forget, if your parents start eating healthy then they’ll get the benefits too.

Bit of a shameless plug I know, but why not get your parents to check out Mike Geary’s Fat Burning Kitchen. I used to consider myself a healthy eater, but reading this ebook taught me a lot and really opened my eyes.

I wouldn’t worry too much about being a little overweight at this time of your life. Don’t forget you have time on your side to do something about it. Check out this ebook (it’s FREE) for some cool training and nutrition tips: Training & Nutrition Tips (right click and save as). There is a good section on unusual workouts including bodyweight workouts that you can do at home, which might be good to help you tone up. Lots of people get in amazing shape with bodyweight workouts alone. Also check out Zuzana Light on BodyRock.tv. She’s got tons of free workout videos, many of which you can do at home with little or no equipment. She’s a massive inspiration to lots of people and well worth a look.

Hope this helps.

I’m wondering if some people who read these articles ever think about how much organic foods can cost and how hard it can be to find somewhere that sells organic food. Lots of people in the world are going through times that are tough and have little money for things like this but want to lose the weight.

I am 14 almost 15 and have a problem with my weight. My moms side of the family has a history of “large” people and i seem to have taken after her. My dad is a chef and he cooks for us sometimes but not everything he makes is healthy for us, but we eat it anyway.

What I’m saying is that being my age and finding something to make on my own that’s easy and tasty is hard when what your parents buy you is roman noodles.

Are there any good meals you could suggest?

I’m with you on the fruit and veg. In fact, one of the best ways to lose weight fast (but in a healthy way) is to fill up on fruit and veg rather than whole grains or starchy carbohydrates (bread, potatoes etc).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that potatoes (cooked in the right way) and certain breads are bad for you (stay well away from white) – far from it. But they are quite calorie dense.

On the other hand broccoli, spinach, onion, tomato etc are NUTRIENT dense. So if you fill up on these guys you’ll be getting loads of the good stuff with fewer calories to boot.

Just a little pointer the next time you’re deciding which veg to have with your grilled chicken breast.

I’m glad you found the article interesting, and thanks for the intelligent questions!

Here’s some more information about Saccharin: Discovered by a chemist in 1879! But this chemist wasn’t researching a new sweetener; he actually discovered that it tasted sweet completely by accident (who knows how – I’ll leave that up to your imagination!). But let’s just say I wouldn’t go tasting unknown chemical compounds.

More alarming than its discovery though is that it has been accused of being a carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer in humans and animals). The US National Toxicology Program actually put Saccharin on its official “cancer-causing list”, and this happened all the way back in the 1970s.

There is a lack of official studies into the human cancer connections. But in my mind, anything that can possibly increase the chances of developing cancer is worth avoiding.

Secondly, I’m glad you brought up the whole chlorine-sucralose issue. You’re right in saying that salt contains more chlorine than sucralose. However, it all comes down to atomic structure of this chlorine.

The chlorine in salt is bonded to the sodium with a naturally occurring ionic bond. However, sucralose is bonded to chlorine with a covalent bond. Unlike the ionic bond, covalent bonded chlorines are not meant for human consumption.

I hope this clears things up for you.

Dave

You mention Saccharin is a coal tar derivative. But so what? I feel we need a bit more info before choosing to avoid the sweetener!

Also you say Sucralose “contains trace ammounts of chlorine”. But doesn’t salt contain far more chlorine than anything your going to get from artificial sweetener. NaCl…

Just some thoughts.

Great tip, James!

As with most foods, eggs are only as healthy as they method you use to cook them, and what you serve them with. Why not try an organic tuna (in spring water) omelette too? Sounds like a strange combination, but this one really does it for me!

Dave