WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS

The Best Weight Loss Supplements
Fish Oil, Protein Powder and Multivitamin

 

Alright, fine. You want an article about the best weight loss supplements? I'll give it to you. But before I do, there's something very important I need to explain first.

My definition of the best weight loss supplements may differ from a lot of other people's definitions. What do I mean by that, you ask? Quite simply, they MUST meet the following 2 requirements:

1. First, they must be scientifically proven to be useful or beneficial in some way. I don't fall for stupid marketing crap and false claims. I only believe science, facts and real world results. You should too.
2. Second, they must be completely safe. If it's even remotely dangerous or unsafe in any way, I'm not interested. The reason for taking supplements is to help improve our bodies, not hurt them.

With that being said, here's what I feel are the Best Weight loss Supplements...

1. Fish Oil

While this list isn't in any specific order, fish oil would still be at the very top of my list of recommended supplements. Why? Well, how shall I put this. Hmmm. Alright, I got it.

Fish oil improves our body's ability to do damn near everything!

And yes, that includes lose fat. Now how's that for a description?

You know how there's "good" fat and "bad" fat? Well, fish oil contains the omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are the VERY BEST fats. What makes them the best, you ask?

What are the benefits?

Well, for starters, the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil have been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, lower blood pressure, decrease inflammation and joint stiffness, and treat various mood disorders. Fish oil has also been shown to either help improve or prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia, depression, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, hyperactivity, ADHD and more.

Many people who take it also report an overall improved sense of well being and mental clarity.

Not bad, huh? But, you're probably wondering what specifically makes it one of the best weight loss supplements, right?

How does it help with weight loss?

Well, while it's not some magical pill that will actually cause fat loss itself (there is no such thing), it WILL help your body do everything required of it (lose fat, build & maintain muscle, recover from exercise, etc.) just a little bit better. This includes improved insulin sensitivity and calorie partitioning (meaning calories would be more likely to be used for something useful rather than get stored on your body as fat).

I've also seen 2 studies now, one published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the other in the International Journal of Obesity, and both came to the conclusion that people lose more weight when they combine proper diet and exercise with a fish oil supplement, as opposed to people who just eat right and exercise correctly without fish oil.

The difference wasn't super huge, but it definitely exists. And when you add any possible fat loss benefits to that long list of general health benefits I mentioned earlier, you can clearly see why fish oil is at the top of my list of recommended weight loss supplements.

What is the best brand?

As for fish oil brands, I use and fully recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega.

As someone who is extra cautious about supplements and what I put into my body in general, I spent a lot of time doing a lot of research on fish oil (including reading 2 different independent lab tests) before coming to the conclusion that Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega is honestly as high quality as fish oil supplements get. I personally order it from right here for the best price I've seen it sold for.

2. Protein Powder

Protein is an essential part of every diet no matter what your goals are (weight loss, building muscle, just being healthy in general, etc.), as it plays a key role in muscle, cell and organ function as well as being present in bone, skin and hair.

That's all well and good, but you're probably wondering what specifically makes protein powder my pick for being one of the 3 best weight loss supplements, right? I actually have 2 really good reasons.

How does it help with weight loss?

First, protein is satiating (which is a fancy word for "filling"). Studies have been done and all modern research shows that protein is much more filling than either fat or carbs, and this makes it an extremely important factor in controlling your appetite and avoiding hunger cravings. It's one of the main reasons most weight loss diets are high in protein. It will keep you fuller longer, and that will prevent you from eating something you shouldn't or just eating too much in general. But wait, there's more!

The second reason protein powder is on my list of best weight loss supplements is that, in addition to being necessary for building and repairing muscle tissue, protein is also a requirement for maintaining muscle. Your goal might be "weight" loss, but it's really fat that you're looking to lose, not muscle. Ensuring you eat enough protein each day is key in preventing muscle loss.

For all of these reasons and more, it is recommended that the average healthy adult diet should contain AT LEAST 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight (so the minimum for a 200lb person would be 100 grams of protein per day). But again, that's just a minimum.

Someone who is working out and getting in shape and actively trying to lose fat or build muscle has higher protein requirements than the average person. The most common recommendation in this case is close to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (a 200lb person would shoot for 200 grams of protein per day).

Now a lot of people are going to see that protein recommendation and think "Wow, how am I supposed to eat that much protein each day? I'd have to do nothing but sit around cooking chicken and fish." Here's where protein powder comes in, and here's why it's on my list of best weight loss supplements.

While you should get the majority of your protein intake from high protein foods (chicken, fish, turkey, lean meats, egg whites, etc.), protein powder is a quick, simple, convenient way to ensure you get enough protein each day. Take a scoop, pour in any liquid you want (water is fine), mix with a spoon for about 10 seconds, and taaadaaa, you have yourself an extremely low calorie, muscle protecting, hunger preventing serving of protein.

And not only that, but all research shows that a whey protein shake along with some type of carb source is the ideal meal for right after your workout. Why? Because your goal at this time is to get nutrients into your body and digested as soon as possible, and whey protein powder is the fastest absorbing source of protein. Plus, the fact that it's in liquid form (instead of a whole food) allows it to be digested by your body and shuttled to your muscles even quicker.

What is the best brand?

As for a specific brand, I use and fully recommend Designer Whey Protein Powder. I've been using this brand for nearly 8 years now because it's very high quality, mixes easily, and tastes better than any protein powder I've ever tasted (I like the strawberry and chocolate flavors). I personally always order it from right here for literally $15.00 CHEAPER than GNC sells it for.

3. Multivitamin

This one shouldn't really surprise anyone like the first 2 supplements might have. We all know what a multivitamin is. We all know they contain the vitamins and minerals our bodies require to keep us alive, healthy and functioning properly. This is all very obvious information, right? So then, what the hell is it doing on a list of the best weight loss supplements?

How does it help with weight loss?

Simple. In order to lose weight, we need to be alive, healthy and functioning properly. If a multivitamin contains the things our bodies need to help make this happen, then it indirectly helps make weight loss happen. Obviously we were meant to get these important vitamins and minerals through the foods we eat, but unfortunately, the average person these days doesn't eat the way the human body was meant too. This usually leads to most diets being low in many of the good things it shouldn't be low in.

And that's where a multivitamin comes in. It sort of works as your diet's backup plan. That's exactly why I take one. My diet is quite good. I eat better and healthier than most of the population. But, I still love the idea of taking a multivitamin each day to serve as my little nutrition insurance policy making sure my body gets everything it needs everyday.

Maybe the average out of shape person sitting on the couch all day could get by without it, but as someone who works out pretty hard on a regular basis, I like knowing my body is pretty much guaranteed to have all of the vitamins and minerals it needs to keep me healthy and functioning at the highest possible level. That's why I take a multivitamin, and that's why it's on my list of the best weight loss supplements.

What is the best brand?

As for the best multivitamin brand, based on an independent lab test I saw, it appears that many of the basic multivitamins on the market are just fine, including the cheaper store brands. Of course, many of the brands tested contained more or less of certain vitamins and minerals than they were supposed to, which isn't so great.

So if you'd feel better getting a specific recommendation from me, here it comes. I personally use and fully recommend GNC's Mega Men for men, and for women I like GNC's Women's Ultra Mega. Both passed all independent lab tests just fine and both contain sane amounts of what we need on a daily basis.

If you're over the age of 50, GNC also makes a "50 Plus" version of those same multivitamins (and they also passed the same independent testing), so those might be a more beneficial choice for people that age. Mega Men 50 Plus is the men's version, and Ultra Mega 50 Plus is the women's version.

What about side effects? What about other supplements?

So that's it. That's my list of the best weight loss supplements. The way I see it, there's really only 2 questions you might still have at this point.

Are there any side effects?

The very easy answer is NO. Did you seriously think I would recommend unsafe weight loss supplements? Of course not.

Fish oil (which just comes from fish), protein powder (which is just protein), and multivitamins (which contain the vitamins and minerals found in the healthy foods we are supposed to be eating) are all perfectly safe for the typical healthy adult. Obviously if you have any known medical issues, are taking any kind of medications, or are pregnant or nursing, you should definitely check with your doctor first.

But if you are just the average healthy person... these 3 supplements are as safe as it gets. In fact, I'd even say they are the 3 safest supplements there is.

What about other supplements?

Honestly? They are all complete and utter garbage. Some are unsafe, some are absolutely useless, some are a combination of both. Either way, 99% of the weight loss supplements (or really ANY kind of supplements) on the market these days are crap and should be avoided completely.

No matter what it claims on the bottle or in the ad, no matter what you hear from the idiot in the supplement store or your friend at the gym, no matter what before and after pictures you see or what testimonials you read... this is it. These are practically the only 3 safe and scientifically proven supplements in existence for someone whose primary goal is weight loss or just being as healthy as they can be.

Free Weight Loss Tips

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS TIPS Welcome to The Lose Weight Diet's free list of weight loss tips. The purpose here isn't to just give you a big list of tips, but to also help you separate the useful tips from the useless ones.

I consider a weight loss tip to be anything that could in any way be helpful to a person looking to lose weight. It could have something to do with your diet plan or workout program, or maybe just the mental aspect of weight loss such as staying motivated and sticking to your diet. It could just be some way of improving your lifestyle so that it becomes more ideal for losing weight.

Really, any piece of information that could positively benefit someone trying to lose weight will be included on this list. Also, along with each weight loss tip will be sort of a "tip review." By that I mean I will include my own common sense opinion of the usefulness of that tip. You're welcome to disagree with this opinion of course, however in most cases you'll probably be thinking the exact same thing.

This list of weight loss tips will be updated on an ongoing basis, by the way. So, whenever something new pops into my head or somehow comes to my attention, I'll be sure to add it to this list.

Tip rating system:
A - Would probably be useful to everyone, and I myself do it.
B - Could be useful to some people.
F - Useless, or stupid, or unsafe, or any combination of the three.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

This is one of the most popular weight loss tips on this list. I've seen this one everywhere. But, let's be honest here... unless you live or work on the 400th floor, taking the stairs instead of the elevator isn't going to do much for you in terms of losing weight. Sure, you'll walk a little extra, and that's obviously always good. But uh, 1 or 2 flights of stairs a few times a week won't have much (if any) effect on the weight loss of most people.

Tip Rating: B
I gave this one a B instead of an F because I don't want to sound like I'm discouraging extra walking of any kind. Yes, walking is great for everyone. However, don't expect an occasional flight of stairs to make 20 pounds disappear.

Workout early in the day so there is less chance of missing your workout.

I do this, but not out of fear that I may miss my workout. However, I can see how this would happen to people. Something might come up, you might get tired, you might forget, who knows. What I do know is that there are more possible reasons for why a person would miss a workout at 6pm than there would be at 6am. Your alarm clock rings off, you eat, and you go workout. There's very little time in there for something to get in the way or for you to come up with an excuse. So...

Tip Rating: B
This weight loss tip has a lot to do with your schedule, though. I realize that a lot of people workout in the afternoon or at night because they just can't workout any other time. This tip is more for the people who have the option of getting their workout in early if they wanted to.

Keep a workout and diet log or journal.

I'm a big fan of this one. Progress is made by improving upon what you've already done. This applies to workout progress, too. Want to get stronger? Want to increase muscle? If so, you're going to need to make progress. To do that you're going to need to keep track of how much weight you lifted and how many sets and reps you lifted it for on each exercise. By knowing this information, you'll know exactly what you need to do in your workout the next time in order to improve on it.

Were you able to do a certain exercise for a certain weight for 8 reps? Next time try doing 10 reps of the same weight, or try adding 5 pounds and getting the same 8 reps. This type of progress is what causes muscle and strength gains, and it is only possible when you know exactly what you did the previous workout so you can improve it.

As you learned throughout The Lose Weight Diet, one of the most important parts of your weight loss diet plan is keeping track of how many calories and grams of protein, carbs and fat you're eating each day. No matter how great you think your memory is, keeping a log of it all (on paper, on the computer, on fitday.com, etc.) is the only way you'll be able to keep track of it as accurately as possible.

Tip Rating: A
There is no reason to not do this one. It's extremely important.

Plan and prepare your meals in advance.

You know what makes sticking to your diet real easy? When you plan what you're going to eat in advance and, if possible, have it ready for you. For example, I know I'll be eating egg whites as part of my breakfast every single morning. By knowing this I can figure out how often I need to buy eggs so they're always in the house. I never wake up wondering what I'm going to eat or if I'm going to find something I SHOULD be eating. I also know I'm going to eat tuna fish, whole wheat bread, brown rice, chicken breasts, nuts, vegetables, etc. every single day. I have it all ready and waiting at all times.

By planning what you're going to eat in advance and having it prepared for you when possible, you greatly lower your chances of eating something you shouldn't be eating.

Tip Rating: A
Everyone reading this needs to stay as strict and consistent as they can with their diet plan, and this tip helps that happen.

Sleep enough!

Hold on. If you're thinking "Wait, are you saying I can lose weight just by sleeping? AWESOME!!!!" you'd be slightly mistaken. Sleep alone will not cause weight loss. It will however help. There are a bunch of science-y reasons for this, and if you are in the 1% of people reading this who want to know those reasons, email me and I'll explain. If you're in the other 99%, just know that sleeping enough will indeed help your weight loss.

That's not all though. You know what it feels like when you're tired? You become lazy. You don't feel like doing anything. Well, when you're goal is losing weight, you can't be lazy and you can't feel like not doing anything. Sleeping enough will eliminate this problem.

Tip Rating: A
Yes, you just read "sleep enough" on a list of weight loss tips. This one is really as easy as they get. You have no excuse.

Keep junk food out of your house.

You know all of that really tasty junk food that is high in saturated fat and useless calories that serves no positive purpose other than being yummy? Good. Then you also probably know you shouldn't be eating any of it. One way to stop eating junk food is to stop putting yourself in a position to eat junk food. By having these types of foods in your house you are obviously going to be much more likely to eat it than if they weren't there. So... throw out/give away whatever junk food you have in your house now and don't buy anymore.

Tip Rating: B
This tip isn't for everyone. It's mainly for 3 types of people... those a little low in the will power department, those who eat when they're bored, and those who live alone or live with people who don't eat junk food. I mentioned the 3rd type because I know a lot of people live with family/friends who eat junk food all the time therefore making it impossible for you to just stop having it in the house. I know what that's like.

For me, I have the will power to not care or let it bother me at all. If you're like that too, great. If not, you have 2 choices. TRY to get like that, or try to convince the other people in the house to cut down on the junk food. Even if they don't care about weight loss, junk food is still unhealthy for them whether they are trying to lose weight or not.

Drink hot water.

They say drinking hot water instead of cold water will help speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories.

Tip Rating: F
Stupid, stupid, stupid AND useless. I'm not saying that this isn't true. I'm not saying that hot water won't have a different effect on your metabolism than cold water. What I am saying is that any supposed benefit would be so slight that it would be a complete waste of time and effort to even give it another second of thought. These are weight loss tips, not time loss tips. If you want to lose weight, focus on your diet and your workout. If you want to burn your tongue, drink hot water.

Eat right AND workout.

Like I mentioned back in Phase 1 of The Lose Weight Diet, it is technically possible to lose weight through JUST your diet plan or JUST your workout. However, for best weight loss results and for best all around health, you should do it through a combination of both. This will also make it easier to keep the weight off once it's gone.

Tip Rating: A
What more needs to be said? Do both.

Set realistic goals.

No one wants to just lose weight, they want to lose it FAST. They want huge results... quickly. The only problem is, weight loss doesn't happen fast. Results don't come quickly. The reason you need to know this is because setting goals that can't be reached will make you very depressed and discouraged when you realize you didn't reach them. You are basically setting yourself up to fail.

Forget everything you've ever seen or heard. Every advertisement for a weight loss program, pill, machine, or product of any kind is lying to you. The people who claim to have lost huge amounts of weight in insanely short periods of time are lying to you. Those amazing before and after pictures are lies. Yes, really. Like I mentioned in the lose weight fast article, the only way you are going to lose 40 pounds in 1 month is if you have some sort of chainsaw accident.

When you set realistic goals, like losing 1 pound a week or losing 6 pounds a month or losing 60 pounds a year, goals that can actually be reached, you are setting yourself up to succeed.

(I'll admit that whole "setting yourself up to succeed" line was pretty lame, but really, it's true.)

Tip Rating: A
Weight loss is all about persistence. And, setting crazy goals that you can't reach and then not reaching them is an extremely common reason for a person to give up. To avoid that, set realistic goals.

Change how you eat your food

This one is actually a compilation of similar weight loss tips all revolving around ways people trying to lose weight should eat their food to almost "trick" themselves into not eating more than they should.

For example, eat slower. The faster you finish your food, the more likely you are to eat extra food. Chew slowly. Put your fork down after every mouthful. Take a minute break in the middle of eating. Take smaller bites. Drink water before/during eating so you get full faster. Instead of starting off with your full serving amount, take half a serving and then go back for seconds. Use smaller plates. Etc., etc., etc..

Tip Rating: B
As much as I really want to give this one a giant F, I can't. You see, to me, this tip is stupid and useless. I know there are people out there who feel the same way. But, for every person like us there is probably someone else thinking "Ya know, if I took smaller bites it probably would feel like I ate more than I actually did." I can't really argue with that. If you think something will help you, go for it.

Workout on the same days, at the same times.

Working out is obviously an important part of weight loss. And, the best way to stick to your workout is to turn your workout into something that just gets done without really thinking about it. Make it a regular part of your life. You know how you just know to brush your teeth after you wake up? In that same way you should just know to workout. It needs to become part of your normal routine. The best way to accomplish this is to workout at the same times, on the same days.

If you workout on random days at random times you become more likely to miss a workout. If you train yourself to workout on a strict schedule, it will become much harder for you to break from that schedule. That of course means you won't miss workouts.

Tip Rating: A
This one obviously depends on your own personal schedule, but no matter what kind of schedule you have, you should try to workout on the same days of the week at the same times of the day. For me it's to the point now where I know what day it is by what I did in the gym that day. "What day is it? Oh right, I did chest and triceps. It's Monday." When your workout becomes such a regular part of your life, you'll see how hard to becomes to miss one.

CONTINUE LOSSING WEIGHT

Phase 3: Continue Losing Weight And Keep It Off

(If you somehow got here without reading Phase 1 and Phase 2 first, you're going to be a little lost. It's ok, just go back and read them here: Phase 1: How To Lose Weight and Phase 2: Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan)

In Phase 1 and Phase 2 of The Lose Weight Diet, you learned basically everything you need to know 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.

Keeping The Weight Off

Here's a pretty nice problem to have... what to do when you are finished losing weight. Sounds great, doesn't it? Don't worry, you'll be there soon enough.

Once you've lost all of the weight you were looking to lose... nothing changes. Your diet stays the same. Your workout stays the same. You shouldn't be surprised to hear that. Remember when I mentioned how weight is gained? By going OVER your maintenance level, right? So, once you lose weight and you've decided you're happy at your current weight... you can't go back to your old eating habits. Going back to what you used to do will only turn you into what you used to be. What you used to be is gone and needs to stay gone permanently. So, what do you do?

Well, you no longer want to lose weight, and you certainly don't want to gain weight. This means it's time to maintain your current weight for good by being equal with your new calorie maintenance level.

If you are still losing weight at the time you decide you've lost as much as you wanted to lose, it means you're still below maintenance level. You need to be even with it. So, add about 250 calories to your daily diet and monitor your weight for 2 or 3 weeks. Are you maintaining yet? If so, you know how much you need to eat from now on. If you still lost, add another 250 calories and give it another 2-3 weeks. If you gained, slightly reduce your calorie intake and see what happens.

Basically, your goal at this point will be to find the right number of calories you need to eat each day in order for your body to maintain its new lighter weight. Once you find it, you'll be able to keep your weight from changing... permanently.

4 Questions You Probably Have

Question: You have talked a lot about food and what we should and should not eat. What about drinks?

Answer: As far as (WATER) drinks go, there is (WATER) really only one drink that (WATER) you should be (WATER) drinking. Can you guess what it is? Something tells me you can. Yup, it's water.

Soda, sports drinks and most fruit juices contain lots of empty calories in the form of sugar. Doesn't sound too ideal for weight loss, does it? On the other hand, water contains zero calories and zero sugar... and your body needs it. If you want the good stuff that's in fruit juice, eat the actual fruit. For drinks, drink water. Milk wouldn't be TOO terrible (especially skim) and if you HAVE to drink soda (which you shouldn't) obviously diet would be better than regular. But honestly, water is all you should ever drink. It's all I ever drink.

Most people know about the "8 cups of water a day" rule (half a gallon), and I guess that would be an okay starting point for the average person. However, someone losing weight and working out should be drinking more than that. I'd recommend getting closer to 1 full gallon a day if you can.

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Question: The Lose Weight Diet has a lot to do with calories. It also has a lot to do with protein, carbs and fat. How do I know how many calories and how many grams of protein, carbs and fat are in the foods I eat?

Answer: The first obvious answer here is to check the package your food came in. If you're eating something that came out of a box, bag, jar, can, bottle or container of any kind, it very likely has all of that information right there on it.

However, I am fully aware that a lot of the things we eat don't have this information on them, and that doesn't even include when we go out to eat. Luckily however, there is a solution...

Search for all of your foods on a Calorie Counter (aCalorieCounter.com). a Calorie Counter is a completely FREE web site that allows you to type in the name of the food you want to look up (apple, chicken, corn flakes, french fries, etc.), hit search, and then see its complete nutritional content instantly. Calories, protein, carbs, fat and a whole lot more, all for free.

I should know, I made the site. After years of using other people's "calorie counter" type sites, I decided to make my own better version. It's the perfect side-kick to The Lose Weight Diet. Be sure to check it out.

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Question: I realize that this is The Lose Weight Diet, but what about working out?

Answer: As you've already learned, it is indeed possible for weight loss to happen through your diet plan alone. I hate to even mention that, because every single person reading this SHOULD workout. Your weight loss will happen faster and easier if you did it through a combination of diet AND workout rather than just one of the two.

Still not good enough for ya? How about this... besides being great for losing weight, exercise (of any kind) is fantastic for your health!

Still aren't sold on working out? Ok, how about this. In addition to being the KEY to maintaining lean muscle while you lose fat, working out (specifically weight training) is the difference between losing weight and looking "skinny," and losing weight and looking "lean" and "fit" and "toned." Seriously. You'll get "sexy washboard abs" and "toned arms" and "defined legs and shoulders and blah blah blah." Are you sold now? Good. You should be.

Of course, the next step is to figure out how to put together the most effective weight training program and/or cardio workout possible. You know, the workout that will work BEST for the results you want.

As it turns out, I just spent 3 months putting together a guide that explains exactly how to do that in the same simple, step-by-step format that The Lose Weight Diet is written in. And yes, it includes full sample workouts, too. Trust me, you'll love it.

You can check it out here: The Lose Weight Diet's Ultimate Fat Loss Program

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Question: What about supplements?

Answer: Everything I'll ever have to say about supplements is explained right here in this one article: Best Weight Loss Supplements

The End Of The Lose Weight Diet

That's it. You're done. You've reached the end of The Lose Weight Diet.

While there is still a ton of additional free information on this site (and the blog), right now you already know everything you need to know in order to lose weight. You know how to lose weight, you know what your specific weight loss diet plan should be, and you know how to make sure you continue losing weight and never let it come back. You feel that? It's relief. Weight loss is ready and waiting. All that's left for you to do is go and get it.

If something confused you a little, or if you forget something along the way, or if you just need to read something again... don't worry. This site isn't going anywhere and it's always going to be free. The Lose Weight Diet is here for you to read over and over again until you've finally got it.

Now that you've reached the end, the people who were skeptical at the beginning about whether this really was a free weight loss diet are probably thinking, "Ok, here comes the catch. Here comes the part where he's going to try to sell me something or ask me for money." You're wrong... but you're close.

I hate to sound greedy, but I actually am going to ask for something in return. Two things, actually. First, once you lose all the weight, send me an email and tell me. Something as quick and simple as "I'm done" or "I now weigh 50 pounds less than I used to" would be fine.

Second, tell your friends! The goal of The Lose Weight Diet isn't to make money. Its only goal is to help as many people as possible lose weight. The more people it helps, the more successful it is. So, whenever you are in a situation where you can do so, help spread the word about The Lose Weight Diet. Thanks.

That's it. Stay dedicated, be consistent, and never stop.

I'll be expecting your email.

Still have questions? Still need more? Still want more?

***NEW*** Since creating The Lose Weight Diet in 2006, one thing I've noticed is that many people still appear to need (or just want) more.

Sometimes it's their diet, or their weight training workouts, or their cardio plan, or their motivation and consistency. Sometimes it's just ALL of it.

So, in an effort to answer every single question you have (or ever will have) about any aspect of losing fat, weight training, cardio, diet/nutrition, and every related topic, I have just finished putting together a guide that I am extremely proud of and am absolutely sure you will love.

It's called The Lose Weight Diet's Ultimate Fat Loss Program, and it contains an entire example fat loss diet, full sample workout routines for beginners and advanced, a guide to cheat meals, and so much more. Honestly, it will provide literally EVERY detail, fact, answer and example you will ever need to get the best results possible.

CREATE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS DIET PLAN

Phase 2: Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan

Welcome to phase 2
In Phase 1 of The Lose Weight Diet, you learned how to lose weight. 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. 

2. While the above method is probably accurate enough for most people (it was actually very close for me), I can't say for sure if it will be as accurate for everyone. And, since this is the number that will be at the heart of your weight loss diet plan, I'm going to mention the second method. It's not so much a "method" as it is a "test."

calories each day and then closely monitor what your weight does when consuming this many calories. For example, if you maintained weight eating this certain number calories per day, you have found your maintenance level. If you gained weight, lower your calorie intake a little and see what happens then. If you lose weight, then you know you're already below your calorie maintenance level.

If you want to give method #2 a try, I'd suggest using your current calorie intake as the number of calories to start the "test" on. To figure this number out, pick a day and eat like you normally would. The only difference is you will be keeping track of the number of calories in everything you consume. At the end of the day add it all up. Do this for a few days and then take an average of all the days. This average is the average amount of calories you are currently taking in each day and would make a perfect starting point for method #2.

Which method you decide to use is up to you. Feel free to use both, by the way.

Create your weight loss diet plan.

Now that you know what your daily calorie maintenance level is, it's time to officially create your weight loss diet plan.

To do this, just subtract 500 from your calorie maintenance level.

For example, if you figured your maintenance level to be 3000 calories per day, you would now start eating 2500 calories per day instead. It's really as easy as it sounds. Just subtract 500 from your daily maintenance level and then start eating this new amount of calories each day. By doing so, you would officially be in a calorie deficit. And, as you know, a calorie deficit is what makes weight loss happen.

As for how and when you should consume those calories, that's completely up to you and your own preferences. Eat them all in 3 big meals, 6 small meals, every 2 hours, every 5 hours... whatever. It literally makes no difference whatsoever how you do it as long as your total calorie intake is the same for the day. You may have heard differently... like how eating 5-6 smaller meals magically "speeds up your metabolism" or something along those lines. But the truth is that it's all nonsense.

I know everyone used to suggest (and many still incorrectly do) that a higher meal frequency was better for weight loss (hell, articles I wrote years ago may still even contain that recommendation), but research in recent years has proven it to be a silly myth with no scientific evidence at all. So, the key is to do whatever is easiest and most enjoyable for you. Whatever meal schedule is most likely to allow you to consistently eat the right total amount of calories per day... THAT'S what you should do.

All that's left to do now as far as your weight loss diet plan goes is make sure that the calories you are consuming each day are coming from the right food sources...

Protein

Besides just being a requirement for overall health and function, protein is an extremely important part of The Lose Weight Diet (and all weight loss diets) because of the roles it plays in controlling hunger and maintaining muscle while fat is lost. As far as food sources go, the best sources of protein tend to come from anything that used to be alive, or anything that came from something that used to be alive. Some high protein foods include:

chicken
fish
lean cuts of meat
turkey
eggs and egg whites
milk

Protein can also be found in all types of nuts, seeds and beans. And of course, there are always protein supplements in the form of powders, shakes and bars. I fully explain the purpose and benefits of protein supplements here: Protein Powder

As far as how much protein you should include in your weight loss diet plan per day, that depends on the person. For example, the average person who doesn't exercise at all needs less protein than someone who does. Something in the range of a MINIMUM of 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight might be alright in this case. For example, if the person weighed 180lbs, you would do 180 x 0.5 = 90 grams of protein per day.

However, someone who does exercise should eat somewhere in the range of .6 - 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight. In this example a person weighing 180lbs would look to eat between 108 - 180 grams of protein per day. This is what I'd recommend most often.

The only other thing you need to know about protein is that 1 gram contains 4 calories. So, for example, if you were to eat 100 grams of protein per day, that would account for 400 calories. (100 x 4 = 400)

Fat

Despite any crazy ideas that have been put into your head, fat isn't all bad. Some types are definitely terrible for you (trans fat), some types are much less bad but still not great (saturated fat), and some types are actually good bordering on REALLY good (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat). "Bad fats" can be found in all of the usual junk foods that you already know you shouldn't eat. "Good fats" on the other hand can be found in foods like:

fish
nuts and seeds
olive oil
fish oil supplements (see below)

(*Important Note* Practically every single person reading this should be taking a fish oil supplement. It's the most scientifically proven supplement there is, with a seemingly endless number of benefits. Put it this way, it will improve your body's ability to do damn near everything (including lose fat). I fully explain all of this in my article about supplements here: Fish Oil)

As for how much fat should be included in your weight loss diet plan... about 25% of your total calorie intake should come from fat.

To figure this out, the first thing you need to know is that 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. So, if an example person figured out that their daily calorie intake should be 2500 total calories per day (again, just an example), they'd find that 25% of 2500 is 625 calories. They'd then divide 625 by 9 (because fat has 9 calories per gram) and get 69. Which means, this example person would eat about 69 grams of fat per day.

And of course, most of this fat should come in the form of the "good" food sources listed above.

Carbs

Now that you know how much protein and fat your weight loss diet should include, it will be pretty easy to figure out how many carbs you should eat. Quite simply, the rest of your diet should be carbs. Once you factor protein and fat into your total calorie intake, whatever calories are left over to reach the number of calories you figured you need to eat per day... those calories should come from carbs.

1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories. So, for example, after factoring protein and fat into what you calculated your total calorie intake should be (500 below maintenance level, remember?), let's say you are 1200 calories below that number. In this example you would need to eat 300g of carbs per day. (1200 ÷ 4 = 300)

And, just like fat, not all types of carbs are equal. More complex, lower glycemic, nutrient-rich foods are much more ideal for appetite control and overall health than simple, higher glycemic, highly processed junk. Some sources of the "good" carbs are:

fruits and vegetables
beans
brown rice
oatmeal
sweet potatoes and white potatoes
whole grains and 100% whole grain products

The "bad" type of carbs would be the typical snack/junk foods like crackers, pretzels, chips, cookies, etc. as well as white bread and white rice, candy, and drinks or food high in sugar. While you should definitely try to limit these "bad" carbs as much as possible and get most of your carb intake from foods on the "good" list, eating some white bread or pasta once in a while won't kill you.

Remember...

Remember, the most important part of The Lose Weight Diet is making sure you are 500 calories below your calorie maintenance level. Everything you just read about protein, fat and carbs was to give you an idea of how to divide those calories up so that your weight loss diet plan is as balanced as possible. The guidelines mentioned aren't just ideal for weight loss, they're also ideal for good health in general.

The end of Phase 2 of The Lose Weight Diet

You have reached the end of Phase 2. Right now you should not only know how to lose weight, but you should also know exactly what your specific weight loss diet plan should be so YOU can lose weight. You know how many calories you need to eat, and you know where those calories should come from. For the most part, you're done. Take a breath. It's a good feeling, isn't it?

All that's left now is some final information to not only make sure you continue losing weight, but to make sure you keep the weight off once it's gone. That's what Phase 3 will explain. Also, any questions that may have popped into your head during Phase 1 and 2 will be answered in Phase 3. So... let's go...