We all like to watch the number on the scale go down when our goal is to lose weight.  However, it is important you drink adequate amounts of water throughout the day, every day, in order to burn fat and maximize your weight loss.  This cannot be overemphasized enough.  Let me tell you why water helps to burn fat.   I am sure you will all go get a glass or bottle of water after reading this.

TIP:   one large sip of water is equal to about an ounce of water.  For me, it is a tad under an ounce.  When I drink ten sips of water (these are good-size sips) I know I am getting about eight to ten ounces of water and I do not have to measure it out.  Since I aim for at least 120 ounces of water per day (more if I am exercising or playing a sport) this knowledge makes it easy for me to calculate.  Fifteen or twenty sips of water during or before each meal and I am set each day.

Your body’s fat-burning super organ is the liver.  The liver is also a multitasking organ.  When the kidneys need help in the filtration process, they call on the liver for assistance. This is a concern if you want to burn more calories and more body fat.  Every minute the liver spends helping gout the kidneys is one minute the liver is not spending doing its real job which is to help the body burn fat. 

Since the kidneys are assisted tremendously by adequate water intake, the key to keeping this relationship between the liver and kidneys happy is to drink sufficient amounts of water.

You do not have to overdo the water.  You can actually damage your body if you drink too much water at one time.  Spacing water out over the day and getting about one quart for every 50-75 pounds of body weight is absolutely vital to the fat-burning, weight loss process – and that is far less than the average person is drinking.  On the WeightLossVillage program you will be encouraged to drink water in between your meals so that you can take advantage of the fat burning power of water.

For your added enjoyment we suggested drinking infused water

Serious About  Weight Loss? Click Here.

Do you find it difficult to motivate yourself to stick to a weight loss program plan or make the time to fit in some exercise? Studies show that if you set health goals with friends, or a ssignificant other, you’re much more likely to reach them.

Why does having a weight loss buddy increase your odds of achieving your weight loss goals? A number of factors are at play here:

1. Friends and loved ones help to hold you accountable. Instead of working towards a goal that only you are aware of, including others in your mission gives you extra incentive not to let them down.
2. Spark a competitive spirit to keep up as your friends shed pounds—a little competition never hurt anyone, especially when the goal is better health!
3. Each member of your weight loss team brings their own experiences and knowledge to the table. You’ll be able to give each other valuable advice based on your past experiences, making sure you help each other avoid mistakes along the way.
4. When the people around you are working towards their own health goals, you’ll all be focused on eating well. This can make preparing meals much easier, and you won’t be tempted by unhealthy foods if those around you aren’t eating them either!
5. Having a supportive atmosphere can make working out and losing weight—gasp!—more fun. Sharing your experiences and laughing through the ups and downs of your journey with people you care about is a lot more fun than going through those emotions alone. Rather than looking at your health goals as an unpleasant burden, you’ll start to associate them with positive, upbeat parts of your life.

A safe, sure way to get started on your weight loss journey is to become a member at Weight Loss Village with one or more friends and family.

Make today the day you each sign up, find an online meal plan just right for each of you, enjoy the personalized weekly menus with grocery list, Think-Thin workshops that can change your mindset and change your life plus take the plan with you wherever you go with their amazing app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Here’s to a thinner and fitter you in excellent health… and to enjoying time with friends during your journey!

You’ve probably heard about your friends’ smoothie recipes, and the new liquid diets. Making your own smoothies at home has become a huge craze, for people who want to lose weight as well as those looking to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets for health.

Documentaries like Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead have covered the amazing results that this type of diet can give, as well as their positive effects on the overall health of a person… the benefits go well beyond weight loss.

What’s so great about smoothies? Here are just a few reasons why you might want to jump on this bandwagon:

- Breaking down vegetables into smoothies actually allows you body to absorb more of their nutrients than consuming them as solids does.
- Sticking to a smoothie plan can help cut your cravings: fruit juices make a great substitute for traditional desserts.
- For anyone just starting a weight loss plan, smoothies can be an excellent jump start for your body. After just a few days, you’ll find that cravings for the foods you’re trying to avoid will be much less.
- Smoothies taste great! You can get a variety of flavors into your daily regimen if you have enough recipes.

Get started with the smoothie lifestyle by entering your name and email below.  Weight Loss Village has done most of the work for you!  We’ve compiled over 100 of the absolute best smoothie recipes we could find and put them into Simply Smoothies eBook!

It is a well know fact that childhood obesity has become an increasingly serious problem for kids in the United States. Keeping our children healthy, and setting them up to live a full and active life is incredibly important.

Traditional “dieting” is not usually the most beneficial route for children, because it can lead to an unhealthy self-image. The best way to change a child’s weight is to monitor their meals, and to give them tasty but healthy options so that their cravings swing more towards fruits & veggies than fried & fatty. We recommend the WeightLossVillage Online Meal Plans for Kids ages 9 through teens as a great tool to help you restructure your child’s eating patterns. Since the kids are more computer savvy that their parents our online meal plans allow kids to get involved and take control of their eating habits, and to find healthy foods that they love just as much (if not more) than “junk foods.”

Additionally, encouraging and exhibiting a more active lifestyle will pay dividends down the road. Children who become interested in sports are much more likely to maintain a healthy weight throughout their life. Even if your child isn’t interested in becoming a star on the soccer field, make sure that they are spending at least as much time outside participating in active play as they do inside watching TV, playing on the computer or x-box. Even better? Set up a 2:1 ratio of physical activity versus video games and cartoons.

As a parent, your role is to lead by example as well as adding encouragement .  If your child’s eating habits need to change, working to make sure the entire family is eating healthy will make that transition easier for everyone. Where outdoor activity is concerned, come up with fun and physical games that the whole family can play. Not only will your entire family benefit from the exercise, but you’ll have a good time together!

Creating good habits at a young age will help your children grow into adults who have a better handle on their health.

Is ‘diet” a four-letter word in your vocabulary?   You are not alone.  Many people believe that they won’t be successful in their attempt to lose weight because they hate to diet. However, don’t consider obtaining a healthy weight “dieting”. Instead, change certain habits that make it difficult to lose weight and shape them into a permanent lifestyle. Here are five weight loss tips that do not include the word ‘diet’.

1. Eat Filling Foods

Instead of thinking about eating less, think about eating more. This doesn’t mean increasing your portion size, it means choosing foods that though you up so that you eat less. These foods will also prevent you from getting hungry and snacking between meals.

Whole-grain food has carbohydrates and proteins, which help you to feel full longer. Eating more vegetables and less meat or starch during a meal can also help you to feel full longer.

2. Find an Eating Buddy

In eating Buddy is someone that you can share meals with, literally. If you want a piece of cake, share that piece of cake with a friend. If you go to a restaurant that has large meal portions, offer to split the entrée with your eating companion. Many restaurants understand that people will sometimes split a meal with others at the table. If you ask them, they often will even bring you a second plate when they serve an appetizer, entrée, or dessert. By splitting a meal with a friend, you are able to taste the food that you enjoy without the guilt of the extra calories.

3. Water Everywhere

Drinking plenty of fluids is important to your body for many reasons. Too often people don’t drink enough water and end up going through their day with borderline dehydration symptoms. Water is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. It also helps your body flush out toxins and keeps your skin healthy.

While there is some dispute regarding just how much water a person needs to consume each day, you can still increase the amount of water you drink and be better off. One rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water when you first wake up in the morning, have another glass after you of exercise, and have at least one or two more during the day. If you consume a lot of coffee or other caffeinated drinks, you should increase your water intake.

4. Don’t Eat In Front Of The TV

When you are eating meals you should be paying attention to the food that you eat and your body signals. Listen to your body and stop eating when you no longer feel hungry. It can take up to a half an hour for your body to register that it is full, so you shouldn’t wait until you feel soft before you put down your fork and knife. You also shouldn’t eat in front of the television. Whether you are eating a meal while watching your favorite show or just snacking, you aren’t paying attention to what it is you are eating. People who eat in front of the TV have a tendency to overeat and will end up gaining weight.

By getting rid of bad habits and replacing them with good habits, you can start a path to losing weight. Eating filling foods, drinking more water, finding and eating Buddy to share your favorite meals with and eating at the table instead of in front of the TV are easy changes to make that can help you create a healthy lifestyle.

5. Meal Plans Made Easy

The final suggestion for quick, healthy weight loss is investing in a program that can help you organize your meals.  We found Weight Loss Village with over 40 Registered Designed online meal plans that provide 100% personalized weekly menus with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day an excellent option.  This is the easy and simple to create your own weight loss plan, track calories and take the plan with you no matter where you go with their mobile app starting at just $3.95/wk. Weight Loss Village is a quick, simple way to get and stay motivated to soon reach you weight loss goals.  Check it out and sign up!

Congratulations! You set a goal to lose weight and you are working toward achieving it.  The feeling you’ll get when you reached your goal weight…PRICELESS.

Here are some priceless ways to help you stay on track to lose weight and keep it off. 

1. Make Water Your New Best Friend
Drinking enough water is essential to your health. Water should be your new best friend. Like a good best friend, water will always compliment you and allow you to get things out your system.  Drinking the proper amount of water daily will not only help you flush your system on a regular basis it will also help keep you hydrated during the day and assist with muscle recovery after strenuous workouts. Did I mention the glowing affect it can have on your skin?

 2. Portion Control
Portion control doesn’t mean deprivation. Instead maybe think to yourself, have some now… have some later. By putting the proper portion on your plate now and telling yourself if you want more you can have more later you will be in a much better position to make good portion control decisions. Plus, if you brought water, your new best friend along and had a glass before your meal, odds are you returning to get more food at a later time is less likely. 
At home:  Reduce the size of your plates to reduce the size of your portions and the size of your body.
Dining out.  Either have a share buddy or if you do not have a share buddy ask the person taking your order to wrap half the order before you begin eating. Save it for your next meal. 

3. Find Healthy Ways to Reward Yourself with a Treat
While losing weight and when you’ve lost your weight properly as you can do with the WeightLossVillage online weight loss program you learned that treating yourself in the process is a necessity; however, it’s what you treat yourself with that makes the difference on your journey to reaching and maintaining your ideal weight successfully.
Learn to modify your old treats. For instance, instead of downing a chocolate bar and having the guilt afterward, slice a banana and sprinkle a small handful of semi-dark chocolate over it. You will have the same satisfaction with health benefits and without the guilt.  Finding healthy treats that don’t feel like punishment will be a major key to your success.

4. Avoid Getting Bored with Your Menu
When being mindful of what you eat, losing weight and maintaining your weight it can be easy to get caught up in the monotony of meal planning. Using an online meal plan program such as WeightLossVillage.com with memberships starting at just $3.95/week can be helpful, quick and an easy way to plan a variety of meals.  

WeightLossVillage SAMPLE MENU  - 1300 Calorie Low Carb Italian Menu

Replace the temptation.   With an online meal plan membership you can plan your menus.   Have the needed ingredients on hand and you’ll be less likely to give into poor eating temptations.

Snacks:  Carry portion size healthy snacks with you to replace the urge to eat unhealthy, fattening snacks.

At the restaurant:   Know what you want to order and how you want it prepared.   Ask the person taking your order to customize your order in advance so the unwanted ingredients are out of site, out of mind. 

‘Fitness – if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body.”  Cher

When you agree exercise is an important part of life you realize exercise serves many purposes: 1) it is prefect for losing weight 2) it can keep you within your ideal body weight, 3) it raises your metabolic rate 4) it helps burn the unwanted calories (calories in/calories out principal) and 5) exercise will rev up your heart and lungs to make them more efficient.

If that is not reason enough to remove yourself from a sedentary lifestyle here are a few more facts,  exercise works to strengthen the bones to keep one looking and feeling good about themselves and it helps give people stamina to keep up the pace of everyday. Sadly people do not always do what is good for them. Have we all been guilty of deciding whether to exercise or press the snooze alarm just one more time. Unfortunately too often the snooze alarm wins.

Decide today to make this your time to win out over the snooze alarm so you can reach and maintain the ideal body weight. The following fitness babe tips are especially good for women who are more susceptible to osteoporosis and who are under pressure to keep themselves beautiful.

Incorporate one or two of the tips as a starting point or incorporate into your current work out routine. It is suggested taking only one or two to make it realistic since it is important to keep the commitments you make.

Do not be concerned that the exercise routine is not enough. The ideal is to exercise 3-5 times a week for 20-60 minutes. However, with today’s busy schedules that is not always achievable. It is important not to get frustrated with a routine that is utterly impossible. It is more important to manage 2 times a week for 20 minutes than give up because the routine was unrealistic or too rigid. One should not frustrate herself by aiming for the ideal when she knows for herself that it is utterly impossible. Worthy to repeat: Managing two times a week for 20 minutes per session would be just fine.

Focus on doing what you can do vs. reprimanding oneself for not having done enough. Start from 20 minute workouts and progress as time permits. This will make you feel successful about having kept a commitment to yourself. Soon you’ll be patting yourself on the back saying ‘Bravo, I did this for me’ and ‘I am a fitness babe’. .

This is a great resource for learning how to simply stay young without all the hype. When you have anti-aging strategies that are easy to follow, easy to implement and easy to live there is not reason why you can’t stay young! Staying young means you are at your ideal weight, you feel good and you look fantastic.

Looking young, staying young or just feeling young is a lucrative multimillion dollar industry. The primary reason is that we have an ever-aging generation. This generation is one of the largest generations with a large number in this population that are fighting aging every step of the way. For this reason anti-aging products are everywhere in the marketplace. But that does not mean you need to get ‘taken’ by the unnecessary and often expensive products that play on the emotions of those who wish to ‘stay’ young.

We find the following useful to help you avoid the risks of buying some products that are not needed and that are often expensive and still not needed.

Village Tip #1 Feed Your Face
Consciously feed your face anti-aging food on a consistent basis and you’ll find staying young becomes second nature. Make sure you are not feeding your precious body with junk food as this is sure to accelerate and perpetuate the aging process. And for all you dieters who try to escape the eating step to lose a few pounds, you may lose the weight but you will grow older faster. The body knows what it needs and that is a balanced, nutritious diet. Give your body what it needs? A great place to start is with Weight Loss Village online meals plans designed to help you lose weight, get healthy and be in the best shape you’ve been in years.

Village Tip #2 Pick Yourself Up
Start by getting off the couch or out of the chair, turn off the TV or computer and engage in enjoyable anti-aging activities. Weather permitting … take that activity outside. Choose an activity or two that you enjoy. Walk, play tennis, ride a bike, weight train, or jump on a pogo stick. Do something, anything that causes your body to move and put forth some energy. Stay young when you stretch muscles and keep them limber.

Village Tip #3: Enjoy Your Life
Mentioned above for the #2 Anti-Aging Secret Tip was finding some activity you enjoy. That’s the point of the entire article. Find and engage in activities you have fun doing. The key to the entire process of anti-aging is to treat your body right and have fun doing it. The best ways to slow the anti-aging process is to enjoy life and stay young mentally, physically and emotionally. This when incorporated with positive thinking will provide you with the momentum and motivation to continue a healthy lifestyle of well balanced eating, exercise and anti aging.

To your health.

Many people strive to lose weight with a goal to look better during bikini season. While this may not be their only reason for losing weight, they do want to look good during the warmer months when hiding in bulky clothing is no longer possible. If you are facing this summer with the knowledge that you haven’t met your weight loss goals, you may feel discouraged and lose motivation. Don’t lose hope. You can obtain the healthy body you are looking for by keeping the following facts in mind.

1. It Takes Time

Yes, it takes longer to lose weight the right way than it did to gain it.  Set realistic goals and be patient.  Slow and steady will win the race.    Stay focused, think positive and you will soon be wearing those skinny jeans or whatever clothing you have in your sights to fit into again. .

2. Stay Active

There are many great activities you can take part in during the summer. Volleyball, baseball, basketball, and even swimming are all fun sports that will help you to lose weight. Get out there and take part in sports with friends and family. Not only will the activity help you to lose weight, the endorphins released will improve your mood and increase your motivation.

3. Partner Up

Everyone has their good days and their bad days. There may be times when you don’t feel like working out, or that plate of brownies is calling your name. Don’t try to achieve your weight loss goals alone. Partner with a friend or colleague who is also looking to achieve a healthier lifestyle. They can help encourage you when you are feeling down and you can do the same for them on their bad days.

4. Exercise Outdoors

Exercising outdoors can help improve your motivation. The fresh air and fantastic scenery are inspiring. Search for a yoga class, walk an exercise trail in a park, or find other instructors who offer outdoor exercise classes in fair weather. Even a change in routine will help to take the boredom out of exercising and encourage you to meet your weight loss goals.

5. Look Good Feel Good

You can’t hide in bulky sweaters, but this doesn’t mean that you have to hide your body. Find clothes that you like that fit your body type and make you feel good about yourself, no matter what your weight may be. In fact, tight-fitting clothing will help you with your weight loss because you will be more aware of how much you consume at meals.

It is challenging to achieve your goal of  losing weight on your own. You can use motivation, guidance, and tips along the way. With Weight Loss Village, you can read our blog posts to find tips and tricks to losing weight along with inspiration to help you achieve your goals.  Members have access to empowering workshops.  Listen to our complimentary  Think Thin Workshops.

Summer is here and people are looking to beat the heat while still looking and feeling cool. The days of hiding behind bulky clothing are over, so you now have to face the dilemma of wearing shorts or mini-dresses to help stay cool in the hot weather. But, if you haven’t reached your weight loss goals, how can you feel good about yourself this summer?   We find these weight loss tips can help.

Avoid Summer Alcohol Drinks

Those frozen margaritas look like a great choice after a hot day but they are full of calories. It is better to skip the alcoholic drinks for a glass of ice water or tea. If you feel like you need to loosen up a little, go for the skinny vodka drinks that are now available or tequila and lime to quench your thirst.

Some Like It Hot

Even though the weather is hot, still go for spicy foods. They can help you burn an extra 100 to 200 calories a day to meet your weight loss goals. Add a taste of Mexico or the Caribbean to your next cookout with some spice to your meat.

Plan Ahead

Summer is full of parties and cookouts with fattening food choices and empty calories. You don’t want to stay at home and mope all summer because you are trying to lose weight. Plan ahead for those times when you will be tempted to indulge by bringing low-calorie alternative foods or putting smaller portions on your plate.

Wear Tight Clothes

Though you may be embarrassed, don’t avoid the mini-dresses, shorts, and other tight-fitting apparel that come with summer. People who wear tight clothes tend to eat less because they are more conscious of how they feel in the clothing. People who wear loose-fitting clothing tend to eat more because they don’t have the waistband restricting their belly.

Drink Iced Coffee

While you may need to forgo some of the great foods of summer, you can drink iced coffee. It has caffeine and polyphenols that will help speed up your metabolism and burn fat faster. Just make sure you don’t add a lot of sugar and whipped cream.

Water and Lemon

Another tip to help you lose weight in summer is to drink a glass of lukewarm water with lemon juice in the morning. This trick has many benefits; it will increase weight loss, clean out your system, and help you have clear and radiant skin.

Barefoot on the Beach

If you live near the ocean, you should try walking on the beach barefoot. You can tone your legs and calves as well as improve resistance, stability, and mobility.

Ice Cubes and Fruit

Consuming water in the summer keeps you hydrated and helps you lose weight. Add fruit to some ice cubes to add flavor to your water and make other drinks less tempting.

You can enjoy the summer even if you are trying to lose weight. Take advantage of these 8 summer weight loss tips to have a happy and healthy season.