Who Else Wants to Lose Weight?

I found it. The key to losing weight. How do I know this is any good. Well, it worked for me. Two days keeping a food diary and I lost two pounds. Keep reading while I explain it.

There is no real secret to it. A little common sense and a little effort is all it takes. The effort comes from doing what you have probably been advised to do before. I know I was. It is nothing more than keeping a simple food log. A diary or journal of your daily meals and snacks.

I found an easy way to do it. Sure it takes some effort but follow along with me. I found it to be informative and enjoyable. Maybe you will find it to be just as fun as I did. And it was on my phone all along.

What was it? It was the MyFitnessPal app from the folks at MyFitnessPal.Com. I had installed this app some time back but never used it. You know how it goes, good intentions and all that.

MyFitnessPal Daily Summary Screen

So I decided to take a look at it early Saturday morning. I had to set up an account first. Then enter in information about my current weight, birth date, height, gender, activity level, goal weight, and weekly weight loss goal. With the options to maintain my current weight, gain weight (Oh-no!), or lose weight, I chose the maximum allowable setting for weight loss - 2 pounds.

But I did not feel comfortable with the recommended setting of about 1500 calories, so I settled for 1 1/2 pounds a week for my weight loss goals. I have done this diet thing before and being a large male I am much more comfortable doing an 1800 calorie diet plan. There are also setting options for exercise goals, I chose 5 times a week, and the units of measure of which I chose inches/lbs. For those on the metric system, that option is available.

Now my main goal here was to see what this app could do. I really wanted to track what I was eating to see where things were going wrong for my weight loss. I knew I should be losing weight and I had. I dropped 15 pounds the month before by being careful what I ate and limiting my snacking. I had changed my habits was eating healthier. Or so I thought.

How to Treat Sinus Infections (Irritations), the Easy Way!

Sinus Infection

Many of us have recurring sinus infections. Its not fun being an adult who feels like a toddler because you can't control your runny nose. And it can be worse when its not running and you are so stuffed from congestion. My problem has been when I feel like I have both happening at the same time.

The doctors fluctuate from diagnosing colds to allergies. They can never determine what I might be allergic to but lately I believe its mostly colds for myself. And having a spouse who works in child care keeps us all exposed to a variety of little nasties.

Thankfully I believe I have a strong immune system since I do not normally tend to become as ill as those around me. But catching a cold virus at least once a year must be part of the human condition. At least that is better than three or four times a year as I have witnessed occurring with so many others.

I have tried so many over the counter remedies as well as medical prescriptions which don't seem to work. For me sinus sprays usually only make things worse. I won't go into any name brands at this time but most tended to irritate my nasal tissues more than help. Except for saline sprays.

Saline Spray

Saline actually works, for me any way. I did some research on this and it appears that the saline actually soothes the sinuses as well as making it hard for bacteria to live. And I have been advised my a medical doctor that you can use saline sprays as often as you like. With no side effects. That is what I like to hear.

The Real Secret to Lose Weight

The key to losing weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn every day. That is what we have so often heard. And it does make sense. There is logic in the thought that if you do more in a day than you consume, calorie wise, then the calories have to come from somewhere.

(hint, hint) Food Journal

Our body's fat stores are where we need to have the excess calories come from. Burn those fat stores and live happily ever after. That is our goal. Right?

The problem is that we try diet after diet. Never quite finding the right one. And there are so many. Which one is the right one.

They all work. We know that. At first they usually work for us. And even if they do not, we know someone whom that particular diet did work for. Or our doctor recommended it. Maybe it was that latest fad diet book we got out of the bargain bin.

So what is the missing ingredient? Is there something wrong with us? These diets are supposed to work. After all, they are not rocket science. We should be able to figure this out and make it work.

The Three Phases of Exercise

What Are The Three Phases of Exercise?

Not to be confused with the three types of exercise, but the three phases, or stages, of exercise are important for your workout to help prevent injury and to maximize the results of your workouts.

1. The warm-up 

Your warm-up should consist of some light movements to slowly bring your heart rate up from your resting rate to your active rate. Stretching, or flexibility training, can be used to get started and can be combined with range of motion exercises. These are generally low-impact and you can start out slowly and move faster as you feel your body warming and breathing rate increasing.

A good rule of thumb here is to warm-up and "stretch" the areas of the body you plan to be concentrating on in the main part of your work out. You can also use a low intensity form of your primary work out during your warm-up phase. The idea is not to start your full workout from a cold, or sedentary, condition. You should spend at least 5 minutes performing your warm-up and more time would not be remiss.