Living Right - Losing Weight

When going on a diet we have to be more selective about the things we put in our mouth.
And if we want to lose weight we should be extra mindful on the amount of calories that we consume.
That’s why I want to talk about tuna.
Canned tuna fish has been around for over a century and quickly became very popular.
Nowadays, you can find tuna in other forms, like in sushi, but that is a different type of tuna fish.
The kind that I’ll review here is Albacore tuna which is regular white tuna you will find canned in the local grocery store.
Like other fish, tuna contains a high level of protein,
Which makes it a good substitute for fatty meats in your diet.
The major distinction you have to make is that there is a big difference between tuna canned in water and tuna canned in oil.
As you will see, tuna calories count is much higher when canned in oil.
Let’s review some nutrition data:
A serving of canned tuna in water has approximately 90 calories per can (which is 165g, making it about 55 calories per 100g).
Out of these 90 calories, only 10% come from fat and none of it is saturated
(Saturated fat is the kind of fat that you want to avoid in order to prevent heart problem and artery blockage).
All the rest of the 90% come from proteins,
About 20g of proteins in a can, which is important to keep your body healthy and functioning (especially if your working out).
Tuna canned in water has almost no carbs what so ever.
On the other hand,
A serving of canned tuna in oil has approximately 330 calories per can (about 200 calories per 100g) even after removing the oil.
This includes 14.4g of fat (about 20% percent of it saturated).
If this sounds not as good that is because that it really is not.
When canned in oil the tuna calories are much higher.
That is why tuna canned in water is much preferable for diet meal (even though it usually is a little more expensive).
Tuna calories count is also lower then other sorts of meat.
For example:
Fried beef steak fillet has 316 calories per serving (170g).
Grilled bacon (not even fried) has 260 calories per 100g.
Tuna, as well as other fish, have a relatively high mercury count.
But that shouldn’t concern you,
It’s much too low for it to be harmful (you need to eat more then 10 cans for it to be potentially harmful).
Also some tuna products are rich with omega 3 which is also good for you.
I won’t detail it here because it’s not our main issue,
But Omega 3 is used for many purposes and is considered to be very healthy.
Tuna can be eaten as a side dish alone, in a salad, and even made into a burger.
There are plenty of great recipes online that include tuna. Calories should be a concern of course.
Don’t use recipes that include fatty or calorie rich ingredients such as regular mayonnaise or white bread.
Conclusion: tuna calories count is low enough to be relevant for your diet. It also has other important nutrients that are important for a dieter. Just make sure you pick tuna canned in water!

For other posts concerning food that is right for your diet and information about nutrition – you can use the navigation categories and look around.

Bon-appetite!
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

Not all people enjoy working out at the gym.
I can easily relate to this feeling.
Gyms are often very crowded, you need to dress up, and you waste a lot of time just to get a proper workout.
Not exactly the time of your life.
The solution to this issue is home fat burning exercises.
Working out at home has plenty of advantages:
- You don’t have any time restrictions like busy hours at the gym or working out after the gym closes.
- You don’t have to get out, get to the gym (not everybody has a gym in a walking distance from their homes).
- You can do it in your underwear.
So why not do it?
The straight forward answer is that people know the will be too lazy to work out in the comfort of their homes.
So there’s a bit of a conflict:
Either you suffer the gym or you slack off at home.
The simple solution to this is plain old self discipline.
If you don’t like working out at the gym, find the will power to do home fat burning workouts.
I suggest you make a routine out of it, don’t wait ‘till you have the time.
Don’t wait for when it will be all comfortable and easy.
And don’t wait ’till the kids are out (or leave off for college).
Set the daily time for a home fat burning workout and do it every day!
It may sound hard, and it might be hard at first, but I promise you:
You will get used to it, and it will be so much easier than going to the gym.
Try to prepare an easy workout environment.
Set up a home “fat burning space” in which you have a workout mat, some weights or a power ball (or whatever you enjoy working out with),
And make sure this space is ready for action whenever you need it.
People are so quick to skip their daily workout session because of little things like having to arrange the room and bring the mat from the storage room.
Don’t fall into this trap, arrange for an always ready workout space.
Also – regard the TV, DVD or stereo as your friends!
To make your home fat burning session enjoyable, set it up in front of the TV, watch a favorite show, put on MTV or VH1, or play a favorite album.
If you have a treadmill it will be a good time to catch up with your tivo while burning some calories.
You can even do it with your family. And you should recruit them to encourage you.
It will supply you all the motivation you need.
So, working out at home has a lot of perks.
But you must be aware and avoid skipping your home fat burning sessions because it’s a lot easier when you’re at home.
I hope you’ll find a way to make your own home fat burning workouts effective and consistent.
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

One thing that I personally feel that defines spirituality is the ability to experience life more than just what is “here and now”.
I’m talking about a feeling of transcendence,
Which under certain circumstances will feel like a rich feeling of amazement.
So what does it has to with your diet program?
It has lots to do with it.

#1 Transcending Everyday Pressures
A diet is a long term goal.
When we think of such goals, we believe that we will invest a lot of time in order to achieve said goals.
But think about this: how long have you invested this last week in achieving your diet goals? In comparison, how many hours have you invested in things that are not as important to you like watching TV,
Shopping for things you don’t necessarily need surfing the net aimlessly,
Or even writing e-mails.
I’m not saying that these things are not important,
I’m just implying that they are not AS important to you,
And yet you invest much of your time doing them.
In order to achieve your goal you need to think how to utilize your time in a way that will reflect your desires better.

#2 Transcending Temptations
Some of the things I’ve just mentioned are temptations.
It’s tempting to relax in front of the TV after a long days’ work.
It’s also tempting to buy a snack when you’re tired,
Or buy fast food when you’re hungry.
These temptations are disrupting your diet.
Every time you find yourself facing this sort of temptation,
Just think about this:
This day is exactly like tomorrow,
These are ALL links in a chain that leads to my goal.
To achieve my goal, I have to rise above current temptations, and do what I know to be right.
You must remember that tomorrow won’t be any easier than today, so you can’t let your guard down and say: “just this once”
Believe me, it’s a good way to start making a difference in your life.

#3 Transcending Your Own Diet
I want to be more accurate something I said earlier: Diet for itself is not a goal.
Not really.
If you think of it, a diet is only a tool to achieve something else.
What do we wish to achieve?
The uttermost goal of dieting is to achieve happiness.
It’s to alleviate my self esteem and confidence,
It’s to alleviate my health,
It’s to alleviate my openness to experiences.
So – if a diet is a tool to achieve happiness, why not start feeling happy right now?
Obviously this is not as easy as it sounds,
But what I’m saying is that you don’t need to lose some extra pounds in order to find peace of mind. You can find it right here. Right now.
Take a moment for yourself. Listen to a favorite album. Call a friend.
Appreciate something beautiful.
Do something for yourself that will make you truly happy.
Go beyond your diet –
Work hard to create happiness in your life.
As we said before - just because you have a road ahead of you, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the view.

Human beings are special, unlike other animal we have a natural ability to transcend ourselves.
We are spiritual animals.
Use this natural ability to change your life for the better.
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

Counting calories is considered almost a precondition to dieting.
But is it that important?
Can’t you lose weight without reading the tag of everything you eat?
Let me paint you a little picture:
You open your fridge,
Your eye catches a fruit yogurt.
You really want that yogurt.
You start thinking: “what did I eat today?”, “can I allow myself this yogurt?”
You reach for the yogurt and start looking for the nutrient table.
Then you start deciphering the table and the meaning of these calories.
You decide to eat the yogurt.
It only took you a few minutes and you even feel a little guilty about it.
Sounds familiar?
This is what a dieting person goes through every day.
But I say:
Isn’t it enough that we need to know what we eat and when we eat?
Do we have to become a human calorie calculator?
Must we count calories to burn fat?
No, we must not.
We can stop counting every calorie and still lose weight in a satisfactory manner.
Of course you should have proper knowledge about what you should eat and how much of it.
The problem is: people become fanatics.
Being on a diet, we can’t just eat whatever we want whenever we want it (yes, we are still on a diet),
But we also shouldn’t ourselves constantly with counting calories to burn fat properly.
For example:
If you know your diet tells you to eat a 400 calorie meal,
It can be translated to eat 350-450 calorie meal (as long as you don’t just add 50 calories to each meal of the day).
You can count calories in broader strokes and still lose real weight.
Believe me, the relief of not having to count every calorie will worth much more than the occasional 100-150 calories per day which you might eat.
The important thing is to set yourself free.
I’m not exaggerating.
If you’ve been doing it for a while stopping the calorie counting is so refreshing,
You’ll feel like a different person.
But don’t mistake it with paying less attention.
You actually have to pay more attention, not to calories, but to what feels right.
In the long run, the motivation to keep going is way more vital than the extra few calories.
You should change your state of mind from:
“I must count calories to burn fat”
To:
“I must know my calories to burn fat”
Concentrate on the content of the food, its’ nutrition value and not the difference between a 200 kcal sandwiches to a 230 kcal one.
This state of mind will help you stick to your diet.
And more importantly it will help you make your diet easier and calmer.
Don’t you want that?
Don’t you want to enjoy your diet? Or at least not suffer?
Sure you do.
Remember: a good diet should give you balance, not rob you of it.
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

The general discussion regarding carbs is very conflicted,
The case of Bread carbs is no different.
Bread is always a big deal for people on a diet,
Some never eat it, some try to avoid it.
But most people will tell you that bread is bad for your diet.
Though you might think that all bread carbs are to be totally avoided,
It is not necessarily the case.
It is partially true when speaking of white bread.
Whole wheat breads and some kinds of grain bread are different.
You see, the real issue is the kind of carbs that you should keep your distance from,
And these carbs are the simple carbs.
Simple carbs, in comparison to what is called complex carbs, are much lower in nutrients such as fiber.
The problem with white bread carbs is that they are the simple and cheap carbs.
And this is the reason people are so afraid of bread.
White bread is calorie rich, and yet it’s quite hard to eliminate all bread from your diet.
Bread is almost irreplaceable.
Don’t get me wrong, you can go on a diet and decide to never eat bread again.
But my point is that it’s really hard and not really necessary.
In my opinion, carbohydrates are vital for any diet.
Low carb/no carb diets are actually really dangerous.
Carbohydrates are the main glucose supplier for your body,
Cutting your carbohydrates will cause your body to go to “starvation mode”.
It is entering a state called ketosis, and it is very unhealthy.
So if you eat carbohydrates you might as well eat bread carbs.
Just try to make sure you eat foods with complex carbs.
And which food is that?
Whole wheat bread.
This type of carbs is slowly releasing glucose to your blood stream.
As opposed to simple carbs this kind of carbs is very good for you.
Giving a balanced supply of energy to your body is exactly what you need.
Whole wheat bread is also heavier than white bread so it makes you feel fuller.
So not only do you eat a better type of bread carbs,
You also eat fewer calories.
This is win-win situation.
The same goes for many different types of complex carbohydrate breads.
There are a lot f them out there,
All you need to do is go and find them.
Look for the word “whole” or “full” on the label,
The bottom line is don’t let the general “bread carbs are bad” idea make your diet harder.
Just find the right bread with the right bread carbs and you’re good to go.
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

P.S
Please share your thoughts and comment

When there are so many diets plans to choose from,
You may be surprised to know that the best one is none of them.
The best one is your own personal diet plan.
If you’ve tried dieting before and been around people who diet like I have,
You should have already noticed the variety of diets and methods out there.
There are enough diet plans to make us believe there must be one diet plan perfect for us.
Well, that may just be true.
But are you willing to go through all of them to find out?
I definitely don’t expect you to.
Since a readymade diet is never really tailored to your specific needs, body or mind set, it will almost certainly be less than a perfect match.
A diet plan that doesn’t fit you can be frustrating. And frustration from your diet is a sure recipe for quitting your diet.
I can however offer you an interesting alternative:
Make your own personal diet plan.
Sounds tough, doesn’t it?
It shouldn’t.
All you need is the right knowledge, and this knowledge is everywhere.
You can read some diet books, have some sessions with a professional dietician or surf the web just like you’re doing now.
Any of the above will get you this knowledge if you are willing to look for it.
But of course, I don’t expect you to be better than the pros, so there are a couple of courses you can take.
The first option is for the more serious folks out there and you don’t have to do it if you feel like it’s too hard.
You can make your own personal diet plan with no assistance at all
Start from the basics – learn about carbs and the effects of different sorts of foods on the body,
Then move to meal plans and exercise plans.
I can assure you, it’s not simple and it takes some time,
But after you’re done, you have a real chance to make a change in your life.
And better than that, you can start helping others.
The bottom line is: achievable but will definitely require some time and lots of knowledge.
If you don’t think you’re up for this challenge,
You don’t have to make your personal diet plan from scratch.
Just take an existing diet plan and tweak it to fit your own needs.
If you have the necessary knowledge, you can easily transform a boring diet to a nice and easy one.
So go ahead, and make your favorite personal diet plan, it will be much easier to keep up with when you can change it to your liking.
The bottom line: totally doable and very effective.
Anywhere between these two options is also a possibility,
For example, you can make the meal plan on your own and tweak an existing exercise program to fit it.
You can start on your own then make the final touches with a certified pro.
The important point is: your own personal diet plan is definitely the best diet plan out there.
Click Here to find out what’s wrong with your diet
Click Here to use your mind and make your diet easier

Good luck,

David H. Mason

P.S
Please share your thoughts and comment

There are lots of diet plans out there,
You can try them one by one,
You can choose carefully and find the right one for you.
But what about making your own personal diet plan?
People have two normal reactions to this idea.
One of them is “why make my own when there is so many out there?”
And the other is “I’m not a professional, I can’t do it on my own”
Both reactions are legitimate, but are they accurate?
No. They are not.
Of course, I’m not expecting anyone to do guess work throughout their diet and I’m not expecting anyone to accidentally find a perfect diet.
What I’m saying is: you can do it, if you acquire the correct knowledge.
Let’s start with that knowledge then.
I believe you should gather a lot of knowledge before you start your diet.
Even if you follow a very specific diet plan, you better off understanding it rather than just following it blindly.
This knowledge is the most important thing in your diet,
And it will become handy in many situations during your diet.
So, get this knowledge wherever you can, it is really not that hard.
After the knowledge part, there is still the “why do I need my own personal diet plan?” question.
And the reason is simple:
Everyone is different; the diets that will work for me won’t always work for you.
Of course, the more generic a diet plan is, the more people it will fit to some degree.
But it also means that there is some individual needs that you have which won’t get enough attention.
Of course we only hear about the success stories.
But think of it this way: generic programs are more appealing.
The more people trying this generic diet, the more success stories there are - even if the overall success rate is low.
And also: what if this specific diet is not for you?
So you can go on searching for the one that will work or make a personal diet plan that will fit you.
Now, since you are gathering knowledge anyway, you might as well use it for making your own personal diet plan.
There are many advantages to a personal diet plan.
You can make it easier for you.
Easier is not the equivalent of less effective, like many people may think.
If you know yourself and you have enough of the right knowledge, you can make a personal diet plan that will be easy for you.
It won’t necessarily be easy for anyone, but the point is, it will be easy for you.
You can also plan it to fit your schedule more than any other random diet.
You can avoid anything you dislike in a diet by replacing it with something else.
For example, you can balance the carbohydrates/proteins ratio according to what you like to eat.
The point is, there is no reason not to make your own personal diet plan,
Really, it’s easier than you think.