Keep up with your calorie intake!

Find out how many calories are in the food you eat. 
I recommend this website: http://www.caloriecounting.co.uk/resources/intro.htm

Start a food diary.
I recommend this website: http://www.fitwatch.com/diary/fooddiary.html

Find out how many calories are in your food:
I recommend this website: http://caloriecount.about.com/


Here are more helpful websites:
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/

Diets I've actually tried

1. Vegetarian Diet.
What to do: Don't eat any meat of any kind.
My Thoughts: I stayed on this diet for about 3 months. I lost 20 pounds but I felt very weak since I didn't get much protein in my diet. By not eating meat, you miss out on a lot of vitamins you need. If you don't get these vitamins, you'll feel very tired and ill!

• Calcium helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Milk and low-fat dairy foods are highest in calcium. Dark green vegetables, such as turnip and collard greens, kale and broccoli, are good plant sources when eaten in sufficient quantities. Calcium-enriched and fortified products, including juices, cereals, soy milk, soy yogurt and tofu, are other options.

• Iodine is a component in thyroid hormones, which help regulate metabolism, growth and function of many key organs, such as the brain, heart, kidney and thyroid. Vegans may not consume enough iodine and be at risk of iodine deficiency and possibly goiter. In addition, foods such as soybeans, cruciforms vegetables and sweet potatoes may promote goiter. Because food manufacturers may not use iodized salt in processed foods, vegans may want to ensure that they use salt with iodine at the table or in cooking. Just 1/4 teaspoon provides a significant amount of iodine.

• Iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark leafy green vegetables and dried fruit are good sources of iron. Because iron isn't as easily absorbed from plant sources, the recommended intake of iron for vegetarians is almost double that recommended for nonvegetarians. To help your body absorb iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli, at the same time as you're eating iron-containing foods.

• Omega-3 fatty acids are important for cardiovascular health as well as eye and brain development. Vegetarian diets that do not include fish and eggs are generally low in active forms of omega-3 fats. Because conversion of the plant-based omega-3 to the types used by humans is inefficient, you may want to consider fortified products or supplements or both.

• Protein helps maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. Eggs and dairy products are good sources, and you don't need to eat large amounts to meet your protein needs. You can also get sufficient protein from plant-based foods if you eat a variety of them throughout the day. Plant sources include soy products and meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

• Vitamin B-12 is necessary to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, so it can be difficult to get enough B-12 on a vegan diet. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may go undetected in people who eat a vegan diet. This is because the vegan diet is rich in a vitamin called folate, which may mask deficiency in vitamin B-12 until severe problems occur. For this reason, it's important for vegans to consider vitamin supplements, vitamin-enriched cereals and fortified soy products.

• Vitamin D plays an important role in bone health. Vitamin D is added to cow's milk, some brands of soy and rice milk (be sure to check the label), and some cereals and margarines. However, if you don't eat enough fortified foods and have limited sun exposure, you may need supplementation with vitamin D-2 (derived from plants).

• Zinc is an essential component of many enzymes and plays a role in cell division and in formation of proteins. Like iron, zinc is not as easily absorbed from plant sources as it is from animal products. Cheese is a good option if you eat dairy products. Plant sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, legumes, nuts and wheat germ.

2. Cabbage Soup Diet.
What to do: Follow the plan on the website.

Website: http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/recipe.html

My Thoughts: This really works. It's a 7 day diet & I've tried it twice. If you have the willpower to stick to it, You'll lose a great bit of weight.
    The first time I tried, I lost 15 pounds in one week. It's very unhealthy to lose so much so fast, but it gets the job done.
    The second time I tried it, I couldn't stick with it. By day 4, I had lost 7 pounds but all those sweets were great at calling my name.

Weight loss tips [part 1]

Weight loss tips:

1. Drink lots water. Sometimes your stomach growls when your thirsty & NOT hungry.
2. Always read labels and find out the sodium content. You should also not consume more than 2300 milligrams grams in a day.
3. While eating smaller portions and cutting your caloric intake is usually a good idea, it's NOT a good idea, however, if you're starving yourself and only eating one or two meals per day.
4. Eating smaller, frequent meals is the way to go. Digestion actually burns calories so if your body is doing this 5-6 times per day this is a good thing. Eating frequently also keeps you from getting hungry.
5. Eat fruit.
6. Eat vegetables.
7. Increase protein foods like meat, fish, eggs, etc.
8. Take a multivitamin.
9. Take a cod liver oil supplement.
10. Take the stairs instead of elevators.
11. Increase your intensity each workout.
12. Replace television with active past times like walking, etc.
13. Try not to mix fats and carbs in the same meal. (ie cheese and pasta)
14. Drink green tea for its health and antioxidant properties.
15. Park your car further away from your destination or get off the bus early.
16. Make a big pot of vegetable soup on the weekend and eat it for snacks during the week.
17. Pre-cook as many meals as you can and keep them handy at work or at home for ‘junk snack’ times.
18. Keep your ‘cheat days’ healthy by choosing restaurants that have healthy foods like salads, meats and fish.
19. Eat chilli - the burning sensation is your metabolism speeding up.
20. Eat six small meals a day with a two hour spacing in between to boost metabolism.
21. Use a small bowl or plate to create the illusion of eating a lot.
22. Eat smaller portions. Or eat only half of what you'd normally eat.
23. Avoid alcohol and late nights as it DOES impact on fat loss training and progress.
24. Don’t hang around ‘junk food friends’ at times you know you will cheat.
25. Go grocery shopping on a full stomach.
26. Drink a glass of water before every meal.
27. Keep a record of the foods you eat during the day.
28. Measure your calories for everything you eat for one whole week.
29. Start developing habits that foster weight loss like eating at the right time and not using food as an emotional crutch.
30. Add more resistance to your workouts by increasing the weight, leverage or anything else you can to make it more difficult.
31. Let your work mates and your family know you are trying to lose weight - they will support you.
32. Read and research into everything you put into your mouth - calories and unhealthy substances can be squeezed into many places.
33. Make short term goals and long term goals achievable and measure your progress regularly.
34. Take days off - its okay to relax occasionally.
35. Watch shows like The Biggest Loser for inspiration.
36. Hang pictures of skinny girls on the fridge & food pantry.
37. Buy a nice pair of shorts or t-shirt that you want to (realistically) be able to fit in by summer.
38. Dance to your favorite music for an hour.
39. Cleaning up the house burns more calories than you think.
40. When you are struggling to take another step on your jog pick an item in the distance and aim for it.
41. Instead of weighing yourself use a tape measure.
42. Use maths in weight loss - ie one bowl of iced cream cut out of your diet each night = 10 mins less on the treadmill tomorrow.
43. Learn that you cannot ’spot reduce’ - fat comes off from the whole body not just one section.
44. Stretch muscles that are sore and stretch before, during and after training.
45. 3500 calories = one pound of fat - diet is more important than hours on the treadmill.
46. Drink ice cold water. Your body burns calories trying to heat it up in your body.
47. Never train for more than one hour at a time
48. If you lose motivation, re-check your goals and ambitions and make them firm.

What is OSB? Where Can you find OSB?

 Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_109028242513606


What's OSB?
-Operation Skinny Bitches

Who came up with OSB?
-Samantha Dickerson came up with the entire group idea.
-I (Lakeon Rush) created the group.

What do you do in OSB?
-We are women that are tired of the weight we're having to carry around. We want to lose weight and we're in this together!

What do you talk about in OSB?
-The best weight loss tips & helpful websites will be posted up daily.
-We are here to keep each other on track in our journey to become skinny bitches.

Who can join?
-Anyone can join! You can request to join or you can message me & I'll add you.