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There has been a surge in information lately about whether if lemon juice or lemon in water could be used to help losing weight.
Water naturally has the properties of cleansing the system of toxins and hence it is recommended in large quantities by almost all of the weight loss programs. Lemon has the properties of aiding the digestion and absorption of essential nutrients. A lot of people who tried water with lemon have reported a significant improvement in losing weight. It flushes the liver of toxins and hence aiding the better assimilation of food.
Cut the lemon into 4 pieces. Take one of them and squeeze the juice into a large glass of water. It can be served cold if you prefer. Also, lemon can be used with green tea. Green tea which happens to be a constituent of most weight loss supplements is a known weight loss method. With addition of lemon, it can add to the benefit apart from improving the taste. It can be used as a healthy beverage substituting the regular soda and other drinks.
Points to Note while on a Lemon for Weight loss diet:
• Lemon juice in itself cannot be used for losing weight. When it is used a part of a larger diet plan, it works like a charm.
• Distilled water is preferred, although any water could be used.
• Do not mix any sugar or sweetening substance as it can dilute the benefit.
• Choose lemon that is well ripe and bright yellow in color
As you can see, the above methods if followed will for sure result in quicker burning of fat which will aid weight loss. But, there is a real reason why you are FAT and nobody has ever told you the real reason! This truth revealed at href="http://www.weightlosszone.org/topsecret will Shock You. Visit now to find the root cause of all why you are overweight and find the cure.
For more articles and information on weight loss, visit weightlosszone.org, you will find other natural weight loss tips like Green Tea for Weight Loss, apple cider vinegar for weight loss etc.
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If you are a exercise fanatic who enjoys the gym, odds are you spend a good chunk of time in there.
In fact, it's not unusual for guys to spend anywhere from an hour to two hours a day working out!
From personal experience, when I work out, I'll be at the gym five days a week, alternating between an hour of cardio and an hour of weight training.
And that time at the gym adds up! Some people even go further by joining classes, getting a personal trainer, and hanging out at the local juice bar. So it's no surprise that because some of us spend so much time at the gym, we'd like to know how to meet women there!
After all, it's not just the fact that some guys spend a lot of time working out at the gym, there's also the fact that some very attractive women spend a lot of time there too! (In an effort to remain as attractive as possible, of course.)
But as much as it makes sense to try and meet girls during your workout, it can seem like a very daunting task! But if you know a few simple tricks for meeting women at the gym, you might be surprised to find that it's actually easier to do than you think.
Let's go through the tips now...
TIP #1: Taking Advantage Of Cardio
Typically, people will do cardio workouts for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Let's face it, that's a LONG time to do nothing but run in place!
If you see an attractive girl you'd like to meet doing cardio, see if you can get on a machine next to her to do your cardio. This will give you the opportunity to start up a conversation with her.
You'll be amazed at how easy it is to talk to someone when they're doing a cardio workout, and that's because cardio is BORING. The girl will typically be watching closed-caption TV, flipping through a magazine, or listening to music on an iPod. But talking to someone can pass the time just as fast, and as long as your approach is smooth, she'll be more than willing to chat with you!
TIP #2: Find Out Her Playlist
One of the biggest obstacles guys face at the gym is competing with iPods. People like to listen to music when they work out, and seeing a pair of ear-plugs can scare you off from starting a conversation.
But I've found that actually asking the woman about the music she listens to when working out is a great way to not only get her to listen to you instead of music, but a good way to quickly bond with her over mutual interests.
The way I do it, is I'll try and get the girl's attention, either by waving at her or tapping her on her shoulder. This will get her to pause her music and look at me. Then I'll say...
"Sorry to bother you, do you mind if I ask what music you're listening to?"
When she answers you, you can respond with:
"My playlist is getting a bit stale, and I haven't been able to keep up with new bands. What sort of music do you prefer to listen to?"
This is a great lead in, and I can start bringing up my favorite bands, concerts I've attended, etc. It's a great way to engage her and keep her attention on you!
TIP #3: Offer Advice
Often times, you'll see girls working out throughout the gym on various machines or weights. A great way to start up conversations with them is to offer them advice or feedback on their form.
Just make sure that it's "friendly" suggestions, and that you're not telling them they're doing things wrong.
People at the gym who work out without personal trainers usually have mistakes in how they are using machines or performing a certain exercise. So if you can offer them some tips on how to make their workout more effective, they'll actually really appreciate it!
And once you offer them your advice, you can start asking them about their training goals, and carry on the conversation from there.
This is a very effective way of meeting girls who are weight training.
TIP #4: Join A Class
Most gyms offer a variety of classes you can sign up for. These range from yoga, to spinning, to dancing, etc.
Here's a tip - most of these classes are filled by a majority of WOMEN. So taking a class can give you a tremendous opportunity to meet girls!
Not only that, but many classes can become social functions, and give you excuses to talk and chit-chat with girls. I can't tell you how many girls I've dated because I was the only guy in their class at the gym.
You'll also notice a lot of the girls in your classes also work out at the gym, so you have a great way of meeting them if you see them in the general training area. Just approach them and say "Hey, aren't you in my spinning (or whatever) class?"
Seriously, it does not get much easier than that!
TIP #5: Take Advantage Of The Juice Bar
Most gyms nowadays have some type of juice bar, or place where you can sit down and drink a protein shake or smoothy. Take advantage of this when you're trying to meet women at the gym!
There are two ways you can utilize a juice bar...
The first is to invite women you meet while working out to join you for a drink. This is a great way to do an "instant date" after meeting a girl. Instead of letting the girl just leave after she's done working out, ask her if she'd be interested in grabbing a drink with you at the smoothy bar.
Then, sit down and chit-chat with her. It's just like getting coffee together, but much quicker and easier.
Alternatively you can watch the juice bar area for attractive women who are already there. Don't hesitate to ask them to join you for a drink while there - most won't refuse and you can chat them up immediately.
All in all, there are a bunch of wonderful ways to meet women during your workout. Try different methods, and see what works for you!Thomas writes articles for adult singles looking for the online dating services.
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Most people don’t take the time to research what ingredients they are putting in their bodies by taking a diet pill. My advice to anyone considering a diet pill is to “READ THE LABEL!!!” Time and time again, I hear from clients who have had adverse effects because of an allergy or sensitivity to the ingredients in the diet supplement. Lucky for you, I do read the labels and I have been researching the ingredients in diet pills for years.
The purpose of this article is simple- It’s a guide that will help you make your own diet pill. I would like to say, however, that as with anything that you put in your body, precautions should be taken. Please consult with you doctor before taking any medication, vitamin, or supplement. This article should not be taken as medical advice and does not, in any way, substitute for the opinion of a medical profession including your doctor.
When you take a very close look at the ingredients in most diet pills you will see that the individual ingredients are very common vitamin supplements. Diet pills costing $50 or more a bottle can be made at home for a fraction of the price.
Let’s get down to business and discuss what these ingredients are because they are exactly what you will need to begin making your own diet pill. Let’s take, for example the very popular, Leptoprin, often sold online for over $150.00 per bottle.
Here is a list of ingredients as printed on a bottle of Leptoprin:
Calcium Makes weight loss more efficient by breaking down fat in cells.
Vitamin B6 Helps maintain blood sugar.
Acetylsalicylic Acid (Aspirin) Prolongs thermogenic (fat burning) effects and increases metabolism.
Caffeine Increases thermogenesis and triggers adrenaline flow.
Green Tea Increases fat oxidation and raises metabolism.
L-Tyrosine Raises the metabolic rate.
Kelp Metabolizes excess fat.
Ephedrine A Stimulant and Appetite Suppressant.
Cayenne Contains ‘capsaicin’ which is considered a thermogenic substance.
THAT’S IT! Here’s the actual Label (http://www.diet-pill-review.com/leptoprin-label.pdf) if you don’t believe me.
Now you’re saying, wait, “I’ve seen most of those ingredients at the vitamin / grocery store. You’re right; you can get these ingredients in just about any pharmacy or vitamin store.
I should make it clear that I am not advising you to go out and buy all of these ingredients, nor am I telling you to take these pills all together. I’m suggesting that with regular exercise, a balanced diet, and vitamins as a supplement it is possible to lose weight without spending unnecessary money on diet pills (http://www.diet-pill-review.com/leptoprin-label.pdf).
Weight loss is a mental and physical process. First you must have a strong will to lose weight and look great. So when you've made up your mind to lose weight and melt off all the fats in your body, you should make that commitment and go into it with a positive attitude. Second is a physical process, you should work out, cardio workout is a great way to lose weight.The thought of losing that pot belly with cardio (treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and step aerobics etc etc) and sit ups can be daunting or intimidating and we always think that Wouldn't it be great if somebody could wave a magic wand over my head and make those extra pounds and pot belly disappear and give me six packs abs? But it is not possible. Slimming down takes time and sweat if you do not have the right method, approaches, and encouragement to assist you along.
So is there any magical way that we dont have to do these painfull situps and still we can lose weight and get a flat abs?
Ofcourse with the right directions and an accurate guideline, it is possible to get a flat stomach and look great and here are these ten simple and useful tips and method you can adopt easily and get your desire results.
POSITIVE APPROACH:
whether it is a weight loss or a better job, When ever you want to achieve something in life you must think like a winner. Always go at it with a positive set of mind and commitment. Slimming down and losing weight is not just about diets. It's about a entirely fresh you and the possibility of creating afresh life for yourself.
SET GOALS:
You can lose fifty pounds in a week if you do physical exercise twelve hours a day and consume nothing but celery, it is not realistic and a human cant do it. Always keep in mind that Slow and steady wins the race. Set your small achieveable and realistic goals, do not bite off more than you can chew. . In the end, you'll have accomplished more.
WAlKING FOR WEIGHT LOSS:
Walking for weight loss is the easy, Fun, cheap and low impact form of exercise to incorporate into day-to-day life. Walking for weight loss is a easiest weight loss exercise that provides an alternative to increase the calorie deficit required to induce weight loss. It is one of the best methods to slim down.
MAINTAINING A FOOD DAIRY:
Always maintain a food dairy of what you had eaten and what you will eat. Eat five small meals a day instead of taking three big meals a day and always start your day with a break fast and stop eating three hours before going to bed.
SAY NO TO WHITE BREAD:
Did you know that white bread isn't healthy? Oh, it's true, just ask any diabetic. Research has shown that people who eat more refined products like white bread are more expected to have belly fat.
DONT SHOP WHEN HUNGRY:
Never go to shopping when you are hungry or you will end up buying more fattening food. Best thing is to eat before going for food shopping and always prepare a grocery list. Only buy food which relates to your each week diet program.
WEIGH YOURSELF:
Weight yourself once every week and maintain your weight loss record.
NEVER SKIP MEAL:
Never Skip your meals because eating step-ups your matabolism so skipping meals can slow down your metabolism. Always eat slowly and chew each bite completely to decrease your appetite.Chew everything from 10 to 20 times and count. Drinking hot water as instead of cold water can step-up the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.
EGG WHITES:
Always try to make dishes like Omelettes using egg white only. it is very low in fat and high in protein.
JOIN SUPPORT GROUP:
When you are on your way to achieve any goal you set for your self you always need a moral support and a best moral support can be from the person you already achieve the goal or trying to achieve. thats why find a weight loss buddy or join support group. This will help you stay with your goal.
In the end I must say that you should Lose weight for yourself, not to please your love ones like your parents or your friends etc and Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Water itself helps cut down on water retention because it acts as a diuretic.
written by _K_M_ .
www.kmreports.com Read free reports, articles and information on weight loss, fitness and health and the methods i have used to loss 63 lbs of extra weight.
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In recent years, more and more people are trying out acupuncture to lose weight. Just what is acupuncture? How can acupuncture treatment help you lose weight?
Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders.
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient’s weight loss program.
Acupuncture treatment can also be used to raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.
Acupuncture is not a miracle cure for obesity. TCM physicians often stress that to achieve good weight loss results from your program and maintaining your weight, acupuncture treatment alone is not enough. To lose weight effectively and keep the fats off permanently, acupuncture treatment must be combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercises.
Before you begin your acupuncture treatment, your Chinese physician will conduct a medical examination on you by checking your pulse and examination of your tongue to ensure that you are suitable for acupuncture weight loss treatment. This is because TCM is a holistic branch of health care and do not just specifically target the ailment or medical complaint. So an investigation into other reasons why a patient is obese is necessary to solve the problem holistically.
If you want to lose weight naturally and without drugs, why not try TCM acupuncture for your weight loss program?
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Click Here for more informationWhen you know which categories of foods are healthy it's a lot easier to chose healthy snacks. Contrary to popular belief, snacking is actually very beneficial. It helps to refuel your body, maintain blood sugar and energy levels as well as control your appetite.
Healthy snacking will help your body get the nutrients it needs and help you avoid overeating at meal times.
Indulge in these guilt-free snacks. Remember we encourage an anti-inflammatory, low-glycemic, paleo-style diet for weight loss and wellness. A body must get healthy before it can lose weight.
1.Fruit and Yogurt Parfait.Organic plain yogurt is best. Flavored yogurts have a higher sugar content. Instead, flavor your yogurt with fruit. Blueberries are an excellent choice as they have a lower glycemic content that will help balance blood glucose and insulin levels.
2.Romaine Lettuce Wrap With Organic Turkey and a Slice of Raw-Milk or Skim Mozzarella Cheese.
Romaine lettuce contains the highest nutritional and fiber content of all lettuce. Turkey is 94% protein which helps you to lose weight by boosting your metabolism and decreasing hunger. Adding raw milk grass-fed cheese not only adds flavor but also adds calcium without any harmful hormones or preservatives. A great source for grass-fed wild meat, game and poultry is at U.S. Wellness Meats.
3. Veggie Sticks With Cottage Cheese Dip. Non-starchy vegetables contain almost eight times the amount of fiber found in whole grains. Fiber is essential for a healthy digestive system. Fat-free organic cottage cheese makes an excellent low calorie snack.
4. Shrimp Cocktail Shrimp is 90% protein. Try dipping it in some cocktail sauce for a low calorie, high protein snack.
5. A Handful of Nuts. Walnuts are the best choice as they're rich in protein and fiber but they also contain a high dose of omega 3 fatty acids (good fats) as compared to other nuts. Healthy fats help lower your risk of disease. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, meaning they help prevent inflammatory diseases such as stroke or heart disease. People who are overweight are actually suffering from an inflammatory condition.
6. Celery Sticks and Almond Butter. This is a great combination of protein, monounsaturated fat and energy. Almond butter is a healthier alternative to peanut butter as it contains no added ingredients or preservatives and better fats. (peanuts are a legume not a nut)
7. Deviled Eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and make a great snack any time of the day. My Guacamole Deviled Eggs are a great high-protein healthy snack with good fats.
8. Herring Wraps. Buy a few tinned containers in a few different flavored sauces such as tomato or tangy mustard, herring fillets are high in omega 3 fish oils. Don't but if they are in soybean oil. Try wrapping them in a few leaves of romaine lettuce.
9. Banana Nut Pop. Dip a banana in plain organic yogurt and roll in walnuts or coconut. Freeze. Yummy!
Bananas are a great source of fiber and potassium. Don't eat too many they do have a higher sugar content. Coconuts have anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and are one of the best sources in the world for MCFA (medium-chain triglyceride fatty acids)
10. Lemon Tuna Avocado Snack. Halve an avocado and scoop out the flesh. Mix with lemon juice and tuna. Serve in the shells. Good protein, good fat.
Avocado's are high in monounsaturated fat and potassium. Tuna is a nutrient-dense food, high in omega-3 and a great source of protein. Protein builds muscle which in turn burns more calories to help you lose weight.
And here's your BONUS snack idea....
***Smoked salmon.
Don't get salmon that's been smothered in brown sugar. Salmon is one of the best sources of protein and healthy fats on earth. Try to buy wild-caught, not grain fed salmon.
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Dr. Ron Spallone, D.C. is a wellness expert who practices Ortho-Molecular Medicine. He writes a blog entitled "Intelligent, Natural Weight Loss." Along with world-class fitness expert Roger Asmus, he helps people achieve new results with the latest in weight loss and exercise science. Ongoing information is available here.
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Men naturally love competition. To be able to survive in this highly competitive world, one must not only look good but also sound good. This holds true in many settings-the boardroom, the stage, the classroom and even the simplest male gatherings over booze. Now, if you have a high-pitched voice, your career and relationships are likely to suffer. You've got to learn ways to improve voice tone so that you'll always be ahead of the game.
A voice training can help you develop your voice from a high-pitched, girly tone to a deep, manly tone. Of course, your throat, vocal cords, and diaphragm need some exercise to be able to produce a better sound. Here's one exercise you can try: Relax your throat and breathe in deeply. Hold your breath as your lips form an "oo" (as in moon) shape. Push your stomach up to sustain the "oo" sound. This movement creates an inward stroke of the diaphragm, which helps in projecting a richer and fuller voice. This technique to improve voice tone involves the diaphragm in the sound production process to lower the pitch of a voice.
Other techniques are available out there to help men transform their high-pitched voice into a deeper, manly voice. Some people take speaking voice lessons or deep voice training from a voice coach, while others take singing lessons to be able to control and improve voice tone. There are men who go to greater lengths by undergoing a hormone treatment therapy, which can be effective yet produces some unpleasant side effects.
To learn more about a comprehensive training program designed to deepen your voice, Click Here Now!
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Click Here for more informationThe dietary regimen is an important aspect of survival. The objective of dietary management is to meet the basic nutritional requirements of the individual with proper proportions of protein, carbohydrates, and fat in a well-balanced diet that will promote optimal body weight.
Generally, these dietary regimens are employed to human beings. However, with the growing fondness to dogs, most dog owners and veterinarians recommend that dietary regimen should likewise be implemented on dogs.
Like humans, dogs need the right combination of the basic food groups in order to have a healthy life span. Dogs also need to be regulated on the kinds of food that they eat or else they would end up being obese as well.
Included in the dog’s dietary regimen are the proper minerals and vitamins. These essential health items should be well incorporated into the dog’s daily needs in order to have a healthy body.
With proper minerals and vitamins, dogs will be able to maintain shiny, healthy-looking coat.
So, for people who want to know how to prepare the right diet for their dogs, here are some tips to guide them through:
1. Meat should not be the only food incorporated in the dog’s diet.
In reality, dogs are carnivorous. The dog’s body is especially inclined to generate growth and energy from meat products. However, dogs need fiber too to help them digest their foods properly and carbohydrates to provide them the added energy that they need.
So, it would be better if dog owners will feed their dogs every day with the usual dog foods available in the market and give them occasionally real foods where meat, fibers, and carbohydrates are present.
2. Dogs need minerals and vitamins.
Like humans, dogs need complex combinations of minerals and vitamins. These are needed to maintain the luster and shine in their coats and to provide them with healthy gums and teeth.
Lack of minerals and vitamins supplement will result to deficiencies of certain types that could be really difficult to deal with, such as extra dry or super oily skin, tummy problems, frail bones, low-weight, and worst cases are death.
Like humans, these dietary supplements are needed to give the dogs the extra needed nutrients in order to keep them healthy.
3. Real meal treats
Contrary to most popular beliefs, dogs love the real food more than their typical dog foods. Hence, whenever their owners will give them real food, they would consider them as treats.
So, it is best for the dog owners to include their dogs in their meal planning. With real food, dogs will be able to generate the needed nutrients their bodies need.
4. Mixed foods
Most people tend to think that deciding whether to give dogs moist or dry foods is a matter of preference. In reality, it is not. This is because mixing different kinds of foods is actually the best diet owners could give to their dogs.
Giving dogs variety of foods, nutritional value, and texture are the real diet meal dogs really need.
5. Greens are needed by the dogs.
A well-balanced diet for the dogs includes green leafy vegetables too. Even if dogs are carnivorous by nature, they also need the right amount of greens to provide them with additional nutrients that are only available in green leafy foods.
No wonder why dogs sometimes chew on grass. This goes to show that dogs really need some greens to provide their body with a well balanced diet.
Indeed, there are no hard or fast rules when it comes to balanced diets for the dogs. However, it is still important to note the needed food groups that should be incorporated in the dog’s diet.
Best of all, dog owners should always consult their dog’s veterinarians especially on things like health and diet supplements for their dogs. The veterinarian knows what foods should be included in the dog’s meal and what foods should be avoided. Dogs, like humans, should not be fed with junk foods like sugary sweet sodas. These will only make them fat without the needed nutrients.
Whenever something goes out offhand, it is always bets to consult the veterinarians. As they say, veterinarians know best when it comes to the dog’s care.
The diet is developed at the initiative of the government of Finland for overweight people to help them lose weight quickly. This diet is based on exclusion of high-calorie foods, like animal fats and sugar. Table salt (only natural salt contained in food) is limited. It is recommended to drink no less than 2 litres of non-carbonated mineral water a day.
You should eat no less than 4 or 5 times a day.
The basis of Finnish diet is a special soup.
The soup recipe:
Onions (500g), celery (300g), carrots (250g), cabbage (250g), parsley (250g), leek (200g), cauliflower (200g), garlic (1), tomato juice (1 glass), black pepper, basil, tarragon
Wash all the vegetables, cut, cover with water and boil for 15 minutes. Then add one glass of tomato juice and spices, cook for 10 minutes.
The approximate menu for one day:
1st breakfast - soup, oat porridge with low-fat milk (2 tablespoons), fruit juice.
2nd breakfast - soup, fresh fruits.
Lunch - soup, a slice of a boiled chicken without skin, salad made of greens and carrots, fruit juice.
Dinner - soup, roast from low-fat meat, buckwheat porridge, fruit salad with low-fat organic yogurt.
Before going to sleep - one glass of warm low-fat milk
Forbidden products:
Products contains animal fats
Bread
Macaroni
Rice
Sweets
Smoked products
Canned food
Recommended products:
Any vegetables
Porridge (pearl-barley, buckwheat, oat)
Low-fat meat and fish
Low-fat milk and dairy products, low-fat cottage cheese
Fruits
Tea and coffee without sugar
Fruit juice, non-carbonated mineral water.
Alcoholic drinks and snacks:
A glass of dry wine glass; crispy bun with salad; small chocolate bars or two dry biscuits, 150 grams of grapes.
It is recommended to consult health care professional before beginning any new diet or apply any new exercises.
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Are you frustrated with your weight problem and don't know what to do about it? Do you find that you lose weight at first, only to gain it all back later, and maybe more when you stop dieting, or when you find yourself bingeing? Are you fed up with weight loss programs that don't work?
There is a good reason for that. You don't lack willpower. You are not doing anything wrong. It is just that dieting doesn’t work!
Facts About Dieting
* Dieting rarely works. 95% of all dieters who lose weight regain their lost weight and more within 1 to 5 years.
* Dieting can lead to eating disorders. The obsession to be thin can lead to anorexia, bulimia, bingeing and compulsive exercising.
* Dieting impacts your mental health and restricts your brainpower, leaving you mentally unfocused.
* Dieting robs you of energy and slows your metabolism down.
* Numerous studies link chronic dieting with feelings of depression, low self-esteem and increased stress.
* Dieting increases compulsive eating.
* You are fatter after a diet than before!
Why Dieting Doesn't Work
Quick fix diets usually never give long lasting results. The reason is most of the weight loss is due to loss of water. When you restrict calories, your body interprets it as impending starvation. When the body is under stress of starvation, it hoards the fat and burns the muscles first. The weight lost comes from water and the break down of muscles - the places we don't want to lose it from.
So, the last thing you want to do is drastically cut calories. When you do, the body will start breaking down muscle protein to produce energy for vital body functions. The body will use muscle protein as fuel, before it starts burning fat, so you end up losing more muscle mass than fat during dieting. The body then uses large amounts of water to flush the broken down muscle tissue out. Thus you lose weight fast. No matter how much you drink, you can't prevent this loss of water. The only way to get control of your water balance is to stop starving yourself.
When dieting, the body starts saving energy by turning some functions off and running others at a slower pace. Fat is designed to provide the body with energy and protect it from starvation. If you go below 1000 calories a day, your body will slow your metabolism down to compensate. That is why weight loss slows down dramatically after a few days on a crash diet. And a slow metabolism is exactly the opposite of what you want to lose weight.
Another reason that diets don't work is bingeing. Bingeing doesn't happen because of a lack of willpower. It is a direct result of dieting. As your body senses a restriction in calories, it goes on the alert for an impending threat to survival. As a result, it tells you to eat, which results in your bingeing on calorie and fat filled foods. The more successful you are at starving yourself, the more the body will increase it's efforts to eat more foods. Eventually the body wins because survival is our strongest instinct. Bingeing is also a result of depriving yourself of something, which psychologically makes you obsessed with what you can't have.
After the Diet
After the quick weight loss diet you go back to your normal eating pattern, and what happens? The body that has shut off functions in order to conserve energy is now, suddenly, fed. The cells in your body have an immediate response to the sudden abundance of food, and that is to keep on saving energy, storing up for the next famine. As your body saves energy, it also begins storing all the extra energy - as fat. So, you end up having lost fat burning lean muscle tissue and added more fat! That wasn't your goal when you started your diet.
In addition to building fat again, the body has no ketone-bodies to get rid of. Consequently, less water is secreted and your water balance is restored. As you replenish your emptied water stores you rapidly gain back the weight you lost. So, by building fat, and replenishing water, you will gain weight quickly the first few days after a diet.
And each time you diet, you are teaching your body how to deal with starvation by hoarding fat, so each round of dieting increases your overall body fat!
Freedom from Dieting
So, how can you lose weight if dieting and restricting calories don't work? There is no quick fix answer. Any healthy weight loss needs to come gradually. The goal is to give up dieting forever and get back in balance. Stop trying to lose weight. No more counting calories. Instead make a commitment to get healthier.
When you get off the diet roller coaster, you will feel better, become healthier and lose the weight for good. When the body is well fed with healthy foods, it will shed the extra fat. It doesn't have to store it anymore. And when you give the body the nutrients it needs to be healthy, you stop having all the cravings for less healthy foods.
Enjoy the freedom from counting calories. You will find yourself moving slowly and safely to your perfect body weight, and you will feel better than you ever have before, lean and full of vitality, energy and health. This means developing some new healthy eating habits, as well as other health habits such as exercise.
Try to avoid extremes, such as eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. There are many complications associated with unbalanced low carbohydrate diet regimens. At the other end of the spectrum, some diets are saying avoid protein and fats, but eat as much carbohydrates as you want. Too much of the wrong kind of carbohydrates, especially refined sugar and white refined flour will turn to fat in the body also. Most commercial breads, breakfast cereals, and prepared foods are loaded with empty, fast-release carbohydrates, causing levels of blood-sugar to rise, leading to obesity and hypoglycemia.
All of the experts agree that unprocessed complex carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, and legumes are far superior to other forms of refined carbohydrates and should play a significant role in people's eating habits. According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables along with regular physical activity can help most people manage and maintain weight loss for both cardiovascular health and appearance.
Losing weight and becoming healthier requires a lifestyle change, not a six week diet “quick fix”. The first step is to eat a balanced diet, filled with plenty of healthy foods, such as whole grains, fresh organic raw, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and organic meats.
Spring is here and swimsuit weather is just around the corner. If you’re like many of us, you start panicking about all the weight you need to lose to fit into your favorite swimwear. Some need to lose 5 to 10 pounds of extra fat while others require 20 to 30 pounds, or more. Most of us know that to stay trim all year round would require an improvement in lifestyle. Easier said than done. “Yes but what do I do now?” you ask. Do you diet, exercise or both? Keep in mind that although weight loss through various diet methods may improve your appearance, it may not have a positive effect on your health. According to studies, repeated periods of weight loss followed by weight gain can be harmful to health. (1)
This is why it is very important to maintain a stable weight with proper eating and exercise habits year round. “Yes but I want to lose this weight now”, you say. Well, first of all you need to realize how you gained that extra weight. Unless you have a medical condition, you probably put it on by eating too much, not exercising enough or a combination of both. The bottom line is that you have been eating more calories than your body could burn over a period of time. This surplus of calories was stored in your body as fat.
What’s the best way to tackle this problem? You could hit the gym for some cardiovascular training, or work out right at home. Exercises that use large muscle groups such as jogging, cycling or aerobics are best for achieving quick weight loss. These high impact exercises, however, are more efficient for rapid weight loss in younger people, for a couple of reasons (there are always some exceptions). Let me explain. These exercises could help melt away pounds in a short time period for someone who is 25 years of age for example.
Once you surpass the age of forty, for example, you have to rely more on diet to complement exercise, for quicker weight loss. This is because a person’s metabolism slows down with age. A forty five year old performing the same exercise would actually burn fewer calories than someone 20 years younger. Furthermore, a person over forty (there are exceptions) could not train at a high intensity level for long durations as could a twenty five year old.
It doesn’t mean, however, that older people shouldn’t use high intensity exercise methods. If your doctor gives you the green light, then by all means go for it.
Older individuals need to rely more on calorie restriction than younger individuals. That’s not to say that younger people need only to rely on exercise for weight loss. Exercise for them ranks higher on the weight loss efficiency scale. They could often get away without reducing their caloric intake during periods of exercise and still lose weight quite easily. The older generation, however, must rely on a combination of adequate exercise participation and proper diet.
Unless you are extremely over weight you should eat ten times your weight in calories to maintain a particular weight. In other words to maintain a body weight of 140 pounds you would have to eat 1400 calories daily.
So, where do you start? Let’s begin with diet. The first thing you have to do is to cut back on your daily food intake. Then you need to replace the bad foods with the good. Use good carbohydrates at the expense of the bad. Good carbohydrates (carbs) are high in fiber and low in calorie contents. These include fruits, vegetables and whole grain products. Bad carbs are processed carbohydrates with most of the essential fiber stripped away and often replaced with fat. These include white bread, products made with white flour, processed fruits and vegetables and products containing sugar such as cakes, candy bars, etc. These foods along with fried foods are high in calorie and fat content and should be avoided or extremely reduced. Although good carbs are wiser food choices they should still be used in moderation, because calories still do count.
Is a high protein, high fat type diet effective for fast weight loss? The Atkins diet, although very controversial has maintained popularity. This and other similar diets, like the Zone and South Beach diets can cause initial weight loss especially in very obese people. This weight loss is really water loss. The same is also true of every calorie restricted diet - regardless if it’s high in fat, low in fat, high in carbohydrates or whatever. The point is that they are based on low calorie content. Remember that this is all about input and output.
If you eat more calories than your body can burn you will gain weight. If you eat less calories than your body burns you will lose weight. It’s as simple as that. Your body turns all surplus calories into fat. That includes extra calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates. The key is to ensure that your daily caloric intake doesn’t exceed the amount required to maintain a desirable body weight.
At the same time, it is important that your diet includes a balance of all food groups including fat, carbohydrate and protein. Intakes of saturated and trans fats and bad carbohydrates should be avoided or reduced. Although unsaturated and non-hydrogenated fats are healthier choices, they should be used in moderation, because they are still fats and loaded with calories.
It’s important to keep in mind that while striving to attain weight loss, good health should not be compromised. Snack foods that induce further eating such as potato chips, salted nuts and chocolate should be avoided.
One diet method that is very effective is to cut your meals in half and add 2 extra meals (equivalent to half the quantity of your normal meal). Let me explain. Let’s say you normally take 3 meals a day each consisting of 1000 calories. You would cut those meals to half the content which would now consist of 500 calories and add 2 more meals also containing 500 calories each.
Let’s compare. Originally your 3 meals, each containing 1000 calories, would total 3000 calories a day. If you change that to 5 meals a day at 500 calories each, that would total 2500 calories. So in this example you would be saving 500 calories a day. This is a very easy and effective method to start implementing right away because you don’t really have to do any calculations. Just visualize what your normal meal would consist of and cut it in half. Then add 2 more similar meals. It’s that simple.
Increasing the daily number of meals also helps to make this transition easier. You would be eating less per meal but you wouldn’t have to wait as long for the next one. Furthermore, studies have shown that more frequent smaller meals increase the body’s metabolism. (2) And we all know how important an increase in metabolism is for weight loss.
An efficient weight loss system must include an adequate amount of physical activity more so for people over 35. It seems that I’m picking on the older generations here. The reason why I keep bringing up the subject is because I’m talking from personal experience. I’m 37 years old and I know exactly how much more difficult it is to shed weight today as opposed to ten or fifteen years ago. In my twenties, whenever I noticed extra weight creeping in, I would start jogging 5-6 times a week for 30-45 minutes and within a few short weeks (sometimes 2 weeks) the extra weight was gone. It was that easy - and without any adjustment to food intake.
Today I would need a combination of exercise and proper dieting to reach that goal. And it would still take a longer period of time. How much should you be exercising? Well it depends how much weight you want to lose. By the way, besides weight loss, exercise participation results in many other health benefits. It improves flexibility, strengthens the musculoskeletal system, improves blood circulation and heart condition, just to name a few.
To start getting results in weight loss you should be exercising 5-6 days per week for 30-60 minutes at a comfortably vigorous intensity level. Once you lose the desired weight you can then tone it down to maintain the weight loss. For weight loss maintenance you can reduce it to 3-4 days a week, 30-45 minutes at the same level of intensity. Be sure, however, to get clearance from your doctor first.
Eat healthy, exercise, live a healthy lifestyle and have a great summer.
References:
1. http://www.newstarget.com, “Yo-Yo dieting weakens immune system”, retrieved 22 April 2005 from
2. University of Massachusetts Medical School, “People who eat smaller meals more often during the day are less likely to be obese”, retrieved 15 April 2005 from