Saturday, October 4, 2008

Weight Loss Myth Revealed: Eating Fat Won't Make You Fat!

Have you ever stocked up your kitchen cupboards with fat free foods to try to lose weight? You go through the torture of eating tasteless rice cakes and drinking bland soda thinking it is healthier because you are cutting out the fat...but what happens? A month goes by and you think you are actually gaining weight instead of losing it! What went wrong?

The first thing that is necessary for weight loss is a basic knowledge of how the body works. People often confuse dietary fat (what we eat) with body fat (what we store). While dietary fat contains twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein, it is the calories in that fat that makes us put on weight.

Calories in the carbohydrates and protein add to that weight gain. Dietary fat is important to human health and should make up about 25 to 30 percent of our caloric intake. Fat helps with the absorption of vitamins, including A, D, E, and K. Fats also contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Regulatory and health agency reports labeled fats as being unhealthy in the 1980’s even though they were largely targeting saturated fats. To avoid having to explain the complexities of the different types of fats, they believed it was easier to tell Americans not to eat fat in general. These warnings caused the food industries to flood the market with low-fat and fat-free versions of products.

More often than not, they would simply replace the fat with sugar or starch which increased the calories and consumers never lost any weight. You have to take it upon yourself to have a little common sense when it comes to marketing food. People will do anything for money, even if it means misleading consumers just to get them to spend money. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is not true at all.

Thankfully, over the years we have since become aware of the differences between the various types of fats. Healthy, unsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil, nuts, and fish are not to be avoided while decreasing the allowance of saturated and trans fats.

Just as before, makers of cookies, breakfast cereals, and snack chips have jumped on the bandwagon by emphasizing the lack of Trans Fats on their packaging. Although we may believe they are finally on the right track, do not be fooled into thinking
there are any fewer calories. Most pre-packaged foods promoting their restraint of trans fats are not suddenly health foods.

Some of these products never had trans fats to begin with, but they know it is a good selling point to the consumer. Always check labels for unsaturated fat, and make sure there is not an abundance of calories. You are not going to lose weight by going on a diet of fat free cookies, ice cream, cheese or any other trigger food that made you gain weight. Most often these versions of foods are so packed with preservatives and additives that they are more unhealthy than the version containing fat.

You simply cannot cheat your way into losing weight. There will never be a magic pill that will allow you to look healthy and slender while you devour every kind of yummy food you like. And switiching to fat free snacks will do nothing but keep you on the emotional roller coaster of fluxuating weight for the rest of your life.

They key to losing weight and keeping it off for good is to focus on changing your lifestyle. This doesn't mean you have to give up everything you like and become a health nut, only eating bean sprouts and trail mix. It means you slowly condition yourself to enjoy foods that are better for you so that you aren't always ordering the fettucini alfredo or fried mozzerella sticks when you sit down for a meal.

One way to make sure you are eating the good fat and not the bad fat on a daily basis to seek a soy-based meal replacement to drink once or twice a day. This will not only ensure proper nutrition, but it is the only way science has developed a way to get what you need without eating tons of calories in the process. It is how I lost 70 pounds in 4 months over 15 years ago and have kept it off without a struggle.

Start by becoming familiar with good and bad fats so you are not in a constant state of wonder and bewilderment at the grocery store, then make small healthy changes on a daily basis until eating healthy feels normal. And remember...the road to good health and weight loss is paved with proper nutrition.

By: William Winch

Women's health: Lose weight now

By Dr. Janet Matthews


It seems that recent headlines have been screaming at us from every direction about the “obesity epidemic” and other warnings about what we put in our mouths.

I find that often the latest research conclusion being reported leaves me wondering just how much time and money was spent to get there. For example, scientists recently noted that drinking sweetened drinks contributes to the development of diabetes. Really? I never would have guessed.

Likewise, the scientific community is engaged in extensive research to find out why we have the fattest population in the history of the United States.

They are engrossed in the fine details of nutrition and human behavior, and while these details may end up contributing to the solution I think we all need to be realistic about the overall problem: we all, almost without exception, eat too much and eat the wrong things.

Smoking may be a bigger risk factor for heart disease in women, but fewer than half of us smoke. We all eat.

There was one recent research finding I welcomed heartily, since it backs up something I’ve been telling patients and friends for quite some time. The features connected most closely connected with successful and sustained weight loss were food diaries and regular exercise.

I’m sure that all of you are glancing at the thermometer and wondering how in the world I could expect you to exercise and sweat even more than you already are. That's why I’m going to give you a break and jump straight to the food diary-for now, anyway.

Basically, the idea is to write down every bite or gulp which goes into your mouth.

It’s not even necessary, at first, to try and change your diet. What’s important is to get everything down on paper and consequently focus your attention on the food choices you make, often without noticing that a choice was even called for.

What causes much of the weight gain in our culture is what has been called “mindless eating.” We eat because food is there, because other people are eating, because we’re bored, because we’re watching TV, because the clock says it’s time to eat, because it tastes good . . . or even, sometimes, because we’re hungry.

Once you’re able to write down everything you eat, begin to notice why you’re eating and why you’re making the food choices you make. We can only begin to make healthier choices if we realize first that we do have choices to make, and then that there may be factors we can change which influence our choices.

One concept which has influenced my own choices, when I remember it at the proper time, is the idea of paying attention to what cues us to stop eating. Americans tend to say that we stop because we’re full. The rest of the world thinks of stopping when they’re no longer hungry.

That’s an important distinction, especially when you’ve just sat down in front of a plate of pasta which could feed a family of four. Waddling away from the table empty handed is one choice, walking comfortably away with a to-go box sufficient for two lunches is another.

Make the right choices. Your heart, and your waistline, will thank you for it.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Building Muscle Is Very Important For Weight Loss

When most of us think about building muscle we do not correlate with weight loss. Instead we have vivid pictures of huge steroid induced muscle heads that look like they are strong enough to bend a car in half yet not flexible enough to lift their arms over their heads.

The truth is in order to lose weight we need to build muscle. muscle requires energy in order to move and function on a daily basis. The more muscle that you have the more energy your body will need. Unfortunately it is biologically impossible to add more muscle cells to your body. You are given a certain number of muscle cells and that is it.

Since you are only given a certain amount you can see the importance of making sure you keep the ones you do have and make them stronger and healthier. Building muscle is not the means by adding muscle cells, which I have already stated is impossible to do, but is the process of adding muscle volume.

The process of adding muscle volume is the means by which we make our muscle cells larger. Now before you freak out and picture yourself to be some huge bodybuilder, without other factors such as steroids or high levels of testosterone your muscle cells will get larger but only up to a certain point. Ladies do not panic you are not going to look like a guy, as women will tone up with quality muscle definition as opposed to packing on size which is what men do.

Since muscle requires large amounts of energy in order to function, it goes without saying that larger muscle cells will require even more energy. So the goal is to create a more “volumized” muscle cell. Ok I made that word up, but you get the point.

You can easily do this by implementing a quality nutrition plan where you eat six meals each day or about one meal every two and half to three hours with each meal consisting of equal portions of protein, carbohydrates and green vegetables. Your intake of protein should be one to one and half grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. This will ensure that your muscles will receive the adequate protein it needs to rebuild after your workouts.

Your workouts should consist of cardiovascular activity of no more than 20 minutes per session three days per week on the days that you are not using weights. Your cardio should be short but extremely vigorous.

Your weight routine should be every other day and last about thirty-five to forty-five minutes with every muscle group being hit with one exercise of eight to twelve reps and one to three sets.

That is basically it. Continuing to follow this process and you will easily shed those unwanted pounds, increase your muscle volume and become a healthier new you in no time.

Just remember you should get a complete physical from your family physician prior to beginning any type of fitness or nutrition program.

By: Bruce A Tucker

Exercises To Lose Body Fat Fast

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Weight Loss Pill For Women-lose Weight Without Side Effects

Being overweight is a problem that has plagued the entire globe and there are millions of products including diets, exercise programs and pills and supplements that claim to help you lose weight naturally and safely without any adverse side effects at all. weight loss for women needs special attention to help them lose fat from the female fat zones.

Before naming the best weight loss pill for women, I would like to say that there is no magic cure for weight loss and anything that promises drastic weight loss is bound to have some very dangerous side effects. For instance, the latest on the weight loss circles is the Size Zero Pill which is being increasingly used by some women to lose weight and acquire that gaunt and undernourished look. As a matter of fact, Size Zero Pill is the nickname of the chemical Clenbuterol which is an approved FDA drug for horses. The human usage of this pill, though results in rapid weight loss and a highly suppressed appetite, can lead to cardiovascular disorders and strokes, anxiety attacks and can prove fatal.

Any weight loss attempt has a two fold approach. First and foremost, you need to limit your fat intake and secondly you need to burn fat already deposited in your body. Though you can limit fat intake through diet control and pills, exercise is required for burning excess fat deposited in your body.

As far as women are concerned following are a few steps that can help you lose weight naturally:

1. Walking on a slight incline: Try walking up a hill or adjust your treadmill to a mere 15 degrees incline and walk for about 20 minutes a day. You will be surprised to see fat melt away from those female zones and this comes form someone who has an experience of 15 years in the fitness industry.

2. Try extra virgin coconut oil: A single tablespoon twice a day can do wonders for your weight loss. You can easily lose around 5-6 pounds in 2 weeks. Though weight loss slows down after 2 weeks, it is still there. Moreover, you will be amazed to see the difference in your weight, hair and skin. It is nothing but pure magic!

Apart form the above simple tricks, one weight loss pill that is perfect for women is the Proactol. It is purely organic and does not have any side effects. What makes it different from other pills is that it is not a fat burner but a fat binding pill. It binds up to 28% dietary fat to itself which is then not absorbed by your body, thus limiting your fat intake. This unabsorbed fat is then passed out naturally.

Whether you want to get slim or want to lose weight or want to get back in shape after your pregnancy, it is the safest and the most natural way to lose weight.

By: Matt Penn