Covers days 22 – 28
Four weeks ago I weighed 197 pounds (97.5 kilos) and my aim was to lose weight at the rate of one pound (450 grams) per week until I was down to 180 pounds; without giving up any food that I like. That is a reasonable weight for a man who is a little over 6 feet (1.83m) tall. At my Friday evening weigh-in my weight was 190 pounds (94 kilos) and that puts me three weeks ahead of schedule in only my fourth week.
Health wise I have regained much aerobic fitness and my muscles are firming. I now wish that I had recorded waist, hip and thigh measurements before I started and was able to give news on what I measure. Unfortunately I’m not a scientific person and only work by my waist belt – the news on that is good. At the end of week two I was able to suck everything in and take my belt up by a notch, today that extra notch is very comfortable and maybe just a little slack. My feelings are very positive about deciding to go on this program and it is no trouble to keep up with, as my weight loss to date indicates. In fact I doubt whether the program will run for seventeen weeks because weight is disappearing at the rate of one and three quarter pounds each week rather than the one-pound I targeted at the start.
During the week I received an email from a follower of the program asking me to clarify the method of taking your own pulse when exercising. You will recall that we exercise three times weekly for ten-minutes or until our pulse rate increases by 50%. Here are the rules for taking your own pulse.
- You cannot take your pulse with your thumb; it has to be with a finger.
- Place the back of your left wrist into your right palm and curl right fingers around to the inside of your left wrist. Feel for the pulse.
- When you have located your pulse count how many beats in six-seconds.
- Because six seconds is one-tenth of a minute you just add a zero to the number of beats counted in six seconds and this will give your rate per minute. For instance: If you count seven beats in six seconds your normal pulse rate is 70 per minute.
- To increase your pulse by 50% from 70 per minute you need to increase to 105 beats per minute – which is between 10 and 11 beats per six-seconds. Easy isn’t it?
As you get fitter you will find that it takes more than ten-minutes to raise your pulse rate by 50%; you just keep exercising until you achieve the required increase. In the early days you may find that you only need to exercise for 5-minutes to achieve the required pulse rate. That’s fine, don’t push it, and just stop exercising when you have achieved the 50% increase.
I’m going to make my bacon sandwich now. Like I said I give up nothing that I like for more than one day.
Weight Loss Diary 14
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Dotties Weight Loss Zone
Why Take a Walk?
There is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for sustained health as a lifetime program of physical exercise.
IN 1982, Dr. Walter Bortz II, a university professor of medicine, wrote the above words. Over the past 23 years, numerous health experts and organizations have quoted these words in books, magazines, and Web pages. Evidently, today Dr. Bortz’s advice is just as current as it was in 1982, and it is still widely accepted as sound and relevant. So we do well to ask ourselves, ‘Am I getting enough exercise?’
Some have erroneously concluded that they do not need to exercise because they are not overweight. Obese and overweight people stand to benefit greatly from a regular exercise program, but even if you are not overweight, an increase in physical activity is very likely to improve your overall health and help prevent serious diseases, including certain types of cancer. Also, recent studies show that physical activity can reduce anxiety and may even prevent depression. The fact is, many who are slim suffer from mental and emotional stress, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other conditions that are aggravated by a lack of enough exercise. Hence, whether you are overweight or not, if you lead a sedentary life, you do well to increase your level of physical activity.
What Is a Sedentary Life-Style?
How do you know if you are active enough? There are various opinions on what constitutes a sedentary life-style. However, most health experts agree on general guidelines that apply to most people. One explanation used by several health organizations is that you are sedentary if you (1) do not exercise or engage in some vigorous activity for at least 30 minutes three times a week, (2) do not move from place to place while engaging in leisure activities, (3) rarely walk more than 100 yards during the course of a day, (4) remain seated most of your waking hours, (5) have a job that requires little physical activity.
Enjoy a Good Walk
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. For warmth, add layers that are easily shed. Use flexible, lightweight shoes with a cushioned low heel and roomy toe box. They should be somewhat larger than your usual dress shoe. If you plan to walk for more than half an hour and there will be no drinking water on your route, you may want to take a light container of water with you. Warm up by walking at an easy pace for the first five minutes. Maintain an upright posture, keeping the elbows and knees slightly bent and hands cupped, not clenched.
After warming up, fall into a natural, brisk stride in which the heel of the foot strikes the ground first, rolling through the step to the toes. Flexible shoes are thus needed. Does all this sound like a lot to remember? Relax—most people walk this way naturally. Your pace should allow you to carry on a full conversation without getting breathless. If you are new at walking, build up your time, distance, and speed gradually. Cool down by slowing your pace near the end of your walk.
Increased heart and breathing rates are normal signs of exertion, as is mild-to-moderate sweating. You may feel some muscle aches and tenderness the first few days. Pay attention to your body's response. If you feel as though you are pushing too hard, slow down or take a short break. However, if you experience such symptoms as tightness or pain in your chest, palpitations, severe shortness of breath, dizziness, or nausea, stop walking and seek immediate care.
Because it is low impact, walking can have a definite advantage over such activities as running and aerobics. As a result, there is less chance of injury to joints and muscles. Indeed, walking is the number one activity recommended by fitness experts. So, for your well-being, take a walk!
Also
Restricting your diet to lots of fruits and green leafy vegetables will help in fighting obesity. Phentermine should be taken along with a regular diet of fruits, juices and other foods with less calorie and fat content. The number of phentermine pills you take won’t have any beneficial effect on your body, unless you stop munching all those high calorie foods.
The best way to help an obese person out will be to tempt him out for an ice-cream in the park. You can always end up with an apple shake instead. Don’t rush him; take one thing at a time. Begin with a 15 minutes walk, then gradually push him and make him walk for at least an hour a day. Without realizing that he is working out, he would actually be taking up the best form of exercise.
There is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for sustained health as a lifetime program of physical exercise.
IN 1982, Dr. Walter Bortz II, a university professor of medicine, wrote the above words. Over the past 23 years, numerous health experts and organizations have quoted these words in books, magazines, and Web pages. Evidently, today Dr. Bortz’s advice is just as current as it was in 1982, and it is still widely accepted as sound and relevant. So we do well to ask ourselves, ‘Am I getting enough exercise?’
Some have erroneously concluded that they do not need to exercise because they are not overweight. Obese and overweight people stand to benefit greatly from a regular exercise program, but even if you are not overweight, an increase in physical activity is very likely to improve your overall health and help prevent serious diseases, including certain types of cancer. Also, recent studies show that physical activity can reduce anxiety and may even prevent depression. The fact is, many who are slim suffer from mental and emotional stress, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other conditions that are aggravated by a lack of enough exercise. Hence, whether you are overweight or not, if you lead a sedentary life, you do well to increase your level of physical activity.
What Is a Sedentary Life-Style?
How do you know if you are active enough? There are various opinions on what constitutes a sedentary life-style. However, most health experts agree on general guidelines that apply to most people. One explanation used by several health organizations is that you are sedentary if you (1) do not exercise or engage in some vigorous activity for at least 30 minutes three times a week, (2) do not move from place to place while engaging in leisure activities, (3) rarely walk more than 100 yards during the course of a day, (4) remain seated most of your waking hours, (5) have a job that requires little physical activity.
Enjoy a Good Walk
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. For warmth, add layers that are easily shed. Use flexible, lightweight shoes with a cushioned low heel and roomy toe box. They should be somewhat larger than your usual dress shoe. If you plan to walk for more than half an hour and there will be no drinking water on your route, you may want to take a light container of water with you. Warm up by walking at an easy pace for the first five minutes. Maintain an upright posture, keeping the elbows and knees slightly bent and hands cupped, not clenched.
After warming up, fall into a natural, brisk stride in which the heel of the foot strikes the ground first, rolling through the step to the toes. Flexible shoes are thus needed. Does all this sound like a lot to remember? Relax—most people walk this way naturally. Your pace should allow you to carry on a full conversation without getting breathless. If you are new at walking, build up your time, distance, and speed gradually. Cool down by slowing your pace near the end of your walk.
Increased heart and breathing rates are normal signs of exertion, as is mild-to-moderate sweating. You may feel some muscle aches and tenderness the first few days. Pay attention to your body's response. If you feel as though you are pushing too hard, slow down or take a short break. However, if you experience such symptoms as tightness or pain in your chest, palpitations, severe shortness of breath, dizziness, or nausea, stop walking and seek immediate care.
Because it is low impact, walking can have a definite advantage over such activities as running and aerobics. As a result, there is less chance of injury to joints and muscles. Indeed, walking is the number one activity recommended by fitness experts. So, for your well-being, take a walk!
Also
Restricting your diet to lots of fruits and green leafy vegetables will help in fighting obesity. Phentermine should be taken along with a regular diet of fruits, juices and other foods with less calorie and fat content. The number of phentermine pills you take won’t have any beneficial effect on your body, unless you stop munching all those high calorie foods.
The best way to help an obese person out will be to tempt him out for an ice-cream in the park. You can always end up with an apple shake instead. Don’t rush him; take one thing at a time. Begin with a 15 minutes walk, then gradually push him and make him walk for at least an hour a day. Without realizing that he is working out, he would actually be taking up the best form of exercise.
Is There Any Hoodia In That Hoodia Weight Loss Product?
Gotten any email spam lately with a 'warning' about buying fake Hoodia products or Hoodia products with a variety of fillers?
Of course, they assure you that THEIR product is 'the original product.' It may be the original product, whatever that might mean, but the chances of it containing Hoodia are pretty close to zero.
Or maybe you're getting the spam about Hoodia 92--, whatever, or one about getting into skinny jeans or having men chase you, or the brickwall last 18 pounds spam with the large "disc0unts". Obviously the spammers see this as a potentially lucrative market. If any of the spam tempts you, you really need to be aware of a few things about Hoodia.
The whole diet area is scam heaven for unscrupulous, dishonest con artists selling products that do nothing and cost a lot. The few legitimate ones can be nearly impossible to identify among the fakes.
Legally, only one company has the license to market Hoodia as a weight loss product. Hoodia gordonii, as a weight loss product, has been patented by CSIR (the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and patents have been submitted in territories all over the world. Exclusive license for these patents belongs to Phytopharm, a bio-pharmaceutical company.
The main problem is that Hoodia is a slow growing succulent (it looks sort of like a cactus) which grows wild in limited areas in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. While not endangered (yet), it is listed in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). That means there are legal controls on collecting Hoodia and on exporting it.
Hoodia contains a molecule called P57 (catchy name, isn't it?). According to Phytopharm's Dr Richard Dixey, P57 essentially tricks the brain into feeling full. No side effects except a sense of feeling good have yet been identified but clinical trials are still underway to ensure that the Hoodia extract is safe. Unfortunately, while P57 can be artificially made, the process cannot be scaled up to produce commercial quantities at affordable prices.
Phytopharm is, however, in the process of developing extensive Hoodia plantations. This takes time since Hoodia has never been cultivated before and all the problems of pests, plant diseases, correct growing conditions, etc. have to be figured out.
What all this really means is that right now the quantities of real Hoodia available are extremely limited. Some legitimate supplement companies have even been scammed by their suppliers into believing that they were receiving genuine Hoodia when they were getting roots, other succulents, sawdust, etc.
As a consumer, you are likely to get burned buying any weight loss product that is supposed to contain Hoodia unless it has been licensed by Phytopharm. Food supplements (NOT labeled as a weight loss product) may or may not contain Hoodia. Ones that may actually contain Hoodia may not have enough to have any weight loss effect. Some may contain Hoodia, but not the active ingredient (that P57 molecule).
At this point, Phytopharm is planning to bring out various food products containing Hoodia gordonii, hopefully by 2008.
Meanwhile, unless it's a Pytopharm product, if it claims to be Hoodia and to be for weight loss, at the very least the marketing is illegal and infringes on Phytopharm's rights, and, most probably, the product has either none of the necessary product or too little to be effective.
Once real Hoodia products do become more widely available, they could be extremely helpful in weight reduction and appetite control. But now? Over the internet? Scams seem to rule, so be prepared to waste your money. While Hoodia certainly appears to work - and probably is safe, your chances of actually getting Hoodia, unless you are very careful, make focusing on maintaining a workable diet and exercise program a much more certain alternative for losing weight.
Of course, they assure you that THEIR product is 'the original product.' It may be the original product, whatever that might mean, but the chances of it containing Hoodia are pretty close to zero.
Or maybe you're getting the spam about Hoodia 92--, whatever, or one about getting into skinny jeans or having men chase you, or the brickwall last 18 pounds spam with the large "disc0unts". Obviously the spammers see this as a potentially lucrative market. If any of the spam tempts you, you really need to be aware of a few things about Hoodia.
The whole diet area is scam heaven for unscrupulous, dishonest con artists selling products that do nothing and cost a lot. The few legitimate ones can be nearly impossible to identify among the fakes.
Legally, only one company has the license to market Hoodia as a weight loss product. Hoodia gordonii, as a weight loss product, has been patented by CSIR (the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and patents have been submitted in territories all over the world. Exclusive license for these patents belongs to Phytopharm, a bio-pharmaceutical company.
The main problem is that Hoodia is a slow growing succulent (it looks sort of like a cactus) which grows wild in limited areas in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. While not endangered (yet), it is listed in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). That means there are legal controls on collecting Hoodia and on exporting it.
Hoodia contains a molecule called P57 (catchy name, isn't it?). According to Phytopharm's Dr Richard Dixey, P57 essentially tricks the brain into feeling full. No side effects except a sense of feeling good have yet been identified but clinical trials are still underway to ensure that the Hoodia extract is safe. Unfortunately, while P57 can be artificially made, the process cannot be scaled up to produce commercial quantities at affordable prices.
Phytopharm is, however, in the process of developing extensive Hoodia plantations. This takes time since Hoodia has never been cultivated before and all the problems of pests, plant diseases, correct growing conditions, etc. have to be figured out.
What all this really means is that right now the quantities of real Hoodia available are extremely limited. Some legitimate supplement companies have even been scammed by their suppliers into believing that they were receiving genuine Hoodia when they were getting roots, other succulents, sawdust, etc.
As a consumer, you are likely to get burned buying any weight loss product that is supposed to contain Hoodia unless it has been licensed by Phytopharm. Food supplements (NOT labeled as a weight loss product) may or may not contain Hoodia. Ones that may actually contain Hoodia may not have enough to have any weight loss effect. Some may contain Hoodia, but not the active ingredient (that P57 molecule).
At this point, Phytopharm is planning to bring out various food products containing Hoodia gordonii, hopefully by 2008.
Meanwhile, unless it's a Pytopharm product, if it claims to be Hoodia and to be for weight loss, at the very least the marketing is illegal and infringes on Phytopharm's rights, and, most probably, the product has either none of the necessary product or too little to be effective.
Once real Hoodia products do become more widely available, they could be extremely helpful in weight reduction and appetite control. But now? Over the internet? Scams seem to rule, so be prepared to waste your money. While Hoodia certainly appears to work - and probably is safe, your chances of actually getting Hoodia, unless you are very careful, make focusing on maintaining a workable diet and exercise program a much more certain alternative for losing weight.
Think Outside The Box: 5 Unique Weight Loss Methods
When most people think about losing weight, all they can think of is spending hour after hour on a treadmill. One reason that losing weight can be such a challenge is that conventional weight loss methods are usually extremely boring. However, getting rid of those extra pounds does not have to be an unpleasant tasks. Here are five out of the box techniques for losing weight:
1) Shopping: Yes, this is not a typo. As crazy as it may seem, shopping can help you lose weight. Shopping takes a conventional weight loss method and puts a more enjoyable spin on it. Instead of walking for an hour on a treadmill and staring at the wall, you can walk and burn calories while searching for the perfect new shirt. The next time you head out for a day of shopping, try to minimize the amount of time you spend in the car. Instead of driving from one shopping center to the next, take the time to walk. Doing so will ensure that you will be buying smaller sizes in no time!
2) Rock Climbing Gym: Although actual rock climbing requires a lot of planning and preparation, a rock climbing gym gets rid of all the hassle and provides you with instant access to the benefits of rock climbing. A rock climbing gym can provide you with an exciting full body workout that will help you burn hundreds of calories.
3) Nintendo Wii: Recently, a Wii enthusiast spent thirty minutes a day playing Wii sports games. After six weeks of this “workout routine,” the boy conducting the routine lost ten pounds and two percent of his body fat. For the first time, video games can actually help you lose weight instead of gaining it!
4) Hiking: Nothing is better than exercising while breathing in fresh mountain air. Whether you do it in a group or alone, hiking can help you shed a few pounds while spending some quality time in the great outdoors.
5) Pilates or Yoga Class: Most people think that Pilates and Yoga only improve flexibility, but in fact, they are both great ways to lose some extra weight. Taking a Pilates or Yoga class allows you to get in shape while participating in a social environment.
1) Shopping: Yes, this is not a typo. As crazy as it may seem, shopping can help you lose weight. Shopping takes a conventional weight loss method and puts a more enjoyable spin on it. Instead of walking for an hour on a treadmill and staring at the wall, you can walk and burn calories while searching for the perfect new shirt. The next time you head out for a day of shopping, try to minimize the amount of time you spend in the car. Instead of driving from one shopping center to the next, take the time to walk. Doing so will ensure that you will be buying smaller sizes in no time!
2) Rock Climbing Gym: Although actual rock climbing requires a lot of planning and preparation, a rock climbing gym gets rid of all the hassle and provides you with instant access to the benefits of rock climbing. A rock climbing gym can provide you with an exciting full body workout that will help you burn hundreds of calories.
3) Nintendo Wii: Recently, a Wii enthusiast spent thirty minutes a day playing Wii sports games. After six weeks of this “workout routine,” the boy conducting the routine lost ten pounds and two percent of his body fat. For the first time, video games can actually help you lose weight instead of gaining it!
4) Hiking: Nothing is better than exercising while breathing in fresh mountain air. Whether you do it in a group or alone, hiking can help you shed a few pounds while spending some quality time in the great outdoors.
5) Pilates or Yoga Class: Most people think that Pilates and Yoga only improve flexibility, but in fact, they are both great ways to lose some extra weight. Taking a Pilates or Yoga class allows you to get in shape while participating in a social environment.
Weight Loss With Nlp
NLP can be useful for people struggling to lose weight. In fact, wanting to lose weight is a fairly common reason for why people seek NLP, Herts. Whilst NLP is by no means a magic diet pill, it can be very useful in addressing the issues associated with over-eating such as confidence, self-esteem, motivation and negative coping strategies. This article discusses seven NLP tools, which can help you in being slim and healthy.
1. NLP Communication Model – This model underlies any change work in NLP and a good therapist will explain this model to you. It is very important as it tells us how people use language in specific patterns, during thinking. Depending on the nature of the way you talk to yourself when thinking, you could be undermining the efforts you make to eat healthily and be slim. The NLP communication model can help you to begin to be much more aware of the language you use during thinking, in order that you can develop positive thinking habits. Since how you think has a massive effect on how you feel, it also effects how you behave. Change your thinking patterns and you will get different behavioural results. In the case of weight loss, this can be a change in your eating or exercise habits.
2. NLP Presuppositions – These are a set of convenient beliefs which if you subscribe to them, can lead to you feeling much more empowered. For example, one of the presuppositions is that all behaviour has a positive intention. This does not mean that everything a person does it morally good or good for society. It means that each person, only always carry out behaviours that are positive for them in some way, i.e. meet some higher human need. So, if you feel frustrated at yourself for overeating when you feel you really shouldn’t, its time to begin to think about what needs you meet through food. Only, then can you acknowledge that you have been doing the best with the resources available to you at the time and begin to plan how to meet the need met by food in a more positive way.
3. NLP Frame – Cause is greater then effect. NLP frames are frames of reference that guide the individual towards taking responsibility for themselves, how they feel and what happens in their lives. During NLP therapy you will be encouraged to BE at CAUSE. This means that things happen in your life because of you, not too you. NLP does not claim this to always be the case, it asks you to try to live your life guided by the frames. Being at cause means you get the credit for all the great things you achieve, of course, it also means that you have to take responsibility for outcomes that your not so proud of. How does this relate to dieting? Well as a person who used to smoke and who tried to stop for several years before I was successful, I know that I felt much more comfortable about lighting up, if I had a reason (excuse). So, it was the fault of my stressful day, argument with boyfriend, because I’d had a glass of wine, because I needed to relax and not because I was choosing to smoke over other behavioural options. This can be the case, with bingeing or snacking. Once you begin to stop kidding yourself during thinking and actually begin to stop and say, actually I don’t have to eat this, I can act in a different way, I take responsibility, you have taken a big step towards the slimmer you.
4. NLP Formal Change Techniques – There are several formal change techniques, which are useful for helping with weight-loss. The most appropriate technique will depend on your unique problem. Here are a few: 1) The Swish Technique can be used if you wish to replace a highly contextualised problem behaviour with a more positive behaviour. It works to eliminate behaviours that occur in specific situations after specific triggers. 2) Parts Integration is very useful at uncovering the positive intention of your unhelpful eating habits and dealing with incongruent behaviour and feelings. If you’ve had the experience of thinking ‘how have I just eaten that, I’ve been doing so well’, this technique could help you! 3) Like To Dislike – This technique is based on information about how we code memories in our brain. We tend to code things we like in a different way to things we don’t like. So, if you have a particularly problematic food type, its possible to change the memory of the problematic food type into the memory of a food you can’t stand. This technique works really well if you have a food that you really hate! 4) Hypnosis with positive suggestion – many NLP therapists will have studied hypnotic techniques based on the Ericksonian model, during NLP training and will utilise these techniques during therapy sessions.
5. Getting Leverage – NLP therapists are skilled at getting leverage. This basically means helping the client to recognise and experience the impact of the problem behaviour, such as overeating, on themselves and those around them. It will help you find your motivation and will identify those who are not motivated.
6. Setting well formed goals. NLP takes goals setting seriously and has developed criteria for goal setting that results in the goals being much more achievable and likely to be reached. Your therapist can support you in working towards your weight loss goals.
7. Developing positive coping strategies. Acknowledge that your problematic eating has served a purpose in the past, in that it has likely been a method for coping. Now you want to develop positive coping strategies that serve you in the present and future. When would now be the right time to be good to yourself?
These are just a few of the ways that NLP can help you develop new options in thinking and behaviour. I have found these techniques effective during NLP, Herts at my NLP practice, Herts, when supporting clients in losing weight.
1. NLP Communication Model – This model underlies any change work in NLP and a good therapist will explain this model to you. It is very important as it tells us how people use language in specific patterns, during thinking. Depending on the nature of the way you talk to yourself when thinking, you could be undermining the efforts you make to eat healthily and be slim. The NLP communication model can help you to begin to be much more aware of the language you use during thinking, in order that you can develop positive thinking habits. Since how you think has a massive effect on how you feel, it also effects how you behave. Change your thinking patterns and you will get different behavioural results. In the case of weight loss, this can be a change in your eating or exercise habits.
2. NLP Presuppositions – These are a set of convenient beliefs which if you subscribe to them, can lead to you feeling much more empowered. For example, one of the presuppositions is that all behaviour has a positive intention. This does not mean that everything a person does it morally good or good for society. It means that each person, only always carry out behaviours that are positive for them in some way, i.e. meet some higher human need. So, if you feel frustrated at yourself for overeating when you feel you really shouldn’t, its time to begin to think about what needs you meet through food. Only, then can you acknowledge that you have been doing the best with the resources available to you at the time and begin to plan how to meet the need met by food in a more positive way.
3. NLP Frame – Cause is greater then effect. NLP frames are frames of reference that guide the individual towards taking responsibility for themselves, how they feel and what happens in their lives. During NLP therapy you will be encouraged to BE at CAUSE. This means that things happen in your life because of you, not too you. NLP does not claim this to always be the case, it asks you to try to live your life guided by the frames. Being at cause means you get the credit for all the great things you achieve, of course, it also means that you have to take responsibility for outcomes that your not so proud of. How does this relate to dieting? Well as a person who used to smoke and who tried to stop for several years before I was successful, I know that I felt much more comfortable about lighting up, if I had a reason (excuse). So, it was the fault of my stressful day, argument with boyfriend, because I’d had a glass of wine, because I needed to relax and not because I was choosing to smoke over other behavioural options. This can be the case, with bingeing or snacking. Once you begin to stop kidding yourself during thinking and actually begin to stop and say, actually I don’t have to eat this, I can act in a different way, I take responsibility, you have taken a big step towards the slimmer you.
4. NLP Formal Change Techniques – There are several formal change techniques, which are useful for helping with weight-loss. The most appropriate technique will depend on your unique problem. Here are a few: 1) The Swish Technique can be used if you wish to replace a highly contextualised problem behaviour with a more positive behaviour. It works to eliminate behaviours that occur in specific situations after specific triggers. 2) Parts Integration is very useful at uncovering the positive intention of your unhelpful eating habits and dealing with incongruent behaviour and feelings. If you’ve had the experience of thinking ‘how have I just eaten that, I’ve been doing so well’, this technique could help you! 3) Like To Dislike – This technique is based on information about how we code memories in our brain. We tend to code things we like in a different way to things we don’t like. So, if you have a particularly problematic food type, its possible to change the memory of the problematic food type into the memory of a food you can’t stand. This technique works really well if you have a food that you really hate! 4) Hypnosis with positive suggestion – many NLP therapists will have studied hypnotic techniques based on the Ericksonian model, during NLP training and will utilise these techniques during therapy sessions.
5. Getting Leverage – NLP therapists are skilled at getting leverage. This basically means helping the client to recognise and experience the impact of the problem behaviour, such as overeating, on themselves and those around them. It will help you find your motivation and will identify those who are not motivated.
6. Setting well formed goals. NLP takes goals setting seriously and has developed criteria for goal setting that results in the goals being much more achievable and likely to be reached. Your therapist can support you in working towards your weight loss goals.
7. Developing positive coping strategies. Acknowledge that your problematic eating has served a purpose in the past, in that it has likely been a method for coping. Now you want to develop positive coping strategies that serve you in the present and future. When would now be the right time to be good to yourself?
These are just a few of the ways that NLP can help you develop new options in thinking and behaviour. I have found these techniques effective during NLP, Herts at my NLP practice, Herts, when supporting clients in losing weight.
Weight Loss And Yoga, Estranged Bed Partners?
When you primarily want to significantly and rapidly lose weight, experts and fitness gurus attest that yoga is not the exercise of fitness regime for you.
But is there any reason why yoga would not be highly recommended for weight loss?
Actually, it is a great and amusing fact that yoga and weight loss are estranged bed partners. It is because yoga also facilitate weight loss. When someone practice or do yoga, expect that there would be a corresponding weight loss that would follow suit.
Yoga truly is not the best and recommended exercise for weight reduction purposes, but it could greatly help. It is not to be compared to the widely popular calorie-burning and cardiovascular exercises.
However, yoga also facilitate for improved agility and strength in the large and core muscle groups of the body.
Doing yoga regularly and properly is said to be equivalent to running, walking, rollerblading, swimming and cycling.
Thus, when regularly done and practiced, yoga can also lead to a significant weight loss, to the advantage of the exerciser.
Here are some yoga exercises that are so simple and are aimed at helping any person eventually lose weight in the long run. Take note that great and proper execution of each of these simple exercises are vital to the success of the weight-losing yoga practice.
FROG STAND
1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.
2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.
3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.
These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body’s overall stamina.
BRIDGE
1. Lie down, faceup on the floor and then put the knees up, then feet flat and grasp ankles using the hand, drawing the heels close to the butt. Inhale, thrust the belly button up. Release the hands. Put palms up, then dig the thumbs into the tailbone and push the lumbar spine further up.
2. Move the hands palms-down near or beside each ear. Press up into a U shape inverted position.
The exercise will improve posture through strengthening the muscles along the spine. This would be very beneficial since people spend more than 90 percent of daily daytime existence in a slight and forward fold.
Do the exercises regularly or whenever you have the time to properly and orderly execute them and see the weigh loss or the difference in only just a span of a few days.
But is there any reason why yoga would not be highly recommended for weight loss?
Actually, it is a great and amusing fact that yoga and weight loss are estranged bed partners. It is because yoga also facilitate weight loss. When someone practice or do yoga, expect that there would be a corresponding weight loss that would follow suit.
Yoga truly is not the best and recommended exercise for weight reduction purposes, but it could greatly help. It is not to be compared to the widely popular calorie-burning and cardiovascular exercises.
However, yoga also facilitate for improved agility and strength in the large and core muscle groups of the body.
Doing yoga regularly and properly is said to be equivalent to running, walking, rollerblading, swimming and cycling.
Thus, when regularly done and practiced, yoga can also lead to a significant weight loss, to the advantage of the exerciser.
Here are some yoga exercises that are so simple and are aimed at helping any person eventually lose weight in the long run. Take note that great and proper execution of each of these simple exercises are vital to the success of the weight-losing yoga practice.
FROG STAND
1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.
2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.
3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.
These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body’s overall stamina.
BRIDGE
1. Lie down, faceup on the floor and then put the knees up, then feet flat and grasp ankles using the hand, drawing the heels close to the butt. Inhale, thrust the belly button up. Release the hands. Put palms up, then dig the thumbs into the tailbone and push the lumbar spine further up.
2. Move the hands palms-down near or beside each ear. Press up into a U shape inverted position.
The exercise will improve posture through strengthening the muscles along the spine. This would be very beneficial since people spend more than 90 percent of daily daytime existence in a slight and forward fold.
Do the exercises regularly or whenever you have the time to properly and orderly execute them and see the weigh loss or the difference in only just a span of a few days.
The Easy Side Of Weight Loss
This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on this topic. I hope you find this information helpful.
There is the familiar story of your teenage years and how active you were playing sports, going out with friends and having a good time. Because of your high activity level and age your metabolism is also high so your weight has not ever been a problem. As a matter of fact, whoever even thinks about it' Over time you develop a taste for fatty junk food and you sure do love those hamburgers, fries and pop. Your metabolism helps burn off most of the excess calories from the junk food and so any extra weight goes unnoticed.
As you move into adulthood priorities change and somehow sports disappears from your life and the focus now becomes more on work and social activities such as parties and drinks. You notice that you have some extra weight but by now you've programmed your lifestyle habits into your subconscious and weight loss is still not something that is thought of. As you get to your 30's and 40's you have now noticed a considerable amount of body fat and you begin to see the health problems associated with your unhealthy lifestyle. Now you are concerned.
What you have done in your life to date is set the cause and effect of your lifestyle choices in motion, accumulating all the little unhealthy lifestyle habits along the way until the weight issue has become bigger year after year, and so have you. Hang on. There is good news.
The good news is that you can turn around the negative cause and effect in such a way as to achieve health and weight loss by making steady improvements to your lifestyle across multiple areas. This will cause your new weight loss to grow and gather speed and lead you back to health. The most important thing to realize is that while you may not see immediate results from the slight changes to your lifestyle, the combination of little improvements across lots of lifestyle areas over time will achieve the weight loss you're looking for.
Here's how to get started:
1. Get Active - To burn off some of the body fat and strengthen your heart you need to do some form of exercise. A starting point might be walking as it is a low impact, low risk activity. Start out with a short walk at first and and then walk farther and for longer each time. The important thing to remember is to choose an exercise you like to do so you will stay with it.
2. Eat Healthy - Little by little, replace high fat and high sugar foods with healthier alternatives. First start with perhaps one meal a day and progress from there. After a while you will be more accustomed to healthy food and will make better food choices. It is true the healtheir you eat, the less you want the the old eating habits back.
3. Eat Smaller Meals - It is better to have frequent smaller meals than three large meals, so try cutting down your portion sizes and have a piece of fruit between meals for snacks.
Eating healthy keeps you fuller longer.
4. Cut Sugar Drinks - Eliminate soda drinks from your diet as they wreak havoc with your blood sugar, add body fat, and interfere with your hormonal system.
5. Reduce Alcohol - Alcohol has the same effects as soda drinks on your body so try to reduce your consumption.
6. Drink a lot of Water - Water helps eliminate all the body's byproducts and is needed to flush the body of the waste associated with weight loss. It also helps give you that full feeling. There is an easy way to drink enough water each day. Just drink three twelve ounce glasses of water with each meal. I chose the one right sized glass for each meal or start with one glass of water with each meal and work up to the three glasses. There, you're done and it's easy.
7. Get Lots of Sleep - A large proportion of the people who get inadequate sleep are overweight. That's because sleep deprivation has an enormous negative effect on the body's hormonal system among other things.
8. Eat Slower - Most people eat way too fast, which leads to poor digestion and overeating. Eat slower and savor your food and you will feel fuller on less food.
There is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss, but if you make gradual improvements in several areas, the combined effect will put the brakes on obesity your weight issues will be a thing of the past.
Thank you for visiting. Go ahead and look around to find additional helpful tips and information.
There is the familiar story of your teenage years and how active you were playing sports, going out with friends and having a good time. Because of your high activity level and age your metabolism is also high so your weight has not ever been a problem. As a matter of fact, whoever even thinks about it' Over time you develop a taste for fatty junk food and you sure do love those hamburgers, fries and pop. Your metabolism helps burn off most of the excess calories from the junk food and so any extra weight goes unnoticed.
As you move into adulthood priorities change and somehow sports disappears from your life and the focus now becomes more on work and social activities such as parties and drinks. You notice that you have some extra weight but by now you've programmed your lifestyle habits into your subconscious and weight loss is still not something that is thought of. As you get to your 30's and 40's you have now noticed a considerable amount of body fat and you begin to see the health problems associated with your unhealthy lifestyle. Now you are concerned.
What you have done in your life to date is set the cause and effect of your lifestyle choices in motion, accumulating all the little unhealthy lifestyle habits along the way until the weight issue has become bigger year after year, and so have you. Hang on. There is good news.
The good news is that you can turn around the negative cause and effect in such a way as to achieve health and weight loss by making steady improvements to your lifestyle across multiple areas. This will cause your new weight loss to grow and gather speed and lead you back to health. The most important thing to realize is that while you may not see immediate results from the slight changes to your lifestyle, the combination of little improvements across lots of lifestyle areas over time will achieve the weight loss you're looking for.
Here's how to get started:
1. Get Active - To burn off some of the body fat and strengthen your heart you need to do some form of exercise. A starting point might be walking as it is a low impact, low risk activity. Start out with a short walk at first and and then walk farther and for longer each time. The important thing to remember is to choose an exercise you like to do so you will stay with it.
2. Eat Healthy - Little by little, replace high fat and high sugar foods with healthier alternatives. First start with perhaps one meal a day and progress from there. After a while you will be more accustomed to healthy food and will make better food choices. It is true the healtheir you eat, the less you want the the old eating habits back.
3. Eat Smaller Meals - It is better to have frequent smaller meals than three large meals, so try cutting down your portion sizes and have a piece of fruit between meals for snacks.
Eating healthy keeps you fuller longer.
4. Cut Sugar Drinks - Eliminate soda drinks from your diet as they wreak havoc with your blood sugar, add body fat, and interfere with your hormonal system.
5. Reduce Alcohol - Alcohol has the same effects as soda drinks on your body so try to reduce your consumption.
6. Drink a lot of Water - Water helps eliminate all the body's byproducts and is needed to flush the body of the waste associated with weight loss. It also helps give you that full feeling. There is an easy way to drink enough water each day. Just drink three twelve ounce glasses of water with each meal. I chose the one right sized glass for each meal or start with one glass of water with each meal and work up to the three glasses. There, you're done and it's easy.
7. Get Lots of Sleep - A large proportion of the people who get inadequate sleep are overweight. That's because sleep deprivation has an enormous negative effect on the body's hormonal system among other things.
8. Eat Slower - Most people eat way too fast, which leads to poor digestion and overeating. Eat slower and savor your food and you will feel fuller on less food.
There is no quick fix when it comes to weight loss, but if you make gradual improvements in several areas, the combined effect will put the brakes on obesity your weight issues will be a thing of the past.
Thank you for visiting. Go ahead and look around to find additional helpful tips and information.
Weight Loss Diary 14
April 4 thru April 9.
On Friday I weighed in at 183 pounds (90.5 kilo’s) and that is slightly up on last week. It is not a problem because last week was a distorted figure due to being unwell and not eating very much anyway.
One of the things I have learned during this weight control period is never to become upset if the scales seem to indicate a poor week. The reason for this is that when you go into a weight loss program you have to take the mindset that “I am what I measure, not what I weigh.” With my waist belt two notches slimmer than when I started there are no complaints.
During the past week I concentrated on diet and ate no bread or pastry products on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bread is my greatest weakness; having a local baker who produces the most magnificent bread doesn’t help the weight loss program. Hence the reason for dropping bread for three days; it reaffirmed my commitment in my own mind.
Those that have followed this series of articles from the start will know that I only diet on the condition that I give up no food that I like. This includes bacon sandwiches, desserts, ice cream and just about anything else. What I do is give up one thing each day and leave a space on my plate where that item would normally be. This removes one of the biggest problems that all dieters face – the temptation to go off of a rigid diet due to the temptation of foods that they love. There isn’t a single person I know of that can’t give something up for a day when they know they can return to it next day.
In the western world most inhabitants eat far too much. The average adult body requires 2,000 calories each day to function normally; we tend to eat around 3,500 calories each day. This translates to an excess intake of 10,500 calories each week. One pound of body weight is equal to 3,500 calories so that excess eating amounts to three pounds each week weight gain. It is true that you can exercise the excess calories away and if you work in a heavy laboring role in an iron smelter you probably will. But do you spend eight hours each day in that type of environment?
By having a space on each plate you soon learn serving size discipline and that is what causes most weight problems – eating too much per serving. Remember it takes about twenty minutes for the your stomach to get the message to your brain that you’ve eaten enough. It is what we continue to consume during this critical twenty-minute period that is our enemy. Maybe serving smaller portions taking a twenty minute break between courses will help you.
On Friday I weighed in at 183 pounds (90.5 kilo’s) and that is slightly up on last week. It is not a problem because last week was a distorted figure due to being unwell and not eating very much anyway.
One of the things I have learned during this weight control period is never to become upset if the scales seem to indicate a poor week. The reason for this is that when you go into a weight loss program you have to take the mindset that “I am what I measure, not what I weigh.” With my waist belt two notches slimmer than when I started there are no complaints.
During the past week I concentrated on diet and ate no bread or pastry products on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bread is my greatest weakness; having a local baker who produces the most magnificent bread doesn’t help the weight loss program. Hence the reason for dropping bread for three days; it reaffirmed my commitment in my own mind.
Those that have followed this series of articles from the start will know that I only diet on the condition that I give up no food that I like. This includes bacon sandwiches, desserts, ice cream and just about anything else. What I do is give up one thing each day and leave a space on my plate where that item would normally be. This removes one of the biggest problems that all dieters face – the temptation to go off of a rigid diet due to the temptation of foods that they love. There isn’t a single person I know of that can’t give something up for a day when they know they can return to it next day.
In the western world most inhabitants eat far too much. The average adult body requires 2,000 calories each day to function normally; we tend to eat around 3,500 calories each day. This translates to an excess intake of 10,500 calories each week. One pound of body weight is equal to 3,500 calories so that excess eating amounts to three pounds each week weight gain. It is true that you can exercise the excess calories away and if you work in a heavy laboring role in an iron smelter you probably will. But do you spend eight hours each day in that type of environment?
By having a space on each plate you soon learn serving size discipline and that is what causes most weight problems – eating too much per serving. Remember it takes about twenty minutes for the your stomach to get the message to your brain that you’ve eaten enough. It is what we continue to consume during this critical twenty-minute period that is our enemy. Maybe serving smaller portions taking a twenty minute break between courses will help you.
How To Maintain Your Weight Loss!
Once you have started losing weight, it is crucial to think of how to maintain that weight loss in the days ahead.
It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight off is the easy part. Maintaining weight loss for good is where the real challenge lies. If you are like me, you have tried countless diets only to gain the weight back. People lose lots of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them gain it back because they have focused only on the weight loss. They follow the diet until they get to a particular number on the scale and then shortly after, they go back to the old lifestyle that made them overweight in the first place. Of course, over time the weight comes right back.
The truth is, almost everyone can lose weight but only 5% keep it off. These are the Weight Loss Registry's figures, not mine. The WLR followed highly successful dieters and came up with seven reasons why people were able to keep the weight off.
Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful.
1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.
2. The dieters did not deny themselves--they indulged from time to time.
3. They weighed themselves often.
4. They exercised one hour a day.
5. They added little bits of activity into their daily life.
6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.
7. They ate 5 meals a day.
When I compare my own weight loss success to the list above, I would say I learned how to maintain weight loss due to the following: I do the best I can with what I have available. Sometimes I am not always in a perfect situation with the healthiest choices, but I make do with what is there and I stick to the plan. If I make a not so healthy choice, I don't beat myself up for it.
I eat YUMMY and whole foods. Using the finest ingredients makes the most delicious meals and has helped me stick to Living Well. If I wanted to indulge, I would make it from scratch using the healthiest ingredients possible. To me, indulging does not mean eating junk.
I use a tape measure to keep tabs on my weight and occasionally weigh myself.
I really struggle with exercising regularly and I have NEVER exercised for one hour a day consistently. I will do heavy housework and other activities around the house to get my heart rate up and I try different forms of exercise all the time because I get bored easily.
I think it is vital to get moving every day, somehow, and it doesn't always mean you have to be in an aerobics class or on some sort of machine to get your heart rate up.
I eat organic whole foods and healthy oils. I am not sold on the idea that low fat and high carb is the way to go. High fat is not the answer either, but healthy oils are not the enemy. The rights oils will actually speed up the metabolism.
I eat only 3 meals a day and rarely snack. I do better when I don't snack or graze on food all day. BUT, you may be different. You have to do what works best for you and your unique body.
This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I think of the health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I really want to enjoy my older years and I want to be healthy. I don't want to sit in a rocking chair, talking about all my symptoms and the things that ail me when I am in my golden years.
The Weight Loss Registry tips and my maintenance tips are not the only path for everyone, but instead are some ideas you can use to come up with your own way to keep the weight off once you have lost it.
Ultimately, I think it is crucial to focus on your health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle. So many people are in a hurry to lose weight. They spend their entire lives putting on the weight, losing the weight temporarily on diets and just want to get rid of it as fast as possible not taking in consideration their state of health. I know you have heard this many times before but if you don't have your health, you don't have much. Being thin will mean nothing to you if you compromise your health along the way.
Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you! The idea here is to take off the weight and keep it off for good. Even just a couple of pounds a month adds up over the course of a year. And for those that were doing everything they could and continuing to gain weight, just stopping that weight gain is a measure of success.
With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight loss. Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy lifestyle and enjoy yourself along the way. A year from now your body will be thanking you for it!
It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight off is the easy part. Maintaining weight loss for good is where the real challenge lies. If you are like me, you have tried countless diets only to gain the weight back. People lose lots of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them gain it back because they have focused only on the weight loss. They follow the diet until they get to a particular number on the scale and then shortly after, they go back to the old lifestyle that made them overweight in the first place. Of course, over time the weight comes right back.
The truth is, almost everyone can lose weight but only 5% keep it off. These are the Weight Loss Registry's figures, not mine. The WLR followed highly successful dieters and came up with seven reasons why people were able to keep the weight off.
Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful.
1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.
2. The dieters did not deny themselves--they indulged from time to time.
3. They weighed themselves often.
4. They exercised one hour a day.
5. They added little bits of activity into their daily life.
6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.
7. They ate 5 meals a day.
When I compare my own weight loss success to the list above, I would say I learned how to maintain weight loss due to the following: I do the best I can with what I have available. Sometimes I am not always in a perfect situation with the healthiest choices, but I make do with what is there and I stick to the plan. If I make a not so healthy choice, I don't beat myself up for it.
I eat YUMMY and whole foods. Using the finest ingredients makes the most delicious meals and has helped me stick to Living Well. If I wanted to indulge, I would make it from scratch using the healthiest ingredients possible. To me, indulging does not mean eating junk.
I use a tape measure to keep tabs on my weight and occasionally weigh myself.
I really struggle with exercising regularly and I have NEVER exercised for one hour a day consistently. I will do heavy housework and other activities around the house to get my heart rate up and I try different forms of exercise all the time because I get bored easily.
I think it is vital to get moving every day, somehow, and it doesn't always mean you have to be in an aerobics class or on some sort of machine to get your heart rate up.
I eat organic whole foods and healthy oils. I am not sold on the idea that low fat and high carb is the way to go. High fat is not the answer either, but healthy oils are not the enemy. The rights oils will actually speed up the metabolism.
I eat only 3 meals a day and rarely snack. I do better when I don't snack or graze on food all day. BUT, you may be different. You have to do what works best for you and your unique body.
This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I think of the health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I really want to enjoy my older years and I want to be healthy. I don't want to sit in a rocking chair, talking about all my symptoms and the things that ail me when I am in my golden years.
The Weight Loss Registry tips and my maintenance tips are not the only path for everyone, but instead are some ideas you can use to come up with your own way to keep the weight off once you have lost it.
Ultimately, I think it is crucial to focus on your health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle. So many people are in a hurry to lose weight. They spend their entire lives putting on the weight, losing the weight temporarily on diets and just want to get rid of it as fast as possible not taking in consideration their state of health. I know you have heard this many times before but if you don't have your health, you don't have much. Being thin will mean nothing to you if you compromise your health along the way.
Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you! The idea here is to take off the weight and keep it off for good. Even just a couple of pounds a month adds up over the course of a year. And for those that were doing everything they could and continuing to gain weight, just stopping that weight gain is a measure of success.
With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight loss. Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy lifestyle and enjoy yourself along the way. A year from now your body will be thanking you for it!
Tips On Fast Weight Loss For Special Occasions
If you are like me, you have probably been through all this before, the family wedding is coming up next month and you can't seem to fit into that suit or dress because you have put on too much weight. So you must lose at least ten or more pounds quickly.
Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.
But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let's look at that first, you all know that diets don't work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.
Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.
Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories.
Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.
Knowing this, you really don't want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting.
To do this you will have to perform a "Strength Training" workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.
The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked.
One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.
While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.
The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.
Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.
Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.
As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can't, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.
Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.
Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.
Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.
Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.
Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.
Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn't recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.
I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 - 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.
In conclusion remember, think long term here and that's between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.
Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.
But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let's look at that first, you all know that diets don't work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.
Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.
Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories.
Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.
Knowing this, you really don't want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting.
To do this you will have to perform a "Strength Training" workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.
The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked.
One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.
While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.
The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.
Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.
Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.
As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can't, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.
Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.
Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.
Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.
Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.
Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.
Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn't recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.
I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 - 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.
In conclusion remember, think long term here and that's between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.
Green Tea’s Weight Loss Magic – It’s Not The Caffeine
In recent years there has been a significant amount of attention given to green tea and its health benefits. Green tea has been shown to prevent cancer, heart disease, and reduce the signs of aging. And, more recently, studies have shown that it can be helpful in weight loss.
Green tea is a potent source of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important to our bodies because they fight the free radicals created as a by-product of digestion. These free radicals damage our cells and DNA, causing aging and disease. Therefore, a regular dose of anti-oxidants is beneficial to our health.
Many plant products contain anti-oxidants, including fruits and vegetables, cocoa, coffee, and tea. All forms of tea are good sources of anti-oxidants, but green tea is the most potent source, because the tea leaves are not fermented during the processing of green tea as they are during the production of black tea. This natural, unfermented tea leaf ensures that the important anti-oxidants, called catechins, are left in tact.
It is believed that these anti-oxidants are also an important contributor to green tea’s ability to help you lose weight. It has long been reported that green tea’s caffeine helps speed up metabolism, and may help you to lose weight.
However, what today’s research is showing is that it is not just the caffeine in green tea that helps with weight loss. Green tea’s anti-oxidants are also part of the equation. This helps explain why green tea is more beneficial to weight loss than other caffeinated beverages.
Several research studies have shown that green tea can do more than just speed up the metabolism. Green tea has also been shown to create thermogenesis, the fat burning process. In addition, in some studies, it has also been shown to inhibit the absorption of dietary fat. This means that less of the fat you eat may turn into body fat.
One article of particular interest, reported on by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discussed how green tea has the ability to increase the metabolism and boost daily energy expenditure in a greater fashion than just the caffeine content would suggest.
Two studies are discussed in this article. In the first study, healthy male subjects were fed either green tea or a dose of caffeine equal to the caffeine in green tea. The subjects who drank the green tea showed an increase in energy expenditure (number of calories burned) and an increase in fat oxidation.
However, the subjects who consumed caffeine only showed no increase in energy expenditure or fat oxidation.* This leads to the conclusion that it is not the caffeine in tea that has the effect on the body’s ability to lose weight. Or, at the very least, the caffeine needs to be in combination with the anti-oxidants in order to have an effect.
In the other study cited in this article, the subjects were rats. These rats were injected with EGCG, the most potent anti-oxidant found in green tea. The rats showed a weight loss within 2-7 days of beginning the injections.
The rats showed two effects from the tea injections. The first was that their metabolism appeared to speed up. However, they also began to eat less. On average, the rats ate about 15% less when given the green tea injections.
In addition, very lean rats showed a propensity to stay lean when receiving the injections of EGCG, even when their diet increased in calories. All of the results from this study were found to be completely reversible; when the rats stopped receiving the EGCG injections, they regained the weight.
This study is important for several reasons. First of all, it suggests that EGCG is the anti-oxidant, or at least one of them, responsible for green tea’s ability to affect weight loss. Secondly, the study suggests that green tea may decrease the appetite, which may explain part of why it helps you lose weight.
Another interesting tidbit reported in this study is that the lean rats needed an increase in EGCG over time to continue to stay lean when their calories were increased. This may suggest that over time our bodies may adjust to the effects of the EGCG and we may require more in order to lose or maintain weight.
Keep in mind that this second study was conducted on rats, which means that its results may not directly correlate in humans. However, there is certainly enough positive information between the two studies to give a strong indication that green tea is helpful in weight loss.
Healthy diets combined with a reasonable exercise plan are still the two most important components of weight management. However, it does appear that adding green tea to this healthy diet can provide some help in losing weight or keeping it within a normal range. Most interestingly, it seems clear that green tea will help you more than other caffeinated beverages.
And, the really good news about using green tea to help you lose weight is that it is completely safe and has no side effects. In fact, even if you didn’t lose weight, you would likely find yourself to be healthier overall because of your green tea consumption.
Since green tea has also been shown to reduce your risk of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer, there is no downside to adding it to your diet.
To be certain, more research is needed to pinpoint exactly how green tea can help us with weight management. However, there’s certainly enough evidence available today to suggest that green tea is worth trying. You just might find that your weight loss efforts suddenly become easier and more successful.
Green tea is a potent source of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important to our bodies because they fight the free radicals created as a by-product of digestion. These free radicals damage our cells and DNA, causing aging and disease. Therefore, a regular dose of anti-oxidants is beneficial to our health.
Many plant products contain anti-oxidants, including fruits and vegetables, cocoa, coffee, and tea. All forms of tea are good sources of anti-oxidants, but green tea is the most potent source, because the tea leaves are not fermented during the processing of green tea as they are during the production of black tea. This natural, unfermented tea leaf ensures that the important anti-oxidants, called catechins, are left in tact.
It is believed that these anti-oxidants are also an important contributor to green tea’s ability to help you lose weight. It has long been reported that green tea’s caffeine helps speed up metabolism, and may help you to lose weight.
However, what today’s research is showing is that it is not just the caffeine in green tea that helps with weight loss. Green tea’s anti-oxidants are also part of the equation. This helps explain why green tea is more beneficial to weight loss than other caffeinated beverages.
Several research studies have shown that green tea can do more than just speed up the metabolism. Green tea has also been shown to create thermogenesis, the fat burning process. In addition, in some studies, it has also been shown to inhibit the absorption of dietary fat. This means that less of the fat you eat may turn into body fat.
One article of particular interest, reported on by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discussed how green tea has the ability to increase the metabolism and boost daily energy expenditure in a greater fashion than just the caffeine content would suggest.
Two studies are discussed in this article. In the first study, healthy male subjects were fed either green tea or a dose of caffeine equal to the caffeine in green tea. The subjects who drank the green tea showed an increase in energy expenditure (number of calories burned) and an increase in fat oxidation.
However, the subjects who consumed caffeine only showed no increase in energy expenditure or fat oxidation.* This leads to the conclusion that it is not the caffeine in tea that has the effect on the body’s ability to lose weight. Or, at the very least, the caffeine needs to be in combination with the anti-oxidants in order to have an effect.
In the other study cited in this article, the subjects were rats. These rats were injected with EGCG, the most potent anti-oxidant found in green tea. The rats showed a weight loss within 2-7 days of beginning the injections.
The rats showed two effects from the tea injections. The first was that their metabolism appeared to speed up. However, they also began to eat less. On average, the rats ate about 15% less when given the green tea injections.
In addition, very lean rats showed a propensity to stay lean when receiving the injections of EGCG, even when their diet increased in calories. All of the results from this study were found to be completely reversible; when the rats stopped receiving the EGCG injections, they regained the weight.
This study is important for several reasons. First of all, it suggests that EGCG is the anti-oxidant, or at least one of them, responsible for green tea’s ability to affect weight loss. Secondly, the study suggests that green tea may decrease the appetite, which may explain part of why it helps you lose weight.
Another interesting tidbit reported in this study is that the lean rats needed an increase in EGCG over time to continue to stay lean when their calories were increased. This may suggest that over time our bodies may adjust to the effects of the EGCG and we may require more in order to lose or maintain weight.
Keep in mind that this second study was conducted on rats, which means that its results may not directly correlate in humans. However, there is certainly enough positive information between the two studies to give a strong indication that green tea is helpful in weight loss.
Healthy diets combined with a reasonable exercise plan are still the two most important components of weight management. However, it does appear that adding green tea to this healthy diet can provide some help in losing weight or keeping it within a normal range. Most interestingly, it seems clear that green tea will help you more than other caffeinated beverages.
And, the really good news about using green tea to help you lose weight is that it is completely safe and has no side effects. In fact, even if you didn’t lose weight, you would likely find yourself to be healthier overall because of your green tea consumption.
Since green tea has also been shown to reduce your risk of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer, there is no downside to adding it to your diet.
To be certain, more research is needed to pinpoint exactly how green tea can help us with weight management. However, there’s certainly enough evidence available today to suggest that green tea is worth trying. You just might find that your weight loss efforts suddenly become easier and more successful.
SOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY -- AND PERMANENT -- WEIGHT LOSS
Your weight reflects your total calorie consumption, how much you exercise, and your metabolic rate, but the composition of the food you eat is also important. Here are some tips.
Reduce carbs. We have found that it's almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off without eating substantially fewer carbohydrates, particularly those with a high glycemic load (GL). As we discussed in "Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Load," consumption of high-GL carbohydrates leads to a desire for more carbohydrates. Eating a low-carbohydrate, low-GL diet will help you control your appetite and decrease cravings. You'll feel full sooner, you'll find it far easier to stop eating once you're satisfied, and you'll find yourself less hungry between meals. If you are trying to lose weight, we recommend you keep total carbohydrates under one-sixth of your calories and eliminate all high-GL carbohydrates such as sugary foods, pastas, and breads.
Reduce fats. Reducing fat in the diet aids weight loss because high-fat foods are more calorically dense -- 9 calories per gram versus 4 for carbohydrates and protein.
Go for veggies. Emphasize foods that are low in caloric density (that is, low in calories but high in weight). The ideal category: low-starch vegetables, which have a low glycemic index and are rich in valuable nutrients of all kinds, high in fiber, and filling.
Eat fiber. Consume at least 25 grams per day, including at least 10 grams of insoluble fiber.
Don't switch foods radically. While you are losing weight, we strongly recommend against diets that involve eating in a significantly different way from how you intend to eat when not "dieting." People count the days until they are released from this type of gastronomic prison. They do not associate the benefit of weight loss with learning proper eating habits -- changing tastes, desires, and attitudes -- but rather with the artificial eating patterns that they are anxious to leave.
Make health, not weight loss, your goal. If you set a healthy lifestyle as your goal, you are more likely to succeed in both improving your health and attaining permanent weight loss. Don't be too anxious to drop pounds right away. Enjoying the experience is crucial. You want to associate the experience of reaching a healthy weight with that of healthy eating. It may take a few months longer, but it will ensure that you'll never have to lose weight again.
A major reason people get discouraged and drop out of weight-loss programs is weight plateaus. Gained muscle mass and blood-vessel expansion due to exercise may temporarily halt weight loss or cause a small gain, but these are actually very desirable phenomena. Since muscle weighs more than fat, you can lose body fat and inches without dropping pounds if you are building muscles at the same time. Changes in medication, menstruation, constipation, water retention, and other factors may also cause weight loss to slow down or even reverse. Remember that your goal is to lose body fat. None of these factors causes an increase in body fat, so do not be discouraged by minor shifts of weight in the wrong direction. Be patient.
Don't rush weight reduction. One of the most important issues in weight loss is recidivism. Most people who lose weight end up gaining it back. Preliminary research on the ghrelin hormone, which is secreted in the stomach, may explain part of this troublesome problem. Ghrelin stimulates appetite at the same time that it slows down metabolism. Both of these effects contribute to increased fat storage. Levels of this hormone spike before each meal and drop after you're full. People given injections of ghrelin become extremely hungry, and studies show they eat much more when unlimited food is available, such as at a buffet.
A recent study at the University of Washington showed that ghrelin levels increase substantially after a period of rapid weight loss. Dr. David E. Cummings, the lead scientist on the study, thinks this was an evolutionary adaptation to encourage the body to regain the lost fat as protection from possible future famine. This genetic program no longer applies to our modern situation. Research is currently under way to develop medications that block ghrelin and its stimulation of appetite and storage of body fat.
Slow, gradual weight loss does not appear to cause the same spike in ghrelin levels, however. This is another important reason to approach your ideal weight gradually. Setting your daily caloric level to match your target weight's maintenance level is the best way to lose weight once and to keep it off.
Get exercise. Physical activity is very important for burning calories, lowering your "set point" (the weight your body gravitates toward), and increasing your metabolic level (rate of burning calories), even while you are not exercising. We recommend burning at least 300 calories daily through exercise.
Raise your metabolic rate. A primary factor in determining your metabolic rate -- the rate at which you burn calories -- is the number of mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria are tiny energy factories that fuel every cell. The more you have, the more energy you will burn, which will keep you leaner. Unfortunately, we cannot simply take a mitochondria supplement. However, fat cells have very few mitochondria because fat cells store energy rather than burn it, whereas muscle cells have many because they need energy to perform their job. So as you build muscle cells from a regular exercise program, you increase your mitochondria, thereby permanently raising your metabolic rate, even when you are not exercising.
CALORIC RESTRICTION
Closely related to maintaining a lean body weight is the practice of caloric restriction, or CR. There is now extensive evidence across a wide range of animal species that restricting calories slows down aging and can extend both life and youthfulness. These experiments have not run long enough to demonstrate actual life extension in humans, but studies of humans practicing caloric restriction show the same reduction in disease and aging markers (changes associated with increasing age) that we see in animal populations.
APPLYING CR TO HUMANS
There have been a number of human population studies that illustrate the potential of caloric restriction for humans. For example, the people living in the Okinawa region of Japan have 40 times the number of centenarians (People age 100 or older) than the northeastern prefectures, and they have very little serious disease before age 60. Okinawans remain active much longer than their peers in other regions of Japan. The primary difference in their diet appears to be a lower caloric intake.
The benefits of caloric restriction also extend to your remaining life expectancy. If you are 40 and thus have a remaining life expectancy of about 40 years, you will be extending only that remaining period. So the earlier you start CR the greater the benefits. However, regardless of when you start, you'll quickly realize the benefits of maintaining a lower weight.
GUIDELINES FOR CALORIC RESTRICTION
One result of restricting calories is, of course, losing weight. People who follow strict caloric restriction guidelines end up being very thin to the point of looking gaunt, which we don't recommend. From the recent Joslin study that we cited above, it is clear that at least some of the benefits of CR come from the resultant low level of body fat. Our recommendation, therefore, is to practice a moderate form of CR, not as austere as the 35 percent reduction used in the animal experiments.
We suggest the following guidelines:
Eat a minimum of 12 calories per pound of your optimal weight. For example, a man with an optimal weight of 150 pounds should eat a minimum of about 1,800 calories per day; a woman with optimal weight of 125 pounds should eat at least 1,500 calories per day. Depending on your activity level, these figures are 10 percent to 33 percent lower than recommended in the above tables of maintenance calories.
Set your minimum weight at 95 percent of your optimal weight. For example, if your optimal weight is 200, your minimum weight would be 190 (200 times 0.95). If your weight falls below this minimum number, increase your calorie consumption.
Select foods low in caloric density. The best way to reduce calories is to eat low-starch vegetables such as broccoli and summer squash, which are filling and have relatively few calories, instead of potatoes and rice.
Focus on fiber. Another choice is foods rich in fiber, which provides bulk and texture with no digestible calories. Fiber also has health benefits by lowering cholesterol levels, improving regularity, and reducing the risks of colon cancer. Most vegetables are, of course, high in fiber. There are also many foods designed to be carbohydrate substitutes that use fiber (as well as vegetable protein) to replace the bulk and texture of starch, such as low-carbohydrate cereals and breads (see Fantastic-Voyage.net for recommendations of specific products).
Reduce carbs. We have found that it's almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off without eating substantially fewer carbohydrates, particularly those with a high glycemic load (GL). As we discussed in "Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Load," consumption of high-GL carbohydrates leads to a desire for more carbohydrates. Eating a low-carbohydrate, low-GL diet will help you control your appetite and decrease cravings. You'll feel full sooner, you'll find it far easier to stop eating once you're satisfied, and you'll find yourself less hungry between meals. If you are trying to lose weight, we recommend you keep total carbohydrates under one-sixth of your calories and eliminate all high-GL carbohydrates such as sugary foods, pastas, and breads.
Reduce fats. Reducing fat in the diet aids weight loss because high-fat foods are more calorically dense -- 9 calories per gram versus 4 for carbohydrates and protein.
Go for veggies. Emphasize foods that are low in caloric density (that is, low in calories but high in weight). The ideal category: low-starch vegetables, which have a low glycemic index and are rich in valuable nutrients of all kinds, high in fiber, and filling.
Eat fiber. Consume at least 25 grams per day, including at least 10 grams of insoluble fiber.
Don't switch foods radically. While you are losing weight, we strongly recommend against diets that involve eating in a significantly different way from how you intend to eat when not "dieting." People count the days until they are released from this type of gastronomic prison. They do not associate the benefit of weight loss with learning proper eating habits -- changing tastes, desires, and attitudes -- but rather with the artificial eating patterns that they are anxious to leave.
Make health, not weight loss, your goal. If you set a healthy lifestyle as your goal, you are more likely to succeed in both improving your health and attaining permanent weight loss. Don't be too anxious to drop pounds right away. Enjoying the experience is crucial. You want to associate the experience of reaching a healthy weight with that of healthy eating. It may take a few months longer, but it will ensure that you'll never have to lose weight again.
A major reason people get discouraged and drop out of weight-loss programs is weight plateaus. Gained muscle mass and blood-vessel expansion due to exercise may temporarily halt weight loss or cause a small gain, but these are actually very desirable phenomena. Since muscle weighs more than fat, you can lose body fat and inches without dropping pounds if you are building muscles at the same time. Changes in medication, menstruation, constipation, water retention, and other factors may also cause weight loss to slow down or even reverse. Remember that your goal is to lose body fat. None of these factors causes an increase in body fat, so do not be discouraged by minor shifts of weight in the wrong direction. Be patient.
Don't rush weight reduction. One of the most important issues in weight loss is recidivism. Most people who lose weight end up gaining it back. Preliminary research on the ghrelin hormone, which is secreted in the stomach, may explain part of this troublesome problem. Ghrelin stimulates appetite at the same time that it slows down metabolism. Both of these effects contribute to increased fat storage. Levels of this hormone spike before each meal and drop after you're full. People given injections of ghrelin become extremely hungry, and studies show they eat much more when unlimited food is available, such as at a buffet.
A recent study at the University of Washington showed that ghrelin levels increase substantially after a period of rapid weight loss. Dr. David E. Cummings, the lead scientist on the study, thinks this was an evolutionary adaptation to encourage the body to regain the lost fat as protection from possible future famine. This genetic program no longer applies to our modern situation. Research is currently under way to develop medications that block ghrelin and its stimulation of appetite and storage of body fat.
Slow, gradual weight loss does not appear to cause the same spike in ghrelin levels, however. This is another important reason to approach your ideal weight gradually. Setting your daily caloric level to match your target weight's maintenance level is the best way to lose weight once and to keep it off.
Get exercise. Physical activity is very important for burning calories, lowering your "set point" (the weight your body gravitates toward), and increasing your metabolic level (rate of burning calories), even while you are not exercising. We recommend burning at least 300 calories daily through exercise.
Raise your metabolic rate. A primary factor in determining your metabolic rate -- the rate at which you burn calories -- is the number of mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria are tiny energy factories that fuel every cell. The more you have, the more energy you will burn, which will keep you leaner. Unfortunately, we cannot simply take a mitochondria supplement. However, fat cells have very few mitochondria because fat cells store energy rather than burn it, whereas muscle cells have many because they need energy to perform their job. So as you build muscle cells from a regular exercise program, you increase your mitochondria, thereby permanently raising your metabolic rate, even when you are not exercising.
CALORIC RESTRICTION
Closely related to maintaining a lean body weight is the practice of caloric restriction, or CR. There is now extensive evidence across a wide range of animal species that restricting calories slows down aging and can extend both life and youthfulness. These experiments have not run long enough to demonstrate actual life extension in humans, but studies of humans practicing caloric restriction show the same reduction in disease and aging markers (changes associated with increasing age) that we see in animal populations.
APPLYING CR TO HUMANS
There have been a number of human population studies that illustrate the potential of caloric restriction for humans. For example, the people living in the Okinawa region of Japan have 40 times the number of centenarians (People age 100 or older) than the northeastern prefectures, and they have very little serious disease before age 60. Okinawans remain active much longer than their peers in other regions of Japan. The primary difference in their diet appears to be a lower caloric intake.
The benefits of caloric restriction also extend to your remaining life expectancy. If you are 40 and thus have a remaining life expectancy of about 40 years, you will be extending only that remaining period. So the earlier you start CR the greater the benefits. However, regardless of when you start, you'll quickly realize the benefits of maintaining a lower weight.
GUIDELINES FOR CALORIC RESTRICTION
One result of restricting calories is, of course, losing weight. People who follow strict caloric restriction guidelines end up being very thin to the point of looking gaunt, which we don't recommend. From the recent Joslin study that we cited above, it is clear that at least some of the benefits of CR come from the resultant low level of body fat. Our recommendation, therefore, is to practice a moderate form of CR, not as austere as the 35 percent reduction used in the animal experiments.
We suggest the following guidelines:
Eat a minimum of 12 calories per pound of your optimal weight. For example, a man with an optimal weight of 150 pounds should eat a minimum of about 1,800 calories per day; a woman with optimal weight of 125 pounds should eat at least 1,500 calories per day. Depending on your activity level, these figures are 10 percent to 33 percent lower than recommended in the above tables of maintenance calories.
Set your minimum weight at 95 percent of your optimal weight. For example, if your optimal weight is 200, your minimum weight would be 190 (200 times 0.95). If your weight falls below this minimum number, increase your calorie consumption.
Select foods low in caloric density. The best way to reduce calories is to eat low-starch vegetables such as broccoli and summer squash, which are filling and have relatively few calories, instead of potatoes and rice.
Focus on fiber. Another choice is foods rich in fiber, which provides bulk and texture with no digestible calories. Fiber also has health benefits by lowering cholesterol levels, improving regularity, and reducing the risks of colon cancer. Most vegetables are, of course, high in fiber. There are also many foods designed to be carbohydrate substitutes that use fiber (as well as vegetable protein) to replace the bulk and texture of starch, such as low-carbohydrate cereals and breads (see Fantastic-Voyage.net for recommendations of specific products).
Weight Loss For Newbies
There are a lot of different ways that you can lose weight. If you are hard willing you may prefer to exercise while some just diet. The best method however is a mix of both. If you keep eating the way you should on a normal caloric intake day, you are looking at needing to burn approximately 3500 calories or more to lose one pound. This is how it works…
• Calculate your basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is what is needed foor you to carry out normal bodily functions such as breathing, digestion, and etc.
• Calculate your activity level
• Track how many calories you eat in the day. A good way of doing this is using a food diary and tallying it all up after the day is over or using a calorie counter website to help you. Hint: If you eat less calories then you burn you lose weight, more then you burn you gain weight, same as you burn you keep the same weight.
For example…if you are a female and weigh about 140 lbs:
Here is what you could save!
Substitute a Coke at supper for a glass of water (Saves approx. 97 calories)
Eat a whole wheat bagel with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter instead of a Egg McMuffin (Saves approx. 185 calories)
While on your break at work, walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes instead of having a snack and sitting in your office (Burns approx. 100 calories)
Get up 10 minutes earlier then you normally do and go for a walk instead of sleeping in (Burns approx. 100 calories)
Do yoga for 10 minutes after you get home instead of watching television (Burns approx. 50 calories)
Weight loss is all about combining a healthy nutritional diet and daily exercise so you can only see a change if you make a change. Eat healthier foods, go up the stairs instead of the elevator, it all adds up in the end.
If you are serious about losing weight then you should be willing to change your diet for the better, because it's not just about losing weight but having a healthy lifestyle. Which is a combination of eating right and excercising. It doesn't matter if you go to the gym or not but don't be lazy. Go for a walk after supper to burn some of the calories that your body would normally digest and keep attached or park far away in the mall parking lot just to walk farther. Walk around the mall a few times before buying something or leaving. All these little things help out in the end.
For a lot of people it means going to the gym for a half hour before or after work. Doing a lot of cardio can help you lose weight fairly fast. Bring a mp3 player with you to keep you focused, or even read a book. It isn't that hard for you to take a hour out of your day to keep in shape and healthy, so just do it!
• Calculate your basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is what is needed foor you to carry out normal bodily functions such as breathing, digestion, and etc.
• Calculate your activity level
• Track how many calories you eat in the day. A good way of doing this is using a food diary and tallying it all up after the day is over or using a calorie counter website to help you. Hint: If you eat less calories then you burn you lose weight, more then you burn you gain weight, same as you burn you keep the same weight.
For example…if you are a female and weigh about 140 lbs:
Here is what you could save!
Substitute a Coke at supper for a glass of water (Saves approx. 97 calories)
Eat a whole wheat bagel with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter instead of a Egg McMuffin (Saves approx. 185 calories)
While on your break at work, walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes instead of having a snack and sitting in your office (Burns approx. 100 calories)
Get up 10 minutes earlier then you normally do and go for a walk instead of sleeping in (Burns approx. 100 calories)
Do yoga for 10 minutes after you get home instead of watching television (Burns approx. 50 calories)
Weight loss is all about combining a healthy nutritional diet and daily exercise so you can only see a change if you make a change. Eat healthier foods, go up the stairs instead of the elevator, it all adds up in the end.
If you are serious about losing weight then you should be willing to change your diet for the better, because it's not just about losing weight but having a healthy lifestyle. Which is a combination of eating right and excercising. It doesn't matter if you go to the gym or not but don't be lazy. Go for a walk after supper to burn some of the calories that your body would normally digest and keep attached or park far away in the mall parking lot just to walk farther. Walk around the mall a few times before buying something or leaving. All these little things help out in the end.
For a lot of people it means going to the gym for a half hour before or after work. Doing a lot of cardio can help you lose weight fairly fast. Bring a mp3 player with you to keep you focused, or even read a book. It isn't that hard for you to take a hour out of your day to keep in shape and healthy, so just do it!
A Weight Loss Program That Works
I am one of the millions of people who find it very difficult to control their weight. I have tried many weight loss programs and am always actively searching for more. This was until a couple of years ago when I stumbled across something quite unique, a weight loss program which does actually work. I am finally, after all of those depressive years, able to walk down the street feeling confident about the way I look. In this article, I am going to write about this successful weight loss program in the hope that it can inspire other people to also reach their dream weight.
I used to hate being obese, yes that is correct I was not just fat, I was obese. I saw it as one vicious circle, I would feel sorry for myself and would then turn to food as a way of comfort. I have spent many a night sitting in front of the television eating from a huge tub of ice-cream. I would only plan to eat perhaps a quarter of the contents but would always end up eating the lot. This of course would only lead to an increase in weight and boy did I feel guilty the next morning. I was forever beating myself up.
I could not continue to live my life in this way and was quite fortunate to receive some quality advice via a good friend. He told me about the way in which he had managed to lose his excess weight.
This was his plan, I needed to write down everything that I ate. I was allowed to have five treats in the week and had to be disciplined not to go over this level.
I also had to exercise for an hour a day, this to me seemed to be the flaw as I am not one for exercising.
I could not believe how much food I was eating and by writing it all down taught me a huge lesson. The exercise was actually quite enjoyable and an hour is not exactly that long.
After around six months my hard work and determination had certainly paid off and I was a whole new man.
I used to hate being obese, yes that is correct I was not just fat, I was obese. I saw it as one vicious circle, I would feel sorry for myself and would then turn to food as a way of comfort. I have spent many a night sitting in front of the television eating from a huge tub of ice-cream. I would only plan to eat perhaps a quarter of the contents but would always end up eating the lot. This of course would only lead to an increase in weight and boy did I feel guilty the next morning. I was forever beating myself up.
I could not continue to live my life in this way and was quite fortunate to receive some quality advice via a good friend. He told me about the way in which he had managed to lose his excess weight.
This was his plan, I needed to write down everything that I ate. I was allowed to have five treats in the week and had to be disciplined not to go over this level.
I also had to exercise for an hour a day, this to me seemed to be the flaw as I am not one for exercising.
I could not believe how much food I was eating and by writing it all down taught me a huge lesson. The exercise was actually quite enjoyable and an hour is not exactly that long.
After around six months my hard work and determination had certainly paid off and I was a whole new man.
Fast Weight Loss For Special Occasions
You have all been through it before, the family wedding is coming up next month and you can’t seem to fit into that suit or dress because you have put on too much weight. So you must lose at least ten or more pounds quickly.
Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.
But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let’s look at that first, you all know that diets don’t work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.
Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.
Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.
Knowing this, you really don’t want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting. To do this you will have to perform a "Strength Train" workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.
The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked. One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.
While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.
The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.
The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal.
Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.
As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.
Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.
Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.
Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.
Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.
Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.
Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn’t recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.
I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 – 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.
Remember, think long term here and that’s between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.
Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.
But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let’s look at that first, you all know that diets don’t work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine.
Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.
Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit.
Knowing this, you really don’t want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting. To do this you will have to perform a "Strength Train" workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way.
The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked. One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.
While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time.
The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat.
The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal.
Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.
As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.
Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.
Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for.
Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.
Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors.
Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week.
Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn’t recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake.
I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 – 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle.
Remember, think long term here and that’s between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue.
Weight Loss Recipe: Curried Chicken & Mango Salad
Losing weight doesn't have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you'll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the time or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do - and it only takes an instant!
Why is colour important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.
That's because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories....but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you'll get more enjoyment from eating when there's a variety of colours and flavors on your plate.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup peeled and cubed mango
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add chicken and mango and toss gently to coat. Arrange dark green lettuce leaves around a serving bowl and spoon mixture into bowl.
For extra crunch, serve with a side dish of red and green bell pepper, romaine lettuce, chopped celery and cucumber.
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving of Curried Chicken:
Calories: 218
Total fat: 3 grams
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 73 mg
Sodium: 170 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Why is colour important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.
That's because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories....but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you'll get more enjoyment from eating when there's a variety of colours and flavors on your plate.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup peeled and cubed mango
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add chicken and mango and toss gently to coat. Arrange dark green lettuce leaves around a serving bowl and spoon mixture into bowl.
For extra crunch, serve with a side dish of red and green bell pepper, romaine lettuce, chopped celery and cucumber.
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving of Curried Chicken:
Calories: 218
Total fat: 3 grams
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 73 mg
Sodium: 170 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Using Supplements For Your Weight Loss
Are you frustrated about weight loss supplementation, how to use, what to use and how much to use.
In this article you will find the pick of today's latest supplements on the market and armed with the right information you will have the knowledge to burn more body fat and have more energy for the things you want to do.
Remember that supplements do not replace proper diet and exercise but when used with the right training and weight loss program may help you make faster progress towards your weight loss goals.
Also remember that before taking on a training and supplementation program and if you are on medication always consult with your physician first. Now lets have a look at the supplements:
Chitosan
Chitosan is a fibre whose fat-binding ability is so strong that it can be used effectively to promote weight loss. The most important health property of dietary fibre is its ability to bind to fat molecules in the digestive system, which in turn are excreted.
Since Chitosan can't be digested, the fat absorbed is passed out of the body. Together with a low fat eating plan and regular exercise, Chitosan is a great choice for keeping off those unwanted pounds. Try taking 15 minutes before a meal to inhibit fat absorption.
Dosage: as per the bottle
Ma Huang
A popular Asian herb that has been used for over 5,000 years is Ma Huang; it was first used by the ancient Chinese people as a decongestant.
The active ingredient is ephedrine, which has been shown to contain powerful fat burning characteristics which can enhance thermogenesis, the body's burning of fat for energy.
It also increases the basal metabolic rate, which allows your body to burn calories faster and more efficiently. By mobilizing stored fat and carbohydrate reserves, Ma Huang works to reduce your appetite and aids in helping you lose excess weight.
Try combining with White willow bark and Guarana as the fat burning and muscle sparring effects of this stack are fantastic.
Dosage 300mgs twice a day.
Zhi Shi
Citrus aurantium is commonly referred to as bitter orange. Zhi shi is the immature dried fruit of citrus aurantium. Zhi Shi may be more thermogenic than ephedrine and has fewer side effects.
It can also be very effective stimulating the metabolism (this stimulation causes an
increase in the metabolic rate which burns calories) without any undesirable effects on the nervous system. Citrus aurantium may also act as an appetite suppressant.
Try combining with caffeine, white willow bark, cayenne and green tea for greater thermogenic action.
Dosage 300mg three times a day.
Pyruvate
Pyruvate is naturally occurring substance found in weight loss and herbal 'fat-burners'.
Studies have show that using diet pills containing pyruvate while restricting caloric intake slightly and participating in strength training will boost your metabolism resulting in weight loss.
Pyruvate produces ATP, which makes it a great supplement to take with creatine and ALC (Alpha Lipioc Acid) comes in Sodium and Calcium, try Calcium.
Dosage 1gram to 5grams per day.
Bcaas
Branched Chain Amino Acids, are essential amino acids, which means that the body by itself cannot produce them so sufficient quantities must be obtained from
supplementation.
The three Bcaas (Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine) make up approximately 70 percent of the amino acids in the body. Bcaas are unique in that they are utilized directly by muscle tissue during long workouts.
Since your body only has a limited number of these amino acids, it can be forced to break down lean muscle tissue when dietary sources aren't meeting your needs.
Bcaas can be found in most good protein powders these days.
Dosage 5 grams - 15 grams
Ribose
Ribose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in all living cells and in one of the simplest molecules used by the body to build and restore energy.
Ribose is very important for the production of ATP. ATP is the major source of energy used by cells including muscle tissue for normal function. Ribose has been shown to increase muscular levels, boost endurance, and promote recovery! It is also an important way to increase your energy levels.
Another new supplement which looks very promising.
Follow dosage on the bottle.
Nacn-Acetyl-Cysteine
Nac is a powerful anti-oxidant and its ability to neutralize free radicals helps slow down the ageing process.
Nac has all the properties of l-cysteine and may be the most cost effective way to boost peptide levels in the body. Nac has been shown to safeguard against a variety of toxic hazards such as cigarette smoke, auto exhaust, and certain herbicides.
It can also play a beneficial role in prostate and respiratory conditions. Surprisingly, it is more effective than supplementing with cysteine, methionine, or even glutathione itself! A very good cost effective anti-oxidant.
Follow dosage on the bottle.
Multi-Vitamins and Minerals
Multi-vitamin and mineral supplements are perhaps the most important single supplement that can be consumed by bodybuilders and athletes and the first supplement you should buy.
For the human body to perform at its optimum, it must be fed a vast supply of vital nutrients. If the body becomes deficient in just one of these essential vitamins or minerals optimum efficiency and performance declines.
People think that since you can not put on pounds of muscle that they are a waste of time to take them but if your body is deficient in just one of the essential vitamins and minerals you will never reach your full potential.
Try and buy the Multis that have the higher potency mineral formulas.
Some food for thought isn't it, but please remember a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be used to supplement the diet and not replace it.
In this article you will find the pick of today's latest supplements on the market and armed with the right information you will have the knowledge to burn more body fat and have more energy for the things you want to do.
Remember that supplements do not replace proper diet and exercise but when used with the right training and weight loss program may help you make faster progress towards your weight loss goals.
Also remember that before taking on a training and supplementation program and if you are on medication always consult with your physician first. Now lets have a look at the supplements:
Chitosan
Chitosan is a fibre whose fat-binding ability is so strong that it can be used effectively to promote weight loss. The most important health property of dietary fibre is its ability to bind to fat molecules in the digestive system, which in turn are excreted.
Since Chitosan can't be digested, the fat absorbed is passed out of the body. Together with a low fat eating plan and regular exercise, Chitosan is a great choice for keeping off those unwanted pounds. Try taking 15 minutes before a meal to inhibit fat absorption.
Dosage: as per the bottle
Ma Huang
A popular Asian herb that has been used for over 5,000 years is Ma Huang; it was first used by the ancient Chinese people as a decongestant.
The active ingredient is ephedrine, which has been shown to contain powerful fat burning characteristics which can enhance thermogenesis, the body's burning of fat for energy.
It also increases the basal metabolic rate, which allows your body to burn calories faster and more efficiently. By mobilizing stored fat and carbohydrate reserves, Ma Huang works to reduce your appetite and aids in helping you lose excess weight.
Try combining with White willow bark and Guarana as the fat burning and muscle sparring effects of this stack are fantastic.
Dosage 300mgs twice a day.
Zhi Shi
Citrus aurantium is commonly referred to as bitter orange. Zhi shi is the immature dried fruit of citrus aurantium. Zhi Shi may be more thermogenic than ephedrine and has fewer side effects.
It can also be very effective stimulating the metabolism (this stimulation causes an
increase in the metabolic rate which burns calories) without any undesirable effects on the nervous system. Citrus aurantium may also act as an appetite suppressant.
Try combining with caffeine, white willow bark, cayenne and green tea for greater thermogenic action.
Dosage 300mg three times a day.
Pyruvate
Pyruvate is naturally occurring substance found in weight loss and herbal 'fat-burners'.
Studies have show that using diet pills containing pyruvate while restricting caloric intake slightly and participating in strength training will boost your metabolism resulting in weight loss.
Pyruvate produces ATP, which makes it a great supplement to take with creatine and ALC (Alpha Lipioc Acid) comes in Sodium and Calcium, try Calcium.
Dosage 1gram to 5grams per day.
Bcaas
Branched Chain Amino Acids, are essential amino acids, which means that the body by itself cannot produce them so sufficient quantities must be obtained from
supplementation.
The three Bcaas (Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine) make up approximately 70 percent of the amino acids in the body. Bcaas are unique in that they are utilized directly by muscle tissue during long workouts.
Since your body only has a limited number of these amino acids, it can be forced to break down lean muscle tissue when dietary sources aren't meeting your needs.
Bcaas can be found in most good protein powders these days.
Dosage 5 grams - 15 grams
Ribose
Ribose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in all living cells and in one of the simplest molecules used by the body to build and restore energy.
Ribose is very important for the production of ATP. ATP is the major source of energy used by cells including muscle tissue for normal function. Ribose has been shown to increase muscular levels, boost endurance, and promote recovery! It is also an important way to increase your energy levels.
Another new supplement which looks very promising.
Follow dosage on the bottle.
Nacn-Acetyl-Cysteine
Nac is a powerful anti-oxidant and its ability to neutralize free radicals helps slow down the ageing process.
Nac has all the properties of l-cysteine and may be the most cost effective way to boost peptide levels in the body. Nac has been shown to safeguard against a variety of toxic hazards such as cigarette smoke, auto exhaust, and certain herbicides.
It can also play a beneficial role in prostate and respiratory conditions. Surprisingly, it is more effective than supplementing with cysteine, methionine, or even glutathione itself! A very good cost effective anti-oxidant.
Follow dosage on the bottle.
Multi-Vitamins and Minerals
Multi-vitamin and mineral supplements are perhaps the most important single supplement that can be consumed by bodybuilders and athletes and the first supplement you should buy.
For the human body to perform at its optimum, it must be fed a vast supply of vital nutrients. If the body becomes deficient in just one of these essential vitamins or minerals optimum efficiency and performance declines.
People think that since you can not put on pounds of muscle that they are a waste of time to take them but if your body is deficient in just one of the essential vitamins and minerals you will never reach your full potential.
Try and buy the Multis that have the higher potency mineral formulas.
Some food for thought isn't it, but please remember a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be used to supplement the diet and not replace it.
Weight Loss: Does Breakfast Matter?
There's a good chance that you are one of the thousands of Americans who skipped breakfast today. There is also a good chance that you are overweight. This is a guess based on statistical data and the fact that you are reading this article.
One set of statistics I recently saw said that about 25% of Americans skip breakfast. Another set said that nearly one-third (33%) of Americans are obese. Is there a correlation between eating breakfast and being overweight? Will eating breakfast be a significant factor in a weight loss program?
The answer to those questions is yes...er, I mean no...or maybe I mean maybe. While there seems to have been no definitive studies linking breakfast and weight loss directly, there does seem to be a mathematical relationship between skipping breakfast and gaining weight. There also seems to be other evidence that eating breakfast can be a factor in weight loss for some people.
As I often point out, weight gain and weight loss, is very seldom the result of a single action or omission. However, like activity, nutrition, rest, cortisol, and chocolate ice cream (my sin), eating breakfast can and should be an important part of any weight loss program, even if just to help prevent any further weight gain.
PREVENTING WEIGHT GAIN
One significant aspect of eating breakfast is that it can definitely be a weapon against weight gain. Someone who does not eat breakfast (and we aren't talking about coffee and donuts) is more likely to snack later in the day, and is more likely to eat more food at meals than if they had eaten breakfast. A large portion of this is simply due to fluctuations of blood sugar and other chemicals related to hunger and stress which can be toned down by the simple act of starting the day with a healthy meal of some kind.
LOSS OF ENERGY
People who skip breakfast are more likely to run out of energy earlier in the day. Simple equation here. Less energy = less activity = less calories burned + snacking and overeating = X or Y or something. What do you think? Maybe creeping weight gain?
LACK OF ATTENTION AND POOR PERFORMANCE
School children in particular, but even the guy at the next desk, may have trouble keeping up with lessons, work, life if they skipped breakfast. It's no problem for you because you ate breakfast right? The ability of the brain to function depends to a great extent on the nutrition which is provided to it.
DON'T LIKE TO EAT BREAKFAST?
Everybody's got an excuse. I don't have time. I don't like to eat breakfast. There's nothing to eat in the house. Eating breakfast makes me feel sick. The dog ate my breakfast.
Come on. We're all grownups here. When we know that doing something is good for us, not doing it is bad for us, and it's simple to do, refusing to do it is childish. Nobody said breakfast has to be a gourmet meal. A peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk and a banana is better than nothing. A bowl of cereal takes less than a minute to prepare and less than five minutes to eat. There are a multitude of nutritious breakfast bars available. You don't even have to eat them at the house. Keep them in your desk drawer or stick one in your pocket or purse as you leave the house. Sure beats munching on a Hershey bar from the machine and raiding the candy bowl on the receptionist's desk!
LET'S HAVE SOME BREAKFAST
If you want to control your weight, fight fatigue and prepare yourself to cope with stress throughout the day, Start the day off right with breakfast. The calories you take in at the morning meal will help prevent your taking in even more calories later in the day.
One set of statistics I recently saw said that about 25% of Americans skip breakfast. Another set said that nearly one-third (33%) of Americans are obese. Is there a correlation between eating breakfast and being overweight? Will eating breakfast be a significant factor in a weight loss program?
The answer to those questions is yes...er, I mean no...or maybe I mean maybe. While there seems to have been no definitive studies linking breakfast and weight loss directly, there does seem to be a mathematical relationship between skipping breakfast and gaining weight. There also seems to be other evidence that eating breakfast can be a factor in weight loss for some people.
As I often point out, weight gain and weight loss, is very seldom the result of a single action or omission. However, like activity, nutrition, rest, cortisol, and chocolate ice cream (my sin), eating breakfast can and should be an important part of any weight loss program, even if just to help prevent any further weight gain.
PREVENTING WEIGHT GAIN
One significant aspect of eating breakfast is that it can definitely be a weapon against weight gain. Someone who does not eat breakfast (and we aren't talking about coffee and donuts) is more likely to snack later in the day, and is more likely to eat more food at meals than if they had eaten breakfast. A large portion of this is simply due to fluctuations of blood sugar and other chemicals related to hunger and stress which can be toned down by the simple act of starting the day with a healthy meal of some kind.
LOSS OF ENERGY
People who skip breakfast are more likely to run out of energy earlier in the day. Simple equation here. Less energy = less activity = less calories burned + snacking and overeating = X or Y or something. What do you think? Maybe creeping weight gain?
LACK OF ATTENTION AND POOR PERFORMANCE
School children in particular, but even the guy at the next desk, may have trouble keeping up with lessons, work, life if they skipped breakfast. It's no problem for you because you ate breakfast right? The ability of the brain to function depends to a great extent on the nutrition which is provided to it.
DON'T LIKE TO EAT BREAKFAST?
Everybody's got an excuse. I don't have time. I don't like to eat breakfast. There's nothing to eat in the house. Eating breakfast makes me feel sick. The dog ate my breakfast.
Come on. We're all grownups here. When we know that doing something is good for us, not doing it is bad for us, and it's simple to do, refusing to do it is childish. Nobody said breakfast has to be a gourmet meal. A peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk and a banana is better than nothing. A bowl of cereal takes less than a minute to prepare and less than five minutes to eat. There are a multitude of nutritious breakfast bars available. You don't even have to eat them at the house. Keep them in your desk drawer or stick one in your pocket or purse as you leave the house. Sure beats munching on a Hershey bar from the machine and raiding the candy bowl on the receptionist's desk!
LET'S HAVE SOME BREAKFAST
If you want to control your weight, fight fatigue and prepare yourself to cope with stress throughout the day, Start the day off right with breakfast. The calories you take in at the morning meal will help prevent your taking in even more calories later in the day.
Weight Loss Recipe: Apple & Tuna Sandwich
Lean protein is your diet is essential to weight loss and weight maintenance. Fish is an excellent source of lean protein as it is lower in fat that red meats.
Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. "Apple & Tuna Sandwich" is one of a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.
APPLE TUNA SANDWICH
Makes 3 servings.
Ingredients
1 can tuna in water drained
1 small apple chopped
¼ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. honey
6 slices whole wheat bread
lettuce leaves
Directions
Combine and mix the tuna, apple, yogurt, mustard and honey. Spread ½ cup of the mixture on three bread slices. Top each slice of bread with lettuce and remaining bread. Cut sandwiches in half or as desired.
Nutritional analysis per serving
Calories 302, Fat 5g, Carbohydrates 45g, Protein 21g.
Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. "Apple & Tuna Sandwich" is one of a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.
APPLE TUNA SANDWICH
Makes 3 servings.
Ingredients
1 can tuna in water drained
1 small apple chopped
¼ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. honey
6 slices whole wheat bread
lettuce leaves
Directions
Combine and mix the tuna, apple, yogurt, mustard and honey. Spread ½ cup of the mixture on three bread slices. Top each slice of bread with lettuce and remaining bread. Cut sandwiches in half or as desired.
Nutritional analysis per serving
Calories 302, Fat 5g, Carbohydrates 45g, Protein 21g.
Weight Loss Low Fat Cooking Can Taste Good
There used to be a saying that claimed no salt, no fat and no taste but that is not necessarily the truth these days. The popular thinking today is that trans fatty acids are the culprit and are responsible for all that is wrong in the weight world. Weight loss low fat cooking can taste good provided you use the right ingredients.
The right ingredients may include the ones called for in a recipe, just using less of them or possibly substituting them with other ingredients that can serve the same purpose. The United States Dairy Association recommends reducing the amount of salt, fat and sugar in our food. Many recipes for weight loss low fat cooking can be prepared using less of each or in some cases finding a suitable substitute that will not detract from the original taste.
For example, to reduce salt intake if the recipe calls for a half teaspoon of salt, use one quarter of a teaspoon or omit it all together. However, if a recipe uses yeast, you may have to leave it in, but the best way to reduce salt intake is to leave the saltshaker off the table. When using canned vegetables in weight loss low fat cooking, use the salt-free kind or rinse then when they come out of the can. Replace salt with spices or herbs as many seasonings contain a high level of sodium, which is listed on the label of ingredients.
Reduce Intake Of Oils And Sugars
Processed sugar takes longer to absorb in to body than raw sugar, reduce the amount of sugar in baking recipes by about one-third. To give the impression of sweetness cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract can be used. In many weight loss low fat cooking recipes, sucralose can be used instead of sugar and adding a half-teaspoon of baking soda for each cup used will maintain the sugary consistency.
To reduce oil you can substitute half the butter, oil or shortening with applesauce or prune puree. The baking time also have to be reduced by as much as one-fourth. When weight loss low fat cooking recipes call for using tuna, pick the ones packed in water or in lite oil and use low fat milk, low fat cream cheese and two egg whites for every egg called for in the recipe. These simple substitutions can help reduce the intake of these items without leaving the flavor on the counter.
The right ingredients may include the ones called for in a recipe, just using less of them or possibly substituting them with other ingredients that can serve the same purpose. The United States Dairy Association recommends reducing the amount of salt, fat and sugar in our food. Many recipes for weight loss low fat cooking can be prepared using less of each or in some cases finding a suitable substitute that will not detract from the original taste.
For example, to reduce salt intake if the recipe calls for a half teaspoon of salt, use one quarter of a teaspoon or omit it all together. However, if a recipe uses yeast, you may have to leave it in, but the best way to reduce salt intake is to leave the saltshaker off the table. When using canned vegetables in weight loss low fat cooking, use the salt-free kind or rinse then when they come out of the can. Replace salt with spices or herbs as many seasonings contain a high level of sodium, which is listed on the label of ingredients.
Reduce Intake Of Oils And Sugars
Processed sugar takes longer to absorb in to body than raw sugar, reduce the amount of sugar in baking recipes by about one-third. To give the impression of sweetness cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract can be used. In many weight loss low fat cooking recipes, sucralose can be used instead of sugar and adding a half-teaspoon of baking soda for each cup used will maintain the sugary consistency.
To reduce oil you can substitute half the butter, oil or shortening with applesauce or prune puree. The baking time also have to be reduced by as much as one-fourth. When weight loss low fat cooking recipes call for using tuna, pick the ones packed in water or in lite oil and use low fat milk, low fat cream cheese and two egg whites for every egg called for in the recipe. These simple substitutions can help reduce the intake of these items without leaving the flavor on the counter.
Exercise And Weight Loss
Weight loss is something that millions of people are interested in. The fact of the matter is that not everybody is at their target weight. If you feel that you could shed a few pounds, you are in luck. There are many ways that you can do this, and if you are aware of all the options there is a good chance that you will become quite successful in reaching your goals.
Most people who are interested in weight loss start out by searching for the diet that best suits their needs and lifestyle. The good thing about going on a diet is that there are many different types available. Not only are there some diets that have been in existence for years, there are many more that are known as “fad diets.” These are weight loss plans that people use today, but they will be gone before you know it. In order to find the best weight loss plan for yourself, you may have to go through a trial and error process. Sooner or later you will come across the diet that is best for you.
Another thing to consider when it comes to Visit weight loss is the many products that are available on the market today. Not only are there special diets that come with diet food, but there are also many supplements that you can take. Just make sure that before you start to eat any special food or vitamins that you check with your doctor. Remember, your health is the most important thing in your life. You do not want to risk getting sick in order to lose a few pounds.
Finally, exercise and weight loss also go hand in hand. If you work out while also sticking to a diet you will give yourself a much better chance of success in the long run.
Overall, there are many ways that you can lose weight. You can diet, take supplements, and/or exercise. It is up to you to decide on which weight loss plan will best suit your needs, and which one will allow you to reach your goals.
Most people who are interested in weight loss start out by searching for the diet that best suits their needs and lifestyle. The good thing about going on a diet is that there are many different types available. Not only are there some diets that have been in existence for years, there are many more that are known as “fad diets.” These are weight loss plans that people use today, but they will be gone before you know it. In order to find the best weight loss plan for yourself, you may have to go through a trial and error process. Sooner or later you will come across the diet that is best for you.
Another thing to consider when it comes to Visit weight loss is the many products that are available on the market today. Not only are there special diets that come with diet food, but there are also many supplements that you can take. Just make sure that before you start to eat any special food or vitamins that you check with your doctor. Remember, your health is the most important thing in your life. You do not want to risk getting sick in order to lose a few pounds.
Finally, exercise and weight loss also go hand in hand. If you work out while also sticking to a diet you will give yourself a much better chance of success in the long run.
Overall, there are many ways that you can lose weight. You can diet, take supplements, and/or exercise. It is up to you to decide on which weight loss plan will best suit your needs, and which one will allow you to reach your goals.
Weight Loss Recipe: Pan Seared Cod With Balsamic Dressing
Lean protein is your diet is essential to weight loss and weight maintenance. Cod is an excellent source of lean protein as it is lower in fat than red meats.
Losing weight isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting! By learning to make, delicious, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food your body needs and will enjoy – losing weight becomes exciting and energizing.
Instead of high calorie, fatty sources - use spices to provide flavorsome, exciting meals your whole family will enjoy. "Pan Seared Cod With Balsamic Thyme" is another recipe in a range of hunger-fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.
Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you're much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Experiment with spices to find exciting alternatives, try new recipes and build your repertoire of quick home cooked meals to replace take outs, frozen dinners and snacks. Your body will love you and your family will be delighted.
Ingredients:
500g fresh cod fillet (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
2 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sprinkle fish with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. Heat a large skillet for which you have a cover over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for five minutes or until the underside is brown and a curst begins to form.
Carefully turn the fish over, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Fish is done when it flakes with a fork. Remove fish from skillet and place on a plate. Bring the heat back up to medium-high, add the balsamic vinegar and cook quickly, scraping the pan with a spatula.
Turn off the heat, put the fish back in the skillet and turn over to coat both sides with the reduced vinegar. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.
* Note: fish should cook for about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. If you use chicken breast instead, it will need a total of about 15 minutes cooking time.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
Calories: 228
Protein: 40 grams
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Losing weight isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting! By learning to make, delicious, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food your body needs and will enjoy – losing weight becomes exciting and energizing.
Instead of high calorie, fatty sources - use spices to provide flavorsome, exciting meals your whole family will enjoy. "Pan Seared Cod With Balsamic Thyme" is another recipe in a range of hunger-fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.
Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you're much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Experiment with spices to find exciting alternatives, try new recipes and build your repertoire of quick home cooked meals to replace take outs, frozen dinners and snacks. Your body will love you and your family will be delighted.
Ingredients:
500g fresh cod fillet (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
2 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sprinkle fish with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. Heat a large skillet for which you have a cover over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for five minutes or until the underside is brown and a curst begins to form.
Carefully turn the fish over, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Fish is done when it flakes with a fork. Remove fish from skillet and place on a plate. Bring the heat back up to medium-high, add the balsamic vinegar and cook quickly, scraping the pan with a spatula.
Turn off the heat, put the fish back in the skillet and turn over to coat both sides with the reduced vinegar. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.
* Note: fish should cook for about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. If you use chicken breast instead, it will need a total of about 15 minutes cooking time.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
Calories: 228
Protein: 40 grams
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Using A Weight Loss Fat Burner
Using a weight loss fat burner is a great way to get to that level of physical comfort that will allow you to feel okay with yourself and your weight. You need to be able to look yourself in the mirror to carry on through this life, so looking at yourself as you make improvements can be a great way to go through the day with a little more spring to your step. You can get there using a weight loss fat burner to cut down on the fat intake in your body and change some of that to muscle with the help of hard work and discipline. Nothing comes easy, so do not simply trust the weight loss fat burner to work without helping it along.
There are many ways that you can get a weight loss fat burner product to work for you. There are some that come in the form of powders that can be put in milkshakes and other drinks, blended, and ingested simply. These products often come flavored and can be a wonderful meal supplement to replace meals. It can also be a great companion when you go to the gym as you can take your fat burner in a beverage form and then work out to greatly improve the effects. With the help of your doctor, you can use your weight loss fat burner product to improve the results you want and get to the point of happiness again.
Product Selection
When you are selecting a weight loss fat burner, you will want to look for ones that will benefit you in the long run. You need to ensure that you can take this product for a good amount of time without experiencing any adverse reactions. Always consult the label for any allergy information, too, so as to safely be assured that taking this particular product is best for your health. At the end of the day, you should be able to select a product that you can be confident in and that can greatly improve the quality of your life within the weight loss process.
Another aspect of the weight loss fat burner is that your doctor should be consulted before taking anything you are unsure of. Always consult your physician for help if you have questions about some of the products out there, as they can give you ample help with product selection and can help turn your questions into answers. Without answers and the help of the doctor, you could be going into a dangerous situation with your help and could be risking it all for the sake of losing a few points.
There are many ways that you can get a weight loss fat burner product to work for you. There are some that come in the form of powders that can be put in milkshakes and other drinks, blended, and ingested simply. These products often come flavored and can be a wonderful meal supplement to replace meals. It can also be a great companion when you go to the gym as you can take your fat burner in a beverage form and then work out to greatly improve the effects. With the help of your doctor, you can use your weight loss fat burner product to improve the results you want and get to the point of happiness again.
Product Selection
When you are selecting a weight loss fat burner, you will want to look for ones that will benefit you in the long run. You need to ensure that you can take this product for a good amount of time without experiencing any adverse reactions. Always consult the label for any allergy information, too, so as to safely be assured that taking this particular product is best for your health. At the end of the day, you should be able to select a product that you can be confident in and that can greatly improve the quality of your life within the weight loss process.
Another aspect of the weight loss fat burner is that your doctor should be consulted before taking anything you are unsure of. Always consult your physician for help if you have questions about some of the products out there, as they can give you ample help with product selection and can help turn your questions into answers. Without answers and the help of the doctor, you could be going into a dangerous situation with your help and could be risking it all for the sake of losing a few points.
Weight Loss Through Simple Home Remedies
Being overweight is quite certainly one of the greatest health risk people over the world are facing today. Medically, this condition is known as obesity. Obese people are very vulnerable to a large number of lethal diseases, such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems, diabetes, paralysis and gangrene. Hence, doctors and medical experts all over the world stress on maintaining a healthy weight to keep most diseases at bay.
In Ayurveda, there are several dietary and herbal techniques by which people can reduce weight. Just like it does in other treatments, Ayurveda does not believe in any kind of debilitating treatment methods; instead its treatments are centered on making the person lead a healthier lifestyle. The following article is about some of the best remedies and methods that people can do within their homes to achieve a healthier profile.
Treatment with Simple Home Remedies
Remedy # 1
This one is not actually a remedy, but it is the most important thing you must do in order to keep your weight in a normal level. And that is, stick to a healthy diet. The following are the dietary guidelines you must follow in order to keep your waistline healthy: -
1 Do not overindulge in eating any one type of food. Keep your diet balanced.
2 Keep the intake of sugars and fats to a minimum. The fats to be avoided are the saturated fats and the trans-fatty acids.
3 Too much carbohydrates build weight. Hence, the intake of rice and potatoes must be reduced. Wheat, barley and maize are ideal substitutes for rice in people who has weight problems.
4 You must have at least one bitter vegetable per day. This helps in the proper metabolism of fats and do not allow them to accumulate in the body.
5 Never eat to full capacity.
6 Consume a lot of fluids in the day. This helps to eliminate the undigested foods effectively.
7 Exercise is extremely important. It is necessary to indulge in mild physical activity after each meal even if you cannot make time to go to a gym.
Remedy # 2
Have a totally salt-free diet once a week. This helps reduce weight. Also skip a meal once in a month.
Remedy # 3
Prepare chutney of mint leaves. This must be taken with every single meal. It helps in the proper breaking down of the fats. Also begin your day with a cup of mint tea.
Remedy # 4
Vitamin C is very good for people who are looking to reduce their weight. Since amalaki (Emblica officinalis, Indian Gooseberry) is the best source of vitamin C in the world, it is good to eat two three fruits of the amalaki each day. Also have a glass of any one citrus fruit – orange, lemon, etc. – each day. Green leafy vegetables also have good vitamin C content. They can be consumed raw in the form of salads.
Remedy # 5
Honey is very good for mobilizing the fats in the body. Take a spoonful of honey half an hour after every meal. A good remedy is to mix a teaspoonful of honey and lemon juice and have it twice a day. Alternatively, you can take a bowl of warm water, put a teaspoonful each of honey and lemon juice and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach. This is a very good remedy to dissolve the excess fats.
Remedy # 6
The Indian plum, i.e. jambula, is renowned for its weight controlling properties. Jambula dissolves the excess fats and gets them properly utilized in the body. Take four leaves of the jambula plant and soak them in a glass of water overnight. In the morning, discard the leaves and drink the water on an empty stomach. If you do this everyday, then you will find a positive reduction in your weight in three weeks or a month.
Treatment with Special Ayurvedic Methods
Ayurvedic experts would first try to ascertain what dosha type the patient is, because the treatment of obesity depends on that. Generally, Vashti Karma is prescribed, a therapy that is quite like giving an enema. This flushes the toxins from the body. Then other methods are employed to reduce the excess fats.
There are various herbs and preparations that are prescribed in order to treat obese people. Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) and the Triphala choorna are definitely prescribed. It must be noted that the Triphala contains amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki; all of which are extremely potent in dissolving the excess fats. Shilajit is also prescribed quite often, as it removes the unwanted constituents from the digestive system and provides the body with a good mineral balance that it requires. Most importantly, the significance of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle is stressed upon the patient.
In Ayurveda, there are several dietary and herbal techniques by which people can reduce weight. Just like it does in other treatments, Ayurveda does not believe in any kind of debilitating treatment methods; instead its treatments are centered on making the person lead a healthier lifestyle. The following article is about some of the best remedies and methods that people can do within their homes to achieve a healthier profile.
Treatment with Simple Home Remedies
Remedy # 1
This one is not actually a remedy, but it is the most important thing you must do in order to keep your weight in a normal level. And that is, stick to a healthy diet. The following are the dietary guidelines you must follow in order to keep your waistline healthy: -
1 Do not overindulge in eating any one type of food. Keep your diet balanced.
2 Keep the intake of sugars and fats to a minimum. The fats to be avoided are the saturated fats and the trans-fatty acids.
3 Too much carbohydrates build weight. Hence, the intake of rice and potatoes must be reduced. Wheat, barley and maize are ideal substitutes for rice in people who has weight problems.
4 You must have at least one bitter vegetable per day. This helps in the proper metabolism of fats and do not allow them to accumulate in the body.
5 Never eat to full capacity.
6 Consume a lot of fluids in the day. This helps to eliminate the undigested foods effectively.
7 Exercise is extremely important. It is necessary to indulge in mild physical activity after each meal even if you cannot make time to go to a gym.
Remedy # 2
Have a totally salt-free diet once a week. This helps reduce weight. Also skip a meal once in a month.
Remedy # 3
Prepare chutney of mint leaves. This must be taken with every single meal. It helps in the proper breaking down of the fats. Also begin your day with a cup of mint tea.
Remedy # 4
Vitamin C is very good for people who are looking to reduce their weight. Since amalaki (Emblica officinalis, Indian Gooseberry) is the best source of vitamin C in the world, it is good to eat two three fruits of the amalaki each day. Also have a glass of any one citrus fruit – orange, lemon, etc. – each day. Green leafy vegetables also have good vitamin C content. They can be consumed raw in the form of salads.
Remedy # 5
Honey is very good for mobilizing the fats in the body. Take a spoonful of honey half an hour after every meal. A good remedy is to mix a teaspoonful of honey and lemon juice and have it twice a day. Alternatively, you can take a bowl of warm water, put a teaspoonful each of honey and lemon juice and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach. This is a very good remedy to dissolve the excess fats.
Remedy # 6
The Indian plum, i.e. jambula, is renowned for its weight controlling properties. Jambula dissolves the excess fats and gets them properly utilized in the body. Take four leaves of the jambula plant and soak them in a glass of water overnight. In the morning, discard the leaves and drink the water on an empty stomach. If you do this everyday, then you will find a positive reduction in your weight in three weeks or a month.
Treatment with Special Ayurvedic Methods
Ayurvedic experts would first try to ascertain what dosha type the patient is, because the treatment of obesity depends on that. Generally, Vashti Karma is prescribed, a therapy that is quite like giving an enema. This flushes the toxins from the body. Then other methods are employed to reduce the excess fats.
There are various herbs and preparations that are prescribed in order to treat obese people. Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) and the Triphala choorna are definitely prescribed. It must be noted that the Triphala contains amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki; all of which are extremely potent in dissolving the excess fats. Shilajit is also prescribed quite often, as it removes the unwanted constituents from the digestive system and provides the body with a good mineral balance that it requires. Most importantly, the significance of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle is stressed upon the patient.
Hypnosis And Weight Loss
The problem with talking about hypnosis and weight loss, or hypnosis and many other things for that matter, is that there often are few, if any, studies on whose results you can hang your hat. In this world where it seems everything is studied from every different angle, it seems that the final conclusion is that hypnosis can help you lose weight...or not.
There are plenty of claims of success by the myriad of hypnotherapists of all kinds who have put up websites and gone into the "Hypnosis can cure..." business.
Actually, the problem is not even whether or not hypnosis can or cannot be a tool in a healthy weight loss program. That much, at least, is pretty well agreed upon. The question seems to be how to use it and how much effect it actually has on an individual's weight loss.
That brings us to another factor. We are dealing with individuals, and individuals tend to react differently to the efforts of hypnotherapists in ANY attempt to produce a viable effect.
Most claims found for hypnotherapists on the internet, whether they are claiming that hypnosis is effective for weight loss or not (and most are) is that they ARE successful. Like many other things that can be effective and valuable in weight loss, or almost any other endeavor, the unknown fact is what does "effective" mean to these people and can they define "effective" in terms of so many successful outcomes in so many total attempts. This is the problem. There are no numbers, at least none that I could find.
However, many studies DO exist that show that hypnosis CAN be combined with other standard weight loss efforts to produce a better outcome. For example, it has long been known that changing eating habits and attitudes towards food can help with weight loss. It has been found that hypnosis, combined with behavior modification, tends to meet with greater success than behavior modification or attitude alteration alone. It seems that the hypnosis does what it often does best...it relaxes the subject, allows them to focus and concentrate, and helps them learn their lessons, if you will, more quickly and efficiently.
Bottom line? Hypnosis alone is not very likely to produce profound effects on weight loss. This is particularly true in light of many hypnotherapists' claims that "only one session" will cause a massive, immediate, and continuous weight loss. If anything, for most people, hypnosis is simply one more weapon in an arsenal of weapons in the war against obesity. As always the main weapons will be regular physical activity and sensible eating habits.
There are plenty of claims of success by the myriad of hypnotherapists of all kinds who have put up websites and gone into the "Hypnosis can cure..." business.
Actually, the problem is not even whether or not hypnosis can or cannot be a tool in a healthy weight loss program. That much, at least, is pretty well agreed upon. The question seems to be how to use it and how much effect it actually has on an individual's weight loss.
That brings us to another factor. We are dealing with individuals, and individuals tend to react differently to the efforts of hypnotherapists in ANY attempt to produce a viable effect.
Most claims found for hypnotherapists on the internet, whether they are claiming that hypnosis is effective for weight loss or not (and most are) is that they ARE successful. Like many other things that can be effective and valuable in weight loss, or almost any other endeavor, the unknown fact is what does "effective" mean to these people and can they define "effective" in terms of so many successful outcomes in so many total attempts. This is the problem. There are no numbers, at least none that I could find.
However, many studies DO exist that show that hypnosis CAN be combined with other standard weight loss efforts to produce a better outcome. For example, it has long been known that changing eating habits and attitudes towards food can help with weight loss. It has been found that hypnosis, combined with behavior modification, tends to meet with greater success than behavior modification or attitude alteration alone. It seems that the hypnosis does what it often does best...it relaxes the subject, allows them to focus and concentrate, and helps them learn their lessons, if you will, more quickly and efficiently.
Bottom line? Hypnosis alone is not very likely to produce profound effects on weight loss. This is particularly true in light of many hypnotherapists' claims that "only one session" will cause a massive, immediate, and continuous weight loss. If anything, for most people, hypnosis is simply one more weapon in an arsenal of weapons in the war against obesity. As always the main weapons will be regular physical activity and sensible eating habits.
Water, Diet Sodas And Weight Loss
What on earth does water have to do with weight loss? Actually, a lot more than you previously imagined.
Are you aware that some studies have shown that your brain cannot distinguish between hunger and thirst? Sometimes when your body is telling you that you are thirsty, your brain may be hearing that you are hungry. So what do you do? You put food in your mouth when a glass of water might have been sufficient. Most food has calories, most water doesn't. Simple equation. 'Nuff said on that topic.
By the way, ever wake up in the middle of the night and crave a snack? Nine times out of ten, a glass of water will do the trick. I know, I didn't believe it either until I tried it. It really works!
Tissue, muscle, cells, even blood are all comprised to a large per cent of water. When your brain starts getting signals that water is needed...well, remember the confusion factor mentioned above? We eat something instead of giving our body what it really craves and needs! Your entire body works much better, by the way, when the fluid levels are kept up where they need to be.
BUT I DRINK LOTS OF LIQUID AND STILL GAIN WEIGHT!
Sure you do, but what KIND of liquid. I won't even talk about sodas, coffee, or tea sweetened with sugar. I'm going to assume that you already know that sugar is not the way to go if you want to lose weight, but what about the artificially sweetened drinks?
Did you know...
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS CAN CAUSE YOU TO GAIN WEIGHT?
Some studies have shown that using artificial sweeteners can contribute to weight gain in at least two ways.
First, there is the confusion factor. When you use artificial sweeteners, you, and your brain, become confused about the calorie content of the food you eat. You may actually find yourself eating more in an effort to satisfy an internal urge or interpretation, and this urge may be related to the assumed "fact" that the sweet soda you just drank didn't have that many calories, so neither does this cinnamon roll. Actually, before artificial sweeteners, our bodies and brains were pretty good at relating calorie content to food based on the sweetness.
A WORD FOR PARENTS!
Our bodies' understanding of "sweetness" and the development of the internal calorie estimating apparatus mentioned above apparently occurs in childhood. Early use of artificial sweeteners could cause the grown-up years later to ingest more of sweet foods than they should.
The second way in which artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain is what could be called...
THE SUGAR TRAP!
Your body is a complicated device which has developed a huge number of inter-related, synergistic, stimulus sensing and automatic response mechanisms. It has learned to begin things happening inside when something sweet is detected. The digestive system is prepared to receive a certain type of fuel...which it welcomes! When you ingest food or drink which has been artificially sweetened, all your little hormones, glands, cells, and systems begin asking, "What's going on?" Like prisoners in an old movie, they start rattling their tin cups and yelling out, "FEED ME!" Oh yeah, that was the plant in "Little Shop Of Horrors", wasn't it?
Anyway, your internal messengers are now not very happy, nor will they be until you send down some calories for them to munch on. See the trap? It reminds me of when I managed a restaurant when people would order a salad and diet drink and then smother the salad in high-calorie, high-fat dressing and have ice cream for dessert. Get the picture.
WAIT! IT MIGHT EVEN BE WORSE!
Artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than ordinary sugar, and that's why you can sweeten a cup of coffee with one little white pill. However, there are some studies which indicate that artificial sweeteners become somewhat addictive. If that isn't bad enough, this brings us to one of the most popular drugs in America...
CAFFEINE
Even though a lot of people who want to lose weight are drinking artificially sweetened drinks, a lot of these drinks - coffee, tea, sodas - contain caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic. It dehydrates you, causing your body to lose water. Remember, water = good. When you are dehydrated, low on internal liquid, your metabolism slows down. This means your body gets by on fewer calories and stores the rest as fat. Think it through: You get dehydrated, you get thirsty. You just drank a cup of tea, coffee, or soda, so you can't be thirsty, can you? Since your brain can't really tell the difference between hunger and thirst signals, it tells you to eat something when all that's really going on is that you need a drink of water.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. Substitute water for most of the other stuff you're drinking.
2. "Buy" your artificially sweetened drinks. My wife came up with this idea, but I have seen it used in other contexts as well. If you drink an artificially sweetened drink and/or one with caffeine, buy it back with at least an equivalent sized drink of water. Eight ounces of coffee? Follow it with eight ounces of water.
3. Is water boring for you? Then try flavoring your water with lemon or something else. Use herbal teas that have their own flavor and might not even need to be sweetened.
4. Include soups and juices in your diet. These are high liquid content. Just be aware that while nutritionally better for you than diet drinks or drinks with caffeine, they DO contain calories.
5. Can't do without sweetened drinks? Try stevia. This is a natural food additive available online and at most health food stores. While it has a sweetening effect, the FDA does not allow it to be called or marketed as a sweetener. Due to its chemical makeup, it does not seem to produce the cravings for more food as do other non-sugar sweeteners. I read that in a book, but I tried Stevia and that's how it worked for me. I was drinking four to eight cups of coffee sweetened with artificial sweeteners a day, and munching tons of snacks as I drank the coffee! I started using stevia, and the desire for constant snacking went away. I will warn you, while technically VERY sweet, it does have an acquired taste. I figure if I could get used to it, anybody could. It's the only sweetener in our house now.
Are you aware that some studies have shown that your brain cannot distinguish between hunger and thirst? Sometimes when your body is telling you that you are thirsty, your brain may be hearing that you are hungry. So what do you do? You put food in your mouth when a glass of water might have been sufficient. Most food has calories, most water doesn't. Simple equation. 'Nuff said on that topic.
By the way, ever wake up in the middle of the night and crave a snack? Nine times out of ten, a glass of water will do the trick. I know, I didn't believe it either until I tried it. It really works!
Tissue, muscle, cells, even blood are all comprised to a large per cent of water. When your brain starts getting signals that water is needed...well, remember the confusion factor mentioned above? We eat something instead of giving our body what it really craves and needs! Your entire body works much better, by the way, when the fluid levels are kept up where they need to be.
BUT I DRINK LOTS OF LIQUID AND STILL GAIN WEIGHT!
Sure you do, but what KIND of liquid. I won't even talk about sodas, coffee, or tea sweetened with sugar. I'm going to assume that you already know that sugar is not the way to go if you want to lose weight, but what about the artificially sweetened drinks?
Did you know...
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS CAN CAUSE YOU TO GAIN WEIGHT?
Some studies have shown that using artificial sweeteners can contribute to weight gain in at least two ways.
First, there is the confusion factor. When you use artificial sweeteners, you, and your brain, become confused about the calorie content of the food you eat. You may actually find yourself eating more in an effort to satisfy an internal urge or interpretation, and this urge may be related to the assumed "fact" that the sweet soda you just drank didn't have that many calories, so neither does this cinnamon roll. Actually, before artificial sweeteners, our bodies and brains were pretty good at relating calorie content to food based on the sweetness.
A WORD FOR PARENTS!
Our bodies' understanding of "sweetness" and the development of the internal calorie estimating apparatus mentioned above apparently occurs in childhood. Early use of artificial sweeteners could cause the grown-up years later to ingest more of sweet foods than they should.
The second way in which artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain is what could be called...
THE SUGAR TRAP!
Your body is a complicated device which has developed a huge number of inter-related, synergistic, stimulus sensing and automatic response mechanisms. It has learned to begin things happening inside when something sweet is detected. The digestive system is prepared to receive a certain type of fuel...which it welcomes! When you ingest food or drink which has been artificially sweetened, all your little hormones, glands, cells, and systems begin asking, "What's going on?" Like prisoners in an old movie, they start rattling their tin cups and yelling out, "FEED ME!" Oh yeah, that was the plant in "Little Shop Of Horrors", wasn't it?
Anyway, your internal messengers are now not very happy, nor will they be until you send down some calories for them to munch on. See the trap? It reminds me of when I managed a restaurant when people would order a salad and diet drink and then smother the salad in high-calorie, high-fat dressing and have ice cream for dessert. Get the picture.
WAIT! IT MIGHT EVEN BE WORSE!
Artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than ordinary sugar, and that's why you can sweeten a cup of coffee with one little white pill. However, there are some studies which indicate that artificial sweeteners become somewhat addictive. If that isn't bad enough, this brings us to one of the most popular drugs in America...
CAFFEINE
Even though a lot of people who want to lose weight are drinking artificially sweetened drinks, a lot of these drinks - coffee, tea, sodas - contain caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic. It dehydrates you, causing your body to lose water. Remember, water = good. When you are dehydrated, low on internal liquid, your metabolism slows down. This means your body gets by on fewer calories and stores the rest as fat. Think it through: You get dehydrated, you get thirsty. You just drank a cup of tea, coffee, or soda, so you can't be thirsty, can you? Since your brain can't really tell the difference between hunger and thirst signals, it tells you to eat something when all that's really going on is that you need a drink of water.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. Substitute water for most of the other stuff you're drinking.
2. "Buy" your artificially sweetened drinks. My wife came up with this idea, but I have seen it used in other contexts as well. If you drink an artificially sweetened drink and/or one with caffeine, buy it back with at least an equivalent sized drink of water. Eight ounces of coffee? Follow it with eight ounces of water.
3. Is water boring for you? Then try flavoring your water with lemon or something else. Use herbal teas that have their own flavor and might not even need to be sweetened.
4. Include soups and juices in your diet. These are high liquid content. Just be aware that while nutritionally better for you than diet drinks or drinks with caffeine, they DO contain calories.
5. Can't do without sweetened drinks? Try stevia. This is a natural food additive available online and at most health food stores. While it has a sweetening effect, the FDA does not allow it to be called or marketed as a sweetener. Due to its chemical makeup, it does not seem to produce the cravings for more food as do other non-sugar sweeteners. I read that in a book, but I tried Stevia and that's how it worked for me. I was drinking four to eight cups of coffee sweetened with artificial sweeteners a day, and munching tons of snacks as I drank the coffee! I started using stevia, and the desire for constant snacking went away. I will warn you, while technically VERY sweet, it does have an acquired taste. I figure if I could get used to it, anybody could. It's the only sweetener in our house now.
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