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GOOD FATS, BAD FATS, AND THE POWER OF OMEGA-3 FATS

admin — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:52:07 +0000

General guidelines for choosing healthy fats

With so many different sources of dietary fat—some good and some bad—the choices can get confusing. But the bottom line is simple: don’t go no-fat, go good fat.

If you are concerned about your weight or heart health, rather than avoiding fat in your diet, try replacing saturated fats and trans fats with good fats. This might mean replacing some of the meat you eat with beans and legumes, or using olive oil rather than butter.

Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet. Check food labels for trans fats. Avoiding commercially-baked goods goes a long way. Also limit fast food.
Limit your intake of saturated fats by cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods. Try replacing red meat with beans, nuts, poultry, and fish whenever possible, and switching from whole milk and other full-fat dairy foods to lower fat versions.
Eat omega-3 fats every day. Good sources include fish, walnuts, ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil.

How much fat is too much?

How much fat is too much depends on your lifestyle, your weight, your age and most importantly the state of your health. The USDA recommends that the average individual:

Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories
Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories (200 calories for a 2000 calorie diet)
Limit trans fats to 1% of calories (2 grams per day for a 2000 calorie diet)

Getting more good, unsaturated fats in your diet

Okay, so you realize you need to avoid saturated fat and trans fat… but how do you get the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats everyone keeps talking about?

The best sources of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish.

Cook with olive oil. Use olive oil for stovetop cooking, rather than butter, stick margarine, or lard. For baking, try canola or vegetable oil.
Eat more avocados. Try them in sandwiches or salads or make guacamole. Along with being loaded with heart and brain-healthy fats, they make for a filling and satisfying meal.
Reach for the nuts. You can also add nuts to vegetable dishes or use them instead of breadcrumbs on chicken or fish.
Snack on olives. Olives are high in healthy monounsaturated fats. But unlike most other high-fat foods, they make for a low-calorie snack when eaten on their own. Try them plain or make a tapenade for dipping.
Dress your own salad. Commercial salad dressings are often high in saturated fat or made with damaged trans fat oils. Create your own healthy dressings with high-quality, cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sesame oil.

Damaged fat: When good fats go bad

A good fat can become bad if heat, light, or oxygen damages it. Polyunsaturated fats are the most fragile. Oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats (such as flaxseed oil) must be refrigerated and kept in an opaque container. Cooking with these oils also damages the fats. Never use oils, seeds, or nuts after they begin to smell or taste rank or bitter.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Superfats for the brain and heart

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. While all types of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, omega-3 fats are proving to be especially beneficial.

We’re still learning about the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but research has shown that they can:

Prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression
Protect against memory loss and dementia
Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer
Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions
Support a healthy pregnancy

Omega-3 fatty acids and mental health

Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain. Research indicates that they play a vital role in cognitive function (memory, problem-solving abilities, etc.) as well as emotional health.

Getting more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can help you battle fatigue, sharpen your memory, and balance your mood. Studies have shown that omega-3s can be helpful in the treatment of depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.

There are several different types of omega-3 fatty acids:

EPA and DHA – Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have the most research to back up their health benefits. Both are found in abundance in cold-water fatty fish.
ALA – Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) comes from plants. Studies suggest that it’s a less potent form of omega-3 than EPA and DHA. The best sources include flaxseed, walnuts, and canola oil.

Fish: The best food source of omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fats are a type of essential fatty acid, meaning they are essential to health, but your body can’t make them. You can only get omega-3 fats from food.

The best sources are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines, or high-quality cold-water fish oil supplements. Canned albacore tuna and lake trout can also be good sources, depending on how the fish were raised and processed.

Some people avoid seafood because they worry about mercury or other possible toxins in fish. However, most experts agree that the benefits of eating two servings a week of these cold-water fatty fish outweigh the risks.

If you’re a vegetarian or you don’t like fish, you can still get your omega-3 fix by eating algae (which is high in DHA) or taking a fish oil or algae supplement.

10 Ways to Lose Weight without Going on a Diet

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 05:45:02 +0000

If you’re ready to start losing weight, but you don’t want to follow a diet, I have good news. You can make a few “painless” changes to your everyday diet that will help you eat less, eat smarter, and lose weight!

Don’t drink your calories. Beverages are bottomless these days — you can’t order a soft drink or iced tea at a restaurant without being provided quick, free refills, or having the freedom to get them yourself. To keep from drinking a day’s worth of calories, choose herbal tea, unsweetened iced tea with Splenda (or another artificial, no-cal sweetener), diet flavored-water, bottled or tap water with a spritz of lemon or lime, or diet soda. If none of those better choices suits you, allow yourself one glass of the “real thing” and drink only water thereafter. (Tip: Ask for extra ice in that first glass of soda and you will drink less.) By stopping at one glass, you will save yourself hundreds — or even thousands — of calories.
Always eat breakfast. Taking the time to eat could prevent costly mistakes as the day progresses; skipping this important morning meal can lead to an out of control afternoon appetite, oversized portions, poor food choices, and overeating, even later on into the night. Plus, going too long without eating may cause your metabolism to slow down. If you can’t eat first thing in the morning, a healthful, mid-morning snack is a good idea. If you are not hungry in the morning, it could be a sign that you are eating too close to bedtime. Set a cut-off time for evening eating (such as 7 p.m.) and you will probably feel more like eating in the a.m.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. You hear it all the time, but you really do need to work in those recommended six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger, so you could be reaching for food when you are actually thirsty. Eating water-rich foods like fruit will help you stay well-hydrated, too. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink; try sipping water throughout the day and you may be surprised to find that your appetite seems much tamer.

Add at least one more serving of produce to as many meals as possible. Veggies and fruit are all nutrient-rich, low-cal and filling — just be careful of creamy dips or dressings, butter, cheese sauce, and fried vegetables. Salsa, soups, and pasta sauce are easy ways to work in even more vegetable servings. Keep the skin on fresh produce, such as apples, whenever possible as it contains more fiber. Remember, fiber takes a while to digest so you feel fuller longer after eating it, which will help you eat less in the long run.

Make a salad your starter. Having a salad before your meal will almost certainly prevent you from overeating. Load up all the veggies you like, but just be careful about adding high-fat extras such as pasta salads, shredded cheese or cream-based dressings. (Tip: Spray dressings are excellent for cutting calories as most only have about 10 calories per spritz). Prepackaged, washed salads make it easy to add a salad to any meal without extra effort. Most fast food restaurants offer a reasonably-priced side salad, or some menus offer the option to substitute salad for another side item when purchasing a “combo” or “value” meal.

Be a better baker. Start baking immediately following a meal so you will be less likely to sample. Chew flavorful gum like peppermint or spearmint so your mouth will be otherwise occupied. Healthier baking ingredient substitutions help cut fat and calories.

Go for grains. Whole grains will help you feel full longer than refined carbohydrates. In the morning, fiber-rich cereal like Kellog’s All-Bran, is a good choice, as is oatmeal. Brown rice, whole grain bread, and whole wheat crackers, are all good ways to include grains in your day: A slice of whole wheat bread goes well with a salad; microwavable, single-serving brown rice is easy to add to lunch at the office; keep wheat crackers stored in your desk drawer for when the afternoon munchies strike.

Always keep healthy frozen meals on hand. They will be a backup plan for nights when you don’t have time to prepare and cook a healthy meal. Try to choose meals with around 300 to 350 calories. (Tip: Even some of the healthier frozen meal choices are skimpy on veggies, so be sure to add a packaged salad or a microwavable, single-serving frozen vegetable to your “instant meal” to better round it out.

Choose foods that will help you feel satisfied longer. While both protein and fat help you feel sated longer than simple carbohydrates, protein naturally contains fewer calories per ounce than fat. Eggs, lean meats, skinless poultry, and reduced-fat dairy products are ideal protein sources. A snack like yogurt, a boiled egg, string cheese or turkey slices will give you an energy boost and quell hunger pangs. Whole grains also contain protein, so you may find combining an animal or dairy protein with a complex carb such as whole wheat crackers or whole grain bread to be even more effective at keeping your energy up and hunger down. If you don’t eat meat or dairy, there are also several other sources of protein, such as beans, legumes, and nuts.

Catch some “Zs.” Did you know getting enough rest can have a direct impact on your ability to lose weight? Not getting enough sleep can cause you to eat more often or make poor choices (In an effort to compensate for feeling groggy, we tend to naturally reach for higher-calorie, high-fat foods.). Getting enough sleep also ensures that you feel energized enough to exercise and that you work out to your fullest capacity when you do. Even if you can’t add additional sleeping hours, take some time to simply do nothing, practice deep breathing, read, or listen to some calming music every day. Making a point to relax more can keep emotional eating — particularly stress-eating — at bay.

Healthy eating tips

admin — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:47:08 +0000

Healthy eating tip : It’s not just what you eat, it’s how you eat

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.
Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Healthy eating tip : Moderation is key

People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. Despite what certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.

Try not to think of certain foods as “off limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
Think smaller portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms and start small. Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish or chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a CD case.

Healthy eating tip : Set yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

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The key to weight loss success-Exercise Consistency

admin — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:39:22 +0000

If you’re exercising for weight loss, the most important factor isn’t the exercises you perform, or the duration of your workouts, or even the intensity of your workouts.
These all do have a bearing on how many calories you burn during your workouts, but the single most important contributing factor to your weight loss success is the consistency of your workouts.
We’ve all heard that the secret to achieving sustainable weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight is lifestyle. And what exactly is lifestyle?
Lifestyle is a term used to describe what we do most commonly on day to day basis. That is, what we eat most regularly and how regularly we’re active. In other words, what we eat and do consistently.
To help you exercise more regularly, here are our top tips:

1. When you begin exercising, start off very slowly and build your workout intensity, duration and frequency gradually over weeks and months. The worst thing you can do is overdo it initially by exercising too hard, too long, or too often.
2. Try to exercise at the same time of the day for each workout. This will help you get into the habit of exercising and help you manage your other life commitments around your exercise program.
3. Mix up your workouts. This will help prevent boredom and will encourage total fitness and maximum health and weight loss benefits. Be sure to include both cardiovascular exercises (walking, jogging, cycling, etc) with muscle strengthening and stretching exercises (weight lifting, Yoga, Pilates, body weight exercises, etc).
4. Find yourself a workout buddy or two. This will also help prevent boredom and will encourage you to exercise when you don’t feel like it. Work colleagues, friends and family make the best workout buddies, but if you’re struggling to find someone with a common goal and interest in exercising regularly, there are plenty of online walking group forums and exercise forums where you can search for someone friendly to exercise with.
5. Find exercises that you enjoy and do these the most. For example, if you like walking the best, make walking the exercise you do most and supplement your walking with some other exercise (like cycling or Pilates) on occasion.
6. Treat yourself to some exercise gadgets or new exercise outfits now and then. Great examples are heart rate monitors, new bicycles, exercise DVD’s, or even just a new pair of runners. It’s amazing how things like these can motivate you to exercise, even if it’s just while you work your way out of a slump.
7. Match your workouts to the seasons. For example, if it’s the middle of winter and it’s freezing cold outside, it’s not a good time to begin jogging outdoors. It might be a better idea to sign up for some Yoga or Pilates classes until the weather warms up a bit. Then you can start jogging.
8. Consider getting professional help to get you started or keep you going. A personal trainer can help you plan your workouts and show you how to perform a large variety of exercises to keep your workouts safe, interesting and effective.
If you’re exercising for weight loss, the most important factor isn’t the exercises you perform, or the duration of your workouts, or even the intensity of your workouts.
These all do have a bearing on how many calories you burn during your workouts, but the single most important contributing factor to your weight loss success is the consistency of your workouts.
We hope you’re now convinced of this fact and have enjoyed our tips to help you exercise more regularly and achieve your weight loss goals.

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Negative calorie diet effect

admin — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:28:46 +0000

What if you could eat a food that not only provided no calories, but actually burned more calories than it provided? Would you eat it?
What effect might it have? And which calories would it be burning?
These are compelling questions. But a negative calorie diet it seems like a ludicrous proposition, something like a perpetual motion machine: great in concept, ineffective in implementation.
But there might be something to it. If a low-calorie food could stimulate your body to process it by creating enzymes, expending more energy than that low-calorie food could produce, the net effect of your caloric intake would be less than zero. If this holds true, you could eat these foods all day and, the more you ate, the more weight you’d lose.
However, most foods we eat today are both higher in calories and easier to process than that. Also, pesticides and other modern pollutants rob food of nutrients that would stimulate that enzymatic process. Preservatives, processed foods, and bad cooking practices finish the job.
So what do you do?
How about a diet primarily consisting of fruits and vegetables?
In a recent study heart patients eating a vegetarian diet with mostly fruits and vegetables, with NO prescribed exercise program and NO decrease in either caloric intake or a reduction in serving sizes, lost an average of 20 pounds each!
Why? One idea is that added enzymes, both from processing vegetables and fruits and inherent in the vegetables themselves, helped accelerate all the chemical reactions in the body, resulting in a faster metabolism.
If one were to identify which foods were negative calorie foods, the diet that resulted would allow you to change part or all of your diet and, without removing any calories, lose a significant amount of weight as well as improving your overall health.
In short, if you were to swap out all your empty calories for a variety of fruits and vegetables equaling the same calories, not only would you get more of the vitamins and minerals you crave, but you’d be adding enzymes that might well increase your metabolic rate, burning off other bad calories at an accelerated rate. It’s like a dream: weight loss and improved health without exercise or starving yourself.

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Healthy Eating

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:22:14 +0000

Eating healthy and light foods can help you live a longer, healthier, and happier life.Some super foods contain substances called antioxidants and phytochemicals, which work together to fight disease and promote a long life.A majority of these foods work best when they’re combined with a well-balanced diet to help you lose weight.

Common Super Foods For Boosting Longevity:

Certain types of fish, particularly fatty cuts of fish, contain healthy fats that help lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks. These foods may also reduce depression. Salmon, trout, and mackerel are among the top choices. These fish contain valuable omega-3 fatty acids.

Tomatoes, are valuable because they contain lycopene, which helps fight free radicals. Free radicals can damage the skin and vital organs. Lycopene also helps stimulate the immune system; some studies show it might prevent the progression of certain degenerative diseases, and protect against prostate cancer.

Motivation for Weight loss

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 08:36:06 +0000

There’s no doubt that the hardest part of losing weight is staying motivated. Weight loss isn’t something that happens overnight – you need to stick at it if you want to see results. Most people know how to lose weight so the main reason everyone isn’t slim and healthy is that it’s difficult to keep up a weight loss regime for a long period of time. Here are some tips for staying motivated whilst losing weight.
1. The first thing you need to do is work out why you want to lose weight in the first place. Is it because you want to be generally healthier? Are you worried about the way you look? Is it because there’s an important wedding coming up? Everyone is different and you need to decide why losing weight is important to you personally before working out how to increase your motivation.
2. The next tip is to work out some long, medium and short term goals. Your long term goal should be the final amount of weight you want to lose. This can be as much as you want as long as you understand it’ll take time to get there. The medium and short term goals should provide you with targets to aim towards in an attempt to reach your final target. Setting smaller targets is a great way of increasing your motivation because it allows you to measure your progress.
3. Another great way to stay motivated is to have a weight loss partner. If you know someone who wants to lose weight then you can keep each other company while exercising, keep track of what the other is eating and provide support for each other. If you know you have to answer to someone other than yourself it can make a big difference.
4. Entering a sporting event such as a fun run or bike race will keep you on track when exercising and provide something to work towards. It can be hard to keep exercising on a daily basis if there is no end goal. Just be careful not to aim too high to begin with.
5. Many people find that keeping a journal of their weight loss efforts can help them to stay motivated. The useful thing about a diary is that if you’re having a bad day you can look back and see how much progress you’ve made. Sometimes it can be difficult to gauge progress through memory alone and a diary solves this problem. You don’t have to write in it every day unless you want to. If you would like to make the most out of a diary then you could even attach photos every few weeks to see the changes in your body shape. There’s nothing more motivational than knowing you’re going to have to see yourself naked on a regular basis!
6. Also, most people find it easier to get motivated to exercise in the morning. After a long days work nothing seems more appealing than lying down on the sofa watching TV for a few hours. If you never want to exercise after work then try to get up a bit earlier to do a 20 minute cardiovascular workout.
7. Try to do something every day. Even if it’s only a few press-ups you should keep your momentum going by exercising each and every day.
Ultimately, success and failure when it comes to weight loss depends on your motivation. If you can find a way to keep motivated over a long period of time then you’re well on your way to losing as much weight as you want.

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7 Best tips for fast weight loss

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 10:13:22 +0000

There are numerous ways to lose weight fast and in this post we outline the 7 best fast weight loss tips.
1. Exercise is a must for fast weight loss
Everybody knows this; exercise is a must for a fast weight loss. With exercise you achieve a lot of things. First you burn more calories and lose weight faster, second you ensure that you will not gain the weight back and third you provide your health with many benefits. What is important is to exercise frequently and to increase the duration of exercise every couple of weeks. For starters you should aim for 30 minute sessions, 3 times per week. As you become more experienced with exercise you should aim for 45 minutes, 5 times per week.
2. Strength training is also required
Many people when we talk about exercise they think aerobics or cardio exercises. There is another form of exercise that is very beneficial for weight loss. This is strength training exercises like weight lifting and body building. These are also needed for a fast and safe weight loss and you should try and include them in your exercise schedule. Strength training exercises can help you build more muscles, can boost your metabolism and can help you achieve your weight loss goals faster.
3. Food journal
Being able to control what you eat can play a significant role in fast weight loss. To be able to do that you need to know how many calories you consume on a daily basis. It is a proven fact that people when asked about their daily diet, then tend to forget a number of things. One of the ways to make sure that everything you eat is counted in your daily diet calculations is by keeping a food journal. In this you should try anything you eat and drink during a day. Next to each item you can write the number of calories they contain and thus you can arrive at a daily total. By having this information you can then adjust the foods you eat and save the required amount of calories so that you lose weight.
4. Re – set your weight loss goals
Your weight loss goals should not simply be to lose weight. Weight loss is not an exercise you have to do once and then forget about it. A successful weight loss is when you manage to lose weight by changing your lifestyle and eating habits and not by just saving calories and making calculations. Eating healthy should become your second nature and exercising should become your daily friend. So, instead of just setting arithmetic goals concentrate on how to change your lifestyle to match a healthier living.
5. Separate eating from your other emotions
A lot of people have associated eating with their emotions. It is very common for people to eat because they are feeling stress, anxiety, depression, anger etc. This is a bad and very unhealthy habit. Usually the food you eat when in this state is unhealthy and full of fats and calories. You need to realize that food is not the medicine for your emotions. Food is a pleasure and a way to provide your body with the energy it needs to function properly. If you want to lose weight then you should seriously consider this situation and disassociate food with emotions.
6. Get all the support you can get
For long term weight loss results you need to get encouragement and support. The best way to get this support is from friends, family and from other people that are in the same situation. There will be times during the process that you will get bored and willing to quit, there will also be times that you won’t believe in yourself and you need someone to give you encouragement and motivation to continue. Do not underestimate the power and support you can get and do not be shy to share your weight loss dreams with your friends and family.
7. Start slow, plan big
All the weight loss tips explained above are valid and essential for a fast weight loss. It is necessary though to start by gradually making changes both to your lifestyle, eating and exercise habits. Do not rush and do not make too drastic changes from one day to the next. Start slowly and stay focus on your goals. As you become more experienced make more changes until you reach a point that your lifestyle, diet and exercise routine are in accordance with your weight loss goals.

Fast weight loss tips for everyone

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:13:16 +0000

No matter what your age, nearly everyone needs fast weight loss tips. This may be a child struggling with their weight or their busy parent. Weight loss is universally achieved through basic exercise and healthy eating no matter what your age.
Weight-loss for children can be quite difficult. It is a tough job to convince someone to lose weight when they may not want to. However, for a child’s health it is vital to establish healthy eating habits and exercise early on. Many kids spend way too much time watching television and playing video games. It may be a tough sell; however, it is the parent’s job to get them outside playing or enrolled in sports. Organizations such as the YMCA have facilities for use where kids can play basketball and other fun activities. You can also change your child’s eating habits to aid in their weight-loss. Keep healthier snacks around the house such as pretzels and fresh prepared vegetables. These slight changes in your child’s health can lead to much-needed weight loss.
For the elderly, often times, it is easy to get into a routine. This may be slow-paced hobby or visiting with friends. However, once retired you should use your added free time to stay active to keep in shape. A moderate exercise regimen can have many health benefits and will increase energy. Find a friend who enjoys walking and make that a morning habit. With age the body starts to deteriorate; however, by staying active and exercising this will greatly reduce body aches and will prolong your life.
Young parents are often pressed for time in the day to eat right and exercise. Time management is important in all aspects of life and this is also true with weight loss. Try to use one evening a week to plan your meals and even prepare them. Decide on some low fat meal ideas and prepare several of them for the week. You could then freeze these meals and they are ready to go for the rest of the week. Simply pop them in the microwave or oven and you will have a delicious low-calorie meal in no time. Also, include the kids in your exercise. Start going on more long family walks to help yourself and the kids. In addition, don’t be afraid to play games such as hide and seek and tag with the kids in the yard. This will benefit everyone.
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5 Free tips on how to lose belly fat fast

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:47:42 +0000

Weight loss is not only about losing pounds but it is also about burning fat. Actually burning fat is sometimes more important than losing weight because fat is a major cause for many other health problems (diabetes, high cholesterol etc). When you manage to burn fat you will certainly look and feel much better since fat burning is not an easy process and the satisfaction you will gain is great. Below you can read the most important tips on how to lose belly fat in a fast and yet healthy manner.
1. Small meals Vs 3 main meals
Whenever you want to lose calories or fat fast it is recommended to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of the classic 3 main meals. This is because by eating small meals every couple of hours you force your body spend more energy to digest the food and thus losing calories. As a result your metabolism is also increased and the whole process becomes easier. In addition frequent meals stabilize the insulin levels which in turn enable faster muscle growth.
2. Regular exercise
When it comes to losing belly fat you should understand that exercise plays a prominent role. It is not exactly the same case as with weight loss. When you want to lose weight you can achieve good results through your diet alone but when it comes to losing belly fat a balanced diet can mainly help you stop the fat problem from becoming worse (see also how to burn fat with food). The only solid way to actually start losing belly fat (and fat in general) is through exercise. Regular exercise sessions (30 minutes) at least 5 times per week can actually produce good results. If you want not to get bored easily find a form of exercise that you like and enjoy doing. There is no reason to perform difficult exercises that will eventually make you de-motivated. It is better to start slow and gradually than fast and quit.
3. Learn how to drink water
The importance of water in losing weight is very well known. What many people do not understand is how to utilize water to lose weight and fat. When we say drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day we do not mean to drink this amount at once or in a very short amount of time. If you do that the only thing you will achieve is to make regular visits to the toilet. Instead you should try and spread this throughout the day. You can start with one glass of water in the morning, as soon as you wake up. Then one glass after 2-3 hours, one more glass with your launch and the rest 4 glasses before, during and after your dinner. By following this pattern you will keep your stomach busy all the time and hunger away. If you want you can even create reminders in your mobile to alert you when its time for your glass of water.
4. Soft drinks, juices, caffeine is not water
One more point to note about water is the following. Many people believe that by drinking fresh juices, soft drinks and coffee, they drink water. This is far from truth. Some of the drinks described above, like coffee, create the opposite effects than water. In particular caffeine products are diuretic and they help the excretion of water from the body. Too much consumption of these drinks can cause dehydration.
5. Sleep, rest and confidence
Trying to lose belly fat can sometimes make you tired, both mentally and physically. You have to overcome a lot of obstacles and deny a lot of temptations to get the results you want in the time frame you want. For this reason you need to work on 3 areas that may not be directly related to weight loss but they can indirectly help you to meet your goals. These have to do with rest, sleep and confidence. It is important that you rest enough hours per day, sleep at least 8 hours and never give up your optimism. There is no need to say more about this other that you have to consider these factors are part of your weight loss efforts.
Hopefully the weight loss tips presented above will help you lose belly fat in a quick and healthy way.
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15 Easy weight loss tips

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:06:31 +0000

Who said that weight loss is difficult? It can be an easy process if you make it easy. The tips below will help you make weight loss easy as one, two, three.
1. A basic principle of weight loss is to eat the right foods in the proper quantities. Among the best food types to eat that can help you lose weight easy is fresh fruits. Try keeping a bowl of fresh fruits on the kitchen table and refrigerator. This way you will keep remind yourself about which foods are good for you.
2. Full fat foods are bad. Saturated fats found in many foods can only add to your weight and cholesterol. In addition once fat is accumulated in the body it is very difficult to go away easily. Check your daily diet and exclude foods that are rich in saturated fats and replace them with foods rich in fiber and proteins.
3. Keep a distance from food buffets. When you dine out in a restaurant or when in a party try to stay away from the food table. This will make it easier for you to resist the temptations. Visit the food table only once and try to control the portions of the food you put in your plate.
4. Salads are good. When you are having a three course meal then make sure that you start with a green salad (no dressings). Eating the salad first will reduce your hunger and food consumed during your main course.
5. Serve your food into smaller plates and try to eat only the food portion on that plate. Avoid going for a second or third round. By doing this for a long time you will eventually ‘teach’ your stomach to eat less.
6. Prefer barbecued fish, poultry and other lean meats instead of fried beef or pork. Always avoid fried food and clean the fat from meat before cooking.
7. The easiest way to avoid unhealthy snacks is not to buy them. If you are careful on what you buy from the supermarket then you will minimize the temptations at home and the risk of eating unhealthy snacks. Try to stick to your shopping list and nothing more. This will save you money and calories.
8. If you expect to be away from home for many hours you can prepare in advance some healthy snacks to carry with you. This will eliminate all excuses for eating unhealthy food or snacks.
9. Get active and exercise at least twice a week. Exercise and movement can help you lose weight fast by accelerating your metabolism. You do not have to burn out in the gym, you can do any exercise that you like and enjoy. If you are a beginner you can start with easy exercises like walking and as you become more experienced you can get involved with more difficult exercises including strength training exercises.
10. You need to learn when to stop eating. By eating your food slowly and chewing it good you give enough time to your stomach to send the message to your brain that you are no longer hungry. Once you get this feeling you should stop eating and get away from the table. If you are eating in a restaurant you can ask the waiter to bring you only half the portion and the other half to prepare it for takeaway.
11. Vegetables can accompany all your food and you can also eat them as snacks. They are very low in fat, sugars and calories,
12. You need to learn when to eat. Eating is a necessary process and is the only way to provide your body with fuel. Nevertheless you should provide your body with fuel only when it asks for it and not because you have nothing else better to do. Do not eat out of custom but only when you are hungry.
13. You need to understand the following statement: “The more muscles you have the easier is to lose weight”. Find ways to increase your muscle mass and you will see that losing weight will become an easier and faster process.
14. Build your own calorie reducing strategy. This means that you should lay out a plan for gradually reducing your daily calorie intake. Make food substitutions from your diet, avoid foods with a lot of calories and prefer low calorie drinks.
15. The last one in this list of 15 weight loss tips is yours. What are your little and easy weight loss tips?

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Weight loss after pregnancy

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:54:39 +0000

One of the most beautiful and interesting phases in a woman’s life is pregnancy and giving birth. The feeling of birth is invaluable but has its consequences. One of those is the extra weight that stays in the woman’s body a number of weeks after giving birth. Weight loss after pregnancy is not an easy task to do. In the majority of the cases women will lose about 10 pounds as soon as the child is born and a few more pounds in the following weeks. The fat that is accumulated in the body, especially in the belly area, is very hard to go away on its own.
Weight loss for women needs special attention because of the structure of the woman’s body and the hormonal imbalances caused by different periods like menopause and pregnancy. Weight loss after pregnancy is even more difficult. The extra weight tends to be accumulated in the areas that it is very difficult to lose (belly, waist, and tights). Nevertheless it is not impossible provided that you follow the proper weight loss tips.
The first thing you need to do is not do get disappointed. When you step on the scale after giving birth don’t be surprise. You will weight more than before and this is normal. What you need to concentrate on is how to lose the extra weight in a fast but healthy way.
Weight loss after pregnancy: Tips and techniques for fast results
1. Water. Water is needed more than ever. If you read this before then you need to understand that water plays a major role for weight loss after pregnancy. At first it will help you get rid of fluids left in your body from pregnancy, it is a fuel for breast feeding and it will help you get rid of toxins. As far as weight loss is concerned it is a perfect way to save calories and control your appetite. Try to drink at least 10 glasses of water per day for the next couple of months after pregnancy.
2. Keep your self away from bad food. Remember that what you eat and drink is also transmitted to the baby through breast feeding (at least during the first months). Keep your self away from food that is not healthy and prefer healthy and organic food. Eat lean meats like chicken or lean beef. Avoid junk food or pre-made supermarket meals.
3. Eat a variety of fresh fruits. Fruits contain valuable nutrients and substances. They are a good source of energy with minimum cost to your weight. They are full of fiber which will make your bones stronger and your stomach fuller.
4. Skip the ‘whites’.Do not eat white bread, cereals or pasta. Better replace them with whole grain bread, cereals and pasta.
5. Read carefully the food labels before selecting what type of food to buy. Do not just rely on the front label but read the detail label. Many foods are being advertized as low fat and while this may be true, they are full of calories. Check the carefully and select those who are low in fat, sugars and calories.
6. When you feel that you have the energy start exercising. At the beginning start slow and then gradually increase the intensity and pace of the exercise. Since pregnancy has an effect on your hormone levels you must consult your doctor before doing any heavy or very intense exercise routine. A great example of start up exercise routine is walking. You can start walking for 10 minutes per day and then gradually increase that to 20 minutes. You can also carry our baby with you so that you feel better and have better results.
7. Employ the natural method of weight loss after pregnancy, breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is extremely important for the child and it is also a great way to lose calories, especially fat. On average each day you are breastfeeding you burn around 500 calories.
8. Do not follow any ‘famous’ diet promising super fast results. You need to be patient. Weight loss after pregnancy will take time and requires a lot of effort but at the end you can lose the extra weight and return to your normal levels. After all the extra weight took 9 months to accumulate in your body and it won’t go away overnight.

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Weight Loss Tricks

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:16:34 +0000

Enrich your exercise program
Is the training you have been doing boring? Change the type of exercise, the program or the intensity. Try 20-30 minutes training with high intensity, alternating with 30-45 minutes of normal intensity. You can apply this to cycling or walking outside. Make kickboxing, then mountain biking in replacing the aerobic exercises. The combinations are endless. Do not limit yourself.
Sprint
Replace 1 or 2 aerobic training sessions with sprint. Run a level road or a hill or even on the track if you have access, instead of the traditional aerobic exercise. Beware that before you try this form of exercise you need to be in good shape and have the approval of a doctor.
Eat light at night
Make your program so that the last meal of the day is 3 hours before sleep. If you eat something at night, keep the calories low; choose something light with more protein and carbohydrates rich in fiber with little fat.
Reduce carbohydrates gradually during the day
Do not eat starch carbohydrates after 3pm.
Reduce the consumption of carbohydrates
Keep carbohydrates low, approximately 25-30% of your total calories for 3 days (increase protein and good fats for compensation). At the 4th day consume high amount of carbohydrates.
Try to remove whole grain products from your diet
Some people have sensitivity to gluten contained in whole grain products, causing inflation by making weight loss difficult. Remove some starch foods from your diet and increase fat free protein and vegetables then you may as well increase the weight loss.
Experiment by removing milk from your diet
Some people have lactose intolerance or are allergic to milk and not know it. Try to remove them from your daily diet and see the effect on your weight loss attempts.
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Mysteries about Fat Burning

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:47:54 +0000

Here are two mysteries about burning fat that no one told you about. They will shut down your body’s ability to burn massive amounts of fat!
Toxic Liver Dehydration
1. Keep Your Liver clean – Supporting Your Liver Means Supporting Your Body’s Ability To Detoxify and Burn Obnoxious Stored Body Fat.
Few people know much about the liver or liver function. Yet liver disease is the fourth most common cause of death in our country after cancer, heart disease and strokes. Learning to support your body’s detoxification processes and your immune system means learning to support your liver. The liver’s processes are vital to fat burning and overall health.
The liver is often compared to a chemical laboratory, a storage plant, a warehouse, a power plant and a waste disposal plant all encompassed in one organ. It’s described that way because of its phenomenal assemblage of membrane structures, internal machinery and chemical production.
Here are some of its functions
– Creates bile, essential to the digestion and absorption of fat
– Also creates immune substances like gamma globulin
– Metabolizes fats, proteins and carbohydrates
– Manufactures blood proteins, including prothrombin and fibrinogen, the anti-coagulant heparin, albumin and globulins required for maintaining water balance and contributing to blood viscosity.
– Filters the blood to remove chemicals and bacteria
– Helps maintain electrolyte and water balance
– Breaks down and eliminates hormones
– Stores vitamins, minerals and sugars
I know this all sounds highly medical, but this is totally amazing information. I always want my people to know the how and why of fat burning to lose body fat.
Many toxins that we consume or are exposed to will not dissolve in water. These toxins, called lipid-soluble, will only dissolve in oil or oily solutions. Fatty tissue or tissues that have lipid soluble membranes, like the liver, can store lipid soluble toxins for months or years.
One of the liver’s jobs is to convert these toxins from lipid-soluble to water-soluble. Once they are water soluble, or can be dissolved by water, they can be flushed from the body, released by the kidneys or bowels. This change takes place in the liver through a complex system of enzymes.
SO you can see the importance of getting the right food plan with high fiber content and avoiding dehydration that can shut down the release and flushing of fats!!
2. Dehydration – Shuts down Fat Burning
In the past ten years of research and experience on the subject of fast fat burning and getting fit quickly, I’ve discovered that dehydration will shut down fat burning and wreak catabolic havoc on your muscle tissue. Basically that means that you lose muscle and store fat!
What are these magical agents of fat burning wizardry… Water and Fiber. Let me explain why…
I know you have heard from me that water is important for your fat burning effectiveness but even still, most people I get emails from still don’t drink enough water daily seven days per week.
Water is vital to your fat burning efforts and maintaining your lean body mass. Our bodies are about 65-70% water.
Dehydration is often misread as hunger. Your body is seeking fluids and electrolytes and you interpret it as hunger and start snacking on sugary snacks instead of fruit that your body is craving.
That is why water and water based good Glycemic fruit keeps you from snacking on unhealthy sugary foods and sugar-laden soft drinks. That is why I use the Glycemic Index in my Quick Start Energy Program.
You can drop fat fast; lose overall body weight without going hungry. Increase your energy while lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke and the new dreaded disease plaguing women, diabetes.
Fluid more important than food!
Did you know that we need water in our bodies more than we need food. The body can survive for much longer without food that without water. Water is like the oil in the engines of our cars. It is involved in almost every process the body goes through, from digestion to nutrient absorption. It also keeps your energy level up as it prevents dehydration.
Now, this is very important…dehydration will totally kill your chances of burning fat, because the body interprets this as a state of metabolic shock. It shifts its focus on getting water and stops doing other things, like burning body fat for energy. And here’s even more helpful info about the power of water.
Try and drink most if not all of your water ice cold. First of all, it typically tastes better ice cold, and every time you drink an ounce of ice cold water, your body must burn about a calorie in the process of warming the water to your current body temperature.
Now, you can use this to your advantage to burn even more calories each day. Keep your water intake to 100 ounces per day, and you’ll burn an extra 100 calories and burn more fat! How cool is that!
Also, add some lemon to your water. It has positive effects in helping cleanse your liver. Remember, if your organs, especially the kidneys and liver, are working together with high efficiency, it will be easier for your body to burn fat!
Keeping yourself hydrated will keep your kidneys operating at a peak levels and your liver will be allowed to do its job of metabolizing stored fat for energy.
Those to me are the two most important factors you want to address first when you begin your fast fat loss program this week. I believe you should just flat out attack this situation with great vigor. Don’t casually start and lose the fire.
Take your body back and you will own your future!
Start Today!

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Other fat burning tips with food:

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:14:04 +0000

Among the top fat burning foods is also vinegar and lemon. The combination of vinegar and lemon is the best “possible” fat burner. If you combine it with a fresh green salad rich in antioxidants and add one-tablespoon of olive oil (rich in omega-3 fatty acids) then you have a full meal, which boosts the fat burning process.
Caffeine has diuretic and thermo genetic properties, greater than green tea, helping to burn fat faster. But it must be consumed in moderation and special attention should be taken because in large dose may have several side effects (tachycardia, increased pressure, headaches, etc.)
Peanut butter and weight loss: Peanut butter is also good for weight loss! Why? It is full of protein and fiber, which keeps your stomach full longer and reduces the need for fatty sweets!
Finally, the magic liquid that dissipates the fat without any effort and is free and for now – inexhaustible is Water. Water is the most important catalyst in weight loss and maintenance. The body does not function properly without enough water and cannot metabolise fat efficiently. Drinking plenty of water during the day avoids fluid retention in the body and helps the functioning of the kidneys and liver. On average, a person should drink 8 glasses of water a day. This amount varies depending on the weight of the person, levels of exercise and other environmental factors (heat, humidity, etc.)
Weight loss tips for a fast weight loss
Drink fluids
The first thing to do when you wake up in the morning is to drink plenty of water. Many times half the weight you gain in times that your weight is increasing is due to fluid retention in the body. The water will help your body to remove the extra liquids. Set a target to double the consumption of fluids. Remember that the extra fluid need not be derived from clean water. Fruit juices, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, soups are doing the same job. Finally, pay attention to how much salt is contained in the food you consume as this affects the levels of fluid retention.
Do not follow drastic measures
The first solution that comes to your mind after a period where you eat more food than expected is to follow a diet very low in calories. Wrong. This would confuse your metabolism, leading to other problems. The best approach is to decrease gradually the amount of food you eat, focusing more on increasing protein intake. These will give a boost to your metabolism, «burning» more calories.
Exercise with weights
The training with weights at the gym is suggested in periods where you eat more than expected. Sometimes it is more effective than to spend hours on the treadmill or running. This is because it is based solely on the storage of glycogen in the muscles. If the food you eat were rich in carbohydrates such training will help you use them. If you choose on the other hand, the cardiovascular exercise (running) your organism will not burn as many calories as in training with weights, or continue to burn calories after the end of the exercise. You can read more information at 28 weight loss tips with exercise.
Avoid alcohol
Since alcohol contains not only «empty» calories, but it may also affect the proper decision making regarding food, try to avoid it for at least two days to recover fully. If you want a drink at all costs, drink only one.
How to prepare your self for a period that you may eat more than expected
Now if you intend to eat more than the usual, either because of a holiday or party, then there are some things you can do to prepare properly and to reduce the chances to get extra pounds. First, if is possible try to go to the gym prior to that, and make a fairly intense workout with weights. This will reduce glycogen in the muscles resulting in the absorption of as many calories as possible by the muscles.
This article outlines ways on how to burn fat with food and also explained what you need to do to protect your self from gaining extra weight during the holiday periods or periods that you usually eat more than expected.

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