I’m not a doctor. I’m not even a nutritionist, although I have taught a university-level class in nutrition. I’m a self-educated, logical (if I may flatter myself) person who is plagued by a variety of mostly hereditary ailments, who while having been a skinny (even bony) child now battles the bulge and fears incipient diabetes. While living in Japan (what now seems like eons ago) I began to gain weight. I took action and this diet is the result. The first time I followed it, I lost 30 pounds in two months. It was an easy lifestyle (more that than a “diet” in the sense of a special measure taken for weight loss) to which to stick, and I managed for quite a long while, even during an overseas holiday, with lots of temptations around. It was upon my return to Japan and some depressing circumstances that I fell off the wagon, so to speak. Depression is a terrible thing. What I didn’t realize at the time is that had I insisted to myself that I continue the lifestyle I’d chosen, dietarily speaking, my depression may well have been lightened, albeit not cured (food can only do so much!)

Here is the formula in a nutshell, and then I shall elaborate, for it is easy to turn simply things into complex ones, and misread intentions. (For example, when Adele Davis advised that the human body needed the equivalent of three — I think it was three! — tablespoons of oil a day in order to process fat-soluble vitamins, adding that most people take in more than that from their diets, and advising that those who don’t get it that way get it by drinking the dregs of their salad dressing after finishing the salad, some copycats wrote that everyone should open a bottle of oil and drink three tablespoons a day. That’s not what Ms. Davis said, and it’s ridiculous!) So please look at the nutshell, but then read on, to reveal the actual kernel (no, I am not calling myself a nut!)

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it should include all five food groups. Yes, Virginia, there are five.

• Avoid fried foods, especially deep-fried foods.

• Eat all you want of meats (as lean as possible) and (especially) fish, vegetables (note: corn is not a vegetable, but a grain) and, if you are not allergic, dairy, but limit (not eliminate) grains.

• White sugar and white flour are your enemies. Do not collaborate with them. They want to make you fat and sick, and they can if you let them.

• Don’t eat right before bedtime.

• If possible, exercise. Walking counts. Wild sex counts. Pressing the keys of the remote control doesn’t count.

That is it in the aforementioned nutshell. Now to elaborate:

Eat breakast. If you eat nothing else (which would be a bad idea), eat breakfast. “But I am too tired, busy, in a hurry, not hungry, bla bla bla,” you moan. Get over it. You had to get used to whatever it is you’re currently doing; you can get used to this too. You should be ready and even eager to eat breakfast after only a few days of this, so you haven’t got long to suffer. And with microwaves and refrigerators, there is no reason why you can’t prepare some of your breakfast in advance. Nothing I will describe here is overly complex. “But I don’t like eggs/fish/oatmeal/bla bla bla,” you whine. Stop whining already! You don’t have to eat exactly what I eat; you just have to eat the right kinds of foods.

This is how it works: when you wake up, you have had your longest period of fasting, which is why the meal that follows awakening is called break-fast. Your blood sugar is in a ditch. You may not feel like making or eating breakfast but breakfast is what is going to get your blood sugar (and energy) up. Problem is, how is it going to do this? Well, you could eat some nice white sugar (doughnut, muffin, candy bar) and your blood sugar will zoom right off the charts and you’ll feel fabulous… for a short time, and then boom, down it crashes and you with it. Or you could have some protein which will raise your blood sugar gradually to a good level and keep it there until lunchtime. The best source of protein is from meat and dairy, both of which also contain fat, but you should not worry about that because if you limit grains and virtually abolish white flour and sugar from your diet, you will not be getting as much fat from other sources. At any rate, here are the five food groups you want represented in your breakfast:

• Meat (which includes fish, poultry and eggs as well as all the animal meats). Avoid smoked meats which contain nitrites, and processed meats which may include chemicals and other additives. The meat should be as lean as possible, except for the fish, which is okay fatty. If you adore the chicken skin, don’t deprive yourself, but if it means nothing to you, better to avoid it. We’re not working overhard to avoid fat in this lifestyle; your fat intake will decrease naturally with it, despite the meat and dairy. Eggs had a bad rap because they contain cholesterol, but the yolks also contain lecithin, a substance which actually decreases blood serum cholesterol. (Perhaps this is a good time to mention the top three causes of elevated blood serum cholesterol: smoking tobacco, eating white sugar, eating animal fat. Notice that eating animal fat is third, and the first one also to have any nutritional value.) This is a fantastic source of protein.

• Dairy (milk, cream, cheese). Again, dairy has a lot to offer apart from its animal fat content. If you’re not allergic you need some dairy. It’s a good source of protein and milk in particular will supply some much-needed vitamin D.

• Vegetables (especially green leafy ones, and colorful ones). The more colors, the more vitamins. Get fiber and antioxidants here. Eat ‘em raw, eat ‘em cooked, eat ‘em heated up from a frozen condition, but leave ‘em alone in cans. Canned veggies are miserable. Kids who grow up despising spinach only ever had it from a can. Popeye was a fool. (Okay, it would’ve been inconvenient for Popeye to race to the garden and pick fresh leaves every time Bluto was beating him up. But still….. By the way, tomatoes and avocadoes are fruits, and corn is a grain, and potatoes are tubers (and they’re full of starch).

• Fruit. Get your vitamin C and antioxidants here (and yes, fiber too)! Juice is good but whole fruit is better, fiberwise. Be aware that of all the food groups, fruit has the most natural sugar, which is okay if you don’t have a blood sugar problem (diabetes, hypoglycemia) and if you don’t overdo it. There should be no reason for you to avoid taking in a normal amount of fruit. Bananas have lots of potassium but they’re not the only fruit in the world. Again, the more different colors, the more different vitamins you get.

• Grain. White bread is poison. Honest it is. It’s paste and it glues your guts together. They can print “enriched” on the plastic cover but it’s still soft and squooshy and will make you fat without giving you a single vitamin or mineral worth mentioning. Feh just wipe it out of your life. If you are trying to lose weight, you should avoid even the good bread for the first few weeks. And most cold cereal is pretty useless, even dangerous: read those labels. Look at all that sugar! Better you should have some unsweetened oatmeal, or better yet raw oats, or some quinoa, or some long-grained brown rice (not Minute Rice). We’re talking GREAT fiber here.

Here are some examples of what a good breakfast would be (keep in mind these are only suggestions; customize and randomize at will as long as you cover the five food groups):

One or two eggs scrambled with milk and onions, perhaps with some fresh spinach added. Bacon isn’t the best meat to eat because it’s cured and has nitrates but it’s better than nothing, but a small steak would be better, or a bit of fish. Fish for breakfast, you cry, not quite over the concept of spinach in breakfast. Sure, the Japanese do it every day! They have a bowl of (white) rice with a raw egg on it and some seaweed, a small whole fish and some miso soup! A small salmon fillet seasoned with lemon pepper, or a little tuna from a can (it’d be nice to get it fresh!) moistened with just a touch of mayonnaise would do the trick, if you don’t happen to have a small whole fish handy. A bowl of the hot or cold, raw or cooked grain of your choice, perhaps raw oats or cooked oatmeal, some quinoa, some brown rice, any of the above cooled/moistened but a bit of milk or a bit of plain unsweetened yoghurt, and sweetened with some fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, fresh of course, a banana, some blueberries, or apple slices — and/or an apple or pear or peach on the side! The possibilities are endless. A glass of whole milk. (Did you know that whole milk, with slightly higher fat content than skim or two percent milk, has less sugar in it than those slimmer versions?) If you don’t want to have a glass of milk, have a glass of unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, and add some cheese to the egg.

Sounds like a lot of food, and a lot of prep time, right? Nope! You surely have a microwave. You use it to make popcorn, maybe, or heat up burritos. Well, it’s good for real cooking, too, and it’s fast! Break the egg into a plastic bowl, put in the yoghurt or milk or water you use to enhance its volume (I also like to add a bit of wheat bran or raw oats), beat it up a bit, throw in the raw spinach, onions, honestly any cut-up veggies you want, the more the merrier. I tend to like a bit of zucchini and/or cabbage but one think I never leave out is the onions! They’re good the heart and they’re yummy. Don’t like onions? Don’t use ‘em! Colorful bell peppers are good, and have you ever thought of cutting up brussels sprouts? Crazy? Not at all! I cut them into quarters or thirds, depending on how big they are (the smaller they are, the sweeter, so I try to get the teeniest ones). Yellow squash is nice, red cabbage instead of green adds a stronger flavor… the possibilities are endless. You may want to add a second egg just to handle all the veg going in! If you want to use this as your dairy opportunity, add some shredded cheese (you don’t have to shred it; it comes that way in your supermarket). You can cut up some chicken or shave a bit off a beef roast and chunk it, and add that as well. Mix it all up, pop it into te microwave and nuke it until it’s not liquid anymore (there may be some juice floating at the top). Do you know how many food groups are potentially in there? If you add the wheat bran (or wheat germ, or some oats) you’ve got every food group except fruit! Gosh, eat this, munch an apple on the way out the door and you’re covered! You can make this egg dish the night before and just heat it up in the morning. Undercook it a little until morning so it won’t dry out too much.

Okay, don’t like eggs? Here’s a different breakfast scenario. Make yourself a nice, juicy steak, have that bowl of grain with some dairy and fruit, and toss a small salad on the side. Almost anything is better than iceberg lettuce, which is mostly water; how about a spinach salad, or at least some romaine? I like shredded broccoli and shredded cabbage (both available in that condition at the supermarket). If you want to splurge sugar-wise and use a little bit of creamy dreasing (I’m a bit of a fool for that) go for it, in moderation, but an oil and vinegar dressing will be better for you. Still, if you really crave a creamy dressing, try this: yoghurt flavored with paprika, lemon pepper and some green herbs of your choice (laurel, oregano, marjorum, chopped parsley). Add a little shredded cheese to the salad if you like. Tomatoes are good; avocado is full of beneficial oils and tastes wonderful. You can make all of this except the steak the night before (well you can make the steal too but it is going to lose a little in translation). Don’t pan-fry the steak; put the tiniest bit of water on a plate, add the steak and season it, and put it in the microwave for four minutes. Then give it a minute or even 30 seconds more at a time until it is cooked to the doneness you like. (I like it mooing.) Tomorrow, have a salmon fillet, or some tilapia, or flounder, instead. Put it on a dry plate, season it (easy on the salt, there! try some lemon pepper instead!) and put a teeny dab of butter on it, then drizzle a little milk over it. Nuke for six minutes. My old microwave was slow and demanded seven; you’ll learn by trial and error. Want to do it the old-fashioned way? Broil the steak, broil the fish. Broiling is good. For a real change, make a chicken salad: chop up some tomatoes, some radish, some celery, which I happen to despise but this is your breakfast, not mine, throw in your favorite small, edible seeds if you don’t have diverticulitis or diverticulosis, and moisten (just moisten, not drown!) it all with a touch of mayonnaise or, instead, poppyseed dressing. A bit of seasoned yoghurt works too. (Remember, whenever I talk about yoghurt I mean plain and unsweetened. You don’t need white sugar and you don’t need the cooked, limp, jellied fruit the manufacturers dump into the flavored kind.)

Okay, that was a lot about breakfast! Thing is, you can prepare most of it the night before, you can do the immediate stuff really easily and quickly, and it will give you such a boost until lunch, you will likely want to eat lunch later than usual, or skip lunch and have an early dinner. If you do not have a blood sugar problem, this is fine, especially the latter. Either way, you will find you have a pretty good appetite for breakfast the next day because you have finished eating early.

Your lunch and/or dinner can be pretty much anything within the (very loose) limitations prescribed above (no white sugar, white flour, fried foods, etc., etc., you remember, right?)

You may eat all you want of the meats, veggies, fruits and even grains (minus bread and bready stuff) as long as you do avoid white flour, white sugar and fried foods. So isn’t this dangerous? Won’t you pig out and lose all control? No, not really, unless you’ve got a huge problem with self-control already. If you eat ten steaks for breakfast, yeah, you’re probably going to gain some weight, and maybe even a little blood serum cholesterol, but are you really planning to eat ten steaks? Come on. I think you know what’s reasonable and what’s not. If you don’t, you need some help other than this diet, and I do not say that mockingly or as an insult; if you truly are afraid you are going to eat everything in site all day long, please get some therapy and this humble diet can wait.

One more thing: not only for the sake of being hungry enough to eat breakfast but also because your body digests a lot more slowly when you’re asleep than when you’re awake, do not eat close to bedtime.

Now a word about vitamins: some vitamins are water-soluable and some are fat-soluable. C, for example, is water-soluable. You’d have to try very hard to overdose on it; you just urinate the excess away. Fat-soluable vitamins, such as D and E, should not be taken in supplementary form exceeding whatever your doctor (or the instructions on the bottle at the very least) advises. They do build up. You need some fat in your diet in order to process them, too. A low-fat diet is fine, but a no-fat diet will find you losing hair, with flaking dry skin and no smile on your face. You do not need to drink three tablespoons of oil a day; if you do not go out of your way to avoid the amount of fat that comes along with the food I’ve described above, you will have enough to process the vitamins that come along with that food, and that reminds me, if you do not get a certain vitamin in your food at all, the supplement won’t work, as it will have nothing to supplement. There is nothing wrong with supplements, especially if you’ve had the perspicacity to discuss them with your doctor, but please do not rely on them as substitutes for food. They are not.

Yes, you in the muumuu (just like mine), raising your hand? You want to know, “What about pasta? What about dessert? Can I never have them for the rest of my life? I’d rather be fat! I’d rather be unhealthy! I’d rather die!” Relax. Nobody can live without a little treat now and again. The trick is, if you’re in the process of losing weight, satisfy your sweet tooth with some fruit instead, and if you’re maintaining your weight, or if weight isn’t an issue, a treat once or twice a week won’t kill you. (A week, not an hour!) I even sell chocolate, elsewhere on this site! The call for moderation applied as well to bread, and for pasta, too. Have them sometimes. (Not white bread! Never! And there is whole wheat pasta out there though it costs more than ordinary semolina.) Dark rye, whole grain, 12-grain, oat bran bread, those are delicious, have lots of fiber… you don’t need ten slices a day. One is fine. If you fear butter (it can be scary) get one of those trans-fat-free spreads. (Margarine was loathesome; these new spreads are pretty good.)

If you are overweight, this plan will aid you in shedding pounds at a safe but noticeable rate. If you are underweight, this should put a little flesh on your bones. If you are at an ideal (for you) weight (and don’t be fooled by TV ads; you do not need to look like a skinny model!) this will help you to maintain that weight. Remember: diet is important but it doesn’t stand alone, so once you have this down pat, exercise!

Author: Gail M Feldman

Article source: Genessa

People who are overweight are engaging in low carb dieting for their better health and vitality not only weight loss. It is also interesting to know that not only those who are overweight who are after the low carb diet plans.

The low carb diet is noted to have given great benefits to most of the people. In fact, the low carb diet is considered as the best diet fad that strikes at the true cause of obesity, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, and diabetes. With such results that the low carb diet contributes, many doctors and nutritionists are now starting to recognize the nature about the low carb diet.

Generally, the low carb diet has various versions. There are several well-known versions of the low carb diet. Even though the diets differ in their recommendations, it is very nice to recognize that the low carb diet, as the general rule applies, is synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein diet. With a low carb diet, you are given the opportunity to eat until you are full, as long as you eat only those foods that are allowed for your diet.

Low carb diets are one of the hottest diet fads in the world today. Low carb diets have swept many parts of the world through the introduction of its function and contributions to the diet industry. So today, it is no doubt that the low carb diet is acclaimed for its popularity and the great health benefits that it gives to the people.

However, for those who are not really aware about low carb diets, here are some of the low carb nutritional principles that are vital for the formation of the core of the low carb nutritional approach.

Essentially, the first nutritional principle of the low carb diet approach is to lose weight. This is the primary reason that both men and women follow low carb plans. With this principle, it is noted that many people who have followed the low carb approach to weight loss readily take off inches and pounds.

Secondly, the low carb diet plan is intended for the people to maintain their weight loss. With this principle, the low carb diet nutritional approach leaves most other weight control programs in the dust.

Finally, the last principle of a low carb diet is that those who follow the diet program will attain good health over the long term. With the low carb diet plans, many dieters have noted that the change is amazing.

About the Author: Dean Shainin is a well known writer. Get effective weight loss solutions, information on weight loss training, camps, programs and other effective ideas to help you lose weight. For valuable resources and information visit his: Low Carb Diet website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Shainin

Hoodia Gordonii is the newest catch phrase in the weight loss industry today. Everyone wants to be in on the secret, and still more are wondering about this miraculous plant. What does it do, how can it help you lose weight, and why wasn’t it heard of before? Well, some of it appears to be true, however there is more to weight loss than just taking a pill.

Hoodia Gordonii has actually been around for quite some time, but was only recently discovered to be an appetite suppressant. According to many reports, including some from well known media, it can make you feel full faster and stay full longer because of it’s apparent ability to stave off hunger.

The Bushmen of the Kalahari deserts have been eating Hoodia for quite some time now, and have been familiar with its thirst and hunger quenching abilities. That’s why, when using hoodia it is important to have adequate hydration on top of a healthy diet. Even though hoodia is natural and may be able to work on its own to help safely curb your appetite, it is essential that you incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle. Allowing it to starve you is not healthy, so remember that.

Speaking with your doctor is essential in assuring you do not get in over your head. As with any weight loss product, your doctor should know what you are taking and how you plan to use Hoodia in your life. While it is not known to cause any unpleasant side effects, it’s not for certain how it will react with any prescription medications you could be taking. For safety reasons, let your physician know you plan on taking Hoodia and they may be able to help devise a diet and exercise plan that will work with the supplement to ensure maximum weight loss potential.

Although this supplement is being toted by many as the newest weight loss miracle, do not let the hype get to you. It is unrealistic to expect a diet pill to do all the work for you and put simply, it will not.

Diet pills like Hoodia Gordonii, Phentermine, Bontril, Adipex, or others, can help you reach your weight loss goals by supressing your appetite, but that’s only part of the solution to keeping the weight off forever. If you want to lose weight and maintain your health, you have to be willing to change your eating habits and exercise.

Eat foods daily that are good for you like :

-Fruits and vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables.
-Lean chicken.
-Fish like Haddock, Cod, or Salmon, that is low in fat and has Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart.
-Replace peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter.
-Replace white bread with multigrain, rye, or spelt bread.
-Stay away from sugar. Use honey instead. Stay away from artifical sweetners.
-If you must eat deserts, eat low sugar yogurt or plain yogurt mixed with fresh fruit. Or go to a specialty bakery or health food store and buy desserts made without sugar and without preservatives.
-Stay away from caffeine that is in coffee and tea as much as possible. If you suffer from fatique, headaches, or anxiety all the time, this may be part of the reason. Try decafeinated brands instead.
-Reduce your salt consumption. Use No Salt or Half Salt products instead.
-Eat nuts without oil added to them, like pure almonds, cashews and so on, but not that much. They do have a high calorie content.
-Stay away from packaged products, including TV dinners, that are loaded with chemicals and sodium.

*Note: If you are allergic to any of the above, check with your physician for advice.

Exercise :

-Walk at least 20 minutes straight, 3-5 times per week.
-Lift light weights if you can and your doctor approves. A good gym is the best for this because they can put you on a good workout schedule. Strengthening your muscles will help you burn fat faster and will make you feel better.
-Start out slow and build from there.

You’ll succeed and lose the weight you want over time if you follow some or all of these guidelines. Depending on how much you are overweight now, most doctors advise losing no more than 4 pounds a month. You should be able to do that easily.

If you are prone to eating binges, or you have a sweet tooth, or you find that cutting down on how much you eat is too tough, you should consider an appetite suppressant like Hoodia Gordonii or similar, at least for the first few months you’re trying to lose weight. Only taking what is suggested on the bottle or even less at first to see how it affects you. Ask your doctor for guidance if needed.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it and realize you are not on a diet, but you’re changing your lifestyle for the better.

About the Author: Ken Black is the owner of Weight-Loss-Discovery.com, a website that specializes in weight loss.

To burn fat 24 hrs a day is simple. Yes, I said simple but I did not say it is easy. That is because you must have a firm commitment and mental discipline to do it. However, it will get easier and easier when you adapt to your new lifestyle and when your lose fat goal is achieved.

So how do you burn fat 24 hrs a day? Here are some simple steps to lose fat 24 hrs a day.

•Build muscles. Muscles are active cells and they are great calorie burners. The more muscles you pack on, the more body fat you will burn because the calories you have eaten will be burned for energy by your muscles.

•Do your cardio exercises in the morning before breakfast. Make sure that your cardio exercises raise your heart rate sufficiently to burn more fat. The exercises must be intensive and will leave you puffing, panting and sweating. This is to make sure that you will continue to burn calories hours after you stopped your cardio exercises.

•Do your cardio exercise 5-6 days a week. On top of that, because your carbohydrate store is low in the morning, your body will burn more body fat to fuel your cardio exercises.

•Eat 5-6 times a day with about 3 hrs intervals. Make the meals small consisting protein and complex carbohydrate. Complex carbs are carbs that are more difficult to digest so that they do not spike insulin quickly to be converted into body fat. So instead of eating white rice, eat brown rice. Instead of having white bread, substitute it with brown bread instead. Have plenty of fresh leafy fibrous vegetables.

The frequency of meals will tell your body that there is plenty of food and so your body need not store body fat for emergencies. On top of that, your digestive system will be constantly working to digest the food and so that means burning of calories.

•Do weight training 3 times a week with rest days in between. Do your weight workout in the evenings so that you will continue to burn fat. Workout with compound exercises such as bench presses, squats, lunges, dead lifts etc to activate more muscle fibers and so that these large muscles will carry on burning calories for many more hours into the night.

•Take slow release protein supplement before bed such as cassein protein. This is to feed your body throughout the night and help your muscles to recover from the day’s activities and at the same because casein protein is slow to digest, your body will continue burning calories even when you are asleep.

So with a combination of all these activities, you will be burning body fat almost 24 hrs a day. Simple? Great. Let’s start to lose weight by burning body fat round the clock now.

About the Author: Chris Chew is a personal trainer of fashion models, pageant winners, actors and other celebs. See his sites for more free fitness tips. Lose fat fast. Build muscle fast.
Free Fitness Tips

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Burn Body Fat And Lose Weight 24 Hrs A Day – Lose Fat Even When Sleeping

Eat less … lose weight?!? Here’s the other stuff you can do to get leaner.

1 – Don’t diet to extremes. Reducing calories by 15-20% a day will almost exclusively burn fat while larger cuts in calories will burn a combo of muscle tissue and fat. Muscle drives the metabolism – calorie burning. If you’re currently eating 3000 calories, reduce to 2400-2550, but do so according to smart guidelines like those laid out in The Living Health Weight Loss Audio.

2 – Graze all day. Professional athletes and models eat all day long yet keep their total calories under control. The grazing method, 5-6 small meals, elevates the metabolism. Each time you eat, the metabolism increases, and over a 6-10 week period, that increase can parlay into another 2-3 pounds of fat loss.

3 – Increase Protein. Carbs, protein and fat – are equal in their efficiency to be stored as body fat, but protein exerts a greater metabolic boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle which helps keep the metabolism elevated. Aim for 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily.

4 – Play with Carbs. Carbs help retain metabolic boosting muscle yet they can stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low carb diet – staggering your carbohydrate intake is one of the most effective ways to jump start your
metabolism and to burn stubborn fat fast (as outlined in Maximize Your Metabolism and the Living Health Audio Program.)

5 – Go Backward. One reason fat loss comes to a halt; the body downgrades its metabolism to meet its dwindling intake of calories. The solution: dramatically increase your calorie intake once every 2-3 weeks. The one day splurge “re-sets” the metabolism by restoring thyroid levels, the calorie burning hormone that declines with dieting.

6 – Skip the Late Night Carbs. Carbs eaten before bedtime are more likely to be stored as body fat so focus on lean proteins and fiber based vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and salad fixings. The lone exception: if you train late at night and your goal is to build muscle mass, you’ll need the carbs to replenish glycogen and support growth.

7 – Go Fish. When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week (Am Journ Clin Nutr 70:817-825, 1999)

8 – Go Spicy. Red peppers, the spicy ingredient in Mexican and Indian dishes contains Capsaicin which can increase the metabolic rate by effecting the Sympathetic Branch of the Nervous system. Spiking your chicken dishes with red might be a small benefit or you can gulp 5 to 10 encapsulated grams of Capsaicin from your local health food store. (Journal of Nutrition 116:1272-1278, 1986.)

9 – Don’t Be Cardio Crazy! Radically reducing calories slows the metabolism short circuiting fat loss. Same is true with radical caloric expenditure. You know: 2 cardio sessions a day. Excess cardio slows the metabolism, promotes a loss in muscle and even can lower testosterone levels. For real results, stick to 4-6 sessions a week, 30 – 45 minutes at a clip and maintain a high level of intensity.

10 – Separate Cardio From Weight Training. What happens when you do cardio first and follow it up with weight training? You don’t build as much muscle density. How about cardio after training? You risk overtraining and the negative hormonal milieu that can stifle the metabolic rate. The best scenario; hit the cardio in the morning – on an empty stomach – get in a few meals and return to the gym later in the day to build muscle density.

11 – Serotonin Control. Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps controls hunger. Guess what? It can take a nose dive with dieting. ( R.J. Wurtman and J.J. Wurtman, “Brain serotonin, carbohydrate-craving, obesity, and depression.” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 398 (1996): 35-41.) One way to prevent a drop; smaller, more frequent meals.

12 – Garlic Chicken! Mother Earth’s flavor enhancer stimulates adrenaline and uncoupling proteins (UCP). Adrenaline triggers fat breakdown and UCP, located in metabolically active “brown fat”, increase calorie burning. Garlic also controls cortisol levels which can supports muscle retention while dieting. For best results use fresh raw garlic in your salads or on your other meals, but if you can’t handle raw garlic then use fresh bulbs in you cooking or give supplements a try. (Oi Y, et al., Allyl-containing sulfides in garlic increase uncoupling protein content in brown adipose tissue, and noradenaline and adrenaline secretion in rats. J Nutr 129:336-342,1999.) (Wang HX, Et al., Natural products with hypoglycemic, hypotensive, hypocholesterolemic, antiatherosclerotic and antithrombotic activities. Life Sci 65:2663-2677,1999.)

13 – Sip Green Tea. Green tea contains caffeine and polyphenols called epilgallocatechin gallate which have been shown to increase calorie burning. These special calorie burning compounds help burn an extra 100 or-so calories a day, about equal to a brisk walk. In maximizing fat loss, every calorie counts. (Dullo, A.G., et al., Efficiency of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 70(6):p.1040-5.)

14 – Fat? Yes Fat! To rip up, you have to eat fewer carbs, but on occasion – say once a week – you can add a little healthy fat, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, some red meat, walnuts or cashews. The reason? Dietary fat can make the body more effective in using and burning fat – as long as calories and carbs remain under control. (Thomas CD et al. Nutrient Balance and Energy Expenditure During the Ad Libitum Feeding of High Fat and High Carbohydrate Diets in Humans. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;55:934)

15 – Thyroid Support. Irony of Ironies. When you eat less and try to dump body fat, a lot of times the metabolism adapts and burns quite a bit fewer calories. One way to get around the slowdown is with phosphates. A combo of 537 mgs of calcium phosphate, 107 mgs of potassium phosphate and 25 mgs of sodium phosphate given to strict dieters yielded a 12-19% more elevated metabolism than dieters who did not use phosphates.

16 – Write It Down. This one seems simple, but it’s one of the most overlooked tips in shedding fat. Dieters who record what they eat, meal by meal, day by day, not only make better choices, but cheat less and eat fewer total calories. Writing it down “keeps you honest” and is a tool for reminding you that getting lean is a day by day process.

About the Author:

Christopher Guerriero is the founder of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach to millions. He is creator of the award-winning ‘Maximize Your Metabolism’ system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREE teleseminars, visit: Maximize Your Metabolism.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – 16 Ways to Burn Stubborn Body Fat

Did you know that your new automobile is likely to have a larger cup-holder than your older model? That restaurants use larger plates, bakers are selling larger muffins, pizzerias have larger pans, and fast food companies are using larger French fries and drink containers than 20 years ago? Did you know that identical recipes for cookies and desserts in the old editions of “Joy of Cooking” specify fewer servings?

It is evident to all of us that overweight and obesity have increased sharply in the USA in adults and children in the last few years. Since studies show that activity of people has not changed much in the last decades, the increase in body overweight must come from a change in the food intake. Considering that about half the people in the USA consume their meals outside the home, the portion sizes become an important factor in the increase of body overweight.

The American Journal of Public Health published a study about the current sizes of portions in restaurants, fast foods, and food manufacturers. The authors compared the data with the sizes of the past 30 years, and they came up with some amazing numbers. First they noted that all the portions offered in every category exceed by far the guidelines of the USDA and the FDA. Cookies are seven times bigger than recommended, cooked pasta five times larger, muffins three times larger, and so on.

Then they discovered that portion sizes began to grow in the 1970s and have continued to grow at the same rate as body overweight. Food and fast food companies today promote larger items and use larger sizes as selling points. Widespread price competition has induced manufacturers to introduce larger items as a means to expand market share, since they discovered that profit rises when the product size is increased. In the mid ‘50s Mc Donald offered only one size of French fries: that size today is called “small”. The food industry invests billions in making their products more attractive, sexier, saltier, or sweeter and we are vulnerable to their promotions. This happens at a moment when we became more sedentary and kids spend longer hours in front of the TV or their computers.

Going to Europe or other countries we see some striking differences in the food habits. First of all there is not so much advertising about food. Most of the Italian TV ads are about basic ingredients such as olive oil, wine, and pasta, and not so much about prepackaged food or fast food chains. In addition the portion sizes are considerably smaller than in America. I recently had dinner in a steakhouse and the smallest portion available on the menu was a 10 oz filet mignon. That is about three times larger than the average size of a portion of meat in Italy.

I noticed myself many times that people moving to the USA from other countries would gain weight in few months. There is no doubt in my mind that the large amount of food we ingest today is one of the main causes for the general growth of overweight in America. This doesn’t affect only people with a weight problem, but also those who are maybe only a few pounds over and struggle to control the size of their waistline. In an environment where lifestyle and advertising pushes to eat out more and in larger quantities it is imperative that we learn how to control ourselves.

One very good way to start I learned from a trainer at the gym, and I encourage everyone to try. It is very simple: On a notepad write down everyday for a week everything that you ingest. Take note of the quantities, not only for the main meals, but even the smallest things such as drinks, candies and snacks. Then with the help of a calorie chart add up the numbers. Many people say “I don’t know how I gain weight. I don’t eat very much”. I bet they are ready for a big surprise. It is incredible how all those little things we munch during the day add up to a large number of calories.

After the shock, the realization will come that something needs to be done. First it is important to understand what a regular portion looks like. 3 oz meat: is approximately the size of a deck of cards or a bar of soap (when was the last time you saw a steak of that size?); 3 oz fish: the size of a checkbook; 1 oz cheese: the size of matchbox; one medium potato: the size of a computer mouse; 1 cup pasta: the size of two eggs.
When eating out choose the small or medium sizes instead of the large ones. Ask for half of the meal to be packed to go. Share your portion with a friend. Don’t eat the bread and butter before the meal. For your home don’t buy a lot of food, but buy single serving packages. If you snack don’t eat from the bag, but place a few chips or crackers on a dish. Cut in the amount of sauces, mayonnaise and cream cheese, and use low calories types. If you are a big eater fill yourself with a large quantity of vegetables and eventually fresh fruit.

In conclusion: Everyone that tries to keep weight under control knows how difficult it is. The first step is to be inventive in ways to reduce the sizes of the food portions.

Author: Anna Maria Volpi is a cooking instructor and personal chef in Los Angeles. Visit Anna Maria website http://www.annamariavolpi.com for step-by-step illustrated traditional Italian recipes for tiramisu, pasta, pizza, lasagna, risotto, gnocchi and much more, articles and food newsletter. Permission is granted for this article to reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, as long as no changes are made and the copyright, resource box, and active link to her website are included. Please inform Anna Maria if you use of this article: anna@annamariavolpi.com

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Do you feel stressed and unhappy because you cannot lose weight? Have you tried multiples diets and nothing has worked so far? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you better read some of the diet tips presented below and discover for yourself the easy road to weight loss. One thing you should always remember: there is no stronger power to help you lose weight than your own inner strength and persistence!

Many people consider that a diet is represented by extreme suppression of food intake associated with a famous diet pill and intensive exercise. The truth is somewhere in the middle. If you want to achieve weight loss, then you have to reduce the calories intake, exercise plenty and add some of those diet pills to increase the efficiency of the diet. But you never want to exaggerate and most importantly, you should never stress your body too much. Stay away from those diet tips that force you to become an anorexic and do what’s right, what’s healthy.

Successful diet tips always start with the way you eat, the quantity and quality of what you eat. For many people, the weight problems start by eating too much and not necessarily healthy. Learning all about the right eating habits is essential. It ensures a smooth performance of your organism and regular burning of excessive fat. The concept of weight loss is not something that can be achieved overnight. It will take some times before noticeable results appear and you have to discipline yourself in order to maintain the positive effects of the diet. Choose a diet that is rich in fibers, vitamins and not in fats or carbohydrates. Be sure to drink a lot of water and get rid of drinks high in glucose as they contain way too much calories.

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for heart disease and cerebrovascular attacks. As more and more people suffer from this condition, scientists and medical specialists work side by side trying to find more effective methods to promote weight loss. They state categorically the importance of eating healthy and avoiding harmful food, adding physical exercise at the top of the list. As for the weight loss pill, many studies have been made and some of the research results are truly encouraging. Dietary supplements are known to act as appetite suppressants, having effects on the metabolism and preventing fatty deposits from forming. The diet pill can have different results from one individual to another. It is especially effective when associated with the right diet and regular exercise. Under no circumstances should it be taken in higher doses than prescribed and it is not recommended for those who suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes.

The reality is that there are no miraculous solutions for weight loss. It is still up to us to succeed, on our desire to be healthy and decrease the risk factors associated with obesity. In order to make informed diet choices, we need to learn about all weight loss alternatives, follow proper dietary recommendations and establish an exercise routine and stick to it. Most experts agree that losing weight quickly is not healthy as it is a step by step process and they are not wrong. It is important to start with light exercises (wiping the dust counts!), reduce your daily calories intake and choose a diet supplement that fits your needs. It takes courage and persistence to achieve weight loss and you should congratulate yourself for every step you have mastered!

About the Author:

For Great Tips more Diet Articles all the Diets Reviewed Online and a Compleat Guide to Weight Loss Pill’s visit –
www.dietsreviewedonline.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Diet Guide – Exercise, Eat Right, and Add Some Pills to Go Along!

It’s never too late to rethink on your diet plan and make fresh and realistic health resolutions. It is the right time to take stock of the situation. Ask yourself: Are we being fair to ourselves when we make these strict guidelines of diet and exercise? Most people recoil at the thought of dieting and exercising, especially on a cold winter morning. And for all those people who are fed up of diet dictums, the good news is that the best way to lose weight is not to diet or deprive yourself of all the good things in life. If this sounds too good to be true, wait till you try this:

Wellness – the latest buzzword to hit the health industry – is actually the best way forward. Most people who plan strict diets do it in the hope that after losing the extra kilos, they will look ravishing. But the truth is that lusterless sagging skin or loose abdominal muscles are not the result that people want. What we want is a happy, healthy, svelte figure munching an apple. But alas, that is not what we end up with very often. Therefore, after trying to lose weight for the nth time, it is now time to stop dieting forever and yet look slim.

Wellness is not only about losing weight, it is also about a positive mindset and transforming oneself into a holistically healthy person. This kind of a change in focus will not only result in weight loss but also give you great skin, good hair, a glowing persona and best of all, freedom from diets. Here is what the wellness and diet schedule entails:

o Understanding your food weaknesses and indulging in them two times a week.
o Maintaining a diet log book.
o Pick up a routine that you enjoy which is like an exercise: dancing, or walking the pet, floor exercises with music etc.
o Never deprive yourself. Always add new healthy habits to the current schedule, like having a yummy soup in the evening instead of tea and a scrumptious salad during lunch with olives, balsamic dressing and some greens and cheese cubes.
o Enjoy your meal. Many people who eat hurriedly always miss out on the flavors, do not feel satiated and end up compensating by overeating.
o And if all this does not convince you, count the number of times you have struggled through a diet program only to regain the weight with a few extra kilos.
o Looking at unhealthy habits and finding alternatives. For example, if you are prone to drinking too much of tea/coffee, substitute some for herbal teas which smell and taste good. If you eat too much of fried food, learn to make toasted snacks or baked snacks, and experiment with new roasted snacks.
o Do not starve or eat less. When we cut down on quantities, our emotional system retaliates, so the best option is to add healthy foods to the diet before cutting out on food suddenly.

About the Author:

Kimberly Thomas writes articles within the weight loss industry.Learn how to lose the healthyway at http://www.edietfactory.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Are You Starving To Lose Weight?

Losing weight can be difficult for many people and as a result it can be very easy to turn to unhealthy methods to speed up weight loss. One way to help lose weight, remain healthy and in top condition for exercising is to use meal replacements.

Two of the most popular types of meal replacements are shakes and bars which can easily be substituted for meals during the day. The benefits of utilizing a meal replacement shake include:

-They are low calorie and contain all of the vitamins and minerals a person needs to sustain a healthy body and lose weight at the same time.

-Replacement shakes can be ready made which makes them ideal for people who are on the go and do not have the time to cook a low calorie meal.

-Meal replacement shakes can give anyone wanting to exercise a boost of energy which is perfect for anyone wanting to exercise. Exercise when combined with a low calorie and low fat diet is known to increase weight loss.

-A good meal replacement shake will not contain any ingredients such as aspartame, or any preservatives or colorings. This means them the ideal choice for anyone who wants to lose weight but is also concerned about what they put into their body.

Some people prefer to eat a meal replacement bar, the benefits of doing this include:

-Bars contain protein which is needed to give anyone who wants to exercise the energy to do so. Protein is also responsible for keeping the body healthy and enables it to repair itself after exercise – something that everyone who is serious about exercising should understand.

-Meal replacement bars can also be a great snack on the run if it is difficult to slow down and have a meal.

-Bars usually only contain natural ingredients. So they can be enjoyed as part of a well balanced diet and used to replace meals without any worry about eating unhealthy, unlike many of the other commercially produced snack foods.

As shown using meal replacements in the form of shakes and bars can certainly benefit anyone who wants to lose weight healthily. In particular they are a wise choice for anyone who regularly skips breakfast as eating breakfast is essential for good weight loss. Not only are they great for anyone who doesn’t always have the time to prepare meals from scratch, they are packed full of the vitamins, nutrients and protein that it needed to maximize every workout.

Robert Harden, fitness coach at Extremely-Fit, invites you to visit http://www.extremely-fit.com for more fitness and nutritional articles, like this one. For a good meal replacement shake, check out Shakeology.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Using Meal Replacements for Weight Loss

Do you have an exercise plan to lose weight? Two excellent choices to consider are the elliptical workout and the treadmill weight loss workout.

Let’s compare the two kinds of workouts so you will be able to determine which exercise plan to lose weight works best for you.

An elliptical trainer workout has become very popular and actually has a few advantages over a treadmill.

It is less strenuous to the knees, joints and lower back so it is very suitable for people with injuries.

It also works all the parts of your body continuously giving you a total body workout. An elliptical trainer workout is great for cardio fitness and you can get a good workout in a short period of time.

A treadmill workout is still a very popular workout today. Many people buy a treadmill so the whole family can use it. A treadmill workout is perfect for beginners because the intensity in the workout is adjustable by walking, jogging or running.

Treadmill weight loss can best be achieved by exercising within your target heart range zone. Here is how to find the right target heart rate for you.

First, you need to find out what your heart rate is while exercising after five minutes. To test your heart rate place your thumb on the underside of your wrist to locate your pulse.
Count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply that number times four. That number is your heart rate.

To calculate your ideal target heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For successful treadmill weight loss exercise within 70% of your target heart range zone.

Both the elliptical trainers and treadmills help you to burn fat and are perfect exercise plans to lose weight. Exercising not only tones your muscles, but actually gives you more energy for your whole day.

You can purchase treadmills and elliptical workout trainers on the Internet as well as fitness stores. Both machines are very effective for burning fat and losing weight. Just make sure that you buy quality equipment that will last.

If you are looking to burn body fat and take off weight, these two machine can be a great help for your exercise plan to lose weight.
Copyright © 2006 Fat-Burning-Secret.com All Rights Reserved.

Gary Gresham is the author of Fat Burning Secrets that gives you lists of negative calorie and fat burning compatible foods that you can buy at any regular supermarket and fat burning exercises that can be done with or without fitness equipment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Gresham