Weight loss help

What Is Healthy Weight Loss?

2010-08-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

With all the adverts about losing 30 pounds of weight in a matter of weeks, is it really healthy weight loss if it's this quick?

Healthy weight loss means it should be coming from as much fat loss as possible. Now it is highly unlikely that anyone can lose 30 pounds of pure, stored body fat within a few weeks. So we want to focus on a more realistic target. It will depend on how much you need to lose but generally you'll want to set a goal for a percentage of weight loss.

Some experts believe that a healthy weight loss would be around 10 percent of your body weight over a six month period. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be looking at losing 20 pounds. Or breaking it down means 3-4 pounds each month!
This way there's more chance the majority of the loss will be from fat storage and less from water. It will also mean that the loss will be more sustainable and last longer term.

More Info on Healthy Weight Loss

From more advice & Help visit weight loss home

Sweating Off The Stored Fat

2010-07-16T03:25:00.000-07:00

Some people believe that fat loss means sweating hard and long in the gym. Not always!

It's impossible to sweat off excess fat. Sweating causes dehydration which results in loss of water from the body. Obviously water loss will mean some weight loss, but this will simply be replaced from drinking water and fluids during the day.

Sweating could be seen as a rough guide to how much energy you're burning. More sweating during a workout will generally mean more calories burned because you're working harder. Greater amounts of calories burned is good for weight loss to some degree, however if you work too hard your body may end up burning far too much glucose for energy. This means fat is NOT being removed from the stores!

For some people, especially those very overweight and/or unfit, they may be better off working out at a more gradual pace. Maybe not so the workout is too easy but not so much where they're sweating too much or breathing too hard. A nice managable pace, but for longer periods so sufficient number of calories can be burned directly from fat storage.

Maybe it's time to give up those sweat suits, sweat belt and wraps!

Burn off the body fat with good quality exercise on a regular basis!

Learn more about the tricks of losing fat here.

Is Weight Loss Really Worth The Effort?

2010-05-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Chatting to a client yesterday and she made it clear to me actually how much work is involved in losing sufficient amounts of weight to reach the main goals.

She said if she worked out for half hour every day without fail, how long would it take to lose 10 pounds.

Well, roughly half hour of moderate exercise should burn around 150 calories. She said, is that all!!!

Yes, that's all I'm afraid!
What this means is to burn off just 1 pound of fat (3500 calories), you'll need to do more than 23 similar workouts. Now that sounds like hard work, yes I agree. Especially when this client revealed that she ate a chocolate bar as a treat for doing well at the gym. What, there's around 200 calories in a bar of chocolate. This means that she had just undone all of the day's workout in a few bites!

So what's your choice, miss out on a few luxury treats or spend more time in the gym?

I prefer the former thanks. Im just hoping she can start to realise the true work involved.

However, looking on the bright side, it's not all doom and gloom here.
Remember, losing pure fat from stores rather than just losing "water weight loss" will make you look fantastic in the long run. So, it's worth the effort I think!

Good luck, keep working it!

Here's Link to energy expenditure info when working out

How to calculate energy burned for yourself

EXERCISE AND ITS CALORIE BURNING POTENTIAL?

Learn tips & Tricks on Expending More Energy Revealed

Visit our weight loss site for latest information on losing body fat

Question from visitor about Sandwich Calories

2010-05-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Can eating ham, salad sandwich on rye bread help control provide energy for the day?

ANSWER:

Yes, certainly.
Rye has a low glycemic index rating (a low G.I index for blood sugar control) and therefore is a slow-burning carbohydrate energy source. The ham provides a little protein, plus the salad helps add some vitamins, minerals and fiber. Overall, it could be part of a healthy balanced diet.

It is also lower in calories than many other forms of sandwiches, and therefore may help with slimming but only as part of a low-calorie diet.

Learn more about Glycemic Load of various foods here:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/glycemic-load.htm

Much more information on losing weight revealed in over 600 articles from our main site:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/

Sauna Use for Weight Loss?

2010-04-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

The other day I was asked whether using saunas can benefits health or maybe even help in losing weight. Losing weight requires a number of small changes to calorie intakes and expenditures. Many little changes can add up to a big difference, and saunas can add little benefits to energy expenditure. Therefore, it may help towards weight loss goals.

So what are the main benefits from using a sauna:

Saunas cause your body to burn calories. Your sweat glands produce sweat, which requires energy, and therefore increases caloric expenditure. So yes, they can help a little towards losing some weight, however saunas should not be solely relied upon as a weight loss system.
Saunas raise your body temperature slightly, which gives the effects of a fever. This prompts the body to fight off any viruses or bacteria that can cause illness, thus boosting your immune system.
Saunas provide a slight cardiovascular benefit in that the heat and steam require the heart to work a little more to send more blood to the capillaries.
It works as a stress reliever by helping you to relax and unwind. Relieving stress can lower blood pressure, decrease headaches, and elevate your mood. This will make you more productive, and more pleasant to be around!
Saunas are an effective way to rid the body of toxins that we ingest from the environment around us through sweating, such as mercury, lead, sodium, and sulphuric acid.

If you do decide to try using saunas for any reason you should first consult your doctor!!

Much more weight loss information is available at www.weightlossforall.com

Seaweed May Help Overweight People

2010-03-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

News that seaweed will eventually help overweight people lose weight. It's won't be a miracle cure as it only helps limit absorption on fats in each meal. However, it can be a great boost to any fat loss program. Although, there's talk that this new weight loss help won't be available for another 4 years!!

You can read more about this new seaweed story by clicking on following links:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5335176.stm

This is the latest info:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8579472.stm

Learn more about our latest information on losing weight by visiting our website:

www.weightlossforall.com

Mitochondria Care for Better Energy Production

2010-03-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

A cell's mitochondria are tiny little power plants that do the actual work in converting glucose, a sugar, into usable cellular energy.

Mitochondria are important to lose weight because they help burn up the fat from stores using an indirect biochemical method.

You take care of your mitochondria in the following manners:

Do not eat rich foods. Eat light foods that are easy for your body to break down and assimilate. Whole foods are best by far.
Eat less foods overall. When you eat less, your mitochondria have less work to do. With less work done, the life of your mitochondria is elongated.
Exercise more. Regular physical activity increases mitochondrial production levels.
Provide the body with sufficient healthful nutrients, vitamins, minerals, water, healthy fats and loads of antioxidants.
Be consistently attentive to other methods for increasing your metabolic rate. For instance, take the steps instead of the escalator. Park in back of a parking lot instead of waiting for that spot right up by the doors. Take your dog an extra walk every day. Do whatever you can think of in order to create an increased level of physical activity in your life.

By increasing the longevity of your cell's mitochondria, you increase your own longevity. You are your cells! Your cells are you. If you wish to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight level, prevent and/or reverse diseases, optimize your health and live happier, then you have to embrace the concept that you are nothing more than a conglomeration of cellular structures that need proper fuels (the foods that you eat) and regular physical activity to thrive.

Learn more about energy production here

New Research on Keeping Children Slim When Young

2010-02-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

A new report reveals 3 tips on how children can help themselves to stay slim.

These include getting a good night's sleep.
Reducing time in front on TV.

Find out the others here:

http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/3homehabitshelpyoungstersstayslim.html

All Parents Need to Set a Positive Example to their Youngsters!

Parents face many challenges in addressing their children’s weight issues. For their efforts to succeed parents must understand that weight control is not just about dieting, it’s about lifestyle and it’s a lifelong effort. Being role models for healthy eating and physical activity is the first step for parents to help their children control their weight.

Learn more ideas for tackling obesity in children by clicking links to the following pages:

Helping Children to Tackle With Their Obese Condition

What Age Should a Child Know About Weight Control?

The Health Problems Associated with Childhood Obesity

http://www.weightlossforall.com/

Diabetes Signs & Symptoms

2010-01-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

Diabetes Symptoms to watch out for.

Symptoms to look out for are:

Frequent urination at night
Excessive thirst
Tiredness
Burred vision
Numbness in the feet
Weight loss.

If you have a sore or a bruise that takes longer than 2 weeks to heal, then it could be a sign of diabetes. Undiagnosed diabetes will have too much sugar in the blood, which can make it hard for white blood cells and oxygen to travel to the infection and heal it.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, and most widespread in people over 40. With type 2, your body isn't producing enough insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels. With type 1, your body stops producing insulin altogether, buit this affects people of all ages and its symptoms are easier to diagnose.

Learn More About Diabetes Here!

The Best Diets Never Work in Reality!!

2010-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. Some people will believe that the "BEST" diet would be one with the lowest calorie intake so weight is lost quicker.

Where in fact, cutting calories too much actually forces the body to reserve its energy stores (fat storage around belly!) so the energy lasts longer for survival reasons!

So, if we really want to win the battle on weight control, the real way is not to diet at all, but rather eat sensibly. Sounds boring yes, but the best part is we can use many physiological tactics that speed up the fat loss process.

Little tips like:

The more we sweat the less fat our body tends to burn off during exercise!
Avoid too many refined carbohydrates after a workout - consuming them straight after working out may limit your fat burning process
Consuming a little dairy every day has been shown to limit fat absorption meaning reduced calorie intake
Fat requires oxygen to burn so when exercising inhale a little deeper, and exhale slightly faster. This will supply more oxygen to muscles
Having a healthy, light snack before exercising can improve performance and help burn more fat calories
Warming up properly before exercise will prolong your ability to work out and increase your fat burning potential
Train your cell mitochondria and you'll dramatically improve fat burning potential
effective macro nutrient ratio combinations & correct timing can help burn fat without a calorie deficit
Developing a consistant and rhythmic style when exercising helps keep the body in the last "gear" of our energy system which burns a greater percentage of fat!
Regular exercise performed a few weeks before lowering calories will help maintain a stronger metabolism

Imagine saying to your friends you managed to lose the weight without the need for a silly, restrictive diet that was full of things you hate to eat.

In his updated book, Tom Venuto shows how you can learn the most effective ways to train for burning off body fat directly. So you can burn fat without starving the metabolism.

Tom reveals the 8 most powerful strategies to permanently lose fat without diets or deprivation.

Learn More Click Here!

New Articles Added to Site

2009-12-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

We just added some new articles. The topics range from the basics of cardio fitness, an overview of various exercise regimes, breathing methods during exercise to the age at which children may need to start looking at their weight.

With the latter one, we believe parents should try to teach their children some good, activity habits like take them swimming or allow them to play their favourite outdoor games. This is so they too can learn to enjoy leisure activities, which may help tackle the long term effects of weight gains!

Learn New Tips & Tricks for Losing Weight After Christmas!

Research Finding for Help Losing Weight

2009-11-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

Losing Weight through Soup-a-day!

A recent study has shown that a meal blended into a soup will help keep hunger at bay longer than eating the same meal normally presented on a plate. The reason is that a meal blended with some water prolongs gastric emptying. In other words, it takes longer to empty the stomach thus, the stomach wall is stretched for longer periods. A stretched wall causes the stomach to send messages to the brain to stop eating, because it is full. However, simply drinking water along with a normal meal won’t have the same effect because the water will simply pass straight through and be absorbed.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP:
Drink more freshly made soups during the day. Here are some some low-calorie soup recipes

****

Learn More Weight Loss Tips & Tricks on our Website

Persistence - the Ultimate Key to Real Weight Loss

2009-11-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

No one will lose weight if they don't put effort into their required physical and dietary changes.

As one famous writer was wrote:

Perseverance:
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.

All of us need to be persistent if we want success in any area in life. This includes losing weight, gaining fitness or building muscle.

It doesn't matter how much knowledge a person has, if they don't use that knowledge effectively, they'll never reach their target weight goal.

So, no matter how "lost" or how much of a struggle I believe losing weight is, I would always push through my workouts or stick to my dietary calorie intakes.

I always remembered that every little benefit helped!

Learn more from our Weight Loss Website

Weight Loss Accountant

2009-10-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

So what accounts for lost weight if we lose it too quickly?

Can it all account for fat loss?

There will be a loss of:

Water - Less food eaten often results in slight dehydration and a net loss of water.
Glycogen - Carbs stores in muscles are lowered so there's a net loss of further fluids from the body.
Protein - protein usage for energy needs results in additional water loss.
Less feces in system - more is excreted than replaced due to lower food intake.
Fat - fat loss will acount for a small percentage.

All the above losses from the body will depend on several factors such as; how strict the calorie intake is, how much exercise is done, age of individual, etc. It is fact that all of us will lose some of the above losses from the body. The difference is how much of a proportion for each individual. Some people will obviously lose more stored fat than some others. And generally, those who tend to struggle with their weight will more than likely lose too much protein from the muscles. This affects the metabolism rate quickly, so he/she stops losing further weight and reaches a plateau quickly.

At the beginning of a strict diet program, fat will be lost. Although, it will more for the first day or two. When the body lowers its metabolism (due to loss of protein for energy), the fat loss will decline rapidly because the body will require less energy.

For more information on losing weight, go to our homepage:

http://www.weightlossforall.com

Which is the Energy Source for Training?

2009-09-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

I often get asked about fat burning, especially during exercise routines. Many people seem to want to know how to burn the maximum amount of fat during exercise.

The body is actually always using all three energy sources. The type of activity simply shifts which is the major fuel. In fact, intense training like resistance training uses as much as 20% of calories from protein, as branched chain amino acids become a major source.

When you are primarily burning fat, you rarely burn more than about 60% - 70% of the calories in optimal conditions ... the rest are a combination of carbohydrates and proteins.

The best way to burn as much fat as possible during exercise is to make sure you're not too much out of breath when training. I would say that ideally, you'll want to be breathing slightly harder, but certainly not gasping. A good guide is to always remain in a state where you'll be able to maintain small conversations with other people around.

Learn more about exercise fuel here!

&

Jogging exercise energy usage, is it too much?

Which energy is my body using when I exercise?

http://www.weightlossforall.com/

New Obesity Pages Added - Read an extract!

2009-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Worldwide obesity rates are higher than they have ever been before and are consistently climbing further. While obesity can be looked upon as a medical condition, there are heavy psychological burdens associated with it as well. The social stigma of obesity often causes those who are obese to dislike themselves and become reclusive. This can lead to social alienation, dangerous levels of anxiety and chronic depression. Additionally, there are uncountable health risks associated with obesity that require serious consideration.

There is a widespread stereotype directed at the obese in many societies across the planet. Obese people are looked upon as lazy, unsightly, lacking health and lacking willpower. Further, those who are obese have a greater probability to be limited in social class. They are also far less likely to ever be married. Additionally, obese people are very likely to experience discrimination of the following types:

Employment;
Romantic;
Entrance to college;
Acceptance to various social events;
And many more…

This is an extract from one of our new pages added this morning. To read the full article:
http://www.weightlossforall.com/obesity-social-stigma.htm

We have added many more new pages to the site, these include information on:

ATP Energy Production for New Exercise

What Causes Muscle Cramp?

Caloric Values in Common Drinks & Beverages

Lowering High Blood Pressure Through Dietary Changes

Social Stigma of Obesity Problems

You can now follow us on twitter:
http://twitter.com/weightlosswayne

Why Don't Calorie Per Pound Add Up?

2009-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

If one gram of fat = 9 calories, and one pound of body fat = 3500 calories, then why don't they add up properly?

There are 454 grams to each pound, so if I multiply that number by 9 (9 calories per gram), why is it I get 4086 calories per pound?

I thought it is supposed to be 3500 calories per pound of fat?

ANSWER:
One pound of body fat is not actually all made up of fat. About 10% is water, and water contains no calories. Another point to remember is the fat we consume in food is not completely absorbed, about 5% is eliminated in the feces.

If you now take away 15% from 4086, you end up with 3473.1 calories. Yes, this is not quite 3500 calories, but most experts can only ever work to estimates because it's very difficult to be completely accurate as everyone is different. For example, one person may have 10% water in one pound of fat, while another person may have 9%. The weight loss industry standard is correct and works well by taking into account all the variables.

Some Foods With More Calories

Learn to calculate your Calorie Needs

Visit our Weight Loss Help Homepage for Updates Within Weight Loss Industry!

Running & Appetite Problems

2009-07-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have recently found that when I exercise at a greater intensity it seems to boost my appetite. I started to run about a week ago, and built up to longer distances every time I ran. I noticed that a few hours after my run I craved sweet foods. After one session I ended up eating 2 bars of chocolate which meant I consumed nearly 400 calories!

It made me think what's the point in me running, unless going for fitness of course. If I burned off more calories from running but ingested two-thirds back over the course of the day, then my energy balance won't be in a negative state for me to lose any weight. So I have decided to walk more often and for further distances in order to burn off more calories and limit increases in my appetite.

When I do plenty of low intensity exercise such as walking, even for very long periods, my appetite seems to regulate itself. The result is I hardly ever seem to overeat. My portion control seems to control itself after walking, which is a bonus.

I will continue to walk and monitor my appetite. Then in a few weeks I will do running again just to see if the same process happens. Keep posted!

View Home To Lose Weight

Bad Habits that May Limit Weight Loss

2009-06-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Lets look at some examples of habits which may be causing limitations..

Work:
pressures or boredom at work could tempt people to seek refuge in food.
some may sit at home (less exercise) in their spare time worrying about how to meet deadlines rather than joining in some recreational activities (more exercise) to help relax.
sitting at desk all day-then too tired or don't feel like any activity after work
don't take sandwiches- so no control over meals as works canteen don't supply many healthy options.
meetings with clients in restaurants- habit of eating too much

Family Life:
family cooking methods, ingredients used or unhealthy recipes repeatedly used due to long-term habits.
another family member has control over selection and cooking of food in the household- a change may not suit them
Consuming too many calories at family meals because of the social interaction surrounding mealtime - not aware of amount of food consumed.
family problems/arguments- result in binge eating or drinking too much alcohol
children's choice of snacks in the cupboards- causes temptation

Social Life:
drinking too much too often- to be with friends or in social situations, meet in pubs / snack bars / coffee shops
social pressures to drink- to be with the " lads "
frequenting restaurants for nights out with partner or family

General habits:
sucking on sweets all day to make work more pleasurable.
Stocking too many sweets or snacks when food shopping
watching films but must snack during viewing
depending too much on use of vehicle even for trip to local shops
must eat quickly as too little time for cooking with fresh natural ingredients- results in choosing convenient food high in fat/calories

Recreational Habits:
rent movies often but must snack whilst viewing
unstoppable cravings for chocolate or sweets
stopping smoking may affect the amount you eat

For more information and help losing weight visit our Weight Loss Homepage

Here are some of our recent new pages added to the site:

Common Body Shapes & Toning Secrets Revealed

Media Influences on People's Body Shapes & Sizes

What are the Aging Effects on our Metabolism?

What Triggers Overeating - Emotions, Foods, Stress, Boredom or the Environment?

Dangers with Developing Unhealthy Relationships with Foods

Social & Family Influences on Dietary Intake & Eating Habits

Further Ways To Boost Metabolic Rates

2009-05-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

There are other ways to increase your metabolic rate

Intense workouts: Although most gyms and trainers will advise steady cardio work to lose weight, allow us to be so bold as to say that they may actually be wrong. According to some studies, the best way to lose weight is shorter, more intense workouts.

When researchers compared high and low intensity workouts, they found that while at low intensity it took 78 minutes to burn 500 calories, at high intensity it took just 51 minutes. This is simply wonderful news.

But that's just half the story. They also found that an hour after exercise, the high-intensity group were burning twice as many calories as the low intensity group. In fact, even three hours after the workout, they were still burning 24% more fat.

There are many high intensity workouts to choose from, including interval training, spinning classes, cycling and intense weight training.

What you eat and when you eat it: Your metabolism will also be affected by what you eat and when you eat it. Most dieticians are concerned about how much processed food and simple carbohydrates have become the mainstay of Westernized diets, and rightly so. Recent research compared two diets; one high protein (21%), the other regarded as normal protein intake (8%). It was revealed that even though the total calories were the same for both diets, the high protein dieters burned 37% more fat than those on the normal protein diet, even at rest.

There was also a marked difference after workouts. Whereas the high protein group burned fat after working out (as described above), consuming simple carbohydrates after a workout ceased the burning of fat post-workout.

The lesson from this is clear; consume more protein and less simple carbohydrates and avoid simple carbohydrates after a workout.

Green Tea: You may wish to consider adding green tea to the diet. In addition to all its other wonderful properties (green tea contains anti-oxidants and cancer fighting chemicals); it has also been found to increase the number of fat calories burned by 35% . To date, science is unclear as to why.

Dietary Supplements: The sales of dietary supplements that purport to aide with weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry. While some extra nutrition may prove helpful in the transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to healthy lifestyle, there really exists no cheap way out. When purchasing dietary supplements, be certain to choose natural vitamin supplements. However, a diet rich in whole foods truly is the answer to successful weight loss.

The bottom line is that if excess fat tissue invades the body's structure, the base metabolic rate will be slower. Understanding that the human body is not designed to exist in this condition is step one in increasing the metabolic rate. Step two is putting forth effort to lose excess body fat and increase muscle mass. A muscular body simply burns more calories than a body burdened by excess fat.

Research into Fatty Acids & Oils

2009-03-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Some research has proven that some fatty acids have an important health role, especially for maintaining a healthy heart and circulation.

Studies show that people with a diet rich in oily fish are more likely to have a stronger and healthier heart.

The oily fish such as mackeral, herring, pilchards, sardines, salmon and trout contain ample amounts of eicosapentaenoic and decosahexaenoic acids which make up Omega-3 fatty acids. It is these rare oils that we require for optimum health. Experts recommend we eat fish at least twice per week to ensure good supply of these essential oils and fatty acids.

To read more information on essential oils and fatty acids, read our articles below:

Benefits of Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids

Different Fats in the Diet

Different Types of Fats

The Good & Bad oils & Fats in Foods

Fat Storage on the Human Body

The Benefits of Walking to Lose Weight

2009-03-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Walking is not only a great exercise for maintaining health its also one of the best exercises to help control weight. Many people trying to lose weight often perform an exercise they believe burns more calories and wonder why after a few weeks they hardly see any results. Permanent fat loss will take time, even though calories do count its not just about burning as many calories as possible, especially during the beginning stages of weight loss. To lose fat weight its vital to start off with an exercise that will help burn fat directly, one which also helps to slowly develop fitness levels so that higher calorie burning exercises may be performed later on in the program in order to speed up weight loss. Walking is probably the best exercise to start losing permanent weight.
Even though a walk won’t burn lots of calories just look at the positive benefits of walking:

Higher percentage of body fat burned
Increase health & fitness
Boost energy levels
Decrease in health risks

Also remember walking is:

Easy to participate
Fun with friends
No equipment is necessary

For more information on exercising to lose weight visit our site!

http://www.weightlossforall.com/

Jogging to Lose Weight

2009-02-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

Many people ask me if it's ok to jog for weight loss.
Any exercise can be good to lose weight, it really depends on the person and their preferences as well as the present fitness level. Someone who is less fit, will probably be better off doing an exercise that is less intense, and one that doesn't place as much strain on their joints.

I think some of the best exercises for most dieters are rowing or swimming. The intensity for both these exercises can easily be controlled and balanced to match the individual's physical ability. Also, they do not place as much strain on the knees and ankles like jogging would.

Some tips for jogging.

Try to jog on grass rather than concrete paths. Grass will give a softer impact and may help reduce the potential for injury. Although, BE AWARE that jogging on grass could result in a minor accident if your foot lands awkwardly on a lump, small hole, mud patches or debris from trees, so you may need to find a flat field to jog on as well as keep aware of the terrain ahead!
Do not jog on consecutive days. You need to give the joints and muscles plenty of time to recover fully. So jogging every day is NOT recommended, it would be better to jog on alternate days, and preferably jog only twice each week or less. If you need to burn extra calories you could always complete a different exercise that doesn’t strain the joints as much, rowing or swimming are good examples.
Always wear the correct footwear when jogging. Some trainers are better suited for running than others. Make sure you pick the best footwear designed for running.
Preferably jog on a treadmill with a training partner nearby. Treadmills are better suited for running as you can do the session indoors (or at gym) and away from pollution (in cities), dangers on the roads, and danger of uneven grounds, as well as other potential problems. A training partner will help encourage you and also be there if anything bad does happen.
Always warm up thoroughly before a jogging session!

Jogging can be a great way to lose weight, however, you'll need a certain amount of fitness before jogging every workout. You want to avoid possible injuries, as it will stop your workouts until recovery!

Learn why recovery is important when exercising to lose weight

Fat Genes Are Real!

2009-01-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

There was a report out last years revealing that scientists had discovered a gene called FTO which increases the risk of becoming obese for those who have the gene present in cells. People with the gene are more likely to become overweight, plus, they will always have a difficult time trying to lose weight.

The good news is that the weight gains are reported to be only a few pounds, and that people who are more than 15-20 pounds overweight can only blame a small percentage of the weight gain on the "fat gene". The reality foir many overweight people is they have eaten too much and exercised too little.

The gene is inherited from one or both parents, and it has been reported that if a person inherits the gene from both parents then they'll be even more likely to become overweight in the future.

The research can partly explain why some people find it so hard to lose weight consistently, and also why some can eat lots and never seem to gain much weight.

However, the researchers did say that healthy eating and regular exercise are still key to maintaining a healthy weight regardless of whether we have the gene or not.

So don't despair and keep moving!

www.weightlossforall.com

Are the Calories in Food Wrong?

2008-12-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Calories are rounded on food labels, so when you multiply the grams of protein, carbohydrate or fat, you may come out with a different value than appears on the label. Foods that contain 50 calories or fewer are rounded to the nearest 5 calorie increment; foods with more than 50 calories are rounded to the nearest 10 calorie increment. And foods that have fewer than 5 calories can be listed as having 0 calories.

Although it may seem that this rounding could be misleading or inaccurate, keep in mind that a 10 calorie difference is actually negligible in the grand scheme if things.

Find out the Number of Calorie in Different Foods

How much weight can I lose in a week?

2008-11-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

This is a question that many dieters would love to know but this is almost impossible to determine. Firstly how much weight one can lose depends on several factors:

Body Type or shape
Metabolic rate speed
Activity level
Hormonal balance
Percentage body fat
Calorie intake
Nutrient intake
Motivational level
Timing of meals

This list could be a lot longer, but it does show that the answer to the question is highly individual and would require individual assessment.

I think another question should be asked after this one; do you just want to lose weight or burn excess body fat?
The reason for this question is because it is quite easy to lose just body weight. It’s possible to lose up to 5 pounds in one day just through dehydration alone. Many boxers or jockeys do this to make weight for an event. Yes dieters do seem aware that fast weight loss can often mean water loss, but many don’t understand why, or realize that just going on a diet will cause most weight lost to come from fluid loss. So if it’s fat loss you’re after then you must think long term.
That means one or two pounds each week!

That may sound rubbish but it’s quite fast if you think about it. Yes in a month you may have only lost 8 pounds but there is more chance this will be long term loss. Think about it this way; say you lost 20 pounds in a month through strict dieting, but 60% was from water loss. The water will probably be slowly gained back over the following month. This really means you only lost 8 pounds for that month, that’s the same amount lost through healthy eating and frequent exercise.

The easiest way to go about losing weight is to just get started by eating a healthy balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables. Aim to lose a little at a time and make small, easily obtainable goals.

Change Breathing Patterns to Burn Fat Naturally

2008-11-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

A technique in breathing patterns can be used to help burn a greater percentage of fat whilst exercising. It involves the conscious thought to control breathing during light or aerobic exercise.

Usually we breathe using only one fifth of our lung capacity, however when we learn to use our lungs more effectively during exercise it's possible to help supply greater amounts of oxygen to the working muscle cells. A greater supply of oxygen to muscles means more excess body fat can be burned!

I achieve this by inhaling slightly deeper than normal then exhale slightly further than normal. Once I'm into the swing I can push the breathing further, but I always make sure breathing comfortably without making myself light-headed in any way. It does take practice, and I always warm up first. Sometimes I can exercise and take in deep breaths and then exhale firmly to expel most of the air from my lungs. I eventually work upwards until I can speed up the exhalations but maintain a steady inhalation cycle of breathing.

www.weightlossforall.com

March To The Sound Of Losing Weight By Stepping

2008-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Dieters must find ways to burn off calories if they wish to continue losing further weight. We often think about what type of exercise must be done to acheive extra calorie burning, and also how long do we need to exercise for?

There is one easier way to guide how much exercise is enough, this is to count steps instead of minutes of exercising. Counting steps is much better than thinking about performing some kind of workout every day.

All you need is a cheap pedometer and atach it to your side for the day. It counts how many steps you've made in a day. Experts recommend we step around the 10,000 per day mark, but this really will depend on how many steps you're taking at the moment. For instance, if you count only 3,000, then simply try to increase this amount by 500 per day for a week. You can gradually build up the daily total over several months until you reach about 10,000 per day. At this point you should start to see some good weight loss results within a few months, as your calorie burning would have been dramatically boosted. Of course, this is providing that your diet is balanced and has a negative calorie balance to enable you to lose weight.

Counting steps to lose weight is much easier than thinking about going to the gym for 50 minutes of sweat and pain, then having to do it all again a few days later. Who wants that?
One of the problems with completing your calorie burning with steps alone is the potential for injury. Consistent walking will place lots of strain on your joints, especiall the knees and ankles. For this reason, check with your doctor before increasing your daily step number. You may need to balance steps with some non weight bearing activity.

Tips When Not Losing Weight

2008-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Try the following tips when having trouble losing weight

1. Keep active with regular exercise
2. Do not starve yourself when attempting to lose weight
3. Lower calorie intake gradually, lowering calories to much too soon doesn't give you much adjustment when weight slows
4. Consume plenty of low calorie, high fiber foods
5. Consume more natural foods high in complex carbohydrates and reduce highly processed foods loaded with extra fat, sugars and salt
6. If doctor approves try weight training to help the body hold on to lean weight while losing fat
7. Try to change workout routines and gradually challenge the body to adapt to higher levels
8. Don't train too hard too soon, gradually build up intensity levels as fitness levels increase
9. After a few weeks of exercising try to work the whole body during each workout to boost calorie burning

Blog Flux Directory

What Food? Less Food! Maybe Change Food!

2008-09-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

So many of my clients want to know what to eat to lose weight.
The first point I fell needs to be made is that losing weight generally requires eating less food than required, and as a result, they shouldn't always focus on WHAT to eat, but more importantly on How Much they should be eating!

Remember, we can all still gain weight by eating more calories, whether those calories come from junk foods or health foods. Calories are still calories after all.

If however, I would have to choose a food type which would probably help a little more, then it would have to be a complete protein food source. The reason is because protein requires more energy to digest completely, plus, for protein to be used as an energy source by the cells it must first be converted into sugar by the liver. This again costs the body more energy for the process.

A huge amount of protein must also be used for its other needs, such as growth and maintenance of skin, nails, hair, muscles and antibodies. This is yet another positive effect as less excess protein would be available for fat storage.
These benefits are one of the reason why the low carbohydrate diet/ high protein diet are still popular with many dieters. They do have some benefits but generally high protein diets have far too many health drawbacks to be used as a consistent diet regime.

Although, it must be remembered that many protein sources are from animal origin and thus tend to potentially have high animal fats and thus calories. This is the reason for choosing the leaner prepared sources of animal protein foods.
Also, one should always be aware of their own potential for eating different types of food sources. Some people may not be able to eat high amounts of protein foods or single foods due to an intolerance to a particular food. You should always check with a dietitian before changing your diet!

Exercising to Help Lose Weight

2008-08-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm often asked what is the best exercise for losing weight. I believe a simple answer to this is, that any exercise is better than no exercise at all.

However, there will be some exercise that would be better for certain people depending on their specific health/fitness levels, as well as their specific situation. For example, it's no good explaining to someone that walking or jogging is a good weight loss exercise, if that person has problems with his/her knee joints.

So it's important to look at each person and assess what might best suit their needs. I think another good point is not to get an unfit person to do intense exercise too soon in any regime. We all need time to build fitness up, and pushing someone who doesn't really like exercise is only going to test their motivation level to the limits.

It might be a better idea to list a few good exercises and let each person choose what they feels is the one they would like to perform, so it wont affect the motivation to exercise too much. So, here is a small list of different exercises that could be good for burning off calories.

Some good exercises & activities for losing weight:
(listed in no particular order).

Walking
Fast Walking
Jogging
Swimming
Rowing
Cycling
Boxing
Circuit Training
Cleaning
Gardening

I think the best thing for anyone is simply to get up or go out and become active. As an idea, even shopping can become good if it involves walking around for long periods!
The idea is to just get moving on a regular basis, and just do something that we enjoy!

Exercise for Seniors

Our Need for Sugar

2008-07-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

We all need sugar. What we don't need is the excessive amounts of it. Natural food in its whole state will supply your body with all the energy demands, even for marathon runners, and athletes.
On the average, each of us consumes 18% of our total calories as refined and processed sugar. It is suggested that we should reduce our refined sugar intakes to 10% or less of our total calories. Keep in mind, many of us could go without all refined and processed sugars. Your body will get along just fine on nature's sugar found in complex carbohydrates. Save the refined sugar for infrequent sweet treats. Since we're eating so much refined food, it's easy to understand why our intake of nutritious complex carbohydrates is so low. We each consume only about 28% of our total calories in this form. We should increase that to at least 48%. For those involved in physical performance, the intake of complex carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars can go as high as 80% for some people.

More Information on the subject of sugar & carbohydrates:

The Basics on Carbohydrates in the diet

What Are Carbohydrates?

Different sugars added to Foods

The Truth about Sweetners and Artificial Additives

Taste Sensations & Weight Control Problems

Do Carbs Make us Fat?

What is the glycemic index?

The G.I. Diet & its Problems for Losing Weight

The Glycemic Loading in the Body after Eating Sugary Foods

Setting Weight Loss Targets

2008-06-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

When trying to lose weight, most of us want results, right?
And many people want results fast!

Unfortunately, fast results are also unrealistic, or not permanent results!

Dieters seem to want to lose 10, or 15 pounds in a week or two. This is simply not going to be done, unless you lose mostly water weight.
Fat weight loss needs to be gradual. An average of 1-2 pounds a week is good progress. If this was mostly fat loss then in only ten weeks, you would have lost up to 20 pounds of fat!

A loss of this much will certainly make a difference to the appearance. Weight lost gradually is more likely to stay off, so I think people should learn to be persistent.

Also, everyone loses weight at a different rate - your rate might be faster or slower than others, so try not to get discouraged if the scales don't seem to move from time to time.

I think it's best to realize that every time you do some form of activity or exercise, then you'll be one more step closer to your ultimate weight loss goals.

Be strong and keep it going!

Need motivation to exercise & lose weight? click here!

Gain Good Nutrition with Less Food

2008-06-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

During our studies into the nutritional content of numerous common foods, we noticed a few "super" foods come through and shine. These are so because they seem to contain a large amount of certian nutrients for the portion or weight of the food itself. In other words, they contain a high density of certain nutrients for good health.

One of the natural foods I noticed was Brazil nuts. These contain high levels of Selenium, rich in Magnesium, high in Phosphorus, good for Calcium and contains some Iodine.

This is on top of the good protein content and the fact that they contain a little Zinc!

Foods rich in nutrients like Brazil nuts are great for slimming because when eating smaller amounts of food overall, we need to find some rich in nutrition to help gain essential nutrients for health. In small portions, Brazil nuts can help provide a large amount of nutrition during dieting periods. the only downside to eating nuts when dieting is they do contain lots of calories. Although, this can be controlled by the portion size, just maybe eat a few each day!

Oh, and before you start eating Brazil nuts please check first to make sure you don't have a nut allergy!

For more information on losing weight effectively check out our homepage!

Raising the Metabolism with Little Exercise

2008-06-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Raising the metabolism is the best way to burn body fat stores, and experts will agree that exercising more will help raise your metabolism. The problem is many people don’t want to be exercising for hours in the gym just to raise the metabolism. People want to spend less time exercising to boost metabolic rate. So how little exercise needs to be done in order to boost the metabolism rate?

Can you raise the metabolic rate without long exercise sessions?

Is it possible to raise the metabolism with very little exercise, and without the need to exercise aerobically such as jogging, cycling or doing an hour of this or that? The answer is yes! It is possible to raise the metabolism without lots of exercise. I know this because my metabolism rose quickly when I first started weight training many years ago. At the time I wanted to build strength and muscle and I knew it was important to start light and gradually build strength without trying to do it within the first few workouts.

I started weight training by performing only 3 main exercises; squats, dead lift and bench press. These are multi-joint exercises that target the major muscle groups of the body, thus I was getting a whole body routine with only 3 exercises. When performed correctly these three exercises tax the major muscles and stimulate muscular growth quickly. This is how I was able to raise my metabolism quickly without too much exercise. By training all the biggest muscles of the body I was also burning a lot of energy within a small time span.

I performed the 3 exercises twice each week for a total workout time of around 30 minutes, that’s one hour per week to raise the metabolism quickly. I performed the routine in a progressive manner, starting off very light for the first few workouts then gradually worked at building up the resistance every session. If I managed to do ten repetitions with my regular weight I would raise the resistance for the next session and again keep trying to complete ten repetitions before increasing the resistance.

This routine helped raise my metabolism within a week or two, but the only problem was it did take some effort and determination. In the beginning the workouts seemed far too easy but after a few weeks when the weights started getting heavy I had to dig deep and keep pushing myself. I believe this is NOT a routine for the obese as it requires a certain degree of fitness; hard training places a lot of strain on the heart. For this reason I would recommend you consult with your doctor and a qualified instructor before attempting a routine of high intensity weight training. If you have a slow metabolism when dieting you should try to learn more about why this happens, then you can increase your metabolism quickly.

More information on increasing the metabolism is on our site:
www.weightlossforall.com

A Q & A about fat burning foods

2008-05-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Question:
What are the best thermogenic fat burning foods for burning body fat?
Answer:
That depends on your definition of a "fat burning food." When you say "thermogenic," many people instantly think of supplements or exotic herbs, hot spices or foods like cayenne, chili pepper, mustard, cider vinegar, guarana, green tea, etc., which "magically" ramp up your metabolism and burn off body fat.
There might be some science behind some of those things, but focusing on tiny details (especially before you’ve mastered the fundamentals) is putting your attention in the wrong place. It’s like getting excited by the idea that drinking enough ice cold water is "thermogenic" and is going to get you ripped because the body has to "warm it up" and that expends energy... when meanwhile, you're skipping meals, drinking beer every weekend and working out sporadically or not at all. That makes no sense.
I agree that details are important and that little things matter, but when you give too much attention to small stuff (and "weird stuff"), before you know it, you’ve fallen for the latest cabbage or grapefruit diet. Focus on the big stuff first - the fat burning fundamentals - only then begin to "nit-pick" and take advantage of those "little things" that might help an extra percentage here and a percentage there.
Actually ALL foods are "thermogenic" because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the "thermic effect of food" (TEF) or "specific dynamic action of food." When you say "thermogenic food" to me, I think of REAL, WHOLE FOODS, and the most thermogenic fat burning food (my "favorite") is lean protein from solid foods, especially lean meats. Protein powders are great for convenience and some - like whey - even have functional properties (as antioxidants and immune boosters), but powders aren't as thermogenic as real food.
It’s commonly known that of all the macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat), lean protein has the highest thermic effect. Personally, I believe the thermic effect of protein is even higher than most people realize.
Combine thermogenic lean protein foods with the right amounts and types of essential fats, add in plenty of green vegetables and just the right amount of natural starchy carbs and whole grains (at the right times), and your body will literally turn into a fat burning machine - without drugs, supplements or weird diet gimmicks.
You can learn more about this entire process of natural thermogenesis using real food (not pills or powders) in Tom's Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book. You'll also learn all the fat loss fundamentals, which are responsible for 80-90% of your results. Also, for a limited time, you can get two three free reports about fat burning foods when you order the Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle e-book: (1) Foods That Burn Fat, (2) Foods That Turn to Fat, and (3) The A Food B Food Lecture: How To get Good Grades on Your Food Choices. Visit the home page for more details - click here to view BurnTheFat.com

Weight loss help & advice

Boosting the Metabolic Rate

2008-05-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Some exercises can increase the metabolism for up to 15 hours after the workout. This normally happens when the intensity of the exercise is high, such as for many anaerobic exercises. It accelerates the metabolism because the muscles need to recover from the stress. Intense mechanical stress brakes down some of the structural elements within the protein filaments of the muscle cells, and it also degrades the chains of stored glycogen (carbs in muscles).

Repairing these elements requires the body to send more protein and nutrients to these exhausted muscles so they can restore the muscle back to their pre-workout state. The process to restore muscle elements (usually referred to as Anabolism) creates a greater need for energy, thus the metabolism is speeded up until the muscle cells are restored back to normal. As the oxygen consumption is back to normal, most of the extra energy can be supplied through excess fat stores.

For this reason, it is important to exercise regularly in order to lose weight faster than just dieting alone. However, the most important secret is to exercise early in the morning so your metabolism is elevated for the day ahead. This means your body can be in a fat burning mode for longer periods so you get the most out of every workout you do. Meaning you can exercise less for greater results than those who exercise mid to later in the day and then ruin it by resting at a time when they could be making the most of an increase in metabolism.

Putting Carbohydrates Into Perspective

2008-04-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of the misconceptions about the food pyramid guide that's often repeated in many popular diets is that eating plenty of carbohydrates is recommended. yes, the idea is to build a base of grain foods but not an unlimited amount of them.

When fat became villainous in the 1990's, carbohydrate foods became known as a bit of free foods, because they're often fat free. That kind of thinking led to overconsumption of carbohydrates. For example, how many people does a one-pound box of spaghetti serve in your house? If it's fewer than four, you're eating too much. There are eight servings in a pound of cooked pasta; having two would be the equivalent of two servings, the same as a sandwich.

The other lost message in the guide to food pyramid is that most of the carbohydrate servings are whole grains. however, USDA data shows that we eat less than one serving of whole grains a day.

For more information on the Golden Rules to Healthy Eating

Answers to many weight loss questions

Eating Junk Food & Still Losing Weight!

2008-04-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

Can we still eat junk foods and lose weight?

This is a question I have see a few times in the weight loss forums online. The answer is simple, YES.

It is possible to lose weight and eat junk foods. Losing weight is about making sure that for the majority of time, we are consuming fewer calories than the body requires. If this is achieved consistently, then weight will gradually fall off.

The problem is many dieters eating junk food, often end up consuming more calories than they should. Put it this way, even if you only consume a little less energy than required, such as 100 calories per day, you still won't see much in the way of weight loss. You need to cut calories by roughly 500 per day (made up of dieting & extra activity), in order to see significant results on the scales.

Junk foods generally provide more calories per serving than healthier foods, thus it's so much easier to go past calorie quotas.
So, yes losing weight while eating junk food is possible, but it may become much harder to see the results on the scales and in the mirror.

What are the pitfalls of eating junk when trying to lose body fat?

Ways to tackle over-eating when dieting to lose fat weight

More Weight Loss Tips & Tricks

2008-03-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more dieting tips while I was just thinking them up in my head.

1. Buy a few dried herbs and spices so you can add them to the healthy "boring" foods to make them taste a little better. Don't be scared of experimenting with flavours too.

2. Try your best to drink more water over tea and coffee. Water has no calories in it so it's best way to fill up with before a meal to limit the amount consumed.

3. Eat higher fibre foods with each meal. These will fill you up quicker so we consume less energy at each meal, thus reduce total calories for the day.

4. Don't neglect protein foods. We need a steady supply of essential proteins sources to help maintain a good metabolism for losing weight effectively.

5. Exercising does not have to mean going to the gym or running about outside. ANY activity will burn calories and help with weight loss,
try:
more cleaning, playing with pets, general household chores or fixing things to increase your calories burned each day!

Good luck!

Weight loss Help Pages!

Move at the Hips Please!

2008-03-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

I once had a client ask me how to burn a greater amount of calories when exercising. After seeing her exercise, I noticed she had a tendency to limit her movements. Yes, she moved continuously but, the movements were either limited, or she moved only the smaller muscle groups.

I informed her that to burn more energy during exercise, she really needed to use the bigger muscle groups of the body. For her, it meant moving more at her hips, and less at the shoulders and arms.

Imagine the difference between squat thrusts, and performing arm lateral raises? The arm raises will burn much less energy because the muscles involved are small groups. Squats thrusts will burn more because she would be using the muscles of the thighs, buttocks, and all the torso together.

I think this is one reason why doing tons of sit ups will never beat performing aerobic workouts to burn more energy and help lose fat around the belly. Aerobic workouts include a whole host of general movements which require more effort; such as, standing, bending at the knees, lunges and squats, as well as twists of the torso.

Burning large amounts of energy can be acieved quicker if we put more effort into all our movements, whether exercising or doing daily chores!

Learn How To Lose Weight Permanently

Metabolism Talk

2008-03-03T04:07:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a client the other day, and she asked about the metabolism.

I pointed out that I believe it would be much better to increase the metabolism a month or so before starting any new diet.

The reason is because a diet low in calories will inevitably lead to a decrease in lean muscle, which in turn causes a lower metabolic rate.

Exercising before a low calorie diet helps raise lean mass as there will be sufficient calorie intake to enable anabolic processes to occur. This means you would be burning many more calories just to maintain normal weight. At this stage she would be able to reduce food intake a little but get some good results quickly. Plus, she will have much more room to decrease intake further once she hits a plateau in weight loss.

Continuous weight loss requires the ability to adjust diet / exercise at regular intervals, if a person drops calories too low then they would have no room to adjust when the body adapts to the intake.
A higher metabolism gives the ability to adjust without starving oneself!

Learn more about the body and how to lose weight at weightlossforall

Does eating little and often really help lose weight?

2008-02-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Many weight loss experts have stated that eating regularly helps burn off more energy within the body. This is due to the extra energy costs involved with digestion and absorption. In fact, as much as 10% of the energy within each meal can be lost through these processes, meaning there's less that can be stored in the fat cells.

However, there is a downside to eating regularly.
Every time we eat our blood sugar levels rise. This means we have more carbs available for fuel. Carbohydrates are our body's preferrred energy source and thus will use up carbs more readily than stored fat. Keeping this in mind, the more carbs available, the less chance the body gets to burn up further amounts of fat. So if eating frequently is good for weight loss, then how are we supposed to get rid of the stored fat?

Obviously, the answer is in the number of calories used, to those ingested. It's ok to eat regularly as long as the number of total calories consumed each day is less than we burn off. In this case our body has no choice but to tap into energy reserves in the fat cells. The trouble for many dieters is that if they need to eat only 1800 calories per day in order to lose weight, then it would be ingedibly hard to eat 6 or 7 times during the day without going over this small calorie intake.

When we are hungry our body is telling us that blood sugar is low. Thus if carbs in the blood is low, then this is one of the best times for our body to tap into fat burning mode. This doesn't happen for long because many of us don't like hunger pains so we relieve them by eating. This means there isn't much time for burning the fat!

Maybe there needs to be a happy medium, it may be best to eat at least 3 times per day, but I also believe it's important for a dieter to push through the hunger phase, not to starve oneself, but to get used to feeling hungry for up to an hour before actually eating any food.

For more ideas on how to lose weight click here!

Do Calories Still Count?

2008-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, the rule is still true: If you take on more calories than you burn you will gain weight, and if you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight. Seems simple, doesn't it?

Well, it's not quite that simple. Recent research suggests that there may be more to it than just calories in and calories out.

Learn more about how to lose weight correctly for your type of body by visiting our site and diving into the articles we have.
Lose Weight for Good!

Getting Good 6-Pack Abdominals

2008-01-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

3 keys to 6-pack abs and the fat burning formula
By Tom Venuto

One woman recently wrote to me and said she would do anything to have a body like Miss Fitness Olympia, Monica Brant.

The very next day, another woman e-mailed me and said, “I wanna look like Demi Moore, Sheryl Crow, Halle Berry or Jennifer Aniston, NOT Miss Olympia.”

A 19 year old wrote to me and said he wanted to get huge – absolutely massive – like the pro bodybuilders.

Other guys tell me they don’t want to get too big – they want to fit into their business suits nicely and they just want to take a few inches off their waist, and get that “Men’s Fitness” look.

I’m not sure what your idea of a “perfect body” looks like because everyone has different goals and different standards of physical attractiveness.

But there is one thing that everyone wants …

ADBOMINALS!!!

I’ve never met a single person, male or female, young or old, who didn’t want a lean, flat stomach with a “six pack” of abs.

Abs are the one “defining” part of the body considered universally attractive and desirable… abdominal flab is always an unwanted guest.

Ironically, getting great abs is the one goal that seems to elude most people.

How many people do you know – maybe even yourself – who have successfully reduced their body fat percentage, taken in their belt a few notches, dropped a few pounds, and yet still, they don’t have that rock-hard, flat-stomach six-pack look?

When you flip through the fitness magazines, you see awesome abs everywhere, but when you go to the beach, the pool or the park in the summer, how many sets of six pack abs do you actually see in public?

You have to agree – a truly impressive set of six pack abs is a rare sight.

Why is it so hard to achieve the ripped abs look, and how do you get it? There is an answer and explanation.

Most people are either going about it completely wrong, or they are on the right track, but their approach is incomplete.

The first place they stumble is that they believe abdominal exercises alone will get them a six pack. Abdominal exercise strengthens and develops the abdominal muscles but it does not necessarily remove body fat.

You could have great abdominal muscle development, and abdominal strength, but if your body fat percentage is too high, then you still will not be able to see them.

This is because most of your fat is “subcutaneous” – which means the fat is stored right UNDER your skin, but ON TOP of your muscles – covering up your muscle definition.

A good example of this is when a competitive bodybuilder “bulks up” after a competition, gaining excess body fat. This bodybuilder already has impressive muscle mass and awesome abdominal muscle development. The muscles are still there – underneath - but when they get covered over with fat they simply are not visible.

So, the #1 key to getting great abs is body fat reduction.

If your body fat is not low enough, you will never see your abs. You need a method for reducing body fat to a level low enough that allows your abdominals to show through.

And if you’re ambitious and you want truly “ripped” abs, then your body fat level has to be so low, that your skin literally lies right on top of your abdominal muscles (imagine the skin tightly clinging to your abdominal muscles like saran wrap!)

The ideal fat reduction method must include nutrition, cardio training and strength training. Ask yourself, are you leaving out any one of these critical components?

Are you dieting without exercising? Are you doing cardio, but not weight training? Are you training hard, but eating poorly? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are going to have difficulty getting the six pack abs look until you get all three into place at the same time.

The research has proven without a doubt that diet alone is very ineffective at keeping fat off permanently. When strength and cardio training are added, results are not only improved but also maintained long term.

Key #2 is to diet properly in a manner that is hormonally and physiologically correct, in order to make sure you avoid hitting a fat loss plateau.

It is extremely common to get great results initially, but then you hit a fat loss plateau within 4-12 weeks. Sound familiar?

This occurs because there is a lag time before your body recognizes a severe calorie deficit and when it does, your body fights back to maintain homeostasis

Once your body starts getting clear signals that there is a food shortage, your metabolic rate will decrease. Fat burning hormones like leptin and thyroid will also decrease and the appetite center in your brain will get turned on full blast.

This explains from a physiological point of view, why “the last 10 pounds” is so hard to lose – it’s because your body went into “starvation mode” before you got lean enough to see your abs.

How do you avoid starvation mode? It’s simple – don’t starve yourself! My entire Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program is based on this premise:

It’s better to burn the fat than to starve the fat (eat more, burn more)

Key #3 to 6-pack abs and the body you want is to use the right combination of cardio and strength training.

There are actually three different types of training you must do to get great abs.
One is cardio vascular training to assist with the fat burning process.

The second is weight training - for your entire body – which will increase lean body mass. Lean muscle is the engine that drives your metabolism.

The third is the specific abdominal exercises.

Ab exercises alone don’t work.

“Diets don’t work” is more than a cliché, it is a physiological truth.

Exercise combined with nutrition is the answer, not one or the other.

When I developed my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program, I based the program on all three of these keys… plus the motivational tools you need to put these keys to work in your life. Burn The Fat is not merely a diet program and not just an exercise program. It’s both.

When you add the “mental training” component into the mix, which includes setting goals properly, visualizing, affirming, and focusing your mind on what you want (not what you want to avoid), this gives you the motivation to stick with your exercise and nutrition program more easily and consistently.

And there you have it… the fat burning, ab revealing formula:

weight training + cardio training + mental training + nutrition
Check out Tom Venuto's new 4-part Audio tele-seminar

www.weightlossforall.com

Raise Metabolism with little Exercise

2007-12-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

Raising the metabolism is the best way to burn body fat stores, and experts will agree that exercising more will help raise your metabolism. The problem is many people don’t want to be exercising for hours in the gym just to speed up the metabolic rate. People want to spend less time exercising. So how little exercise needs to be done in order to boost the metabolism rate?

Can you raise the metabolic rate without long exercise sessions?

Is it possible to it with very little exercise, and without the need to exercise aerobically such as jogging, cycling or doing an hour of this or that?

The answer is yes! It is possible to raise the speed of metabolism without lots of exercise. I know this because my metabolism rose quickly when I first started weight training many years ago. At the time I wanted to build strength and muscle and I knew it was important to start light and gradually build strength without trying to do it within the first few workouts.

I started weight training by performing only 3 main exercises; squats, dead lift and bench press. These are multi-joint exercises that target the major muscle groups of the body, thus I was getting a whole body routine with only 3 exercises. When performed correctly these three exercises tax the major muscles and stimulate muscular growth quickly. This is how I was able to raise my metabolism quickly without doing many exercises. By training all the biggest muscles of the body I was also burning a lot of energy within a small time span.

I performed the 3 exercises twice each week for a total workout time of around 30 minutes, that’s one hour per week to raise the metabolism quickly. I performed the routine in a progressive manner, starting off very light for the first few workouts then gradually worked at building up the resistance every session. If I managed to do ten repetitions with my regular weight I would raise the resistance for the next session and again keep trying to complete ten repetitions before increasing the resistance.

This routine helped speed up my metabolic rate within a week or two, but the only problem was it did take some effort and determination. In the beginning the workouts seemed far too easy, but after a few weeks when the weights started getting heavy I had to dig deep and keep pushing myself. I believe this is NOT a routine for obese people as it requires a certain degree of fitness; hard training places a lot of strain on the heart. For this reason I would recommend you consult with your doctor and a qualified instructor before attempting a routine of high intensity weight training. If you have a slow metabolism when dieting you should try to learn more about why this happens, then you can increase your metabolism quickly.

For more information on how to lose weight!

Stretch Both the Stomach & Muscles When Losing Weight!

2007-11-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

There is some research showing that when the stomach is stretched the nerves send messages to brain to stop eating because it is now full. An overweight person who has gained weight through regularly overeating will have a large, stretched stomach. If the research is correct then, the stretched stomach could be causing problems when they attempt to lose weight. Ingesting fewer calories by eating smaller portions means the stomach walls don’t get stretched enough after each meal. This means there will be no trigger to cause a halt in the appetite. The result is the dieter will have a constant feeling of hunger, and this may hinder the possibility of losing weight successfully over the forthcoming years.

Getting Fat From Muscles

2007-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

There are some scientists that are claiming some obese people have muscles that are "programmed" to collect fat.

The phenomenon, dubbed metabolic memory, could explain why slimmers find it difficult to lose weight AND keep it off.

Instead, dieters would be better off exercising, as this seems to be more effective at reprogramming the muscle memory syndrome.

The scientists claim that a fat-building enzyme was three times more abundant in muscle taken from obese people than that taken from thinner people. It showed there was a link between obesity, diabetes and fat build-up in muscle.

The cells of obese people seemed to remember their metabolic programme, which explains mostly why people with obesity find it so difficult to lose weight from dieting alone. Experts believe its possible to reprogram the cells and their metabolic memory through regular exercise.

Learn more about losing weight here!

A New Recipe with Low Calories

2007-11-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have found a new recipe this week, it's chicken soup. I feel I have to tell others about it because its low in calories and tastes delicious.

Here are the ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Half chopped onion
Half crushed garlic clove
Half stick celery
1 teaspoon grated ginger
4 cups hot water
2 beaten egg whites
Chopped flat leaf parsley
salt & pepper

Method for cooking low calorie chicken soup

Firstly, cook the chicken in order to shred it into the soup later. I heat up some oil in a frying pan, add chicken breasts (small pieces) and cook for several minutes until browned and cooked through. Once they reach this stage I then remove them from the pan using the correct utensil and leave to cool a little ready to shred up into soup soon.

Then I add separate olive oil to the pan, along with garlic and onion and cook until the onions are soft. I add the celery and ginger and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. I then add the water and I shred in the chicken(providing its cooled a little so I can handle it). Continue to heat it up and then stir in the egg whites, parsley and salt pepper.

Here are a few more low calories recipes to try out for free!

Numerous different common foods with revealing calorie content.

More info on losing weight here!

Weight loss Q & A

2007-10-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Q: What are the best thermogenic fat burning foods for burning body fat?

A: That depends on your definition of a "fat burning food." When you say "thermogenic," many people instantly think of supplements or exotic herbs, hot spices or foods like cayenne, chili pepper, mustard, cider vinegar, guarana, green tea, etc., which "magically" ramp up your metabolism and burn off body fat.

There might be some science behind some of those things, but focusing on tiny details (especially before you’ve mastered the fundamentals) is putting your attention in the wrong place. It’s like getting excited by the idea that drinking enough ice cold water is "thermogenic" and is going to get you ripped because the body has to "warm it up" and that expends energy... when meanwhile, you're skipping meals, drinking beer every weekend and working out sporadically or not at all. That makes no sense.

I agree that details are important and that little things matter, but when you give too much attention to small stuff (and "weird stuff"), before you know it, you’ve fallen for the latest cabbage or grapefruit diet. Focus on the big stuff first - the fat burning fundamentals - only then begin to "nit-pick" and take advantage of those "little things" that might help an extra percentage here and a percentage there.

Actually ALL foods are "thermogenic" because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the "thermic effect of food" (TEF) or "specific dynamic action of food." When you say "thermogenic food" to me, I think of REAL, WHOLE FOODS, and the most thermogenic fat burning food (my "favorite") is lean protein from solid foods, especially lean meats. Protein powders are great for convenience and some - like whey - even have functional properties (as antioxidants and immune boosters), but powders aren't as thermogenic as real food.

It’s commonly known that of all the macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat), lean protein has the highest thermic effect. Personally, I believe the thermic effect of protein is even higher than most people realize.

Combine thermogenic lean protein foods with the right amounts and types of essential fats, add in plenty of green vegetables and just the right amount of natural starchy carbs and whole grains (at the right times), and your body will literally turn into a fat burning machine - without drugs, supplements or weird diet gimmicks.

You can learn more about this entire process of natural thermogenesis using real food (not pills or powders) in my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book. You'll also learn all the fat loss fundamentals, which are responsible for 80-90% of your results. Also, for a limited time, you can get two three free reports about fat burning foods when you order the Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle e-book: (1) Foods That Burn Fat, (2) Foods That Turn to Fat, and (3) The A Food B Food Lecture: How To get Good Grades on Your Food Choices. Visit the home page for more details - click here: Tom's Website:

www.weightlossforall.com

Eating 2 to 4 servings of Fruit

2007-10-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

I find breakfast is a good place to start building up my fruit servings. I start with a glass of juice, then add some fresh blueberries or strawberries to my breakfast cereal. With a small piece of fruit around 12 midday, I have already completed half my quota!

I try to make at least 1 serving from citrus fruit. Orange and grapefruit juice are standard options.

When possible I select fresh fruit in season. In the Northern hemiphere, strawberries are available in February and apples in May. If they are not in season they must be flown into the market from other climates or placed into storage.
out of season fruit tend to be grown for longevity rather than flavor. it's no wonder so many people are turned off by fruit when it means red but flavorless winter strawberries or mushy melons!
instead choosing oranges or grapefruit in winter and berries in spring, means there's a better chance that the fruit was grown locally and will end up tasting juicy and fresh!

For more information on how healthy Fruit can be, check out Foods rich in Vitamin C

Some useful information about fast foods and restuarant menus

2007-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Because fat is an inexpensive way to add flavour to foods, it generally means, the cheaper the fast food, the more likely it contains generous amounts of FAT.
When dining out if you must have a starter and deserts, then try to share them, portions sizes are usually big enough. Sharing restaurant food items with a partner is also, a good way to consume less energy and in some cases gain a little more nutrition.

Stay away from menu items that state:
Crispy & battered
Deep fried
Buttery
Dressed
Bathed
Sauteed

Be careful when ordering at some restaurants. A stir-fry full of vegetables may still contain a large amount of fat. If you find yourself getting full quickly when eating a vegetable dish, then it may be because it contains large amounts of oils from cooking process.

Choose more brown rice, the extra fiber helps fill us up quicker so less calories are eaten.

For chinese items, stay away from Pork, Duck & Spare ribs!
Instead try choosing more fish, shrimp and scallops.
Item served on a sizzling platter can be a better choice over deep fried menu items.

Want to eat more healthily at foreign restaurants?

French restaurant items of foods are generally high in fat. It is hard to find low calorie foods in a standard French restaurant.

What some french menu terms mean:
Au vapour - Steamed
En brochette - broiled
Grille - Grilled

A la creme - in cream sauce
Au gratin - with cream & cheese
En cruote - crusty pastry
Remoulade - Mayonnaise sauce

Indian foods are generally very high in fat. Many dishes are cooked in Ghee which is a clarified type of butter. Tandoori roasting is about the lowest calorie cooking method, but that doesn't always mean a Tandoori dish will be low calories. The chicken may be cooked in a Tandoori style but, if it is included in a high fat dish then it wont make that much differenceto its energy content.

When ordering from an Indian menu it may be best to choose more; Chutney, Dahl, Masala, Matta, Paneer, Pilau or Raita dishes.
Try to eat less Chickpea batter, Ghee, Korma, Molee, Poori & Samosas types of foods.

If eating out when shopping try a deli style food restaurant where most of the snacks are freshly prepared. Split an ample sandwich with a friend in order to share calories. Or eat half, then take other half home for later - spreading each meal's energy content throughout the day!

Whenever possible order from the kids menu!
Go for baked potato and/or salad based menu items.

For more ideas about losing weight healthily click onto our weight loss website!

Calories Still Count

2007-08-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

It is becoming difficult to pick up a magazine or newspaper and not find some mention of the need to reduce dietary fat intake to 30 percent or less of calories. Numerous health and government authorities, including the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, advocate reducing dietary fat to 30 percent or less of total calories. Even the percent daily value of fat appearing on food labels is based on 30 percent of calories. But are Americans heeding these messages?
It appears that they are at least making some effort to reduce fat intake, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, CSFII). This survey shows that from 1994 to 1996 the average American diet contained 33 percent of total calories from fat, down from 40 percent in 1978, which is extremely encouraging.
What is not encouraging, however, is the finding that Americans in general are seeing a heavier weight when they step on the scale. According to a survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of overweight Americans has jumped from 45 percent in 1991 to approximately 65 percent. Almost 30 percent of Americans are overweight.
Other studies support these findings. A study from the National Institutes of Health confirms that in 1992-93, the average weight of Americans age 25-30 was 171 pounds. In 1985-86, the average weight was 161 pounds for the same age group.
Why then, if the percent of fat in the diet is decreasing, is obesity increasing? After all, fat has nine calories per gram while protein and carbohydrates only have four each.
The answer may not be a simple one. Experts believe a number of factors contribute to the increase in body weight. The continuing physical inactivity of Americans has been cited by numerous researchers as a major factor. Only 40 percent of Americans exercise on a regular basis. In addition, researchers point to such symptoms of a sedentary lifestyle as a 10 percent decline in sports participation from 1985-90, and a decline in manufacturing jobs, which means fewer people move around at work.
Other factors include a decrease in physical activity caused by television, a continuing increase in the usage of automobiles, and a decrease in physical education classes in schools. And these symptoms may be here to stay. “Experts agree that the root causes of obesity in the country — a sedentary lifestyle and an abundance of food — are very difficult to change,” says New York Times writer Marian Burros in a recent article on Americans’ weight gain.
Excess caloric intake, however, is also a factor. According to the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), total caloric intake by adults increased from 1,969 calories in 1978 to 2,200 in 1990.
Obviously, calories still count! Weight is determined by the number of calories consumed and the number used as energy. If more calories are consumed than burned, the result is weight gain. Merely controlling grams of fat consumed, which was popular nutrition advice in the past, does not necessarily result in a reduction in calories.
As Dr. James Hill, who is with the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, recently stated, “The idea that you can eat whatever you want as long as you don’t eat fat is totally wrong. There’s solid evidence that the composition of the diet is important, but it’s not just an issue of fat; total calories count too. So, yes, eat low fat. But don’t forget calories.”

Article taken with permission from:
www.caloriecontrol.org

For information about the amount of calories in different foods Visit our site:
http://www.weightlossforall.com/food-calories-list.htm

2007-07-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Too many of us are heavier than is good for us. We’d all like to drop the pounds as easily as possible without enduring the pain of daily exercise and controlled dieting.
We want this magic remedy so much that we are willing to hand over our hard earned money to any charlatan willing to accept it. You need to understand that many companies promote weight loss products by making exaggerated claims that are not backed up by scientific research. You must read the fine print on any claim.
Most will say that their product works well combined with diet and exercise. If that’s truly the case, you’re back to square one: exercise more and eat less. There is a way, however, of making your diet more palatable and that is through hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy treatment can help you lose weight by programming your mind to combat the issue that caused the weight gain.

It's possible to program the mind to:

Stop Eating "Bad" Foods
Improve Dieting Motivation
Enjoy Boring Healthy Food
Enjoy Exercise
Stop Hunger Pains
Improve commitment

Whatever your traouble is for controlling weight, hypnotherapy can help in some way.

Learn more about Hypnotherapy to lose weight here!

Max amount of fat loss we can achieve

2007-06-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

What is the maximum amount of body fat that an average person can possibly lose in one week?

Generally around 2 pounds, but this will also depend on the individual and their circustances and physical make up.

If you’re wondering why!
There are 3500 calories of energy in 1 pound of fat, even if you could create a deficit of 1000 calories each day - and this is not easy to do it consistently from day to day. This would equal 2 pounds of fat loss per week (7000 divide by 3500).
You cannot realistically lose any more body fat because you cannot live without food. In other words, you can only create so much of an energy deficit within the diet. You must still have adequate food/nutritional intake or your body will break down huge amounts of muscle in order to gain the necessary proteins and essential nutrients.
Starving oneself will only cause a reduced metabolism and limit any further fat loss!

How I tricked taste buds to reduce Daily sugar intake

2007-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Desensitize the sweet taste buds to cut sugar intake.

I believe that our sweet sense is tuned to our present sugar intake. By this, I mean if we eat a lot of sugar we become desensitized to it, thus we need more sugar to experience the same sensation. If it’s true and our taste buds can become desensitized then maybe this process can be reversed, and re-sensitized.

I managed to cut down on sugar intake by attempting to trick the sweet taste cells and make them more sensitive to sugar. I tried the trick firstly on my coffee drinks; I used to drink up to 3 cups each day with 2 teaspoons of sugar in every cup. I started by drinking one cup of coffee without any sugar at all. This tasted awful to me at first but I made sure I drank it. For my next coffee I had just half sugar, this tasted much better than the first cup but I still didn’t enjoy it that much. For my third cup of the day I had one full teaspoon of sugar, this time the drink tasted sweet enough for me to enjoy it. I now knew that I could drink all my cups of coffee with only one sugar rather than my normal 2 sugars.

This quick trick had helped me cut down from 2 sugars to one sugar within a few hours. Just cutting out that one sugar in 3 cups of coffee each day meant I had reduced my calorie intake by 336 calories each week with no real effort involved!

I started to think about how this trick could work with foods. I noticed that whenever I was really hungry I could eat foods I don’t normally enjoy yet they would taste ok or sometimes even nice. I thought that maybe the hunger somehow made my sweet tasting cells much more sensitive to sugar enabling me to detect smaller quantities in the foods making it taste better.

I started by making myself go hungry, I normally eat every 3-4 hours but this time I didn’t have anything to eat or drink (except for bottled water) for 7 hours. At this point I felt very hungry but I resisted the temptation to eat a quick, convenient meal. I took the time to prepare a healthy meal of fresh fish, half a plateful of different vegetables and a baked potato. I normally find it hard to eat vegetables so I ate the vegetables first, and I’m glad to say I actually enjoyed them.

This trick helped me improve my diet by gradually introducing healthier meals and snacks. The healthier meals also caused my calorie intake to drop substantially helping me to lose further weight without thinking about a strict diet. I still enjoy the occasional junk food but I always make sure I eat half a plateful of vegetables first! I now eat 4-5 portions of vegetables every day, except for the odd treat day.

I always stick to the principle of never eating junk food before healthy foods, I think the high sugar contained in many junk foods will cause the sweet taste cells to desensitize so healthy food ends up tasting awful as you cannot taste the small amount of sugar. Also, eating junk will fill you up somewhat before eating the healthy food so you may not feel like eating anything else at that stage.

I don't eat that much!

2007-05-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

I had a family friend come to visit the other day and she wanted help to lose weight.

When I looked into her diet, I started to see the main problem. She claimed that she hardly ate because she only had 2 meals in a day; breakfast and evening dinner. My calories must be less than I require, she told me.

She informed me of what was eaten the day before:

Breakfast was 1 large bowl of cereals. 400 calories

Dinner was a packaged meal of chicken Tikka with rice and half nan bread. 1040 calories

However, when I worked out the calorie content of the 2 meals it came to almost the same amount of energy that she required for the day! No wonder she wasn't losing weight. This was mainly because activity level was fairly low so her daily energy needs was way below 2000 calories.

Plus, she failed to calculate the intake from all the drinks during the day, this would be fine if she drank just water but she had teas, coffees and juices to account for.

This added another 400 calories. The total came to 1800 calories from a diet that she felt was making her feel constantly hungry. The metabolic rate for her was around 1850. There was not enough negative calorie intake to cause sufficient weight loss.

I believed she needed to exercise more and have smaller portions to help cut calories even more. Plus she needed to spread out the meals throughout the day to limit hunger.

Question about Abdominal Fat Loss

2007-04-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Q. A friend of mine said that if you have a lot of abdominal fat, it's best not to work out on one of those ab machines where you lay flat, grip the handle and pull yourself up until you've lost some of the fat from your abdominal area, as the muscle only "builds below the fat" and ends up making you look fatter. Is there any fact in this statement?"

A. There is an element of truth to that. If you train your stomach muscles intensely they become larger, but if you don't burn off the layer of fat that surrounds the waist then the waistline will become bigger even though you are not actually fatter.

Check out more Q & A's about Weight Loss Problems

Protein Intake for losing weight

2007-04-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

I find it import to frequently eat small amounts of high quality protein when attempting to lose weight.

The body always burns a small amount of muscle protein for energy, this is amplified during exercise AND especially when following a low calorie diet (obviously the body must gain energy from somewhere) Even if you exercise at low intensity and for long duration the body will still use a small percentage of protein for energy. This is a process that we cannot stop.

A net loss of muscle protein will add to the initial weight loss and look good on scales in the beginning, but will always result in an inevitable weight loss plateau as we continue on any diet program. This is because less lean tissue lowers the metabolism and starts off a cycle in which many dieters will lower calorie intake further to continue progress, however, this often results in a further loss of muscle protein as the body struggles to balance a negative energy balance from fat stores alone.

In this situation I would think about increasing energy intake slightly, especially from protein sources to replace some of the lost muscle tissue.

The body also needs a supply of protein for immune system which is constantly on the go. This means further losses from muscles if this is not supplied in a diet, or if not enough supplied as energy needs for the body always comes first in any situation.

I always try to eat some quality protein sources a few times each day to limit loss of muscle tissue.

Some good quality protein sources

Please read our terms before changing any part of your diet!!

A Shrinking Stomach

2007-03-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I was looking at some research that suggested the signal for hunger can be stopped when the wall of the stomach becomes stretched. Signals are sent to the brain telling us to stop eating. This does seem to make sense in order to protect the stomach from potential damage. The problem with dieting is that many overweight people tend to have a larger stomach so to stretch the wall they may need to eat a larger meal. But a larger meal often means taking in too many calories, unless, of course you eat a big plateful of salad.

I was thinking this could possibly mean that a person trying to lose weight may feel constantly hungry if they suddenly select a diet of low-calorie foods and smaller portions, which is actually one of the best ways to lose weight. But how does a person avoid the hunger pains?

Well, when I had to suddenly limit my food intake to 2 meals per day (due mainly to my workload so I couldn't find time to eat my normal 5-6 meals) I did lose weight although, I was aware this was mainly water from protein muscle loss and thus I wouldn't really recommend losing it this way. However, I also noticed that my stomach did shrink (this is because the body will take some protein from the breakdown of the stomach wall, as it no longer needs to work as hard thus it no longer needs to be as strong). This meant that when I ate a meal I seemed to get full very easily on less food, thus I felt comfortable eating a diet of smaller portions which help to maintain my weight loss at that time. It also helped stop those horrible hunger pains that I experienced at first but luckily couldn't hunt down food as I had to concentrate on work. I suppose I had to break Through the pain barrier for a while.

I think that going through those first 10-14 days with, what seemed to be a forced low food intake actually helped me to shrink my stomach, and I believe that a smaller stomach stopped me from binging out on huge portions when I did finally manage to get around to eating. This means it helped stop the weight re-gain which often occurs after quick weight loss.

Maybe shrinking the stomach is one way to limit portion size when on a diet. Although I personally don't recommend losing weight quickly.

If you believe this may be why you are struggling to lose weight then seek advice from your doctor before attempting to try losing weight quickly to shrink the stomach size. The benefits you obtain from a smaller stomach may be out-weighed by the possible metabolic effects of losing more lean muscle.

Learn more ideas and techniques to lose weight on our website!

www.weightlossforall.com

Don't buy the food from the big supermarkets

2007-03-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

I noticed the other day just how easy it is to have too much food in the house. My partner went to do the weekly food shopping at a new supermarket that had recently opened. This supermarket was huge and sold every item you could think of. When she came back she had twice as many bags as normal, and spent 35 minutes telling me about all these lovely new healthy foods she had found.

Being a little concerned about health she thought all these new "healthy" foods would be good for us but, we are quite a healthy family with no real health problems to worry about. The only thing we need to watch is our weight, and with all this food about that's one thing we'll have to watch even closely now!

Yes, I suppose it's good food but it's still calories, and extra calories no matter where they come from will cause weight gain.

I suppose the one tip we could take from this experience is NOT to shop at large supermarkets with huge choice available. Research has shown that having lots of different foods available can easily cause overeating.

For more weight loss tips and research findings.

Eating Too Little Too Late!

2007-03-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

Eating little and often is usually good dietary advice for people trying to lose weight. The only trouble with having frequent low fat snacks is that you are supplying the body with a steady supply of sugar, the body's preferred energy source. Having a steady supply of sugar means the body may be burning less from the fat stores, this could be especially true if the individual has a low activity level because the number of calories burned is not sufficient to over ride the number of calories supplied from the frequent sugar intake. All this could mean hampered results for losing weight. This is a classic case where some generally good advice may not be much use to others with a different lifestyle or situation.

I believe some people really need to let themselves go a little bit hungry for longer periods to try and force the body to use up excess fat stores more readily. This does not means starving oneself, as is the case for most things in life, too much of anything is never much of a good thing. I mean if you don't manage to get much activity then maybe let that hunger continue for a little bit longer.

For more ideas about losing weight visit:
www.weightlossforall.com

Question from visitor about fat cells

2007-02-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

How many fat cells will I lose after one pound of weight loss?

None!

Unfortunately we don't lose any fat cells after weight loss, we only lose the fat stored inside them. When we gain weight the fat cells swell in in size to make room for the excess energy consumed. The more fat our body has to store the more the fat cells inflate. Fat cells can stretch up to 1000 times their normal size, thus humans can store huge amounts of energy.

We cannot eliminate fat cells through exercise but we use up the fat inside of them. As fat is used up the cells shrink in size. We need to maintain a slight negative energy balance for the majority of time in order for the body to use up the excess fat inside the fat cells. This is when the cells will shrink and you'll eventually see the shape of the muscles underneath. The shrinkage of fat cells always take time and effort it cannot possibly be done quickly, this is the reason why those quick fixes never work long term.

Find out more about this subject here:

Numbers of fat cell in the human body

Fat weight gain - Is it our genes or lifestyle?

2007-01-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

Studies have shown that 80% of children born to two obese parents become obese. However, only 14% of children born to normal weight parents become obese. Also, studies on adopted children show that genetics account for only around 33% of a child's weight. The studies often suggest that lifestyle factors such as activity levels and eating habits of the family are more important. Heredity only controls the metabolism, the rate at which calories are burned, it cannot control what, when and how much we eat.

For more information visit our weight loss site.

Use your head to create your goals

2007-01-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Instead of creating a normal goal for this year's resolution like "I'm going to lose 10 pounds this year" it may be a good idea to create smaller but totally different goals. Using easy-to-achieve goals for each separate month may help you reach your final goal over the course of this year.

As an example you could say to yourself...
"For this month I'm going to cut out chocolate".

A goal like this should much easier to achieve and require less of an effort. Saying your going to lose 10 pounds in 3 months will require a great deal of effort in many areas, exercise, food intake. etc.

When you hit each small goal it may help drive you to select another new simple goal, for example: "Every time I go to a restaurant I will choose the healthiest / low fat dish".

Then for the next month it could be...
"I will reduce the amount of bread I eat each day and substitute it for the healthier low calorie crisp breads from the health shops"

Then maybe....
"I will make up a fruit salad to place in the fridge and try to eat a good portion before a main meal".

There are thousands of different, achievable goals you could make up, all relating to your own lifestyle and food choices. But, because they all require less effort and are less invasive to your lifestyle they should be easier to live with everyday. As these small goals all build up it will lead to some decent weight lost over the future months. The weight will also be lost at a steady pace meaning there's a better chance it will stay off.

Here are some more ideas for small achievable goals:

Reduce the number of convenient packaged foods eaten for lunch.

I will substitute many of my takeaways for a Subway takeaway.

For the next month I will walk around the garden 3 times every morning before breakfast.

I will get off the bus one stop before the normal destination and walk the extra distance.

I will clean out the garage this month, then the basement next month.

I will wash the car more frequently.

I will get a dog so I can walk him everyday.

For this month I will eat little and often to try to reduce my stomach size naturally.

For this month I will do 3 sets of sit ups and press ups every other day.

I will buy more fruit and place it in the sitting room so it's visible when I get hungry.

I will stretch everyday for ten minutes.

I will take a cold shower once a week to help burn more calories.

I will cut out alcohol during the week.

I will eat more berries.

For one month I will snack on raw vegetables before a main meal.

Try to use your head and think before selecting any goal. Try not to do too many goals at once, take your time and get it right. Try to make next year's resolution NOT a weight loss resolution.

For more ideas and info on losing weight, visit www.weightlossforall.com

Question about exercising

2007-01-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hi. I just want to clarify, is it correct to say that if I jog at a reasonable pace, which I can still converse, then I'm burning fat. But if I really push myself to jog faster till I'm breathless, then I am burning carbohydrates instead?

Yes, basically if we train at a lower intensity we tend to burn a higher percentage of fat.

We actually burn all 3 types of fuel (carbs, fat & protein) all the time. The difference is the percentage of each fuel used. While resting or doing light work we burn a higher percentage of fat, the only problem is we don't burn lots of energy at light work rate. As we work harder we burn more energy but the percentage shifts.

As an example, ( forget the protein energy used for simplicity reasons) we may burn 80% fat, 20% carbs when resting but only about 60 calories per hour burned. That's equals about 48 calories of fat per hour.

When walking we may burn up to 180 calories per hour, the ratio of energy burned may shift to 50%, 50%, that equates to 90 calories of fat burned. It means it's better to exercise, however there is a limit. If we exercise at too high intensity we may shift the ratio too far ( 90% carbs 10% fats) so even though we may burn about 500 calories per hour, it equates to only 50 calories in fat. Another problem is if we use up our carbs stores quickly we tend to crave sugar to replenish stores, this can often lead to overeating.

To complicate matters fitness plays a huge role. The fitter the person the harder they can work and still continue to burn higher degree of fat calories - it's basically because their energy system is in top shape. That's why you never see an overweight distance runner!!

The idea is to select a balance of work rate which is suits you. Train enough to burn sufficient calories without overdoing it. As you gain fitness over the months of regular training sessions you can gradually workout harder to burn off more calories and fat weight.

Find more answers to visitor questions about losing weight here!!

Muscles growing and shrinking

2006-12-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

The skeletal muscles are very responsive to use and disuse. With virtually all types of training muscles undergo an actual enlargement of the cells, with an increase in the number of protein filaments in the myofibrils of each muscle cell. Aerobic exercise will produce some enlargement but a weight training program will induce full muscular growth.

By the same token, neglect of muscular conditioning will result in a gradual decrease in size and strength of the skeletal muscles. In an extreme case, such as when a limb is in a cast for a very long time, the muscle fibers disintegrate and are replaced by connective tissues.

In fact our muscles are constantly growing and shrinking. They juggle between growth or breakdown depending on the nutritional status at any time. For example, growth will often occur if sufficient protein is ingested at a meal. Muscle breakdown occurs in between meals if additional protein is required for the production of antibodies or enzymes.

Protein deposition (muscle growth) can be important in losing weight fast because it affects our metabolism. As stated above, there is more protein breakdown between meals so if a dieter hardly eats in order to lose weight then more protein will be lost from muscle cells resulting in a lowered metabolic rate. A high metabolism is a must if you wish to lose fat weight quickly!

Benefits of Increasing the Metabolism

Learn how muscles grow

Tips on How to Avoid Overeating at the Holidays

2006-12-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Oh, the lure of the holidays. The cakes, cookies, and pies. The big family meals, the appetizers, and the eggnog. It is so easy to succumb to the temptation to eat it all, and rely on that old standby, the New Year’s Resolution, to lose any weight you have gained after the first of the year! But, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak, and not find your buttons popping afterwards!

By following these simple tips, holiday eating can be enjoyable, waist-conscious, and free of guilt:Don’t stop exercising! The chaos of the holiday season, as well as all of the travel, makes it easy for some of us to put regular exercise aside for the time being. Just because you might not have access to the gym doesn’t mean you can’t get in some exercise. Take lots of walks (an hour after meals, it helps digestion, and before meals, it helps control those rampant cravings!), do push-ups or abdominal exercises, or just throw a football in the backyard with your family.

Do not deny yourself. Holiday eating does not have to be an all or nothing deal. You can still indulge, but just don’t overindulge! Completely denying yourself of the foods you love will only lead to overeating.

Don’t under eat the whole day just so you can eat later or at a party. Stockpiling calories does a number on your metabolism and energy levels, and leads to voracious hunger and overeating. Not to mention guilt later on…

Make some healthy dishes to go along with the decadent ones. Scale back on the butter, oil, and cheese, and prepare veggies like sweet potatoes and beans cooked in little or no fat. Try some low-fat eggnog, which can be just as sinful as the full fat version! Avoid the skin on the turkey, and opt for white meat over dark.

Watch your portions. At holiday meals, we tend to eat portions that are way too big for us. Keep the portions under control, and you can still enjoy all of the delicious side dishes on the table!

Try not to focus on the food so much. Remember that the holidays are about family, not necessarily food. Play board games, get outside and play with the kids, and don’t hover around the dessert tray!

It’s easy to throw nutrition out the window when it comes to the holiday season. There is so much food everywhere that it’s hard to say no. But, it’s not about saying no all the time. You can enjoy the treats of the season, as well as the big family meals, if you use common sense and don’t forget to keep your body moving!

For more tips and ideas on how to lose weight naturally click the next link:
Weight Loss Articles and Advice

Nutrition Facts

2006-11-29T09:19:00.000-08:00

Amazing factz about nutrition & foods:

Apples, potatoes and Onions all have the same taste, it is their individual smells that produces a different taste!

Most of the Vitamin C found in fruits is believed to be stored in the skin.

There are over 200 different types of chilli peppers.

A Cashew nut contains a poisonous oil. They need to be roasted to make them safe to eat!

There is often more alcohol in mouth wash than there is in wine.

For more information on the energy content of different foods, visit our pages below:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/food-calories-list.htm

http://www.weightlossforall.com/number-of-calories-in-food.htm

http://www.weightlossforall.com/calorie-content-of-foods.htm

http://www.weightlossforall.com/how-many-calories-in-food.htm

http://www.weightlossforall.com/free-food-calorie-counter.htm

Wearing clothes to look slimmer

2006-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

If you are overweight, it can be frustrating trying to dress stylishly and still wear clothes that are flattering and comfortable. But there are tricks that you can play when it comes to your wardrobe that will give you the appearance of being longer and slimmer, while your clothes will be fashionable and comfortable. By learning to maximize your positives and minimize your not-so-positives, you will look and feel great!

Choose separates in one solid color to create an outfit that will elongate the body, and provide a slimming effect.
Black is always a good choice; it provides a slimming effect.
Wear clothes that fit you. Clothing that is too loose adds bulk, and clothing that is too tight draws attention to your bulges.
Find pieces that accentuate your positive features.
Vertical stripes elongate and slim the body; horizontal strips widen the body.
If your legs are heavier, choose a brightly colored tope or necklace; it will draw attention away from your legs, and to your face.
Shoulder pads and wide necklines on shirts and blouses will help give your body a balanced look. This is a great trick if you have wider hips.
Avoid pleated pants, as well as pants with pockets. They draw attention to the midsection. Pants with narrow legs, a flat front, and side zippers are more flattering for fuller figures.
Don’t slouch! Good posture always makes you look taller and slimmer!

The trick to dressing a fuller figure is to not try to hide your body in volumes of loose material, and not to try to force your body into clothing that is just too small. But choosing well-fitting, tailored pieces you will feel more comfortable. The confidence that you exude when you feel good will make you look even greater!

Learn more about slimming at our site here:

http://www.weightlossforall.com

What is Cellulite?

2006-10-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

Cellulite is basically fat that is sticking out into the dermis from lower layers in the skin. It gives that dimpled look, sometimes known as a “cottage cheese” appearance, to the skin. Nearly all women (85-98%) have some amount of cellulite on their bodies. It is more common in white females, and it also seems to have some type of hormonal factor about it, because men rarely become afflicted with it.

Learn more about Cellulite here:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/cellulite-problems-x.htm

Size in relation to weight.

2006-10-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a question we received from a visitor about differences between weight and size. Weight and volume are different factors that can result in a different outcome for people.

If something is made up of material which is dense, then it usually takes up less volume or space than something which is made up of less dense materials. This is similar in people. We are all made up of mostly water which is composed of dense molecules. However, when someone gains lots of fat they often take up more volume (in other words they are bigger) because fat is less dense than water, the molecules are more spaced out. This often means that obese people are usually very large in size. We can see the difference comparing the obese to bodybuilders. An obese person weighing around 300 pounds may havc a chest measurement of up to 60 inches, and even beyond. A 300 pound muscleman may only have a chest size in the lower 50 inch bracket.

Her is the question and answer from a visitor:

Hi,

Thanks for the question.

You wrote:
"Is it true that some people weigh more but look smaller than an indiviual that weighs less than them? if so, why is it that?"

It is possible for a person to be smaller than another of similar body types but yet weigh more. The reason for this is usually muscle mass. The heavier, smaller person tends to carry more muscle. Muscle is much denser than fat weight, thus it occupies less space. Fat takes up more volume of space per pound than muscle. Therefore, a fatter person tends to be bigger than a lean person of the same weight.

We can all witness this process as people age. After the age of around 30 years our body very slowly loses muscle (the rate of loss is slowed with regular exercise). As you lose muscle it reduces the metabolism, the result is we need less calories. Eventually this leads to a positive energy balance (we eat more energy than required) and we slowly replace lost muscle with fat weight. In many cases (those managing to maintain a steady weight over time) some people remain the same weight for years yet they seem to grow in size and width (butt gets bigger, hips, etc). The fact is they do grow bigger as the fat percentage rises. This process is often referred to as "middle-age spread".

You can read more about body types here:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/body-types-weight-loss.htm

Hope this helps!

All the best

Question from Visitor

2006-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Thanks for the question.

You wrote:
" Is it true that some people weigh more but look smaller than an indiviual that weighs less than them? if so, why is it that? "

It is possible for a person to be smaller than another of similar body types but yet weigh more. The reason for this is usually muscle mass. The heavier, smaller person tends to carry more muscle. Muscle is much denser than fat weight, thus it occupies less space. Fat takes up more volume of space per pound than muscle. Therefore, a fatter person tends to be bigger than a lean person of the same weight.

We can all witness this process as people age. After the age of around 30 years our body very slowly loses muscle (the rate of loss is slowed with regular exercise). As you lose muscle it reduces the metabolism, the result is we need less calories. Eventually this leads to a positive energy balance (we eat more energy than required) and we slowly replace lost muscle with fat weight. In many cases (those managing to maintain a steady weight over time) some people remain the same weight for years yet they seem to grow in size and width (butt gets bigger, hips, etc). The fact is they do grow bigger as the fat percentage rises. This process is often referred to as "middle-age spread".

You can read more about body types here:

http://www.weightlossforall.com/body-types-weight-loss.htm

Hope this helps!

All the best
Wayne
www.weightlossforall.com

Bad Lifestyle choices that can be avoided

2006-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

It is easy to sabotage your own health. Without even realizing it, you could be setting yourself up for numerous health problems down the road, simply by making bad lifestyle choices. There are several ways that you could be endangering your health and shortening your lifespan. But those poor health choices can easily be changed, and it is never too late to improve your health.

1. Smoking – Smoking is a highly addictive habit that affects millions of people. The effects of smoking can lead to cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. It can also have long-term negative effects on your throat, your digestive system, your skeletal system, and your skin. And, the smoke that is released from cigarettes can cause great harm to those around you.

2. Poor diet – Both eating too much and eating the wrong types of foods can lead to long-term health problems. Eat too much (meaning having no regard for portion sizes) and you are likely to suffer from hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. Eating the wrong foods (meaning fast foods, high fat snacks, and highly processed foods) can also lead to obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Any of these conditions can cause stroke, heart attack, and death. Stick to natural, fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for the bulk of your diet. “Cheating” once in a while is ok, too!

3. Excessive drinking – Excessive drinking can lead to long-term liver damage, and it can affect your overall physical and mental health. Drinking and driving cannot only injure or kill you, but it can injure or kill others as well. The key to drinking alcohol is moderation, and if you have had even one drink, let someone who has not been drinking drive the car.

4. Not moving your body – Exercise is hard. It takes time. It takes commitment. But it helps you to control your weight, look great, feel strong and limber, have more energy, it lowers your blood pressure, increases your HDL cholesterol (that’s the good one!), and relieves stress. Why wouldn’t you want to do something that will give you all of those things? Walk, jog, swim, play with your kids in the backyard – do something to keep your body moving!

5. Ignoring stress – Some stress is good, it can be a motivator. Too much stress, though, can lead to a whole host of problems if it is ignored: high blood pressure, depression, severe headaches, or digestive problems. Find something that you enjoy doing and that relaxes you: exercising, meditating, gardening, and reading, anything that helps you leave your stress at the door.6. Not sleeping enough – Not getting enough sleep affects your judgment, your reaction time, and your mood. This can put you and others in danger, and it can affect your professional and personal relationships. Try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night.

Making bad lifestyle choices, whether they are conscious or not, can mean the difference between a shorter life filled with health problems and a longer life filled with vitality and happiness. Being aware of the things that you can do to make your life better is fundamental to living a long and healthy life. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones!

Bigger Muscles to Lose Weight

2006-09-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Question:
If I did weight training to help build more lean muscle in order to boost my metabolism, as a woman, wouldn't I become muscle bound?

Answer:
Highly unlikely!
Building big, huge muscles so that you become bulked up takes years of dedicated, hard training. It also requires a diet where calories are gradually increased as muscle weight is gained. Muscles cannot be built much on a diet fairly low in calories and dieters tend to stick to lower calories.

The idea of using weights is to keep muscle toned and limit muscle loss when losing weight. Losing lean muscle lowers the metabolism and can lead to that dreaded weight loss plateau. By holding onto, or even building a little muscle it helps keep the metabolism optimal to maintain steady weight loss.
In fact modest exercises like walking will to a certain degree, build a little muscle. Walking helps tone leg muscles and toning is a slight increase in muscle. Even toning the body using Callisthenics builds a little muscle, that’s how muscles become harder, the difference is the protein deposited in the muscle is only tiny so size is not noticed.

For more information visit our site:
www.weightlossforall.com

Question from a Visitor

2006-09-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hi *******

Thanks for your question.

You wrote:
"I have just turned 62 and exercise regularly (biking, walking, running and weights). I have a Timex Ironman heart rate monitor with a data recorder. Several months ago I recorded a maximum of 194 and last evening my resting (sleeping) rate was an average of 54 with lows of 30. I used your formula to calculate my target heart rate zone (102.7 and 134.3). Like many men I am trying to lose my "love handles" and having a hard time doing it! The lower range (102.7) seems very low ( I would have a hard time keeping it there). Is this the rate I should be using to burn fat (and ultimately lose my love handles)? I am 6' and 210lbs (I was 193 when I ran the marathons). Your assistance is appreciated. Have a wonderful day and keep up the good work."

In order to lose the last few pounds around the difficult areas I usually train at the higher end of my target heart rate zone. This way I burn off more calories and slightly help improve the speed of my metabolism. However, training at the higher end of the zone requires a greater level of fitness. Generally speaking most overweight people tend to have a lower level of fitness, thus for safety reasons it is often best for these people to train at the lower end until they gain some fitness, then gradually work up to higher intensity levels. Our articles on burning fat is written for this reason. Remember successfully burning body fat requires numerous factors, one of the most important is the fitness level of the individual. With less fit people the Cardiovascular system is often not strong enough to deliver sufficient levels of oxygen to the working muscles in order to keep burning fat (fat requires oxygen to burn). This is why many overweight and/or unfit people should train at the lower end.

As for yourself, you seem to be a very fit individual, as indicated by running marathons and having a resting heart rate under 60 (a good sign of physical fitness), and as you suggested the lower end of the scale will probably be too low to gain any worthy results. If you have the fitness and can cope with higher impact training then I think it's worth sticking to the higher end of target heart rate. Just remember to make sure you're getting sufficient recovery between workouts. Hard training always takes longer to recover from, it also requires good, complete nutrition. I often alternate training routines, if I run at a high pace on Monday, then on Wednesday I'll go swimming or do rowing at an easy pace. This helps recovery of potential minor injuries in the knees or ankle areas as there is no weight bearing on these areas.

As always you should still consult with your doctor before attempting any new type of exercise or diet!

Also, have you read Tom's article on losing the last few pounds of body fat?
It's a very good read. Click on the next link to view it...

http://www.weightlossforall.com/abdominal%20fat.htm

Hope this helps

All the best

Regards
Wayne
http://www.weightlossforall.com/

Very Low Body Fat!

2006-09-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

How the heck does this guy drop
below 4% body fat without drugs or supplements?

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder who regularly competes at 4% body
fat. The fact is, there are probably very few people who truly
understand fat loss better than Tom does, simply because he doesn't
just research it or write about it - he lives it! (and has the
ripped abdominals to prove it!)

What Tom reveals in his best-seller e-book,

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, is essential knowledge if you want
to get really, really lean, and until you understand these principles,
you can't even hope to get lean enough to see your abs - which is what
we all want right? Find out how it's done by visiting Tom's website
at:

www.burnthefat.com

New Exercise Tips

2006-08-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

EXERCISING TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Try to develop a constant and rhythmic style when exercising, this helps keep the body in the last "gear" of our energy system and burns a greater percentage of fat!

Remember weighing scales will show how much total weight you have lost, but they cannot reveal how much body fat you have burned.

Try not to lower calorie intake below your resting metabolism when dieting, this will limit the metabolic slowdown associated with strict diets.

Fay requires oxygen to burn, so try to breathe a little deeper when exercising. Exhale slightly faster than inhaling to keep good supply of oxygen for fat burning.

YOU CAN GET FAT without gaining weight!! - if we become less active our muscle cells slowly shrink, fat can take its place if energy intake is not reduced accordingly. This gradual process often happens as people age but it also occurs when we stop activities

Motivation Tips

Attack every problem with enthusiasm as if your survival depended upon it.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.

Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them.

No one can predict to what heights you can soar; even you will not know until you spread your wings.

Commitment is essential for success! To be a winner… all you need to give is all you have!!

Visit our homepage for more tips
www.weightlossforall.com

South Beach Dieting to Lose Weight Fast

2006-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

The South Beach Diet pros & cons.

Below, you’ll find a concise list of pros and cons that should give you a good idea of what you can expect from the South Beach Diet:

Pros:

When done properly, South Beach Diet is a heart-healthy diet.
The South Beach Diet plan does teach dieters a lot about nutrition, good fats and good carbs, and developing good eating habits.
The South Beach Diet emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for life.
Dieters do not have to count calories and grams of fat, they are simply taught to eat smart according to Dr. Agatston’s rules.
Emphasizes a move away from processed foods, which are essentially poison, diet or no diet.
Has a comprehensive official website where dieters can go for advice and support.

Cons:

Fails to put sufficient emphasis on exercise as an integral part of losing weight and getting healthy.
Recommends the ingestion of artificial sweeteners as a way to get your fix while dieting, although many of these sweeteners are believed to be unsafe.
The weight lost during the first two weeks of dieting is essentially water weight, which will return quickly once the dieting stops.
Phase One, in which dieters experience dramatic weight loss, is basically a protein diet, although Dr. Agatston claims that this is not the case.
Phase One offers dieters a dangerous formula for losing weight fast that they may harm them when used excessively.
Two weeks is by no means long enough to break a lifelong simple carb and sugar addiction for all people.
The South Beach Diet is not the miracle program it claims to be, and all dieters may not enjoy permanent and healthy weight loss.

Find out more about Losing Weight at our website:

http://www.weightlossforall.com

QUESTION FROM A VISITOR

2006-06-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

QUESTION:
Here's a question for you, on behalf of my wife ,which I really really hope you can answer!

Last November she started dieting by reducing calories, but she reduced them dramatically, only eating 1 meal a day. She lost 2.5 stone, but has smashed into the plateau. Now, she has started running and has continued to not eat a lot, but has seen little (if any) weight loss over the last couple of weeks.

We've read on here that she'd be better walking rather than running, as this will burn fat rather than carbs. Great! But what about eating? If her body is used to 800-1000 calories and her metabolism is low, if she starts eating 1500-1800 calories and walks every day, coupled with weight training every other day will she put on weight? This is what she is afraid of. If she is not losing weight eating 1000 cals a day, how can she lose weight if she increases her calorie intake to a sensible level?

I've been all over your site (which, I have to say, is exceptional!), but I can't find a surefire answer to this, so I hope you can send me a quick email with an answer. Any and all info will be very gratefully received!

ANSWER:
I believe a diet of less than 1000 calories is too low for most people, especially over a long haul. It's ok for a short term but the problem is the body will burn up lean muscle and this lowers the metabolism, which leads to a plateau, plus it's very hard to gain all the nutrients on such a low intake.
As I don't have necessary information about your wife - age, weight, body type, food intake, activity level, etc, etc, it is impossible for me to determine if she would actually gain weight or not from the diet and training you suggested. However, if she did gain some weight back it will probably be lean muscle which will increase the metabolism and help push through the plateau. It may well help her in the long run to up her intake a little to what you suggested. As long as she keeps active then body fat may not be gained or at the most a minimal gain which should be lost through an increased metabolism. At this point I believe she should be concentrating on losing body fat rather than just body weight, after all, she has already lost 2 and half stones so far. If she started to gradually up the calories and eat nutritious food, little and often, it could help replace lean mass over fat stores. The activity alone can help burn excess body fat without losing weight. - Remember calories do count for weight loss, when we lose weight it will to some degree include a proportion of fat loss However, weight loss is not the same as Fat Loss. It is possible, and probably best now, to lose further body fat without too much a change in body weight, in other words changing the body composition. An active lifestyle as well as eating a healthy balanced diet will help achieve this much more effectively than keep lowering calories.

One of the tricks some bodybuilders use when cutting up for a show is to zig zag calorie intake. This reduces the overall loss of lean muscle mass because the body builder ups his calorie intake just before the body establishes a starvation mode. Thus the body builder maintains a high metabolism which burns off extra stored fat without the need to breakdown the muscle for energy and protein supplies. It's a little bit more complicated than it sounds but it works very well, plus it can help boost the metabolism for people who have dropped calories too much too soon. Tom's e-book "Burn the Fat" explains the zig zag process in more detail along with other tricks of the bodybuilding trade. It isn't cheap but it is a complete guide to burning fat and gaining an ideal shape for your body type. It is well worth the money!

Thank you

A Question about Body Types

2006-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a question we received from a visitor to our site.

Question:
"Regarding male body types, is it possible to be a combination of 2? It appears that I fall in between Ectomorph and Mesomorph. I'm quite lean with a fair amount of muscle. I have the typical cross country runner/ track athlete body type. So what would I be classified as if I can't fall into 2 categories? Any reply would be greatly appreciated"

Answer:
Yes, it is possible to fall between 2 body types, in fact it is rare for someone to be an exact body type, we often display various characteristics from each type, although in many cases one type seems to dominate. It is the dominant body type characteristics which determine what type we are.

If you are muscular with broad shoulders then you may be more of a Mesomorph body type. These body types are often lean as well as strong and muscular. Ectomorphs are usually wiry in appearance with naturally small muscles. They usually find it hard to gain muscular weight.

Remember we cannot change our body type through training; we remain the type we were born with. If an endomorph builds up his muscles he won’t become a Mesomorph. He will be an endomorph with larger muscles.

Hope this helps!

All the best
Wayne
www.weightlossforall.com/body-types-weight-loss.htm

Fat Storage on the Body

2006-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

The majority of stored fat on the human body is present under the skin, or as subcutaneous body fat. This fat tissue is made up of fat cells. A human can have anywhere between 50 – 200 billion fat cells distributed around the body. We also store fat in other areas around the body but this is dependent on the sex of the person. For most females a high percentage of the subcutaneous adipose (fat) tissue surrounds the areas of the breasts, waist, hips and buttocks. Most males have a high percentage of their subcutaneous fat distributed around the chest, abdomen and buttocks regions. There is also fat storage around the kidneys, liver and even inside muscle. In fact as we age fat storage within muscle tends to increase and means we don’t notice an increase in this area like we do when it’s placed around the waist. If activity levels drop its possible that muscle shrinks and fat replaces it, the result is we lose strength with age but muscle volume increases because fat is less dense than muscle and thus occupies more space.

How fat is stored

The sole purpose of a fat cell is to store small droplets of fat molecules. These fat molecules are formed as the concentrations of fatty acids in the blood rises, such as after a big meal. An increase in concentrations within the blood triggers lipase enzymes located in fat tissue, to grab the fatty acids and convert them into a fat molecule (triacylglycerols) for storage.

In fact as we gain weight and become fatter the fat cells do not multiply, rather they just store more fat molecules thus they expand to become larger. Fat cells in the human can multiply but only if fat storage cells “run out”. Read more about fat cell numbers here!

How fat is used

When the body uses stored fat for energy it breaks down the contents of the fat cell via enzymes to release glycerol and fatty acids into the blood. As the circulating fatty acids reach muscle cells that require extra energy they are transported across the membrane and into the muscle cell where the fatty acid enters the mitochondria of the cell. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of a cell; they extract energy from fat and carbohydrates to produce the cell’s usable form of energy - ATP.

Spot reducing of fat storageIt is impossible to select any part of the body where you wish to reduce fat stores. With regular exercise and correct dietary changes you’ll decrease the overall body fat, this will also help reduce fat in the most abundant parts of the body or those problem areas.

For more information on losing weight

Ten quick tips for losing weight

2006-04-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

10 weight loss tips.

1. Avoid frying foods, bake, boil or grill.

2. Select only the leanest cuts of meat and keep meat portions small.

3. Try to eat your main meal in the middle of the day and your last meal or snack should be light in calories and be small portion.

4. Try experimenting with recipes using natural ingredients, herbs and spices you may be surprised at the difference it can make.

5. Try not to nibble between meals, if you feel you need to then make up a fruit or vegetable mix in a bowl and keep in the fridge.

6. Eat food slowly. This will make you feel satisfied sooner helping to consume less energy.

7. If you must indulge occasionally then do so after an exercise session but try not to make it an excuse to overindulge every time.

8. Reduce your intake of refined sugar and refined flour products.

9. Try to cook without adding butter, margarine or oils.

10. Try to limit use of sauces, dressings and creams.

For more information and help to lose weight visit our website.

G.I. Load over G.I foods

2006-04-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

The G.I. diet plan is a greath way to lose weight and eat a healthy balanced diet. The difficulty is combining various index scores together for a whole meal. For this we use the Glycemic load or the average score for all the foods in a meal. Here is an example showing how it works.

Salmon steak (G,I = 18) + Brown Rice (50) + Peas(40) + French Beans (30) = 138. Divide this total by 4 (number of foods in the meal) = 34.5. This Glycemic load for this meal is a low rating and good for controlling blood sugar.

An example of a bad Glycemic load meal would be an Indian chicken Korma.
Chicken Korma (70) + WHite Rice (50) + Onion Bhaji (65) = 185. Divide by 3 = 62.

Healthy Eating Tactic

2006-03-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

Many years ago I used to struggle sticking to a healthier diet. I knew eating many more vegetables and fruits would provide me with great benefits for health as well as help lose weight naturally, but I didn't like many vegetables and I hated cooking or preparing foods, I always wanted food quickly. It was also very hard to break away from such strong eating habits.

The tactic I used in the end was to switch around my general habit, and not to cut out my "treats". At the time I used to eat too much "bad" foods with just a little health food to keep me heathly. What I did was switch that policy around, I would eat half a plateful of vegetables first (sometimes having to hold my nose), then eat some of my favourite foods, this acted like a reward for eating foods I wasn't that keen on. After a week or so I reduced the portion size of the junk foods I ate after the veg, this was so I could reduce calories but still feel as though I wasn't missing out on the tasty food I enjoyed. Also cutting portion size was really necessary because all those vegetables eaten first was filling my stomach and I was struggling to eat normal portions.

Eventually I got used to eating the vegetables, with the help of experimenting with herbs and spices which added more taste to the veg. Today I enjoy eating them and have slowly eliminated most junk foods from my diet. I feel much better in myself and have lots more energy!

I call it veg-power!!

A Simple Body Fat Test

2006-03-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

A good test to reveal how lean you are is the pinch test, revealed by the diet doctors. Using the thumb and index finger pinch the loose skin at the back of the upper arm (At Triceps Muscles).

After squeezing fingers together around the loose skin, if the gap between your fingers is more than 2 cms (20 mm or 3/4 inch) then there's a good chance you are storing too much body fat. If you are no good with estimating lengths then see if you could slot your thumb through the gap, if you can then you may be storing too much body fat.

Remember however, this is only a guide so it may be best to reference this simple test with another more accurate test, such as using body fat calipers. If you cannot afford calipers or scales try measuring your waist first thing in the morning before eating. If it is above 35 inches (40 inches for men) then you may be carrying too much fat.

Help sticking to a new eating plan

2006-03-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

In the beginning it can be extremely hard sticking to a new dietary eating plan, especially if it's a healthy one full of low-fat and sometimes "boring" health foods. Some experts say that we only need to practice many changes for about 3 weeks because that's the average time it takes for us to establish any new habits. However some people often find the first few weeks to be the biggest challenge of all.

I always found the best trick is to use a 80:20 rule.
This is where I do my best to stick to any new diet for 80 percent of the time. This leaves 20 percent to enjoy small indulgences. I make sure that I go for a day or two completely resisting any urge then I know I can have something "bad" the next morning. It alway indulge in the morning or midday because there's less chance that it will be stored as body fat, especially if the food is eaten within an hour after a training session. It's like I'm building up some "indulgence credit" before cashing them in for a treat.

After 3 weeks on the 80:20 rule, I change it to the 90:10 rule where my eating becomes even stricter, this helps boost fat loss results. Plus at this stage it's a lot easier to adjust because I've had 3 weeks to establish the new habits.

Lifestyle changes are not easy but with some sensible thought and planning you can make things easier. Look at our page on lifestyle changes for more information and advise.

Limit sugar craving

2006-02-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

Just watched the diet doctors episode, in which one of the doctors stated that new research has proven that the trace mineral Chromium helps kurb sugar cravings.

If a dieter has trouble trying to kurb intense sugar cravings then it could be a case of Chromium deficiency. Increasing intake of Chromium may help limit these cravings and cause weight loss. It may not be the "magic bullet" to the ultimate goal, but if it helps a little then it must be a good move.

Good sources of Chromium are:

Chicken
Eggs
Green peppers
Spinach

We will try to do more research about Chromium and sugar craving on the site soon.

Leran more about weight loss by visiting our site.

Is it really worth exercising to lose weight?

2006-01-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

After running on a treadmill for 20 gruelling minutes I looked down at the readout and it stated that I had burned off 250 calories – Jesus, all that discomfort for 250 calories!Luckily I don’t have a weight problem and I do enjoy running sessions, but it got me thinking about other people who struggle to lose weight, including those who don’t like exercise. After building up enough motivation to drag themselves to the gym and sweat it out on some crazy machine, all to burn a measly 250 calories. To go through that horrible and sometimes painful feeling just to burn off the same calories as in a small chocolate bar!

To workout at this pace EVERY DAY would require a tremendous amount of effort. He/she would also need to develop some serious motivation because at 250 calories per day it would take TWO WEEKS just to lose one pound!
So again I asked myself is it really worth working out 3 or 4 times each week?

HANG ON A MINUTE!!
Then I realised I had a brief loss of knowledge, I simply got caught up in the whole calorie “numbers game”. I had missed the big picture, which was unusual because I’ve been a personal trainer for over ten years!
I remembered why it’s worth exercising to lose weight. It’s not just about the number of calories we burn during exercise but also about the many other benefits we gain after exercise.

What Benefits?
After any workout the metabolism becomes elevated so we continue to burn a greater number of calories at rest. It does this because exercise is stress to the muscles and cardiovascular system. The body needs to recover from this stress, and recovery costs lots more energy even at rest. How long the increase metabolism lasts will depend on several factors such as the type of exercise and the individual in question. However, if the metabolism is raised by 50% for 2 hours, which is a realistic estimation, you could burn up to 100 extra calories on top of the calories burned during the exercise. So now instead of only burning 250 calories during my run, I probably burned about 350 calories!

This is not the only benefit either; we also develop a training effect to exercise. This is where the body adapts after recovery has taken place. Once our muscles recover to the original state before the exercise, they often overcompensate by depositing extra proteins within the cells. This makes the structure of the muscle stronger, and helps the muscle to cope with that same level of stress in the near future. The by-product of greater protein deposition within muscle cells is a raised metabolism. Now if we increased our metabolism by ten percent within a month or two of consistent workouts it could equal an extra 250 calories per day, every day!

This is a huge difference because these could be classed as “free” excess calories burned. In other words you have not done anything extra to burn this off. This is when weight loss results boost.

So it’s not just the number of calories we burn off during the exercise that’s really important, that’s only a small part of the big picture. For these great benefits exercise really is worth the effort!

Motivational thoughts

2006-01-20T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few quotes I picked up over the last six months. I feel these are great motivational thoughts for sticking to my goals.

Attitude:
Attack every problem with enthusiasm as if your survival depended upon it.
Perseverance:
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.
Effort:
Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others stay awake and do them.
Goals:
No one can predict to what heights you can soar; even you will not know until you spread your wings.

Some New Year Weight Loss Tips

2006-01-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Most "fresh" fruit juices are made from concentrate and contain sugar. If they are part of your diet it may be best to dilute them with ample water.

Alcohol had many hidden calories. One double vodka and coke contains over 100 calories. It can also help drive the appetite.

Simple carbohydrates can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, as the body releases insulin to lower the levels it help leave you hungry once again. Try to stay away from white bread, pasta, biscuits and crisps.

Energy Absorption & Evolution

2005-12-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

Thousands of years ago energy was in short supply so our digestive system evolved to absorb the maximum amount of energy from food. It is now so efficient at absorption that we can absorb around ten kilograms of sugar in a day, that’s around 40,000 Calories!

The problem today is that most foods we buy contain added sugars and fats in order to satisfy our tastes, and the result is a weight loss problem. A huge cabbage which would have been a good source of energy long ago contains the same amount of energy as a bag of potato chips (crisps). Yet not many people could actually manage a whole cabbage.

Another problem with today’s society which also encourages weight gain is a lack of exercise. Without exercise we burn very little energy, it could take up to three hours to burn off the energy in that bag of potato chips. However with a little exercise it’s possible to burn off those chips within an hour….. Yes ok, a WHOLE HOUR sounds too much to me too!

It’s not that I don’t like exercising; I already train over four hours each week. The way I see it is why ruin my chances of burning an extra load of stored body fat by eating junk. I would rather avoid the potato chips and eat more vegetables that will fill me quickly!

The thing is that once you realise the ease at which you can offset the delicate balance of calories in – calories expended I think it’s best to gradually omit junk foods from the diet.

Ways to burn more calories when exercising

2005-12-10T02:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a small list of ways to increase calorie burning when exercising.

1. Exaggerating each movement in the exercise will help in burning more calories.

2. Exercising the major muscle groups such as legs, back & buttocks can help for burning calories.

3. Exercises such as jogging, walking, dancing require extra energy for balance so can be better for burning calories than cycling or rowing.

4. Burning calories will be increased when movements in an exercise are continuous or non stop.

Whichever exercise you attempt to use in order to lose weight you must remember to make sure your doctor approves before starting.

Ways Of Approaching Dieting

2005-12-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

We love all the benefits of living in the twenty first century but one of the drawbacks is that during our every day lives we don't use the number of calories that our grandparents had to consume just to survive. As a result, the overall trend is that we are all much heavier and this has given rise to a whole new industry. Fifty years ago it would have been difficult to find one book on how to diet, now the book shops have thousands of different ideas written by gorgeous looking people who you find it difficult to imagine ever having a weight problem.

Back in the 1970s a Dr Atkins put forward a radical new idea which came across a brick wall in the diet and medical world. Instead of eating a diet that consisted predominantly of carbohydrates he suggested that if we ate a diet consisting almost entirely of proteins and fats we would lose weight. Despite all the negative comments, his diet has been proved to be highly effective and stores are now stocking low carb snacks because there is such a huge change going on in our eating habits.

In addition to our generation experiencing weight problems, we are also seeing a huge increase in the number of diagnoses of diabetes. Very few people are told that if we eat excessive amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates our bodies will produce too much insulin and with too much insulin we will convert our food to fat.

Your body will also store carbs away because it worries that it may not be fed again and this means that you're left feeling unsatisfied and all these carbs are simply going on the hips. Many of us are encouraged by in your face advertising to consume lots of "low-fat" diet foods. They may be low in fat but they are actually high in sugar and therefore increase insulin levels and your fat. Most refined carbohydrates are actually little more than sugar molecules bonded together and will be treated by your body in the same way as a piece of chocolate.

Where can you start?
You need to start educating your mind and body to know and understand what is right and what is wrong. Discover which foods will convert straight to energy and not be stored as fat. You'll find that vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts, legumes and cheese will be the most effective. There are also many foods on the market that advertise themselves as low carb and are a good way to launch into a new diet.

You'll need to commit to sticking to the diet, come hell or high water for at least two weeks. During this period your carb intake per day cannot exceed twenty grams. It's very important that you are strict because this is the time when your body learns to burn fat rather than carbs and if you play the game at this point you'll find that when you do start to eat a few carbs again your body won't be tempted to hoard them.

For two weeks you'll have to be totally devoted to your diet and never cheat. It's during this time that you will be educating your body! It's going to be a huge shake up for it as your carb intake won't be exceeding twenty grams per day but your determination will pay off! Your body will learn to burn fat rather than carbs and once the weight starts to move you should feel motivated to keep going. After this initial period you can start to eat a few carbs again and your body shouldn't be tempted to hoard them.

Drink lots of water. This will help to flush out some of the carbohydrates and will also stop you feeling hungry. Keep healthy snacks around you so that you can reach out and avoid the cakes and biscuits! There are low carb snacks that you can make or there are many good ones on the market.

Tim Forrester is the editor and webmaster of Change Obesity a premier obesity and diet information site on the Internet. For more information following this article please pay a visit.

Bodybuilders & extreme fat loss

2005-11-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

Extreme Fat Loss is possible with the correct techniques

It does seem that bodybuilders have learned the best techniques for losing fat. In the bodybuilding magazines we often see pictures of hulking men who look as if they’ve been hand sculpted from granite. They look so impressive it makes many wonder what's the secret to staying in such great shape?

Well, the most important secret is to actually take action on what many of us already know. We constantly hear what we should be doing in order to control weight but many people don’t put that knowledge into action properly. Losing body fat is achieved with a balance of the correct exercise for each body type and sensible, gradual nutrition. As you probably already know sensible nutrition means selecting foods that are healthy, natural and nutritious. Foods that are generally low in calories, low in refined sugar and low in sodium.

Part of the secret to fat loss is to introduce this sensible nutrition in a gradual process rather than switch to it overnight. There needs to be control of energy intake so the body still receives adequate nutrition so not to affect the metabolism but also so calories are reduced gently enabling the body to burn fat effectively. Remember fat stores cannot be burned within days yet many people look for a program that causes extreme weight loss. If we lose weight the correct way chances are it'll make weight control easier in the future.

I would estimate that extreme fat loss, reaching fat levels of less than 8 percent, is achieved with a 75% diet and 25% exercise split. Don’t get me wrong exercise is crucial and in most cases more important then diet but for stripping the fat percentage right down the diet has much more impact. It requires expert dietary principles often used by today’s natural bodybuilders. Many use a peaking process combining every single training and dietary tactic known. Every minor dietary trick is used to help switch the body into fat burning mode. As timing is also important these principles must also be introduced at the right time. To emphasize how crucial diet is remember that bodybuilders cannot stay in that extreme cut-up condition for very long, usually only a few weeks at most. Yes, they can and often do stay in great shape all year round however humans are not designed to have such a low body fat percentage so extreme fat loss should really not be the goal of the dieter. The goal should be to use similar techniques until you obtain a reasonable fat loss.

Celebrities and their weight loss success

2005-11-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I often read in the papers or magazines that there are tons of celebrities who seem to be successful when they attempt to lose weight. The other thing I found was that each celebrity seemed to suggest a different weight loss plan; some used low calorie diet, low carb diet or many other crazy ways to lose the weight. I have thought about why they always seem to manage to lose the weight without any problems.

I came to the conclusion that most of the success comes down to their lifestyle which includes their hectic schedule. Often a celebrity in the limelight will have a very busy life, they are always on the go, appearing on T.V, radio and interviews, and not to mention completing their own work. Many celebrities will work no stop always looking for ways to further their career. I also thought about the mental pressure they must be under, the regular worry about if their work is up to the job, if they will find more work, will the new album sell, etc. All this adds up to an immense amount of energy burned each and every day.

Also being in the limelight may help drive a deeper motivation for success. Maybe the thoughts that they must succeed in losing weight or the career could be under threat. A greater motivation can separate a successful dieter from failed dieter.

I believe celebrities have the motivation and lifestyle to help them succeed in losing weight no matter what type of diet they use. As long as the diet helps lower the energy intake to less than their body requires then their activity levels and motivation will cause them to succeed on any diet.

Can protein be stored as fat?

2005-10-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

I received a few emails asking if protein could be converted to fat and stored in fat cells.

Protein can be converted to fat although this is very rarely done in the body. Excess protein is often used up as energy. However, I believe excess protein can cause gains in fat, although through an indirect manner. Let me explain.

Protein contains 4 calories per gram, in other words it contains energy and according to the first law in physics “energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be converted to another form”. This statement is fact and explains why it is energy in/ out ( energy balance ) that determines our weight.

If a person was to eat almost all his food as protein AND still ate more energy than his body required then some of the energy from the protein must be converted to fat. Yes most of the energy would be converted to sugar in the liver but if glycogen stores became full excess carbs (from protein energy) would be converted to fat for storage!

Learn more about combining protein sources from foods

One reason why low carb may help lose weight

2005-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's been known for years that eating a meal high in protein (as in the case for low carb diets ) causes us to feel fuller quicker and thus eat less food/calories. After sorting through some research and found something interesting about how protein may help reduce the appetite.

Because humans have no way of storing excess protein then maybe the brain detects the level of amino acids (building blocks of protein) in the blood and switches off hunger signals when an upper range has been reached. Maybe this is a safety mechanism as high concentrations of amino acids within the blood could affect the osmolarity and blood pressure.

If some high quality protein is included a meal it may help control hunger and lead to ingestion of fewer calories.

Obese people may contain fat-building enzymes with muscles

2005-10-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just read an article in the paper today (UK paper) that claims new research has found that obese people may have more fat-building enzymes present within muscles. This basically means that their muscles are "programmed" to collect fat. This phenomenon could explain difficulties in losing and keeping off weight. The paper printed a quote from one of the researchers - Dr Deborah Muoio - she states "The good news is it' s possible to change your energy balance through exercise"

You can read more about the research by clicking on the next link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4329854.stm

But what about Fat cell numbers, do they reduce when we lose weight?
Find out here:
Fat cell reduction and losing weight

Eating out

2005-10-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Frequent visits to many restaurants has enabled me to create a small list of, what I feel are, the healthiest choices some menus. Some dishes may seem like a low calorie choice but may turn out to be full of extra energy, it all depends on how that dish was prepared. For example, a baked potato with tuna and salad may seem like the perfect dish for low energy content but if tuna in oil, oils for the salad and butter in the baked potato was used in the preparation then this would become a high calorie food.

From Italian restaurants some healthy choices are:
Pasta with vegetable or seafood sauces
Gnocchi
Risotto
Grissini
Try to stay away from creamy or buttery sauce dishes

For Chinese restaurants some good choices are:
Prawn or vegetable chop suey
Boiled rice
Noddles
Try to stay away from spare ribs and duck dishes

For more facts on fast food and other dishes