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Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category
As I was doing research on a future weight loss article, I ran across a most interesting article on how good bacteria in our body is excellent for your Digestive System. These good bacteria are known as probiotics. Our bodies actually contain about 400 friendly type bacteria. These friendly bacteria help us reduce bad bacteria in our bodies. Certain antibiotics kills off good and bad bacteria. When we don’t have the good bacteria in our bodies, we have some uncomfortable consequences as a result. When I read this article, it reminded about Shakeology.
That’s right, Shakeology, has a probiotic blend with each scoop. They are all listed on the ingredient list which I can barely spell let alone pronounce. Probiotic benefits helps to reduce cholesterol, decrease the risk of certain cancers, helps enhance and boost the immune system, just to name a few.
I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you other products which offers probiotic benefits. They are mostly dairy products and beverages, like yogurt, milk with added probiotics, and sweet acidophilus milk.
Now remember, one of the main points about Shakeology is, it is a fulfilling meal replacement with only 140 nutrition packed, probiotic calories. This, as you know, can lead to weight loss. Shakeology if taken daily, can help with weight loss and offers good digestive health!
http://www.teambeachbody.com/fitfromthepro
Ok dieters, listen up, I have the real secret to weight loss! There are those of you who are constant dieters (you know who you are). That is, restricting your calories and doing hours of cardio exercise and not being able to lose any weight. Sound familiar??
Allow me to digress for just a moment. Research has always shown, to burn more calories than you consume and weight loss will occur. However, for those of you, who are constantly “dieting” and restricting your calories, this method is not quite as successful. Allow me to explain, by constantly restricting caloric intake the body adapts to this deprivation of calories by slowing down your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to burn calories to sustain bodily functions.
Now you have this slower metabolism because of a sustained low calorie intake. You add in your cardiovascular exercise. Your body has already slowed the BMR. It has to readjust itself again. Because our bodies are so efficient, it recognizes a bigger demand with the cardio exercise, your metabolism slows even more. You are only giving your body a finite number of calories per day and in order for you to do your exercises, your BMR has to slow even more to have fuel left for your exercise.
Restricted Calories+Cardiovascular Exercise=Starvation Mode/Slower BMR
There is a way to change this cycle. That is, by changing your body’s composition (fat to muscle ratio). When you build more muscle, the body will have to increase its BMR. It requires the
body to utilize more energy at rest when you have more muscle than fat. So try lifting weights 3 times a week, and eat a healthy snack every 2.5 hours. You may gain a few pounds at first, that’s ok, because your body is holding onto excess water. The muscles think they are being traumatized with weight training. The water and the fat will expunge itself after a couple of weeks.
In conclusion, by increasing the amount of muscle, you will increase your BMR and will lose body fat. This my friend, is the real secret to weight loss!
I read this amazing article talking about the human body, muscles, calories, fat, metabolism and weight loss. The first thing I’d like to share with you that if it wasn’t for our body fat, our existence would cease to exist. That is, it is the efficient way our body stores fat that keeps us alive during a famine. Yes, I said efficient way we store fat.
Back in the caveman days, when you had to hunt and gather, our bodies allowed us to store fat. We stored this fat to sustain life during times of famine. Since we now have an abundance of food, we seem to consume more. I’m not going to go all anthropology on you, I just want you to understand, that a pound of fat is 3,500 calories for delayed future use. Having said that, we need to understand how to achieve weight loss.
As you know, when we age we also lose muscle. When you go on these crash diets, you may lose some fat, but also valuable muscle tissue, some bone & connective tissue and nervous tissue. The less muscle you have, the lower your metabolism will be, as there is no metabolic cost for adipose tissue. When you lose this muscle you are not quite as physically active as you once were, which leads to more muscle loss. The cycle repeats itself.
Now, with the proper stimulus (demand placed on the muscle), the body will recruit more muscle, which will cause more weight loss. As you increase your muscle tissue, your physical activity will be higher and so will the fat loss, causing actual physical changes in your body. This can happen with a reduction of only 150 calories per day. There will be gradual fat loss, with your muscle gain.
Drink plenty of water, get a little extra sleep, and follow the tips above and you will see weight loss!
To continue with our discussion of late about ways to increase your metabolism for weight loss, getting enough sleep is very important. Researchers have shown that those who get 7-8 hours of sleep per night were at a lower risk of weight gain than those who slept less. Without getting all scientific, there are hormones released when you get less sleep that would make you more likely to overeat. A night or two with less than 8 hours every now and then, isn’t a big deal, but don’t do it nightly.
After you get a good night’s rest another critical thing to boost your metabolism for weight loss is to eat breakfast!! A hormone called cortisol is at its highest level and it helps you use calories to build muscle. Your body is ready to fire up your metabolism and burn some serious calories. So make sure you eat a healthy breakfast after a good night’s sleep to help with your weight loss.
Have you ever consider using the Glycemic Index when considering weight loss? The Glycemic Index you ask, what’s that?? It is the speed with which the blood glucose levels rise after food intake. When the glucose level rises, insulin is released from the pancreas. Carbohydrates are the source which gives us the glycemic index (GI). Not all carbohydrates are created equal. There are simple and complex carbohydrates.
The reason why we concern ourselves with this GI, is because when we have low blood sugar, we generally feel crappy. We feel fatigued, with a lack of energy or concentration. We usually feel this way around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. By maintaining a constant GI, your blood sugar levels are stable, and there aren’t the drastic mood swings.
High GIs breakdown quickly, foods like cookies, baked potatoes, white rice etc. High GI numbers are any number 70 and above. Low GI numbers breakdown more slowly, keeping the blood glucose levels more even. Low GI numbers are any number 55 and below. These foods include apples, kidney beans, and fiber.
The low GI numbers contribute to satiety, which is always helpful with weight loss. Lower GI numbers also help to lower triglyceride levels, raise HDL levels and improve insulin sensitivity. So it is important to pay attention to your total carbohydrate intake, to maintain healthy weight and a lower fat consumption. By eating smaller amounts of quality complex carbs throughout the day, can definitely assist with your weight loss.
For more info on Glycemic Index go to: www.glycemicindex.com
We all look for little things that can help us with weight loss. I’m going to share with you a few weight loss secrets, you can incoporate into your diet or your day to day activities.
Get rid of the soda, diet and regular soda plus, the sugary fruit juices/drinks. These liquids are simply empty calories. That means we add more calories to our daily intake and get no real hunger relief benefit. It’s extra calories we do not need. You could knock off at least 300 calories/day!
Ok, so you say, ‘But I’m drinking, diet soda.’ Guess what, research is showing signs that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas or drinks stimulates the brain into thinking you are hungry as do caffeine drinks! To be honest with you, I’m a 4 cans of Diet Pepsi a day drinker and it’s got to go!!
How about increasing the number of steps you take each day. The goal is to take at least 10,000 steps every day. Get a pedometer, (they’re inexpensive) clip onto your pants and see how much you walk on an average day. Then think of ways you can increase the number of steps gradually… Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a good place to start. Take a walk on your lunch break or park farther away from the front door.
All these little things can be done to cut and burn calories without much effort on your part to kickstart little stages to your weight loss journey.
Grocery shelves have more low fat, sugar free, low calorie foods than ever before and still the weight of Americans is on the rise. We spend over $50 billion on weight loss products every year. There isn’t that one magic pill to help ease our woes of weight loss. Researchers are now looking into the psychological environment that causes people to overeat. When we label certain foods as “good” or “bad” it has a self esteem impact on us.
For instance, let’s say fruits and vegetables are labeled a “good” food. If I have a salad for lunch, “I’m a good person because I had a salad.” However, if I have a Mickey D’s quarter pounder with cheese and fries, “I’m a bad person, because I had fast fried food.” By thinking in these terms, we have taken out the pleasure of eating. Some where along the line we have tied our self esteem into the types of food we eat.
How many times have we been told to clean our plates or thought, “It’s 12:00, I have to eat
lunch”? We’ve been conditioned by the external cues in our world. We have lost the intrinsic ability of eating when we are truly hungry and the ability to recognize when we’ve had enough to eat.
The new eating behavior requires us to get in tune with our bodies, by recognizing when we are actually hungry and concede that it’s ok to be hungry. By recognizing these issues we will have a healthier thought process about food. Knowing when we are hungry, recognize when we are full and eat the foods we want to eat puts us on the right track for healthy eating behaviors. With this knowledge, we have the freedom to choose all kinds of foods for all the right reasons. Will this result in weight loss? Probably, because we will learn more about our selves and the triggers that cause us to eat. Plus we will gain piece of mind.
Another big hurdle to over come to is to accept yourself as you are. Do not compare your self with others, and find your own strengths. Some where along our path we lost the concept of being healthy to looking good.
Do you guys have any idea how horrendously bad Trans Fats are for you and your body???? I’m not just talking about how bad they are for your weight loss efforts. I’m talking for your health! Seriously, it is a health hazard.
Let’s take a look at the need for fat. It helps regulate our body temperature. Fat is needed for the protection of our organs. We use it for energy production in our aerobic activity. So when you seek weight loss do not eliminate all fats, just the saturated fat and trans fats. Trans Fat, however, is good for nothing.
Our intake of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats should be about 10% of your daily caloric intake. Examples of these fats are olive oil, canola, peanut, and corn oils to name a few.
Scientists created trans fats to sustain the shelf life of products in the store and is used in cooking. It was also created to be a solid at room temperature and help make things more spreadable. Trans fats are the hydrogenated oils you see listed in the ingredients list. They have no nutritional value. In fact, trans fats and hydrogenated oils lowers your good cholesterol levels (HDL) and raises your bad cholesterol levels (LDL). These fats are found in most junk foods and fried foods.
So when you are looking for weight loss in a healthy way, avoid any and all trans fats!!
These past few days we have been talking about weight loss. How using a food diary helps with successful weight loss. Planning ahead, and eliminating high fat and calorie dense foods in your pantry. Choosing healthier and more nutritious snacks sets the path for weight loss. Setting achievable goals and rewarding yourself with non food items when they are reached. Using exercise with your weight loss goals.
Today we’ll put it all together for successful weight management. Slow down when you are eating your meal. Enjoy and savor the flavors. Put your utensils down in between bites. When you eat more slowly it gives your stomach time to tell your brain that you are no longer hungry.
Substitute foods that contain less fat and calories. Reducing your fat helps control your weight management and also your cholesterol. Use variety in your diet and don’t get stuck on the same low cal foods. Planning ahead can assist you.
One of the biggest weight loss tactics is portion size and portion control. Take smaller portions and avoid seconds can really help with your calorie intake.
You have successfully completed your weight loss journey and now you have to make the commitment to yourself! Committing to a long term weight management and life style changes will set the stage for a healthier and stronger you!
Continuing on our weight loss theme, here are a few more weight loss tips. Yesterday, I mentioned that it is important to have a friend or a support system in place to be successful with your weight loss. Studies do show that when you have a positive support system in place you are more likely to lose weight.
Setting a realistic goal for weight loss. Set smaller achievable goals at a time. I know Weight Watcher’s encourages you to start off losing 10% of your weight. That’s a smaller achievable goal instead of looking at the whole big picture if there is a large amount of weight to lose.
Reward yourself when you reach these goals. Buy yourself a new book or treat yourself to a movie, but do not reward yourself with food.
If you should have a lapse in overeating it does not mean the end to your weight loss. Pick yourself up, use your support system, and put the over eating incident behind you and keep looking forward.
Once you are well on your way with weight loss, it’s time to start moving or exercising. Studies show that people who engage in exercising and a weight loss program will lose more weight and are more likely to keep the weight off than those with just weight loss alone.
Tomorrow, we will continue with our “Weight Loss” series with exercises both aerobic and resistance training to help you lose weight.