Our bodies were not designed to diet. Our bodies were designed to achieve their ideal weight by internally managing what we eat, our stress levels, and other environmental factors. This does not mean we were meant to be overweight either, but you may have observed that our bodies do adjust to excess weight better than they adjust to dieting. Our bodies are like a well designed machine, processing what we eat, responding to outside stimuli, and preferring a state of well being rather than chaos.
Our brain is our main machine controller. It directs all other systems whether we are conscious of it or not. It can only operate with the tools and supplies available to it. If something is missing, our brain forces our bodies to act in a way that may be counter to long-term health but keeps us alive in the short term. Our brain, and the rest of our body, requires certain elements to perform or operate correctly.
This is one of the main reasons why dieting does not work. Our bodies require food and water to survive. We also require the right food and enough water to thrive. Our bodies enter what is commonly called ‘starvation mode' when it doesn't have adequate supplies of food or water. Our bodies still function, but we don't thrive and grow. Our brain shuts down lesser important systems ensuring short term survival. If we lack food or eat food of poor nutritional content, our body and brain knows that it does not have the raw materials it needs. Our brain and bodies begin using muscle and other energy stores to keep operating, and actually begin the process of storing fat for reserves.
The traditional medical community has told us that in order to lose weight, we must cut our food intake. While this is in part true, and it will help us to lose weight, the loss may be only temporary. Significant reductions in the calories we consume causes our bodies to use critical resources and are burning up part of our system that we require to lose weight and maintain that loss – lean muscle mass.
It almost seems like we cannot win. If we don't reduce the amount of calories we consume, we will not lose weight. But if we cut calories and lose the weight in the form of lean muscle mass, the loss will only be temporary. We must understand these processes in order to ensure that we get the desired long term outcome – achieving an ideal weight.
Instead of dieting, we need to learn to work with our body to help it repair itself. We simply can't reduce or eliminate the raw materials our body's need to properly do their job. One of the first steps it for each of us to learn to eat better foods. Note that the operative word is better, not ‘less'! Long term weight loss almost always requires a change in lifestyle to keep maintain an ideal weight for the long term. Eating better foods means the elimination of high fat content foods. It also includes eating whole foods. Whole foods are those that have not been heated or pasteurized. If it is in a can (like canned vegetables) or has been prepared (like frozen dinners) it is no longer a whole food. The enzymes, amino acids, and other essential nutrients have been destroyed by the heating process. Slight changes in diet can result in significant changes in your body and help you naturally achieve your ideal weight.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Seven Weight Loss Tips
Here are seven weight loss tips to get you started on getting the body of your dreams!
#1.During your workouts do exercise that incorporate compound movements rather than simple ones. This will not only help in burning more calories, but will also tone more muscle at once! A few good compound movement exercises include: squats, dead lifts, bent over rows, and lunges.
#2. Set fitness goals for yourself. Be sure to write your goals down and post them where you will see them everyday. Your goal may be to lose 5 pounds, to lose 5 inches off your waist. Make sure that you are very specific with your goals, vague goals will get you nowhere. A qualified personal trainer can help you set your goals and guide you to them.
#3. Pump some iron! Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns 30-50 calories per day, while 1 lb of fat only burns about 9 calories per day? The more muscle your body contains the more calories you burn each day. Resistance training has been called the fountain of youth – and it really is!
#4. A great way to burn off excess fat is to walk or jog for as little as 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning. Performing a calorie burning activity right when you wake up is more effective since your body is depleted of calories, and is forced to pull energy from fat stores. A personal trainer can help you identify your ideal target heart rate for maximum fat burn.
#5. Make a habit of weighing and measuring yourself monthly and tracking your gains and losses. I know this sounds tedious but it is a great way to help you prevent gradual weight gain from creeping up when you least expect it.
#6. When lifting weights, try slowing down the speed at which you lower the weight. Lowering weight in a controlled manner will add strength and tone to your muscles and decrease the chance of an injury.
#7. Losing patience with exercise? The key to weight loss and fitness gains is to consistently give your body new challenges. Mix up your workouts every few weeks, and don't be afraid to try something new! Make your body constantly adapt to new challenges and stimulus. Hire a personal trainer who can help you add new excitement to your fitness program.
Stay strong, stay motivated and keep on moving.
#1.During your workouts do exercise that incorporate compound movements rather than simple ones. This will not only help in burning more calories, but will also tone more muscle at once! A few good compound movement exercises include: squats, dead lifts, bent over rows, and lunges.
#2. Set fitness goals for yourself. Be sure to write your goals down and post them where you will see them everyday. Your goal may be to lose 5 pounds, to lose 5 inches off your waist. Make sure that you are very specific with your goals, vague goals will get you nowhere. A qualified personal trainer can help you set your goals and guide you to them.
#3. Pump some iron! Did you know that 1 lb of muscle burns 30-50 calories per day, while 1 lb of fat only burns about 9 calories per day? The more muscle your body contains the more calories you burn each day. Resistance training has been called the fountain of youth – and it really is!
#4. A great way to burn off excess fat is to walk or jog for as little as 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning. Performing a calorie burning activity right when you wake up is more effective since your body is depleted of calories, and is forced to pull energy from fat stores. A personal trainer can help you identify your ideal target heart rate for maximum fat burn.
#5. Make a habit of weighing and measuring yourself monthly and tracking your gains and losses. I know this sounds tedious but it is a great way to help you prevent gradual weight gain from creeping up when you least expect it.
#6. When lifting weights, try slowing down the speed at which you lower the weight. Lowering weight in a controlled manner will add strength and tone to your muscles and decrease the chance of an injury.
#7. Losing patience with exercise? The key to weight loss and fitness gains is to consistently give your body new challenges. Mix up your workouts every few weeks, and don't be afraid to try something new! Make your body constantly adapt to new challenges and stimulus. Hire a personal trainer who can help you add new excitement to your fitness program.
Stay strong, stay motivated and keep on moving.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The Truth About Weight Loss Supplements
If you have opened a magazine, turned on the radio, or glanced at the T.V. lately then you know there is an overabundance of weight loss supplements currently on the market. Some claim that you will lose 5 pounds in a week, others claim that you will lose 3 dress sizes in a month, and my personal favorite claims that you will lose 20 pounds in 10 days.
Do these pills really have the ability to “melt away pounds” or “burn fat in your sleep”? The correct answer is probably on the tip of your tongue… No! No matter how much we enjoy the fantasy of a magic pill turning us into a supermodel, deep down we know that this is simply not realistic.
A $30 billion dollar industry thrives on our false hope of miraculous weight loss supplements itching to effortlessly turn us into svelte hard bodies. It is time that we came face to face with the real facts about weight loss as we cast off all misconceptions.
In reality, research shows that 95% of weight loss induced by supplements will be gained back in no less than 3 years. The Food and Drug Administration has gone so far as to declare that a weight loss supplement with a proven record of long-term success DOESN’T EXSIST!
And to think that billions of dollars are spend on products that are PROVEN to not work!
How is this possible? You ask. Isn’t it against the law to make false claims about a pill?
This is where things get hairy… These so-called weight loss supplements are acknowledged as ‘food’ by the FDA and are therefore not evaluated for their safety and effectiveness.
So you are telling me that weight loss supplements can make outrageous claims without backing them up? Yep. Sad, but true.
Here are the hard facts about magical weight loss pills: · Most weight loss supplements contain appetite suppressants that have been known to cause reactions in some people that lead to strokes, heart attacks, panic attacks, and even death.
· Quite often the few pounds that you do end up losing with weight loss supplements are due to the diuretics that they contain. A diuretic is a substance that flushes water out of your body, providing a quick and temporary dip on the scale.
· Weight loss supplements are expensive! It may be easy to justify the cost to yourself when you believe that your hard earned money is being spent on sculpting your figure, but don’t be fooled! The useless pills cost the manufacturer only pennies to produce, while they charge you an arm and a leg.
· Next time you see a stunning before and after picture of the guy or gal that lost 200 pounds by taking a certain supplement, beware! There is a higher probability of you being struck by lightening tonight than that claim being true. Most spokespersons and testimonials for weight loss supplements are false, and are only there to entice an unsuspecting public.
· Weight loss supplement companies admit that their products will not work without the accompaniment of calorie restriction and an increase in physical activity. But wait! Before you kiss your weight loss dreams goodbye forever, sentencing yourself to life in the fat jeans, READ ON! There is a way to achieve long-term weight loss!
Here it is, brace yourself… The sure-fire, safe and effective way to achieve healthy weight loss is…to eat a balanced diet and to participate in regular exercise.
That’s it, folks. No fancy pill or tasty diet drink will get you the body of your dreams faster and more effectively than old fashion nutrition and exercise! So the next time that you are tempted to dish out big bucks on the latest weight loss craze, do yourself a favor. Put your wallet back into your pocket and find your way to a competent personal trainer instead who can help you permanently reach your fitness and weight loss goals.
Do these pills really have the ability to “melt away pounds” or “burn fat in your sleep”? The correct answer is probably on the tip of your tongue… No! No matter how much we enjoy the fantasy of a magic pill turning us into a supermodel, deep down we know that this is simply not realistic.
A $30 billion dollar industry thrives on our false hope of miraculous weight loss supplements itching to effortlessly turn us into svelte hard bodies. It is time that we came face to face with the real facts about weight loss as we cast off all misconceptions.
In reality, research shows that 95% of weight loss induced by supplements will be gained back in no less than 3 years. The Food and Drug Administration has gone so far as to declare that a weight loss supplement with a proven record of long-term success DOESN’T EXSIST!
And to think that billions of dollars are spend on products that are PROVEN to not work!
How is this possible? You ask. Isn’t it against the law to make false claims about a pill?
This is where things get hairy… These so-called weight loss supplements are acknowledged as ‘food’ by the FDA and are therefore not evaluated for their safety and effectiveness.
So you are telling me that weight loss supplements can make outrageous claims without backing them up? Yep. Sad, but true.
Here are the hard facts about magical weight loss pills: · Most weight loss supplements contain appetite suppressants that have been known to cause reactions in some people that lead to strokes, heart attacks, panic attacks, and even death.
· Quite often the few pounds that you do end up losing with weight loss supplements are due to the diuretics that they contain. A diuretic is a substance that flushes water out of your body, providing a quick and temporary dip on the scale.
· Weight loss supplements are expensive! It may be easy to justify the cost to yourself when you believe that your hard earned money is being spent on sculpting your figure, but don’t be fooled! The useless pills cost the manufacturer only pennies to produce, while they charge you an arm and a leg.
· Next time you see a stunning before and after picture of the guy or gal that lost 200 pounds by taking a certain supplement, beware! There is a higher probability of you being struck by lightening tonight than that claim being true. Most spokespersons and testimonials for weight loss supplements are false, and are only there to entice an unsuspecting public.
· Weight loss supplement companies admit that their products will not work without the accompaniment of calorie restriction and an increase in physical activity. But wait! Before you kiss your weight loss dreams goodbye forever, sentencing yourself to life in the fat jeans, READ ON! There is a way to achieve long-term weight loss!
Here it is, brace yourself… The sure-fire, safe and effective way to achieve healthy weight loss is…to eat a balanced diet and to participate in regular exercise.
That’s it, folks. No fancy pill or tasty diet drink will get you the body of your dreams faster and more effectively than old fashion nutrition and exercise! So the next time that you are tempted to dish out big bucks on the latest weight loss craze, do yourself a favor. Put your wallet back into your pocket and find your way to a competent personal trainer instead who can help you permanently reach your fitness and weight loss goals.
Learn The Truth About Best Weight Loss Pills
Losing weight is a big challenge for most of our population. Market is flooded with weight loss pills which promise to make you slim and toned without lifting a finger. Sounds too good to be true, well it is. Do any of these weight loss pills live upto the claim, is there any amongst them as best weight loss pills.
You can only lose weight if you burn more calories than what you consume – remember that. As most of you already know weight loss pills can be divided into the categories: appetite suppressants, pills which increase fat loss (breaking down fat) and pills which block fat absorption. The eventual outcome is the same- to have a net caloric deficiency and therefore this causes weight loss.
So how does this work? Firstly, appetite suppressants work by suppressing appetite. Many of these medicines in the past were associated with cardiac side effects and therefore lost its popularity. Second category of medicine works by potentiating the breakdown of which can then be used up by muscles. Again these may be associated with cardiac sideeffects etc. and therefore one should be careful. Third category is the fat blockers. These have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. Amongst them xenical in particular has been very popular. Some have even referred this to be amongst the best weight loss pills ever. Xenical which is the brand name for Orlistat works by blocking a pancreatic enzyme called lipase and subsequently inhibiting fat absorption.
So does Xenical live up to the mark of being considered among the best weight loss pills? Following studies proving its success, Xenical is being considered by many as being among the best weight loss pills ever. The study was a one year clinical trial. This showed that upto 25% of people on xenical achieved upto 10% of reduction in weight loss. More impressive was the reduction in incidence of type II diabetes in this study group - upto 37%.
A point to remember from the above study is that after one year period of stopping Xenical, a significant number of subjects regained 35% of the lost weight. This is obviously discouraging at first, but to understand this we need to understand, and see how Xenical actually works. Xenical works by inhibiting a pancreatic enzyme called lipase. Now once you stop taking Xenical and continue with the same old high fat diet then of course the fat which was before not being absorbed by xenical now goes to your system ay to tackle this to start with Xenical and alongside modify your diet and lifestyle.
Although it is among the best weight loss pills out there an effort on ones part is important for long term goals.
You can only lose weight if you burn more calories than what you consume – remember that. As most of you already know weight loss pills can be divided into the categories: appetite suppressants, pills which increase fat loss (breaking down fat) and pills which block fat absorption. The eventual outcome is the same- to have a net caloric deficiency and therefore this causes weight loss.
So how does this work? Firstly, appetite suppressants work by suppressing appetite. Many of these medicines in the past were associated with cardiac side effects and therefore lost its popularity. Second category of medicine works by potentiating the breakdown of which can then be used up by muscles. Again these may be associated with cardiac sideeffects etc. and therefore one should be careful. Third category is the fat blockers. These have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. Amongst them xenical in particular has been very popular. Some have even referred this to be amongst the best weight loss pills ever. Xenical which is the brand name for Orlistat works by blocking a pancreatic enzyme called lipase and subsequently inhibiting fat absorption.
So does Xenical live up to the mark of being considered among the best weight loss pills? Following studies proving its success, Xenical is being considered by many as being among the best weight loss pills ever. The study was a one year clinical trial. This showed that upto 25% of people on xenical achieved upto 10% of reduction in weight loss. More impressive was the reduction in incidence of type II diabetes in this study group - upto 37%.
A point to remember from the above study is that after one year period of stopping Xenical, a significant number of subjects regained 35% of the lost weight. This is obviously discouraging at first, but to understand this we need to understand, and see how Xenical actually works. Xenical works by inhibiting a pancreatic enzyme called lipase. Now once you stop taking Xenical and continue with the same old high fat diet then of course the fat which was before not being absorbed by xenical now goes to your system ay to tackle this to start with Xenical and alongside modify your diet and lifestyle.
Although it is among the best weight loss pills out there an effort on ones part is important for long term goals.
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