Losing Weight the Healthy Way

Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:

1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or  pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time. 

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:

1.   Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).

2.  Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.
Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3.  Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five  small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4.  Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.
Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules. 

5.  Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water  to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6.  Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean  meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7.  Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.
There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart. 

8.  Exercise.

Leave your car if  you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or  skate. Use these activites and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.

By :brown Michael

Quick Weight Loss Diet

The ?Quick Weight Loss Diet? Trend Disadvantage

If you wear a size 14 and you blow a bundle on designer size 8 dresses as motivation, you will probably end up feeling guilty, frustrated, and angry if you are not slinking around in it a month later.

In reality, you will do much better setting smaller, achievable targets for yourself. If you must try the new-clothes strategy, go down a size at a time, and do not buy anything you have to take out a second mortgage to pay for.

Because, if you continue to remorse on losing weight fast, you will end up incorporating fad diets or those that offer quick weight loss.

For most people who are not aware of this fact, there are no such things as quick weight loss diets and there is no nippy weight loss for people who want to be slimmer than what their body can provide.

The problem with most people is that they tend to opt for nippy fixes wherein fact these things are not effective at all.

What Does Not Work
Today, there are plenty of weight-loss strategies that are guaranteed to backfire. This is because these nippy fixes instilled on certain diet plans are, in reality, not efficient because it does not employ the right principle and the right attitude in losing weight.

These quick weight loss diet plans are known as fad diets because that is exactly what they are, just a fad. In time, when fashion is over and popularity wanes down, people will realize that the diet they have depended on is not reliable at all.

To know more about these fad diets that are selling like hotcakes in the market today, here is a list of some telltale signs that would tell you not to try it even once.
Here they are:

1. Skipping meals

Does your diet plan require you to skip meals? If it does, then, it is a fad diet.
Abstain from food completely is not a healthy habit. It may even cause some serious complications or problems especially for people who are sick with diabetes.
Skipping meals will only cause a hypoglycemia, or the condition wherein your blood sugar is really low, and will probably only be effective in making you eat twice as much at the next meal.

2. Dieting without exercise, or vice versa

Exercise is crucial to the human body. It is important in the proper blood circulation and other activities of the human body system.
Therefore, diet plans that do not require you to exercise are nuisances. People are born to move.
But then again, exercise alone is not sufficient. Hence, it would be better if diet and exercise will go hand-in-hand.

3. Continuous dawdling

There is no better time to start losing weight. If you want to really lose those excess fats, you have to lose weight now Delaying tactics will not get you anywhere and will only make the problem worse. So, if your diet plan suggests a certain timeframe for you start losing weight, chances are, you are following the trend of fad diets.
Boiled down, it is best to rely more on the way you feel than the tale of the tape. This means that if the weighing scale tells you that you are losing weight even if it is slower than you would like, but you are feeling energetic and positive about your weight-loss efforts, then, you are just doing fine.
As mentioned and is worth mentioning all over again, weight loss is not a quick process.

By: brown Michael

Program your Weight Loss in as Easy as a Week

The idea of the program is to be able for you to develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well as a healthy endurance when exercising.  The program’s objective is to get rid of the excesses in your body, the excess fat.  Not the healthy and lean muscle tissues and body fluids. 

The program first requires your focus and dedication, so therefore you need to be prepared in both mind and – of course – body.  It is highly advised that you first visit your doctor for a check-up before embarking on any weight loss program. 

It is important that when starting on any weight loss program, one should be positive enough to work for the results.  Some people get impatient easily but long term effects are assured as long as one sticks to the weight loss plan at hand. 

Stretch, stretch and stretch some more.  Before actually doing those exercises and working out those muscles, a little stretching is needed in order to avoid any injury or soreness in your body.

It is also not advisable for anyone to try too hard.  Everything should be done in moderation.  Find the level of exercise and training that suits you.  It should be enough for you to be comfortable in but not too convenient that it will not be much of a challenge. 
The first week

The first day of the program involves a long and steady walk in a little over twenty minutes.  After the walk, follow it up with a good stretch.  This takes so little of your time for the first day.  In less than an hour you have taken that first step to a weight loss program that could work to your advantage.

By the second day, it is good to focus on an upper body workout.  This maintains your strength to be able to go through the whole program for the week.  On the third day, a brisk walk or jog for ten minutes is in order.  For beginners, a lower body workout should be done in the evening.

In the fourth day, a good rest is in order, as well as a good stretch.  This lag time should be used wisely though to sort out any negatives in your mindset.  The fifth day starts with a good ten minute walk.  Exercise the lower body in four sessions of workouts, follow this up with another ten minute walk, and another four sessions of lower body workout.

The sixth day should be spent on a low impact exercise such as swimming.  To avoid boredom, do not be afraid to try something new.  The last day of the week is a time to solicit the support of the people you care about.  Spend time with them or get them to be with you in your long walk.  Again, follow up your walk with a light upper body workout. 

This is just the beginning though.  If by this first week you are able to stick to the program, you have a great chance to further boost your weight loss and stay with the plan until you achieve your desired result.  Try as much as possible to be unlike the people who give up easily just because they could not see the result they want at the time they want – like this moment, today, now!   Patience is a virtue.  The same way it took your body time to gain all that weight, think about it as the time your body will have to exert just to get rid of it. 

By: brown Michael

Colon Cleanses to Lose Weight: Do They Really Work?

Are you looking to lose weight?  If you are, you may have used the internet to research weight loss products. When many of us think of weight loss product, diet pill are often the first thing that comes to mind. While diet pills may be able to help you achieve your weight loss goals, diet pills are not the only weight loss product that you may want to look into.  A large number of individuals have successfully used colon cleanses, also commonly referred to as weight loss cleanses, to lose weight and you may want to think about doing the same.

When it comes to using colon cleanses to lose weight, there are many individuals, possibly just like you, who wonder how the whole process works. Before understanding how colon cleanses may help you lose weight, it is important to remember that there may be a variance. There are some colon cleanses that advertise that they are designed to help you lose weight. These types of colon cleanses are also commonly referred to as weight loss cleanses. With that in mind, there are colon cleanses that advertise that they are not guaranteed to help you lose weight, even though some of them may.

When using a colon cleanse, it is important that you follow all of the instructions given to you. For instance, there are some colon cleanses that require that you do not eat anything for one or two days.  These types of colon cleanses are often ones that are in liquid format.  The colon cleanses in pill format may request that you only eat and drink certain products, like fruits and vegetables.  If you buy a colon cleanse that asks to you restrict your diet, you are advised to do so.  This diet restriction is what makes it possible for you to lose weight, as well as allow the colon cleanse to properly work.

When you use a colon cleanse, you are essentially detoxifying, your body.  The colon cleanse will work to push toxins out from your colon and sometimes even your intestines.  This is not only ideal to promote a healthy wellbeing, but it can also help you lose weight.  It has been said that the average person has anywhere from four to eight pounds of stored waste in their body. When using a colon cleanse, that extra waste will be expelled from your body. This is why many individuals are able to lose weight with a colon cleanse.

If you are able to use a rapid colon cleanse, like one that works in three to seven days, you may notice a rapid weight loss. There are some individuals who use colon cleanses to quickly lose weight before a special event like a wedding or a vacation. While you may be able to achieve rapid weight loss with a colon cleanse, it is important that you proceed with caution.  If you do not change the way that you eat or add exercise to your daily activities, you may see your weight add back on it as little as a few weeks or a few days. This typically happens if you were asked to restrict your diet when using a colon cleanse.  While you do not have to keep up with your restricted diet, you are advised to reduce your junk food intake and start a daily or at least a weekly exercise program.

Since it is more than possible for you to lose weight with a colon cleanse, you may be interested in giving one a try. When looking to buy a colon cleanse, you may be able to find them available for sale in traditional department stores, fitness stores, and health stores, both on and offline.  Before buying a colon cleanse, you may want to search for product reviews online or speak with a healthcare professional.  This will help to ensure that you if you do buy a colon cleanse that your money is well spent.

By brown Michael

Do You Need to Lose Weight? Signs That You May

Each day in the United States, million of Americans say to themselves “I need to lose weight.”  Are you one of those individuals?  While many of the individuals who tell themselves that they need to lose weight do need to lose weight, not all do.  So, the question that many ask themselves is “do I really need to lose weight?”  If that is a question that you have asked yourself before, you will want to continue reading on.

One of the many signs that you may need to lose weight is if you are obese.  Many individuals do not realize that there is a difference between being overweight and being obese. While different healthcare professionals have different definitions for obese, it is often said that those who are thirty or forty pounds overweight are obese.  If you are obese, you shouldn’t only be worried about your appearance, but your health as well.  Obesity has been linked to multiple health complications, including the early onset of death.

Another one of the many signs that you should lose weight is if you have been told that you need to do so.  Whether your physician recommended losing weight or if someone that you know on a personal level has, it is advised that you at least take their suggestions into consideration. Unfortunately, many individuals are embarrassed or become upset when they are told that they need to lose weight.  What you need to remember is that the individual mentioning your weight to you likely isn’t as concerned with your appearance as they are with your health.

Another sign that you may want to think about losing weight is if you are finding that your clothes no longer fit you.  Of course, it is normal for some individuals to gain weight or to have their weight fluctuate, but you may want to think about joining a weight loss program or developing your own weight loss plan if you find that your clothes no longer fit or are difficult to get into.  Unfortunately, many individuals do not just have a small weight gain. Small weight gain often leads to more, which could have a negative impact on your health.  It is also important to mention the cost of new clothes, which you may not be able to afford.

If you find many simple tasks or activities, like walking up a flight of stairs, difficult, you may want to think about losing weight.  Of course, becoming out of breath from simple activities may not necessarily just be a weight problem, but there is a good chance that it is. When you lose weight, even just a little bit of it, you will likely find it easier to do many of the activities that you love or even the tasks that you need to do, like take your kids to the park.

The above mentioned signs are just a few of the many signs that you may need to lose weight.  Should you wish to lose weight, you are advised to proceed with caution. There are a number of weight loss products on the market, like diet pills or exercise equipment, which do not work. To save yourself money and to protect your health, you may want to consider consulting with your physician before starting any weight loss program, even one that you develop yourself.

By: brown Michael

Fast Weight Loss Tips

Are you interested in losing weight?   If you are, are you in a hurry to do so? While it is advised that you do not rely heavily on fast weight loss, also commonly referred to as rapid weight loss, there are many individuals who do.  If you are interested in losing weight, as quickly as possible, you will want to continue reading on.

One of the many ways that you can go about achieving a fat weight loss or rapid weight loss is by reducing the foods that you eat. When reducing your food consumption, it is important that you only reduce your consumption a little bit.  Unfortunately, many individuals who want to achieve fast weight loss think that they need to stop eating altogether, even if it is for two or three days.  That is something that you do not want to do.  Once you resume eating again, you will likely gain all of your weight back, almost automatically.  It is also important to mention that starving yourself is dangerous to your health.

In conjunction with reducing your food intake, it is advised that you reduce the amount of sweets or junk food that you eat. For fast weight loss, you will want to completely eliminate junk food from your diet, even if it is only for a short period of time. This means that if you want a snack, you should grab an apple or an orange instead of a chocolate bar or a bag of chips. With candy and other sweets being high in calories, you may see a significant decrease in your calorie consumption by eliminating them from your diet.

Exercise is another way that you can go about achieving fast weight loss. The thing about using exercise to achieve fast weight loss is that it is a little bit tricky. With exercise, you may not notice a significant weight loss right away.  For instance, it typically takes most individuals at least a week or two to notice an improvement in their appearance with the use of exercise. With that in mind, the more overweight you are, the sooner you may see a decrease in your weight, often quickly.

In keeping with exercise to lose weight, exercise is important to losing weight, as it helps to limit your calorie intake.  When you burn off calories, with the use of exercise, your body absorbs less calories. This is what makes it possible for you to lose weight.  Although your first though may be to start exercising as much as possible, right away, you may want to refrain from doing so.  If you aren’t usually physically active, it is best to start out slow.  This should significantly reduce your risk of injuries.

Another one of the many ways that you may be able to achieve fasts weight loss or rapid weight loss is with the use of a cleanse.  These cleanses are commonly referred to as colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses.  Cleanses work by removing toxins and extra weight, actually waste, from your body.  It has been said that most individuals have at least seven or eight pounds of waste stored in their bodies.  A weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse should help remove those toxins from your body.

Should you decide to try a colon cleanse or a weight loss cleanse, to help you achieve a fast weight loss, it is important that you read all directions given to you. Some cleanses have a strict diet that you must follow. For the fastest weight loss, you may want to examine liquid cleanses, instead of those in pill formats, as they often produce the quickest results.

The above mentioned fast weight loss tips may help you achieve fast weight loss, even if it is only a small weight loss. As a reminder, it is important to proceed with caution. While it is more that possible for you to achieve your fast weight loss goal, it can also be dangerous to you and your health.

By: brown Michael

How to Find a Local Weight Loss Center

Are you looking to lose weight? If you are, have you ever though about joining a weight loss center?  A weight loss center membership is a nice way to help you achieve your goal of losing weight.  If you have never been a member of a weight loss center before, you may be wondering how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join.

Before examining how you can go about finding a weight loss center to join, it is first important to know what weight loss centers are. When examining weight loss centers, you will find that weight loss centers come in a number of different formats.  Most commonly, weight loss centers are used to describe local weight loss programs, where you attend group meetings at the “center.”  There are some weight loss centers that have weekly or biweekly meetings, like for weigh-ins.  There are also weight loss centers where your membership fees give you access to onsite exercise equipment or the ability to attend an aerobics class.

Now that you know exactly what weight loss centers are, you are better prepared to go about finding one to join. One of the many ways that you can go about finding a weight loss center to become a member at is by using your local phone book. When using your local phone book, you will want to checkout the business directory section, which is also commonly referred to as the yellow pages.  You may be able to find the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of local weight loss centers by looking under the headings of “weight loss,” or “health and fitness.”

In addition to using your local phone book, you can also use the internet to help you find a local weight loss center to join. When using the internet, you can use online business directories or online phone books. These online resources are nice, but they are similar to what you would find in your local phone book. Often times, you only get the name, address, and telephone number of a weight loss center.  If you were to use an online business directory, you may also get the address to an online website, if the weight loss center in question has one.

In keeping with using the internet to help you find a local weight loss center, you can also use standard internet searches to your advantage.  When performing a standard internet search, you may want to search with phrases like “weight loss centers,” or “weight loss programs.”  This generalized search may return results for nationally operated weight loss centers.  If you are looking for a local center, you may want to incorporate your city or your state into your standard internet search as well.

Another great way that you can go about finding a local weight loss center to join is by asking those that you know for recommendations. This includes your friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or your doctors.  Whether the individual in question was or still is a member of the weight loss center in question or they know someone who was, you may be able to get a lot information by speaking to those that you know.  It is also nice, as you often don’t just get the name, address, or telephone number of a local weight loss center; you also should get personal recommendations and constructive criticism as well.

The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many ways that you can go about finding local weight loss centers to join. Although it is nice to hear recommendations from those that you know or use the internet to help you familiarize yourself with all of your options, it is important that you take the time to find the perfect weight loss center for you and needs. This should involve examining the membership features that you have access to, the cost of becoming a member, and so forth.

By: brown Michael

Exclusive How to Find the Best Weight Loss Program for You

Are you looking to lose weight?  If you are, you may be interested in joining a weight loss program.  When it comes to joining a weight loss program, you will find that you have a number of different options.  If this is your first time joining a weight loss program, you may be unsure as to what you should look for in a weight loss program.  If that is the case, you will want to continue reading on.

One of the best ways to go about finding the perfect weight loss program for yourself is to ask yourself a number of important questions.  One of the first questions that you should ask yourself is how much time you have to devote to weight loss meetings.  If you were to join a local weight loss program, you would likely be required to attend weekly meeting.  Whether you are busy with your family or busy at work, you may not have the time to do so.  In that case, you should look into joining an online weight loss program, as they are often designed for those with busy schedules.

Another question that you will want to ask yourself, when looking to find the perfect weight loss program is your willpower.  Should you join an online weight loss program, you will be given more freedom, as you do not have to physically report to meetings and answer to group leaders. While this freedom is nice, it has allowed many hopeful individuals to go off track.  If you do not think that you can stick with your online weight loss program goals and instructions, it may be better to join a local weight loss program instead.

Another one of the many questions that you will want to ask yourself, when looking for a weight loss program to join, is how much money you have to spend.  While it is possible to find free weight loss programs, both locally or online, it is actually quite rare.  In your search for weight loss programs, you will find that they have a wide range of membership fees.  Commonly, you will find that online weight loss programs are cheaper than locally operated weight loss programs.  If you are on a budget, the cost of each weight loss program that you come across should play a large role in your decision.

You should also ask yourself if you are embarrassed with your current weight or your physical appearance. Although you should have nothing to be ashamed of, you may still feel that way.  If that is the case, you may be afraid of attending local weight loss meetings.  Of course, you need to remember that everyone else in your meetings is likely feeling the same way, but you don’t have to put yourself in an awkward situation.  If you are concerned with your appearance or what others may think of you, you may want to look into joining an online weight loss program instead.

The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you should ask yourself if you are interested in joining a weight loss program. While there are a number of benefits to joining a locally operated weight loss program, as well as an online weight loss program, you need to make the decision that is best for you and your own needs.

By: brown Michael

Your Weight Loss Surgery Options

Are you looking to lose weight?  If you are, you likely already know that you have a number of different options. For instance, you can go about losing weight naturally, with the use of exercise and healthy eating. You can also lose weight with the assistance of weight loss products, like diet pills. Another option that you have is weight loss surgery. Although all of the previous weight loss methods are popular, weight loss surgery is rapidly increasing in popularity.

If you are interested in undergoing weight loss surgery, you are not alone.  As previously mentioned, weight loss surgery is increasing in popularity.  If you have never considered weight loss surgery before, you may be wondering what all of your options are. While there are a number of different weight loss surgical procedures that you can undergo, you will find that there are two main procedures. These procedures, which include gastric bypass surgery and lap-band surgery, are outlined below.

Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss surgery that involves the stapling of the stomach. That is why this procedure is also commonly referred to as stomach stapling.  When undergoing gastric bypass surgery, your surgeon will portion off some of your stomach, making a smaller pouch. Your intestine will then be rerouted, making it so that your food consumption only impacts a portion of your stomach.  This is what makes it possible for you lose weight with gastric bypass surgery.

Although gastric bypass surgery is a great weight loss surgery to undergo, it isn’t right for everyone.  Most physicians require their patients to be around eighty pounds or more overweight. In some rare instances, those who are less than eighty pounds overweight are able to undergo gastric bypass surgery if their health is at risk or if they have other medical problems, such as diabetes.

As previously stated, lap-band surgery is another weight loss surgery that is increasing in popularity.  Lap-band surgery is similar to gastric bypass surgery. When undergoing lap-band surgery, your stomach pouch is made smaller.  One of the few differences is that your stomach is not stapled, but an adjustable band is used. That is one of the reasons why lap-band surgery is so popular, as the band used can be completely removed or easily adjusted.

Lap-band surgery and gastric bypass surgery are not the only weight loss surgeries available to you, but they are two of the most popular.  Thousands of Americans have undergone these two weight loss surgeries. For many individuals, weight loss surgery is a last resort.  Many who undergo weight loss surgery have not had success with losing weight any other way.  If you are interested in undergoing a weight loss surgical procedure, you will want to speak with your physician.

One of the many reasons why it is important to speak with your doctor or another healthcare professional is because weight loss surgery isn’t right for everyone.  In addition to being at the “right,” weight, you also need to have the willpower to reduce your food consumption.  If you eat too much food, namely too much food for your stomach to hold, you can not only harm your weight loss progress, but you can also put your health at risk. That is why your weight loss surgery decision is not one that you can make alone; it is one that must be made in conjunction with a healthcare professional.

By brown Michael

What to Consider When Choosing a Weight Loss Cleanse

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, have you heard of weight loss cleanses, also commonly referred to as colon cleanses, before?  If you have not, you may want to take the time to examine them.  Colon cleanses are mostly used to remove unwanted toxins from the body, but they can also be used in weight loss. That is why it is sometimes possible to find colon cleanses being referred to as weight loss cleanses.

If you have never tried a colon cleanse before, namely to lose weight, you may be wondering what you should look for in a colon cleanse.  If that is the case, you will want to continue reading on.  Outlined below are a few of the many points that you should take into consideration, when looking to buy a colon cleanse.

                                                                                                                            
Perhaps, the most important factor to take into consideration, when looking to buy a colon cleanse or a weight loss cleanse, is safety.  It is important that you find a colon cleanse that is safe to use.  Colon cleanses and weight loss cleanses are made and sold by a number of different manufacturers and distributors. While many colon and weight loss cleanses do work, you will find that not all do. In fact, there are even some colon cleanses which can put your health at risk. That is why it is important that you review each colon or weight loss cleanse that you are interested in buying.

When it comes to researching colon cleanses and weight loss cleanses, you have a number of different options. Perhaps, the easiest way to review this popular weight loss tools is by performing a standard internet search. You may want to perform a standard internet search with the name of the colon cleanse that you would like to try.  You will want to examine all information that you come across, especially product reviews.  Another way that you can determine if the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse that you are interested in trying is safe is by consulting with a healthcare professional, like a dietician or your primary care physician.

Another factor that you will want to take into consideration is the length of the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse in question. When examining the length of the colon cleanse in question, you will find that it often depends on the type of cleanse that you are using.  You should be able to find colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses that are in pill format, those that are in ready-to-drink format, as well as those that can be mixed into a drink.  For the most part, you will find that drinkable colon cleanses require shorter use times, like for two or three days.  It is common to find colon cleanses, especially those in the pill formats, which need to be taken for up to thirty days or more.

The directions of the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse that you would like to try is also important when choosing a weight loss cleanse.  As with the length of a colon cleanse, you will find that the directions of each cleanse also varies. For instance, there are some colon cleanses, namely those in pill formats, that allow you to go about eating your normal diet.  On the other hand, there are some colon cleanses that require you to limit your food and drink intake, often to specific products.  If you choose a colon cleanse that requires you to only eat certain foods or go without eating for a day, it is important to make sure that you can follow those directions. If not, your colon cleanse may not work as intended and you may not be able to lose weight.

The above mentioned factors are a few of the many that you should take into consideration, when looking to buy a weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse for yourself.  While some colon cleanses are not marketed as weight loss products, you will find that many do result in weight loss.

By: brown Michael

Weight Loss: Why Exercise Is Important

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be in the process of developing a weight loss plan for yourself.  For many individuals, a weight loss plan is a guide that they can follow and one that may help to give them motivation. If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, it is important that you place a focus on exercise, as exercise is important component of weight loss.

Although it is nice to hear that exercise is an important part of a weight loss plan, you may be wondering exactly why that is. For your body to lose weight, you must see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of calories that you need to reduce, in order to lose weight, will all depend on your current weight and your hopeful weight loss goal.  Unfortunately, this is where many individuals automatically assume that they can’t eat three meals a day and many actually just stop eating. This is not only dangerous to your health, but it can be deadly.

Instead of reducing your calorie intake by solely limiting the amount of foods that you eat, you can use exercise to your advantage.  By exercising, you burn off calories. These are calories in which your body can use to help you lose weight.  If you have a specific weight loss goal, like one that involves losing at least twenty pounds, you may want to focus on fun exercises or workouts, but also ones that burn the most calories.  Adding exercise to your weight loss plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.

Since it is important to incorporate to exercise into your weight loss plan, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. In all honestly, there are an unlimited number of ways that you can go about using exercise to help you lose weight.  For starters, you can buy a collection, even just a small collection, of exercise equipment.  Exercise equipment can include items such as exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even if you have limited financial resources, you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces that are within your budget.

Although you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces, including instructional workout DVDs, for affordable prices, you may be looking to limit your weight loss plan investments.  If that is the case, you may want to take the time to examine your local gyms or fitness clubs. While some fitness clubs and gyms have relatively high membership fees, you can also find a number of them with affordable membership rates.  It is also important to mention that many fitness clubs and gyms are open accommodating hours, often making it easy to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.

Despite the fact that exercise is often associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that is not all that exercise is about. Exercise can also involve something simple like going for a walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work.  If you would prefer to exercise, for free, in your spare time, you may want to consider finding an exercise buddy.  This is a person who can workout with you, even if it just involves walking around your local shopping mall.  Not only can you make a new friend or strengthen your relationship with one of your current friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise partners often means that you are more likely to stick with your weight loss plan and achieve your weight loss goals.

As outlined above, it is extremely important that you incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan, especially if you are serious about losing weight and wish to do so in a healthy matter.  With multiple ways to go about incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.

By: brown Michael

The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss

Are you interested in losing weight?  If you are, are you looking for a rapid weight loss?  Rapid weight loss, also commonly referred to as quick weight loss or fast weight loss, involves losing weight in a short period of time, often anywhere from two to seven days. 

Each year, in the United States, hundreds of thousands of Americans are interested in rapidly losing weight.  Many people wish to lose weight before an important event, like an upcoming vacation or a wedding.  While it is defiantly possible to understand how you can want to lose weight quickly, namely as fast as possible, you need to proceed with caution.  Although it is possible to lose weight, at least a little bit of it, in a relatively quick period of time, you should know that there are dangers associated with doing so.

One of the many dangers of rapid weight loss is some of the many measures that some people take. For instance, it is common to hear of individuals who have decided not to eat, while trying to achieve a rapid weight loss.  Going without food, for even a short period of time, can be dangerous to your health.  A better alternative is to cut back on the food that you do eat or to just make sure that it is healthy foods in which you are eating. By limiting your calories, you should be able to achieve at least a small weight loss in the time that you were looking to.  It is just very important that you do eat.

In addition to eating healthy, another component of weight loss is exercise.  Unfortunately, many individuals do not realize that it can take up to one week to notice the signs of exercise. With that in mind, the more weight you need to lose, the sooner it is that you may start seeing results.  While exercise is a major component of losing weight, it is important that you do not overdo it, especially if you haven’t had a regular exercise plan.  Running on the treadmill for three hours, instead of thirty minutes, may help reduce your calorie intake, but, at the same time, it may also land you in the hospital. 

Another problem that is often associated with rapid weight loss is the taking of medications or other weight loss products.  The good news is that many of these products do work and some are even safe, but you may not be able to tell what you are getting. If you are interested in using a weight loss product, like a diet pill or a cleanse, to help you lose weight, it is important that you do the proper amount of research first.  This research may involve checking product reviews, to see if the product is effective, or speaking with a healthcare professional.

As you can see, it is important that you proceed with caution when trying to achieve rapid weight loss. Although unexpected events or appearances do popup, most individuals have at least a months worth of notice before attending a large event, like a wedding or even a vacation.  As soon as you know about your upcoming event, you are advised to start trying to lose weight then, if you are interested in doing so.  Rapid weight loss can be dangerous; therefore, you shouldn’t rely on it if possible.

By: Mustapha Echarkaoui

Nutrition Notes on Weight Loss Supplements

More and more spend hundred and even thousands of dollars yearly on weight loss supplements in the hope of speeding up their metabolism.  The main desire is to be attractive and accepted but it is becoming a more difficult goal to achieve.  The fitness industry is booming but still a lot of people are unable to cut those fat in spite of all the exercise and diet efforts. 

In America, more than sixty per cent of adults are overweight and thirty per cent are considered obese.  This is because: one, a lot of weight loss products promises unrealistic goals; two, dietary supplement manufacturers rely on the overweight person’s failure to survive; and three, the information about the supplements in the market are just written by themselves just to make a sell. 

Although the Food and Drug Administration has successfully banned illegal marketers, some products are still available.  Consumers can be deceived of the labels which claims caffeine or ephedra fee not knowing that these supplements composes of other ingredients that may pose the same health risks.  These include heart and digestive problems, headaches, insomnia, and even psychological side effects.

Other supplement manufacturers say that their products contains EGCG which is a phytochemical ingredient found in green tea.  This so-called component claims to speed up metabolism but in reality poses to reduce the risk of cancer.

 Some studies denote that it could slightly increase the potential to burn calories and now can be found in many weight loss supplements.  It has good points on the other hand since the body might conform to EGCG after a period of time.  Eve the weight loss benefit could sum up to 60 to 70 calories a day.  This helps prevent excessive weight gain. 

A few other significant effects of weight loss supplements is that it may contain ingredients that makers claim will prevent the absorption of carbohydrates.  One good example is Chitosan, which appears most promising, which in fact shows no positive result in fat absorption.

 It could even take up to seven months for men to lose just a pound of body fat and for women, there is no fat loss at all.  Thyroid supplements act as thyroid replacements help regulate and optimize the thyroid at a higher level.  This they say makes the body feel like a couch potato and won’t perform the job it has to.

Since the number one reason why people eat is because they feel hungry, there is another type of ingredient that manufacturers made which increases the feeling of being full and decreases appetite, Guar Gum.  However, recent studies show that it has no meaningful benefit at all to weight loss.  It is ironic that manufacturers mix Psyllium that has the reputation of reducing eating and aiding weight loss for initial studies so far do not support this claim although it helps control blood cholesterol and sugar.

One of the latest innovations in the fat loss industry is by way of skin absorption.  There’s a Cutting Gel, which is an epidril product by far the best selling in fat loss creams technology.  Rub it where you want the fats cut.  For now, it will seem safer to advise the age old remedies to excessive weight gain and that is to invest on walking shoes instead of diet supplements, go to the park and do brisk walking, go to the gym, and have a well balanced diet instead.

By: brown Michael

Alli Weight Loss

Alli Weight Loss: Does It Work?

There has been a lot of publicity about alli weight loss plans in the media, but does this weight loss pill really work? The answer from many research studies appears to be yes, but before you take alli weight loss remedies be sure to check out the rest of this article, because there are some things you need to know.

What Is Alli?

Alli is a brand name for the chemical orlistat. It is available over the counter in drug stores in the USA and the UK. It is also available as a prescription medication, often under the name of Xenical. Generic orlistat is also available in some countries.

How Alli Weight Loss Works

Alli weight loss effects have been demonstrated in many research studies and it is approved by the FDA as a weight loss aid. It works as a fat blocker, preventing the body from absorbing a certain percentage of the fats in our food.

At the usual dose of 60 mg three times a day it has been shown to block absorption of around 25% or one quarter of the fat that we eat. This increases to around 30% at a dose of 3 x 120 mg, which is not recommended without medical supervision. Beyond that there is very little added effect, so there is no point in taking more.

One study followed people taking alli in clinical trials over 12 months. Among the different groups of people, between 35% and 55% lost at least 5% of their body weight, which is a significant loss. About half of those people lost 10% of their starting body weight or more. These are very good results for clinical trials.

In addition, alli has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Whether this is because of alli weight loss effects or whether there are other beneficial effects in alli has not been proved.

However, this does not mean that we can eat all the fat that we want and then take alli to prevent weight gain. It is important to be aware of the side effects of alli weight loss before starting to take it.

Side Effects Of Alli

The most common side effect of alli or orlistat is bowel disturbance. Alli blocks digestion of a lot of the fat that we eat and so that fat has to be expelled from the body in undigested form. The result is loose stools which may cause severe diarrhea in some cases. Many people also suffer from excessive flatulence.

These symptoms are worse when people begin taking alli. It seems that the body adjusts to it after a time. So you could help to avoid the side effects of alli by starting with a very low dose and gradually increasing.

However, the best way to avoid alli weight loss side effects is to eat less fat. That way, there is less undigested fat for the body to excrete. Eating less fat also helps with weight loss.

The manufacturers claim that alli or orlistat can improve your weight loss by up to 50%, assuming you are not simply taking alli so that you can eat more. It won't work if you do that. You do need to have some control over your food intake. But if this is true, it means that a person who loses 10 pounds without taking alli would lose 15 pounds in the same time with the same food intake if they add alli weight loss to the mix.

By: brown Michael

4 Cheap but Healthy Foods for You

The problem with health food is that it can be expensive. This is because it has fewer chemicals and more real food in it. In addition the health food needs to be kept at a specific temperature and cannot remain on the shelves indefinitely. This makes the food expensive to store and expensive to carry in the stores.

However, there are some health foods out there that are not so expensive and these foods can surprise you. This can help you put some healthy food in your diet and not break your bank at the same time. Take a look at these 4 foods and consider adding them to your grocery list next time you go out.

* Brown Rice- This rice has more protein and more complex carbohydrates than white rice. This is also very high in fiber, which makes it very filling. Most brown rice is very cheap, but consider buying the long cooking rice instead of the instant rice for better health benefits.

* Canned Fish- Canned fish, in particular canned tuna and canned salmon, can be significantly cheaper than fresh fish but still provide you with all of the health benefits of fish. This fish should be packed in

By: brown Michael

Are You Making These 3 Diet Mistakes

Even though there is so much information available about weight loss, the same diet mistakes are being made over and over every day. We are not talking here about little slipups where you ate a slice of pie that was not on the plan, but big mistakes that lead to failure to lose the weight that you want to lose. Understanding these errors can help you develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss for you.

1. The All Or Nothing Attitude

All or nothing dieters will often pick out a complicated diet that is almost impossible for them to maintain. Before beginning, they will search the kitchen for anything that does not fit the plan and throw it in the garbage. They are planning to be the perfect dieter, and so they will be, for one day, three days, seven days or even a couple of weeks. Then, inevitably, something happens that means they cannot keep to the diet one time. Immediately the whole thing is ruined in their eyes and the diet is over. They go to the store and buy all the things that went into the garbage last week and proceed to gain back all the weight that they lost, as fast as possible.

If you are this kind of dieter you need to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really want to lose weight permanently, or just lose a few pounds so that you can enjoy putting them back on again? The way forward is to make small changes to what you eat so that you have a slow but steady weight loss.

2. The Attitude of Sacrifice

Another common mistake is to view your diet as a period of sacrifice. You do not allow yourself the foods that you enjoy most while you are on your way to your target weight. You may have a great diet plan and be very successful in losing weight, but what happens when you reach your goal? You have not learnt to eat 'bad foods' in moderation so as soon as you start, you are likely to go out of control. It is better to include a little of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy it in small quantities. Yes, even chocolate!

3. Goal Failure

Setting achievable goals is vital in any weight loss plan. Goals should be clear, realistic and set out in writing. While you probably do have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you are only very slightly overweight it is probably too distant to be useful. A more useful goal would be to lose two pounds per week for the first five weeks and then one pound per week after that. Some weeks you will lose more and some less, some weeks you may even gain, but if you track your progress on a graph you will see that ups and downs are natural and do not stop you progressing steadily toward your major goal.

If you have been making these mistakes, do not worry. The most important point in dieting as in so many other things is to move on. Learn from your failures as well as your success and do not use a mistake as an excuse for giving up. The only way to achieve your goal permanently is to make a commitment to become a healthier person. Remember that eating normally includes eating more some days and less others. Learn to enjoy food in moderation and you have every chance of avoiding these bad diet mistakes.

By:brown Michael

Avoid Winter Weight Gain

Winter weight gain is something that happens to many people who live in climates with cold winters. If you track your weight you may notice that it's harder to lose in the fall. It's not your fault and it's not a myth. Most people, even those of normal weight, gain a few pounds when the weather begins to turn cold. But it is possible to avoid winter weight gain.

To do this, we first need to understand what causes winter weight gain. There are two main factors. The first is a biological tendency that is carried in our genes and is there to help us survive in cold climates. Our bodies are simply programmed to store more fat as winter approaches. And we're not the only ones. Most animals do this too.

It's easy to see why when you think about it. More fat means more protection from the cold and more stored nutrients that the body can access if food is hard to find in the winter months. Our bodies don't know that we can walk into a store and buy polar level winter clothing and any food we need, no matter what the weather is like outside.

In primitive societies, there was always plenty of food in the fall, the time when nuts, fruits and grains are ripe. It makes sense that we would feel hungrier at this time and crave 'warming' high carbohydrate foods that can easily be converted to fat and stored ready for the late winter and spring when plant-based foods are hard to find.

Hormonal changes caused by the shortening days are a second factor that can cause winter weight gain. These changes affect our eating habits as winter approaches.

It is well known that having less natural light can cause depression and low energy (SAD or seasonally affected depression). Most people who are overweight tend to eat more when they feel low. We also turn to food (especially refined carbohydrate foods like chips, chocolate, cake or white bread) for a fast energy boost when we feel tired. These foods cause blood sugar swings that lead to more lows and cravings.

Understanding all of this makes it much easier to avoid winter weight gain. We have a natural tendency to eat more and to eat the wrong foods at this time of year. We cannot expect to hold out against a biological need but we can be careful what foods we choose.

It's fine to have high carbohydrate foods in the fall if that is what you crave (and as long as you are not on a low carb diet) but be sure to choose whole grains and starchy vegetables over sugar and refined carb foods. The fiber in brown rice, whole grain bread, pumpkin etc helps to slow down the absorption and keep our blood sugar stable.

At the same time, avoid winter weight gain by being careful not to take in any unnecessary fats. Don't slaver butter thickly all over that whole grain bread or pumpkin, or smother your whole grain pasta in a cheese sauce. Choose low fat dairy products and use them sparingly.

And of course, it's important to keep our exercise levels up. Primitive people would have gotten a lot less exercise in the cold winters, but we don't have to rely on outdoor activities for our fitness. We can go to the gym or keep a stationary bike in the basement. That way, even if we eat a little more, we don't have to let it settle on our waistlines. We can avoid that pesky winter weight gain easily.

By: brown Michael

Green Tea For Weight Loss

Drinking green tea for weight loss is a popular option for anybody who wants to lose weight naturally. It is a simple, natural and cheap weight loss aid that can be drunk like any other herbal tea, sometimes with lemon, but usually without milk or sweeteners. You will find it in most grocery stores. And if you do not like the taste, you can find green tea extract in health food stores that can give you the effects of green tea for weight loss in capsule form.

So how does green tea help you to lose weight? First let's be clear that all weight loss aids must be used in conjunction with a healthy eating plan and/or an exercise program. To lose weight, a person must either eat less or exercise more. Nothing can help a person to lose weight if they keep on adding more and more fats and sugars to their diet and become less and less active.

Most weight loss aids work either by reducing the appetite, so that a person eats less, or by increasing the calorific output so that they burn more calories. Research studies have shown that green tea has the second effect: it is believed to help you to burn more calories by increasing the metabolic rate.

It does this by stimulating the body's thermogenesis process, which turns fat into energy. So using green tea for weight loss is believed to help your body burn fat. It works a little like the drug ephidrine but is not considered to have the same risks for heart health. Nevertheless, you should consult with a doctor before taking green tea for weight loss, especially if you have heart problems or other heath issues.

In theory, green tea can have a weight loss effect even if you do not change your diet. However, in practice, this effect would be slow, and there is a risk that a person who was not paying attention to their diet would simply eat more to compensate for the energy that is burned. So it is important to exercise some control around food and at least be sure that your calorie consumption has not increased.

You might also want to apply that extra energy by starting an exercise program. Regular exercise can assist with weight loss in two ways: first by burning calories while you exercise, and second by increasing the metabolic rate so that there is a slight increase in calories burned even when the body is at rest.

A good time to take green tea for weight loss is around 30-60 minutes before a meal. It does contain caffeine so it is best to reduce your consumption of coffee or regular tea by replacing those drinks with green tea. If you don't usually consume any caffeine, it is better not to drink green tea after midday so that it does not affect your sleep. Decaffeinated green tea is available but studies suggest that the fat-burning catechin is often removed along with the caffeine so using decaffeinated green tea for weight loss is not so effective.

By: brown Michael

CLA Supplements: Do They Work?

CLA supplements are a popular choice for anybody interested in fat loss, but what are they and do they really work to help you lose weight? Let's take a close look at CLA supplements.

Despite its chemical-sounding name, CLA or conjugated linoleic acid is not artificial. It is found in many naturally occurring foods, especially meat and dairy products. It can be extracted from those products or created in the laboratory to be taken as a supplement.

CLA supplements are often recommended for men who want to build muscle mass while losing fat. They appear to work by converting mass into lean body tissue. People who take them without making other changes in their diet might be more likely to see results in the mirror and in clothes sizes without necessarily seeing a change in the numbers on the scale. This is because muscle weighs heavier than fat, although it has less bulk, so we look thinner even if we stay the same weight.

Anybody wanting to lose weight can benefit from having a leaner body. It is healthier and it also increases the metabolism, so we are likely to burn more calories. But most dieters want to reduce their weight too.

The best way to use CLA supplements is to take them at the same time as you follow a healthy eating plan. It could be a low fat diet, a calorie controlled diet or any type of weight loss plan that you can stick to. That way you are likely to lose weight as well as reducing body fat.

Experts agree that the most important issue in choosing a weight loss plan is finding one that you can be happy with for the long term. Crash diets do not work because as soon as they finish, most people return to their old eating habits. The only way to lose weight permanently is to change your eating habits and avoid the yoyo dieting trap.

There has been plenty of research aiming to show how conjugated linoleic acid works. The Journal of Nutrition published a study finding that subjects taking CLA supplements lost an average of 6 more pounds of body fat than a control group taking a placebo.

How much conjugated linoleic acid can you take? The researchers in this study found that the best level of supplementation was 3.4 grams of CLA. There was no increased effect from having more than this.

CLA supplements can have other beneficial effects too. A study at Purdue University in Indiana found that CLA had a positive effect on insulin levels in diabetics, as well as reducing their blood glucose level and triglyceride levels slightly. Of course, it is important to consult with your doctor before taking any supplements.

There is no magic pill that will spirit away 50 or 100 pounds of excess weight overnight, but if you are willing to commit to a healthier way of eating, CLA may help you to lose body fat and achieve your goals sooner than you would without it. CLA supplements are most effective when used after consultation with your doctor alongside your diet plan to boost your fat loss while you lose weight.

By: brown Michael

How To Avoid Menopause Weight Gain

Menopause weight gain is something that many women experience. Men as well as women have a tendency to gain weight as they grow older and less active, but there is something special about the menopause for women. Not only are we likely to gain weight around age 50, but it starts to appear in different places. Even women who stay at the same weight will often find their middle section getting fatter.

This happens because the female hormone estrogen is present in much lower quantities in a post-menopausal woman. So the distribution of weight on a woman's body changes at this time to be more like a man's, that is, centered on the belly rather than the hips. Low estrogen may also be the reason for some extra weight gain, or at least a tendency to put on weight more easily. Dieting can become more of a struggle, too.

However, this does not mean that you should quit trying to have a healthy body within the normal weight range. It is possible to avoid menopause weight gain if you are aware of the dangers and resist the temptation to indulge in more high calorie foods. At the same time, it is important to keep up your levels of exercise.

This is important for other reasons as well as avoiding menopause weight gain. Exercise can help us to maintain a healthy heart at a time of life when the risk of heart attack for women rises massively. Women of childbearing age who carry fat on the hips rather than the belly have a lower risk of heart attack than men, but that changes at the menopause when more fat is stored on the torso.

Hormone replacement therapy or HRT can prevent these changes and help you to avoid menopause weight gain. However, it is only available in consultation with your doctor and is not recommended for everybody because there can be other risks associated with it. Besides, you cannot put off the menopause forever.

So what are some of the ways that you can avoid menopause weight gain? Here are a few tips.

1. Eat healthy, increasing your intake of fresh vegetables and fruit while reducing the amount of fat, sugar and packaged foods in your diet.

2. Take regular exercise including maintaining your muscle mass with strengthening workouts. It's natural that we take a little less exercise as we grow older, but it's important not to stop. Muscle that is not maintained will turn to fat.

3. Accept that there will be some changes in your body at this time. If your weight is within the normal range, do not panic if your weight measurement increases a little. This is redistribution of weight, not gain. If you are overweight, do not look for a crash diet but find a healthy eating plan that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

Of course, it is important to consult with your doctor before starting any weight loss or fitness program, especially if you have any health conditions. Your doctor will also be able to help you with menopause weight gain and how to avoid it.

By: brown Michael

Natural Weight Loss Products: Garcinia Cambogia Extract

Natural weight loss products have seen a big boost in sales in the past few years and near the top of the list is garcinia cambogia extract. This natural weight loss supplement has received a lot of publicity since several studies have shown that it can help people to lose weight. But what is garcinia cambogia and how does it work?

What Is Garcinia Cambogia Extract?

Garcinia cambogia is the Latin name for a small tropical fruit that is found in India and Africa. It is a member of the citrus family, but it is too sour to eat like an orange or even a lemon. However, its rind is used as a spice in Indian cookery.

Researchers into natural weight loss products extracted hydroxycitric acid from the garcinia cambogia fruit. They found that this substance can help to reduce appetite, or more precisely, it can reduce a person's tendency to overeat. It triggers the signal that tells the brain when we are full. This signaling mechanism is delayed in many overweight people so hydroxycitric acid can be very effective for them.

Of course, some of us continue to eat even after we feel full. This is usually known as comfort or stress-related eating. Garcinia cambogia natural weight loss products can help with this too, because hydroxycitric acid (HCA) can give us the same calming effect that food produces.

Some studies have found that the weight loss effects of HCA are increased when it is combined with chromium as a supplement. Many people who overeat have been found to have low levels of the essential mineral chromium, especially as they grow older, so it is added to many natural weight loss products. Chromium helps to regulate the body's blood sugar levels and it may be helpful for diabetics, but see your doctor before taking any supplements or natural weight loss products if you have diabetes or other health conditions.

Most people taking natural weight loss products containing HCA follow a normal diet without eating any special foods. Of course, it helps if this is a healthy normal diet, not the hamburger-and-fries regime that many people consider to be a normal diet in our society, but there are no forbidden foods.

Choose healthy foods and try to stop when you notice that you feel full. This should be easier if you are taking HCA. There will be moments when you want to eat (or continue eating) and you are aware that your body does not really want that food and you have a choice. Learn to stop at that point most of the time, and that's how you will get the most benefit from HCA as a natural weight loss supplement.

Of course, not all natural plant extracts are healthy, some can even be poisonous, but HCA in the form of garcinia cambogia extract has been extensively tested and no side effects have been identified for sure. Since it is a member of the citrus family, migraine and arthritis sufferers may notice a worsening of their symptoms which are often sensitive to citrus. HCA should not be taken by children or by pregnant or nursing women without medical advice, but that is true of all natural weight loss products and other supplements.

By: browb Michael

Whats Wrong With Crash Diets

What's Wrong With Crash Diets?

Many desperate people turn to crash diets hoping they will lose the most weight in the shortest time that way. Perhaps they have had past experiences of losing weight successfully with this type of plan, or they have read about a new diet that some celebrity has followed to lose weight fast. So what is wrong with crash diets? Is there any reason why they have such a bad reputation?

The most obvious problem with crash diets is that the weight loss is almost always temporary. If you suddenly change to a restricted diet, your body will respond by storing less water. You will lose weight and be less bloated, i.e. thinner, but you will not necessarily lose any fat. When you end the diet that weight will go right back on.

Of course, you may lose some fat too, depending on the diet and how long you follow it. However, the body often goes into starvation mode during these diets. It thinks a famine has hit, and it should slow down the metabolism and store as much fat as possible to guard against the hard times ahead. When you increase your food consumption, even if you do it in a healthy way, that famine metabolism can persist and lead your body to gain some or all of the weight back.

Added to that is the psychological effect of breaking a crash diet. Whether this happens at the end of the planned diet or in the middle out of desperation, it tends involve overeating. For this reason alone, many people who follow crash diets find that a month later, they are heavier than they were before the diet.

In addition, there are some significant health issues with crash diets. First, diets that focus on losing weight fast are usually very restrictive in the types of foods that you can eat. Many foods (and sometimes whole food groups) will be cut out. This is not something you could do in the long term without suffering from deficiencies. It is not good for the body in the short term either.

On many crash diets you will not be getting the nutrients that the body needs. It is true that you can take supplements, but many supplements rely on substances in whole foods to make them work most effectively. Nutrient deficiencies lead to cravings, making it harder to stick to the diet and more likely that you will break out in a binge. At the same time, you may be getting more of some nutrients than is healthy.

To summarize, crash diets can only ever be a temporary solution, for example for a situation where you need to lose a little weight for a particular event, and you do not mind if you gain it back - and more - afterward. The healthiest option for losing weight is to make changes that will allow you to lose weight slowly on a healthy eating plan that does not ban any foods completely, but allows you to incorporate occasional treats. In the long term, people who follow crash diets are likely to gain weight, not lose it.

By: brown Michael

Negative Calorie Foods: Eat As Much As You Want

With negative calorie foods, you really can have "all you can eat" without worrying about the effects on your waistline! If only every buffet would offer these foods bare and whole, instead of making them swim in mayonnaise, sugar or sauces, none of us would have a problem with eating in restaurants! So let's look at those wonderful negative calorie foods and what they can do for our weight loss.

'Negative calorie' means that you use more calories in eating and digesting the food than it contains, keeping in mind that we burn calories all of the time by simply living, even when we sleep. In practice the term is used for a lot of low calorie foods.

One of the best known negative calorie foods is celery. It is very low in calories and takes a lot of time and energy to eat, as long as you eat it whole and chew on all of those stringy fibers. If you ate celery in this way all day you would be sure of not gaining weight, but it wouldn't be good for you. You would not be getting the nutrients that you needed and you might even starve.

Negative calorie foods are very popular with anorexics, which shows us that it's not healthy to eat nothing but these foods. However, they make great snacks. To get the best effect for weight loss, be sure to chew them thoroughly and do not make them into soup or juice.

Eat them raw when possible. This is easy with fruits like apples, berries, pineapple and grapefruit which are all low calorie, high fiber foods. Be careful with other fruits because most fruits that are not on this list are more calorie-dense.

Eating vegetables raw is more of a challenge, and not always necessary. However, many foods can be grated or chopped very small in a food processor. Take a look at this list of negative calorie vegetables and you will see that most of them could be prepared for raw eating:

- asparagus (break it into bite sized pieces and add to salad)

- beets (grated)

- broccoli (throw it in the food processor with a couple of tomatoes as dressing)

- carrot (grated or whole)

- cauliflower (like broccoli)

- cabbage (used raw in coleslaw, but don't add the mayo!)

- celery stalks

- celery root (grated)

- cucumber

- lettuce

- red onions (sliced thin)

- spinach

- tomato

- zucchini (grate or use a spiralizer to create long pasta-like strings)

A big salad made from 5-7 of those ingredients would give you a super low calorie snack that would keep you munching and feeling full for a long time. You might also want to consider doing a raw or negative calorie detox for a few days - in consultation with your doctor, of course.

However, you will need to use caution when eating a lot of negative calorie foods. First, it is important to vary your diet and not eat too much of any one particular food. Many foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed in excess, such as the acid in pineapples and grapefruits. Other negative calorie foods can cause allergies or diarrhea if eaten in large quantities.

By: brown Michael

Food Consumption Affects Weight Loss

The first thing that you need to know is that 1 pound of body weight is equal to
3500 calories. If you gain a pound that means that you consumed 3500 calories
more than you burned. If you lose a pound that means that you have burned 3500
calories more than you consumed. That figure does not change whether the
alories are consumed from fat or carbohydrates or whether they were burned by
riding a bicycle, swimming or just veging out in front of the TV. A calorie is a calorie
is a calorie. This is important information in your quest for weight loss and weight
control so make note of it.

1 pound of body weight gained or lost = 3500 calories.

The trick to losing weight is to eat fewer calories AND burn more calories each
day. That is the basis that all ‘diets’ (there is that four letter word again) are based
upon no matter whether you are counting calories, fat grams or carbohydrates.

Even though you may believe that most of the calories that your body burns in a
day are from the exercise that you do, you are not right. Only about 30% of the
calories you burn each day are from exercise. However, the exercise that you do
can influence at what rate you burn calories when you are not exercising. Exercise
or the lack of exercise affects your metabolic rate....that is, the rate at which your
body burns calories when it is at rest. About 60% of the calories that you burn each
day are burned when you are not engaging in physical exercise.

The body burns calories to fuel the thousands of chemical reactions required to
maintain body temperature, repair cells and keep your heart, lungs, liver and
kidneys functioning.
So, you ask, where do the other 10% of the calories get burned up? 30% during
exercise, 60 % the rest of the time....what about the other 10%? Those are the
ones that the body uses to actually digest the food you eat that supplies all of the
calories needed for everything else.

There is more. All calories are not created equally. Our bodies simply do not
process all calories consumed in exactly the same way.

Calories that are consumed in the form of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), for
example, contain about 9 calories per gram but our bodies don’t use those calories
as an energy source. These calories are used to rebuild cells and tissues,
particularly after an injury. If consumed at very high levels they increase metabolic 6
rate and increase fat burn off, resulting in loss of weight. (This is the basic theory of
the Dr. Atkins Diet). Consumption of high levels of EFAs has been linked to heart
disease but that is an on-going debate in the scientific community.

More calories are absorbed from refined foods because it takes so much longer for
them to pass through our systems. Natural and unrefined food (an apple for
example) usually takes between 12 and 15 hours to pass through our digestive
systems. Refined foods can take up to 75 hours to pass through our digestive
systems and our systems continue to extract calories from them for the whole 75
hours.

Our bodies require vitamins and minerals to properly digest food therefore empty
calorie foods....those that contain no vitamins or minerals.....are stored as fat while
our bodies wait for the needed vitamins and minerals to properly process them.

Each human being is unique. All human bodies do not process not use calories in
the exact same way. You know at least one of those people who can eat like the
proverbial horse and never gain a pound....they make my eyes turn green with
envy. Then we all know those people (we may be them) who can just think about
eating a donut and gain a couple of pounds. It hardly seems fair but that is just the
way it is.

We each have to learn what and how much we can eat in order to lose those
unwanted pounds. We can use the available charts to help guide our choices but
when it comes right down to it, each of us will have to determine what and how
much of it is the right thing for ourselves.

By: brown Michael

Low Fat Diets

Let me begin this chapter be saying that SOME fat is essential in our diets to help
our bodies absorb fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and to supply two types of
essential fatty acids (EFAs) that our bodies need but don’t produce.

Many people claim that their diets are absolutely fat free but that is virtually
impossible. Foods that are labeled ‘fat free’ still contain up to ½ gram of fat per
serving and there is some fat in all fruit, vegetables, and grains. Skim milk is not fat
free, either. While it is possible to eat a low fat diet it is impossible to eat a no fat
diet.

Actually calculating how many grams of fat that you should consume in a day in
order to lose weight sounds like you need a degree in higher mathematics but
maybe it isn’t quite as hard as it sounds. The entire process begins with the
number of calories that you intend to eat in the first place. When you determine
that number then you must calculate the number of grams of fat that you have
consumed in a day (each gram contains 9 calories) and multiply by 9. Divide that
number by the number of calories that you have consumed. Now, you multiply that
answer by 100 and you will have arrived at the percentage of fat calories contained
in your diet. You need to aim for a fat gram consumption that equals 20-30% of
your total caloric consumption.


You can also find resources on the Internet that can help you to effectively
substitute one food for another and thereby decrease your fat intake. Some handy
substitutions are:

• Use 1 cup of applesauce rather than 1 cup of butter or oleo in baking

• Use 8 ounces of yogurt rather than 8 ounces of cream cheese

• Use 4 cups low fat stock, fruit juice or wine for sautéing rather than 1 cup of
oil. Sauté until all of the liquid evaporates.

• Use 2 egg whites instead of 1 whole egg

• Ground turkey rather than ground beef

• Low fat frozen yogurt rather than ice cream

• Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or lean ham rather than bacon

Remember that the object of a low fat diet is LOW fat and not NO fat. Also
remember that if you are counting fat grams you will also be counting calories.

A low fat diet is considered one of the healthiest diets. It is one that is recognized
by the American Heart Foundation as well as by the American Medical
Association.

A low fat diet is considered very beneficial for heart patients and for those with
diabetes or at risk for stroke or heart attack.

Those who follow low fat diets have lowered their blood pressure as well as lost
weight and both are very good things.

Conclusion: Low fat diets will product weight loss mainly because they are
reduced caloric diets, as well.

By: brown Michael

Obesity Affects Us Physically

The truth is that obesity is at least as dangerous to our health and the health of our
families as smoking. No sane parent would ever serve cigarettes up to their
children but these same otherwise responsible and intelligent parents will serve up
meals that are high in fat and low in nutrients. Big Macs and fries are not home
cooked meals but it seems that most of today’s kids think of them that way.

Obesity causes a 50% to 100% increase in mortality rates for all reasons. White
men between the ages of 20 and 30 with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 45 will
shorten their life expectancy by 13 years. Obese white women between the ages
of 20 to 30 with a BMI of 45 can expect to die 8 years sooner than if they were of
average weight.

Many common human diseases are said to be ‘obesity related’. The dictionary
defines an Obesity-related disease as: “Any disease for which obesity is a
significant risk factor.” Some such obesity related diseases are:

Type II Diabetes: Type II Diabetes is sometimes referred to as insulin-resistant
diabetes, non-insulin dependent diabetes, and adult-onset diabetes. Obesity is
considered to be one of the main risk factors for the onset of Type II Diabetes by
all leading medical authorities.

Hypertension: (High Blood Pressure) About 75% of cases of hypertension is
linked directly to obesity. There are many theories as to why obesity is such a high
factor in the causes of hypertension and there has even been debate about
whether the hypertension and obesity should even be classified as two different
problems.

Stroke: There are three causes for a stroke. They are:

• Clogging of arteries within the brain (e.g. lacunar stroke)

• Hardening of the arteries leading to the brain (e.g. carotid artery
occlusion)

• Embolism to the brain from the heart or an artery
The first two of these listed causes are directly related to obesity. The fat in the
blood stream attaches itself to artery walls where it hardens and reduces blood
flow.

Heart Attack: These are many factors associated with the cause of a heart attack.
Obesity is one of the major ones. Obesity raises the risk of heart disease and,
thus, heart attacks, because it's associated with high cholesterol levels, high blood
pressure and diabetes, not to mention all of the additional living flesh that must be
supplied with oxygen carrying blood that must be pumped by the heart.

Cancer: Some forms of cancer are directly related to obesity. Obesity is thought to
be a major contributing factor in breast cancer, cancer of the prostate, cancer of
the rectum and cancer of the colon, for example.

Gallbladder Disease: Obesity is a major contributing factor to the onset of
gallbladder disease. Some studies in animals suggest that saturated fats and
refined sugars are the culprits but most studies conclude that obesity itself is the
problem and not specific foods. According to the American Obesity Association,
“Gallstones are common among overweight and obese persons. Gallstones
appear in persons with obesity at a rate of 30% versus 10% in non-obese.”

Gout: Obesity causes an increase in the production of uric acid and a decrease in
the amount of elimination from the body. This causes the deposit of uric acid
crystals in joints and tissue and causes what we call gout.

Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, back and especially the knee is
directly linked to obesity. A weight loss of only 10 to 15 pounds has been proven to
relieve the symptoms and delay the progress of the disease.

Rheumatoid Arthritis has been found to be directed related to obesity in both
men and women, as well.

Birth Defects: Maternal obesity has been linked to an increased incidence of
neural tube defects in newborns.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: The risk is about four times higher for a person
developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if they are obese. Obesity was found to be a
larger risk factor for the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome than repetitive
motion or a workplace activity. In a recent study of the disease, more than 70% of
the test subjects were obese.

Renal Disease: According to the American Obesity Association, “Obesity may be
a direct or indirect factor in the initiation or progression of renal disease, as
suggested in preliminary data.”

Liver Disease: Obesity is as much of a contributing factor of liver disease as
alcohol abuse. Obesity is the major factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Body Pain: Those who are obese have body pain more often and it is much more
acute than those of normal weight. Joint pain and foot pain are reported more often
by the obese.

Pancreatitis: Those patients who are obese with Pancreatitis develop significantly
more complications, including respiratory failure, than non-obese patients.

Sleep Apnea: Upper body obesity is the most significant factor for obstructive
sleep apnea. Sixty to Seventy percent of those with obstructive sleep apnea are
obese.

The above list of obesity related diseases is only a partial one. These are many
other diseases that are either caused by or made worse by obesity.

By: Mustapha Echarkaoui

Getting a Handle on Portion Control a Key to Losing Weight

Diets can seem like such a complicated matter, you know that you need to eat less and exercise more; however it can be so hard. One of the worst factors that hold you back from shedding pounds is the size of the portions that we eat.

Research in dieting has shown that if you can get control over the size of your meal portions, you will also be able to control your weight. There are tips that allow you to find the balance necessary for keeping your weight at a healthy level.

The unfortunate part is that there are times when it is hard to keep a handle on your portion size- generally when the amount of food given is out of your control. This tends to happen for example when you dine out for a meal.

You can take control of this though through a variety of different methods. One option would be to choose an appetizer over a main course. Generally, appetizers are big enough to be satisfying without being as large as a main course.

If you are determined to order a full meal, a fabulous idea is to cut your meal in half before you start eating. You can ask to take the other half of your meal home to eat at a later time.

Breaking out of the habit of thinking you need to eat three large meals a day will go a long way in aiding you to control your food portions without feeling hungry.  Skip the traditional three meals and decide instead to eat numerous small, healthy meals each day.

This is an excellent way to keep your portions small, and it will leave you satisfied and prevent the dieting pitfall of boredom.

Five small meals daily that consist of whole grains, vegetables and fruit are suggested highly by dieticians. Be bold with your fruit and vegetable selections, try out new flavors and textures, and explore and find foods that you enjoy.

If you do wish for some of your meals to be slightly larger, the earlier in the day that you eat them, the better it is. As your day progresses, ensure that your meals become smaller as you have less hours to burn off the calories that you consume.

When you are trying to control the size of your portions, you need to know the appropriate measurements of food that you need. Use the tools that you have in the kitchen to measure out your food so that you know you are always taking in the proper portion amount.

Items like measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale will help you keep your food amount under control each day. Do not try to just eyeball and guess at the amount you are eating, especially when you are just starting out on your diet.

Some people find it very difficult to stop themselves from eating too much, for whatever reason, they can simply not figure out what a good portion size is. These people will find that a plate, with pre-measured compartments is very useful.

These plates can be located online or at a variety of stores that carry kitchen supplies. This plate has areas that hold the perfect amount of vegetables, proteins and fats that are the right amount for you to eat at each meal.

By: brown Michael

Acai Berries For Weight Loss

You have probably been hearing a great deal about acai berries lately. They are being promoted as the latest and greatest weight loss miracle food.

Acai fruit are small but easily distinguishable purple and black berries that hail originally from the Amazon rainforests.  They are one of the new diet super foods that are on the market and they are sold as everything from a mash to a juice or even mixed in with yogurt.  You can also buy it in powdered form and pill form to help expedite the kind of elimination from your colon that can also speed up weight loss.

Acai berries are classified as super foods because aside from weight loss they offer a very wide range of health benefits. These benefits  include life extension, free radical fighting and keeping your blood pressure under control.  The berry is also a potent immune system booster that can help prevent you from catching colds and flus.

One of the unique things about this berry from the rainforest is that it can also help boost energy levels and stamina. This can really help when it comes to giving you enough energy to get through an exercise routine. Some individuals believe that it is actually a mood booster of some sort although technically it is classified as a food both in America and South America.

The acai berry contains very high levels of dietary fiber which can help your digestive system to become more efficient. Less crap is allowed to fester and ferment in your digestive tract and stomach.

This is important, because most people do not take on board sufficient dietary fiber in their normal diet which means that over time, a significant amount of undigested food gets left in your stomach. In fact some natural health experts claim that there can be up to 20 pounds of ‘rubbish’ in your gut that never gets shifted under normal circumstances and that you need to take some kind of natural cleanser (like acai berry) that prompts the intestinal process in order to get your bowels moving.

Hence, as you drink lots more water whilst increasing your consumption of high fiber foodstuffs such as fruit, vegetables and acai, it is quite possible that you will see a very significant weight drop in the first few days as these toxins are flushed out of your system. This could manifest as diarrhea at first but the key is to be patient. Some people suffer this side effect for just a few hours and others for quite a few days as the colon cleans itself out.

By:brown Michael

Carbonated Drinks Cause Weight Gain

Colas and carbonated drinks can sabotage your weight loss goals. This is true even if you are drinking diet drinks! Research has revealed that anything that is carbonated seems to make you gain weight.

The worst culprit when it comes to soda induced weight gain is cola which of course contains a great deal of sugar. This certainly blows away the belief that it is okay for the dieting individual to drink club soda.

Soda induced weight gain simply has something to do with carbonation in general. Studies have proven that people just don’t seem to gain as much weight when they drink non-carbonated beverages. When it comes to drinking club soda the high sodium level of these beverages may be to blame.  They can cause you to retain water and cause havoc with other systems in your body such as your blood pressure.

Experts say that if you stop drinking all carbonated drinks you can lose as much as fifteen pounds in one month. It is the sugar in the colas that is so addictive. Anybody who is a cola addict is also a sugar addict. Sugar is an empty calorie with no nutritional value. Your body loves to store it and if all of this sugar is not worked off immediately it can go straight to the areas on your body where you collect stubborn fat.

Nutritionally a cola is one of the worst foods you can put in your body. First of all it is not even of much value as a fluid as it has so much caffeine in it that it acts as a diuretic. A diuretic is any food or liquid that causes a person to lose water through urination.  Just one eight-ounce glass of the cola contains 140 calories and all of those calories come from high fructose corn syrup.

The caffeine in Coke helps speed the sugar to your pancreas where it is then unleashed into your bloodstream. The results in a temporary high once all of this sugar is delivered to your brain. Unfortunately the high that a sugar addict gets from drinking a coke doesn’t last for long and a crash in mood or energy soon follows. This then triggers the brain to go searching for another cola fix so that it can experience the elation of another sugar high. 

Consider that just four eight ounces servings of Coca Cola will add 560 calories to your diet a day. If you have been exercising and dieting then it might be time to take a serious look at how often you consume carbonated beverages as that might be the cause of your mysterious inability to lose weight.

By: brown Michael