Flushing Fat

40 Foods that will help you to lose fat.

25 Reasons Why you are NOT losing Weight

weight-loss-a

There are a lot of reasons and situations that can prevent you from losing weight.  Even if you think you are doing everything right, eating…exercising…when you step on the scale it does not acknowledge all the hard work and effort you are putting in.  For starters you may be looking better and losing inches, but that is because muscle weighs more than fat. Stick to your routine and possibly think of the following things that may help you to reach your weight loss goal.

YOU DON’T DRINK WATER

Besides keeping you hydrated, drinking water on the regular, according to recent studies, can aid with weight loss. Filling up on water before a meal helps encourage portion control, and eating foods that contain a lot of water (like fruits and veggies) will fill you up faster, causing you to eat less. A small study even found that drinking cool water can speed up metabolism and discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice. Now that’s a reason to stay hydrated!

YOU THINK WALKING YOUR DOG IS ENOUGH

A 15-minute stroll is better than nothing, but don’t expect to see dramatic weight-loss results. You’ve got to kick it up a notch and do at least 30 minutes a day of heart-pumping exercise. Big calorie and fat burners include running, spin class, interval training, hiking, and circuit training.

YOU OVEREAT HEALTHY FOODS

Nuts, avocados, whole wheat pasta, olive oil, and dark chocolate are all natural and healthy, but they aren’t void of calories. You still need to watch how much you eat of the good stuff. For example, avocado offers a ton of health benefits, but an entire fruit is over 200 calories. In my book “get fit Stay fit” there is a calorie chart that tracks all your favorite foods.

YOU ONLY DO CARDIO

If you live on the treadmill but never lift a pound, then you’re missing out on one of the most important pieces of the fitness puzzle. Not only does weight training prevent injury by strengthening your joints, but it also builds muscle mass and increases metabolic rate. Thanks to a revved-up metabolism, you’ll keep burning calories long after you’ve slipped off your sneakers.

YOU EXERCISE WITH AN EMPTY STOMACH

If you regularly exercise without eating first, you should reconsider: when you work out on an empty stomach the calories burned come from muscle, not fat. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle mass you have, the better it is for weight loss. Not only will fueling your body help you avoid losing muscle, but also, you’ll have more energy to push yourself through your workout.

YOUR PARTNER ISN’T ON THE SAME HEALTHY ROAD

A partner who’s on a similar path can be a huge help to your weight-loss goals, but if your partner is not on board, then your relationship may be making you fat. You can’t expect to lose weight if your partner constantly suggests ordering takeout, wants to go out for ice cream, or encourages you to sleep in instead of hitting the gym! Communicating that you need their support in losing weight is a great first step in finding compromises for both of you. For starters, the next time you have dinner out, offer to split an appetizer or skip dessert.

YOU LEAVE OUT ENTIRE FOOD GROUPS

Giving up entire food groups can lead to a nutritional deficiency, not to mention trigger major cravings for whatever food has been cut. Rather than, say, eliminating all carbohydrates, focus on whole grains and remember to monitor portion control. Usually it’s the extra servings that add to your waistline, not the pasta itself.

YOU DON’T SLEEP ENOUGH

Making time for your workouts can mean less time for sleep, but it’s important to get enough sleep if you’re trying to lose weight. You need extra energy to keep up with your exercise routine, and skimping on sleep can affect your body’s ability to control its appetite: not enough shut-eye increases appetite-stimulating hormones.

YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH VEGGIES

Eating five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day is important for everyone, but dieters who go heavy on the produce are more likely to lose and keep the weight off, since a diet full of plant-based foods offers a greater variety of nutrients with fewer calories and all that fiber keeps your body feeling fuller longer.

YOU EAT WHILE STANDING UP

Standing at the fridge or the counter to chow down isn’t saving time or energy and can lead to mindless eating. It’s best to designate time for snacking and meals that’s set apart from other activities.

YOU WEAR CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO BIG

Loose clothes are comfy, but they cover up the body and allow you to forget what you look like, which can work against your fitness motivation. Instead, opt for clothes that have a more fitted silhouette to help give you a sense of your body image. Or better yet, start the day in your gym outfit to inspire you to do something active.

YOU’RE ON A DIET. WELL, SORT OF . . .

Whatever diet you are on or your own diet-and-exercise plan, you can’t do it halfheartedly and expect to see results. Stay committed to your plan, or you’ll see the pounds stay on instead of dropping from the scale.

YOU’RE ADDICTED TO CONDIMENTS AND TOPPINGS

A salad is one of the healthiest meals you can have, but when you top it with bacon bits, goat cheese, nuts, dried fruits, and ranch dressing, you can double the calorie amount in a flash. Be aware of how many calories your favorite salad extras add on. For instance, 10 croutons is an easy 100 calories.

YOU DON’T EAT BREAKFAST

Skipping breakfast may seem like a great way to save calories, but your body will actually hold on to fat because it thinks it’s being starved. Keep in mind that people who eat breakfast regularly lose more weight, so make sure to eat breakfast each morning to jump-start your metabolism. Don’t just grab anything: include protein to give yourself sustainable energy and fiber to fill you up for hours.

YOU DON’T PRACTICE PORTION CONTROL

When it comes to a balanced diet, portion control is one of the keys to success. Keep measuring cups and spoons on hand to make sure your serving sizes are appropriate, and learn how to give your body the “I’m full” signal in order to help you drop the fork when the time is right and move on with your day.

YOU EAT WITHOUT THINKING

Aligning mealtime with a screen like your computer or the TV can hurt your weight-loss goals. Designating a special time for meals without distractions will help you connect to your food and, as a result, eat less. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much you’re eating when your mind is somewhere else.

YOU DON’T CUT YOUR FOOD

Cutting your dinner can be helpful for your overeating woes. Cutting food into tiny pieces may seem slightly childish, but studies show that humans find smaller portions more satisfying and, as a result, are satisfied with less.

YOU STILL DRINK SODA

Soda offers literally no nutritional benefits, and continuing to drink the beverage is sabotaging your weight-loss goals, even if you only drink diet. Individuals who drink two diet sodas a day or more had waistlines that were 500 percent larger than the nondrinkers

YOU DON’T EAT ENOUGH

Don’t starve yourself to save calories for later. It’ll not only mess up your metabolism, and by dinnertime, that famished feeling will likely cause you to eat more than you would if you weren’t starving. Not only is starving yourself not sustainable for continued weight loss, but also, limiting yourself to too-small portions can lead to excess snacking between mealtimes.

YOU DON’T LEAVE TIME FOR FUN

Since stress is shown to cause weight gain  by triggering the body to eat more, especially foods high in sugar and fat, make sure you give yourself time to relax and unwind. And it’s an added bonus that so many fun activities (like dancing, hiking, and shopping) are already natural calorie-burners!

YOU OVERINDULGE IN LOW-FAT FOODS

Going for foods with a lower calorie count can be deceiving, since many times they’re filled with extra sodium, sugar, or chemical additives to make up for the ingredients the company has removed or decreased. Not only are these light versions less nutritious, but they also end up tasting “lighter,” leading you to eat more. You’ll probably end up consuming more calories than you would if you just ate a regular-sized portion of the real thing.

YOU DON’T KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL

Writing down what you eat is an essential way to monitor daily caloric intake. Don’t think it’s worth the effort? A study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics surveyed 123 women and found that those who were the most successful at losing weight monitored their food intake by keeping a journal.

YOU’RE ALWAYS DINING OUT

Hitting your favorite restaurant is a great way to unwind, but you’re more likely to indulge in a huge meal complete with appetizers, drinks, fried foods, and dessert. Calorie counts are also a mystery, since many foods aren’t labeled. If you don’t want to give up your nights out, then split a meal with a friend, order healthy options like salads and grilled chicken, and sip water instead of wine.

YOU NEVER INDULGE

In an otherwise healthy diet, eating a few French fries or a piece of chocolate cake isn’t going to ruin your weight-loss goals. A study found that it isn’t necessary to up workout intensity the day after a piece of cake and that a daily variance of as much as 600 calories won’t reflect on your waistline, as long as you maintain a healthy diet in the long run.

YOU EAT THE WRONG POST-WORKOUT SNACKS

A post-workout snack is just that – a snack. And unless it’s mealtime, what you eat after an average workout should be around 150 calories. Since healthy foods like trail mix can be high in calories, measure out a serving instead of mindlessly chomping straight out of the bag. If you’re looking for some ideas, there are lots of calorie ideas in my books and other articles here on my website.

I know you want to get in shape and look great. Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

10 Diet Tips From a Navy Seal

navy sealThe following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.  I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Want to look good and live longer? Here are a few dieting tips and my own personal meal plan that will help you look better and leave you feeling 10 years younger. You are what you eat. Human beings are in a war. That war is the never-ending battle to stay healthy. So let’s start with the fundamentals…Diet. Think of yourself as a machine. Your diet is the fuel that will give you better performance and longevity. Here are 10 dieting tips and a sample of the meal plan that I use.

  1. EDUCATE YOURSELF

Get the right literature. The internet is full of tips and ideas. But not all the information is helpful. I thought for years as a Navy SEAL I was at the top of my game. Not true. I was an over-achiever, and I was over-training, which was actually holding me back. In 6 months, at the early age of 42, I witnessed personal goals I thought I could never achieve. I went from 215 pounds to 197, and I feel so much better all the way around/.

  1. SET A GOAL

I can’t stress this enough: Before you begin, set a target. Maybe you want to lose weight. Maybe you want to look good. Maybe you want to bulk up. Or maybe you just want to be healthier. Whatever your target is, know the goal. If it’s measurable (i.e. how many pounds you want to lose, how many inches you want to be), that’s even better. But you must set a target.

  1. MAKE THAT GOAL REASONABLE

Be smart. Make a reasonable plan. See, oftentimes people go 180 degrees from what they were doing before. Bad idea; 99 percent of them say “screw this” and give up. Well I am here to say: let’s crawl, walk, and then run.

  1. SAY IT, DO IT

Make a conscious decision and stick with it. The bottom line is, and I am speaking of my own personal encounters, people have commitment issues. Dieting is not the greatest thing on the planet. Its okay to make small adjustments as you go, but remember: you made a plan for a reason.

  1. CHEAT DAYS? HELL YES

Unless you are competing professionally, I say have cheat days (in moderation, of course). I like to keep my diet clean Monday through Friday, then on my 1 or 2 days off, I will have something sweet or have a few beers. Remember: going 100 percent in the opposite direction usually fails because neither the body nor the mind is prepared. I say give the body what it wants, but on your terms. You set the guidelines.

  1. CONSIDER KEEPING A JOURNAL

Again, this depends on how serious you want to be. I like to keep a journal because I can go back and check to see what I’ve put in my body at the end of each day. If I am feeling sluggish, I can check my journal to see that maybe I need to increase my carbohydrate intake (or whatever).

  1. PREPARE MEALS IN ADVANCE

You’ll notice that a lot of these tips are related to organization. Be organized. The point is, find a plan that works for you. Get your meals prepared on your day off.

  1. BE PRECISE

I am OCD. So me and my wife weigh everything out in small Tupperware dishes and also label each one with a permanent marker. Then I pack my meals up with me and eat while I am on the go. Saves a ton of money and since I am logging how I feel, I am always top of my game with my energy levels.

  1. BE CONSISTENT

Each person is different. So what works for me may not work best for you. But one key to success is consistency. Be consistent not just in what you eat, but when you prepare your meals, how you make them, and when you eat them. This will help you stay on track and keep you from grazing on those tempting snacks.

  1. HAVE SUPPORT

If you are lucky and have a supportive family and friends, this will help out tremendously. Sometimes it’s that support that means success or failure. Understand that you will have good and bad days. That’s okay. Just know if you stray from the meal plan, it’s key to get back on ASAP. We all get weak. But remember: We are in a fight for our lives, and it’s a fight we can win.

MY DIET CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING:

Meal 1 -6:30 (morning)

  • 1 whole egg
  • 7 egg whites
  • 2/3 cup 1 min oatmeal with 4 Splenda packs 1/8 cup salt

Meal 2 -9:30

Protein shake that consists of:

  • One and a half scoops of protein mix
  • 15 almonds
  • Half of a large banana
  • 1/8 cup of salt

Meal 3 -12:30

  • 5 oz chicken breast
  • 5 oz broccoli
  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 1/4 onion

Meal 4 15:30

  • 5 oz 97% ground turkey
  • 6 oz sweet potato with skin
  • 4 oz asparagus
  • 15 spray I can’t believe it’s not butter
  • 1/4 onion

Meal 5 18:30

  • 6 oz tilapia
  • 2 big handful mixed salad
  • 1/4 onion

Meal 6 21:30

Protein shake that consists of:

    • One and a half scoops of protein mix
    • 15 almonds
    • Half of a large banana
    • 1/8 cup of salt

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Always Hungry

food c1The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Are you fat because you overeat or do you overeat because you are fat?

For most of the last century, the cause of obesity has been based on the first law of thermodynamics, which dictates that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This means that calorie intake minus calorie expenditure equals calories stored. Consuming more calories than you can burn off will result in the excess being deposited as fat. The simple solution is to eat less or exercise more.
The problem is that this advice doesn’t work, for most people over the long term. More people than ever before are obese, despite the focus on calorie balance by the government, nutrition organizations and the food industry.

But what if you confused cause and effect? What if it’s not overeating that causes you to get fat, but the process of getting fatter that causes us to overeat?

The more calories you lock away in fat tissue, the fewer there are circulating in the bloodstream to satisfy your body’s requirements. If you look at it this way, it’s a distribution problem.  You have an abundance of calories, but they’re in the wrong place. As a result, your body needs to increase its intake. You get hungrier because you’re getting fatter. When fat cells suck up too much fuel, calories from food promote the growth of fat tissue instead of serving the energy needs of your body, provoking overeating in all but the most disciplined individuals.

According to this view, factors in the environment have triggered fat cells in your body to take in and store excessive amounts of glucose and other calorie-rich compounds. Since fewer calories are available to fuel metabolism,your brain tells your body to increase calorie intake (you feel hungry) and save energy (your metabolism slows down). Eating more solves this problem temporarily but also accelerates weight gain. Cutting calories reverses the weight gain for a short while, making you think you have control over your body’s weight, but predictably increases hunger and slows metabolism even more.

Consider a fever analogy. A cold bath will lower your body temperature temporarily, but will also set off biological responses like shivering and constriction of blood vessels that work to heat your body up again. The conventional view of obesity as a problem of calorie balance is like saying fever as a problem of heat balance; technically not wrong, but not very helpful, because it ignores the apparent underlying biological driver of weight gain.

This is why diets that rely on consciously reducing calories don’t usually work. Only one in six overweight and obese adults in a nationwide survey reports ever having maintained a 10 percent weight loss for at least a year. In studies, when lean and obese research subjects were underfed in order to make them lose 10 to 20 percent of their weight, their hunger increased and metabolism plummeted. Overfeeding sped up metabolism.

For both over and under eating, these responses tend to push weight back to where it started prompting some obesity researchers to think in terms of a body weight that seems to be predetermined by your genes.

If basic biological responses push back against changes in body weight, and your set points are predetermined, then why have obesity rates risen almost three times what they were in the 1960s? More importantly what can you do about it?

As it turns out, many biological factors affect the storage of calories in fat cells, including genetics, levels of physical activity, sleep and stress. But one has an indisputably dominant role…the hormone insulin. It’s known that excess insulin treatment for diabetes causes weight gain, and insulin deficiency causes weight loss. And of everything you eat, highly refined and rapidly digestible carbohydrates produce the most insulin.

The increasing amount and processing of carbohydrates in the diets has increased insulin levels, put fat cells into storage overdrive and caused obesity-promoting biological responses in a large number of people. Like an infection that raises your body temperatures set point, high consumption of refined carbohydrates chips, crackers, cakes, soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals and even white rice and bread has increased body weights.

One reason we consume so many refined carbohydrates today is because they have been added to processed foods in place of fats which have been the main target of calorie reduction efforts since the 1970s. Fat has about twice the calories of carbohydrates, but low-fat diets are the least effective in accomplishing your weight loss goals.

A recent study examined 21 overweight and obese young adults after they had lost 10 to 15 percent of their body weight, on diets ranging from low fat to low carbohydrate diets. Consuming the same number of calories on each diet, subjects burned about 325 more calories per day on the low carbohydrate diets than on the low fat diets which amounts to the energy expended in an hour of moderately intense physical activity.

A poor quality diet could result in obesity even when it was low in calories. Rats fed a diet with rapidly digesting (called high “glycemic index”) carbohydrate gained 71 percent more fat than their counterparts, who ate more calories over all, though in the form of slowly digesting carbohydrate.

These ideas aren’t entirely new. The notion that we overeat because we’re getting fat has been around for at least a century. In 1908, a German internist named Gustav von Bergmann dismissed the energy-balance view of obesity, and hypothesized that it was instead caused by a metabolic disorder that he called “lipophilia,” or “love of fat.”

But such theories have been generally ignored, perhaps because they challenge entrenched cultural attitudes. The popular emphasis on calorie balance reinforces the belief that we have conscious control over our weight, and that obesity represents a personal failure because of ignorance or inadequate willpower.

The food industry makes enormous profits from highly processed products derived from corn, wheat and rice and invokes calorie balance as its first line of defense. If all calories are the same, then there are no bad foods, and sugary beverages, junk foods and the like are fine in moderation. It’s simply a question of portion control. The fact that this rarely works is taken as evidence that obese people lack willpower, not that the idea itself might be wrong.

Existing research cannot provide a definitive test of this hypothesis however two recent studies have reported substantial benefits associated with the reduction of rapidly digestible carbohydrate compared with conventional diets. We need to invest much more in this research. With the annual economic burden of diabetes (just one obesity-related complication) predicted to approach half a trillion dollars by 2020, a few billion dollars for state-of-the-art nutrition research would make a good investment.

If this hypothesis turns out to be correct, it will have immediate implications for public health. It would mean that the decade’s long focus on calorie restriction was destined to fail for most people. Information about calorie content would remain relevant, not as a strategy for weight loss, but rather to help people avoid eating too much highly processed food loaded with rapidly digesting carbohydrates. But obesity treatment would more appropriately focus on diet quality rather than calorie quantity.

People in the modern food environment seem to have greater control over what they eat than how much. With reduced consumption of refined grains, concentrated sugar and potato products and a few other sensible lifestyle choices, your internal body weight control system should be able to do the rest. Eventually, YOU could bring your body weight set point back to a pre-epidemic level. Addressing the underlying biological drive to overeat may make a far more practical and effective solution to obesity than counting calories.

In my books and specifically “Get FIT STAY FIT” I talk more in depth on set points and the glycemic index with a list of the foods and their values to help you better choose a more balanced and nutrition meal plan.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Speed up Slim Down

no-belly-fat-girlThe following article is a small excerpt from one of my books. I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

After de-junking your diet and starting a new exercise routine, you lose a few pounds almost effortlessly. After a while, the scale stops moving, your motivation wanes, and you’re back to where you started. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.  Hitting a weight loss plateau is one of the biggest challenges dieters face.  Your body becomes efficient at whatever exercise you’re doing, making you burn fewer calories.

The good news is you don’t have to sit back and wait for the scale to start budging again on its own. With just a few tweaks to your daily routine and by learning which weight loss numbers really matter, you can start losing again.

Sweat Harder

Turn up the calorie burn. At least once a week, either work out longer or go harder, pushing past the point of conversational pace. If you’re upping your intensity, keep it manageable.  Cranking it too hard releases hormones that suppress your immune system and may reduce your energy levels and wreck havoc on your mood. Want to go longer but don’t like the extra time on the treadmill? Get outdoors. People often exercise double the amount of time outdoors than they would on a treadmill simply because being in nature makes you feel good.

Seek Solar Energy

Exercising outdoors reduces stress more than indoor workouts. Stress can pack on pounds by shutting off fat-burning, inhibiting new muscle growth, and reducing your energy levels. All of this will make it easier to slip back into more sedentary patterns of activity and old eating habits that caused you to gain in the first place. Try to get outside at least once a day, perhaps even swapping an indoor workout  for an outdoor one or getting out for a five-minute walk at lunch.

 

Eat Small, Frequent Meals

If you’ve always stuck to just breakfast, lunch, and dinner while trying to drop pounds, give that meal plan a makeover and eat five to six small meals a day. Research has shown that if you eat the same amount of calories spread out over five to six meals, you’ll have a healthier body composition than if you ate the same calories in two to three larger meals. Eating more frequently will keep you from becoming so hungry that you gorge uncontrollably at a meal, especially after a long day when you might not have eaten in six to eight hours.

Quit the Trash Talk

Hello there, chunky monkey. Your friends would never say something like that to you, but the little voice inside your head might. Once you start repeating those thoughts regularly, you may begin to believe yourself, which will derail your goals. Identify the negative thoughts that creep into your head most frequently. Any time you catch yourself heading in that self-deprecating direction, repeat a positive personal mantra like, “I might be heavier than I want to be, but I’m working my way to becoming healthier and fitter.”

Add One More Workout a Week

Squeeze in one extra sweat session each week for the next six weeks. If you’ve been exercising three times a week then add a fourth workout of equal intensity and duration, and  you’ll burn 33 percent more calories, Six weeks is enough time to create a habit, which means you may not feel like giving up that extra workout.

Make One Small Food Change

Is there one food that’s standing in the way of reaching your goal? Keep it out of your house and your life for the next six weeks.  Like adding a workout, eliminating one food can make an enormous difference over time. If you swap a lettuce wrap for the two slices of bread you normally use for your turkey sandwich, you’ll consume 200 fewer calories a day, which adds up to 8,400 calories in six weeks or almost 2.5 pounds lost. After six weeks, you may feel so good about your progress that you won’t want to add this food back to your diet.

Laugh!

Nobody’s saying you shouldn’t be serious about your weight loss efforts. But by taking time to lighten up and have a little fun, you’ll further reduce stress. Laughing also stops you from feeling like something is wrong unless everything is perfect.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Weight Loss Aids

pe02547_The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

The obesity epidemic is a result of lifestyle changes brought on by the easy availability of food, inexpensive unhealthy convenience foods and government subsidized foods, as well as a decrease in physical activity.

Obesity Rates on Developed Countries around the World

clip_image001The United States leads the way in obesity percentage with more than a third of the population considered obese. Canada is also at the top and a large portion of European countries show surprising growing numbers.  France and a handful of its neighbors maintain decent rates, while Japan is the lowest.

Percentage of Obese Population by Country

“…Americans are at the forefront of technological progress and also at the forefront of one of present-day civilization’s major afflictions–being overweight”.

The overweight rates in America have also grown, with overweight and obese people projected to be 74% of the population in 2020.

Overweight Rates per Country

clip_image002Obesity has a severe economic and personal impact on individuals and affects how much money you make and your healthcare costs while it shortens your life.

clip_image003“Take this method, make it your own, and show the world how to reverse the pattern of excess weight and obesity.”

Get started today by calculating your True Weight!

The Best Weight Calculator for You

Whether your weight loss goal is to shed belly fat or lower your risk of heart disease, a few at home calculations can help keep you healthy and on track

Unless you drop serious cash on futuristic weight loss equipment, don’t expect your bathroom scale to give you meaningful numbers. Interpretation is up to you. Luckily, body weight and calorie calculators can add context to those digits, taking into account factors like your age, gender, height, body fat positioning, and activity level to help you determine if your weight is a risk to your overall health.

While crunching numbers doesn’t replace a visit to your doctor, it can help you determine a strategy and help you chart your progress along the way.  Weight loss calculators aren’t always perfect but they can be useful for tracking over time, and they are slightly more interactive than your bathroom scale.

It’s tough to decide which at-home test you can trust to tell you if you’re fit or not. On my site there are many useful calculators that can actually help you track your progress as you lose weight.

To determine if your weight is “normal”, the body mass index (BMI) is a tried-and-true weight metric. Invented in the late 1800s, the formula uses weight and height to calculate a number that indicates if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. While this formula is a fairly reliable indicator of obesity and health risks, it doesn’t measure your percentage of body fat.

Going one step further, an “ideal weight” or “healthy weight” calculator, can tell you what a healthy weight range is for your height.

Plug your weight and height into an online calculator and you’ll get a number indicating whether you’re underweight (below 18.5), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9), or obese (30 and above). These standards were set in 1985 by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel, which concluded that the BMI was an appropriate measurement of obesity. For all you math geeks, the formula is Weight (in pounds) / [Height (in inches)]2 x 703.In my books I go into more detail on this matter with easy to read charts.

How can knowing your BMI help you manage your weight?  For average to overweight individuals who want to lose weight, BMI can be used as a motivation tracking tool to see changes over time. For example, BMI can be used to set a weight loss goal like, “My goal is to be in the ‘normal’ weight category by such and such a date.

Since BMI uses total body weight, rather than estimates of fat and lean body mass separately, it does not discriminate between the overweight and the athletic or more muscular body types.  It also does not take into account age, gender, or muscle mass. It would not be a useful tool for heavy-muscled athletes, the elderly, pregnant women, or teenagers. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that BMI also fails to predict health risks for individuals who fall in the “skinny fat” category, those who have a normal, healthy BMI and likely appear thin but have a high percentage of body fat.

The waist-to-hip ratio measures where your body stores fat. The ratio compares the circumference of your waist with that of your hips.

You can calculate at home by measuring your waist and hip circumferences and dividing the numbers. Wrap a tape measure around the smallest section of your natural waist, usually just above the belly button, and record the number. Then measure your hips around the widest part of your bottom. Finally, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For example, if your waist is 30 inches and your hips are 29, the ratio is 1.03. According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, women with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers because of their fat distribution. And men with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 1.0 are at increased health risk for the same reason.

This test can help you determine if you’re an apple or a pear shape. A ratio of 0.8 or above indicates that you are an apple shape. A ratio of under 0.8 means you are a pear shape. Previous research suggested that those with central obesity (apple shape) were 3 times more likely to suffer from heart disease than those with more generally distributed fat.

How accurate is it? Current research suggests that you’re better off sticking with BMI. A new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet studied 220,000 people over almost 10 years and found that your risk for cardiovascular disease is not increased by carrying fat around your waist as opposed to on your hips and thighs. Carrying excess weight anywhere puts you at greater risk for heart disease, the researchers concluded.

The body adiposity index (BAI) is a new test proposed as an alternative to calculating your BMI.The BAI can be used to find your percentage of body fat.

To calculate it yourself, first convert your measurements into metric numbers. Here’s how: Hip circumference (in inches) x 2.5 = hip circumference in centimeters. Height (in inches) x 0.025 = height in meters. Then plug your metric measurements into the BAI formula: [(Hip circumference in centimeters) / (Height in meters x square root of height in meters)] – 18.

For example, if you’re a 150-pound woman with 30-inch hips and you’re 5’5″, the math would look like this:

Hips: 30 x 2.5 = 75 cm
Height: 65 x 0.025 = 1.625 m
[75 / (1.625 x 1.275)] – 18 = approximately18% body fat

American Council on Exercise says an “acceptable” range for body fat for women is 25 to 31%, and for men 18 to 25%. You’re considered obese if your body fat is 32% or greater for women, and 26% or greater for men.

If you don’t want to pick up a calculator, let my online calculator do the math for you. Click on this link

You can also try a new feature included on many new bathroom scales, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technology. BIA is a common way to estimate your percentage of body fat. The device, which starts at around $100, sends a mild electric current up through one foot to the waist, then down the other leg to measure your percentage of body fat.

The BAI is more accurate than the BMI because it takes into account body fat without factoring in weight. This method has promise as it takes into account many factors: gender, age, height, weight, and hip circumference.

How accurate is it? This new test has been checked against a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) machine, which is regarded as one of the most accurate ways to calculate body fat, and the BAI numbers were proven to be accurate, at least in Hispanic and African American populations. More research needs to be done with other ethnicities before it’s widely considered a valid measure of body fat.  Until this method has been scientifically determined by the medical community to be an accurate body composition assessment, you should stick with the more common methods such as BMI, body fat analysis, and waist-to-hip ratio.

And in terms of the BIA scale, the device reportedly is very sensitive to hydration (dehydration can cause it to overestimate the percentage of body fat), which can affect its accuracy.

To determine how many calories you need, the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), also known as Resting Metabolic Rate, calculator measures the number of calories your body would burn if you sat still all day and didn’t eat anything.

Once you know how fast or slow your body converts fuel into energy, you can use that information to determine the number of calories you need to consume to lose, gain, or maintain your weight based on your daily activity levels. Don’t worry if your metabolism needs a boost. Cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, improve your fitness, and make your body a more efficient calorie burner.

The formula used to calculate your BMR takes into account your weight, height, age, and gender. The Harris-Benedict equation is the most widely used formula for BMR. I go into great detail on this formula and how to calculate and to use in my book ‘Get fit Stay fit’ but for ease a quick reference you can check out the math by using one of my on line calculators.

Or try a more simple formula for quickly determining how many calories to eat on any given day to maintain your current weight: On days when you’re taking it easy and not exercising, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 15 and subtract 500 from that number. And on days that you’re active, use the same calculation, but multiply your weight by 18.

How it can help you manage your weight: The number you get from the equation gives you the total number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, shave off 500 calories daily to lose 1 pound per week, or 300 calories daily to lose 2 pounds in a month. Modifying calories according to activity levels is a good health habit. It helps you to realize that on low-activity days, fewer calories are needed to maintain your weight.  It emphasizes the calories in/calories out formula.

Take these equations with a grain of salt. They are just guides to help you reach your fitness goals. It’s hard to predict activity levels, and if you’re planning your caloric needs for the day and things go sideways, you may be eating too much or too little.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Cut Fat

cut_fat_1The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Whether you want to lose 5 pounds or 50, the following tips will help you to achieve your weight loss goals a little easier. Here are some practical and effective methods to rev your metabolism, burn fat, and when you burn fat you will begin to see your belly flatten.

The following tips are simple, but the effects will add up. When you successfully implement one change, you’re more likely to do another. The more you’re able to stick to your goal, the greater your confidence, and the more chance you’ll have to start and accomplish new goals. These small changes can add up to a lifestyle change and helping you to become the best you can be.

Hit the gas early during your workout.  Men who started a 30 minute running workout at high speed, working at 70% of their VO2 max, and then eased up to 50% of VO2 max burned 5 to 10% more fat than those who started slow and then revved up the pace. The after burn of the high intensity workout seems to carry over into the lower intensity period, increasing overall fat burn.

Use public transportation. Taking the bus or train is as good for your body as it is for your wallet and the environment. Researchers found that people who switched from driving everywhere to using a light rail system lost an average of about 6 pounds in a year.  The theory is that by walking the extra blocks it takes to get to and from bus stops and train stations, you naturally increase your activity level enough to result in weight loss.

Drink two cups of coffee, black. A study found that drinking two cups of caffeinated coffee can boost your metabolism by 16% compared with the decaf kind. Make sure to drink it black though. The 67 calories in a spoonful of sugar and a tablespoon of cream can negate caffeine’s calorie burning benefits.

Blot your pizza with a napkin. You’ll dab off about 4.5 g of fat or close to 30 calories per slice. Of course, depending on the pizza and your toppings, the amount of excess oil you can remove varies.

Avoid Alcohol. A study found that drinking as little as 1 ounce of vodka can slow your metabolism by as much as 73%.

Douse your food in Tabasco. Capsaicin is the spicy compound found in the white membrane of chili peppers and has been shown to rev up your metabolism and can burn somewhere near an extra 50 calories. Eating salsa may boost fat burn a little bit, but don’t pile on the chips and guacamole. You still need to watch out for overall calorie intake.

Fuel up on fiber. In addition to making you feel full, longer and therefore helping you eat less, fiber can help you burn through as much as 30% more calories. Fiber has roughage, and roughage takes a longer time for your body to break down and requires more energy to digest.

Sleep more. Dieters who logged 8.5 hours of sleep burned more fat than those who slept 5.5 hours. While both groups lost a similar amount of weight, the people who got a full night’s rest dropped the majority of their weight from fat while those who slept less lost most of theirs from muscle.

Increase physical activity outside of the gym. In a recent study, overweight women completed the same 150-minute-a-week program, and while some women lost up to 7 pounds of body fat, others gained up to 5. The researchers think that the women who lost the most were the ones who maintained or increased their physical activity beyond the gym; those who gained weight had cut back on their everyday activity.  If you’re going to the gym, you don’t want to negate it by eating a lot afterward or to stop taking the stairs.  You have to live the same life, if not improve on it, when you begin to exercise.

Eat breakfast. If you eat breakfast daily you may boost your metabolisms by as much as 10 %.

Pump iron. Lifting weights can help you burn a few more calories even after you finish your workout. An hour-long strength-training program burned 100 more calories in the next 24 hours than when you don’t use weights.

Choose tuna swimming in water. Stick to tuna packed in water not oil. Three ounces of water packed tuna contains 109 calories and 2.5 g of fat compared with 158 calories and 6.9 g of fat in the oil soaked kind. Tuna is a good protein source that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease and help prevent depression.

Drink chocolate milk. Researchers compared the effects of drinking low-fat chocolate milk, fat-free soy protein drink, and a traditional carbohydrate recovery drink after exercise. Not only did the milk drinkers gain more muscle than those who drank the soy and carbohydrate beverages, but they also lost twice as much fat.

Drink cold water. Your metabolism can increase by as much as 30% during the 10 minutes after you drink a cold glass of water. Why?  Your body burns more calories as it tries to warm the water.

Brew a cup of green tea. A 2010 study found that after 3 months, people who drank two glasses of decaf green tea a day lost 2.6 more pounds than those who drank a herbal brew. Researchers believe that catechin compounds in green tea may prevent fat formation and stimulate your metabolism.

Say yes to yogurt. Eating yogurt as part of a low-calorie diet may help burn more fat. People who eat three 1-cup servings a day lost 22% more weight and 61% more fat than those who dieted without including yogurt. Even better, most of the fat lost was from the belly.

Eat an orange. People who don’t get enough vitamin C burn 25% less fat when working out than those who have adequate levels.  People who are vitamin-C deficient can quadruple their fat burn after taking 500 mg of Vitamin C.

Do intervals. You’ve probably already heard it, but doing interval training, alternating between periods of intense exercise and recovery, burns more fat and calories than exercising at a steady rate. Cyclists who switched between exercising for 4 minutes at 90% of their max and than 2 minutes of recovery for an hour burn up to 36% more calories after their workout, than those who biked at a moderate pace for the same amount of time.

Go organic. People with the highest levels of organochlorides, a chemical found in pesticides, are more likely to have slower metabolisms.

Munch on almonds. Spanish researchers found that people who eat a diet high in MUFAs(monounsaturated fats)  lose more fat from their stomachs than people who follow a high-carb diet or a high-fat one.

Outsmart the elliptical trainer. The calorie-count mechanisms on cardio equipment are often off by 20 to 30%. So if the readout says that you’ve cranked out 260 calories’ worth of exercise, a more accurate estimate could be 200 calories burned. To even things out, aim to burn off 30% more than your target. Even if your machine’s calorie tally is accurate, ramping up your workout will help you achieve your weight loss goal.

Pick a smarter spread. Rather than smear on a tablespoon of butter over your morning toast (102 calories, 11.5 g of fat), try apple butter (20 calories, 0 g fat). It tastes delicious and packs a fraction of the fat and calories.

Choose Canadian bacon. You can get a heftier portion of the leaner meat and still cut fat. Two slices of Canadian bacon are 89 calories, 4 g of fat (57 g); two slices of the regular kind contain 86 calories and 6 g of fat (16 g).

Try Meatless Monday. Vegetarians usually have a lower body mass index than those who eat meat. For instance, lacto-ovo vegetarians (doesn’t eat meat but eats dairy and eggs) have an average BMI of 25.7, where as meat eaters check in at a BMI of 28.8. Not ready to forgo meat entirely? Incorporate Meatless Monday into your eating routine. You’ll still be able to reap the benefits as vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants than other diets.

See the sun. People with higher levels of vitamin D were able to lose more weight on a reduced-calorie diet than those who had inadequate levels, even though both cut 750 calories from their diets. Your body generates vitamin D naturally through sunlight, and it’s also found in foods like salmon, tuna, fortified milk, cereals and yogurt.

Broaden your circle of friends. Having a lot of friends might not just help you live longer it may make you leaner, too. Having a more active social life can turn regular white fat into calorie-burning brown fat, increasing your overall calorie burn. Researchers found that when lab rats were placed in a living environment with 15 to 20 other mice and had greater opportunity to play, they lost weight due to increased brown fat stores.

Have half a grapefruit. There’s no need to go on an all grapefruit diet, but incorporating the fruit into your diet can help you lose weight.  People who ate half a grapefruit before every meal lost 3 pounds more than those who didn’t. Why? Not only is grapefruit a good source of fiber, but it also seems to help regulate insulin levels.

Sweeten with cinnamon. The spice can increase the rate at which sugar is metabolized by 20 fold. Eating 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon a day has also been shown to lower blood sugar levels. The spice is also a great low-calorie alternative to sugar to sweeten your coffee.

Clean your house. A tidy home may translate to a fit body. How clean a house is or isn’t, is a better indicator of the occupant’s fitness level than the home’s proximity to safe walking trails and sidewalks.

Avoid boxed baked goods. Store-bought cookies, cakes, and mixes are often loaded with saturated fat. A serving of coffee cake is loaded with 260 calories and 13 g of fat, 4 of which are saturated. Make your own dessert at home for 172 calories, 3.4 g of fat and 0.6 g of saturated fat.

Switch to sorbet. A 1/2-cup serving of chocolate sorbet has half the calories and a whopping 16 grams fewer fat than a serving of chocolate ice cream.

Slurp broth-based soups. A bowl of creamy New England clam chowder contains 154 calories and 5 g of fat. Switch to the broth-based Manhattan clam chowder at 73 calories and 2 g of fat per cup. People who had a cup of soup before lunch ate 20% fewer calories at the meal. When you choose a low-cal soup to fill up on beforehand, you can actually consume fewer calories overall.

Cut the can. Fresh is better than canned.  People who ate canned soup for 5 days in a row had BPA levels in their blood that were 10 times higher than those who ate homemade soup for the same amount of time. Elevated levels of BPA, a chemical- and hormone disruptor that’s found in plastics and plastic-lined cans, has been shown to increase the number and size of fat cells.

Skip fried food. Deep-frying adds tons of fat and calories. Make this fast-food swap: Instead of a Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Crispy) try the grilled version. You’ll save 80 calories and 7 g of fat.

Pop smarter. Popcorn is a great whole grain snack, but don’t pour on the butter. Three cups of Butter popcorn will set you back 154 calories and 12 g of fat. Choose the Smart Pop version and snack without guilt for 48 calories and 1 g of fat.

Take a fish oil supplement. People who took 6 g of fish oil a day and exercised three times a week lost 3.4 pounds more in 12 weeks than those who just hit the gym and didn’t take a supplement.

Max out. Stoke up your after-burn by lifting heavy. Women burned twice as many calories the 2 hours following a workout that involved doing 8 reps of lifting 85% of their max as when they did 15 reps at 45% of their max. Your max refers to the maximum amount of weight that you can lift in a single rep of an exercise. To estimate your one-rep max, determine the greatest amount of weight you are able to perform an exercise to exhaustion. Plug in the weight and number of reps into this formula: Weight × [1 + (0.033 × number of repetitions)] or use an online calculator. Then multiply by 0.85 or 0.45.

Load up on lobster. Arginine, an amino acid found in lobster, nuts, seeds, and watermelon may help you burn more fat. Researchers followed two groups of people on a diet and exercise program. One group received an 8.3 g arginine supplement daily. While both groups lost about 7 pounds in 21 days, those who took the arginine supplement lost only fat, while 57% of the weight loss of the control group was from muscle.

Eat lean protein. Your body burns through more calories when digesting high protein foods as compared with fatty or carb heavy fare. Your metabolism can increase by as much as 35% after eating protein.

Eat more eggs.  High-quality protein, such as eggs are considered a perfect protein and can help older adults build and maintain muscle. Because muscle burns about 50 calories more per pound than fat, you won’t just be stronger you’ll burn through more calories on a daily basis.

Go skinless. Take off the skin from half a roasted chicken breast and save about 50 calories and 2.5 g of fat.

Ask for your dressing on the side. A shot glass sized serving of creamy Ranch dressing contains 140 calories and 14 g of fat, but it’s easy to pour much more than that on your salad.

Corn over flour.  Choose a corn tortilla. While they have the same amount of fiber (1 g), a 6-inch corn wrap contains 40 calories and 0.5 g of fat and the same size flour tortilla has 110 calories and 2.5 g of fat. Flour tortillas have more protein (3 g versus 1 g), but also 64 times as much sodium.

Channel Popeye. Spinach is loaded with iron, a mineral your body needs to bring oxygen to your muscles to burn fat. When your body has low levels, your metabolism can slow down. Other good sources of iron include beans, lean protein, and fortified cereals.

Eat whole grains. People who ate muesli with milk, peaches, yogurt, and apple juice burned almost twice as much fat during an hour-long walk than on the days that they ate cornflakes with milk, white bread, and an energy drink. Why? The first breakfast ranks much lower on the glycemic index than the second, and researchers think that the spike in insulin levels that occurs when the body digests simple carbs may interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat.

Eat at least 1,200 calories a day. Your metabolism slows down when it doesn’t have enough fuel, so going on a crash diet can actually reduce the rate at which your body burns fat. If you eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day, you can’t meet your nutritional needs for enough protein, healthy fat, and vitamins for your body to run properly, she adds.

Snack in the afternoon. Afternoon and evening snackers may lose more weight than those who eat in the morning.   Researchers followed the snacking patterns of dieters and found that those who snacked in the morning lost 7% of their body weight after a year, while those who ate a treat later in the day or not at all lost 11% of their weight. Not only are morning snackers more likely than afternoon snackers to snack more than once a day, afternoon snackers tend to choose healthier foods to munch on, such as fruit and veggies.

Choose the smarter topping. Eating two slices of ham pizza will save you 80 calories and 4 g of fat over two slices of pepperoni.

Stand up. The simple act of standing engages muscles in your legs, abs, and back and when your muscles are activated, they release myokines, hormones that stimulate metabolism.  The reverse also seems true. When you don’t move like sitting in front of a computer or television your metabolism slows.

Don’t serve meals family-style. Heaping platters of home cooked foods might be a staple at your family’s dinner table, but keeping those dishes at the table can increase your likelihood of overeating.  When serving platters were out of sight, diners ate 20 to 29% less than when second helpings were within arm’s reach.

Just add ginger. Like cinnamon, black pepper, and red pepper, spicing your food with ginger may prevent weight gain. Researchers found that mice fed a ginger supplement while on a high fat diet gained less weight than those on the same meal plan but without the supplements.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Shave Calories

lose bigThe following article is a small excerpt from one of my books. I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Major, life-altering changes, are brought about not by dieting, but by making simple small changes. Here are seven simple trades that  will save you at least 700 calories. Do this once a day and you could lose 73 pounds in a year, minimum!

So look in the mirror. Do you look exactly the way you’d like? !

Burger Swap

Eat This!
McDonald’s Big Mac
540 calories
29 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,040 mg sodium

Not That!
Sonic Supersonic Double Cheeseburger (w/mayo)
1,270 calories
87 g fat (34 g saturated)
1,500 mg sodium

Savings: 730 calories
While these are both double-patty burgers with cheese, Sonic’s version weighs in nearly twice as heavy. That might sound like a bargain until you realize that it contains far more than twice as many calories. The Big Mac relies on thinner cuts of beef and uses far less sauce, making it a reasonable way to fill your double-burger craving. New research shows that your weight is determined by more than just which foods you put in your mouth—how you eat plays an important role too.

Asian Swap

Eat This!
Panda Express Broccoli Beef (with a side of mixed veggies)
165 calories
4.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
970 mg sodium

Not That!
P.F. Chang’s Beef with Broccoli
870 calories
36 g fat (12 g saturated)
4,719 mg sodium

Savings: 705 calories
P.F. Chang’s lets the sodium-saturated sauces rain down upon most of its dishes. This is one of the worst. It contains more than two days’ worth of the salty stuff—not to mention eight times the fat of Panda Express’ version.

Health Myth: Sea salt is not lower in sodium than table salt, nor is it more natural or healthier.

Salad Swap

Eat This!
California Pizza Kitchen Chinese Chicken Salad
617 calories
1 g saturated fat
2,532 mg sodium

Not That!
Applebee’s Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad
1,290 calories
79 g fat (12g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
2,290 mg sodium

Savings: 723 calories
California Pizza Kitchen’s salad menu is, for the most part, a dangerous spot, but the Chinese Chicken option steers clear of trouble with a nutrient-rich blend of cabbage, lettuce, carrots, scallions, and cilantro. Topped with grilled chicken, this veggie-heavy meal is far superior to Applebee’s version. The “Neighborhood Bar & Grill” tosses its lettuce with crispy noodles—read: dipped in fattening oil—that not only add in a deadly level of trans fats, but also deliver an extra 20 grams of carbohydrates. Just watch your sodium intake the rest of the day. CPK has never met a salt shaker it didn’t vigorously shake.

Seafood Swap

Eat This!
Olive Garden Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
590 calories
10 g saturated fat
910 mg sodium

Not That!
The Cheesecake Factory Herb Crusted Filet of Salmon
1,400 calories
48 g saturated fat
1,240 mg sodium

Savings: 810 calories
It’s tough to tell exactly where The Cheesecake Factory’s extra calories come from. The chain doesn’t provide ingredient lists. But this selection probably suffers from the same problems as the rest of the menu: excessive use of cheap oils and butter. Olive Garden bakes its crusted tilapia and plates the fish with vegetables, shaving nearly two days’ worth of saturated fat off the Factory’s numbers.

Appetizer Dip Swap

Eat This!
On the Border Guacamole with Chips
660 calories
23 g fat (5 g saturated)
680 mg sodium

Not That!
Chili’s Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip
1,610 calories
103 g fat (42 g saturated)
1,610 mg sodium

Savings: 1,180 calories
Few appetizers work as hard as guacamole. The avocados from which it’s made are packed with hunger-blunting fiber and heart-healthy fats. Chili’s Spinach & Artichoke dip, on the other hand, consists of mostly cream, cheese, and butter. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s healthy.

Pizza Swap

Eat This!
Pizza Hut Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza
610 calories
26 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,410 mg sodium

Not That!
Uno Deep Dish Prima Pepperoni Pizza
1,830 calories
126 g fat (36 g saturated)
2,910 mg sodium

Savings: 1,220 calories
It’s not like Pizza Hut’s Personal Pan Pizzas are to be idolized, but compared to Uno’s deep-dish offerings, they’re paragons of nutrition. The big difference is in the depth of the crust. Pizza Hut’s is reasonable, whereas Uno’s can double as a mattress.

Taco Swap

Eat This!
Chipotle Crunchy Chicken Tacos
490 calories
21 g fat (8.5 g saturated)
1,050 mg sodium

Not That!
Chili’s Crispy Chicken Tacos (w/o the rice and beans side)
1,340 calories
71 g fat (20 g saturated)
3,120 mg sodium

Savings: 850 calories
It’s not hard to see the difference in these two Mexican dishes. Chipotle combines grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and a little cheese inside a corn shell. Simple. Chili’s, on the other hand, fries its chicken, doubles up on cheese, tosses in some bacon, and drizzles thick ranch dressing on top. That doesn’t do your body any favors.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Sweat

sweatThe following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.  I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Perspiration or sweat is your body’s way of cooling itself, whether that extra heat comes from hardworking muscles or from over stimulated nerves.

The average person has 2.6 million sweat glands Sweat glands are distributed over your entire body, except for your lips, nipples and external genital organs. Your sweat gland is in the layer of skin called the dermis.

The sweat gland is a long, coiled, hollow tube of cells. The coiled part in the dermis is where sweat is produced, and the long portion is a duct that connects the gland to the opening or pore on your skin’s outer surface. Nerve cells from the sympathetic nervous system connect to the sweat glands.

There are two types of sweat glands:

  • Eccrine – the most numerous type that are found all over the body, particularly on the palms of the hands, soles of your feet and forehead
  • Apocrine – mostly confined to your armpits and your anal-genital area. They typically end in hair follicles rather than pores.

These two glands differ in size, the age that they become active and the composition of the sweat that they make. Compared to apocrine glands, eccrine glands are smaller, are active from birth (Apocrine glands become active only at puberty) and produce a sweat that is free of proteins and fatty acids

We are constantly sweating, even though we may not notice it. Sweating is your body’s major way of getting rid of excess body heat, which is produced by metabolism or working muscles. The amount of sweat produced depends upon your state of emotion and physical activity. Sweat can be made in response to nerve stimulation, hot air temperature, and/or exercise.

When your sweat gland is stimulated, the cells secrete a fluid, that is similar to plasma, that is, it is mostly water and it has high concentrations of sodium and chloride and a low concentration of potassium — but without the proteins and fatty acids that are normally found in plasma. The source of this fluid is the spaces between your cells (which get the fluid from the blood vessels (capillaries) in the dermis. This fluid travels from the coiled portion and up through the straight duct.   What happens in the straight duct depends upon the rate of sweat production or flow:

Sweat is produced in apocrine sweat glands in the same way. However, the sweat from apocrine glands also contains proteins and fatty acids, which make it thicker and give it a milkier or yellowish color. This is why underarm stains in clothing appear yellowish. Sweat itself has no odour, but when bacteria on the skin and hair metabolize the proteins and fatty acids, they produce an unpleasant odour. This is why deodorants and anti-perspirants are applied to the underarms instead of the whole body.

The maximum volume of sweat that a person who is not adapted to a hot climate can produce is about one litre per hour.  If you move to a hot climate, your ability to produce sweat will increase to about two to three litres per hour within about six weeks! This appears to be the maximum amount that you can produce.

When sweat evaporates from the surface of your skin, it removes excess heat and cools you. This is actually due to a neat principle in physics, which goes like this. To convert water from a liquid to a vapour, it takes a certain amount of heat called the heat of vaporization. This heat energy increases the speed of the water molecules so that they can escape into the air. Typically, all of the sweat does not evaporate, but rather runs off your skin. In addition, not all heat energy produced by the body is lost through sweat. Some is directly radiated from the skin to the air and some is lost through respiratory surfaces of your lungs.

A major factor that influences the rate of evaporation is the relative humidity of the air around you. If the air is humid, then it already has water vapour in it, probably near saturation, and cannot take any more. Therefore, sweat does not evaporate and cool your body as efficiently as when the air is dry.

When the water in the sweat evaporates, it leaves the salts (sodium, chloride and potassium) behind on your skin, which is why your skin tastes salty. The loss of excessive amounts of salt and water from your body can quickly dehydrate you, which can lead to circulatory problems, kidney failure and heat stroke. So, it is important to drink plenty of fluids when you exercise or are outside in high temperatures. Sports drinks contain some salts to replace those lost in the sweat.

Also sweating responds to your emotional state. So when you are nervous, anxious or afraid, there is an increase in sympathetic nerve activity in your body as well as an increase in epinephrine secretion from your adrenal gland. These substances act on your sweat glands, particularly those on your palms of your hand and your armpits, to make sweat. Thus, you feel a “cold” sweat.

The increased sympathetic nerve activity in your skin also changes its electrical resistance, which is the basis of the galvanic skin response used in lie detector tests.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

Abdominals

j02567591The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books. I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Everyone wants a nice tight tummy or well defined abs, and some will go to great lengths to achieve this, sometimes doing hundreds if not thousands of sit ups daily. However, sit-ups alone will not solve your tummy troubles. Although they may help to strengthen your abs, diet and aerobic exercise together will help get rid of your unwanted fat and provide you with the results you desire.

The abdominal muscles give a considerable amount of support to your spine and help to protect your internal organs. Abdominal muscles are the center of your body strength. Your ab muscles include the Rectus Abdominis, external and internal obliques.

The most popular abdominal muscle by far is the Rectus Abdominis, and it gives the abdomen that distinctive washboard look. It has a right and left half separated by a tendinous strip about one half inch wide. The external obliques are located on the side and front of the abdomen while the internal obliques are located directly underneath the external obliques.

The abdominal muscles are layered and directed in a way that provides a variety of movements and functions. They help your torso to move forward, to swing from side to side and to twist. With this in mind it’s important to include twisting exercises in your routine as well as forward crunches. There are two great ab routines described in detail in the book ‘Get Fit Stay Fit’. 

Your abs also have a narrow range of motion.
If you lie flat on your back with your legs extended, your abs have the capacity to raise your shoulders about 30 degrees off the floor. Any further than this, the Psoas Magnus and Psoas Parvus muscles will be doing most of the work and not the abs. The Psoas muscles run from the front of your legs up through your pelvis and connect to the lowest six spinal vertebrae. They pull your trunk toward your legs as do your abs but their range of motion is huge, in fact they can pull you forward all the way from a full backbend until your chest touches your knees.

The abdominal muscles are also different because they do not attach to the bones like many other muscles do. So to develop your abs you do not have to exercise with weight the way you do with the other muscle groups.

While training abs, many people like to hold their hands behind their head. By doing this, they have a tendency to yank or pull at the head to get more force in the sit up. This puts a great deal of stress on the cervical vertebrae and can be very dangerous. If you cannot get used to putting your hands across your chest, try holding your hands at the side of your head. The important thing to remember is to let the abs do the lifting.

Never hold your breath during ab training. This increases the frigidness of the spine that your trying to flex. Slowly breathe out on the way up and inhale on the way down. Also when training abs, it’s very easy to get into a groove and just go through the motions, however for better results you should concentrate and feel your abdominal muscles contracting. The harder you concentrate the tighter the contractions and the better your results. This works with all muscle groups that you train. You should think about and concentrate on the muscle group you are working. By doing this you will be able to receive unbelievable results.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !