Quick Weight Loss

You Can Lose Weight on a High Carbohydrate Diet

by: David Snape

A startling fact is that carbohydrates are not responsible for making people fat. Don’t feel too badly though, you are not the only person who was sold on the idea that a high protein, low carb diet was the only way to lose weight.
Here is a simple way to demonstrate this fact. Think about the vegetarians you know, are there any overweight problems among them? The high protein diets rely on a lot of animal fats and proteins, but these vegetarians don’t eat them. Startling indeed,isn’t it?
Maybe you don’t know any vegetarians. They certainly are hard to find, especially in the Midwest, where I live.
You may wonder about the science involved here. After all, many of those folks promoting the low carb diets are medical doctors, aren’t they? Being a medical doctor doesn’t mean that you don’t ever make any mistakes. Besides, the same science that supports the low carb diet also supports the high carb diet. They didn’t get it wrong, they just didn’t consider the whole story.
That might sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t. I’m going to explain why in just a moment. Fist, let me give you the science on this. You most likely are not a biochemist or a physiologist and neither am I. But I have studied the subjects a bit. Don’t focus on the technical jargon in the next paragraph, just try to grasp the overall point. You don’t need to be a scientist to use common sense and basic reasoning skills. Ready?
Consider this bit of biochemistry. Malonyl -CoA exists in high amounts when there is plenty of metabolic fuel present. Thus, carnitine acyltransferase is inhibited and this in turn prevents acyl-CoA from crossing into the cell’s mitochondria. Another enzyme is inhibited by the presence of NADH and Thiolase is also inhibited by the presence of Acetyl-COA. In short, when a lot of glucose is present, fatty acid metabolism is inhibited.
It is the last sentence that clues us in here. Basically, a cell will not convert fats into energy if there is glucose present. When the cell has carbs and sugar to work on, it will not convert the fat to energy, thus the fat gets stored.
This is why the low carb diets work, with little to zero carbohydrates and subsequently glucose to work on, the fat will be used for energy. This is exactly why the high carb diet works too. When no or little fat is present, it won’t be stored as fat.
In addition to this, it is important to realize that it costs the body quite a bit of energy to take carbs and store them as fat. This alone is actually a positive. There really needs to be some form of fat present to make it easier.
This should help you understand that whatever your diet consists of, if you want to remain or get thin, you need to avoid mixing fats and carbs together. A fat consists of a fatty acid head and a carbohydrate tail. This means when you mix your fat and carbs together you are asking for trouble, assuming you care about weight, that is.
So now it should be clear why so many people in North America have a weight problem as the NIH was happy to point out a few weeks ago. Think about the typical American diet. It generally consists of lots of combinations of fat and carbs.
As Dr. Neal Barnard points out in his book, “Foods That Cause You To Lose Weight”, It is fat that makes people fat.
Don’t want to be a vegetarian? I don’t blame you. Really, you don’t have to be one. Just quit mixing your proteins/fats and carbohydrates together.
Don’t overlook the obvious, there is ton of candy and desserts out there that are a mixture of fat and sugar. Meat and potatoes - perhaps this classic is a serious blunder in seperating proteins/fats and carbs. Armed with this knowledge, you can probably come up with dozens of examples of potentially fattening mixtures of food on your own.
This article is for information only. It is not intended to prescribe, treat or diagnose any health problem. Consult your physician before changing your diet or if you have or think you have a health condition.

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Shape Up! 4-Alternative Weight Loss Solutions

by: Laura Turner

I am embarrassed to admit how many different commercial weight loss programs I’ve tried. I don’t know about you, but after a while I grow tired of talking heads touting empty promises. None of them helped me look the way I think I should and most of them left me agonizing over eating the same foods over and over.
What’s a body to do?
In this article I’ve outline a few different ideas that I’ve found to really work. Ideas I continue to come back to again and again. Whether you need to lose a few pounds or are looking for a healthy lifestyle change, these 4 solutions will help get you started.
Solution #1: Use Creative Visualization
Creative visualization a great way to bring about lifestyle change. “Seeing” yourself thinner is one of the most successful ways to decrease your body size and improve body image. Guided imagery works by training your mind to stimulate changes within your body.
This can be accomplished using a few of my favorite tools:
Affirmations: Using affirmations will train your mind by stating or affirming your intentions. It will retrain your thinking toward positive thoughts.
When I use affirmations, I like to use positive statements such as these:
MY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE MY BODY!
To increase their effectiveness, I write these messages to myself on an index card or piece of paper and carry them with me. I review them several times throughout the day.
Tapes: If you are an auditory person, you will love the guided imagery and weight loss tapes available from Health Journeys ( http://www.healthjourneys.com ). Their positive learning tapes will walk you through the thought process of building a stronger, leaner body.
Books: One of my favorite positive affirmation books is Love Your Body! By Louise L. Hay. Inside this book, Louise has created affirmations for you. If you read through them each day you are sure to reap the rewards of loving your body.
Solution #2 Try An Herbal Wrap
If you need to lose a few extra pounds, you may want to try an herbal wrap. Herbal wraps help the body lose water and inches. You can get a wrap from your favorite salon however, they tend to be expensive. It’s just as easy to give yourself a spa treatment at home. Herbal wrap products are everywhere. If you’d like to get a wrap but prefer the privacy of your own home, check out: http://www.slenderwrap.com
Some of the benefits of herbal wraps include:

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Eight Weight Loss Tips

by: Beth Scott

There are a lot of “crash” diets out there that promise that you’ll drop a considerable amount of weight in days or a week. I have tried a few of these, and in my experience the weight always comes back on, just as quickly.
One thing you don’t want to do if you are actually serious about losing weight is to follow these fad diets. After their ineffectiveness has been proven time and again, people will start to wise up to that particular diet, and will head off in search of a new craze.
Lets be honest, people want to lose weight and they want immediate results, but this is just wishful thinking. To lose weight permanently and effectively it will be a rather slow progress, all depending on your metabolic rate and how much you need to lose.
There are however some proven tried and true methods for aiding in the weight loss process, and I can make you familiar with them.
1. Don’t skip breakfast. Whatever you do follow this advice, because otherwise you are much more likely in fact prone to binge later in the day.
2. Don’t eat anything for at least an hour before going to bed.
3. Don’t snack while watching TV. It’s acceptable to eat a meal while watching television, but never is snacking at this time acceptable.
4. Substitute fruits like; bananas, watermelon, plums, peaches, and oranges for sugary treats like; cookies and candy.
5. Substitute honey for sugar, and carob powder for chocolate in all recipes.
6. Eat more vegetables. This can even be enjoyable if you have a good cookbook like Good housekeeping’s latest edition.
7. Avoid unnecessary high calorie foods.
8. Exercise at least a half hour each day for 5 days out of the week.

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Tips for successful weight loss

by: Annette Croft

Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my mother tried every fad diet under the sun. I recall one time she ate boiled cabbage and nothing else for a whole week. I felt my mothers’ frustration and misery, however I could not understand why it was so difficult for her to lose weight and keep it off – until that is I became a weight management coach.
For the past two years I have been assisting people to achieve their ideal weight and in this time I have experienced what contributes to a successful weight loss story.
Getting serious
It all starts with you and how serious you are about losing weight. The key to successful weight loss is partly dependent on your level of commitment. How would you rate your seriousness on a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being deadly serious)?
No quick fix
If you have made the commitment to get serious about losing weight then you need to make the commitment to do it safely and effectively. One piece of invaluable advice my own family doctor passed onto me is that slow and steady is always the best option. The longer it takes you to lose weight the less likely you are to put it back on.
Staying motivated
Always keep the end in mind! Write down all of the reasons why you are motivated to lose weight now. Record these reasons on a piece of card that can be kept in your wallet or purse. Each morning and before going to bed remind yourself by reading aloud why you are motivated to lose weight.
Facing challenges
Every day you are likely to face challenges, which can disrupt your focus and get in the way of your weight loss goals. Write down all of the challenges that you know have made losing weight hard for you in the past. This will help you to develop a better strategy this time. Three common challenges are lack of results, boredom and lack of support from spouse, family and friends.
Choosing a weight control program
I recommend choosing a diet / weight control program that offers all of the following for best results:

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Online Weight Loss - Fact or Farce?

by: Jim Foster

Over the past 5 years, online weight loss programs have become increasingly popular. One such Internet-only weight loss program claims to have over 1.2 million members in it’s database. We are seeing more and more companies creating an Internet presence to assist with weight loss.

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4 Keys to Weight Loss

by: Chad Anderson, CSCS

First off, let me start by saying this list is by no means exhaustive. However, if you can manage these 4 important components of a weight loss program, you will be on your way to a slimmer body.
Build the Foundation
Many people begin a weight loss program with their basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy (calories) your body uses in a resting state, in the gutter. The key then is to increase your BMR so that you are burning more calories throughout the day, every day. Increase the amount of calories you burn, increase the amount of fat you lose. Makes sense, yes? The best way to increase your BMR is through adding muscle tissue. Females often shudder at the idea of adding muscle due to their fear of becoming “bulky.” Relax babe! It’s a little harder to add that kind of muscle mass than you think. Besides, a little muscle mass goes a long way toward achieving a leaner body. And this is what you want, right?
Specificity of Program
Not just any exercise program will do for weight loss. Simply burning calories is not good enough. The program must be designed to elicit specific hormonal responses that are conducive to weight loss. I’ll give you a hint…hours and hours of cardio is NOT the answer!
Consistency
This one pretty much speaks for itself. Have you ever achieved anything great with an inconsistent effort? Unless you consider failure a great achievement, you probably haven’t. You must exercise consistently to get the results you want! It amazes me how many people put so little effort into their exercise program and complain about not seeing results. Even the most well designed programs are useless if they are not adhered to on a consistent basis.
Diet
Again, this one goes without saying. You can’t expect to achieve a leaner body by continuing your unhealthy eating habits. This isn’t to say that you should drop everything in your diet immediately and exchange it for “healthy” food. You would end up miserable and revert back to your old habits within a month. Instead, practice moderation and don’t overindulge. Also, phase certain unhealthy foods out of your diet while introducing healthier foods. The transition will be easier to make and a lot easier to maintain.

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Negative Calorie Foods & Weight Loss

by: P. Mehta

You gain weight when your calorie intake is more than your calorie expenditure. But if this calorie equation is reversed, then it results in “negative calorie” balance in your body. In this negative calorie case, you expand more calories than you take in, resulting in a decrease in the stored calories in the form of body fat, and you experience a weight loss. About 10% of daily caloric intake is used to process foods in the body. You can expand more by doing physical activities.
There are certain foods that show negative calorie effect because the body has to expand more energy to extract calories from these foods. The negative calorie foods need more calories to break down the foods and digest than the calories the foods actually contain. The extra calories are taken up from the stored fat in the body. Thus the negative calorie foods (may also be called as minus calorie foods or fat burning foods) are ideal for reducing the body fat and for losing weight.
Let us take an example. A piece of dessert consisting of 300 calories may require only 150 calories to be digested by our body, resulting in a net gain of 150 calories which is added to our body fat! So if you eat 100 calories of a food that requires 150 calories to digest, then you have burnt an additional 50 calories simply by eating that food. These 50 calories are used up from the stored fat in your body!
These foods are widely available in nature. Some of the foods from the list of negative calorie foods (about 100 in number) are: asparagus, broccoli, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, carrot, garlic, papaya, spinach, turnip, zucchini, apples, oranges, lettuce, grapefruit, pineapples, strawberries, and raspberries.
It is a great idea to eat these negative calorie food items to your full satisfaction without counting calories. Include these foods in your daily diet and plan your diet according to food pyramid. You will be amazed to see the fast weight loss results. You can follow a negative calorie diet plan for safe and permanent weight loss.
Copyright 2004 P. Mehta http://www.fatfreekitchen.com
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

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Weight Loss by Treadmill

by: Paul Reeve

Weight loss using a good Treadmill workout program has worked for many people - and it can work for you too.
Treadmills can be used by virtually any age group, and by individuals of any activity level. Treadmills can help you lose weight, and maintain your weight loss.
It really is a numbers game. The more time you spend doing cardiovascular exercises the more calories you are going to burn and the more weight you will lose. And if you are looking for fitness equipment that will get the maximum burn, then a treadmill should be at the top of your list.
The treadmill is unsurpassed for a cardiovascular workout. According to a study done by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, calories burned on the treadmill for 60 minutes averaged 865 - 705. This compares to:
Stair machine 746 - 637
Rowing machine 739 - 606
Stationary cycle 604 - 556
Cross-country ski machine 678 - 595
· This is one of numerous studies, that rank a treadmill as the number one cardiovascular machine.
Here are a few steps you can take to develop your own weight loss treadmill program:
Find ways to make your Treadmill session enjoyable, by listening to music, books on tape, or teaching tapes. Or, some people prefer to just enjoy nature and life around them, and the time to think, pray, or just let their mind wander. The more you enjoy your Treadmill workout, the more likely you are to workout consistently.
Make it a DAILY habit - just like brushing your teeth. Working out on your Treadmill daily makes your weight loss ambitions much more likely to succeed than if you are working out two to three days a week. And, most people that make the switch will tell you that it’s easier to workout every day. You don’t have to think about whether it’s a workout day or not and get geared up for it - you just do it every day and your body gets used to it. It soon becomes a normal part of your day and you begin to look forward to it.
Incorporate “intervals” into three or four of your Treadmill sessions each week. Intervals are brief periods (about one minute) of more intense exercise mixed into your Treadmill sessions. For example, you would do a one minute interval of faster walking about every five minutes throughout your exercise session.
Here’s how it will look; you’ll start with your normal three to five minute warm-up and then five minutes into your walk you do your first interval, one minute of faster walking (or perhaps jogging). At the end of that minute you should be “winded” and ready to slow down. You’ll slow down to your normal walking speed for the next four minutes and then your fifth minute is another one minute interval. This pattern continues throughout your exercise session.
Intervals increase your aerobic fitness level by “pushing the envelope.” While doing your interval you cross the anaerobic threshold into anaerobic metabolism, forcing your body to become conditioned to more intense exercise and making it a better weight loss program.
Intervals increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR), causing you to burn more calories 24 hours-a-day, and intervals can make your exercise less monotonous and help the time pass more quickly.
If you’re not weight training, walk on your Treadmill with light (one to two pound) hand weights two to three days per week. Swing your arms and also use a variety of arm movements while walking to tone your upper body muscles and further increase your basal metabolic rate.
If at all possible, do your Treadmill workout first thing in the morning. Over 90% of people who workout consistently, do so first thing in the morning. If YOU want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you hop to it early.
Make one day a week your “easy day.” Make this a very leisurely workout. Appreciate how good your walks are starting to feel as you lose weight and tone your muscles.
Keep a record of your workout. There’s something very motivating about seeing your workout accomplishments and paper. Record the date and time-of-day of your workout, and the distance and/or time you walked. Keep a running total of the miles or minutes you’ve walked. Also, record your thoughts or feelings for that particular workout.
By taking these steps you’re making this time each day a special time to take care of yourself. Make that a priority in your life and don’t let anyone or anything keep you from that time. Working out on your Treadmill every day will help you achieve your weight loss goals and have a positive impact on all aspects of your life, including fitness level!
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So, from the simple perspective of weight loss, the treadmill is by far the best exercise machine given its significantly associated energy expenditure. Treadmills have consistently provided quality results and lasting benefits. Treadmills allow you to work at your own pace, but don’t allow you to slack off. You’ll be able to burn calories effectively and reach your weight loss goals. It’s that simple.
If you’re in the market to seriously educate yourself about treadmills, visit http://www.treadmilladviser.com where you can obtain more detailed information.

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Is Low-Carb Weight Loss Really Just Water Loss?

by: Craig Whitley

Any weight loss or diet plan, including low-carb plans like the induction phase of the Atkins Diet will result in water loss during the first week or two. However, one of the real beauties of following a low carbohydrate eating plan is that most of the weight loss than extends beyond the initial induction phase of the diet is really from a drop in fat pounds.
How can this be? Well, when you follow a controlled carbohydrate eating plan like Atkins or the South Beach Diet, your body soon switches from burning carbohydrates (which the diet deprives the body of) to burning fat for energy. In other words, the majority of the weight loss that occurs beyond the initial induction phase is really loss of fat that has been stored in your body.
Contrary to what many skeptics and misinformed persons may report or say, even if your body sheds water during the first few days of a controlled carbohydrate diet plan like the South Beach Diet or Atkins, the body’s water balance soon returns to normal and the weight loss that follows is the depletion of fat pounds. This loss of fat reveals itself to one and all in the form declines in inches (your body measurements) and pounds – regardless which low-carb diet you follow.

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Rapid Weight Loss Tips, Techniques and Strategies

by: Jeff Smith

Rapid Weight Loss Tips, Techniques and Strategies
It seems everyone is looking for that magic bullet - rapid weight loss secret that will instantly shed excess weight and turn you into a supermodel.
The fact is, there are healthy, effective and simple techniques you can use to achieve weight loss - and keep it off over the long term.
Tip 1: Rapid weight loss requires a multi-faceted approach that combines diet, excercise, emotional support and in some cases, diet supplements.
Start by learning about and mapping out a low-carb diet you can live with. You can use the resources below to get more information on finding a low-carb diet you can live with. Develop an exercise program that results in at least 15 minutes of activity each day - walking, running, swimming are all good.
Tip 2: Set realistic goals. Rapid weight loss depends on your ability to focus on a disciplined mix of diet and exercise. By setting realistic goals, you will not become discouraged and lose your focus.
Tip 3: Listen to your body. Though there are many rapid weight loss plans out there, everyone’s body and metabolism reacts differently to these programs. Some people can’t progress on the diet as fast as others. So, substitute a more rigorous exercise program to compensate. Others are not able to exercise as rigorously - learn to listen to your body and adjust your diet plan accordingly.
Tip 4: Drink lots of water. Drink at least 6 - 8oz glasses of water each day. Weight loss depends on flusing your system out, and you must stay hydrated during that process.
Above all else, be consistent. Moderate dieting, exercise and supplementation applied in a consistent way, day after day will result in better weight loss than massive action followed by a return to old habits.
As you can see, a moderate diet plan and moderate exercise program combined with solid emotional support is the key to succeeding with rapid weight loss.

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