Wednesday, 8 May 2013

5 Healthy Drinks for Safe Weight Loss



Many obese people successfully lose those extra pounds by just not being cautious about what they have on their plate, but also by watching what they have in their glass. Yes! By simply watching your drinking menu and drinking habits, you can also lose a considerable amount of body weight. It is a general assumption that what we eat counts to our body weight; however, the fact is that even what we drink adds up to our body fat. There are many liquids that contain high amount of calories that can quickly increase fat consumption in your body; however, if you become somewhat careful on what kind of liquid you consume, you will be able to contribute to weight loss safely and much effectively.
Below suggested are some healthy ways of consuming liquid without adding to unwanted body fat. On top of that, these liquid diet options help stimulate safe and successful weight loss much quickly and successfully.
Ice Cold Water
You all must be aware that water helps reduce body weight safely; however not many people know that you will burn an extra 300-500 calories a day if you drink 8-10 glasses of chilled water. This is because when you drink ice cold water, your body has to burn calories in order to heat the ice cold water back up to your body temperature. So, in this process, you can lose up to 1 lb a week. Try drinking about 2 extra glasses of water everyday so that you can boost your metabolism by more 40% and can safely shed some pounds.
Fat Free Milk
We all know that milk is high in calcium and calcium helps stimulate weight loss by breaking down fat from fat cells. However, this does not imply that simply drinking milk will work. Only milk that is low in fat can double the rate of fat breakdown from your body. Try drinking fat free milk or at least milk that is low in fat count.
Green Tea
Studies show that you can burn 40-50% more fat by drinking 3-5 cups of green tea every day. Green tea helps improve metabolism and stimulates weight loss much faster than any other beverage does. Plus, it contains healthy antioxidants that are good both for your health as well as skin. Drink a cup of green tea an hour before your meals as it will help to speed up your metabolism and will help you consume less food. You can go for other healthy options like black tea and black coffee too.
Vegetable Juice
Like fruits, vegetables also are rich in nutrients. The best part is that veggies contain lesser calories than fruits as they are void of any sugar content. Drinking a glass of vegetable juice before your meals also helps you to consume less calories than you usually intake. Carrots, spinach, cucumber and celery are some commonly known veggies that account for best tasting juices.
Coconut Water
Replace your usual liquid beverages with coconut water as it contains more electrolytes than most fruit juices and energy drinks. In addition, it is without the extra sugar and artificial flavorings. Coconut water naturally speeds up your metabolism and aids in giving your body more energy so you can work out for longer times with more intensity to lose weight much faster.
Sean John Jackson is a health freak. According to Sean, a healthy body is the index of a healthy mind. He believes that besides a healthy diet and proper exercise regime, weight loss dietary supplements also aid in quick weight loss. He himself is a regular user of Calotren, and inspires others too to use it in order to stay taut, fit and healthy.


Saturday, 4 May 2013

Rapid Weight Loss Diet Fads - Important Information and Advice



How many diets or crazy weight loss regimes have you tried in the past? No doubt countless. In fact, because today's society has more overweight persons than ever before in the entire history of the human race, weight loss regimes are among the number one practices that humans spend so much time, effort and money on. I'm sure you would agree. But why are so many of us still fat? Clearly these rapid-burn weight loss regimes (i.e., fad diets) do not work, otherwise we'd all be skinny by now, and weight problems would be a thing of the past. The following paragraphs will relate some of the crazy fad diet ideas which clearly have proved to be faulty and non-fruitful.
Crazy diet fad #1 - The Grapefruit Craze
This promises rapid weight loss if you eat unlimited amounts of grapefruit (and little else) during the day. This is based on the belief that grapefruit speeds up one's metabolism to the point where weight will magically start to melt away. This diet is not only based on starvation methods but is also very dangerous and could cause one's body permanent damage.
Crazy diet fad #2 - The "No-Carbs" Diet
I honestly don't know who made this diet up, but when you think about it, it makes little to no sense. Everyone knows that if you have 100g of fat, 100g of protein, and 100g of carbs all lined up on the table - it is the fat should be avoided due to the high kilojoule content, not the protein or the carbs. In fact, carbs by themselves are very low kilojoule. I've never been able to work this one out!
Crazy diet fad #3 - The Low-fat to No-fat diet
This also makes no sense. Fat is a highly nutritious and important element to our daily food intake. In fact, avocado, olive oil, fatty salmon and walnuts all contain healthy omega 3 fats which are absolutely essential to a healthy diet. If these fats are omitted or drastically cut back from one's intake - cravings, low-energy, low-concentration and extreme bouts of will inevitably occur. Clearly this is not how we are supposed to eat in the long-run!
Crazy diet fad #4 - The Replacement Shakes
Although I see no harm in swapping one meal a day with low-calorie diet shakes, any more and a person is liable to start going crazy. That's right, literally bonkers! You know why; it's because us humans are born to enjoy fine food, and most days, we incorporate this into our social life. If we are not able to sit down and enjoy a meal anymore, depression and moodiness often take over our 'otherwise' happy or positive self. Can this type of diet be maintained for very long? You tell me.
Crazy diet fad #5 - Counting Calories to Lose Weight
Let's be honest - who of us has not attempted counting our calorie (kilojoule) intake at some point in the past? I know I have. It can sort of be fun at first, but after a few days of it you seriously start to go loony! Keeping this up requires a massive amount of work, not to mention a lot of time involved in reading food labels and recipe energy content, recording your energy consumed, and calculating your new daily total with each consumed addition! If you want to remain reasonably sane, then counting calories to lose weight is NOT the way to go! I'd stay clear from this idea altogether.
Clearly, there are no rapid weight loss diets (i.e., crazy fad diets/ crash diets) that are really safe or suitable to conform to for very long. Attempting to burn rapid amounts of weight off is not safe and is liable to damage your body. The initial weight that comes off from fad diets may excite you, but this is only water weight that you are losing, not actual fat. Rather than attempting to lose weight rapidly you should instead undergo a healthy diet plan and moderate exercise regime that will give you steady results and will be achievable.

Friday, 3 May 2013

What To Do If You Are Struggling With Weight Loss



Many moons ago when man first appeared on the planet, life as we know it today was VERY different...
We had to hunt for our meat, brave the elements, and had to grow our own vegetables... There was certainly no grocery store down the block.
So our bodies were designed to protect us and let us adapt to the many harsh conditions... The problem with that is, it is a far cry from how we live today. We have diets of fast and processed foods, and virtually foods that are dead, and no longer holds any nutritional value.
Our bodies are very primal in nature and the reason we gain weight is for protection. Our bodies want to protect us from famine and starvation. Just about 100 years ago, famine was a real threat to most of the world. We needed to survive until a food source was again available. Survival was Job #1!
Our DNA is programmed for this, and has not adapted to the way that we live today. So your body is doing everything it can for your survival.
That is why dieting doesn't work. Calorie restriction along with grueling workouts put your body into fat storage mode... or as what I refer to as "Turning on the Fat Switch ". Once this has happened our body does everything it can to store fat, slow metabolism, and turns on the hunger signal in the brain.
Our body does not realize that there is no real threat of food shortage. Scientists are now studying animals ( in the wild, not domesticated pets ) as to how they stay the perfect weight for their species. Their weight stays in balance even if there is a food shortage, or they have to endure a brutally cold winter. They have discovered this "fat switch" mechanism in them and now they are studying how this also works with humans. You will see that domesticated pets have the same weight problems that humans have.
One major cause of our "fat switch" being turned on is processed food. Processed food affects the body by "turning on the fat switch" for numerous reasons. First of all this food is stripped of any of its natural components which made it healthy and nutritious to eat. This in turn tells the body it is starving, even if you have just eaten a huge meal. It also is laden with chemicals which the body perceives as a threat, so it goes into survival mode.
Your body will fight you when you try dieting, by doing everything it can to store fat, make you more sedentary, it even deadens your taste buds, so that you crave more sugary and salty foods and have to keep eating to feel satisfied.
If you want your body to start working with you instead of against you... you need to learn how to "Turn Off The Fat Switch". Eliminating processed foods is a great start! Try replacing at every chance you can with fresh, whole foods. Your body knows exactly what to do with that!! Your cells will be jumping up and down for joy at the addition of fresh fruit and vegetables, and it will reward you!
To Your Good Health!

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

A Guide to Carbohydrates and Weight Loss



Carbohydrates are nutrients that your body breaks down to create sugar. Like other nutrients, carbohydrates also provide vitamins and minerals. But what does this have to do with losing weight?
Why Does The Body Need Sugar?
The cells in our body use sugar to make energy and your brain runs off of it exclusively for fuel. So, just like gas for your car, carbohydrates keeping the motor running. And while it is also true your body can run off fat and protein for a while, it will eventually need to switch back to carbohydrates, otherwise it will start eating its own muscle for fuel - not a good idea when dieting since it lowers your overall rate at which your body burns calories.
Two Kinds of Fuel
There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are easily absorbed and provide quick energy to the body. Have you ever reached for a candy bar when you were feeling tired? That's you feeding your body simple carbohydrates to get the boost you needed. More examples of simple carbohydrates are honey, breakfast cereals, breads and biscuits made with white flour, fruit juice, and most crackers.
Complex carbohydrates aren't as quickly digested as your body since they usually contain fibre and as a result, don't cause the spikes in blood sugar. They also carry a lot more nutrients than simple sugars. Some examples of complex carbohydrates include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
There has been a lot of talk about carbohydrates and how they hinder weight loss. To a certain extent that is true - if you eat too many carbs, then your body will end up storing them as fat. In addition, when you continue to go overboard on carbs, you become sluggish, overweight and retain water. But here's the thing: you body needs carbohydrates to fuel your brain, to create red blood cells (a key component of blood) and to repair wounds. So how much is too much?
Recent scientific studies show that daily carbohydrate intake between 100 grams and 150 grams per day is right where you want to be; enough carbs to run your body in a healthy, efficient manner but not get in the way of weight loss. Of course, if you are exercising strenuously on a daily basis, are recovering from illness or surgery, or have other health issues like diabetes, your optimum carbohydrate intake level may be different - and in some case, dramatically different. It's best to check with your doctor to be sure.

Monday, 29 April 2013

Prasouda Diet: A Lifestyle Change



There are a lot of dieting choices out on the market today, and I am not sure about you, but I have always struggled with figuring out which one is best for me. About a month ago my wife introduced me to a new diet that she simply referred to as a lifestyle change. She told me the word diet has such a negative stigma to it and that if we thought of this as more of change in the way we live our lives, then we would more than likely stick to it. You know what? She was right. We are exactly one month in to the Prasouda Diet and I couldn't be happier.
The Basics
The basics of the Prasouda Diet are pretty simple and the resulting benefits (weight loss, more energy, and better looking skin) are stellar. The way the diet is broken out is as follows: 10% bread/cereals, 10% oils (olive), 20% meats (fish and chicken mostly but you can occasionally have red), and the rest, 60% is fruit, vegetables, and dairy.
First of all the Prasouda Diet really does not limit what you can and cannot eat. Of course you shouldn't eat excessive amounts of candy, fast food, fried food, or anything along those lines, but that goes for all diets. With the Prasouda, you are more focused on whole, natural food. If you have ever been to the Italy or Greece, think about the things you found on the restaurant menus: fresh pasta, fruit, salads, olive oil, fish, chicken, and wine (you read that right!).
What makes the Prasouda different from a lot of other diets is that you are not limiting yourself from eating anything. You can still have a moderate amount of carbs, red meat, and pork. Your meals become more of an experience then just another dinner. For example, here is what a typical Prasouda dinner would look like:
  • Green salad with chicken stripes, croutons and dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and a glass of red wine.
Does not sound too bad does it? If you take on the Prasouda diet from the mindset of changing your lifestyle, like my wife and I did, you really will find success with it.
The Results
The results have been astounding. I have more energy now than I can ever remember and that is saying a lot since I have a 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. My wife has lost 10lbs in the first month alone and her acne has begun to clear up on her back. I have only dropped 3 pounds but my goal is not weight loss. Instead I am trying to firm and tone up through an exercise regime of strength training and running.
The great thing I have seen from the Prasouda Diet is the amount of energy that I now have prior to working out. Before, I would literally have to frag myself to the gym, during lunch, and force myself to run. This resulted in inconsistency and I never really accomplished anything that I set out to achieve. Now that has changed and I owe it all to this diet.
So if you were like me and looking to make a healthy lifestyle change, then look no further. The Prasouda diet is a proven diet that will help you achieve your goals of weight loss, fitness, and wellness.