Weight Loss Nutrition

If you believe in the many myths going around on weight loss when looking for how to loose weight fast, read on to see how true some of them are.  Diet is really important when it comes to getting a better body.  Nurturing your body with the appropriate balance of protein and carbohydrates is essential to a well planed weight loss program.  But do not starve your self or purge the foods you eat after each meal, this leads to health issues that will be discussed in a future article.

First, start by working out (cardio or weight training) almost everyday, switch to all healthy foods, and calculate calories you are currently consuming on a daily basis be precise because it is a critical to know your daily caloric intake.  If you reduce your calories to much you will just be burning up muscle rather than fat which will slow down your metabolism making it harder to loose weight long term.  Muscles burn more calories than fats so it's also best to put on a little muscle and looking good too. 

Exercise will burn off calories, keep you fit and keep you toned, but lets look at calories first.  Now, the most important thing to consider is the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain good health.  The reason nutritionists recommend eating a "healthy" amount of calories is that if the body does not get enough calories, it thinks you are on some kind of "emergency" calorie restriction and it can almost have an opposite effect in losing weight.  It has been shown in research that when people restrict their calories dramatically, the body compensates for the calorie restriction by slowing the metabolism.

Once you have figured out the calories consumed per day you need to deduct 300 calories from that total, but just removing numbers is easy, figuring out how to reduce them at meal time is can seem difficult but a lot easier than you might think.  Remember, Exercise alone would not make you lose weight if you are still taking in more calories than you burn.  Many people get a ton of calories from side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, French fries, or potato salad so cut them out. Just one side of macaroni can cost you 250 calories on average.  One frappachino or cappachino coffee can run a minimum of 200 calories.  Soda pop runs 150 calories and most people drink them all day long.

Running uses almost every muscle either to move your body through space or to stabilize your trunk and torso.  But some are not cut out for the endurance needed and strenuous activity that running demands especially if you’re just starting an exercise program.  An alternative to running is weight lifting.  Did you know that weight lifting programs are one of the most effective methods of losing weight?   When lifting properly, you will stretch the muscle during the exercise, but you should still stretch properly to prevent injury. 

Weight lifting also works your heart (it is a muscle after all) and reduces your resting heart rate.  Women do not need to worry, weight lifting WILL NOT give women huge bulky muscles, it will tone and lengthen muscles.  Need more reasons to lift weights;  more reasons for a regular weight lifting program will also:- Reduce the risk of developing diabetes by keeping your blood pressure in check- Prevent lower back injuries by strengthening your core muscles- Improve the functioning of your immune system, and improve your posture to name a few. 

A step down from running and weight lifting is aerobics. Aerobics for reducing weight is generally for individual who want to lose weight by means of a calorie deficit diet and exercise which means burning greater amounts of calories than one takes in with out heavy weight lifting.  Aerobics also augments heart and lung efficiency and is referred to as cardiovascular exercise.  Depending on the aerobics class, individuals in these classes perform rhythmic actions which involve stretching of large muscle groups, excellent for women and beginners but not limited to experts.

In conclusion, if you want to loose weight then by all means do it but also learn how to love yourself right where you are, this will lead you down the path to a healthier more natural rate of weight loss.  Now that you have more knowledge on diet and exercise, the path to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle and finding how to loose weight fast is open wide for you.  If you are married or dating, take your partner into consideration and let them know you are trying to loose weight.  Losing weight is simply a matter of expending more calories, through exercise and your daily activities, than you take in.  So relax, enjoy smaller meals with no side dishes and a healthy exercise program so you can live a longer and more active lives.

Losing weight can be very hard for anyone.  Thankfully, there are a few tips which can help you in the process.  First, stop dieting and start eating instead.  It is recommended that you eat three small meals and three healthy snacks each day.  Make sure you don’t starve yourself during the first half of the day.  If you don’t eat enough before 3 p.m. you’ll overeat at night.  Make sure to drink a lot of fluids as dehydration causes may people to get tired and moody, which increases the risk of going to food for comfort.  By eating out less often and eating meals with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, you can be filled up with minimal calories and fat.  You should also allow yourself treats in moderation because not depriving yourself will make you more likely to stick with your plan longer.

Keeping your perspective is also very important.  A lot of people give up after they break their good behavior.  Instead of this, you should realize that the most important thing is what you plan on doing tomorrow.  You need to get busy.  An exercise program is the ideal suggestion, but even the small things you do every day can add up.  Make sure that you address the emotional issues that cause you to overeat and stop good behavior.  Facing them with a psychotherapist will help with long-lasting weight control.  You should enjoy your food instead of making a struggle out of mealtime.  Lastly, make sure to eat slowly and enjoy the flavor of your favorite foods or snacks.  

Eating small meals and snacks which include complex carbohydrates such as whole grain starches, vegetables, and legumes throughout the day keeps neuropeptide and serotonin within normal range.  Skipping breakfast is not good, as it increases mid-morning cravings.  Also, be sure to include a whole grain, a fruit, and a protein at breakfast and plan snacks that have limited calories but some carbohydrates.  To reduce your appetite and naturally increase endorphins, be sure to exercise.  It is also important to learn to eat in response to hunger, not emotions.  Instead of dieting, gradually get control over your cravings by eating sensible food on a regular schedule.  Additionally, by taking longer to consumer your food, your stomach will feel fuller sooner. 

For men, a well-planned, reduced-calorie diet has been shown in studies to enhance a man’s sexual performance, while a crash diet can cause temporary impotence.  Being overweight can also contribute to impotence, as it upsets hormone balance and interferes with circulation.  By exercising regularly and gaining proper nutrition, male hormones levels can be maintained and blood flow and mood can be improved, all of which are keys to enhanced sexual performance. 

By allowing yourself small portions of the foods you crave, you can avoid binging on food.  Once you learn that you are able to eat these foods occasionally, the power is taken away from them and given to you instead.  By eating three small meals and three small snacks each day, you don’t allow yourself to become overly hungry, meaning you can control what you eat.  If you include protein and small amounts of fat every time you eat, you will satisfy hunger for longer and provide yourself with parts necessary to a healthy diet and increase weight loss.

You can lose weight by cutting dietary fat absorption, although in order to understand the need for this you have to appreciate the effect that fat has on your weight. Not only fat, but any form of calories.

The word ‘calorie’ appears to have a bad press, and there have been a lot of ill informed comments made about calories and whether calorie controlled diets are effective or not. Quite frankly, it is all said in ignorance. Whether you agree or not, the calorie is a measurement of energy and the calorie content of foods is what is calculated to be the energy value of these foods.

Once inside your body, that energy is either used up or converted to body mass. It is not necessarily converted to fat, since that extra weight could be in the form of muscle tissue. However, it is converted to body mass and so you can put on weight. The basic equation is that if you take in more energy than you use, then you add weight, and if you use more energy than you take in, then you lose weight. It is slightly more complex than that, but it is basically true.

That does not mean that if you eat a pound of dripping (the fat that drips off cooking meat) you will add a pound of weight. It is the calorific value of the dripping in terms of energy, whether measured in calories or in joules, that is the relevant factor, and if that is 4000 calories, which is about average for various types of dripping, then if you use up 4001 calories in exercise, you can safely spread your pound of lard on toast and eat it without putting on weight (you will have also to use up the calories in the toast).

It is the calorie equation that is important, and if this is negative then you will lose weight. You have to: it is a law of science! Whether your calories are in the form of cookies, candies, avocados (loads of them) or dripping, it is all the same. A meat calorie is the same as a vegetarian or vegan calorie. If you eat more than you use you put on weight.

Different foods contain different quantities of energy, or calories. If you buy a Big Mac you eat 570 calories, and 5 from your Super Pepsi. If the guy next to you has an English Muffin, he will have 140 calories. However, if he then goes home and slouches on the sofa watching TV and you go to the gym for a serious workout, he is liable to put on weight and you lose it. It’s all in the equation!

However, you don’t just use calories in exercise. Your metabolism is also important. In fact 65% - 75% of the calories you use in a day are used up by the body at rest: the metabolism that takes place 24/7 to keep you alive. The heartbeat, breathing and brain activity for example, all use up energy. So not all is doom and gloom, and you can burn up these calories even while you are sleeping.

However, there is another way to prevent the fat you eat from turning into weight. (Incidentally, if you exercise a lot, that weight will likely be in muscle mass, but if not then it will certainly be fat). You have a clue to the way that can be done in the first sentence of this article: ‘dietary fat absorption’.

If the fat is not absorbed into the body, then it is not available to be metabolized into body fat. It will pass through the body unchanged. It is not the fat you consume that makes you gain weight, but the amount of that fat absorbed through your intestines. But how is it possible to selectively prevent the fat in your diet from being emulsified by the bile and absorbed through the intestinal wall?

By means of chitosan. This is a fiber that absorbs part of the fat from the food you have eaten and hides it away from your digestive system. It cannot be broken down into sugars and then into fat to add to your unwanted weight. However, because it works after your meal, you get to eat what you want – that ‘finger lickin’ good’ stuff you love, but don’t suffer the consequences of failing to exercise to work it off. It’s like you just ate lettuce without the fried chicken with the crispy fatty skin.

So what is this miracle substance, chitosan? Biologists would recognize the name as being associated with chitin, the acetyl-glucosamine polymer that forms the carapaces, or shells, of crabs, lobsters and other marine shellfish. Chitosan is formed by deacetylating the chitin and is mainly used to enhance the growth of plants, and also as a filtration aid. So what does it do to help to remove some of the fat from your diet after you have eaten it?

The mechanism by which it does this is not fully understood, and in fact is still disputed in some quarters. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and it appears to act according to the claims. There are two possible mechanisms, one of which is connected with the deacetylation of the chitin molecule. Because of this, the resultant chitosan molecule has cationic groups on the polymer chain. Cations are positively charged, and can react with acids, not the least of which are the bile acids that break down lipids (fats) to render them into a form suitable for absorption.

It is possible for the chitosan to react with the bile acids and prevent them from breaking down the fats into a condition that enables them to be passed through the intestinal wall. However, it has also been proposed that dietary fibers work by increasing the thickness of the boundary layer of the intestine through which the fats would have to pass. This would have the effect of reducing the lipid uptake.

It is also possible that since chitosan is a fibrous substance, it attracts the fats through its charge and absorbs them into a swelling ball of fats and fiber that is not only impermeable by the bile acids, but also passes through the intestinal tract unchanged and eventually excreted. In fact, there is not proof for any of these projected mechanisms, and all are theoretically possible. The fact is that it appears to work, but must be taken for several weeks for the effects to be noticeable.

It is possible to lose weight by dietary fat absorption, and whatever mechanism is used by chitosan, it is well worth trying if you like your fatty foods but also want to lose weight. Combine chitosan with a good exercise regime and you might find that you can control your weight whatever you eat. Chitosan is available over the counter at any health food store.

If you could eat pasta, cakes, cookies, and goods rich in carbohydrates with out gaining a single pound? You would say that’s impossible. Recent studies have shown that the white kidney bean (phaseolus vulgaris) can actually block the break down and absorption of carbohydrates in the intestinal tract. There is an enzyme in the intestinal tract called alpha-amylase or just amylase, which is inhibited by the kidney beans active ingredients. Amylase breaks down carbohydrates in the intestinal tract so the body can absorb the simpler nutrients.

In the supplement arena, carbohydrate blockers are called phase 2 blockers. Most supplements on the market require one to take 1500mg of a white kidney bean extract to block 75 grams of carbohydrates. Look for more concentrated supplements that require less dosages a lower dosage means a higher quality supplement.

It is possible to sweeten your life with stevia, and without any weight gain, since it as exceptionally sweet herb. In fact it is member of the sunflower family, and is native to parts of South and Central America where it has been used as a sweetener since time immemorial. Also known as sugarleaf, it is a commercial crop, and is available as a dietary supplement.

Extracts of stevia have been found to be up to 300 times as sweet as cane sugar, although does not metabolize in the body to glucose. In fact it is thought to enhance the glucose tolerance of some diabetics, and can be used by people suffering from that condition as a natural sweetener, thus dispensing with the need for artificial sweeteners.

It is also useful for those on diets, especially carbohydrate controlled diets, and any other sweet-toothed person wanting to lose weight and still enjoy their favorite drink or desert. Many recipes have been published using stevia for the preparation of delicious sweets. So why is stevia so sweet and what other uses does it have?

Basically the sweet taste comes from glycosides, which are molecules in which a sugar is bonded to another molecule. The two main glycosides in stevia are called stevioside and rebaudioside. These are formed through glucose combined with the diterpene steviol in different ways, though some minor glycosides also contain rhamnose. Although they contain glucose, the glucose is not released into the bloodstream during digestion and the subsequent biochemistry.

Japan began the cultivation of the plant in the 1970s rather than produce artificial sweeteners that were suspected carcinogens (saccharin and cyclamate). Japan is now the world’s biggest consumer of stevia, even being used in the Japanese Coca Cola plants. Around 40% of Japan’s total sweetener volume is stevia. However, apart from its use as a natural alternative sweetener to sugar, stevia has specific properties, already alluded to, that renders it of particular attraction to certain groups of people, and we shall now take a closer look at these.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is essential to regulate the glucose content of the blood. It stimulates the cells of the body to take in blood glucose and convert it to glycogen that can be used for energy. Without insulin the blood sugars would increase in concentration without regulation leading to very serious health issues that would eventually result in death.

Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not produce sufficient insulin, does not use the insulin it produces properly, or produces no insulin at all. Hence, a sweetener that did not exacerbate this situation by being eventually metabolized to glucose, as most sugars are in the body, would be of great benefit to diabetics. This is exactly what stevia is. It is a very powerful sweetener, 250 – 300 times sweeter to the taste-buds than sucrose, normal table sugar, and it does not metabolize to glucose. It is heaven-sent sweetener for diabetics that have a sweet tooth.

It is very safe for them and has been consumed for centuries without any side effects. In fact, studies have indicated that stevia might even regulate the pancreas and help to stabilize the levels of blood glucose in the body, rendering it an effective and safe supplement for those suffering from hypoglycemia (excess blood sugar), diabetes and candidiasis, a yeast infection that thrives on sugar.

Apart from that, stevia is also popular with those who are on a calorie controlled diet – or any other diet for that matter, since an excessive sugar intake invariably leads eventually to weight increase. The 21st century western diet is drowning in sugar, with up to 10 spoonfuls of sugar in every small bottle of cola. There is sugar in cookies, hot dogs, bread, soy sauce, ketchup, cans of beans and peas, and even sugar in cigarettes, though that is the least of the health worries there!

For the first time in history, there are now more overweight and obese people in the world than hungry people, yet the sugar corporations claim that there is no scientific proof that sugar leads to weight increase. Worldwide, diabetes kills 6 people every minute, and obesity caused by the consumption of too much sugar leads to Type II diabetes. It had been shown that fructose is a major player in that corn syrup (fructose) is contained in many soft drinks and foods.

One of the major problems with refined sugars is that they contain nothing but pure carbohydrate. All the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients have been removed, so that when they are consumed, your body has to provide these nutrients needed to metabolize the sugar to glucose and then to energy. Humans cannot live on sugar alone, and in fact you are better drinking water than corn syrup or cane sugar solutions since at least water does not make demands on your existing nutrient store.

It was noted in 1929 by Sir Frederick Banting, one of those scientists credited with the discovery of insulin, that there was a significantly large proportion of diabetes among the sugar plantation owners that ate large quantities of refined sugar, whereas there was none detected in the cane harvesters who were able to chew on only the raw cane. The raw cane contains the minerals and vitamins needed to metabolize the sucrose.

Stevia is a potential answer to this problem, and it is such an obvious one that there are a lot of politics regarding its use. The big USA sugar corporations will undoubtedly be opposed to it, and the FDA has refused to allow its use as a food additive, only as a dietary supplement, yet its use in Japan has been very successful. It is also used throughout East Asia, including China, Korea and Taiwan, and also in South America, Israel and some areas of the Caribbean. It is available as a green powder in its crude form, and also brownish syrup redolent of licorice, but also as a more refined white powder that is likely best used as weak solution due to its sweetness.

It is totally free of calories; this may come as a surprise to many since it tastes so sweet. It is an excellent sweetener for children’s drinks since it does not cause cavities: unlike sugar it is not degraded by bacteria to produce the corrosive acid that eats into the enamel. It does not metabolize to a burst of energy that is practically addictive, since that generally then leads to tiredness and the need for more sugar to make up for it.

Stevia does not cause diabetes in any form, is not a food for yeast and it is beneficial to the pancreas. In short, it is a completely safe food supplement that has been used for centuries without ill effect, and if you want to prevent yourself from adding weight and protect against the possibility of Type II diabetes in particular, then stevia should be your sweetener of choice.

The fact that essential fatty acids may aid in weight loss has been missed by many so-called experts for many years. However the part played by fatty acids, particularly by those in Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils, is now understood and they have been accepted as part of a health weight loss diet.

However, what are the reasons for people to lose weight? The cosmetic reasons are obvious, but what other incentives are there? Health is the major incentive , of course, since excessive weight places more of a strain on the heart. It is a proven fact that the risk of death increases with your weight. If you are obese, you are more likely to have high blood pressure, and will almost certainly die younger than somebody who is of average body weight.

You are also more likely to have more problems with cholesterol levels, since the obese have decreased levels of the HDL lipids that take cholesterol back to the liver for destruction. This means that more LDL cholesterol is available to create conditions ideal for the atherosclerosis that causes heart disease and strokes. You are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are even 12 pounds over weight for your height. It is a known fact that over 80% of those with diabetes are overweight. There are also many other serious negative effects on your health through being over weight.

So, are you going to lose weight or not? On the face of it, losing weight is simply a matter of calorie balance. If you use up more calories in exercise and through your metabolism than you take in through eating, then you will lose weight. Your metabolism is the rate at which you use up energy while at rest, through the essential functions of life such as circulation, digestion and breathing. Some lucky people burn up a lot of calories when at rest while others do not and have to exercise more.

However, even if you are aware of the calorie balance equation, losing weight is not easy because it involves the breaking of habits. Habits die hard: that is the old saying, and it just as true today with people who have to change their snacking habits. It is not easy to cut down on the foods you like so much, such as ice cream, cookies and cakes, but you have to do it if you want to lose weight.

The blood sugar levels of those that binge eat are all over the place like a roller coaster: sometimes up, when you don’t feel hungry, and often down, when you do. Hunger is associated with the availability of the liver’s store of glycogen which is an emergency energy store. Low blood sugar levels result in insufficient glucose to be converted into energy by the mitochondria in your body cells. The liver then supplies the glycogen to keep you going, and as that reduces you get hungry.

Permanent weight loss requires a complete change in your lifestyle, and the flexibility to maintain good eating habits even when unexpectedly stuck in an airport for hours, or if you are asked to work late. However, there is something that could help. Good high quality fats can help to stabilize your blood sugar levels and so maintain a good level of glucose in your blood over a longer period of time.

The right fats can actually initiate the burning of stored fat in your body rather than adding to it, so it is important to know what these are so that they can be included in your diet. It is somewhat paradoxical: you eat fat to remove fat, yet is works!

Over-consumption of refined carbohydrates such as refined flour and white rice, and complex carbs such as potatoes and whole grains products, result in sharp increases in blood sugar levels. This creates a surge of insulin from the pancreas to compensate. The blood sugar level drops again, but insulin itself produces fat and also suppresses the ability of the body to burn fats to produce energy, so the glycogen level in the liver drops and you feel hunger. You then eat again, and over a period of time this yo-yo effect of excess and depletion of blood glucose and liver glycogen causes you to put on weight and get fat.

Essential fatty acids (EFA), specifically gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) have been found to be effective in helping you to reduce weight. GLA activates the metabolic process involving ATPase. It has been demonstrated that an increase in body mass index (BMI) is associated with a reduction in calcium ATPase activity and GLA can stimulate ATPase, including the so-called ‘sodium pump’, sodium-potassium-ATPase to burn up a large proportion of the stored fat in the body.

GLA also activates what is known as BAT, or ‘brown adipose tissue’ , which is a fat in people that are over-weight, and can be activated to burn up calories. It is also believed to take part in the biosynthesis of serotonin, a hormone that provides you with the ‘feel-good factor’, and so you are less likely to feel hungry.

All of these combine to render GLA a very effective fatty acid in helping to reduce weight. So how does CLA fit in to all this? CLA has been proved to reduce body fat while helping to improve the proportion of lean muscle tissue with your body. Its only known dietary sources are grass fed meat and dairy products. The reduction in grass feeding of livestock within the USA has reduced this source over the past 20 years.

GLA is manufactured in the body from linoleic acid found in borage oil and evening primrose oil, and to lesser amounts in some vegetables and other seed oils. However, its biosynthesis is blocked by smoking, stress, aging, viruses, trans fats and alcohol. Anybody suffering from or with a high intake of any of these should take a supplement if they want to lose weight, otherwise they will find it very difficult.

Omega-3 fish oils also help by increasing the metabolism. The EFA here is alpha linolenic acid that is metabolized in the body to dicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and then docohexaenoic acid (DHA). These acids provide your body with a wide range of benefits, but weight-wise, they increase your metabolism so that you burn off more calories while you are at rest. Basically, you burn calories off while you sleep.

All of these essential fatty acids are available as supplements, and the general health benefits of essential fatty acids are well known and accepted by the medical profession. Their effect on weight loss is still under investigation, though their positive effects have now been generally accepted.