Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Liver And Obesity.

The liver produces a yellowish green fluid called bile. Bile
consists of water, bile salts, and a pigment referred to as
bilirubin, which is necessary for the breakdown of fats by
the intestines. The liver produces bile continuously and its
flow to the intestines is very important in the overall
function of waste elimination. If the production of bile
somehow becomes compromised, those fat globules collected by
the lymphatic system will not be processed by the liver.

A healthy liver flushes cellulite from your body!

The Liver And Alcohol.

Normal liver function is essential to life. Alcohol-induced
liver damage disrupts the metabolism of the body, eventually
impairing the function of other organs. Most of the alcohol
a person drinks is eventually broken down by the liver.
However, some products generated during alcohol metabolism
are more toxic than alcohol itself. In addition, a group of
metabolic products called free radicals can damage liver
cells and promote inflammation, impairing vital functions
such as energy production. The natural defenses against free
radicals can be inhibited by alcohol consumption, leading to
increased liver damage

The Liver And Caffeine.

A quote from December 2005 Gastroenterology. - It showed a
protective effect from coffee and tea. People who routinely
drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day faced only
half the risk of being hospitalized with cirrhosis and other
types of serious liver disease as did people consuming less
of these drinks. The data, collected as part of a federal
survey of a cross-section of U.S. adults, spanned roughly 20
years and included 9,849 people.

To Diet Or Not To Diet - Review Of Diet Vs. Non-Diet Weight Loss

By Andrea Amador

Summer time’s almost here. It’s the time of year when women start thinking about losing weight and fitting into those summer shorts. If you’re a gal struggling to decide whether to go on the next new diet or to get off the diet roller coaster once and for all, this article may help you to make that decision.

These are the reasons why a diet may be the answer for you:

You just have a few pounds to lose and food is not a big deal for youYou don’t mind a restricted eating plan or being told what to eatYou thrive on being precise, journalling and structureYou do not eat to feed your emotionsYou’re not tempted by or disturbed by having to eliminate ‘forbidden’ foodsYou have a positive self image Here are the cons of why dieting is not for you: You’ve been overweight for decades and food is very important to youYou refuse to be told what to eat. You want to eat real foods You want to learn to trust yourself around all foods You have been suffering with a fat or ugly self imageYou want to stop putting so much effort in dieting You want to heal your relationship with food permanently Conclusion: If you are a woman who is struggling with emotional eating and has spent years bouncing from diet to binge, then dieting is not for you. Diets trigger feelings of deprivation in the brain and that causes many women to sabotage their dieting efforts, give in to cravings and eat out of control. If you are looking for a solution, then you owe it to yourself to discover the path of Intuitive Eating. It’s a natural method of weight loss that eliminates the pain of deprivation of dieting. No more diets! On the other hand, if you realize that diets hold the key for you, then get started. Summer is just around the corner!

Andrea Amador is The Juicy Woman. As a Certified Weight Loss Coach and Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming and Ericksonian Hypnosis, she uses powerful belief changework methods including Emotional Freedom Technique to debunk the subconscious programs that keep women fat! In her Losing Weight without Dieting Program, she teaches women who are emotional eaters how to reclaim their power over food, get off the diet rollercoaster and the secrets to losing weight effortlessly by eating all the yummy foods that they love. Sign up to get her free article on Losing Weight without Dieting for Busy Gals at http://www.thejuicywoman.com

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Friday, March 30, 2007

Sugars Role In Obesity

To understand why sugar makes us obese, we need to
understand sugar and the role it has in our body. Sugar is a
form of carbohydrate, which is what provides our bodiy with
energy.

The Glycemic Index Carbohydrates can be classified into two
kinds, simple high GI, and complex low GI, GI stands for
Glycemic Index, which is the scale that measures how fast
certain carbohydrates get broken down in our body. High GI
(highest at 100, glucose) break down faster than low GI
carbohydrates.

Low GI carbohydrates are healthier choices because they take
longer to break down whereas high GI carbohydrates, like
soft drinks, break down very fast.

Why are high GI carbohydrates bad? High GI carbohydrates
cause relatively huge insulin spikes in our body. Insulin is
a hormone in our body that regulates our blood sugar. Our
blood sugar has to be maintained constant because excess
sugar is poisonous in our blood. To cope with this huge
increase in blood sugar, the body releases an equally huge
amount of insulin.

Insulin also has one potent effect on our body, it stops the
fat burning processes in our body and it also stores excess
blood sugar as fat. Our body can become resistant to insulin
with too many insulin spikes. Insulin resistance happens
when our body no longer reacts to insulin. Sugar in our
bloodstream is toxic and our body removes it by burning it
off.. The excess sugar that cannot be burnt gets stored as
muscle glycogen and when these glycogen reserves are full,
they will be stored as fat. A person who cannot convert
excess sugar into glycogen or fat will suffer from the
poisoning effects of excess sugar in our blood.

Substitute honey for sugar

Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and
minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium
chlorine, sulfur, iron and phosphate. It contains vitamins
B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to
the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Besides the above,
copper, iodine, and zinc exist in it in small quantities.
Several kinds of hormones are also present in it.

How To Lose Love Handles - 4 Steps To Success

By Brodie Heinrichsen

If you are reading this article you are like many others in looking for how to lose love handles. I'm sure you have spent countless hours watching the infomercials prey on your desperation. Machine after machine telling you this is the way to go, just send me a bazillion dollars this easy to use machine will burn your fat and slim your waist. Then of course they have a fitness model and a body builder come on and swear up and down that they used this certain machine to build their sculpted body. My question is if these people aren't even breaking a sweat, how are they burning fat and calories?

To tell you the truth the only way you are going to eliminate the love handles are through will power. You are going to have to set goals and start with a firm mindset. Losing weight is like making money, at first you wont see that great of a result, but as time goes on you will slowly and then rapidly see the fruits of your hard work. There are a few easy steps.

Step 1. Look at food labels: You want to try and avoid certain kinds of fat. The fats you want to avoid are saturated fat and trans fatty acids. How to avoid them? Well you will find saturated fats in dairy and meat while trans fatty acids can be found in foods with hydrogenated oils.

Step 2 Cardio: This is pretty basic exercise, running, walking, riding a bike, playing a spot such as basket ball, soccer, baseball, racquetball, tennis. There are so many different ways of acquiring a good sturdy cardio workout. Now please don't get discouraged, I'm not saying get out there and kill yourself doing cardio, just add to and increase in small amounts of your normal cardio. Find some free time during your day and walk around the block, or start your morning or evening with a light jog. Do what is comfortable to you and as you start building your body you will be able to increase your cardio.

Step 3 Train your abdominals: What this will do is strengthen the muscles under the fat. With increased abdominal strength will come increased circulation and will aid in burning the fat directly.

Step 4: Stay Focused: The key element in losing weight is to stay focused on your goals. Keep that mindset and you will quickly burn off the fat and shape your body. Remember, cheating on your diet just a little bit can set back all the work you have accomplished.

Please remember that it is very important to stick to the basics. Weight lifting, burn more calories then you consume, eat healthy and natural foods, drink water, perform in high intensity cardio, eat 5-6 small meals per day. Following these basics will set you on the right track to building the firm physique you have always dreamed of having. There will always be roadblocks that will need to be overcome. If you are looking to not exercise and are looking for a lose weight quick supplement or pill then you are setting your self up to fail right off the bat. Stick to your program and you will succeed in what you do.

For more information about love handles, exercise, fitness, or weight loss visit http://www.flexyourhealth.com/ExerciseandFitness.html

Talk about your health problems, questions, comments, and concerns at http://flexyourhealth.eamped.com/

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Dieting With Green Tea

The benefits of green tea dieting come from drinking 3 to 5
cups a day of green tea along with a balanced healthy diet
and regular exercise. The easiest approach to attain the
benefits is by simply drinking a cup with each meal.

An anti-oxidant in green tea called catechin polyphenois
which work with chemicals in your body to burn more fat. One
study published in 2005 showed that green tea leads to a
reduction in cholesterol levels and body fat. This is one of
the biggest benefits of green tea.

Another one of the many benefits of green tea is that it
helps depress leptin which decreases the appetite. This
means you will feel full with less food, and as a result of
the calorie reduction, you will lose fat.

Green tea role as a glucose regulator basically means that
it slows down the digestion of carbohydrates which can cause
rises in blood sugar levels and insulin spikes that cause
fat gain.

Another one of the many benefits of green tea is that you
can take green tea pills instead of drinking tea all day
long. Such pills are often 500 mg capsules which you take
two to three times a day. Studies have shown that green tea
can help you lose weight, and it does not matter whether you
take it in pill or liquid form to get the benefits.

What Are the Seven Dietary Guidelines for Americans?

By Tisha Diaz

Promoting health and preventing disease have a lot to do with one's diet. The Food and Nutrition Information Center of the United States Department of Agriculture laid out seven dietary guidelines for people above the age of two years old regarding intelligent food choices that promote health and prevent disease.

These guidelines are:

1. Consume different varieties of food.

Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can foster disease in your body. It is important that you consume different types of food so that your body can get a good spread of all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

2. Perform physical activity in proportion with the amount of food that you are taking in.

Balancing the food that you consume with corresponding physical activity to burn off the energy is extremely important in maintaining a healthy weight. You will gain weight if you consume more calories than what you burn off through your physical activities.

3. Include a lot of grain products, vegetables, and fruits in your diet.

Fiber, vitamins, and minerals are essential for your health and well-being. By eating a different variety of grain products, vegetables, and fruits you will be feeding your body the essential elements that it needs.

4. Eat foods that are low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat are amongst the biggest killers in our society today. Eating foods that are low in fat content is important if you do not want to have a heart attack in your future. Do not avoid all kinds of fat. Your body does need some fat to function properly. Unsaturated fats are the best type to consume.

5. Only allow a moderate amount of sugars in your diet.

Sugars are high in calories and many of the foods that we eat already contain sugar. These can be sugars that occur naturally in fruits or that are added during the manufacturing process. Watching your sugar intake will help you avoid gaining unnecessary weight.

6. Only include a moderate amount of salt and sodium in your diet.

Scientific studies suggest that a high amount of salt and sodium intake could increase your blood pressure. When this occurs it could lead to serious and sometimes fatal health risks.

7. Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if you consume them at all.

There are almost no nutrients in alcoholic beverages and yet these drinks contain a lot of calories. Excess consumption of alcohol could lead to serious health problems in addition to the social and relationship problems that it also causes.

To many people the seven dietary guidelines will sound like common sense. If it were common sense, one wonders why such a large percentage of the population is obese.

Following these seven dietary guidelines will help you lead a more healthy and active life, give you more energy to perform your daily activities, and improve your general health and well-being.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tisha_Diaz
http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Are-the-Seven-Dietary-Guidelines-for-Americans?&id=506410

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

How to Use a Pedometer

Pedometers are a great way to get and stay motivated in your
walking routine. And they are really simple to use.
Pedometers come in different sizes, brands, and varieties.
On average they cost between $12 and $30. You can get one
that is very discreet if you like to wear it all day long
or at work. A simple pedometer only records the number of
steps you take based on your body movements. There is a tiny
apparatus within your pedometer that moves each time you
move your hip in order to take a step.

The digital pedometer models track the distance you have
walked and calories burned.

Your pedometer should be attached to your waistband about
half way between your side and your belly button on the
waistband of your pants. If it is in line with your knee,
then you have got it in a good spot. It should always be
kept in the horizontal position and remain parallel to the
ground.

To test that your pedometer is in the right place, reset it
to 0 and manually count off 25 steps. Then, take a look at
your pedometer. It should reflect no fewer than 24 steps and
no more than 26. If it is further off than that, move it to
the left or right and re-try the test until the results more
accurately reflect your actual number of steps.

If you choose to wear your pedometer all day, every day, an
excellent goal to work toward is 10,000 steps per day. If
you only wear your pedometer when you are working out, try
3,000 steps to start out (about a half hour walk) and work
up from there.

I Have Recently Lost A Lot Of Weight, Can I Tone Up My Saggy Thighs And Look Sexy?

By Heather Picken

Q.

I have lost 86lbs and look lots better but
need to lose a few more pounds.
Can I get my body looking toned and sexy again
and get rid of my saggy thighs?

A.

If you are someone that has lost a lot of weight this will depend on a couple of things.
The elasticity of your skin and if you lost the weight too quickly.

I have to tell you about a woman named "Kelly" who had this problem.
Before she came to me she had lost about 100lbs. but unfortunately it
was in a very short time. She fasted on shakes and pills and didn't do
any type of weight training.

If kills me to think that women will go this route when it always ends negatively.

She started with me and I put her on a muscle sculpting program with both heavy
weights and the right nutrition program. She ended up with some nice lean muscle,
but due to her quick weight loss and the elasticity of her skin she still had some
loose skin. She ended up getting surgery to get the loose skin cut off, which
cost her about $10,000.

If you have saggy thighs and if you start weight training it will help. Also, having the
right amount of calories, too little calories will not build muscle and won't
be able to firm up any saggy thighs.

My point is if you're looking for a quick fix it will never work and will always
backfire at the end. If you have a lot of weight to lose I suggest doing it the safe
and full proof way!

Heather Picken, helps women 30+ all over the world with the surest and fastest way to lose unwanted body fat & inches. She is the creator of the revolutionary fat-burning system "6-Week Fat-Burning & Instant Motivational System" (http://www.mybodyisfitnow.com)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Picken
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

How To Get A Slim And Sexy Six Pack...

By Matt Shuebrook

How many more crunches and sit ups do I need to do until I finally see some abs in the mirror? Why am I not developing a nice tone and sexy six pack? What am I doing wrong?

These are very valid questions one may have. I can understand why you would ask these questions. I mean I would be just as frustrated as you if I was doing hundreds of crunches every other day and never saw any significant changes in my mid section.

The funny thing is that in order to get a six pack, you do not have to do crunches. Don't get me wrong, crunches are good to do, but a crunch is the not the best abdominal exercise to do while training for six pack abs. Six pack abs don't come from focusing on abdominal exercises and abdominal movements. The reason is simple, abdominal exercises do not burn fat from your abdominals. Developing six pack abs can only be accomplished through a much more effective full body training routine that maximizes both your metabolic response and your hormonal response to your workouts. This is the main focus of the Truth about Six Pack Abs Program.

Don't get it twisted... you still have to do abdominal exercises to develop a super sexy rock hard stomach. The good news is you do not have to do those old school boring ab exercises that put a huge strain on your back and neck. Urrrggg.... I hate those moves. I wish people would just forget about them. They do less good then they do harm. Instead you should be doing moves that incorporate full body movement patterns.

"You don't have to lie on your back to develop a six pack."- Matt Shuebrook



To learn exactly what you should do and exactly how to do it you need to visit http://www.burn-fat-burn.com/ today and discover just how simple it is to get a chiseled midsection and burn maximal amounts of fat while doing it.

Want to Reprint this Article on How to Burn Tummy Fat?

Reprinting is welcome as long as the content, links, author bio, and resource box are all included and remain completely unchanged.

Author: Matt Shuebrook, CPT of Christian Health and Fitness Download Your Free Copy of The Christian's Guide to Maximal Weight Loss sample ebook at http://www.christianhealthandfitness.com/

To download THOUSANDS of real workouts instantly go to http://www.freeworkoutpass.com/

Thanks and God Bless

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Monday, March 26, 2007

Get Rid Of Flabby Arms Fast - Part I

By Dick Doe

Do you really want to get rid of flabby arms? Are you afraid to show off your arms in public? While there are many things you can do to get rid of flabby arms, any attempt to shed the flab too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, can be dangerous. While fad diets, diet pills, and fasting may indeed induce rapid weight loss and make your arms slimmer, these methods can cause you to lose muscle and may also injure your heart and other organs fairly quickly. So what is the best way to get rid of flabby arms? Don't go for an overnight miracle. Instead, follow these steps to get rid of flabby arms rapidly, healthily, and sustainably.

Burn More Calories Than You Take In: In order to get rid of flabby arms, the first thing you need to do is to burn more calories than you consume per day. One way to do this is to increase the amount of workouts and exercises. However, exercise alone won't help you get rid of flabby arms if you're still taking in more calories than you burn. What's more, a healthy diet is important for overall health, so it's a good idea to take a good look at what you eat.

Write down all the things you eat on a typical day: Carry a small notebook with you and jot down every snack, every drink, and the contents of every meal. Don't forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It's best to do this for at least a couple days.

Count the amount of calories in each thing you consume: When possible, write down the number of calories in each thing you eat as you eat it. Keep in mind that the serving size on the container is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat. Look up the calorie count on the internet for foods that don't have calories listed on the container or for fast food meals. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but you do want a good estimate of the number of calories you're taking in.

Now take a look at the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Do you know that one food you can easily cut out is salad dressing? Salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet--soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calories (high-sugar foods). You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll be able to get rid of flabby arms fast.

Cutting off the unhealthy foods from your list is your first step. You should next seek alternatives for the unhealthy foods you have identified in your list. This is the fastest way to get rid of flabby arms. You can simply reduce the amount of soda you drink or mayonnaise you put on your sandwiches, or you can substitute healthier choices. Drink water instead of soda, for example, or use mustard instead of mayo. Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural (some are made with strange chemicals) and tasty.

Above I have given you five tips you can use to get rid of flabby arms. If you need more tips on how to get rid of flabby arms then read the second part of this article clicking on the link in my resource box.

Dick Doe is a fitness expert.He has helped thousands of men and women around the world get rid of flabby arms without any side-effects. For more information read his full article: How To Get Rid of Flabby Arms Fast by going to:http://besthelptips.com/shortme/flabbyarms.html

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What to Do About a Weight-Loss Plateau

By Tisha Diaz

You've been very diligently following your weight-loss plan but it seems like you have bumped against the ceiling and cannot lose any more weight. It is very frustrating, so let's examine what you can do to change that.

One of the major reasons why people bump against a weight-loss plateau is because they do not adjust the calorie intake in accordance with their reduced body weight.

Your body consumes calories in the process of maintaining the bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, digestion and all the other bodily functions.

As your body loses weight it needs fewer calories to perform these functions. If you were losing weight on a calorie intake of, say for example 1600 calories, and you do not reduce your calorie intake after you've lost weight, that calorie intake of 1600 will stop your body from losing any further weight.

Hence, as you lose weight you also need to reduce your food intake accordingly.

That is one way to ensure that you can continue losing weight as your body mass decreases.

Another way to break through a weight-loss plateau is to start doing strength training. In other words, start lifting weights.

What that does for your body is it increases your metabolic rate.

The more muscle mass your body has the easier it burns fat. This is because your muscles burn energy to operate.

In other words, if you have a larger mass of energy burning engines in your body you will be consuming more fuel which in this case is fat.

You also have to be very honest with yourself and decide whether you are cheating or not.

It is one thing to cheat other people, but it will get you absolutely nowhere with your weight-loss goals if you cheat yourself.

Sure, it is not going to ruin your weight-loss program if you cheat now and again. Just remember that now and again does not mean now and again every day, it might mean now and again every month.

To summarize, when you hit a weight-loss plateau, you need to do something different. This can include starting strength training, reducing your calorie intake, and being very honest with yourself in terms of cheating.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tisha_Diaz
http://EzineArticles.com/?What-to-Do-About-a-Weight-Loss-Plateau&id=502256

Insight Into 3MD Weight Loss Program

By Brenda Devlin

Last couple of years so called 3MD diet is gaining on popularity. This diet is also known as 90 day separation diet. It is based on two 90 days dieting periods. Main advantages of this diet should be; clear and easy to follow rules and proven results (weight loss in range of 40 – 55 pounds). Among other results that 3MD diet promises are decreased sensibility on weather and positive changes in metabolism.

Even though many people find it easy to believe those statements, there are really no in-depth explanation in medical of physical terms, how should this diet in fact work. Further more after this 3MD diet is ended, weight gains are returning. Changing from 3MD diet to our previous nutrition patterns makes people gain weight again. 3MD dieting success is built upon following presumptions:

- We are all subject to a daily nutrition cycles (does not explain what that is).

- We need the right combination of foods - following exact rules defined for each day (protein day, carbohydrate day, starch day, fruit day) and every 29th day there is so called “water day” or fasting day.

Following those two presumptions one should lose weight regardless how many calories one takes in daily. Menus prescribed by inventors of 3MD diet are quite strict “2 oranges”, “3 pieces of cake”,” smaller chicken”, “dinner is ½ of lunch”,…but not mentioning what kind of cake, how big a piece should be, which parts of chicken, how “carb rich” lunch, nothing about caloric value of foods one should eat.

Many additional rules accompany this diet. There are in fact some healthy advices among them: how one should use olive oil, restriction in salt, advice to consult a doctor. Exercise, which is the corner stone of each serious diet on the world, deserved just an obscure mentioning, not even close to what one should do to lose weight for real. This sad fact makes 3MD diet even more popular with overweight people. Those people become caught in a deadlock of repetitive weight gains after completing this diet. Furthermore this diet offers no explanation what so ever about principles of its effectiveness.

Why is separating foods according to specific days and separating nutrients so important?
How exactly will this make us lose fat?

Daily separation cycle according to 3MD consists of a strict diet from 8pm to midday next day. Within this period only eating fruits and drinking water is allowed. This does not make any sense. Those 16 hours represent 2/3 of the whole day. And one should not starve its body for 16 hours each day. Each body that undergoes such a daily fasting period becomes more sensitive on energy accumulation from each bite we take. Messages our body reports to our brains are to lower energy consumption and leverage the lack of energy with draining energy stored in muscles. We force our body to start dissolving our muscle mass. That is no good news.
Muscles, when in motion, are body’s major energy (fat) burner. So we are actually weakening the only “tool” that can help us get rid of fat.

3MD does not give any explanation on why should we eat carbohydrates on one day and proteins on the other. The problem is that “fruit” day and “starch” day are also “carbohydrate” days. Sugar in fruits and complex sugar in starch are just two different sorts of the same thing – carbohydrates. Even if we somehow can understand fruit day (healthy sugar), it is hard to make sense in separation of “starch” day and “carbohydrate” day (complex, refined sugars). And there is a rule where one can take whole-wheat bread together with chicken, which contradicts every sane weight loss program (one should not mix proteins (chicken) with carbohydrates (bread)).
3MD diet does work on a short run. But the weight loss is consequence of water that our body loses with this diet. 3MD is extremely popular as it does not prohibit eating calorie bombs like chocolate. The other short term positive effect of this diet is that it does somehow regulate daily eating habits. People are disciplined by force. That makes it much easier to fall back into old eating patterns as soon as 90 days are over.

Brenda is an online editor to site Appetite Suppresser Guide. Find out more on dieting with appetite suppresser. Brenda has committed herself to provide users with complete on health related topics specialized on dieting, fitness and bodybuilding.

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The Ultimate Free Weight Loss Tips

By Tisha Diaz

One can be as expansive or elaborate as one likes with your weight loss program, or your weight-loss regime could be as simple as your schedule or your budget allows. Let's examine a few ultimate free weight loss tips and see how they can help you to shed those pounds.

There are a few things that you need to do right to lose weight. These include:

1. Reduce your calorie intake to be less than your energy consumption needs for you daily life and activities.

2. Properly hydrate your body so that it can function at its optimal level.

3. Perform a moderate level of exercise on a very consistent basis to burn energy.

4. Increase your body's metabolism rate by eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.

You lose fat mass when the food that you eat does not provide your body with enough energy to perform its internal functions plus cope with the activities that you ask it to do. The situation causes your body to burn fat cells to make up for the energy difference.

If you try to lose weight only by reducing your calorie intake you run into the situation where you have to almost starve yourself to death. You are always hungry and cranky and easily cheat just to get rid of the feeling of hunger.

Therefore, you need to increase your exercise level, which enables you to burn fat without reducing your food intake to a starvation level.

This might sound strange to you but it is a fact; your body more easily burns fat when it is being fed regularly. This is why it is important to eat between six and seven smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to one big meal or even the regular three meals per day.

One last ultimate free weight loss tip is; you need to understand that your body burns fat from the inside out and on a relatively equal basis across your entire body.

Your body is not capable of zooming into a specific area and losing fat only in that area. For example, you cannot lose fat only on your belly or on your hips and nowhere else.

You can get ultimate free weight loss tips by the proverbial dime a dozen. What I have given you here are the basic essential tips. If you do not do these things right you will probably not lose weight, or you will have a great struggle with burning fat.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tisha_Diaz
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Ultimate-Free-Weight-Loss-Tips&id=502387

The Monk Diet

By E. Raymond Rock

When I was living as a Buddhist monk in the backwater jungles of Thailand, I learned many important lessons that have made my life much easier. One of them was how to handle food. The rules of a Theravada monk include eating only once a day, and that is in the morning. Typically, we would walk to the surrounding villages at sun up and proffer our bowls to the farmers, who would fill them with the same foods that they ate – mostly sticky rice, bananas, vegetables, and an occasional smattering of protein, perhaps chicken, grasshoppers, or dried fish. And once in a while a treat of some fruit juice or mangoes to accompany the gallons of water that I drank in the sweltering climate.

We would then return and sit in the meditation hall and silently eat our meal, meditating on how we are eating, not for pleasure, not for health, not for strength, but just for fuel so that we can continue our efforts toward enlightenment. The first couple of weeks were rough, but I got used to it, and the surprising thing was that my meditation improved dramatically from what it was stateside when I would eat all day, and anything in sight!

I went in at about 220 pounds and in no time was down to 180, about right for my six-foot two frame. I never felt better. As a matter of fact, the experience has stuck with me all these years, and at 65, I now weigh about 185. This is such a simple thing. No money or programs involved, only meditation, which improves health dramatically, particularly the immune system - and the mind - reducing fear and worry. And meditation does something else, it curbs desires, all desires, so that you can live a more sane, peaceful life of few harmful indulgences, and less karma.

And it’s easy to begin, just start every evening sitting quietly for 15 minutes. Complete meditation instructions (posture and mental processes), are on our website: www.SouthWestFloridaInsightCenter.com, and as a former Buddhist monk, I don’t charge for any advice. The Truth should always be free; if isn’t . . . it might not be Truth!

Please email any questions to: EandJanetV@SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com

Copyright © E. Raymond Rock 2007. All rights reserved

E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com

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Try A Common Sense Weight Loss Plan For Long Term Success

By Douglas Taylor

There seems to be as many ways to lose weight as there are stars in the sky but more times than not the results are temporary at best. To have long-term weight loss success you need to have a plan that you can live with for the long haul. Eating right and staying away from the latest diet craze is a good start. Most people find keeping a diary of what goes into their mouth will usually help. Even though most people do not enjoy working out, adding exercise to your daily routine usually helps the pounds go away.

Eating right needs to be the very first thing you look at if you are trying to lose weight. Eating all of the high fat junk you find everywhere you look will do nothing but add pounds to your body. Try to use a common sense approach in your eating habits and this should help with your weight loss goals. Eating a diet low in fat and low in sugar makes a lot of sense. Although it may be tempting it is usually wise to stay away from the new diet you read about in the supermarket checkout line.

In general I always tend to stay away from fad diets. Although some of these diets may be fine I choose to go with the more traditional approach with my weight loss plans. I would always discuss any diet plan with my doctor and listen to his advice before starting any diet that I would not consider mainstream. If the diet plan seems to be too good to be true and does not encourage healthy eating I would check it out before starting. One thing that has helped me stay true to my eating goals is to keep a food diary.

Keeping a food diary will keep you honest with your weight loss goals. Knowing I have to put down on paper that I ate that candy bar will often stop me. On weeks where you have lost a pound or two you can refer back to your food diary and see exactly which foods you ate that week. Your food diary may be the difference between success and failure in your weight loss goals. When you get your eating under control you may find you need to add exercise to your weight loss program to fully succeed

Many people cannot seem to lose enough weight without exercise. Weight loss always comes down to calories in and calories out. Exercising each day burns calories, which will help you lose weight. Start slow with any new exercise program and see your doctor before you get started.

Try common sense methods to lose weight. The results may not be as fast as that brand new diet but if you get in the habit of thinking long term the end result should please you.

For more diet tips try visiting http://www.lose-10-pounds.com where you will find tips, advice and resources about topics such as practical healthy eating advice

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What Are The Healthy Weight Loss Supplements

By Tisha Diaz

If you have read some of my other writings on the subject of weight loss I think you will know that I am not a big proponent of weight-loss through supplements. However, if for whatever reasons you want or you need to use supplements to lose weight, what would be the most healthy weight-loss supplements to use?

There are so many weight-loss products on the market today that you could probably spend a year or two just wading through all of them.

Since the weight-loss market is such a lucrative one, you almost have everyone and his dog putting out some kind of supplement that promises you will have wonderful results that sometimes even defy common sense.

The two main categories of weight-loss supplements that you get on the market today are those supplements that are chemical-based and those that are herbal-based.

It probably goes without saying that the herbal-based supplements would be better for your body in general then chemical-based supplements.

This is not to say that chemical-based supplements are necessarily bad for your body, it is just to say that herbal-based supplements are manufactured from natural substances. These substances are generally more in natural harmony with your body.

There is generally this main differentiator between chemical-based and herbal-based products. Chemical-based products generally provide faster results that are not necessarily long-lasting. On the other hand, the herbal-based products tend to work slower but also at the same time provide more longer-lasting results.

None of these two supplement based solutions give you the same durability of results as plain good old-fashioned exercise and diet adjustment.

If you feel that you absolutely must use supplements for your weight control then my advice is to try the herbal based supplements first. Potential harm that these products can do to your body are often far less than their chemical-based counterparts.

People often leave their weight-loss effort to the last minute and therefore want something that can perform a miracle. Under no circumstances is it healthy for your body to experience an enormous fat mass loss in a very short period of time.

Your body has been designed to gradually burn away fat. Trying to short circuit your body's natural process can cause it a lot of harm.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim

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Binge Eating - How To Stop Binge Eating And Get Back In The Driver's Seat

By Melissa McCreery, Ph.D.

Binge eating is eating "gone wrong." Binge eating is eating gone on automatic pilot, eating disconnected from physical body sensations like fullness and hunger. After a binge you may experience a glazed feeling and a "coming back to awareness." "What happened here?" and "I wish I could undo that" are common thoughts.

Mindful eating is the opposite of bingeing. Mindful eating, conscious eating, and intuitive eating are all terms to describe eating that occurs when the mind and the body are in full communication.

When this process is happening, we eat in response to our body cues and our body's needs. We eat
what we are hungry for and we eat until we are full (not stuffed). We are conscious of how we are feeling while we are eating and how we are likely to feel afterwards. Conscious eating does not leave us stuffed to the gills, sick to our stomachs and collapsed on the couch, too uncomfortable to move.

Conscious eating fuels us and gives us energy. The food we eat consciously gives our bodies and our
minds pleasure. It is a nice experience.

To stop binge eating, the first requirement is to turn off the automatic pilot and get back into the driver's seat. This takes practice and won't be easy the first or second time you try it. Like using a muscle though, your ability to stop a binge will grow stronger.

Try these tips:

Slow down. Don't try to stop the binge at first, but communicate to yourself what you are doing. This means you are not on auto-pilot. Say to yourself out loud or in your head "I feel a binge coming on" or "Here we go" or "I'm starting to feel out of control with my eating." Make the process
conscious.

Put your food on a plate. You've heard this before because it's important. To be mindfully eating you need to be experiencing the food and how much of it you are choosing to eat.

Practice being a nonjudgmental observer. Try to notice what both your head and your body are doing--from a curious nonjudgmental standpoint.

What's the dialogue going on in your brain? Is it silent, are you numb, are you criticizing yourself or already planning how you'll do it differently tomorrow? Don't try to change your thoughts, just be curious and collect data about what your mind is doing. Now put your hand on your stomach. Take a deep breath. Try to pay attention to how your body is feeling. Feel your hand on your stomach. Feel it move as you breath. Try to take note--nonjudgmentally of how your body feels. Is there tension anywhere, muscle tightness, are you holding your breath or breathing deeply? Does your stomach feel full or empty? How full? How empty?

If you feel courageous, put your other hand on your heart. Feel your heart beat. Keep breathing. Ask yourself what you are REALLY hungry for. Ask yourself what you could feed your self and your spirit IN ADDITION TO food. Sit for a minute and listen. Don't worry or be afraid if you don't know the answer this time. It's asking the question that is important.

Afterwards, if you can do it, try to write down what you noticed about the whole experience. Work very hard not to be critical but to write from the standpoint of a curious observer. As you think about what happened, can you identify anything that brought you to that binge? What was going on before? When did you decide to do it? Can you identify how you were feeling--both in your mind (bored, lonely, happy, sad) and in your body (tired, tense, hungry)?

Practice doing one small, nice, compassionate thing for your body and soul every day that has nothing to do with food. It doesn't have to be earth shattering. Put your feet up and sit for fifteen minutes before you tackle the laundry, take a bubble bath instead of a shower, wear something that you feel lovely in, put music on that you love, kick off your shoes and wiggle your toes.

Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and Life Coach. She works with individuals worldwide to help them create and live their best life, get off the diet roller coaster and lose weight without dieting. She works with clients individually, by phone and in person and through tele-seminars. She has been working with people around issues of food, dieting, body image and eating since 1995.

You can contact Melissa, subscribe to her free newsletter, Mindspa: tips for creating your highest quality life and obtain more information about her coaching practice at http://www.enduringchange.com/

Copyright 2006 - Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers.

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Finding the Best Weight Loss Diet

By Waller Jamison

More and more people are becoming very conscious of their own health and fitness. On the one hand, this is a positive trend, with many people eating more healthily and taking regular exercise. However, when taken to extremes, this can have negative effects on healthy and well-being. This is often the result of marketing, as advertisements for perfume, clothes, cars and a host of other products constantly tell us, indirectly, that we need to have perfect bodies to achieve the good life.

As a result of the increased focus on health and fitness, gyms, health clubs and other fitness centers have been set up all over the western world, raking in a huge profit in the process. Celebrities are pictured on the front of magazines, looking young, slim and beautiful, with the hidden message that this is the path to happiness and wealth.

On cable TV, exercise machines, weight loss products, such as DVDs, videos and low calorie foods have pretty much taken over the airwaves during the commercial breaks and have consequently made their way into households all over the country.

Thousands of magazine, books and websites claim to provide the perfect diet. Dubious at best, with a new one on the market just about every week, but with so many different approaches on offer, which diet is most effective and which one should you follow?

Diet programs can be of use in helping you shed excess pounds, but only if they suit your lifestyle, which means they must be doable. The most important factor is healthy eating and therefore if you do choose to follow a specific program, it is essential to ensure that you do not leave out important nutrients.

Next, you must make sure you have time to buy and prepare the food. If you run out, the temptation to eat forbidden foods will be enormous. It’s also important that you don’t feel deprived and so don’t choose a diet plan which is inflexible or overly strict. It is possible to lose weight and still enjoy occasional treats.

You should also be able to follow an eating pattern which keeps your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, ensuring that you don’t experience hunger pangs which can lead to mini-binges, which in turn often causes people to give up the diet completely.

Whatever your lifestyle, exercise is important, but doesn’t have to be excessive. Extra walking during the day and a couple of sessions of a favourite sport at weekends is enough to burn off some calories and help you achieve your weight loss goals. Of course, if you do want to look like someone on the cover of a fitness magazine, you’ll have to work hard – they do! To lose weight and improve your overall health, you should eat a healthy diet, reduce intake of high fat and sugar foods and increase the amount of exercise you do.

© Waller Jamison 2007

Waller Jamison is a qualified acupuncturist and reflexologist whose main focus is writing. Kick start your weight loss – find out how you can

burn fat right now. And while you’re at it, step up your motivation with Weekly Weight Loss Tips.

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Diet Myths Exposed - What to Look for in Diets for Optimal Weight Loss

By Andrew Kryzak

The diet market has become saturated with over hyped, unreasonable and ineffective diets. This is obvious if you take even a brief look at the kinds of programs available. You will see huge promises with little in the way of proof to back them up. New, ineffective diet plans are being released everyday that claim to be the best thing ever. Unfortunately, all this marketing hype has created many myths about diets and the results you can expect.

I am not saying that effective diets, which provide real results, do not exist. I am only alerting you to the fact that there are many misconceptions about diets floating around. This article is going to expose these myths so that you will know the truth. Once you know the truth, you will be able to make the right choices for your life.

Myth 1: I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight.

NOT TRUE. While many of us would love to continue eating the way we do and still lose tons of weight, it is simply not possible. If you continue doing exactly what you have done up until now how do expect to change. You need to change your lifestyle. That is the key. Once your lifestyle becomes healthier and well rounded you will automatically begin to lose weight. This is the only path that provides long-term results.

Myth 2: A diet needs to be strict and extreme to provide great results.

NOT TRUE. While very harsh diets may produce great results for the first week or two they are far too difficult to maintain over the long haul. This leads to the quick demise of the diet and the reinstatement of your old patterns. This is not good news for weight loss. A diet needs to become a lifestyle or it won’t work. You will get much better results with a less extreme diet that you are able to stick with.

Myth 3: The less I eat the more weight I will lose.

NOT TRUE. This may seem counter intuitive, but here is how it works. When you suddenly start up a starvation style diet your body reacts by trying to conserve the most fat and calories as possible. It is actually preparing to go without food for a long time. It does this by slowing down your metabolism. This means that the weight will try to cling on for as long as possible, because the body wants to survive. It is much more effective to eat healthy foods in moderation. This keeps your metabolism fast while not overdoing the calories.

Now that you know the truth about diets and what it takes to lose weight and keep it off, you are ready to pick a diet that is right for you. I recently found a diet that has produced very good results for myself and others. It is called the Kimkins diet. I feel as though this diet is well structured and very effective. You can read a review of this diet on my website.

Do you want to receive the hottest tips on how to lose weight and keep it off for FREE? Sign up for Andrew’s free weight-loss email series here: KimkinsDiet-Review.com. Andrew Kryzak is an expert in the field of health and nutrition. Click on Kimkins to learn more about the Kimkins Diet- a balanced diet you can keep for life.

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Have Fun with Dieting - Enjoy Your Weight Loss Plan with a Discipline

By Ruth Miller

We know that it’s really hard to stick to those starving diets when it comes to weight loss and it is more disheartening when over time we fail to lose any significant amount of weight. We run after every possible new dieting idea which comes in the limelight, hoping that this one is going to work finally. Sigh*** no miracle yet! Actually we often ignore certain things and blame diets for not preventing us from losing weight. People often ignore the eatables they eat but fail to record.

Well, no need to worry if you are one of the dieters who are choosy. Just take care of certain important things.

Know what you are eating and keep a record of that. Make your eating a conscious act. It will keep a check on all temptations. At the end of the day, check it out what you have consumed in the whole day. You will be wondered to see whether you are actually dieting. Make a plan for the next day and try to avoid things that are out of your diet plan. But yes, don’t forget to note down what you eat. You will improve every day. Think not once but twice before eating or drinking anything. Eat only when you are hungry not when you are feeling like especially when you get a sight of the eatable. Don’t go for snacking or having a soft drink when you don’t have anything else to do. Read a book or go for a walk or listen to some good music to pass your time, you can even go for a walk with your walkman. This will help you stay away from those tempting time pass. Well, it’s good that you stay on your dieting plan strictly but don’t ever starve yourself. It will end up hurting your body. And finally you will be forced to go for a binge eating or things that carry high fats. Consume at least three meals a day and one or two light snacking. It will help your body remain away from hunger. Its fine you are a very good dieter but you need not say just good bye to all your favorite food stuffs. You can treat yourself with moderate snacking after achieving a pre-set goal. Remember, you are not cheating your diet but rewarding yourself for remaining on diet. It definitely keeps your motivation high. So, don’t get scared by tough dieting and take it in an easy way. It’s all in your hand to enjoy your weight loss program, make it fun with healthy food.

The author addresses issues relating to weight loss, obesity and the anti-obesity pill Adipex. For more information and advice in these matters, visit the website http://www.adipexpower.com

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Do You Really Need to Lose Weight Rapidly with Pills?

By Tisha Diaz

Nowadays we want quick fixes for everything. If you want to lose weight rapidly with pills I'm going to challenge you to rethink your strategy. Here's why.

The first fact to consider is that many of the wonderful claims that are being made about this pill can make you lose weight this fast and that pill can make you lose weight that fast is pure and unadulterated nonsense.

Many of the people making those claims have little more on their minds than getting their fingers into your purse or wallet.

Can pills make or help you lose weight? Yes, some certainly can.

Is it the best and safest way of losing weight?

No, sensible exercise and diet adjustment are by far the safest way of losing weight.

Many of the pills on the market today make you lose water volume instead of fat volume. The scale moves down a little, but your dimensions don't. What is the use of that?

Even though a few of the pills on the market can give you rapid weight loss, your results are usually only temporary. Before you know it you're back at the weight that you started at before taking those pills.

Why is that?

It happens because pills do not modify your eating habits, lifestyle, and exercise routine (or lack of it).

You cannot use most of these pills for prolonged periods of time. Even the labels tell you so.

That means, when you stop taking the pills and continue with your normal lifestyle, you gain all that weight back again.

That's a ton of money down the drain.

Develop a sensible exercise routine and modify your eating habits in a way that your exercise consumes more calories than you take in, and you will see those pounds literally fly off you.

In closing, you can lose weight rapidly with pills and only with some of the pills on the market today. However, you will probably gain back all that weight. Rather exercise and modify your eating habits for rapid weight loss that lasts.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim.

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How to Get Fast Weight Loss with Exercise

By Tisha Diaz

Fast weight loss with exercise is possible, depending on your weight loss goals. Let's look at how you can do it and shed those pounds.

The body burns fat from a difference between energy put into the body through eating and energy that the body needs to supply fuel to the muscles and bodily functions.

If the energy it needs to operate is more than the energy in the food we eat, then the body kicks into fat burning mode to make up the difference.

Hence, exercise is about the only way to put more demand on the body for energy consumption above and beyond your normal daily routine.

The best weight loss with exercise is achieved when you put your body into its "fat burn" zone of operation and keep it there for a while without interruption.

The fat burn zone of your body will depend on your gender and your age. Check with your local gym. They usually have charts that show you the heart rate range for your age group.

The best fat burn zone for your body will be between 60% and 75% of your maximum heart rate as indicated by the chart.

Here is something to remember. When you exercise at the rate where your heartbeat is in that range, you should still be able to carry on with normal speech. You should not be so out of breath that you have trouble talking or have to gasp for air. If you have to do that, slow down, you're overdoing it.

It is important to keep your body in that zone of operation for at least 30 minutes. Your body only begins to burn fat after a good 10 to 12 minutes of exercise. During that time it first consumes the immediate nutrition that is available to it.

For fast weight loss with exercise you will probably need to go for longer than 30 minutes. An hour to ninety minutes would consume a sizeable chunk of fat every day.

Once again, do not overdo it. Doing this for three hours a day is probably going to be worse than better. One disadvantage is it is going to leave you completely exhausted.

Also accelerate your metabolism while you are exercising like this. You do that by eating six to seven small meals per day.

Remember, whenever you're exercising and you start feeling dizzy, nauseous, or experience pain or discomfort, stop immediately and consult with your physician.

Fast weight loss with exercise is not worth pushing yourself beyond your physical limits and causing your body to suffer serious damage.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim.

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Are You Obese? What's Your Ideal Weight?

By Raymond Burton

Are you obese? A lot of people wonder because the stereotypes in the media really get people thinking about their appearance and if they are fat or at their ideal weight.

The general definition of obesity is if you are 30 percent over your ideal weight. This is where most people would like to know just what their ideal weight is of course.

Your ideal weight is a subject of much hoopla to me (I'll put my view points on this after). Most doctors involved with obesity or weight loss deem ideal weight as " A body mass index (BMI) of 25 up to 30 kg/m2."

The centers for disease control and prevention list the following details for BMI and will let you see where your stand according to them:

Below 18.5 Under weight

18.5 – 24.9 Normal

25.0 – 29.9 Over weight

30.0 and Above Obese

So in order to know if you are obese you should supposedly know if your BMI is around 25 to 30 kg/m2. Lets figure out BMI then. Here is how you figure out your BMI by math:
BMI = (Your weight in pounds divided by (Height in inches by Height in inches) all multiplied by 703

Do you have it done? Good! So where did you end up? Are you obese? Are you starting to freak out a little? Okay, lets break for a second. Take a breath and let me tell you the low down.

I am a personal trainer; you can see pictures of what kind of shape I am in on the website. I am five foot nine inches and 182 pounds. I am usually around 10-14% body fat. I have a BMI of 26.9! According to all the doctors and some fitness experts out there, I guess I must be overweight and close to obese!

So what's the deal then? Well like I said earlier, I have a little beef with BMI and obesity, as most people would quantify it. I think being over weight or obese should be gauged by your body fat percentage and not this ridiculous BMI. Let me explain why.

Well normal BMI readings are taking into account your whole body, bones, muscle, and fat. So even if you have barely any fat and can see your abs they think you are obese and not at your ideal weight, just like me. If you have a lot of muscle and little fat, you can still fail the BMI even if you are healthy and fit.

Now body fat percentage tests are a different story. The only thing looked at here is how much fat and muscle you have by percentages of your overall body weight. Obesity this way states that above 25% body fat for men is obese and above 32% body fat is obese for women.

If you come in on or around these figures, then you should get to work and apply some solid training and nutrition planning basics. Doing an actual body fat test will truly tell you where you are and where you should be because it is the fat amount and not the overall weight of a person that has detrimental health consequences.

You can get a body fat test done at any local gym or you can buy a cheap tester that will put you in the ballpark figure. Just make sure that you keep using the same method all the time, as you want to compare the change and not the actual figure. One method may differ from the other by as much as 3%. Small but still important if you are gauging all your hard work!

Ray Burton is a motivational speaker, an ISSA-certified personal trainer,

philanthropist, and author of the best selling weight loss book, "Fat To Fit - The Journey” Ray

has written hundreds of articles and been featured in Rising Women,The Calgary Sun and Crosstrainer.ca.

For info on Ray's book, visit the home page at: http://www.FatToFitBook.com. To read Ray’s free workout tips visit his exercise blog.

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How to Develop a Powerful Positive Thought for Weight Control

By Tisha Diaz

A lot of our success in life in general and with controlling our weight specifically has to do with the way we think. If we think negative thoughts then more than likely we are going to have negative results with what we attempt to do. So how can we develop a powerful positive thought for weight control that can transform us into and keep us in the shape we want to be?

Thoughts precede actions. It's a simple fact of life.

Some thought or image forms in our mind's eye. If that thought or image is powerful enough, it motivates or spurs us to take action to manifest that thought or action in the physical world that we can touch and see.

With that in mind, think about the following.

If you constantly think about yourself as fat, overweight, chubby, or whatever other label you want to attach to it, you are not developing in your mind the powerful thought that will really motivate you to take action and lose weight.

You need to flip the switch on your thoughts and change them to be positive thoughts.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself at your ideal weight.

Imagine how you will look in that evening gown, or that beach bikini.

Imagine how you will feel when you see yourself in the mirror at your ideal weight.

Remember those images and feelings of yourself at your ideal weight.

Whenever you catch yourself having negative thoughts about your weight, replace those thoughts with the ones of yourself at your ideal weight.

The positive thought alone will not burn away any excess pounds or prevent you from gaining weight.

What the positive thought will do is motivate you to start and keep doing the things required to control your weight.

That could include changing your diet, doing exercise or changing your lifestyle.

A positive thought for weight control can be a very powerful tool that you can use to gain the motivation to start doing and keep doing the right things to control your weight.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim.

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Facts on Lemons and Weight Loss

By Tisha Diaz

Many people ask questions like, "How do lemons and weight loss go together?" and "Can lemons make me lose weight?" Let's examine what that sour little citrus friend of ours can and cannot do in our battle of the bulge.

Lemons are well-known for containing a lot of Vitamin C. In addition to that, lemons also contain citric acid, which is what gives them the sour taste.

Apart from the lemon juice, there are also the pulp and rind that make up the rest of the lemon.

Not much there that could help one lose weight, one would think? Well, think again.

To lose weight effectively you have to keep your body well hydrated, meaning it is important to drink a few liters of water per day. The water itself does not make you lose weight, but it helps the body perform well and clean itself of waste and toxin.

Drinking lot of water can be rather monotonous. Some people also just do not like the taste of water.

Instead of substituting water with some other liquid, add some lemon juice to the water. That will change the taste and help you drink a little more water.

Lemons are also used in food preparations.

Lemon juice is typically squeezed onto fish dishes to neutralize the taste of amines in the fish.

Fish makes an excellent meal in anyone's weight loss diet. It's generally low in fat and very nutritious.

Hence, lemons help us make a very healthy food even better and more tasty, helping us to eat it more regularly.

Now, for weight loss we're not talking battered fish! We're talking about "the fish" cooked and served with minimal dressing.

Lemon juice also adds that little extra taste and zest to the best of salads. Once again, it helps us wanting to eat more healthy and low-fat food.

Even though our lemon friend does not contain magical powers to help us lose weight, it plays a very important role in enhancing the taste of many of the foods that help us shed those pounds.

Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and make you slim and trim.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tisha_Diaz
http://EzineArticles.com/?Facts-on-Lemons-and-Weight-Loss&id=500771

When to Consider Weight Loss Surgery

By Linda J Bruton

For most people who are overweight, weight loss can easily be achieved with a healthy diet plan and moderate daily exercise. However, for those who suffer from severe obesity, the solution might not be so simple. It can be a chronic, lifelong condition that is not easy to treat with any success. In that situation, weight loss surgery could be a solution to consider.

Before deciding to undergo weight loss surgery, however, you should realize that it is a serious treatment procedure and should be considered very carefully. Before making that decision, it is wise to understand the pros and cons and to get as much information about the different procedures as possible.

If you are overweight by 100 pounds or more and have a Body Mass Index over 40, you will be a candidate for weight loss surgery, as that is considered severe obesity. Besides the self-esteem issues you may suffer as a result, you could also be experiencing sleep difficulties, heart problems, and diabetes. Those conditions, however, could mean greater complications from surgery. So this is something you and your doctor should consider very carefully.

Any surgery can cause a strain to your health and will take time to recover from. If you have other health conditions, your recovery time could be longer. Most people who look at weight loss surgery as an option, however, have tried other diet and exercise plans without success. They know that their weight is already affecting their health. They may consider the risk to be acceptable when weighed against the rewards. Only you can make that decision for yourself.

Obesity has become very common in modern society. It is estimated that more than 30% of U.S. adults are overweight, and some 9 million are considered to be severely obese. Weight loss surgery can successfully treat this problem when all else has failed and continued obesity is causing an unacceptable health risk.

Once you have decided to have the surgery, you need to carefully discuss with your primary doctor where you will have the surgery and whether your health insurance will cover it. If you can show that you have unsuccessfully tried to lose weight in the past, you may be covered.

While weight loss surgery is not the answer for everyone who is overweight, for certain people it is the best way to both lose weight and take back control of their health!

An effective weight loss plan does not have to mean deprivation or back-breaking exercise routines. To discover simple strategies for lasting weight loss and a free book of delicious recipes, be sure to check out my Painless Weight Loss Tips blog at: http://www.painless-weight-loss.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_J_Bruton
http://EzineArticles.com/?When-to-Consider-Weight-Loss-Surgery&id=500781

Estimate Your Caloric Needs.

To estimate how many calories you should consume in order to
maintain your weight, you will need to do a little math. By
using a simple formula called the Harris-Benedict principle,
you can assess your basal metabolic rate -- also known as
your BMR.

Calculate Your NMR.
Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to
function. We use about 60 percent of the calories we consume
each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing. Other
factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and
sex.

Step one is to calculate your BMR with the following
formula.
Women
655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) -
(4.7 x age in years)
Men
66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) -
(6.8 x age in years)
Please note that this formula applies only to adults.

Calculate Activity.
Step two. In order to incorporate activity into your daily
caloric needs, do the following calculation:
If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a
week.): BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in
athletic training.): BMR x 1.9

The result of this formula will be the number of calories
you can eat every day and maintain the weight you are
currently at. In order to lose weight, you will need to take
in fewer calories than this result. As you lose weight, you
can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.

Create a Calorie Deficit.
In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit.
It is easier and healthier to cut back your calorie intake a
little bit at a time. Every 3,500 calories is equivalent to
one pound. If you cut back 500 calories a day, you should
lose about one pound per week. If you exercise to burn off
500 calories a day you should lose approximately one pound
per week.