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Monday, July 31, 2006

Are Sugar Substitutes Safe?

By intelihealth.com

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four sugar substitutes: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose.

Saccharin (available as Sweet 'n Low) is a noncaloric, indigestible petroleum product that is 300 times sweeter than sugar. In the late 1970s, a study linked saccharin to cancer in laboratory rats, and the product was nearly removed from the market.

But the case against the sweetener was dropped when it was disclosed that the rats had consumed saccharin in the equivalent of 800 cans of diet soda a day.

Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), a synthetic combination of two amino acids, contains four calories per gram, just like sugar. But aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so much less is needed.

Although the FDA ruled that most people could safely consume the equivalent of 97 packets of aspartame daily, some consumers have complained of headaches and other side effects. Aspartame was originally approved in 1981 for use in powdered drinks and as a tabletop sweetener. In 1996, aspartame was approved for use in all foods and beverages, including products such as syrups, salad dressings and snack foods where prior approval had not been granted.

All foods containing aspartame must carry a label warning that people with phenylketonuria (PKU),an inherited inability to metabolize one of the amino acids (phenylalanine) in aspartame, should not eat the product.

Acesulfame-K (Sweet One) is chemically similar to saccharine and 200 times sweeter than sugar. It's found in dry beverage mixes, instant coffee and tea blends, puddings, gelatin mixes and chewing gum. The sweetener's safety was called into question when laboratory rats developed tumors during testing, but the FDA maintains that the tumors were unrelated to the product.

Sucralose (Splenda) is made from sugar cane that is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. About 15 percent of the sucralose taken by mouth is absorbed in the intestines without being broken down. The remainder passes through the body. In the body, sucralose does not act like a carbohydrate. It provides no calories or energy.

Studies done so far indicate that it is safe, but sucralose has only been in widespread use in the United States for the past five years.

More weight loss and nutrition information...

What's In Your Food: Carbohydrates

By intelihealth.com

Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel (glucose) for energy. This family includes simple carbohydrates (sugars) and complex carbohydrates (starches). Though both types end up as glucose, foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, such as grains and vegetables, usually supply a good-health bonus of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Meanwhile, simple carbohydrates from candy, cake, table sugar, syrups, sweetened cereals and other sources of concentrated sugar contribute "empty calories" that provide energy, but no nutrients.

Before carbohydrates can be used, they must be broken down in the intestine by the digestive enzymes into simple sugars — glucose, fructose (fruit sugar) and galactose (a component of milk sugar).

Some of the glucose is used immediately for energy; the rest is stored in the liver, muscles and fat cells in the form of glycogen and fat for future use. (Fructose and galactose, however, must first be converted by the liver to glucose.)

After a meal, the hormone insulin, which is produced in the pancreas, lowers the level of glucose in the blood by stimulating body cells to take up and store excess glucose. When your blood sugar is low — say, before breakfast or after exercise — another pancreatic hormone, glucagon, stimulates the conversion of liver glycogen back to glucose, preparing it to be returned to the blood stream.

In diabetes, a shortage or absence of insulin prevents glucose from moving into the cells. Insulin also plays an important role in preventing an excessive release of glucose from the liver in between meals.

Eating sugar doesn't cause the disease — diabetics have to watch their total carbohydrate intake, rather than the type consumed. Eating sugary foods, however, is an easy way to overload the carbohydrate allotment.

In planning your diet, 25 percent to 50 percent of your daily calories should come from carbohydrate sources, with the bulk of these calories supplied by complex carbohydrates.

This means your daily diet should contain:

  • whole grain foods with each meal
  • plenty of vegetables
  • fruit, two to three times per day

It's estimated that American adults get about 20 percent of their daily calories from sugar. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that's about 400 calories (100 grams) or the equivalent of 25 teaspoons of sugar each day! That amounts to about 130 pounds of sugar being consumed by the typical American adult each year.

The obvious way to cut back on refined sugar is to limit the amount of candy, cake, cookies, pies, ice cream and other sweets you eat and to avoid adding table sugar to foods and beverages.

But that's not always so easy, since sugar comes in many forms:
  • Monosaccarides include glucose (sometimes called dextrose), fructose and galactose. All have the same number and types of atoms but each has a different arrangement. The different arrangements of atoms account for the differences in sweetness. Glucose (one of the two sugars in every disaccaride is mildly sweet, fructose (found in fruits and honey) is intensely sweet and galactose (a component of milk sugar) is hardly sweet at all.

  • Disaccharides include sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose (produced in plants and in the human body when starch breaks down). They are all pairs of two monosaccarides: Sucrose is glucose and fructose; lactose is glucose and galactose; and maltose is comprised of two molecules of glucose.

  • Polysaccharides (starches, glycogen, cellulose) don't taste sweet and are composed of hundreds, even thousands, of glucose molecules linked together. They are found in foods such as potatoes, rice and dried beans.

When it comes to overall health, all sugars are created equal. Honey, fructose, sucrose, corn syrup, maple syrup, and molasses are no better (or worse) for you than refined white sugar. Although they may be absorbed differently, all sugars eventually break down in the body and end up as glucose.

While refined white sugar has been blamed for an endless array of health problems (including hypoglycemia or "low blood sugar," depression, yeast infections and hyperactivity), there is no hard evidence to back up these claims.

Sugar, however, does play a role in tooth decay since bacteria in the mouth break down sugar, producing an acid that erodes tooth enamel. But the sugar can just as easily come from the breakdown of starchy foods such as bread and potatoes as it can from candy bars. Sugary foods that stay in your mouth — soft drinks and fruit drinks sipped throughout the day, for example, are worse than sugar added to your morning coffee.

Regular brushing and flossing to remove sugar before the damage occurs is essential to a healthy mouth.

The sugar in carbohydrates contributes to obesity, which is linked to many diseases and disorders, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder problems, osteoarthritis and some cancers.

Eating too many calories from any source will make you gain weight, whether the calories are from eating fats or carbohydrates.

More weight loss information...

Sunday, July 30, 2006

What's In Your Food: Protein

By intelihealth.com

Proteins form the body's main structural elements and are found in every cell and tissue. Your body uses proteins for growth and to build and repair bone, muscles, connective tissue, skin, internal organs and blood.

Hormones, antibodies and the enzymes that regulate the body's chemical reactions are all made of protein. Without the right proteins, blood won't clot properly and cuts won't heal.

And if carbohydrates and fat can't meet your energy needs, proteins can be broken down and used as a source of emergency energy. Each protein is a large complex molecule made up of a string of building blocks called amino acids.

The 20 amino acids the body needs can be linked in thousands of different ways to form thousands of different proteins, each with a unique function in the body.

Both the amino acids manufactured in the liver and those derived from the breakdown of the proteins we eat are absorbed into the blood stream and taken up by the cells and tissues to build new proteins as needed.

Your body can't use food protein directly, even though the amino acids in food and in your body are the same. So after protein is ingested, digestive enzymes break the protein down into shorter amino acid chains (polypeptides and then peptides) and finally into individual amino acids.

The amino acids then enter the blood stream and travel to the cells where they are incorporated into proteins the body needs.

The quality of a food protein is in part measured by its amino acid content, and there are two types: Nine of the 20 amino acids required by human beings are considered "essential" because they come only from the diet; the other 11 are considered "nonessential" because the body can make them.

A complete protein contains all the essential amino acids in amounts your body needs. Animal proteins from eggs, meat, fish, poultry, cheese and milk are generally complete. Plant proteins from fruits, vegetables grains and beans are often low in one or more essential amino acids and are considered incomplete.

A well-balanced vegetarian diet, however, can provide the body with all the needed amino acids.

The average person needs 50-65 grams of protein each day. In addition to meat, poultry and fish, significant amounts of protein are found in beans, milk, eggs, dairy foods, seeds, nuts, grains and soy products.

Most Americans get more than enough protein in their diet. As you can see from the list below, it's not hard to fill your daily protein quota:

In fact, an average single serving of meat supplies half your daily requirement!

Four ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a deck of cards) contain 25 to 35 grams of protein.

One cup of cooked beans or lentils contains about 18 grams.

One cup of lowfat cottage cheese contains 28 grams.

Two ounces of solid cheese contains about 16 grams.

One cup of lowfat milk contains 8 grams.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 8 grams.

One serving of grain foods (barley, pasta, cereals, whole wheat bread, for example) generally contains 3 to 6 grams of protein.

One serving of vegetables ranges from 1 to 3 grams.

Protein can be very helpful for building lean muscle while burning fat for the best weight loss results. Make sure you eat the right amount at the right times for full benefits.

Nutrition History

The imperative of preserving the historical records of science has long been appreciated by scholars in many fields (e.g. Medicine, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and, more recently, nuclear physics and biochemistry).

Medicine and chemistry conspicuously have led the way in building impressive centers of history.

The science of nutrition had no center of history until 1975, when Vanderbilt University created "An Accessible Archives of Human Experience in Nutrition", consisting of an extensive collection of monographs on the history of nutrition, 15th century-20th century, and an archive of the personal papers of nutrition scientists. This collection was formalized as a result of the initial major gift by Dr. W. Henry Sebrell, Jr. of his papers and those of Dr. Joseph Goldberger.

Vanderbilt's History of Nutrition Collection and Archives has grown significantly since 1975 and has attained national and international recognition.

This collection is maintained in the Special Collections of the Eskind Biomedical Library. It represents the efforts and contributions of many individuals during the last three decades plus the encouraging support of the Medical Center's administration and of the major nutrition science society, the American Institute of Nutrition (AIN).

Vanderbilt's History of Nutrition Collection is particularly rich in many subjects on health.

Bigger Tableware Helps Widen Waistlines

In study, people ate more when using larger spoons, bowls

HealthDay
By Robert Preidt

Want to lose weight? Try downsizing your tableware.

That's the conclusion of a new study that found that the size of bowls, spoons and other tableware influences how much people eat.

The study, by researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., involved 85 food and nutrition experts invited to an ice-cream social.

Each guest randomly received either 17-ounce or 34-ounce bowls and either two-ounce or three-ounce serving scoops. The participants scooped out the ice cream themselves.
"Just doubling the size of someone's bowl increased how much people took by 31 percent," study lead author Brian Wansink, director of Cornell's Food and Brand Lab, said in a prepared statement.

"We also saw that giving people a scoop that was a little bit larger increased things by about 14.5 percent," he said.

He noted that even these food and nutrition experts, who were able to judge the size and calorie counts of their portions, couldn't help themselves when given larger bowls and scoops.

"The fact that even they end up being tripped up by these cues just helps to show how ubiquitous and how subversive these illusions can be," said Wansink, a consumer researcher who studies the psychology of food choice.

He noted that experts have documented a number of environmental factors that influence consumption, including the variety of food, music, temperature, and whether people are dining with a faster or slower eater. The size of tableware also appears to be another factor that influences consumption.

"Four ounces of ice cream in a small bowl may appear an appropriate amount for a mid-afternoon snack, but the same in a larger bowl may appear too small, leading one to over-serve," the study authors said.

The findings were expected to be published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This I thought was an interesting study found for weight loss and nutrition...

Friday, July 28, 2006

Fast Weight Loss

By thedietchannel.com

Losing excess weight provides valuable benefits: better health, higher self-esteem, and increased quality of life. For many people, however, the long road to weight loss takes too much time, when they are looking for fast results.

There are many ways to speed up the weight loss process, but doing so requires caution—after all, shedding pounds too quickly has health risks of its own.

Losing Weight Naturally: Increasing Metabolism

Diet pills and crash diets promise quick results, but the potential side-effects can be deadly, and these methods don’t always work. A more effective way is to use natural methods, such as altering the diet and exercise regimen.

Increasing metabolism can help enhance any weight loss plan, and can easily be incorporated into the existing routine. Eating breakfast in the morning can increase metabolism, as can eating smaller meals throughout the day. Eating four to six small meals, two to three hours apart, is usually recommended.

Try not to go too long between meals, as even a five- to six-hour gap between meals can greatly slow down metabolism.

Ways to Increase Metabolism

Altering the diet can also produce quick and powerful results. To increase metabolism, include more protein, whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits. Also, incorporate more exercise into your daily routine: walk rather than drive, take the stairs, do more housework or yard work, or try to walk between 30 and 40 minutes several times a week.

Also, increase the intensity of exercise, and try adding strength training. Strength training builds muscle, which increases metabolism—each pound of muscle gained is estimated to burn an extra 35 to 50 calories a day; long-term strength training may increase metabolism by as much as 15 percent.

Meal Planning

For filling snacks that will keep you away from fattening junk food, opt for low-calorie and high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. These help you feel full longer, making any diet plan more effective.

Also, plan your meals and buy the foods you need so that you won’t be tempted to turn to fast food when you’re hungry. Try to plan for the whole week, choosing low-fat, low-calorie meals that will accelerate your weight loss.

And, take food with you to work or when you are traveling for extended periods. This will help keep you on track, preventing setbacks that could make your diet last longer than necessary.

Quick - Fast Weight Loss Diet

When selecting a low fat diet plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Low Fat Diet Guidelines

1. Commit to consuming 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.

2. To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.

3. Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.

4. Eat your foods slower.

5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.

6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.

7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.

8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Top 10 Reasons To Quit Dieting Forever

By Paige Waehner,

Ever wonder why it's nearly impossible to stay on a diet and lose weight? There are many reasons diets don't work and even more reasons to give up dieting forever and get on with your life. If you've tried more diets than you remember, it's time to give it up once and for all and reach your goals the old fashioned way: with a little exercise and some small changes.

1) Diets Don't Work
The problem with most diets is they're too specific to fit our lives. They tell you what to eat and how much, but don't take into account individual preferences, lifestyle, time constraints and likes and dislikes. Plus, they throw so much change at us that they're nearly impossible to follow for a long period of time. Remember that weight loss is a lifetime thing.

2) Diets Are Ridiculous
Fad diets, such as the Cabbage Diet or the Hollywood Diet, use semi-starvation methods to promote weight loss which, if you didn't already know, is completely ridiculous. And it's bad for you too. Diets that restrict one or more of the food groups should top your list of diets to avoid since you'll be missing out on important nutrients and your weight loss will be temporary. Why waste your time?


3) Diets Are Unhealthy
Okay, not all diets are unhealthy but some of the most popular diets out there, such as low-carb diets, urge us to cut out some important components. Scientists love to confuse us with conflicting studies about whether these diets are safe, but you don't need an expert to figure out that you need carbs, protein AND fat to be healthy. Plus, if a diet is too restrictive, you won't follow it.

4) Diets Require Lots of Work
Most of us are busy and don't have time for the careful shopping, cooking and calorie-counting many diets require. If a diet calls for all kinds of things you don't have time for, how long do you think you'll be able to follow it? You can lose weight without counting calories by simply choosing lower calorie foods (an apple instead of a donut) and squeezing in a little exercise. Easy, no?

5) Diets Make You Feel Like a Failure
Many diets are so restrictive and complicated, you're almost guaranteed to fail. It helps to understand that tackling everything at once and changing your eating habits overnight will not work. In fact, you're sure to fail if that's the approach you take and it's not because you're a loser, either. Make small changes and take your time with weight loss. Give yourself time to change bad habits.

6) Diets Zap Your Pocketbook
Diets are big business. Remember, the people who sell diet books have an agenda--to take your money and buy themselves a million=dollar mansion in Beverly Hills. Is anyone more interested in your health and happiness than you? No. So be skeptical of the infomercials and diet books out there. The 'diet gurus' don't always have your best interests at heart.

7) Diets Are Temporary
Lifetime health and fitness ain't an option with dieting. As mentioned above, even if you DO manage to follow a diet, you'll almost always give up on it when those cravings hit (and they will if you're restricting your food too much). This means you'll end up losing weight and gaining it right back which is a complete waste of your time. Don't you have better things to do?

8) Diets Sap Your Energy
The reason you lose weight on diets is because you drastically reduce your calorie intake. You may think this is good, but too little food means fatigue, low energy and it can even stall weight loss. Your body needs fuel for weight loss and if you don't get enough, your body will hoard every fat cell it can. Eat several small meals a day to stay satisfied and energetic.

9) Diets Give Food a Bad Rap
Diets usually restrict the foods you love to eat. When told you can't eat something, you become obsessed with not eating it-and that makes you crave it even more. Remember, foods aren't good or bad and you can eat what you love as long as you only do it occasionally. Eating is one of the great pleasures in life and you can enjoy it without guilt when you allow yourself treats now and then.

10) Diets Aren't the Answer
I've said it before and it bears repeating: Making small changes in your diet every day is the easiest way to successfully change bad eating habits. Focusing on one thing at a time, one day at a time, will ease the pressure and allow you to ease your way into a new healthy lifestyle.

Wendy's Cuts Trans Fats in Fries and Chicken

By Consumer Affairs.com

In a move that significantly reduces trans fatty acids (TFAs) on its menu, Wendy's is making the switch to non-hydrogenated cooking oil for its French fries and breaded chicken items. The oil has zero grams of trans fat per serving.

Wendy's announced that its 6,300 U.S. and Canadian restaurants are scheduled to switch to the new blend of corn and soy oil beginning in August.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a frequent critic of the fast food industry, applauded the move.

"Quite simply, Wendy's removal of artery-clogging partially hydrogenated oils from its deep-fryers will make its French fries and fried chicken healthier than similar foods at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and other competitors," said CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson.

"Wendy's deserves enormous credit for breaking the trans-fat log jam in the restaurant world. Its action proves that other restaurants, big or small, have no excuse for continuing to impair their customers' health by using partially hydrogenated oil. Indeed, chains whose fare is loaded with trans fat are at risk of being sued for marketing unnecessarily harmful foods and not warning patrons of the risk," Jacobson said.

Wendy's breaded chicken sandwiches, nuggets and strips will have zero grams of trans fat. Depending on the serving size, trans fats in French fry offerings will range from zero to 0.5 grams. Kids' Meal nuggets and fries will have zero grams of trans fat.

Wendy's also is working directly with its French fry suppliers to further reduce trans fats that occur as part of the par frying process at their facilities, with a goal of zero grams.

"This is the right thing to do," said Kerrii Anderson, Wendy's interim chief executive officer. "We're proud of our legacy of innovation in the restaurant industry, and these latest steps that enhance the nutritional profile of our food. We're the first national hamburger chain cooking with non-hydrogenated oil in the U.S."

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that individuals substitute mono and polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats, and consume as little trans fat as possible as part of a healthful diet.

Jacobson called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require other restaurants to follow Wendy's lead.

"To solve the trans-fat problem once and for all, the Food and Drug Administration, that sleeping watchdog, needs to act. The FDA has ignored CSPI's 2004 petitions calling for disclosure of trans fat in restaurants and a virtual ban of partially hydrogenated oil," he said.

Fast food keeps getting better and better for weight loss...

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Low glycemic index diet best at reducing weight

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet rich in carbohydrates with a low glycemic index appears to be more effective in reducing fat mass and lowering the chances of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than diets with a high glycemic index or high in protein, an Australian research team reports.

The glycemic index of a food indicates how quickly it is broken down and causes a rise in sugar levels in the blood. Generally, low glycemic index foods are complex carbs like whole grains, rather than refined sugars, for example.

According to a paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller at the University of Sydney and colleagues, there have been no clinical trials comparing the effects of glycemic index and high-protein diets on weight loss and cardiovascular risk.

They therefore conducted a trial in which 129 overweight subjects ages 18 to 40 were randomly assigned to one of four weight-loss diets for 12-week. All four diets were comprised of reduced fat (30 percent of total energy intake) and held daily calories to to1400 kcal for women and 1900 kcal for men.

The diets varied in target levels of carbohydrates, proteins, and glycemic load (i.e., glycemic index multiplied by the amount of carbohydrate, divided by 100) as follows:

Diet 1: carbohydrates comprise 55 percent of total energy intake, protein 15 percent of total energy intake, high glycemic load (127 g)

Diet 2: similar to diet 1 except a lower glycemic load (75 g)

Diet 3: protein comprises 25 percent total energy intake (based on lean red meat), carbohydrate reduced to 45 percent total energy of intake, and high glycemic load (87 g)

Diet 4: Similar to diet 3, except low glycemic load (54 g).

Brand-Miller and her team report that the diets resulted in similar reductions in weight (4.2 percent to 6.2 percent of body weight), fat mass and waist circumference.

However, in the high-carbohydrate diets, lowering the glycemic load doubled the fat loss.
The investigators also found that total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels increased with diet 3 and decreased in diet 2.

"In the short term, our findings suggest that dietary glycemic load, and not just overall energy intake, influences weight loss," the team concludes.

In a related editorial, Dr. Simin Liu, from the University of California in Los Angeles, points out that "foods with a low degree of starch gelatinization, such as pasta, and those containing a high level of viscous soluble fiber, such as whole grain barley, oats, and rye, have slower rates of digestion and lower glycemic index values."

Therefore, the commentator continues, "Without any drastic change in regular dietary habits, one can simply replace high glycemic index grains with low glycemic index grains and starchy vegetables with less starchy ones and cut down on soft drinks that are often poor in nutrients yet high in glycemic load."

By Archives of Internal Medicine, July 24, 2006.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

So what is a healthy diet?

What is a healthy diet? Most people don't know, not because they're ignorant or don't care - it's because they're confused. There is so much conflicting advice about diet and nutrition, who can blame us when we throw in the towel and eat pizza?

You may hear much conflicting advice and confusing information, but actually, hidden away among the self-serving propaganda of a lot of the food industry - and even the nutritional supplement industry - there are very clear guidelines for healthy eating.

After years of research and campaigning, there are finally official and nutritionally sound guidelines for a good diet.

The message is plain: a low saturated fat, moderate protein, low simple-carbohydrate, high complex-carbohydrate diet is the way to go.

Stated simply, the golden rules for a healthy diet are:

  • Avoid stimulants such as sugar, coffee, tea and cigarettes, and limit alcohol.
  • Avoid saturated (animal) fats and especially hydrogenated (processed) fats.
  • Avoid simple (refined) carbohydrates, including white bread, biscuits, cakes and other processed foods.
  • Avoid unnatural additives, flavourings and preservatives.
  • Eat more beans, lentils, seeds, nuts and wholegrains.
  • Eat more vegetables, raw or lightly cooked (steaming is best).
  • Eat several servings of fresh fruit every day.
  • Eat oily fish several times a week.
  • Whenever possible eat organically-grown, natural, unprocessed foods.
  • Drink plenty of filtered water.
  • Avoid these poisonous items in your diet and medications: aspartame, ritalin, Prozac, fluorinated water, vaccinations.

Alongside regular exercise, this works for weight loss but more importantly it's the cornerstone of optimum nutrition - an approach to diet and health that says food can be both pleasure and medicine, and that diet has a crucial role to play in disease prevention and longer, healthier living.

Many people would like to believe that as long as they take their vitamin supplements they can keep eating all the "bad" foods they desire.

But you can't rely simply on supplements; a well-planned, varied diet is essential.

Of course it is good to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. But this is only one criterion. Good food should also be low in saturated fat, salt and fast-releasing sugars, and high in fiber.

Alkaline-forming foods (foods high in calcium, magnesium and potassium) are preferable - such as all fruit and vegetables, millet, seeds, almonds, brazils, herb teas, yoghurt, bean sprouts. These help to buffer the acids that result from the metabolism of proteins, refined foods and stimulants. Such a diet will also be low in calories.

And to further help keep your weight in check, eat earlier in the day, rather than later when the metabolism slows down. And of course, equally important is to exercise every day.

By http://www.trans4mind.com/

Thursday, July 20, 2006

8 Proven Weight Loss Tips

There are however some proven tried and true weight loss tips for aiding in the weight loss process, and I can make you familiar with them.

Weight Loss Tip 1
Don't skip breakfast. Whatever you do follow this advice, because otherwise you are much more likely in fact prone to binge later in the day.

Weight Loss Tip 2
Don't eat anything for at least an hour before going to bed.

Weight Loss Tip 3
Don't snack while watching TV. It's acceptable to eat a meal while watching television, but never is snacking at this time acceptable.

Weight Loss Tip 4
Substitute fruits like; bananas, watermelon, plums, peaches, and oranges for sugary treats like; cookies and candy.

Weight Loss Tip 5
Substitute honey for sugar, and carob powder for chocolate in all recipes. These taste just as good if not better when used properly.

Weight Loss Tip 6
Eat more vegetables. This can even be enjoyable if you have a good cookbook like Good housekeeping's latest edition.

Weight Loss Tip 7
Avoid unnecessary high calorie foods. Instead of a high calorie salad dressing for instance try cottage cheese or yogurt to improve the salads taste and peel of the pounds.

Weight Loss Tip 8
Exercise at least a half hour each day for five days out of the week. Biking on a stationery bike while reading is a great form of exercise to slim legs.

In conclusion there is nothing stopping you from losing weight except yourself. Get off the "I can't do anything about my weight problem" bandwagon and start dropping pounds today!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

10 Tips for Parents Concerned About Childhood Obesity

1. Try a healthy focus on reducing sugar and increasing calcium with non- or low-fat dairy products. (Not only is getting plenty of calcium important to growing kids' development, it's also been shown in recent years to help in weight management.)

2. It's no easier for kids to make the right choices than adults. Commercials tout the latest sugar-laden treats; any student with a little change in her pocket is at the mercy of al smorgasbord of snacks via on-campus vending machines. The best thing you can do is instill healthier eating habits at home from the start. Long held-to habits will stick with her when she walks out the door.

3. Family participation is crucial so that your child doesn't feel singled out or deprived. When you first begin making changes (e.g. two small cookies instead of three large ones), it's important to show you can do the same thing by keeping tabs on your own portions as well as food choices. How would you feel if someone at work ate your favorite sweet treat in front of you the day you started your new diet? Nothing's worse than seeing someone else eat foods you enjoy when you can't have them! So, for example, the whole clan can switch to sherbet for dessert instead of ice cream.

4. One of the easiest ways for the whole family to watch their portions is to banish serving dishes for the kitchen. By having them on the table, you're virtually inviting everyone to give in to seconds whether they're still hungry or not. (Who can say no when that second dollop of mashed potatoes is so easily within reach?)

5. A fun way for children to get involved in eating more healthfully is to browse the produce aisle with you. A star fruit looks awfully interesting if you've never seen one before; a kiwi fruit has fur! A visit to the grocer may prompt your child to try new healthy foods without your even asking and with any luck, they'll become a favorite.

6. There are some sneaky ways to decrease the fat and sugar children consume. Examples? Many cereal brands now offer reduced-sugar versions; you can "water down" fruit juice with seltzer; and low-fat cheese is much more palatable than it used to be as are other reduced-fat products like mayo.

7. Soup is always a kid favorite and it can be employed to help curb your child's appetite if she tends to eat too much. A cup of broth-based soup makes a great afternoon snack or appetizer and will help her not overeat at mealtime.

8. Limit the areas in the house where food is allowed. When snack foods walk away to the bedroom, the computer, or in front of the television, portions can all to easily multiply. Make a new rule that anyone eating in the house needs to stay in the kitchen.

9. Mini goals are ideal for children -- and adults, for that matter -- who want to lose weight. For instance, instead of forbidding sweets after school entirely, ask your child if she will eat fruit instead of a cookie just one day a week to start with. Small changes will add up in time and are much easier to adjust to (and stick to) than more drastic ones.

10. Be sure to ask your pediatrician about your child's weight before you significantly modify her diet. He can tell you if she truly is overweight and what her healthy weight is. If you need a little help, don't be afraid to ask. There may be a dietitian, nutritionist or counselor available to provide additional advice and plan meals. There are also specially-designed weight loss programs for kids, such as The Shapedown Program (shapedown.com).

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Hoodithin for Weight Loss

Does Hoodia really work for weight loss?

Instead of asking yourself this question, try to look at it like this. Does Hoodithin really help make weight loss easier and more enjoyable? Absolutely!

Hoodia is the #1 appetite suppressant in America helping thousands of people controlling their hunger cravings throughout the day for better results than ever before. Not only is it the #1 weight loss diet product in America, it is believed to be the fastest and most effective weight loss supplement available in the world!

Hoodia will have you feeling fuller faster and longer with no side effects making dieting a breeze. What an example? In a 15 day study, a group of people that took Hoodia reduce their food in take by 1,000 calories while not even feeling hungry. No wonder it was featured on Oprah, MSNBC, CBS the Today Show, 60 Minutes, and the BBC.

So what is Hoodia?

If you haven’t heard of Hoodia yet, you soon will because it is being touted as the new miracle supplement for safe, effective weight loss. Hoodia gordonii, (Hoodia) is the botanical name for a cactus like plant that grows in Southern Africa. Scientists have recently isolated several compounds in this amazing plant that are responsible for dramatic weight loss. This all-natural appetite suppressant is also being applauded for containing no dangerous stimulants that caused adverse side effects associated with weight loss products of the last decade.

Basically, how does Hoodia work?

It basically tricks the brain into thinking that you’re full. The chemical constituents in Hoodia work within the satiety center by releasing a chemical compound similar to glucose but much stronger. The hypothalamus in the brain receives this signal as an indication that enough food has been consumed and this in turn stunts the appetite.


Hoodithin Facts:

1) Pure Hoodithin is 100% All Natural. Hoodithin is not a drug. If you buy the right kind it will work. You will eat less, feel full, not be hungry as often, and lose weight.
2) Pure Hoodithin is Caffeine, Ephedra and Stimulant free.
3) EVERY clinical case has shown people have been able to reduce their calorie intake by 900 to 1,100 calories daily. This is enough for most people to lose a pound every three-four days.
4) Hoodithin has no known side effects, no heart racing like you get from ephedra
5) Helps you lose weight naturally by suppressing appetite and allowing for comfortable normal feeling calorie reduction.
6) There are 13 species of Hoodithin which are native to Southern Africa but ONLY ONE variety - the "Gordonii" has the needed natural ingredients for weight loss.
7) If you purchase the cheap imitation products sold by people out of their garage that you see on EBAY, and in the Google and Yahoo ads you will NOT have the results shown on the Personal Diet Results pages. Folks I have been through this over and over - read about the nineteen companies that have sent me Hoodithin Gordonii Cactus products to test and how only a couple of them really work.
8) Rats, a species that will eat anything from meat and plants to indigestible fiber, lowered their dietary calorie intake to a degree that made them get thin when fed comparative amounts of hoodoo.
9) Hoodithin is the most effective plant ever found for reducing your appetite
10) Laboratory experiments show animals automatically restrict their food intake when taking hoodithin orally.
11) Hoodithin effects the central nervous system by exhibiting powerful feelings for weight control, where changing your behavior reduces caloric intake.
12) Multiple scientific studies prove effectiveness.
13) The active ingredient called P57 is patented.

My personal experience: I ordered my first dosage of Hoodithin awhile ago and began taking it right away. After taking Hoodia for the first night I noticed an incredible difference as almost all my hunger cravings had vanished. The plant is so strong it even takes away your thirst, so make sure and drink lots of water!

For a month I took Hoodia and people thought I was starving myself but I was never hungry. It felt great not being controlled by stomach pains the whole time while dieting, and made sticking to healthy eating habits easier than ever.

After hearing of so many people making so many mistakes and losing so much money on the wrong weight loss programs and diet products, I decided to provide this free information to the public. Hoodithin is not a fat burner but does exactly what you will need to overcome hungry cravings, and sticking to a healthy eating plan.

It really does take away your appetite and works wonders for giving you a great start with basic fasting. The first time I took Hoodia, I was able to eat 1,000 calories less than I normally did with no annoying hunger cravings that can absolutely make your life miserable.

I was able to do this because I use to eat out of habit, so I thought about eating but I wasn't actually hungry. As for discomfort - NO HUNGER pains. Reaching my body fat goals is finally becoming a reality as I am closing in on the 6% mark. With Hoodithin as a lifesaver on eliminating hunger cravings, healthy eating habits, and moderate exercise weight loss could never be easier.

Weight Loss Hidden Secrets

Jared Wash
CPT, CN

Today’s society surrounds the media with the newest weight loss program, supplement, and solution that leaves them right where they began. But they make millions of dollars so why they people seeking weight loss the truth? There is absolutely no need too.

Ever since I became so passionate about health, fitness, and nutrition all my research, training, and experimenting has proven several weight loss tips, tricks, and flat out common sense methods for losing weight that are incredible.

1) Eat Breakfast

With people’s busy schedules and not enough time in the mornings, breakfast becomes a low priority and often never eating. If you are serious about reaching your weight loss goals than eating a healthy breakfast is vital.

Think of breakfast as a jumpstart to your metabolism, and it was proven that people who eat a healthy breakfast are energized throughout the day, burn more calories, and controls late night eating binges. In fact, they believe people that don’t eat breakfast only burn 2/3 the calories they would normally burn if they ate breakfast.

2) Weight Training

The reason I use the phrase “weight training,” is because it defines using heavier weight to tax your body. By taxing your body to a certain point it helps you build lean muscle tissue that tone and slims your body for over all incredible weight loss results.

Most women and some men fear using weights as they fear getting bulky. But actually it should be the least of their worries. Depending on their body type it is very hard to gain a large amount of muscle, and most gains will be lean muscle that will benefit them more than they could imagine.

Just think that every pound of muscle you have on your body take 50 calories a day to maintain it, so the leaner muscle you have the more calories you burn in a day. Another interesting fact about weight training is that your body will have an after burn up to 78 hours after your last workout.

Again, by taxing your body to a certain point your resting metabolic rate (RMR) will increase while you are sitting or even sleeping. That's around 18,250 calories a year, and almost 5 1/2 pounds of fat for doing nothing. And, that's only one pound! Increasing lean body mass is important as people in their mid 20's lose 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of lean body mass a year. Just one more thing that should motivate you to use weights is using weights burns calories up to 72 hours after the workout. Resistance training is a must when learning how to lose weight quickly, and remember you are never too old.

3) Sleep

Some people ask me why sleep is important for weight loss? I must say when learning how to lose weight quickly, sleep is more vital than ever to relieve stress, have energy, and loss weight.

Sleep loss is shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite leading you to feeling hungry and storing fat around your abdomen area. Not only that, but loss of sleep enables your body to metabolize carbohydrates resulting in excess sugar that develops insulin resistance and long story short; your carbohydrates turn into fat. To avoid these side affects it is recommended that you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

“Wow, I won’t have enough time in the day to get stuff done.” Now, instead of thinking about the length of sleep, think more about the quality of sleep. If I got 8 hours of sleep a day my life during the day would be crazy as I would have so much to do and so little time to get it done in. And here’s the solution. I have discovered a way that left me more energized, better workouts while getting 1-3 hours less sleep. I use to rely on caffeinated drinks to get me through the day but now I have more energy than ever.

4) Cycling 5-6 Meals A Day

Now, this lesson on how to lose weight quickly on eating 5 to 6 meals a day does not mean you can eat whatever you want, not at all. Eating frequent meals and snacks keeps your metabolism burning at a much higher rate than people that only eat 3, 2 or even only 1 meals a day.

Think about this for a second…

Every time you eat your body produces heat and the heat accelerates your metabolism as it's breaking down your food. After digesting the food your body dips into your fat storages burning fat for energy. Eating smaller meals more frequently will have your body dipping into your fat storages a lot more aiding in weight loss. Not only that but keeping your body away from high blood sugar levels limiting fat storage.

Want to learn more on how to lose weight quickly? That is where cycling comes into play. Mostly, calorie cycling is having high days and low days and not keeping your calorie intake the same. What I have learned and what has worked best for me is cycling the carbs and keeping your protein and fat intake the same. Having high and low days with carbohydrates increases your metabolism while burning calories and staying elevated on low days. Just remember that your metabolism try' s to maintain your homeostasis meaning a resting metabolic rate, and keeping thing the same so by cycling your calories your metabolism has to keep guessing resulting in more calories burned while doing nothing.

5) Drink Water

Most people know that our bodies consist of mostly water and to be exact about 80% water. Then why don’t we base our fluids on drinking mostly water as it is very important in this lesson on how to lose weight quickly? One of the myths that I have heard lately is that water will make you bloat up and gain weight.

First, the only weight you should be trying to lose is fat and second, water does not make you bloat up it actually helps flush out your system of all the toxins and helps lubricates your joints. If you do not get enough water yes you will lose weight. But the weight you will lose is water and muscle that will slow down your metabolism, dehydration occurs and fat just piles right on your body. When you drink enough water your body is able to do all its function and aids in burning that unwanted fat.

Try to drink at least ten 8 ounce glasses of water every day and limit your caffeinated and favored liquids that you love so much for awhile. Another tip on how to lose weight quickly is to try drinking a glass or two when you wake up as it will prepare your body for the day ahead of fat burning. Or what I found that worked was going between drinking cold water and hot water to make your body burn more calories to keep your body temperature changing. But that a little excessive so just try to increase your water in take.

If it’s hard for you to limit your other liquids and drink mostly water just do the best you can and remember every thing the water is doing for you.

I hope you enjoyed this article and good luck!

Maximum Morning Fat Burn

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

The question, “on is morning cardio really the absolute best time to burn fat” has become a major research topic for bodybuilders, fitness experts, and people seeking weight loss. Morning cardio is not only known for burning more percentage of fat but for keeping the metabolism firing all throughout the day.

This debate and theory has gone back and forth but finally scientist have come up with strong evidence why and how doing cardio in the morning before breakfast is more effective on burning fat for over all weight loss.

On the other hand many believe strongly that as long as you burn more calories than you consume in a day than when you exercise does not make a difference.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should only do cardio in the morning and not any other time in the day as many people are every busy in the morning. I recommend for weight loss that exercising anytime that works for you is the best. The reason I recommend doing your cardio in the morning is that it is believed to burn 3 times more fat, keeps your metabolism high all day, and is the best anti suppressant to eliminate your hunger cravings.

Research by scientist on morning cardio has strong arguments on:

1. Doing cardio after an 8-12 hour overnight fast right when waking up in the morning, our body’s glycogen storages are mostly depleted. In this state when doing morning cardio our bodies are forced to use mostly fat because our glycogen storages are depleted.
2. When eating insulin is released this interferes from our body using fat for energy. In the morning, insulin is limited leading to more body fat than calories from food are being burned when doing cardio.
3. If you don’t know already carbohydrates when broken down are turned into glucose, so having less glucose floating around in your blood stream will lead you to burn more fat than glucose for weight loss.
4. When eating right before a workout, burning off all those calories you just ate will be your body’s number one priority before burning body fat.
5. Doing cardio in the morning is by far the absolute the best way to keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day. When cardio is done in the evening, calories are burned during the exercise, but sorry to say it does not take advantage of the “after burn” as when you go to sleep your metabolism drop dramatically.

Scientist has proven these additional benefits from morning cardio:

1. Feeling great all day caused by the releasing mood-enhancing endorphins.
2. Energized and a great way to wake you up.
3. Depressing your appetite for the whole day.
4. Morning cardio helps our circadian rhythm making it easier to wake up in the morning at the same time.
5. When exercise is done early in the day, people are less likely to skip the workout as being tired after work, and friends can distract you leading you missing workouts.
6. Making time for exercise is as easy as setting your alarm earlier in the morning.
7. Increasing metabolism rate throughout the day to burn fat all day long
For a lot of people the trouble is starting out and staying motivated so beginning with 30 minute to 1 hour sessions in the morning three times a week is an excellent way to start out. Just remember that you are burning 3x more fat and once you are finished the rest of the day is yours.

Exercise is an excellent stress release that makes life a whole lot more enjoyable with out feeling stressed out, and tired 24/7.

Last tips for more the most fat in less time is by doing the “HITT” program. The HITT program is done with high and low intensity like sprinting for 50 yards as hard as you can and walking for 20 yards than repeating. It can also be done on a stair climber, treadmill, bike, etc. This type of exercise will burn more fat in less time and will keep your heart rate higher leading to more calories burned.

Doing morning cardio does not only benefit body builders and fitness professionals but to everyone that wants to take advantage of exercise for weight loss or just a healthy life. This theory on morning cardio has not been 100% proven but the results people have received are incredible, and speak for themselves.

Make the most out of your workouts for better weight loss results.

Glycemic Index for Weight Loss

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

The glycemic index was created 1981 especially for diabetics to maintain and stabilize blood sugar levels but has exploded into a very popular weight loss solution. The glycemic index for weight loss has made an impact on diets, books, and thousands of people life styles with nutrition throughout the world and I believe it is just the beginning.

Traditionally, carbohydrates are known as simple or complex. Foods high in sugar, such as chocolate, fruit or cakes are classed as simple carbohydrates. Scientists used to think these foods were quickly digested, leading to a rapid rise in blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice and pasta are supposed to break down more slowly, producing a gradual rise in blood sugar.

Several facts on the glycemic index:

1. The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.
2. High glycemic index foods release glucose into the bloodstream very quickly which causes blood sugar levels to rise at a rapid rate. On the other hand, low glycemic index foods release glucose at a more steadily rate over a period of time. This helps to keep blood sugar levels relatively calm, and insulin spikes limited.
3. Pure glucose ranks 100 on the glycemic index and all other foods are ranked in relation to glucose.
4. High ranked foods on the glycemic index consist of ice cream, croissants, raisins and other dried fruit, bananas, carrots and watermelon. Moderate ranked foods on the glycemic index (45-60) include most types of pasta, baked beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, orange juice, blueberries and rice. Low ranked foods on the glycemic index foods (under 45) include beans, cruciferous vegetables and high-fiber, low-sugar cereals, low-fat unsweetened plain yogurt, grapefruit, apples and tomatoes.
5. It remains a very useful comparative indicator of how quickly foods are absorbed into the bloodstream but not 100% accurate.

Many drawbacks on the glycemic index are when foods are combined, and high fatty foods. The American Diabetes Association (ADA), states that it is useless when foods are combined as they are digested at different rates. An example would be a peanut butter and jam sand witch. The glycemic rating does not matter as the peanut butter has a low glycemic rate and the jam has a high glycemic rate. When these are combined the peanut butter will slow down the digestion of the jam making the digestion slower than usual.

I do believe that high glycemic foods leave you hungry sooner increasing your food intake for the day on most occasions.

The theory and direction of the glycemic index doesn’t consist of:

1. Calories don’t matter.This flaw with GI is that the index does not take into account calories consumption, which is the most important factor for weight loss.
2. Portion size doesn’t matter.The GI of a food is independent of portion size. In almost all cases if you eat large quantities of food you will gain weight.
3. GI can be useful for diabetics, but only for single foods.Since diabetics require control of their blood sugar level, diabetics should avoid high GI foods if they are not in combination with other lower GI foods.

It's almost impossible to work out how any given food at any given time is going to behave in your body, unless you take blood sugar readings before and after eating.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with following a low glycemic index diet. Foods with a low glycemic index tend to have a low energy density. They're also rich in fiber, and contain phytochemicals that have important health benefits.

However, the most important part of any diet designed for weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you burn. The glycemic index can make planning your diet a lot more complicated and time-consuming than it needs to be.

Bottom Line: Don't judge a food only by is GI value -- it doesn't tell you everything about what a food offers. The best thing to do to control your weight and blood sugar is to eat lots of fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with small amounts of healthy fats, such as nuts and olive oil. Also, watch how much you eat -- if your portions are too big, you will gain weight, whether you're eating low or high GI foods. And be sure to exercise as often as you can -- being active helps to control our weight and our blood sugar at the same time.

Why Can’t I Lose Weight

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

Eating Too Much
I am a strong believer in sound nutrition and preach that nutrition is not just how much you eat but when, what, and why? These three words determine if you lose weight or gain weight. Let’s break them down.

When, What, and Why? Eating at certain periods in the day is crucial for healthy nutrition and satisfying weight loss. For starters, the two most important meals of the day are breakfast and dinner. These to meals are the jump start and hibernating factors of your metabolism. Eating a big breakfast will ensure you are burning calories all day while elevating your metabolism as much as possible without exercise. Dinner is the hibernating factor as it should be your last meal of the day and I might add the smallest one too.

You have two choices on what your dinner will do for you. If you eat a low carb, low fat, and high protein meal your metabolism will most likely burn fat throughout the night while you are sleeping. If you eat a high card and calorie dinner your metabolism will do it’s best to try burning all those calories you just ate before you go to bed but most often they will go straight to your fat storages.

Do have your body turning your food you ate during the day to fat while you sleep. Instead, force your body to burn fat all day and all night long.

Not Eating Enough
Not eating enough calories will decrease the amount of calories your body burns during the day by itself that also indicated having a slower metabolism. Personally, when someone tells me they want to lose weight while only eating 1200 calorie or less per day diet automatically has me saying in my head that it is a sure-fire way to ensure that they don't lose a pound. Determining the right amount of calories to consume for weight loss is very important, and is the most effective method for losing weight.

Exercise Is Not Efficient
I don’t like to step on anybody’s feet on this section but most people don’t know how to exercise that will actually give them results. I love to see people walking around town with friends and family or doing lap swim at the city pool as they are having fun while exercising. On the other hand; if your goal is to lose weight as fast as possible, than just walking is not effective enough for your desired results.

I’m not saying you have to go through hell but a little intensity is the key for success. Besides encouraging you to increase the physical activity in your daily life, your workouts should consist of weight training and cardio.

Depending if you are going to workout 3, 4, 5, etc. days in a week, remember that you only have to be in the gym no longer than hour when you increase your intensity. Some simple tips for increasing your intensity are super sets in the weight room to lift more in less time. Another tip is lifting the appropriate weight, so if your going to lift around 15-20 reps than your muscle should be burning between 15-20. Keep shorter rest periods as this will keep your heart rate up, and your fat burning accelerated.

There is so much more you can do to get more out of your workouts, and if you want the best results I recommend the #1 natural bodybuilder Tom Venuto's book, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.”

Diet Is Not Efficient
Even if you take the time and motivate yourself to increase your exercise, you must consider cleaning up your diet for the determining factor that it makes up 80% for losing weight. Healthy eating consist of eating balanced meals, eating the right portions at the right times, and one of the most important, the right foods at the right times.

Some simple tips are to consume more fruits and vegetables while making sure to eat a heart healthy breakfast to jump start your day. I recommend increasing daily protein in take as it speed up the metabolism 35% more than carbohydrates and fats, and is less likely to be stored as fat. Another tip that should follow this one is to consume enough water during the day to keep your body hydrated and can also help decrease your hunger cravings.

A few tips I am going to leave you with are eating less-processed foods, stick with whole grain carbs, and purchase extra low fat ground beef/steak so the fat in take is not excessive. Your day should consist of more carbs in the morning and decreasing throughout the day till dinner that should be low carb and high protein.

Don’t cut yourself short of your weight loss goals with poor eating.

“Eating clean makes your body adjusts to being lean.”


Too Much Stress
Having too much stress in your life can make weight loss seem impossible and it’s not all your fault. When you are stress your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This stress hormone regulates blood sugar, energy production, inflammation, and healing. Too little of cortisol can leave you fatigue and basically feeling like crap. If that’s not bad enough, if you have to much cortisol your body mobilizes the energy into mostly fat making weight gain every easy. There are many types of form of stress but let me list out some ways to decrease this effect.

Get enough sleep preferably 6-8 hours
Eat a balanced diet
Exercise regularly to relieve stress
Take 30 minutes and do something relaxing
Drink mostly water and decrease consumption of caffeinated beverages

We all have every busy lives and stress is one of the things that many people don’t think of when they can’t seem to lose any weight. Life is too short to be stressed out all the time, so give it your best shot and good luck.

Weight Loss Done Wrong!

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

If you have tried continuously to lose weight and have failed, you must know that there are several simple but powerful factors that could have been holding you back.

To start off I will mention a little basic knowledge here. Each pound of fat on our body has 3500 calories in it, so for each pound of fat you want to lose you must burn 3500 calories. That is burning an extra 500 calories a day for a week just to lose one pound of fat.

It is recommend that losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week for weight loss but that mean you would have to burn an extra 1000 calories a day.

This may sound like a lot but it can easily be achieved if you educated yourself, learn some weight loss tips, and stay away from these dead ends.

One thing I notice a lot is when people seek no guide ness and usually decreasing their calorie intake dramatically in their diet. To them it makes sense that the more calories they limit the more fat they will lose. Wrong!

If you decrease your calories too much it will cause your body in a starvation mode and force your body to store fat and burn muscle for energy. Not only that, your metabolism will plummet and one of your biggest sources in burning fat will be gone.

Another mistake I see is people eliminating a food source like low-carb, low-protein or low-fat diets. Each one of these food sources are needed by the body and continuous weight loss with any of these diets is impossible. Diets are not the problem as a diet is any thing a person eat, but a conventional diet like the Atkins diet made to trick the body into losing weight may be successful at first but most likely people end up heavier and doing harm to their body.

Weight loss without exercise. If you really want to lose 1-2 pounds a week without exercise good luck and prepare you for failure. Exercise not only burns fat, it also can act like a food depressant eliminating any disturbing food urges. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, increases your energy levels, adds muscle tone, decreases stress and strengthens your heart. Even though nutrition is 70 percent of weight loss, exercise is the factor that will make you or break you in losing weight.

Straddling the fence. Not being fully committed to your plan and cheating, bending the rules or only giving 50 percent dedication on your goals. If you’re not willing to give up a couple things or losing weight is just not that important to you and not a priority. First, I would ask yourself why you want to lose weight and if you’re not serious about it be happy with yourself as you are because losing weight at half speed always ends up disappointing.

Now I’d like to begin my talk about the first factor, exercise, with a little hand raising exercise. Most of you already know that a reasonable amount of exercise, on a regular basis, is a healthy thing for us to do.

This information should come as no surprise because the fact that exercise is good for us is commonly understood by most adults living in the United States today. However, not all of us are able to perform regular exercise. Our time and energies are constrained by the responsibilities in our lives. For example, have the responsibilities in your life ever STOPPED YOU from practicing exercise on a regular basis?

This failure to exercise is completely understandable because many of us have perfectly good reasons why can’t exercise. Two of the most common reasons that I have heard and experienced are:

- I simply don’t have enough time in the day to exercise, or
- I have health challenges that prevent me from exercising.

If you, or any of your friends, are using these reasons not to exercise, I am going to share with you, a piece of information that has allowed me and an exceptional few other people to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Now I’ve been running, biking, and lifting weights 2-6 times almost every week consistently for about 17 years, and I only discovered this strange technique just a few months ago, while listening to a lecture by the world class gymnast and author of ‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior”, Dan Millman.

Dan said, “the way all of us can exercise every single day is to wake up every morning, get out of bed, and do ONE jumping jack!” Now, of course, it doesn’t have to be a jumping jack. It can be anything! For example, I was just looking at Bank of America’s new health website, and they had an exercise on there that I believe about 95% of the people on this planet can do…

It was close your eyes really hard, and flex your lip and jaw muscles by pursing them together, like this… (close eyes, purse lips and jaw) At first I thought, what good can such a small amount of exercise do anyone? But then I realized, that the most important GOOD it does, is that is creates a certain mind set, a certain habit, a time dedicated every single day to bettering ourselves with exercise. And as our time, and energy, and ability allow, we can increase that one jumping jack, to 2 jumping jacks, or 10, or 20. Again, it doesn’t matter WHAT exercise you choose, just be sure to do it every single day, then INCREASE it when you can. Now because of this information, the next time someone asks you if you perform regular exercise, you can say, “As a matter of fact! I exercise every single day!”

Now I would like to talk about the 2nd fitness factor… Eating healthy foods and supplementing if necessary in diets. Now materialistically speaking… You and I have been given the greatest gift in the world! We have been given a body with which our souls can use to consciously experience life! And if we are lucky enough to have a fully functioning brain. And if we lucky enough to be able to decide HOW we want to treat our brain and our body… Why would we want to tarnish this incredible gift by feeding it full of foods that accelerate our body’s degradation? Foods that accelerate our mental decline.

Well that’s exactly what we do, when we eat foods with little or no nutritional value, and foods composed primarily of refined sugars. Our body is a very complex biological mechanism, and if we want to give it the nutrition it needs to function with absolute optimal performance, we need to seek the advice of experts. We need to talk to or read books written by appropriately trained physicians or nutritionists. Then we need to get a second option, and talk to another expert or read another book. Then get a 3rd opinion and continue to learn how feed our body, and how to care for it properly.

Now, you don’t have to wait until you talk to a physician or read a book to start eating healthy. You can simply use your COMMON SENSE to start eating healthy today!! Eat more vegetables, eat more nuts and whole grains, eat more fresh fruit, and if mixed with exercise, eat more meat, fish, and real cheese. Not processed cheese foods, like cheese-wiz, or American cheese in those little plastic wrappers, those are actually quite bad for you. Now if you decide to eat healthy, and exercise regularly, keep in mind that fitness can only be achieved if you add the final ingredient, the 3rd factor, persistence over time.

And, if you persist, I promise you that, in time.

You will be able to look in mirror and feel proud.

You will be able look back at your accomplishment and dedication and feel proud.
And with the additional clarity and focus you have gained from the additional oxygen and circulation that you have given to your brain, you will be able to strategically share this information to help your children, and to help your family, and to help your friends to feel just as proud as you will.

This in one of the things that annoys me the most is hearing people say they have tried everything and they want to lose weight so bad but they do nothing or fail because they did it wrong. If you are serious about losing weight, make the commitment and do something.

Quick weight loss is not difficult, if you educate yourself and stay away from all the fad diets that are advertised, you will too be able to experience a whole new world to nutrition, exercise and healthy living.

Link Between Diet Pop and Obesity!

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

I’m sure everyone has heard this argument before but I believe it has ever been completely resolved. Diet pop is known for being a healthy weight loss drink when really there isn’t any proof that it is healthier and better for weight loss than regular pop. So is diet pop bad for you?

The University of Texas Health Science Center over went an 8 years study with over 1,550 people of all backgrounds, body types etc. to find out if there is a link between diet pop and obesity.

In their study, they learned that people that drink diet pop have a 41% increase risk in being overweight for every pop a person consumes each day. But what was more appealing was that people who drink diet pop had a 67% chance of being overweight when people drink regular pop they only had a 47% chance of being overweight.

So for regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

· 26 percent for up to 1/2 can each day
· 30.4 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
· 32.8 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
· 47.2 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

· 36.5 percent for up to 1/2 can each day
· 40.1 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
· 57.3 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
· 66.7 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

Another interesting thing I have learned was consuming artificial sweeteners of any kind actually showed to increase people’s cravings for food. You can think of it kind of like this; your body thinks your giving it food but the artificial sweeteners are zero calories so it craves food to make up for your bodies hunger leading you to eat more than you would of before.

I always wonder does diet pop really make people gain weight or is it when people think their overweight they start drinking diet pop. I contacted one of my all time favorite fitness professionals to ask him this same question and to my surprise he had done research and an actual study with 100 people on diet vs. regular.

The study consisted of two groups of people having a group drink only regular pop, and the other group drink only diet pop for 3 straight months. After the 3 months a body composition test was taken and the result were unbelievable. The people average weight gain that drank only diet pop was around 3 pounds, and the people that drank regular pop only average about .5 pounds of gained weight.

I thought that was interesting.

Now, this does not mean you should drink regular pop and feel like it is healthier. Just remember, a small can of pop has around 50g carbohydrates, and might I add those 50g carbohydrates are very high fructose sugars. What does that mean? It means if you don’t burn off those sugars in 15 minutes they will go straight to fat.

My recommendation is to focus getting most of your liquids from water as we are around 75% water, and it control most of are bodily functions. If your goal being weight loss than having a well-balanced diet, and a good weight loss program is a great way to start but make sure you follow a true weight loss program that focusing on balanced eating.

Hopefully you enjoyed this article and I wish you a great day!

Fasting for Weight Loss or Not

By Jared Wash
Jared Wash CPT, CN


Reading hundreds of articles, reviews, and case studies has really pushed me to explain this huge fasting for weight loss method that thousands are turning to for their weight loss goals and improving their diets.

Fasting has become a very popular weight loss method that people are claiming they have lost 30-40 pounds in only a 30-day fast that is pretty incredible. Some even have dropped 3-4 pounds in a single day. Is fasting really the best weight loss solution or is it just another hype? Another important to ponder on is fasting healthy for our bodies, and can fasting give people long lasting weight loss? Well, let me explain this fasting for weight loss solution, and you will be able to determine for yourself if it is the right choice for you.

Fasting Being Successful!

Clearly, fasting is an effective way to lose unnecessary body fat, but once the fat has melted away restoring a youthful physique, how do we keep it off? Fasting is an exhilarating way to begin a healthy diet, excess body fat quickly drops, bathroom mirror nodding approval, maybe for the first time in years.

Overeating or eating too fast, feeding cravings and emotions not hunger, eating calorie-concentrated foods with lack of physical activity, all lead to unwanted weight-gain. Fasting I believe in my experiences builds self-control, and that control gives you a life without worry, and gilt that comes with many eating disorders.

Fasting comes in many forms like juicing, herbs, cleansing, fruits, supplements, etc. but the most popular would have to be juicing and herbs.


Side Effects of Fasting!

Side effects from fasting are unless the fast is very short term; you can end up with low energy, weakness and lightheadedness, without any significant weight loss. Furthermore, the absence of carbohydrates may lead to ketosis - a dangerous build up of ketones that pressurizes the kidneys. This is unhealthy and can be dangerous.

If you fast, you may drop pounds, but some of that weight will be muscle, and most of it will be water. You need to eat protein foods such as lean meat, eggs, low-fat or fat-free milk, or legumes (beans and peas), or you'll be thin and flabby, not thin and shapely.

Don’t fast for long periods of time as you double the workload of your kidneys and you train your body to preferentially store fat. Fasting has it’s pro and cons like everything in this world but going to long without a balanced diet can lead to you losing valuable fat burning enzymes which keeps our bodies in balance.

If you still want to go on a fast, here are some tips that will help you succeed.

Here are a few tips:

1. Prepare yourself for a fast by gradually tapering off of acid-forming aka "junk foods and commence to consuming raw and cooked fruits and veggies to begin a milder cleansing process as these items are the best intestinal brooms for the colon.
2. Every now and again, 3 hours after supper and say an hour or so before retiring to sleep, drink an herbal tea laxative such as "Smooth Move Herbal Tea" during this preparatory stage. 3. Drink 1-2 quarts of unflavored lemonade in the mornings to balance the chemical reactions within the body and to restore it to an alkaline state.
4. Be mentally prepared for the task ahead of fasting.
5. Take things a little easier while fasting or on a mono-diet of fruit.
6. Avoid using microwaves at all costs

Fasting With Great Benefits

1. Fasting to remove unnecessary weight the natural way, plus learning how to keep it off for the rest of your life (please note that half of all Fasting Center International clients, on seven continents, are not fasting to lose weight);

2. Fasting to remove the 5-to-10-lb. inner, toxic waste dump now polluting the average adult's cell, tissue and organ storage areas (chemical toxins, heavy metals, drugs, uneliminated metabolic wastes, excessive cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream, arterial plaque, intestinal parasites, etc.);

3. Fasting to regain the energy you may previously have enjoyed (perhaps when you were more athletic);

4. Fasting to elevate yourself out of the clouded consciousness most spend their entire life in (unwittingly), up into the stratosphere of human potential;

5. Fasting to heighten mental clarity and all your senses, allowing you to see your life's options in much clearer perspective, and then act upon them wisely;

6. Fasting to enhance your innate wisdom, spirituality, faith and human kindness, and

7. Fasting to move yourself back toward your life's birthright potential of optimal health, increasing your happiness and healing power as you scientifically reset your body's odometer and greatly enhance your quality of life!

When fasting, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons and not just to give you the edge on weight loss and reversing the anti aging process as our bodies are not made for it. Fasting can benefit our bodies when done right and with the right mind set. Fast to improve your control over your diet, and not just to conquer your weight loss goals.

Here are several more tips just that you might want to take a look at for developing a healthy body.

Several Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Life…

Increase the percentage of raw food in diet
- The number one thing you can do to extend health and vibrant living
is to increase raw food. Living food for a living body.
Eat natural unprocessed food
- Eat natural unprocessed whole grain foods and unrefined oils.
- Educate yourself on what is truly natural and what is often a
marketing ploy. Read the ingredients; do not be fooled by labels.
Eat when hungry
- Overeating taxes the body, stores fat, creates excessive mucus.
- Eat slowly and enjoy. Chew food well to assist digestion
- Feed the body, starve the cravings, and don’t feed depression.
Fasting for spiritual and physical cleansing
- Regular periods of detoxification and cleansing through juice fasting
or a raw food diet.
- Fasting can be a launching board to dietary change.
- A tranquil time of spiritual refreshment.
Exercise for mental and physical well being
- Exercise builds confidence and discipline.
- Cleansing the lymphatic system, increase metabolism for weight
management. Better circulation, strengthened lungs and heart.
- Improved appetite and less fear of the occasional indulgence.

Good luck and I wish you a happy and healthy life.

Dieting Basics – Weight Loss for Beginners

By Jared Wash
CPT, CN

The word “diet” has become defined as a mean for eliminating or limiting a certain foods sources in conventional diets today. The real definition simplified by my own words of diet is, “a prescribed selection of foods.” I believe strongly that this simple definition says everything about what a diet is unlike conventional diets have defined it.

Dieting is not starvation, tormenting, and in other words, a living hell! It can be as 1, 2, and 3.
As most people follow conventional diets, it is proven only 5% will actually lose weight and keep it off. But why only 5% succeed and other 95% fail? They did not follow these three steps.

1. Setting goals and methods of action.

Setting goals are not only for motivation but to give dieters a sense of direction on what they want to achieve. Some excellent question they should ask themselves and write on their goals sheet is what you want to accomplish, when do you want to reach these goals, how are you going to accomplish these goals, and why are they important?

Other question they should write down is why would they give up, what don’t you like about yourself, and when you reach your goals what we be different?

I recommend this to everyone that ask me to help them with some tips on how to stay motivated and the number one tips that does the best is taking pictures of yourself and putting them where you will see them every day.

No this is not a joke as a before and after picture are proven to keep people motivated and reaching for their goals.

In a nutshell, keep your goals sheet with your answers right by your pictures where you will see them every day to help keep you reaching for your goals.

2. Gain the knowledge needed.

Researching about healthy eating, weight loss, and exercise can become a struggle and risky with the health industry pointing you towards unnecessary weight loss supplement, diets, and exercise equipment.

Searching now for several years I have become fond of government site that give out a lot of free information, articles, and study’s that are trustworthy and I like to say, “the real thing.” I have made several weight loss websites available to you on my website for easy access to some of the best information online without having to research. Taking the time to learn about the basics of nutrition, exercise, and healthier living is the key towards success.

One of the best sources I believe and back up 100% is by Tom Venuto, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.” This e-book has become the best selling weight loss book online as its results speak for itself. If you are interested in this book you can review it at http://www.top-weightloss-site.com as I believe you should make decisions when you learn the truth for yourself instead of someone else telling you. I guarantee it is an excellent book.

3. Construct a exercise, eating, and daily planner.

When creating your exercise, eating, and daily planner you need to take several elements and into account. Some things you have to incorporate into your daily planner is the amount of time and money you have to delegate to your goals, fitness level, and schedule.

So let’s recall what the steps just where.

You wrote out your goals and what you want to achieve in how much time, with your questions and answers, and don’t forget about your before and after pictures where you will see them every day. Next, you seek the knowledge to take action correctly and to get maximum results with as less amount of time and money spent. Last, you created a daily planner that consist of your exercise and nutrition schedules and planners to keep track of what needs to be done to accomplish your desired results.

These three steps have been used over and over again with excellent results and I recommend you try it as well.

Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself on dieting and we hope you take advantage of my latest weight loss news, diets, and inspiration. Good Luck and God Bless!

HITT 4 Steps for Weight Loss

4 steps to Heavenly Training

By BFG http://www.admfitness.com/
Trainer (Environmental)

New to training????

The initial thoughts are to get the exercise plan drawn up and hit the gym and gain maximum results from your plan whether it be to burn calories and lose weight, build muscle or just improve your overall fitness.

But this is just one part of the story and also not the most important part. The primary decision is your goal.

Step 1 What is your goal?

It’s very hard to achieve the exact balance to build muscle and lose weight simultaneously you are often asking or employing methods that are counterproductive to each other and the goal.Have a plan/a target; its easy to adjust this as you go along but without one how can you measure your achievements? But you are what you eat.

Step 2 Know your diet

Does your calorific intake match your goals? How do I work this out? There are lots of links on this website that will help you identify what your basal metabolic rate is and what you need to eat to achieve your goals.

There are many different ways to skin a cat so you need to find the method that best suits your lifestyle.In its simplest form: if calories in < calories out then you will lose weight and vice versa but there are many variables and margin for error.

They not only help you to log, plan and identify your calorific intake they help you with identifying macro nutrient split macros: (carbohydrates, protein and fats) and even micro nutrient split (iron, zinc, potassium etc)

Step 3 Does your routine match your goals and is your calorific intake sufficient to achieve your objective?

Are you getting enough macros to suit your goals? If you are then supplementation is not needed. Many resources make you believe it’s a pre-requisite to training. Its not, they are as they say to supplement shortfalls or as an alternative to food or efficiency ie if when bulking in heavy excess its often hard to consume the value of calories in the form of foodstuffs.

Step 4 Water water everywhere.

Hydration is of paramount importance. Fact your body cant metabolise fat without it. Fact muscle is made up of 70% water. So know your water intake is sufficient to maintain hydration or even superhyrdated to achieve weight loss.

Common resources would state that 2litres per day is basic hydration but it depends on the individuals size etc. Basic "rule of thumb" for water requirements has long been -- weight in pound / 2 = oz. of water / day. Daily fluid requirements will vary with environmental conditions, clothing and exercise intensity and duration.

Typical water losses during exercise : 1 hour of weight training = 8 oz; 45 minutes of swimming = 10 oz, a softball game = 16 oz; 5 mile run = 24 oz, 45 minutes of full court basketball = 24 oz; bicycling for 1 hour = 33 oz. and a marathon = 116 oz.

And finally creatine: love it or hate it every one has their views and interpretations of the facts. Do your research and formulate your own opinion. But all the evidence and advice is the same for one group: "if you are an adolescent you should not consider creatine"

Most importantly......... It’s Evolution not Revolution make sure you revisit this often when you have achieved or are nearing your goals

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

By Rod Ferris B.A. CPT(YMCA, ACE), CPAFLA
http://www.myfit.ca

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training is the greatest way to burn fat for incredible weight loss by doing LESS cardio! HIIT is a VERY effective training technique used to decrease body fat, increase speed, increase VO2 Max and best of all: It requires 20 minutes of your time to workout!

How does HIIT work?

When you complete a cardiovascular session at an unvarying intensity for the duration of a workout your body enters a 'steady state'. This is a state at which your body has adapted itself to the speed you are going and conserves energy. When you complete HIIT you do not allow your body to enter this state and thus allow yourself to burn more total calories in less time. Also, HIIT training is performed at a high intensity which raises your heart rate faster and raises your metabolism longer after the workout.

To burn the most fat, why shouldn't I run at a slow steady pace for a long time?

Running for a while at a lower heart rate (60%) primarily uses fat as energy. If you train at 85% of your max heart rate you will burn more total calories and in the end: burn MORE fat.

How effective is HIIT for fat loss?

Some studies, such as one by Laval University, state that HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio helps subjects lose/burn nine times more fat than those who trained the traditional way. It makes you wonder why anyone told you to train at a slow pace for a long period of time!

How HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training Works

1. Pick any type of cardiovascular method (running, swimming, recumbent bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, etc).
2. Determine your Maximum Heart Rate or MHR. To do this take 220 – your age.
3. Wear a heart rate monitor (optional).
4 . Make sure you take some time to warm up to get your body temperature raised before you begin.
5 . Now begin your cardiovascular training at 75% MHR intensity for 30 seconds and then bring your intensity down to a slow dull pace for 90 seconds.
6. Repeat step 5 but bring your intensity up each time. Complete a total of 3-7 intervals in total. You'll be surprised with the results.

Can a beginner do HIIT?

Yes, a beginner can start HIIT but change the intensity to a lower level.

Is HIIT for everyone?

This type of training is very intense and should be cleared by your doctor before you begin. Make sure that you have a protein (preferably whey) and a carbohydrate drink after this type of training to keep your nitrogen balance 'positive' and to help with recovery.

Conclusion

High Intensity Interval Training is a miracle way to reduce your workout time and up your fat burning. One of the key advantages of HIIT is that it does not allow your body to adapt, so make sure to always change up the intensity and time.

Another type of training principle, such as Fartlek training, is just that. Fartlek training is a random time and intensity method of training and I believe is the future of ultimate fat loss. Be prepared for HIFT (High Intensity Fartlek Training) to hit the news stands in a few months.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

MyFoodPhone - The Cell Phone Diet

When you thought you would be safe to treat yourself to some sweets, your phone rings.

I came across another interesting coaching service by Sprint know as the "Cell-Phone Diet" for healthier nutrition from MyFoodPhone.

Well, I don't know what you think about this but I see many pros about this new service that could help people with weight loss and nutrition and healthier eating. On the other hand, the cons about this service would over rule I believe the pros and this is why:

  • First of all, eating healthier isn't that difficult if you take the time and learn the basics like at my weight loss site. Having something like this on your phone is on the lines of obsession with nutrition.
  • Second, many people complain that they don't have enough time to exercise and think about eating healthy. So why then would you have time to have this coach monitor your every meal when you don't even learn the basics on proper nutrition.
  • Third, the amount of imformation you would get from this service does not even comepare on what you can learn from a desent nutrition book or just researching online.

Have believe that some people would like to have some one monitor them and motivate them to clean up their eating habits and seeking your weight loss goals. But if I may say, a lot of recommended weight loss sites and blogs like mine I believe would be 300% more benificial for your time.

Good luck and God Bless...

Fitness Deadly 7 Sins

Is your body doing penance for your pride, envy and sloth? Here’s how to find redemption.


By Fitness Magazine


1Sin: Pride

You refuse to listen to your personal trainer or instructor

Experienced exercisers may think they know it all, from proper form to personal limits, but in the long run, this prevents them from maximizing their workouts while increasing the risk of injury and disaster.

Redemption: Get your money’s worth. When you’re taking a class, one of the most important things you’re getting is expertise. As long as the person has the right certifications and clearly understands your goals, she can and should provide you with tons of information.
A good instructor will also help you stay on top of new trends and techniques to help keep your routine fresh and fun.

2Sin: Envy

You covet your Pilates instructor’s legs.

The seemingly perfect bodies of celebrities, friends and instructors can be motivating in the short term, but if the admiration turns into jealously, it can take your focus away from what will give you the most success-concentrating on your own body and the workout you are doing. When you have any kind of negative emotion, you literally divert your energies away from making a positive change.

Redemption: Be realistic. If you are short and curvy, you will never be as long and lean as your instructor, no matter how many hours of Pilates you perform. Think about your own shape and what’s realistic to fine-tune. For a five foot-tall women with an average frame, 100 pounds is considered by some calculations to be an ideal weight, give or take as many as 10 pounds, depending on bone density and muscle mass.

Add five pounds to this baseline for every inch above that. A little self-affirmation doesn’t hurt either. Set a goal to think of at least three wonderful things about yourself during your workout. After a while, you won’t have to focus yourself to accentuate the positive; you’ll do it automatically.

3Sin: Gluttony

You think exercise will right all your diet and lifestyle wrongs.

Many people use exercise as an excuse to overindulge. But as healthy as exercise is, it’s not a panacea, and it certainly won’t undo bad-for-you behavior like drinking to excess, smoking or a poor diet. Plus, exercisers often overestimate how many calories they are burning, so they’re putting back on everything they’ve burned off and then some.

Redemption: Follow the 80-20 rule. Of your overall diet, 80 percent should consist of healthy foods. You can “cheat” a bit with the remaining 20 percent, but keep an eye on portion control. If you drink, do so in moderation. And smoking? Clearly not good, no matter what you’re doing in the gym.

4Sin: Lust

You’re drooling over your instructor or personal trainer.

Surprise! This infatuation can be motivating. In fact, knowing that going to your spin class will mean seeing that hot instructor in bike shorts can make showing up at the gym at 6 a.m. less of a chore.

Redemption: Keep it clean. There’s no harm in the occasional fantasy (or even if it becomes a reality between consenting adults). But don’t let your feelings keep you from the gym when you’re not looking your best or let them affect the way you do an exercise. And no matter how good-looking an instructor is, if he’s not helping you meet your goals, you have repeated injuries or it’s all flirting and no lunging, it’s time to break up.

5Sin: Anger

You get steamed anytime your friends outperform you.

A little healthy competition can inspire many people to try harder than they ordinarily would and achieve new goals. But if you find yourself getting irritated when your pals are better than you, or if you find yourself pushing yourself to the point of total exhaustion or injury just to win or even keep up, this competition is no longer healthy.

Redemption: Make your workouts all about you and your own results. Focus on your own progress rather that how you compare to others. Set realistic short- and long-term goals for yourself, such as completing a 10K race or performing three unassisted pull-ups, and keep a journal of your progress. Measure yourself against these goals, and as you achieve them, reward yourself with things like a new workout top or pair of shoes.

6Sin: Greed

You have that proverbial all-or-nothing mentality.

Some people have to do it 100 percent perfectly or not at all. If they don’t have time to do their usual 90 minute power yoga class, they’ll feel like working out isn’t going to be worthwhile so they blow off exercising entirely.

Redemption: Be flexible. Design several backup workouts of varying lengths and activities that you can do whenever time is tight. You can achieve many more benefits by being flexible. Try walking to and from work or doing step-ups when you pass a bench outside or a few minutes of a workout DVD.

7Sin: Sloth

You never miss a kickboxing class or an elliptical workout but you’re either in deep conversation with a friend or reading so intently that you barely break a sweat. Yes, some exercise id clearly better than none, but if you can chat freely or be thoroughly engrossed in the newspaper, it means you’re not working out hard enough to get the maximum benefits or your time and money worth.

Redemption: Set your priorities. If talking with your friend or catching up on your reading makes exercising more enjoyable, by all means continue-but limit these activities to your cooldown when you aren’t supposed to be pushing yourself, or grab a cup of coffee after your workout and really move it the rest of the time.

The bottom line is, if you’re not getting results, you’re going to give up. And that could be the biggest sin of all. Keep it up and good luck reaching your weight loss goals!