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Use the anabolic diet or carb cycling for natural weight loss and muscle gain

2012-04-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) The anabolic diet and carb cycling program are similar eating plans that naturally burn fat and spare muscle. The main concern for athletes and weightlifters when dieting is that the reduction of calories could cause a loss of muscle because the body needs calories to maintain muscle mass. Both of these plans help achieve weight loss without sacrificing muscle. They also do not involve severe calorie or food restriction, which could lead to unhealthy weight loss or malnutrition, but there are some differences.

Basics

The anabolic diet is based on a book of the same name by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale. It is a low-carbohydrate diet based on alternating low-carb and high-carb days. The diet claims to work by encouraging the body burn fat instead of carbs.

According to The Anabolic Diet book, burning fat may lead to fewer hunger cravings making it easier to adhere to the diet. Carb cycling is different because it involves alternating high carb and low-to-moderate carb days following a workout schedule. High-carb days are for working out hard and replenishing glyocgen stores, a substance the body uses for fuel. Lower carb days burn fat.

Anabolic diet

The principal of the anabolic diet is to make the body a fat-burning machine. Followers start with one week of only low carb eating to make the body start burning fat for energy instead of carbs. After week one, the diet recommends eating low carbs during the week and high amounts of carbs on the weekends.

Alternating low and high carbs days prevents the body from reverting to burning mainly carbs for fuel. The higher carb days also allow the body to replenish fuel used during vigorous exercise.

Carb cycling

Carb cycling allows more freedom in scheduling which days are low-to-moderate carb days and which are high carbs; people can match their more intense workout days to their high carb days. Rest days and light workout days lend themselves to eating fewer carbs and lets the body burn fat for fuel.

Fat

A major difference between the two diets is fat intake. Carb cycling suggests followers eat low fat, even as little as possible on high carb days. This is especially beneficial for people who like fatty foods. The anabolic diet allows people to eat 15 to 20 percent of calories from fat on high carb days when the body is geared to burn fat.

Protein

The diets also differ on protein intake. The anabolic diet allows for one-third of calories to come from protein. Carb cycling has specific protein recommendations: between 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight on high carb days and between 1.25 and 1.75 grams per pound on other days. Both eating plans ensure people eat sufficient protein to build and maintain muscle.

Choosing a diet

People with demanding work schedules may prefer the anabolic diet because eating the same on each week day is simpler. People who engage in high-intensity workouts during the week may prefer carb cycling. However, people react differently to low-carbohydrate diets. One of these plans may work better for certain people depending on what their bodies naturally need.

Enjoy Valentine’s Day without sabotaging your diet!

2012-04-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Enjoy Valentine’s Day without sabotaging your diet!

Valentine’s day is looming and with it comes the prospect of being wined and dined by your loved one… But what and where should you eat if you don’t want to destroy your diet in the process?

Here are some top tips for enjoying a healthy Valentine’s meal out that won’t sabotage your weight loss goal in the process.

1. Before you go out. Have a healthy snack before getting to the restaurant. This way, you won’t be ravenous when you arrive making you want to devour everything on the menu. Not a good look!

2. Avoid the bread basket. If you fancy something to start your meal with, opt for olives instead. Bread will cause a spike in your blood sugar levels promoting cravings and hunger pangs later on.

3. Alcohol. If you’re planning to drink alcohol with your meal, don’t drink on an empty stomach. Having some food first will slow the absorption of alcohol into your system and limit the negative effects alcohol has on your blood sugar level. The great news is that Champagne is among the lowest calorie and lowest carb option – we’ll drink to that!

4. Ordering. When ordering, remember you can ask for something different to what’s on the menu. For example, ask for the chips to be replaced with some seasonal vegetables or a fresh salad. Cream based sauces can be switched for healthier tomato options.

5. Avoid carbohydrate based meals like pasta, rice and noodle dishes. Go for a meal based on protein such as seafood, fish, lean meat, or vegetarian proteins such as beans and lentils (Indian restaurants usually offer a variety) or tofu (commonly available at oriental restaurants).

6. Get out of bad habits. It’s easy to quickly rack up the calorie content of your meal out through bad habits. Think twice before automatically ordering a side dish of doughballs /chips or starting your meal with poppadums / prawn crackers.

7. Eat slowly. Enjoy your meal and recognise when you are full. Eating out doesn’t have to mean over eating.

8. Sip water throughout your meal. We often confuse thirst for hunger causing us to over eat. Sipping water will also slow down your eating and drinking of alcohol.

9. Where to eat? Choose restaurants whose nationalities have the healthiest populations. For example, oriental restaurants such as Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese provide much healthier choices than an American burger bar! (nb. If your other half tries to take you for a burger on Valentines, it may be time to consider the future of your relationship!)

10. Desserts. If you fancy something sweet at the end of your meal, why not share a dessert (and half the calories!) with your loved one instead of having one all to yourself? Or you could be truly virtuous and ask for a bowl of fruit such as raspberries and strawberries.

Follow these simple tips and ensure that this Valentine’s day, you’ll begin fall in love with your gorgeous new figure as well as the man in your life!

How To Deal With An Injury

2012-04-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

How To Deal With An Injury

There’s no question that one of the most frustrating times is when you suffer an injury. You were highly motivated with your program, giving it your all each and every session and then out of nowhere, you become injured.

Now you’re sidelined, frustrated, and feel like all that hard work is flying right out the window.

How do you deal?

Fortunately, an injury doesn’t have to mean a terribly large set-back if you know how to approach it properly.

Let’s look at some key things that you should be doing now that you’re in this situation. Remember that prevention is always the best strategy so maintaining proper form during your workouts is a must. If you do that, you can avoid this situation altogether.

But since you’re here now, let’s look at what you should do.

Consider An Altered Workout

The very first thing that you should do is assess whether you may still be able to continue with portions of your workout that are unaffected by your injury. For example, if it’s knee paint hat you’re experiencing, this doesn’t mean that you have to forgo your upper body workouts.

You should still try and get those in on a regular basis as this will help to keep your metabolism high and prevent muscle mass loss.

Try and make the most of what you can do and you’ll feel a lot less frustrated about the whole situation.

Increase Your Knowledge Base

If you are in fact going to be completely sidelined for whatever reason, then it’s time to turn your focus elsewhere. To prevent getting too down about the scenario, use this time to enhance your knowledge base and learn some new workout facts to help you improve further.

Research up on the latest workout techniques and diet programs that you can implement in your routine to take your progress even further.

Knowledge is power when it comes to weight loss progress so use the downtime wisely.

Focus On Your Diet

Another important thing to do at this point is cut back on your diet plan slightly. Since you won’t be hitting the gym as often, you won’t be burning off as many calories as you normally do. To prevent weight gain from occurring, knock your calorie intake back by 200-400 per day according to how long and hard your workout sessions were.

Diet is really the most important factor for weight loss success anyway, so if you get this right then weight gain shouldn’t be a concern.

Perform Healing Activities

Finally, make sure to stay up on any exercises that you’ve been prescribed by physical therapists to get past this injury. Some people get into such a slump that they don’t even want to do that, but if you want to make a speedy recovery, it’s really necessary.

Do whatever you are supposed to that will enable you to get back into the gym sooner so that you can start training hard again.

So there you have the important things to note about dealing with an injury. If you maintain a positive mindset through this then it really doesn’t have to impact you in a negative way and you can still progress further along the road to weight loss success. Visit Now

Tips To Avoid Burnout

2012-04-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Tips To Avoid Burnout

As you move along with your weight loss diet plan, one of the most frustrating things that you might come to experience at times is burnout. You’ve been following the plan, eating your scheduled meals as you should and frankly, you’re sick and tired of it.

You want a break. You want to finally give in to your cravings and experiment with new foods that you haven’t tried before. You want dessert!

What do you do when you’re at a point of burnout and uncertain if you’re going to be able to continue? By using the following helpful tips, you can combat burnout head on so that you can stick with your diet and carry on to see the success that you’re after.

Let’s look at what you should know.

Re-Evaluate Your Approach

First things first, in some cases the cause of burnout is simply because the plan isn’t structured properly. Are you taking in sufficient calories? Are your carbs too low that you have energy lows at all times?

A poorly planned diet will lead to burnout because you’ll feel miserable on it. If this is the case and you’re experiencing burnout after a very short time following the diet, you should assess to see if these factors could in fact be coming into play.

If they are, it may be time to try an alternate approach.

Incorporate New Healthy Foods Into The Plan

The next thing to do to avoid burnout is to try and incorporate new foods into the plan that are healthy. Who says you have to eat the same thing day in and day out? There are plenty of healthy recipes that you can use that will fulfill your diet and satisfy your taste buds.

Start experimenting. Make it a ritual every Sunday night to prepare a new dish. This will give you something to look forward to so the week doesn’t seem so dreary eating the same thing over and over.

Assess If A Cheat Meal Is In Order

Another factor to consider is actually giving in and having a cheat meal. When planning properly, cheat meals can definitely be incorporated into a successful diet. You really can eat foods you crave and continue to lose weight if you plan it wisely.

A single cheat meal could really mean the difference between sticking with your diet or not for many people, so factor this in.

Cheat meal provide much psychological relief as well, which is something you definitely need when facing burnout.

Remind Yourself Of Your Goals And The Benefits Of The Diet

Finally, the last way to beat burnout is to remind yourself of the benefits you’ll get from the diet. Think back to how you really felt when you weren’t eating healthfully. Chances are you didn’t feel that great.

Do you really want to go back to that? If you stop and think about it, you’ll realize you don’t and that can help propel you forward.

So there you have a few important points to keep in mind at all times. Burnout is common so don’t feel like a failure if you’re experiencing it but instead, use a proactive strategy to overcome it. Visit Now

Why Stretching Is Important For Workout Success

2012-04-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Why Stretching Is Important For Workout Success

If there’s one thing that many people neglect when it comes to their workout plan, stretching is it. They devote a high amount of time and energy to performing their cardio and resistance training, but as soon as that’s finished, they’re getting out of the gym as quickly as possible – they have a life to lead!

But, if you’re skipping the stretching component of the workout, you’re really missing out on a number of key benefits that it provides.

Let’s take a quick peak at the main reasons why stretching is so important to workout success.

It Enhances Your Range Of Motion

The very first reason why stretching is a must is because it’s going to help to enhance your range of motion so that you can move throughout your exercises better. If you want to see the full benefits that any exercise has to offer, it’s important that you work the muscles through the full movement pattern.

It would be like performing a squat but only going partially the way down. If you really want to see maximum benefits, you must go as low as possible as this is when the glutes will really be called into play.

If you’re very inflexible though, this will be next to impossible therefore you won’t see the benefits you could be.

We do tend to lose range of motion with age, so if you aren’t stretching, it’s only going to get worse from here on in.

It Keeps You Injury Free

The next important reason to add stretching to your routine is because it keeps you injury free. If you’re not stretching after a workout, your muscles are going to be tight and tense and any force that acts upon them could end up pulling or straining a ligament.

Those who are more flexible often find they do suffer injuries a lot less frequently as they are quite limber and able to accommodate to forces acting on them.

An injury will quickly sideline you from all workouts and really hinder your progress – in fact, it’ll put a temporary stop to all progress entirely.

It Reduces Post-Workout Muscle Soreness

Finally, the last reason why you must be sure to add some stretching to your routine is because it will help to control post-workout muscle soreness.

Stretching is going to help remove the lactic acid build-up from the muscle tissues that’s responsible for that high level of pain and discomfort you often experience the next morning when getting out of bed, so by stretching at the end of the session, you can curtail this.

Stretching will allow the muscle fibers to relax and lengthen so that you don’t feel quite so tense and sore later on.

So as you can see, stretching is really a must-do for success. It only takes ten minutes total at the end of your workout but this is some of the best ten minutes you could spend if you want to see success. Get in the habit of doing it now and you’ll never think twice about skipping it again. Visit Now

Maintenance Tips: Succeed With Keeping Weight Off

2012-04-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Maintenance Tips: Succeed With Keeping Weight Off

One of the most important things that you must do after you’ve finished your fat loss plan is move into successful maintenance. Really, a diet is not successful unless it allows you to keep the weight off that you’ve lost for good. Otherwise, you just found a temporary fix to a long-term problem.

Many people do often struggle with maintenance which is why they find themselves back in the diet seat shortly after they come off their diet plan.

Fortunately, with a few key tricks you can succeed with maintaining your new body and enjoy all the hard work that you put in.

Let’s have a quick peak at some of the top maintenance tips to remember.

Keep A Tight Weight Range

The very first thing that successful maintainers do is set a narrow weight range that they will allow themselves to fluctuate between. For instance, if your goal weight is 125 pounds, you might only let yourself get up to 128 before you start taking action.

Remember, it’s far easier to shed 3 pounds of weight gained with a few simple diet modifications than it is to shed 20 that you’ve let yourself gain back.

As soon as you see yourself creeping upwards, take action and tighten up your diet or a week. It’ll be gone in no time.

Diet During The Week

The second thing that you might consider to help you with maintenance is to maintain a lower calorie intake during the week. What this does is creates a mini-calorie deficit that you can then use during the weekend when you are more social and the chances of you consuming more calories are greater.

Since most people do struggle with the weekends a lot more than weekdays, this gives you some leeway for going out to social functions or just treating yourself to something that you desire.

Maintain Your Exercise Levels

Another key thing for successful maintenance is making sure that you maintain your exercise levels. Exercise is one of the biggest factors that will predict long-term weight maintenance so stick with that workout program.

This will help you maintain a higher metabolic rate overall to prevent fat gain and also help you maintain lean muscle mass, which naturally burns more calories all day long.

Indulge Once Per Day

Finally, if you decide that you do need to treat yourself on any given day, make sure that you limit yourself to just one treat per day. If you let yourself get too out of control and are treating here and there all day long, it will add up to weight gain.

If you’re craving chocolate, have a small piece, enjoy it, and then put the box away. A 100 calorie treat really won’t have much influence on your weight but six or seven of them will. Remember that and you’ll keep yourself in check.

So there you have the top things to note for successful maintenance. If you work hard at it and make sure you keep yourself accountable, you can maintain your new body for years to come. Visit Now

How To Maintain A Healthy Relationship With Food While Dieting

2012-04-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

How To Maintain A Healthy Relationship With Food While Dieting

If you’re on a fat loss diet plan, there may be a chance that you could come to ‘fear’ certain foods after so long. You’ve been conditioned to know which foods are ‘good’ and which foods are ‘bad’ and do everything you can to stay away from the bad ones and only eat the good ones.

The big problem with this good and bad thinking however is that it forms a negative association in your mind regarding certain foods in the diet. If you’re not careful, this could lead to eating disorders over time, which are very serious and could require extensive treatment to overcome.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the important things that you should remember that will help you maintain a more positive relationship with food while dieting.

Think In Terms Of Healthy Or Not Healthy

The very first thing that you should be doing to maintain a healthy relationship with food is think in terms of healthy or not healthy rather than good or bad. This shifts the perspective and allows you to focus on the health benefits that certain foods provide, which is a much healthier association.

Try filling your diet with the most nutritious foods that you can, not because they are low in calories but because they will do the most for you from a nutritional point of view.

Plan For Cheat Meals

Next, another thing that you should be doing is planning some cheat meals into your program. Cheat meals are great because they give you psychological relief from strict diets and help you see that eating a food that’s ‘off’ your diet list won’t automatically make you gain all the fat you’ve lost right back.

This is key for maintaining that healthy relationship with food. Cheat meals should be scheduled once every week or two for maximum benefits. More frequently may not be a good idea as it could hinder progress, but making sure to get them in every so often is important.

Periodically Take Diet Breaks

Finally, the last thing to keep in mind is that you should periodically add some diet breaks as well. This is key for helping you learn your new maintenance calorie intake so you don’t start thinking that you must maintain a very low calorie intake in order to succeed with keeping the weight off.

Often what occurs is that as you progress on the diet, your metabolism slows down so you start decreasing your calorie intake further to spark more fat loss, but over time, this leads to a very low calorie intake.

Before you know it you’re scared of eating more again for fear all the weight will come rushing back on.

Diet breaks will not only help to reset your metabolism but also teach you that you can eat more food and still maintain your body weight.

So there you have the most important things to note about maintaining a healthy relationship with food while dieting. For your psychological health, this is a must. Visit Now

Calorie Cutting Food Swaps

2012-04-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Calorie Cutting Food Swaps

If you’re looking to succeed on your weight loss diet plan, it’s vital that you take a look at some of the simple ways that you can go about reducing your calorie intake so that you can make fast progress without feeling like you’re on a very strict diet.

If the truth is told, for many people there are some very small adjustments they could make to their normal diet intake that would have a huge impact on the fat loss results that they see.

By taking the time to learn what these adjustments are and then getting them in place, you can see for yourself just how powerful they can be.

Let’s give you a few quick calorie cutting food swaps to think about.

Swap: Granola For Oatmeal

The first great swap to make is to exchange out your usual bowl of granola in the morning for some oatmeal instead. Oatmeal is very high in fiber and completely sugar free, which cannot be said for most granola cereals.

By choosing oatmeal instead, you can easily save yourself 200-300 calories in the process.

Swap: Beef For Fish

The next quick swap that you may want to consider is exchanging fish for beef. While beef definitely is a good protein source in your diet, fish would be a superior option.

Fish is lower in calories and completely fat free, so when you’re really trying to get the weight off quickly, it’ll help you get there faster.

Allow beef once per week to help keep your iron intake up, but then have fish or chicken the remaining nights instead.

Swap: Juice For Real Fruit

Another smart swap for faster weight loss is to exchange juice for real fruit. Juice is very high in calories and will produce a rather rapid spike in blood glucose levels due to the lack of fiber it contains, while real fruit is the opposite.

Real fruit is going to be high in fiber and nutrients and will fill you up much more quickly and help to keep you satisfied. Many people make the mistake of thinking that juice is a very healthy selection, but that’s not the case.

Swap: Pasta For Spaghetti Squash

Finally, the last swap that you should consider adding into your diet plan is spaghetti squash for pasta. Pasta is another very high calorie food is and is very easy to overeat on. If you want to maintain that reduced calorie intake for faster weight loss, then squash is the superior choice.

This vegetable can be eaten in much the same way as normal pasta would be, but will help shave off 200 calories or more from that meal.

So there you have just a few of the quick and easy swaps that you can start making today. They won’t really change the overall meal that you’re having, just change the total calorie content and help you move closer to your end goal. Sometimes it’s the smallest changes that can make the biggest difference so always look for these first in your diet plan before making larger-scale changes. Visit Now

Dieting Over 50: Is There A Difference?

2012-04-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Dieting Over 50: Is There A Difference?

If you’re someone who’s beyond the age of 50 who is looking to lose some body fat, you might start to wonder if there should be a difference in the approach you use versus the approach of someone who is younger.

After all, your body is different now than when you were in your twenties, so it only stands to reason that you may need to use a different type of diet.

So what differences should someone over 50 take note of? What alternations will best help you see success?

Let’s go over the main things that you should know so that you can get right on track to progress.

Alterations To Your Calorie Intake

The very first thing that you will likely want to do is use a slightly lower calorie intake at this point in your life. Now, there is the common saying that the metabolism naturally slows with age. While this is true, it’s not for the reason many people believe.

The primary reason why your metabolism will decrease as you get older is because you’re losing lean muscle tissue. If you’re someone who has been active for the last 20 years, then you likely don’t need to use a reduced calorie intake as you will have more lean muscle tissue.

If you haven’t been exercising though, then a slightly lower calorie diet is in order. Try starting at around 10 or 11 calories per pound of body weight.

At this point in your life you may not be quite as physically active overall either as you were when you were younger, so that will also factor into your total daily calorie burn.

Accounting For Nutritional Deficiencies

Another adjustment that you should make is accounting for nutritional deficiencies. Those who are older will want to really make sure that they are taking in enough calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

This will help ensure that they maintain strong bones and high energy levels. In addition to that, make sure that you’re taking in a very high quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables daily on whatever diet you choose as these will help to protect against some of the common diseases that can develop as the years go on.

Adding Extra Protein

Finally, the last thing that you should adjust on your diet protocol is your protein intake. Many older individuals are not getting enough protein total, so it’s important that you bump up your intake.

Additionally, since you aren’t quite as active as you were when you were younger, having more protein in the diet will help to further safeguard against lean muscle tissue loss, so will help to keep your metabolism higher long term.

Remember to add plenty of low fat dairy sources of protein in particular such as Greek yogurt, skim milk, and low-fat cottage cheese as these are both high in protein and high in calcium, so will really help you along your way.

So there you have everything that you need to know about dieting past 50. While the general approach should still be quite similar, making these few additional changes would be well worth your while. Visit Now

Making Smart Alcohol Choices

2012-04-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Making Smart Alcohol Choices

If you’re on a fat loss diet program, alcohol is something that you should be strictly limiting. Not only is alcohol very calorie dense coming in at seven calories per gram, but it’s also going to put an immediate halt to all fat loss progress going on when you consume it.

Not to mention the fact that when you indulge in a few drinks your will power to stick with your diet will also go down, therefore it could cause you to start eating foods that you shouldn’t.

That said, not everyone can cut out drinking from time to time as it is something that’s heavily linked to normal socialization, so if you feel like drinking isn’t something that you can give the boot to, at the very least it’s helpful to know which drink choices you should be choosing.

Let’s have a look at the top considerations.

The Good

Straight Liquor With Seltzer Water

The very first choice that you should consider is one ounce of your favourite liquor with simple seltzer water or plain water. This will contain only around 70 calories per drink, so is a much lighter option.

If you can alternate this with one glass of plain water, all the better.

White Wine

If wine is your thing, the good news is that this is also a relatively lower calorie choice as well. Most wines range from 90-150 calories per glass depending on the variety, so if you keep your total number of glasses down, it doesn’t have to destroy your diet plan.

Like the above, it’s always a good idea to alternate one alcohol drink with one non.

Light Beer

Light beer is another choice that you may want to consider. If you’re a big fan of beer but don’t like what it does to your weight, light beer is almost half the calories so will be much less devastating to your diet plan.

Light beer is also lower in total carbohydrates, so that’s definitely a plus as well.

The Bad

Creamy Liquors

Now we move on to the less than optimal choices. Creamy liquors are one drink to beware of as they contain alcohol, fat, and sugar in one, so will really be a doozy as far as sticking with your diet is concerned.

Often these are mixed with milk as well, so while the milk is healthy, it will add extra calories. Most creamy liquors will come in around 120 calories per ounce, so it will add up quickly.

Frozen Beverages

Frozen slushy beverages are also something to be very careful about. These can easily contain upwards of 400 calories once everything is added in and will do a real number on your waistline.

They contain far too much sugar as well, which will be very bad if you’re trying to prevent a hangover. The combination of so much sugar plus alcohol entering the body is a sure-fire recipe for body fat gain. The sugar will spike the insulin levels and since there is no carbohydrate oxidation taking place (as the body will be 100% focused on burning off the alcohol calories), this means that sugar will move right into body fat stores.

Cocktails

Finally, the last beverages to avoid are any fancy cocktail like drinks. These also contain higher amounts of sugar and will often contain more than one different type of alcohol as well.

Most come in at around 300 calories or more, so will put a big dent in your diet if you have two or three that evening.

So be sure that you keep these points in mind if you do plan to drink on your diet. Alcohol does tend to hinder your progress so you really must make a choice as to what is most important to you – weight loss success or indulging in your favourite drinks. Visit Now

Reasons Why People Gain Weight

2012-04-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Most Common Reasons People Gain Weight: Stop Making These Mistakes

If you’re interested in experiencing fast fat loss, it’s vital that you come to learn some of the biggest mistakes that many people make as they go about their plan and often completely steer them right off track.

It’s easy to overlook the smallest of things that could in fact be having a big impact on your overall progress, so by discovering what you must watch out for, you’re one step ahead of the game.

Let’s have a look at the most common mistakes that cause weight gain in others, so you can be sure they don’t hinder your results.

Neglecting To Plan

The first and most important reason why people gain weight is because they simply don’t have a plan in place. It’s an absolute must that you know precisely what you will be eating at every point in the day if you want to see the greatest success with this goal.

If you can come up with a plan and follow it, you know precisely how many calories you are taking in and can adjust this based on your real world results.

If you have no plan then you’re leaving weight loss up to chance. If you don’t plan for meals away from home and bring appropriate food items with you, you’re counting on the fact that you’ll be able to find something healthy while out and about.

More often than not this is not the case.

Plan to succeed and you will.

Neglecting To Account ALL Calories

The second big problem is neglecting to factor all calories. You know how it goes, ‘Oh, but I was standing when I ate that, so it doesn’t count’.

Yes, it does. If you want to succeed with weight loss, everything will count. Beverages included. Don’t forget to tally up those 300-500 calorie smoothies or gourmet coffee that you down each day as well.

If you aren’t including these, you won’t see weight loss and will question why you aren’t moving forward. It’s due to the high intake of these beverages.

Neglecting To Factor In Individual Preferences

Another mistake to avoid is neglecting your individual preferences. Try and avoid going on a diet that you hate. If you do this, you’re setting yourself up to fail from day one.

Yes, you will have to make some changes and may have to give up the junk food that you do enjoy, but if you can’t stand the thought of cutting out carbs or using a low fat diet plan, don’t. There are plenty of diet approaches that can work well so you should easily be able to find one that you will enjoy.

Dieting really doesn’t have to be as torturous as so many people make it out to be if they just invest in some quality research finding the right plan for themselves.

Neglecting Physical Activity

Finally, last but not least, make sure that you don’t neglect physical activity. It’s very important that you stay active all the time as this will help you maintain a higher metabolism and help to give you more freedom with your diet.

One mistake is thinking that only diet matters. While it’s true that diet is the most important factor for losing weight, it’s the exercise that goes along with it that allows you to really change the way your body looks while you lose weight.

If you want a complete transformation, adding the workouts will be a must.

So there you have the top mistakes that some people make as they go about their weight loss journey. Do you see yourself in any of these? Visit Now

What To Look For In A Workout Buddy

2012-04-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

What To Look For In A Workout Buddy

As you get geared up to start your workout routine, one thing that you must do is take into account the benefits of having a workout partner. Having someone there alongside you is great for motivational purposes and will also help to keep you on track and using the right form.

Workout buddies are a very powerful way to stay committed so if your motivation often lags behind and that’s why you fall off your program, you’ll definitely want to get yourself one.

But, as you go about the search for a workout buddy, it’s important that you keep a few things in mind so you can make sure that you and that workout buddy are a good match.

Just like dating, you don’t want to be workout buddies with someone who isn’t right for you. Let’s look at what you want to know.

Assess Your Skill Level

The very first thing to look at is the skill level of you and your potential workout buddy. While it’s highly motivating to workout with someone more fit and in better shape than you, it may not be quite as rewarding on their end.

Likewise, if you’re much more advanced than the person you have in mind, you may find that you start to get frustrated during the session as you want to advance quicker than they’re able to.

The best case scenario is that you’re at the same skill level, and then obviously working towards the same goal.

It’s going to be best if both of you are focused on fat loss as then your workouts will be very similar already.

Determine Common Workout Time Preferences

The second thing that you absolutely must do is confirm that you are able to get together at a time that works for both of you.

If your potential partner likes to workout when the sun rises and you can hardly crawl out of bed without a cup of coffee at your side, there may be trouble ahead.

If you’re going to have a workout buddy, you must make sure that the workout buddy is going to show up on time for each of your workouts. Otherwise you’ll just get doubly frustrated as they’re not present and it feels like too much work to even schedule a session in.

Check For Personality Match

Assessing for a good personality match is important as well. Are you someone who likes to push really hard during your workouts, moving quickly from set to set with little to no rest?

Or do you prefer to take your time and go at it using a slower pace so you can socialize and enjoy the process?

If you’re someone who likes the fast paced, down-to-business style of workouts and you pair up with a workout buddy who wants to chat between sets, you will be beyond frustrated in no time.

Your workout styles must match each other or one person is never going to feel fulfilled from your sessions together. This is also going to play a key role in the type of program you choose as well as those intense personalities tend to gravity to more intensive programs, so it will determine whether you’re even using a similar workout approach also.

So there you have the key things to note about choosing a workout buddy. When chosen correctly, this will definitely have a good impact on your success and allow you to stick with that workout long-term. Visit Now

Top Diet Trends To Jump On This Year

2012-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Top Diet Trends To Jump On This Year

With the New Year now underway, many of you may be looking at little things that you can do to improve the nutrition of your diet. Constantly staying on the lookout for the latest research regarding what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your diet is important if you hope to see success.

Recently a study put out by Pollock Communications listed a few key points that you should keep in mind. If you can start to incorporate these into your very own diet program, you should see progress coming your way.

Think Green

The first trend is to think all natural. The more natural you can make your diet, the better says dieticians of this research group. Much focus in today’s world will be placed on eating foods that come in their completely natural state while turning away from all the processed foods that line the supermarket shelves.

Use Herbs More Often

The second trend that you’ll see being mentioned more often in 2012 is using spices to add flavor to your foods rather than condiments and sauces. Many spices have their own unique benefits as well, so this further adds to the benefits you’ll receive from having them in your diet plan.

Just be on the lookout for high-sodium spices and make sure that you stay away from this variety.

Focus On Micronutrients

Micronutrients will be another large focus for many people moving into the coming year. Rather than strictly looking at how many grams of protein, carbs, and fats you’re consuming, more people will be looking at fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

More awareness is being raised about just how important these nutrients are to form a healthy diet so people are starting to make sure that their diet doesn’t have any weak spots where nutritional density is low.

Seasonal Produce Is Big

More focus is also going to be placed on all the seasonal fruits and vegetables that you can buy. Far too many people are getting in the habit of consuming the same foods day in and day out and this is having a very negative impact on their nutritional standing.

Start experimenting with new options when you see them at the supermarket.

Use MyPlate As A Guide

The old food guide is now being replaced by a new guide – the MyPlate guide, which has a brand new set-up to consider for your food consumption. With this set-up, you’ll be having half your plate divided between protein sand grains, with the other half consisting of vegetables and fruits. Dairy will be a small serving on the side to add extra protein and calcium.

This much smaller dedication to grain products is going to help to combat diabetes along with many other negative health conditions associated with a very large carb intake.

So there you have the primary points to consider as you move into 2012. Follow these and you can feel confident your diet will be better because of them. Visit Now

Visceral Versus Subcutaneous Fat: Understanding The Differences And Its Implications For You

2012-04-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

Visceral Versus Subcutaneous Fat: Understanding The Differences And Its Implications For You

As you go about your fat loss diet program, there's no question that your primary goal is to reduce that unsightly body fat that you have on your body. You know the stuff – the jiggly tissue that occurs under your arms, on your lower abdomen, as well as in the inner and back thigh region, all places that you feel are definitely your primary 'trouble zones'.

But, in your quest to cure these trouble spots, one thing that you should consider for a second is the fact that often this body fat isn't really the biggest of your worries. What is more troublesome is the body fat that you don't even see.

Let's go into further details on this topic so that you can gain a clear understanding of the types of body fat on your body as well as the implications of each.

Subcutaneous Body Fat

Subcutaneous body fat refers to all the body fat that you can see on your body. It's the body fat that you can pinch on the sides of your stomach, the body fat that is located on the arms, the body fat that seems to never want to budge on your lower back region, and the body fat that makes you self-aware of your legs while wearing a pair of shorts.

Now, this body fat isn't healthy to have because it is excess weight and will cause there to be excess stress on the joints due to all that weight coming down.

In addition to that, it will still put your health at risk as it can increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and inflammation, however it's not the most detrimental tissue that you need to be concerned about.

Visceral Body Fat

What's much more detrimental and what you really need to be concerned about is the visceral fat that you have on your body.

Visceral fat refers to fat that's located within body cavities and surrounds all the main organs in the body. This is the fat that may start to interfere with their proper function if it builds up to a high enough level and could potentially put you at risk for heart disease and stroke if it begins to crowd its way into your arteries.

Visceral body fat that's found in the abdominal cavity is especially worrisome and must be taken seriously because this is the fat that will really increase your risk of diabetes, cancer, inflammation, as well as heart disease.

You can often tell if you have a high amount of visceral body fat as the stomach will appear to be fat, yet be hard to the touch. The reason for this is because all that fat is lying underneath the muscle tissue, while subcutaneous lies on top of the muscle but just under the skin.

You will work to lose both types of body fat in the same manner – using a proper diet, a good workout program.

Often you may not see the reduction in visceral fat like you would with subcutaneous fat but just know that if you are following your program it is happening and it's really putting you in a much more healthy state.

So never overlook the differences between body fat types again. While both are definitely not something you want to be present on your body, you really must sit up and be concerned when visceral fat is coming into play.

The Process of Fat Utilization

2012-04-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Process of Fat Utilization

As you go about working towards your fat loss goals, it might come in useful to gain an understanding of how body fat is burned as you continually lose weight.

There are three main nutrients that you take in through your diet, proteins which break down into amino acids, carbohydrates which break down into glucose, and then dietary fats, which break down into triglycerides and free fatty acids.

When you're consuming enough energy and macronutrients in your diet, your body will happily use glucose as its primary fuel source as this is the fuel source that it prefers to use.

When not enough glucose is present because you are reducing your carbohydrate intake and therefore don't have this glucose in the blood stream, then the body will begin to turn to the breakdown of fats in order to sustain its energy needs.

Let's have a look at what this breakdown process entails so that you can get a clear idea of what lipolysis is all about.

The Process Of Hydrolysis

It's through a process of hydrolysis that stored lipids (body fat) will be broken down into triglycerides along with free fatty acids. This is what will kick start the process and what lipolysis will take place from.

Lipolysis

Now that you have these two types of molecules, the triglycerides that have come about due to the breakdown of stored body fat will be transported to the blood by molecules called lipoproteins where they undergo a process referred to as lipolysis, which breaks them down into glycerol and free fatty acids.

These free fatty acids then are going to provide energy to cells around them that require it while the glycerol is carried in the bloodstream to the liver or kidneys where it is absorbed and then converted to glycerol 3-phosphate.

Increasing The Rate Of Lipolysis Through Exercise

One thing to note with this process of fat breakdown and use for energy is that you can speed this all up through physical activity.

But, keep in mind that in order for the body to use free fatty acids as a fuel source during exercise, you must maintain the intensity level at a lower pace. If you try and increase the intensity too much, this is going to cause the body to require glucose as a fuel source for energy and since that glucose isn't present as that's what brought lipolysis on in the first place, you won't be able to exercise at intensities high enough to see good results.

So instead, go for a brisk walk, a leisurely swim, or a casual bike ride.

You won't be aiming to burn up a maximum number of calories during these sessions but instead simply boost the rate that your body is burning off those free fatty acids it's broken your body fat down into as a fuel source.

So now you know the precise process that takes place in the body as you burn off body fat and move closer to your goals. Keep this in mind as you follow your proper diet for fat loss plan.

The Overweight Body: How Excess Fat Effects Your Organs

2012-04-02T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Overweight Body: How Excess Fat Effects Your Organs

One of the greatest dangers of being overweight and carrying so much excess body fat is that this fat can start to influence the way in which all your organs function.

While you may be strictly focused on how badly you think that excess body fat makes you look, never discount the importance of the role it will play on your overall body functioning.

Let's have a closer look at some of the main issues associated with excess fat and your organs.

Reproductive System

The first group of organs that will be impacted by excess body fat is the reproductive system. Males who are overweight may not have properly functioning reproductive organs and may in fact become infertile.

If a male is very overweight and the couple is having trouble conceiving, this definitely should be looked into as this could be the primary reason why.

For females, having too much excess body fat can also pose a problem. Typically the major issues lie in too little body fat for women, which causes menstruation to stop, but too much body fat in some extreme cases can do so as well.

The Digestive System

The second group of organs that will be impacted by excess weight is your digestive system. When so much body fat has accumulated the liver and pancreas will not function as effectively, and if there is constantly a high intake of glucose rich foods coming into the body which is what's contributing to the weight gain in the first place, the pancreas may start to become very overworked as it puts insulin production into overdrive and this could set you up for long-term health problems such as the development of diabetes.

Maintaining a healthier diet with all the vital nutrients the body needs along with sufficient dietary fibre will help to keep the digestive system organs in proper working order.

Cardiovascular System

Finally, the last group of organs that will really be impacted by excess body fat is your cardiovascular system organs.

The blood vessels may start to experience an increase in plaque build-up as high cholesterol levels start taking place in the body and the heart is going to have to work harder and harder to transport all that additional body weight around.

This can eventually place a great deal of strain on this system and lead to heart disease or even heart attack.

Working to maintain a healthier body weight is important for good cardiovascular function and often this is one of the biggest benefits you see upon losing excess weight – your heart condition improves.

So there you have just a few of the different organ systems that will be impacted when you begin to grow overweight.

Being overweight is much more than just about looks. If you're not careful there could be some serious health problems that you put yourself up to experience in the long run if you don't take steps to get the weight problem under control.

To achieve better dietary success this time around, eat a diet that's rich in lean proteins, high in fruits and vegetables, and that contains moderate amounts of healthy fats such as nuts, nut butters, fatty fish, and olive oil.

The Function Of Fat In The Body

2012-04-02T01:15:00.000-07:00

The Function Of Fat In The Body

With so much focus always placed on losing weight and dropping body fat, often we completely overlook the fact that body fat does play some key roles in the body and is necessary for good health.

While you definitely don’t want to be carrying around and excessive amount of body fat, if you start to take your body fat too low, that's definitely going to cause you to experience some serious problems as well.

Let's have a quick look at all the different functions on fat in the body so that you can understand more about this often hated body tissue.

Reproductive Function

One of the first things to note about body fat is the fact that women will have higher overall essential levels of body fat compared to males and this is strictly due to the fact that the female body needs to be capable to give birth to a baby.

Fat stores in the body are going to help to maintain better hormonal concentrations that support the development of a baby and will also signal to the body that it has a lot of stored up energy should starvation set in during the pregnancy period.

When women start to take their body fat levels too low, their menstrual cycle will stop and this indicates that they are not able to give birth any longer until it's brought back upwards again.

Appetite Regulation

Another role that fat plays in the body is to regulate the appetite. The body has strong defence mechanisms that kick in during periods of prolonged undereating that will prompt you to begin eating so that your body weight doesn't drop down to an unhealthy and unsafe level.

This regulation is brought on by hormones that are produced within the fat cells that will signal to the brain the current level of body fat in the body.

Without body fat tissue, you would feel very little satiety after eating a meal and would instantly become hungry.

This is often why when dieting, the leaner you get after a period of being on that diet, the more you're going to feel hunger taking place. At this point the body isn't making as much of these hormones that regulate appetite, therefore the brain is going to prompt you to start eating more.

Insulin

Another important role that body fat plays in the body is that it will help to provide insulin during colder weather so that you don't freeze to death. This is again why after a period of successful dieting you may notice that you feel quite a bit cooler at any given temperature than you used to – you have less insulin present to keep you warm.

Protection

Finally, the last big role that body fat plays in the body is that it will help to protect all the vital organs as it acts as a cushion. If you're struck with something in the abdominal cavity and have very little body fat, there is a much greater chance of injury than if you do have some fat present.

So as you can see, while you definitely don't want too much fat as that will pose negative health problems, some fat is definitely necessary.

Safe Body Fat Levels

2012-04-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Safe Body Fat Levels

When starting up on a fat loss diet plan, very often a great deal of energy and focus is placed right on the exact body weight that you're at. You want to weigh a certain number of pounds or kilograms and that's all that you have on your mind: reaching that goal weight.

But, one thing that you should stop and think about for a second is what level of body fat you're at both at your current weight and what you will be at when you reach your goal weight.

Maintaining a safe level of body fat is incredibly important as there are negative health risks associated with being on either end of the spectrum.

Let's have a look at this issue further so you can see for yourself where you should stand.

The Dangers Of Too Much Body Fat

Most people are already quite aware of some of the biggest dangers of having too much body fat, but to summarize, when you have too high of body fat levels, you'll likely be experiencing higher overall cholesterol levels which could set you up for heart disease, you'll also be at risk for diabetes as the body tends to respond less to insulin when too much fat is present, and you'll also be putting your bones and joints at risk for health problems due to all the excess weight coming down on them.

All in all, carry too much body fat and you'll really be doing a detriment to your overall health and well-being.

The Dangers Of Too Little Body Fat

On the flip side of the coin, if you don't have enough body fat you could run the risk of nutrient deficiencies. Since many of the vitamins that the body needs are only fat soluble, if you aren't eating enough dietary fats in the first place, you likely won't be taking these nutrients in, and then since the body has such low fat stores, there won't be any place to store them.

Having too low of body fat levels can put your bones at risk for osteoporosis as well, especially if you're a female.

Those females who do suffer from very low body fat levels will also notice that they stop menstruating, so that's another negative health effect to be aware of.

Finally, when you have very low body fat levels you're also going to notice that you feel tired on an ongoing basis, are constantly hungry, and may not even be able to focus and think as clearly as you normally would.

Your Optimal Range

So what's the safe body fat range?

For females who do require more essential fat, you want to be between 21-33% if you're 20-40 years of age and be 23-35% if you're over the age of 40. This is the recommended amount to maintain proper health and going outside of these ranges are what will bring about the problems listed above.

For males, they can be quite a bit leaner and have a healthy range of body fat set to 8-19% for the age group of 20-40 years and have a healthy range set to 11-22% for those that are 41-60 years of age.

Obesity And Mobility – Looking Beyond Appearance

2012-04-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

Obesity And Mobility – Looking Beyond Appearance

As you go about your health and fitness diet plan, you're likely monitoring your progress closely in the mirror, taking note about just how close you're moving to your goal.

You have a certain physique image in mind that you want to attain and are working hard to get to that slim, attractive figure.

But, you don't want to make the mistake of just putting all the focus on your physical appearance. While looking good definitely is important as it will increase your self-confidence levels and allow you to feel better overall, you can't discount the physical limitation that you will remove when you do lose the excess weight.

Let's take a closer look at this issue so you can be sure that you keep it in mind as well. The more positive benefits you know that come from successful weight loss, the higher your motivation will be to continue.

Obesity And Joint Stress

The very first thing that you really must think about is the fact that with all that excess weight you're carrying around, this will be a great stress load on all your joints. If you want to maintain an active lifestyle, you may start to find that you suffer from knee, hip, or lower back pain over time.

The more weight you're carrying, the worse this problem will be and in many cases it will seriously hinder your overall mobility and quality of life.

Obesity And Muscle Fatigue

Another issue related to obesity and mobility is the fact that your muscles will be much quicker to fatigue when you have an extra 30-60 pounds on your frame.

For you, each time you perform any sort of physical task it will almost be as if you're putting your body through a weight lifting session.

While many people who are obese have come to grow stronger muscles because of this, often they are still not strong enough to overcome the fatigue that's brought on from carrying this excess weight.

Shedding the extra fat will really make a remarkable difference on just how fatigued you feel at the end of the day. With the weight gone, you'll find you'll have energy all the way up to when you're ready to go to bed.

Obesity And Heart Rates

Finally, the last factor that links obesity to mobility is the heart rate factor. When you're carrying around all the fat mass on your body, you're going to have to work that much harder to transport yourself around and this is going to place great strain on your heart.

You'll find that you get breathless walking up even a short flight of stairs and experience higher than normal heart rates because of it.

Having such a high heart rate is not going to be healthy and could eventually cause your heart to become overworked, so this is yet another reason to really focus on shedding the excess weight so that you get to a healthier state.

So there you have all the many reasons why appearance shouldn't just be the primary focus of your weight loss plan. If you want to sustain a higher quality of life over time, then you must do something to rid yourself of the excess weight.

How Body Fat Is Connected To Diabetes

2012-04-02T01:05:00.000-07:00

How Body Fat Is Connected To Diabetes

As the it seems that the world just keeps growing heavier and heavier, one of the largest diseases that's showing upwards growth trends is diabetes.

More and more people are becoming affected by diabetes and sadly, it's not just adults. Diabetes is now being seen quite regularly in our youth, indicating just how large of a problem this is really coming to be.

Both adults as well as children are being affected by diabetes as their weight continues to take a steady trend upwards into the obese category.

But how does body fat play a role in diabetes and what's the connection that you need to know about?

Let's have a closer look at how body fat is connected to diabetes so you can see for yourself the link that's coming into play.

The Body Fat-Insulin Connection

The first issue that's going to come into play is the fact that the more body fat you have on the body, the greater the level of insulin that will be required in order to deliver the glucose to the cells after carbohydrates are eaten.

If the insulin is not secreted in appropriate amounts, the glucose will stay in the blood stream causing high blood glucose which is the entire problem with diabetes in the first place.

As more and more body fat comes to accumulate, more and more insulin will constantly be needed and this overproduction of insulin can really wear on your body's system.

The Nutrient Consumption Risk

If you have high levels of body fat, this is also going to be indicative that you're not eating a diet that contains sufficient levels of fruits and vegetables in most instances. Instead, those who are suffering from high levels of body fat more often eat fast foods, high fat snack foods, highly processed breakfast and cereal bars, and so on.

Because they're filling their body with these nutrient devoid items rather than the highly nutritious fruits and vegetable that you really need, this is going to place extra stress on your pancreas and make it even more difficult to secrete the level of insulin required to take care of the glucose in the blood.

Receptor Issues

Finally, when there is elevated fat in the blood stream due to high levels of body fat, this can stimulate a certain receptor in the body known as GPR40, which typically responds to high levels of blood sugar by promoting a high increase in insulin production.

But when fat is also present in addition to the sugar in the blood, this stimulates these receptors even further, therefore you get an even higher production of insulin.

Again, over time this begins to wear on the pancreas until eventually it's burnt out and just not functioning properly.

So there are multiple ways in which body fat is linked to the development of diabetes that you should know about. One of the largest recommendations for those who are currently at risk for diabetes is to reduce their overall level of body fat and these are the primary reasons why.

How And Why You Store Body Fat

2012-04-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

How And Why You Store Body Fat

If you're currently facing an issue with your body weight, one of the questions that you might be asking yourself is how you store body fat in the first place. What is it that got you to where you are now and how can you go about getting yourself out of this situation of being overweight?

Understanding how and why you store body fat can provide good indication that will let you look into the process of fat burning so you can uncover the precise steps that you need to be taking in order to move yourself forward.

Let's have a quick look at why you store body fat and how this process takes place.

The Issue Of Energy Imbalance

The very first thing that you need to understand is that the process of adding body fat to your frame very much is a function of how much energy is coming in versus how much energy is going out.

If you're consuming a high calorie diet that has you taking in more calories than you're burning off daily, this is going to cause you to begin to store excess body fat.

Since the body has more energy than it needs for its everyday purposes, it has to do something with that energy and the most logical thing to do is store it for later use.

This way, should you encounter a period of starvation, you'll have built up energy reserves to turn to.

It takes you having an energy surplus of 3500 calories over time to accumulate one additional pound of body fat.

The Type Of Nutrients Consumed

Now, one thing that you do need to think about in terms of why and how you store body fat is the type of energy that you're eating.

Protein rich foods will be least likely to be converted to body fat stores because this nutrient takes a lot of energy just to break down.

As your body is expending this energy breaking the protein down, this means less energy would be left over to store as body fat.

After proteins, if you overeat in carbohydrates, you may not necessarily store these as body fat either. If you've been following a lower carbohydrate diet for example and have just completed an intense workout session, the storage form of carbohydrates in your body – your muscle glycogen levels will be lowered or even depleted.

When this is the case, the carbohydrates you eat in excess will actually go towards that storage first, and only once it's filled up will you begin converting carbohydrates into body fat stores.

Then you have fats. Since fats take very little energy to break down and the storage place for them is in fact your fat stores, this is the nutrient that is most likely to get converted to body fat.

Note that this does not mean you should eat a fat devoid diet however – some dietary fat is necessary for proper health and functioning, but just remember that if your calorie intake is too high, then this dietary fat may turn into body fat.

If you maintain a proper calorie balance, then there won't be a problem.

So there you have the main points to keep in mind about how and why you store body fat. If you want to minimize fat storage, eat a lower calorie diet that's rich in proteins and contains moderate amounts of carbohydrates with small amounts of healthy fats sprinkled in.

Fat And Disease Risk: Associations You Should Know About

2012-04-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Fat And Disease Risk: Associations You Should Know About

If you're overweight, there's a very good chance that he biggest problem you see with the current state of your body is the image that looks back at you when you glance in the mirror.

It's easy to focus on the outward appearance of our body as this is what we see on a day to day basis and what we're constantly thinking about as we move through life.

But, it's important not to let this outward focus you have cause you to neglect what's happening on the inside.

The fact of the matter is that if you're overweight, what you look like in the mirror won't be any issue compared to what's going on inside of your body and the disease risks you may have.

Let's uncover some of the biggest concerns that you should know about so you can see why it's time that you took control of your weight once and for all.

Health Risks Of Having Too Much Body Fat

Perhaps one of the most well known health risks of suffering from obesity is the influence it's going to have on your self-esteem and mental outlook. Those who are very obese often have very low self-esteem and may often stay away from social situations because of it.

This can cause a wide variety of psychological conditions such as anxiety as well as depression.

In addition to what being overweight will do to your mental health, some of the other physical health conditions that you'll be at a higher risk for include:

• Having high blood pressure

• Coronary heart disease

• Type 2 diabetes development

• Stroke

• Gallbladder disease

• Osteoarthritis

• Breathing problems

• Difficulty sleeping

• Cancers of the breast and colon

Many of these health risks could potentially become life threatening, so hopefully this makes you sit up and think very seriously about what could potentially be at stake for not taking action.

What You Can Do Right Now

So what can you do to decrease your risk?

Clearly the obvious answer is to lose weight, but while that weight loss process is taking place there are a few things that you should focus on to decrease your health risks right now.

First, make sure that you're getting regular exercise. Getting enough exercise can really help to improve your health status and eliminate or at least reduce some of the risks mentioned above.

In addition to that, make sure that you are using a healthy diet approach. Using a crash diet because you want to lose the weight so badly would not be advised as that will just put you at even greater health risks since you'll likely be losing muscle not the fat that's causing the problem and furthermore, you often won't be taking in a sufficient level of nutrients either.

If you get both the healthy diet and workout program in place, you should be able to feel confident that as each day passes by, you're moving closer and closer to optimal health.

Factors That Regulate Lipolysis

2012-04-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

Factors That Regulate Lipolysis

If you're involved with a fat loss diet plan, one of the primary things that you need to think about is what you can be doing to increase the rate of lipolysis in the body.

Lipolysis stands for the burning up of body fat stores for energy, thus it's the process that's going to help you reach your goal weight and look your best.

There are a few different factors that will influence the rate of lipolysis that goes on so understanding these factors and then doing everything that you can to maximize them will be critical to success.

Let's have a look at what you need to know.

Your Diet Program

Looking at the diet you're using, in order to increase the rate of lipolysis that takes place, you want to achieve two different tasks.

First, you want to be using a lower calorie diet plan so that the body doesn't have sufficient fuel to cover its daily needs. In doing so, you're going to force it to find another source of fuel for energy – namely, your body fat stores.

As it starts turning to your body fat stores, you'll undergo the process of lipolysis at a faster pace.

Now, to speed this process up even faster, reduce the carbohydrate content of the diet specifically. Since carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy in your body, when they are taken out of the picture, the body really won't have any readily available energy to burn and thus body fat will be the only option.

The body generally does not like using protein as a fuel source so fat will be more preferable. Dietary fat will be turned to as well, but once that energy is exhausted, body fat stores will be the next place it'll look to provide you with fuel.

Your Exercise Program

The second thing that can really influence the rate of lipolysis that you experience is your exercise program. Here, you want to focus on a combination of two things.

First, you want to perform some very high intensity exercise at the start of the workout session. This could be weight lifting or it could be interval sprint training.

Doing this intense physical activity is going to cause the body to release fatty acids from the fat cells, so you're in the position for prime lipolysis to take place.

Then, once you've finished this component of the workout, perform some lighter paced cardio training.

Since the body can use fat as a fuel source during this activity (while it can only use glucose as a fuel source during more intense forms), this means that you're now going to burn off those fatty acids that have been released.

The end result means an increase in lipolysis and that you will reach your goal weight sooner.

So there you have some main things to focus on with your approach to help boost lipolysis and make sure that you're headed in the right direction.

Body Fat And Cholesterol: What's The Connection

2012-04-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Body Fat And Cholesterol: What's The Connection

It's no secret that if you're overweight, you're going to suffer from a number of negative health risks. Everything from high blood pressure to the development of diabetes to a higher incidence of stroke can be linked to being obese or overweight.

But, one connection that sometimes goes overlooked is that of body fat levels to your cholesterol levels.

Let's take a closer look at what this is all about.

The Diet That You're Eating

The very first thing that you need to consider regarding your body fat level and how it relates to your cholesterol is how you gained that body fat in the first place – the diet that you eat daily.

Those who are quite obese and who are carrying an excess of body fat often got this way because they are eating far too much fast and convenience food.

They didn't get that way because their diet was too full of fresh fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean proteins as these foods are naturally lower in calories and you just wouldn't eat enough of them to accumulate that degree of excess body fat.

Because of the types of foods they're eating, this means they will have higher intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, therefore this will cause their overall cholesterol level to go up.

While in a few very rare cases if someone was feasting on healthy fats (such as consuming high quantities of nuts, nut butters, and healthy oils) each day in addition to their usual diet that could cause them to become overweight without suffering high cholesterol, those cases are far in between.

The Lack Of Exercise

The second major reason why being overweight or obese can cause you to have high cholesterol levels is because the second thing that most of these individuals are doing is not exercising.

Being overweight is attributed to too many calories coming in while too few calories are going out. This is accomplished through that higher calorie diet along with the lack of physical activity to burn those excess calories off.

Those who are exercising regularly and who are still at a slightly higher body weight may not see nearly the same degree of blood cholesterol levels as those who aren't.

Exercise does help to combat high cholesterol levels so this on its own will definitely provide some benefits.

Even still, if you're exercising but eating a diet high in saturated fat you're still going to be running into problems as far as your overall cholesterol profile goes.

So there you have the information you need about the connection between having high body fat levels and having a high cholesterol level. It's vital that you do take your body fat level seriously so that you can gain control over it and avoid all the negative health consequences that come with high cholesterol.