Wellness with Healthy Weight Loss

20 EZ Ways to Burn 100 Calories

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Sometimes when we’re working long hours or jammed with extra responsibilities, we
tend to forget our workouts until things calm down. Instead of bailing on your exercise plan, I recommend you use some imagination. I’m providing 20 easy and surefire ways to burn 100 calories*. You might want to add one per day or a few per week. Try not to look at it as, "This isn’t enough.” Instead, focus on the umulative effect. Meaning, if you perform even just one of these activities per day, that’s 700calories burned in a week and 2,800 burned in a month. That will make a difference. Here are my top 20 in no particular order – have fun!
1. Vacuuming: 25 minutes of vacuuming around your home will burn just about 100
calories.
2. Gardening: Like to garden? It’s the digging and raking that will reap the most
fitness benefits. These are the bigger calorie burners when it comes to
gardening. In fact, you can burn up to 100 calories in just 15 minutes with these
movements.
3. Walking: The easiest and one of the most natural movements known to human
beings. 15 minutes of brisk walking will burn approximately 100 calories. A brisk
daily walk at lunch time or after work will make a difference.
4. Jogging in place: Need a quick pick-me-up before work? Jog in place for 12
minutes and burn a little more than 100 calories.
5. Dancing: Twenty minutes of dancing at a moderate pace will burn 100 calories.
C’mon, you know you love to do it, so have some fun with it.
6. Ironing Clothes: If you have to do it for the whole family, you might as well know
the calories you’re burning. Just a bit over 100 calories in 25 minutes.
7. Badminton: A casual, non-competitive, 20-minute game of badminton will get you
to the mark, and it’s a lot of fun.
8. Housework: Vigorous housework for 20 minutes will burn a little more than 100
calories. You have to do it, so why not make it count?
9. Volleyball: 12 minutes of volleyball is all it takes to reach our magic number. Not a bad way to burn some calories while on the beach.
10. Biking: How about a light bike ride in the summer? A light intensity of
approximately 10 mph will burn a little over 100 calories.
11. Golfing: Just 20 minutes of golf will burn 100 calories.
12. Swimming: I’m not referring to swimming laps or training for the Olympics. Just a
15-minute, leisurely swim will get us to our goal.
13. High-Impact Aerobics: You might wonder why I would include this. It’s not like
you’re going to aerobics class for 10 minutes. However, if you’re pressed for time
or working long hours, invest in a fun aerobic video tape and use it for 10
minutes (after a warm-up) each day. That’s close to 120 calories in just 10
minutes.
14. Car Waxing: Forget the car wash – do it yourself on a hot summer day. Just 20
minutes of waxing your car will burn a little more than 100 calories.
15. Frisbee: A fun, 30-minute Frisbee toss with your kids or a friend will burn up
calories, and it’s a bit more pleasurable then a boring jaunt on the treadmill.
16. Take the Stairs: If you work in an office building, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Approximately 20 minutes will burn just more than 100 calories. You
don’t have to do it all at one time. Just make sure to spread it out during the day.
17. Pushing Baby Stroller: Pushing a stroller burns approximately 60 calories in 20
minutes. No problem -- two nice and easy 20-minute strolls per day will get the
job done without even breaking a sweat.
18. Mowing the Lawn (self-propelled mower): 25 minutes and you’ve burned about
100 calories. Just like cleaning, it needs to be done, so put a little oomph into it.
19. Painting: Need to paint a room in your home or apartment? You can burn
approximately 100 calories with 20 minutes of painting. Plus, you get a betterlooking
room at the same time.
20. Weight Training: 15 minutes of vigorous weight training will burn approximately
100 calories. You don’t have to work out forever, Just three 15-20 minute sessions per week will keep your bones strong and muscles tight, and you’ll keep burning calories after your workout.
*All counts are based on a 150-pound individual

Find out how many calories you burn when doing your favorite sports and activities. By just burning an additional 100 calories a day for a year, you could lose up to 10 pounds a year!
In and Around the House Minutes Needed to Team Sports Minutes Needed to
Activity Burn 100 Calories* Activity Burn 100 Calories*
Washing dishes 28 Volleyball 25
Washing windows 20 Tennis - Doubles 20
Gardening 20 Softball 17
Lay or Remove Carpet/Tile 20 Baseball 17
Mowing Lawn (push/power) 20 Soccer 11
Raking Lawn 20 Beach Volleyball 10
Refinishing Furniture 20 Basketball 10
Operating Snow Blower 20 Flag Football 10
Light House Cleaning 18 Hockey: Field or Ice 10
Paint House: Outside 17 Football 9
Weeding 17 La Crosse 9
Chopping and Splitting Wood 14 Water Polo 8
Mowing Lawn (push/hand) 14
Shovelling Snow by Hand 14
Moving Household Furniture 14
Heavy House Cleaning 14
With the Family Minutes Needed to Individual Activities Minutes Needed to
Activity Burn 100 Calories* Activity Burn 100 Calories*
Flying a Kite 30 Stretching 25
Playing Catch 30 Weight Lifting 25
Exploring the Zoo 30 Bowling 25
Tossing a Frisbee 25 Golfing: With Cart 25
Dancing: Slow 25 Water Aerobics 20
Walking to a friend's house (3 mph)25
Badminton 20
Paddleboat 25 Tai Chi 20
Playing Tag (with your kids) 22 Calisthenics 20
Coaching Sports 20 Walking: 3.5 mph 20
Roller Skating 20 Walking: 4.0 mph 19
Kicking a Soccer Ball 20 Walking: 4.5 mph 17
Washing the Family Car 20 Golfing: Walking 14
Running Through the Sprinkler 20 Hiking 14
Shooting Hoops 20 Wrestling 14
Walk Family Dog (3.5 mph) 20 Swimming 14
Pushing a Stroller (3.5 mph) 20 Boxing 14
Hop-Scotch 17 Aerobics: Low Impact 14
Skateboarding 17 Stair Step Machine 14
Ice Skating 15 Tennis: Singles 13
Dancing: Fast 14 Aerobics: High Impact 13
Family Bike Ride 13 Step Aerobics: Low Impact 13
Rollerblading 13 Bicycling: Moderate 13
Backpacking 13 Rowing: Moderate 13
Jumping Rope 8 Running: 5 mph 10
Try Something New? Minutes Needed to Bicycling: 12-14 mph 10
Activity Burn 100 Calories* Swimming: Backstroke 10
Horseback Riding 20 Circuit Training 10
Hatha Yoga 20 Elliptical Trainer 9
Kayaking 17 Ski Machine 9
Whitewater Rafting 17 Running: 6 mph 8
Water Skiing 14 Swimming: Butterfly 8
Fencing 14 Bicycling: 14-16 mph 8
Snow Shoeing 10 Step Aerobics: High Impact 8
Snow Boarding 10 Handball 7
Judo 8 Bicycling: 16-19 mph 7
Karate 8 Running: 7 mph 6
Rock Climbing: Ascending 8 Bicycling: >20 mph 5

Why Green Tea is Good for you!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:25:00 +0000

7 REASONS TO DRINK GREEN TEA

The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore, that
even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You'd think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants -- long linked with heart protection -- would be enough incentive. But wait . . . there's more.
Lots more!

Cut Your Cancer Risk

Several polyphenols -- the potent antioxidants that green tea is famous for -- seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body by discouraging growth
and then suppressing the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive.
Study after study has found that regularly drinking green tea reduces the risk of
breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and prostate cancer.

Soothe Your Skin

Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton ball in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed blemishes, sunburns, or puffy eyelids. But that's not all. Green tea has been shown to help block sun-triggered skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it directly to the skin -- which is why you're seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers.

Steady Your Blood Pressure

Having healthy blood pressure -- meaning below 120/80 -- is one thing. Keeping it
that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup of green tea a day are
almost 50% less likely to wind up with hypertension than nondrinkers. Credit goes to
the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC); they help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

Protect Your – or Your Mom’s – Memory

Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who
drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea's big dose of antioxidants fights the freeradical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Stay Young

The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So
fight plaque buildup in your blood vessels; the sticky stuff increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your RealAge, and saps your energy. How much
green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your
body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

Lose Weight

Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body's calorieburning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, that’s good news!
Source: www.food.yahoo.com/blog/beautyeats/26529/7-reasons-to-drink-green-tea

Understanding Metabolism

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

What is Metabolism?

Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy, or, burns calories. Your resting metabolism measures the number of calories required to keep your body functioning. Energy metabolism is the body's process of breaking down nutrients and converting them to energy.
While everyone's metabolism works the same way, the rate at which it metabolizes nutrients is unique to every individual.

What is My Metabolic Rate?
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate at which your body burns calories while at rest. To get a general idea of your BMR, multiply your weight by 10. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, your BMR is 1,500. The actual formula looks like:
BMR = 150 x 10 kcal/lb = 1,500 kcals
This formula allows 10 kcals (commonly referred to as calories) for every pound of body weight. This means that your metabolism can "use up" around 1,500 calories a day. If you take in more than that, you will gain weight.
But remember, this is a rough estimate and doesn't take into account other contributing factors that may influence your metabolic rate like how much you exercise. If you're interested in a truer estimate, a qualified trainer or a registered dietitian can actually take a measurement on a device similar to a calculator that will estimate the number of calories your body burns per minute.

How Metabolism Affects Your Weight

Someone with a high metabolic rate is able to burn calories more efficiently than someone with a slower metabolic rate. Assuming these two people eat roughly the same amount of calories, the individual with a faster metabolic rate "burns up" more of the calories she eats; the person who has the slower metabolism doesn't burn all the calories taken in, so the extra calories are "saved" and then converted to fat.
Since many factors can affect your metabolism (e.g. age, your condition of health), it can actually slow down without you making any lifestyle changes. The good news is, aerobic exercise is an ideal way to increase your metabolism and combat resulting weight gain. Aging in particular has a noticeable impact on your metabolism, due to changes in hormone balance. That doesn't mean aging makes weight gain inevitable. A 2001 study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service showed that older people can significantly improve their metabolism and fend of weight gain by participating in strength training (using weights or other resistance) exercise.
The reason both exercise and strength training can improve your metabolism? Muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat; the more muscle you have in relation to your body fat, the higher your metabolism will be.
Source: www.weightloss.about.com/od/weightloss101/a/101lesson5.htm

HOW TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM

Unless we perform regular strength exercises, we lose 5-7 pounds of muscle every
decade after the age of 25. That corresponds with a reduction of up to 20% in metabolic rate each decade. The result: you get weaker and fatter. Metabolism is the process by which your body makes and uses energy, or calories, for everything from the cellular absorption of nutrients to running a marathon. Each of us has what is called a basal metabolic rate (BMR), or one’s base metabolism. A good technical definition of BMR is "the energy expended when an individual is lying at complete rest, in the morning, after sleep, in the post digestive state." For most men, BMR accounts for 60 to 70 percent of total calories expended each day, and that’s a good thing, as you’re about to see. Your BMR consumes all those calories through such functions as breathing, digestion, blood circulation, immune response and tissue repair. For comparison's sake, activity of any sort generally makes up just 15 to 30 percent of the average man's metabolism. Muscle is the single most important predictor of how well you metabolize your food, and how well you burn calories and body fat. Regular exercise boosts your metabolic rate by producing larger mitochondria in each muscle cell, which results in more calories burned. Whereas fat is inactive and burns very few calories, skeletal muscle burns at least 10 times more calories than fat, even when we're at rest. But unfortunately, unless we perform regular strength exercises, we lose more than a half a pound of muscle every year after the age of 25. Without an appropriate training stimulus, our muscles gradually atrophy, and decrease in size and strength. This loss of muscle results in a significant reduction in metabolic rate in every decade of adulthood ¬¬as much as two percent a year. And the corresponding decrease in metabolism generally results in an increased ratio of fat mass, which usually escalates as we get older. The average male and female between the ages of 20 and 50 loses 5 to 7 pounds of muscle per decade and adds three times as much fat during that period. Since metabolism usually slows with age, you’re eating habits need to change accordingly or else fat can accumulate and your weight can increase. So, if you're in your 30s or 40s, have been eating exactly the same way for 20 years, and can't understand why you're gaining weight, it's because your energy demands have dropped. The key to staving off the decline in your BMR is weight training. Strength training, at least twice a week, is essential to boosting your metabolism. The effects of a good, consistent strength training program allow you to continue burning calories 24 hours a day – long after you've left the gym. Tissue repair and maintenance are critical to caloric expenditure since about three quarters of variability in BMR is predicted by lean body mass. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have the higher your BMR will be.

Untrained men and women can gain about 2 to 4 pounds of muscle and 40 to 60 percent more strength, after just two months of regular strength training exercise. But what you eat can also have a dramatic affect on your body composition. Some of the calories you consume are less likely stored on your waistline. It’s all about the
choices you make. Plenty of metabolic energy is required to convert the food we eat into usable forms of energy. The process of digesting, using, and storing food energy is inefficient, and by itself can consume from 10 to 15 percent of total daily metabolism. Animal proteins increase thermo genesis more than vegetable proteins, so the best calorie¬-burning foods are lean meats. During the digestive process, foods are broken down into usable forms; complex carbohydrates are reduced to simple sugars, fats to fatty acids, and proteins to amino acids. Eating protein with each meal is important. Protein contains nitrogen, which is broken down and eliminated as urea by the liver. As a result of this additional metabolic step,
protein's thermic effect is roughly double that of fat and carbohydrates. Assuming that you are exercising regularly, eating every 2 to 3 hours and including at least some protein with each of those meals can boost digestive metabolism all day long. And after you reach a healthy, stable weight you need to make sure you’re eating as many calories as you're burning in order to maintain that weight. If you have a job in which you sit all day, the following may be disheartening but also quite revealing; the difference in calorie burn between sitting and standing is nearly 1
calorie in added expenditure per minute. That may not seem like much, but it adds up
quickly. At the end of an hour it amounts to 60 calories and at the end of an eight
hour workday nearly 500. Burning 500 extra calories a day for a week would result in
the loss of one pound. That's over fifty pounds in one year. You get the picture.
The idea is to get up and get active. Committing yourself to a regular strength training program at least 2 to 3 times per week will make a big difference, and not just to your metabolism. The positive effects are numerous, including: increased bone mass and strength, decreased blood pressure, injury prevention, improved appearance and body composition, improved mood, confidence and self-esteem, as well as reduced stress. And if you’re doing all that work to strengthen and improve your body and your psyche, make good food choices that will leave you guilt free. Include plenty of protein at each meal to allow your body to rebuild what’s being broken down in the gym and remain more metabolically active all day long. Remember to include lots of fruits and veggies because they’re full of water and nutrients, and are low in calories. Take care of yourself. You only have one body, and replacement parts are hard to come by.

FOOD IS YOUR FRIEND

Weight loss is really just eating fewer calories than what you burn. Food is not the
enemy… it is your friend. Skipping meals is not the answer. Change your way of thinking because the truth is, you need to eat calories to burn calories! Huh? When
you do not eat enough calories to sustain your body’s daily functions, your body
panics. It thinks there is no food available and slows down your metabolism. It
absorbs more of the foods you eat instead of using that same food for energy. But
when you eat regularly, your metabolism speeds up and use those calories instead of
saving them for later. Knowing this, here are ways you can ensure your metabolism
functions at the optimum:
• Eat Breakfast. You need to break the “fast” of not having eaten in a long time.
Skipping this meal will slow down your metabolism. Eat within 45 minutes of
waking up.
• Eat according to your activities. If you have a hectic and physical day, eat well
at breakfast and lunch so you have sufficient energy. And in the evening when
you are ready to relax, lighten up on dinner.
• Eat healthy and well. Have protein like egg whites, cheese, soy milk, lean
meat, turkey, chicken, fish, pork, kidney beans, and peas. Eat foods with high
nutritional values, at least 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies. Eat negative
calorie foods like apples, asparagus, berries, broccoli, cabbage, celery,
cauliflower, garlic, grapefruit, lemon, mango, onion, orange, papaya, pineapple,
spinach, zucchini etc. Avoid sugar and alcohol!
• Snack frequently. Every 4-6 hours is good. Try snacking on fruits and veggies
between meals so you don’t get hungry. The hungrier you are, the less control
you have over what and how much you eat.
• Aerobic exercise. Even if your mind resists, your body loves physical activity.
• Lift Weights. Muscle burns up to five times more calories than fat. Build muscle
tone!
• Do Cardio. You can do 20-30 minutes of cardio activity like brisk walking or
treadmill, swimming and biking. Cardio exercise speeds up your metabolism for
several hours after your work out… so try doing it first thing in the morning and
experience the benefit all day!
• Keep a food diary. This will help you stay keep track of what you eat. Be
honest!
• Drink Water. Your metabolism needs it to function properly and being hydrated
will keep you energized. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water.
• Drink Green Tea before meals. Drinking green tea before you eat helps to
speed up your digestive metabolism.
• Have 8 hours of deep sleep nightly.
• And most of all, be realistic. Plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week. A
lifetime of inactivity, poor nutrition and bad habits can’t be undone overnight.

There is no short cut to losing weight. It takes effort, discipline and patience. But it doesn’t have to be a miserable experience. Eat smartly! Food is your friend!

Importance of Water!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 22:56:00 +0000

LOSE ONE POUND A WEEK

Lose one pound a week, by trimming 500 calories from your daily diet. Try some of
the following food and beverage swaps:
Breakfast:
Lose: bagel with cream cheese and coffee with cream and sugar.
Choose: toasted English Muffin with light cream cheese and coffee with skim milk or nonfat creamer.
Save 500 calories

Beverages:
Lose: 20-ounce soda, one cup orange juice, and second glass of wine
Choose: unlimited H2O, naturally flavored seltzer and unsweetened tea
Save 500 calories

Daily Lunch Sandwich:
Lose: sub roll, the mayo, high fat meats and cheese (bologna, salami, pastrami, etc.)
Choose: whole wheat bread, spicy mustard, lean turkey or ham, reduced fat cheese.
Save 500 calories

Snacks:
Lose: candy bar, chips and 20 oz soda
Choose: baby carrots, string cheese and an apple
Save 500 calories

Dinner:
Lose: Steak, fried potatoes, dinner roll, buttery vegetables
Choose: Grilled chicken or fish, baked potato with tablespoon sour cream, sautéed spinach (in 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and garlic)
Save 500 calories

SNACKS WITH 100 CALORIES OR LESS
Here are some snack ideas that will be easy to keep around for those "munchies"
attacks!
• 1/2 cup of strawberries with a scoop of low fat frozen yogurt - 145 calories
• 1 apple baked with 1 tbs. cinnamon sugar mixture on top - 93 calories
• 1 apple - 80 calories
• 1 piece of string cheese – 80 calories
• 1 hardboiled egg – 70 calories
• 1 container of Yoplait light yogurt - 90 calories
• Celery, green peppers, and cucumbers - FREE calories
• 1 Jell-O Sundae Toppers pudding - 110 calories
• 1/2 apple with 1 tbsp. of whipped peanut butter - 95 calories
• 20 baby carrots dipped in 2 tbs. of fat free ranch dressing - 50 calories
• 2 oz. water-packed tuna - 96 calories
• 3 cups of light microwave popcorn - 100 calories
• 2 1/2 cups of air-popped popcorn with 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese - 95 calories
• 6 oz. of tomato juice with one rice cake - 65 calories And, if you just got to
have something sweet:
• 1 Haagen-Dazs Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream Bar - 100 calories
• 1/2 of a Hershey bar (give the other half away) - 100 calories
• 23 Chocolate-covered raisins - 100 calories
• Individual serving cottage cheese - 90
• 1 serving bag of Nabisco snacks - 100 calories

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Protein 101

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:01:00 +0000

A necessity for everybody!

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. It is an organic compound, composed of 22 amino acids, otherwise known as the building blocks of life. Protein is stored in muscles and organs and the body utilizes it to build and repair tissues, as well as for the production of enzymes and hormones. Proteins also make it possible for blood to carry oxygen throughout the body. Along with fat and carbohydrates, protein is a “macronutrient,” meaning the body needs relatively large amounts of it. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that our daily protein requirements should be 10% to 35% of our total caloric intake, with men needing slightly more than women. A lack of protein can cause loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, as well as weakening of the heart and respiratory system.

How protein affects your weight

The widespread popularity of high-protein diets is due in large part to their ability to help manage hunger. When protein is absorbed, it sends a signal to the brain to decrease your hunger. Another benefit of protein is that it raises your resting metabolism by maintaining muscle mass. As we age, muscle mass decreases without exercise, so staying fit is a key to burning fat by keeping your metabolism high. Protein also leads to a much less rapid rise and fall of blood sugar and insulin, so you avoid the “sugar highs and lows” after eating sweets without adequate protein. Certain foods, however, provide a healthier resource for protein than others.

Consider the source

You can obtain healthy sources of protein without high levels of saturated fat. For example, soybeans, nuts and whole grains provide protein without much saturated fat and offer plenty of healthful fiber and micronutrients as well. If you’re looking for yet another great way to obtain healthy protein, vegetable sources of protein found in Herbalife’s Formula 1, are high-quality and have lower calorie levels with virtually no added fat. Now that you’ve increased your knowledge of protein, you can effectively enhance your diet and allow good health to take shape.

PROTEIN IN FOOD
unit: grams
Dairy Products Non fat Cottage Cheese 1/2 C 14 grams
Milk, 1 C 8 grams
Cheddar/Swiss, 1 oz 7 grams
Yogurt, 1 C 7 grams
Meats Turkey Breast, 3 oz. 25 grams
Chicken, 3 oz. 25 grams
Pork, 3 oz. 21 grams
Beef, 3 oz. 20 grams
Lean Red Meat, 3 oz (Cooked weight) 25 grams
Egg (1) 6 grams
Egg Whites (7) 25 grams
Fish Halibut, 3 1/2 oz. 26 grams
Salmon, 3 oz. 17 17 grams
Haddock, 3 oz. 16 grams
Tuna (Water Pack) 4 oz 27 grams
Shrimp, Crab, Lobster 4 oz 22-24 grams
Nuts Walnuts, 1/4 C 6 grams
Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp. 4 grams
Beans Navy, Kidney, Pinto Beans, 1/2 C. 7 grams
Tofu (firm) 1/2 C 20 grams(Varies)
Lentils 1/2 C Cooked 9 grams
Black Beans 1/2 C Cooked 15 grams

Protein Snacks

It is well established that the typical person eating a western type diet consumes more daily calories than he needs. High-calorie snacks filled with fats and sugars contribute to these extra calories. Protein packed bars, drinks, soups, and nuts are far superior to other snacks because of the inherent differences between protein and sugars and fats.
First off, protein is more satisfying than the other two macronutrients because of specific signals it sends to the brain. When we snack on protein instead of sugars and fats, the body feels more full which helps people control their appetite between meals, thus cutting calories and controlling their weight. Recent clinical research has supported this physiologic phenomenon.
A second reason for choosing protein as a snack is its thermogenic effect. This refers to the metabolic tax a food puts on the body after we eat it. This metabolic tax for protein is much higher than sugar or fat because the body uses more energy to digest it. This means that when you choose protein over the other two, you are burning more calories during the process of digestion. Having this higher tax rate is good because protein tends to be low in caloric content, so the body is working harder on fewer calories.
A third reason to choose protein snacks over sugars and fats is the body's need to replenish the building blocks of muscle tissue. Muscle is important for our daily activities and it determines our metabolism. So the more we maintain our healthy lean muscle mass, the higher we maintain metabolism.
So the next time you reach for a snack, choose a protein-rich bar, drink, or soup. Avoid high-calorie chips, cookies, candies and sweets. They are generally much higher in calories, and they offer little nutritional value to the body.

Learn about better choices!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:37:00 +0000

We, who do not have the metabolism to eat what we want, need to learn about better choices. We do have choices without sacrificing too much. It is all about learning about nutrition. Make sure that you keep coming back. I would love to help you understand about nutrition. Due to the fact that I am a type 2 diabetic, I wanted to learn. What are your reasons for wanting to learn? Make a list of your reasons for wanting to feel better and look better. Keep a food log to help see what you can change in your eating habits with little effort!

Learn about:
. The importance of protein;
. How drinking water will accelerate your weight loss;
. How to maximize your metabolism;
. The importance of cleaning and having a healthy villi;
. Learning to read nutrition labels and going food shopping
. And a whole lot more!!!

We strongly urge you to keep in constant contact with this blog!!!!