by John Hall

What factors cause weight gain? Ask anyone this question and the answers will be varied and often entertaining.

The simple answer is that we gain or lose weight because our food intake is not balanced with our digestion and metabolism.

We all need food but what we eat, how much we eat and when we eat directly affects our health.

Food intake

The multi-billion GBP/$ “diet” industry would have us believe that if you “watch your weight”, you will “slim faster”. They highlight on low-calorie, low-fat and artificially sweetened food and drinks that they manufacture and sell to you. Many of these foods are sold at reasonable prices – this is to ensure that you will develop the habit of purchasing them regularly so that you feel you are following “the diet”.

Have you ever noticed that the customers perusing down the “diet” aisle of our supermarkets are generally overweight compared to those purchasing raw foods to be cooked/prepared at home?

Have you also noticed that people who consume “diet” drinks are not just overweight but often obese?
WHY?

Low-calorie diets do not work – the reason is that if your calorie intake is less than sensible for your body type and lifestyle, your metabolism will slow down (a slower metabolism does not use as many calories). Your body goes into “starvation mode”in that it is attempting to live on the restricted resources that you are supplying. Yes, you may lose weight initially but any slight increase in calories will trigger weight gain as your body stores, as fat, these extra calories for when food becomes scarce again (the next diet!) The cycle continues… you begin to yo-yo diet and eventually store more and more fat as a result.

Low-fat diets can be dangerous. We all need fat in our diet – you would die without sufficient fat. The brain is a fatty organ and many of our vital organs have an essential protective layer of fat around them (kidneys, nerves etc.)

Be wary of foods labeled “low-saturated-fat”. These foods may be slightly lower in saturated fat than the regular product but they may have extra types of fat added such as trans-fats. Trans fats are unsaturated fats but can cause more damage to the body than saturated fats. (There is always the temptation to eat more of a low-fat product because you think it’s healthy… you will probably end up consuming far more that if you had chosen the regular product initially.)

Diet drinks are dangerous! The best advice anyone could take is to avoid all diet drinks. These drinks are sweetened with artificial sweeteners and often have zero calories. They cause rapid weight gain!

How?

Whenever we consume food, the sensors on the tongue send a message to the brain “food is on it’s way!”

The brain then sends a message to the digestive system “food is on it’s way!”

The digestive system then produces the hormones and digestive enzymes to process the “food or drink on it’s way “and waits for it to arrive.

This system works well if the food/drink is natural (no artificial sweeteners) and the body can produce enough hormones and digestive enzymes to process the amount of food consumed.

If you consume, for example, a diet drink – it tastes sweet so the appropriate messages are sent around the body and the pancreas produces an amount of insulin that awaits in the bloodstream for the oncoming sugar. ( Insulin reacts with the sugar and takes it around the body cells to be used as energy).

An artificial sweetener contains no natural sugar so the insulin waits and waits… there is no interaction between the sweetener and the insulin. If this situation is repeated, the insulin becomes tired of waiting and effectively goes into sleep-mode. Consequently when real sugar arrives, the insulin still fails to react. You become resistant to the insulin and any natural sugars are not processed by the insulin. This results in large amounts of sugar being present in the bloodstream – the sugar, without the insulin, cannot enter the body cells to convert to energy so you become tired and lethargic. The sugar in the bloodstream is then stored as fat because the body cannot use it… weight gain increases rapidly.

Your diet drink has made you insulin resistant, caused rapid weight gain and you are fast heading to become a type 2 diabetic.

Remember, we gain or lose weight because our food intake is not balanced with our digestion and metabolism.

No matter how much healthy food we eat, if our digestion is poor, the nutrients in our food will not be fully absorbed and utilised in the cells of our body.

If our metabolism is at a low rate, we will not use all the energy giving nutrients we assimilate and storage as fat will result.

I have seen many people who take a very nutritious diet but are nutrient deficient because of poor digestion.
WHY?

As we age, the production of digestive and metabolic enzymes reduces. Digestive enzymes are primarily concerned with digesting food and metabolic enzymes deliver nutrients to cells and activate the various processes in the body.

Enzymes are the spark of life and without them, we would die. Enzymes carry nutrients, vitamins and minerals into the bloodstream and then into the body’s cells. Cellular activity for the production of energy and repair of tissue is dependent upon enzymes. Metabolic (systemic) enzymes also assist the immune system by seeking out and destroying none-self proteins that harm our body. There are thousands of enzymes in the body that carry out this important work to keep us alive and healthy.

It is understandable that because our enzyme levels decrease rapidly as we age, our digestive, metabolic and immune systems are not as efficient as they were in our youth. Cellular deterioration increases proportionately to enzyme depletion. The more enzymes you have, the “younger”your body will be! Enzymes are indeed anti-ageing.

Most of us will agree that it becomes increasingly more difficult to lose weight as we age. Yes, our body changes over time and we often just look at the results… wrinkles, southern migration of body tissue… etc. Just imagine what is happening to the inside of your body – cells are becoming weaker, the cell walls are more fragile, the energy production is reduced and the immune system is slower to respond to ill-health.

There are various symptoms of digestive enzyme depletion and ways you can help correct this: also the effect of having a strong presence of metabolic enzymes and how they help to keep you in tip-top health.

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Lose Weight Fast

terry@loseweightfastblog.net

by: Todd Stempowski

Have you checked your thighs and felt depressed? Do they jiggle while you walk? Do you have saddle-bags or wobbly inner thighs which rub together?

Upper leg fat can be a concern for lots of women and men. It can contribute to obesity, help to make our jeans fit oddly, and stop us from ever pulling on some shorts. It is also a stubborn kind of fat, and shedding it may be a very long and disheartening process.

However it does not need to be. To get rid of thigh fat once and for all, take this advice to heart:

Lower Your Body Fat Percentage

Sadly, spot reduction is really a health and fitness myth. Short of liposuction, that’s an unpleasant and often temporary solution, there is no way to get rid of fat from a single area of your body without removing it from the rest of your body.

To reduce the amount of fat in your upper thighs, you will have to lessen your overall body fat percentage. The old-fashioned way is still the best: Consume less food, move more. Cardiovascular and weight training will help you get leaner, more solid thighs (as well as everything else).

Have you any idea just how much of your weight derives from fat, and just how much stems from muscle? If not, you need to use calipers or an electronic body fat calculator to find out. If you require guidance, talk with an expert in nutrition, fitness instructor, or your medical provider.

Get a minimum of one hour of aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times each week. Do 15 – 30 minutes of weight training every second day. You will begin to notice results quickly, and the more time you stick with it, the slimmer your upper thighs are going to be.

Physical Exercises That Target the Thighs

Our thighs are a big muscle group. After you drop the excess padding around the upper thighs, you will want to have sculpted muscles to show off. You can obtain those toned thighs and legs by carrying out certain exercises that concentrate on the region.

Thigh exercises that don’t call for extra equipment include squats, wall sits, and lunges. You can perform these every second day until eventually you reach muscle fatigue (shaky legs). Walking or running down and up the stairway is another surperb way to develop your thighs.

Losing Leg Fat at the Gym

Nearly all physical fitness centers have a multitude of machines that will tone the thighs. Leg presses and leg curls are great choices, along with any sort of machine that requires you to climb steps or pedal.

For added firming, find machines that work the abductor muscles (outer thighs) and also the abductor muscles (inner thighs). This equipment looks similar to the ThighMaster device, and they work really well.

Toning Your Thighs The Whole Day Long

Naturally, you will not need a gym – or even a break from your normal routine – to build toned thighs. You can actually sculpt your upper thighs and legs while you run errands, drive around, and perhaps whilst you work at your desk.

Whilst sitting or standing, clench your thighs and butt as hard as you can. This is a popular method to sculpt and strengthen the butt, but it would also give your thighs a good workout.

Walk longer distances than required by parking the car farther away from your destination. Or run errands on foot when it’s possible to. Walk up the stairs as opposed to the elevator or escalator. Every little bit helps.

You can even find special thigh-toning workout routines that you can do while you work. The ThighMaster and comparable devices fit in between your knees when you sit, so they really are convenient to use just about anywhere.

You can even order online for small exercise bikes that fit below your desk. Pedal as you work to get rid of upper leg fat fast!

About The Author
To find out more about how to get thin legs, visit How to Lose Thighs today!
The author invites you to visit:

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Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_12455.shtml

]]> http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/lose-weight-on-your-upper-thighs-and-feel-good-in-shorts-again/feed/ 0 http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/is-weight-loss-one-of-the-advantages-of-eating-chocolate/ http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/is-weight-loss-one-of-the-advantages-of-eating-chocolate/#respond Thu, 24 May 2012 02:57:47 +0000 http://loseweightfastblog.net/?p=157

By Kirsten Whittaker

Weight loss as one of the advantages of eating chocolate sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? That is until you understand the science behind it. If you’re wanting to lose weight (and who isn’t?) you might not have to ban chocolate from your diet. At least not dark chocolate…

A new study finds that subjects who ate chocolate a lot actually weighed less than people who ate it less often.

Sounds strange but there’s solid data to back the claim. Using just about 1,000 healthy men and women, the researchers saw that those who indicated eating chocolate 5 times per week had BMIs (body mass index) of on average, one point fewer than those who enjoyed chocolate less often. One point on the BMI scale equals about 5 pounds using the example of a 5’6″ tall woman who weighs in at 125 pounds. Different weights and heights will produce different numbers.

What’s interesting is that the research team did look for other reasons that might explain away the weight difference. Chocolate eaters didn’t exercise any more than non-eaters. They didn’t engage in other behaviors that might influence their weight compared to those who ate less chocolate. However, as the study was observational it cannot prove that chocolate eating causes weight loss.

The findings just don’t seem to make intuitive sense. Eating chocolate should have you gaining weight, not losing it. What’s more, in the study, those who were eating a lot of chocolate also said they ate more calories in total as well as more saturated fats than those who consumed chocolate less frequently.

So, how can more calories equal less weight?

One possible explanation is that the calories found in chocolate are offset by some other ingredient that might speed metabolism.

Nutritionists who did not take part in the research are understandably skeptical of the idea that chocolate brings down body weight. Perhaps eating chocolate is a marker for an overall way of living and relaxed attitudes about eating that are healthy for people.

One expert who is willing to sing chocolate’s weight loss praises says that dark chocolate comes naturally with many things that means it is a good choice for dieters.

– The bittersweet taste of dark chocolate actually works to suppress appetite, where sweet tastes serve to encourage it.

– It’s high in fat, which slows digestion and might actually curb appetite for a longer period.

– Dark chocolate is also a natural source of a small amount of caffeine, which can speed up metabolism, helping your body burn more calories while at rest.

Experts also point out that chocolate is not calorie free. You need to account for them just as you would any other food you eat. No one is saying you can eat chocolate and effortlessly lose weight – the idea is more complex than that. You need to choose your wisely to gain the advantages of eating chocolate – resisting high fat and sugar varieties and go dark (at least 60% cocoa content), keeping the portion small – no bigger than a postage stamp.

FREE Bonus Secret Health Reports – For a limited time you can grab 5 FREE essential health reports from the Daily Health Bulletin. Click through now to discover the advantages of eating chocolate on weight loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-Weight-Loss-One-Of-The-Advantages-Of-Eating-Chocolate?&id=7079590

]]> http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/is-weight-loss-one-of-the-advantages-of-eating-chocolate/feed/ 0 http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/tips-on-running-to-lose-weight/ http://loseweightfastblog.net/2012/tips-on-running-to-lose-weight/#respond Thu, 10 May 2012 02:46:16 +0000 http://loseweightfastblog.net/?p=67 May 12
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