Sunday 19 December 2021

Weight Loss With Hoodia


No one knows for sure, but it's believed the San People of South Africa used Hoodia for most or all of the 27,000-plus years they lived in the Kalahari. It was not until 1937 when a Dutch anthropologist observed them munching on the cactus to stifle fierce hunger pangs during long hunting trips that Hoodia first came to the attention of the outside world. Then, for inexplicable reasons what was then and remains today the most powerful natural appetite-suppressant known to man sat on the back shelves for decades to follow.

 

The new diet pill that kills your appetite, ups your mood, and gives you waves upon waves of energy. When western drug companies learned the San people of South Africa have been using the Hoodia plant to successfully stave of the worst hunger pangs imaginable for days at a time without unwanted side effects, the push was on to bring this product to market.

 

  • Only the gordonii variation of hoodia has appetite suppressant abilities.
  • Hoodia tricks the brain into thinking you've eaten, and makes you feel full.
  • Hoodia may work right away, or may take several weeks.
  • Key results of hoodia reported include a reduced interest in food, delay in the time after eating before hunger sets in again, feeling full more quickly, and a general feeling of well-being.
  • Hoodia gordonii is not a stimulant, and has no known side effects.
  • Hoodia appears to be safe for most people.

 



Weight Loss with Alternative Medicine


Weight loss is one of the big topics-no pun intended-on the late night television circuit. While flipping through the channels after 11p.m., you are apt to come across several advertisements for weight loss pills and diet supplements, each promising to help you drop those unwanted pounds and remove stubborn belly fat once and for all.

 

Let's face it, if these pills really worked, America wouldn't be the top overweight country in the world.

 

There are types of alternative medicine which can help with weight loss, however, and with great results. While no alternative medicine is a magic solution, practicing these principles can help you become more limber, feel more energetic, and the end result-or side effect if you will- is weight loss.

 

Take yoga for example. The low impact stretching involved with yoga will help you feel less stressed, and as a result less likely to over eat as a result of depression or anger. Acupuncture has exact pressure points in the ear which help reduce cravings, and detoxifying teas and herbs can help you feel healthier, and the side effect would be thinking twice before deciding that you want to "pollute" yourself again with oily and fatty foods. In this respect, alternative medicine is wonderful for weight loss.

 

Most alternative medicines for weight loss come in the form of detoxifying teas, energy supplements, and vitamins. The exercise and diet plans are the basis-as they should be- for safe and effective long term weight loss. There is no magic potion to lose weight. Truly dropping pounds and keeping them off requires regular daily exercise and a change in eating habits, period.

 

However, to get you ready for weight loss, here are some alternative medicine detoxifying teas and interesting supplements:

 

Take turmeric, ginger, and lemon-about a half teaspoon each and the juice of half a lemon, and boil it all in 2 cups of water. Drink every morning as a detoxifier before you start your diet.

 

All diets should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and buying a juicer is a great way to make a habit out of eating healthy. Please see your doctor before starting any kind of diet plan.

 

Omega three is a fine source of nutrient, and can be added to any smoothie or juice that you're drinking.

 

Visit your local food co-op or herbalist, they can get you set up with all sorts of alternative teas and nutrition advice, and can refer you to a good homeopathic doctor who will evaluate you as to what your individual nutrition needs are.

 

Bovine and shark cartilage are two dietary supplements to hit the alternative market. Both have been used for years outside of the United States and Britain, but now are big business in the health food stores.

 

The most popular form of alternative medicine for weight loss isn't really medicine at all, rather behavior modification through hypnosis. Hypnosis doesn't make you rely on will power, that's one of the reasons it's so popular. 

 

How hypnosis works is that it investigates what is subconsciously holding you to the thinking and eating habits that keep you overweight. Hypnotists believe that if the root cause of the obesity can be alleviated, the patient will naturally begin to lose weight. It is actually a very effective form of alternative medicine, and overall can cost much less than trips to day spas and expensive over the counter weight loss pills. Through hypnosis you can let go of fears that keep you from eating healthy, and begin to allow a positive energy flow through you, causing you to want to stick to the new way of eating and exercising.

 

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

 

Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”



Weight Loss With Acupuncture: Can Acupuncture Help You Lose Weight?


In recent years, more and more people are trying out acupuncture to lose weight. Just what is acupuncture? How can acupuncture treatment help you lose weight?

 

Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders. 

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient’s weight loss program.

 

Acupuncture treatment can also be used to raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.

 

Acupuncture is not a miracle cure for obesity. TCM physicians often stress that to achieve good weight loss results from your program and maintaining your weight, acupuncture treatment alone is not enough. To lose weight effectively and keep the fats off permanently, acupuncture treatment must be combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercises. 

 

Before you begin your acupuncture treatment, your Chinese physician will conduct a medical examination on you by checking your pulse and examination of your tongue to ensure that you are suitable for acupuncture weight loss treatment. This is because TCM is a holistic branch of health care and do not just specifically target the ailment or medical complaint. So an investigation into other reasons why a patient is obese is necessary to solve the problem holistically.

 

If you want to lose weight naturally and without drugs, why not try TCM acupuncture for your weight loss program?



Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss: Discover Why Your Scale May Be Your Worst Enemy


In your pursuit of a leaner body, you know doubt utilized a bathroom scale to chronicle your progress. However, you may have been doing yourself a grave disservice. As you know, a scale measures how much weight you have lost, but it will never tell you where this weight was lost from. This is where the problem lies. When dieting, your combined weight loss could potentially come from fat loss, water loss, or muscle loss. Obviously, the former is what we all want to achieve, and the latter two are what we need to try and avoid whenever dieting. Unfortunately, many of the fad diets claiming rapid weight loss are often achieving this at the expense of water loss and/or muscle loss. Generally speaking, if you are losing greater than two pounds per week you are likely losing muscle as well.

 

The best way to monitor your progress when embarking on a new diet is to measure your body fat percentage and your lean body mass. Lean body mass is your weight excluding fat. Lean body mass includes bone, muscle, and other fat free tissues with the majority of this being muscle. By measuring these two items, you will be able to determine how much fat you are losing and whether or not you are losing any muscle. The simplest way to measure your body fat percentage is through skinfold testing. If you know a personal trainer or other fitness professional in your area, they will likely be able to take these measurements for you. However, self skinfold testing is available with the use of the “Accu-Measure”, which can be found easily online.

 

Once you have determined your body fat percentage, you are ready to calculate your fat weight and lean body mass. To calculate your fat weight, multiply your total weight by your body fat percentage. Remember to convert your body fat percentage to decimal form before multiplying. I.e. 11% body fat would be converted to 0.11 Once you have calculated your pounds of fat, subtract your pounds of fat from your total weight in pounds, which will give you your lean body mass.

 

Armed with these simple equations, you will be able to track your weight loss much more accurately than by simply using a scale alone. You will know exactly where your weight loss is coming from, so you can quickly make adjustments to your caloric intake to maximize your results. For example, if your lean body mass decreases and your body fat decreases, this should tell you there is to much of a calorie deficit and you should increase your daily calorie intake slightly to prevent the loss in lean body mass. Whenever you’re on a calorie restricted diet, some loss in lean body mass and therefore muscle is hard to avoid. However, this loss in lean body mass should be limited to a few tenths of a pound per week. Initially, when first starting a diet program, you will likely notice a larger drop in lean body mass due to water loss. Don’t get alarmed by this. An obvious downward trend in your lean body mass over time is definitely a concern.

 

It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss proper nutrition and how to calculate daily caloric needs for weight loss; however, I will mention a simple formula that can be utilized to get you in the ballpark if you have average or better body fat percentages. To calculate your total daily calories needed for fat loss, multiply your total weight by 12-13. This will give you a good starting point. I will also mention that spreading your calories out over 5-6 meals per day with each meal consisting of approximately 55% complex carbohydrate, 30% lean protein, and 15% fat will give you the best chance of permanent fat loss. Obviously, these percentages may not work for everyone, but they are a great place to start. If you want to maintain your hard earned muscle, it is also imperative you maintain a weight lifting routine, while dieting.

 

I hope this information will help you achieve all your weight loss goals and help you understand exactly how your nutrition and diet program is affecting your body. There is certainly still a place for the bathroom scale, but unless you’re also measuring the items above, you will never fully realize the effect of your diet program and reaching your full potential may be difficult. I wish you the best of luck.



Friday 17 December 2021

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss - Yes There Is a Difference!


Summary:

 

To lose weight properly (burning fat) you must increase your metabolism (weight training) and your need for oxygen (aerobics) while eating enough calories each day (nutritious diet) to give you energy and maintain the protein in your muscles because protein helps build muscles, which indirectly burns fat

 

Article:

 

In order to lose weight, your body must burn more calories than it takes in, but keep in mind that your body needs calories for energy and when you exercise; your body needs even more calories. Before I talk about energy, the first thing you must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Just because you lose weight, does not mean you lose fat, and just because you lose fat, does not mean you lose weight. When people talk about losing weight, what the really want to do is lose the excess fat on their body and obtain an attractive figure.

 

When you eat, the body uses most of the calories for energy. If you eat more calories than the body uses, it will get stored as fat. If you do not consume enough calories per day you will lose weight, but you will also lose energy. When you do not consume enough energy (calories) for your body, it will start using up your energy stores to make up for the energy deficiency. Unfortunately, the energy stores used is not your stored fat, but instead it’s protein and carbohydrates (carbs) that will supply most of the energy (stored fat makes up a very small percentage). Your body will take the protein and carbohydrates from your muscle cells; causing your muscle mass to reduce (say goodbye to that toned attractive look) which forces your metabolism to decrease (a low metabolism = slow or no fat burning). When this happens your body requires less energy to maintain its new lower body weight (remember the body weight is lower because you loss muscle), which is why your body conserves energy by slowing down the metabolism. In other words, the body has adapted to the new lower energy (calorie) intake which means that you will no longer continue to lose weight.

 

Keep in mind that the weight you had lost in the first place was mostly water weight and you will eventually gain it back in the form of fat, not muscle (in order to get your muscle mass back to the way it was before, you have to work on rebuilding it). When carbohydrates and protein that are already in your body are used as the energy source, your body will lose water weight because both carbohydrates and protein hold water in the cells. In essence, you are dehydrating yourself to lose weight. So yes the scale will go down, but approximately 75% (if not more) of it is water instead of fat. And just so you know, exercising while consuming a small calorie intake just makes the situation worse. This is because when you exercise, you start burning off more energy and the more you work out, the more energy your body needs. I already told you above where the energy comes from, and if you do not give your body the energy it needs, it will just feed on your muscles even quicker now that you are exercising. So eat more food! In addition to this, when you cut down too much on your calorie intake, your body will start storing calories because it doesn’t know when you will eat again. The calories that are stored will be stored as fat. So in other words, when your body is storing energy, it’s basically storing more fat.

 

To summarize my point: Not eating enough calories results in muscle loss, dehydration, slower fat burning, and your body will always adapt to a lower calorie intake.

 

Bottom Line: if you can’t maintain that lower calorie intake for the rest of your life, you will gain your weight back when you get tired of starving yourself!

 

To lose weight properly (burning fat) you must increase your metabolism (weight training) and your need for oxygen (aerobics) while eating enough calories each day (nutritious diet) to give you energy and maintain the protein in your muscles because protein helps build muscles, which indirectly burns fat. This brings up another good point: When you build muscle your weight will increase because your muscles are made up of mostly water, but your body fat percentage will decrease because building muscles increase your metabolism (in other words, muscles way more than fat, but take up less space than fat). So keep in mind that losing body fat can’t be measured by a scale; use a measuring tape and also look at yourself in the mirror, and then you will see the true results. One of the best ways to know if you are losing more body fat than water is by using a body fat analyzer.

 

Make sure that you focus on fat loss not weight loss. Your goal should be to lose weight by burning fat, not losing water from your muscles. Remember this when you choose your weight loss program.



Weight Loss Tips for Women: 5 Solutions to Staying Slim


Summary:

 

Weight regain is not inevitable, but you need to take action to avoid it. Apply these solutions to your life and you will find weight maintenance to be simple and satisfying.

 

Article:

 

So congratulations! You’ve lost some weight! Now, how do you keep it off?

 

When you’ve spent weeks or even months striving and sacrificing, you don’t want to have your spirits sink as you see the scale start to go up. For most of us, regardless of our weight loss method, weight regain is a real possibility. But is it inevitable?

 

Follow these five sure tricks, and your scale will stay put:

 

If you gain a pound, lose it! People who are successful at maintaining a weight loss weigh themselves at least twice a week. Pick regular times of day, and regular days of the week, to weigh and keep a chart. If you find you’re up a pound or two, follow a healthy and structured food plan until the extra weight comes off again.

 

Have planned snacks instead of grazing. To combat rampant, spontaneous snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day that you can measure out and enjoy. Be sure to include some protein and complex carbohydrates in your snack. If you feed yourself a bit more frequently, you will be less likely to graze mindlessly.

 

Balance your treats with healthy choices. You can have an occasional treat, but you can also have an occasional healthy choice. Keep the treat small so that you don’t get a big sugar or unrefined carb rush. And if you must eat sugar or an unrefined carb, eat a little protein with it so that your blood sugar doesn’t crash and cause cravings for more of the same. 

 

Admit your trigger foods and avoid them. All you have to do is look at certain foods and you know you’ll eat them. Don’t keep any snack foods in plain sight around your house. Put them away. If you find yourself going to the cupboard or refrigerator to peruse the snack items, you’ll need to keep the trigger foods out of your house altogether.

 

Experiment and use the tools that work for you. Many dieters hate the act of writing down what they eat. Some dislike exercise. Others abhor weighing and measuring their food. Still others will not give up sugar and unrefined carbs. You need to be honest with yourself, though. These tools are proven to work. So, experiment with all the tools available to you and use the ones that work.

 

Weight regain is not inevitable, but you need to take action to avoid it. Apply these solutions to your life and you will find weight maintenance to be simple and satisfying.



Weight Loss Tips and Diet Information


Weight Loss Tips and Diet Information. A behavioural approach to losing weight by recognizing triggers that cause you to eat.

 

Even the most seasoned weight loss expert can use some weight loss tips every so often. Our eating habits are tied very closely with our behaviour and using a behavioural approach to dieting can be beneficial to certain types of people who have bad eating habits that can be overcome with a little behavioural intervention. 

 

Many times an individual eats without thinking. This means that the person’s habitual behaviour has overrun his cognitive functioning. In a nutshell, we basically shove food into our mouths just because it is there. Among the many weight loss tips offered, thinking before snacking is the prime tip as far as the behavioural approach goes. When we act on impulse, we rarely make good choices.

 

The behaviourist will look at the problem in a number of ways. The best approach would be to get into the habit of slowing down a little bit. Some good weight loss tips include waiting ten minutes before grabbing that snack that is calling you from the pantry. You may discover that you are not really hungry. If you wait ten minutes the craving will most likely go away on its own. 

 

You can also opt to go for a brisk walk when the urge to cheat on your diet arises. This is a great way to get much needed exercise along with self-control. You will be less likely to run to the pantry upon entering the home after a jaunt around the neighbourhood. You will be more likely to go for a big glass of cold water instead.

 

Some people laugh at these two weight loss tips but they do work if you take a behavioural approach. You have to focus on your actions. The best way to look at it is making priorities. Do you want the chocolate cake or do you want to fit into those jeans tucked away in your closet? There are times that the chocolate cake will win but not often if you focus on your behaviour.

 

Weight loss tips that involve a behavioural approach also include portions. We often need to train ourselves to understand how much is enough. Getting into the habit of buying single-sized servings or taking the time to measure will increase your chances of success. 

 

You also may find that there are certain “triggers” that cause you to eat. This is a simple stimulus-response cycle that the behaviourists claim can be broken with a little effort. weight loss tips in the trigger realm include avoiding the kitchen right after a stressful situation, eating only at the dinner table and keeping a diary of what happens right before you get a craving. 



Weight Loss Tips - Live a Healthy Lifestyle


Obesity is one of the biggest problems faced by millions of people in America. This has resulted in a big weight loss corporate industry in the country like Weight watchers, Jenny Carig and many others. Although there are good programs, I feel people can themselves do quite a bit to reduce their weight. The two major factors in weight loss are exercise and controlled diet. I have put together several points which will be useful to individuals looking to reduce their weight.

 

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Most fruits are low in calories and make you full sooner. Not to mention the other vitamins and fibers they also contain.

 

2. Read those nutrition fact labels: It is a good idea to know how many calories you are consuming. Some foods combo's can be deceptive, for example if you are having a plate of salad topped with lot of high calorie dressing and a soda, you have just had more calories than you might get from a combination of grilled chicken sandwich (with no cheese and dressing) plus diet soda. So be smart with what you eat. Prefer home cooked food as much as possible.

 

3. Eating smaller frequent meals will also help you cut down the total intake of calories compared to 3 big meals a day.

 

4. Give yourself a break: Being too restrictive can anyway demotivate you, so to give yourself regular breaks. But do not over-eat at the same time, be conservative and try to make up for it in other meals.

 

5. Drinks: Soda, juice, cream are all loaded with sugars which we usually do not account into out diet plan. Drink water instead.

 

6. Exercise: Do not always depend on your car for everything, walk wherever you can. Go hiking and those backpacks help to burn extra calories. Make friends who have a active lifestyle, join gym or get a treadmill in your home. Remember to increase your exercise in a progressive manner day by day instead of doing strenuous exercise from day one. Be practical on what your body can take and avoid overexertion.

 

7. Get motivation: Talk to people who have had success in weight loss and they will give you a lot of inspiration.

 

8. Get enough sleep, reduce stress and live happy.

 

9. Reward yourself when you reach your monthly weight loss milestones.

 

10. Never give up, even if you have failed a few times previously.

 

11. Eating slowly can lead to weight loss: Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy and savor every tasty morsel.

 

I am not an expert so it is advisable to consult your doctor before starting any weight loss effort and they will also tell you if you have any medical condition that may prevent you to follow these tips.



Weight Loss through Foods that Fight Fat


No one likes to diet but everyone always wants to lose weight. Eating the right kinds of food that burn fat and speed your metabolism should be your first step in your weight loss program.

 

Some foods can magically melt pounds, and that train of thought has been around for a long time. While exercise and a variety of wholesome foods help will help you lose weight, there are foods that burn calories and suppress hunger. Listed below are a variety of foods that will help speed your metabolism and therefore burn fat.

 

Foods such as raw spinach contain bulk. Therefore, the space they leave in your stomach - partly because of their high water content - leaves less room for pastries and ice cream. They are also jammed with iron, foliate, calcium and vitamins A., B, C, and E that helps you to lose weight.

 

Grape fruits help you lose weight fast. They are not magic, but they are powerful fat fighters due to their fiber content. In addition, without added sugar, a grapefruit has fewer calories than an orange of the same weight.

 

Apples keep the doctors away and fat. Eating several apples a day is a great way to lose weight. Hard fruits like apples take time to chew and fill you up. 

 

You burn more calories chewing and digesting celery than it actually contains. Celery has vitamins E and C. It is a diet food that also helps you lose weight and should be on everyone's plate.

 

Eat protein-packed legumes. Protein-packed legumes such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils are not just low in fat and rich in soluble fiber, they digest slowly and keep blood sugar levels steady. You will not feel like eating for a while.

 

Calcium rich foods and drink such as low fat milk can boost metabolism. It has been found that women and girls who consume dairy products regularly tend to lose weight easily and have less body fat than those who do not.

 

The omega-3 in fatty fish, such as mackerel can curb overeating. The protein mixed with the fat in fish is also known to curb your eating.

 

You can eat all the strawberries you want and can never gain a pound. Strawberries, peaches, plums, and grapes come with cancer fighting carotenoids and appetite-suppressing fiber. Eating these types of fruits daily will help you lose weight fast. 

 

Above are just some examples of foods that burn fat. Disciplining yourself to eat a proper diet and the right exercise program will help you reach your idea weight in no time.