Foods That Help You Lose Weight

11 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

You don't need a starvation diet to help you shed those unwanted pounds. In fact, you have to eat to lose weight. And these slimming, satisfying foods are just the ticket.

You won't lose weight on a diet of celery sticks and dry toast. Your body will just think it's starving and hang onto those extra pounds! Rather, to lose weight effectively and permanently, you need to eat. And eat smart. Happily, there are a host of delicious edibles designed by nature to turn up your fat-burning furnace, flatten your belly, and take a big bite out of your appetite. Here are 11 of the get-slim food gems we're talking about:

Mushrooms

If you want to try an easy & tasty calorie-cutting trick, then substitute the meat in your favorite recipes for mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat. Recent study found mushrooms just as tasty & filling as meat.

Pistachios
Nuts may be high in fat, but it's the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight. Here's more on how pistachios and other nuts pull off this feeling-full feat.

Grapefruit
Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer. Get hip to why most fad diets don't work and can actually be dangerous.

 

Rice with Veggies
Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch. Here's more on how rice and vegetables work together to keep you full.

Yogurt
Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine. Check out these other good eats that are bursting with calcium.

Avocado
This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating. Find out what fats make you hungrier and what ones can help curb the munchies.

Eggs
Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day. Here's how eggs helped folks lose 65% more body weight in a recent study.

Red Pepper
Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day. A similar compound in sweet peppers may hinder fat storage, too.

Fava Beans
Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat. Slim your belly and your body with this fat-blasting plan from the YOU Docs.

Whole Grains
Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle.We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta. Discover how whole grains helped flatten the bellies of 3,000 men and women in a recent study.

Olive Oil
This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating. Olive oil also plays a starring role in heart-healthy Mediterranean-style diets.

Ways To Lose Weight

Try to add as many of these tips to your daily routine, and you will surely be well on the way to a slimmer, healthier you. We don’t get fat “overnight” – so you should expect it to take a certain amount of time to lose that weight again, but don’t give up! Persistence, Determination and Grit - They should be your watchwords. These tips work – if you stick to your plan!

1.    Eliminate one tablespoon of fat a day and you will lose 10 pounds in a year.
2.    Avoid strange fad diets—if you can’t eat that way for the rest of your life, don’t waste your time or your health.
3.    Limit alcohol consumption - each serving contains 100 to 150 calories.
4.    Eat fruit at least twice a day.
5.   Keep a food diary about your food choices, indicating how hungry you are each time you eat. Pay particular attention to your level of hunger when you snack.
6.    Perform aerobic exercise a minimum of 30 minutes three times a week. Log this on your food diary. Aerobic means any exercise that increases your breathing and heart rate. Walking is fine! Do only what you can to begin with. If you have other health problems, consult your doctor before embarking on any strong physical exercise.
7.    Gradually increase the length and frequency of your workouts.
8.    Weigh yourself no more than twice a week. And do it in the morning after going to the bathroom – it’s the most accurate reading.
9.    Give yourself a non-food reward for every 5 pounds lost.
10.    Slow down your eating speed—make meals last at least 20 minutes. Try eating with the other hand or taking a sip of water between bites.
11.    Use smaller plates.
12.    Bring your lunch to work at least three times a week.
13.    Start to strength train twice a week as your fitness improves. Building muscle increases your metabolism and forces your body to use fat, not muscle, when you’re cutting back on calories. Cut down on carbohydrates and stick to lean white meat and fish, and you will notice vast improvements here.
14.    Stop eating while watching television.
15.    Have someone else put away leftovers.
16.    Buy a good low-fat, low-calorie cookbook or magazine subscription.
17.    Try two new reduced-calorie recipes a month.
18.    IMPORTANT - Eat breakfast daily. This suppresses the appetite for most of the day and provides fuel for the brain while at work or looking after the kids! You will feel better and have more energy all day if you eat a low fat cereal in the morning.
19.    Don’t read while eating.
20.    Have a sweet treat once a week.
21.    Keep healthful snacks at home and at work.
22.    Limit your cheese consumption to reduce fat and saturated fat—use cheese and lunchmeat with less than 5 grams of fat per ounce.
23.    Add calorie counting or fat-gram counting to your food diary for a few weeks if your weight loss is slowing down. Maybe you’re missing something.
24.    Substitute herbs and spices for salt.
25.    Shop for food when you are not hungry, and use a shopping list.
26.    Replace ground beef with ground turkey or soy crumbles in dishes such as spaghetti. Don’t skip the protein in your meals; find a leaner substitute.
27.    Eat three vegetables a day.
28.    Always eat sitting down.
29.    Request that your family and friends respect your efforts to lose weight and get fit—beware of loving “sabotage.”
30.    Take a walk when you’re stressed or angry.
31.    Eat two dairy products a day—be aware of your calcium intake. Select low-fat or nonfat dairy products to reduce fat calories.
32.    Order dressings and sauces on the side and apply them with a fork.
33.    Increase your fiber intake—chose whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta products, legumes, and raw fruits and vegetables.
34.    Add slow-down food to your meals—crunchy vegetables, a large glass of water, hot soup or beverages, or fresh fruit to fill you up.
35.    Cook with chicken broth, nonstick cooking spray, wine or water.
36.    Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
37.    Shrink portion sizes of meats and starches, and pile on the vegetables.
38.    Ask how the food is prepared when ordering in a restaurant.
39.    Choose low-fat frozen yogurt or frozen juice bars instead of ice cream. Be careful of the portion size - these foods still have calories!
40.    Select clear broth- or tomato-based soups over white soups.
41.    Keep the junk foods out of sight in your home and workplace.
42.    Take walking shoes or a jump rope with you when you travel to keep up with your exercise.
43.    If you’re getting off track, try to pre-plan your food intake for the next three days by writing it down.
44.    Buy frozen diet dinners with 10 grams of fat or less and 800 milligrams of sodium or less.
45.    Avoid batter coating or breading.
46.    Use two egg whites in baking instead of one whole egg.
47.    Stretch during television commercials—arm circles, leg lifts, head tilts, etc.
48.    Eliminate the butter on your rolls or popcorn.
49.    Learn to say “no” gracefully when a friend or relative offers you a second helping.
50.    Choose pizza with vegetable toppings rather than high-fat meats, such as sausage and pepperoni.
51.    Ask for less cheese. Have you ever tried tomato pie?
52.    Choose cooking techniques that keep fat to a minimum, such as baking, grilling, broiling, roasting or steaming.
53.    Add more low-fat soy products to your diet for the soy protein and health benefits.
54.    Forgive yourself when you slip—and make the next food choice a healthy one.

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Weight Loss - Armchair

Cellulite is the new cancer and fighting fat has been the subject of intense international research for decades. But even as the world studies the biochemistry of complex fat cells, made-in-India solutions to fight fat have made svelte silhouettes a reality for the horizontally-challenged.

In the best of Gandhian tradition, this fight against fat is fought passively: "passive" exercise, no dieting and no food supplements. It seems that all you have to do is sign a cheque to make the unsightly fat vanishes within a month. People actually believe it, but a close look reveals that the level of acquired gullibility is directly proportionate to how desperate they are to look like their favourite pin-up.

Twenty-seven-year-old Stuti Srivastava joined the Hauz Khas-based The Perfect 10 two years ago because she was depressed and desperate. "My boyfriend dumped me just because I was so overweight and I realised I had to do something before I sank into depression," she says.

In two years, she's lost 30 kilos and now sports short skirts, tubetops and a shoulder tattoo of a blue phoenix rising from the ashes. The symbolism is lost on her even as she chimes: "You know, losing weight has changed the way people treat me. Unlike earlier, they now make the effort to get to know me and I no longer feel like a loser everyone ignores," she says.

Ritu Priya, the manager of The Perfect 10, is quick to claim credit. "A combination of passive exercises, massages and nutritional advice helps clients lose weight very quickly," she says. What she fails to mention is that Srivastava also works out in a gym for an incredible four hours a day, six times a week. "Coming to the centre has helped me lose just 10 per cent of the weight, but I still visit the centre because I feel that I still need guidance to lose weight," says Srivastava candidly. "I feel that a single thing doesn't work. Exercise alone would have been futile, I need this support to help me look great."

Medical miracles
That just about sums up the role slimming centres play in the whole weight-loss business. It's a fact universally accepted that exercise, starvation and sobriety are the basics of weight loss. These factors are also the reasons that drive people to look for easier alternatives. Anything that promises to help you lose weight without resorting to semi-starvation or radical surgery makes people want to believe in medical miracles and stock up on all kinds of pills, powders and gadgets and sign up for bizarre-sounding slimming packages. They are ready try everything their neighbour and the guy in the advertisement has tried, simply because trying to sort out all of the competing claims - mostly misleading, unproven or false - is confusing and costly.

The weight-loss business is a booming industry, with people in the US spending an estimated $30 billion a year on diet programmes and products. India, too, is getting there, with more slimming centres sprouting up in the Capital than fast-food outlets.

It makes business sense too. Setting up a weight-loss clinic brings quick returns, more so if you throw in the promise of a "complete" image makeover for the client. It also transforms owners from smalltime entrepreneurs to semi-celebs. Take VLCC chairperson Vandana Luthra, who transformed from a women's polytechnic teacher to an entrepreneur in a remarkably short time. Barely 15 years after setting up her first centre in Safdarjung Enclave in 1989, Luthra's company now runs 19 centres in Delhi and 82 centres in India and abroad.

And in the best of Indian weight-loss tradition, all VLCC centres promise weight loss without dieting. "Diet" is a dirty word and employees look offended if you ask them if clients have to diet. "There's no dieting. We have a diet-based programme where clients are offered diet modifications to help them lose weight faster," says Shivani Popli, technical manager, VLCC, Greater Kailash-II. The so-called "diet modification" involves asking people to avoid eating fat, starches and sugar and limit their carbohydrate intake to three chapattis a day. The final calorific intake is less than 1,000 calories. Most people need a minimum of 800 calories to survive and on this diet, you just about survive.

Angelina Mishra, 42, a former schoolteacher from Lucknow, has modified her two-egg a day diet to three chapattis, fruits and salads. "I take no red meat, no fruit juice, no oil and one teaspoon of sugar with each of my two cups of tea," she says. From the sound of it, it's an 800 calorie diet, but she's not complaining. "I've lost just three kilos so far but I want to continue till I reach the five kg target," she says.

Passive activity

What Mishra says has really accelerated her weight loss is the passive exercise "machine sessions" she comes for three times a week. After 45 minutes trapped to a heat-generating machine, she loses 200-300 gms. "The German machines are really good. My counsellor says that if you lose weight in a session, you should try to maintain that before the next session in a couple of days, and I try hard to do that," says Mishra. Like Srivastava from the Perfect 10, Mishra has also been advised to go for daily 45-minute brisk walks, but she doesn't count that as exercise.

Most people peg their hopes on machines that promise to help them burn, block or flush fat from the body. Fraudulent weight-loss devices and machines range from those that are simply ineffective to those that are dangerous. At a minimum, they are a waste of your hard-earned money. "Electrical muscle stimulators have legitimate use in physical therapy treatment, but are not meant for weight loss and body toning. When used incorrectly, muscle stimulators can be dangerous, causing electrical shocks and burns," says Ishi Khosla, director, Whole Foods.

But proprietors of slimming centres disagree. "Passive exercises are effective and safe and are like lying down while jogging or running. They raise the basal metabolic rate and help a person lose 200-300 gm in less than an hour," says Neerja Roychowdhury, manager of The Body Care at Safdarjung Enclave. "The machine works on your body and mobilises the fat from problem areas like the arms and abdomen and reduces water retention." Most centres offer a choice of machines to assist fat loss and sculpt the body: you can choose from a body-firmer machine, the neuro muscular stimulator, muscle toner and heat therapy to push up the metabolic rate.

Most centres even have machines to boost a person's metabolism, which counsellors tell you slows down with age, leading to weight gain. The fact is that most men and women do suffer from creeping obesity with age, with an average person gaining two kilos of fat every five years after the age of 30 years till they turn 60. The reason, however, is not an ageing metabolism.

"Metabolism doesn't slow down with age or after childbearing. People gain weight with age simply because they are less active," says Khosla. In the book, Exercise Physiology (by William D McArdle, Frank I Katch and Victor L Katch), the authors confirm this. Increases in body fat, they explain, are more a function of activity than age. Inactivity results in loss of muscle. And loss of muscle, not an aging metabolism, is the primary cause of creeping obesity. The muscle that remains is as metabolically active as ever, so if you are as active at 50 as you were at 18, your body weight should not be much different. "Much of the loss of muscle as we age is preventable - and even reversible. Developing an old muscle is just like developing a young muscle. You may need to be more careful and progress slower, but it can be done."

The message: Your metabolism doesn't slow down if you don't. "It's all a waste of time as all you end up losing is water and money," says Sudeep Sharma, who lost weight and then gained it back after sessions both with VLCC and Personal Point.

Lie back and lose inches

The capital's new obsession with "spa therapy" - 

an euphemism for being pampered silly for a steep price - has led to some centres offering massage packages. VLCC, for one, offers a "Get your curves in 10 hours package." Says Popli: "We have therapy-based massages such as anti-cellulite oil massages, detox therapies, relaxation massages and aroma oil massages for weight loss, figure correction, spot reduction and inch loss." Another form of passive exercises, these oil massages are claimed to bring many benefits. "Massages improve circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage (removal of non-essential water from the lymph nodes) while the G-5 massage machines vibrate and loosen fat from the problem area. Finally, a detox pack is used to tone and tighten the skin," says Popli. Whether these miracle massages are included in your package depends on "what you have signed up for," says Popli. In other words, such luxuries are available for an added cost.

But promise of effortless weight loss continues to drive people to these clinics in droves. Simrin Talukdar, 31, happily handed over a cheque - the whole amount has to be paid before joining any slimming programme - to Personal Point on being told that it was possible for her to lose weight without giving up on her pizzas. "I was looking for an easy way to lose weight and was told that the centre could help me do that without exercising or dieting. The fact that it is run by a doctor made me feel they would be doing it right," she says.

Talukdar went through the usual trappings of the passive exercises and massages and soon discovered that nothing was helping. "When they found I was continuing with my normal food along with the cereals, cookies and porridge they gave me, they asked me to subsist on the measly portions they handed out. I said no, so they asked me to stop eating rice, potatoes and pizzas, and also start walking daily," she says. Talukdar didn't, and she ended up paying Rs 15,000 to lose half a kilo over six months.

Sudeep Sharma has the distinction of losing money at two centres. "I lost five kilos at VLCC but gained it back within three months of going back to my usual diet. Personal Point helped me lose three kilos only for an advance payment of Rs 10,000 for 10 kilos," she says. In both cases, there was no refund. S M Sapru, general manager, Personal Point, turned out to be a serial appointment-avoider. After cancelling appointments twice, he said, "Don't call me, I'll call you."

The Personal Point centre in Hauz Khas, however, is more than welcoming if you are a prospective client. "Personal Point is run by a doctor and is very scientific, unlike other centres that are run by nobodies. You pay Rs 1,000 for every kilo lost but if you don't have money now, leave a small deposit and come back. Even Rs 500 will do," they persuade.

All centres, irrespective of price or popularity, offer the same combination: dieting, with placebos such as anti-cellulite massages and passive exercising thrown in if you're looking for a bargain. Neerja Roychowdhury of The Body Care is candid: "Weight loss can happen only when the input is less than the output. We have reasonably priced packages that offer passive exercises and lifestyle management like dieting and walking, things most people are too lazy to do on their own. When they join a slimming centre, they become motivated because they have paid money and want results."

Back to basics
The search for a simple cure for obesity is still on. Ask any expert, no matter how esoteric his specialty, for the best way to lose weight and he will reply, "Eat less and exercise more."

Most people have scrimped on food to shed flab at some time or the other. Most manage to lose a few kilos initially, but very few actually manage to keep them off. "Unrealistic diet plans are rarely sustainable as radical changes in your eating patterns are difficult to stick to over time. Most people on such diets gain weight as soon as they go back to their normal eating patterns," says Khosla. The only proven way to lose weight is either to reduce the number of calories you eat or to increase the number of calories you burn through exercise. "A combination of both is recommended but very low-calorie diets should be pursued only under medical supervision. Unsupervised very low-calorie diets can deprive you of important nutrients and are potentially dangerous," she adds.

Losing weight may not be effortless, but it doesn't have to be complicated. To achieve long-term results, it's best to avoid quick-fix schemes. Small changes in your diet and daily routine are a good way to start. Don't forget that no matter how disciplined you are, you'll occasionally eat foods that you should avoid. Rather than let a setback derail your efforts, accept that it happened and get back on track.

Although current wisdom on healthy eating is constantly evolving, here is a rough guide to losing weight:

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most accurate indicator of healthy weight. It is calculated by dividing your weight in kilos by your height squared in metres. The World Health Organisation has set up international classifications for overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9) and obesity (BMI over 30), but the average cut-offs are lower for Asians, including Indians. A realistic way to lose weight is to eat smaller portions and choose from a variety of foods. A modest reduction of 500 calories per day will achieve this goal, since a total reduction of 7,500 calories is needed to lose a kilogram of fat. Load up on foods naturally high in fibre: fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, and limit cheese, butter and whole milk; red meat; cakes, biscuits and namkeens.

Exercise for an hour at least three times a week. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association compared the effects of lifestyle activity (taking stairs instead of the lift) to a structured exercise programme - such as aerobics - and found that people in the lifestyle activity group had similar improvements in cardiovascular fitness, reduced blood pressure and reduced body fat percentage. 

The message: you don't need to visit the gym five times a week for results. Take the stairs instead of the lift; walk to the store, don't drive; find the farthest parking spot instead of the closest. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day will cut the risk of heart disease in half, and slash the likelihood of other conditions such as obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Unfortunately, fitness continues to be low on most people's agenda. "Most people want to look good and not to be fit, but I hope things will change soon," says Khosla. Going by the queues outside slimming centres, it doesn't appear to be happening in the near future. n

Weight Loss Supplements - Totally Worthless!

I'll teach you exactly how to lose fat without supplements, drugs, or equipment!
"Weight loss plainly wants right eating habits, and please do not hear to anybody who tells otherwise!"

Does permanent weight loss require supplements or equipment?

I wish there was a way for me to shout "no!!!" loud enough for all to listen my weep. Discontinue investing in a flock of supplements that will ne'er work, regardless how long or often you utilise them (read on to discover why). Never buy gimmicked exercising machines that assure miracle results (whether it be for the tummy, buns, hips, thighs, or any body part), but in the long run, simply serve as an cheap giveaway at your next garage sale.

Abdominal machines assuring to firm your stomach and assist you reduce stomach fat completely in a mere thirty days, don't raise the appearance  or flatten your waistline, and will not burn down single ounce of extra fat. However, they do add nicely to your weight loss related junk collection.

This is just a small sample of the numerous misconceptions concerning permanent weight loss, and in the coming paragraphs I'll try to end whole of the needless confusion.

Realize that body fat not just attaches itself to our stomach, hips, thighs, and arms, but also to our face...losing fat improves the way we look from head to toe! Believe me, I know...as I at one time had an chubby everything...

Why is weight loss so confusing?

In my efforts to become a naturally large muscle-builder, I did numerous dietary mistakes that left me with over fifty pounds of extra fat and a grotesque forty-three inch waist. All individual who's in need of weight loss has got a goal of finding out the perfect formula to permanently lose fat without committing themselves to difficult, unsafe, impractical dieting and exercising routines.

Throughout my first months, I read several books and articles on nutrition, putting the diverse ideas, theories, and plans to the test -- on myself. Few worked better than others, but none worked very well. However, I had a lot weight to lose, and so I continued trying out on different dietetic schemes.

Along with attempting several popular fad diets, I too spent tons of money and time trying out on legal dietary supplements that assured quick, supernatural weight loss. I figured that with so many "fat burners" on the market claiming to quickly and effortlessly get rid of excess weight; at least one had to work as advertised.

After spending countless dollars on best-selling supplements with the words "thermogenic" and "metabolic" printed on the label, I found nothing that came in a tablet, powder, or spray that assisted in getting rid of any excess weight (fat).

What actually upset me was that these companies legally and continually promoted astonishing results, yet delivered nothing but the status quo. I even attempted "stacking" many products at the same time hoping for a hint of progress, but I was left with utter disappointment.

The weight loss supplement lie

How can these supplement companies continue to deceive the public with their outlandish, unproven claims, when pharmaceutical companies must undergo rigid testing prior to releasing publicly consumable drugs? The sad fact is, although the government regulates these supplement providers, claims are rarely examined.

Therefore, well known companies can release a new supplement monthly, advertise results that aren't even possible with illegal drugs, and suffer no adverse impact. They benefit, but we continue to suffer.

Unfortunately, weight loss supplement providers could not continually profit if they offered a product that actually produced permanent results! If you lose weight, you won't buy their next "new, amazing fat absorber", but will keep sending them $200 per month to try the next bottled fad. Amazingly, their goal is to keep you fat! The less weight you lose, the more supplements you will buy! Never forget this!

If supplements can claim to offer an "easy, fast, legal aid to weight loss", we're all going to try the product in hopes of finally achieving rapid and permanent weight loss. Guess who benefits? Not us. This is scary, but very true. Don't fall for it! I did, and am disappointed that it took me years to determine that I was not buying a legal, safe weight loss agent, but rather an overpriced, hard to swallow capsule that added to my confusion.

The key to a flat stomach

Can you obtain a rock hard stomach from a plastic pillow? What about a wheelbarrow? It would be nice if you could, which is why so many people bought those frightening abdominal "rockers" and "wheels". On one box, I saw something like "over 250,000 sold", which means that over 250,000 individuals wasted their time and money on an overblown bird feeder.

First off, fat is the only reason why the abs (stomach muscles) are invisible. Case closed! Even if you perform thousands of crunches each day, or even all day, you will never have a firm mid-section when fat hides the underlying muscle! The key to losing this stored fat is proper diet -- you can even neglect exercise completely, and if you follow an effective diet routine, you will burn body fat (exercise simply enhances the rate of fat loss when you follow a proper diet)!

The makers of these machines are well aware of this fact, which is why they include a diet program with each of these contraptions. They hope the user follows the diet plan, and attributes any improvement in their appearance to the dummy machine. Wow! It's nice to see ethical behavior has taken the world by storm! But let's now examine why the machine doesn't work.

Each of these contraptions, by nature, is designed to make a stomach crunch easier, which does nothing to increase firmness and improve tone in your mid-section! In fact, to make crunches effective, you need to increase, not decrease, resistance, which is the exact opposite of what these gadgets offer. Unfortunately, there is no machine in existence today that can offer you such stimulation, so stop searching.

Remember, you need to lose fat from the mid-section to display a firm, athletic stomach, and toy store items like these abdominal chairs and wheels will only eat up your hard earned money. Lose the fat through proper diet (which is the primary factor), and correctly perform crunches (that require no special equipment), to tone your abs. But remember -- you can't define your mid-section without losing fat, thus crunches without proper diet are worthless!

Many perform crunches while following an ineffective diet routine, and achieve nothing, so never forget that proper diet is crucial! No special machines -- no awkward, uncomfortable exercises -- it's not as difficult as people think!

The bottom line on supplements and equipment

I could not even consider naming every available weight loss product that falsely promises rapid, dramatic physical improvements, as the list is endless. This is not taking into consideration the thousands of products not yet introduced -- a new batch of weight loss fantasy gadgets and supplements are released every 1-3 months, and they all fall into the same category (waste of time and money!). If you learn only one lesson from this web site, let it be the following:

Proper diet and exercise is the only road to permanent and consistent weight loss -- there are no short-cuts! No "miracle" exercise device or supplement can burn fat, as the key to transforming an overweight, flabby body is proper diet/exercise techniques.

The above may be difficult to digest, but it is nevertheless the absolute truth. Physical fitness enterprises make their billions by appealing to your inner most senses, creating the appearance of a "do-nothing" approach to achieving dramatic physical improvement. Despite their deception, never forget -- there is no product available now or in the future that substitutes for proper diet/exercise techniques. If you remember this, you've learned more than 95% of the people who are currently pursuing weight loss. Knowledge is key!

Must I exercise to lose fat?

The only required element for consistent fat loss is proper diet, thus exercise is not an essential factor. Yet, if one chooses to engage in regular exercise, fat loss accelerates. For example, if you lose 15 pounds in one month through proper diet techniques (no exercise), you will enhance results by 5-15 pounds (losing 20-30 pounds) through introducing proper exercise variables in conjunction with diet.

Thus, if you wish to enhance the rate of progress, adding exercise to proper diet is a worthwhile technique. Yet, if you are satisfied with the speed of weight loss using proper diet only, exercise is not necessary.

Weight loss clinics?

I don't have any specific gripes with weight loss clinics, but I firmly believe that anybody can lose weight without their symbolic hand-holding. They charge a mint for being a coach while you are putting forth maximum effort, not them. They should be paying you for working your tail, not taking a dollar a pound, or whatever their current promotion absorbs. Once you learn the proper diet and exercise methods, it's unnecessary to spend $200/month for somebody to watch.

How I discovered the proper method for permanent weight loss

From low carb high protein, to high carb low fat, to the strangely popular high fat diet, I experimented with all available options. I found that certain meal plans have some very effective ideas, but none offered all of the necessary ingredients to quickly, permanently, conveniently, and safely eliminate fat.

Low carbohydrate diet?

For example, the low carbohydrate diet plan will cause a reduction in body weight within the first 1-2 weeks, but the majority of weight lost is water / muscle, and not fat. Fat loss will follow, but unfortunately it is accompanied by a metabolic slowdown.

The initial reduction of water/muscle actually decreases the rate at which you burn calories and, as a result, you will gain back every lost pound once you integrate carbohydrates back into your diet! It is not possible to follow a no-carbohydrate diet long term (it is unhealthy to do so), and inevitably you will find yourself introducing them into your regular eating plan after several weeks.

Never forget -- losing body fat is your only goal, as reducing muscle tissue and water weight does not improve your appearance, and in fact greatly slows or even prohibits the fat loss process (which is why so many are "stuck" with no further results).

In addition, weight loss on a low carbohydrate plan produces a smaller version of your former self rather than enhancing your physical appearance (due to muscle loss, which eliminates tone, and creates a sagging, unappealing body structure).

Lastly, once you begin to follow a normal, carb based diet (a low carb plan such as the atkins diet is impossible and dangerous to follow long term), within several months, you will likely find yourself fatter than before you started the diet, and you'll quickly search for a new routine. Low carb diets are not a permanent fat loss solution!

Not just weight loss.... Fat loss is key!

Always remember that weight is composed of water, muscle, and fat -- your only goal is to shed excess fat, as muscle is essentially a calorie burning furnace (and will help you to quickly and permanently eliminate all excess body weight, even while resting). Any diet that restricts carbs in favor of high protein or excessive fat intake is counterproductive, and does not permanently eliminate body fat. In fact, most find themselves fatter due to carbohydrate depriving diet plans.

Controling insulin with carbohydrates!

One of the many keys to permanent weight loss is controlling the hormone "insulin". Through proper caloric division, food selection, and protein/carb percentages (where carbs are a part of diet, but properly balanced with protein), coupled with a potent exercise routine (if you wish to accelerate results), not only will you reduce overall insulin secretion, but also cause an immediate release of stored calories (fat) into the blood stream.

Insulin is essentially a fat storage hormone and, if not properly manipulated through dietary variables, will prevent fat loss, even on a low caloric intake (which is the main reason why high carbohydrate diet plans will never promote fat reduction, regardless of what many "dietary experts" have claimed). In addition, suppressing insulin reduces both blood pressure and cholesterol readings, while preventing/curing diabetic symptoms.

High carbohydrate diet?

High carbohydrate diet plans produce a different, yet equally ineffective, response. In cases of high carbohydrate ingestion, the body actually suppresses fat burning hormones, preventing the release of stored calories (fat). In fact, the only enzymes produced through a high carbohydrate focus are fat storing in nature (insulin), meaning unless calories are very low, you will actually gain fat on a high carbohydrate plan!

Even if you were to sharply reduce calories, the excess carbohydrate concentration will continue to prevent the release of stored fat, but will gladly burn up muscle tissue (as protein content in such diet routines is extremely low). 

Thus, common diet philosophies that concentrate on a high carbohydrate, low protein/fat basis provide results similar to that of low carbohydrate / high protein structures -- muscle is lost, and fat percentage increases!

What This Blog Can Do for You

This Blog not only gives you tools to help you to evaluate how over fat you are and what diseases you are at risk for, it gives you a strategic plan to take off the excess fat and keep it off. Here is some of the important fat loss information you will receive from this blog.

1. Changing a relationship with food is not like changing a relationship to drug addiction. I can’t tell a person who is morbidly obese, “You’ll never be able to eat again for the rest of your life.” That’s impossible. But in this blog I can teach you to transform food from an enemy into an ally by explaining how it works in the body. The food program in The Fat-Burning Bible is not only delicious but will never leave you hungry.

2. People often ask me, “Is all fat bad?” No, it is not. Everyone has to have a certain amount of body fat to survive. But there are healthy and unhealthy body fat percentages. Most important, there are healthy and unhealthy ways for fat to be distributed in the body. A normal man carries his fat above the waist. A normal woman carries hers in the hips and buttocks area. When your fat crosses the line and your body begins to take on the fat pattern of the opposite gender, then you have developed a potentially dangerous configuration known as a reverse fat pattern. This blog shows you how to identify that pattern and how to eat in a way that will help burn fat and normalize where you carry your fat weight.

3. Studies have shown that women burn more fat at low to moderate levels of exercise intensity and men at moderate to high levels of exercise intensity. The exercise program in this blog is designed to capitalize on these findings to help you boost your metabolism and achieve maximum fat loss for the time invested. During the basic four-week Fat-Burning Metabolic Fitness Exercise Plan, you will be performing 300 minutes of specially designed exercise per week, six days a week. If you wish to capitalize on your new found metabolic efficiency and fat-burning capacity and lose even more weight, I offer you two more four-week programs that decrease in time but increase in intensity. In the second month, you will only need to exercise for 260 minutes per week, five days per week, and by the third month you will only need 200 minutes four days a week. My maintenance program, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, will keep you slim for life.

4. If you faithfully follow the Metabolic Fitness Plan, in as little as four weeks you will see a dramatic improvement in your overall appearance. You will lose an average of 14 to 16 pounds of scale weight in one month. For each pound lost, you should lose an average of three-quarters of an inch in your total body measurements. You will drop 0.75 percent of body fat/week. (If you continue into the third month, you will lose 1.5 percent body fat/week.) If you are a woman, you will drop two to three dress sizes in one month. If you are a man, you will see 2 to 4 inches disappear from your waistline.

5. If you choose to go to your doctor and get a lipid profile, you will most likely see an improvement in your total cholesterol, HDL (good cholesterol), triglycerides, and glucose. While heredity plays a part in the lipid profile—for example, high cholesterol runs in some families—studies have shown that people can control approximately 70 percent of hereditary factors through lifestyle.

6. If you suffer from imbalances in your levels of human growth hormone, thyroid, testosterone, and estrogen, you will see dramatic improvement in your hormonal profile in as little as four weeks.

7. Fifty percent of our children are obese or overweight and a significant number of kids are already experiencing major health problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, deformities of the hips and knees, asthma, premature puberty, increased triglycerides, high cholesterol, and decreased levels of HDL. When an airplane is in trouble, parents are told to put on their oxygen mask so that they can help their children.

The only way that we are going to save our kids is to put on the mask—to take responsibility for developing healthy nutritional and exercise patterns ourselves. This blog will give you powerful strategies to deal with fat accumulation as you age. As fat-related health problems spiral out of control in our society, the knowledge I am offering you here can literally save your life. If you are just beginning to put on fat, it can reverse this dangerous trend and keep you from succumbing to diseases prematurely in your thirties and forties.

Nutrition myths and lies!

By: The Idiot Proof Diet

I know that esteemed readers of my blog are clearly above the general consumer knowledge curve and don't want to be fooled by fitness and nutrition misinformation anymore.

So this week I’ll discuss about the myth that permeates through the media, publications, and even among health care professionals and trainers themselves. In fact, a fitness club team was presenting at a fitness conference last week in London.
 

Here is the myth: exercising at a lower intensity burns more fat than exercising at a higher intensity.

Reason behind the Myth: When you exercise at a higher intensity, you instead burn more sugar.

Alright, here is the simplest way possible to explain this.

A. When you exercise, your body burns carbohydrates and fat.

B. More fuel comes from fat if the intensity of your exercise is low. The fact behind is that to "burn" fat oxygen is required and when you exercise too intensely, it becomes anaerobic (which means, without oxygen—you start huffing and puffing for air).

C. As your intensity increases, your body starts to using carbohydrates for fuel.

D. And, when you increase your intensity, you burn more calories per total time spent exercising (walking to running to sprinting). 

E. To lose body fat you need to burn more calories. 

F. Therefore, exercising at a higher intensity is the winner if fat loss is your goal. It does not matter if those calories come from fat or carbohydrates; it matters that you are using calories by moving more! 

Here is where the confusion lies. I said in #2 that more fuel comes from fat when you exercise at a lower intensity. It does not mean you are burning more body fat -- you are not literally breaking down body fat and using it like gas in a race car. Fat as fuel and body fat are different. In fact, research continues to mound that higher intensity exercise is more effective than lower intensity exercise for fat loss. 

Most people like to hear that low intensity exercise is better -- because it is easier! But it is not as effective. 

 In fact, recommending someone that lower intensity movement is better for fat loss is like telling someone sitting is more effective than exercising if they want to lose fat. I cant believe how so called weight loss gurus have the thought that low intensity exercise burns more fat, then I would like to ask them why not to take it to extremes and burn the most fat possible just by sitting or sleeping. What a joke!  

Of course fat loss requires smart nutrition to truly be effective--which is why I recommend The Idiot Proof Diet Handbook . Exercise in and of itself has little effect on fat loss -- when coupled with nutrition, the pieces to the puzzle start to come together. 

Regardless of what you chose to do, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. 

Thanks for reading.