Weight Loss Articles
The Food Pyramid
Everyone has seen the food pyramid. It is the tool used to illustrate the proportions of different food types that should be included in a healthy diet. Over the past decade it has undergone some revisions.
The updated version has a change that may startle many: healthy fats and oils now appear in the lowest food level of the pyramid. That’s right, it is as important to have these in your diet as it is to have fruits and vegetables.
Healthy fats and oils are those derived from plants. However they must not be hydrogenated vegetable oils, as those are high in trans fat. Cold pressed vegetable oils are the best quality, and of those, flaxseed oil – containing Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9, is particularly beneficial. For maximum nutritional benefit vegetable oils should not be heated. So if you are taking an oil such as flaxseed for the Omegas, pour a little over a salad, into a smoothie, or use it when making a pesto or tapenade.
Another change is white rice and products made using white flour are as undesirable as sugar and salt in your diet. Wholegrain bread and pasta will not only give you extra nutrients, the fibre will help give you that nice, full feeling. Brown rice takes longer to cook – which is rather a nuisance – but has much more to offer than white.
Harvard: Eat a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; choose healthy fats, like olive and canola oil; and red meat and unhealthy fats, like saturated and trans fats, sparingly. Most important of all is keeping calories in check, so you can avoid weight gain, which makes exercise a key partner to a healthy diet.
Weight Loss Strategies
If you are wanting to lose weight, you should never skip meals, especially breakfast, and you should watch out for “hidden” calories that you either add to your food or that you drink, such as soda or juice.
Another key strategy to losing weight is making yourself feel full. Try drinking a glass of water just before you
begin eating. By doing so, the water is occupying space in your stomach. You will feel full faster. Most
importantly, eat foods high in fiber.
Foods that are high in fiber (such as fruits, whole grains, and vegetables) contain bulk with considerably
fewer calories-to-volume-of-food. Fiber is a substance that your body does not use as a calorie source. Yet,
it occupies space in your stomach which in turn makes you feel full faster.
Most fruits and vegetables are excellent choices when you are looking for a food low in calories. Watch out for avocados and coconuts. Both are high in fat, thus high in calories. Including a rich amount of fruits and
vegetables in your diet not only makes sense for a weight loss plan but for any diet plan. To promote good health, you should always incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Should a weight loss plan be fat-free?
No. A sensible weight loss plan will include fat, 15 to 30% of the calories from fat. Your body does need fat, so it is not a good idea to omit it from your diet. It is also not a good idea to eat too much fat, more than 30% of calories. Serious health problems can occur as a result of eating a diet rich in fat.
When a product states that it is fat-free or that it is lower in calories than the original version, be sure to
read the label. Always check the number of calories and know the serving size. Many fat-free versions of some of your favorite foods are not necessarily lower in calories.
Final comment, there are no “magic” foods. Eating grape fruit religiously, while it is a healthy food choice, do
not expect this practice to burn any extra calories.
Slurping down cabbage soup, sorry to say, will not produce any wonderful results either. Simply put, use
your head when you hear or read some quack’s new revolutionary diet plan. Nope, combining foods a certain
way is not going to make you drop the pounds either -
How To Break Through A Weight Loss Plateau
One of the most common questions asked to us is…
“I’ve successfully lost X of the Y pounds I want to lose, but now I am stuck at the same weight even though I’m sticking to my diet. How can I start losing again?”
Here’s the answer… You’ve reached a plateau (which is normal), and — it’s time to shake things up! —
Plateaus are a fact of weight-loss life, so don’t get down on yourself. In fact, now is exactly the time to pat yourself on the back: Look at how far you’ve come and be proud of it! Then you can determine if this is really a plateau — or if you have simply reached your ideal weight.
I know as well as you do how attempts at weight loss can drive us crazy. According to the numbers, we can seem to be doing everything right, and yet nothing seems to happen.
The first step is to stop focusing on the scale. Often a change in the scale just reflects the pounds of body fluid you lose and gain every day rather than how much fat you’ve lost or gained.
Also, you can lose inches of fat without losing weight when you gain muscles, because muscles weigh more than fat (but look a heck of a lot better). So if you can’t rely on the scale to tell you how you’re doing week to week, what can you count on? Use a measuring tape as your another tool to measure your success.
The science of weight loss is not a mystery — you must decrease the energy in (calories) and increase the energy out. One of the best ways to increase our energy out is to increase our activity level. That means…
Exercise
In any weight-loss program, exercises is a crucial part of the formula. If you’ve stopped losing weight, it’s time to start exercising more or increase your workout intensity. Here are several ways you can alter your training routine to push you past the plateau.
* Add variety
If you’ve been walking, try cycling or swimming. Increase the intensity of your cardiovascular or aerobic exercise by adding short bursts of higher-intensity movement, such as sprinting. These intervals should last 30 to 60 seconds and be followed by less intense exercise for two or three times the length of the burst. Start by adding one or two of these intervals to your routine, then increase the number as you improve your conditioning. Work out with a friend or a personal trainer. This may motivate you to pick up your pace.
* Intensify your workouts
Adding a few extra minutes to your routine, occasionally picking up the pace or tackling a hill or two can help you burn extra calories. Your 20 to 30 minutes of daily walking is good, but adding more time or trying new activities, such as bike riding or swimming, will help boost calorie burning.
* Add some muscle
Try some strength-building types of exercise, such as weight training or calisthenics. You’ll build more muscle, which burns more calories than fat, *even when you’re sleeping.*
Watch Your Food Intake
A strict exercise regimen is crucial in a weight-loss program, but the fat won’t come off if you’re hitting the potato chip aisle on a regular basis. Here are simple dietary changes you can make to help you lose the fat.
* Drink a lot of water
Drink a glass before you treat yourself to a second helping or an unnecessary snack. This helps you feel fuller. Eat foods that are high in fiber – they, too, help fill you up (the body doesn’t digest fiber).
* Add some weight-loss supplements
Natural weight-loss products contain herbs to boost your metabolism, burn fat and help you curb your cravings for carbohydrates. If you’re not using any weight-loss program, a plateau is a good time to start.
* Check your eating habits
Sometimes when the pounds start coming off, we’re not as diligent as we were at the beginning. Portions start to creep up in size, and more sweets find their way into our diets. A food log is a good way to keep track of what you’re putting in your mouth.
As you ease off that weight plateau, maintain your persistence. Your weight loss probably will be about a pound a week, and you may land on another plateau. Make adjustments as needed with your activity level.
In the end, you should view hitting a plateau as a good thing. Why? It means your body has less fat to lose, which explains why the weight isn’t coming off as readily. And remember: It’s best to lose weight slowly and sensibly so you can make changes that you’ll keep for life.
There are many reasons for plateaus and therefore many solutions. If you address the above issues, you’ll achive the weight-loss results you desire. And enjoy your improving fitness level and better health.
This article was provided by http://WeightLossGold.com. Visit their site for proven tips on burning fat and losing weight. We recommend their FREE newsletter. Send a blank e-mail to mailto:subscribe@weightlossgold.com to subscribe.
11 Ways to Increase your metabolism forever!
You hear it all the time – “metabolism”, but what is it? It’s the process of converting food to energy (movement and heat). Metabolism happens in your muscles and organs and the result of it is what we commonly refer to as “burning calories”. Metabolism is essentially the speed at which your body’s motor is running.
“Basal metabolism” is the metabolic rate or caloric expenditure needed to maintain basal body functions such as your heart beating, breathing, muscle tone, etc. It’s how fast your “motor” is running when you’re still in a reclined position or sleeping. Basal metabolism accounts for about 75% of the calories you expend on a daily basis!
The good news is that there are 11 ways you can “boost” your metabolism! The more of these you’re able to incorporate into your life, the more you’ll boost your metabolism. That means you’ll be expending (“burning”) more calories 24 hours a day!
1. Always eat breakfast! Skipping breakfast sends the message to your body that you’re starving because you haven’t had food in 18+ hours. As a protective mechanism, your metabolism slows down. Food, especially complex carbohydrates, fuels your metabolism.
2. Eat earlier in the day! Research has demonstrated that you can lose weight simply by eating a substantial breakfast and lunch, and a light dinner. Dinner should be eaten as early as possible, preferably at least four hours before bedtime.
3. Never eat less than 1200 calories per day! Less than 1200 is usually not enough to support your basal metabolism and thus will slow your metabolism.
4. Snack frequently! Complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and grains) fuel your metabolism. Also, snacking prevents you from becoming too hungry. The hungrier you are, the less control you have over what and how much you eat.
5. Eat more carbohydrates (food from plants), and less fat (food from many animals and other food with added fat)! Carbohydrates boost your metabolism and have fewer calories per weight than fat.
6. Do some type of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc.) on a daily basis (preferably in the morning)! Forget this twice-a-week stuff. Our bodies were designed to be active on a daily basis! When we are, our metabolism soars!
7. In addition to your regular aerobic exercise, take a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk at lunch or in the evening. This serves to boost your metabolism even more!
8. Tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. Toned muscles send your metabolism through the roof. Do it!
9. Look for situations to be active. Park as far from the store as you can rather than looking for the closest parking spot. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, a broom rather than a blower, etc. Look for the “hard” way to do things!
10. Avoid alcohol! Alcohol depresses your metabolism and stimulates your appetite.
11. Drink 60+ ounces of water a day. Your metabolism needs plenty water to function properly. Carry a bottle of water with you and drink frequently throughout the day.
Get started today! You’ll feel better and your metabolism will be in “great shape”!
If you would like to learn more about losing weight and speeding up your metabolism in a healthy way, I suggest you check out Ultimate Weight Loss Revealed by the internet’s well respected fitness expert Brad Callen. The book tends to be more for women in their mid 30’s than for men, but is still an excellent resource to have on hand.
Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, M.S.,
publishes a FREE email newsletter, “Fitness, Health,
& Weight Loss”! To start your free subscription….
Fitness-on@mail-list.com or http://www.Landry.com
Copyright 1998 by Greg Landry, M.S.
Dieting and You
By: Pam Nicknadarvich
When it comes to the world of dieting you will find that there are lots of low-fat diet, weight loss, and fitness plans on the market. It takes eons for a few to develop into a contender and others remain a best-kept secret of sorts. One such ‘best kept’ secret would be the diet that was designed. I am sure that there are many reading along and giggling under your breath that there is no way one can drop weight by snacking every three hours then again the science behind the idea is fairly ordinary and Jorge Cruise is a mainstay in the health industry.
The long and short of this salt-free diet performs with the knowledge that if you do not feed your body exactly and repeatedly your body will go into what is called ’starvation way. In this mode your body holds onto the fat rather than burning it up and consuming it for use. This means that your body is burning muscle rather than fat to take the energy it needs in order to function.
With the high-fiber diet you will not feel hungry all the time, in fact, there are many who claim they are always setting alarms and reminding themselves to eat. You will also learn the proper foods to eat in order to pull off the best workable results. The key is in knowing which foods are appropriate for you when dieting with this plan.
One thing you have to to keep in mind is that dieting with a program such as this is no small pledge. You want to stick to the timetable as much as possible in order to achieve the results this plan is famous for. If you aren’t willing to eat every three hours then this plan really may not be the plan for you.
Otherwise, if this is something you would be involved in, I warmly suggest it. There are special considerations based on the amount you weigh currently and the amount of weight you are hoping to drop. It is best if you are honest throughout the process in order to attain the best feasible and most immediate results. The claim is that you can drop as many as 10 pounds in the first two weeks and there are those that have claimed to do just that over and over again. This is a high-fiber diet that even many celebrities endorse for quick and immediate results.
The good and the bad about dieting is that it is effective but takes a very real pledge on the part of the one that is dieting. This high-fiber diet is one that is taking the world by storm. If you haven’t heard of it before now, please take the time to check it out and see if this is something you could incorporate into your life. The results that have been reported as a result of this low-fat diet as nothing short of phenomenal. If there were one low-fat diet I would recommend above others for those who hate feeling starving, it would be this diet.
The Plain Truth About Good And Bad Fats
By: Judi Chambers
Good Or Bad?
Despite what many people think, we actually need some fats in our diet to stay healthy. Not only are they a source of energy, they also — among other things — help us to absorb vitamins and nutrients (vitally important), help with nerve transmission, and maintain the membranes of our cells.
On the other hand, eating too much fat leads to weight gain, heart disease and some cancers. A lot of people eat more fat than is good for them. And the thing to be clear on is that fats are not all equal. Some are good for your health in moderation, while others are definitely bad.
There are four types of fat: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats. The first two are broadly “good” and the last two “bad”.
Monounsaturated Fats
Coming down on the good-for-your-health side, these fats help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol, and increase “good” HDL cholesterol. They help to lower blood pressure and can help control diabetes.
Good sources of monounsaturated fats are nuts (e.g. peanuts, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios and almonds) as well as olive oil, canola oil, avocados and chicken fat. Eating reasonably moderate amounts of these foods can actually aid weight loss.
Polyunsaturated Fats (incorporating Omega 3 and Omega 6)
These similarly helpful fats help improve the immune system, help guard against heart disease and can reduce the growth of tumours. They also help lower bad cholesterol. They’re extremely beneficial and you should include some in your diet.
Good sources of Omega 3 are oily fish (e.g. salmon, sardines, tuna and mackerel), again canola oil and walnuts, and various seeds. And foods rich in Omega 6 include corn, beans, soy, nuts again, evening primrose oil, sunflower oil and sesame oil.
Definitely look for Omega 3 and Omega 6 on food labels.
Saturated Fats
Now for the bad boys. Saturated fats significantly raise bad cholesterol and lead to artery blockage. They dramatically increase the risk of heart disease. You should always look for foods that are low in saturated fat.
The main culprits, as far as saturated fat foods go, are animal products, such as meat, whole milk, cheese and eggs, as well as some foods from plants, such as coconut oil and palm oil. You can do your body a favour by using skimmed milk instead of whole milk and trimming the fat off your meat. And only eat cheese and eggs in moderation.
Trans Fats
Trans fats were invented when food producers started to hydrogenate liquid oils to give them a longer shelf-life. This led to the production of trans fatty acids which increase bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, and lead to heart disease and strokes.
Unfortunately, trans fats are found in a lot of packaged foods and also deep-fried foods like french fries. You’ll find them in abundance in many packaged snack foods like chips/crisps and related products, as well as pastries and cookies/biscuits. Hydrogenated oils are also obviously full of trans fat.
Always read the food labels and avoid these as much as possible.
To Eat Or Not To Eat?
Some fats are clearly better for you than others and the bad ones should be avoided where at all possible. But you should also limit the amount of even the good fats you eat. Most foods actually contain both unsaturated and saturated fats and the producers will label them according to the fat that’s in the majority. So watch out!
Many of the foods you probably like are low in fat anyway, so try to make it a habit to eat more of these as you watch your fat intake. But don’t completely shy away from those foods such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and the healthier oils. If you’re looking to lose weight, or just to eat a better diet, these foods are good friends to you and you should enjoy them.
Healthy Weight Loss Plan
Weight Loss Program
By: Louis Richard
Thousands of men and women are trying to lose weight today. There are millions of overweight Americans who are searching for the right diet for them. Too many will quickly turn to fad diets as the answer, not only wasting their hard earned money, but wasting their time too. The first thing someone should ask themselves is “is this diet a healthy weight loss diet, or is it some gimmick which does not work in the long run?”
Healthy weight loss means that you lose fat without losing a lot of muscle. When you go on one of these silly fad diets, you can lose a lot of weight, but a lot of that weight is from muscle. That is a big no no. When you lose muscle, your body’s metabolic rate drops and the body is no longer very efficient at burning fat.
That might sound a bit funny and strange to most people but we do this all the time when it comes to weight loss and sticking to a plan. We want to see results after the first week, or month. Do not forget that it took years to pack on the weight, so don’t expect to see the weight melt away the first day or week or month. A safe and healthy weight loss program takes time and effort and most of all consistency.
One of the most well known ways to get into a healthy weight loss pattern is to remember that you need to go about this in something akin to a snail’s pace: slow and steady. There is no way that you are going to ever keep off any weight that you take off very rapidly. This is something that ultimately leads to a very un-healthy cycle of gaining weight and then losing that weight all over again. The point here is that you really do not need to go about losing the weight that you want to lose in a reckless or haphazard way.
A good weight loss program is the right way to lose the weight you’ve been struggling to lose. Yes, that sounds simplistic, but it’s absolutely true. For example, if the diet plan you choose is an intense one which will last for six weeks and does not mention any sort of permanent change then this is a diet plan that will have you balloon up to your original weight as fast as you lost it, and is probably not a good plan for you.
Losing weight the healthy way is a preoccupation of more than half the North American population as they are faced with extra weight. Many magazines make a fortune selling miracle diets and promising a quick and easy weight loss. Is there such thing as a miracle solution to lose weight rapidly?
Healthy weight loss programs can benefit individuals yet the most traditional food in America; fast foods and preprocessed foods are not on the menu. Meals containing trans-fats certainly lead to a negative effect on general healthy choices, including weight. There are many side-effects due to poor nutrition such as this.

