Archive for October, 2008

by Jessica A. Andersen

Dr. Barry Sears developed the Zone Diet. The diet uses the 40/30/30 strategy. This means that you consume 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. The good Dr. Sears advocates a balanced diet plan in order to lose weight and avoid diseases.

The Zone diet talks about insulin production as a factor in weight loss. Eating foods that will raise the blood sugar and stimulate the production of insulin are not good for the body. Excess insulin will be stored as fat. The body is not encouraged to burn stored fat for energy with so much insulin in the bloodstream. Such increases in insulin are believed to aid in increased incidence of heart disease and diabetes in people.

As we discussed some foods cause a spike in insulin. Which foods you ask? Well white flour and processed foods contain empty calories (simple carbohydrates) that cause insulin to flood the blood streams. Avoid these foods and white flour like the plague. Instead eat fruits and vegetables because the sugars (carbohydrates) in these foods are generally more complex and don’t cause the unhealthy insulin spike!

The traditional eating plan of three meals a day and two snacks are eaten on the Zone diet plan. The snacks are added to keep participants from experiencing hunger and overeating at the next meal. The snacks shouldn’t be high in sugar or they will defeat the purpose of maintaining steady blood sugar levels. For the meals, a regular dinner size plate is divided into 40/30/30. The largest portion is carbohydrates and they are simple carbs like green vegetables, corn, cauliflower, and peppers. The size of the meat portion is about the size of the palm of the hand for a four ounce piece of chicken or steak. Excess fat needs to be trimmed before cooking.

Eating enough fat is very important because good fats slow digestion and provide steady energy. Slower digestion means that your body will work on digesting and you won’t immediately feel hungry. The Zone Diet suggests good fats like olive and canola oil and recommends eating nuts as they contain good fats as well.

Avoid insulin spiking foods whenever possible. Sweets like candy, cakes, pies, chocolate treats and such are terrible. But be aware that other more common foods like breads, pasta noodles and heavy starches are similarly bad. Candy, breads, and pasta are addictive and its very easy to overeat when consuming these foods.

The Zone diet plan offers no special pre-packaged foods to buy so the plan is cost effective. The weekly grocery list is fine with a few simple changes to reflect healthier choices. The foods are ones that children are used to eating so there is no problem fixing Zone approved meals for everyone in the house. They may not even notice the changes in many cases.

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by Ricardo d Argence

There are many debates between supporters of the Atkins diet and the ones who are opposed to it. What follows is a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of the diet–information you should have before making the decision to try the diet yourself.

First let’s examine the facts quickly. Unsurprisingly, it’s estimated that over 40 million American are deciding to choose low carb style diets in their bids to lose weight. Companies and marketers have been making a killing in profits targeting people who have chose this dietary change, by releasing well over 500 products that include the no carb or low carb label.

That just means it works, correct? Yes and no, the long-term health effects of low-carb diets have long been debated, and experts have concluded that such diets can be risky, especially for people over the age of 40.

The Atkins diet, is a low carb and sugar diet believing that these two combined is the leading cause of weight gain. Despite the confusion caused by much misinformation, it has been determined that a significant factor in the obesity problem in America is the mixing of saturated fats with sugary carbohydrates made with refined sugar.

The principle is that carbs raise blood sugar levels and then trigger insulin production, in which the insulin directed those refined sugars into your cells, preventing the burning of fat. So, the theory was that if we cut the carbs, the body would use these sugars as it’s primary source of fuel, and the body would start burning fat for energy instead.

Atkins is also highly critical of sugar and recommends eliminating it from your diet. Instead of carbs and sugar, Atkins eaters are allowed plenty of fat and protein. The system specifically recommends animal proteins and notes that vegetarians and vegans will have a hard time following Atkins.

On the down side, as the body begins to lose fat, it attempts to gather the nutrients that carbohydrates used to provide by losing water stores and lean muscle, which is vital for a high metabolism. Ketones are produced when the body burns larger amounts of fats without sufficient carbs.

Some possible side effects of Ketones could be head aches, dizzyness, dehydration, bad breath and vomitting. Due to the fuel from carb sugars, the brain can lost it’s primary source as well a long term you can add bone loss, muscle breakdown and kidney disease to the picture, therefore can result in a brain damage and increased risk of a heart attack.

In spite of everything, if you want to lose your fat weight you should really try this effective diet. Checking with your doctor and doing research are good tools to use before starting any diet.

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by Anthony J. Howell

Man boobs is a term used to refer to enlarged male breasts and is a condition affecting thousands of men today. There are dozens of potential causes for man boobs but only a handful of available treatments. In this article, I will show you how to get rid of man boobs from your life forever. Two methods that can be used to get rid of man boobs are surgery and natural supplements.

There are other ways to get rid of man boobs including exercising, dieting or avoiding certain foods, but that won’t be the focus of this article. As promised, I am now going to tell you how to get rid of man boobs. In order of decreasing difficulty, the two methods to get rid of man boobs are:

1. Surgery: This is one of the popular methods to get rid of man boobs and is the only technique that your doctor or surgeon will share with you. The main reason for this is that they want your business. Man boobs surgery usually involves liposuction of the chest fat and excision, which means that actual breast tissue will be removed by the surgeon. Depending on the city and experience of the surgeon, surgeon’s fees for man boobs surgery can vary from $6,000 all the way upwards of $10,000. In addition, you will probably have to pay anesthesia fees and may have to pay a medical facilities fee. It may also take up to a full year to see the full effects from surgery.

2. Natural Supplements: Over the last couple of years, several natural supplements to get rid of man boobs have emerged. These supplements typically contain natural ingredients that are known to target the fat in male breasts and on the body in general. The natural supplements will work for most users, but not for people with severe man boobs. Ninety percent of men with man boobs do not have severe man boobs. The advantage is that compared to the cost of surgery, they are worth a try. In addition, some of these natural supplements come with free guides to teach you everything you would ever like to know about man boobs.

In this article, I have shared with you how to get rid of man boobs from your life using methods such as surgery and natural supplements. If you are not happy with the way your body looks, you need to do something about it. Many others have done it and you can too. For an effective natural supplement for man boobs, click the link below.

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by Therese Zachary

If you’ve been planning to lose weight then you’ve probably also heard of appetite control. This is not an uncommon method of weight loss. And if you’re thinking about using this technique for a slimmer figure, you’re not alone. A lot of people are thinking of the same thing. The truth is however is that this is a harder feat to achieve than you think. Here?s what you need to know about controlling your appetite.

Trying to Lose Weight

It?s hard trying to lose weight. It may seem like a simple thing to exercise and follow a nutritious diet plan. In reality though, this really takes a lot of discipline and will power. A lot of people have abandoned exercise regimens and diet plans because they cannot push themselves hard enough.

If you’ve tried the same, there’s no need to blame yourself. A lot of other people have lost their will and determination too. It is a very human trait to experience this kind of temptation on the road to weight loss. What is important is that you realize that weight loss is never impossible even if you occasionally stumble.

The Problem with Your Appetite

Overall Plan – One key to weight loss is following your overall plan. Other than that, you also need to make sure that you are able to control your appetite. Here lies the problem. We all have different appetites. Some feel like eating a lot only after a difficult workout while others feel like eating anytime of the day. One thing is certain for all individuals though, the inability to suppress one?s appetite could greatly affect weight loss goals. In other words, you may not be able to lose as much weight as you would want to at the appointed time when your appetite for food is always running amok. What can you do?

Different Strategies

Appetite Control – There are a lot of appetite control experts out there. The problem is that there are so many of them that there are also so many different theories and strategies for suppressing appetite. In some cases, the strategies may even clash. Some for example would recommend drinking lots of fluids while others would advise against it. There are also some who say that exercise by nature can suppress appetite but most of us have experienced otherwise. If you?re up to it, you could experiment on the various methods and theories to find one that works for you.

What Works and What Doesn?t

Not all strategies work the same. As you may already know, not all suppression strategies are good. Because you are a unique individual, some strategies will simply not work on you. If you aren?t careful, you might even end up causing more problems for you. Experimenting on your diet content and eating schedule for example could be harmful if you did not receive good advice from a dietician or nutritionist. You could be depriving yourself of essential nutrients.

Suppressing Appetite Effectively

The Definite Solution – If you don?t want to hit or miss you could try one solution that is simple, safe and straightforward. You could simply take Caralluma fimbriata to suppress your appetite. This is actually an Indian herb that when eaten convinces your system that you don?t need to eat yet. Indians themselves have been using this for centuries as a natural appetite deterrent.

Yes, you don?t need to experiment on your appetite control. With Caralluma, you can be on your way to genuine and consistent weight loss.

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Get the Body You Want, Do it Fast

by Ricardo d Argence

It has always been difficult for some of us to control our weight. If you want to lose weight quickly, there are always people who want to help you. These programs will not last in the long run.

It is not necessary to change your entire diet in order to lose weight. With some minor modifications, we can switch those fattening things for things that are more healthy, thereby creating new habits.

I will provide some examples from each meal group so I will begin with breakfast. If you switch from a regular corn flake cereal to a bran flake cereal with raisins you will be getting about the fiber you need for the day. Your body is able to digest the instant oatmeal faster than the regular oatmeal so regular oatmeal makes you feel full longer.

If you decide to have a sandwich for lunch, try to have tuna or use a canola oil mayonnaise. The addition of avocado to your sandwiches is just another tip. The fruit that is rich in vitamins, minerals, photochemicals, and cholesterol lowering plant steroids is the Avocado.

Another very effective technique is to increase the metabolic rate so it will help your body burn off any extra calories. One of the best methods to burn calories is to increase the amount of muscle mass in your body, because muscle burn approximately 70 to 100 calories per kilogram, while fat only burns approximately 4 to 6 calories per kilogram. Folks, it’s now time for weight and resistance training.

You may also begin to eat more each day now but without needing to worry about putting on weight. For me, as you may have known, trying to adhere to harsh low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets is not a simple task.

Another way to get your metabolic rate higher is to take “Stimulants”. Japanese studies have proven that caffeine and green tea are both stimulants. The results show that a person who drinks green tea daily will burn 70 more calories than someone who doesn’t drink green tea. There are lots of easy ways to speed up your metabolism rate.

Please do not stop with this article. Do your research related to your favorite foods. By simply making some wise choices and substitutions we can save calories and fat, thereby getting in shape faster.

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